Self-Guided Tour (open)

[Nicholas Kells]

Nick was pretty sure that he wasn't technically allowed to be here. But he wasn't all that concerned. If anyone asked, he was ready to claim he was picking something up for the twins.

Although it would be a cold day in hell before he started running errands for those two.

Still, he always felt it was a good idea to get a lay of the land, especially in enemy territory. And it helped to have a cover story, even if it might not hold up for very long.

He had already walked around the courtyard, poked his head into the boys dorms, and seen some of the classroom. But his real interest was the training rooms and of course the offices. He wanted to scope out the officials who ran the place. For Nick, knowing his enemy was just as important as knowing himself.

He had just rounded the corner when he saw someone standing at the end of the hall. He though about taking a different route for a moment, but realized he wasn't really that concerned about being found wondering the halls. After all, OP did have business they conducted at the school from time to time.

[Angela Chambers]

Another session with Dr. Neville over. She liked him well enough as a person. But it was still… embarrassing to be going to him at all. Though she doubted she’d feel comfortable talking to anybody about things she’d rather forget or ignore. The whole thought of psychiatry or counseling or anything of the sort was just… Unpleasant to her.

So when she turned around, after silently closing the door, and spotted a man at the other end of the hall, she panicked a little. Frick frick frick! She sincerely hoped it wasn’t somebody she knew. Being caught leaving the school shrink’s office would be… Mortifying.

She took comfort in the fact that he at least didn’t look familiar. But just incase, she knew exactly how she’d deal with this. After her slight panic had worn off and she was no longer frozen in place, she began walking towards.

Thankful was she that her bag was hooked over shoulder. It’d be the perfect reason to turn her face away from to riffle through. The closer she got to the man, the lower her head dropped and the higher her shoulders rose. But never one to forget her manners, as she passed by him, a barely audible ‘excuse me sir’ came out of her mouth.

Of course, that was until her elbow went too wide while she was ‘riffling’, and nudged against him. Then she stopped beside him, her head rising only a fraction, and saying a fraction louder ‘I’m sorry.’

[Nicholas Kells]

At first Nick was a little surprised to see that the person was a young girl. For a moment his emotions got the better of him as he considered the fact that she was close to his own daughter's age. But it was a short moment before his military mind reminded him that this was the enemy. There was no time to have any positive emotions towards them.

He couldn't help but notice that she appeared to be very nervous about being in the hallway. He wondered if she had been sent to see the principle or something. Surely even a twisted training school like this enforced some sort of discipline.

When she bumped into him, Nick dropped the briefcase that he had been carrying, half expecting that he would have to defend himself from some sort of power. From his research he felt that young metas were like walking time bombs with their complete lack of control over their powers.

He leaned to pick up his briefcase as she apologized. "Don't worry about it," he said, masking his apprehension with a smile. "Headed for...class?" he asked.

It occurred to him that this school was a perfect landmine of young malleable talent. Young children suddenly gifted with powers and taken away from under their parents watchful eyes. If OP wanted him to help recruit young metas, he would have no problem with that here. Of course, his plans for the future differed slightly from his organization's more accepting views. But there was no need for them to discover that fact yet.

Giving the girl warm smile, while his eyes glinted in the way a cat might look at a mouse, he stretched out his hand. "Hello. I'm Mr. Kells," he said. "I"m here taking a...tour of the facility. I was hoping to find a student who might help me find my way around. I'm sure a bright girl like yourself could do that, right?"

[Angela Chambers]

When his briefcase hit the floor, a little jump came from small frame. She hadn’t realized she’d bumped into him that much and if she were the kind of person who swore, she would cursed herself then. But she settled for gnawing on the inside of her cheek as he picked it back up.

“Er… No actually.” Her voice was still rather quiet, but slowly growing louder. She had actually been intending to go into town right then. It’d been a few weeks since she’d seen Riley. And she’d yet to call him even though she had his number and had promised to use it. Swinging by his work on the off chance of catching him there would’ve been nice.

“But I’m not skipping class or anything. Promise. I don’t have a class right now.” The words came out rushed as she came to realize that her answer possibly made it sound as if she did have a class, but was opting not to go. He could be somebody who worked at the school. And the last possible thing Angie wanted was to get into trouble. She wanted her time at Hammel to be quick and painless. Get in and get out. No muss, no fuss.

