Fox

Dragonfly tapped a finger against her leg, not replying until she'd made her way back to the biolab, though she did idly connect to the Lab's security system and tell it that, temporarily at least, Protectron was authorized for all floors and had clearance for the holding cells. mental note - set that back later "Cells on the basement levels are open to you for now, Protectron. Will automatically lock and power dampeners when door shuts. And insight...maybe. Chemical makeup is...mmh. Calcium oxide. Quicklime - weak to, I mean. Vulnerable. Caustic enough normally, would likely react violently to entity's makeup, if entity has same basic structure as the parasites." She frowned, tilting her head. "Also...very strong suspicion the parasites are useless without the central mind. Mentioned earlier that they only really receive, maybe transmit...don't think on their own. Blue Wall's post-capture lucidity is evidence. Cut off from the master entity, host's natural personality reasserts itself. Stopping, shielding, or containing the entity would likely free the city completely."

Tired eyes widening a bit, Mara shook her head. "In the w- no. No no - mmh. Not what I meant to imply. Mostly. Sorry. Know you're not a...dedicated engineer or physicist. Very intelligent, but have your own focuses...still, certain you'd be helpful. Smart. Good with your hands." She paused for a moment, that last bit apparently derailing her train of thought until she could wrestle it back onto the tracks. She shifted a little, continuing, "Just...know that it's not always exciting. Hours of circuitry or metalworking or wiring...and not always...mmh. Not inherently unsafe, but......not...really too great a concern given your talents. Sorry. Not entirely rational there." She winced a little, partly at her unnecessary concern and partly at her own rambling...and then blinked as her mind spun the rest of Ellie's reply back. "Exciting?" she asked, raising an eyebrow a little.

Nodding, Mara unconsciously leaned forward a bit herself, resting her weight on her arms, which in turn rested on her chair's armrests. She brushed some hair back behind her ear, and it immediately fell back again as she tilted her head, replying, "Will keep that in mind. Would make a very good...mmh. Project partner? But not always -" don't say 'not always safe' "-mmh. Not always work that needs extra help. And don't want to take up too much of your time with my engineering unless you really want to."

Mara coughed and imperceptibly blushed, shifting in her seat to a position that was a little more comfortable (and, mysteriously, happened to put her feet an inch or two further out under the table). "Sort of," she replied, frowning a bit. "Still rebuilding and repairing after...ah. Recent events. Mostly working on a design to help preserve biological or chemical samples. Suspension, fight entropy. Improve on an old project. Have a project for...mmh. Other interests, too, but won't be done for a few months yet."

"They're what?" Dragonfly scowled, unceremoniously dumping Blue Wall out of her spatial pocket and onto the floor of one of the holding cells, shutting the door behind her and checking to make sure the small room's locks and nullifiers were operating correctly. "Grue are...bad enough. Don't need infectious Grue. Hero who assaulted the Lab is safely contained, or as safely as possible. Heading back up to rendezvous." She leaned back in the elevator as it took her back up to the biolabs, scowling a little more, if such a thing was possible. "Kind of angry, now."

The last remaining blobette seemed determined to reinforce Supercape's point, and weathered the gamma blast as its larger companion had: without apparent harm, but with some distress. "Yeah," Gaian Knight grimly commented, gathering an arsenal of rocks in hopes of ending the fight before anything else got thrown, "I can see your point. Though you'd have to keep the things from eating the reactors...." The amorphous creature was hesitating, shifting its mass as if looking at the rock containing its much more powerful sibling, and then up to Supercape, and then over to Gaian Knight and his readied attack, and then back to the start of the cycle. It made a shuddering, grumping noise as it apparently decided it was injured enough for one day and didn't like the present odds; its green body receded back into the rock at its core, disappearing from view as it voluntarily returned to dormancy.

Fortitude Save vs. Supercape's Gamma Blast, DC25 (1d20 + 8=26) Invisible Castle hates you, and wants you to suffer. That said, I don't, and this combat has already gone on too long! The blobette, showing intelligent-but-animalistic logic (free Life Sciences result!), figures its best option is to go voluntarily dormant; it's injured, outnumbered, knows it can't burrow fast enough to escape, and knows its enemies took out a much stronger enemy than it. End of combat.

