Beacon Facility [SOS Adjunct Location]

[Containment]

Novak's statement was really the first to get a reaction from Lev, as she quirked her head ever so slightly to the left like she was listening for something. The monarch butterfly in her hair flapped uneasily, while the Apollo - and both her bodyguards - sat unnaturally still. Her eyes didn't quite close, but she did blink slowly as Queenie just confirmed what he'd already said. There wasn't a bomb. There definitely had never been.

Hm.

She should really have checked to see if there was really a miniature explosive present in her body, but between Castor's influence, the now instinctive sense of self-preservation that came with the title of Leviathan, and her own reluctance to leave to begin with, she'd not even bothered to check. Now, though, it seemed obvious.

She wouldn't give Novak the satisfaction of acknowledgment of her mistake, however. She didn't even glance at him as he pointed to her, and relaxed the tilt of her head as she adjusted her glasses. The truth had helped compound the lie into a tightening sense of mistrust of him, specifically, and made her glad she'd still refused his presence at the interrogation of... no. While they interrogated that anomaly. Words were important, now. And two questions had been asked that hadn't yet been addressed.

"I have to agree with Recurrent," she stated, regarding communications. Though likely not for the same reasons. "Greta has been in poor shape since the Breach incident, and her current handler has been... indisposed, as well." In a coma, but that was Foundation business, and Bailey was stable. Whether he'd continue working with Greta after his recovery was another question entirely, but not one for the Society. Nor was the answer of just how many people had specimens of ACF-707 at this exact moment, because even Lev didn't know for certain.

"Until she's in better condition, I'll offer these instead."

She dipped her fingers into the glasses case, removed four formal business cards from within it, and placed them on the table in front of her in a neat row. On each card was a company name, a Containment symbol, a name, an address, and a phone number. New York, Solar City, Chicago, and Millennium. She left them in front of her seat on the table. An answer to one question, and an example for the next, as her head turned to study Axiom's face.

"And when we do go public - which, I am happy to say, is now marginally more likely to be within our lifetimes - the Foundation itself will have changed enough to not raise anger, or suspicion or fear."

Let them take that as they would. The question was meant to provoke - but the answer was meant to give insight into Lev's methods. A hint at the nature of the Foundation Herself, as she stood today. The hope, the happiness, the changing. The intention behind it, and Lev's power to make that intention a reality, were all very real, but wouldn't be confirmed. Not here, not today. It still just a hope.

She gave the room one last Affable smile as Castor and Pollux followed her to their feet, and moved behind her. "But in the meantime, good afternoon, Society. I'll be seeing you all again soon, I hope."

And in that I, in that hope, was held far more than just the five-foot blonde that stepped out of the room. Much, much more, as those who were to interrogate the anomaly would sooner than later find out. For now, Lev was happy to part ways - and very much not looking forward to the lectures she would be getting from her fellow Councilmen, once the report of this meeting was finalized.

[Azra]

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Elektra had chosen to just say this at the peak of the lighthouse. Sure there was offices and rooms with flashy monitors she liked the idea of just being outside though. Being around the large light and with hair being teased by the winds that felt just better for her. "Sadly this is going to be kind of a short reveal but I owe it so here's what the DNA came back as." With that she removed a series of folders from her bag to pass around to anyone who wanted it.

"Michael was a soldier, damn good one to by the looks of it. A mortar however has left him in a coma for the past couple years. Just in a medical bed at a hospital. His family used to visit daily then it was months lately it had been not at all. Then he wasn't at the hospital, simple as that. Nothing conclusive has been found on who took him or why. Could be bought might of been just some black water military shit. Point is a comatose patient was turned into who media has dubbed Ravage. Esoterium was put into his body and it worked almost perfectly as a counter to Teja, it's the kind of metal I'm sure most of you know isn't exactly easy to come by either." Of course the files had some more details, bits of historical records and military history.

"Not as conclusive as I'd hoped but I figure at least it's a lead. I can probably poke around Chicago without being seen as to much of an issue." Granted that was kind of a deal she almost didn't want to go into alone. She was probably the only one who could though without every eye being on her.

