Containment Means Never Having To Say KABOOM! (IC)

[Dariusprime]

"Okay, Doctor Archeville, I don't know 'bouillabaisse', but that is a very strange and disturbing conclusion. Not saying its not reasonable, given what I've already seen." She examined the scans more closely and pondered all the new information quietly. She began slowly, "By what you're saying then, if I'm following, is that I absorb energy of some sort to sustain myself. Somehow this has a connection to the Terminus. Plus one of my defensive powers is to degrade incoming attacks."

Her face pinched in thought, now she hovered around the room and looked at the floor. "Could the connection be that my body consumes surrounding materials, producing energy that I absorb, and the waste products are a mix of the energies you mentioned and the waste from my own metabolism? That could account for how the objects are weakened, why I register as releasing Terminus ('consuming') energy and how I metabolize." All of this came out in one long, rambling comment.

She looked down and added, "I don't want to disregard the connection to the Terminus because it brings sense to another part of this puzzle. I have nightmares. Often they involve Omega, but sometimes other things. I thought it was just lingering trauma, but that explanation always seemed incomplete." Landing next to him, she offered him her iPhone with a folder full of sketches and colored landscapes.

The pictures were simple yet frightening to say the least. Red alien skies littered with the debris of a billion worlds, a million universes. Civilizations dragged wholly into a spiraling black void. Planet factories feed endless chutes of sapient cattle. Dying screams on inhuman faces as muscle was stripped from bone and reconstituted. Legions amassed to snuff out all light. An ever-shifting fortress world in the deepest darkness. A disassembled Omegadrone detailing cybernetic implants.

Fulcrum didn't seem much phased, instead turning away and saying quietly, "Hard to imagine life without sleep or food, let alone living forever. Eternal life," the latter said slowly, carefully pronouncing them, "Amazing if true. Plus maybe even invisibility to boot." Her voice suggested she was still conflicted, weighed down by these revelations but in awe at the same possibilities.

[Dr Archeville]

"It is a fish stew," he said in reply to Fulcrum's unfamiliarity with bouillabaisse, "from southeastern France, containing eight different kinds of fish und shellfish, five different vegetables, und an assortment of herbs und spices. New Orleans gumbo is a 'descendant' of it, dough gumbo also has Spanish und Native American...."

He paused.

"Ah, ja, ja, your are following me," he said, switching gears back to the topics on hand,

As much as your feeble mind can comprehend!

She has been pretty accurate so far.

"dough I am unsure about your hypothesis, in that I am not certain your metabolism actually produces vaste products anymore. You should be able to break down any matter into energy und absorb it to fuel yourself! But, it could be as you say, und dat level of matter/energy conversion und absorption vill not manifest until later."

"Someding I vould like to test, if you vould allow," he went on -- still very excited -- as he looked over the pictures on her iPod, "is vhether or not you can extend your absorption field, either as a field or a tightly-focused beam, for offensive capabilities. Draining energy at range, or converting matter at range to energy... perhaps even transmuting elements by breaking molecular bonds, or by stripping electrons, neutrons und protons from elements! Dough dat vould mean you could only transmute 'down' de Periodic Table... which vould still mean you could turn lead to gold, or tin to silver!"

Must... take... her... power!

And be eight feet tall? You would have to get an all-new wardrobe, and you are awfully fond of that-

Bah! First off, with the wealth ArcheTech's bringing us, I can afford an all-new wardrobe! Second, I see no reason why she should be so large!

And if you are wrong?

Bah!

Immortal, invisible, and a living Philosopher's Stone? In addition to the flight and superhuman strength & toughness she already exhibited?!

"Dese powers could be a far bigger blessing dan you had ever imagined! I- oh... dese pictures, dey are quite... graphic. I- oh, I haff never seen an Omegadrone from dat angle before...."

[Dariusprime]

"Be my guest, Dr. Archeville! I'm as excited about discovering my capabilities as you," replied Fulcrum, his contagious excitement affecting her as well, "Transmuting elements? Absorption fields? Maybe even offensive abilities, like 'energy blasts'? I say lets go for it. See what I can really do." Apparently she had resolved her conflict for the time being, and while a little skeptical, was ready to really dive into the thick of things.

"As for the pictures...yeah, well, some people with PTSD paint or draw to get the memories out, and that's my coping mechanism. All I can imagine is those pictures represent the Terminus since I recognized the Omegadrone from my dreams." Pointing to the drone's hardware, she added, "I have no idea if these drawings, or any of the pictures, are representative or not. The 'neuromuscular interface' looks like something I read in a science magazine a couple of years ago."

"Is this what it feels like to be a verge of a major discovery?" Part of her seemed old and world weary beyond her years, while this other side seemed curious as to what lay over the next hill.

[Dr Archeville]

Oh, the things I shall show you!

Just as long as your pants stay on.

"It is indeed!," he replied eagerly, his grin spreading even wider. "De anticipation, de excitement of vhat might lay over de next hill... of seeing if all your hypotheses und calculations are correct, und prove you right... or if reality shall crash down upon you und send you back to de drawing board."

