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Tree branch: check. Assorted lightweight seed-bearing fruits and nuts: check. Other seeds: check. Water bottle, for when she has to veer away from the river: check.
Better not linger in her starting place too much longer. Yellow's faster than her and may have already come home to a wreck. Thorn might have a habit of checking up on the place, even, just in case. She's invisible, inaudible, unsmellable - that won't help if he sends someone thorough. Or comes in person.
She sets out.
She's been flying for about thirty minutes after her shopping trip when she falls through a tear and squeaks inaudibly and lands in the middle of -
imeanforever
imeanforever
"I'm afraid most of the deserted locations in the city have a lot of broken glass on them, so it might take some looking. Do you have the hang of flying? There might be a suitable roof."
imeanforever
"Okay. Roof-hunting."
How are the roofs around here doing on the "broken glass" and "unoccupied" and "could hold full-sized Sparrowgirl if called upon to do so"?
How are the roofs around here doing on the "broken glass" and "unoccupied" and "could hold full-sized Sparrowgirl if called upon to do so"?
wormcan
Plenty unoccupied. Many without glass, roofs usually being above windows. The last requirement rules out a fair few. But they end up above a suitable roof eventually.
imeanforever
Promise doesn't land, but: "Go ahead and touch down. I'll stay up here." Well out of reach of any protruding bits of Needs A Giant Shoe Version.
wormcan
The bits in question are very good at protruding, but hopefully it won't come up. The sparrow lands and looks up at Promise.
wormcan
And Noelle reverts to being enormous.
Compared to a sparrow. She's standing, on her own legs, on the roof. "It worked! I'm, I'm me again!" She's barely concerned with being only half dressed, under the circumstances.
Compared to a sparrow. She's standing, on her own legs, on the roof. "It worked! I'm, I'm me again!" She's barely concerned with being only half dressed, under the circumstances.
imeanforever
Promise tosses her the hospital gown. "Still don't touch me." That's enforced. "And I don't know how to get rid of your power altogether. You should probably get a force field generator like mine, and I'll need to sparrow you and back to reset you on some regular basis."
wormcan
"I wouldn't turn one of those down. Where did you get it? And yes, I'd rather avoid being like that again."
imeanforever
"Paid for it with a gatepair. If they have any sense they'll give you one as a public safety measure. If they don't, I'll get you one, but I'd just as soon ration the gates so I can get other tinkertech as needed; I don't know how many gates they'll find that motivating."
imeanforever
"Yeah."
Promise turns her into a bird. When they are on the ground she turns her back into a human.
Promise turns her into a bird. When they are on the ground she turns her back into a human.
wormcan
By the time they return to the hospital, they've confirmed that Vista isn't in any immediate danger. She has a small metallic object inside her skull, but it doesn't seem to be doing anything other than reducing her control with her power. Removing it safely would be complicated.
imeanforever
"Can you remove it in a way that doesn't immediately kill her, because I can just heal her again as soon as it's out."
wormcan
"Yes...
I'll have to talk to some people. Atypical brain surgery on a minor is something we'd need all kinds of consent for."
"Just do it," Vista says. "It can't be less safe than leaving whatever Bonesaw decided to put in there."
I'll have to talk to some people. Atypical brain surgery on a minor is something we'd need all kinds of consent for."
"Just do it," Vista says. "It can't be less safe than leaving whatever Bonesaw decided to put in there."
imeanforever
"Also, I am running on very inadequate sleep. I can heal just fine, but I cannot reasonably wait around for hours while you fuss with things. It will presumably be very inconvenient for all parties to have Vista here stuck in costume perpetually rippling the space around her while I go home and sleep for a day or two."
wormcan
"Or I could do it." Panacea enters, accompanied by Glory Girl, and volunteers. "Wouldn't have to affect the brain itself, just disconnect whatever Bonesaw did. Might still need you for afterward, Promise."
wormcan
As far as Vista is concerned, this just means Bonesaw's work can get stopped sooner. She's all for it.
Once the patient is unconscious, her scalp and skull part and reveal the addition. It detaches.
"It's out, but probably affected the brain while it was in there. Promise?"
