My Superhero Island RP Thread.

It was an age...of changes, small and vast...

The announcement of the formation of Aratoa via a telepathic broadcast enabled by Mindwave - a former Ignis minion, now proud Aratoan - was met with confusion, bewilderment and to some, a degree of reflection due to this being what The Saint - the very symbol of peace across the land - felt was necessary. And even now, there were people who were still coming to terms with the new status quo. Some reactions were more understated, others understood where the Metahumans were coming from.

Located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the Island was a former adversary of the metahumans itself - a living remnant of some ancient being that left its scab upon the world. A scab that had developed, fissioned, and formed into a living mass of plant life, rocks and shifting biomes that yearned for a purpose.

Roughly the size of Fiji, it was a strange place that - before that day - brooked no visitors.

A purpose granted by The Saint and his fellows, in their search for a homeland.

Now, the Island had formed buildings, allowed for development, created whole tree-structures to house the metahumans that moved into its new safe haven. In this, the Island's consciousness found purpose. And it began to remember its past in bits and pieces...

Aratoa Central Academy was much like any other heroic Academy that had come before it - though formed out of the living, consciously structured rocks and minerals of Aratoa, its construction guided by mortal hands but completed by the will of the island. People came and went, unbothered by any villainous efforts or bigoted ideas of the humans that lived elsewhere. They were free to go back to their friends and family outside, but always - this was a safe space for metahumans.

At least in theory so far. The defensive measured had - despite murmurs about previous heroic institutions - not failed them yet.

Gathered outside the gates of the Aratoa Academy was an eclectic crowd, near one of the many Gates that Aratoa maintained. A strange power tied to the Island's origins, the Gates could bring Metahumans and those humans bearing a "Tide Stone" keyed to their physiology anywhere - either on Earth or even elsewhere.

These were people who had been lucky enough to be selected for the "field trip" to the UN Building and surrounding area in New York City. They were students, adults, heroes and esteemed individuals. The trip to New York was not a particularly dangerous one - at least in theory.

New York was not a Pro ORCHID state.

Hence, while Armada and her coterie were due to go to the UN Building and take care of diplomatic business, those present in the crowd would be trusted to enjoy the trip to New York once the Gate was done being set up. For now, while they waited for the Gate to open up, they were free to mingle as they pleased as they awaited both the Opening and the debrief that was due for their field trip.

A couple tables had been set up with food, snacks and drinks for those who might feel the need.

Meanwhile...

As the Metahumans got ready for a trip to the thriving Big Apple, their committed adversary ventured into the frigid wastes of Antarctica on "a hunch". Doctor Elena Gage - clad in a mechano-suit attuned to deal with the cold - had seen a spike in energy in the arctic circle, and a persistent and odd pulsation of some kind of signal since the spike of energy. Hence, she made her way there posthaste in order to be sure she beat the Metahumans to whatever reward lay in wait at the literal end of the world.

The arctic winds battered the glassy face guard of her mechano-suit, and even though her suit was made for it, she could tell by the way there was a delay in movement that it had its limits. 42 years old, Elena Gage had made her choice 15 years ago - or as she would put it, had her choice made for her.

She was bereft of the love of her life, and saw her only child dead too - after so long barren, seeming like she was incapable of supporting life. In a sense, she still was, she supposed.

The endless snow and waves of battering winds were starting to abate suddenly. She could start to see where she was, where she'd been, even as her footfalls behind her were erased as quickly as she'd made them. She glanced upon a vast, ruinous crater, sparks of some form of red energy rippling upon the air.

The whipping winds stopped as soon as she stepped close to this place. The snow halted. The world seemed to grind to a halt. There was no hint of life here. She looked at a wrist mounted computer system, and evaluated what it said about this place. "Unknown energies...it seems something landed here. Outer Void landing?"

But as she walked on, looking around, she started to see something in the epicenter. Distant at first - and then as she walked closer, she could start to see the likely source of the crater. Sparks in the air, even more than earlier.

