The Guardians M&M 3e Team Earthquake Thread

[Oroboros]

This is going to be the play-by-post thread for the Guardian's Team Earthquake.

[Oroboros]

Odin: "All diamond-tier Guardians, report to the situation room immediately! This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. We have located Rimilin. All diamond-tier Guardians, report to the situation room."OR]

[Oroboros]

The situation room is a large, empty chrome chamber with seats around the edge. Two of them are significantly larger than normal, and one has a wing-shaped indent behind it. Odin settles into his hoverchair, rubbing his leg where it joined with the prosthetic.
Team Firestorm, I'm sure you will be excited to have the chance to get back at Rimilin for last time. Nobody could have predicted that he had an illusionist, as well as a copious supply of Ferromer adhesive. You will be accompanied by both Tempest and Earthquake this time around. Odin flicks a switch, and the lights in the room dim. He calls forth his power, and the room is suddenly overlayed with an illusory image of Rimilin's compound.
"Rimilin has made a mistake. One of our silver-level scout teams tailed a distribution truck back to his compound, and immediately sent us the coordinates. This will be a three-pronged assault on his base. Team Firestorm, you will be the first "wave" to arrive. Your duty will be to draw the guards and Neohuman henchmen to the front of the compound. Stay mobile, and keep them as far from the compound as they can. Be prepared for illusions, as Lightshow is still working with them. It is doubtful that Rimilin himself will be present at that little melee, as he refrains from combat whenever possible.

It will be the job of Team Tempest to infiltrate the compound and subdue Rimilin. Be warned: he is a conjurer mage of no small ability. As you all know, conjurers call forth constructs formed with an extra-dimensional matter known as ectoplasma. This ectoplasma can be shaped into any substance and form that the conjurer pleases, and is given a semblance of consciousness by the conjurer's mind. Any who have read Rimilin's file will know that he prefers to give his constructs Daemonic forms, designed to invoke fear. The constructs often possess some sort of pyromantic talent. Having fought the Guardians twice before, it is plausible that Rimilin will have specifically-designed constructs to counter your abilities. Rimilin knows that he cannot hope to defeat us in a straight battle with the forces available to him, and so he will likely attempt an escape with as much as he can take away.

The first thing to escape will be the "Core", as we have come to call it. This Core is the basis of the whole operation. We are not quite sure how it functions, but it produces the blue fluid known as "Mind's Eye" through a pump on the side. It is the central piece of the whole operation. This core is heavily defended, and possess a movable shell that can propel itself at supersonic speeds through the air through unknown methods. This core is about the size of a house, and posesses a considerable number of anti-air turrets. In addition, it is likely that the core will have guards, or even Spartan or Lightshow stationed inside. Team Earthquake, it will be your job as our mobile strike force to chase down and destroy the Core.

Brandywine, as your ships will not assist you very much in your infiltration, I recommend you leave them behind cloud cover to serve as artillery support and a possible pursuit option if Rimilin makes it out of the facility. Keep them away from the facility, as satellite images reveal additional AA turrets. Team Firestorm, you may have to remain at ground level or risk being fired upon by these same turrets.Once everybody is prepared, Warp, would you do the honors of teleporting us to ground level? Teleport Firestorm outside of the base, Tempest inside, and Earthquake close enough to intercept the Core. Are there any questions, comments, or concerns before you all deploy?.

[Kymme]

"Wonderful." Calliope looked at the ceiling of her room. She had spent the past sixteen hours or so taking a brief foray into her accumulated music playlist. One of her favorite operas had just came on when Odin's lovely voice graced the intercom.

The Wandering Eye sat up, blowing a lock of hair from her face as she did so. Her room was spartan in decor: a child-sized cot beside a small desk and chair, with a little speaker and a special mp3 player that Syntherion had built for her. He said it could hold ten Exabytes; computers were never her thing, but she assumed that was a lot. Calliope had been lying on the floor, letting her eyes glaze over, swallowed by an abyss of sound and memories. It was the closest thing to sleep she had.

