Situated in the desert, 100km outside of Las Vegas, this once abandoned military base serves as the Headquarters for T2M America.

Bustling with U.N. and U.S. troops, media, scientists, and novas of all sorts, the T2M:A HQ is a hive of activity around the clock.

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This base needs description.  Work together in spoiler text to create what you want, if there is something you want to work together on that is.  Or, if you just want to each pick an element and describe it, that works too.  Or do both.  But I would prefer you guys to describe your renovations before we use this thread for actual play, b/c I want to have a nice setting for you.  It will also show some of what you've done with your time.

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This message was last updated by the GM at 21:13, Fri 30 Aug 2013.

Comstock stared at the new, reinforced bunker that formed the center of the facility.  It was covered in nickel-chromium-steel, bonded together by quantum power instead of welds, bolts or rivets.  Behind the steel was solid granite they'd quarried out in large blocks and reinforced concrete.  The whole thing wasn't actually very expensive: with some determination and effort, Comstock could make just about any piece of steel into the correct shape for nearly any task.  Testing revealed that the structure could reliably resist most bunker-busting munitions, explosions, and nova powers.

"You guys think it's too much?  I mean, steel's cheap.  I could add more."

There'd been some talk of "field technologies" and other protection against energy-based attacks, but that was beyond Comstock.  He just had an instinct for building solid, durable edifices.

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Alright ... so going way back to the OOC thread, there were a few things to be built for the new base:

1. New Barracks.  Everyone gets their own living space, even the UN troops assigned to us.
2. Nova Car-surfing course.  Complete with shielded space for spectators.  We sell tickets.
3. New Laboratories.  Big initial investment cost, but I think we could talk Utopia into fronting the money.
4. New Gymnasium.  Because we have a nice new pool, and we might want a workout space capable of handling Comstock and Solitaire.
5. The World's Biggest Arcade.  Just ... y'know ... because.

Other mentionings I've seen have been a movie theater, a geothermal power source, and that we call the place Fort Diablo or something similar.  A quick reference: ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E...d_geothermal_systems )

The real question now is how the heck are we going to do all that digging?  And what else does the base need?

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Solitaire moves to stand directly next to the bunker, and raps it sharply with her right, and normal, knuckle. "Not bad, not bad." She comments, eying the structure with mild disinterest. She then spun and slammed the same fist into the building, full force, there was a odd gong-like noise, the kind of sound buildings seldom make, but there was barely a dent in the steel.

"Good job Comstock, that ought to stand up to anything short of a nuke." Solitaire joked, but her eyes glazed a moment, and she rubbed her upper left arm with her right hand. "Anyway, wanna go play catch with that bus in the back parking lot? Nothing else to do today, and its good to keep your arm in, don't'cha think?"

Imp looks around at the construction, what with Comstock's metallurgy, Gravitas' designs and a small army of other Utopians he was feeling slightly superfluous.  Still, he could organize, and while middle management wasn't glorious it was something that he could do and feel mildly useful.  While he was organizing projects, requisitioning resources and handling any interviews that needed his trademark geniality he was desperately planning how he could help out, get the base that Grav had envisioned built to his specs, and still not become so obviously skilled at this that he'd be stuck behind a desk for the rest of his natural life...

Phantasm decided she would be the night construction crew.  When things slowed down in the evenings, and normal baselines and novas went to sleep, she created an army of constructs to help her dig the holes for building foundations, transport dirt and building materials, and generally get everything ready for Comstock, Solitaire, and Gravitas to put into place the following day.

The solitude was nice, it gave some time to think.  And the work let her practice her engineering skills, and learn to more intricately shape her constructs.  She still couldn't get the nightmare element out of them, but she stopped caring about that a long time ago.  What she did learn to do however was create precise tools integrated into them to help with her work.  Her construction equipment, instead of looking like psychedelic cartoon monster trucks were now sleek lines and a veritable swiss army knife of tools, all of which looked deadly and gruesome.

As she worked, she walked her new cat, Fluffy.  Rescued from abusive owners, the burned animal wasn't actually fluffy, which was the point of the name.  Fluffy was a nice cat, always happy to be loved.  And though it wasn't the reason she actually got him, it did help that he raised her popularity 3% (27% with animal rights groups), and increased her toy sales 1.5% (new bonus Fluffy toy included).

Comstock took a moment to focus, and the dent in the steel eased itself out.  "Whoa, don't do that too much, or you'll grind down the concrete behind it.  The contractor will have to come back in and reset it, and that part sucks.  But yeah, let's have some fun."

Tossing cars and boulders was a riot.  It never got gold.  The bus lasted all of three tosses before Comstock botched the catch and it collapsed under its own weight.  "Alright, you're going to have to explain how the heck you're so delicate with things.  I just break 'em."

Floating above the base with several rolls of blueprints in hand, Quentin surveyed the work so far. Things were coming together nicely. The extra funding had helped, as had crash courses in base construction during the war. It all came together to make a better, more complete whole.

Quentin's favorite part was, of course, the lab building and its machine shop annex. The nova-scale gym was nearly complete - it'd been both the easiest and hardest thing to build. The structure itself was relatively simple, it was one of the largest buildings on the campus and it was mostly empty space. They'd incorporated some Danger-Room-esque elements straight out of comic books and he'd done what he could think to do to provide or invent equipment that was up to nova standards of both rigor and wear-and-tear.

