bakerstreet | POWERED & SOURCE

POWERED & SOURCE

::Powered/SOURCE

a sci-fi au meme

50 years ago, or 75 years ago,or 20 - it's hard to recall such precise numbers in the haze and hardship - the world almost ended. While the timing itself is remembered by few, the event serves as a sharp divide of before the Fall and after. The Fall, in all its terrible and explosive splendor, sent societies spinning on their heads, no matter if its intimate nature are unclear. Once again, humanity has had to claw its way out of the primordial pit, all its achievements sent to ruin in the face of a nuclear flare. What little governmental structure remain amongst the survivors is tyrannical, but astute. When those in charge noticed that offspring of those who hadn't been killed by the Fall were beginning to be born with unique abilities, they chose not to persecute this "new generation." Instead, they jumped at the chance to have a homegrown army to protect the fragile rebirth of man, learning little from the old mistakes.

These gifted individuals fall into two categories: those with psionic powers and abilities used for offense and those who have healing and rejuvenating properties. Apart, these are interesting parlor tricks, with psionics, called Powereds, being about to move items with their minds for a few inches or pick up heavier ones they shouldn't be able to or healers, called Sources, fixing up superficial wounds. The true potential lies in when a Powered and Source are brought together, however. Each Powered has a Source that is their match and vice versa, the lock to their key, right down to the very genetics. When the right pairing made, a Powered can move mountains or create energy weapons beyond compare, a Source can provide near infinite energy to their Powered or even bring living beings back from the brink of death. To belong to either of these groups is a high honor. So high, in fact, that as soon as a child shows promise, they are whisked away by higher authorities to be matched with their lifetime Powered or Sourced and begin their training, where, despite the risks, they will find better living conditions and more resources than they could have ever dreamed of out in the desolate, dying world.

This pair grows up together, becoming dependent on each other. Even if their personalities clash, the pull in their very nature evens things out; it is, after all, a psychic bond that connects Powered and Sourced. Without the presence of their Source, a Powered might find themselves enraged or worried or unsettled. On the other hand, a lonely Source may become listless or despaired. As two is where they find complete harmony, and their unity shows in the combat or espionage skills.

On record, romance between matched pairs is strictly forbidden. Off the books, though, it happens more times than not, with two people growing up together virtually since childhood who are programmed to be co-dependent, and it is highly encouraged by those higher up due to abilities being strengthened through both emotional connection and physical contact. There's no risk in it, in their eyes, only gain as they can terminate a pair quite easily. A Powered is useless without a Source, so the ultimate weapon has a kill-switch...and a useful weakness for blackmail purposes There are always whispers in barracks of someone who's doing a task because their Powered's or Source's life is at stake.

Once battle training is complete, each pair is assigned to an eight-man cell, comprised of four matched pairs like themselves. What these teams do depends upon their skill sets and training levels, with anything from peacekeeping to public relations to assassination being on the dossier. Yet the imperative is for those on front line is clear: protect your Powered or Sourced at all costs, even on the backs of the others on your team.

Without them, you are useless. Without them, there is no place for you in this world.

tl;dr sparknotes this because we want to get to the meme: Sentinels and guides had a baby with YA dystopian lit. After a near extinction level cataclysm, people began to develop abilities that fall into two categories: Powered (sentinel/warrior) and Source (guide/healer). Their true powers are only revealed when they find their one genetically compatible match. A shadow government kidnaps these individuals, puts them into lifebonds, trains them for combat, then sends them out in teams to do all the dirty work. Codependency, mind-bonding, unhealthy love, and bloody murder probably ensue.

In the subject line, place your character name, canon, preferences, and whether your character will be a Powered, Source, or either. Reply to others! What will your character be doing? Being a late bloomer and only now meeting their partner? Training? On a mission? Enjoying some rare down time? Comforting their partner? Aftercare after the battle? Getting blackmailed? Climbing to the top of the ladder and infiltrating the government? Realizing their partner's getting a little too bloodthirsty? Falling in love with someone else's Powered or Source - absolute anathema. Facing certain death? It's up to you. Thread.

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He wouldn't hate him, no. He wasn't sure if it was physically possible for him to hate the man given their life bond. Disappointed, maybe, but not in Tony. He was already disappointed in the world. Now he could just be disappointed that it shaped his Source into the man standing in front of him.

"Tony--" Steve started and though he really didn't have any suggestions here, he wasn't about to let the Source hurt a child.

Damn it. And damn Steve too! Tony glanced at his Powered but did not feel compelled to be subservient to him. Sources had every bit the power of their partners. Moreso. They controlled life and they controlled death.