"But...," he said, forcing himself to calm down, "before we see vhat you are potentially capable of, ve should see vhat you are capable of as you are now. Vhich means seeing how strong you are, how fast you are, und how tough you are. Now, dat last von is someding dat is difficult to test," he said as he zipped over to another part of the room, "since it vould require a very careful increase in energy und force applied to you. But, de first two, your strength und speed, are easy enough to test. For strength, I haff a number of veight machines ve can use; for speed, dere are a number of sensors I can use to measure dat vhile you fly around de building. First, dough," he added as he landed and stood leaning against one wall, "can you tell me about your abilities in your own vords, your own experiences?"

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum was at a loss for words. She thought she had given a fairly concise summary at the beginning. Uncertainty crossed her face, and instead of pulling over the chair, she hovered and crossed her legs.

"I..well...I've never really been asked that. I've been asked about my powers, but not about my powers from my own perspective." Pausing a moment, she bit her lip in thought. She looked around the room again and smirked, "Since this is on the record, I better come up with something good."

"To be honest I feel like a goddess sometimes. I can understand how villains develop so readily. The flush of power is overwhelming, wildly exhilarating. Bullets bounce off me and I don't even feel them. All but the strongest materials buckle under my fingers like clay. I could level cities if I had no morality. I fly so fast that I can escape the bonds of earth and float in vacuum without injury. Even when I am injured, I've watched my blood darken, stop flowing and reverse its course back into me. Bones knit simply by concentrating on their regeneration. Throwing me through a wall or crushing me under rubble is a waste of time." Her eyes looked off into the distance.

"For me its impossible to separate the powers from myself. I don't have an extra quality or external ability added to my repertoire. I am what I am. A colossus living in a world of cardboard. I don't feel superior to everyone else. I feel different, like an entirely different species. If anything I'm lonely." Nodding, as if hitting on a truth, she continued, "Don't get me wrong. I love my powers. Being this big just sucks so much. If you bump your head, it hurts, but you don't shatter the doorway. People see Fulcrum everywhere I go and don't really think of me as a person. Other heroes don't really want to hang out if they have alternate identities. I stick out just a wee bit."

"But then I remember who I am and what I can do. What I can achieve and how I can better myself. And I do. Every time I put on my costume I feel a little stronger, faster, wiser. In my experience the sky is the limit. If I want it, I go out and do it! Its not about ego. Its about feeling limitless in a limited world." Dropping to her feet, she thrust her arms into the air triumphantly. "I am Fulcrum! The balance of violence and peace. Power and humanity. Good and evil. Even more so now it is true. Give me a lever and I will move the world!"

Chuckling, her arms dropped to her side. A smile lingered on her face. She added, "Melodramatic much? Not exactly scientific or about specific abilities, but these are my experiences concerning my powers. Shall I use more direct experiences? More about my powers themselves?" Feeling flush with her usual confidence, her smile morphed into a Cheshire Cat grin. "Of course I find what you do very impressive too. Almost jealously impressive. Want to grab some dinner later?"

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville listened with rapt attention as Fulcrum explained her abilities, her experiences, in her own words. It was not exactly what he had intended -- he had wanted her to recount some direct experiences, some layman's specifics on her powers (such as how large an item she's lifted before) -- but this information was quite useful in its own right, as it focused on her personality.

The bit about giving her a lever to move the world made him chuckle.

Then she asked him to dinner.

... wait, what?

Awww yeah...

"I am alvays up for a good meal mit good company," he said, smiling and not missing a beat (being able to think so much faster than most people helped make it so Archeville rarely appeared to be surprised), "especially vhen de companion vould be as fascinating as you."

"Und do not be so qvick to downplay your vords," he continued, "psychology is a science, too, und how a person views und reacts to deir abilities is as important as vhat does abilities are or how dose abilities vork."

He then thumped a section on the wall behind him with his elbow, and a section of the wall slid open. A large pad, about the size of a gym mat, unfolded from the compartment and onto the floor beside him. From the slight blue-gray glow coming form the top surface, and the controls and ports along the sides of it, it was clear this was no ordinary gym mat.

"Remember de gravitic press I used on your arm to get your blood pressure reading? Vell, dis is merely a larger version of it, vhich I can use to test a person's strength. Er, a bit of disclosure, dough, dis method is still a bit new -- de old vay of testing involved a large metal bar und a powerful elektromagnet, but de last person to use it... vell... broke it," he admitted with a bit of embarrassment, remembering his first testings of Atlas. "But I am sure dis vill be fine. Aftervards, if you like, ve could test your flight speed; I made some recent tveaks to mein gravimetric belt, und vould like a chance to test dose, too, und a race seems as good a vay as any," he added with a wink.

Once she stood on the pad and he activated it, it began to faintly hum, increasing steadily in volume as he increased the power with his Electromagnetic Screwdriver. It was a long while before she felt any real pull, but before that, he asked a question which may have surprised her.

"So, vhat sort of foods do you like? Vhere vould you like to go for a bite?"

Or we could... eat in.

No, I do believe going out would be more prudent.

Prude.

Lech.

[Dariusprime]

Her grin only widened, "Flatterer."

