At the Mountains (IC)

[Avenger Assembled]

For his part, Mark excused himself upstairs, returning just a few minutes later in his familiar costume with a comfy-looking fur parka over it. "I've got plenty of winter gear! It'll be a breeze, guys! Let's go!" He gathered everyone up and took them upstairs, unlocking a heavy steel door and letting them all into his father's Trophy Room. It was a strange place. There was something bizarrely mundane about being among so many monuments to famous past events in a suburban rumpus room: there was a convincing copy of Horus the Avenger's Ankh, there was the Cosmic Rod the Centurion had pulled from the hand of Omega when the Terminus invaded in 1965, there was Mark's dad's college football jersey, what looked like pictures of baby Mark winning a reading contest, there was Hades' Helm of Invisibility, and Lady Liberty's white costume from the 1970s.

"Okay, guys!" said Mark, digging in the closet. "I've got the teleporter in here somewhere..."

[angrydurf]

Mike ducked out to quickly change into his costume eschewing the need for anything warmer given his resistance to extremes. He Smiled to Alex, "You might want to take Mark up on his offer, I don't think your costumes really built for the snow."

Mike glanced around at the assorted marvels of the trophy room with no small amount of awe. "Ya need a hand Mark?" he asked, "Whats it look like?" he asked as he looked for signs of the teleporter.

[alderwitch]

"I need to put some sort of adaption in for cold weather. Or figure how to keep environmental factors from affecting my body. Then I could go with you to see outer space again..." Alex said wistfully, her gaze travelling upwards. "For now, however, I'll have to borrow a coat."

She shook herself from her daydreams and then leaned over to kiss Mike on the cheek. Alex had to float up a little to do that before she headed off for one of the restrooms to change into her costume. Alex showed back up to help them look for the transporter, her short skirt and boots covered by a thick parka and snow boots. Only her hazel eyes were visible between the hat and the jacket collar.

[Darksider42]

I really need to get around to installing a heating system into my Duster. Or some sort of environmental shielding... Warren sighed. "Gonna have to go with borrow. Hope I can find something that fits." With that, he left for a moment to rummage through the collective winter wear and by chance managed to find some. After some wait, Rift managed to get changed in one of the bathrooms.

Not my usual attire, but it will do. He thought he stepped out, guitar slung over his back. With some creative thinking, he was able to hide his costume underneath his clothes, though anyone could point out the Domino mask on his face. "Gonna have to leave this behind. Can't lug it around up there." He said as he leaned his guitar case against a wall, just out of the way of all the trophies.

.Damn, I forget sometime how impressive The Centurions life was.

[Cyroa]

James followed them upstairs. He didn't bother taking a coat. He didn't particularly like the cold but it was also not something he every really had to concern himself with either. He leaned against the doorjam; three or four people crowding into a closet doorway to search for the widget was more than enough. He looked around the room at the trophies. It sort of reminded him of the Mansion. Except there weren't happy memories really for him there. This room was obviously a little different, given the prominent pictures and trophies for Mark. He smiled though, looking at his crowd of oddly dressed friends searching in a closet. "Whenever you guys are ready to come out of the closet, just let me know," he said with a grin.

[Ecalsneerg]

Chris was meanwhile busy donning what appeared to be a cold-weather version of the Geckosuit, which was lined with fur on the inside and made of leather, rather than spandex, on the outside. "Seriously, people," he complained, as he added snow goggles to the ensemble. "Be prepared for things. If you're not prepared for hypothermia, how can you prepare for, say, alien invasion, or getting stuck in the McDonald's line en-route to a charity thing you need to be at in 5 minutes?"

[Gizmo]

Trevor studied the Helm of Hades intently as he pulled his featureless mask over his face and fastened it behind his ears. It boggled the mind that artifacts of such power were being displayed so cavalierly next to personal keepsakes. He wasn't sure if he respected Rick's ability to balance the aspects of his life or if this was simply further conformation that the elder Lucas had long ago given up his grip on reality. The black ushanka soon followed the mask, covering his dark hair and effectively sealing the lanky teen in his heated costume. "Why stop for food if time is a factor?" he asked absently.

[Avenger Assembled]

Eventually, with help from Phalanx, Edge pulled out the teleporter they'd be using to get up to the Sanctum. The big metal rod looked bulky and retro at first glance, but on closer inspection of the areas worn smooth by time, the teens realized that it really was just this old. Mark's father had inherited the teleporter from its original owner, and who knew how long the Centurion had used it, or when he had acquired it during his decades-long career? "Just think," Mark murmured in awe as he put it in the middle of the room. "The Centurion touched this." In costume and in a heavy fur parka himself, one cut to match the bright blue and yellow colors of his costume, Mark said, "OK, now everybody hang on to this..." When everyone had their hands on the teleporter, Mark said out loud, "Amundsen!"

