A New Day (open)

The mid-morning sun shone brightly down on Asher at his outdoor table at the Mad Yak Cafe. Rhode Island was far different in climate from his native Texas, golden plains were replaced with rolling green hills and even ocean air, something he was still unaccustomed too. A few short years ago, he would have been at school had things occurred differently, but it couldn't be helped now. Now, he sat finishing a cigarette and nursing a lukewarm coffee.

Taking another drag, he tapped the cigarette on the ashtray provided, getting rid of the excess ash as he tried to enjoy his morning. The taste was stale, he quickly sipped a bit of his coffee in the same hand to try to wash the taste away, but even that met mixed results.

While only 18, Asher looked older, more mature than people his age. This garnered a few curious glances his direction, but ultimately curiosity faded. It was just as well, the boy was lost in his own thoughts for the moment.

Keri was staring outside of the window from her seat inside Mad Yak Cafe, sipping on her vanilla latte. She was playing with her powers on a small leaf so no one would take notice. It was a beautiful sunny day and Keri wanted to go play outside, but she feared to be sun burned. She sighed softly.

After finishing her latte, she stood up and threw it away. Keri was dressed in a white sundress with a faded denim jacket and some sandals. As she took a step outside she opened her parasol to protect herself from the sun. She smiled and took a deep breathe of fresh air as she began to walk away from the cafe, only to be second hand smoking and inhaling the disgusting fumes from a cigarette.

Because of her weak body, Keri began to cough profusely from the fumes, desperately trying to cover her mouth and nose while coughing and walking away from the smell. Her chest hurt and she felt very constricted and began to become slightly light headed from the lack of oxygen she was getting.

Asher exhaled again, the door bell catching his attention. Some wouldn't even notice it, but to him it might as well have been a fire alarm.

The changes he had been experiencing over the past three years were only now becoming bearable. A few months ago he might have winced at the sudden noise, but now his face betrayed nothing.

A girl walked out, and straight into his cloud of smoke. She couldn't have been more than 15 or 16, possibly even younger and was probably a hair over or under five foot give or take a few inches. She immediately reacted to the fumes, coughing loudly as she struggled to get away.

"oops..." Asher thought, he hadn't been paying to close attention to where he looking when he took a breath, and she was the unfortunate victim of a second hand smoke attack. Taking a last look at his unfinished cigarette and then back to the girl near him, he sighed and crushed the cigarette into his ash tray and stood up form his seat, walking over to the girl.

"Hey, are you alright miss?" Asher said, carefully placing a hand high on her back as she struggled to breathe.

"Im really sorry about that, I wasn't paying enough attention to where i was looking." he continued, giving a guilty smile. Her heart was pounding out of her chest, so it wouldnt be much to see that she was ok, but that was a hell of a reaction to second hand smoke.

Asher was dressed in a green hoodie with a tight black tee beneath, his jeans were a dark brown. Though the most noticeable thing about him was probably his red hair. He was obviously no ginger.

Keri continued to cough, doubled over holding onto a chair for support. Crap. She thought softly as she kept coughing. Why wont it stop. she panicked slightly. Suddenly she heard someone's voice and felt someones hand on her back. All Keri could do was nod her head, to motion that she was okay.

For her to be nodding her head and to still be violently coughing was highly contradicting. She peeked open a blue orb and saw that it was a man with bright red hair dressed fairly warmly for a hot summer day in Rhode Island.

After a few more long seconds, her lungs seemed to calm down, and her coughing died down. Keri began to breathe heavily to try and receive as much oxygen her lungs could take in. "Sorry about that" she said hoarsely trying to give a small smile. "I didn't mean to bother you" she said wincing slightly, her side hurting from all the convulsing as a result from her violent coughs.

"Dont worry about me miss, im not the one coughing up a lung now." Asher said smiling, moving back a bit so she could get some air. She seemed the frail type, small, porcelain skin, and possibly a little shy.

"Do you need me to get you some water?" he asked, his level of concern dropping as she began to breathe normally once more. Motioning to a waiter nearby, who took the hint and fetched some from inside and brought it back in a cool glass.

