Log:Sentinel Overloaded

2020/10/21 Sentinel Copycat Anthem Baker Spirit 1

Being a Time Traveler has plenty of perks- one of them is being able to find your Handwarmer+ just about any time by just looking at tomorrow's news. Griffin's in the headlines again- or he will be.

A priority alert goes out over emergency bands about a prototype exotic energy generator going supercritical in the Industrial Park. The alert is lowered to a general alert with the note 'The Sentinel has it in hand & is evacuating the city'.

Overhead Griffin Freeman streaks through the sky trying to get it out of Earth's orbit but he can sense from the building energy within the core that he isn't nearly fast enough unless he wants to risk igniting the atmosphere.

He begins to spin so he can use centrifugal force to give the reactor a little more distance when suddenly everything goes white.

A second Sun, far lower and hotter erupts just outside of city limits and an EMP blows out all the cars, street lights & billboards along the highway leading away from town.

A lone object burns and falls as the star's energy is spent. A few seconds later the star winks out of existence.

Arthur has been dominating Kat's time. Time travel and the dangers of the universe are important! He's begun to have a life of his own, such that Kat's lost track of time. Of course, for Sentinel, Kat's never even gone missing. At least Arthur has been driven to find a way to pass the time barrier so Kat can continue to spend time with her future husband.

There's finally a lull, and Arthur decides it's safe to drop back into normal life. He checks the news a day before, from Munich. "Oh, a generator? He's totally got--evacuate the city?? Ack!" his panic switching to something that sounds much more Kat-like. He quickly takes out his fob watch and adjusts the dial, then depresses the stopper. FLASHFzzzzzt! He vanishes!

...and Copycat appears near Industrial Park. The timing's a bit off, because the pink-haired heroine arrives on the ground, jus in time to have to shield her eyes from the blinding explosion. She blinks several times, making out the lone burning object. amidst the spots. "Oh no...I hope that wasn't too much for him!" She starts running, the lower half of her body glowing bright lime green before she takes off like a rocket through energy propulsion, leaving a green trail of energy in her wake as she tries to intercept the falling object.

An emergency on his lunch break!! Isn't that just the thing to get the blood pumping!! Neil Lee goes into an alley, but it's Anthem who emerges in time to see the second sun. He also sees the falling hero, and puts on the afterburners to get close enough to try ;for a lower-level catch -- since there's already someone going for one already!!

Baker is on his way home from a long, tedious, and generally uneventful shift. Uneventful in that it was too busy to get comfortable, but not nearly busy enough in any way to make the hours speed up from a crawl.

"Why is it the other shift always move faster?" he wonders aloud with a yawn. "Nothing seems to happen when I'm on the clock, but sure, the moment I get off-"

He's interrupted by emergency chatter and subsequent birth of a small, short-lived star.

"Like I said!" While there's some annoyance there, it wakes him up, at least, and he lifts airborne to fly towards the setting of the second sun.

Luckily for everyone not within a 2 mile chunk of the highway, Griffin made it pretty well outside of city limits. As the heroes blast off they get a feel for just how intense the explosive release of energy was.

Thirty seconds later a shockwave, roiling with the heat of a blistering summer day rolls outward in every direction. Not hot enough to harm from here, but certainly noticeable.

When the heroes arrive, they'll find Griffin in a crater 3 meters deep, totally unconscious- everything but his SecondSkin (TM) suit melted or burned away. The suit was only saved because it is thin enough to sit within his personal bio-electric field.

His ears, nose and mouth are leaking blood- blood with streaks of glowing gold running throughout.

Luckily, there's already a Medic on site! Unluckily for him, he's the medic.

It's hot enough to frizz Kat's hair a bit. She zooms to the crater, not fast enough to get to him in time from where she was. The good news? The news article tomorrow didn't mention his death, and that would've been front page material! Kat pulls up as she arrives at the crater, then cuts off her thrust. Her legs kick a little as she drops down the remaining two meters to the crater's edge. "Oh no! Griff!" she exclaims as she takes a step. The edge of the crater gives way and Kat drops, falling down and on her butt as she slides down along the curve of the crater, skidding to a stop by Sentinel.