As Elena walked closer, she could see the form lying there, a ruined mechanical chassis - cybernetic pieces spread in tiny, shattered forms in the smallest of crevices. Her eyes widened when she saw what looked like human featured connected to the chassis. Half of a human face, the smooth features of an older teen seamlessly fading into a damaged mechanical skull. If she had to guess based on her own expertise, there seemed to be some sort of nanomechanical blood substitute, an innate self repair protocol attempting to bring the damaged skull and hanging left jaw back together. On the right side, she could see where the mechanical faded into the seemingly biological. If she had to guess again, the skin was likely some form of biomechanical construct. The hair looked impeccably like human—-

A wheeze, a pathetic groan, and then a sob. This poor boy—-this mechanical creature was still alive! It lacked arms and legs, its internal fluids and pieces were spilled, damaged, yet it still lived!

He...still lived.

As she picked him up, without even thinking about why or what she was really doing, she found herself looking into that half-open blue eye. And was reminded of her departed son. This, outside of the mechanical pieces, made her think of how he might have looked as a grown young man.

"Doctor Gage, Doctor Gage this is Ford from ROOT Command. Have you found—-?" She heard the voice echo through the helmet - impressed by the fact transmission was still possible here.

"I found i—-I found him," Elena responded, "Can you get a transport down here? The source of the energy signature is—-it's a young man. He's in rough shape, prepare my labs for repair."

"Will do, Miss Gage. Ford out."

She knew she wouldn't have to wait long. And as she stood there in the crater, she found herself running her hand through the hair of the damaged boy. "You poor, poor young man. Who in the world did this to you...?" She smiled, and trusted that could be seen through the facial guard, "Don't worry. I'll patch you up, good as new."

She swore she saw a tear fall out of the remaining eye.

By the time she was on a transport ship back up to ORCHID's base in orbit, the Luna In Repose, she had stayed by the young cyborg's side as attendants loaded his body on a gurney to be transferred. He still couldn't talk with his body in that condition, but he kept his glance on her as much as he could.

As far as she could tell, he dipped in and out of consciousness. She was always on hand in case he entered a perilous state.

As a pair of drones took the young cyborg's form off of the transport upon arrival, Elena Gage just stood there near the offload dock. Watching the transfer to her labs for repair. She breathed and started walking. She would have a lot to do...but she had nowhere she'd rather be.

Edited by NickTheSwing on Oct 9th 2023 at 12:19:47 PM

A long avoided return

Lea was sitting near the gate with her notepad, sketching the scene into her notepad. It was little to keep her mind away from the trip she was about to go on. Not long ago she would have and had done anything to get as far away from the country she once called home, and now she's going back. Not that she was suddenly expecting anything unexpected to happen, just a field trip like any other. If one could expect more then a dozen individuals with powers to be normal.

Lea liked being alone in Aratoa it made her feel better, but right about now she could do with a school buddy that would go with her wherever she'd want in the city, too bad she didn't make any friends at the academy. Oh well, perhaps she could get one of the teachers to go with her.

Cain Adamson

As the guardian of several of the students going on the field trip, Cain was naturally going to be a chaperone, even if he wasn't going in his official capacity as the chaplain. He'd changed into a stereotypical trucker outfit for the duration: collared shirt, canvas jacket, jeans, and combat boots with the mildly incongruous addition of a flat cap. He slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and checked his pockets one last time for his Tide Stone and other necessary items, like his cell phone and ID, before nodding to himself and settling down to wait for more news.

As he sat, he kept an eye out for young Molly, who was likely to need a hand to hold during the visit to the Big Apple, as well as not-as-young Mari, who needed protection from prejudice. Lea seemed alright, and she was sketching calmly by herself, though she looked apprehensive about returning to the rest of the world. That was understandable, Cain thought. At least it would not take another long swim before he reached shore again.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Oct 22nd 2023 at 2:45:30 AM

Alex

As a general rule, Alex did not think of himself as paranoid. New York was not pro-ORCHID, and even if it was, he doubted they'd be foolish enough to stage an attack during a diplomatic mission - that would all but confirm them as the 'bad guys' in the public consciousness.