A moment later, the world darkened, as if getting ready for a really big sneeze, and suddenly the teens were elsewhere! Mark had cause to briefly regret not checking ahead for a weather report as the Arctic wind howled all around them in a raging storm! The teens could just make out the shape of a mountain before them, but all around was blowing ice and snow and howling winds, everything else dark. "Craap!" Mark called. "I can't see the keyhole! Somebody feel around for it!" he called over the blinding wind, digging in his feet to keep his footing. "Or look for it, or whatever!" Those students able to peer through the howling blizzard were able to see the big keyhole just a little above the arm's reach of a normal person, looking exactly like part of a regular lock. "You don't need to put in a key, just stick your hand in and turn it!"

[angrydurf]

The cold and bitting wind didn't effect phalanx in the slightest though he knew his companions would not be so inured.

Enhanced vision that could pierce walls had little difficulty even with the thick blowing snow. Following Marks instructions he inserted his hand and heaved at the mechanism within with all of his potent might. Slowly the mechanism turned in his hand to release the lock. He had to marvel at how some one like marks father could have managed such a feat.

[Darksider42]

Dear sweet god its cold! Though spider bots were bad enough. Rift though as he almost felt his face go numb near instantly. The Darkness was a problem for the Teen Guitarist until he shut his eyes tight. Ok, lets test out this little trick. He thought as he put more effort into his hearing than his sight. Within moments, he could start to make out the whole area around him, making a mental picture with just the storm raging around him. The world around him certainly looked surreal enough through this method. He could "see" a figure that looked a lot like Mike wrench the lock open. "OK, I think its open."

[Cyroa]

James blinked and suddenly winced at the bitter cold. He couldn't see squat, just barely keeping track of the others was enough for him. He concentrated, increasing the temperature around them by a substantial degree. It was still freezing of course, but not the 'insta-ice-cube' level of cold it had been. He didn't want to risk melting anything or, more importantly, setting off any weird sensors or alarms this place might have. He quickly followed the others threw the doorway, shaking the snow off. "Man. I bet that certainly cuts down on those door-to-door salesman and such," he said with a grin, warming them up easily as he began to look around.

[Electra]

The sudden cold was shocking, even through the insulation of Erin's uniform, and the swirling whiteness of the snow very disorienting. It was a few moments before she could see much of anything at all, and by then, Mike already had the door open. She began nudging her teammates towards the open door, making sure that nobody was lost or left behind in the storm before going in herself. In the doorway, she took a quick headcount. "You'd think he could let people teleport inside his base," she commented ruefully.

[Gizmo]

Trevor's costume and goggles protected him from the wailing winds but did little to improve his vision in the whiteout. The lanky youth did, however, make careful note of which of his classmates were able to function without normal sight. He didn't have any intention of entering into a genuine fight with any of his peers, but forewarned was, after all, forearmed. "Don't think he had many visitors," he noted tonelessly in response to both Erin and James. "Protecting everyone in the world... you'd need a place for privacy sometimes."

[Avenger Assembled]

All around them, Rift and the other super-sensitive students could see a frozen, desolate Arctic wasteland, a miserable hellhole of shifting ice and bare rock. They couldn't be on the pack ice itself, not with a mountain before them and an underground lair inside, but they were certainly very close. As the door swung open thanks to Phalanx's mighty grip, the teens all stepped inside the great open airlock, the doorway gaping open to reveal a spectacular foyer.

The Great Hall of the Centurion's Sanctum was the size of the auditorium at Claremont Academy, full of artifacts and monuments to heroes of old and times and places long-forgotten. Guarding the doorway labeled HERO HALL stood two figures cast in bone-white marble, heroically-oversized statues of a man and woman in Romanesque dress, both of them holding in their outstretched hands the so-small rocketship that had carried the Centurion to Earth as a baby, the rocket making an arch for the teens to walk under.

Down another corridor gaped what looked like some bizarre zoo, alien creatures at play visible through the glass, while down another way lay a row of statues cast in the mold of heroes past. A massive silver book lay in the corner, its man-sized solid steel pages engraved in the Centurion's own Latin. Everything from all the old stories was here. And overhead, the greatest marvel of all!

"Welcome. To. The. Sanctum!" said the cunning likeness of the Centurion, the robotic replica's cape flying behind him in a heart-stopping moment of likeness with his builder and master. "I. Am. Alpha, First. Of. The. Centuritrons!"

[alderwitch]

"S-s-so c-c-cold...." Alex muttered as she huddled against Mike's frame. It hadn't taken but moments for her fingertips and nose to go blue. She looked around curiously, still shivering and chafing her arms up and down as she tried to warm back up to human temperatures again. She glanced up from huddling under Mike's cape to look at the figure of the centurion and she looked sad once the expression of awe faded, "Aw... he m-must get s-s-so lonely up h-h-here. S'pretty amaz-z-zing, s-s-still."

[Electra]

Erin lingered just inside the door for a few moments, looking out at the storm. "That's really weird," she murmured to Trevor. "It's summer at the North Pole, just like it is down in Freedom City except colder. That's a winter type storm for this part of the world. I wonder if something might be causing it. But who would care enough to try and disguise this place, with the Centurion dead for what, like sixteen years now?"

