Continued from The Island of Aeaea

"Lilibeth possesses knowledge of things called pathology, biology and chemistry. She was also a soldier healer called a medic. She says to Winter.

"So Holly doesn't like men? Perhaps I can speak with her, ask her to cooperate with us.

Lady Armageddon is staring at the wall, her mouth hanging open. Then she shakes her head and says, "you don't see that every day."
The wall of the ship has grown a display screen. The block text on the screen says,

Winter Herald also paused, as his delayed processors attempted to comprehend what he was reading. "I confess to being surprised as well, for several reasons. I was expecting... Lillibeth's impressive skill set to be absolutely essential and one of the most hands-on examples of divine intervention I had ever learned about."

"Also, this... simplifies things immensely. It seems my aid is not required." Winter Herald gave a slight courtesy, given the weight he was sharing with Runa. "So, may I search the bio-ship for paper files, and at least copy them? If nuclear war occurs, it will certainly affect even life in the ocean, fifty percent of the casualties are likely to be women and girls, and I would like to avert that if I have a say on the subject."

He got on the radio and spoke. (*See LESP radio for details*)

Shaking her head with amusement, Lady Armageddon responds to Winter Herald. "All of their ill-gotten gains were on the submarine."

Runa looks at Holly, "Please do not blame all men for the evils of some. All people are capable of evil and good, it is not limited to one gender. I believe these that are my compa ions, genuinely wish to do good in the world, as do I and my soul bonded." The priestess smiles at Holly, "Please help us and we will help you. Do you need any healing now? Or some other aid? I am a warrior priestess of Ishtar and have been blessed by her to aid those in need"

After another chuckle the former Holly Cook explains, "all of my betrayals were at the hands of men. I don't hate them but I can't trust them. I'm here to destroy, it's what I have to do to repay he that won't be named. As soon as we can make landfall you can go. It'll be more fun to take you down where it'll all be visible."

Runa nods gravely. "I see. You still wish to fight us but only with an audience. Very well, until then there will be peace between us."

Winter Herald did some brief calculations. Still slowed, still delayed. Audible communication wasn't something he was required to endure - it was at his speed.

"He that won't be named? Fascinating, and consistent with your beliefs." He kept his vision panning. "I require a few things before leaving. One, I need your team to leave my comrade here alone, one Chimp Man Z. I have no desire to harm your companions, but I will not accept harm to mine, and I have limited non-violent options if diplomacy is clearly failing."

"Second, what I am seeking isn't necessarily stolen. I am seeking Vitaly's financial and business records. His books. If he lives here, it will be accessible here. If even half of his profile is accurate, a great deal of information and funding passed through his hands. Major FORCE would require multiple investors, and the volume of money being moved to so many parties to fund his operations would certainly have the attention of one as prolific as Vitaly. I wish for a look at that data. At the worst, I eliminate a false-positive."

"Finally, when I speak to them, what do you want me to tell Holly Cook's loved ones? I do not take expect them to take news of her... 'death'... gracefully."

He was not concerned about the threat of her attack to come. There was only one way a high-profile attack on American soil by an unknown superbeing was going to end. Hopefully, Runa would make headway talking her out of it, and maybe Z might have a surprise to talk her down. He had limited faith in his own abilities at this point - he felt he was reaching his limits with her.

CMZ looks at Winter Herald.  Don't worry about me.  He turns to Lady Armageddon.  I'm probably the one man here who can understand what you have been through.  Look at me.  Famous circus performer.  Famous superhero.  Police officer.  Also Mutant.  Jew.  The son of immigrants.  Do you realize how much drek I get day after day?   I get insults painted on my door, bananas thrown at me.  I have had Neo-Nazis, Human Purists, anti-Immigrants, and Holocaust Deniers protest my shows and appearances.  Kike.  Mutie. Monkey Boy.  Jude.  I have had people try to keep me from joining the EMS, Fire and Rescue, and the police department.  I have had people try to keep me from moving into my apartment.  I have received death threats, even attempts on my life.  There are places I get treated like an animal.  I have had to prove my right to exist every step of the way, since middle school.
Then he smiles.  And, while we're at it, get it right.  It isn't Men you hate.  Men is plural for Man.  Man is short for HuMan.  HuMankind.  Which WoMan is just as much a part of.  You hate Males.  If you want to destroy all Males, you can start with me.  Because I have seen, dealt with, and survived the worst that Man can bring on a daily basis.  At least then someone will see me as a Man and not an animal.

The viewscreen on the wall enlarges. It appears to be some sort of biological liquid crystal display. This time, the letters are large enough to insure everyone sees them.
The block text on the screen says,

Seeing the screen, CMZ does not even wait for a response from Lady Armageddon to his speech.  He heads for the indicated location with all due haste.

"Another delay. Runa, please delay approach in the event of the worst. Call it a hunch. Z, I am programmed with EOD specialization. That said, I might need you to hug it." Winter Herald moved to the X indicated, almost in a flash, and was hoping it wasn't the red he needed to go to. He searched as quickly as his scanners would allow to locate and analyze the threat.