"If that's true then you will find a week of rations at 8th and 54th. But only if you--"

Tony smelled the cordite before he heard the gunpowder ignite. He saw the shot in the dark buzz between him and Steve. The next would hit a target. They had flashlights guiding them home.

He believed in chances and he was angry when these people didn't take theirs. Angry that they threatened his Source. Steve might have been asleep for thirty years but his control was finely honed. His flashlight clicked off but the energy crackling around him took its place.

Steve was close enough to Tony the next bullet would klunk against the barrier, sizzling as it dropped to the ground and he didn't summon the shield. It was too obvious. Too unique. It was bad enough he was using any of his abilities but barriers were generic enough.

"Get out," Steve barked. "Only warning."

Tony might have forgotten that Steve was a soldier. He was kind and generous, but when push come to shove, he snapped back. He didn't like people taking advantage of him. It was kind of a sore spot.

Tony's breath caught in his throat. He was moments away from poisoning their blood but the sound of feet running in the opposite direction left him sagging back against the wall. He didn't like killing but against regular people, any suggestion of his power was a death sentence.

He pressed his face into his hands to calm his nerves. His wrists shook as he sucked in deep breaths. "Sorry. I'm sorry--"

But Steve had saved him. Second day back on duty and he had stopped Tony from himself.

He didn't stand down until he was sure they were gone and when they turned to run, they finally stepped into his clear line of sight. There was someone young with them and it left a bad taste in his mouth that they would use a child against other people.

"It's okay, Tony. You didn't do anything," Steve said and he shifted, moving to Tony to catch his hands. If the man let him have them, he rub small circles on them with his thumbs.

"No," he whispered. "It's not okay. It's never going to be okay. People shoot first and ask questions later. If they're willing to attack-- Captain, we have to do something. Quickly. Our species is going extinct."

Maybe there was hope for Tony yet. He wanted, more than anything, to hide away. But that wasn't an option. His partner was a good man. He deserved a good Source.

But he appreciated the touching.

"I forgot his cool you are," he breathed.

"I know, Tony," Steve murmured quietly. It wasn't going to be easy but they couldn't just sit around while things fell even more apart. They needed to get things rolling while there was still a population.

He laughed lightly, eyes warm even if Tony couldn't really see them in the dark, "I think it depends on which side you're standing on." After a moment of hesitation, he added, "We should move that stash of rations."

Tony couldn't see in the dark but he could feel everything about Steve. Long lashed eyelids lifted and the eyes behind them strained to see anything in the darkness. He knew where Steve's mouth was from the feel of his breath and Tony had a thought that he immediately squashed, giving the blond a little push to the chest.

"JARVIS, drop rations at 8th and 54th since we are evidently rewarding bad behavior now."

"Limited rations," he corrected as he backed away from Tony. "A meal or two for five. If you were still ten and I was in that situation? I'd do the same thing if you were starving. I'm not saying it's right but I do understand."

Getting to his feet was a chore but Tony did it anyway. He'd gotten one converter and some decent metal scraps. That should be enough.

"Let's get back to the surface. People will come to find out what that shot was. I don't want to be here when they do." There was a lot to discuss now. A lot to plan. "I have the old subway maps. We can figure out where we want to start the living facilities over dinner." And he didn't trust himself on so many fronts right now. There were a lot of emotions punching his chest.

"Sounds like a good plan," Steve agreed with a nod, turning back the way they came and he peered into a few of the rooms when they passed by the other way. It didn't give them a lot of time to inspect things but it gave him a good idea of the sizing.

He wasn't having that problem. He was too busy thinking about everything he missed and what he could do to fix it. It was just what he did. Thankfully, the trip back home was uneventful.

"What's for dinner?" he grinned, because he had a feeling it was going to be basically the same thing as before.

"I have a small chicken I've been saving for a special occasion." This really wasn't all that special except-- "We can celebrate our first successful mission together in three decades. We still have it, Cap," Tony smiled as he led them back to the church.

It wasn't going to be much, but it was protein. Old, died of natural causes protein but protein nonetheless.

"Yeah, we do," he smiled again. It was good that they were still so in sync. It barely felt like he was gone. It could partially be to celebrate him coming back too. That certainly seemed like a reason to break out something special. Protein would be good for him too. "I'll drink to that." Or rather eat chicken. Tony got the picture.

"I read that you couldn't get drunk," Tony laughed, not actually putting two and two together about wha that might mean for his metabolism. Sometimes even the smartest man didn't see the obviousness in front of him.

