[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + @lukaspope + wearing

Jack didn't bother checking their phone to see if they had the right room, they'd memorised it, and it was almost unheard of for Jack to forget things. It hadn't been hard to track down the man's hotel room. They'd kept an eye out for unusual metahumans across the country, and Lukas Pope was not only on that list, but happened to be visiting the San Francisco MNRU to have his abilities analysed. Jack just couldn't resist the opportunity. They were, rather unusually, here alone, but then they were fairly confident that the man would not attempt to kill them, even with Jack's rather bald-faced interest in the nature of their ability. Lukas had made an unusual decision. They were a metahuman, and a not insignificant one from what information Jack could gather, and yet they had shown no interest in the Hero Program, preferring instead to remain a simple police officer. It was intriguing. It wouldn't be the first Metahuman that Jack had contacted, Jack's ability only made the powers of others all the more fascinating. They had successfully replicated the more straightforward ones with technology, but something that allowed the transfer of injuries? Presumably some sort of cellular regeneration with an empathetic feedback link. That and a notably increased healing factor of his own. The man was no Wolverine, but his abilities made him interesting, and Jack rarely needed more of an excuse than interesting to start prying into other people's lives.

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[Deleted]

The past few days were quite the whirlwind that Luke didn't expect. For a cop like him feeling out of control or not being able to work out a problem was unsettling to him. This problem or what ever it was, maybe meta? Well, that was most unsettling to him. When he sat down he choose a seat near the corner, where no person could come up behind him, it gave him a good sight range that even if he had his eye looking down could clearly see the entire room. Even off duty, cops are cops and their training is always used, even off duty, you never know when something was going to happen that needed to be delt with.

While waiting to be seen, Luke was lost in thought. If he was a meta and it looked like that might be the case, what next? Would he be allowed to stay at his job? His job was everything to him, he had nothing else in his life, save a good trip to cal for surfing. The thought of surfing the waves bright a slight smile to his face, even was now even considered staying for a day or two to maybe go to the beach, it wasn't like he could go back on the streets with an arm in a sling. He looked at his arm and moved his hand at the wrist and then moved his fingers, the arm was still really sore with hand movement. Not that he needed his arm to surf like he did, but still he out on the cities dime on injury leave and if someone saw him on the waves it would not look good. However, a walk on the beach would be something he could do while he was on this side of the states.

Luke heard the door open and looked up to see a male walk in. Luke started to size him up, seemed to be confident yet, loose and he seemed to have his eyes on him. This could not be the doctor? Luke did not take his eyes off of the stranger before him, he watched the strangers hands as he moved closer to him. Luke stood and held out his hand "Hi, Im Luke". It may have seemed like a greeting but Luke was still sizing the man up, watching for what the man would do and say.

[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + @lukaspope + wearing

Jack smiled, then wandered in and glanced around the room, looking casually to see if there were any cameras in the room. Not that it mattered; wiping themselves from the feed had been child's play, almost depressingly so. It was probably why they focused on metahumans so much in their recent researches. Things that followed the normal laws of science were just so depressingly predictable. Metahuman abilities however, seemed to follow strange laws of their own, laws that Jack would dearly love to codify. Lukas Pope was sat down in the corner, in a chair that faced the door and kept him out of sight of the window. If Jack hadn't known that he was a cop then they would have guessed it simply from this action. It was telling. Finally they paid attention to the man, looking at his hand almost curiously and weighing up the risks. On the one hand the man appeared to be able to transfer injuries to himself, logically he could transfer them to others in some sort of offensive measure. Perhaps he needed a firm grip, or simply a light touch. Jack didn't know these things yet, and so the offered hand was a risk. Jack took it, shaking it before returning their hand to their pocket. No agonising pain, no sudden death. Lukas was supposed to be new to abilities, perhaps he could not yet control it, or even more simply had not wanted to harm Jack. They would reserve judgement. "I'm Jack, you a new patient here?" Lukas had no way of knowing their true identity or their true purpose here, and Jack could lie with the smooth practice of one born to it. Not that they had lied. They'd merely suggested that they themselves were a patient with their question.

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[Deleted]

Luke was in the habit of extending right hand but he had the cast on that arm so he extended his left hand to shake with the stranger. There was something about him, no her? They didn't look male or female, maybe an alternative gender? It didn't matter, Luke was brought up to treat everyone with respect and kindness, 'love they neighbor' was part of his catholic faith, above all no matter what they align with they were human.

The stranger had held out their hand and Luke took it with his left hand and they announced their name as "Jack" they had asked if he was a new patient at the institute. Luke nodded "I guess so, I haven't seen anyone yet." Luke found Jack handshake firm, like they knew what they were doing. Luke started to get the feeling like Jack had been sizing him up also. People do that now a days, Luke was used to the feeling by now, yet now that he maybe a meta, it was slightly unsettling.