Still, he liked to maintain some semblance of caution. He hadn't made a shell for himself for the trip, but he was wearing one of his reinforced bodysuits, metal soles were attached to his boots, and on his wrists were two large, metal bracelets, which he occasionally rubbed. An old nervous tic.

He sat down by the artist girl - Lea, if he recalled right, currently enrolled in the academy - and nodded in greeting.

"Been awhile since I've been in the States." He said, making idle conversation. "I doubt anything will happen, but I'm always a bit on edge when I leave the island."

Jack Smith

It was a beautiful day on Aratoa, as were most days. Clear skies, a nice sea breeze- what else could anyone want? Hopefully it's just as pleasant over on the mainland, Jack thought to himself as he walked towards the gathering area for the coming trip. It'd be nice being back home again, though the size of the States made it an awfully vague definition of home.

He glanced over at a pair of fellow metahumans sitting down next to each other, a boy and a girl. He thought they both looked familiar- probably students at the Academy, if he had to guess. He overheard something about being nervous leaving Aratoa. A reasonable fear, these days.

Jack rubbed the back of one of his horns, shrugged and walked over to the two, idly rolling a quarter over his knuckles. "I wouldn't worry," he said, mostly talking to the man who seemed a bit closer to his own age. "I doubt they'd try anything with this number of metahumans around, in the middle of New York, and on a diplomatic mission no less." He left who 'they' were intentionally vague.

"I'm Jack, by the way. Nice to meet you." He sat down in the grass across from the two before he suddenly stopped fiddling with the coin, staring down at the little iridescent disc with an expression of dissatisfaction. "Do either of you have any real change? It's not really the same without the weight." He flicked the 25c into the air in front of him and it dissolved into a tiny wisp of smoke.

Edited by AmazingGoob on Oct 10th 2023 at 11:11:56 AM

Mari

As the crowd gathered, a young girl sat in the trees. She was hard to make out, green leaves and thick branches concealing her from view. They loomed over Cain, giving him ample protection from the heat. She watched the enormous throngs of people from a safe distance, fingers and toes twitching, buzzing in trepidation. She was nervous, maybe a little anxious, but it was hard to blame her.

She didn't have anything on her. She used to have dozens of little pockets, each filled with all sorts of little trinkets and doodads to keep her busy. She no longer had that luxury, but she still had her journal. It was filled with notes and scribbles, endless seas of unicorns and rainbows, anything that popped into her head. She jotted them down, even as she stayed away from the hustle and bustle.

Katerina

One woman who really stood out from the crowd. At 6 and a half feet tall, it was hard not to. She looked perfectly calm, if rather serious.

The other thing was her outfit. With her blue armored dress, she looked more like like some sort of warrior princess than a typical spandex clad superhero.

"He's right," Katerina agreed with Jack, her thick Russian accent readily apparent. "This should hopefully be a relatively routine mission."

As he asked about change, Katerina nodded.

"If a ruble coin would be fine for your purposes, certainly."

She flips one into the air over to him.

Edited by HilarityEnsues on Oct 10th 2023 at 1:03:53 PM

"Same here, haven't been to a city that big in a while. Too big for my taste."

oh great there's two schoolmates she really could do without, the ones that stand out like a sore thumb around people. "Yeah, I'm sure the people that oppose that diplomatic mission aren't going to do anything impulsive." She'd say with a slight bit of venom towards Jacks optimistic attitude.

"Now could you not all gather around me while I'm trying to draw?"

Aratoa, Gate

"Yoooooo, guess who's the token normie for your little field trip to the UN?"

Wandering onto the scene, decked out in her usual black drab and wide-brimmed hat was Jackie Carpenter. She held up her Tide Stone (properly-keyed but held in a black velvet pouch) as she approached, just to reassure the group that she was meant to be here despite her lack of (at least publically known) ability.