"Sounds like a challenge," she replied to his idea of race. Standing on the mat, "I'll warn you I can really move with properly motivated."

Before the more surprising question, she continued listing her experiences, "I know I can hit escape velocity, but I don't know what that would be. I've really haven't lifted that many heavy objects. I did throw a large car about ten blocks one time. Had a bomb in it. What could I do? Another time I fought these giant '50s-style robots plated in titanium. I hit one hard enough to leave a fingerprint, most of the others just fist prints. When my 'adapations' developed, I sat on the bottom of a swimming pool for two hours to make sure I really didn't have to breathe. The biggest hit I've absorbed painlessly was a run away bulldozer. It fell off a cliff and all I had time to do was brace against the impact."

"The hardest I've ever been hit, bar none, is when boxing Atlas. Maybe you heard about that. The punch was heard two miles away. I swear that hit would have buckled impervium, and did destroy Dark Star's force field. It was the closest I ever want to come to a nuclear explosion, but I managed to soak it. Barely."

The machine hummed away and Fulcrum prepared. Focusing on her powers, she nearly missed his question. Yes, it did surprise her. Was this part of his study? Was he genuinely interested on where to go or what she liked? She bit her lip in thought, considering her culinary tastes contrasted to his own possibles. She answered honestly, "I like a little of everything really. Especially spicy and ethnic foods. I usually hit the cafes in Riverside and the little family places in the West End. A great Greek restaurant just opened in fact. What do you like?"

After he answered, she couldn't help but ask the two questions nagging at her. No malice was directed through the questions. She was just curious it seemed and they were accompanied by a smile. "So am I fascinating as a person or a test subject?" That one was followed by the more light-hearted, "And what is up with your accent? I find it charming, but I imagined someone as smart as you mastering just about any language without difficulty."

[Dr Archeville]

Oh, I bet you can move...

This is why we cannot have nice things!

"Escape velocity vould be approximately 25,000 miles per hour," he rattled off, rapidly converting from the metric system he grew up with to the Imperial one he assumed she would be more familiar with, "dough it's higher de further von gets from de equator, und varies depending on vhich direction von flies tovards. Und, ja, I do know of de charity battle you und Atlas und ozhers vere in -- it took us days to recalibrate some of our seismic monitors after dat!"

The machine steadily increased its pull on Fulcrum. When the conversations turned (back) to less scientific matters, she could just start feeling its effects.

I know one dish I'd like to try...

Save it for Oktoberfest, this is a patient! Someone who has come to us with questions, and needs-

I've got some needs!

... no! No fraternizing with the patients!

"Oh, I am open to all kinds of of cuisine," he replied, smiling, "und I must say dat Freedom does have an incredible variety, almost as broad as all of Europe! De food of das vaterland shall always be first in mein heart, of course -- und dere is an excellent biergarten, Der Augenblick, not very far from here -- but I do enjoy Italian und French cuisines, too. Oh, und when I gave a lecture at HIT in May of 2008, I had Greek food catered in; it vas quite excellent."

Archeville hoped that, if they wound up going to the biergarten, it went better than the last time he was there on a date.

"Ah, mein accent," he said sheepishly, as if she'd uncovered some great secret. "Vell, ja, you are right, I can master most languages mit ease; I taught meinself Hindi und Urdu in about a veek. But I haff found dat people tend to be more put-off vhen I speak mitout an outrageous accent dan if I do talk mit von -- by keeping de accent, I am still visibly, or, razher, audibly identifiable as an outsider, dey see I am not trying to completely hide who or vhat I am. Vhich..." his smile and the lights in his eyes dimmed for just a moment, "makes it a tad easier for ozhers to accept my attempts to atone for vhat mein grandfazher did."

Hey, hey, hey! What the **** is this? Opening up to her? I thought she was 'just a patient'?!

I do not expect you to understand.

"So, ja," he continued, his spark back, "I do know someding about trying to do good mit someding dat comes mit a lot of 'Evil' baggage."

[Dariusprime]

Mona adjusted her posture and continued focusing on lifting. The process always felt somewhat strange, akin to martial arts practitioners claiming to pool their 'chi' or 'ki' energy. Still the comparison wasn't completely off base apparently. Infusing her musculature made her amazingly strong. Shifting some 'energy' into her joints and bones made her almost unstoppable. Even the lightning fast movements she had developed recently seemed to key off of her unusual metabolism somehow. For now though she waited to see just how much weight she could bear.

"I'm sorry about that," she apologized, her face looking rueful. "We were a little too competitive. Friendly competition, but still a little out-of-hand." Hopefully her additional details were more in line with what he requested concerning her powers. Psychology was fine and good, but the good Doktor sounded as if he wanted some more quantifiable. Which made sense to her, considering his expertise.

She looked around the room thoughtfully, before nodding, "I've never been to a biergarten. Sounds lovely though. How about there? You can regale me with the cuisine of your homeland."

His confession of sorts didn't disguise the fact that he didn't answer her first question. In her heroic experience, scientists, super scientists and mad scientists all walked a blurred line between discovery and madness. This particular super scientist, although well-mannered and helpful, was no exception. While the better part of her wanted to trust him fully, the pragmatic side, and her demeanor, became a little more wary.

