The Heros are NEAR (IC)

[Dr Archeville]

"A bit of both," the Doktor replied to Victory. "Two of these devices will be going into the rock, at opposite ends, while the others will be placed into orbit around it. The two in the rock will generate an electrogravitic circuit in the asteroid itself, generating a short-lived black hole in the center of it. I thought it would do with just one, but now that I have gotten a better look at the material this 'rock' is made of," he nudged one small protuberance with the toe of his force field-sheathed boot, "I see now it will take both the one and the second, spare I had brought. The rest, which we will place into orbit around the asteroid, will contain the destructive effects, and ensure that the field dissipates once the asteroid is destroyed. As our British friend might say," he nodded towards Supercape, "it' would not do to have a black hole flitting about and headed towards Earth'!"

Pip pip!

"I would like to get a few samples before setting the device off, though. I would ask Push, as he seems quite good at breaking things," he said, recalling the collateral damage reports he'd read, "though I would be concerned he would set off an 'asteroidquake' which might trap us. Ah, i will think on this as we set up the satellite devices." He flew up, "come along, I can show you how to set them, too."

[Quinn]

A laconic voice came from over the Doktor's headset, the kineticist lazily floating by in a steady circle around the small group.

"Heard that."

He kept a sizeable amount of energy in reserve as he kept his eyes looking everywhere at once, ready to launch it at a moment's notice. Blast smaller meteoroids away if they get close, shift bigger objects if they were in the way...yet again he reached out with his mind and touched the asteroid, feeling distinctly tiny against the sheer mass of energy that was moving beneath his feet. It was...sobering, in a way. What was it he'd read in that one book? Well, this wasn't quite Earth, a bit far off from it actually, but the principle certainly applied.

"Trust to inertia, for it is the most powerful force on Earth...got a contingency plan in case something goes awry, Dok?" He asked idly.

[Supercape]

Supercape kept a wary eye (and variety of other senses) out as the crystals arced above him. The depths of the crevasse itself seemed relatively free of dangerous discharges however.

He didn't know why, geology was not within his forte of scientific expertise. And quite frankly, at this point, he was beginning to lose his scientific curiosity a little.

He sent out a radio Signal back to Dok.

"Pip Pip Dok old chap!" he said over the radio beam. "Hows those bomb things? Blueshift and I are down in the depths so to speak, looks like a good place to plant one, or two. Or more, come to that. Can you give a good overarm spin and throw one down for us?"

[quotemyname]

"Ho! Wait! Hey, now!" Blueshift piped up before Dr. Archeville had a chance to respond, "Bombs, especially ones that generate black holes, are not something that should be thrown." She said, gazing up at where they'd descended from. "Especially not with 'Cape's powers on the fritz. Never know what could go wrong."

"I agree this is a good place for a bomb, though," She turned her gaze back on Supercape, "But we want it to go off when we're able to control it. Preferably not when we're standing right next to it."

[Supercape]

"That is true" replied Supercape... "although I imagine a timer, or remote control would do the trick perfectly well. And I am sure I can fly us out of here..." he looked back up the cave hole, full of arcing electricity.

As long as I don't get fried... he added to himself.

He sent up another radio beam to Doctor Archeville.

"Doc, the cavern down here looks optimal according to Blueshift. She probably knows more geology than me. Which isn't hard to be honest. But it makes sense. Just got to get something down here and it might be a little tricky. The cave hole is full of electrical arcs... is it safe?"

[Dr Archeville]

"Well, yes, I had no intention of simply throwing my implosive down into the crevasse," the Doktor replied dryly. "Once you two were done scouting, I was going to come down there and place it, while Victory sets the ones in orbit. Once it is set, we will need to trek to the other side of the rock and find a spot for its mate, and once everything is in place, we get back to the Pegasus, take off, and I activate the devices from safe distance."

What could go wrong?!

... well, lots, yes. Positive thinking!

"My force field should protect me and the device from the electrical arcs," he said confidently as her peered down the shaft. "Once I am down, you two can start scouting a location for the second device."

Archeville clutched the device in its case close to him, and headed down.

