Unwanted Weed
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
This page is very much under construction, information will fill out and change as ideas come to me and I find time to slap them in here.
| [[Image:|300px|]] | |
| Unwanted Weed | |
| Player: | |
| Origin: | Mutation |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Dominator |
| Threat Level: | 2 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Andrea McThurston |
| Known Aliases: | Andy, Ria |
| Species: | Human, Mutant |
| Age: | 18 |
| Height: | 5'1" |
| Weight: | 123 lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Dark brown |
| Hair Color: | Dark brown, shoulder length |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | None |
| Place of Birth: | Paragon City, Rhode Island |
| Base of Operations: | Rogue Isles, wanderer |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Father and mother both alive, no siblings |
| Known Powers | |
| Plant Control and Thorny Assault
Her mutation allows her very limited control of non-alien/non-sentient plantlife around her, as well as the ability to create plants near her. These plants quickly die when outside of her immediate vicinity. | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Higher perception and stronger self preservation instincts than most humans. | |
| Equipment | |
| Currently: A... Belt! | |
| ' | |
Contents |
Personality
The safest lifestyle is the loneliest of all.
Andrea McThurston has never been an incredibly outgoing sort. Even as a younger child she had few friends, and was an oddity even to them. When her mutation started kicking in, she became even more reclusive. The first signs were nearly impossible to see: Her mood directly affected plants around her. When she was happy, they might bloom vividly. When she was mad, they might seem to grow thorns or even lash out. The mutation was found out eventually when her fingers started to grow their own plants. Fortunately she lived in Paragon and this rarely brought her much negative attention. The plant growth slowly grew over her hands and continues its journey up her arms, and will produce seeds that drop onto the ground and have been known to sprout into rapidly growing and dying plants that seem to be directly affected by her will.
She has never had very much control over her mutation, and when she started growing thorns that withdrew into her body, her inability to control it started to cause problems. When she was startled they would erupt from her, and anyone standing close risked impalement. Worse still, the thorns contain toxins, so even a small accidental poke can lead to illness. This terrified her, and she began to separate herself from people physically, making sure nobody ever got very close and started avoiding crowded areas. Despite it all her parents tried to keep a supportive attitude for her, though they were fearful of her mutation. She tried to ignore the occasional slips in their well kept visage of support and understanding, but it didn't help her self esteem.
In the recent years Andy has become quite timid, easily startled, reclusive and is almost always tense when in the presence of others she is not familiar with.
Morality
Andrea's morality is currently in a state of flux. Her experiences with her own mutation causing grief for others, the troubles its caused her and her recent incarceration and subsequent accidental 'escape' from Zigursky. Her morality from this point on will be formed with her interactions with the villains of the Rogue Isles.
Powers
Her mutation came in two stages, the first was a direct connection between Earth's flora and herself, and the ability to create plant life from her own being that matures rapidly but serves short lifespans. Most of these plants come in the form of vines or brambles of various types, though she has been known to create other things, typically aesthetics such as flowers.
The second stage has had no sweet side. The development was rather painful for her and has since caused her no shortage of grief. The numerous and varied thorns that erupt from her are an actual part of her body. They come out of pores in her skin that are visible from a short distance away and are made of a material much harder than bone. The thorns' cores are hollow and are full of a toxin compound that causes fatigue in small quantities and typical poison symptoms in larger doses. Its presence has made her slightly resilient against similar toxins, unbeknownst to her.
Plant Control
Ria's ability to control flora is limited on natural plant life, but uncanny on the plants that she creates herself. Given enough time she could create a fairly convincing picture with the plants she brings to life. The plants aren't limited to vines and flowers, but also include fungus, spores, grasses and even small trees and bushes.
Keeping many of the plants alive takes a bit of energy and controlling more than a few of them may take a lot of her concentration to keep up. Typically the plants die in a matter of seconds, though some will last longer with effort on her part.
Most of the plants she brings to life are used in self defense, although most of them can be easily adapted to serve offensive purposes as well.
Her abilities have no effect on self-aware plant life, and are unlikely to affect those with extraterrestrial origins.
