MDSVeritas

"Well, uh... okay then." Dust looked toward the Red group's foe and then toward the lava around their environment. Then her turned and looked around at the people who had become his temporary powers. All of them... had powers too? He had thought he was the only one, or at least that it was pretty varied. But not only did these people seem to have powers, but rather varied ones at that. In any case, the meet and greet would have to wait. There was an enemy to beat, and he was determined to be of some help. "Hold up guys, let me lend some support." He yelled to the group as the heat from the lava around him coalesced and formed a large heated and bright mass of energy. "I'll hold this heat and light if you need it for a weapon or a shield. Now let's move, we better get the first move on this guy."

Sorry for the gap in posting folks, PAX East was busy. I'll try to catch up and get back in!

"Okay then!" Dust nodded to Braxen and picked up the last remaining unconcious fellow on the floor. (Edward V. Nemo). "I've got this guy. Now we better move!"He began to move toward the exit and thoughts swirled in his head. Why was he here? Who were these people? Did it have to do with his powers? Too many questions; Dust hated being left in the dark. (Is that the post that begins with "Red"? If so, you wanna put you character's name in the post so we can tell who you're writing as, given the multiple characters you have.)

"Okay then." Dust made it to his feet. "Braxen, and uhh...." he turned towards Locket. "You. I'm Dust." The heat of the room was already becoming evident. "But enough with introductions, we need to make it out of here. We should grab these unconscious folks too. We'll have time to talk later I'd guess." Dust walked over to the unconscious ones on the ground.. "Let's get outta here then!" (I'm confused, is he awake? I don't see a place where you're posting as him.)

Dust's eyes shot open. Not Michigan. Everything was reddish. The walls curved around in a circle. Definitely not Michigan. He listened to the voice intently while not moving from his supine position. Well this was.. unexpected. What was he doing before this? On a job? Probably, but the details were fuzzy. The one thing he knew was that he was in Michigan last, and this was not in Michigan if he had to guess- or at least it was underground somewhere if it was. He noted the other one who had gotten up (Locket). Without getting up he shouted out to her. "Hey there missy. You okay? Any more idea of what's going on here than me?"

Here we go... Looking forward to see where this goes. Name: Dustin "Dust" Iedon Age: 28 Sex: Male Appearance: Dust wears a light blue button up shirt that hangs lazily over worn jeans and even more worn skating-shoes. He wears tough fingerless gloves, and his hair is a messy storm of short light brown fury. His eyes are a brown only a hint darker than his hair. Ability: Light intensity distortion. Dust can weave and control the intensity light as he wishes. He can even transfer a fair amount of heat along with the light itself, replicating very mild elements of what the sun may output, moving both light and heat as he wishes. He could create, for example, a focused beam of heat and light to use as a blade, or take all the light from a room and make it pitch black as he holds the light itself within him. These are both very extreme examples, and doing either would drain Dust to the point of his limits- possibly rendering him unconscious. Normally, though, he can dim a room, melt surfaces with some focused heat, or illuminate certain objects. One note here; Dust can't actually manipulate light directly. He can't, for example, use light to make a person seem like they are somewhere they aren't. He can only adjust the intensity light that is there by introducing duplicate particles. This means he can make the light around a person super bright and hot, but he can't change the type of light particles coming off of them. Weapon: Flares he uses as fuel for his power. Bio: Dust is a courier; a messenger for things that need a delicate touch. He travels city to city to make his wage and do what he pleases. His clients know his skill, and he is never wanting for work, but the work he takes on is usually difficult; objects some people would rather not see delivered. As such, he is very pick about the jobs he takes, but dedicates himself to it. His wish, however, if that he could settle down somewhere. He's lost too many friends in his field. The person he was closest to, who was his rock, died in the last few years to an enemy of one of Dust's clients. Since then Dust has refused to forgive himself, and continually moved, avoiding closeness when he can while secretly yearning for it. Theme: (I'm hoping for an interesting dramatic story with a lot of tough choices, maybe some death, and a lot of craziness, don't let me down Sikota!)