[JackgarPrime]

"A bit of both," the Doktor replied to Victory. "Two of these devices will be going into the rock, at opposite ends, while the others will be placed into orbit around it. The two in the rock will generate an electrogravitic circuit in the asteroid itself, generating a short-lived black hole in the center of it. I thought it would do with just one, but now that I have gotten a better look at the material this 'rock' is made of," he nudged one small protuberance with the toe of his force field-sheathed boot, "I see now it will take both the one and the second, spare I had brought. The rest, which we will place into orbit around the asteroid, will contain the destructive effects, and ensure that the field dissipates once the asteroid is destroyed. As our British friend might say," he nodded towards Supercape, "it' would not do to have a black hole flitting about and headed towards Earth'!"

"I would like to get a few samples before setting the device off, though. I would ask Push, as he seems quite good at breaking things," he said, recalling the collateral damage reports he'd read, "though I would be concerned he would set off an 'asteroidquake' which might trap us. Ah, i will think on this as we set up the satellite devices." He flew up, "come along, I can show you how to set them, too."

Victory smirks, hearing Push's objections over the comm.

"I dunno, I think Dok's got the right idea on that one, Push."

Holding his hand out, Victory takes one of the bombs from Archeville and begins to float....well...let's call it "up", for a relative manner of speaking.

"Just give me the instructions, and I should be able to get them set up in a jiffy. Send me the exact co-ordinates you want them, and I'll get them done quick."

Victory checks the recording software in his helmet, to make sure everything they've been going over is being stored without issue. They'll need to have this when they get back to Earth. If nothing else, it'd be for the sake of the history books.

"Once I'm done, I'm heading back to the ship. But if you need me, I'm going to keep monitoring your locations from there, and can get to you at a moment's notice."

[quotemyname]

"Trek?" Blueshift seemed surprised, and maybe a little upset, "Might take while. This rock's big. 'Cape? Think we can fly?"

Even as she asked the question she was already extracting her little computer device. She switched it on and started doing calculations in her head to zero in on the next best location to place a bomb. "Think there's a spot. Can find it. But it's literally the other side of the rock." Blueshift looked down at her feet with a bit of a forlorn look on her face, "Too bad we can't dig to China. Don't really know what's in there. Too risky."

"Something something something about Dwarves being too greedy and digging too deep."

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville retrieved his Electromagnetic Screwdriver from his labcoat pocket and adjusted it to create a anti-electron shield to repel some of the arcing lances of lightning, damping its effect enough for his force field to safely handle the remainder. "Fortunately, this rock is merely the size of the state of New Jersey," Archeville replied as he went down the crevasse, "so our esteemed British compatriot can get you two across to the second site in around 45 minutes, assuming nothing here adversely affects his flight speed. And he does not pause to often for sightseeing," he added with a chuckle.

An enticing temptation, I know!

Archeville set to work, carefully setting the first half of the binary implosion device's core. He would not be able to set it completely, of course, until Supercape and Blueshift got their half to the designated spot.

[Supercape]

Supercape sped up, up and away!

HIs long blue cape trailing behind him, with Blueshift in tow, it was not long before they had reached the other side of the asteroid. With such low gravity to fight against, hauling Blueshift was not particularly difficult, although the inertia made for a few wobbles at take off and touch down.

"Ready when you are, Doc!" he beamed over the airwaves "and don't be too long about it..."

He could already feel some microtears in his costume, caused by the abrasive microfillaments that the rock insisted on spewing into space.

[JackgarPrime]

Victory waits patiently for the word to go, keeping his channel open. While he floats there, he switches to his analytical view, trying to gather as much information he can on the actual composition and perhaps even any unusual energy floating around. Keeping his recording software on, he gives a little shout just to check in.

"Let me know when to hit it. And if you guys need a quick evac, shout immediately. Considering the size, I could get just about anywhere on the rock pretty quick in an emergency."

Of course, the question becomes why doesn't he just go in himself? He wasn't about to say it to the rest (although Dok surely had figured it out early on in the planning stages), that energy flailing around....it's not the best thing for a body designed like his. At least for now...

He makes a note for when he gets back to base, to add in with the energy recording: Deal With This.

