Log:Lost Time, Scene 8

Lost Time 2017/03/03 	 Ellbeth Ten Eclair Griffin Grimm Ten Wolf Aaliyah

8

Only seconds ago, the time travelling Time Pharoah and his team of meta-powered muscle disappeared, after the item they were looking for was stolen by Ellbeth. The fight had done a fair amount of damage to the building, thanks mostly to Inferno, who had set the Egyptian exhibit on fire.

Strangely, the sprinklers have yet to come on inside the museum.

Ten races from room to room, rescuing anyone she finds, depositing them at safety with her staff. Having no fear of being harmed herself by the fire, she does not have to take precautions for her own safety.

Eclair curses under her breath and goes looking for a fire alarm to manually trigger.

Grimm frowns as Time Pharaoh vanishes on her. She's already pulling out her phone from her pocket and tapping the emergency call button to 9-1-1. "Yes, hi, there's a fire in the Egyptian exhibit at the art museum on Main and Jefferson in Old Town. We need the fire department response asap," she says to dispatch as she turns and walks back towards the building. "This is Gabrielle Grimm, I'll provide direct access to the fire for fire fighters," she announces just before vanishing from outside and reappearing back inside the museum to survey the damage. "What a mess," she groans to herself.

Griffin feels absolutely terrible about this turn of events, but he has not time to portray such emotion- or any for that matter.

Stoically, the SuperSoldier leans on his teammates to retrieve any people inside- something he's already seen Ten doing. So naturally, he attempts to salvage any and all exhibits he can from the fire.

He's equally impervious to the flames, so he wrenches up whole fixtures and places them on his shoulders one at a time. Then he runs the case outside the immediate area on fire.

He's not really a firefighter so he uses his powers to the best of his ability with something he knows how to do- he can lug furniture with the best of 'em.

Meanwhile in Egypt Ellbeth keeps her privacy spell active. Now she finally has a second to spare she removes the batteries from her PDA and laptop. And ponders her next move. Which is to make her way through Cairo via back alleys and shortcuts through shops, paying the shop-owner to let her use the rear doors. Her destination is the American Embassy. Where she tells the marine guard on door duty that she would like to borrow the use of the Embassy's Black Room for an hour or so... and to use the Embassy secure communications to get in contact with heroes in Colonial Bay City.

Eclair takes a deep breath and flies back into the fire to pull the alarm.

Eclair winces as she's slightly singed.

Some of the baggier items of Griffin's clothing begins to char. His flannel shirt already burst into flames and still lies in the middle of the main Egyptian room. He looks down on it as he lugs another display case outside of that exhibit hall. He hopes he doesn't have to move them further & that the Fire Department is on its way.

Besides some deep internal guilt at having a major hand in destroying a public attraction like this museum- Griffin seems unharmed by any of this.

Eclair pulls the alarm. Which begins being loud and noisy. Also, the sprinklers trigger. Hopefully there's nothing too vulnerable to water damage...

Wolf helps Griff carry stuff. ((And takes some damage from the fire))

At least the bits of papyrus have already been removed from the room before the sprinklers went off. Sirens can already be heard in the distance, and the fire looks like it will be contained. Though there's a lot of damage.

Over the next several minutes, the heroes deal with getting items out of the room in question and making sure that patrons and staff are safe. The sprinklers keep things under control until the fire department actually shows up. By that time, the intense heat of Inferno's powers seems to have tempered and dropped to that of a 'standard' fire. It takes a little more time, but the building itself has been saved.

Grimm directs the fireman to gain access through a portal in the west side of the building (where the exhibit borders). Hanging up the phone, she draws a circle in the air with her free hand and opens a shadow gate that reveals a view of the street near the fire hydrant outside. Quickest path for the fire fighters, after all. As she pockets her phone, she jogs over to a glass case with a fire extinguisher. A shadowy extra limb extends from her field and smashes through the glass, fetching the extinguisher. She uses it where she can to try and control some of the things in most urgent need of saving.

Once things are taken over by the fire department, Gabrielle talks to some of the emergency responders to explain the situation. After breaking off from them, she makes a b-line straight for Griffin as she stares him down to have a private conversation.

The heroes reconvene later, hooking up with Ellbeth.

Ellbeth waits to have the others join her before she does anything to the artifacts she has in her possession.

After a lecture with Griffin that goes so witheringly that the crowds actively avoid the dressing down Grimm gives him, Ellbeth makes contact with the team. With some scouting once the fire department is done using her first shadow gate, she closes it and creates a second, leading to the embassy black room.