"How about you? Are you a patient here at the Institute?" Luke ask as he adjusted his right arm in the sling. Of course this wasn't a regular hospital were the hurt and ill seek treatment but it was one for meta's from what Luke was told. Hopefully the doctor would tell him if one, that he was a meta, two what his ability was and three if they could teach him how to use and control it. So one just looking at Jack wouldn't know what they were there for if that was the case.

[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + @lukaspope + wearing

Jack had adapted to the left handed shake with nary a skip in their step. It had been obvious that the man would be unable to shake with his right, and he had held out his left. It had seemed simple to Jack to accommodate Lukas' injury. Perhaps that had been something of a giveaway of Jack's true nature, a slip that their father would have spotted in a heartbeat. Never let them see who you really are Jack. Jack shrugged at Lukas' response, crossing to the window to look out. It was a surprisingly pleasant view for a government funded building. Although there were some other revenue streams coming into the MNRU it was primarily a federally funded institution. "Yeah, they get pretty busy, maybe someone else is kicking off in another wing. It happens sometimes. People don't like suddenly finding out that they're different from everybody else. I speak from experience." The question was fair, and Jack didn't explicitly want to lie, so they fudged the truth. They were exceedingly good at fudging the truth. "I don't think of myself as a patient." True, while once again suggesting that they were one. The sat themselves, stretching out their long legs in a pose of languid relaxation. "So what did you do to get sent here?"

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[Deleted]

Up to now Luke's life seemed easy and predestined. His parents brought him up to do things right and completely. Things had a clear begining, such as an application and an ending such as getting hired. Things continued that way, one step after another. Yet, the "Event" through a wrench into all the orderness in Luke's life. How does one handle being a meta if they did not know what their ability was and does or even how it all worked? Right now Luke was seeking answers to all this strange thing that invaded his life. Being here at the MNRU, he prayed it would be the right first step to finding out more.

Luke watched Jack with a kind of interest like a young boy and a new toy, there was something about them that made you want to know more about them yet, there was a kind of aversion too. Something like super spicy food where you think you can take another bite but keep going anyway. The reply to being a patient seemed rather vague and maybe misdirected? Either way, what did it matter, Jack has their reasons for being here as did Luke. It wasn't his business anyway.

Jack had gone to the window telling Luke the people here maybe busy or kicking off somewhere and gave him a hint that he may have an ability also by saying that people didn't like finding out their different from others and that they spoke from experience. That peaked Lukes interest "What ability do you have? Your a meta right?"

Again they moved from the window to sprawling out on one of the seats near by as they proclaimed they did not think of themselves as a patient. They asked Luke what he was there for and Luke suddenly felt sick. Luke sat up shifting his weight in the chair. "I here to see weather or not I have an ability" Luke left the reply simple without sharing any personal information with Jack who Luke was still on the wall about the stranger.

[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + @lukaspope + wearing

So straight into the questions, and no explanation as to the event that had actually brought him here. Jack had their sources of course, but that didn't mean that they didn't want to hear it from the mouth of someone who had been there. It must be strange for Lukas now. There were metahumans in the Police Force, but the more powerful ones tended to move into Hero work, it was an ideal recruiting ground for the federal program. Of course that left some resentment, many Police officers were fine with Heroes, they were just like SWAT, but with powers. Many others resented them, feeling like they were being pushed out, or told they weren't good enough. Of course, no police officer could ever hope to compete with a powerful metahuman. "Yeah I'm metahuman, my power's a bit weird though. I can build stuff basically." A vast oversimplification of Jack's ability, but true enough. Then there was the aspect of Jack's power that had enhanced their intelligence. In truth they no longer thought of that as an ability. It was so much a part of them now that they couldn't envisage it as something separate. Or perhaps they didn't want to think of it as something separate. Maybe they'd just have to be more blunt. "So what do you do? Your power I mean? Or what do they think you do?"

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[Deleted]

Jack had said his power was that he could build stuff. One could wonder what that really meant yet, Luke did wonder. His thoughts however wasn't on Jack and what he might be able to build but on his own problems and why he was here. Jack even asked about his ability, Luke had no ready reply for him. I mean how does one tell another person that wounds open up on his body when trying to treat people? A walking hospital bill that was him.

In fact, his jobs medical coverage has been denying his past two claims, saying it was not "on the job" that his injuries were incurred. Dispite all the documentation that was sent into the insurance company. Luke was hoping this visit would clear some things up, namely 'What the h**l was going on with him and if there was anything they could do about it or treat it. His injuries not only were eating into his wallet but it was also taking his sick time and cutting into his vacation days. If this visit does not help him, Luke honestly did not know what he was going to do.