[quotemyname]

Like Supercape, Blueshift became acutely aware of her suit beginning to degrade. To her, the first sign was the itchiness. Though she didn't notice at first, she soon had identified the cause, and that only made her work faster at arming Dr. Archeville's bomb. Though her mind couldn't help but wander, First of all, how often is it that Dr. Archeville even builds a bomb? And then he asks you to help blow up an asteroid with it? Asks you to arm the device? This is good, Blue! You're making some friends in pretty high places! Don't screw this up!

With one final connection of wires at their chosen spot, she hopped on the radio, "This is Blue, I'm done here." supplying yet another reference. "Cape? Take us back?" She asked, looking up at the caped crusader from her position crouching next to the implosive device.

[Quinn]

Push floated alongside Victory, his face masked behind the tinted glass screen of his space suit. The kineticist idly watched the energy arcing around, his own kinetic field easily able to redirect the tiny fragments and smaller bolts away from him; still, better safe than sorry. Stick by the large lightning rod. Err, hero.

Fortunately for him, it only seemed he'd come into play during an emergency, so he did have time to enjoy the view; wasn't every day you got to be hurled up into space and hang on to a giant meteor that could probably mean the extinction of all life on Earth, right? He watched the stars roll by, keeping an ear cocked for the others; when Blueshift finally radioed back, he let out a small breath that he didn't know he'd been holding, and felt a rather surprising bit of relief. How odd.

"Right, let's blow this rock and get back to Earth for tea and crumpets. Dok, you good?"

[Dr Archeville]

"Making the final connection... now," the Doktor replied as he synched the two components to each other and to the satellites Victor had placed around the rock.

Signals are a bit hazy due to the interference from... from whatever this rock is made of, but they are strong enough that the interference should not hinder their functioning. And if it does, the failsafes should kill the graviton pumps long before a singularity is formed, so at worse it should just be a dud.

"Right, I am on my way up and out," he said as he flew up the lightning-laced crevasse. "Everyone return to the spacecraft."

Looks like smooth sailing from here!

[Supercape]

"My pleasure" said Supercape, whizzing off towards the Pegasus, Blueshift in tow. He could feel his costume begin to degrade. Microtears had formed and oxygen was already leaking out a slow, but disconcerting rate. He was breathing thin and cold air by the time he entered the Pegasus.

"I can't say that was the most friendly of planetoids" he commented as he stepped through the airlock and took a lungful of more pleasant air.

Meanwhile...

Microfillaments and electric discharges continued to churn through the planetoid and its surface...

They could do funny things to timers, failsafe devices, and ship engines...

[JackgarPrime]

Once he's given the signal, Victory finishes activating the last device. Once it begins the countdown, he grabs Push by the shoulder.

"Alright, we're good to go here. Heading back to the ship now."

Before the final word got out, Victory was already gone, his arm still holding Push, bringing him alongside. Before he even knew that they were on the way back, the two were at the ship, beating the rest back there by some time. When Supercape came in, he began the startup process.

"Alright, so who are we still missing? Just Dok?"

[quotemyname]

Thankfully, Blueshift's frame was much more slight than Supercape's was. She hadn't felt the effects of the degraded suit as badly. To her, at worst, she had to be conscious of taking a deep breath once in a while, but she didn't need to suck in the ships oxygen when they landed by any means. Her system just needed a little less oxygen than the bigger man did.

"Looks it. He'll be here. I'd fire up that engine. Meantime. Blow this Popsicle stand once he's back." She responded to Victory's query. "Fly fast. Ground zero's not a happy place."

[quotemyname]

No sooner had she finished speaking, than she heard a voice in her head. It sounded like a child whining, crying about a skinned knee. Rather, it sounded more like a child whining about picking a scab gained from a skinned knee. She didn't know what the voice was, but looking around her, she saw that no one else seemed to hear it. She also didn't know how she knew what was talking, but she knew that it was unmistakably their ship that was complaining. It was their ship that was in pain.

"'Cape. Stop." Blueshift commanded as Supercape was working on firing up the engines. Her gaze was whimsical, almost distant. "The ship. It's in pain. It won't fly." She leveled her gaze at the consoles which showed the count down to the bombs. "Oh no. Same stuff degraded our suits? Got in the engine! We can't fly!" A look of sheer determination covered her face. "Move." She told Supercape. "I can fix this."