The room in the embassy looks like a standard conference room. It likely is more than that, but it looks...pretty normal to most appearances.

"For those who are still on mission," Gabrielle gives Griffin a look after that before looking back to the rest, "We're heading to meet up with Ellbeth off-site. Not sure how long we'll be gone from Colonial Bay, just so you all know." She turns and walks through her shadow gate and into the room, looking around to make sure Ellbeth is there and unharmed. "Sorry for the delay. And the museum..."

Eclair looks at the gate with some trepidation. "I have a shift at work in two hours, I can't afford to get stranded someplace weird."

Ten also passes through the gate. "And sorry I was late. What happened, exactly, to the museum?"

Ellbeth is sitting comfortably in one of the chairs around a table with the two artifacts on the table in front of her. She's surrounded by a sphere of grayness which blurs details and allows no sound to pass through. Seeing Grimm and the others she waves and gestures to the chairs located inside the sphere.

Ten sits in one of the chairs.

Griffin is visibly a bit worn down by the tongue-thrashing given to him by Gabrielle Grimm. .o0(Good grief- I mean she's right. I clearly wasn't thinking straight... maybe I shouldn't be here...) He thinks to himself morosely.

He takes Grimm's gate begrudgingly. Near the darkness, he swears he can hear whispers speaking to him and him alone. Whispering about his weakness. His foolishness.

He stands near the back of the room, quietly. Not making eye contact with anyone there.

Grimm looks over her shoulder and through the portal to Eclair, smiling sympathetically. "I can get you a gate back here if you need by then," she offers, looking up at the museum's exterior to study it a moment.

Wolf will hang out with Eclair and Griff to keep them company and keep watch at the museum, making sure no one steals all of the relics sitting on shelves on the sidewalk as they wait for the others to get back from Cairo.

Eclair nods slowly. "All right then. I can't afford to be unemployed, just so you know." She walks through the gate and takes a seat.

Grimm closes the gate and walks into the bubble, sitting down at the table with a tired sigh. After a moment's respite, her head is back in the game and her attention on Ellbeth.

Ellbeth gestures for Griffin to take a seat in the privacy sphere as well. "I'm glad to see you." she says, "I'm maintaining a privacy spell that seems, so far at least, to have thrown Dr Temple off the track. It's taking a fair amount of effort to maintain it though. And I didn't want to make any unilateral decisions about these artifacts without all your input."

Griffin takes a seat, quietly. But his attention is clearly on Ellbeth.

On the table in front of Ellbeth, are two artifacts: A dagger and a small vase. From what Time Pharaoh said, at least one is technological, but disguised by magic.

Ten says, "What do we know about the artifacts?"

Griffin looks around the room- or sphere as it were. He's about to say something but Ten's question seems good enough. He wrings his hands idly.

Ellbeth says, "They both register as magically enchanted. Other than that I only know what Dr Temple said at the museum. And there's no way to be sure he was telling the truth."

Eclair idly looks at the artifacts, looking for electrical flows or charges of some sort.

"Do we have a tech specialist to analyze the non-magical information hidden within?" Gabrielle asks as she studies the artifacts. "I'd really like to know what's so important about these that he'd lose them and try and recover them now."

Ellbeth nods, "I have a certain level of ability in that field, Grimm. And an AI friend I can call on in needed."

Ten says, "And what did Dr Temple say?"

Eclair hmms. "I can't sense any electrical currents or charges in either of them."

"I don't have any opinion one way or the other. I'll back whatever play you guys decide." Griffin mumbles as he continues to avoid meeting his eyes to anyone else's.

"Maybe it's futuristic tech. Or needs a power source to be plugged in? Probably time to have your AI look into this, Ellbeth," Gabrielle suggests. Tech is out of her area of expertise. Her phone's OS isn't even up to date.

Ellbeth nods. "Probably the first thing I should do is disenchant the items so we can see what we're really dealing with. To do that I'm going to have to drop the privacy spell. Now this is a Black Room. It ought to be at least as good as my spell in providing privacy. But just in case, please be ready if Dr Temple and his henchmen arrive."

"Well let's disembue these things. Then we can decide to slag them or not." Griffin grumbles.

Ellbeth nods. She drops the privacy spell... and waits a few moments half expecting the villains to show up. If they don't she starts with the vase and begins to unravel the enchantment.

The seconds tick away, and the villains do not appear.

Grimm holds her breath momentarily, looking around for any surprise arrivals. "Maybe if we swear never to speak of this meeting, or if there's no history of it, Time Pharaoh won't be able to find it," she ponders aloud.