Thorny Assault
The thorns on Andy's body are quite varied in size, and even purpose. The majority of them are simply sharp thorns, others are quite small and can actually be forcibly ejected from her body. These are numerous and will regrow quickly, and carry the same toxins as all the other thorns. They're also particularly sharp, able to penetrate through most thinner metals.
Due to the hardness and number of thorns present in her, and the way they sit in her body she is fairly resilient for a human.
Others
Her mutation has a few other side effects through changes in her physiology. Her healing factor is significantly increased, and her body is able to benefit from photosynthesis. She still needs to eat, breath and drink like any other human, but she can go far longer than most on less when outside, especially in a sunny and humid area. She also benefits from increased general physical fitness.
??????
Vulnerabilities and Limitations
The most notable actual downside to her mutation is that she suffers greatly when removed from sunlight for long periods of time. One could say she takes on a serious case of SAD. Simulated sunlight appears to help some, but she isn't exactly aware enough to have realized what the cause is yet. She's also affected adversely by herbicides. While not a Kryptonite they do bring severe discomfort, from quickly forming rashes to general fatigue and other flu-like symptoms.
She currently has no other particular unusual weaknesses for a human.
Her mutation allows her very limited interaction with local flora, almost exclusively subconsciously. Plants in her presence a good amount of time may show an increased affinity to her mutation, and older, healthy plants that have just recently met Andy are nearly unaffected. Generally plants under her 'care' are healthier than they should may take up unusual traits based on Andy's overarching temperament. This will only happen with plants that spend several hours every day in the same room with Andy.
Known History/Powers Origin
The first 12 years of Andy's life were very "normal" for a girl growing up near Paragon City. She never actually ran into one of the so-called heroes of the city as she lived out in the suburbs and the school is outside the war walls. She was a quiet, shy girl and had only a small handful of friends. She was more interested in outdoorsy activities than most of her peers, so there were few she related to at her own age.
Once her mutation kicked in things gradually began changing for her. There were a small handful of mutants at her school, and other supers' kids, so she wasn't alone in her oddities. In fact, her mutation went mostly unnoticed for nearly a year. She wore gloves at first, but eventually decided it wasn't worth the effort. Her mutation never really bothered her until the second stage came along, then her life started changing drastically.
Painful Relief
The first hint of the thorns developing was merely hard, barely noticeable mounds in her skin. Andy had no idea what it was at first and kept it to herself. The mounds were easy to hide and she rarely let people touch her before, she was just a little more careful about it. For a time, nothing particular happened and it began to slip to the back of her mind. Then after a few weeks they began to become tender to pressure, and she began to worry. Eventually it got to the point where she wasn't able to wear her backpack and she had to sit in just a way to keep from leaning against the painful spots all over her back.
It became progressively worse and Andy couldn't hide her discomfort any longer, though she managed to fool most people into thinking her skin was just being really sensitive. One morning she woke in such debilitating pain that she wasn't able to move and merely laid as still as she could manage, trying to get back to sleep. Eventually her parents came to rouse her and when she didn't respond they found her on the bed whimpering. They'd been concerned about her behavior for a while and when they found her in such a state her father ran off to call 911 while her mother tried to find out what was wrong. All her mother was able to learn before an ambulance arrived was that Andy "Hurt everywhere."
When they got into the ER the examining nurse was alarmed at the growths she felt beneath Andy's skin and called for a doctor. When the doctor got there he quickly suggested they should take her to receive an X-ray. On their way to radiology Andy started to scream and grew rigid, startling both her parents and the hospital staff nearby. A moment later her second mutation became painfully obvious as the thorns shot out of her body with a loud crack and the sound of metal being pierced and torn. The screaming from Andy stopped, but some started from the nurse in its place. The doctor caught a thorn in his side, though he was fortunate that it didn't puncture deeply.
Everyone around Andy was terrified, but she felt an incredible relief. She was so exhausted from the entire ordeal that she fell asleep nearly instantly, and was oblivious to the chaos that ensued around her. The thorns withdrew as she fell asleep, and the doctor was rushed to emergency. Her parents were terrified and had no idea what to do. Another nurse came in and checked Andy's vitals and for any indication that the girl had been hurt before she continued to move her, quite carefully, to the radiology department.