Baker may be able to fly, but he's not excessively swift. He arrives in time to see Kat land ahead, then fall into the crater. When he doesn't see anyone else suffering from the wake of the detonation, he closes on the crater.

It takes him a few moments to catch up and hover over the edge in order to see down into it. "Is everyone alright down there?!" Of course, he doesn't notice the leaking blood until after he asks. Then again, it's The Sentinel. Maybe that's completely normal and he'll be just fine?

Anthem cannot make it before the other man craters the earth, nor before the young woman arrives on the scene, but he does arrive soon after! He hesitates, which (if you know Anthem) is a rare thing, but then he descends into the crater. "I have some emergency medical training," he offers to the young woman, "if you think it might help!"

Griffin doesn't stir at Kat's arrival- so that's saying something. Then again, he doesn't look like he's noticing much of anything.

Copycat rubs her rear as she gets up onto her knees next to Sentinel. "Ouch..." she mutters, though it doesn't hurt really all that much. It's just habit to say it. "I think I have something that may be a bit faster," she says before instantly shifting into Griffin and laying hands on his shoulders. CopyGriffin's clothes match his remaining clothing, but at least CopyGriffin isn't bleeding.

Griffin's body is warm to the touch and now that s/he can see the world as Griffin does its clear that Griffin's body overloaded from the blast as he tried to contain the energy. So overloaded in fact that GriffiKat's initial attempt to heal him fizzles out halfway. This might be a bit slower than she expected.

"Oh man. He's actually over loaded. That...hmm. Oh!" CopyGriffin snaps his fingers as he starts to come up with an idea.

"Ouch. That doesn't sound good," Baker lowers down to the crater bottom to join the others. "I have first aid training, too, but..." He's not sure that even first-responder trauma options account for 'tried to absorb a supernova and overloaded self.'

This also brings to mind another concern. "Do we need to worry about residuals? Radioactivity? Secondary detonation?"

"Yes," replies Anthem once he gets down and performs a quick exam," but he?s also pretty seriously hurt! Internal bleeding, a cracked skull -- his torso is swelling, and I'dnet there's a broken rib or two!!"

CopyGriffin takes a breath and prepares to FEED! Or just siphon off some of that excess energy. His hands remain on Griffin's shoulders, but as he does so, he shapeshifts again into an angelic-looking being made of pure light. Those who know him may recognize this as Spirit. Instead of energy flowing into Griffin, golden motes begin to get drawn off of him.

Anthem nods in firm approval, then says, "Keep him steady -- I'll go get an ambulance!!" And he's off in the air, to find the nearest ambulance -- which is at least /equipped/ for this!!

"He's right, he should get proper medical attention. Internal injuries like that shouldn't be treated in the field." Baker agrees, adding, "I'll keep him still." He doesn't have to interfere with ... the one formerly known as Kat's work, though he's not entirely sure what that work is. "Are you sure that's going to help?"

As he asks that, he extends telekinetic force evenly around Sentinel to simply hold him still. It won't mend anything, but should help keep things from getting worse, at least from movement.

CopySpirit answers in Spirit's faint reverb voice, "No." It's a solid, confidently delivered uncertainty as he watches some of that overloaded energy get siphoned off.

With the speed of the fire within, our hero Anthem zooms the two miles down to emergency services! Finding an ambulance barely able to exit the place due to the traffic lockjam, he pauses by the driver side to say through the window, "Sentinel is gravely wounded! I'm going to carry you straight there!" And with that, he picks the entire ambulance up and speeds through the air back to the crater!