Blueshift practically dove at the base of the console where Supercape was standing. Two automatic screwdrivers extended from her wrists and simultaneously began unscrewing the bolts that had the panel locked in place. With the panel unsecured, she tossed it to the side unceremoniously. Reaching into the whole beneath the console with her right hand, while having to look away due to her head being pressed against the console above she tried to crouch down in the small space below the controls. "Blecch! Wires! Tangled! Ewwwww. Who put this thing together?" Frustrated, she yanked her hand out pulling with it a mass of wires, "Eergghhhhh!" She separated the wires with her hands before finally shrugging her shoulders and literally diving beneath the service panel, disappearing entirely. "Be right back!" Came her muffled reply.

In the following few seconds there was a lot of banging, and ratcheting that echoed up from the hole in the service panel. The team watched as the only active screen in the ship, the timers for the bombs, ticked down, and down, and down. Then suddenly there was silence. A second or two later, Blueshift poked her head out from the service panel. "You have got to invest in some zip ties for these wires! Anyway. I fixed it. Sorry that took so long. Well, 'fixed' is relative. Working better than it was, anyway. Supercape. Skip the launch sequence. Had to re-rout power and duct tape a whole load of stuff. Only the bare systems are connected. And the force field has been concentrated around the engine so it doesn't degrade further. That means the ship isn't as protected from the microfibers on the outside. We've got all of about a minute before this thing falls apart. Victory? Get us out of here now. Remember. No launch sequence. Do that? It WILL explode." She held out her index finger to emphasize her point. "Just slap the ignition and fire the afterburners. Everyone else? Seats! Buckles! Now! This will get bumpy!"

Blueshift quickly tumbled out of the mess of wires, she turned, and secured the service panel, but only stayed long enough to secure two of the screws. Then she dashed to the seat she had ridden in on the way out to the asteroid, and buckled herself in as tightly as possible.

As she fastened the last belt she heard the voice again, Thank you.

What IS that?

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville entered the spaceplane just as Blueshift crawled into the duct work to begin her repairs. "What the? What is she-" A quick glance at the internal damage sensors told him all he needed to know. "Ah, right. Everyone buckle in, we are leaving soon and it is going to be bumpy!" Moments later, Blue popped up to repeat those very words, but by then Archeville was already strapped to his seat.

The League is probably not going to be thrilled with Blueshift accessing their spaceplane's systems, but, well, 'needs must' and all that.

But soon they would need a place to land, because -- assuming they were able to take off -- they would not make it back to Earth in their current condition. Fortunately, Archeville knew of a place they could stop for repairs.

Speaking of things with which the League may find fault... and there is the issue of the place lacking a hangar, or any sort of external access. But that can be addressed when we get there.

[JackgarPrime]

Once Blueshift had worked her little magic and everyone was strapped in, Victory let one last shout.

"I hope you're all in good and tight! The return's gonna be a hell of a lot bumpier than the arrival!"

He had already begun the process as Blueshift was fixing the engines, since the system itself needed time. Fortunately, time was just enough on their side that he was able to kick the ignition in right when the process finished. Grabbing the controls tight, the hard material of the controls creaking a bit from his stronger-than-steel grip, the ship blasts off, scattering rock all about them with the force of the engines.

"You better hold together all the way back! There's a spot in the aeronautical museum in it for ya!"

[Quinn]

Push's face was a picture of discomfort as he saw Blueshift dive into the wires beneath the container, replacing the look of relief he'd been covered with when he finally divested himself of the suit's stifling helmet, but his reaction time was spot on as he flung himself into his seat. Oddly enough, he seemed less concerned about the ship, and more disconcerted that Blue had just dived into the wires headfirst, his eyes fixed on the panel. When she finally popped out, he settled somewhat, listening to her litany of orders to the others.

"...and the force field has been concentrated around the engine so it doesn't degrade further. That means the ship isn't as protected from the microfibers on the outside..."