Upon waking, Andy found herself resting comfortably back at home. Her parents explained what happened, and that the doctors found that her mutation had given her another gift that she had to be very careful with. They left out that the doctor had been hurt, though it wasn't serious. The following months Andy learned that she could cause the thorns to erupt at will, but couldn't always prevent it from happening. A few close calls were had both at school and at home, causing her to begin becoming much more reclusive.
It's the Impact at the End of the Fall...
Andy thought the thorns were bad. Then when she barely caught a kid at school - a small scratch really - and he began to feel ill later in the day, enough so that an ambulance was called in to whisk him away. When she heard about the ordeal the next day Andy was freaked out and pretty sure that her little scratch was the cause of it. The realization put her even further in her shell, and she began to insist even her friends stay away from her. She kept going to school to learn, but insisted she sit farther away from everyone else. She kept to her room or in the back yard when at home, and never really left the house. She rarely even let her parents near.
Her self ostracization did little to save her from trouble, of course. As a field trip to Paragon proved. Why anyone in their right mind would think to go into Paragon City for a field trip would be a later consideration for Andy. At the time she was almost having a pleasant day, it was nice, sunny, and they were outside. She could be near her few friends, while still keeping a comfortable distance without seeming to be trying to. They were touring around Steel Canyon and when they stopped near one of the small industrial parks, Andy started to put the part of her mutation she enjoyed to use: She started growing little flowers and small, colorful bushes in the park. Few of the children, and none of the teachers present had seen her mutation at all, short of the flora gloves she always sported. Of course, all of them had heard rumors about her much more notorious thorns. Though only one of her friends had ever actually seen it, of everyone present.
At first none of them noticed, mainly because Andy went to a less-popular corner and was mostly doing it for her own amusement. Eventually someone glanced her way and started staring, others followed suit and eventually a younger child wandered over and started touching one of the colorful bushes, exclaiming "Oooh pretty!" The girl caught Andy's eye and she looked and smiled, then noticed the crowd gathered behind her. She turned to face them and blushed something fierce, inching away from the small girl, fearing the worst would happen. The loss of concentration found most of the plants withering quickly, which thoroughly upset the inquisitive child. She started to cry and Andy's attention went back to her. She quickly brought the bush the child was intrigued by back to a much more brilliant version of itself, and started to make it the centerpiece of a small, bright and colorful display. The child's delighted cries brought a genuine smile to Andy's face, something she rarely wore. The crowd was forgotten as Andy put her creativity to use to entertain the child.
Before anyone realized, their time they were supposed to spend in this park passed by, and the little alarm one of the teachers set up as a reminder started chiming. Those who were fascinated by Andy's display gave a short chorus of displeasure that it was time to leave. The child, when urged away from the colorful display put up something of a fit. Andy sat herself in the sun away from the display and grew a single flower on her arm that slowly changed colors and beckoned the child near to show her. Successfully enthralling the child, Andy plucked the flower and gave it to her, who promptly ran over to showcase her gift to her friends and teacher. As the group started to leave Andy got up to follow, letting the display she'd created wilt and die, making sure that the little admirer was out of sight, then skipped happily after the group.
The day was winding to a close for the field trip, and the group was taking their route back through Steel Canyon to the rail lines. Along the route they started seeing quite a few Outcasts, some of which were eyeballing the group. They saw hints or the occasional few out in the city, but nowhere near this many. The adults and older kids were obviously spooked, Andy amongst them. They weren't given much of an opportunity to second guess their route as it was only a few minutes before all hell broke loose. Almost seemed to literally be hell: Something resembling a demon seemed to fall out of the sky, and was followed by a huge gang. Two other demon-esque figures showed up out of thin air, one followed by little flaming imps, the other looked like a bearer of plague. They immediately started running amok, though fortunately they didn't seem to notice or care about the school group.