Since the second one turned out to be loaded, she didn't knock him too much for taking that one to task. She concentrated on him, and the more she did, the more the response sounded like a confession. Being completely honest with herself, he sounded very lonely. Not the manipulative type of 'lonely' she had encountered from creeps, but the authentic kind experienced by those truly isolated from the rest of society and haunted by something. Something with which she could relate. She wanted to pull him into a big hug, but judging from the burden on her shoulders, she didn't want to kill him with his own invention.

Instead the giantess reached out a gold-gloved hand and squeezed his shoulder. An honest, sympathetic if somewhat sad smile accompanied. "I appreciate your honesty, Dr. Archeville. Thank you. I'm ready to listen if you ever want to talk. If you want a friend. I hope that you do good because you're a good man at heart."

[Dr Archeville]

Oh, that is hardly the sort of competition I should like to partake in. Now, a nice chess match, or a cooking competition. Or perhaps-

Gladiatorial games for my amusement! Winners are used as gene-stock for my creations!

"Competition is all vell und good," he replied while continuing to monitor the readouts, pausing to look up and give Fulcrum a wink, "as long as it does not lead to de replacement of every vindow in a ten-block radius!"

"I dink you vill like Der Augenblick," he continued, shifting seamlessly to a different tangent, and his voice getting a touch more cheery. (Some attributed his apparent madness with his ability to think so fast, and thus shift so unnervingly quickly from topic to topic.) He still kept looking back and forth between the readouts from his machine and at Fulcrum and how she was handling it. "It is not all beer und pretzels und sausages, dough dose are some of de main attractions. Dey haff some very good cheese spreads as appetizers, und some excellent seafood dishes, dough dose are seasonal. Oh, und de desserts, of course, are simply vunderbar!"

I've got a sau-

Shut it!

When she said he was a good man, his brow furrowed and he cleared his throat. At first, she may have thought her words made him a bit uncomfortable -- and, in truth, they did -- but his next words revealed another source of unease. "I am getting some very interesting readings here. Some I expected -- part of your apparent super-strength seems to come from your body expelling a gravity-canceling effect, making dings you interact mit lighter in veight -- but you are also emitting other types of energy, some of vhich I haff no idea vhat dey are or can do."

Fulcrum was by now straining to stay upright.

Ah, saved by the energy fluctuations.

Eh, as long as I don't have to listen to any more of this touchy-feely bullcrap.

You are the reason I cannot get close to anyone, or have any real friends. Every time someone gets a glimpse of me, they get an earful of you!

Yeah, but I'm also the reason "Archeville" is a household name! Without me, you'd be too timid to do a tenth of the things you've done!

[Dariusprime]

"Ten blocks? Is that all? I'm disappointed," said Fulcrum, smile on her face and tongue firmly in cheek.

Being honest with herself, Dr. Archeville's quirks were beginning to grow on her. If he had the capability of multiple communication modes, how many conversations could he maintain simultaneously? If she continued to develop rapid speed, could she keep up? She pondered those questions as he described the cuisine at Der Augenblick. Having had a light breakfast, everything sounded divine. She licked her lips.

All of that was side lined as she concentrated more and more intensely on maintaining her posture. No readout was necessary. She knew the force generated by the machine was well beyond anything she had previously experienced. From a purely physical standpoint, her super powered muscles pulled ferociously and thus her metabolism spiked. At least that was how it should have worked. She felt the exertion, to be sure, but something like a dull warmth welled from within her body core to supplement her strength in some way.

From her previous experience, she knew full and well her powers were ramped up. Her smile slipped into a sad frown at his reaction, but having drawn back her hand, she let him speak about the present and the energy readings. She nodded, some of the energy absent from her voice, "They must be responsible for the sensations. I feel as if my core temperature is rising, even though I don't feel hot. I felt the same way during the match with Atlas and when I was fighting White Knight."

After another nod, she added, "Yeah, I've tangled with him. Not as tough as he looks, but still a pretty nasty customer." The discomforted look on her face intensified as the machine continued its relentless gravitic pull. She shifted her feet a bit, probably realizing that soon that would be impossible.

[Dr Archeville]

"You haff tangled mit de Vhite Knight, too?," he replied, appearing mildly intrigued. "He vas de first 'big name' supervillain I ever fought here in Freedom!"

Beaming as he was, both at reminiscing about past exploits and at the commonality Fulcrum & he shared, it honestly was not one of his better moments.

We should send some more money Warden Drummer's way, help with the security and staff.

Bah! If he doesn't want our tech, he shouldn't get our money, either!

He does not want our tech because of what happened the last time we used some of our tech in there!

Like that's our fault? Their power nullifiers were obviously shoddy pieces of crap, if we were able to override them without even trying!

Then he was back to the science, "you say you feel varm? Dat is a common reaction amongst most energy manipulators, de body trying to keep up mit de fluctations...." He glanced at another bit of machinery on the wall, then back to Fulcrum, then did a double take back to the wall. "Curioser und curioser..." he said udner his breath, before turning back to Fulcrum, "de thermal imager is not picking up any increase in your temperature! It... it is as if de extra heat your body gives off during physical exertion is immediately absorbed back into you to further fuel your metabolism!"