The smile he gave helped to sooth her nerves a bit. With her hand in his, she gave it small and soft little shake, then released it, her hand returning back to her side. When he said she was bright, her cheek became a rosy red. Of course, she knew he had no way of knowing this as they’d just met. But it was nice all the same.

“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Kells. My name’s Angela.” She wasn’t positive if she were the right person to show him around the school, but she was willing to try to help him. “Uh… I suppose I can." When she heard herself say it, that sounded very rude. "I mean... I'd be happy to. Where would you like to see first?”

[Nicholas Kells]

Nick's smile stayed pasted onto his face while the girl rambled on about having or not have a class. Guess I was wrong about the tight discipline, he thought. Still, fear of being caught red-handed is something I can use.

"You don't have to worry," he said, his voice calm, almost warm. "I'm not a member of the facility here. Besides, my view of the rules differs slightly from the heads of this place." He wink, hoping the girl would appreciate the joke. And not read into his words.

He could tell that the girl appreciated the compliment. Even though it was completely unrealistic that he would know anything about her. Women[/i[ he thought. Give them a small compliment about their hair and they turn to putty in your hands.

Needless to say his divorce had left him a bit jaded.

"Well Angela," he said. "I was hoping to locate the training rooms. I'm very interested in seeing what goes on there. I don't suppose you'd have a moment for a poor, lost guy like myself?" He was glad that she had corrected her semi-rude statement. Politeness was also a plus.

[Angela Chambers]

It was clearly obvious that Angie relaxed when Mr. Kells told her he wasn’t a staff member of Hammel. But that didn’t mean she was completely at ease yet. He was after all a stranger. “Oh… Well ok then.” She said with a very small, almost unnoticeable smile. “All the same. I’m honestly not skipping.” Even if he didn’t belong in Hammel, she didn’t want him thinking she was a bad kid or anything.

And he was lucky it was today. Had this been occurring a few days again, Angie wouldn’t have known where those rooms were. But since she’d had her first training session, their placement in the institute was no longer a secret! “Sure. They’re actually just down the hall.” She said nodding in the opposite direction of the offices.

She began walking, glancing back to be sure he was following her. And that was when her curiosity got the better of her, something that almost never happened to her. “Um… C-can I ask why you’re touring the school?” She wondered to herself if he had a child who would be attending. Or if he was a new teacher starting soon.

[Nicholas Kells]

Nick nodded as the girl continued to explain that she wasn’t a bad kid in the middle of cutting class. He didn’t really care, but he knew better than to say that. Although he was comfortable with morally gray, most children seemed to have more of a black-and-white outlook on life.

He followed her as she led him down the hall, taking mental note of where she was leading him. Although he could have easily found his way around the campus by now, having been here a few times since the start of his new job, he couldn’t help but keep his mental maps fresh. Even though his last job was a desk job and not exactly in the line of fire, he had enough military training ingrained into him to believe that it was always best to know the details of one’s surroundings.

“Of course,” Nick said, carefully keeping any annoyance out of his voice. “I’m a member of Operation Patriot. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? We work closely with the school, but I’m new to the job so I still have trouble finding my way sometimes.” He gave the girl a short laugh, hoping to ease any concerns she might have. “But thanks to you I won’t be having the problem today?”

“Have you been a student here long?” he asked as they continued to walk down the hallway. “Since I’m not a…meta,” He almost choked on the politically correct term, but working around OP (and the twins) had taught him to use it more often that he would have preferred. “I didn’t experience all of this. It must seem like a big adventure to you. Exciting and full of opportunities. Am I right?”

[Angela Chambers]

Listening to his explanation, she smiled a little. He was new to the job and unsure of things… Well at least of how to get around the school that is. It wasn’t hard for her to see that they were at least a little bit similar. She was new at the school after all. And she was unsure about everything. Then again, she was also a fourteen year old girl.

When he asked if she’d heard of his work before, she shook her head slowly. “I haven’t I’m sorry to say.” Clearing her throat, she added, “I don’t uh… really talk much with most of the people here.” It was true. Outside of Bell and Dr. Neville, she spoke to nobody. Not even the teachers. Unless she was called on in class. Actually, unless they spoke of his work in one of her classes, chances were she would never hear about it.