Longbow showed up shortly thereafter and the brawl began in earnest, and the Outcasts started joining in on the mayhem. They weren't so nice as to let the group go by, though, and started harassing them. Amidst the chaos were all the things one might expect to see and hear: Cowering, crying, terrified children, a few teachers trying to reason with their antagonists, some preparing to try and defend their charges, and others cowering with the youth. A few of the morally bankrupt gangers started to harass the group more directly, throwing stones or even using their powers to startle and separate the group. A few longbow took notice of their situation and came down to help the helpless, and managed to quickly distract most of the gangers. Most of the teachers took the opportunity to command the group to run, and they took off in several different directions.
Andy, however, bolted as soon as she saw an opening without even giving it much of a thought. She was separated from everyone else by doing so, and went for hiding in an alley until the chaos went by. Instead, she came around the corner running nearly full speed and collided with a Longbow agent. Of course, she didn't know it was a Longbow agent until after she was startled and her thorns pierced the agent in ways that you don't walk away from. She was covered in his blood and after the initial shock of the collision wore off, she pushed him away and had to experience a whole new kind of shock. The agent barely managed to stumble forward before falling to the ground, and the reason for his being there was made clear: Several of his ilk covered the ground of the alleyway, amidst them was what had to be a villain. He bore one striking resemblance to her: Spikes like her thorns. He was just 'finishing up' one of the last Longbow agents standing, and turned about to find Andy standing frozen, thorns deployed with a longbow at her feet. He grinned wickedly.
"Well, now. Thanks for taking care of that one, he might of actually given me a scratch." Andy couldn't hide her terror, and the evil approached her with such a grace that it might be described as beautiful. "Oh, what's this then? Perhaps someone didn't mean to help little ole me out, is that it?" He paused and stared at her inquisitively for a mere moment, as if waiting for an answer, before returning to his grin. "How delightful." He vanished, and a moment later his voice sounded eerily close to her ear. Andy jumped and spun around, taking a step back even as he spoke, "You know, you've downed a Longbow agent, that makes you like me... more than you were already." He gestured to her spikes and smirked. Tears started at her eyes and she stammered in asking what he wanted.
"Nothing, now. I've already found what I came for, you see. All of this, well its just a very delectable bit of extra fun." A low sound seemed to catch his attention, and he grinned and added, "Do enjoy your stay, I hear the Brick is just splendid this time of year." And with that he vanished again. Andy tensed, expecting another trick like before. Unnerving, horrible moments passed without his voice ringing again, and she eventually began to return her attention to her surroundings. She turned around and surveyed the gore strewn about in the alley. Her dark, terrified eyes locked on the closest body, riddled with fresh holes all along the back, blood trailing along the cracks in the pavement.
What was she to do? It was an accident. How could she explain it? She was covered in his blood!
Andy wiped at her face with what little of her shirt she could find wasn't already covered in blood, and wiped her hands on her jeans.
Her clothes were tattered in such an obvious way. If they found her here like this... But it was an accident. Who would believe her? Nobody saw what happened except... him.
His words struck her mind now. The Brick. She'd heard that before... used to reference Zigursky! He was leaving her to take the blame for all of them! His spikes...
Andy looked to the other bodies. All had holes like the one at her feet. She had to get away.. get cleaned up. She couldn't be found here like this!
Andy turned to run as quick as she could, only to go back around around the corner and collide with another Longbow agent. She impaled this one, too, but this time screamed and recoiled.
Not again.
The agent stumbled back... into his compatriots. Who all quickly pointed their weapons at her and opened fire. Andy felt lightheaded as pain pierced her body in several places. She wasn't sure where, just that she hurt. It reminded her of the pain the last time her thorns tormented her.
The thorns retracted as Andy fell forward onto the ground, barely conscious enough to brace herself against the impact. She heard footsteps approach her. Her head hurt. Something was said, several footsteps moved away. She felt something on her back.
But... it was an accident...
