Thunder King

"I haven't heard any plans, but that could change. If I do hear, I'll let you know. In fact, why don't we trade contact information? That way I can relay information about what's going to happen with...with that situation to you. If you want to know it, of course." She said quietly. Truth was, she didn't want to have to be the one to tell Corbin, but he used to be a teammate of Sharl's, and she doubted anyone else would be available to let him know. Corbin had as much of a right to that as anyone else.

"Wanted one ever since I saw one as a little girl, actually. Years later, I ended up learning on a little dirt bike, and once I proved to my dad that I could handle it safely, he let me get one. Trust me, that wasn't easy." She grinned. "Steve McQueen, eh? Classic actor. I love old movies and movie stars. Especially martial arts movies, no matter how silly they are or get."

"Thanks." Mali said with a smile. If she noticed anything worth apologizing for, she didn't show it, she let the apology show and didn't bother with it. "Yours too." She said, nodding. Motorcycles were something she really enjoyed, though she didn't know that much about them, yet. She'd met John a few times, and in fact, he'd been the first person she'd met when she started going to Claremont. She hadn't seen him much.

Voltage walked towards the drone and nodded. "Who knows what sort of defenses the Curator could have put in place." He reached down and, carefully, gingerly, pried the panel open. Even if he was immune to electricity, he did not want to risk something else triggering and hurting him. "Hmm, though I think for at least me, this isn't just an opportunity for scientific advancement. Also a chance to see some really cool stuff." He chuckled. He knew that they were all eager to see exactly what lie within the machines, what sort of things they could find. "Hmm, this really is a drone. There's no mind in this, no programming. Everything is either designed to move it, or receive a signal from elsewhere. It uses an interesting superconductor that's based on a silver alloy. A lot of possibilities in every bit of it."

Mali wasn't an expert on motorcycles, but she knew how to clean one. Dust from the road had gotten all over it, and she intended to wipe it down a bit, clean it up and get it shining again. She'd wash it later, but for now, taking a rag to the components would help a lot. That, and she really needed to learn how to fix them. She had a book with her on motorcycle components. She sat down and began to wipe down her motorcycle, even as she tried to determine what those parts were.

Natural 20 for a 27

"I agree, minimize risk and all that. Besides, these drones are very interesting in and of themselves." He was more than passably familiar with Dr. Viktor Archeville, even if he'd never met the man himself. His contributions to the heroic and scientific communities were well known. Voltage made it a habit of learning of anyone and everyone who was both in the scientific and heroic communities. "I just want to say that my powers render me immune to electrical effects, on the off chance it proves useful to be so."

Mali was amazed at how well coordinated she and Cerys were. Despite having never trained together, they managed to maneuver around each other easily. She stepped up to the brute and threw a punch to his head. He tried to dodge, but moved precisely in the right place to kick him in the side of the head as hard as she could. Though he could heal, he was too dazed and battered to respond adequately. So far, Operation Out Beat His Healing was working just fine for her.

Acrobatic Bluff for 25 Whether it works or not; 19 on a full-out power attack DC26 TOU save

"No, no, it's okay." She said with a smile. "I didn't think this was a date, or that there was something between us or anything. You're a nice guy and all, but I wasn't thinking that." "Kimber's trying to reach his guardian, I've talked with Koshiro off and on, and I'm not sure what Indira or Kristen are up to." She shrugged. "I've mostly been keeping busy to avoid being overwhelmed, you know?" She took a bite of pancake, and, completely from left field, remarked "These pancakes aren't bad." She was finally starting to feel better. Talking to someone else, an outsider, was starting to help.

"Oh I concur. We have no idea what sort of FTL system it uses. Not to mention any other systems it may have. We have access to technology on the cutting edge, beyond anything we've done yet so far. I thought I'd just get an opportunity to look at one of the drones, I had no idea I'd have an opportunity to look at the ship. And the computers, too, we can't forget those. Computers advanced enough to do all sorts of things we may not be able to do yet. The technological possibilities in this ship are incredible. I don't think I've said it yes, but thank you for this opportunity." And he meant it, he'd never been in a position like this before, picking apart technology like this.

"Cerys? Cerys is cool. I mean, sword fighting and magic and all that? That's awesome. She's a nice person, too, a good friend. We don't hang out all that much, but I always have fun when we do. Even when it turns into a fight or something." She said with a bit of a chuckle. "Whenever she and I team up together, though, we make a solid team, we work in tandem naturally."

"I have learned absolutely nothing that makes me better at fighting here." She admitted. "I've gotten beyond the point where any teacher can educate me. All the improvements I'll make in my fighting ability will come from self-improvement. But I have learned more about tactics, and more general education. I'm no less dangerous when learning here than I would have been on my own. All going here has done for me is help make sure I am in less danger. It's helped me be more aware of my surroundings, choose better tactics in a fight, and understand how to survive tough fights." "On a pragmatic level, I can see that making sure a group of teenage superhumans and the like don't become villains is a logical thing to do. If we stay in Claremont, we have the potential to become assets of the community. Some people here have straddled the line before, where they might turn to crime, or were already criminals, but only petty criminals."

