Session 12: City of Dreams

The tech heads for the digitization room are requesting our group's help at the Observatory as soon as reasonably possible. Dr. Wells meets us at the airport.

"Dr. Wells we have a lot to talk about debriefing in 15. We need to have a good story. This is one time I would not mind having Mr. Argo for a spin doctor."
Ceffer comment irately.

"Looks like we have a few more impromptu vigilantes." Pearl gestures to a couple of flying bricks that get easily brushed aside by the 'aliens'. She frowns and takes more notes on her tablet, mumbling to herself. "That makes three more countries we didn't know had supers before today..."

Tony just stares at the giant screen as one of the ships locks a tractor beam onto a local cow and pulls it in.

Ember leans closer to the screen. "Holy cow, they just abducted something."

Pearl nods absently, still making notes. "Yeah, they've been doing that."

Ceffer walks in and glares at the television monitor . "I'm getting really really tired of these people. Don't they have better things to do than cause Mischief for the general populace. Well it looks like things are finally going to get interesting now."

"Hello Ceffer." Pearl is running an analysis of all the targeted locations and the times they were attacked. "They've been working their way east around the world, starting at the Bos-Wash and hitting every culturally and historically relevant man made land marks they come across."

"I bet it's those jerks that attacked Latona," Ember says firmly.

Pearl frowns at her. "Have you ever seen a super, or even thirty supers able to do all this?" She briefly gestures to the array of screens that are depicting the damage.

"You could do everything they're doing there with the right kind of supers."

"Mer, even you've got to admit the possibility of aliens." Pearl continues with her analysis. "Those things you chatted with after you met little Oliver, for example. I didn't want to believe it at first either, but since y'all chased off my boss and I had to take his place, I've been learning a lot of things I didn't want to believe at first."

"I don't know what to make of all this yet. Experience says, 'Superpowers turn off when an attack begins,' but the news seems to show that's not the case."

Tony paces a little and adds another thought.

"Superpowers are stronger outside of Wells Hills, but what if it is that they just weaker here. I suspect a large, concentrated group of mega level supers using their powers all at once can cause such a blackout, but then... "

Tony starts trying to run some numbers in his head at super-speed, mumbling out an occasional equation coefficient.

"Heh, those aren't Aliens. It would appear something or someone is able to drain the local aetheric field enough to where most of you supers are unable to work your magic. I suspect that while draining the field it can either redirect it or use itself based on the fact these ships appear to be amped up versions of the basic 'Dream' illusion. if you could look at the satellite logs over 26.4162° N, 20.6628° E about an hour ago you might find something interesting."
Ceffer gestures to the computers.

A result appears on one of the screens Pearl was just at. It's a list of landmarks with percentages beside it. Pearl hurries over, and smiles briefly. "I've got to go make a few calls." She shrinks into a cat and darts out of the room faster than had she only used her human legs.

Ember examines the list. "Looks like Pearl was trying to figure out where they, whoever or whatever they are, are going to hit next." She pulls up Ceffer's coordinates on a new screen and enters in the time...

Tony finishes his calculations.

"... then, they would need to have at least 5000 supers, each as powerful as the most powerful super in Wells Hills. Under those conditions, each one of them would only be getting a drop of energy to do anything, and there would still be a little power left over... What am I missing?!"

"The basis of Super powers."
Ceffer replies gently.
"I assume that your guessing. Just because you are powerful does not mean that you draw a lot of aetheric power. Also you assume that it is a machine. Crap!!! This really bad! That kid needs to be protected."

"How many calculations a second does your brain accomplish. Not to mention your peripheral nervous system. Also try considering the micro manipulations in your genetics. Your talking about a system that better than virtually every quantum computer. Then you have to consider the limitations of machine to human interfaces. 4S would have to make several breakthoughs in the technology for it to work. Not limited to tuning it to the right power. It is more likely that they have or created a super that can manipulate aetheric energy. Also your scenario gives me nightmares because it would mean they could amplify all their supers to that level and we really do not want to be facing any one of theirs amplified on that scale."
Ceffer Exposits.

"It may be a little late for that," Ember gestures at the big screen, where aliens are starting their attack on the Great Wall of China.

Pearl returns, grows to human form, and takes in the scene on the screens. "Hmm... They must have decided to skip Hawaii." She turns to Ceffer. "I think this'll be their last attack. They've been proceeding eastward from the US, hitting a man-made monument in every sizable country. After the pyramids, they started getting progressively faster in their attacks, which leads me to believe that they've got some sort of schedule to keep and they didn't make it, and weren't aware of it until then. I just sent word out to evacuate every major landmark from here to China. Now lets just hope our alien terrorists aren't just targeting the most populated thing in town."