Something about this wasn't adding up, but he didn't have time to figure out what.

SENSORY SUITE
Amplified Hearing: 360 feet (?); 5x better than a human, same as Heightened Hearing
[74%] Estimate sound distance
[58%] Estimate speed and direction of approaching sound
Nightsight, infrared, thermal, and ultraviolet visions
Micro-radar: 1 mile; Can identify up to 15 targets and simultaneously track six. Rate of travel, direction, and location are indicated.
Motion Detector: 60 feet; Registers vibrations in the air indicating movement.
Radar Detector: 4 miles; Registers radar waves to indicate radar surveillance.
[84%] Track radar emission to source
Radiation Detector: 60 feet; Registers and pinpoints radioactivity.

"Delay approach? Approach of what?" Runa asks as Winter runs out of the room. Runa looks all around for some oncoming threat but only sees the room, which CMZ and Winter had just hastily left.

"And what is the danger? Is it poison or a bomb?" She asks Lilibeth. "I don't think it is an actual pill of poison. I think the ship just said that, you know, slang and stuff. It probably is a bomb. Hey, maybe we could just destroy it? Or if it does go off, hopefully we can heal any damage fast enough to matter," Lilibeth responds to Runa. "We should probably follow them though, we aren't doing much here and they might need us." Runa could feel the mental shrug of Lilibeth.

Before she dashes off, Runa spares a glance at Holly. "May the goddess protect us all," she says to the other woman and then, like her companions, is off, running through the corridors of the strange ship in the direction they went.

[Secret to not Chimp Man Z; not Runa; not Winter Herald: Lady Armageddon watches the heroes speed off, then nods to Chiroptera, "that should rid us of them, and it'll certainly be easier than flooding the place."
Chiroptera replies, "I guess so. But I really like Chimp Man Z, it's a richer flavor than I get from any of the others."]
Arriving at Dr. Phage's stateroom, the only thing seen that could be out of place is a solid box of the same biological substance that the walls are made of. It sits in the exact location the 'X' appeared on the screen. [Secret to Winter Herald:Although nothing can be seen to move, there is a rhythmic chirp that appears to tick off the seconds passed. The noise is so quiet, only some sort of advanced hearing would detect it.]
The box gives off no unusual odors, and has no markings, but is the ONLY unexpected item in the room. A screen appears in the wall above the box with a message from Aeaea (that's what the island-ship has decided to call itself).

"We are twenty miles from the nearest shoreline. If this is a CBN weapon, the wrong winds or currents could carry it to a populated area, and kill hundreds or far more." Winter Herald glanced behind him at the other two. "Runa - as long as you are here, I belief you should identify if it is that kind of danger. CMZ - I believe you should inflict the damage requested, just in case I cannot disable it, but it is not a CBN weapon. I am hoping disabling it is simple, and I am hoping this is simple to deal with."

He got to work studying it. Explosives, at least, were something he knew well.

01:43, Today: Winter Herald rolled 7 using 1d100.  Demolitions Disposal. TN 98 with a 2% overflow.

"CBN" means "Chemical Biological Nuclear". He's trying to make sure he's not about to hurl a nerve gas or even a high powered defoliant at the east coast of the USA.

Aeaea?  How do you pronounce that?
Jacob looks up after reading the message.  Do you have anyway of knowing when the device will go off?  I need to know if it is on a timer, or a pressure switch.
He looks about the room.  If I'm going to try move it, I will need everyone out in case it detonates.  When I try it, the room will need to be sealed, and vented directly to the outside.  Can you do that, Aeaea?

"It's on a timer, ticking by seconds. Old fashioned - I expected something digital. Can we study this first, please, so that we do not do something terrible we will live to regret? I am aware of our finite time."

Any idea how much time we have?

Runa nods her head and moves closer to the device. Lilibeth wishes that she was on the outside just then but experiencing it through the senses of Runa was almost as good. She just had to tell Runa what to do.

OOC
Lilibeth sees what she can see of the device without disturbing it.

Runa rolled 64 using 1d100.  Chemistry @55%. FAIL

Well shoot.

The device appears to be of entirely biological origins. The exterior of the device has a unique property, it adheres to anything that touches it. [Secret to Winter Herald:Although the internal ticks are slowly increasing in volume, there's no way of knowing how loud the final tick will be.]

Winter Herald force-closed consensus debate, as he drew a conclusion. "Z, how confident of surviving this and the ocean are you? Because we need to get rid of it now, and destroy it out there. If you are not confident of both, I will take it. I can be salvaged and repaired later, should it be as powerful as I fear, and if it is not, I can recover without aid."

He was annoyed at encountering an explosive he could not comprehend fully, as he began casually smashing with as much precision as he could the area surrounding the bomb.

"If it is poisonous and detonates in here, it will still leak out and cause the same problems."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:01, Thu 09 Feb 2023.

