Project Atlas [Inactive]

[Erica]

Outside Colonel Drexler's office, 1255 hours

​

Corporal Tyler put a hand on Xavier’s shoulder, shaking it gently (then firmly, if needed). She held out a bottle of water. “You’re up in five. I figured you might want a chance to get your wits together before going in.” Her smile bordered on kind as she pushed her glasses back into place and returned to her desk.


Almost exactly five minutes later, three people emerged from Drexler’s office: Vivienne Cote, codename “Silhouette”, Paul Rook, a senior Agent, and a man new to Xavier - the same New Jersey man with an ill-fitting suit that the rest of the team had seen in the mess hall. He emerged first, straightening his tie as he left and letting out an obvious sigh of relief. Behind him, Vivienne shot Rook a concerned look. “So what do we call you, anyway?”


“Uh… well, I’ve been thinking about that,” he said. His accent and sudden swagger made him both older and more comical. “What about ‘Tough Guy’?” He flashed Xavier a knowing grin and a nod, clearly proud of the name he had come up with.


Behind him, Vivienne shook her head. Rook kept a straight face - barely. “It suits you,” he said, stepping forward to clap the older man on the shoulder and guide him down the hall. “We need to get suited up and run some drills before tomorrow.”


As Silhouette followed behind them, Tough Guy’s voice could be heard echoing down the hall. “Drills? And what’s wrong with my suit?”


Corporal Tyler didn’t bother hiding her smile as she watched them go. She nodded toward the open door. “He’ll see you now.”

~ * ^ * ~

​

Sergeant Carter's office, approximately 1330 hours

​

The lights in Sergeant Carter's office emitted a soft hum-buzz. That sound, coupled with the occasional flicker of one of the lights and the desk bare of anything but general annoumcements, completed the image of the sergeant's new arrival at the New York facility. The lights amplified Xavier's already sallow complexion. The young man had clearly pushed himself too hard over the last day; the oxygen, juice and powerbars were likely the only thing keeping him conscious. Carter would have preferred to order the man to rest before having this discussion, but ironically time didn't allow for that. So he settled on ordering the young man to sit.


Where to start? He had witnessed Xavier's still expression I'm the wake of Drexler's anger. In fact the only thing that had seemed to trigger a response had been seeing Corporal Tyler called in to explain why she hadn't removed Dolos' cuffs. That hadn't changed Drexler's position on anything, but it gave Carter hope. Maybe getting both of their asses chewed out by the Colonel wouldn't be in vain. As it was, Drexler seemed ready to throw the baby out with the bath water. All because the man had an issue with the decision to form meta-dominant teams. It wasn't the only factor, of course; but it was a large one. Or at least that's how Carter saw it. He was beginning to wonder how many people were setting him up to fail.


Drexler hadn't been pleased with anyone's behavior and had called Snapshot a risk. Then again, weren't they all, when they weren't "normal soldiers", as Drexler had put it? Besides, from his prior work with the Colonel, Carter knew that little pleased Drexler aside from cigars, poker, Jackie Chan movies, and perhaps his wife.


But at the moment, Xavier Thomas was the one that needed addressing, preferably before he passed out cold.


"That was fun," he began, moving to stand behind his desk as he looked at Xavier. "I could spend a half an hour screaming at you about how you #%!%#% up today, but in the interest of your health and the team's success, I'd rather hear from you. Because I just spent some quality time with the Colonel vouching for your motives if not your methods and saying you can be a valuable member of my team." That wasn't all he had said, of course. He had also claimed responsibility for the disasterous morning and getting the team in line, then voiced his concern about activating the team on a mission too soon - again. The last, at least, had not fallen on deaf ears. They had chosen some new recruit who apparently couldn't get hurt to pair with Rook and Silhouette on a surgical strike in Southern Sudan. They didn't have any other missions immediately on deck.


"I would like to trust that spying on teammates and your C.O. isn't your standard practice. I would also like to think that you can trust that we have Dolos under control." He paused a beat and then continued. "Can you work with me, or do I need to have you reassigned?"

 

[Alterius]

Cedric shrugged, either way we all have to make sure we come back alive. Even if it's not drilled into the person, teaching a couple take-downs or holds can only help them by giving them a tools to be used when needed." He reached back into his back pocket and grabbed his gloves pulling them on and adjusting it 'til it was just right.


He looked around at the group anyone interested in learning Tae kwon do, it's actually pretty fun, once you get to flips." He smiled a bit, wondering just who if any out of this group would be interested. He looked to Mark remembering a detail that he had overlooked earlier. He tugged at his shirt "Is there anywhere I can, change and anything I can change into. I didn't realize we'd be training so I didn't bring any clothes."

 

[Mitheral]

Xavier didn’t answer right away, nor did his poker face drop. He maintained that stoic expression used by marines being disciplined, but with an odd calmness. One might have thought he was manipulating time to allow it to pass more swiftly until whatever tirades that were coming were done.


Truth to tell yelling at Xavier did have a negative impact. He ignored the yelling and boiled it all down to the highlights of the ‘conversation’ and allowed for the fact that any questions were generally rhetorical. The Colonel had barely kept his tone to just under a yell. And that had resulted in Xavier’s somewhat dramatic response. He had taken the Colonel precisely at his word. Xavier had no doubt the Colonel thought him borderline insubordinate with that display.