[illirica]

"It's more than we had."

Capacitor turned the folder over in her hands, slowly leafing through the information contained therein.

"I know you'd hoped for more, but I think you've made a lot of progress just with this, and we really appreciate it."

Elektra's addition to the Society was already proving hugely beneficial - her time with IRPD had honed her investigative instincts, and she was the perfect person for ferreting out little pieces of information. Teja knew how difficult a task it could be, as well - she'd often been in charge of information gathering herself, and rarely did one get all the information one wanted. Sometimes she missed that aspect of what she'd used to do, but things were different now. She'd changed, and she wasn't always the right person for that job any more.

She didn't really miss the 'sidelines,' as Hector would say, but she did miss the information dynamic. There was something ritually sensible in picking up pieces that might be useful and putting them together.

"Do we know who owned the hospital Mr. Michaels was being treated at?"

It might be a link, or it might not - that was the way it went, with information.

"I'm honestly worried about the fact that whoever built him was willing to sacrifice that much esoterium on a gamble. It's possible that it could have paid off, but the likelihood isn't perfect. Whoever it is has to have access to an esoterium core, not just a stockpile. They're generating the stuff, which means we're likely to see more of it. I've sequestered the pylons for now, and likely I'll try to do something with them at some point to benefit the Society, but I don't want to rush to use them just to do so."

Of course, if they figured out who it was in charge of all this, then they'd have a lead on potentially acquiring an esoterium core of their own... but that was military thinking, not superhero thinking. The Society wasn't going to spearhead a raid just to get their hands on raw materials. Invictus would never have approved... and even Teja agreed with him. That wasn't how heroes were supposed to act.

She had a feeling that how heroes were supposed to act might be becoming all the more relevant, what with the sudden appearance of Augustus and his unveiling as being in Assurance's pocket.

"What I'd like to know, really, is if Assurance is somehow connected to Rampage, or if they just took advantage of the situation to deploy Augustus. They certainly seem like the type who'd be ready to take advantage of such a situation... but if, as you say, Michaels was... manipulated into becoming what he did..."

She trailed off, shifting a little uncomfortably. If anyone knew anything about being manipulated into becoming a superhero, Teja Docesznic was probably fairly high up on the list of knowledgeable individuals. It wasn't a knowledge she was particularly comfortable with having, either. While she didn't think Dr. West would have created something like Rampage, he'd certainly have had the ability to do so - just not the esoterium - at least, as far as she was aware. It all seemed to keep coming back to that, didn't it?

But where had that come from?

[Azra]

Teja wasn't wrong it was more information and that did mean they were closer, take a win where you can. Elektra had a hard time being accepting of the small victories though, longer it took the greater chance of arachilds being hurt. Granted arachnid children was oddly specific but point still stood. Longer a case took colder it could get and greater chances of it repeating. Appreciation felt good, being from fellow cops or, she hesitated to say fellow heroes, heroes she worked with and hoped to befriend maybe? Didn't mean another patient might not be mid kidnapping to have weird metals stuck inside of them though.

"Confident it'd play out in their favor or have enough they didn't care. Either way isn't exactly encouraging. Especially if it's a core as that means they could replicate the process. Costly as it is imagine what dropping a Ravage or two could do to any competitor." People loved movies about monsters and attack dinosaurs so it sounded kind of out there. But again, her first thought of an innocent person was a kid that was part spider. This conversation was between metahuman superheroes and a statue. Absurdity was easily becoming normal."Would you mind taking what I gathered and aplying it to my own stuff? No pressure just thought might be nice to trust new friends instead of bothering the tech guy at work." He was currently trying to craft a means for Doorway to make a room with his abilities as opposed to just making doors lead to different places. If she asked for help it'd probably be under a hail fire of thrown objects and yelling. Not harmful but annoying.

Small human moment over she went back to discussing work. "I'll prob work on the Augustus and Assurance angle post Chicago visit. As for the owner Albert Zilheimer, he seemed distant from the case in question. Cruise with his wife for three months being something he just got back from. He does however have a history of under table deals, which has bled into his staff occasionally doing the same." Those files were closer to the back from previous and ongoing cases not tied to this one. She had kept them around though for the provided context.