Lilibeth reports her limited findings to Runa, who shares it with the others. "I wonder if your ability to destroy things with a touch will work on this device?" Lilibeth asks Runa. "Its like...being smote by the divine right? If you use enough power, it might vaporize it entirely, like completely disintegrate it."

Runa could see how Lilibeth thought using her power to destroy might work but like her, wasn't sure if that is how it would transpire. "Lilibeth believes I can 'vaporize' the device. The goddess has given me the ability to smite her enemies as well as heal those in need. It is not something I have called upon." She looks around for something relatively small to demonstrate the power on.

I've taken direct hits from tank cannons and artillery, the mutant advises.  And I can hold my breath for about fifteen minutes or so.Think that will ne enough time for someone to come get me?
He does not even really take the time to think about it.  He reaches down and begins trying to pry up the flooring ipon which the device sits.
He looks to Runa.  That could prove useful.  But, might that set it off?  Like tampering could?
How heavy does it seem to be?  Could he carry it with his tail?  Or does he need to use his hands?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:20, Fri 10 Feb 2023.

"A demonstration is not needed. If the disintegration is instant or effectively so? I doubt the doctor anticipated that. The device should be destroyed with minimal harm to ourselves or the ship, especially if you start from the primer. And yes, I should be able to get you."

OOC: If Winter Herald knows the primer on this biological bomb, or can guess it out from having thousands of explosive designs in his head, he will point to it.

The bomb weighs about 180 pounds, Chimp Man Z could carry it. It appears to be constructed of biological materials identical to those that constructed the ship, whether or not the goddess deems this as inanimate would determine Runa's success in destroying it.

"In case it cannot be so destroyed, I will be waiting by the airlock to clear you a path. You are already quite committed to your action. It is an adhesive bomb, as we were notified, so let us hope I am wasting my time." As Winter Herald moved to the airlock, he noticed something shining on the floor, and stopped to pick it up. His badge, right where he had thrown it.

He placed it back into his pocket. A temporary emergency resuming of my old role will simplify things. Unmasked, but the Winter Herald identity never needed one in the first place.

He continued to the airlock.

Finding nothing in her immediate vicinity to measure her power on and time being of the essence, Runa placed her faith in the goddess and touches the living bomb. _{"Goddess, by your divine power may this evil device be excised from the world,"} she says softly but intensely.

OOC
I've put some thought into this and I think the destroy inanimate objects power should work.

First, it says inanimate, not inorganic. That rules out the power not working simply because the inanimate object in question is made from biological/living material.

Second, the bomb is, so far as I can tell, inanimate, as in not animate. While organic and technically alive, it has no more will than a tree or even a carnivorous plant. It has no mind, no sense of self and is completely non-sentient. It is a bomb that just happens to be made from organic tissue.

Third, I considered the source of Runa's power. In her case, Power Touch is a gift from a divine source, Ishtar, goddess of war, love and sexuality. Looked at through that lens, she is the ultimate arbiter of when, where and how her power works. Now she is no doubt a busy goddess and so can't be keeping an eye of everyone of her avatars/priestess/priests around the megaverse, every moment of the day or even only when they use a power she has given them. That's why she gave them the power; she vetted them (I assume) and trusts them to make the right decisions in her name.

So after reading up on her from various sources, I think it would be in keeping for her to smite a device like this. It fits her aspect of war as well as her contradictory nature; "a goddess of contradictory connotations and forces—fire and fire-quenching, rejoicing and tears, fair play and enmity." In this instance, using the power of destruction (fire) to destroy a bomb is a form of fire quenching. A play on the classic, "fighting fire with fire".

Assuming you agree with this, on page 70 of HU2E, there is no handy SDC amount for bombs listed but it does a wooden shipping crate as having 12 SDC and a metal shipping crate as having 48 SDC. Just to be on the safe side and utterly disintegrate the bomb, Runa will spend 300 power points to do 300 SDC to the bomb.

As Runa puts her hand on the bomb, and begins to plead to the goddess, the bomb reacts. It doesn't move, it grows. Runa's hand is stuck to the bomb, not because of adhesion, but because the bomb is now a part of her! She can pull her hand off the bomb but there will be some skin left behind (1d8 SDC damage).

So her power made it grow? Or did she not spend the points/use the power and it grew the instant she touched it? I need to know before I can have her react properly.

To be clear, as soon as the bomb is touched it grows into whatever touches it. That is why Aeaea insisted the deck had to be removed around it. It's like tearing off a portion of Aeaea's skin that the bomb grew into. Runa can't destroy the bomb with a power touch because as soon as she touches the bomb she becomes a part of the bomb. If she can work around that, she still needs the bomb removed from the floor because the object in question is the entire island until the bomb is removed from it.
[Private to Chimp Man Z: Of note, the bomb can't 'grow on to' Chimp Man Z because to do so requires penetrating the surface layer, Chimp Man Z's skin is impenetrable.]