The Sergeant, however, had adopted a very different tactic. It could truly be said that volume did nothing but make one heard at a greater distance. It was the quiet voice that carried power if there was any to be had. And it was the quiet voice that carried a message better if it did.


The Sergeant had that.





“Permission to speak freely sir?” Xavier waited for the nod before he continued. Now he looked the Sergeant directly in the eyes. “That is more than one question. I will answer them as best I can. You will not like all the answers, but please allow me to qualify them.”


“First, do not allow my health to dictate the tone of this meeting. I screwed up plain and simple. I appreciate your speaking up for me. I believe you are correct about my motives.


“No, surveillance and scouting is what I was trained for before coming to the Project. Since I came to the Project it has been more emphasis on tactics and security systems. The only reason I did what I did today was that a man was brought in in handcuffs.


“No sir, I do not believe you have Dolos under control. And you never will without the equivalent of urinalysis that can detect foreign human DNA in his body done on a random basis. The Colonel offered a couple reasons for having him hear - one valid; one not. Keeping him here working for us and not against us? Maybe a valid notion. But not placing him in a Pit where he has access to the DNA of all the worst metahumans? That ranks up there as bad as exposing him to all the best. What’s the difference between here and there? Here is worse. Here he can get the DNA to assume the identities of every last one of us and discredit us - or sell it to the highest bidder. And then we will end up with armies of chronomanipulators and the like.


“No, the only one who can control Dolos is Dolos himself. I do not believe any metahuman - or Normal - should be brought in here so long as handcuffs are seen as a necessity to transport him here. If there was that much fear of escaping, we have no means to use him on missions and keep him here.


“That said, I can only assume that things are truly desperate to justify bringing him here. Also, that said, I will make amends with Dolos. I hope I am wrong about him. There was a time when I would have laughed at the idea of bringing someone like me into this project. Dolos is like an older version of me.


“I am sure he went through psych evals. I would imagine we all have. But psych evals are opinions. My way of doing a background check is a lot more accurate. I don’t make best guess or evaluations. I collect visual evidence. And missions permitting, I offer my services in that regard. I hate guesswork. I guess is the same as I don’t know.


“All that aside I’ll do everything I can to keep the team alive. I believe that answers your last question.”

 

[Pastaa]

Danny wasn't sure what to do in the other training room. Their superiors had told them to learn a technique that most of them didn't know how to do. The only thing she really knew how to do is boxing, and that only incorporates half of what they wanted them to learn.


"I'd like to attempt to learn Tae Kwon Do. I don't really have any training in it, but it'd be nice to at least know the basics," Danny replied to Cedric and walked over to him. She didn't know much about him; he didn't talk to much while they were at lunch. "Let's do a trade off. I am well trained in boxing. If you teach me the basics of Tae Kwon Do, I'll teach you the basics of boxing." She looked over at Ivan and Janice. "You guys can join us if you'd like. We can switch off after we're done so we're still in pairs," Danny suggested.

 

[Erica]

Carter listened with as much patience as he could conjure. He hadn’t heard the Colonel’s conversation with Xavier before he had entered the room, so he was forced to attempt to put together what Xavier was getting at with half the information. They had obviously discussed the danger of putting Dolos in a pit. But Xavier didn’t seem to get part of the equation. Then again, maybe he wouldn’t care that Project Atlas was about giving people second chances. Based upon his defense of his actions, categorical condemnation of the evaluations they put candidates through, and his “offer” to help, he seemed to see things in concrete terms. He also seemed to assume that everyone other than him was an idiot or incompetent. Granted, he didn’t know all the security measures the Project deployed; many of them were classified.


Worse yet, he was right about there being more risk than was needed in having Dolos here. But they had to work with the man. Or at least Carter did. Whether Xavier would remained in question.


When Xavier finished, Carter shook his head minutely. He had to start with the basic question he had asked last - and the only one he needed a concrete answer on to make a preliminary decision. “Actually, it doesn’t. You answered whether you can work with the team, and spent some time justifying your actions today. That leads me to believe you’d do it again, even if your help is not requested - or even specifically declined.


“My question - and it is only one question - is this: can you work under - and follow - my command?” To him, following orders was implied in that statement. But before he articulated that, he needed to be direct and concise with Xavier; maybe approaching the core of the issue in smaller chunks would help him process the real question.

 

[Mitheral]

Xavier grimaced and in mid blink the Sergeant stopped moving. The Sergeant was right. He did have an issue with taking orders - unless they had already been given in advance. Quite simply put he was impatient. And that was going to be the hardest thing to overcome in working with a team - waiting for commands to come - especially when they were typically so obvious.


Well he had a couple days to work out some kinks - establishing some blanket protocols. And for now it was going to do no good to give much other than a simple yes or no answer here. What was it about the military mindset that they couldn’t process a complex response? Xavier sighed.


A yes sir was what Carter wanted. It wouldn’t matter if the Sarge believed him or not. It was the answer he could process and proceed from there. It would be the one chance Xavier would be given. Xavier grinned. He would do much the same in the sergeant’s position. Go to bat for the guy who had made a mistake. Then bring down holy retribution if the man made a liar out of you.


