Chaos meets Earth as your favorite group of maddest misfits finds themselves loss in the mess of our modern world.

Cass had a headache, one of the immediately obvious ones. Glaring around on principle she noticed Stefan, looking guilty. 'What the hells just happened?'

'I think I just did something...'

'Where'd the gods go? If you've killed them I feel I ought to thank you.'

'I don't think I've ever killed anyone.' The guilt was being mixed with nervousness now.

'Shame.' Cass shrugged.

Light.

It burned like a thousand suns, amplified by a billion prisms of cold ice. And then in a flash Theodore found himself somewhere else, dark with night - thank gods for that - and yet strangely bright. It was lit up by uncountable lights and lined with wires down the oddly hardened road.

Phoenix had had a much more tolerable experience. A fantastic one, in the beauty and glow. So had Omnelle, and so excited, the two whipped around in the sudden dark with horribly adjusted eyes searching wildly.

"Where are we?" the Shifter called. "Cass, is that you?"

'Yeah it's me. And the philosopher.' Cass stepped out into the artifical light, grumbling. 'I thought we were off the hook, I thought it was rewards, then home, then Genua, but no...'

Stefan was too busy staring at everything to talk.

Phoenix poked the beam curiously. "This thing's weird. I mean, I've never seen a lamppost like this."

"What in hells just happened?" Theodore demanded through gritted teeth, blistered by all the holiness and hating it.

"Aw. I miss the pretty light," Nelle pouted. "Was that you, Vampire Cassandra?"

'Is it a lamp post, though?' Stefan circled it curiously.

'Pain. Pain just happened.' Cass turned to Omnelle. 'I'm afraid it wasn't, that time, but I could make you some pretty light if you wanted.'

"Sure looks like one, and it seems to be serving the same purpose," Phoenix answered, brow furrowed. "I mean, it's lighting up this funny trail and all. But who's benefiting by it?"

"I'm getting too old for this," Ted groaned.

"I loooooooooooooooooooooove pretty lights! Pretty lights are pretty," Omnelle smiled brightly.

'Exactly. Is it a lamp post if there is no one to see the light?'

'Does that mean yes?' Cass smiled and produced a few chemicals, making an impromptu and very small fireworks display for the girl.

"Sure. 'Course it is. Isn't it?" Phoenix added confusedly, blinking. "Any idea what's powering it? It's not flickering like flame or gas or anything."

Nellie's pupils shifted and swam larger and smaller as the light flicked before her eyes. She clapped happily. "Ooooh it's goooorgeous."

'No. But I'd like very much to know.' He dragged his fingers across it, paused for a moment, and laughed. 'Oh, how strange. Look-it sort of hums, under your fingertips. Like...I know! It's electricity. I once saw some wizards controlling it, only they said it was hard to produce and harder to harness. So why is it being wasted on a light no one needs?'

'Isn't it?' Cass ruffled Nellie's hair.

((gtg, sorry.))

Various groans, calls and complaints echoed out of the nearby alleyway mouth.

"Wot just happened?"

"I don't know if I want to know. Where's Cass? Cass!"

"Thomas?"

"Erik?"

"Get ov! You're boz zittink on my zvords!"

Lucia pulled herself to her feet indignantly, taking a sweep around the area.

"That was powerful magic indeed." She reached out and pressed her palm against a grimy wall: "My, boys, Lyda: we've found ourselves a place like no other, here. I can feel it. The others are that way," she added, pointing with a long, lean finger.

Phoenix felt the vibrations of the device and shook her head in confusion, a little smile coming up. There was something about Stefan's excited curiosity that was infectious. "Electricity. Some kind of magic, eh? So... maybe this isn't a busy time? Maybe we're here at a bad day."

She spent a few seconds to be glad of that. Her friends plus crowds would only equal death and destruction, she knew it.

((Are you still on? I was having tech issues, but I'm back!))

"I never got my wish," Lydia said, realizing. "Neither did Father Declan, or Lupinus, or Lewis. Maybe the gods'll put a hold on them?"

"Hope so. None of them seem to have taken effect yet anyway." Julian was checking his back for feathers. "So where do you think we are?"

