By All your Powers Combined (IC)

[Dariusprime]

"All the trees on one side of that mountain look suspicious," said Fulcrum as she pointed up at the offending lump of rock. She stood and tapped her chin in thought, "The whole thing is disintegrating or something. If we're looking for a center, my money points that way."

Leaning on the side of the Pitchoo, she glanced inside as Geckoman worked, "I don't suppose you have the gear to identify this stuff do you?"

[Ecalsneerg]

"Nope. I got evidence bags, I got a computer, but beyond Google I can't actually do much investigation into this stuff unless I get access to a laboratory." Geckoman slammed the drawer shut. "See, I usually don't analyse the locus, I just keep samples and avoid contaminating it."

[quotemyname]

"Well, I reckon we best be goin' then." Colt moved towards his motorcycle and swung his leg over the seat. He removed his hat and stowed it in one of the compartments on the bike. He removed a pack of cigarettes, and lit one. He took a slow drag and sat back to release the smoke. "Been quite'a while since'a had one'a these. Been tryin' ta cut back, but wit'all the rest'a the ash 'round here, I reckon it won't matter too much if'n I add to it."

Cigarette in his mouth, Colt pulled his goggles up onto his face. "Geckoman, y'all c'n ride wit' me if'n ya want. I reckon it'd be best if'n we don't bring that big clunker any further up the mountain. If'n anythin's watchin' us, it'll be far too easy ta spot us in't." Turning to Tempest he asked, "Do ya think ya c'n still fly? If'n yer too hurt, I'd think Fulcrum could give ya a lift." He once again exhaled smoke, now nearly halfway done with the cigarette.

[Dariusprime]

Popping her neck, Fulcrum hovered a couple of feet above the ground, "Those things will kill you know," she joked while waiting for Tempest's answer. Judging from the serious look on her face, Fulcrum was far more worried about what they would find at the top of the mountain. After all it wasn't every day that a freakin' mountain decided to collapse in on itself for no explainable physical reason. Hell, she wasn't even a scientist and found that troubling.

Nodding to Geckoman, she replied, "Just a thought, thanks anyway. Maybe we can have a look at it later." That thought aside for the moment, she turned to Tempest, "The cowboy has a point. If you're not up to it, you're welcome to catch a ride. Just remember, non-human or not," holding her hand up to about waist level, "If my body was a map of the world, your elemental hands stay in the northern hemisphere."

True, she was half teasing. Tempest didn't really seem to understand humans very well, but hopefully he would get the point both subtly and seriously. Still she smiled to him and offered a hand.

[Geez3r]

"I am still able to maintain flight, though I may not be as fast as I used to be, nor quite as maneuverable." answered Tempest truthfully. He floated a little bit above the ground to illustrate his point, though he did seem to be a bit wobbly. Tempest cocked his head and looked at Fulcrum curiously. "I thought it was rude for the humans to attempt to grasp that section of your Northern Hemisphere... if they were not in one of your human relationships. Or are you suggesting we begin one of these relationships?"

[quotemyname]

Colt simply sat and shook his head as he listened to the two. Fulcrum should have known better than to use euphemisms on Tempest. "Reckon this ain't really the time'er place, partner." He said to tempest. Colt took one last draw of his cigarette and tossed it to the ground, grinding it beneath the heel of his boot. "If'n ya c'n still fly that's good. Reckon we should keep the carry-on-elemental as a last resort. If'n everyone's ready?" Colt let the implied question hang in the air. He realized his mistake all to late. Tempest would jump on that in a second, and he winced, knowing what was coming.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum just shook her head as well. Yes, the dear being obviously didn't understand euphemisms. If she should have known, Colt did too. Giving the cowboy a little smirk, she replied to Tempest while taking off, "The former, Tempest. Yes, grasping there without permission is very rude. Its a major invasion of privacy and personal sovereignty."

With any luck the convoy was off and proceeding nicely. Since she really didn't know where to start on the mountain, she figured the top was a good a place as any, and thus decided to make a circle of the problem before landing. Hopefully someone would spot a good place or 'center' where they could begin. Otherwise a systematic search was in order.