The sergeant’s eye completed its blink. “The simple answer is Yes sir. I don’t like blanket answers. So long as the orders are reasonable, yes. I realize some won’t sit well. I’d have issues with standing by and watching one of the team get their brains blown out.


“I’ll put it another way. When the answer becomes No sir, I will tell you. And that will not occur while on a mission. It will come as my resignation afterwards.”

 

[Pattycakes]

Mark nodded at the progress. While there was a few skeptical of wasting their time, Mark knew it was a step in the right direction. "Typically, these simulation rooms use holo projetions for walls, buildings, etc with either staff, including soldiers/metas or mechs or even robots. I know New York prefers to use staff, but I have no idea what Carter will want to pit us against. Usually it's pretty violent and almost always devolves down into basic hand-on-hand combat particularly when facing other metas. It's why I want us to focus on hand-on-hand combat to start. Even if you're not going to be an expert overnight, it's better than having no experience in hand-on-hand. For some of us, it's been awhile since we had some practice against real opponents."





Taking a moment to crack his knuckles and loosen his shoulders, he looked over to Janice. "Looks like Danny already has a partner. Care to go a few rounds? Don't worry, I'll go easy on a drunk."

 

[sharlene79]

Janice made a wry expression. “I’ll need to know your skill rating so I don’t hurt you or push you too far. And I’ll have to be especially careful while drunk. I’m still sporting a few injuries from a few months ago. I’m a quick healer, but … well .. I had a bad day. So I should be a little careful. No point in aggravating anything.


“Before we start though, how is your power going to interact with mine? If you can control what you do, we should probably avoid having it affect me. Although I’d be curious to try it out once my wounds finish healing. Just a few bullet wounds, cracked ribs, some deep bruising, seared lungs. Oh and they tried to burn my tail. Cheeky bastards. And oh Gawd do I really hate tasers. I swear, what sort of people storm a room filled with explosives with tear gas, pullets and tasers. I mean of course I was yelling and screaming. The tear gas hurt. But I was also half mummified from the first beating I got. I tried to show them my phone. They thought I was trying to remote detonate the explosives.


“Really bad day. But I guess I can see their point. I’ve had a few months of healing though. So I should be okay. You know I used to tell that story of the Lion King for the kids. We couldn’t get it in the native language. Father Matthew and the others did a lot of the parts, but I did the singing. And the kids always seemed to love when I played that baboon. There’s this scene where the baboon does some martial arts and they would lose it every time I did the part.”


Janice had risen to her legs and waddled over to take a combat stance. She really didn’t know any equals save for Master Pu. So if she was about to meet her match, she was more than a little interested. Pu had pretty much taught her all he could. Short of a trip to Tibet - and she really hated the cold - she wasn’t likely to learn much here.

 

[Alterius]

Cedric nodded at Danny's suggestion the corners of his mouth turning up in a smile. "Alright seems I have a pupil, but still need some clothes." He sighed deciding to make this easier on himself he simply walked over to the mats and sat on that edge unbuttoning his vest, then his shirt. He slid them off revealing the tattoo on his shoulder and letting his six -pack show. he was more toned than built and got to work on his shoes. He had those off quick enough and stood up walking to the middle of the mat with his hands in his pockets. "Ready when you are." Cedric had been listening in on Janice's story and grinned a little bit. She was very humorous, even if she was just drunk.

 

[Erica]

Carter nearly braced himself for the stoic and single “Yes, Sir” answer. If Xavier’s answer came in that form, he would know they were going to have an issue. Instead, the young Agent across from him provided caveats. It was reassuring that the answer wasn’t just lip service. “Fair enough.”


His posture relaxed from rigid to impeccably straight and his tone remained casual and even. “A few points of clarification. One, I wouldn’t expect you to stand by when a teammate is in direct mortal danger. But I do expect you to wait long enough to get the big picture before spying on your teammates. There is a difference there, and painting both scenarios with the same brush is inflammatory.


“Two, I understand your concern about Dolos collecting meta DNA. I do not want you to think I am dismissing it. But your statement about armies of chronomanipulators is also inflammatory. Not that it isn’t theoretically possible - one day - but that tech doesn’t exist. At least not yet. It would be a far different world if it did. And even if they could harvest the DNA from him, it might not be usable. He doesn’t take on any abilities when he changes form; just outward appearance. Which supports all the research to date that whatever it is that causes metahuman abilities, it’s more than just genomes. So… yes, we are taking precautions with him. And no, I can’t share the details with you except the one Dolos voluntarily undertook: he’s wearing gloves to avoid absorbing the team’s DNA.


"It’s not a full body condom,” he said with a small smile before continuing, “But it’s a start.


“Finally, I don’t need a mindless soldier, and that’s not what I’m asking for. I need you to work with me and the others.” He motioned to the door and waited for Xavier to join him. “The first exercise is already underway: the rest of the team is figuring out how best to pair abilities and what weapons, if any, are suited for the group. You should get some rest this afternoon, but first, stop by the training center with me and put that mind to helping the others. You may see something they’re missing. Or maybe they even have something to teach you.”