Anthem puts the ambulance down a few feet back from the edge of the crater, then rolls out from under it to meet the technicians at the back door. "Cranial fracture, swelling in the torso, probable broken ribs -- we need the cervical collar, but leave the gurney flat, I'll carry it as-is. Also, a scalpel, tubing, and a sterile pack to deal with the swelling, please!!" He takes the latter trio and immediately flies them down to Baker, then returns for the gurney.

Baker holding Griffin still was exactly what was needed in the intervening moments as Anthem delivers a pair of stunned paramedics to the site. And all just in time too.

Griffin's body seems to go into shock and a seizure grips his body fiercely.

Luckily, CopySpirit's work has also progressed well too and so Griffin's internal energy levels are below his normal thresholds!

Great jobs all around!

CopySpirit takes his hands off of Griffin, thinking that was maybe a bad idea. He's worse than he was before, and Kat can't think of a time where she's seen Griffin this injured. CopySpirit's form wavers from Kat's panic and then suddenly his lights go out, leaving a stunned Copycat in the same spot.

Anthem returns with gurney and collar and sees Sentinel seizing. "Miss!! Heal him!! I don't know how!!" Yet! he grimly promises himself.

Griffin shakes and rattles in agreement.

The Paramedics move to assist Anthem, but they're rightfully worried about being injured by the superstrong man.

Baker's telekinetic forcefield holds but barely.

Copycat squeaks in panic as Anthem's words rattle her out of her shock. She focuses and turns back into a copy of Griffin and reaches to touch his arm, trying to heal him.

Griffin's incapacitated body hungrily laps up the energies CopyGriffin suffuses into him.

These energies spread across his form in waves- and while a slow start, those with the ability to see energy within objects will see at least /some/ progress.

Meanwhile, the seizing continues unabated.

Anthem shifts his power to make himself more swift, and hurriedly relieves the pressure in Sentinel's torso, but can do nothing for the seizure! As a general question, he throws out, "Who can handle this sort of neurosurgery? And where?!?"

"Um. Uhh. Umm. The Colonial Bay hospital has a metahuman wing," CopyGriffin says rapidly.

Luckily Anthem's field surgery is done when Griffin's field is still very low, and so he is able to release the pressure in Griffin's abdomen but the efforts press Baker's field to its limits. Cracks appear and are smoothed over by Baker's will in time for another to rise.

Anthem nods to what the shapeshifter has told him; he admits, "I do not know where that is yet! Can you guide me, ma?am?" He moves away from the side of the fallen hero, and puts the gurney in his place so that Baker can telekinetically lift Sentinel and put him onto the gurney.

CopyGriffin looks up at Anthem with some mild surprise. He got her pronoun correct. "Well, don't the EMTs know? Is he safe to move yet?"

GriffiKat's healing seems to finally have a tangible effect. The seizure subsides and the last of Griffin's external wounds close. Luckily Anthem's tubing maintains his efforts.

Seeing the injured Griffin still again, the paramedics move help. "We know where to go, but we'll probably need a lift since traffic is still... not even sure how to describe 2 miles of dead cars honestly." One of them says to the Heroes. They are completely focused on Griffin.

Thanks to CopyGriffin's medical accumen & energy powers, Griffin begins to stir- even as Baker hoists him on to the gurney.

Anthem saw the female form when he arrived, and presumes -- perhaps erroneously --that that is her real self. "They probably do, ma'am, but if you copy powers as well as shapes, then I figured you can fly as well! I doubt these good gentlemen can!!" He turns to the EMTs. "We can go straight there, and I will return your gurney as soon as he's moved off it," he promises, "but you might better serve by helping other people hurt nearby!!"

"Yeah...I can fly," CopyGriffin answers, then gasps as Griffin begins to stir. "Heeeeey," he tries to use some of Sentinel's bedside manner. "You did great up there. But I'm going to need you to stay still, okay, Hero?" he smiles.

Being a Time Traveler has plenty of perks- one of them is being able to find your Handwarmer+ just about any time by just looking at tomorrow's news. Griffin's in the headlines again- or he will be.