"She would not do well in Texas." Asher thought, between the smokin, spitin, dippin, and drinkin that took place around his hometown, second hand smoke was ht least of anyone's worries.

"I'm Asher by the way." He stated, offering a hand in greeting. At least this was a bit better than being lost in his own thoughts, even if he had nearly choked her to death.

Keri hesitated when the boy offered her water. She was being too much of a burden. She bit her lip softly not knowing what to do, and not like the attention she was getting out of everyone. She took a deep calming breathe, and smiled up at the guy. "Thanks, but -" it was too late, he had already motioned a waiter and they brought her a cool glass of water. "Thanks" she whispered softly touching the cool glass before taking a small sip.

She began to relax after spectators went back to their own businesses and lives, and Keri let out a relieved sigh. She wasnt one to enjoy the spotlight. After catching her breathe and soothing her throat, she was able to focus more. Asher... That was a unique and different name. She thought softly. "Keri" she said giving a small smile extending her hand to gently meet his in a small handshake. "Are you new around here?" she asked gently noticing that he had a slight southern accent.

Asher nodded his head when he heard Keri's name. It was a bit of an older name in his opinion but still pretty nonetheless.

Reaching back, he grabbed his now cold cup of coffee from the neighboring table before sitting down with Keri, he brushed a few of his bangs off of his face as he took another sip as Keri asked a general question about where he was from.

"Oh... you could say that." Asher replied, it had been so long since he had a normal conversation with a total stranger, even with all of the changes that had been happening to him he still found himself a little nervous.

"It would be better to say im passing through I think. Seeing a bit of the world while I can ya know?" Asher continued, which was a mostly true answer. There were things he needed to learn about himself, things he wouldn't be able to answer had he stayed back home.

"I'm originally from Texas though, as you may have heard. " He finished, making a reference to his own accent. It wasn't particularly strong, but if one was listening they could hear it.

Putting, the cup down for a moment, once again carefully as not to break it, he turned his attention back to Keri.

"What about you?" Asher questioned curiously,

"Did you grow up here or live somewhere else?" Asher continued after giving her a moment to answer. This town was a nice enough place, but it was small, and outside of the large mountain that border the edge of the ocean nearby, it wasn't much of a tourist destination.

Keri chuckled softly. "I see, well that's nice." she said quietly while smiling at Asher. Her voice was naturally small and quiet, but there were times where her voice came through, and where she wasnt as quiet and as hesitant and shy. "You could say I'm passing through too." For extra training she thought softly. "I'm just here for a visit, I have a few friends here that I wanted to see" she said smiling at him. More like mentors and hard core trainers she thought again. "I'm originally from Jump City. It's a lot different here, semi quaint and a lot quieter than Jump." she said. Crime rating isnt as high here either. she thought.

"It's cool how you want to see the world though." she said going back to what he had mentioned earlier. "Wish I could do that but sadly, my body and my immune system isnt cut out of that", she semi lied. "Happy Harbor is kind of a vacation for my vital organs too, it's not as polluted as Jump and it's kind of a break for myself to kind of get better you know?" she said shrugging taking another sip of water. Both mentally and physically speaking she thought to herself. "Thanks again for the water" Keri said while smiling gently to Asher.

Asher nodded while Keri talked, even if she was quiet he had no trouble hearing what she had to say. She was starting to come around, or so he thought as she was becoming a little more talkative. It was quite the coincidence that they were essentially doing the same thing. It was interesting to hear her take on Happy Harbor, she might change her mind if she saw and heard a few of the things he had seen in his short time being in town, the perks of telescopic vision and super hearing he guessed.

"Ah... well I'm sorry to hear that Keri." Asher replied, finishing off the rest of his cold coffee as he searched for a new line of questioning, as the subject broached on being too personal and he didn't want to pry about her possible medical condition.

"It was my pleasure Keri, think nothing of it." Asher continued in response to the thanks for the water.

Physically, they were polar opposites, both in reality as well as in health. He was a good foot and a few inches taller than her, bound in muscle, and would likely never have to worry about his body again. Keri on the other hand, only seemed to become more fragile in his eyes than he had originally thought.