Mali smiled and gently touched his shoulder. He was shaken, just like she was. "Look, Corbin, I understand. It's okay. You're upset, you're angry. That's perfectly understandable. Things will...things will even out in time, you know? They'll even out and average out. It sucks that things will never get quite better, but they'll heal with time. And, it's okay if you're upset. I cried like a baby that night. Went home and curled up in my room, ran away from everything once I got to safety. Everyone handles things differently, but you'll be okay." She'd never had to do anything like this before, but it came to her when she needed it. Compassion, kind words, maybe a little bit of wisdom.

The moment they got back to Claremont, Mali immediately called her parents. After a short conversation, she discovered that both of them had decided to stay at home all day after finding out what happened. Her dad had already decided to stay at home that day, and her mom had canceled some appointments. Both of them were perfectly safe. With that done, she began to help with the cleanup of Claremont. Some of the other students wanted to go help out and go on patrol, but Mali was mentally and emotionally exhausted. Once she'd helped for a while, she felt all of it hit. Everything from watching the Nazi soldier die, up to Sharl's death. She had to leave, had to go home. She couldn't handle being there anymore, she was risking a complete breakdown if she didn't retreat immediately. So she did. She grabbed her car and drove off, heading towards her house. This had been a long, terrible day, and she needed to stop. She needed to get away. She pulled up to her house and walked in the front door, where her parents were sitting and watching tv. The stress of the day was clearly on their faces, but they had managed to get by without getting mixed up in the worst of it. “Are you okay?†Her dad asked as he saw her. “Mali?†Her mom said as both parents stood up. The gently guided her into the room and shut the door behind her. She was breaking down, and they could tell. She'd kept it bottled up, she'd ignored it, she'd pushed it aside all day, but she just couldn't anymore. They walked her to the couch and sat her down gently as she stared across the room. They were worried that whatever happened would scar her, permanently. “Do you want to talk about it?†Her mother asked. She tried to talk about it, she tried to talk about Sharl and the Nazis, the Curator and the Sanctum. She tried to talk about Summers, the robots, the school. Nothing came out but tears. She felt her mom's gentle arms around her and her dad's firm hand on her shoulder. It was okay, their speechless faces said. It was okay to stop being a superhero for now, to let herself be a teenage girl. She didn't cry out or scream, she just cried as the emotion exploded out of her. Slowly, she stopped crying and found her voice. She told the story of the trip to Erde, how she'd watched someone die. She told the story of their return home, and how Summers, that nice man, died as she watched. She told how they'd discovered he was really a robot, and how they had to get Tronik out of the area. Then she explained about the Sanctum, and how Sharl sacrificed himself to banish the Curator. She was angry at herself for not being strong enough, for abandoning the school to go home and cry. She was angry at herself for being weak when she needed to be strong. “Little Tiger.†Her father said, firmly, yet kindly. “You are not weak. You saved another world, came home and saved this one.†“You stayed strong as long as you could, Mali.†Her mother said. “You helped despite all the anger and sadness you were building up. It was only once the real danger was over that you crashed.†Her mother hugged her gently and kissed her forehead. “Mali, if you want, I can call the school. I can tell them you are withdrawing from Claremont Academy. You can come home and go to a different school. Doesn't have to be the one you used to go to, either. Say the word, and I will take you out of there.†Her father's words hit her then. She could just back away, walk away from the school, leave, never return. She could throw away the mask, become an ordinary teenage girl. She lowered her head. No one would think badly of her for it. “No.†She said, shakily. “That's not what Great Grandfather would have done, so no.†The second no was firmer than the first. “If I contemplate stopping every time something bad happened, what kind of hero would I be?†The words were a challenge to herself more than response to her father. “I understand.†He said as her mother nodded along. “I know a friend died....and I know more friends might die, but that's life. Death happens whether you're a hero or civilian, whether you fight or hide. Sharl might have died there if I hadn't been there anyway. Sharl died knowing what he was doing. He died so that others could live. There's no shame in that, no matter how it hurts" “I'm glad you've decided not to quit.†Her father said. “I would not have been angry with you if you had, nor would I have judged you. It's moments like this that I am proud to be your father.†He said with a smile. “It's fine that you want to keep going, Mali.†Her mother said. “But you're home tonight. No patrols, no going back to the school. I'll call the school and let them know that you're going to sleep at home tonight. You can't push yourself any farther tonight, I'm worried.†Mali nodded her assent, half angry and half grateful. She would need time in her own bed, her own room. She'd need the privacy to cry and decompress if she needed to. That's what it took, that's what she'd need. It was going to be a long, long night.