[Dariusprime]

"Mine too. His powers may still be developing, if believed. He said he'd be back badder than ever, and considering that he seemed to actually get stronger as we fought, I wonder," she replied, reminiscing a bit over that bloody fight.

"Apparently I'm very efficient. Waste not, want not," she joked, although the look on her face suggested the weight was really bothering her. "Not like I'd really need to generate much body heat anyway. Thermal regulation doesn't mean as much when atmospheric temperatures are irrelevant." Obviously homework had been a priority before meeting him today.

Another idea came to her, and she glanced down in thought. For some reason, as she neared the limits of her super strength, some urge or instinct pushed her to examine the Gravitic Pressor. Initially she just wanted to smash the thing, as if it was some attacker. Further reflection refined this feeling into something more tangible. She simply wanted to touch the thing with her hand, as if doing so would change or alter it somehow. Was this observation somehow related to Dr. Archeville's ideas concerning possible matter-manipulating abilities? She resolved to ask.

First though, another line of thought that had been bouncing around in her head surfaced. In fact the words came out of her mouth before she could stop herself, "He worked with the Nazis didn't he?" and she grimaced upon hearing them. Looking over at him apologetically, "I'm sorry. That was inappropriate. Nevermind."

In the uncomfortable silence, looking around the room was the best she could do to change the subject. She was sort of stuck between a rock and hard place at the moment.

[Dr Archeville]

"Vhite Knight? No, I do not believe he-"

No, you nit, she means grandpa!

... oh...

His fingers faltered on the controls for the briefest of moments. To Fulcrum, the sudden increase then snapback in weight fell like hitting a pothole.

Archeville let out a small sigh, "ja, ja, mein gandfazher vorked mit de Nazis. He did many, many horrible dings, und I try to do vhat I can to erase dat stain, to show dat Science can be used for good as vell as evil, und show dat not all who share mein name und profession are madmen."

A weak smile flashed across his face, "vell, not de bad kind of 'mad', anyvay."

He took another deep breath, "und, no, it vas not inappropriate -- not compared to some of de dings I haff heard in mein homeland. Dere are some places dere vhere mein family name is spoken of only in hushed vhispers, so great is de horror associated mit it. It took me many, many years to build up trust dere, even vhen I vas working mit some of de superhero teams dere. Dough I am sure stopping some of de remnants of de Nazi party und deir secret projekts -- such as de vons mein grandfazher vorked on -- helped vin some points mit de people. But de distrust und suspicion lingered, vhich is part of de reason I came here to Freedom."

Again with the confessing?

It is good for the soul, and I need whatever bulwarks against you I can get.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum couldn't help but smile at his joke. Although a lot of emotion lay in the subtext, so did a grain of truth. She didn't say anything immediately and simply listened. Once again a sense of loneliness crept into the words, and especially now the explanation became crystal clear. His plight was one with which she could sympathize, even if the circumstances were dramatically different from her own. A great confession came forth, or so it seemed, and she wasn't about to make light.

Instead she focused on the sudden stitch in her back and tried not to grimace in pain. At that level of power even a hiccup amplified tremendously. Rubbing her lower back with one hand, she eventually broke the silence, tone serious, "Must have been very difficult to leave your homeland, distrust or not. Freedom City is the richer though. I'm glad you're here, and not just because of how you can help me." Oh yes, she meant every word.

"Ironically, I'm reminded of my own situation in a way. I've lived most of my life here but sometimes still feel like an outsider. I grew up hearing people scream 'Go home, Iranian!' at me when I was in my own front yard," she said quietly, "Not like having a stigma directly attached to your family name, but still hurtful."

Looking back at him, she mused playfully, if only to lighten the mood, "How does the good Doktor think of our fair city?"

Although barely registering on her face, she felt a spike of, well, something within the feeling of warmth and power within her. The sensation was somehow familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on exactly when she had the experience previously. Ominous she'd describe it.

[Dr Archeville]

"Vell, at least dey bothered to pin down your nationality -- most vould not bother to make de distinction!," he laughed.

"Freedom is much more... vibrant since de last time I vas here. I had been here before, you see, as a student at HIT. I first came about a year after de big Terminus Invasion, und de mood of de city vas still a bit... haunted, I suppose, even mit de return of all de costumed heroes. Dings rapidly picked up, of course, but as a native you know all about dat. After I got mein first doctorate, I returned to Europe und began my vork in earnest." His smile had returned; speaking of his (simpler?) college days seemed to buoy him.

Mmmm... college girls...

You get enough of those at Oktoberfest every year.

There is no such thing as 'enough', and- waitasec... don't tell me you're starting to fall for this one?!

Of course not. Sure, she is not hard on the eyes, and seems quite kind and generous... but, no, no. I mean, we just met! And she is my patient!

Suuuure....

"Oh, lookee here!," the Doktor exclaimed, with all the giddiness of an excited schoolboy. He pressed a button on his techno-wand and a holographic display of the gravity pad's performance popped into the air. "You just passed de seven hundred ton mark!"

