Stopwatch 2: Prototype (IC)

[Vahnyu]

"Hmmmm... I understand..." Hronos commented. "The Stopwatch devices sound rather dangerous, perhaps more than I could have ever imagined, if their effect on a living being can be so grave." Thinking a bit more about the rest of the information, Hronos couldn't help but feel that he was left in the dark. "... Collapse... I do not believe I have heard that name... if what you describe that he can do is true, then there is no doubt that he is a formidable entity, but that alone is not enough to brand him a threat... how are you certain that he IS an actual threat? Have you encountered either him or someone closely associated with him who could verify such claims? And what else do you know about that other organization? Do you know of a reliable method of establishing contact with them? Perhaps, they could divulge us with more information about Collapse and the Stopwatches... unless you have already talked to them and they have given you every information they are willing to share."

[Thevshi]

Velocity was quiet a brief moment, a moment far, far longer for her as she considered how best to answer Hronos’ questions.  "Well, you have likely never heard of Collapse because he has not yet been born in our timeline, if he even will be."  She began.

 

"But I have not encountered him, or anyone direction associated with him, though from what I have been told, he may not have any associates.  Apparently, he is quite insane."  The speedster continued.  "I do not have any means of contacting this group in the future that is trying to stop him, and they have not been too willing to share more than some basic information, but what I was told when I first encountered them is that their theory on Collapse is that the more timelines he exists in, the stronger he is in each.  Their objective is to prevent his existence in as many timelines as possible, in the hope of weakening him in others.  The Stopwatch, or the one that we have already encountered, was apparently designed to try to help bring about his existence in this timeline, and in other timelines where it has appeared."

[Supercape]

GM

 

Robert looked slightly uncomfortable, lowering his eyes from Hronos as Megan spoke. He had a horrible desire to blurt out Collapse's real identity...but if Megan was choosing to keep that little gem to herself, then he would follow her lead. It still made him dreadfully uncomfortable. He hadn't really thought about the implications for him and Megan of the future child they might - or might not - have. And he didn't like to think about it. 

 

"Sheesh" whistled Steed. "This thing is like, what, a nuclear time bomb?" she said. "I mean...it doesn't sound good does it? we have to find these things and...well...I guess destroy them?" she asked. 

 

"Do we know where the last piece is?" she asked Hronos. "Or, rather, do you?"

[Vahnyu]

Hronos pondered the information Velocity parted with him. "I understand... it appears like a prudent course of action, to be certain... However, if, as you say, the Stopwatch is designed to help bring the existance of Collapse, then for what reason do they need it, other than simply destroying it, that is?"

 

Certainly, a powerful device such as this would prove invaluable for preventing a great number of disasters, especially if it allows for true time manipulation of any kind. Hronos thought. Perhaps THAT is the reason the future group is coveting the device...

 

When miss Steed asked him, Hronos recalled to a few minutes back, where he was on his way to finding one of the pieces. "As a matter of fact, I am indeed aware of the location of another piece. Whether that piece is the last one to exist in our timeline or not, THAT I could not tell with certainty. What I CAN say, however, is that it is the last one of the three pieces that I sensed had been activated. Its current location lies to the South of our position."

[Thevshi]

As she talked Velocity was able to see the expression on Robert's face, though she was directly focused on Hronos, thanks to the three hundred and sixty degree vision her goggles provided.  She had a pretty good idea of what was bothering him, she herself felt a bit guilty about leaving out the fact that Collapse was their possible son.  But, that was still a rather personal issue for her, and not one she was willing to just tell someone she knew only a little about. 

 

Instead, the speedster focused on answering Hronos’ question.  "Well, I believe one goal was to remove the Stopwatch from this timeline.  But, they also talked about wanting it to help them against Collapse."

 

When Hronos mentioned the location of the third, and possibly last, piece, Velocity perked back up, glad to be getting back to the task of locating and dealing with these artifacts, instead of dwelling on the issue of Collapse.  "Well, what are we waiting for?  Let's get going!"  She stated.

[Supercape]

GM

 

Later...

 

...At the Antarctic!

 

"Shoot, this is pretty exotic by even my standards" whistled Steed as she piloted the ship through the frozen wastes of the sevent continent. "And I've been to pretty much every corner of the earth. Except this one..."

 

The ping! inside Hronos' head was louder here, and there could be little doubt that the last fragment of the prototype would be on this continent. Pinpointing it might be altogether another matter. 