The chicken was small, mostly skin and grizzle, but it felt really very good to eat something other than eggs and cereal. They had a minor feast, as anything with meat in it was a feast, and Tony brought out one of the bottles of scotch he had been saving...for what, he didn't know.

"You'd be right," Steve nodded, helping where he could with dinner. "But I don't mind a drink now and then."

He was sure that Tony appreciated the chicken more than him. Steve remembered enough meals that he wasn't used to the monotony of eating the same thing for every meal yet. He still understood that this was a rare delicacy. "This is great. Thanks for sharing it with me."

"Once upon a time, Sources and Powereds shared everything with each other," Tony said, sitting back with watered down scotch. It tasted so good. The forge was already working on melting down the metal for Steve's suit and soon they would start on their new world project. "In some places, for a really long time, pairs were considered sacred. They did everything together as one person. If they married, they married the same person. If they had children, each child was both of theirs."

The thought was romantic.

"Somewhere along the way, governments decided to separate pairs save for their own schemes. Life bond away, they said. But no more marriage or kids or sex. No love at all if possible. It was never possible. I learned a whole lot when I was released. To keeps Powereds in line, the government, SHIELD even, would kill their Sources if they found out they were having sex. Do you know why? Powereds don't go crazy...or well, maybe they do, but when the go crazy, they don't tend to kill everyone around them. And they're still useful. Docile again, unattached. By why kill the Source? Why not just let pairs find happiness in each other?"

He swallowed the last of their drink.

"They can become unstoppable in the right situations, with the right pairs. The sort that choose each other, not get forced together..." He smirked. "Russia figured that out. That's why they started to kill us all."

Once they were finished eating and started drinking, Tony began rambling. It was a lot of information and some of it was stuff that Steve knew but his Source connected far more of the dots than the Powered ever dreamed. There was plenty that he suspected.

"So Russia won because they let their pairs be just that, pairs," Steve summarized. "While our government was busy separating people."

"Seems like it. They did figure out how to make normal people Powereds. And then how to make them Sources. So... You can imagine how bad it was when one country was full of couples already paired up..."

Tony smirked and made a kaboom gesture with his hands.

"The war started and ended in two weeks. And then the hunts started."

Yeah, he could imagine how badly that went, particularly when there were bombs involved. Steve's expression turned somber when Tony mentioned hunts. He really didn't need to know more than that.

"That's what happens when people are taught to fear others instead of respect them," he responded quietly, blue eyes sad.

Tony helped himself to another drink. This was why he had given it up...yes, because there wasn't enough grain to make this anymore and water was more precious as water than as liquor, but he knew he was an alcoholic. He knew he shouldn't have started this.

He never could put it down until the bottle ended.

"That's what happens when the government decides how people should live. I don't blame anyone for the hunts. The city was destroyed....America was just pockets of people between where bombs were dropped. And we're dangerous." He hummed slightly and leaned back again. "You know what's messed up? You're the first person I've been able to touch in years."

Steve poured himself another drink, wishing he could get drunk, but that was his curse to deal with now. He just didn't think that Tony needed to finish the rest of the bottle himself. It was clear he was having some issues with it.

His forehead creased and then he said, "Well, you haven't had much opportunity either. Most people seem to be out to get you."

Tony gave Steve The Look, and despite the facial hair and the somehow larger eyes then he had had at ten, it was the same gloom Tony had given Steve before.

But fine. If they wanted to go with that, he'd leave it be without actually making a fuss about it. It wasn't like it mattered. Tony preferred to keep to himself anyway.

"Not anymore. I give them their water. You can't hate someone that does that."

He didn't know what that look meant, not really. Tony looked like he expected something but he really didn't understand it. Steve wasn't sure what the logical conclusion to that statement was supposed to be.

"No, but water is valuable. They could still be afraid of upsetting you. It gives you a lot of power over them," Steve said thoughtfully. "And that doesn't mean you trust them either."

"I don't trust myself," Tony said. "Everyone else-- well that doesn't matter." He wasn't the suicidal type or he might have tried when Steve went under. The thing was... He never really felt his partner die. He just felt so faint. Like he was gone. And after awhile, Tony equated that with death.

And death followed him around everywhere he went.

He drained his drink too quickly and set it back on the table, eying the bottle before he stood up. This was getting dangerous. "Know what? Doesn't matter."

He watched Tony stand up with concern and worry and a whole host of other emotions. Tony wasn't doing well mentally and it was easy for him to see it. Alcohol was not a good thing for his Source. He decided that immediately.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, blue eyes meeting Tony's.

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