A priority alert goes out over emergency bands about a prototype exotic energy generator going supercritical in the Industrial Park. The alert is lowered to a general alert with the note 'The Sentinel has it in hand & is evacuating the city'.

Overhead Griffin Freeman streaks through the sky trying to get it out of Earth's orbit but he can sense from the building energy within the core that he isn't nearly fast enough unless he wants to risk igniting the atmosphere.

He begins to spin so he can use centrifugal force to give the reactor a little more distance when suddenly everything goes white.

A second Sun, far lower and hotter erupts just outside of city limits and an EMP blows out all the cars, street lights & billboards along the highway leading away from town.

A lone object burns and falls as the star's energy is spent. A few seconds later the star winks out of existence.

Griffin is still out like a light and his energy levels are startlingly low- but that was what was required for Anthem's work to be done and for Kat's heals to take effect.

The crater they're standing in isn't smoldering or anything but its fairly deep.

Hearing his own voice causes Griffin to grunt- perhaps more of a moan in response. That's a great sign, and luckily he's too hurt to disobey himself.

The paramedics begin shifting from foot to foot at Anthem's suggestion. "We'd like to see him to the meta wing if possible, but you're probably right. Since we're on the other side of the freeway bubble, we can work our way back and make sure people are ok along the way." One of them says after a moment of consideration. The other doesn't look pleased but is moved by duty and nods too.

Spirit flies toward the site in question from above, looking around at the results, after getting reports from Starguard. He had been up on Tranquility a few minutes earlier, and given the report, he was asked to check out the situation.

CopyGriffin is torn between helping Griffin and helping check to make sure no one else on the freeway was hurt. Kat knows what Griffin would do. But she's not sure she's up for the task. CopyGriffin shrinks back down into the petite Copycat. "It sounds like we have permission to move him. So let's go?"

There's a waver in Copycat's voice as she says that. She's trying to keep her emotions bottled up so she doesn't just start crying in front of everyone now that she's herself. She reaches out to gently take Griffin's hand in hers.

Spirit arcs over the area, scanning...and notices the crater. He turns sharply downward...and then lands lightly at the edge of the crater.

Baker is acting as full-body cast, and now that seems to also make him transportation. "Don't worry," he assures CopyCat, "we'll get him there and patched up. Seems he can catch fusion explosions, so I'm sure he can put up with some needles or stitches." He then begins to lift the supine Sentinel. Slowly and cerebrally.

Griffin's hand is limp in Kat's, but his temperature has returned to normal and his eyes flutter a bit behind his closed eyelids.

Copycat looks up at Baker, Anthem, and the just arrived Spirit. Her eyes start to look really glassy as tears begins to well up. Her lower lip quivers as Griffin is lifted and she has to let go. "C...CBSU's metahuman w-wwwiiiiiing," the last word turns into sobbing.

Spirit slowly flies down to the center of the crater, remaining upright this time as he floats down. "Before we move Sentinel, let me give him a lookover. If he just needs to restore his internal energy, I can probably provide that." He gives Anthem a wave and an introduction, "I'm Spirit of Starguard Gamma."

Copycat snuffles and looks up to Spirit, managing to stop her bawling enough to get out, "H-he was overloaded. He had too much energy. He absorbed too much f-from that explosion."

Spirit nods to Copycat as he looks over Griffin, to see what the other hero's energy levels are like. The two of them have very similar powers. "Just give me a second. I won't take long. I promise."

Spirit goes ahead and places a hand on Griffin's shoulder lightly...and he pours some of his personal energy into the injured hero. There's a visible glow moving down his arm into Sentinel's body...

Those with the ability to see energy can see a cascade of energy set off through Griffin's cells at the jumpstart.

Anthem hesitates. "Spirit," says he, "he has a cracked skull and internal bleeding. He's immobilized on a gurney; it's time to move him. If you can heal, then you can heal him at the hospital."

