I13DT: The Shadow Over Thornhurst

[Narrator]

Theresa's tactics successfully keep the brainwashed horde at bay as the team makes its way to the abandoned hospital just outside of town. For some reason, the townsfolk abandon their chase before they reach the building.

Ravenhill Royal Hospital now looms before the X-Men in all its run-down splendor.

Doctor Karpov stares up at it. "We should have destroyed this place."

[Theresa McMasters]

"You ever get the feeling you'd just been herded like a sheep," Theresa asked, still looking out in the direction of where the townsfolk had been and not at the hospital.

[Will Stanton]

"We were low on options, so let's not worry about that for now.

Charming place, this. Nothing for it..let's go."

[Narrator]

"I suppose I have to go in... don't I?" Doctor Karpov sighs fearfully.

[Sara Stanton]

"If you're even a little bit responsible for what's happening here you'll help us. You know the place, right?"

[Narrator]

"I used to be the Chief of Medicine, before the murders. So I know her all too well."

He sighs and starts moving towards the front door, "Follow me then."

After passing through a few dark, rubble and garbage strewn lobbies and corridors, they reach a set of downward stairs. They get to the basement without any resistance.

[Will Stanton]

"Hey, this is easy!" Will didn't say, because that would be a total give away and cue to be eaten by a giant monster.

"Alright, everyone keep on your toes...it's too damn quiet in here," he did actually say.

[Nash Riley]

Nash keeps an eye out for anything moving.

"What exactly are we here looking for?"

[Narrator]

"You'll know it when you see it," Karpov answers, moving on with new found courage.

He guides them to a large and perfectly normal storeroom. Normal except for the opening of a long and eerily throat-like tunnel of dark metal curving slowly out of view behind a hole in one wall. Eerie blue lights blinking in consecutive order along the ceiling invite them deeper.

[Stan Bowen]

Stan frowned, as he moved slowly with he others.

"Like a Venus fly-trap.."

[Theresa McMasters]

"Could we, you know, not add in the creepy metaphors?" Theresa continued to watch behind them, her eyes still glowing.

[Will Stanton]

"A metaphor never hurt anyone," Will said, walking slowly along the corridor.

[Narrator]

The tunnel exits into cold cavern chamber whose floor is crisscrossed with metal walkways, and ceiling is fully and seamlessly plated in the same organic metal. Wires and cables snake down metal columns and connect to various frost-covered glass enclosures. The walls are lined with the same large metal drawers one would find in a morgue. In the center of all this is a fully outfitted autopsy table and several supply cabinets. All things considered, everything appears quite clean.

The tunnel quietly squeezes shut behind them.

[Will Stanton]

Will whirls and tries to pry open the tunnel, turning his arms into gigantic metal poles for leverage.

[Narrator]

Will finds no gap to pry open.

"There's no use trying to leave that way. He knows you're here now," Doctor Karpov says.

[Sara Stanton]

"So glad you warned us about that before leading us down here." Sara says, mostly just sounding angry because she's trying to downplay her fear.

[Nash Riley]

Nash carefully looks around the surrounding area, trying to see if his powers can make out anything about the alien technology.

[Stan Bowen]

"I knew I should have examined you more intensely, doctor."

Stan distanced himself, also taking in the room, looking for a weak point.

[Theresa McMasters]

"I'm going to get very cranky here shortly and that usually involves large amounts of electricity, so now would be a good time to spill if you've been holding back."

[Sara Stanton]

"I like her. She has the right idea."

[Narrator]

Nash carefully looks around the surrounding area, trying to see if his powers can make out anything about the alien technology.

Most of the metal components in the room do not appear to have been made by machine or even tools. What is identifiable was made by perfectly terrestrial means.

"I knew I should have examined you more intensely, doctor."

Stan distanced himself, also taking in the room, looking for a weak point.

Aside from the stone walls and floor, and some important looking cables, nothing was obvious.

"I'm going to get very cranky here shortly and that usually involves large amounts of electricity, so now would be a good time to spill if you've been holding back."

Theresa can sense traces of lightning, but from where she can't be entirely sure. Wherever it is isn't in this room.

"With what meteorological phenomena Miss McMasters?" Karpov taunts from a metal path, his demeanor entirely changed from fear to cruel confidence. Had they introduced themselves?

[Theresa McMasters]

Theresa frowned and began trying to gather any ambient moisture in the area to form it into clouds. "Ever seen it rain underground, doctor?"