"... Im from Midland, small town essentially in the middle of nowhere. Haven't been to many of the big cities yet, I've just never had the need or urge before." Asher said, awkwardly steering the conversation in his own way.

"I've heard quite a bit about Jump City though, don't they have a bunch of super heroes that live there? in a bit 'T' or something?" Asher asked, he already knew the answer but it would be nice to see the views of someone who actually lived there.

Keri was starting to feel less hesitant and less awkward around Asher. Even though their differences were very apparent, she didnt feel too uneasy around him. The only uneasiness was the fact that she just met him. "Ah... Midland" she said nodding her head. "I mean, big cities arent for everyone, if you like noise and cars and just people, then be my guest, but if not, then I suggest you stay away" she said smiling softly.

He mentioned Jump and the Titans and she couldnt help but laugh softly and shook her head gently. "Yea... There is a giant 'T' in the middle of an island and there are heroes that live there" she said gently staring at her water. She was playing with her powers again, making the water swirl and ripple lightly, only those with amazing keen eyes could tell what was going on in her glass. Keri shrugged gently. "I don't really pay too much attention to them." She somewhat lied. "They help others, and thats the props of having them around." she said softly.

Keri was right on one thing, cities were sensory overloads for him, it was difficult enough getting here without using his powers, and the ones he couldn't yet control nearly drove him crazy when they inadvertently kicked in.

Such as his eyes picking up the minute movement in Keri's water, he didn't know what to make of it yet, but he could see everything that was happening in the glass easily enough.

"Hey... are you doing that? because if your not then that's really freaky." Asher said, pointing at her glass to call her attention to it. He said it so only she could hear it, but of course if it wasn't her rippling her own drink she'd probably freak out and blame him.

"...because its certaintly not me." He added quickly, puzzled by the movements of the liquid. Maybe there was more to Keri then what he had originally thought.

Keri didnt realize her powers were still manipulating the water. She only meant for it to be a couple of seconds, not for minutes. She jumped softly when he mentioned the water and pointed to it.

Keri bit the inside of her cheek gently. Just play it off, she thought softly. "Doing what?" she asked raising an eyebrow at Ashen. "Has the sun gotten to you?" she asked gently moving her hand forward to place the back of it against his forehead softly.

"I dont know about you but this sun is getting to me, I feel myself already starting to burn" she said noticing how much exposure to the sun she was getting. "Would you like to go on a walk with me?" she asked gently before taking a sip of her water, standing up. "I know a shady area so we are out of the direct sun." she said hoping she averted his attention from the "mysterious" water.

"Uh..." Asher said, looking at the water once again to see if it was still moving. It was curious to see a few physical cues that Keri made when he brought it up, one the small jump, two the reaction, and three the slight pulse he could hear coming from Keri's heart.

In Asher's own opinion, she was hiding something, and perhaps for good reason. Metahuman's weren't always accepted by their communities like they use too, and for all she knew he was one of those people.

He decided against questioning further for the moment, especially since she asked him along with her. He wasnt the most paranoid person on the planet, but Asher did wonder about the sudden change in the conversation and the change in venue. While he was confident that he could handle himself, going in blind wasn't the best tactic. He thought through his options as he pulled out his wallet, a black leather with a handful of dollar bills ranging in multiple denominations coming forth. Asher paid for their drinks before turning back to Keri, now towering over her as he stood up.

"...Sure, that sounds like a good idea." Asher finished after a long pause. He had no reason to doubt her at the moment, and until she did there was no reason to fret. The chair was easily placed back under the table with a few scrapes on the concrete. He had a decent amount of control of his tremendous strength doing daily activites, but he was still unsure of himself. It would be far to easy to lose control and kill someone if he wasn't careful. Even a simple walk could be destructive with an errant swing of his arm.

"Lead on." Asher said with a smile.

Keri didnt realize how tall Asher was until he stood up to walk next to her. She was fairly a petite girl, who stopped growing, and he was not... He easily toward over her, and if he wanted to pick her up, there would be no struggle because one, he was muscular, and two she barely weighed anything.