He found himself looking into her eyes; his showed mostly excitement, a bit of yearning, and something... else. He turned to study Fulcrum's limbs, how they muscles tensed and strained. "Vhere did you go to college? Or did your assorted ailments hinder dose plans?"

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum laughed as well, "Those were the good, old days when all middle easterners were Iranians. They were right in being wrong!"

The jolt from his musings on Freedom City to her performance caught her a bit off guard. Recovering quickly, her own excitement rising, she obliged the scientist and examined the (fascinating in itself) hologram. "700 tons? That's...wow! I never knew I could manage something like that. What weighs around 700 tons?" she asked, looking at him with a big smile.

She was surprised by the intensity of his gaze and the interplay of emotions. Her smile faded a bit, if only out of concentration. She studied him, a mixture of excitement, curiosity and flirtatious interest playing across her own face. What had started as friendly banter suddenly took a more serious tone, and somehow, made the heavy lifting more bearable. When his gaze turned elsewhere, a quiet but disappointed sigh followed the departure. He obviously was a complex man, and frankly she still didn't know what to fully make of him.

Only momentarily did her thoughts wander. First, they came back to the read outs. Lifting ability in the hundreds of tons could be comprehended on an intellectual level, but visualizing that kind of power was proving more difficult. Maybe a large airplane? Yet despite her attempts otherwise, her attention was drawn back to Dr. Archeville and the expression on his face just a moment ago. She watched him clandestinely, only to realize that instead of monitoring the machine, he was observing her.

Feelings mixed equally of discomfort and pride made her acutely aware of being watched. Part of her wondered if he was checking out her butt, while the other part left disquieted by the fact that he may be doing so while acting as her doctor, at least for the day. The rational side reiterated that he was a professional and obviously just taking notes for scientific purposes. Instead of standing there in awkward silence, letting the tension, sexual or otherwise, build, she went with what she did best: plow straight ahead. Time enough this afternoon for the machine to work its magic.

She started off slowly, "Actually I did. I was a lackluster student, I'll be honest. Playing soccer and drawing were more interesting than academics. I went to Freedom College for some general education courses, and then transferred to the Seattle Art Institute for my bachelor's and master's degrees. My thesis was on the inter-continental influences in the development of Parthian art. More interesting than it sounds."

Once he was behind her, or otherwise occupied, she glanced at him, "What's on your mind, Doctor?"

[Dr Archeville]

"Seven hundred tons?," he repeated as he circled around her, "vell, dat vould be... de amount of vood burned per day by de new Seneca Sustainable Energy plant, in Eugene, Oregon, to power 13,000 homes... de amount of melamine-tainted baby formula recalled by a Japanese manufacturer in September of 2008, vhen de contamination was first acted on... de amount of illicit narcotics estimated to have been consumed in Iran in 2001... no, no, dese are still too nebulous. Oh! I know!"

Archeville had by now come back around to the front of Fulcrum, and was readjusting his wand-gadget. The hologram of the gravity pad readout split, and one copy shrank and moved down and to the left. The other image disappeared, and was replaced by a giant dump truck, one so big that the men standing in front of it barely came up to the midpoint of the wheels.

"Dat is Caterpillar's 700-ton autonomous mega dump truck," he explained, "developed in 2008. 700 tons is not de amount it can carry, dat is how much de truck itself veighs! Or...."

More adjustment, and the image split again, the new one changing into an elephant.

"Approximately von hundred of dese."

She's a brick.... house!

Stop it.

She's mighty, mighty! Just lettin' it all hang out!

Do I do that when you screw your way through Bierfrauen?

Yes, actually, you do. Remember the first year, and you kept singing all the national anthems of the world?

Yes, yes, but that was the only time I interrupted you, I have since come to accept I need to let you run free every now and again.

Yeah, but I hold grudges.

The Doktor seemed quite interested in her tales of college life, and seemed to focus almost entirely on her. Of course, who knew what he was really thinking with that dizzying brain of his. He was probably running calculations and crunching numbers and such, looking at this all as strictly a professional, scientific matter... right?

So why did she get the feeling there was more than just dispassionate scientific curiosity in those eyes?

"Mit dat focus on art, vhy transfer to Seattle, und not to de Freedom School for de Arts? I hear deir programs are qvite excellent, und draws students from all over; I am sure any prejudices you faced growing up vould be lessened if not wholly absent dere."

[Dariusprime]

"That's quite a dump truck," she started, but blinked when the elephant appeared, "100 elephants? Not bad if I do say so myself. I wonder how much I can lift at maximum. I'm already putting most everything I have into this much, but I feel like I could do more." That same feeling crept through her, but now the warmth felt normal, or normalized at any rate, as if it was always part of her. Still she didn't feel hot, but knew a 'power up' more precisely for future reference. Somehow the efficiency of her powers pleased her.

"I wonder how much Centurion could lift. Most of the documentation notes what he lifted, not necessarily the estimated weight. More than 700 tons I'm sure. Back in '56 he carried a stranded cruise liner to safety. I'll have to look up her weight," mused the giantess.

