Infamous: Innocent Touch (Private RP)
 

(This is a private roleplay for me and thelonegrunt. Do not post in this thread.)

In the current world, there are people with a very special gene, dubbed the "Conduit Gene". Only a select few people are born with it, but those who can tap into this unknown power can gain abilities beyond previous imaginations; superhumans now roam the cities, each one with a unique power to call their own.

The public did not handle this news well, and soon became frightened about the possible destruction these "conduits" could do. The government soon took action, and tried to eliminate the conduits (now labeled "bio-terrorist") in hopes of easing the minds of tue misinformed. Many conduits were killed, and hundreds more captured for experimentation. Being a conduit was considered writing your own death certificate, as there was no way of reversing the gene once it awoke. Conduits are now forced into the streets, either hiding themselves completely or trying their best to live normally, but with tue increasing technology of tue government, new organizations with new machines to track them down are becoming more of a threat every day to conduits, who live in constant danger of being killed for simply being different.

However, there are still citizens how possess understanding, more open minds.

Craig Mallows, a young and relatively spry man of 19 years of age, walked down the streets of the city he called home. Well... the streets weren't necessarily his home; he owned an apartment in a decent part of the city, his full-time job at a local fast-food place and support from distant relatives able to compensate for the price of monthly rent and other provisions. He had a few friends who he hung out with during his free time, though most of the time was spent working or at his apartment in solitude.

Walking the streets seemed far more different than it used to. The recent government crackdowns on the Conduits took their toll on people and made them either afraid or distrustworthy. When he tried to meet a passerby with a smile or a wave, he usually got a disgusted look or a head cocked away from him immediately in return.

He, personally, was not living in paranoia, although he could somewhat understand why people would be. Government propaganda labels these Conduits as "freaks" and "bio-terrorists", and that becomes the label that people in turn associate them with. And, in some respects, these people had the potential to do horrible things and kill thousands of people if they really wanted to... but on the flip side, there are those that could use their special genetics to do good and combat the nefarious intentions of those who seek only to murder and destroy. Craig was sensible enough to know that there was some good left in humanity...

Most people never actually seen a bio-terrorist, or at least seen one use their powers. The government arrest people for merely being suspected to be a Conduit, so this has led to many false claims for many reasons. Innocents have been killed because of this, leaving many towns and cities to become corrupted and abused.

As Craig was walking down the street, he noticed someone just a few blocks down, simply standing at the entrance of an alleyway. It was early morning, so not many people were out right now. In fact, while still a busy place, the people of Craig's neighborhood stayed indoors mainly. It was the more crowded areas that had the most activity. It wasn't so much that there was another person up as early as he was, but the person looked very miserable.

Upon closer expection, the figure was seen to he female. Her clothing wasn't in the best shape either, suggesting that she hadn't washed in a long while. Her arms her crossed, and her head hung low, her hair just long enough to cover her face. Although her expressions were not visible, even from a few feet away, one could feel the negative emotions.

Craig's eyes became immediately fixated toward the lone girl propped upright against a wall near the entrance of an alley. The young man could tell from the girl's stance and appearance that she probably called the streets and dark corridors of this city her literal home. Looking at her already made him feel horrible, and since there was nobody else currently out here and his only reason for being out here so early was for a morning walk, nothing else was on his mind.

Now approaching and managing to get about ten feet away from the girl, Craig began to speak in a tender, calming voice:
"Hey there... are you alright?"

The girl instantly gasped and looked up at Craig. Before he could get a better look at her or say anything more, the girl quickly turned and darted down the alleyway. She disappeared around the corner before Craig even had time to react. People might have thought Craig was trying to assault her if someone else had seen how desperately the girl tried to flee.

"Wait! I just wanted to-" Before he could have any chance of going after her, she was gone. Craig could certainly pity the young woman given the sort of condition she was in, and he certainly gave her enough of a fright to warrant her running off the way that she did. It made Craig feel a little bad... but at the same time, he really wanted to speak to her. Maybe she hadn't gotten too far?

Instead of simply walk away, the boy proceeded to start walking into the dark alleyway, really intent on finding this girl now.

It didn't take long for Craig to reach the end of the alleyway, finding the girl at a deadend. When hearing Craig's footsteps, the girl yelped and turned around to face him. She ended up falling to the ground in startlement, soon backing away until her back was against the wall. She was whimpering pathetically, looking absolutely terrified as she stared at Craig with wide eyes like a trapped animal. She frantically began to look around for a means of escape, but couldn't find any way around Craig.

"Hey hey hey! Calm down, calm down! I'm not going to hurt you, I promise! Please... calm down... I'm not going to hurt you... please... it's okay..." The man's tone at first was a bit frantic, wanting to immediately bring attention to his words. As he approached slowly and carefully, however, his words grew softer and steadily calmer, wanting to gain the terrified woman's trust enough in him to at the very least allow him to continue speaking.

Tears began to form in her eyes as Craig drew nearer. She wanted nothing to do with him, and wanted to be let go. However, the girl began to at least settle as Craig's tone began to lower and become more calm, but she still didn't trust him for a second. Glancing behind Craig for just one moment, she spotted a drainage grate just a few feet away. Once she had realized it, the next few moments made Craig understand why she was so scared of being approached.

The girls body suddenly materialized into water and darted towards Craig. Although looking like she was about to attack Craig, the girl simply ended up pushing him to the ground as she quickly disappeared into the grate, vanishing instantly.

Craig was certainly alarmed when the girl's entire form changed into water. After being knocked on his bottom, he turned toward the quick-moving stream of liquid as it immediately entered through the drainage valve.

Craig had just had quite the experience. For certain, he had had his first personal encounter with a Conduit, though short-lived. Secondly, the look in her eyes didn't show a ruthless killer; Craig saw more of a frightened young woman doing whatever she could to escape from the world and be left alone. The lasting image in Craig's mind was now not only of the girl materializing to liquid form... but seeing those teary, terrified eyes doing whatever they could to escape his gaze.

After standing, the boy dusted himself off and walked out of the alley way, immediately pulling out his phone and shifting through his contacts before texting a good friend of his:
"Meet me at the Diner at 12."

(Wanna have one of your other female OCs be Craig's friend? Like maybe a bitchy or sassy character who's a childhood friend of Craig's and nothing more?)