Jennifer8

[ QUOTE ]
"Come on, come on, please work." He pleaded while he clenched his eyes shut. He was leaving himself open to attack but he didn't care.


[/ QUOTE ]

For a brief, shining moment - he had her. He could feel her, holding out her hands to him.

Reaching into her mind was like reaching into the springtime and everything that spring was: warm sunshine and brilliant flowers and soft grass and those lazy, luxurious days spent on your back on the grass, looking at the sky to make shapes out of the clouds.

She held out her mental "hands" to him, and he took them - and he felt the crushing blow somewhere in reality, the faint pulse of surprise from her as spring faded into night, and night into the total blackness. The connection was broken and he knew - beyond any shadow of a doubt - that Crystal was hit, wherever she was, and had crumpled into unconsciousness.

On the heels of that thought, before he could even react to the shock of the broken connection, a scream ripped through his mind - not his own, and not Crystal's, but rather the scream of an Eramite. It had walked right up to him while he had been distracted.

The resultant fight was vicious but brief, and surprise was the deciding factor. Jack might have been able to match the Eramite in a psyche-to-psyche fight: but his defenses were down, every particle of his being involved in trying to reach Crystal, and the blast hit him with full force. The Eramite followed up before he had a chance to get to his feet again; in less than a minute, it was all over.

The Eramite paused, scanning around for others while it stood over Jack's fallen form, as the other Lost gathered around: then, with a grunt, it stooped, picking him up easily, and carrying him away, into the darkness.

+++

OOC: Talked this post over with Jack's player prior to writing his capture. Mr. Marvellous is technically there, but because his player is not available at the moment, I am leaving him out of this post for the moment. I am hoping to resolve exactly what to do via PM when he gets back (Wave!) Until then, I plan to leave the fate of Mr. Marvellous unspecified.

Sarah swung the car smoothly into traffic as the cargo van headed down the street.

Her guess had been right: when she had arrived at Dr. Sanstad's residence, there had been a full-scale battle taking place. Now the van, with Dr. Sanstad's wife inside, was pulling into traffic, and she was following.

She had borrowed the taxicab from a friend who owed her a big favor. Other equipment - such as the specialized rifle she had used to fire the magnetic homing beacon into the open back doors of the van when it had been on the lawn - had been borrowed from other contacts.

And, unlike her compatriots, Sarah had some skill at tailing a potential story. After a couple of blocks, she turned aside, going down a side-street, and ran parallel to the van, two blocks over, before turning back into the main path, using the homing device to track it when it wasn't in sight.

She was not at all surprised when it stopped next to a grate which doubtlessly led to the sewer. And it seemed that luck was with her: there was a group of Vahz waiting there - with a small knot of cowering, terrified people among them... mostly homeless, by the look of them.

Sarah parked the taxi in a safe spot and radioed her contact, telling him where he could pick up the car, before slipping out of the car. She paused momentarily to check the shirt button camera - a trick borrowed from her boss - and found it was working properly. Satisfied, she crept gingerly towards the knot of people with the Vahz. If she could do this just right...

Sure enough, she was pretty close when a Mortificator whirled on her. "Hey! Where do you think you're going!"

Sarah pretended to cower. "Nowhere! I am just standing here!"

"Get back with the others!" He pointed his crossbow at her.

Sarah, hands over her head, scampered to the cowering group. Perfect! The mortificator glowered at her, but turned away after a moment. That gave her a chance to look around at the rest of the group. And one of them, to her surprise -

"Roberts?" She sidled up to him.

He jumped. "What are you doing here?" He whispered.

"I'm doing my job.... looks like you muffed yours, hmmm?"

"I know what I am doing!"

"Yes, you really look like it. I suppose you lost the camera?"

"Oh shut up!"

Sarah had time for a smirk, and then the Vahz were shooing them all into the grate. She moved with the others, craning her neck to see Mrs. Sanstad. She was there, leading the way like a queen at the head of a procession. The Vahz had tied her hands behind her back, but she didn't seem to be especially bothered by it. Sarah nodded in approval, and began working her way towards Mrs. Sanstad.

---------------------------------------------------------
"I feel obligated to tell you that you are making a mistake," Enid told the Eiledon who was leading them downwards. "When Erik comes home and realizes what you have done, he'll be furious. I hope you enjoy radiation burns. I will certainly enjoy watching you get them."

The Eiledon looked back at her and then continued down the hallway, unruffled. "We know your husband will be furious," she could hear the smirk in his voice, "In fact, we are counting on it."

***
Edit
***
Left out a paragraph again. SIGH!

[ QUOTE ]
"Look...I know if it was not for you...both of you. I would be dead by now. I don't know if my life was worth saving yet, Penny." He gave a weak smile. "I know that this is all my fault...... I'm......... sorry."

He cleared his throat and when he spoke again his voice was back to normal, trying to hide his embarrassment of showing his feelings.