Jacks voice asking what he could do and what his power was or what they thought he had. Yeah, Luke wished it was a simple answer. It wasn't easy and to even to try to detail what he even thought was going on, how? Yeah, no. Sadly, this time Luke was a loss for words and simply replied "I don't know, that's why I'm here, hopefully to find out." he simply told Jack while he looked at his watch to see what time it was.

It was nearing the time for the appointment and Luke was getting nervous as the time grew closer. He could handle any interviews and conversations, but still he was more concerned over them them taking blood because of the needle. Don't bother with the tease lines about a big man scared of a little needle, he gets enough ribbing about his last name, thank you.

He sighed and turned towards Jack asking him "Do you know anything about Doctor Newton?" It was direct and to the point, said with a rather flat tone of voice.

[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + @lukaspope + wearing

Jack could spot the lie. It might not have been an intentional one, but a lie it was nonetheless. Jack had read the reports that had been sent to the insurance company. Anything that was recorded digitally was easy enough to access, short of government documents. And even those were not beyond the reach of their slender fingers. Still, they had hoped that Lukas would be able to offer them some new insight, something that hadn't been mentioned in the information that had been sent to his insurance. They nodded as if Lukas had at least answered part of their question, even if he had in fact done exactly the opposite. They hadn't quite expected the next question, but then it made sense. They had suggested that they might be a patient here, it was natural that Lukas would ask about the doctor's and other members of staff that operated within the walls of the MNRU. "Dr Newton? Tall guy, grey hair, got a limp." Jack shrugged, "He's not my doctor but he seems a bit of a dick. Good though. If you know what I mean?" They cocked their head, running their fingers idly along the side of the chair, then they looked suddenly at Lukas. "Why? You worried about what the doc might say to you?"

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[Deleted]

Jack told Luke just barely the basics of Dr. Newton like that he was tall, grey hair with a limp. It wasn't the kind of reply Luke was expecting. Jack continued with a kind of negative comment about the man. Great a doctor with poor bedside manners Luke thought to himself as he stared at the sun faded carpet.

A childhood memory would surface, he's maybe five years old, his mother has him at the doctor and the doctor did not have the kind bedside matter, his mother laid into the man. Whatever his problem was that day, he never gave his mother a poor bedside attitude again. Yeah, that tough streak, Lukas clearly inharinated from his mom. It brought a smile to his face at such a memory.

Jacks voice got him back to the present day with him asking if he was worried about what the doctor might say to him. Luke sat up looking towards the window with the sun beaming in, you can see the dust dance within its rays, he then turned to Jack shrugging his shoulders. "I do not know what to expect this is still all new to me" he would tell him as he undid his cast to get an inch.

Luke would go on to ask Jack "You seem to know alot about whats going on here and yet you don't consider your a patient here? Then what are you doing here? What gives?" He had a hint of sturness to his voice when he spoke to Jack.

[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + @lukaspope + wearing

Jack almost rolled their eyes. This Lukas Pope was definitely not the sharpest knife in the drawer. On the other hand Jack had never seen the inside of the drawer, so they might have a slightly skewed perception. He was hardly the first person Jack had met who had received their powers thanks to the Event, but he was certainly the densest. It was taking all of their patience not to simply call up 177 and have her beat the answers out of him. Jack didn't have much taste for torture, but they were sure the iced Soviet super-weapon had a few interesting red interrogation techniques up her, admittedly short, sleeves. "I should hope I know a lot about what's going on here, I've spent way too much time here already." True "Why else? I'm curious. World changes overnight and what? You just want to hide under a rock? Come on man, where's your curiousity? You must work in a bank or something." They stood up and paced, feeling restless at how unsuccessfully this was going. "When I saw you watching the door and out the way of the window I thought you might be a cop or something. But no way do I think that now." They stopped and looked Lukas dead in the eyes. "Why are you here?"

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[Deleted]

tell him that he thought of him as a cop because the why he choose his seat but not now. Luke wasn't surprised that a civilian would guess he was a cop, there were cop wanna bes that read books about cops and such, it was like just because they couldn't become cops themselves, they would at least think like one and were seeking some kind of fame in maybe solving a crime or of sorts. Was Jack like that? Maybe. Luke thought but Luke would not tell Jack that he was neverless.

The thing that got Luke most concerned was when Jack looked dead into his own eyes and asked point blank "Why are you here?"

If Luke had his weapon on him, no one would have known with his arm in a sling, he always felt naked without it at his side, however it was frowned upon at this place and had to leave it in tripped locked at the hotel in one of those tiny safes. He was more in range that a simple hand to hand take down would be simple if he needed to do anything. Luke normally could talk to a rock and make it bleed but now he felt a loss for words. Usually one would never tell another about ones reasons for being in a certain area, again you don't want to give someone who may stalking you fuel for their madness. However, Luke didn't take Jack as a stalker maybe a wayward soul looking for something to do or whatever?