Nice evasion. came to mind at his interest in her college life. She smirked slightly. If a fraction of what she heard of him was accurate, than deciphering what was really on his mind would be nearly impossible. For all she knew, he was just conducting a psychological experiment on her. His emotions could be completely malleable. Forget the interest and/or paranoia. She must have been misinterpreting his body language, or so she tried to convince herself.

After a few more details of the S.A.I., she turned to look at him and realized the pointlessness of that exercise. Eyes were windows to the soul, or so she had heard. A definite vibe resonated there, even if the rest was stoic. Which only intrigued her more. Curiouser and curiouser.

Her face fell a little, obviously uncomfortable with his next question. "No, prejudices weren't part of my decision, as best as I can tell. The competition is really cut throat. I applied three years in a row, but just didn't have the drive. After that I realized I wanted a more cooperative community. Don't get me wrong, I still think their programs are top notch. Just the stress and rivalries didn't suit me. Seattle, by contrast, had a very supportive and relaxed atmosphere."

[Dr Archeville]

"Most liners are in de tens of thousands of tons, many close to or exceeding von hundred thousand. De Titanic vas about 46,000 tons, dough most cruisers of de time vere about half dat. Dey have, of course, gotten much bigger over de years; de Qveen Mary II, set to launch next month, is almost 150,000 tons."

I really do need to get back to Fjölnirskraft soon, continue some of my projects down there.

Ooh, you could take your girlfriend down there! Sooo romantic....

Cut that out.

Oh, wait, you couldn't, since she's so freakishly large!

Stop it! I am sure I could find a way to reduce her atypical height, so she could accompany me on a trip down-

Oh, so you do want her to go down with you! Or should I say, on-

Shut up!

Fulcrum gradually realized that the Doktor was studying her face more than he was her body. Was he looking into her eyes for some indication of fluctuating power levels? Many metahumans who manipulated energy had odd glowing lights in their eyes, especially when taxing their powers as never before. Or was it something else he was looking for?

"Interesting, as dat is much de same reasony vhy I came to Freedom," he said as his gaze trailed down her face, "to de Hanover Institute of Technology, instead of finishing up at Technische Universität München- er, de Technical University of Munich. De German education system is qvite strict und inflexible, und dey vould not allow me to place out of as many courses as I vould have liked, or taken as many as I felt I could handle. Dey denied me...."

Archeville's tone made a noticeable shift, as did the look in his eyes. Several other changes occurred, too: the jaw clench a hair, a slight sneer, a minor furrowing of the brow, a slight clenching of the left fist around his techno-wand.

And then, just as suddenly, they all melted away, and he resumed his lighter and more inviting tone.

"Vhich is vhy I am so glad I vas able to transfer to HIT. I haff even done a few lectures dere, since returning. You may haff heard about de von from last March," he said as his gaze trailed down her face, "de von crashed by Kapitan Knievel. Lucky for me, Dark Star vas-"

At that point, the gravity pad's weight exceeded Fulcrum's utmost abilities to lift, and something lashed out from her.

[Dariusprime]

While digesting the various weight facts, Mona finally realized that she was, frankly, over-thinking this entire issue. Which as she reminded herself was a bad habit dating back many years. After all the straight-forward method was her specialty and she wasn't even following her own advice. Obviously Dr. Archeville wasn't going to make the first move for whatever reason. Ironically, he was the truly coy (or cautious) one.

Ah, **** it! She was a grown woman and could handle herself! Sure, his latest, if subtle, antics were a bit off-putting, but then again everyone had a few quirks. On the other hand, he seemed genuinely interested in her, well beyond simply studying her powers. She wasn't about to let this fish escape. Waiting him out just wasn't in her nature. As he himself noted, "mad" had many connotations.

Still the range of options available to her were limited. That damnable machine made her body quiver and strain from exertion, not to mention still locking her effectively into one spot. So she simply cocked her head to the side, smiled and batted her eyelashes. To drive the point home, she reached out her left hand invitingly. Her heart skipped a beat, wondering exactly how he would react.

Yes, silly, I am interested too.

But then her stomach lurched, and she stared at her hand in shock. A strange shimmer wafted from the hand, arm, everywhere. In the few moments of distraction, a barrier had been breached. Being much calmer than during the other incident, the sensation felt akin to an explosion, like the flash boiling of super heated water. Whatever it was, she was venting energy, and one didn't have to be a scientist to know what type.

Her eyes darted back to the Dr. Archeville with a look of shock on her face. Before she could say anything, the screens around the lab lit up like Christmas trees. Dozens of sensors and alarms flared to life, warning of dangerous levels of an unknown radiation. On top of that chaos, the aura reacted caustically with the Gravity Pad.

***WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!***

[Dr Archeville]

****, she's attacking!

What? No, you reactionary oaf! She is not attacking, she is overloading!

A string of colorful (and quite rapid-fire) expletives escaped Archeville's lips, in several languages. The English ones she knew, and she was passingly familiar with some of the French, German, and Spanish ones. The Arabic ones she could work out, since that language borrowed bits from Persian. The Chinese and Russian ones, though, were completely alien.