"Anyway, enough of this... lets get out of here." He said.

[/ QUOTE ]

Penny put her hand on his arm and smiled at him. It was a geniune smile, in spite of the seriousness of their situation. "Make sure your life was worth saving," she said in all seriousness. "If it hasn't been in the past... doesn't mean it won't be in the future." Then she let go of him and refastened her helmet. Her helmet had a sliding panel as the lower half; most of the time she had it retracted, so that at least part of her face was visible. Now, however, she slid it into place and locked it. It protected her entire head. Her voice came only through the radio now. "Let's do this thing."

[ QUOTE ]
"Lesson one you two... Just because he looks like he's absorbed in his work NEVER assume that the teacher is not listening."

[/ QUOTE ]

Penny had been absorbed in her conversation with Harris, and about jumped out of her skin at hearing his words. The startled, deer-in-headlights look she gave him confirmed his suspicions about her: though she wasn't a student, she hadn't passed the "student" phase of her life for very long. Not long enough to get too much experience in the world of the superhero, or to make decisions with the wisdom that experience brings.

[ QUOTE ]
Erik walked over to Penny and gave her a hard hug and the looked her dead in the eyes.



[/ QUOTE ]

Penny was awkward a minute, but then hugged him back - hard. She was scared to death and very glad of the reassurance.

[ QUOTE ]
"I told you before we're getting out of her come hell or high water. I want to see you speak to your friend who made the suit and so I can thwack him upside the head for not seeing a brilliant young woman like you loves him."

[/ QUOTE ]

Penny shook her head. "I don't think it would do any good," she said softly, and then, with gathering annoyance, "You should hear the things he says to me!" Her voice dropped half an octave, plainly imitating a male voice. "'Here's the problem, this wire came loose from its housing because it got hooked around your hip servo unit. You have more curves back there... being a girl and all.'" She threw up her hands and spoke in her normal voice. "Yes! I'm a GIRL! Hello! But what do I get? Do I get, 'Hey, wow, I just noticed, you're a girl!' No, no, I get," her voice dropped again, "I'll lengthen the cable as soon as we get back to the lab, and double-check the integrity of the housing. It shouldn't come loose again." She sighed. "And you would have to wait at least a week anyhow, he is in Japan for the International Convention of Inventors. That's a BIG event around our house."

[ QUOTE ]
"No one is sacrificing themselves, no one is being left behind. We all get out. Simple as that."

Erik then stepped up into Mid-Air and began to hover. He grinned at them both and pointed to the train. "Besides, I can fly. If ANYONE can catch up with the train once it gets going... it'll be me. I'll hit the booth, and I can cause the radiation sickness. The booth will give me the best vantage point to hit them as well. Understood?"

Erik looked at them both and pointed to the train. "Penny, we're getting you out to your friend. Harris, we're getting you out to your wife. I'm getting out to my family and so I can help the both of you. I made too many promises to you all to let myself die here."

Erik cracked his knuckles and then looked at the Vahz on the platform.

"So get ready... I have the aura worked out and I'm going to hit them fast and hard..."

[/ QUOTE ]

Penny looked so relieved at Erik's words. Her face brightened as if the sun came out behind the clouds. "Are you sure? " But upon his assertion that he was sure, she nodded. "I don't know what to say - thank you."

She turned towards the train. "C'mere and let me show you this illustration of the controls - " The protective clear panel over the computer screen was cracked, but the picture below showed well enough for him to get a good look, especially in the dark. "See how this works? Now when the train starts I don't know how fast it will go, might be pretty fast... I will try and take the maintenance door off by the bolts and hinges, then pull it into the car, but if I lose it, it might go down the tunnel, so watch for it... Now, while you are in the booth... see this control? That checks for other cars on the track, it has to be checked or we may have a real short trip, if it is clear, this starts the sequence, here is where the reply comes in, that releases the car." She looked at the illustration again. "This was meant for idiots to run, so it ought to be super-simple to do... well.... apart from the Vahz, I mean." She held her hand to her ear. "Lets test this before we go... can you hear me on the new radio unit? I can hear you fine... great, lets rock!"


+++
Edit AGAIN
+++
And now I left out ANOTHER paragraph! I THINK I am all done with editing now, and I MEAN it this time!

[ QUOTE ]
Harris didn't know what to say. He couldn't look Penny in the eyes. He knew he was the course of all this. Why was she so willing to help him get out? He couldn't understand it but...... he wanted to get out.

"I........" He rubbed his forehead. "I........ There must be another way. Why are you willing to sacrifice your self? I don't understand."

[/ QUOTE ]

Penny sat back thoughtfully. Erik looked as if he was still involved in his notes, scratching and mumbling to himself.