Calliope dressed herself quickly, donning the white robes and mask that had become more synonymous with her name than her face had ever been. She opened the door to her room... entered the hallway... and exploded into motion. She soared through the hallways of the Sentinel, carried by the winds of a story just beginning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYLdQZQ0YT8).

She arrives at the situation room in a gust of air. She takes her place beside her fellow Guardians and listens closely to Odin's briefing. Then she raises her hand.

"I have a question, Odin. Where exactly is this compound located? Are there any urban areas nearby that we would need to avoid? If my team is going to destroy the Core, we're going to need to know if there is anything its destruction might threaten."

Calliope can change her leimotif at will. I'll make sure to link the specific song that she is surrounding herself with, and mention when it changes. I won't explicitly call it out in the text, though, unless it is especially poignant.

[Oroboros]

"I have a question, Odin. Where exactly is this compound located? Are there any urban areas nearby that we would need to avoid? If my team is going to destroy the Core, we're going to need to know if there is anything its destruction might threaten."


Thoughtful as ever, Calliope. No, the compound is fairly isolated. It is surrounded by miles of forest on both sides, so you will have plenty of time to chase down the core.

[IndianaO'Grimes]

Edward Thrace was woken from his rest by Odin's announcement erupting from the speaker set into his room. His room, if you could call it that. A 5 by 6 room, containing a small bathroom, a bed that was bolted to the floor and a small library, not to mention the surveillance cameras which silently observed his every action. It was a cell in everything but name.

Thrace was pulled out of his thoughts by a small beep that accompanied the announcement. It had come from a small device that looked like a white wristwatch, but actually contained a GPS tracker, small taser and an LED screen that displayed a number, most often 100%. Today, however, that number was at 75%. Thrace smiled as he felt his connection to the time stream open up. Like a muscle, it had become easy to manipulate after enough practise, and Thrace felt the familiar buzz in the back of his head that he felt whenever he activated his powers.

He quickly changed into his suit, a white-and-grey jumpsuit with a visor that covered his upper face, provided by the Guardians. Tempo was ready. He slid the visor down, adjusting to the blue tint that settled over his vision, and slowed back to normal speed. The door to his room was activated by a two-step process, generally locked until a Guardian unlocked the door from the command console, then able to be opened and shut at will by pushing a button. The door was automatic, but agonisingly slow to Tempo. As soon as it had opened enough, he activated his power and walked through, navigating his way through the slowed space station until he reached the situation room. Inside, he saw Odin seated in his hover chair. Tempo sat down, waiting for the others to join. WhatsthesituationOdin?

As Odin finishes his speech, Tempo grins. ShouldIscouttheareaandthecompoundwhenwearrive?Andw hatdowehaveonRimilinSpartanandLightshow? He turns to Calliope. I'llbeabletocatchtheCore.Don'tworryaboutthat.

[Rokku]

Katie Bledsoe strode towards the Sentinel's teleporter bay, heels rapidly clicking across the burnished steel floor. She wore a serious expression along with her finely tailored pitch black suit and matching dark glasses. Entering the bay with purpose, she nodded curtly to the technician on duty.

"DC please, Gary," she said.
"Sure thing Katie," said Gary, spinning up the teleporters, "what's the mission, Senate hearing? You're sure dressed for it!"

In an instant, Katie's hard demeanor melted away, and she flashed Gary a winning smile.

"Gosh, was my serious face that good? Nah, I'm shadowing the Secret Service today for a movie role. I'm gonna be playing the rookie meta agent assigned to guard the President's party animal son. It's a superhero action romance comedy, should be good for our Q-Rating--"

"All diamond-tier Guardians, report to the situation room immediately! This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. We have located Rimilin. All diamond-tier Guardians, report to the situation room."

"--and I'm gonna have to put it off. Later Gary!"

Katie turned around and made a beeline for the situation room, firing off a quick apology text as she ran. Taking a seat, she listened intently as Odin delivered his briefing.

"We'll shut Rimilin down this time, sir," she said, "I promise that Core isn't getting past Team Earthquake."