I regret... wait no I'm pretty happy. (Well I guess I regret not getting to refining my upcoming RP concepts sooner) Oh right. Hi guys. How's everyone been doing?

Here's the first true chapter of the story. The development of the next couple chapters is up in the air at the moment but I figured I'd post this opening chapter regardless. You may want to read the prologue here: http://kh13.com/forum/topic/70914-resonance-of-pulse-prologue-co-written-story-series-by-mdsveritas-and-josh-wilson/ to get familiar with the world set up. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Hmp, Magi. Kinda like Pulse mercenaries.” Sayo lowered the tablet, and Jiro was right on the other side, reading some book as he did. “Sounds like a cool gig, why don't you join up?” Her words had an edge of humor, but she also seemed genuinely curious. “Sayo, c'mon.” Jiro sighed. “I was there when they dug it up, yeah, but I didn't get any powers, you know that.” He took a sip of his coffee. The cafe was emptier than usual. Jiro ' father had worked at the mine, and Jiro took to visiting the place at odd hours, befriending the people there. He had been there when Pulse was discovered, close enough to have become a magi from the concentration, but nothing had come of it, and it wasn't just that he didn't become a magi. “See, that's what I don't get.” Sayo stirred her latte lazily- the extent of her Pulse abilities. “You were right next to the freakin' thing, and not only did you not get epic Magi powers, you didn't get anything!” Jiro shrugged as he sipped the coffee again very slowly so that he could pretend he couldn't answer for the moment. Her best friend was an expert at avoiding subjects he didn't enjoy talking about. “Okay, okay,” She flipped through some of the other reports on the news directory, “consider the matter dropped.” She caught a glimpse of his smirk when he heard. Jiro really did like his little victories. She casually flipped through some more headlines as Jiro sipped and read. China was getting more and more unstable. It wasn't like she cared, but it couldn't be helped that she felt a little uneasy about a civil war brewing right across a little body of water from her. Japan had a stable government, but with Pulse involved in the war- as it definitely was going to be- it would be hard to know just how far the damage would spread if open fighting broke out. She didn't say anything. She knew it would only make Jiro upset- that sort of thing got to him in a way she didn't see in other people. He really hated it that Pulse was being used to make wars even worse. “You about done?” She asked in her tell-tale kind voice. “I think it's about time we get going.” In a few minutes both were walking away from the café and Sayo was already in the middle of a new topic. “That's what I told her!” Sayo made the face she always did when she got excited. “She really does think she's so great just 'cause her Pulse can power a scooter or two.” Jiro sighed as they both turned the corner. The morning was drifting slowly into the afternoon, but the alley they always took for their shortcut eluded the sun expertly, the buildings on either side vying for dominance and leaving little space between. Still, this was their shortcut. It had been for years, and it was always the one Sayo turned into when they walked from the coffee shop to the arcade. Same old, same old. Not this time. Sayo stopped first; Jiro was still staring at the pavement and thinking of the girl that always bragged about her Pulse ability. “Heya there.” Three of them. Two of them were leaned up against the wall smoking. The third had one palm on the wall and the other held a nearly-empty beer bottle- he was the one that spoke. Jiro jolted his head up and froze. Sayo took a small step back as she took note of them all. “Woah, hey, we don't bite.” The one with the beer again. He had a scar on his cheek, wore a faded crimson hoodie, and spoke in a half-whisper as if he was trying to be inviting. Sayo edged back a little more; Jiro was still immobile in a mixture of shock and fear. “Hey, girl, I said we don't bite, okay?” Another ominously sly half-whisper, but he had gotten louder. “Just come over here and I'll give ya a cigarette, eh? Fair deal?” He had a crooked smirk plastered on his face but it turned to a frown when he saw Jiro. “What'sa matter, kid, you think we're bad guys? You think we're undesirables, eh?” His eyes shifted back to Sayo, “then again, I don't give a damn what you think. All I know is that your girlfriend here definitely wants to come 'ere and get a smoke.” “Jiro, we're leaving.” The emotion from their conversion a moment ago had evaporated and Sayo spoke with quick precision. She grabbed Jiro's arm. “I don't think you heard me!” The beer guy's voice rose far beyond a whisper as one of his friends pushed off the wall a bit. “C'mere!” As Sayo moved to pull Jiro away to where they'd come form she was suddenly pulled towards the group in the alley, hitting the ground with a thud only a few feet away from the three. “See, ya gotta do what you're told!” The leader spoke again in his slimy whisper as one of his friends laughed. They had pretty powerful pulse abilities. The leader pushed off the wall and