"Well... lets go over our options," She said slowly. "We could take the Black Line, or we could abandon the entire idea and try to make it to the surface the way we have been going. The problem is the time element: Erik is absolutely miserable, I think his head will explode if he doesn't find out about his family soon. And he is right, if the Vahz are coming for them, and no one knows... the way he talks, Cassie sounds like a little kid, we can't let the Vahz take a little kid, Harris, you know we can't. Any way up except those two? Not that I know of."

She sat back and looked at him a while. Her face was thoughtful. She seemed to be struggling with herself, as to what to tell him.

"When I was thirteen," she said slowly, "I was in a... a bad situation. It was... well." She hit some switches and one of the gloves came off; she pulled it and then showed Harris her palm. "See? Fifteen years later, and I still have the scars... where he held my palms against the stove burners." She looked sad as she replaced the glove. "Anyway... when I hit thirteen, I was done, I'd had it. I ran... I was going to jump off a bridge." Her face was thoughtful, as she reattached the glove. "And this guy... he talked me down... saved my life, really. Found me a place to go... the works. And when I tried to thank him for saving my life, he said, 'Just make sure your life was worth saving.' And he walked off."

She shook her head. "I never even knew his name. But ever since then I... I've tried to make my life one that was worth saving." She took a breath, rubbed her hair awkwardly. "I am not willing to sacrifice myself, when it comes down to it. I am getting out of here! But... given the situation we are in... and given that someone has to launch the car and then try to catch it... that person ought to be me. You have someone to come back to, Erik has a family. Overhaul..." She hesitated. "Overhaul is a brilliant man, a wonderful man, you should see him, he is magnificent. But he is is hopelessly in love with his work. He doesn't-" She swallowed, "He doesn't love me. If I didn't come back... I am sure he would be sad, but he has his work... he would be OK." She swallowed hard again and hoped that it was too dark for Harris to see the tears which seemed to have surprised her by creeping to her lower lids.

She put her hand on Harris arm. "I made a promise to you," she said, "I am going to get you out of here. I keep my promises, Harris." She paused, looking down at the Black Line terminal. "Of course, if you have a better idea for getting to the surface... now is the time to share it."

+++
Edit
+++

Last paragraph was silly, redid it.

[ QUOTE ]
"Penny....." It was the first time he had used her name, the first time he had thought of her as a person and not just a report subject. He was not sure if this was really worry for her safety or his own concern about getting out alive himself.

He kept his voice low so Erik would not hear. "I know that look...... Your not planning to come with us.......are you?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Penny was shocked that he was that perceptive. She hesitated, looking over her shoulder at Erik. "I..." She looked away for a moment before looking back. "Someone has to stay on the platform to send off the car," she said, and her voice was so low that he could barely hear it. "I - I'm hoping that - I can catch the car after I send it off. But... I will be visible at that point, the suit has taken some heavy damage, and I am low on power. Mathematically, my chances are... well... they're not very good, to be honest." She thinned her lips. "Erik... mathematically has a better chance. But... he has a wife and child to go back to. He has to be on the train. And you have to be there too. I just wish... I wasn't so scared. I guess that doesn't sound very heroic... but... I promised I would get you out of this alive.... and I will do it if it - " She stopped. She had been about to say, "If it is the last thing I ever do." Instead she improvised, "If it is within my power to do at all."

Her face was smudged with dirt, and pale, but resolved. She looked... so young. Unvisited by wisdom, unhampered by grief. "Harris - if I don't make it - I have a partner, Overhaul: would you tell him what happened? It wouldn't be fair to him to just... disappear. He would think... he would think he didn't build the suit well enough, or that I was gone because it failed somehow. I wouldn't want him to think that, I would want him to know that... I was always in awe of everything that he created. His creation was perfect. He should know that. Would you tell him?" She hesitated. "I mean... not as a newsman but just... just as a friend? Please?" The sadness on her face... changed somehow, became a different sort of sadness. It was a look of a relationship that hadn't been all that Penny had wanted: the look of a woman who loved a man that didn't love her back... at least, not in the way she wanted.

It was apparant, too, why she had chosen to be the one who stayed: Harris and Erik both had families. Penny didn't; therefore it was logical that she stay. She was more concerned with their safety than her own. Her eyes searched his face, looking for some sort of reassurance there.

[ QUOTE ]
He checked around himself and found a bit of broken pipe. Picking it up he swung it to check it weight. He didn't plan to get into the fight, he was no hero. But it was better then nothing.

"When do we go?" He asked.

[/ QUOTE ]

"As soon as Erik is ready," Girl Genius was busy checking her belt pouches before they left. Suddenly she said, "Oh!"

From the pouch she pulled out a small silver disk, then pulled off her helmet. Her face was pale and scared-looking, suspiciously so, even given the situation. But she smiled. "Look - Overhaul must have left these for me - he is always doing thoughtful things like that," for a moment her face lost its pinched, tired look, and beamed. She adored Overhaul, and it showed. "It's that little comm unit he was testing - this is the ear piece, the other bit must be in here somewhere... yes, here...." She put the disk in her ear, and then fit another bit in her mouth. "This piece fits in your ear.... that piece fits over this tooth... I had no idea he had finished this..."