[illirica]

Teja nodded acceptance of Elektra's plan, which was as solid as they came, and not likely to be improved on by further discussion without any more information. What did catch her attention was Elektra's inquiry about the use of esoterium in her own devices. Teja sat still for a moment, a twitch of lightning playing between her fingertips as she stared at nothing in particular, equations playing out in the back of her mind.

"Let me take a look at that bow of yours,"

she said, after a moment. Elektra didn't seem eager to part with the weapon, but she did let Teja look it over, placing it on the table and playing with the bowstring with a charged fingertip.

"Yes."

There hadn't been a question asked, but Teja's statement had the air of answering one anyway.

"We can do this. Esoterium's metal, which means it's ductile - we're going to create a wire - maybe a coil, a spring, really - to replace your bowstring. It'll have the advantage of not using much of it - but given its property of returning to its stable shape, it means it'll be extra forceful about snapping back into position after you draw it. With a decent spring constant, it'll probably increase your firing distance significantly - I don't know how much, but that's something that can be field tested. Additionally, it will work with any of your various arrows, so you're not wasting the material on one particular gimmick."

Plus, as interesting as an esoterium-tipped arrow could have been, it would have to be recovered, given the relative scarcity of the material, and Teja wasn't willing to create something like that just for it to be fired away. Modifying the bow itself was the better call, in her judgment. Even without the tensile strength boost, a self-repairing bow string seemed like a worthy goal in any case. Teja toyed with the idea of an entirely-esoterium bow, but she didn't think it was actually worthwhile, given the material investment weighed against the potential tradeoff. Small things, for now. It wasn't a material to be wasted.

[Azra]

Elektra was all to willing to ask for assistance in upgrading her gear her ideas weren't exactly her forte. She was hesitant to actually hand her weapon over though. A few to many fights before she had it a few to many when she had wanted it around. Easier to trust someone when you were armed then when they were holding your own means of defense. She told herself she could trust in the team especially Teja, didn't mean she was quick to let her grip on the bow go.

"I imagine that'd just take two of the six claws leaving a chance to do more with the metal later. That change would also probably improve draw weight as well." She wasn't good with tech or knowing how to change the unique metal. She did however know why she had chosen a bow as a weapon, it allowed her superhuman strength to be used in a ranged weapon. If she could put more power into the draw weight and shoot greater distances all the better. Granted she did like her gimmicks. Sure she hadn't gotten as rediculous as the hero Hitman and his boomerang arrow, she did have glow sticks in the shafts of her arrows though.

"My ideas only went as far as asking if someone could make one of the claws into a knife or arrow tips for me. I'm not exactly good behind the tech desk." She did toy with one of the talons as a knife, still thought that a decent use of one. She wouldn't admit to arrows being a dumb idea alowed but she was at least willing to in the confines of her own mind.

[illirica]

"One of the major advantages of the Society is that we can work with one another to best utilize our strengths. Technology design might not be your forte, but you're very competent with investigation, and I'm certain you're going to be an asset. As far as knives, though..."

Teja trailed off, shaking her head.
.

"I don't know. I feel like if you're at knife range, the last thing you want to do is stay at knife range. You don't need esoterium knives. Mobility and repositioning are a better option for you, that's how I focused a lot of my accessorization back when I was..."

Capacitor? Except she was still Capacitor, or at least trying to be again.

"With the military."

.

Things had been easier, back then. Better? She didn't know - but certainly simpler. There had been a sort of comfort in letting people make the decisions for her, in trust. She'd trusted her superiors, her government, her country. She still did, but she had to make the decisions now, for her Society. That was where she'd put her closest trust, now.

"In any case, if you aren't sure what to do with it, I honestly recommend just waiting. Sometimes an idea will come after a while, and esoterium isn't exactly the sort of material you can pick up at the local hardware store. Keep it, and if you find you have a weakness you keep coming up against, build into that."