"Reactor B containment module," Dragonfly repeated, frowning. "Reverse the..." In her mind, she could see a schematic for a nuclear power system - not this one, she wasn't that familiar with exactly how they had it set up, but one that was close enough. The physical structure of it, the flow of power and the chain reactions necessary to generate the same; a variable changed, and the power went.... "....energy sinkhole?" she asked, though she was fairly sure there was a far more technical term. hazards of self-education "Could work. I think. Not sure what their setup is. Worth a try, anyway. Worst case we breach containment. Still a disaster, but preferable to a building-wide meltdown, or Hiroshima going critical."

Knowledge (Physical Sciences) roll (1d20 + 17=32) She's no slouch herself! Though more a spatial physicist than a nuclear one, of course, but good enough to follow his train of thought once he brings it up....

Dragonfly looked down at the thing that had likely been a hero for a moment, with a face somewhere between pity, concern, and dispassion. Fortunately, all three problems - an infected hero, a major threat to the world, and a threat that very nearly exposed some very awkward secrets - had the same solution: she carefully reached out a hand and linked the plating on her gauntlet to its core power, discharging a carefully-measured burst of electricity into the glue-bound captive. From there it was fairly short work to fold her into her dimensional pocket, and the young engineer was headed off to the elevators. As much as she'd have liked to take the stairs and not trap herself in a small metal box, hazard suit or no, it was a long trip down to the basement floors and their secure holding cells....

Coup de grace! And then folding her away like an object, since she can't really reflex save out of the way while unconscious. Dragonfly's headed for the nullify-equipped holding cells somewhere in sublevels -5 to -9.

Shaking her head, Dragonfly listened to the two men - the man and the...? - for a while before adding her own two cents. not that it's helpful "Not...really my area. Drug dealers, magic, ghosts...." She sighed, and shook her head again. "Got involved largely by random chance. Will leave further investigation to you two...other leads to follow, myself. Still. Good luck. Let me know if you need any help, or if something makes its way into Greenbank."

Dragonfly growled, pulling her mind back out of the Lab's cameras and defense system when she was satisfied that the threat was gone...for now, anyway; the chemical goo the Lab fought back with was good, but not perfect, and a super-powered foe was bound to break free eventually. She cast a glance back at Miss Americana to make sure the paragon was doing alright (and still, hopefully, distracted enough to have not noticed her name being announced) before bringing her force field up and heading off toward the bound Blue Wall, muttering dark and impolite things.

Mara raised an eyebrow, looking back down at her menu and snorting. "Have a good metabolism. Efficient. Stomach will happily withstand food thrown at it. Dessert, too, maybe; important to be able to...phrase. Pack away, food when you sometimes miss a meal, anyway. Part skill. Part raw ability." Her deadpan cracked a little, the corner of her mouth tugging into a grin that she tried to conceal by lifting her menu as she folded it and set it aside, adding, "Smoked salmon, I think. Fish sounds oddly good."

Dragonfly's head jerked up at the sound of the building coming under assault, but when she heard her name her head snapped around like a dog orienting on a sharp noise. no - no no no no no She glanced at the immobile, luminescent Miss Americana, but she seemed to be busy; swearing, lights danced behind her eyes as she tapped into the Lab's central nervous system and pointed it at the threat. don't use that name - not here Panels in the ceilings near Blue Wall slid open, exposing over-sized gun-like nozzles that oriented on the infested hero and unleashed streams of a glue-like substance.

The Lab sez, "Ooooh. THAT intruder. Yeah, I guess I should do something about that." Ranged Attack Roll vs. Blue Wall (Snare) (1d20 + 10=26) Snare 10, so a DC20 Reflex save for Wall, if that hits.

"Can do moderation when we're immortal," Mara replied, dryly. "Though don't know when we'd have time to find immortality. Salads...not bad. Wouldn't trust their fruit in winter. Good dressings, though." mmh - onion soup - no - better pass on the onion - chicken? - immortality - transhumanism? - backup plans for brain collapse somewhere - not a danger anymore - repurpose - salmon sounds good "Have tried the lemon chicken and ratatouille. Both were very good. Why I like the restaurant - fancy enough for well-cooked meals. Not too fancy to give you filling portions. Balanced."