Escape to Hell
Andy woke up, much to her surprise. The first experiences she had were that of cold and hard. It smelled... musty, she decided. Realization set in eventually, and she sat up and gave a shot at looking around. Pure black. She sat there a while trying to figure out if she couldn't see because it was dark, or if she was blind. She couldn't make up her mind, and started feeling around with her hands. She was sitting on a cot, she decided.
"Hello?"
No reply. She stood up slowly, carefully. She noticed whatever she was now wearing was way too big for her. She began moving cautiously, reaching out with her hands and stepping awkwardly in a direction until she felt a wall against her hand. She felt along it until she it gave way... immediately to metal. She knocked once. A dull thud. A really thick door? She balled up her fist and gave it a few solid thumps.
"Hello?! Is anyone there?"
This one got a reply, but not the kind she was expecting. A loud thump coming from the wall behind her and a gruff, would-be-booming voice, if it wasn't going through concrete walls: "Shuddap!" Andy jumped at the noise, then turned around and moved slowly towards the wall the voice came from. "Hello?!" She practically yelled, voice stressed almost as much as she was. "Where am I?"
Another slam against the wall, which made Andy jump again. She noticed, this time... no thorns? Something resembling laughter caught her attention and the mystery voice followed again, "Welcome ta the Zig, home to all the city's unwanted freaks. Enjoy your goddamn stay and shut the hell up."
Andy felt a mix of relief and dread, heavy on the dread. She found the cot and curled up on it, crying quietly as she tried to forget why she was here, and tried not to think about what was going to happen to her. She failed miserably on both fronts, her despair got the better of her imagination, and she couldn't escape her situation. She eventually wore herself out, tears run dry and thoroughly depressed she managed to find sleep.
Her next experience was far from pleasant. She woke to a pain in her side. Bleary-eyed, dehydrated and barely aware of her surroundings, she came to by a voice that tore at the ears. "Get up, slime ball. Time ta get registered." Another bit of pain in her side. This time she figured out the source: She was being poked. A complaining grunt and she sat up, rubbed her eyes and looked up at the behemoth of a man standing before her.
By his outfit she could tell he was a guard. By his size she could tell he was a mutant. Even those crazy muscle-bound weightlifter types couldn't get half this guy's size. The nightstick he was carrying, and presumably used to poke her side, looked like a twig in his hands. If she had seen him in another place like that, Andy might have giggled.
Instead she slowly, begrudgingly stood up. The man motioned her to follow, and she did. He barely fit out of the open metal door. There was light now, and she could see her cell. Dismal. She walked through the door and immediately felt... dwarfed. The sheer size of Zigursky caused her to stagger for a moment. "No dawdling." She hurried along after the brute of a man who walked deceptively fast.
For a time she looked around, then she started noticing the occasional person staring at her. These weren't friendly stares, and she soon found herself studying the wondrous properties of the floor. She could feel the stares still, but it was better than seeing those faces. Some were downright hideous or frightening.
After what felt like much longer than it was walking in silence a timid question came to her lips, without her even thinking it. "What is going to happen to me?" This seemed to surprise the hulking figure, as he stopped abruptly, then turned about to face him. She almost ran into him, but stopped just short and took a few steps back. She looked startled, but the guy was smirking.
"Well now I suppose that depends on what you did." He shrugged off the surprise and gestured for her to follow again. Resuming a slightly more relaxed pace, he continued. "Your file ain't come yet. The longbow guys can take their sweet ass time filing reports. Until they do, you're here on grounds of they said so. When your file gets here, them law monkeys will devour it like candy ta figure out just how long you'll be stuck in this hole." He seemed to let her catch up and walk side by side. "Dependin' on yer sentencing you'll either be stuck here, go to one of the lower security areas or shipped off ta maximum. Though by yer demeanor I'd be willing to bet yer not the maximum type."
Andy walked in silence. She didn't so much as look at him, though she could tell he was watching her. A few minutes passed before he finally spoke again. "Normally I don't care to ask. Freaks in here, I don't want to hear it. But you've got me curious. What'd a timid lil' thing like you do?"