[Azra]

A blond strand was tucked back as Elektra endured the hero speech. It was sweet and encouraging she just didn't feel it necessary. Came off as "don't beat your self up over it" which she totally got, just didn't think she was. Then came talk of how repositioning was important also not wrong ideally stick to range shooting arrows that incredible strength made hard to contend with. Was just that she could also break walls down with a fist and at times might need to do so. "I just figured a knife that could take the strength behind it might come in clutch. Last thing I need is to be cornered by a someone who hits as hard as I do and break cause they bruise and eventually I just crack open."

She did not to the last part of what Teja said though. Two or so claws for the new bow string maybe one for a knife save rest she had. No point rushing it, besides was still evidence probably shouldn't use up all of it before a case was over."Just out of curiosity, do you miss it? Being in the military?" To the archer it was a parallel to herself worth looking into. She considered herself an officer first, but entertaining possibilities she could perhaps doubtful as she was someday put down the badge around her neck to be a hero. If she did though what might that be like? Doubtful again as she was, Teja seemed a sort of answer to that.

[illirica]

"Every day."

Teja didn't shy away from the answer, as definitive as the truth happened to be. Even given everything that she had become because of it, the tightening noose at the end of her life, she didn't regret what she had been. It had been the most surety that she'd ever felt in her life, the most certainty. She hadn't needed to question herself. A hero, though, had to question herself constantly, to make sure she was doing the right thing - or she was no better than a villain.
.

"Hector doesn't, though."

No - he looked back on that time with concern, with resentment. The more he learned, the less he liked, and Teja could hardly blame him. She might have missed her time with the military, but she would stay where she was, because he needed her.
.

"As a hero, I... cannot countenance what they did to him."

Capacitor shook her head slightly, her eyes distant, in the far away past. What they did, to us.

"But... there will always be a part of me that cannot forget that a soldier's duty is to be used."

Docesznic had always been, foremost, a soldier. She had known her duty, and she had done it - whatever it was, whatever was necessary.

Necessary sacrifices. The ones she had made personally, she had understood. The ones made of others, though - those had been more difficult to accept, but she had been a soldier, and it was not like her to shy away from such things. She had known what her path was likely to be, and she had chosen it for herself - and the agency to make that decision, to have made that decision, had made all the difference in the darkest moments.
.

"Hector... he was always a hero, though. In a lot of ways, he was very much like Invictus, back then. Hopeful. I miss that about him, sometimes. He doesn't have that any more."

.

She returned to the present, but with a smile rather than an expression of despair.

"He gave it to me."

[Terminus]

If Nicolas was honest, he'd liked the Empyrean better.

That should have been no surprise, given he now chose to make his home in the outer reaches of space. Compared to the incredible size of Terminal, or even the solitude of the Society's old space station, this all seemed painfully mundane. Nevada? Really?

As per usual, he arrived via translocator. Unarmored, at least visibly. He'd contacted Akhilleus beforehand, requesting a face-to-face meeting. His Watcher on the Wall had picked up some frightening activity, light-years away from Earth. The Dark Skies protocol had been invoked, and that meant gathering the troops.

It also meant opening the Vault. Half of Pendragon's attention was on that, preparing his contingencies for deployment. Cycling Sol's Hammer, now orbiting a star on the other side of the galaxy, to be ready to fire at a moment's notice.

In a very real sense, Terminus was running on autopilot right now. His movements were mechanical, as he navigated the Beacon's winding halls, towards the place he and Williams were to meet. The two of them were unlikely friends, but spending months together in a small lab would either result in that, or a murder. The world was lucky it hadn't been the latter.

They'd designed armor together, shared alien alcohol together. Soon, they'd fight side-by-side for the first time.

Finally, Nicolas arrived, and reluctantly disconnected from his remote systems, the mechanical mandibles switching automatically to autopilot. Akhilleus deserved his full attention.

"Hector," he said, his tone unusually serious. Normally, the Mechanist would be jocular, carefree. But the price of his usual relaxed demeanor was this. When the time came, he was all business. Earth's defenses weren't what they once had been. Chevron was dead, the Custodian depowered. Invictus... wasn't worth mentioning.

"Good to see you. We need to go to war footing. The Titan is coming."