darted to Sayo and yanked her up by her shoulder. “Now, lemme get ya that cigarette, just hold tight a sec.” He turned back to the man left leaning on the wall and nodded. The man on the wall began to reach into his pocket as Sayo tore the man's hand away from her shoulder. “See, now this is why you gotta smoke a little- you look way too uptight girly.” With a flick of his hand holding the beer Sayo was pushed back down the ground. “L-let her go!” Jiro stammered with an anger tempered by cowardice. The leader's scarred plastered smirk melted into a grimace as his eyes shot towards Jiro. He smashed his beer bottle on the wall beside him and the shattered pieces rose up one by one to float about waist height. “You wanna say that one more time, Mr. Nice Guy?” the man sneered. “You b-better let her g-go." Suddenly every shard shifted around so that the edges faced Jiro. “You're gonna answer one more time, and if that answer isn't 'I'm going to go leave now' then you're gonna have a very bad day today kid.” The scarred man's eyes focused as the last of his friends stepped away from the wall and towards Jiro. “I'm...” Jiro's mind raced, and went to the one place he wished it hadn't. “I'm a magi!” He regretted the bluff instantly. The scarred man laughed aloud, and his friends weren't far behind. “How wonderful, kid, you tell that to the doctors if you make it through this.” The shards burst forth towards Jiro as Sayo screamed as she tried to jolt upright again. It barely took a moment for them to cover the ground toward Jiro, but as soon as they were close they lost all momentum, and dropped harmlessly to the ground. “What...?” Sayo muttered. The scarred man said nothing at all, his glare only intensified and he raised up the shards remaining near him, motioning them towards Jiro. Once again they fell, but this time they didn't touch the ground. The held near the pavement as they began to vibrate in the air. The scarred man moved back but wasn't nearly fast enough. “Get. Away. From. Her.” Jiro's head felt like it was about to explode; it was a feeling unlike anything he'd known, and all he knew was that he wasn't about to let anything happened to Sayo. The next moments were hazy to Jiro, as the shards all reformed in a moment and blazed towards the scarred man, and as they did, a terrible roar sounded out from the alley as Pulse energy shot in all directions. The scarred man ducked, but some shared caught the edges of his faded hoodie, leaving tears and several cuts. At that moment Sayo leaped to her feet, and swung her leg into the man's chest as he crouched. He doubled over as Sayo dashed to Jiro, grabbing his arm and whirling him around towards the alley's exit. “What the hell did you just do!?” She shouted in a mix of excitement and frightened shock. “I...” Jiro didn't find the words he was looking for in time; Sayo pulled him out of the alley and they dashed along the sidewalk as sirens whined in the distance- getting closer. “Crap... they must have... Damn it, use of high level pulse isn't aloud in public, and everyone and their mother just heard you use it!” Sayo's was still shouting in a state of bewilderment. “Jiro, you can't even use Pulse! How-” The police car that turned the corner cut off her sentence. She froze in an instant and Jiro soon followed. The car stopped and the doors opened in an instant. Sayo was quick to respond, putting her hands up and turning to Jiro. “Jiro. Hands up now.” The two police officers moved quickly towards them. “You two!” One barked, “You are under arrest for suspicion of Magi-level Pulse use in civilian areas. Let me see your hands!” Jiro looked down at his hands, still in disbelief. Had he... done that? Did he really stop those shards and actually redirect them? “Hands up right now!” The officer repeated angrily as he closed the distance. Sayo kept her one hand up as she shook Jiro with the other. “Jiro! Jiro, put your hands up! Now!” But the spinning in Jiro's head hadn't stopped. Some energy was flowing around and he could barely process it all at once. “Right now!” The officer's command was deafening but Jiro's headache was too much. “Vaedruz Yakez” Within a moment the situation changed. The sidewalk that Sayo and Jiro stood on erupted from the earth and suddenly they were several dozen feet in the air. In the next moment they were moving; each one under the arm of a winged figure soaring through the air. “What the hell is going on!” Sayo shouted as she looked over at Jiro. “Jiro! Jiro look at me!” Jiro didn't answer, instead an answer came from the winged figure who held them. “He probably cannot hear you for the moment, his mind must process all the pulse energy that is flowing through every synapse for the first time in his life. It is a lot to do, I assure you.” Sayo looked up; the face of the figure looked young; not much older than her. “Who are you? What's going on with Jiro? Please, I don't understand.” The winged figure smiled as the sirens grew faint and then disappeared. “I am Airthrus. Your friend is much like me, and it looks like he has only just discovered that.” Sayo was still confused. “Jiro? Like you? What is he? What are you?” Airthrus' smile grew as he turned to answer her. “Why, a Magi of course.”