[Ecalsneerg]

"Let's ride!" proclaimed Geckoman, pointing skyward. "With the bare minimum of groping and fondling necessary for our mission ahead!" He went to climb onto the back of Colt's motorcycle.

[quotemyname]

And with his passenger mounted and waiting, Colt hammered down on the clutch. The Bike took off rapidly roaring through the trees after the flying paragon. "Hold on tight, partner, reckon this here ride might get a little bumpy." The trees came rushing up fast. However, Colt appeared to be skilled enough to keep them from crashing into anything.

As he rode, Colt made sure that he kept his eyes peeled for anything suspicious.

[Dariusprime]

The boulder caught her attention first. She was prepared to investigate until noticing the small motion detectors scattered among the trees. Swooping up and into a hover, she waved to the others and pointed down towards the trees, "Looks like someone was expecting us."

Tapping her chin in thought, she hovered across the tree tops, counted sensors and considered their next course of action, "What do you think? Can we bypass these things maybe? I'm a subtle as a box of rocks and I'd prefer not to set off anything I can avoid."

[quotemyname]

"Well, reckon they seem ta be motion detectors." Colt remarked, having slid to a stop on his cycle. "I c'n shoot'em down, no problem," Colt patted the rifle that was resting in a holster on the side of the bike. "But I reckon it might set'em off all the same."

[Ecalsneerg]

"Hmmm... I could probably disable them, the issue is however than you'd then need to get close enough to stop them without triggering the motion sensor. Which is an issue."

[Geez3r]

Tempest had seen the devices, but didn't know what they were, but when the rest of the group came to a halt, he followed their lead, assuming they knew something he did not. He listened intently to the conversation that followed. "Please disable these devices so that we may continue." after he had gotten the gist.

[quotemyname]

"Right," Colt replied, drawing his rifle. "I think I c'n manage that there little problem." He reached into his coat pocket and drew out three large rifle rounds. From his seat behind Colt, Geckoman could see that they were made from a very hard plastic and had little sparks jumping around within the casings.

Colt loaded the bullets one by one into the chamber of his rifle. He raised the rifle to his eyes, and took aim. He was quiet for a few seconds and then suddenly, he exhaled slowly and squeezed the trigger. There was barely a sound, yet the rifle jumped in his arms. Tick. He whipped it away from his body, cocking the rifle by rolling it around backwards in his hand releasing and closing the lever in one smooth motion. Raising it to his eye again, there was another Tick. He repeated the motion one last time. Tick.

"Well, reckon that should do't." Colt said as he holstered the rifle once more. "Should we go'n see if'n we find anythin'?"

[Dariusprime]

"Good work, Colt. Yeah, time to take a look. I'll take lead and be the guinea pig," she said, either ignoring or forgetting the euphemism. Popping her knuckles, she slowly descended toward the trees, finally among them and slowly made her way toward the boulder. Every little thing was taken in, her senses on high alert for trouble.

The presence of the motion detectors had only added another troubling layer to this problem. Many questions and possibly unpleasant answers swirled around her mind. Taking a deep breath, she pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the task ahead. As tough as she was, avoiding an ambush or other painful circumstance was a priority.

[Geez3r]

Fulcrum makes it to the boulder without incident. She can move the boulder easily, barely an ounce of her Herculean strength needed to be used. It wouldn't be unreasonable to suspect that even the average joe could move it. The fact that it was on a hinge of some kind probably helped too.

It opened to reveal what appeared to be an old mineshaft leading deep into the mountain. The lights were still on in fact. However, they did not grant as much illumination as they normally would. The soot was even heavier down here and was obscuring the light.

[quotemyname]

"Well, reckon we've found the spot." Colt observed the obvious. "I wonder if'n it's safe ta breathe in'er?" Colt asked no one in particular.

He put the stand down on his motorcycle, and swung his leg back off. He replaced his hat on his head and let his goggle hang from his face. "Reckon if'n ya don't got any'a that there science stuff ta tell'us, Geckoman, there's only one way'ta find out."