He nodded to himself and pulled his phone out to discuss a few more things with one of their contractors for tomorrow's work. He floated towards the ground as he did so, allowing Earth's gravity to reassert its dominance. Once he was off the phone, he'd need to put in some more time on the projects he had going in the lab, mostly unfinished work for various aspects of the gym.

He considered that he should probably make some calls to his advisors at the various universities he was enrolled in, but opted to put that off 'till tomorrow. It was probably too late now. He'd earned his PhDs in physics and mechanical engineering during the War and was currently working through a medical program and a philosophy degree (which he was opting to work for a BA in first before working at the graduate level, since he had almost no background in it). His curse, he often pondered, was his desire to know. He'd probably be a student for life. Fortunately he didn't need to sleep; that was about the only reason he had the time to combine so much academic work with his actual job for Utopia.

Early on the Monday following the fundraiser, Frostburn has called the team out to the courtyard in front of the dorms.  A sense of deja vu likely washes over at least a few of the team as they stand there in the crisp, pre-dawn air.

"Alright guys, just because the holidays are here doesn't mean we stop training.  And we have two new recruits here that need to be integrated into the team.

We need to freshen up on urban combat, and continue with getting you people educated.  And catch the newbies up to the rest of you.

Also, I'm not always going to be around to train people.  I want Sol, 'Stock, and Grav on the newbies.  You are in charge of training them as you see best.  If you suck too much I'll step in, but I'm pretty sure you're up to it.

We've only got until the January second to get you ready for this crime busting gig, so lets get cracking people!"

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You guys are in charge of training the newbies, and yourselves.  Even Slider, since you have only worked with her a little, and part of the reason for the drills is to familiarize yourselves with each other.  This is both so that things stay interesting (and you get to avoid a repeat of the exact same stuff we did the first time around), and so that you can show some of the things you've learned and indoctrinate your people the way you like.  Occasionally Frostburn will break in with advice.

As you do that, I'm going to run some classroom stuff, experiment with having multiple scenes going on in the same thread.  If you want to reply to both in your posts, just separate them with a break of some sort.  In these I hope to go over science knowledge and protocol stuff.

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Between exercises, the team is directed to return to the classroom for a bit of private time with their tutor.

"I want everyone to break into groups.

Suzukaze, Flare, I want you to formulate an answer to this simple question, based upon your knowledge of Utopia and of the world:  What is the purpose of Utopia, and your role in it?  After you've answered this, tell me how you would stop an anti-nova riot that has occurred around a Rashoud facility in a deeply religious part of the United States.

Gravitas, Dr. Zero, Phantasm:  You are at a party, a very public party with rich and influential guests that is being covered by the media.  You find out that a powerful criminal nova is there, and that several terrorists are supporting this nova.  How do the three of you handle this situation to the greatest benefit of the organization and public safety?

Solitaire, Impetus, Comstock: There has been an accident on a nuclear submarine, a collision with an oil tanker, near the coastline of a nation that is on poor terms with the submarine's nation.  The submarine is a potential hazard to the country, there is the risk of a war between the two nations, and the toxins being spilled by the tanker are an ecological disaster.  Fix the situation as best you can.

You have 5 minutes to discuss amongst yourselves."

In reply to Professor Uma Bharati (msg #9):

"One of Utopia's main purposes is to establish a society where there is a peaceful coexistance in the world between baseline and nova. And our purpose is to be that of the ambassadors and keepers of peace." She pauses for a second thinking of the next question. "I would try to talk with them first and try to use their religious background. I'd say.... If you are truly religious individuals then you believe that Adam and Eve were the first humans. And if they indeed are the first then deep down we are all connected. Adam and Eve were blessed with Eden, but were driven from it by the work of evil. Please think of us as humans blessed by gods to prevent that evil from occurring again... And if they didn't listen or needed to be calmed into listening I'd see if the facility had a nova with the ability to control emotion. Not to control their mind just to reduce their hatred and anger into something soothe and calm."

"Uh ..." Comstock blanched at the time limit.  "Uh, we could ... well ... I know I could survive the nuclear reactor.  I think I could anyway.  So first thing I'd be trying to prevent meltdown.  One of you two should probably get me there since I don't swim very well."  He thought back to physics and the emergency manual.  "I could double or even triple the lead shielding on the reactor ... maybe turn the uranium and plutonium or whatever into something inert or eat it.  I don't know.  Never tried it."

He looked to Solitaire and Impetus for help.

"Wonder if I could just lift it up and fly it somewhere safer? Hrmm... Though I suppose the first thing you should do Comstock is put the tanker back together. Really, what do we know about stopping a meltdown? Navy's generally train their people for that I would think. I'm sure we could do something about it if we have to, but I think the tanker is the priority. Toxic chemicals are rather hard to clean up." Solitaire wondered where these convenient tankers of toxic chemicals came from, and where they were going, as there always seemed to be one around, then shrugged. "If the sub's reactor goes critical, then that becomes another problem to deal with. The question said it was a 'potential' hazard, its not going to blow up right away."

In response to Uma Bharati:

"I think Utopia is supposed to be creating peace between nova, non-novas and pretty much everybody.  I don't think it would be a good idea for me or us to try and stop the riot, that just makes people even more paranoid that we're going to take over, or whatever.  I think Suzukage's method is best if we are going to get involved, but I think there would just be more resentment if nova's tried.  Combating mob mentality, even with social skills, is unlikely.  I think the nova's should stay out of site and non-nova's should dispurse the crowd as peacefully as possible"

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Anyone from the party group want to weigh in?

Also, did anyone have any training that they wanted the new people to experience?

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