By All your Powers Combined (IC)

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum hovered after Colt, keeping in eye out for trouble, both of the living and toxic kind. Obviously someone had gone to a lot of trouble getting this area updated and hidden. What this had to do with the weird sensations she was feeling she couldn't quite figure out. Whatever it was, it wasn't good by any definition.

When the group came to the fork, she nodded to Colt's reasoning and answered quietly, "Sounds good. If anyone is around here, they'll be down that way." Giving him a thumbs up, she readied to flow him.

Although she wasn't claustrophobic, being underground wasn't something Fulcrum relished. Even before gaining the power of flight, she had liked wide-open spaces. This preference was equal parts predisposition and growing up in the crowded streets of the West End. Still she only looked a touch uncomfortable and no where near panic.

[Ecalsneerg]

"Not necessarily," reasoned Geckoman. "If something is down here, it clearly doesn't dislike the soot as much as us, or as Tempest. Perhaps it even likes it, thrives. Could be anywhere in here."

He flicked his wrists, twin barrels extending from his wrists and clicking into place. "Still, we don't like this, so let's pray that whatever's in here is in the non-sooty tunnel. Seriously, I'm gonna reek all week."

[Geez3r]

GM ONLY POST

The heroes decide that the strange mechanical noises merit their immediate attention and head down the right fork to investigate. Judging from all of the twists and turns in the path, along with the fact that the ground was uneven lead the heroes to believe that this was a natural cave complex, or at least this portion of it was. Besides the twists and turns, and that one section where it got really cramped, the journey itself is quite uneventful with the exception of the fact that the mechanical noise is quickly becoming a low roar.

As you round one last damp corner, the tunnel is suddenly bathed in a sickly green glow as the source of the noise is revealed. As the tunnel opens up into a large cavern, our heroes are greeted with what appears to be some sort of energy conversion machine. Clearly not of earthly origin. Ambient energy is gathered in a long clear tube, larger than a bus, before it crushed into a sphere by large metal plates and it is sent off down a smaller tube to parts unknown. The air in the room feels thin and a minor feeling of nauseousness begins to settle over the heroes. Besides the machine, the room is completely unoccupied. There is another passage way at the far end of the cavern.

[quotemyname]

"What in tarnation?!" Colt exclaimed when he saw the strange machine. For a moment he flashed back to some the technology that he knew from his own world. None of the devices that he knew looked like this strange machine, though. "Issat thing...Makin' energy?!"

[Dariusprime]

"Stealing it from the mountain and surrounding area," stated Fulcrum simply as she approached and examined the machine. Its obvious from her concerned scowl that she doesn't like the blasted thing. Something seemed so very familiar about the thing, not literally, but in a fundamental sense. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the sooner it was shut down the better.

Turning back to the group, she added, "I don't know what will happen if we shut it down or destroy it. Geckoman, want to have a look? Then I think we know which way to go," pointing along the smaller tube for emphasis.

[Geez3r]

GM ONLY POST

It wasn't long until Fulcrum began to fill uneasy in the presence of this machine. The air felt thin and she felt as if she may have just ran a mile. But all of this paled in comparison to what her eyes saw. The strange machine just absorbed some of her energy which was now being fed down the tube. She didn't know why, but that revelation just felt bad to her for reasons beyond the obvious.

[Dariusprime]

"Okay, bad idea," coughed Fulcrum as she stumbled away from the machine. She wasn't sure which felt worse, actually getting drained of energy, or that strange, instinctive feeling that she just did something colossally stupid. But other matters first!

Mona wasn't the swooning kind of woman, if that wasn't obvious. Looking ridiculous was one thing, but she didn't want to crush Colt. She didn't want to explain to Grim why her gentlemenly boyfriend was crushed under a 600 lb giantess. That would really awkward. So instead she leaned against the entrance wall and tried to settle her stomach.

"I think I did something stupid, beyond the obvious," she puffed between breaths, "If I start doing something that idiotic again, please kick me in the butt for my own good." Yes, her distress had made her forget Tempest's presence.

[Geez3r]

GM ONLY POST

Tempest cocked his head to the side, not understanding the sentiment involved. This was likely another saying of sorts, but he couldn't grasp the true meaning behind it. "Fulcrum human, if one were to deliver a blow to your posterior would not the influx of the kinetic energy into your body likely increase your chances of moving you close to your "idiotic objective"? Or are you confident in your posterior's high inertial mass to prevent an acceleration in the forward direction, regardless of the amount of force applied?"

Did... did Tempest just say that Fulcrum had a big butt?

[Ecalsneerg]

"Did... did you just comment on her butt?" Geckoman froze, expecting a super-strong slap to Tempest's face any moment now. "Anyway, moving really swiftly on, how do we stop this machine if we can't get near it. See, shooting it could work, but if it doesn't, we've set off an alarm."

[quotemyname]

"Ain't like I ever miss." Colt supplied, attempting to put even more distance between the butt comment and the current trend of the conversation. "Y'all just tell me where the off switch is, an' I'll put a bullet inn't. Colt drew his rifle once more. "I still got more'a them EMP bullets. Y'all think that's worth'a shot?" Colt asked, hoping Tempest would ignore the pun.

[Dariusprime]

By the time Tempest's comment registered, the last of her butterflies had settled. She didn't feel much better per say, but good enough to give Tempest a stern look. Intuitively his gaff wasn't malicious, she thought anyway, but mainly a result of him being a stranger in a strange land. And Freedom City was very, very strange after all. Thus no evil eye rays were included.

"Tempest, when we get back to town, I'm getting you a library card and a list of textbooks on sociology, psychology and anthropology." She nodded with finality.

"As for shooting the thing, if you're going to try, do it before it fills and starts compressing. I really don't think its a good idea unless you actually see an off switch." To that end, she squinted and examined the machine for any signs of a control box.

[Ecalsneerg]

"Hmmm... is there any way to get close without getting affected by it?" mused Geckoman. "I'm not especially familiar with your powers, any fancy tricks we could use to shield ourselves?"

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum shook her head, "I've got nothing. That thing hurts a lot, even after a few seconds. We may have to turn it off from another area anyway."

Looking around the area, she adds, "I'd say our three best options are disabling it, bypassing it or checking the other tunnel. Maybe if we move along the wall, it won't affect us?"

Her face pinched up in thought. Really she'd like to launch the thing into orbit, but how to deal with something that you couldn't touch? Hmm.

[quotemyname]

Colt stood in deep thought for a moment. EMP bullets worked once, but there was nothing to say that they would do so again. This machine looked to be made of sterner stuff than the meager detection devices outside.

"Well, I reckon it ain't goin nowhere at the very least." Colt supplied as he rubbed his jaw. "What say we go'n see what's behind door number two before we mess with this'n. Who knows, there could be'n off switch somewhere over there."