"You'd think it'd be red, what with going around calling myself 'Crimson Tiger', but it's actually green." She said with a smile. Subito was goofy, but she liked that. He was friendly, boisterous, outgoing and friendly. Hard to dislike someone like that, even if other people did. "I guess it's because it's the color of life and trees. I like nature and I relish every chance I get to go camping or hike in the woods. I'm a city girl at heart, but the woods are so pretty I have to go see it every once in a while." She began to eat, with a lot more deliberate motions than Subito.

"I feel the same way. I mean, all I did when we got to the Sanctum was beat up a bunch of robots. It was a lot of robots, but I didn't do anything to contribute to the victory. That was Sharl, Kimber, and Koshiro. Indira and I beat up the robots, Kristen made sure we escaped. Beating up the robots didn't really help in the long run, since Koshiro blew the computer up and Sharl and Kimber beat the Curator anyway..." She closed her eyes. "But, we're not always in the position to be the one who does the important stuff. Sometimes it's the job of someone else, and all we can do is be supportive. It sucks, but it isn't our fault. Bad things happened, and they'll keep happening." She remembered Sharl's body and the anguish of her friends. "But we're not heroes because everything is fine. We're heroes because we're trying to make the world a better place." She leaned in further and looked up at Corbin. Both depressed, both trying to deal with tragedy and loss.

"It's possible that we simply haven't gotten our hands on enough of it to get a good look at it. As it is, the robot duplicates had a bad habit of exploding, and I doubt the Curator intended this to happen. What I'm really curious about is if we can ever synthesize it. If it's properties are as amazing as they seem to be, we're looking at an amazing find." He had agreed to join the expedition, even volunteered for it. Getting his hands on alien technology would prove interesting. That, and he wanted to take personal advantage of some of the tech. He may not be able to get any of it home with him, but his perfect memory would allow him to analyze any tech he got his hands on, and add it to his accumulated scientific knowledge. He could do a lot of things with tech like that, things that would be of great benefit to the world and his heroic career.

"Nothing big yet, I mean...I mostly just patrol on my own. But they've asked me to do something big in a few weeks." She was excited, actually. They were all really cool, really powerful heroes, and having a reason to go with them sounded interesting. It sounded dangerous, and she was nervous about it, but she believed that they had done good, and would continue to do good. Being part of that was an honor she wasn't about to turn down, no matter how intimidating the mission seemed. "Don't want to talk about it, though. I'm sure you understand."

Mali ordered a similarly large glass of milk. Pancakes weren't something she got often, but she did enjoy them. While she normally avoided foods like that as part of her strict diet, she hadn't been following it very well since that day and needed a bit of help. "Well, it's not just that. I mean...dealing with the Curator and the Wrathful stuff was after I'd already been to Erde. Saw some bad stuff there, saw bad stuff back home. Duncan Summers practically died in front of me. Took a few minutes to realize it was a robot." She stared downward. "I'll be okay, but, I've only ate when I was really, really hungry. I just don't feel very good the rest of the time."

Crimson Tiger moved in began to deflect and dodge his attacks, watching his technique. He was refined more from experience than training, she could see. This netted everything even to her, as his skill far outweighed his relatively limited training. He was a hard man, without any subtlety or trickery to his strikes. She delivered a couple of quick, light punches to the abdomen, jabs that would hurt, but not drop him. She was having fun, though. This guy was pretty good all in all, and she knew it would take more than one easy strike to put him down. She couldn't sacrifice accuracy for power and simply drop him. Nor did she particularly want to. She didn't have a reason to put him down hard, at least not yet.

25 on initiative 31 on an attack roll

Mali took Corbin's hand and shook firmly, unsurprised that his grip was as firm as her own. "Mali." She said with a polite smile. "Yeah, I'm hungry, haven't been able to eat much for the past couple of days." She opened the door and walked inside, knowing that this diner was pretty much seat yourself style. She wasn't sure what she wanted, but she'd only eaten three meals since she'd gotten back from the Sanctum, and those were when she was so hungry she had to. She was still shaky over what happened.

Crimson Tiger nodded to Blodeuwedd and whispered. "Go ahead and peek around more while I deal with this guy. That should give you guys the time you need to figure out what else might be going on here." "I have no interest in your gang, you know." She said with a smirk. "But when I hear a man talking about how fighting is a man's thing, well, I have to try and prove him wrong. Whaddya say. Friendly bout? One on one, end of it all we both walk away intact, though you may be a little sore in the morning." She said, flashing a wicked grin. It was a wild look, like she was just itching to fight. It wasn't all acting, though, she genuinely wanted to see just how good this guy was.

Crimson Tiger was pretty sure that this ridiculously tall, buff man was the same person as the other ridiculously tall, buff man she'd seen a few minutes before. Unless, of course, he had a twin. She walked up to him, and assumed that if it were him, he'd be waiting for someone, and if it weren't, he'd be confused. "Hi, were you looking for someone specific?" She asked. She stood about a foot shorter than him, and wore baggy, if stylish clothing. Jeans that hung a little loose around the legs, long sleeved blouse and jacket. Her costume gave very little indication of her real appearance, but her voice didn't change at all.