Her face lost its joy after a moment, once she had the new unit in place, and she turned to Harris. "Harris... let me show you the illustration of the train controls..."

[ QUOTE ]
Jack started to pull Master Wonderful away from the battle. He stopped to take one last look back then started to move again.


[/ QUOTE ]

Crystal smiled at him and paused for a moment to give him a big thumbs up: she shouted something but it was lost in the battle. From the way her lips moved, it looked like, "Be safe!"

Then the battle erupted again and she turned away, covering Paul's back.

[ QUOTE ]
"Get OUT of here! I'm running out of juice and I'm not sure how long I can keep this up!!"

[/ QUOTE ]

Crystal had scrambled to her feet when she saw what Paul was doing; now she stood back-to-back with him. She wasn't sure how she was doing what she was doing, but she was covering those spots that he missed.

The thought that his words - "Get out now" - might be directed at her had simply not occured to her. It hadn't dawned upon her that she could leave him. The words brought a thrill of fear on her - fear for Paul, and fear that the others might not get out in time. "Jack! Mr. Wonderful!" She called to them. "Go on, hurry!"

She, herself, was not moving. She wasn't leaving Paul in this place... the thought of doing so had not even crossed her mind.

[ QUOTE ]
"Oh dear god... Penny those ARE students! Paul and Crystal go to the university! Oh jesus Paul what have you gotten them into..."


[/ QUOTE ]

"What?" Penny couldn't believe it. "I never went into the sewers when *I* was a student!" Then she looked rather chagrined. "Er... at least... not very often. And only when I really needed to and... oh... well... hell," she sighed. "Yeah, they are college students, all right. I suppose one can't graduate from Paragon-U without tramping around in the sewers at least once."

[ QUOTE ]
"If I'm correct, they will be too weak to attack, and if they do, the blows will be so weakened by the cancerous growths affecting their muscles that it will be akin to being hit by a pillow. That will give us the time we need to book to the train and... Hijack it."

He looked up at Penny and Harris smiling. "I hope one of you knows how to drive a train cause I sure as hell don't."

[/ QUOTE ]

"Well... that is going to be the interesting part," Penny said, looking at the station. "Notice the control bank there?" She was tapping on the panels in her gigantic gloves, and getting a rather fuzzy display. "There are two sets of controls: one aboard the train, and one on the platform," she gestured to the control on the platform, some fifty feet away from the train in the station.

"The platform station is utilized first to clear the train for departure," she was reading the little text scrolling merrily down the tiny screen, "You know, checking for oncoming trains and so on. When clearance is obtained, the operator on board the train closes the doors and signals the readiness of the car to move. The operator on the platform then releases the car, and the operator on the car presses the driving lever to the forwards position," she paraphrased from the text, then seemed to hear herself. "What? That is ludricrious, you can tell the blasted thing was built by a committee, of all the ineffecient - why in the world - oh." She was continuing to scroll down. "This document was amended - the launch procedures were all changed after an industrial accident where a worker lost his legs... they hardwired all the cars so that they wouldn't move out of the platform until the doors were closed...." She shook her head, rubbing her chin.

"Unless the Vahzilok have rewired it somehow, or unless one of you has some sort of a brilliant idea... one of us is going to have to stay on the platform to launch the car."

She exhaled slowly.

"OK, how does this sound for a plan: you try your infection. You and Harris get to the car: I get to the platform console. I launch the car and jet after it. Harris drives. You blow out the rear maintenance door - " she pointed at the sealed door in the back of the car, "and I catch up with you and enter that way. That will also give me enough time to try and scramble any resistance..."

"Resistance?" One of them said.

"Having the Vahz send other cars on the track to ram us, or set up in stations with heavy arms... that sort of thing. " She turned and looked at them both. "Ever done a report on the Black Line, Harris?"

[ QUOTE ]
"Anything to get out of this dump sooner is fine by me." Harris said.


[/ QUOTE ]

"This way, then," said Penny, and lead the way.

It was closer to a mile and a half, once all was said and done, and it took several minutes to work their way down, avoiding increasingly-dense groups of Vahz wandering around.

Finally Penny took them in an old, rounded maintenance tunnel, thickly lined with cables, too narrow for them to go side by side; but thankfully clean and dry, or comparitively so considering their surroundings. Finally she stopped in a low area that had widened somewhat, so that they could cluster together.

In front of them was a grate: and looking through the grate was the old Black Line terminal. It was crawling with Vahz - but there was a car in the station, and it was lit.

Penny looked at Erik. "The City Planner's Office was right," she murmered, "They do have it working."