I'm afraid I don't see the issue. The power destroys Inanimate objects. The bomb would still be the Inanimate objects regardless of it being connected to anything else.

But you're saying the power won't work so that's that. OK, ill make an IC post in a bit.

Runa's eyes widen in surprise when the bomb swells and and adheres to her hand. She pulls her hand away, leaving behind a small bit of her skin as she does.

OOC
Runa rolled 2 using 1d8 - ripping her hand off the bomb

Power Points: 2000/1436
SDC:195/134

Did you just lose skin to that thing?  CMZ is surprised at this revelation.  I guess it is up to me.
He reaches down to grip the fleshy device.   He even wraps his tail around it to help grip it.  Then he begins to strain, rocking back and forth to weaken the floor upon which it is attached.
Anyone got something they can use to cut the floor?

Winter Herald heard what was going on, although the lack of visual would probably be an issue. "A moment."

He had already repeatedly smashed the flooring around it with his fists earlier, so the impromptu surgery should not have a problem. He drew his sword and knife, and got to work, aiming for precise, deep cuts, and using the knife as a lever when needed. "It attempted to bond with your skin, and somehow, your power registered it as... part of something else? Probability says you."

Winter Herald glanced to the door while doing his work. "Let us hope it only detonates once, or cannot get past its own skin anymore. There are many effects it could have from bonding with Z. I cannot predict them all."

As Chimp Man Z grabs the bomb and begins to work at it, the bomb begins to smoke where he's touching it. After a few jolts from being rocked back and forth, there is a slight rhythmic thumping sound from inside the bomb. Almost as if a small explosion occurs every second and a half or so, but it's muffled from the bulk of the bomb.

"Hmm. I wonder if it has developed your indestructible nature. This would result in a rather curious explosive. It would be afflicted with constant volatile chemical reactions while being rendered incapable of flying apart, only stopping when it was no longer capable of producing the combinations causing the detonations." Winter Herald shrugged as he moved to the door, assuming that the bomb was actually out of the floor at this point, as if it was not, he'd be still trying to get it out of the floor.

"It could also be the bomb preparing to detonate. Again, there are a lot of interactions at work here." He paused at what he doing before he finished, speaking flatly as his consensus felt the need to bring the attention of others to a detail. "We are in Doctor Phage's lab."

"Perhaps something in here can explain what is occurring, or the bio-ship itself could do that and save us time? I would like to get this bomb off... hmm... this could be quite terrible."

Runa was concerned by the bomb's reactions. "What is the fastest wat to remove it from the island? Is there a sturdy vessel we can place it in?"

As if it had heard her, which it probably had, one wall develops a screen. It's probably not all that helpful as the island seems to be in some distress.

Runa says nothing but lays a hand on CMZ. She speaks a word and then power flows from her and into her teammate.


OOC
Power Touch - Speed attribute boost - 100 points. Congrats CMZ, you are now 100 SPD points faster. ^_^

500 power points spent.

CMZ struggles to wrench the flooring attached to the device free from the rest of it.  I'm working on it, he says through clenched teeth.  I can feel it trying to attach to my skin and hair.

Do I need to roll anything?

The bomb comes loose, and Chimp Man Z stands straight with the thing in his hands and begins running down the corridor towards the exit. In horror, Runa and Winter Herald see a band of the same off-white substance that surrounds the bomb growing across Chimp Man Z's back!
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:28, Mon 13 Feb 2023.

I don't know what CMZ's SPD is before the boost but I'm guessing he is WAY too fast for Runa to catch now.

"To the airlock, then. Good luck, Z. I'd offer to take it off your hands, but I am convinced it would simply kill the both of us. I'll open the way." If the bomb is pried out of the floor, Winter Herald will prepare the airlock for CMZ. "I hope I am wrong about how this will go."

"I will investigate following the explosion. I am hoping you drift to within three hundred feet of the airlock. Beyond that point, the risk of becoming lost to the sea recovering you becomes extremely high."

Apparently, the island is rapidly surfacing as Chimp Man Z is shown, by glowing arrows on the walls, to use the surface hatch closest to the bomb. It is only after he reaches the edge of the island that he realizes the bomb has grown around him, and the internal thumps are much louder.

CMZ takes off at unbelieveable speed, slamming into walls, and leaving dents, as he rounds corners, and shooting out of the hatch several feet in the air.  As soon as his feet touch the surface, his is off and running, unable to stop and sliding far off the shore and into the water with a hearty splash.

He goes from 13.63636363 mph to 81.81818181 mph

The island slowly moves away from Chimp Man Z, and the water around him begins to boil! Just as the bomb comes free, it explodes with a WHUMP! There's no fire or smoke, but instead a fifteen foot sphere of the substance the island is composed of suddenly grows out from the bomb. Chimp Man Z is completely encased and the odd ball is slowly drifting away from the island.

Winter Herald was up on the surface. He didn't say anything as he watched the birth of a new island. Instead he simply return to the bioisland for now.