 

Robert had been quiet, head in hands, and visibly restless and agitated during the journey. He maintained he was fine, but he was patently wan and anxious. 

 

"Are we there yet?" he asked, weakly. 

 

"I guess so..." said Steed, spying the Russian research station through the snow. This was a close as Hronos could pinpoint the last fragment. 

 

"Lets see if these guys can help..." she said, settling the craft outside. 

 

"I hope you guys have wrapped up warm" she said, looking outside at the bleak but beautiful landscape. 

 

Hzzzt...sprang the radio. 

 

"This is Research Station Yesltin...unidentified craft, please respond.....please respond..." came a heavily accented Russian verse. 

[Thevshi]

Megan had been watching Robert with growing concern as the Pegasus spaceplane took them further and further south.  It certainly seemed that the increasing proximity of the three pieces was affecting him, but far less clear as to why the effect was so sever, compared to what the Stopwatch had done.  Now she was really wishing they had stopped to drop him off in Freedom City before continuing, but he would have likely resisted being left behind.

 

When the plane's radio crackled to life, the speedster was somewhat glad to be able to focus back on the mission at hand.  With a blur of motion, she reached out to key the transmitter to respond.  "Research Station Yesltin, this is Velocity from the Freedom League.  Requesting permission to land."

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Ah! The Freedom League! American! American!" belted the loud reply. It was difficult to say exactly what the speaker's attitude to America was over the broken Radio. But there certainly was an attitude. 

 

A moment later...

 

Three figures came trudging through the snow to the ship, all in full Arctic wear. The temperature was a good minus forty - enough to chill a man to death in a few minutes. 

 

The delegation waited outside the ship, hugging themselves. 

 

"Greetings!" said the first man, a white bearded rugged gentleman with a stern and intelligent gaze. "I am Captain Lvov, commander of the Research Station Yelstin" his English had a slight accent but was otherwise good. 

 

"This is my head of research, Professor Sobchak, and my medical officer, Doctor Konev" he introduced. Professor Sobchak was surprisingly young, with a nervous face blistering with energy, whilst Doctor Konev was a smiling woman, heavy set and dark eyes, who looked like she was partial to the odd vodka or seven. 

 

"Are any of you hurt? do you require medical attention?" she asked earnestly. 

 

"What Doctor Konev ask's is what brings you to our little station?" asked Lvov, still friendly and concerned but with a peppering of alert suspicion. 

[Thevshi]

Velocity had donned one of the cold weather coats on the Pegasus as they made their way out to meet their greeting party.  She smiled and gave a small nod as Captain Lvov introduced himself and the other two individuals with him.

 

"A pleasure to meet you all."  She replied.  "I am Velocity, of the Freedom League, my companions are Hronos, Lord Harrow and Ms. Steed."  The speedster stated, indicating each of the others in turn.

 

When Doctor Konev asked if they needed medical attention, the young woman shook her head.  "No doctor, we are all fine, thank you."  She then turned to Lvov, as he more directly asked the question that she knew they all likely had.  "Well, we are actually looking for something that could pose a significant threat to this facility and possibly the world.  A piece of a crystal that can cause time distortions and other phenomena near it."

[Supercape]

GM

 

The Russians looked surprised and conversed in Russian with each other, using hushed tones. 

 

 

"The Americans...The Freedom League..." asked the Professor. 

 

"Quiet, Sobchak!" snapped the Captain, interrupting him "Anyone can speak Russian, you understand? This is a diplomatic issue. Political. We will of course aide. But we must maintain proper vigilance with regard to the state official secrets act, that you signed...understand? I will deal with this..."

 

 

"Of course, Madam. We will do what we can to aide you. Perhaps if you step inside, however? it is cold here, even for a Russian! We are a small station, only twelve of us here. But we have warm coffee inside, yes? And they you can tell us all about what you have found!"

[Vahnyu]

Hronos Walked outside the plane alongside the rest of the group. Seeing them grab their coats, the mechanical being realised that the temperature of the area was decidedly low, compared to the City climate. "Hmmm... is this weather causing you discomfort? It would be a simple matter for me to adjust the temperature in the area around me to levels compareable to the ones Freedom City exhibits." He explained to Velocity, Robert, and Emma.