Then she paused, as voices burst through the radio -

[ QUOTE ]
"I agree!" Experiment shouted, as he saw the front line of the Vahzilok had almost reached them.

"Everyone! GET DOWN!" .... "Ugh... I cant take them all.... by myself.... You guys out there, I need your help... I found 4 people... and were under attack by 4 eidolons... Sanstad.... can you hear me?"


[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
"Sanstad?" Crystal was surprised. "Hey, he's my xenobiology professor, he's missing, we're looking for him!"


[/ QUOTE ]

The second voice was fainter, but quite clear, as if the speaker was close to the microphone which Experiment was wearing. There were some muffled noises after this, followed by,

[ QUOTE ]
"Oh DAMN - Get down! Get DOWN! Paul! HIT THE DECK!"

[/ QUOTE ]

This was still muffled, by the same speaker, but the microphone was picking it up, because they were shouting now. This was followed by the noise of a thunderous explosion and what sounded like a cave-in.

Penny winced. "Ouch," she said in response to the new voices on the radio, before checking her watch. "We've been gone just over twenty-four hours now.... they must be sending search parties after you." She looked sympathetically at Sanstad. She hadn't thought of search parties, and wondered if there would be additional people searching for Harris. For herself... well, Overhaul was at the International Convention of Inventors, which was being held in Paragon City, and she was quite certain she would have to be missing for a week or more before he even noticed. "Either that or you have some students who really want extra credit."

[ QUOTE ]
"You guys out there, I need your help... I found 4 people... and were under attack by 4 eidolons... Sanstad.... can you hear me?"

[/ QUOTE ]

"Sanstad?" Crystal was surprised. "Hey, he's my xenobiology professor, he's missing, we're looking for him!"

[ QUOTE ]
Master Wonderful turned back to the others and said, "Ok, I'm going to agree with Crystal. We need to high tail it out of here."

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Master Wonderful doubled over, clutching his head, his face distorted in a sort of silent scream. He didn't know exactly what Jack had done, but what ever it was seemed to be spilling over and getting him. He was feeling pain unlike he'd felt before, not even the Lost seemed to cause him this much pain. Focus, Connor. Focus. Work through the pain. You've delt with pain before. Unfortunately, at this moment, his mantra didn't seem to be working.

[/ QUOTE ]

Jack had whipped around and blinded several of the Vahz, his face etched in concentration. Mr. Wonderful was right next to her when he doubled over. Crystal pulled at him - there were too many Vahz, anyone could see that.

But when she turned to run, she ran directly into a mountain of flesh - an Eramite. She recognized it from one of the xenobiology reports that Dr. Sanstad had assigned last semester. It was the first time she regretted being a solid "A" student.

But it didn't attack her. And it wasn't attacking the others. In spite of herself, she paused. What was it doing? She could feel the psychic energies it was actively emitting, but she wasn't experienced enough to know what they meant.

She followed its gaze - and spotted the bomb. The Embalmed Abomination had pulled away from the battle, far away from its blinded Mortificator. It had gotten past them, and was now down the tunnel in the direction they had intended to run. It was climbing up a ladder towards the manhole they had entered. Dr. Sanstad had never, ever said anything about abominations climbing.

It was only after staring for a moment that she saw the telltale whisps of purple glow around its head, and felt the psychic energies from it - this was the recipient of the Eramite's power.

Too late, she realized what he intended.

"Oh DAMN," she spat, pushing at the people within her reach, which happened to be Jack and Mr. Wonderful. "Get down! Get DOWN! Paul! HIT THE DECK!"

She had just enough time to see his shoes and hoped that he had listened to her.

With a force sufficient to make her teeth rattle, the Embalmed Abomination exploded.

There was a wave of foul, hot air, and a burst of flame which was thankfully too brief to catch anything alight. For a brief moment things were quiet.

Then there was a rumbling noise. The tunnel filled with a low, dread thunder as the roof came crumbling down. Boulders fell like some vast stone waterfall in a cloud of pebbles and cement dust as the lights dimmed. The noise threatened to overwhelm her eardrums.

A second explosion followed shortly thereafter, producing another waterfall of boulders and rubble. For a time the world shook as both waterfalls continued at once. She hadn't seen another Embalmed Abomination... but clearly there had been one.

It ended so suddenly that the silence was shocking. After a few seconds of complete quiet, where the only sounds were the falling of the occasional latecomer pebble, Crystal tentatively raised her head enough to peek.

The tunnel in front of them was completely filled with stones, top to bottom. However they left the sewers, it certainly would not be by the route they had entered it. In like manner, the tunnel behind them had been blasted shut. That left the two side tunnels.

Looking to the left and right revealed dozens of pairs of eyes pointed in approximately their direction - the Lost were here. Lots of them. With no less than four Eramites, and almost a dozen blasters.