"Gonna be my first time to the states... Wonder if we'll have to beat up an ORCHID protest on the way in, heh."

She shrugged and pulled the brim of her hat down to get a little more shade.

Jack Smith

He examined the ruble, turning it around in his hands. "This could be a useful one..." he muttered, audible only to himself. "Thanks," he said to the elf as he began to roll it around as he had with the fake American coin before, with only a moment of adjustment.

He glanced over to the approaching... ah, 'normie', as she had called herself for some reason. Jack recognized her. She was that wannabe witch girl, Jackie. He'd talked to her once or twice before, though not really enough to even call her an acquaintance. Though, her walking over and immediately suggesting attacking civilians was not making him feel like getting to know her a whole lot more.

Jack stood and dusted the grass off his pants. "I'd save the energy for all the walking we're gonna have to do. Unless you want to pay for the transportation, that is." He shrugged. "There'll almost certainly be some angry civs, but they'll have crowd control if it gets too bad. The real people we have to worry about-" he glanced over at Lea for a moment- "Well, I doubt they're all that 'impulsive.'"

"Anyways," he started. "Sorry for getting in your way," he apologized to Lea, before turning his attention to everyone else. "Anyone want to go grab some snacks? I thought I saw some mint chocolate chip cookies over by the gate."

Edited by AmazingGoob on Oct 15th 2023 at 2:45:53 AM

Alex

"There is something to be said for lower population density." Alex agreed with Lea's assessment of big cities, but not her clear ire for her classmates. "On the other hand, more people means more chances to make lasting bonds."

To Jack, he replied: "Some villains might see engaging a group of metahumans as a possible publicity stunt." Leaning down to touch the ground and extract a small chunk of rock from it with his power. Small flashes of white-blue light were visible as stone smoothed into refined metal, and when he rose from his chair Alex was holding a coin of shining silver.

"It's not legitimate currency, but if you just want a memento, I can inscribe something on it for you." He offered the coin to Jack, and introduced himself to the growing crowd. "Alexander Nichols. Also known as Alchemist. I serve on a hero team, though you may have seen me in the academy labs for my day job. I believe I'm familiar with all of you in passing, though it'll take me a bit to put names to faces."

Cat

"Put names to faces."

"Put names to faces."

"P̸̨̃u̸̮͋t̷͍͛ ̷̟̆n̸͈̔á̵̠m̴͓͑e̴̖̔s̴̝͐ ̴̲̚ẗ̷͓o̶͉̊ f̷̢͕̪̑̋͛̓̚a̸̜̳̫̘͆͑c̸͖̦̀̈̾̔͝é̴̪̥̌͗͜s̴͚̯͉̿̏-"

Well that had been... uncomfortable. What had at first been a perfect repeat of Alex's words had quickly distorted into something demonic, before a light chuckle followed. A woman stepped into view: short wavy black hair, bright blue eyes, tan skin, and a somewhat revealing ensemble consisting of a red leather jacket over a black crop top, and she immediately gave off the impression of someone bold and provocative. She had a pretty face and a glint in her eye that seemed to suggest mischief, especially in conjunction with her strange introduction. She glanced between all of them quickly as she approached—notably lingering on Lea with a mix of uncertainty and bafflement before she shrugged it off—fixing a slight grin onto her face as she placed her hands on her hips and stood before them.

"Hey, what's up? Name's Cat. Cat Starling. Nice to meet'cha," she greeted the group at large. "Just got to the island a couple days ago, next thing I know we're going away. Great timing, huh~? So, you guys excited to get back out there...? I haven't been in NYC for years, personally, so I know I am...!"

Ragast Firenze

The archdruid snored on top of a tree, a carefree smile on his face. It wasn't very often that he got to rest, what with all the threats, but he could spare a few minutes for a power nap. However, hearing the buzz of voices below him, his eyes flutter open, and he yawns and stretches his arms out, arching his back like a cat might, consciously stopping himself from transforming into one.