Andy stopped, looking away. She felt... ashamed. Worse, she felt angry. Furious, even. She contained it well though, and only said in a defeated voice, "It was an accident." She predicted the chuckle that followed. "Oh, is that all? Well then you'll be off scot-free!" She grunted, "Yeah, right." Another chuckle and he started walking again. She followed. "Really, though. Don't try it as a defense. They've heard it a billion times. Literally."
"It was, though!" Andy insisted. He shrugged. "Got proof?" Andy thought for a little bit.. then slumped and didn't bother answering. "Thought not." In silence they trudged once again. Eventually he piped up again. "Look, kid. I'm not one to judge. I just keep the peace in this rock. If it was really an accident ya better think about how you can prove it. You don't really seem like the type, but that ain't gonna help you either. These guys have seen everything. And if ya can't prove it, be good. Don't make a scene, and do what people around here tell ya to do. Do it without complaints and keep your head down. Get yourself outta here on good behavior or something."
Andy just mumbled a "Yeah, thanks..." and heaved a sigh. She didn't want to be here. She didn't -belong- here. She wasn't a criminal! Her personal rant was cut off as he lead her to a door and stepped aside. "Here ya go, kid. Just do what they say and answer all the questions. Won't take too long."
Andy looked at the open door and frowned, then looked up to the brute and shrugged. "Thanks, I guess." He gave a little smile and nodded. "Sure thing, Kid. See you around." He waited for her to slip into the room before wandering off.
The 'registration' process wasn't quite as bad as Andy was fearing. Mostly a lot of questions, name, place of residence, family, friends, etc. Fingerprints, if you could call hers that. They measured her height, weight, noted all other physical traits and asked her to describe her "meta abilities." They had already classified her as a mutant. After she was done describing what she could do they prattled off a list of rules, regulations and allowances about every little thing. She may have missed half of what they said.
Once they had completed their routine, she was directed to a large, high-tech looking booth. The doors shut and she felt a bit tingly, then a brilliant white flash followed by an incredible disorientation. She nearly fell down, though the light faded a moment after it started, and she found herself in her cell, door now closed. The light was on now, though. She spent some time familiarizing herself with the room. There wasn't any obvious light switch, so she came to the conclusion that the lights would go out when they went out, and if she needed to move around she'd need to know the layout of the room. It was funny to her, actually, a she realized she'd always thought of things like this. Her friends sometimes made fun of her for things like this. It always seemed to serve her well, though, so she didn't let it bother her too much.
After that, she found a boredom the likes she'd never experienced before. Eventually, she tried exercising her "meta abilities." She had absolutely no luck. She couldn't even force the things that just seemed to happen before. She couldn't get her spines to poke out a little. Eventually she stopped trying, and tried to figure something else to do.
Most of her next days were spent in utter boredom. She slept as much as she could. She saw that big brute most days and kind of hovered around him. Eventually she learned his name was Marcus. He got Andy a few books to read and generally kept an eye out for her. She spent roughly a month in the Zig before starting to get really anxious. She hadn't heard anything about her sentencing, or the report being filed or anything regarding her incarceration. She hadn't even heard from her parents!
Then Andy's sleep was interrupted one night by an incredibly loud explosion. She bolted to her feet as she felt the explosion rock her cell. That was close by! Yelling and the sounds of a firefight erupted around her, and slowly moved away. Her cellmates were making a ruckus, interrupting what might have fallen back to silence. Andy stuck her head against her door, trying to listen to what might be going on outside. Klaxons sounded and her door started opening. She backed away and into the corner, afraid she might get shot if a firefight erupted outside her cell again.
The others weren't so cautious, and rushed out of their cells. She heard security gates falling. She'd heard them once before when prisoners got rowdy one day. She heard muffled voices barking orders. Gunfire sounded from somewhere far off. She also started hearing very muffled dull sounds... gunfire outside? She couldn't be sure.
A few minutes passed and it slowly quieted down outside. Andy cautiously peeked outside. Corpses were strewn about here and there. Guards, inmates and darkly clad, armored people she didn't recognize. There were a few convicts scouring the place for anything of value. Andy quietly crept out and moved along the wall toward the guard station that was nearby. When she rounded the corner her breath caught at the sight. There were guards everywhere, almost all of them appeared dead. There was a few still alive, but being beat on by convicts. A pair of the dark, armored guys looked like they were forcing a guard to deactivate security off in a corner. There was a giant hole in the wall, leading out to what looked like administration offices.