 

His attention, however, was drawn to the people conversing, in a language that sounded foreign to him, at the moment. Making a brief adjustment, he heard what the men had to say. Deciding that he didn't much like playing games, he said. "Greetings, Captain Lvov, and Doctor Konev. Doctor Ivan Andrejevic Sobchak, however," Indicating the scientist, Hronos continued. "I am familiar with your research in regards to temporal physics. From what I gathered by reading your papers, it appears to me that you certainly know your subject. It is therefore with the utmost respect that I hold for your inquisitive and insightful mind, that I ask of you that you do not withhold any information to me and my aqcuaintances here, in regards to the temporal anomalies that occured today."

 

Further revealing that he understood their words, Hronos continued, addressing the Captain. "As for you, Captain Lvov, I understand that you are merely performing your duty to your country, but we are not here as representatives of any nationality. We are only interested in finding out the deeper cause behind the anomalies, and ensuring that they do not cause any form of damage, irrepairable or otherwise, to the wellfare of this planet. By asking proffessor Ivan Andrejevic Sobchak to keep quiet and adhere to the state official secrets act, as you called it, you are only doing a disservice to your country. As far as we are concerned, whatever happens in these facilities does not need to be revealed to any other party, political or not."

[Supercape]

GM

 

"I...er...that is...we...er...." bumbled Professor Sobchak in broken, anxious English. 

 

"Silence!" snapped Captain Lvov, clearly irritated. 

 

"The Russian State will be pleased to share information on any anomaly" he said, firmly. "But, you must understand...this is a sharing of information, not the flow of information from us to you..." he continued, his breath cold. 

 

"Come inside. I need coffee...." he sniffed and stormed off, virtually dragging the Professor with him. 

 

Doctor Konev just gave a shrug and a small laugh. "Politics!" she said with a smile, shook everyone's hand warmly and followed the Captain. 

 

Inside...

 

They seven people were greeted by a very large, clean cut Russian. Steed and Robert were pretty cold from the walk, even though it only took a minute, and breathed a sigh of relief when they were inside the heated complex. 

 

"Meet Boris, our handyman!" said the Captain, as Boris gave them a big stare. "He helps keeps the place running. As smart as a dumb ox, and twice as strong" he joked, as Boris clenched his jaw and gave them all an unfriendly stare. 

 

"Go get us some coffee, Boris" said the Captain, warming up both literally and metaphorically. 

 

As they sat down in what looked like a well equipped mess hall, the Captain asked the first question. 

 

"So, I would honestly like to help, but I have my duty. I am an officer in the Army, and have sworn oaths. I have no hatred to you American's...but I do have to look out for Russia. So, tell me, what do you know of the anomaly?" he asked, frankly. 

[Thevshi]

Velocity was glad the Russians were at least willing to be friendly and somewhat helpful, though she was a bit concerned about their little exchange in Russian.  But before she could respond, Hronos spoke up, mentioning that Professor Sobchak worked in the field of temporal physics, which caused the speedster to pause a moment (which was a considerable amount of time from her perspective).  She then recalled having read in one Robert’s scientific magazines while visiting him in England that this research station had only been established about a month ago.

 

That knowledge and what Hronos had to say next, apparently having understood the small exchange in Russian, had the young woman frowning slightly.  She certainly did not want to cause some sort of international incident here, but could now see that it might be very difficult to get the third piece if the Russians had it already.  She could try to contact Comrade Frost to get his help in this, but was not completely sure how much he would be willing to work against any Russian interests.  But then Ivov's reaction quickly made her question that.

 

"Thank you Captain."  She stated as they made their way inside, the speedster not taking a seat, as she tended to be a little more high energy than normal when in costume, given she did not need to hide her speed.  "As Hronos stated, we are not here to uncover any state secrets or the like.  Our concern is the danger posed by the pieces of this device, of which we have two parts.  I believe this facility was only set up about a month ago?  That is interesting, as these pieces only became active in mid-February."

 

"While I understand your concerns, this is a matter far beyond America or Russia, and possibly even this planet.  If you like, I can get in touch with Comrade Frost, who is currently acting as a liaison with the Freedom League to address some of those concerns."

[Supercape]

GM

 

"You can, if you so wish" replied the Captain, relaxing slightly. 

 

"I suspect that it will end up in days of red tape, and ambassadors being called over for drinks and a grilling. Who knows, maybe even one of those pen pushers might make a decision" he laughed. 

