Doubts and Discoveries

Armor ambles over to the rental agency -- if there's a choice, he'll naturally pick one he's a major investor in.

{OOC: If/when we get a car, Doc scans it for those darn 'fire alarms'... and he's got some things he wants to say while in transit in a less public environment than the airport}

The member 'Doctor Chronos' has done the following action : Die Roll

'2D10' : 2

Armor is able to swagger a pretty decent discount on a fancy and practical current year rental. It comes complete with all the bells and whistles one can imagine, from an OP-net direct linkup to self-parking and automatic pilot.

No alarms or sensors seem to be present on the vehicle although there are quite a few after-market gizmos under the hood that, at the moment, seem to perplex the team as to their purpose.

Armor looks the car over, comfortably settling behind the wheel if nothing unusual strikes him.

{OOC: I know you prefer to make those rolls -- in this case, against an OV/RV in the 7-8 range.)

The car seems fitting to all those looking it over so far. Everything seems in place and functioning as it should.
It has a full tank of gas and over 12,000 songs built into its on-board music stash.

If everyone is ready, let's drive off. {OOC: keep scanning ahead 6 APs, once every 6 APs.}

After they're underway Doc asks, "Lucy? Back at the airport the cops thought someone looking like you broke security. Obviously you were with us, but do you have any insight on what happened? Was that a normal occurrence or could your temporal alternate still be around?"

Doc had heard of such things. There were timelines were lots of supers were... not so much unlucky as trouble magnets. Fate constantly worked to make their lives interesting. Doc mentally filed this away for future consideration and moved on.

Doc said to everyone, "There was a 'fire alarm' device on the airplane. The airports had something along that line but MUCH more developed. I don't think it was a stronger detector, I suspect it was a power negator."

Doc shrugged and replied, "The short answer is if it can work on me then it can work on you. The longer answer..."

Doc got his thoughts in order and said, "Keeping in mind that I can be wrong and the rules can be different on different timelines, in broad strokes, when it comes to how we plug into the universe, there are three types of supers."

"Call the first Type-A. We're the easiest to find because we're obvious. That's me, you, Joe, and Southern Cross. We can get to our powers differently, but super-strength, reality bending like Temporal Manipulation and seriously powerful magic all accesses the same underlying rules of reality. When most people use the word 'super' or 'meta' this is the group they mean, and we're also the group that has physical and mental oddities."

"Type-B is much rarer, or maybe just harder to find. Sometimes they're called psions and they tend to have things like telepathy. They plug into the universe a totally different way. As a general rule they're weaker but more stable and sane than Type-A. All of their potential powers are less flashy and less powerful. I can tell they connect into something but what they're doing is so uncompatible with what we do I can't read it. I'm pretty sure this is how Truth works."

"Type-C is Armor. With him right in front of me I can't tell if he's plugging into the universe at all. To a first approximation he doesn't have any powers, he's a normal human. The problem is I don't believe that, I think he's doing something just so far off the radar I can't see it."


Joe said, "Cut to the chase Doc. You think those negators wouldn't work on Armor. But all of the rest of us could have our powers negated."

Doc nodded and said, "Almost. Depending on how strong those things are, we could all be powerless humans for a while. You on the other hand...."

Joe finished for him with a grimace, "I'd just die. Got it."

Armor chimes in. "Could the devices likewise negate tech, Doc?"

Somewhat embarrassed, Joe replied to Lucy, "It's ok. And it's not like they're zapping everyone they run across either."

Doc replied, "Normal tech, no. Technology that simulates powers... probably. The key issue is whether the tech deals with the universe like our powers do. If you build a gadget that only supers can use, then that's empowered. If you build a gadget that normal humans could, at least in theory, take apart and then duplicate, then you'd be fine."

Doc gave an annoyed-but-intrigued handwave and added, "Which brings us back to whether or not you count as a normal human since you're going to understand your own stuff. The good news is I can just check if something counts as empowered, so we could at least expect it to work or fail."

"Actually," replies Armor, "I was merely wondering if we could tweak one of those 'negation' devices to negate other 'detection' and 'negation' devices." He gives a shrug. "As for my gear, feel free to check it the way you checked me -- though I can assure you it requires no powers for operation or duplication." He flips Doc an omni-gadget.

Doc caught the gadget with fluid grace and took a long look at it.

{OOC: One scan and then if it's not a q-gadget he'll do another in disbelief}

The member 'Doctor Chronos' has done the following action : Die Roll

'2D10' : 10, 3

Doc took a long look at the device and then said, "Interesting... I stand corrected. I think this is an empowered gadget but a Type-B. Like Truth it's not going to show up on their radar and those negators won't do anything to it."

Doc handed it back saying, "I've never seen anything like it, I didn't even know Type-B stuff could be made. Did you make this yourself?"

Seeing the implications, Joe looked at Doc sharply.

Armor pockets the device with his off hand, still driving unconcernedly. "Slapped it together at my private lab in California; the real bear was rediscovering this breakthrough." He's rummaged around for the philosopher's stone by now, and passes it back for examination. "Spent a lot of time hitting the books on that one, researching the lost art of alchemy and reverse-engineering a replica. Do you figure it'll set off any detectors?"

Doc looked at the stone closely.

{OOC: Same Deal}

The member 'Doctor Chronos' has done the following action : Die Roll

'2D10' : 2, 8

Doc said, "Um... I think this is a low level type A gadget. It kind of fades into the background... and that's me, knowing what to look for and that I should. Somewhere between very, very doubtful and flatly impossible that it can be detected."

Doc looked very thoughtful and said, "Type A and B. Odd that you, that anyone can go both ways. Quantum and Psi cancel each other out, everyone has to pick one or the other. But in any case your stuff is off the radar. This could be the key for non-detection."

Still driving, Armor casually reaches a palm back for the philosopher's stone. "So we've maybe got one piece of the puzzle -- and I expect our upcoming meet-and-greet will provide a little more. Shouldn't be much longer."

NARRATIVE UPDATE
March 27, 2010 11:30 AM
Lansing, Michigan
Participants: Armor,Southern Cross, Doctor Chronos, Tigerwasp.

All told, the drive from the airport to the address given by Heller is about 20 away in traffic. The location is a renovated Navy academy building, interesting turn in the logic of reality here actually. The parking lot is half empty, some have taken off early for the lunch hour, and finding a spot is easy. Finding a spot not too near some loitering vagrants is difficult. Not quite homeless, the people look more discouraged and apathetic than the average beggar. Armor is able to find one where the nearest person is just over 3 parking spots away.

The lot of you seems way over dressed compared to the local flavor but an armed security guard at the main entrance seems ever vigilant and none of you garner any more than a quick but sizing glance, all of you save Lucy. A few whistles and hoots mixed with a few gasps and “OH MY GOD’s” find you all entering the building where Heller is likely expecting you inside. The retired academy has been sectioned off and now is home to 12 separate offices running businesses ranging from High school tutoring to Security to private investigations.

ON the sign listing the tenants someone has recently posted a poster with a picture of an upright dog walking a crawling human. The satire is labeled with the bold red words ::REGISTER NOW?!"".

All the doors are solid old wood and have aluminum letters declaring what business lies therein. Hellers office is on the third (top floor) next to the elevator.

"Somebody else isn't happy with the Council of Gaia" Southern Cross replied."Let's hope they can offer us some help".

Doc looks around for more of those 'fire alarm' things.