As the tapestry of profanity filled the air, the Doktor rushed to the side of the Gravity Pad and tried to deactivate it. He put up his belt's force field to shield himself from the energy pouring from Fulcrum, the angry red of her energies clashing against the blue-gray of his energy bubble.

"Ease up, Mona, ease up!," he shouted, "become de calm eye in de center of de hurricane!" There was no anger in his voice now -- that had all vented out with the cursing -- now he was all concern and compassion.

[Dariusprime]

"Easing up. Staying calm. Easing up. Being cool. Zen. Eye of the hurricane. The falling leaf," she mumbled, otherwise standing ramrod still while the lab exploded into confusion. Not only was she overwhelmed by the energy around her, something happened when her arm withdrew. She strained just to relax it to her side, and a transparent, rippling smudge hung along its trajectory, overlapping the red energy like a wrinkle in space-time.

Which left her in the precarious position of standing still, arms to her side, as her overloaded body continued to eat the Gravity Pad, and for that matter, the rest of the lab. The doctor's force field was a tasty morsel, and the red energy surrounded and caressed it, as if feeding off of the violent interaction. Not that the rest was content. Oh no, tendrils seeped further into the smoking Pad. Arcs of red-tinted electricity criss-crossed the lab and showered sparks in every direction. Screens hissed with static, electrical components exploded, florescent lights imploded and panels blasted open. The humming medical laser flipped to 'death ray' mode and sliced swathes through the lab. Those tools and inventions that didn't self destruct ramped up to max and went rampant.

Initiating fire-containment systems. Warning: toxic fumes detected.

Case in point, a small cleaning robot zoomed by, on fire, followed on its heels by two brethren with their extinguisher attachments extended. With a couple of hissing bangs, the little machine pulled a Back to the Future and vanished, leaving only a little fire trail from its insectile legs. It reappeared across the lab and buried itself in a work station. The two healthy robots circled around in a panic, their little processors overwhelmed by the debris and sparks. When the work station lit up, they rushed over to retard the flames.

Multiple space-time distortions detected. Possible Exo-Dimensional Barrier breach in progress.

Meanwhile Mona had been watching this drama unfold and tried not to hyperventilate. Witnessing the domino effect of her energy shroud the hi-tech lab in chaos really didn't help. Slowly but surely she got herself under the control, but the Pad didn't relent and didn't want to cooperate. In fact the power fluctuations increased the load and brought Fulcrum down to hands and knees. In hindsight, she is going to laugh over this situation, and at the tenderness in Dr. Archeville's voice, but for now crawling off that damn pad was a bigger priority.

Warning: Radiation levels increasing. Type: Unknown. Qua..ntification: ?Un//available. Sens...$@../...23..of.f,..li]..

"Ack! Not...working...Doc..."

[Dr Archeville]

What is she doing to my laboratory!

It is the Terminus! Raw, untempered entropy!

"Right, new plan!," he shouted as he dashed from the remains of the gravity pad. He stopped at a nearby panel and furiously entered commands; normally it would take only the press of a few buttons but the chaos around him made everything exponentially more difficult. After a moment he turned back to Fulcrum, "I may haff someding dat can contain dis! Hold still!"

The Doktor pressed one final button, and a large dome clapped shut over Fulcrum. The dome was mostly clear, but covered -- no, embedded -- with a criss-cross of thin wires; at each intersection was a small box with a lens aimed inward. Those lenses began glowing, then thousands of tiny beams of light, all colors of the rainbow, lanced out from them and hit Fulcrum.

"Dose beams can damper most inherent metahuman abilities," she heard his muffled voice through the dome, "dey should do de trick!"

[Dariusprime]

As with Dark Star's force field, the energy reacted most vigorously when volume limited. Now that a little more was known, the violent reaction looked completely predictable. The Terminus however was anything if normal or predictable. The red flame-like aura lashed at the dome as soon as it dropped. The clear material, perhaps a reinforced polymer, frosted translucent in spots as the energy filled the pocket. When that barrier proved too sturdy, Fulcrum descended slowly as the floor bubbled and eroded under her.

Thankfully, Dr. Archeville's masterful skills and forethought saved the day, or at least the laboratory. The lights bloomed to life and Fulcrum flinched. The lights were startling, but the strange tingle was something else completely. She couldn't be sure if the machine was dampening her powers or not. All she knew for sure was that the faulty exhaust loop finally compensated. Which meant that the aura withered away and normal feedback restored.

When the literal and metaphorical smoke cleared, Fulcrum sat there under the dome with her head propped up on her arms. She looked around the demolished lab and sighed, "I'm so very, very sorry, Vik...Dr. Archeville. I'll pay for the damages. Should only take...twenty years or so." Pulling an Archeville, she immediately switched gears, clapped her hands together and laughed, "Amazing too! Incredibly destructive, alarming and very dangerous, but amazing nonetheless. I had no idea how powerful I could be! Makes me want to experiment even more!"

Of course, the lingering but unstated question, how to fix or contain that radiation problem, hung in the air. Oh yeah, and if the field did dampen her powers, it sure didn't shrink her down any.