 

"Out here, in the white and cold, we must be more, how you say?...pragmatic. I have secrets, you have secrets. And so we work with what we have, Da?"

 

"I wish I had a vodka with this coffee, hehe" he laughed as the stoic and silent Boris served out coffee for them all. It was thick and black, and could keep one awake all night. 

 

"In the spirit of...pragmatic...let us say hypothetically that some nation may have been surveying for oil and gas here, and found certain hypothetical anomalies. And that nation decided, hypothetically, to investigate them" he smiled. 

 

"What would the Freedom League of America be doing if they landed here?" he asked. 

 

"Hypothetically, that is..." he laughed. 

[Thevshi]

Velocity smiled slightly at Lvov's response.  She was glad he was willing to be somewhat reasonable, and certainly glad he understood they both had secrets they wanted to keep. 

 

"Well, you might be underestimating Frost's connections with the Kremlin.  But even in a best case scenario, it would likely take him a few minutes to make the right calls, and then it could take a few more minutes for anything to be communicated down to you here, and that is far longer than I have the patience for.  So I am perfectly fine with being pragmatic and each of us having secrets."  She stated.

 

"Back in mid-February, I encountered a device similar to these pieces, but apparently far more refined.  A group from the future was seeking to recover the device here, and used agents who were well trained in infiltrating the present timeline, even impersonating members of present day organizations as well."

 

"Ms. Steed recovered one of the pieces of this other device that only became active recently, and alerted me to the discovery.  Hronos discovered another.  We were led here looking for the third piece, which you…hypothetically have uncovered.  There is much to suggest that these pieces of this other device are connected to the one I encountered back in February, and if that is the case, the time travelers I mentioned might come looking for them as well."

[Supercape]

GM

 

The Captain leaned back, disturbed. 

 

"I cannot trust you, American. But then, I cannot afford not to trust you either, can I. The jaws of fate snap hard, do they not? Ha! This is Russian fate, you know. Boom! There is no escape but in drink, song, and woman!"

 

Doctor Konev just sighed and rolled her eyes. 

 

"Old Russian fool! Just help these people!" she insisted. 

 

"Ha, very well! I take you to the hypothetical...Da? It is not too far, but not too close. Five hundred yards. Cold and hard walk, but we have snow plow. You up for excursion? Who will come?" he asked. 

[Vahnyu]

Hronos watched carefully, as Velocity conversed with the Russians. Finally, when the Captain finished, he said "We will come with you, but before that happens, please allow us a few moments to converse about a few important points." He then called to the superheroine. "Miss Velocity, I understand your urgency and I share it as well; As soon as we encounter the last piece, we will be able to comprehend more information regarding the Stopwatch. However, There are two points I feel I should raise."

 

"The first point is that I am not comfortable at all at the idea that we have to keep any secret, at least, as far as the Stopwatch fragments are concerned. I do not have anything to hide, and the scope of the potential danger these fragments pose to the world do not warrant anything short of us trying our best to prevent them from harming it. However, as you are a representative of the Freedom League, who as I have gathered possess the highest recognizable authority in regards to threatening situations for Earth, I will respect and trust your judgement in dealing with this situation, at least, barring extenuating circumstances."

 

"The second point, is that while investigating together the shard may yield the maximum amount of information that we could gather, it may also critically worsen the situation. Certainly, if all three fragments were activated at the same time, then <bringing the fragments together in close proximity could inadvertly cause great harm in the time-space continuum, perhaps irrepairable, too> would not be an unreasonable conclusion to draw. I would suggest that we first keep one fragment away safe, prefferably, with one of us guarding it. Then, we could take turns invastigating the last piece, before deciding a more drastic course of action. That is all I have to say on that point. I will be leaving to you the decision of our course of action."

Edited July 26, 2013 by Vahnyu

[Thevshi]

"Again with the walking."  Velocity said with a small smile.  "But, I guess I do need to wait for everyone else."  She then added, as Hronos spoke, and indicated he wished to speak with her privately off to one side.  She gave a small nod to the him and then looked back at the Lvov.  "Well, while you all get ready for our little trip, we will have a quick conversation."

 

With that, the speedster went off to one side to speak with Hronos, listening to what he had to say.  While Hronos talked about not feeling a need to keep secrets, the speedster once again felt a bit guilty about those she had kept from him earlier, her mirrored goggles thankfully hiding the fact that her eyes had looked away a brief moment.  She had to agree that he had a point with wanting to keep the parts separate until they knew more.