“No. I just came before winter break. So I had a lot of time to explore the school.” And with very few people to watch over places she wasn’t supposed to go. But, she wasn’t about to tell him that.

The girl nearly froze when he said being a meta must be exciting. Oh yeah, Angie thought, as exciting as if I was born with a horn in the middle of my forehead. With the floor and her shoes suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world, her shoulders shrugged. “Some people think so I guess.” She wondered if the fact that he wasn’t a meta was the reason she wasn’t so worried about saying that.

Meta as whole… Well Angie didn’t have a problem with them. But being one was a completely different story. She’d gone years knowing that she was a human. And she’d give anything to be able to go back.

[Nicholas Kells]

Nick was pleased to see the girl smiling, even if it was only a little. He would have hated to go through all the work of being polite if she wasn't going to warm up to him eventually.

He was a little surprised that she didn't know anything about OP. Do they tell these kids anything? he wondered. Talk about leading your lambs to slaughter.

When she mentioned being a bit of a loner, Nick smiled inwardly but on the outside he looked concerned. "Don't worry," he said. "It takes time in a new place. A pretty little girl like you won't have any trouble making friends." He smiled. "But I know how you feel. Change is hard sometimes."

He was also glad to hear that she had no trouble wandering around to get the lay of things. It was an ideal trait for him to find. "Well at least you know your surroundings," he said. "That's always my first step to fitting in."

At first he was confused by her reaction to the talk about metas. He worried that he might have pressed the issue to fast, but then he realized how perfect it was for him. A self-hating meta? he wondered, hardly believing his luck.

He walked beside her in silence for a moment, choosing his words. "Some people?" he asked, stopping to look her in the face. "But not you?" He paused for a moment. "That's understandable."

[Angela Chambers]

A new blush came to Angie’s face. And not simply because he had said she was pretty, though that was a large part of it. But the look on his face… He seemed concerned about her. Despite the fact that they’d only just met. Her newfound luck was surprising to her. Mr. Kells was so much like Riley. Caring and nice. “Oh well thank you…”

She decided not to discuss it further. Mentioning the fact that she wasn’t generally a fan of most people and preferred to be alone and was perhaps a little more awkward than your average 14 year old wouldn’t be beneficial to keeping up conversation.

The young girl didn’t realize at first that he’d come to a stop, her thoughts preoccupied with the fact that she’d bothered to be so open with the person she’d only just met. She hadn’t even been this willing to speak so freely with Bell or Dr. Neville. Again, she thought it was because he wasn’t meta.

When she finally realized he was stopped, she stopped, about two feet in front of him. Finally looking up at the man, she shrugged. “Nobody really wants to be a freak, ya’ know?”

Understandable? He thought it was understandable? She felt as if she might cry. Not that she ever actually would, so he was safe in that sense. Crying in front of people was not something Angie did. It made one look weak in her opinion.

“Um… The training rooms are just right here.” Feeling… uncomfortably exposed in front of Mr. Kells, the girl turned away, walking directly through the double doors. Of course she held one open for him after she already entered. Manners once again. “So uh… This is it.”

[Nicholas Kells]

Like putty in my hands, Nick thought as the Angie blushed. The smile he gave her now was more genuine, not that he was starting to care for her. But he was glad to see her loosen up.

A freak. Couldn’t have said it better myself, Nick was already planning more of these wandering around. Maybe he would find other students like her.

“Yeah,” he said, carefully to leave the word “freak” out of his own sentence. “It’s hard to feel like you’re…not part of the crowd. My daughter is only a few years younger than you, but she’s already worrying about beings…what’s the word now? Cool?” He watched her face carefully after he had spoken. For a moment he thought she might cry and his stomach tightened. There was nothing worse than a bawling child. But the moment passed as she led him into the training room.

“This looks nice,” he said walking into the room. “Do students train here often?” He smiled down at her again. “This is all so…much. Must be a lot to handle.” He turned slightly, pretending to take in the room while he watched her reaction.