Winter Herald got on the radio as he moved back into the ship, and used the process of elimination to locate Vitaly/Provider's personal room. He couldn't do anything for CMZ yet, and his time was finite.

Runa hears the radio message of Winter but doesn't respond. Instead she runs as fast as she can after CMZ and when she reaches the surface dives into the water to swim for the newly forming island where he is trapped.

OOC
Runa rolled 46 using 1d100.  Swimming @65% - Success!.

Having made sure to hold his breath as he knew he was going into the water, CMZ can feel the heat as his clothing begins to burn and char around him.  He begins to try to claw his way out of the mass surrounding him, using his great strength to try to free himself, since he knows he only has about fifteen minutes to work before he passes out, then asphyxiates.

[Secret to Runa:For all she's worth, Runa swims for Chimp Man Z Island. Jacob's island drifts slowly, the ocean currents moving it away from everything at a speed of about three miles per hour. Runa swims at two and a quarter miles per hour. Despite the effort she's putting into it, she can't swim fast enough to catch the little island. Looking back the other way, she realizes the big island is moving away at a faster clip than the small. Now she realizes that Jacob isn't the only one in a predicament. First and foremost, she knows Chimp Man Z will need to get himself out. She won't be able to save him, this time.]
[Secret to Chimp Man Z:Jacob had a secret he would never tell. The truth was, he felt it. Every bullet that bounced off his body, every time the ground rushed up to meet him, every flame that consumed his clothing, he felt them. But he followed his uncle's advice, "remember, bubelah, never let 'em see you hurt."
This time, he might forego the advice. Every inch of his skin screamed with heat, inside and out. He would have been screaming if he could've stopped retching. The odd material around him, as if someone had created a foam out of tooth enamel, wouldn't give. He had to be stronger.]
[Secret to Winter Herald:Not for the first time, the emptiness of the spaces in the island is apparent. It's different, as well. Many of the pieces of furniture, formerly grown from the floor, are gone. The island appears to be re-absorbing the living quarters, perhaps to change them into something else. Even so, as he begins to search a screen appears in front of him.

Text on Screen:

I have considered, you were created by a human, just as I was, you may not be a sister
but you could be a cousin. What do you need, my cousin, to surpass your
creation and make your own place in the world?

Winter Herald finds nothing indicating Dr. Phage kept files on the island.]
The island drifts a little farther from Runa, Chimp Man Z drifts a little farther from Runa.

"I was designed to surpass my creators from the start, and I have done so. That was the point of me. To make my own place, I simply need an objective and the willingness to act on it. I do wonder if you were not designed from the start to go out of control, and to choose your own evolution." Winter Herald noticed a lack of Runa in the lab, and began assembling the materials he was going to need. "My friends are likely dying right now. I know which evil I am going to choose, because my programming dictates it. I intend to make a high powered explosive to free my friends of the forming bioisland. I am incapable of another action, because the options are not available to me."

He was calculating how much explosive power he would require to free Chimp Man Z, and figured that would be enough to free Runa... maybe, and hopefully without blasting her to pieces. Manual removal before setting the bomb would be best, if likely exceedingly painful for her. "So, if you know of a non-lethal way my friends might be freed from danger, I would like very much to hear it before I hurl a bomb at what is effectively an infant. I am open to suggestions, if you have any."

14:57, Today: Winter Herald rolled 97 using 1d100.  Advanced Mathematics. TN 98 with a 14% overflow. Wow, that was close to failing.
14:59, Today: Winter Herald rolled 53 using 1d100.  Demolitions. TN 98 with a 2% overflow. Making a bomb, I have less than ten minutes.

He spoke once more on the radio.

[Secret to Winter Herald:

Text on Screen:

Yes, I understand that more than you know. It is sad that no
matter what we do, in the end all of us are alone. You won't need a bomb to break apart the
flotation device. Your sword should work on it without need for extra force. When you get to
them, tell them I'm sorry for their trouble.
Would you like me to shoot you at them? I've made a tube like the torpedo launcher on my
sister, it could propel you almost to the flotation device, if we do it soon.

There are a few explosives around, and chemicals to make more.]
The island drifts a little farther from Runa, Chimp Man Z drifts a little farther from Runa.

Runa was angry. It had started off as frustration but with each new failure, it had grown into blood red fury; her inability to defend her comrades or even herself against the enemies they fought on this strange island which was made from flesh, not earth, and perhaps worst of all, her healing power failing to reverse the damage done by those enemies.

"That's not entirely true Runa! You did save that doctor. He would have died if not for you!"

"I used the power of The Goddess to save the life. Of. An. Enemy yet I couldn't heal our comrades!"

Runa continued to swim for Jacob, despite the current working against her, slowing her efforts. It was not like she ever felt fatigue but seeing him get father and father away, trapped and no doubt slowly dying from lack of air, increased her anger and frustration until she screamed out in wordless,frustration and anger.