He sat on the thickest branch, legs dangling as he smiled and watched the others below him talk. A flicker of alarm went across his face as he realized he was supposed to be a student. He shrugs lazily, however, and falls out of the tree to a flump. He stands up, dusting off his clothes, and takes a look around.

"Gah... I haven't had such a good rest in a while." he yawns, grinning as he looked around. "Guess you're my classmates? Ragast Firenze. Apologies for oversleeping."

Lea

Lea looked back at Jack, atleast he could apologise, she'd thought. Reaching into her shoe to pull out a green bundle, pulling out a few bills from it "Here, a couple of fivers" She'd hand him a grand total of 15$, neat.

When Cat first spoke Lea lifted her head to look at her with a delayed movement as if she was used to it, she had a bit of a spooked expression. "Oh. Funny." She'd respond to Cat's prolonged stare with a eye roll.

Inside she was feeling just about bad enough to get up and leave the group. Going off to sit a bit further away, and with a better view on her new study subject, a certain person, or perhaps being hiding between the branches of the trees.

Still Lea couldn't quite shake the memories Cat resurfaced in her mind, a tinge of nostalgia for a friend long gone. Perhaps out of annoyance Lea doodled Cat on the edge of the page, not too flateringly as she added a beak to her face. This was enough for her to let go and return to drawing Mari.

Jack Smith

"No need. I can just-'' He held up the blank surface of the coin and snapped with his other hand, causing an inscription of Aratoa's symbol to appear upon the coin, along with a tiny trail of smoke rising from the coin. He snapped again and now his own face was on the coin, making a silly face. A third snap made Alex's face appear and even animate a little, and a fourth returned the coin to its original blank state. Each change caused a little smoke to appear, and the faintest whiff of sulfur permeated the air. "It's good practice. Thanks."

As for when Lea handed him fifteen dollars, Jack just looked baffled. "I don't need-" but the girl had already walked off. "Weird girl..." he murmured to himself, before stifling a giggle as he realized what he'd just said. That was pretty much the purpose of Aratoa, he thought, to house all the weird people. Why question it?

Turning back to Alex, he returned to the previous topic. "I just don't know if they'd want that publicity under the UN's eyes. It's just a bad look in the eyes of their more moderate supporters- Though, I suppose it'd make the extremists happy, which might be what they want."

Edited by AmazingGoob on Oct 17th 2023 at 9:21:34 AM

New Entries

By now, Kilgore arrived a bit late to the get-together with some other Heroes who had similarly gotten a bit lost on their way through the island - or who had gotten distracted by some other functions or activities. The Demon Superhero beelined toward where Armada waited, checking in with her for the role he would play - largely keeping the field trip from going too awry.

Despite his most infamous moment, Ironclad walked along with what could best be described as a cover of a machismo sort of confidence. His left eye was a bronze brown, the right eye was a light blue in color. He was powerfully muscled and wore a bronze sleeveless spandex heroic costume, the leg section of the costume blue, separated from the bronze by a yellow ring. Anyone on the island with their ear to the news would however know the story of young Ironclad aka Mitchell Tyler and the capture of Serena Validus that wasn't.

In a contrast to the heavily muscled Ironclad, the slighter framed, lean and thin young man by his side seemed entirely in his own world. Poofy, slightly wavy black hair, a youthful face, brown eyes, and slightly pale skin. Despite the temperature he wore a long sleeved shirt and a sweater vest with two pockets at the front, and a pair of jeans, with a small traveling bag by his side. Despite appearances, Devon of the Wyethi was not quite as human as he looked.

Once they left Kilgore's side, Ironclad and Devon went ahead to start socializing.

Ironclad for his part immediately honed in on Cat, an eager smile showing on his face, and as he approached her he said, "Hey babe, can't help but feel like I've never seen you around here before - I'd have probably noticed if that wasn't the case. You excited for New York?"