A hand landed on Andy's shoulder and she jumped, and almost yelped as she felt her thorns erupt out from her suddenly. She had been so used to living without them for a while the experience surprised her. Not nearly as surprised as the convict that she turned around to face. He'd taken a very nasty spike to the head, and a few to the chest. Andy stumbled backwards and barely managed to keep her balance. The convict didn't even have a chance to yell, he was killed instantly. The ruckus, however, gained her some attention. A few of the other convicts laughed and told jokes amongst themselves, others edged away from her. One of the armored guys took notice and barked orders for her to follow. His buddy was holding a high powered rifle, and she didn't feel the will to argue. Her thorns retracted and she took to following.
He lead her through the hole in the wall to the ruined office, with a giant hole in the ground. He hopped easily down the hole, she glanced around briefly. Police drones were laying around, inactive. A few more guards, dead or knocked out. Andy felt numb as she followed the armored soldier down into a sewer. There were more like him in the sewers with rifles or other, stranger weapons in hand. Their armor was intimidating. She meekly followed the one, leading her out into one of the courtyards outside the Zig. More of the creepy soldiers.
Her 'guide' stopped and pointed in a direction, barking new orders. "Meet with our main crew at the landing site over there. Immediately! If anyone gets in your way, eliminate them. Go!" She hesitated a moment. What did they want with her? If she didn't do as told, she was afraid they'd kill her. She cleared her head and decided to go silently as instructed.
She passed quite a few of the soldiers in black, none of them paid her any attention. She also passed by quite a few convicts. A few of them did pay her some attention. She ignored them, though started moving a bit quicker. "Hey there sweet lil' thing!" One said, then grabbed her arm as she was passing by. She wasn't startled, but her thorns made themselves known immediately. The guy's hand was pierced and he let out a howl, wheeling back. Most of the convicts turned to watch or backed away. One of them picked up a piece of scrap of metal and ran towards her, another one picked up a rock and chucked it at her. He missed, her adrenaline started pumping and she moved without thinking. She flicked her hand towards the advancing inmate and a small seed sailed towards him, landed near his feet and roots immediately sprouted up around it, wrapping around his legs, causing him to trip and fall. His buddy with the rocks hesitated a moment before throwing another stone at her. This one glanced her shoulder, mostly deflected by her thorns, but caused her to jerk to the side, a thorn shot out of her arm into the ground. She blinked and looked at it a moment. Another rock hit her square in the chest. She yelped and took a step back, then flicked her arm at her assailant. A thorn shot out and slammed square into the convicts chest as he was getting ready to throw another stone.
Andy glared at him as he staggered back, then she turned and started moving again doing her best not to think about what just took place. She reached the 'landing site' and found a few other inmates waiting there with... some sort of vehicle. There was another group of the armored soldiers here, and one was handing something to one of the inmates. He saw her show up as the group moved out and in familiar barking fashion gave her curt orders "Follow them. Guard their flank."
She moved to follow the group, not thinking about it or what they might be doing. They entered a nearby complex and it soon became obvious that each of these convicts had their own abilities. Fighting erupted almost immediately, they freed a captured soldier in black from Longbow agents that were inside, then proceeded to make quick work of the guards in the area. She heard the door open behind them, turned and saw a longbow agent there, aiming a gun at her. Her hand again flicked out without giving so much of a thought about it, another seed was sent flying. This one hit the Longbow agent in the chest and stuck. Vines grew out of it immediately and constricted the agent's movement completely in the matter of a second. Another of the convicts noticed shortly after and turned to blast the agent with fire. Andy turned away and stared at the ground.