[Galenti]

Scott was just finishing up debriefing a team of Silver-Tier guardians who had just returned from a routine sweep of one of the less stable nations in the New 52, not that Scott thought many of them were particularly good examples of state-hood. "In future you need to keep closer group cohesion. I'll reiterate what your team leader has said: you need to remember the drills you were taught. You're only as strong as your weakest member. I've assigned you an extra set of drills that should help to reinforce your training so it becomes instinctive."

When Odin's voice came on over the tannoy, Scott turned smartly on his heel and departed without any words of comfort, and as he let the door close behind him he couldn't help but here the faintest whisper of a thought: Hardass!

Heading swiftly to the situation room, he took in the briefing silently. He let his mind wander and explore all the potential avenues of the plan and decided it was at least, on the surface, a solid plan. They may not be needed, but if they were then Earthquake was versatile and fast enough to react to a change in the plan, and it meant they didn't have to risk sending Thrace into a drug factory filled with rogues.

Scott listened to his companions questions, but didn't offer any himself, he trusted Odin to have thought this out more thoroughly than even he could. Instead he busied himself recalling all he could about the trio of known adversaries, and considered any other sources he might want to request before they departed.

Using the Enhanced Intellect (10) aspect of his Telepathy.

Intelligence check? [roll0]

[Kymme]

Thoughtful as ever, Calliope. No, the compound is fairly isolated. It is surrounded by miles of forest on both sides, so you will have plenty of time to chase down the core.

Calliope's brows furrowed beneath her mask as Odin spoke. She was only a trace few years younger than the ancient Guardian, but she could never shake the perceived notion that he thought of her as a child. She reached out him to with her Worldsong telepathy. It was a simple message, harmless in nature, something of an old joke between the two friends. ~Don't patronize me, sir.~

She turned in her chair (raised up slightly higher than the rest to make up for her lack of height). Tempo seemed exited -- possibly too exited. She nodded as the younger Guardian tried to reassure her in his own rapid way. Edward was a responsible man, she knew, but she couldn't help but shake something... ominous about his confidence.

Katie, though... The Wandering Eye didn't quite know what to make of her. She wore a confident grin as she spoke to Odin, and everything about her spoke of calm conviction. It was nearly a dead certainty that she'd get into trouble.

Lastly, Scott. Oh, Scott, Odin's little protege. He didn't speak, but she could sense his Neohuman mind going a mile a minute. He had a strong spirit, but he still had so much further to go. If there was any one reason why Odin assigned her: one of the oldest Guardians, the most powerful healer in the world, the Living Arbiter of the Worldsong, to Team Earthquake, he was it.

Calliope steeled herself for the moment when she would be the only thing standing before them and, well, oblivion.

I'm also going to roll Calliope's knowledge when it comes to these particular Metahumans. She's been around for a while, and (if they're part of the older generations) she might have met them back when she was neutral.

[roll0]

[Oroboros]

If everyone has agreed on a course of action, we should strike. Remember, time is on Rimilin's side. The more forewarning he has, the more time he has to conjure and escape. Warp, if you would do the honors? Remember, Firestorm first, then Earthquake, and then teleport onto the roof of the compound with Tempest. A last bit of advice for tempest: if you could disable the anti-air turrets when you are on the rooftop, it would ease the jobs of the other teams immensely. May the winds of fortune be with you.

[Galenti]

Whilst Warp was moving the others into position, Scott dissected what he knew of the Neohumans that opposed them. Both were certainly strong, but it seemed as though the illusionist would be ore dangerous.

"We should not be over confident," he counselled, looking at Katie, "Both of Rimilin's guards appear to have the strength to be ranked as Diamond-Tier Guardians, though not the proclivity to do so. Rimilin himself is by all accounts stronger than they. Be prepared for your eyes at least to deceive you, and prioritise your defences when facing Spartan. Their attacks are skilled but perhaps not as strong as what most of us can utilise."