[Angela Chambers]

If Angie’s issue were simply a matter of being cool, she’d be able to stomach it. She’d be able to accept the fact that she wasn’t and never would be cool. But it was so much more than that to her. And she chewed her lip a moment, debating whether or not it would be… acceptable to tell him. But she’d already been so honest with him. What would be the difference be if she continued down that path?

“It’s not like… I don’t care about not being part of the crowd. But…” Explaining it was more difficult than she would’ve thought. “I’ve known for fourteen years that I was human.” If she were the kind of young girl who swore, in front of adults no less, she would simply say it was a mind… Well that really bad swear word that starts with an ‘f’. With a shrug of her slender shoulders, she sighed. “And then to find out I’m not…” There was a rather large lump in her throat now as she wished for the umpteenth time that she could wish whatever she was away.

Partially watching him and partially looking around, remembering the first time she had trained, she nodded. “Yeah, they do. Here or on the outside fields. The outside one is usually for more physical abilities though.” Not that she’d know what those were like. She could probably practice anywhere without bothering anybody. Well… As long as her body parts falling off didn’t bother them. “We also use for sports and gym class if we need to.” But that was something most schools did. Used one field for multiple things.

Nodding again with a solemn look clear on her face, she said, “Yeah… It is a lot to handle.” A lot more than she’d like to handle as a matter of fact. Raising her hand to her mouth, the young girl began biting and chewing nails, a habit that did little to make her feel better when feeling sorry for herself.

But she knew it was a nasty habit that quite a few people found to be gross. So after a moment she dropped her hand, then turned to Mr. Kells. “Would you like to see the field too? There’s not anything special about it though. A field is a field.”

[Nicholas Kells]

Mentally noting her age for future reference, Nick continued to nod his head in understanding. I’ve got news for you kid, Nick thought to himself. You were never human.

“Have you spent much time here?” he asked, still walking around the room. “I hope I’m not prying.” He smiled, gesturing to his briefcase. “But I’m still new on the job here, so let me know if I’m asking too many questions.”

He was glad that she didn’t chew on her nails for long. Although he was grateful for the body language to give him a clue to what she was thinking, he wasn’t a fan of habits that showed weakness. Even in his enemies, it was a sad sight.

“Again, I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds,” Nick continued, feinting a sense of value that he didn’t believe in. “But I hope this place provides someone you can talk to.” He reached out slowly and placed his hand on her shoulder. “This would be a lot for anyone to handle, even an adult.” He pulled his hand away, reminding him to wash up later, but kept his eyes on the girl for a moment before looking away pretending to feel awkward instead of revulsion. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be so nosy.”

“Actually,” he said, glancing at his watch. “I should probably head back to the office soon.” He grinned. “But I wouldn’t mind having someone to help me find my way back.” Not that he needed it, but it would be nice to continue the conversation a little.

[Angela Chambers]

Looking at Mr. Kells while he asked her questions, Angie shook her head. “Oh no, you aren’t prying at all Mr. Kells. Teachers always say that’s the best way to learn, right?” Glancing around the room again, she shook her head. “But no, I haven’t. I’ve only had one training session. It wasn’t… Well it could’ve gone better.” She said with a slight sigh.

When she heard her words, she realized that she hadn’t told him what her power actually was. And by saying she only had one session and it didn’t go well… She wouldn’t have blamed him if he found it frightening, not that he necessarily did. “But don’t worry. I can’t hurt you. Honest… I just…” Of all the powers, she honestly thought hers was incredibly lame. So scrunching her face, she said, “I can detach and reattach body parts. Nothing that can hurt you.”

Angie was actually developing a soft spot for Mr. Kells. He was so nice and sweet and concerned. But she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable when he said he hoped the school could provide her with somebody to talked to. But his hand on her shoulder helped to soothe her. Looking at the ground, she nodded. “They do.” And she left it at that. There was no need to mention the fact that she didn’t really have a choice in seeing somebody or not, but that was for matters concerning her family. “You aren’t. It’s… It’s nice to talk to somebody else about it.” And by somebody else, she meant human.

With a small smile on her face, she nodded. “Sure. I’d be happy to help you.” Leading him back out the training rooms, again holding the door open for him, she began to lead him back to the front entrance of the school. “So… Do you mind if I ask what it is you do exactly?”