"Sit down and I'll tell you" Luke told Jack. Getting him to sit would at least would get Jack in a less reactive stance and get him out of Luke's personal space. Luke would watch and wait for him to sit down and then Luke would explain to him why he was there.

"I'm here to find out what is going on with me, I keep getting hurt while helping others." Luke said in a truthful tone of voice while blading his body in such a way so he could face Jack. He went on "My friend thinks its because I maybe a Meta?" There was a clear pause as Luke was trying to find the right words to explain himself. "There was this young person who was shot, I was working on saving their life and I was the one that spent about a month in the hospital with what appeared to be a gun shot wound, the only thing is I didn't have the bullet in my chest, that young person did and they hardly had a scratch on them." Luke gestured with his uninjured arm as he said "That's why I am here, to find out what is going on with me and weather or not I am this Meta thing that some people think I may be." There the truth without any fane fair.
Tag Jack

[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + @lukaspope + wearing

Jack raised an eyebrow at Luke's request, but at least they were finally getting somewhere. They moved from the window back towards Lukas, coming closer and leaning against a chair, but not sitting down. They gave Lukas a pointedly defiant look then almost rolled their eyes shortly after he began. Either the guy was an idiot, or he had serious denial issues. The MNRU was an expensive and very much exclusive medical facility. If they weren't at least sure you were a metahuman, you wouldn't get an invite, let alone get in through the door. Jack could tell that Lukas was a metahuman just from reading the reports that had been sent in regarding it. They had hoped for some more understanding about Lukas' ability, but it was clear that they weren't going to get much in the way of answers. It was strange though Lukas could remove injuries from others apparently at will, but always with the unfortunate side effect that he conferred them on himself. Somehow that same injury hadn't killed him either. Presumably some part of their ability inured their body against death, or at least death caused through the use of their own ability. Perhaps some aspect of enhanced tissue regeneration that was potent enough to prevent life-threatening injuries, but not potent enough to notably increase the rate of healing, at least not enough the Lukas had noticed it. "I'm pretty sure if you're here you're a meta, that's just kind of how this place works." They leaned forward, "Why are you in so much denial over it? The only explanation for what happened is that you're a metahuman. Do have a problem with metahumans?" They were deliberately antagonising Lukas now. Maybe part of his power was linked to emotions, perhaps if they could accelerate the healing in others they could accelerate their own, and so many metahuman abilities were linked to emotions in some way, it's why they often manifested during puberty.

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[Deleted]

They leaned instead of sitting, a least his center of balance was off and not in a direct line to Luke. He did however kept his eyes on him as they talked to him. They came bluntly came right out telling Luke he was more then likely a meta because that is what this place does.

There was a noticable sigh that would escape Luke's lips, deep down he knew from the first time yet, did not wan to admit it. There was fear that he would loose his job, the only thing he knew how to do and did one h**l of a job at it too. There was also fear on how people would treat him. While it was true he could pretty much control almost any situation, how do you control something that you know nothing about and that continuously your getting hurt from healing others?

Jack had leaned closer to him and asked him why he was in so much denial over being a meta? What happened to you is that you are a meta, do you have a problem with metas?

Luke sat back in his chair, running his free hand in his short cut hair and readjusted his injured arm. Some time went by that there was an uneasy silence. Luke weighed his options weather or not to tell them or just get up and leave, making another appointment for the next day?

Gesturing with his uninjured arm Luke told Jack "Fine, if that's what is happening fine, I am here to find that out, I have no problem with meta, understandably I do not know to much about them other then what we have been taught in the police academy and from what I hear or read on the media. I do not know why you are giving me the 20 questions for my being here." Luke told him.

Tag: Jack

[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + @lukaspope + wearing

Jack almost laughed at Lukas’ response, they didn’t have the greatest opinion of the US Police force, and by extension, the academy that trained them. It didn’t help that Jack had read the documentation given to wannabe Police Officers and it was laughably lacking. Not that such poor provision was unusual in Police training. Still it was better than no training at all. Jack might have been offended, if they hadn’t felt like they were playing twenty questions themselves. They rolled their eyes. ”I’m having a conversation, last I checked, you asked me questions too, I’ve just been more honest than you have.” They stood up and moved a little away from the cop. ”That’s what we normal people do. Ask each other questions, take turns, just cause you don’t get to be the one asking all the questions it doesn’t mean you’re being interrogated. Jeez.” They shrugged, ”Sucks that your power hurts you though,” they said insincerely.

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