Ellbeth starts to gesture and chant. Then stops with a look of astonishment on her face. "I can't do it." she says in a shocked voice. "It's as if the spell of unravelling has been erased from my mind."

Griffin shrugs and stands, his eyes glowing as he shifts gears- increasing his durability.

He even stands at the ready- poised to leap into action at any second.

Ellbeth looks highly embarrassed and disturbed. "I... I can't do it. Grimm, are you able? Anyone know a trustworthy mage who can?"

Eclair makes a small show of checking her contacts on her phone. "No."

"Sorry, ma'am- never was one for maging and soothsaying." Griffin says before he looks to Grimm, about to say something. Then cowed- he changes his mind. Deciding to keep his head down and his defenses up.

Grimm rubs her chin in thought. "Y'know...I've never tried. I work a lot with Ghostfist and usually she handles artifacts. She taught me a little, but I haven't really mastered it." Like at all. She's been cursed when it comes to cursed or enchanted items lately.

Ellbeth says quietly, "I think I know someone who can. Natasha. The little dragon who may have seen flying around in Colonial Bay. She's a manavore. She eats magic." Ellbeth pushes the two items over to Grimm. "Do you want to give it a try?"

Grimm stares at the two items as they're pushed towards her. "Uhhh...I...guess?" she tries to remember the stuff Frankie taught her. She holds out her hands and focusing, using her illusory powers to make a chalk circle of power draw itself around the two items. Runes write themselves, and angular patterns stretch out within the circle. A few times, parts of the disenchanting circle redraw themselves as Gabrielle realizes a mistake and erases the error. She chews on the inside of her cheek as she experiments. She mutters something in latin and stares in consternation as...nothing happens. Not even a glow. "Darn...I guess I have more studying to do," she sighs and lowers her hands. The chalk drawing vanishes.

Ellbeth was watching closely. "You nearly had it, Grimm. I felt the magic coming into focus. Try it again but with this gesture in the third pass of hands."

Eclair is able to sense a shimmer of electricity from both items as Grimm is working. As soon as the mage stops, the activity also ceases.

Ellbeth moves her hands in a near but not quite the same copy of one of Grimms gestures.

Ten watches curiously. She knows little about magic for someone whose life has been so affected by it.

Eclair huhs. "When you were doing... whatever it was you were doing, I sensed a spark in both items."

Grimm nods at Ellbeth's encouragement. "Alright, let's try again. My latin accent is terrible...I'm just trying to repeat something I've heard Ghostfist say. Don't understand what it means, really. Maybe you know it?" she asks as she focuses on redrawing the magic circle she's seen Ghostfist use. Perhaps Ellbeth's latin skills can understand what Grimm was trying to say but bumbled on the pronunciation. On the third pass of hands, she uses the gesture Ellbeth demonstrated.

Ellbeth chants along with Grimm, adding what she can to the spell casting.

The enchantments are slowly unwoven by Grimm and Ellbeth, and Eclair can again pick up on the electrical currents inside the two ancient-looking devices. It takes several minutes, but eventually the two mages, working together, are able to remove the obfuscating magic.

It was quiet. Too quiet. Actually it was just the right amount of quiet. Aaliyah was reading in her ancient underground tomb. What? You don't live in a tomb you were buried in three and a half thousand years ago? Your place must not have much history in it.

Either way, she turns the page of a text she acquired the last time she was out. A history textbook to help her get caught up on what she'd missed the last century and a half. Turning the page, she found the picture on that page to be moving slowly. As she focused upon it, she figured out that Thoth was sending her a message. Suggesting that she might be of use at a location indicated in the new version of the picture.

Sighing, Aaliyah set the book aside, but left the page open. She began moving her hands about, summoning the eye of Horus... a golden sigil that hovered in the air before her. Here's the catch though...

The Eye of Horus also sprang into existence in the US Embassy. It grew bright enough to overload most eyes for just a moment, and when it faded.. Aaliyah is standing there in her loose and gauzy clothing. "How may I be of service?" she asks in a lightly accented voice. Speaking English of course.

Eclair nods. "That looks like it did it. Or at least, I can see the currents clearly now."

And just as the enchantment is removed, Aaliyah appears.

Grimm lowers her hands again as the disenchantment completes. Just at the time Aaliyah appears like a genie released from it's bottle. She shoots a glance at the woman, then back at Ellbeth. "Did we...uh...do that?" she asks, nodding in the direction of Aaliyah.

"Woah- is that a genie lamp..." Griffin asks, "or is this another of Time Pharaoh's lackeys?"