Once the patient is unconscious, her scalp and skull part and reveal the addition. It detaches.
"It's out, but probably affected the brain while it was in there. Promise?"
imeanforever
"Okay. Any other crises in progress?"
There are not. Promise goes out, finds the ex-sparrow ex-abomination, loans her her own force field generator so that she can make it to the PRT office and ask them for help without having any unfortunate accidents, gives her ten thousand dollars for incidentals, brings the five evil clones back to her address (damaged, but not beyond Promise's ability to patch up; it's a familiar location and mostly made of things like wood and rocks) and parks them there with constrained permission to go out with some gifted money of their own to get groceries/shoes/actual furniture of some kind while they're crashing there and says she'll get them longer-term orders when she has slept on it, and goes back to her tree again to bolt down a bowl of haws and nuts - she's too exhausted to prepare anything more complicated - and go back to sleep.
There are not. Promise goes out, finds the ex-sparrow ex-abomination, loans her her own force field generator so that she can make it to the PRT office and ask them for help without having any unfortunate accidents, gives her ten thousand dollars for incidentals, brings the five evil clones back to her address (damaged, but not beyond Promise's ability to patch up; it's a familiar location and mostly made of things like wood and rocks) and parks them there with constrained permission to go out with some gifted money of their own to get groceries/shoes/actual furniture of some kind while they're crashing there and says she'll get them longer-term orders when she has slept on it, and goes back to her tree again to bolt down a bowl of haws and nuts - she's too exhausted to prepare anything more complicated - and go back to sleep.
wormcan
Six people sit at a table.
"She healed my eye. Even you couldn't do that, Eidolon."
The dark-skinned woman in the lab coat speaks instead. "Some powers are stronger than others, especially in limited scopes. If she has a true healing power, that's notable, but is it more so than our research?"
"Yes. There are no healing powers, but Promise is not a parahuman at all. We are dealing with a completely separate source of abilities. You all see the potential there. Furthermore, she has mentioned the capability to open a gate to Earth Aleph. If she can cross worlds, the only thing stopping her from finding us is not knowing where to look."
"Or," says the Number Man, "she could get us to our other destination."
"And win the entire war? Nothing is that easy." Legend.
"We don't abandon any other plans, but it's worth looking into. And if nothing else, a prompt evacuation could decrease casualties by up to..." the Doctor looks at the Number Man.
"Three billion, three hundred and ninety-one million, eight hundred and three thousand, five hundred and four. Give or take.”
"One more thing. She healed my eye. Her sorcery can get past my invulnerability, and I've seen what she did to an enemy.
But she was hiding something while describing how she bested Cherish despite being affected by her power. This was immediately after saying that she could protect others through vassalization. Throw in the fact that she has never been observed to eat mortal food, and the inference is overdetermined."
The Doctor nods to the woman beside her. She asks herself a question, and says the answer.
"Alisyrrabel."
"She healed my eye. Even you couldn't do that, Eidolon."
The dark-skinned woman in the lab coat speaks instead. "Some powers are stronger than others, especially in limited scopes. If she has a true healing power, that's notable, but is it more so than our research?"
"Yes. There are no healing powers, but Promise is not a parahuman at all. We are dealing with a completely separate source of abilities. You all see the potential there. Furthermore, she has mentioned the capability to open a gate to Earth Aleph. If she can cross worlds, the only thing stopping her from finding us is not knowing where to look."
"Or," says the Number Man, "she could get us to our other destination."
"And win the entire war? Nothing is that easy." Legend.
"We don't abandon any other plans, but it's worth looking into. And if nothing else, a prompt evacuation could decrease casualties by up to..." the Doctor looks at the Number Man.
"Three billion, three hundred and ninety-one million, eight hundred and three thousand, five hundred and four. Give or take.”
"One more thing. She healed my eye. Her sorcery can get past my invulnerability, and I've seen what she did to an enemy.
But she was hiding something while describing how she bested Cherish despite being affected by her power. This was immediately after saying that she could protect others through vassalization. Throw in the fact that she has never been observed to eat mortal food, and the inference is overdetermined."
The Doctor nods to the woman beside her. She asks herself a question, and says the answer.
"Alisyrrabel."