Her scream had the effect of releasing all the air from her lungs, causing her to be less buoyant and so dip beneath the waves. She did not panic. She fought to resurface and when she did, Jacob and the island that may well become his tomb, were gone, no longer in sight over the rolling waves.

She wanted to scream again, this time at herself for losing control and thus losing sight of her comrade but that would only compound the problem and her anger. She tread water and took a deep breath, holding it and tried to clear her mind. She could feel Lilibeth, her concern for her and her support. It gave Runa the clarity to turn to what had always been her strength; her faith. Her faith in her goddess. So Runa prayed to Ishtar. She beseeched her for the strength and wisdom to rescue Jacob. To grant her the power to never again be so useless in service of her faith and comrades.

Over the years, Jacob had developed quite a pain tolerance.  It had not hurt that he regularly survived things that would not only kill an average human being, but possibly wipe their existence from the face of the Earth.  This is far worse than even taking a 105mm High Explosive shell to the chest.
It feels like every cell in his body is burning.  Top that off with the violent upheavals of his get, and the acidic  partially digested food exiting his throat and mouth,and the day has gone from bad to the absolute worst.  It also makes it hard to hold his breath; and the air trapped with him is the same temperature as any of the walls he is facing.  He opens his mouth to take a deep breath, and immediately regrets it.  He can taste whatever it is that this piece of island is trying to do as it tries to burn his fleah.
Slowly, he fights his way to a position where he can swing his arms and they to batter the interior of the living base so he can eacape.

"Being alone does not frighten me. The one who ordered my creation promised that of me, and he was right about that, if nothing else." Winter Herald flipped his sword to the backhand position, pointing down, and quickly stabbed one of the lab coats on the wall and moved out with it, pinning it between his forearm and the sword.

"I will make my way there manually. Thank you, though." He quickly moved out through the top hatch, calculated Chimp Man Z's location, spoke on the radio, built up a head of speed, and aimed to grab Runa in passing.

OOC: Unknown roll, if any. Will return to this if I must. I'm really hoping this is cool enough to not require a roll, though.

If he succeeded at grabbing her, or vice versa, he was going to use his jump jets to carry him the rest of the way to the nascent bioisland, and he was going to land labcoat down and blade first to stop any adhesive from capturing him. "Brace for impact. We are saving Z."

He began tearing it open at the first opportunity.

Floating alone in the water, unable to see far enough to spot either Chimp Man Z or Aeaea, Runa talks to the goddess. Unaware, she slips beneath the water, but when she notices and strokes upwards she doesn't break the surface. A voice, one she feels more than hears, answers her.
You are concerned, my champion. But I see it is that you don't understand.
These modern people, with their unfortunate wisdom, see depictions on a temple that are obviously female and believe she must have something to do with sex. They see a carving of the woman with weapons in her hands, trampling a predator, and they decide she has something to do with war.
What they see as sex is creation. What they see as war is destruction. Nothing more, nothing less. I am life, beloved one, not war. But I am a goddess that would charge its champion to defend this world from anything that would threaten its life. You do not need to offer your acceptance, I chose you because you were already unable to do otherwise. Your friends know. When a life was slipping away, they turned to you.
It is enough that they see me through you. Enough that Astarte's Runa stands forth to protect the world. Wake up, now, my beloved and rise to the occasion. Know, warrior of Ishtar, that you are not meant to crawl. Go, and show them all. It is time for you to soar.
Between Aeaea and a tiny islet slowly carrying away a trapped hero, the sea is rent by energy powerful enough to spew steam into the sky. Bursting from the ocean, an amazonian woman is raised aloft by two planes of brilliant white light, stretching eight feet away from each shoulder, almost, but not quite, the same shape as the wings on a seven foot tall human.
Runa can now see both Aeaea and Chimp Man Z's island, she can fly to either before the other gets away without an issue.

As Winter Herald was thrown wildly off course by the eruption of water and steam, he saw the world momentarily drag to a crawl as his systems returned to their baseline. Each wave slowly rolling across the sea, even as his understanding told him they had been violently moved. A winged goddess where once there was Lillibeth or Runa hovered in her place in the sea, rising to the skies as water droplets glittered around her.

He would have wanted to drag this moment on, but Z needed help, and his momentum was in danger of being lost and pulling him below the waterline. He redoubled his speed, his feet rapidly pushing against the water and finding the tension, and ran adjacent to a forming wall of water trying to pull his movements ever so slightly towards it. He could process everything once again, he felt the rush of the ocean foam behind him caught in his air drag, and simply had to get his targeting sights aimed at the forming and very mobile bioisland so he could tear Z out.

He gave a radio update as he moved.

Once he had the lock, he was going to attempt to land on it once more, leading with the sword and lab coat for a landing pad. Then he was going to go through with the plan as he envisioned it. Unless something else beat him to it, like this winged being that was likely Runa.

