AU: Chicago 1926

[aeons_crackshot]

Eventually, the jungle was left behind and the FreakAngels and the members of the Æon Society made their way to Æon's headquarters in Chicago.

The headquarters looks, to the casual observer, much like the home of someone who is very well to do. It is, of course. Maxwell Anderson Mercer is a very wealthy man, philanthropist or no, after all. It's only when you look deeper and realize how solidly built the place is and that certain extra security measures are in place that it begins to reveal itself for what it is.

Namely, the home base of people who, not to put too fine a point on it, quite a lot of dangerous people want dead.

There is an island of calm in the hustle and bustle, the Archives. Every piece of research, every note, every adventure of the Society's members is in here...somewhere.

Comments

[leadinghome]

Somewhere in there, we have a Connor: reading, exploring, learning, and even adding what he had written down previously, about the Freakangels, the Package, and their lives previously.

And what happened so far: the strangeness of not being hunted, shunned and hated.

[aeons_crackshot]

He's probably learning quite a bit about the strange new world they've found themselves in, and their "rescuers" in particular.

"Whitley, Ellis is looking for you again!" Possibly, Annabelle feels the best way to find anyone in the maze of shelves is to shout.

A bit later, Annabelle comes around the corner and smiles when she sees him.

[leadinghome]

He heard the shout, of course, but since it was not directed at him... Connor is engrossed into the study of some papers.

[aeons_crackshot]

The paper in question is an article from The Times dated the 22 of July, 1922. The headline reads: FIRE SEVERELY DAMAGES WEST END MANOR Death Toll Unknown; Famous Inventor Lost. **

Hopefully, she won't startle him too badly when she peers over his shoulder and speaks. "That was where it all started, although none of us knew it at the time."

**Taken directly from canon

[leadinghome]

It is rather hard to sneak on a Freakangel... But Connor jumps a bit anyway. "Oh, Hi. Ah yeah, I was reading about it."

[aeons_crackshot]

Either Annabelle is especially sneaky, or he was rather engrossed in what he was reading.

"Poor Dr. Hammersmith," she says with a shake of her head. "I wasn't at the demonstration, but I was in London at the time."

"I remember hearing about the fire, seeing all the activity. I had no idea how much my life was going to change."

[leadinghome]

"Must be strange, having things just change that way." Instead of always being different.

"I... wanted to apologize."

[aeons_crackshot]

"I was luckier than most," Annabelle says with a rueful smile. Considering that most Inspired discover their abilities in a life or death situation...

Annabelle blinks at his mention of wanting to apologize. "What did you want to apologize for?" she asks with a tilt of her head.

[leadinghome]

"Back in the amazon. Losing control that way." Ah yes, the big mental flash.

[aeons_crackshot]

Oh, that. Annabelle nods in understanding. "I suspect you were overdue for a loss of control," she replies with a sad smile. "Everybody snaps if they're under enough pressure."

Then her smile brightens, "Apology accepted."

Possibly there's something else she should say at this point, but Annabelle doesn't have much experience with verbal apologies.

[leadinghome]

"Thanks." Connor smiles and nods, reaching to give her hand a light squeeze.

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle doesn't mind the light squeeze at all. If you know what to look for, her hands show the weapon calluses and small scars of a rather adventurous life.

"You're welcome," she replies. "Are you looking for anything in particular? Whitley's filing system can be a bit Byzantine."

[leadinghome]

"I was just looking around. Found those newspapers and started reading." He looks around. "It is not so confusing, if you know what you are looking for."

[aeons_crackshot]

"I'll take your word for that," Annabelle says with a smile. She doesn't have much experience with libraries, you see.

"The beginning is a good place to start," she adds with a grin. A chair is hauled over and Annabelle straddles it. We're sorry for her lack of manners, really.

[leadinghome]

Connor does not see any lack of manners, really. "It still seems weird. For us, it 'started' when we realized we were different in more ways than cosmetic."

"I wonder hat would happen if any of us had children."

[aeons_crackshot]

He's from a different era, thankfully.

"What was it for you, if you don't mind my asking?"

"They might inherit your abilities or they might not," Annabelle replies with a shrug. "In our case, so far as we can tell, it's not just a matter of inheritance."

[leadinghome]

Strange? First I could not understand why people lied or tried to hide things. I could tell they were lying, or really angry or sad." Connor shakes head. "Then I realized I was different."

"My parents never understood why I was antisocial."

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle thinks about this for a moment. "That makes sense, the not understanding bit."

Then she winces at the antisocial bit. She knows full well the amount of deception that can be involved in even a normal conversation. "I expect you would have been."

"All the little lies that people use...." Emotional, mental, verbal, all laid bare.

[leadinghome]

"What makes it worse is that I am attuned to emotions first: I can tell someone is lying, why they think a lie is better. But seeing what the truth is, takes effort, and feels wrong to look."

[aeons_crackshot]

"Interesting. I don't think we have anyone that picks up on emotions first," Annabelle says thoughtfully.

She nods in agreement about the thoughts. "That makes sense, from what I've heard from the other psychics I've met."

"I'm very glad my Inspiration didn't manifest that way," she says with a small smile, "no offense intended."

[leadinghome]

"No offense taken." Connor smiles a bit. "Things got better after we met each other."

[aeons_crackshot]

"I'm glad," Annabelle says with a smile.

"Being with people who understand helps," she adds, reminiscing.

[leadinghome]

"Thing is, we did not understand all that much. We figure out quick that whatever happened to one, happened to all, we all had the same basic package and a few specialties."

"Mine are emotions and memories related to emotions. You can guess I don't use that much."

[aeons_crackshot]

"No, I would imagine not," Annabelle says with a shake of her head.

"We might be able to help you with the understanding, at least a little," she adds.

"Your abilities seem a lot like ours in many ways."

[leadinghome]

"How come?" Connor himself does not see that much similarity, between the Package and most of Aeon's powers.