Xavier’s file said he was a glutton for knowledge, absorbing it in any way he could - but rarely through an actual class or teacher. Would he be able to recognize and accept a chance to learn from other people that wasn’t strictly skill-based, like pistol training? Was he even wired that way? If not, it might be that a team wasn’t the best way to deploy him. It was one of the factors Carter had to consider.


For the moment, though, he wanted to get back to the training center and check on the group's progress.

~ * ^ * ~

​

The training center was quieter than he expected, but it looked like some people were pairing up to practice hand-to-hand combat. He entered quietly with Xavier, stepping to the side to observe as discreetly as he could. Unfortunately, his presence would probably interfere with whichever dynamics were in play. Schrodinger, indeed.

 

[Mitheral]

The very subject of whether he ought to be deployed on a team had been running through Xavier’s mind for more than a single day. He had seen it as a colossal waste of his abilities. He had always been a loner. Oh he could work with people. He just didn’t like to. He didn’t like to depend on others.


But all that was moot now. He had given the Sergeant his word. It was really that simple. As much as he found the task distasteful he now turned his focus on figuring out how best to go about this - especially in light of his rather questionable start. First impressions. He had never had one of those First Days of School. But he somehow imagined that this much be what it would have been like. Get picked on. Pick a fight. get called into the Dean’s office. Yeah, he could see the similarities.


At first he sat on the sidelines, still weary from his exertions. He hadn’t just appeared out of nowhere. Instead he had trudged in behind the Sergeant. The others were already busy pairing off and sparring. He gave a mental groan. He had been here training for a year and a half. He was, frankly, sick of training. But he gave no indication of this.


It wasn’t long before he pulled out his cellphone, a Blackberry 9700, given to him back in 2009. He had finally begun to get used to the various features of the phone. Taking pics had been the first priority. Then, when his foster mother embarrassed him by asking him to SEND one, he promptly asked how. He hadn’t even known where the pictures he had taken were at.


He had been about to make a folder and start making notes on his team mates when it dawned on him that the files might be hacked. He had no idea how - just that it might be possible. So he thought better of the idea and vanished to reappear with a small notepad. Then he sat once more and began writing at blinding speed as he created ‘files’ for each member of the team. He made a series of notes about observations regarding powers. Then he made a separate section for combat training. he began timing everything: blows per minute, footsteps, breathing. He made notes about strengths and weaknesses visible in combat - though he didn’t nitpick. He stuck to generalizations.


Janice - even drunk - was a talent well beyond him. He decided she would make a good trainer right off the bat, even though he was more versed in Karate and Kempo as far as named disciplines went. While with his powers in use she’d be no match, he’d only be able to handle her with a ranged weapon. And even then he’d better not delay. He decided to skip his analysis of her as that was going to take a lot of study.


Ivan? Zip for training. Blank slate. Strengths? Teamwork. Ninjitsu would be the ideal style to teach him. And that was essentially a variation of karate. With his ability to work as his own team he could use much the same techniques used to take down the Samurai back when Japan was industrializing.


Dryad. He recalled the dummies she had crushed with the vines. How fast could she generate vines in feet per second? How hard could they crush? Could they lift objects? If so how much? What he liked most about her power was that it was organic.


Cedric. Xavier still didn’t have a good handle in his power. It wasn’t as visible as most. But the effects were certainly dramatic. The question Xavier had was one of focus. Could the man focus his ability on a small object - like the weapon a man was holding or a lock (rather than a whole door). And how often could he generate blasts? Would he be overwhelmed by a group of thugs? Probably not just based on the man’s clear skills. But could he handle such a situation faster with his blasts - or would that be too draining?


Mark. Would his ability protect him from a ranged metahuman assault - like a fireball tossed at him? Or Dryad’s vines? The man was pretty much a one trick pony. His limitations would make him one of the more vulnerable members, along with Janice. His strength was that he was one hell of a shootist. He didn’t rely on his powers in a fight. The trick in captures would be to get him close to whatever metahuman they were after.


Dolos. Xavier saved his analysis for last. The man seemed to fall into the same category as Mark and Janice for combat purposes. Fair enough. Com men don’t look for fights. They avoid them. That didn’t mean the man would lack an ability to attack. But usually such men concentrated on defense or disabling.


Xavier sighed at last and put away the notebook. It was time to mend some fences. He stood up and walked over closer to where the rest were practicing.

 

[Azseth]

A few of the others--team members--not others, he corrected himself mentally, paired up and begin to have at it. Never really one to seek attention, he simply went about practicing form study. He first moved in some wide, slow movements; wide circles with his arms, adjusting foot position and direction. These were meant to relax him but also get his blood flowing and muscles working. He'd been a practitioner of Judo for several centuries now and also integrated a few pieces of other forms he'd studied, so while this wasn't necessary, it was ritual.


It wasn't common for him to get to apply the training he had, but he tried to when the opportunity presented itself. He'd practice at dojos, gyms, and studios. He'd even engaged in fights before, times when he could have easily deescalated the situation or simply walked away but instead he'd opt to let the situation resort to violence. He'd even recently began entering local tournaments and those were fun, met with a great deal of success. On top of keeping his skill sharp, and giving him real world testing, it simply was exhilarating.