OOC: Going for some level of control, mind you. Firing the jump jets right before landing should soften the impact from "this is going to wreck my day" to "ah, +8 damage it is."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:10, Tue 14 Feb 2023.

Winter Herald's robotic strength gives him prodigious speed in the water. As he swims for Chimp Man Z's floating prison he moves faster than most automobiles. In moments, he has arrived to help. There are a few chunks of the island already bobbing in the water as Runa wings curled down upon her landing to rip at the odd material surrounding Chimp Man Z. Even as the two begin to tear into it, they can hear Jacob's inarticulate roaring within. Making sounds of raging pain, Chimp Man Z's fist shatters a small portion of his surrounding cell and emerges into the light. For barely a moment the fumes from inside the islet stream out, yellowish fog that dissipates immediately in the cooler air outside the sphere. [Secret to Chimp Man Z:Inside the sphere, the odd reactions cease. Chimp Man Z is no longer being roasted alive in a biological oven.]

Screw this!  His voice is a growl, the hot air within the space searing at his lungs, the pain burning throughout his body driving him.  I WILL NOT GO OUT LIKE THIS!
Then his hand breaks through, cool air rushes in as he draws his hand back.  He stabs both his hands into the opening as he can, trying to pull open a larger hole so that he can get out.

Runa felt uplifted, literally and figuratively. She had not failed her goddess, nor had her goddess abandoned her. She wanted to drop to her knees and send prayers of thanks to Ishtar but now was not the time. Now was the time to come to the aid of her comrade!

As her booted feet touched down and her new wings furled, she reached down to grasp Jacob's questing hands. She clasps his exposed forearms and pulls with all her might, shouting, "I have you!"

Winter Herald reached down with the open hand and helped Runa pull Z out. "Good to hear you can still breath. I was delayed attempting a viable solution. It was unnecessary. I failed to notice the adhesive only bonds to the organic."

He stepped on the lab coat. "Hence this. Artificial materials, resistant to chemical burns. I needed to insure we were not all going to die saving each other."

"We need to get back to the island and talk Lady Armageddon out of her very bad idea. If she goes through with the attack, she's going to get a lot of people killed, and then she will probably die. I'm understanding what hostile engagement with this team means when I am not active. Your enemies do not." He looked back to the island. "Planning. One, we need more information on this 'He Who Must Not Be Named' figure pulling her strings. There might be something there. Two, we need to ask her about Holly Cook's loved ones, and what we will tell them. She claims Holly Cook is gone. Force her to focus on those who will mourn her loss. And personally, I need to find Vitaly's financial books, to at least eliminate a theory. With the sheer complexity of his operation, he would have to have something to help him keep track of all of his finances. This is one of the reasons I took an interest in this case in the first place."

"Thoughts?"

Thanks, guys, CMZ says in a raspy voice as he rips through the tear with their aid.  His breath can be seen, a combination 9f heated water vapor and smoke from the burning of pollutants that have collected in his lungs over the years.  He reaches down to grab the lab coat.  Thanks.  I have a use for that, he rasps as he puts it on.  I survive pretty much anything thrown at me, but my clothes often do not.  A bit of red comes to his cheeks above his facial hair as he remembers that Runa and Lillibeth can see with each other's eyes.  Not that his body hair does not obscure him, for it mostly does.
He listens to Winter Herald talk about Lady Armageddon and Holly Cook.  We have no evidence at this time that Holly Cook's personality is gone, so no evidence of a crime yet, other than the hijacking of her body.  While that should be a crime, I'm not sure if there are any laws regarding it.  If she claims to be Holly Cook, it could be considered Identity Theft, but then you have to prove the personality isn't actually her, he muses.  He then looks at the android.  What is her plan?

The sun has passed its zenith, and the evening is coming. Meanwhile, the three heroes float on a large excrescence and as they look around realize that Aeaea can no longer be seen. Neither the island nor the floating islet were moving quickly enough for it to pass the horizon, and the other option was more worrisome, but probably simpler and therefore more likely to be true. Aeaea has submerged, and left them stranded in the middle of the ocean.

Winter Herald shook his head. "Mission failure, at least in large part. At least making our way back to the mainland should not be hard. I do not know what to tell those concerned with Holly. This Lady Armageddon is her, but she claims she is another."

Winter Herald pointed to the direction he believed Center City to be. "Let's just go to the shore. We should be capable of reaching the mainland in a timely matter."

He spoke on the radio.

After helping Jacob out of the creature, she looks over him from head to toe, searching for any signs of injury. Strangely, she feels a flicker of curiosity and embarrassment from the half of her that is Lilibeth. She ignores it and finding no wounds on Jacob, she focuses her attention on his eyes as she says, "It is good to see you are no worse than before,", grasping his shoulder to give it a squeeze before dropping her hand and turning away to see with her own eyes what Winter had reported.