Ellbeth flinches at Aaliyah's arrival. For a moment she expected Dr Temple. "Uh... I don't know." she answers Grimm.

Ten jumps to her feet, staff in hand.

Brows lifting at the reactions of various people, Aaliyah radiates divine magic for those who can sense such things. "Did I come at a bad time?" she asks. But as Griffin speaks, her eyes narrow a bit. She doesn't explain, but his words appear to have consternated or otherwise upset her.

"Ahem. Well...you came at a pretty auspicious time," Gabrielle manages to say with some composure.

"Its a hell of a coincidence..." Griffin says as he considers the Eqyptian themed woman. If only he knew there was nothing thematic going on and that she was really an ancient Egyptian.

Nodding sagely to Grimm, Aaliyah states, "Such are the methods of Thoth. One of my patrons, god of knowledge. He imparts upon me the knowledge of where I may be useful and when. But usually at the last moment." She shrugs, "I am Exalted. Chosen of Thoth, Isis, Horus, and Anubis. How may I assist?"

Ten knows nothing about all this magic business really, so leaves the speaking to those who do.

"Pleasure to meet ya, Exalted. I suppose we need all the magic-users we can spare around here considering what we're facing." Griffin says cordially. "If the other's will have ya along- you won't hear any complaints from me. I've been out of my depth since this started it seems."

"Well...your claims seem to fit with the divine aura coming from you," Gabrielle replies, still half-thinking breaking the magical seal summoned Aaliyah. "Given your...manner of dress, I don't know if it'd be out of line to hope you actually have any historical knowledge of Egypt or these items..."

Glancing past the others, Aaliyah glances at the artifacts. She inclines her head, "Those are from the fifteenth century of what the world refers to as BC. Before Christ." she shrugs, "I have been studying up on history." she adds with a smile. But she inclines her head, "Rumor has it that those were enchanted items. Symbols of power for Tempus, advisor to Pharaoh Hatshepsut.. known to be the longest reigning female Pharaoh." she states.. -almost- in a tone of disappointment.

Ten says, "What do you know about Tempus?"

"Advisor to the pharaoh. Not much is written about him. Rumor had it that he was -a- power behind the throne. But... the Pharaoh allowed herself to be influenced by an outsider. He himself was not of Egypt. I believe he was Roman." says Aaliyah as she looks over the items there.

Ten says, "A bit early for Rome, surely? Not that that would stop *him*, of course."

Grimm looks around the room curiously before looking back at the artifacts. "...why would he bother with that? Was there some sort of special relationship between the Pharaoh and advisor? Was there anything particularly special about her reign?" she ponders. "If I were a time traveler, why would I spend that sort of time and resource on something like that...?"

Ten(#2416PenACcF?)

This young woman is like something out of an adolescent fantasy, from her curvaceous figure to her lips that seem designed to kissing, to her amazing blue, inviting eyes, to her cascade of blonde hair, to her voice, whose alluring tone seems to say so much more than her words. And she carries herself to show this package off to best effect, too, standing with her hips cocked and her chest out, or slinking as she walks, though this all seems natural, guileless.

Her identity is concealed by a blue mask about her eyes, which nonetheless leaves her mouth and hair visible. Below the neck and above the legs, hands and arms included, her skin-tight costume appears to be a single piece of pure white, but for a proud blue '10' on her chest. Her boots too are blue, reaching just short of her knees.

In her hand, or, when not in use, coiled about her, is a curious silver-coloured segmented weapon like a flexible staff in small sections held together by fields of force, faintly glowing blue. The individual segments are roughly cylindrical, yet the surfaces are not smooth, but rather shaped for a variety of functions.

Grimm(#2694POeACcF?)

A fair skinned young woman standing at 5' 6" with layered, textured long hair. Shes wearing a half-buttoned up red flannel shirt with blue and dark red cross-lines on it, and an army green tank top underneath. Charcoal grey cargo capris end just below her knees, finished with ankle-high flat brown boots with a series of straps and buckles. The flannels sleeves are rolled up to her elbows.

On her right wrist is a black banded bracelet. A silver banded ring adorns each thumb. Her left eyebrow is pierced with a silver ring just past the arch. Her left ear has a helix piercing with a simple silver loop earring, with standard lobe piercings with black spiral hoop tribal earrings.

Ellbeth(#2336PeACF?)

Ellbeth's fusion of racial backgrounds originally created a youthful exotic beauty that has aged gracefully, to an almost classical Mediterranean appearance. She's not overweight however, as she'll tell you repeatedly given an excuse. Attentive green eyes with a distinctly humorous glint glance out behind semi-mirrored sunglasses. A knowing gaze suggestive of having seen a lot, forgiven most and forgotten little. Is it something about the posture of her body and the firmness of her jaw however that indicates a steadfast resolve and a determination to make her views heard?