He drew himself inward, took a deep breath and then went into a series of the most basic strikes, ending each with a sharp and concise exhale, almost sounding like a HSSST. Movements were slow and measured initially, then began to pick up in speed slightly.


When Xavier and Carter came back, he simply looked their way and nodded in the middle of a three strike combination. Most of these movements were basic and not impressive, but he'd been taught that if you do simple things and do them well, they are more effective than complex actions. Couple that with the fact that several simple movements could be made into a complex one, he had those tools at his disposal.


Where Dolos was exceptionally dangerous however is when getting a grasp on someone. His Judo skills were unparalleled, and this form focused on small joint manipulation and the ability to use an attackers force against them and use it to generate your own force. Over the last 15 years, he'd been honing his jui-jitsu skills and striking to compliment the Judo.


But the thing that made him into a deadly fighter is that he knew he wasn't a great fighter. That knowledge led him to push himself, always develop himself further and it forced him to learn to focus. Being able to detect things would allow you to beat a better fighter, especially if that other fighter already knew they would win. "I fear not the man who practiced 1,000 kicks. I fear the man who has practiced one kick 1,000 times." Fighting was sometimes something like a math equation in that if you throw one punch, you can focus on the ways it can be countered and work to counter those. If you learn 2 punches, you now have to focus on the ways both can be countered, and then be able to react to and counter those counters. And the more learn, the more you HAVE to learn to be successful.


He continued moving by himself, slowly, focusing on the movements and reacting differently as he mentally went through attacks, counters and counters of counters that he saw in his mind.

 

[Mitheral]

Xavier kept his poker face on as he watched the rest of the team practicing. Whatever thoughts were running through his mind he gave no evidence of. Then after a few minutes he busted up laughing as he looked back and forth at all of the team. It wasn’t a smirk. Something about the practice session had found its way to his funny bone.


He had to fight back the smile. But he hummed a little. It was the tune to “Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting. He chuckled again. Then he forced the laugh down as he approached Dolos. There he waited patiently until the man came to the end of a routine.


Once Dolos had finally stopped, he spoke. “You and I got off to a bad start. I’ve been told I have trust issues. I never thought so before. But I suppose they are right. I have my reasons though. And I still haven’t changed my mind about this. But I have given my word on a matter. If you would, please remove your right glove.”


With that Xavier stuck his hand out to shake with Dolos. Before Dolos could even respond Xavier half snatched his hand back, gritted his teeth and forced himself to stick it back out again. “I am going to trust you. I hope you don’t make me regret it. But welcome to the Project. Xavier Thomas or Snapshot.” A faint smile that was a half smirk. “Also known as the High and Mighty Butthead. Beats being a pickle. You owe the Corporal an apology.”

 

[Erica]

Carter stood near the door of the training room watching the group interact: or not. A few people had paired off to train; others watched. Most didn’t talk to each other. Unsurprisingly, there would be no instantaneous unified team. His past teams had been smaller with individual experience in joint ops. They knew how to be professional if not cordial. Here, he had been handed a group - largely comprised of civilians - who didn’t know what they were getting into, never mind how to handle what was likely to get thrown at them. And he was expected to form an effective team in practically no time.


He could feel a headache forming behind his eyes.


At least Thomas was attempting to bridge the gap with Dolos, albeit in his own, socially awkward, way. The sergeant didn’t eavesdrop, not exactly, but he did keep an eye on the shapeshifter’s response. Dolos seemed to be on board. With that fire out, maybe they could concentrate on figuring out how to walk in step before they faced a real threat.


He watched Vanburen spar with Lady Jane. It was tempting to say they were evenly matched, but that wasn’t the case. Their styles were so different that their fight was half brutality, half comedy. It made an interesting allegory for the team’s current state. Vanburen remained tightly wound about Snapshot’s behavior: or at least he assumed so from the man’s earlier email. When they finished a series of strikes (some of them balls thrown at Vanburen - which was hard not to chuckle at), Carter motioned for Vanburen to join him as he called out to the group, “Training is good. Planning is better. What if you face a larger opponent? Something that will require more than one of you to take down? Who can play off each other? Who will get in each other’s way?”


He pointed at the jungle-gym like apparatus in the corner. “The monkey bars there are a T-Rex.” He grinned as he saw at least one pair of rolled eyes. “You know, gigantic dinosaur, tiny little arms, scavenger with a mean attitude? Follow along people…” He cracked a small grin as he continued. “What would you do? Could Dryad tangle his legs long enough for Pulse to get in an effective blast, or would that only get her - literally - underfoot? Should Lady Jane try to get atop the beast and blind him, or is she better using that punishing arm of hers from a distance? Would you need Professor Schrodinger or Chameleon to act as multiple forms of distraction to drive him away from your precious C.O. while you got the larger ammunition ready?


“How are you going to keep each other from dying?


He looked at Ivan, then Snapshot. “Maybe at least one of you would stop to consider that it’s important to figure out how the hell a T-Rex got in here in the first place, and how to prevent the next one from coming? Think people. Your powers are only as useful as your application of them. I’ll give you instructions in the field, but I need you to manage not to trip over each other when I do.