Hey everyone. Hopefully some of you know either Josh Wilson or I from around the board; well, we've been collaborating for some time on a new story concept, currently known as Resonance of Pulse. This initial prologue serves as the first of hopefully many installments and presents the world that the story will take place in. We'll present the later chapters in weeks to come, where we'll be trading off writing duties on making them. Until then, I hope you enjoy the prologue to Resonance of Pulse! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Energy Spread Around the Globe. Reports of new abilities from all over! Yesterday, reportedly at a mining site, an unknown gas was released. Japanese government officials aren't commenting yet on how they plan to treat the release of this new gas, but this much is clear; it looks like it may change the way we live! Leaked reports on the substance refer to it as “Pulse” and already reports of people near the mining site gaining strange powers are growing, and as each hour passes, the range of the reports becomes larger and larger. It almost seems like these “powers” that people have been gaining (Which are reported to range from mild telekinesis, to some small control over elements like fire or water) will span the globe very soon, if they haven't already! We've got insider reports right here! Pulse Officially Supported by Government For Daily Use. The Start of A New Era! Today government officials release a statement saying that the Japanese government now supports use of the energy referred to as “Pulse”. This comes after the previously-unknown gaseous element spread entirely around the globe and imbued a reported 89 (and growing) percentage of people with a range of abilities. Companies that have already implemented a policy of allowing Pulse use have already had a reported average of 34% increase in efficiency, leading many pundits to claim that Pulse may be the key to revolutionizing our economy among other things. These abilities give citizens a chance to handle household tasks more easily, operate machinery remotely and fluidly, and even heat and cool a room at will, leading much speculation on if Pulse will go down as the greatest discovery in the history of mankind. Read more below! A Look Back: Six Months with Pulse As I write this I look outside to the busy city streets and I see poor children, who could never buy a car or a bike for themselves, riding their own little automotive contraptions powered by the their very own telekinetic abilities. I see people walking the city streets in the cold with nothing but shorts and tee-shirt on, as they envelop themselves in a light pocket of heat that they themselves have set up. I see the skyline that's been developed so much over the past few months thanks to the Extended Pulse Work Program. All of this from a mining discovery just six months ago. The very idea is mind boggling, but it's the truth. Nobody could have expected humanity to discover Pulse, but at this point I'm not sure if we could go back from what many refer to as the “modern magic”. The world is certainly better off with it. Continued on page 38... Protest Turns to Brutal Skirmish! Pulse Used! This morning, before the sun had even come up, a small firefight occurred in central China, where the growing unrest over political instability and tough constraints on Pulse use have led to more and more protests and several organized terrorist attacks, and the ensuing firefight has now left over a dozen dead. It is unknown how the fight began, but both government forces and armed protesters sustained various injuries and causalities. The Chinese government has yet to make an official statement, but early reports indicate this event has not yet sparked greater revolt in the country. The more shocking aspect, however, are the reports coming in that Pulse was used during the fight, for various purposes, including treating the wounded, yet also for super heating bullets and creating, in the case of artillery shells, the equivalent of an incendiary round. Picture are included in the main report below, but be aware- the images are graphic. Besides the use of fire-Pulse abilities, there was also reported use of telekinetic-base Pulse abilities by several Chinese soldiers that, combined, was able to collapse an enemy building, killing all those inside. This brings forth the question of how Pulse should be used. It has since become widespread since it's discovery, but this event could serve as a frightening precedent. More inside... Who Are the Magi? An Inside Look. We live in a very different culture than the one that existed almost a year ago. Our home-life, travel, industry; all has been changed by the discovery of Pulse. Even the constant battles of neighboring countries on the news every day carry the tagline “Pulse Use Confirmed”. The world is certainly a different place, and we've all been affected by the discovery, yet none so much as the few who are now referred to as the “Magi”. Of course, Pulse isn't officially considered magical, but pop culture has taken note of the similarities and thus it is a natural next step that those with greatly focused Pulse abilities are referred to as “Magi”. These are the people who were within the mine at the time of Pulse discovery, and it's theorized that such a heavy concentration of Pulse flowed through them that their bodies acclimated nearly instantly to transferring the energy around as a sort of second nature. The Magi often have specific Pulse-type that they mostly practice, known as their “focus”. The exact reason is unknown, but if the preliminary scientific findings that Pulse use related to personality and emotion are correct, it may be that the Magi are most skilled in using Pulse in ways that reflect their own personality. These abilities range greatly, and as such the Magi have been contracted and hired for a variety of purposes, from construction to war. Currently the Japanese government maintains a policy of not officially naming the Magi, which we shall uphold in this article, though some of the Magi have certainly grown famous, or perhaps, infamous over the past few months. The question everyone is asking is this; when the world is now nearly dominated by Pulse use, what kind of role will the Magi fill in the coming times, especially as nearby crisis and war loom over us?