[Volthawk]

Warp nods, finishing his food before disappearing for a few seconds, returning to the same spot, empty-handed and with his mask on. "Alright, alright. I get the hint. Time to get going. The usual, guys, all in your teams and touching each other however you're happy to." He notices that Firestorm is already next to him, and after a second's consideration makes the needed contact with a hug around Lantern, depositing the team a few miles away from the base. A few seconds later, once he's ready to teleport, he leaves with a chuckle, ready for the next deployment. Firestorm's nice enough, and Lantern seems like someone who's gonna be fun to mess with.

This time it's Earthquake that needs deployment, although he doesn't go for something like the hug, taking a second attempt to actually get a hold on Tempo to bring the team down, putting them a mile or two away on the opposite side of the base - his logic being that if the Core does run, it'd probably be on the opposite direction to the frontal assault, if it doesn't they're still close enough to chase it down, and out here they're far enough away to only get noticed when it's their time to shine (he doesn't know fancy tech like sensors much, but he hoped his guess was right and that was far away enough). Eathquake's a bit more of a mixed bag in his mind - sure, Kate's nice enough but the others are just...weird, in some way or another kind of unsettling for him.

[Oroboros]

You see a massive flare in the distance, and hear alarms begin to sound. Suddenly, on the reverse side of the compound, a previously hidden door swings open. A large object, about the size of a large house, that resembles a stereotypical UFO begins to wheel out of the door. Lights flare up on its sides, shining off its chrome exterior. Those with enhanced hearing pick up a small droning noise before the object begins to lift itself up. It raises up to about 20 feet in the air, and then bursts into motion. It quickly races toward your position, at a speed you judge to be supersonic. What do you do?

[Kymme]

Calliope frowns beneath her mask. It was time to make a move. She worried, vaguely, for the other Guardians, but her mind was most focused on her team. She spoke to them telepathically.

~This is what you've all trained for, Guardians. It's time to destroy that Core.~ Her leimotif flared up into a beautiful orchestral theme, and she began to song along in Greek. Her words lightens the spirits of her team, cloaking them in the healing nature of the Worldsong.

Taking a standard action (readied, basically) to activate For If Good Men Do Nothing. Everybody on the team (other than her) gains Speed 5 and Regeneration 8 until Calliope uses another one of her powers.

Initiative, cause it'll probably be important: [roll0]

[Galenti]

Scott simply nodded to Calliope before adopting a wide stance and raising his arms. He focused on the Core and wrapped his telekinetic power around it before forcing it towards the ground. He immediately felt the strain on his body, but he held himself firm and tugged with all his might.

Initiative: [roll0]

Telepathic Array: Move Object 12, Subtle, Perception, Precise. Taking a Move Action to add +1 to the effective strength (meaning he can move anything up to 200 tons I believe).

[Oroboros]

The disc-ship lurches downwards, and then slows. The lights on its underside intensify greatly, and it slowly begins to rise again. There is a groaning noise, and the top of the disc buckles as Gallant's immense psychic pressure forces it down, but the tremendous forces on it reach an equilibrium. It hovers in place, straining under the downward pull.

[IndianaO'Grimes]

Tempo glances at the disc and with a thought speeds himself up, noticing the light grey wisps of energy that accompany him when he uses his powers. The sounds of the world fade and he can only hear his own breathing. He runs to the hidden door and spends a few objective minutes looking around before running back to where the rest of the team is. The disc has only moved about twenty metres to Tempo's sped up perception, and the members of team Earthquake have barely moved at all. Tempo slows himself down, watching as the world speeds up until it returns to its usual speed and the sounds of battle return to his ears.

First of all, does Calliope's ability add to someone's speed? And second, would I have to roll perception for what Tempo can see while searching the base or would it just be a 'take 10/20' like in Pathfinder?

Perception: [roll0]
Initiative: [roll1]

[Rokku]

Katie takes off for the Core, hurtling herself into the air. One it's within her reach, she slams the full force of her gravity field down on it.

Leap at the immobile Core, and then smash it down with Gravity Field!