Quietly, she began to walk, heading back to Mount justice, of course, but it just looked like they were going on a nature walk. After a few moments of silence as they walked, Keri was finally able to close her parasol because they were on a shady path away from direct sunlight. "Sorry about that..." she whispered softly staring down kicking rocks as she was walking gently next to him. "I've always had a fragile body, and it's hard for me to be out in direct sun light because I burn easily." she said softly.

She could feel her anxiety rising. Was he still curious about the water? Would he ask questions? Was he a meta? Was he normal? There were many types of metas in the world. Some are very proud of their powers and like to show off. Some are scared of themselves and like to hide it. Some dont even know about it until it is almost too late.

Keri sighed softly brushing her blonde hair back with her fingers. If Ashen was a meta, how would she react, would she take him to Mount Justice? Would she not react? She didnt know what to do in situations like this.

Keri was an odd one, he had never seen a girl carry a parasol for their skin, but given the nature of her... condition then it may be very well justified. though it hindered conversation a bit as they walked, as it ended up obscuring his view of Keri while they walked because of th extreme height difference.

He was glad she finally put it away as they walked down a rocky path, now protected by the shade of the nearby mountain. It was an odd sight, it didn't seem to fit in the area, nor would anyone expect to see a large rock jutting out near the edge of the ocean, but here it stood nonetheless. However odd it was, it still was quite the sight to see.

"I can understand that, the sun always has a few people it likes to pick on I suppose." Asher said with a grin. They wee alone now, and as much as he may have reservations about her, it was quite possible that she had some about him as well. Throwing it out in the open would bring it to a head, and that was likely the best option for both parties if things went south.

"Are you a metahuman?" Asher asked as sudden and blunt as possible, he didn't give her time to answer the question before he clarified himself.

"Because if you are, its no big deal to me. Your still a human being, but just a human being with a bit more of a punch I guess." Asher said, still grinning.

Keri felt more awkward as silence occupied the air as time passed. It was quiet and peaceful out here, and there was rarely anyone up here near Mount Justice like this. Her mind was running a mile a minute, so when Ashen asked her the question bluntly she jumped softly, causing some nearby big rocks to float in mid air.

Keri sighed softly and extended her hand gently, swiping the air between her and the floating rocks to bring them down silently. "I guess that's one way to answer that question" she joked softly trying to not be awkward. She blushed out of embarrassment.

"I've gotten a lot of prejudice commentary from others when I was growing up." she whispered softly. "Yes I am a Meta, and I'm not here for vacation, I'm here to try and control my powers." she whispered softly. "Because, unlike others, I wasn't born with powers" she said gently, sitting down on a medium bolder raking her fingers through her hair.

She stared at Asher with analytic eyes. "I'm surprised you caught onto the water moving." she said softly. "but then again, it went on longer than I wanted it to." she said gently sighing. "I was raised to hide my powers... they were not welcomed as gifts, but as the result to a tragedy" she whispered softly.

"thats.... THATS REALLY COOL!!" Asher said, smiling widely, he had never met a metahuman before, the only ones he had ever seen had been on T.V, Midland Texas wasnt exactly the hotspot of hero or villain activity when he was growing up either.

Keri's power seemed to be Telekinetic, or something similar. The specifics were unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but it was actually really cool to meet someone else with powers, even if he wouldnt talk about his own powers.

"Perfect vision and trained eyes, had to have them rowing up in the country." Asher remarked, he did have to be on watch for most of the day while tending to the daily chores, rattlesnakes were abundant so far from town, easily hidden from view on the tall grass if one wasnt careful.

"Yea, unfortunately that's true. Not like the old days anymore." He also noted, inspecting a rock that Keri had lifted, squatting by it to try and get a sense of its weight. It definitely weighed more than Keri did, and much more than she could lift physically. It seemed that her fragility was juxtaposed against her mental powers. An incredibly interesting connection.

"Im sorry to hear that too, It seems like you've been through a lot. Not many people should have to deal with all the things you have had too." Asher finally stated, his hand leaving the rocks rough surface as he stood tall once more.