[Gizmo]

Trevor unfastened his mask once they were inside, letting in hand around his neck as he looked around the hall. "Little over seventeen," he answered Erin absently, mouth left slightly open as he ran his hand across one of the Sanctum's walls. "People still care," he murmured even more softly than usual before turning back to the young woman. "Lots of advanced tech, obscure records, even the animals here; plenty of reason to keep it hidden. Part of the 'maintenance'?" The dark haired teen gave Erin a quizzical look. "How did you know about the seasonal storms?"

[Electra]

Erin shrugged. "I used to read a lot of books on survival, wilderness tracking, stuff like that. A lot of it was about getting by in really cold places." She looked again towards the door, then shrugged. "Maybe it's nothing." Even so, she kept a careful eye out as they headed down the hall and met up with the Centurion robot. It had sounded like an exciting trip, but now that they were here, the whole place gave her the creeps. She'd had enough of walking through the empty homes of dead people for one lifetime, maybe. At least it didn't smell bad.

[Darksider42]

"D-Damn thats impressive." Warren was able to get get, his body still feeling the intense cold, the clothes from mark doing little to shield him. He couldn't off the top of his head remember The Centurion building robot duplicates or why (He might have had a vague idea if he wasn't freezing to death.) Did he actually build them? As it the original Daedalus? This is what I get for not brushing up on superhero history. Can only speculate. He did take a moment to stop seeing the world through his ears and take in the whole place. He had to wonder how Earths greatest Champion found the time to build this place when he was busy saving the world constantly.

"So man." Rift asked, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to get feeling back. "What now? Never seen a robotic Centurion before. At least any I can remember."

[Gizmo]

Trevor shook his head. "No, I mean I'm impressed," he clarified falling in just behind Erin as she walked and nudging her shoulder lightly with his own. "I'm pretty hopeless outside of the city." He indicated the Sanctum as a whole and the robotic duplicate in particular with slight inclinations of his chin. "Your gut says something's off, we keep an eye out. I trust you instincts."

[Cyroa]

"Let me warm you up Alex," he said with a grin. With a little wave of his hand, he increased the ambient temperature, just enough to help her warm up faster. James wasn't really concerned, more curious, as they looked around. He look with interest down the hallway to the zoo. "I gotta check down there later. See if there's any duplicates," he said half to himself. He was curious if his zoo and this one had similar species...

Of course, when Erin said she had bad feeling, he raised an eyebrow. This was supposed to be the most secure place in the world, in theory. But Erin was a survivor. So he looking around a little more careful now. Of course she did come from an odd background...still, better safe than sorry.

[Ecalsneerg]

Geckoman walked through the hall in awe, ignoring the feelings of impending frostbite as he looked around. An alien zoo! Statues! A metal-paged account of the Centurion's exploits... Wow.

"It makes you wonder if he ever had time to properly enjoy having this place," he wondered aloud as he looked all around.

[angrydurf]

Mike held Alex close as they stepped into the Sanctum and closed the door behind them with one hand while trying to harm his petite girlfriend with the other. He looked around in clear awe of the many marvels on display. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. "I get the feeling he probably didn't get nearly as much of a chance as he deserved." he murmured and as Alex's shivering abated took a step forward toward the Alpha Centuritron. "Thank you Alpha, We're Young Freedom, Mark here is Rick Lucas's son." He said and turned to Mark to explain why they were here wondering that with such advanced robotics that there was any maintenance that needed to be done by human hands at all.

[Avenger Assembled]

It took the teens a minute to realize that Mark had slipped away entirely in the moment of awe everyone had felt walking into the sanctum sanctorum of the world's most legendary hero. Mark was in a corner of the great hall, staring up at the statue of a grinning young man in his late 20s, giving a double thumbs-up salute familiar to anyone who knew Mark's body language. Rick Lucas, looking as he had in the 1970s, cut a dashing figure in a white polyester suit and with a huge grin on his face. Beneath the statue, in letters big as Mark's hand, were the words RICK LUCAS: THE CENTURION'S PAL. Staring wistfully up at the statue, Mark pulled himself away when Mike spoke to Alpha.

"Yes, we're here for your yearly maintenance check," Mark called. "Your-"

"Error," replied Alpha in a voice like your math teacher catching you in a lie, "Maintenance. Check. Is. Already. In. Process. Please Give. New. Password."

Mark looked stricken. Oh no, what did I forget? "Uh, error, Alpha, I don't..." He blinked, licking his lips. "Uh, Redbills! Your last password is Redbills."

"Error," said Alpha in a cold mechanical voice as the sliding door to HEROES HALL slid open behind him, admitting three other Centuritrons to the room. "Please. Remain. Where. You. Are. And. Await. Further. Instructions."

[Gizmo]

Trevor mouth curved downward subtly as Mark's interaction with the robotic guardians took an ominous turn. "Visits to the Lucas home are beginning to develop into a pattern," he deadpanned quietly to Erin as he preemptively reaffixed his mask, the massive room cast in red hues through the lenses of his goggles. While his own technological predilections ran toward the mechanical engineering side of the spectrum, he gathered that Warren possessed a knack for electronics. "Rift, any insights?" the flat, grating voice of Midnight inquired.