"Probably at least triple," Mara wryly agreed, carefully putting her bag down on the floor next to her, by the wall. "But time has to be put aside for important things. Not," she corrected, glancing up from her opened menu (and, for the sake of her ability to talk, trying hard to keep her mind on the conversation), "that you wouldn't already be familiar with that. School, family, volunteering. Other...activities. Probably more busy than me most days."

Dragonfly frowned, tapping a finger on her leg. "Seems...odd. Out of place. Not the power-feeding. Electricity? Wouldn't expect that; would expect more radiation. Nuclear reactor, nuclear containment, nuclear power, nuclear villain. Electricity is...mmh." She scowled, shaking her head. "Missing information, maybe. Not enough data. Unlikely to be able to face him alone, regardless...will have to hope security can keep him busy until you are on your feet."

Dragonfly tiredly pushed herself off the wall, heading back down toward the biolab where she'd left Miss Americana at a much more relaxed pace. Not that the situation wasn't dire, of course, but there wasn't a lot she could do from where she was. She sighed, nerves a little frayed, and tried very, very hard not to worry too much about the things she couldn't do anything about right now....

Dragonfly gradually slowed to a halt, pausing from her panic-fueled sprint in the stairwell between the 26th and 27th floors. She leaned against the wall, panting, but relieved. "Good," she replied, when she had the breath to do so. "Very...very good." She wrapped her arms around her stomach, adrenaline wearing away. too close - much much too close - can't take more than a couple minutes' travel - priorities: get breath back - focus - solve crisis - find Ellie "Assuming it's not that easy to launch a missile; implies that parasites or central intelligence - hive mind? - have access to detailed host knowledge. Was honestly hoping Harrison - not-Harrison - was a fluke. Or a good bluff."

"You'd think it'd be grateful," Gaian Knight grimaced as shards of rock gathered behind his shoulders. "We probably saved it from getting eaten, and all. I guess gratitude isn't too high up the priority list for strange blob monsters...." The gathered projectiles hurled themselves at the blob like a rain of arrows, stopping it in its tracks and leaving it looking more than a little worse for wear. "Some scientist is going to have a field day studying the amount of abuse these things can take."

Fortunately, the last enemy on the field has already been beaten around a bit. Ranged Attack Roll vs. Blobette 4 (autofire blast; fatigued, power attack -2/+2) (1d20 + 11 - 1 - 2=15) DC26 (base) + 2 (power attack) + 4 (autofire bonus) = DC32 Toughness. Toughness Save vs. Gaian Knight's Autofire Blast, DC32 (bruised x4) (1d20 + 15 - 4=19) Failure by 13. Stunned, staggered. ROUND SEVENTEEN: (15 rounds remaining on Obscure) 9: Gaian Knight - 0HP - bruised x3, fatigued 6: Supercape - 3HP - bruised x1, fatigued 2: Blobette 4 - bruised x4, stunned, staggered

When she was at least reasonably sure Supercape wasn't going to brain himself on the edge of a table before the medical team arrived, Dragonfly sat back against a workbench and slid a hand between her face and her visor, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Mostly. Told them Hiroshima was in the area. They're dispatching security, decontamination, engineers....seems...oddly specific. Reactor B containment module." She frowned, glancing at the intercom. "....suspiciously specific."

"Shield-!" Dragonfly's mind spun through the possibilities, but nothing worked - she wouldn't have nearly the power required to expand her spacial shield that far, and some back-of-the-mental-napkin math on estimated time to impact didn't leave any room for throwing together some sort of massive field-projector, even if she could tap it into the Lab's central power lines. Hopefully Miss Americana could stop the missile, but it wasn't the sort of thing you respond to by putting all your eggs in one basket.... The world sped back up to speed as her mind finished weighing the options; no more than a few seconds after Sharl shouted the warning she was half running, half teleporting as fast as she could for the stairs leading up toward the hanger bays. "Will do what I can in case Miss Americana is unable to stop the missile. Should...should get clear, Sharl, Protectron. In event of failure."