Keri blushed out of embarrassment and hid most of her face in her knees. "Thanks." she whispered gently while staring at her feet. After a few moments of silence Keri's eyes widened and she shot up standing on top of the rock before using her powers on her clothes to lift her up with ease. She floated over to him eyelevel with him. "You cant tell anyone!" she said with wide eyes before she used her powers to place her gently on the ground so she was staring up at Asher.

"Absolutely cannot tell anyone!" she said biting her lip. Bioshock was going to kill her. "But seriously you can't tell anyone." she said practically begging him with puppy dog eyes. She barely knew Asher and didn't know if she could trust him or not, but no one must know of her secret. Before he could say anything she thought of something.

"If you don't tell anyone, I-I... ummm I'll bring you somewhere cool!" she said desperate to cover up her mistakes, but not realizing the potential danger she was putting herself and Asher in.

"Scouts honor Keri, cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." Asher replied with a grin, making the appropriate motion across his chest. He didnt want to be a hero, but in no way would he prevent someone else from doing so. Letting other people know about Keri's powers would be an extreme breach of trust, he had no qualms about keeping her secret safe.

Keri was now floating at eye-level in front of him, letting herself down after practically begging him not to tell. He was in a similar situation, but he would hold off on disclosing his powers to anyone. He needed more answers before that ever became a topic of conversation.

"If you say its cool, i'm definitely interested." Asher said, quite interested in this new place Keri had brought up. If it was anything like her powers, he would be just as excited to see it.

Keri let out a sigh of relief with his agreement. "Oh thank God." she said relieved. It was getting warm so she threw up her hair in a messy bun as she continued to walk towards the mountain.

Bioshock was going to kill her. Or even worse... Batman...She's dead meat. He was going to make her do extra practice rounds to compensate. Once they got to the base of the mountain that was facing the isolated forest, Keri reached behind a large bush and placed her hand on a scanner before a large door hissed open. "Welcome to The Cave." she said smiling before entering The Cave.

Once the two of them passed through the door, it hissed closed and she continued to walk in until they reached the living room which was conjoined with the large kitchen.

"Wait here." she said before going back into her room to put away her parasol and her bag before returning to the living room where Asher was waiting.

Once again, the reveal of a gigantic cavern within the mountain right on the edge of Happy Harbor elicited a similar response as had happened when Keri showed him her own set of telekinetic powers.

Only, this time Asher was speechless. He knew back in the old days many heroes had special hideouts, hell, the old Justice leagues even had a space station floating around in space. Even so, the Mountain was impressive in its own right, and to think their had been a hidden base within it for so long was exciting to think about.

"Wow." Asher said, suddenly finding his words, albeit in a limited capacity.

"Wait... Do you live here? Are you some kind of hero?" Asher asked, suddenly connecting the dots. A girl with special powers living in a special mountain base... She had to be involved in something. Either that, or she had an incredible run of luck when she stumbled upon this place.

The lounge Keri had lead him too was combined with a kitchen, hallways lead off deeper into the mountain and possibly other hollowed out chambers.

Keri left momentarily, disappearing down a hallway for a few moments but coming back empty handed, perhaps putting her things away for the moment.

"So... I guess your a little bit more than meets the eye." Asher said jokingly, scratching his head with a free hand. This was certainly an experience.

The master of Earth's darkness watched calmly on the screen of the batjet as it coasted through the sky. One of the sensors he had hidden in key points of the world where both good and bad could use as secret hideouts.

He tracked it on a map and his brow furrowed. Was he back? It didn't seem to add up... unless there was something he had missed. That place was still off-limits to all except the Justice League and intruders had to be dealt with and possibly memory-wiped for their own good.

Sorry, buddy! Can't let you bother our friends just yet

Batman looked at the nose of the jet and on it was standing a wild-haired kid and a dog. Glaring through mask, Batman ushered a command through his cockpit.

"Telekinesis barriers up!"

It was too late, however, as the kid pressed his hand on the nose and sent vibrations of energy through the jet. The engines of the jet literally fell out, forcing the plane into a glide. The kid then did a two-finger salute with an apologetic smile and blurred instantly as they teleported off the jet. Batman, with no control except manual airplane controls, would have to glide it into a landing over the ocean.