Thomas shrugged gingerly, rubbing the knot on the back of his head. "Don't look like Ankh-Morpork, exactly."

"It's not," Lucia nodded decisively. "And the gods are obliged to honor their accords. When we return you should plead your case. As for our location-- beyond what it is not..."

"It doesn't smell like anywhere I've been," Theodore put in, coming up towards the others. "That's for sure."

((Sure am! Drawing, but I'm here!))

((Yay! *la's*))

"Doezn't zmell like much ov anyzing," Geier added, scowling. "Zo it's devinitely not Ankh-Morpork."

Julian elbowed him accidentally-on-purpose.

"What's that noise?" hissed Lydia, interrupting the ensuing mini-scuffle. An unfamiliar whirring sound was coming up the street.

"Out of the way, right now!" Ted called.

Lucia jerked aside as a strange horseless buggy came swooshing by with a whirl of a wind and flash of more artificial light. Some pounding hip-hop music ran into the streets as a blaring horn sprang into the night.

"Watch it!" someone called through a window as they sped away.

There was a shriek down the street, mostly drowned out by the music and noise.

"What was that!?" Phoenix demanded, flaming up and leaping back, glancing between Stefan and Cass nervously.

"What was that?" various voices chorused at roughly the same time as Phoenix's.

"It looked like a... giant beetle or something." Lydia shivered. The strange vehicle had been so fast. "Only there were people inside! It just rolled along, no horses-- but this is such a flat road. How..."

Julian peered in the direction the shriek had come from. "Was that someone screaming?"

"No, that was a childish firegirl who needs to get a grip on herself," Phoenix explained. "Julian, that you?"

"Beatles aren't bad," Ted shrugged. "Though that thing looked rather impressive. I'm going to get a better view of this place," he added, hovering up off the ground and then zipping towards the sky.

Geier followed, shaking off dizziness.

"Yeah, it's me. Wingless, so far." Julian emerged into the dim orange light, testing various joints. "It sounds awfully noisy down that way. Might be more of those things around, so watch out. Omnelle, come away from the road, all right? Stay up here by the wall with me."

((I'd thought so, at least))

Omnelle followed dismally, shoulders slumped before she grabbed his sleeve. "But I liiiiiiike dancing in the street."

Phoenix grinned at Julian. "I'm getting serious flashbacks just about now. First time I saw you, you scared me out of my wits, actually. Now you're the good hearted rusty zombie Geier wants to kill but everyone else likes. Aaaaaaaaaand my best friend's beau. FINALLY," she added with a wink. "Okay. So now we wait for Gramps to get back and then-- what?"

"I'd assume our next course of action would be finding a way back," Lucia answered. "But we would need maps of the area, and a scrying bowl would be of help. Karl?" she added, eyes flicking to her husband to see if he had any input.

--

Theodore glanced down when he heard Geier coming up behind him.

"Feeling all right? All that holy light has probably scarred me for good," he put in dryly, keeping one eye on his grandaughter's distinctly colored flames and the other on the rest of the city. The higher he went the further it stretched-- outwards and onwards forever it seemed. The place was huge.

((It is. I was just spacing.))

"Huh, you're right. Here we are all meeting in an alley again." Julian chuckled, looking as close to 'bashful' as he ever got at the mention of beauship.

Karl concentrated on standing up before replying. Having a flesh-and-blood body that required you to move it yourself was an unaccustomed thing, but he felt he was getting the hang of it again. "It certainly doesn't look like any place I'm familiar with myself. As for a scrying bowl, I haven't got anything on me-- here, Lucy, would this do?" He removed an aluminum garbage-can lid and placed it upside-down on the cracked bricks.

--

Geier didn't answer at first, too mesmerized by the wild variety of lights. They were everywhere, multicolored and multisized-- and so much movement down below. It was like ten Ankh-Morporks tacked and stacked onto each other. He could hear the voices and movement even from up here. It made him feel small-- his least favorite sensation. "Vot iz zis plaze? Zhould ve go down und haf a luk?"

Teddy blinked. There was so much color. "Gods, Erik-- I've no clue. Something about it scares me. C'mon, let's try..." randomly, he picked a neon light that stood out from the rest, "..that one." --and started flying towards it.