"Sir," Baker addresses Spirit. "He's right. It's more than just .. energy levels. He's taken a beating and needs proper medical attention. We're attempting to move him while keeping him immobilized."

Those who make the roll will see his finger tips move loosely, and even a few tiny sparks. His breathing even picks up a tick, that much closer to a normal pace.

Spirit nods. "I realize that. But I also know based on my prior interactions with him that much like me...he needs a base level of energy to function." He straightens up and steps back. "And that took all of a couple of seconds. Hardly delaying this overly don't you think? We can move him now."

Copycat nods along with what Spirit says and sniffles, wiping at her eyes.

Spirit nods. "Want me to carry him there?" He looks to Baker.

Anthem knows when to acknowledge a defeat; he nods courteously to Spirit, then shifts his gaze to Baker. "Can you fly with us, sir? If not, climb on my back and hold on. Spirit, if you take the front end, I'll take the back, and the miss --" meaning Copycat -- "can lead us to the hospital."

Spirit nods. "Alternatively, I can carry him myself. As long as he doesn't weight like...ten tons, or some such."

"Your call, sir," Baker defers to the Commander. "I have him held still and can carry him, both... though the gurney and brace might handle that, instead." Now that he seems to belatedly remember those. A chuckle. "He's definitely not -that- heavy, sir."

Spirit nods and reaches out with a tendril of light from his hand to pick up Sentinel, since the latter is already braced. "While I'm doing this and flying, I can't really do much else. So...an escort would be helpful. If necessary, I think I can carry everyone."

Copycat dabs at her eyes and straightens up. "I'll help escort, Commander Sir."

"We all will," Anthem volunteers stoutly. Turning to the EMTs, he offers them a quick lift back to their ambulance, and gets a card to turn it in at the hospital so they and their company get credit -- and payment -- for their assistance. "I will return your equipment shortly," he says, turning over the scalpel immediately.

"I'll be on your wing, Commander... under my own power, but thank you for the offer," Baker releases his hold on Sentinel once Spirit has him. He then looks to Copycat. "You alright? Would you like a lift?" He knows she doesn't require one, but that doesn't mean he can't be polite, now that he doesn't have his hands, or, rather, brain, full.

Spirit nods...and takes off again, gently accelerating to make sure that Griffin isn't lurched about as he's carried along.

"I'll...I'll be alright. Thanks," Copycat manages a weak grin. "Unless you're fast enough to keep up with Commander Spirit?"

Baker returns Copycat's grin with a wide one, hoping to reassure. "Of course I can keep up with him." He's fairly certain he can at the speed that Spirit is currently traveling. So of course he can keep up, until he finds out he can't.

Copycat sniffles. Her small nose has gotten red from crying. She nods weakly. "Could I get a ride? Please...?"

Spirit keeps the acceleration gentle as he flies Griffin to the hospital on the west side. He gently lands outside of the emergency room and brings him inside to let the workers there take over.

"Of course, ma'am." Copycat is gingerly lifted up and cradled in kinetic force. Baker then lifts himself off the ground and above actual ground level before zipping off in escort of Spirit and Sentinel to the ER.

Anthem does have to catch up -- he's shaking the hands of the EMTs and introducing himself when the others leave -- but Spirit is flying slow enough that Anthem can catch up in a jiffy. "This is the place with the metahuman wing?" He looks unsure of himself.

Spirit nods. "This is the one."

Anthem nods firmly. "Thank you. If you'll pardon me for a moment --" and he zooms back into the sky, to make several orbits at varying heights to get the landmark positions into his head.

Anthem returns to find the other heroes gone to assist in putting the other damage due to the explosion to right. He stops to do his due diligence for the fellows from the ambulance, then takes their gurney back to them -- but with many other heroes now responding, he returns to one whose injuries are hidden. Finding Copycat inside the hospital, he asks quietly, "Is he all right, ma'am?" There's a breath of a moment, and he adds, "Are you?"