There were a few leftover Vahz that the twin blasts had not caught. In moments the battle had started up again - but the winner was already clear.

Still, they had a few moments, while the Lost occupied themselves with slaughtering the few Vahz unlucky enough to be caught between them. "Um..." She made sure everyone was all right, then sat up, "If anyone has a cunning plan, now would be the time to use it..."

[ QUOTE ]
Experiment was very surprised by this... and lost his focus as a blast from a Rikti Rifle hit him in the back.
"Hello? I am Experiment 2.0, and you need to get out of here! Apparently, the sewers is a battle field for the lost and the Vahzilo-" just then, he was hit upward by the eidolon which had gotten back up, and he was knocked out cold.


[/ QUOTE ]

Crystal felt a thrill of fear, knowing what had happened. Adrenaline flooded her system, and she reached out and pulled - hard.

She could not have said precisely how she got hold of Experiment, or what mental pathways she used to pull him to herself. But she pulled hard... and he popped out of the air, teleported to her side by sheer will. She fell on her butt from the exertion of it.

"I didn't know I could do that," she said to herself, winded, then staggered to her feet and shook his shoulder. "Hey - Mister - Experiment... you OK?"

"Crystal - What did you do?" Jack's eyes were round.

"I pulled him to me - "

"And THEY followed!"

She followed his finger - and saw the Vahz charging up the tunnel. "Um... run?"

[ QUOTE ]
Um... Who is this?

[/ QUOTE ]

Crystal hesitated. She had never done this before... it was an odd way to initiate a conversation. My name is Crystal... who are you? Um... this sounds like a stupid thing to say but.... were you thinking at me?

[ QUOTE ]
The pink clad hero paused. "Oh, I told you my name, but I haven't taken the liberty of asking what yours are. I don't want to just call you 'Ms. Supportive,' 'Angst Boy,' and 'Friendly Guy.'"


[/ QUOTE ]

Crystal heard this and cracked up. Her giggle was geniune and yet it seemed almost foreign in such miserable surroundings. "I'm Crystal,' she said, looking back. "This is Paul," she smiled at him, "And this is Jack," she smiled at him too.

Then she paused. There was a terrible racket coming from nearby. "And - and someone - is thinking at me," her brows furrowed.

[ QUOTE ]
"IS SOMEONE OUT THE...I think I mighta left the TV on... I wonder when my show is on?"

[/ QUOTE ]

She broadcast, and in Experiment's mind slipped the word, Hello?

She wasn't even sure how she was doing it... but she knew where the thinker was (whoever he was) and knew also he was in some sort of trouble. "I don't think he is far - this way - " She started heading down one of the tunnels, fast, at a run.

((Tag Experiment, Mr. Wonderful, Jack, and Paul))

[ QUOTE ]
He looked at the other two and winced... "We have to find a way up... Faster than how we're going now..."

To himself he began to whisper a mantra... under his breath over and over. "Enid... be safe, please be safe..."

[/ QUOTE ]

Penny chewed thoughtfully on her lip. "I know how we could do it," she mused. "We could take the monorail. The old monorail... the Black Line."

The Black Line had been called the Black Line because it was the line that had once taken city workers to various points in the underground sewers to run maintanence on things. It had been lost in the Rikti war, when the sewers had been overrun with invaders. It was presumed to be working, but in the control of the Vahzilok.

It would be certain to be heavily guarded. It would be the ride from hell. But it would also be certain to be the fastest way out... if they could get to it.

"There's an old black line terminal less than a mile from here," she said. "If it is still working... it should bring us almost to the surface."

She knew the risk. It was not unlike the one she had taken to follow Harris down here in the first place. It would be far safer to take the slower method... but time was of the essence. She searched Erik's face, and Harris's, waiting for their response.

[ QUOTE ]
"YOU DIDNT CLEAR THE TOP LEVELS OR SOMETHING?!"


[/ QUOTE ]

"Oh, what do you want from me!" Penny said in annoyance, leaning towards Erik's mike. "I am in the Mark III stealth suit for crying out loud, it is not like I have armament or anything!" She flipped her panel open and looked at her indicators: though she had done minor repairs, and though the suit had been charged up by the device that Omega had left, there were far more indicators in deep red than in bright green. "Look, Erik - tell him to get out if he can. If he can't... we ought to be able to triangulate his position... I think he is still way above us though...."

[ QUOTE ]
Paul shrugged and looked at Jake. "Look man... Life sucks at times. Just grab a helmet and go with it is what I say. I'm not the best liked guy on campus and hell I was totally shunned when I showed off my brain to others my age, but you know what? Screw them. All that is important is that you enjoy life, and try to make it beter for yourself and those you love."

With that he gave a quick hug from behind to Crystal as they moved. It was breif embrace, but tight enough to show true emotion.