A silver clasp gathers her hair into a long ponytail of snow-white hair down her back. She wears a shimmering full length hooded mid-grey damask robe hemmed with dark sable fur, belted at the waist with a white slash and held shut at the neck by a silver owl brooch, the hood thrown back. A long polished oaken staff inscribed with arcane runes is held in her left hand while her right hand holds a state of the art laptop computer.

Aaliyah(#2590PenACcF?)

This woman would not be called tall by modern measure. She stands 5 foot 2 inches tall, and can't weigh more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. She is what would be called petite. Her dusky golden skin speaks of a Mediterranean ancestry, and her dark luxurious hair hangs down to the middle of her back. Her eyes are a golden hazel in color and have a bit more makeup at their edges than most modern folks would consider tasteful. Nevertheless, it is impossible for her to hide her sheer beauty. She was born to be beautiful and her lush figure only adds to that visual.

Her feet are wrapped in golden trimmed sandals that wrap up her calves almost to her knees. The knees are visible because her outfit looks like what would commonly be called a miniskirt, but is in fact called a Shendyt. It is belted about the waist with what can only be called a tightly braided cord of gold. Her top is simple if semi revealing. Her shoulders are entirely exposed with a top that resembled a 'tube top' but without elastic. The loop that goes about the neck is concealed by an elaborate cloth mantle over which a silver torque is worn.

Her arms have golden bands on about her biceps which each have a feathery look to them with a hawk beak motif pointing down the outside of the arm. Attached to the armbands and to the mantle as well as the back of the waist is a sheer black wrap. It flows about her as if in a gentle breeze, even in a windless day, or in a hurricane. The wrap drapes down her back all the way to her calves but being sheer, it conceals nothing.

Griffin(#2835PenACcF?)

Griffin Freeman is 6'4 with a very masculine & muscular build. His skin is a dark caramel color. He has a thick beard that is usually in various states of disarray depending on what he's been up to.

Despite the beard & wildling lifestyle, he is quite handsome. He suffers from what many would call 'rugged good looks'.

Beyond his good looks & statuesque frame- he stands out because his irises emit a bright golden glow.

He is often wearing hiking/outdoors gear, but does wear the occasional BDU when going out 'on mission' or out on patrol as seen in profile pictures.

If not in his Battle Dress Uniform, he is usually wearing functional outdoors clothing. His style is one of necessity- durable, tough, reliable. He's used to living out at the edges of civilization, and his wardrobe shows it. Black combat boots & his MEDkit strapped to his thigh complete the look regardless of what he's wearing.

Waving a hand about, Aaliyah remarks, "When I say Roman, I mean.. anywhere on the north side of the Mediterranean. He could have been from Greece, or even Persia." She smirks a bit and shrugs, "His name was Latin though, which definitely -is- odd. The Latin language was created in the time within a century or two of your Christ." she states. Inclining her head, she adds, "Hatshepsut was a prolific builder. She has many monuments built. She established trade routes... she was 'The first great woman in history' according to many modern historians. Why would.." She pauses and her dark eyes flicker up towards Grimm.. just her eyes, "Please forgive me. Did you say Time traveler?"

Grimm nods once, unsure of how to explain this to her. "We're dealing with a time traveler who calls himself the Time Pharaoh. He's been collecting local criminals from a few different points in time, and tried to steal these two items from a museum in the United States," she explains as she motions to the two artifacts. "He said he was reclaiming them. And an advisor named Tempus follows his MO."

"Tempus is a latin word meaning time. If this man travels through time, then... is it not possible that this Time Pharaoh..." she says that with a bit of a snarl of distaste, "And Tempus are one and the same? And if he can travel through time, then why can he not simply retrieve these from before they were ever brought to the United States?"

Ten says, "They seem to be the same, yes. He's used many different names in different times - from his perspective. All muddled up from an outside perspective."

"My guess is that these items are tied magically to -one- aspect of him. That he cannot retrieve them until certain conditions have been met." offers Aaliyah. "So, this upstart of a self proclaimed Pharaoh wishes to rule as if he -were- a Pharaoh?" she asks. She seems quite.. amused.

Ten says, "Perhaps so. At least at some point in his timeline - it's very confusing trying to work out his motives out of chronological order."

"If you seek him, then I can remain and study these items and perhaps anything else you wish to have studied." offers Aaliyah.