[Oroboros]

Tempo glances at the disc and with a thought speeds himself up, noticing the light grey wisps of energy that accompany him when he uses his powers. The sounds of the world fade and he can only hear his own breathing. He runs to the hidden door and spends a few objective minutes looking around before running back to where the rest of the team is. The disc has only moved about twenty metres to Tempo's sped up perception, and the members of team Earthquake have barely moved at all. Tempo slows himself down, watching as the world speeds up until it returns to its usual speed and the sounds of battle return to his ears.

First of all, does Calliope's ability add to someone's speed? And second, would I have to roll perception for what Tempo can see while searching the base or would it just be a 'take 10/20' like in Pathfinder?

Perception: [roll0]
Initiative: [roll1]


Tempo: You search the entire base, but don't find either Rimilin, Lightshow or Spartan. However, you do find a room protected by a hazy force-field, as well as Sharkguard in two different places. Maybe Warp teleported him?
Calliope's ability should add to your speed in an additive fashion, I believe. For example, if you already had speed 8, you would now have speed 9. I suppose that if you are taking a few, calm minutes, you could take a routine check to search the building, and thus take 10. You can't take 20 in M&M, though.

Touch: The disc lurches underneath you. One half of it dips down, and the other rises up. It flips violently out of control, and slams into the ground some few hundred meters distant.

[IndianaO'Grimes]

CalliopeIwenttocheckoutthebaseandIsawSharkmanintwo placeshecouldhavebeenteleportedbyWarporitcouldhave beensomesortoftrap.Tempo states, informing Calliope of his findings. He opens his mouth to say something else but then is interrupted by Touch leaping at the disc and causing it to crash onto the ground. He turns to the crashed craft, readying for any attack that may emerge.

Switching to Rapid Strike to get ready to attack anyone who emerges from the disc.

[Galenti]

Scott nods as Katie's attack releases him from his battle with the Core. It was flashier than he'd have wanted, but this whole battle wasn't going to be particularly subtle.

"Our task was to destroy the Core, but I'm concerned by the lack of opposition: Odin did not predict that. And why would the Core lee if it wasn't carrying any passengers to safety? It cannot be that valuable on its own? I think we're missing something."

"Calliope, I defer to you."

[Rokku]

"It's still in one piece," says Katie, "shouldn't we be smashing it to bits before we do anything else?"

[Kymme]

Calliope's pleasant mental voice echos through the minds of her companions. ~We were tasked to destroy the Core, and destroy it we shall. Keep your distance from it and bombard it with ranged attacks. I don't trust that it won't explode on us.~

Then she explodes into motion, stopping beside a large tree about fifty meters from the Core.

[Oroboros]

As Team Earthquake approaches the disc, a bright red flash comes is emitted from three lights around the circumference of the craft. For roughly a third of a second, a loud humming noise can be heard. Then, with a force that seems to defy belief, the craft erupts into a fireball.

Be glad for Calliope's warning, and for her speed buff. If you make a DC 15 perception check, followed by a successful DC 10 insight check, you can sprint out of the blast radius. Otherwise, enjoy an M-388 tactical nuclear bomb to the face. (Don't worry, M-388s are baby nukes. They aren't even as big as WWII-era nuclear bombs.) DC 35 Toughness check. I'm a terrible person.

[Kymme]

Reflected fire plays across Calliope's eyes, widened with fear behind her mask. The shock-wave emanates outwards, kicking up dust as it goes. The sound goes beyond deafening, drowning out all other noises.

Except one voice.

~And so it was that the Wandering Eye faced death once more. This time, death came as a flame, all-consuming and brilliant like a thousand suns. But, just like every time before that death had reared its monstrous visage before her...

The maiden sent it back.~

When the smoke and flames cleared, Calliope still stood beside the tree. The explosion had uprooted the great pine, tipping it back and knocking it away, but it had not uprooted the small robed woman. She still stood where she had before, on a blasted chuck of ground, unscathed.

Calliope switches her Worldsong powers from 'For If Good Men Do Nothing' to 'The Strong Stand Fast', using a Hero Point to activate it as a reaction.