[/ QUOTE ]

Crystal smiled at Paul as he darted back, then looked sideways at Jack. "It is just... you know you... you always seem so sad... like everyone hates you... and everyone doesn't hate you." She smiled at him in her usual caring way. "We like you, Paul and Dr Sanstad and I... all of us. You have friends - we're your friends. You're not alone." Her eyes were concerned. "And I don't want you to feel like you are. I want to... make it all better for you somehow."

[ QUOTE ]
"You could warn me before you do somethng like that."

[/ QUOTE ]

Penny decloaked and waved at them. "Doc! Harris! This way!" She led them around corners and even up a promising slope, then stopped them around a corner. "OK, down the hall around this corner are a bunch of Vahz. I will distract them - you run down the hall and take the first left. I will catch up."

She shot down the hall and let the Vahz see her. The moment the mortificator brought up his bow, she engaged her jets, which she had gotten working again while they stopped, and shot forwards, bowling them over. They gave chase, spitting acid, and she pulled them around a corner.

Once she was certain that Harris and Doc had made it around the corner, she cloaked again. It took a few minutes to lose the Vahz but eventually she worked her way back, found Harris and Doc far down the hallway, and decloaked again. The entire affair had taken less than five minutes. "We might have to do that a few times," she smiled at them. "Come on... this way."

And she continued to lead them down the hallways.

[ QUOTE ]
"So........ You’re a mutant too now." He said feeling rather stupid.

"Well.....better get ready for the rest of the world to hate you for what you are. People always hate what is different, what is strange to them. Even if it is better."

He guessed from the look on her face this might not have been the smartest thing to say.

"I'm sorry. I really should think before I open my mouth, force of habit. I guess I've just too many negative experiences as a mutant. Gives you kind of a down wards look on things when you've been through what I have. I'm sure you'll be fine, someone as smart and good looking as you."


[/ QUOTE ]

Crystal gave him a smile. She did smile a lot. But she looked puzzled also, as she thought about her answer. Finally she responded, "I think you are wrong you know." At his look of surprise she added, "If I am a mutant... and I guess I am... I know a lot of things will change. But... not everyone will hate me. Some will... others won't." She shrugged. "Really not any different you know... some people hate me now, because I am a woman, or because of the color of my skin, or because I am too outgoing to suit them... people will be people. Some will be jerks... others will be cool. And I think..." She thought about this hard, "I think I will be all right." She looked back at him. "You know, I worry about you sometimes."

She said this in her usual caring way.

[ QUOTE ]
Master Wonderful turned and looked at the three students. "Did you say 'Harris?' You mean Steven Harris? I came here trying to find him to keep him from doing something stupid when he found out about... well, I'll explain on the way. We need to find them fast. Oh, and the name isn't 'Pretty in Pink.' I'm Master Wonderful.' The pink super hero flashed his glinting grin that seemed make a "ting" sound as the light refected off his teeth.


[/ QUOTE ]

"This way then..." Crystal led the way down the street, to the sewer entrance that Doc S had taken. "He went in here," she said, and pulled at the grate, which remained solidly closed until the others helped with it, at which time it opened with a threatening creaking noise.

Crystal stayed at the entrance a moment, screwing up her face against the stench. She knew where they needed to go. She didn't know how she knew... but she did. "This way," she said, and headed down into the darkness.

[ QUOTE ]
"Ah, I see………. You two love birds gone to see a late night show have you? I think you missed the curtain call mate." He said in a slightly mocking tone aimed at Paul. He didn't think how Crystal might react to this. He didn’t think before he spoke sometimes.


[/ QUOTE ]

"What are you talking about?" Crystal's voice flared up. "Do you have any idea what's been going on? We've been held hostage by the Vahzilok for eight hours," she gestured towards the lab, "And - and - and..."

Her voice faltered suddenly as she took in all the broken windows, the lawn littered with safety glass. It sparkled and danced in the brilliant lights of police cars and ambulances. Both hands went to her mouth; her eyes were brimming. "Did I do that?" Her voice was barely a whisper. Then she caught her breath with a gasp. "Oh God - "

Some of the medical technicians were bringing out body bags.

[ QUOTE ]
Nodding, knowing that the assistants studying Hrimnir would get him the message Paul looked back at Crystal and gestured towards the ladder.

"Let's haul M'lady... Doc S saved my *** more than once school-wise. Least I can do is return the favor. Lets go get him."

[/ QUOTE ]

Crystal nodded, and headed easily down the ladder with him. "I can show you where he went..."

[ QUOTE ]
The windows of the theatre were smashed just like the rest of the buildings but the door was wide open too. He thought about it for a moment. He thought about walking home and ignoring the whole thing, it wasn’t his problem.

“Might as well.” He said to himself as he headed for the theatre.

[/ QUOTE ]

Crystal almost ran right into him when she ran outside. "Oh - " She stopped, "Hello Jack."