Devon however looked at Alex and approached, taking out what looked like a cube from his traveling bag. "You look like you probably know your way around the finer sciences. But I'm wondering if you can solve a Wyethi Lightbox. I mean, it's a breeze for someone like me who could easily make Grand Sapios Rank, one of the most elite of the elites, but..."

Alex

"Illusions. Interesting." He made a mental note of what Jack could do for later, glancing briefly at Lea as she walked away. Social anxiety?

Alex hummed in thought, considering Jack's words. "I'd hardly call anyone who supports a human supremacist group 'moderate'. If hatred doesn't alienate their followers, violence wouldn't either."

He waved in greeting to Cat and Ragast, but before he could say anything, two more people showed up. Ironclad flirting with Cat was certainly brave, given his reputation.

Devon offered what appeared to be a puzzle box, and Alex eyed it with some interest and some wariness. Slowly, he held out his hand to take it. "The objective is to open it, I assume? Without breaking or modifying it, naturally."

Cat Starling

"Hey, you bet!" Cat chirped, shaking out of her momentary daze while staring at Lea and grinning towards Ironclad. She squinted at him for a moment in thought, before her eyes slightly widened in recognition, and her demeanour slightly changed as a result. "Haven't been back to the Big Apple in a while. Can't wait for it. Wonder if the traffic's any better. Probably not. Shouldn't get my hopes up..."

These guys feel a little... off, somehow... she silently regarded—her eyes flicking between each person nearby and lingering once again on Lea. She's real familiar. I wonder... no, she wouldn't... would she...?

Her heart skipped a beat a little, and her expression shifted to one for nervousness. It had been a stray thought at first, but now she couldn't unsee it. She tore her gaze away from Lea and looked over at Alex and Devon instead. The latter sounded like the insufferable genius type, and that box drew her attention. Puzzle box? Alex seemed to think so. Strange thing to hand to someone right out the gate...

"Should've brought my bike. Maybe I'll get a new one sometime," she idly considered, remembering that Ironclad was nearby. She didn't look at him, however, still watching the interaction between Devon and Alex. "Your buddy. What's his deal...? I've heard of you, not really... heard of him..."

Cain Adamson

Upon seeing Ironclad up to his old tricks, a rather muted scowl found its way onto Cain's face, and he got up, not without some creaking of his old bones, going to stand besides Cat and the other boys. Ironclad's type of boy usually never took "no" for an answer, and this would cause even more trouble later on. That is, on top of the trouble that had already been caused. This whole mess with his marriage with Serena...

"That depends, you look rather excited yourself," he said neutrally to Ironclad. Technically this wasn't his business, but his old chivalric instincts were acting up, and maybe having a teacher nearby would discourage any resultant harassment. He would not trust this boy around his daughters. "The trip will begin soon, I'll wager. We'll be departing soon."

Edited by JumpingFruit on Nov 5th 2023 at 3:01:44 AM

Drawing interupted, some girl keeps staring at me, wish she wouldn't

Lea's drawing of the tree bug called Mari was interupted by her noticing the gaze of the black haired girl.

• is.. why does she keep looking at me? . . . guess she isn't used to people drawing around her. I hope it's that... maybe I'm just ugly haha... yeah, just... Hey what's that?*

that internal conversation interupted too, Lea focused her sights on the cube that was changing hands between the boys. That looked like an interesting fidget toy, maybe she could buy one somewhere... or better yet at an online shop. For now she'd leave Mari and begin drawing the puzzle and the people around it for a fast sketch. She'd snap a discreet picture planning to return to it after the trip, to draw the scene proper.

timely too as Cain mentioned them leaving soon moments after.

Aratoa, Gate

"Well, if we're doing introductions..."

A quick adjustment to her hat and a moment to pose and she looked suitably witchy.

"Jackie... But if you want a suitably super-power name now that I'm living here feel free to call me Madam Shade, the Witch of Death."