[Will Stanton]

"Doctor Karpov, you'd better spill everything. Now."

[Narrator]

Karpov chuckles, then outright laughs for a bit. "I swear. Heroes these days. So naive."

"Give them a poor frightened old man," he mock-pouted, before grinning with metal teeth, "and they'll walk right into hell for him."

Metal tendrils quickly lash down from the ceiling and attempt to ensnare them. Karpov himself appears to glide backwards as the metal walkway carries him towards the room's remaining exit.

[Will Stanton]

"I swear to God, SOMEONE I trust is going to turn out to be a good guy," Will grumbled, turning into water and splashing through the tendrils.

[Theresa McMasters]

Theresa's eyes burn the brightest anyone has ever seen them as wind whips around her, becoming an almost solid vortex wall. The wind attempts to deflect the tendrils reaching for her. There's a rumble up closer to the ceiling as one solitary and darkly angry thundercloud roils itself into being.

[Sara Stanton]

Sara tries to grab hold of the metal tendrils herself before they can ensnare her too much, tearing at them to either pull something loose or to pull herself up on them to follow Karpov.

[Stan Bowen]

Stan dodges the cables for now, steadying himself as he made his way towards the electrical cables.

[Nash Riley]

Nash concentrates on dodging the tentacles, trying to build up a larger distance from them.

[Narrator]

"I swear to God, SOMEONE I trust is going to turn out to be a good guy," Will grumbled, turning into water and splashing through the tendrils.

The tentacles can't grab water, so Will's strategy is quite effective.

Well, defensively anyway.

Theresa's eyes burn the brightest anyone has ever seen them as wind whips around her, becoming an almost solid vortex wall. The wind attempts to deflect the tendrils reaching for her. There's a rumble up closer to the ceiling as one solitary and darkly angry thundercloud roils itself into being.

The vortex tangles several tentacles around each other, ripe for the zapping.

Sara tries to grab hold of the metal tendrils herself before they can ensnare her too much, tearing at them to either pull something loose or to pull herself up on them to follow Karpov.

Sara's stony arms tear through the modified alien machinery but Karpov is already out of sight.

Stan dodges the cables for no, steadying himself as he made his way towards the electrical cables.

Several tentacles almost get the former superhero, but Stan is thankfully more spry than he looks. He reaches the nearest electrical cables easily.

Nash concentrates on dodging the tentacles, trying to build up a larger distance from them.

As Nash proceeds, one of the tentacles misses him and collides with one of the cryotubes. A clear blueish fluid gushes out, producing a mist as it turns the air around it even colder. Inside the tube, a carved up corpse dangles from thin cables like a twisted marionette. Whoever they had been died in agony.

[Theresa McMasters]

Theresa flips the vortex forward, trying to mow the road clear of tentacles in the direction Karpov had departed. "Opening a hole," she yells, moving behind the vortex and trying to dodge remaining tentacles at the same time.

[Stan Bowen]

Stan huffs as he reaches the cables, looking for a juncture he can use to unplug them.

C'mon, old man.. Figure it out..

[Sara Stanton]

Sara takes one of the torn-off tentacles and swings it around at the remaining tendrils to give the others some breathing room to do their thing.

[Will Stanton]

Will found himself caught up in Theresa's vortex, and decided to use this to his advantage. "Crack it open!" he called.

[Nash Riley]

Nash goes over to help Stan with the cables, using his powers to find a way to pull them out, or just how hard it would be to cut them.

[Narrator]

The combined efforts of Sara and Theresa carve a swath of destruction through the legion of mechanical tentacles, leaving the others free to work.

Meanwhile, Nash and Stan discover the power cables to have little in the way of manual removal but with the right leverage it could be done. Nash can tell a manufactured rubber tube is within and both can feel liquid flowing inside. There are also similar cables that are chill to the touch.

[Theresa McMasters]

Theresa split the vortex, whirling some back over her to keep Will in the room while unleashing the rest of the wind's force down the opening Karpov had departed through, releasing it to do what wind does.

[Sara Stanton]

"Let's try to break through while we have the chance." Sara shouts as she tries to head the same way Karpov went.

[Stan Bowen]

"Nash, get ready to pull this cable.. Pull as soon as I try and sever it, ok?"

Sparks arced between Stan's fingers.

[Nash Riley]

"Okay." Nash said as he gripped the cable.