The kineticist nodded as she finished, clenching his hands on the armrests of his chair; he felt outwards at the ship, taking in several breaths. A conversation he'd had with...Wail, was it? Several months back rose to the fore of his mind, and he half-smiled. He'd been practicing this trick, time to see if it would hit paydirt. As a matter of fact, he was quite cheery about using the new idea; sure, there was always the high chance of backlash, but he was already risking his life in this crate anyway, right?

"Well, let's make sure it gets to that museum, shall we? If you'll give me a sec, I think I can solve that force field problem; would one of you mind keeping an eye on some kind of readout and make sure I don't go into neural shock? That would be lovely."

He took another deep breath, closing his eyes. Then they opened again, submerged a second time in sparks of pure energy as he unclenched his hands. For a moment, everyone in the ship could feel a distinct sensation of pins and needles crossing over them, like a wave, then it slowly dissipated. To those looking out the front windows, they could see the odd warp or spark of energy; Push had thrown his personal field around the entire ship! He smiled somewhat beatifically, ignoring the fact that his body'd likely be a screaming mass of pain within a little bit, and spoke in the same light tone he'd used a moment ago.

"Well, that should keep us safe from any leftover debris. Can't hold it forever, though, we might want to, y'know, hurry. No pressure, though."

[Supercape]

Something very bad was happening outside. The bombs, blasted by crystal microfillaments and eletrical discharges, had degraded. And, it seems, prematurely activated.

The Asteroid was imploding, and exploding. It was shattering, rending, splitting, disintegrating, and cracking all at once. Push managed to deflect the smaller debris, but a collision with the bigger stuff would have been devastating - it was thanks to Victories skill as a Pilot that no collision occurred.

The Ship screamed away, its engines alternately rumbling, vibrating, and screeching as Victory pushed it forward, out of the blast radius. Rocks and discharges flew past the ship as it sped away, its thrusters threatening to blow at any moment.

"That's cutting a little fine, what what?" said Supercape, clutching to his seat with white knuckles and a drained face. "I'm all for the occasional close shave, but this is ridiculous..."

The Engines gave another horrible screech, and a smell of ozone permeated the ship.

"I say, I do hope the old girl can last... that didn't sound to healthy... its a long way back..."

As the asteroid gave a final seismic convulsion, the Ship sped off into the relative safety of space.

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville's Screwdriver had been monitoring Push's vitals; they did elevate and brush against dangerous levels, but he appeared stable. He placed a hand on the kineticist's shoulder, and smiled, "I knew I made the right choice with you."

I am definitely going to have to keep tabs on this one. Him and her.

The Doktor stood, looked over to Blueshift, and flashed a smile her way. "Kudos to you, too; I doubt I could do better myself!"

He moved to the cockpit, giving a thumbs-up to Supercape as he went, and checked on both Victory and the ship. "Ah, FTL engines are at 20% power, and dropping. If it stays at this rate, they will cut out around the time we exit the asteroid belt. If the sublight engines still work, we could use those to get back to Earth... but it would take weeks, and most of us would die from dehydration before we could even get in communications range to call for help." The Doktor let out a small sigh, then began manipulating the controls, "fortunately, I know were we can stop to perform repairs, and am inputting coordinates now."

Almost 45 minutes passed with Archeville serving as Victory's co-pilot, staying silent on the specifics of where they were headed, merely reiterating that it was a safe haven they could use to repair the spaceplane. Now and again he would check his Belt, making adjustments here and there. Soon they were at the Jupiter's edge of the asteroid belt, and the path Archeville plotted went directly through it. Scanners showed nothing but rock and more rock, and the occasional ball of ice, but nothing indicating any sort of habitat or hangar.

"Almost there," he replied to any questions.

A warning siren pierced the air and flashing beacons lit the cockpit, indicating the house-sized asteroid which now loomed before them! Victory practiced eye noted the asteroid was not some random -- and utterly featureless -- rock: Archeville's path had lead them directly to it! Reflexes kicked in as he tried to pull away, but the Doktor placed one hand on his. "Almost there."

His other hand pressed a button on his Belt, and suddenly everyone felt a twinge of vertigo and a sudden lurch as the spaceplane and all in it were engulfed in a wormhole and teleported... somewhere. The craft had come to a full stop, and the windows showed utter pitch darkness beyond.