When the expected blank stares came, he pointed back to the obstacle course equipment. “What are you waiting for? Figure out how to bring that prehistoric bastard down!” A trace of his grin had returned, but his posture declared he would wait until they started moving. Then in a softer tone, he spoke to Mark before the other man started to follow the instinct he had shown so far and attempt to lead the others. “Vanburen, with me.” He led him back toward the door to speak out of earshot but stayed in the room to watch how the others would behave.

 

[Mitheral]

Xavier looked over from where he had been trying to make amends with Dolos and listened to the Sergeant’s scenario, subsequent questions and orders. He sighed internally. Not much of a challenge for him personally, but he understood Carter’s point. Teamwork. This wasn’t going to be a one man operation. Besides what if it wasn’t the last T-Rex. Sure he could handle one little T-Rex. But what if the T-Rex had buddies - really hungry buddies. A short fight wasn’t a problem. But what if the dinosaurs were coming through some rip in space time? Fights like this required firepower and took a lot more out of him than he liked to admit.


He looked over the remaining team. In terms of time at the Project, he was literally next in command - until Carter made a clear change to that. However his age was an issue. And he had made a mess of things so far. So … maybe a more passive role here.


He had already worked out the tactics. That much was simple. Immobilize and neutralize. So much depended on the gear they had on hand. If it were just him he’d toss a wooly pete grenade in the thing’s mouth. Problem solved. Or a few frag grenades. But again Carter had suggested there might be others, so efficiency was in order. Household chemicals would provide all the means to create the same effects.


No, more efficient than that. Conserve his own energy and O2 resources for later. use the team resources. Dryad could handle the critter too if her vines were strong enough. That was a matter of timing. She’d have to grow her vines long enough, then catch it while its legs were closing together and constrict before it could separate them again. To get position she would need a diversion.


Diversion? Janice ran too slow. She was best held in reserve. Cedric? Hmm, maybe. Even better were the Ivan’s. Xavier absent mindedly wondered how many Ivan’s it would take to satisfy the T Rex’s appetite. The problem was that a T-Rex could top out at about 40 mph. Actually he made the best decoy of them all. Better to hold everyone slower in reserve until the feet were immobilized.





“Ideas anyone?” he asked. “Personally I think this would be a lot more fun if we had a real T Rex - or at least a reasonable facsimile - at least something that moved like one.”

 

[Pattycakes]

Vanburen bent over as the spar ended. Janice certainly knew how to spare. He wasn't sure who had won the match, but if it goal was to make Vanburen break a sweat, Janice had certainly succeeded in doing that. “I'm terrified to see you fighting sober,” Vanburen said to Janice with a smile. If she fought as good as that drunk, she would be excellent in the field sober.


It relieved some of his fears. Previously, he had been worried about their team's ability in the field. However, if Janice could surprise him with her skills it made him confident that the rest of the team would have some surprises of their own.


He noted around the room that some persons had paired off, however, some were still standing around. Oddly enough, Mark noted that Xavier was in fact talking to Dolos. Someone had gotten spoken to, probably loudly. He laughed at Carter's T-Trex scenario. While he couldn't fault Carter for trying, the rest of the team wasn't going to really put full effort behind their work until there was a real T-Rex to fight. The civilians either weren't imaginative enough or didn't care enough yet. Mark thought he'd have to rally them to take it seriously.


Of course, that is when Carter decided to call Mark to his side. Nodding to the rest of the team to begin work, Mark stepped way from the monkey bar T-Rex of doom and followed Carter towards the door. “You needed to speak with me, sir?”

 

[sharlene79]

Janice did her best not to show the pain she was feeling. She was a quick healer, but three for the sort of wounds she had picked up was still a little soon for this sort of punishment. And, being slightly intoxicated, she hadn’t wanted to take a chance on hurting Vanburen - either of the three of him. She smiled at that thought. That close she wasn’t having so much trouble with multiple vision. But it was true she had held back and fought more defensively.


She had managed to break a sweat herself. Her legs ached from deep bruising. Her lungs ached from the cracked ribs. She honestly hoped she hadn’t cracked one again. But she guessed not.





“I’m terrified to see me fighting sober too.” She grinned impishly. “So bring me more of those tasty leeetle bottles. You know, Churchill did some of his best work totally schnockered.”


And then the Sarge called Vanburen out of the room. Janice snuck a peek at Xavier. But she sense no signs of gloating. No anger. No, his mind seemed to be on the exercise. She could practically smell the gears churning. Then he asked for ideas. She got the distinct impression that he already had his own answers. But he was, in his own way, trying to get the group to participate.





“Aren’t the monkey bars a little tiny for a T-Rex? And I’m not so sure we have the same definition of fun. But we better figure out something fast, ‘cause I don’t run so well.” She frowned. “I’d say figure out a way to slow him down, but at his mass I’m not so sure how. He’s bigger than pretty much any land animal today.”

 

[Mitheral]

Xavier shook his head. “Actually he isn’t. A typical adult T Rex had about the same mass as an elephant - or about 7.5 tons. They could be up to about 40 feet in length or about 13 feet at the hips. You you had the right idea. The Sarge’s orders were to figure out HOW. I don’t think he wanted us to destroy the monkey bars.