 

"Well, regarding the secrets, I understand your concern, but I am not sure I wish to share all I know at this point, particularly given the complicated international politics that could unfortunately get involved here.  While the Freedom League does have some authority regarding threats to Earth, it is far from absolute, and tends to be strongest when the threat is clear and imminent.  While Russia is on friendly terms with the US and the League, in this instance, they might not see the danger posed by these pieces as either.  Certainly we all know these pieces are causing time anomalies, but the greater threat posed by Collapse, that is primarily based on information provided by individuals from the future that travelled back here to obtain the other Stopwatch.  That might not be as persuasive for the Russian government, and they could continue to assert a claim over this piece they have uncovered."

 

"In addition, at the moment, I do not see a reason to tell them that the other Stopwatch was attuned to only operate for Lord Harrow.  I am not sure that would help our position, and might make them even less willing to trust us.  I also do not want Robert further dragged into something if they took some interest in him because of that."

 

The young woman paused a brief moment, sighing slightly before she spoke again.  "And there are some other things I would rather not share.  I did not tell you this before, and I am sorry, but Collapse is a rather personal issue for me, beyond the danger he poses to all timelines and existence.  In those timelines he exists, he is my son.  Mine and Lord Harrow's.  Dealing with the Stopwatch and these other pieces is a way to try to prevent his birth in this timeline.  That fact is likely to make the Russians trust me even less."

 

"As for keeping the various parts separate for now, that is certainly a good idea.  But I should likely not be the one left to hold onto one of them for too long.  When Robert was under the influence of the Stopwatch, in addition to trying to seduce me, he was also contemplating using my DNA to create Collapse artificially.  These pieces could have a way of capturing that to be used just that way."

[Vahnyu]

Hronos nodded in understanding with what Velocity had to say. "Ah, I understand. I still have a lot to learn about the ways the Earthen population operates. Please forgive my ignorance on the matter. The threat of Collapse is certainly a purely hypothetical one, at this point in our investigation, that is true, but the pieces have already exhibited documented reality-altering properties, such as in the incidents I was involved with, that took place a few months ago."

 

Hronos then listened to Velocity, as she revealed the possible relationship she had with Collapse, that of a mother and a child. He remained quiet, for quite some time, before responding "... I am not able to fault you; your reasons for withhelding such poignant information are certainly valid. Regardless, the fact that you feel comfortable enough to share such critical information with me, proves to myself beyond any shred of doubt that I am doing the right choice in letting you take the lead." Taking a respectful bow, he added "I am pleased by your honesty, and I hope that I will prove worthy of your trust."

 

"As for the pieces, then, I would suggest that I should be the one who stays back first, guarding the piece I possess. Afterwards, we will devise a plan on how to handle me seeing the third piece accordingly."

[Supercape]

GM

 

Robert gave velocity a worried look. 

 

"I you sure you trust him?" he whispered into her ear. "I mean...it...well, whatever he is..." he said concerned. "The whole thing with out son...it's....well....personal..." he gulped. He looked ill, sweating despite the cold air that had blasted them. He 

 

Steed looked at them all and sauntered over, managing a convincing model walk despite being encased in thermal jackets and leggings and gloves. 

 

"The Ruskies sure now how to make warm clothing!" she commented, patting her clothes down. "I just hope that spandex keeps you warm, sweetheart!" she said to Megan, giving her a saucy wink. 

 

"Lets worry about what goes boom and whizz when we find it, huh?" she said patting the prototype fragment in her jacket. 

 

"I'll keep this one safe and sound, don't you worry!"

 

Robert gazed at her chest, but not for her figure. He wiped his brow as his gaze penetrated to the bulge of the prototype fragment in her coat. 

[Thevshi]

Velocity was considering Hronos' words a moment, smiling slightly when he had mentioned feeling correct in allowing her to take the lead in all of this when Robert had come over and whispered to her.  The speedster understood what Robert was feeling, it was the same reason that she had initially withheld the information from the robot.

 

"I feel the same way, but felt it was important to tell him at this point."  She whispered back to Robert.  "And I have no intention of sharing that information with our hosts."  She gave him a concerned look before looking over to Steed as the woman came over as well.