I have a feeling that Immunity to Toughness should keep her safe from the effects of the nuke. :smalltongue:

[IndianaO'Grimes]

Perception: [roll0]
Insight: [roll1]


As the first fingers of flame erupt from the craft, Tempo instinctively closes his eyes and slows down time. Opening his eyes again, he sees that the flame has slowed considerably, enough that it does not appear to be moving to him, and he can see the blast wave as a compression of the air in front of him. Turning to his comrades, Tempo waits for an indication of their action.

[Rokku]

Insight [roll0]
Perception [roll1]

Touch hits terminal velocity in a split second, just barely outracing the nuclear blast.

"Okay," she sputters out between coughs, "this was a decoy, right?"

[Galenti]

Perception: [roll0]
Insight: [roll1]
Toughness: [roll2] Well with no skills, I was kind of expecting that :smalltongue: Three degrees of failure right.

Focused on his own thoughts, Scott was too slow to react to the destruction of the Core and found himself taking the full brunt of the explosion as it roiled outwards. He was thrown backwards and felt the searing heat burn his flesh, and only the energy shield at his waist, a gift from Syntherion, saved him from meeting an untimely death.

[Oroboros]

The heat from the blast can still be felt from the crater. The mushroom cloud billows up into the sky, and debris of all shapes and sizes rains down around you. Inside the compound, the blaring rhythm of the alarm still echoes into the night air. What do you do?

[Kymme]

Calliope's mental voice echoes through the minds of her companions. ~Your assessment is correct, Touch. I'm absolutely sure that was a decoy.~

She dashes towards the charred form of Gallant, her mind a roiling ball of expletives (only a handful of which permeate her telepathy). Stooping beside him, the diminutive woman reaches out to her other companions. ~Tempo, Touch, I want you vigilant for the real Core. When you spot it, I'd like for you to attempt to chase it down and immobilize it. Gallant and I will be with you shortly.~

Then she begins to sing: a somber song of healing as she re-asserts her version of the past second's events.

Calliope is using Legends Never Die.

Healing: [roll0]

[IndianaO'Grimes]

Still sped up, Tempo walks away from the blast, then deactivates his ability just in time to see Gallant get hit by the explosion. Mentally cursing himself for not checking more thoroughly, Tempo runs back so that he is close enough to hear Calliope. The slight nod of his head the only indication that he heard her command, he runs off again, back towards the base, intending to find Rimilin, as he reasons that wherever the mage is, the core will be.

Tempo will use his speed to search the base to find Rimilin.

[Rokku]

"On it!"

Katie launches herself above the treetops and starts scanning for the actual core via sight and gravitic pulse.

Perception [roll]1d20+10[/rolll]

[Oroboros]

"On it!"

Katie launches herself above the treetops and starts scanning for the actual core via sight and gravitic pulse.

Perception [roll]1d20+10[/rolll]

Since that didn't work, I will reroll here.
[roll0]

Your gravitic sense sweeps over the surroundings. If there's another core nearby, it isn't in the open. However, you can't tell where another might be in the compound.

[Rokku]

Katie continues bounding across the trees towards the compound, feeling out for the Core as she goes.

So she'll head towards and eventually into the compound, and I guess I can just take routine perception for a bit for 20s?

[Oroboros]

Touch: As you more thoroughly searches the area, she detects several large objects in the compound. Any of them COULD be the core, in terms of size at least. You can't make out enough details to tell for sure.

Tempo: You charge through the base at a breakneck pace. Guards appear frozen in place as you tear by them. It would be a simple matter to dispatch them, but the priorities here are Rimilin and the Core. As you round a corner, you find team Tempest embroiled in battle with Rimilin's various conjurations. Do you stay and help them, or continue to search for Rimilin?

[Galenti]

Scott was lost in a world of his own pain, unable to focus on anything but his burning skin and broken bones. But from somewhere he heard a voice, singing words he couldn't grasp, but as he focused on it the music built and he was drawn out of his agony.

Rising slowly he nodded to Calliope, still unsteady as his skin knit back together. "Thank you."

Staggering back to his feet he turned towards the base: he was fine, now they had to turn their attention back to the mission.