Congrats to everyone who submitted! I enjoyed reading everyone's stories. I'm also humbled to have had Sakura selected, but I think that a lot of you had some pretty spectacular entries in any case. I'm looking forward to the next competition like this and seeing what everyone comes up with next!

(Hey guys! Good to see you all around here. As far as a sequel goes, it's not outta the question. You guys should message me if you have any ideas. Still, though, I need some time to setup and run an RP, and I'll probably handle one or two more original ones before going to a sequel, and as for as original RPs, I miiiiight have a few ideas developing. Anyway, till anything comes up, I'm looking forward to seeing you all around the boards.)

Good luck everyone! Also, thank for the compliments, Schemer and Oathkeeper, you guys did very well too!

A lot of the recommendations above are things I'd recommend myself, but another one that I'd put good emphasis on for very good action/adventure in a well done sci-fi setting is Cowboy Bebop. Like, seriously. Cowboy Bebop.

"Good." Kai put his hands on the table, and Archangel began to slowly disapate. "Now we can be sure- these posessions are linked to transformations." He turned to Yassen, then to Shou. "Even more so, both of you were involed without even nessecarily knowing about the link, yet you fit the connection as well, which makes this even more interesting." He paced for a bit. "The only question is- how do we find the others with powers?"

"Shou, I believe you." Kai began once the camera was off. "I believe you about Gen and the transformations." Kai sighed. He had to know, this was the only way. "There's one link I believe is present between all the current possessions, but I need all of you to tell the truth."Suddenly wings protruded from Kai's back- black, sleek, sharp. His hands changed as well, a katana forming in his hand. "This is Archangel, what I call my transformation. Not unlike Shou and Gen I for some reason gained the ability to transform my body. I don't know why it happened it just... did. I don't think it's coincidence that Gen got involved with this while being able to transform. " Kai turned to Ferro. "I understand if you hid it as I did Ferro, but I must know, to find out who messed with Ayase and your roommate; can you transform?"