 

"It's morphic molecules actually."  Velocity replied with a slight smirk.  "How else do you think it stands up to going at hypersonic speeds?  It might not be the most insulated, but this jacket from the Pegasus should help."

 

Looking back at the group as a whole, she then spoke up a bit louder.  "Okay then, lets get going.  For now, Hronos is going to remain behind with one of the pieces, just in case having all three in close proximity could trigger some sort of reaction we don’t want."

Edited July 27, 2013 by Thevshi

[Supercape]

GM

 

Captain Lvov came up to them, thumping his arctic clothing. 

 

"Ah! It is too cold for my bones to walk" he complained. "I'm taking the bug" he said, as he opened the door to a blast of cold air. 

 

He pointed to a small buggy with tyre tracks on both side. It probably wouldn't hit more than 30mph, but it would do a fine job through the snow. 

 

"I'm coming too" insisted the nervous Professor Sobchak, who looked like he disliked cold weather more than anyone, but was insistent on coming. 

 

Steed jumped into the bug. "I wouldn't miss this for the world!" she smiled, equally adamant. 

 

Robert hugged himself in the face of the cold weather. 

 

"Megan...I...don't know what to do. Shall I come? I can...feel it, I'm sure. I could help. But...." he said, croaking i his voice with fear and more. 

[Thevshi]

"I am sure your expertise could come in handy Professor."  Velocity replied as Professor Sobchak spoke up about wanting to join the group going out to look at the piece of the device the Russians had been studying.  The speedster then gave a small smile as Lvov mentioned the "bug," climbing in to be joined by Steed and Sobchak. 

 

She was just about to run out to wait alongside the vehicle when Robert came over to speak quietly with her, not looking particularly well.  "Why don't you stay here with Hronos."  She replied, giving him a caring smile as she took one of his hands in hers.  "I know this has not been easy.  Hopefully, it will be over soon."

 

With that, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and then was off in a blur of motion, coming to a halt next to the "bug," waiting for them to get underway.

Edited July 29, 2013 by Thevshi

[Supercape]

GM

 

It was cold. Beyond any regular cold. The kind of cold that felt solid, like an axe. The kind of cold that hit you in the face. At first, one could pass it off as a refreshing, bracing cold. But then it turned into an insidious, creeping and painful cold. Without proper clothing, a man could freeze to death in winter. Even with it, the conditions were challenging. 

 

"Thank God for the bug!" said Steed, hugging herself and blowing cold air from her mouth. "I wouldn't like to tread through this..."

 

"Although the view is beautiful..."

 

"You get used to it...." said Lvov with black Russian humour and a half smile. His twist of pun might have referenced the beauty or the cold. Or both. 

 

It was only a couple of minutes in the Bug, and all non-super-speed passengers where extremely grateful for shortening what would have been a ten or twenty minute walk to three or four minutes. 

 

The fragments resting place, it seemed, was under snow and ice. A couple of marker boys and some drilling equipment marked the spot where a tunnel descended down into the ice at an uncomfortable but manageable slope of thirty degrees. Of sheer Ice. 

 

"Did you bring you ski's?" laughed Lvov with another bout of Russian Humour. 

 

He motioned to a cable line that lay embedded in the sloped tunnel. "Hold on tight...it is about thirty metres down. Took some drilling, I can tell you...well...hypothetically that is..." he laughed. 

 

"Be...be careful..." said Professor Sobschak. "The anomalies have been...rising...." he gulped. 

[Thevshi]

Velocity shivered some as she stepped out into the cold and waited for the "bug" to start making its creeping way towards the site of the fragment (well, creeping from her perspective anyway).  While her rather considerable constitution and the survival jacket from the Pegasus likely would allow her to operate for awhile in the cold, the speedster decided it was not worth taking that risk.

 

So instead, the young woman focused a moment, as her molecules began to vibrate at tremendous speed, giving of heat from the friction which helped counter the cold.

 

Running alongside the vehicle, Velocity was easily able to retain her footing even over the very slick and icy surface. 

 

When they reached the tunnel the Russians had made down to the fragment, the speedster considered it for a moment as he waited for the others to exit the "bug."

 

When Professor Sobschak mentioned the anomalies rising, she frowned slightly.  But, they were not going to learn much more up here.

 

"I'll see you all down there."  She said, before speeding off in a blur and running easily down the sloped tunnel as if it was a flat surface.