It was pretty easy to say that with a straight face given she was kind of monotone and sarcastic in general. She clicked her tongue as the infamous Ironclad arrived on the scene along with another chaperone for the trip.

"Oh of course he turns up and immediately gravitates to the prettygirl thief turned good."

Kat

Katerina saw a few new people show up, including the playboy hero known as Ironclad. Thankfully his attention was focused on Cat for now, sparing her the trouble of having to deal with his advances. As other people began introducing themselves, Kat followed in kind.

"I'm Katerina Belyayev, also known as Molniya. Good to meet those of you I'm not already familiar with."

For now, the elven girl simply waited for their voyage to begin.

New Entries

Ironclad sure seemed at least at first to be encouraged by the way Cat had responded to his flirtations - except then as Cat walked over toward dorky Devon and started taking interest in the box that Mitch couldn't make heads or tails of things took an immediate turn. When Cain made his way over and interposed himself into the goings on, Ironclad bit his lip and looked at the floor.

"...Yeah." He said with a quick huff of breath, knowing he couldn't very well flirt that much with Cain hovering around making it awkward.

When Cat asked about Devon though, he felt a little more encouragement, "Oh, you mean him. Devon...Devon's not from this planet. He's from Yithengar-9, a Wyethi. Humanoid Aliens, basically. He's got natural super computing powers." He also realized most likely what Cat meant when she said she'd heard of him, another sigh coming from him in short order.

Devon seemed to smile a little more confidently as he realized people were looking over at him. A sense of pride, a realization that there were people who stood to observe. "Open it...and make sure all the colors are solid, without any of the smaller squares on the box showing a dissonance of color with its surroundings."

Alex

"'Dissonance of color' seems fairly subjective." Alex mused, beginning to play with the box, learning what motions did what to it, trying to figure out what mechanisms it contained. Notably, he did not use his power.

"I do enjoy a good puzzle now and then, but for the record there's no real connection between puzzle solving and scientific rigor. Most puzzles are based on skills such as pattern recognition and spatial reasoning, whereas the chemistry degree I'm working on is mostly a bunch of math."

To his credit, Alex was able to speak while still focusing on the puzzle cube, probing it in the hopes it would give up its secrets.

The cube seemed to light up on its various faces - many alternating colors flaring up in various spots across the cube, a few times starting to become more solid and consistent before falling back apart into dissonant dots of color. There was an odd sense that the toy was shifting outward as well as around - as if solving it would also open the cube up and reveal something.

Dev for his part seemed to be intensely interested in watching Alex try to solve this - his eyes darting from Alex's hands to his forearms and then slowly looking up from there in a rather obviously interested glance.

Devon licked his lips, suddenly conscious of how dry his mouth was. "I uhh. You're doing surprisingly pretty well - probably the first human to get it this well. Probably...at least capable of spatial calculations on the level of a second, maybe third Sapios..."

The...whatever was going on there was interrupted by an announcement by Armada, who stood with Kilgore and a new arrival - a black and blue animalistic creature of a hybrid nature. He seemed to have an overall bear-like bodily structure, but a gorilla-like face, the eyes of an eagle and talons likewise, a sweeping raccoon tail coming from the seat of a rather official looking suit and tie ensemble;

"Welcome, everyone! The trip to New York begins in short order. We've made sure the Gate's destination is ready and in one piece, and unlikely to be abridged or altered." Armada gestured at the currently empty gateway - which flared to life with bright blue crackling force.

"A quick step through the Gate, and you'll be joining us in New York City, down the road from the United Nations Building. From there, I and Chimera here will be attending a meeting. I encourage you to stay with Kilgore and or Cain for your own protection - and if you must explore, keep to safe, reputable areas." A smile as Armada turned and walked through the Gate.

"We'll be leaving the Gate open for a little while for any tardy parties. Just...be aware we'll keep this sort of performance in mind, mm?" And with that said, Chimera went ahead through the Gate.

The way was open - and the teachers had moved through. It was time at last to get a move on.