[Dariusprime]

"Be careful down there, canary," said Fulcrum, leaning on the rock and looking down into the muck, "I'll be right behind you if anything happens."

Colt had a good point. That soot was still an unknown factor, and an aerosol of the stuff could be toxic or at least irritating. She'd volunteer to go first, but the stuff probably wouldn't affect her anyway. The first time she discovered that breathing was optional, she sat on bottom of the swimming pool for two hours as a test. Not to mention her toxin resistance. Yes, certain features of her power set were enjoyable, but she was still worried about her friends.

That's when an idea came to her. She couldn't say it was an original one. Centurion and a couple of other heroes had used the trick, but she hadn't quite figured out the technique. May as well use as many variations on her powers as possible. She added offhandedly, "I may be able to get rid of some of that dust. You know, use a powerful breath to blow things away. What do you think? Worth a try?"

[Ecalsneerg]

"It's a good idea. Although perhaps those of us who would be affected should get down in case of it blowing back. Coughing your lungs up is doubly painful when they start regrowing as you do it. Long story."

[quotemyname]

"Reckon it's as good'n idea as any." Colt withdrew the remote control for his cycle from his pocket. He sent it skyward to circle their location. It would be harder to tell they were there this way. Moving so that his back was to the edge of the cave he faced away from the cave mouth. He placed his goggles up over his eyes, and produced a bandanna from his pocket which he tied around the rest of his face. Still facing away from the mouth of the cave, he held his breath and shot Fulcrum with a thumbs up gesture. Ready when y'all're. it said.

[Geez3r]

Tempest nods in approval of Fulcrum's plan. He takes cover like the rest of them. He believed that this substance was likely tied to his inability to contact the Creators, breathing it in was hardly an optimal course of action. "I have prepared myself Fulcrum human, you may proceed whenever you are ready Fulcrum human." called Tempest as he got himself into position.

[Dariusprime]

Once everyone was in position, Fulcrum walked up to the edge and took a few breaths. She really wasn't sure how to do this 'super breath' trick. It looked easy enough for other people, but frankly the technique wasn't one she really considered. Still if it cleaned out the air, it was worth a try. Focusing, she began taking deeper and deeper breaths.

Finally one long, deep inhale later, a blast of air hurdled forth, widening into a semi-visible cone as it swirled down into the mine shaft. Fulcrum had the good sense to cover her face, but the strange soot still sprayed out like a gray geyser. The dust went literally everywhere. When the air finally cleared, Fulcrum could be spotted looking down the shaft and dusting herself off.

"I'll be. Looks like it may have worked. Shall we proceed?" she said, smiling up the others.

[quotemyname]

"Reckon that's the plan," Colt piped up. He straightened his bandanna and cowboy hat, and loosed the goggles so they hung down around his neck. "Now that that pesky smoke ain't blockin' our way, I don't see what we're waitin' fer." Colt gestured towards the cave. "Wanna lead the way, Geckoman?"

[Geez3r]

The soot settles quickly, almost too quickly, and gives the heroes a good view of what they're walking into, now that the lights aren't chocked out by the soot. The tunnel is quite steep, but just level enough that you can walk down it at your own pace rather than dragging you down. There are a set of old mine cart rails, but judging by the rust, they haven't been used in quite some time. The light fixtures themselves have signs of repairs and modifications, even to the untrained eye. There were some minor repairs, but in other places the entire light itself seemed to have been replaced.

As you saw no obvious power source or wires outside, it would make sense that the power source is further down into the tunnels. As you move further into the tunnel you begin to hear the rhythmic sound of machinery of some kind. Someone or something's hard at work down in these mines. The path at the end of the tunnel forks; the machinery sounds like its coming from the right, but you notice that the left fork has copious amounts of soot and may be the source.

[quotemyname]

"Hmm..." Colt said, "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" He asked his companions. He brandished his rifle down the right tunnel with the noises. "Engine'er somethin' down thur." Then he pointed to the left. "Exhaust down that'a'ways?"

He folded his arms and glanced at the others. "Reckon I don't wanna walk straight int'a a face full'a this stuff. What'a'ya say we follow the noises?"