"Ah, here we are!," he cheerfully exclaimed, drumming merrily on the controls before rising up and walking towards the exit. "I will get the lights." He opened the hangar door to the Stygian darkness, but no vacuum sucked them out, nor did any bat-like creatures fly in. A few murmured words later, and row after row of lights flared on, illuminating the small hangar -- just barely large enough, in fact, to accommodate the plane! -- in which they now sat.

I am really glad I cleared that space out last week!

[quotemyname]

As soon as the panel was done being secured, Blueshift hurriedly made her way back to the seats.

"Well, let's make sure it gets to that museum, shall we? If you'll give me a sec, I think I can solve that force field problem; would one of you mind keeping an eye on some kind of readout and make sure I don't go into neural shock? That would be lovely."

He took another deep breath, closing his eyes. Then they opened again, submerged a second time in sparks of pure energy as he unclenched his hands. For a moment, everyone in the ship could feel a distinct sensation of pins and needles crossing over them, like a wave, then it slowly dissipated. To those looking out the front windows, they could see the odd warp or spark of energy; Push had thrown his personal field around the entire ship! He smiled somewhat beatifically, ignoring the fact that his body'd likely be a screaming mass of pain within a little bit, and spoke in the same light tone he'd used a moment ago.

"Well, that should keep us safe from any leftover debris. Can't hold it forever, though, we might want to, y'know, hurry. No pressure, though."

Noticing Push straining with his powers, and Dr. Archeville monitoring his vitals, she stopped before she got to her seat. She glanced quickly to the back where her original spot had been, then quickly sat next to Push and buckled herself in. She looked at his face, his eyes closed and straining. Her hand reached out, and hovered over his. She stared at it, like she was arguing with her own body whether or not she should try comforting him.

The Doktor stood, looked over to Blueshift, and flashed a smile her way. "Kudos to you, too; I doubt I could do better myself!"

"Thanks," She grinned up at Dr. Archeville, "It's a calling, I guess." She turned to look back at Push, and suddenly realized that her hand was wrapped around his. Her eyes, flicked back and forth between their hands and his face. I'm ... I'm touching him. I'm touching someone. Eep. both her mind and her heart were racing, and not because of the asteroid that just exploded into a thousand tiny pieces nearby. "You'll..." she stammered at Push, "You're gonna be okay." Then squeezed his hand tighter.

---

"Ah, here we are!," he cheerfully exclaimed, drumming merrily on the controls before rising up and walking towards the exit. "I will get the lights." He opened the hangar door to the Stygian darkness, but no vacuum sucked them out, nor did any bat-like creatures fly in. A few murmured words later, and row after row of lights flared on, illuminating the small hangar -- just barely large enough, in fact, to accommodate the plane! -- in which they now sat.

"Push... Push!" She tried to rouse him. "You did it. We're here. We're safe!" As soon as he began to stir, Blueshift quickly retracted her hand from his, hiding it behind her back. Her face beet red, she smiled as he opened his eyes.

[JackgarPrime]

Victory remained as calm as could be expected (for a man piloting a big metal box through deadly space debris, at least) as they made their approach to the coordinates Archeville instructed him. While everyone else was shouting over the forcefield situation, Victory was keeping his concentration entirely on the piloting. No matter how protected they are, it won't matter for long if he slipped up and ended up smashing into something far larger than they were.

victory's teeth gritting, he crossed the point where they had to reach, and suddenly found himself stopped. Blinking for a moment, his hands no longer on the controls, it took him a second to realize what exactly had happened. But once he did, he couldn't help but smirk. Unfastening himself from the seat, Victory stood up and cracked his neck in one direction,then the other. Turning around, he gives a single clap to get the crew's attention.

"Well then, passengers. It seems we've arrived at our destination. Make sure to collect all your belongings from the overhead compartments and the seat in front of you."

Floating up, he does alight vault over the seat, and looks over at Dok.

"I'm going to go give this bird the look-over. Mind joining me, Doktor?"

When he was done, he continued walking towards the exit. But on his way, for a small moment, Push would feel the powerful metal hand of Victory's giving him a short,but strong pat on the shoulder.