The car stopped in front of headquarters. "C'mon, Shou, let's go. Ferro, I'll wave you through to get into the station." Kai pulled Shou out of the car, made sure to handcuff him, and then brought him into the station. After a short walk and getting a room to use, Kai escorted Shou in. "Sit down." Kai turned toward the door where he was expecting Ferro. "Ferro, come in and close the door please." Kai paced towards the camera in the interrogation room. There would be no safer place if Shou went crazy again, but also, Kai could use the secrecy of this room to his advantage. It was time to move things along... even if it meant... "You're a dangerous man, Mr. Shou, or is it Gen? Manslaughter? No, murder. You've got a lot to answer for." Kai turned off the camera. The facade was off. Time to get to the real issue. Kai turned to make sure Ferro had come in and closed the door...

The patrol car arrived. "Here you are, Officer Kuranatto." The drive handed him the keys. Kai turned back to Ferro for a moment. "A Task force, eh? Not a bad idea. Let's everyone head back to the station. We'll check in on Shou's story, and plan the next move." Kai picked up Shou by the arm and dragged him to the police car and put him in. "Anyone else coming in this car?"

"Yeah." Kai shook his head in disbelief. "Yeah, an explanation would be great. What the hell makes you think we know why you grew wings?" He sighed and picked up his phone, calling in a ride to the police building. "In any case, we'll have to do a check for your story to be sure you're telling the truth." He sighed again. Nothing. Nothing! Running this case had taken his mind away from the fact that he'd just killed his sister in the past few hours, and now he was no closer to figuring out why it had to happen. "Goddammit! We're left with nothing new." He spun away from Shou and paced a bit, trying to think over what they knew so far.

Kai knelt down beside Shou and took his foot off of Shou's wing. "I will. For the moment, let's just go with that I believe you, okay? That explains why you were a psychotic killing machine a few minutes ago and seem like an innocent kid now. But..." Kai tapped Shou's wings. "...what it doesn't explain is this. You want outta this situation? Start explaining."

"Woah, woah, woah." Kai holstered his pistol, but didn't lock it in place. Not yet. Now, I am in no way beleiving you here, but if I am to trust your story at all, you need to be forthcoming with some answers. If you are what you say you are then that should come through well enough. Now, who is Gen? What is he, and above all; you birthed him; how the hell did you birth a transforming monster inside yourself?" Archangel wings were getting itchy. Kai hadn't transformed himself in quite some time. Maybe this whole issue was deeply rooted in his ability. Perhaps that was the connecting link... perhaps.

Kai rushed over to where Gen was, and put a boot firmly on one of his wings, his handgun aiming at his face. "Ten seconds before I forcibly rip these wings off. Talk."

Kai was still getting up after being pulled from the wreckage when the interrogation of Gen started. Ferro and Yassen made good points too. Kai put his hand on his holster and unstrapped the lock. When Gen finally transformed he pulled the handgun out fully, luckily Gen didn't initially target him with knives. "I knew there was something up about you Iwata, or should I say G..." There were many things Kai didn't excel at. Accuracy at firing a handgun was not one of them. He made three blisteringly fast shots that roared toward Gen. "Though I have to give you some credit- thanks for coming to us."

"Iwata, wait a second!" Kai caught up with Gen easily enough. "Hold up, you can't be moving in that state an-" He turned back to the ambulance, now partially in flames. There was only a short window at this point if they were going to get the suspect alive, even if it may be a slim chance. "Oh for the love of-"He sprinted over to the ambulance and opened the doors, moving inside the now flaming wreck, searching for the suspect inside. "You better be alive buddy!" He scanned the ambulance's interior, looking for the man... (Josh, given it's your character, I'll let you make the call as to where he is and what state he's in)

So far so good! The juxtaposition of his introverted pessimism and her curiosity make for an interesting setup, looking forward to more installments.

Both were super interesting, personal relationships are by far my favorite story theme and you're quite good at presenting them. The descriptions in your second story were particularly well done. It's good to see you around man, hopefully it ain't the last we see of you for too long.