Slowing Down

From Heroes of the Great Tree

Pre-Scene Info: Jake woke up one morning in September 2000 unable to slow down. This was only a month after impossibilities started appearing. As such, no one knew what was wrong with him. Jake's father put him in an institution and hired the best doctors to look at him, but he spent six months with no results. Just prior to this, Jake's father does some digging into his and Jake's mother's family. He finds out that Jake's mother had a relative (Jake's great grand uncle) who was an impossibility with speed. Apparently, this relative was shunned from the family due to a difference of lifestyle opinion. That and most of the family that knew him is dead. Here is the scene where the father brings the relative to visit Jake. Date: 3/2001 Age: 5 days away from his 10th birthday.

"Hey…" Jake's father started to form the words Jake knew so well. His Dad always said the same thing every time he visited.

"…Jake…"

Dad had brought someone with him this time. The man was wrinkled, hunched over and leaned heavily on a thin black cane.

"…how's…"

Jake paced the room. The man smelled. Why would Dad bring some old fogey to see him? He must be like one of those other experts who came, poked and prodded him and then left.

"…it…"

Jake tried not to act annoyed. He thought at least his Dad could change it up a bit; say something different.

"…going?…"

Jake knew better than to interrupt his dad. His dad never understood him when he did.

"…They…"

Maybe he could run down the hall. They let him wander the facility as long as he didn't leave. He could be down at the cafeteria and back before Dad finished his sentence. Today's menu was burgers. Five or six burgers would do him fine right about now.

"…treating…"

Yep. He'd go get a burger and come back.

"…you…"

He was about to pass his father when the old man stepped in front of him.

"Where do you think you're going?" The old man's voice sounded ancient; dry and cracked.

Jake backpedaled. His Dad had stopped talking and stared at them.

"I'm hungry," Jake tested. Had he heard the man right? How had that old guy stepped in his way without breaking a sweat?

"Don't be an ingrate. Pay attention." The man tapped his cane on the bare floor.

"How're you doing that?"

"Talking to you? Simple, I move my lips."

"That's not what I mean!" Jake shouted at the man. Why were old people so testy?

"Maybe if you slowed down a bit and thought you'd figure it out for yourself."

"I can't," said Jake.

"Why not?"

"I don't know, I woke up like this one morning and now I can't stop." That was six months ago, according to what he read and what they all said. It felt like years to Jake. "Who are you?"

"I'm family."

"No one's ever told me I had an old crotchety dude for family. What are you, my great-great granddad?"

"Close; it's great grand uncle and watch your mouth, boy." The old man brought the cane up quicker than Jake imagined was possible and rapped him on the shoulder.

"Ow!" He felt it sting across his arm. "What'd you do that for?"

"Your father was wrong. You're just another potty mouthed boy who doesn't care one whit for the people who worry about him. I don't know why I even came down here." The old man turned to Jake's father.

"I'm…..afraid…"

Jake felt panic surge through him. This guy could talk to him, touch him. Family or not, he could interact with Jake and his Dad. Jake couldn't let an opportunity like that go.

Jake reached out. He placed a hand on the man's shoulder and felt a rush of familiarity, of like meeting like. Jake saw the look on the man's face and knew he felt it too.

"No, please, I'm sorry! Don't leave," said Jake.

The man turned to him, a frown plastered across his face. He raised an eyebrow. "You ready to learn, boy?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then get ready, because it's time to slow you down." The man's frown twisted into a smirk, then morphed into a full out grin. He reached up, grabbing Jake's hand. They connected; skin on skin, molecule on molecule. The world spun out of control, like an eighteen wheeler decelerating from eighty to zero in point zero-zero-five seconds. The last thing he remembered was a cacophony of voices, running feet, music, cars, and someone screaming before he crashed into unconsciousness.

Post Scene Info: After this, Jake goes to stay with his great grand uncle to learn how to control his powers. By the time he's learned enough to be a normal kid again, he's lost over a year of school. He tries to catch up but no matter how fast he can work, the information still only gets absorbed as fast as a normal young boy with a bit of an attention span problem can absorb it.

Heroes of the Great Tree Topics
Heroes of the Great Tree	Barsaive • Adepts • NPCs • House Rules
Impossibilities	I-verse background • Player Characters • NPCs • House Rules
Phantapunk	Aeryn Background • Player Characters • NPCs • House Rules
Concrete & Crimson	World Background • Scoobies • NPCs • House Rules
Keep Flying	The 'Verse • The Crew • NPCs • House Rules
Polybius	The World • Investigators • NPCs • House Rules
Labyrinth	The World • PCs • NPCs • House Rules• Leads
Arkham by Cyberlight	The City • The Runners • Everyone Else • House Rules
Keep Flying v2	The 'Verse • The Crew • Other Folk • House Rules
Savage Effect	The Galaxy • The Cliens • Everyone Else • House Rules