“Now then, you said you don’t run fast - slow him down. Not as hard as you might think really. Break him down into a logical problem. Use the martial arts approach. You have a huge opponent after you who is faster and stronger. How do you survive? Slow him down. Tripping him is a temporary solution. Binding his feet is a little bit better. Dryad could handle that if she timed it right. But I like another solution.


“Shoot a kneecap out. He only has two legs. Cripple one and he’s immobilized. His legs aren’t as tough as an elephant’s. Any heavy caliber round should do it. And if you want to be real sure about a single shot blowing out his knee, use a dum dum.”


“Get someone fast like me to run decoy. Someone else can do the other part. And if we want to kill him, we go for his brain through the eyes.”


"But let’s go for a better challenge. No weapons on hand. That means we can’t shoot the knee caps. What now? Now we use his mass against him. The T-Rex was a very clumsy runner. There are two schools of thought. One says he had a very slow turn rate. The other says he could only turn fast if he leaned back and brought his arms in close like a skater. This means we can almost double back on him. Using this and some rope or vine traps we could snare his feet. Then we could wrap his legs until he is immobile. This doesn’t even need our powers.


“How about Sarge’s other question - about how the T Rex got here to begin with. Thoughts?”

 

[Pastaa]

Danny thought about the situation for a moment. It would take a lot of energy for her to shoot vines thick enough to wrap the metaphorical T-Rex's legs up. However, binding just one leg wouldn't be as hard. If he was already on the ground, then it would be easier to wrap the vines around him. "I'm not sure I would be able to wrap all of his legs. But maybe if we were able to trip him or distract him before hand, then it would be easier. Maybe if I just bound one of his legs and tripped him. Then someone could have ropes and we could tie him up. The only issue would be if it would be strong enough to hold him. Cables might be better.


"The T-Rex could have gotten in anywhere. If there were any holes in the walls then I would've immediately suggested that he just stomped in here. Maybe he's not a T-Rex at all. Perhaps it's just an illusion. A mentalist might have put us all under a hypnotic spell to make us think that there was a dinosaur. It could be a metahuman with a power to change into animals. He or she might have walked through the door and then transformed into a T-Rex.


"Here's another question: how is the dinosaur even alive even though they are extinct?"

 

[Erica]

Carter watched the others as he spoke casually to Vanburen. "I got your email. Snapshot also mentioned you had a word with him." In fact, Thomas had implied that Vanburen had chewed him out. Carter didn't say that specifically, but the brief pause may have implied it.


Dolos claimed to be on board. Snapshot had given his word to defend and work with the team. Yet that might not be enough. Egos took time to settle out, especially after such a rough start. Attempting to accelerate that process could backfire, but leaving it unaddressed could be worse. Another thin line to walk with little more than profiles as reference.


He looked to Metahunter-turned-Marksman. "I've addressed the breach of protocol and gotten him on board with the team." He intentionally left out a sizable amount of information for a myriad of reasons. "Is there another issue that needs addressing?" Vanburen had demonstrated his intention to serve as second in command and a team leader. While Carter remained uncertain how he felt about that, the fact remained he wanted to hear Vanburen's opinion. It would tell him much about both men on his team.


Meanwhile, the specific challenge had some of the team talking and strategizing. It was a start.

 

[Alterius]

Cedric shrugged walking over to the group. "Well as far as having enough force to blow out the lizard's knee, say we have Danny wrap even one leg up slowing him down for a moment I could run up and send a pulse into its knee. If I could get high enough, or I could shatter its shin."


Cedric had immediately thought of the leg binding and blasting idea apparantly at the same time as everyone else. "Or going with the idea that it's a meta that's turned into a dinosuar, me and Lady Jane can provide enough of a distraction to give Vanburen time to get close and nullify the power."


Cedric shrugged again knowing that the idea was a long shot but would work in theory. He then looked around. "Maybe Ivan and his dopplegangers could help, especially given a T-rex's low intelligence mybe we could trip it up."


(So sorry for late responses, but the weather has wreaked havoc on my internet, and some other tech.)


Sent from my Z768G using Tapatalk 2

 

[Pattycakes]

Mark paid close attention to Carter's word choice and phrasing. It was no secret between them that Mark had chewed out Xavier. In fact, Mark had told Carter personally. The important thing now was to move on. While Mark still had his reservations on how productive Carter's conversation with Xavier was, Carter had said the issue had been dealt with. Mark wasn't surprised by the lack of elaboration. Carter was not going to explain the details; he was holding the cards close to his chest.


Mark replied, "My email was based on the events of the past day with Xavier. I had a few ideas on how to bring him back around. If you say the problem has been handled though, there's nothing for us to discuss about Xavier's conduct or my ideas. I trust you, sir." The last line was a good touch, Mark thought. It was important to make sure Carter understood that Mark did take him at his word. Questioning the validity of what had been said to Xavier would only serve to show that Mark had no trust in Carter or his methods. He paused for a moment, working through inhibitions in his mind for the next part of his piece.


Grudgingly, he slowly stated, "However, my conduct with Xavier may have strained the professional relationship between him and myself. I am not one for apologizes, but I understand the need for one if it will allow the team to move forward as a whole. Please understand, sir, I was only trying to address the problem and not further fragment the team. As such, I can only confess the disappointment with myself and say that such conduct from myself will not be commonplace."


