"Agreed, we need to act on this quickly.  The question is if our Doctor can trace the other.  I'll be on standby in case."

After a short period of preparation Demi works out the required mathematics and, with a gesture, you are shifted to the co-ordinates Doc Zero found from one of the broken cyborgs.

In an instant you are moved from the dull and ruined interior of city hall to bright sunshine. Around you stretch green, unspoilt, rolling hills with the high rises of the city just visible in the distance. There is very little sign of civilization around you save for a collection of farm buildings visible over on the next hill.

It seems an unlikely place for an army of radioactive cyborgs to have been but Geiger counters don't lie and Zero is definitely picking up clear readings. Unusually, however, the strongest readings seem to be coming from beneath your feet...

In reply to GM (msg # 91):

"Ah, the classic secret underground lair. Very in fashion among the supervillain elite with more money than they know what to do with. I half expect some of them to rent to the less wealthy in the villain community. Or start their own cable TV network."

Zero focuses, and the ground under his feet freezes solid. It then crumbles away, leaving him in a pit whose walls are surrounded by ice, thus keeping the new tunnel stable. He keeps doing so, the ground turned into solid ice and then dissolving to mist as he keeps going down until he hits something solid other than rock and dirt.

10:10, Today: Doctor Zero (E) rolled 5,8,1 using d12,d10,d6.  Principle of cold. – 5,8,1 Using Max die=total success. Everybody gets +1 hero point.

The ground freezes and then crumbles beneath your feet as Dr Zero burrows, in unorthodox fashion, straight down. It goes down quite some distance until you hit something harder to break apart - reinforced concrete lined in lead.

From expanding the crumbling dirt path in different directions it seems that you are standing on top of what must be a piece of corridor - it stretches off in two directions leaving just plain dirt to the sides - running underneath the hill itself. What would be the chances of finding a super villain in some sort of underground base...

Demi calls down to Doctor Zero. "Want me to raise the hill for you? R-A-I-S-E, not R-A-Z-E. Could exhume the entire base too, make it bob to the surface of the hill like a cork in water. Or did you have something subtle in mind?"

Advocate, looking exactly like one of the cyborg, looked to the others.  "I can attempt to infiltrate, if we wish to be subtle."

In reply to Demiurge (E) (msg # 94):

"Fairly sure someone would notice at that point." Zero focuses through the various energy spectrums, trying to see through the bunker. "Once we get an idea of what sort of defenses and/or security they have in there, Advocate can deliver a computer virus I design into the main computer of the base. Then we can move in and take them down."

OOC-Awareness, Self Discipline, green status

16:18, Today: Doctor Zero (E) rolled 7,7,5 using d8,d12,d6 with rolls of 7,7,5. – 7,7,5

Spending 1 hero point (To get a total of a 8=total success) to see into the base and find the electronics, traps, and power flow needed to keep the devices running. Trying to find a weak point to get Advocate into the base (Via Demi's powers) while bypassing the alarm. Finding the electronics needed to deliver my virus into the central computer.

Assuming any of that is present, and its not just a depowered base.

"I could attempt to infiltrate this new locale as I did the bank."  Spectre says calmly, but clearly, to the others.

In reply to Spectre (E) (msg # 97):

"I want you and Advocate to infiltrate, but only after I check what security devices are running. I need to know if we are being watched while we enter." Zero replied, still using his energy vision to find various power flows and to see through the solid wall itself.

OOC: The facility seems to be surprisingly light on security. Power usage seems to run mainly off in one direction towards what you suspect might be the entrance and as far as Zero can discern cameras and other security measures are quite light otherwise - any stealth specialist would have little trouble evading the measures. One thing which does catch Zero's attention specifically is what seems to be something using a huge amount of power much deeper within the complex. What is particularly interesting is that this doesn't seem to be connected the main power of the complex at all.

In reply to GM (msg # 99):

Zero proceeds to tell the others what he has learned. He had no doubt Demi or the others had some way to get inside rather than risk him destroying one of the walls and possibly setting off any security measure that might be in place.

Advocate, fully in cyborg mode, turned to the others.  "Do you want to go in separately, or will you come along quietly, like good prisoners?"  Advocate's manor goes cold, clinical, and adversarial.  They have done their best to take the pose of the servant-mechanical.

"Maybe our man Exploogian prefers non-technological security. Lemme give things a look-see." Demi puts out feelers for otherdimensional telltales, projecting her extrasensory awareness into the structure below.

---

12:45, Today: Demiurge (E) rolled 1,8,3 using d8,d10,d8.  Principle Of Whispers  (Awareness, Otherwordly Mythos, Status; Use Max die). Overcome is completely successful and nets us +1 Hero Point. If there are otherworldly energies involved here, she can tell the others what's what

Intangibly, the Spectre glides to where the others are located.  He is silent as he does so.

OOC: Nope, nothing magical or extra-dimensional at all. Whatever might be within is pure science.

Demi shrugs. "Seems to be a total science nerd, our Exploogian. Anything anyone wants to do before I open a gaping hole in spacetime for us to hop through?"

"I am ready to assault whatever this dastardly person has for us."

"Sounds fine to me." Zero says, ready for the portal.

"I will return to the doctor's service." it says in the flat monotone of the cyborgs.  It moved to prepare for portalling in.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:59, Fri 26 Apr.

Demi twirls her staff overhead like some kind of bizarro drum majorette, and a glittering hoop of energy descends over the heroes. When it rises up again, they find themselves in the corridor immediately below where they were standing a second before. Demi bows with a flourish.

As the glittering loop fades away you find yourselves in a drab corridor; white painted walls line a corridor which runs in both directions lit by fluorescent lighting tubes set along the roof. As soon as you appear Doc Zero's Geiger counter starts to screech in protest as the levels spike. Not quite enough to pose a risk to people (in the short term at least) but the radiation here is significantly higher than the normal background.

Just as you start to think that the quality of evil lairs has really taken a downturn of late something catches your eye; a notice board tucked away further down the corridor. The notices thumbtacked to the cork are the standard dull office fare but most are prominently marked 'United States Department of Energy'. You're in a government facility!

Though the eerie quiet and complete lack of people make you think it's either been mothballed or something much, much worse has happened...

The corridor heads in two directions. One towards what Doc Zero identified as the entrance and the other deeper into the heart of the complex.

Advocate began to walk towards the deeper heart of the complex.  They kept up a regular pace, but added a slight limp, as if damaged, to imply a lack of correct function.  As they moved forward they kept an eye open for trouble.

Zero focuses his energy sight on the infra-red spectrum. Excesses radiation should also show up to his sight, as he can adjust his vision from ether energy output. The Giger counter should direct his searches, allowing him to look in the right spot-and then start tracking the source. Ether a heat trail or a path of radiation.

Spectre goes invisible and intangible and begins following partly within the walls, that way if there are wall mounted defenses hopefully he'll know.

The ionized particles are like fireflies to Demi's hyperawareness. She collects them all via cosmic-energy control, deposits them in a leyden jar/faraday cage hybrid she conveniently had in her pocket, and shoves the whole kit and caboodle into the portable hole she used as a purse. "Never know when you may need a burst of ionizing radiation, am I right or what?"