She looked tired and rather scruffy, with scrapes and bruises here and there. This was unusual for Crystal, who was generally neatly dressed. Her new hair (and eye) color was unusual also. But her smile was the same.

Crystal had never understood Jack's melancholy mindset. She was eternally optimistic and unfailingly cheerful, and though various problems might get her down temporarily, she was never down for long. Now she looked as if she had had the worst day in the world - which she had - but she smiled at him just the same. Though it was quite true that she had eyes only for Paul, Crystal was one of the few people who was always genuinely glad to see him.

"Are you all right?" She said. With anyone else this might have been a passing phrase: with Crystal, it was because she was truly concerned. "I didn't see you in the lab, did the Vahzilok bother you at all?"

Though her attention was on him, and she was clearly concerned for his well-being, her hand unconsciously snuck towards Paul's as she spoke.

[ QUOTE ]
With that Erik began a slow movement back into the tunnels. The sounds of the battle were still echoing through the chambers nearby, but obviously they were far removed... for now.

Uncovering the microphone and putting it back in his ear Erik tapped it again.

"Look... We have no clue who you are or even where. We need some assurances that you're not a Vahz or Lost trying to track us down. I need ID or something."

[/ QUOTE ]

Penny ran ahead invisibly. Her voice came to Erik and Harris as a computerized voice now, for she had given her own 'comm unit to Harris, and was simply having the chat typed on her virtual keyboard read by the computer into the broadcast channel. She had showed them both how it worked before she left, not wanting them to be alarmed by the computerized voice.

It didn't look like there was anything between them and the ladder that Harris had spoken of, so she scrambled up it to the door, which was set in the ceiling, with the ladder going up to it. But when she touched it to turn the wheel, she frowned, looking at her heat sensors: the wheel was hot.

OK, guys, she typed on the virtual keyboard, It's clear to the ladder Harris was talking about. But the wheel is hot! I don't hear any noises, so I am going to try turning it... don't turn the corner yet, OK?

She tried to turn the wheel, ready to let go the moment that it did anything alarming, and discovered it was stuck. She had to engage the power-servos in the suit before it would begin to crank, which it did with a resounding squeak.

She could see the flames even cracking the door a quarter inch. However, there were still no noises or vibrations, and so she lifted it enough to take a look.

All the heat sensors in the suit jumped dramatically. There was fire everywhere. This was a room that had been filled with barrels, most of which were toppled, shattered, punctured, or otherwise ablaze. But that was not what gave her the shock.

The face of the Lost Gunner stared at her when she opened the door. At first she thought that she had been discovered; then she saw that he was dead. He looked perfect, his eyes still open, and she swallowed her heart in horror. Perhaps he didn't deserve it, but she reached out and closed his eyes with a shiver.

Lifting the door higher, it became apparant how fierce the battle had been. There were bodies strewn carelessly here and there, both Lost and Vahzilok, some of them ablaze, others in pieces. She was very glad that she had filtrated air.

Though she could not seen an immediate end to the fire, clearly the battle here was over - she could not see or hear anyone... at least not anyone who was still alive.

She closed the door to make her report, but did not turn the wheel. I found the door, she sent back to Harris and Erik, and in their ears the mechanical computerized voice recited the words. And it looks like it goes to the seventh level... it might even go to the sixth. But there is a problem. There was a battle, there are... well it is pretty bad. The main thing I am concerned with is that there is a lot of fire, it's hotter than anything... we might be able to pick our way through, but we would have to be quick... what about smoke inhalation? My air is filtered, but I am worried about you, you don't have suits or anything... Do you think we should chance it?

[ QUOTE ]
"Too bad I'm out fifty bucks for that bottle of wine. I was really hoping you'd like it! I read up on wine tasting and stuff and everything..." Chuckling, Paul hugged Crystal again and then looked concerned.

"Hey... Where is the Doc anyway? And why was everyone in the lab so late?"

[/ QUOTE ]

"Oh - OH!" Crystal's eyes got wide as she remembered. "Listen - Paul - the Doc's in trouble! This afternoon, Girl Genius came to identify a photo of a Rikti she had seen, and she and Doc left afterwards to bust some Vahz. But this reporter guy - Harris, I think his name was - followed them - but he got caught, and he had this notebook... and it had information in it about Mrs Sanstad and everything, and when the Vahz took Harris into the sewers, Doc followed, and the last thing we got from him was that we were supposed to call the special number and tell his wife to get to this safe house he had set up." She shook her head. "We have been calling that number every five minutes since he left and we haven't gotten an answer on it yet, ever, and the cops went to his house, but said no one was home. And Doc left like twenty hours ago and he hasn't been back yet..." Her voice trailed off. "And that was why the Vahz hit the lab, it wasn't just a random hit - it was for US, they came for US."

She took his wrist and held it hard. "Whatever you are going to do - I am going to help. I know I can help. Paul, we have to do something!"