Focusing his mind on one thought, he began to broadcast a simple command to every mind in the vicinity to turn away their attention and not to see the two Guardians.

Switch Telepathy to Concealment and including Calliope.

[Rokku]

Katie heads for the nearest of the objects. Process of elimination seemed like the best way to go at the moment.

[Oroboros]

Touch: You make your way into the base, tearing a hole in the outside wall for easy access. You head toward the first of the possible Cores, but it turns out to only be another storage room. Oddly enough, this Mind's Eye is glowing blue, unlike any samples of the drug you have seen before in reports.

[Rokku]

Katie snags a couple of samples to be analyzed back at the Sentinel, and then crushes the rest of the supply under heavy gravity. That sorted, she moves on to the next target.

[CandyLaser]

Aurora's voice came over the commlink. "This is Aurora to all points. Spartan and Lightshow are down. No other metahuman support noted. Anyone need a hand?"

[Volthawk]

Warp responds pretty quickly. "Looks like we got Rimilin, gonna get him to containment unless there are any complaints." This next bit is directed to the people in the station. "Any problems up there with me bringing him in now? Got some improvised constraints here but something more beefy would be nice."

[Quellian-dyrae]

At Warp's response, Tommy answers, "We're holding Spartan and Lightshow near the main entrance if you want to pop over and bring them along to holding."

[Oroboros]

Touch: The next object is in a large warehouse, with more of the glowing Minds Eye laying around in barrels and tubes. Two large holes cover the walls to the left. The object is sitting in the middle of the room, covered by a tarp.

[Rokku]

Touch approaches the covered object and removes the tarp, wary of a trap.

[Oroboros]

Touch
You pull the tarp off of the object, just as, with a speed that could almost be mistaken for teleportation, Tempo arrives in the room. This looks like the previous disc that Earthquake had encountered, but several pipes run out of the sides. A cursory examination of these pipes reveals traces of the glowing blue substance that is filling the barrels and vats throughout the facility. There is also a large, funnel-like area that seems to be a sort of intake. Dials, readouts, levers, and keyboards can be found clustered in the front.

[Rokku]

Touch immediately clicks on her comlink.

"I found the Core, everyone. Something's different about the batch of Mind's Eye it's producing. I can destroy it, but we might want to bring it home for study."

[IndianaO'Grimes]

IcanttellwhethertheresabombhereTouch.Thoughifyoucr u****thereshouldntbeanychanceforittogooff. Tempo stands to the side of the Core, ready to move out of the way if anything explodes.

[Kymme]

Calliope reaches out with the Worldsong, speaking only to Scott. ~How are you feeling? Are you ready to link up with the rest of the team? We can leave whenever you are ready. Teams Firestorm and Tempest have Rimilin and his lackeys handled, and Tempo and Touch have both located the real Core.~

[CandyLaser]

There's a sound of rushing wind, and then Aurora is there, glowing like dawn's first light as she hovers over the Core. "Good job, Tempo, Touch. Let me take a look at this, if you don't mind." Her lambent eyes brighten as she scans the electromagnetic spectrum - given the preponderance of radioactives here, she doubts she'll be able to get much, but even the presence or absence of radioactive materials is worth something.

Aurora doesn't have any ranks in Technology, so no skill check here. It doesn't hurt to take a look though.

"Touch, I think we should get this somewhere safe. I'm thinking putting it in orbit alongside the Watchtower. It should be safe there, and when our scientists want to get samples we can bring it in to the station."

[Galenti]

~I am recovered~ Scott sent back to Calliope. ~There is no need to hesitate on my account~

[Volthawk]

Warp appears next to the Core, giving it a sideways glance. "Huh, so that's it?" He then pops away to gather up the rest of Earthquake, giving them his usual "last chance to grab a souvenir before we're off" before bringing them up to the Sentinel, dumping them at the same place as the others.

[Rokku]

"I think you're right, Aurora," says Katie, "we can have the engineers take a look at it once it's up there. I'm sure Odin will be interested."

When Warp shows up Touch explains what they're doing with the Core so that he can drop it outside the Sentinel. And then they head home.