She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. She wasn't thinking. She just stood there. Eventually the words "Its done, everyone out, now!" in a rocky voice disrupted her trance. The group of convicts were running out. A few of them looked a little worse for wear, but were still moving on their own. She again followed the group back to the soldiers that sent them on the errand. What Andy assumed was the "leader" of the convicts nodded to one of the soldiers, and he simply nodded in return and gestured for them to follow with an urgency about it. A side door to the vehicle opened up, and the soldier climbed in, followed by the convicts. Andy stared at the opening for a moment before crawling in. A few of the soldiers in black came up and climbed in. She caught a glimpse of a squad of Longbow taking down some of the soldiers in black, fighting their way towards the vehicle, Marcus was with them. She frowned a little before the door shut.
Andy ended up in very cramped space, stuck between one of the soldiers in black and a convict. Though in her current state she didn't seem to notice. The vehicle started moving and there was another explosion, loud and near. Andy didn't even blink, she was totally numb and unresponsive. She may have been asked questions by the convicts, but didn't respond.
Andy didn't know how long she was in there. Could have been an hour, or ten hours. All she remembers about the trip is getting in, then the thing stopping with a bit of a jerk, and the door opening to salty air. The crew and convicts got out with her and one of the men in black armor started talking about something. She didn't listen, just gazed at her surroundings, not quite present enough to understand what was happening. Eventually the soldier stopped ranting and raving, and the convicts dispersed. Some went to talk to some very strangely dressed individual while others appeared to just wander off. One tried to talk to Andy, but she just stared at him blankly. She didn't register a single word. He got frustrated and yelled obscenities at her before storming off. She might have heard a chuckle but just looked around again, then started walking towards what she thought was the exit of the platform she was on.
Andy wandered the streets once she left the complex they landed on. It was a slum. Wreckage and makeshift huts everywhere. Vagrants in the streets, corrupted cops shaking people down, gangers. Then there were people like those convicts, thugs with powers. She didn't belong here. She wandered the streets aimlessly for a while. A few gangers sought to have some fun at her expense, but she just outran them. Then some of those cops stopped her. She still respected authority, though she soon learned that the authorities here were no better than the thugs. One of them made a comment about her tattered clothes, one that made her nervous. The other laughed and agreed. "Well, hell. You're hardly wearing clothes as it is, why bother at all?" "Yeah! Take 'em off."
The tone in their voices unnerved her, and one took a step closer with ill intent obvious about him. Andy quickly swung her arm at the one that moved a little too close for comfort, the back of her hand struck his face and her thorns popped out at that moment. He hit the ground without much of a sound besides the thud while his friend took a step back and yelled, reaching for his gun. He drew it quickly, sloppily and fired a shot off right as Andy chucked a seed his way. The roots erupted again and entangled the second cop's body as Andy recoiled from the shot hitting her thorns, she winced and glared at the cop, who whimpered out pleas for his life. A bone cracked under the pressure of the roots, forcing a pained groan from the constricted man. She stared at him for a few moments, then just turned and walked away. The vines wilted quickly as she got out of sight of him.
Andy wasn't sure how long she'd wandered, but could tell it was nearly morning when she found a hole of a hut that looked completely abandoned. It barely qualified as shelter, but all she wanted is some place where she could sleep unseen. It smelled worse than it looked, but Andy was desperate. She crawled in and found the cleanest spot she could to curl up in. Sleep didn't come quick, and it certainly didn't come easily. Eventually she passed into a restless, dreamless sleep.
Andy woke suddenly with a shiver as a cold ocean breeze flowed over her. She hastily climbed out of the hole she'd been sleeping in and took in the salty air, a welcome change to the filth she was sleeping in. She felt disgusting, drained and hopeless, and certainly not rested. She looked around, clouds everywhere. The weather was a dull and as gray as the landscape around her. It looked to be after noon, but there wasn't a hint of sunshine breaking through the clouds. She was starting to feeling a little hungry.
So, she started off out into the city, hoping to find something to eat...
Post-Creation Stories
You help write these! Go find her, and RP!
Known Villains
A list of all villains Andy's had at least minor interactions with. Brief descriptions of her interactions may follow. Those she spends more time with will fall under one of the three subcategories below.
Acquaintances
EX:
- Atamagaokashii: Yadda ya