--

The sorceress wrinkled her nose in disgust. "...Perhaps." She rolled up her draping sleeved and flicked her fingers a few times before she got the spell to work, sparking free the grim crusted against the silvery surface. Lucia frowned slightly; it'd been... difficult. "We work with what we have, I suppose. Water, anyone?"

Uneasily, Geier followed. So much light in so little place-- the vampiric senses were screaming for shelter, and the sound of so many heartbeats (growing louder as they descended) was dizzying as well. He almost wished he were back at Höllental. Almost.

--

Thomas held out a canteen. "There's still plenty in 'ere, Yer 'ighness. I mean, erm..." He trailed off, not certain how he should be addressing her.

More of those strange contraptions, roaring into the night. The noise he had felt before - Theodore had had a few brief excursions to Ankh Morpork and other large cities in his time - but all the light. The people. A thousand times any number he had ever seen before. It was overwhelming.

Teddy tugged at his hair nervously as they touched down, earning a few funny glances from passersby. He took a quick look around and whistled, long and low. It was IMMENSE.

--

"Nicely enough, Reverend," she answered, smoothly, casting him a funny glance. It was more than odd to be called so. She lifted the make-do basin and dropped the canteen inside it. "It will help us look, but only for what we know it there. When will my son return, do you think?"

"Erm. I don't know. Geier and Grandpa are pretty unpredictable," Phoenix shrugged. "A couple minutes, maybe?"

Ignoring the curious passing mutters of did you see that?, Geier reached shakily for his sword belt. The streets were crowded with oddly-dressed people and those wheeled box-things clamoring and pushing. He hated feeling hemmed in. "Teddy, let's juzt azk zomevun und go--"

"Nice costume!" someone shouted.

--

"I hope so." Lydia was finally beginning to feel herself again. "I don't like the idea of us splitting up." Besides, Phoenix's grandfather always seemed to know what he was doing, and although she still didn't like Geier, he would afford them some protection.

((Hey, how're the vampires going to be affected by the lack of magic?))

((Sorry this took so long! New Year's Eve prep and all ;) As for the vamps--hmm, that's a good question. Go blood crazy, maybe? ^^; Ooooooor perhaps they can't read minds. Or something))

Theodore gripped Geier's upper arm firmly, sensing his discomfort.

"Oi, where are we?" he called to the others.

That earned a few strange looks from the swarm of people. "Seattle?" someone put in.

"What about maps?" he added, but the potentially helpful other was gone in a flash. He pursed his lips. "All right. This isn't going to do much good. Erik, I need to find somewhere to stay the night and scope this place out. Will you help me?"

((No, I totally understand! I'd been assuming their powers might be dampened somewhat, but I'm leaving it open for consideration.))

Geier nodded, secretly thankful for the proximity of a familiar friend. There was no way he wanted to get separated from Teddy in this scrum.

He scanned the bustle, looking for a likely guide. That one over there looked useful: around his own age; possibly Klatchian, and Klatchians were supposed to be good guides, weren't they?; unprepossessing enough to intimidate. One hand shot out and dragged the boy almost into their faces by one sleeve.

Geier's pick struggled. "Hey, man, what's your problem?"

((Hey, do you want to put the Earth-versions of our characters on the signup sheet?))

Ted's eyes flicked to Geier, to the new lad, and then he shrugged. At this point, he didn't even care anymore.

"I'm Theodore. We're lost. Maps?"

((*TOTALLY la's* YEEEESSSSSSSSSS LET'S DOOOOOO EEEEEEEEEEEET!!!

I almost thought Geier had gotten Eric there XD))

"Uh, nice to... meet you?" the boy said rather flatly. "There's a map shop down in Pike Place Market probably has Seattle maps, or you can get them, like, anywhere. But I guess if you knew that you wouldn't be lost, right? Uh..." He considered for a moment. "There's a tourist place on the corner of Second. I can show you. Name's Julian Ortiz, by the way, not that you asked."

((OK! I'll start putting up mine, then.

Ha, no, sorry. I considered it, but then I remembered you wanted to have Phoenix run into Eric and think he was Geier and vice versa, so I didn't.))

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