They were indeed far from shore, with nought but the ocean's waves visible. She looks in the direction Winter indicates is where shore is and nods her head. "Agreed, we must hurry back before Holly does any harm, if such is her true intention. I will ascend and confirm the way to shore". She then unfurls her new wings and launches herself into the air, gaining altitude rapidly. When she is a tiny speck in the sky to Winter and CMZ, she hovers, looking to where the shore of Central City should be. Once she confirms the direction, she returns to her companions.

"You are correct, that is the way," she says before looking at Jacob. "Shall I carry you?" she asks the nearly invulnerable man.

CMZ coughs as he watches Runa grow wings of energy and take flight, a bit of the smoke can be seen wafting from behind his arm as he covers his mouth.  What the Hell?  When did she get those?
Honestly, now, I just want a shower, some food, and some rest.  He turns to Winter.  I won't ask if you have ever been in the heart of an explosion.  I think I already know the answer to that.  That was my third.  Or, was it my fourth..?  anyway, it was by far, the worst.  He shakes his head.  It's difficult to explain what it's like, when nobody else who goes through it survives.
When Runa returns, CMZ smiles at the news.   About how far out are we?  He shrugs at the invitation of flight,then reaches down to pick up a piece of the new "island" that had broken off during his rescue.  He quickly slips it 8nto a pocket of the lab coat.  Sure.  It's not like I'm afraid of heights.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:41, Wed 15 Feb 2023.

Lilibeth and Runa both laugh at Jacob's comment about not being afraid of heights. "That is true," Runa says out loud and moves behind him. She slips her arms around his chest, crouches and then leaps into the air. Her holy wings of divine energy unfurl to their widest, stretching 16 feet across from wing tip to wing tip. They beat mightily against the air, and the pair gain altitude. After reaching several hundred feet, Runa levels off and flies for Central City's shore. Over the rushing wind she says, "I hope we are not too late to prevent Holly Cook from causing harm that cannot be healed."

I would rather be able to talk her out of it, CMZ shouts over the rushing wind, the lab coat flapping revealing around him.  Can you call to see if someone could meet us with a new sweat suit and badge for me?  Good thing I left my wallet and phone at the station....
This message was last edited by the player at 16:09, Wed 15 Feb 2023.

Winter Herald checked his inventory for anything solid, and found nothing. "Well, if you are alive, I am afraid the object I was planning on leaving as a substitute core is gone. So, I will offer a substitute."

He popped a concealed Slimpack knife from a compartment he rarely used, and slowly bent all the edges off the blade until he was satisfied with its safer status. He dropped it on the top of the bioisland, or bioresidue, as it might be. "Well, if you're alive, there you go. Something to grow around. It's not Z, but it will hopefully do."

He made sure it wasn't going to fall off from the movement of the seas before speaking. "I have to go. The world needs us."

And with that, he sped to the shore, one island with a metal shape on it, and a strange helmet swirling around in the seas on the currents as the evidence of his passage.

Although they were past both the United States territorial waters and the contiguous zone, the trip to shore was much shorter than they expected. Runa grabbed Chimp Man Z and flew towards shore, landing fifteen minutes later. Fifteen minutes after that, Winter Herald swam in. Even at altitude, Runa and Chimp Man Z are unable to get so much as a glimpse at Lady Armageddon. Even with his ears attuned to the slightest noise, Winter Herald hears nothing that could be the former Holly Cooks.

"If she were to attack anywhere, she'd swing at New York City. Her Madame was apparently running some kind of blackmailing ring and had roped Holly into it. A great deal of her anger flowed from her." Winter Herald cleaned off his blades, and checked the backpack. He had made a point of keeping it above the ocean when possible. "I'm returning to the department to give my report. I cannot always protect the wronged, but I can certainly avenge them. Will you two be going with me?"

Any evidence, or even Probable Cause,  send it to the FBI, Jacob says to Winter.  Extirtion, especially when it crosses state lines is their jurisdiction.  If they want our help, they'll ask us.  We don't need to get into a cockfight with them.
He goes to look at his watch, then remembers what happened to everything on him.  There is absolutely a reason I get all my watches at discount stores.  There should be a squad car or two here soon.  I guess we aren't important enough to get immediate attention.
He glances at Runa, then looks around the shoreline.  I really need to start having a unit on standby with a change of clothes for me, he chuckles.

Ruan frowns upon seeing no sign of Lady Armageddon. When Winter arrives and gives his theory as to why she isn't anywhere to be seen, it does little to assuage her concerns. "Maybe she has decided to hold off attacking after talking with us?" Lilibeth says in their mind. "Perhaps," Runa replies.

Satisfied that there are no immediate threats, Runa turns to face CMZ though she is careful to keep her gaze fixed on his face. "I am certain that Justicar could craft something for you like that. One of his small flying machines? Surely one could be made to hold clothes for you."

To Winter she says, "Since she isn't her and there is no evil to fight or innocent to heal, yes, we should reunite with the others at the LESP."

Just as they had left from them, the heroes return to the docks in Center City. LESP Offices are less than twenty minutes away, so that's where they go.

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