He nodded with respect to Carter. He had said his piece and placed the hilt of his sword in Carter's hand. How would Carter respond? Would he sever his head, have him fall on the sword, or take the blade himself? Mark knew that while the conversation appeared casual this would likely setup the level of trust between them for a long period. Mark, for one, wanted to out his best foot forward.


Was Carter the man Mark thought he was? The cards had been dealt, bets placed, and river revealed. Time to find out.

 

[Mitheral]

Xavier smirked. “Well, if a meta is dumb enough to run around in public looking like a T Rex, he should expect to be treated like one. Having his kneecap blown would be better than being dead. I DO however like the idea of sending Vanburen in. But given the mass of a T-rex, I wonder how long the reversal of the power would take.


“As to HOW a real T-Rex could get here, I am sure people would blame it on me. Time Traveller? I really could go back. Bringing one forward? Well, I couldn’t bring him forward to THIS casement - or timestream. The T-Rex was one of the smartest dinosaurs that lived, second only to therapods like the velociraptor. He had a very large brain to size ratio compared to other dinosaurs. No, I’m not an expert here. But I have been researching them for a possible trip someday. Of course, I am finding out that they were so complicated that I might be better off making a trip back, making a recording and doing my research based off that. I did go back and visit the Ice Age when I was at La Brea. But I didn’t have a DVR back then.


“The other way I thought of for getting a real T Rex here was genetics. They’ve been doing some really … dangerous stuff … in that area.” His voice became a little hesitant. “I’ve been trying to catch up on over 30 years of technology. Back when I was born we didn’t even know what DNA was. Now they got THIS stuff…”


Xavier flipped out his Blackberry 9700, already become antiquated in the 5 years since it had been introduced back in 2009. He fiddled for a few moments before he found the link again. Then he flipped the screen around to show the others. "Check out the squirrel."


(OOC: The Link and another he'll show. The latter is REAL. Both are the FIRST links you get if you plug in human gene splicing into Yahoo and Google respectively.)

 

[sharlene79]

Who would have thought of a T-Rex as smart. The very fact that Xavier knew something like that off hand was a little surprising. Then he started showing off the websites and she had to wonder how much of what he knew was fact.


Janice looked at the picture. Her lips started to curl up into a smile which she fought hard to suppress. The look in Xavier’s eyes said he wasn’t kidding. He he been keeping his mask in place she might have thought otherwise. She looked back down at the picture of the squirrel. It looked pretty damned real. But it had to be photoshopped.





“Yeah, that’s … uhm … that’s … He looks kinda cute. I guess they could have done a Jurassic Park thing. I heard the movies were awesome. Did you get to see much at LaBrea?” She had no idea where that was. Then it hit her about what he had said about catching up on 30 years of technology. “You DO know … that … this is probably photoshopped?”

 

[Erica]

Carter’s gaze lingered on the other team members as Vanburen detailed the reason for the email - the reason they both already knew full well - and confirmed that he would follow his sergeant’s lead. The statement of trust could be interpreted multiple ways. But given that Mark had not come across as a brownnoser, he could at least hope it was a signal that the man was willing to follow. It caused Carter to look at the other man, though, just in time to see the hesitation in his stance and demeanor before he continued.


The admission that he might have handled the situation with Snapshot better was admittedly surprising. Carter had witnessed Xavier pushing the Colonel’s buttons by sticking to facts and refusing to budge - and in some ways, missing the point, although it was hard to tell if that was intentional or not at this juncture. On the other hand, he had also spoken reasonably when given the chance. Carter imagined Xavier had managed to push Vanburen’s buttons in some respect, and frankly, a few people yelling at him might help drill home the fact that he had been out of line in action if not in intent.


Communication was probably this team’s greatest weakness at the moment. Paradoxically, it was also the one area where the sergeant himself was supposed to excel. Yet being able to speak to - and drown out - other people’s minds did not equate to persuasion. That was the same as assuming that arguments are won by whoever yelled the loudest.


Vanburen’s deference and offer did not go unnoticed. Vanburen was taking this seriously, which boded well in many ways. Yet Carter wasn’t the sort to need to focus on an admitted error, especially one that caused little damage. He found a reasoned voice carried more weight. Hence, he gave a slight nod in recognition before speaking with the same casual tone. “I hope to God much about today will not be commonplace. We’re forging new ground, and there will be hiccups. It’s inevitable.


“I won’t tell you how to handle your conversation with Thomas. You are both grown men. But I do expect you two to be able to work together. That’s what I need: a functioning team. And I know you see the need for it as clearly as I do.” He nodded again, avoiding echoing the words “I trust you” but strongly implying them. “He needs sleep if he’s going to be of any use, though, so sooner may be better. Given how far he has pushed himself today, I suspect he will have difficulty waking soon for anything short of an apocalypse once I order him dismissed for some rest.”


He looked at the others, smirking slightly as he heard talk of illusions and blowing kneecaps. “We’ll be discussing hypothetical scenarios for a while. Tomorrow we’ll run one, but first we have to start thinking as a team.” He waited a moment to see if Vanburen would have anything else to add or ask of him. While he felt he had spent too much of the day solving interpersonal challenges, he largely blamed himself for that. More importantly, he did not want to be the cause of any new ones.