"Athena and Bioshock are now placed in high-risk meta threat level. Code Orange."

He said, admittedly frustrated, in a recorder connected to his bat suit.

The pair of heroes would suddenly show up at the entrance of Mount Justice. Bio walked in with his usual laid back stroll with hands in pockets.

"Hahaaaa.. no way. Yo Keri, Athena picked up this place being opened on one of her sensors. Didn't know it would be you of all people."

He looked at some new guy who was with her.

"Hey... we come in peace. We won't rat you out for being ina place where no mortal man should be or whatever, but we did run into Batman and he was headed this way. Just lettin you guys know. The name's Bioshock and this is Athena."

Keri walked back in, letting her hair down since it was now cool within the safe confines of AC controls, she grabbed a bottle of water and cracked it open, taking a sip as she walked over to Asher. The look on his face was priceless and she started laughing softly. That was until she could metaphorically hear a click in his brain, as if someone turned on the lights in there. His comment made her blush out of embarrassment. "I-I guess you could say that" she said shyly, going back into her mental shell.

Suddenly at that moment she heard someone's feet hit the ground behind her. "Eep!" she gasped before jumping and hiding behind Asher, peeking out to see Chuck. Keri suddenly relaxed and let out a small breath that she was holding in. "God you scared me Chris!" she said while chunking her water bottle at him, but it only made a soft and silent thud as it smacked him in the chest. Her physical ability was close to none.

Keri rolled her eyes and crossed her arms softly, stepping away from Asher trying to hold her head high and maintain her dignity. "I came to train... The facilities back at home were getting boring, and they wouldnt up a notch for me..." she said pouting softly. "Plus... pollution rates were going up and I couldnt go outside without feeling like I was suffocating." she said looking at him before crouching to open up her arms to Athena. "hey there girl," she said smiling.

She then heard Chris talk to Asher. "Oh hush Chuck." she said quietly. "He found me out on accident, but I have to admit he has keen eyes for a mere mundane." she said gently while petting Athena affectionately. Keri loved dogs and other sorts of animals. Suddenly Keri tensed up when he mentioned Batman. "W-was he really?" she asked hesitantly as if she had just gotten yelled at for opening the jar of cookies.

"Don't tell me you stopped him and his batjet." she said with sheer terror on her face. "Oh god... he's going to kill us!!!" She said burying her face in Athena's soft fur. Keri just wanted to ball up and cry... She was already doing half of it as she was curling into Athena.

"We are so dead." she said into Athena's fur. "He probably feels threatened by you!" she said looking up at Chuck. "Stupid." she muttered as she went back to cuddling Athena.

Asher would have been startled, had he actually been surprised. He heard the movement of the air even before their physical bodies appeared. That of a young boy and a dog. While not startled, he was surprised. His party of two just doubled in size.His surprise would have to wait, while a bewildered look crossed his face, he was interested in the threat that the boy named Chris, or Bioshock, had presented.

"Wait...What? Batman is coming here? I thought he was a myth?" Asher asked, an attempt to sound nervous came through, but possibly in a poor manner.

"I didnt mean to get anyone in trouble, im only here because I was invited." Asher continued, looking between the two people and the dog hovering near their legs. He had seen pictures of the batman before, but feigning ignorance was so much more fun, as was it easier to get clear answers later on.

"...Is it Chris or Chuck... by the way?" Asher asked, a small grin on his face. Referring to the others on a first name basis was something poor Keri would likely need to work on.

"Uhhh. Why is that so bad? He's coming here because you opened it up. We only stalled him."

"sheeeiit..."

Bio mumbled.

"Relax, Chuck. It's just your first name."

Athena replied.

Chuck, who was in an almost permanent state of relaxation anyway, just shrugged. "I'm still new to this I guess."

"Yeah man, ole Bats has been more of a jerk than usual ever since the incident happened, which is why you need to get out of here. He mindwipes metahumans he doesn't know and regular humans if they get into places they're not supposed to be in. We can handle em, but it'll be best if you don't get involved, catch my drift?"