HOME | DD

Description
Part 1 [link]
Part 2 [link]

They stopped a block from the building. The hole in the side was clearly visible with police barricades and tape around the area. Diamond checked for security.

They have quite a setup in there, lots of security equipment watching the place.

So are you trying to hack our way in?

Looking for blind spots. Hacks can be detected, using blind spots can't. Best if we keep our electronic fingerprints to a minimum. Got it, now move with me.

Diamond ran part of the way up the street, stopped for 8 seconds, crossed the street, moved up another 30 feet, waited 16 seconds, moved up and pressed flat against the side of the building near the hole for another 23 seconds, then they were in.

Inside the place was empty. All the furniture, equipment, and anything else that wasn't nailed down seems to have already been taken away. There were some odd pieces of smashed furniture, and another hole in the opposite wall, blast marks in a couple places, and is that blood over there? Yes it was. Exploring the building they found a number of reinforced security doors and more destruction. FireBrandi pulled out a portable detector she brought from the University lab.

The entire place is giving off that energy we picked up. The readings are higher in that direction, through the large holes.

Following the energy readings they came to an observation room. A row of desks that until recently held a series of computers were against a wall with large shattered windows. The room beyond was clearly radiation shielded, with a number of cables and plugs for a large, now absent piece of equipment.

That is where it was, whatever it was. Guess we can check the other rooms to see if there is anything that the clean up crew missed.

A good number of the walls had been broken down, as if whoever did this wanted to cause extra destruction rather than use the convenient doors.

They found a garage area capable of holding 5 vehicles. A set of steel cabinets were along one wall, smashed. Opening one they found racks, but whatever they held was gone.

Hmm... some pieces of plastic and circuit board in here. They had a couple dozen of whatever these were.

I think I found one!

Diamond had lifted up one of the cabinets that had been folded in half and unbent it. Inside were several of the crushed devices, and one that appeared to have survived.

It looks like some kind of scanner. Were they searching for something with all of this?

I don't know, but it looks like the only clues we will find will be under the rubble that only you could move.

There was not much left to find. Under the rubble of smashed walls there was usually just crushed furniture. But in one office they were in luck. In the twisted wreckage that remained there was a computer, though mostly crushed. Diamond started to take it apart, pulling out the hard drive.

We're in luck. This looks intact enough for me to check out.

They left with the hard drive and scanner, not wanting to risk being discovered while examining it. They met up at Brandi's apartment and got down to business. Nikki hooked up the hard drive and examined its contents for several minutes before commenting.

This is not good.. Definitely not good. This lab was a project to try and recreate Ultrawoman's powers. Whenever she appeared agents were sent out with these scanners to gather as much information on her as they could get. In the lab they build a machine to infuse a person with the same type of energy that goes through her body. They were calling it Project Ultra.

Oh that is just great. I'm almost glad that Walkiria is not here, you just know how she would be going off on hearing that! "Project Ultra? What? Are they trying to make better hamburgers by copying the biggest cow they could find?"

Nikki couldn't help but laugh at the impression.

They had made great progress. One of the problems they were still having was the human body was not good at retaining the energy. That is why everything in that building was giving off energy.

Brandi thought for a minute

Does this mean we could make a scanner to track Ultrawoman?

Nikki shook her head.

No, her body can contain the energy. It is only when she is actively using her powers and at fairly close range that she gives off enough to detect. That is one of the reasons why they had so many scanners. However... did you notice the hole in the outer wall of the building?

umm.. no I didn't notice anything about it.

It was broken from within. It could be someone on the inside it could be that one of the people in the project got a dose of power and decided to take off with it. That would explain why the energy was detected outside the shielded lab. And if they wanted to keep the power for themselves why there was targeted destruction in some of the rooms. A human empowered by this project leaks energy like a sieve. Can you up the range on that detector to see if we can find their trail?

I'm on it!

A few minutes to adjust the detector, a few more to get back to the area of the lab, and the hunt was on!

=========================================

Big thanks to for illustrating my story!

FireBrandi belongs to me and is available for parties.

Diamond belongs to and is appearing with permission.

Ultrawoman is mentioned but does not appear, she belongs to

Walkiria also is mentioned but does not appear, she belongs to

Description
Part 1 [link]
Part 2 [link]

They stopped a block from the building. The hole in the side was clearly visible with police barricades and tape around the area. Diamond checked for security.

They have quite a setup in there, lots of security equipment watching the place.

So are you trying to hack our way in?

Looking for blind spots. Hacks can be detected, using blind spots can't. Best if we keep our electronic fingerprints to a minimum. Got it, now move with me.

Diamond ran part of the way up the street, stopped for 8 seconds, crossed the street, moved up another 30 feet, waited 16 seconds, moved up and pressed flat against the side of the building near the hole for another 23 seconds, then they were in.

Inside the place was empty. All the furniture, equipment, and anything else that wasn't nailed down seems to have already been taken away. There were some odd pieces of smashed furniture, and another hole in the opposite wall, blast marks in a couple places, and is that blood over there? Yes it was. Exploring the building they found a number of reinforced security doors and more destruction. FireBrandi pulled out a portable detector she brought from the University lab.

The entire place is giving off that energy we picked up. The readings are higher in that direction, through the large holes.

Following the energy readings they came to an observation room. A row of desks that until recently held a series of computers were against a wall with large shattered windows. The room beyond was clearly radiation shielded, with a number of cables and plugs for a large, now absent piece of equipment.

That is where it was, whatever it was. Guess we can check the other rooms to see if there is anything that the clean up crew missed.

A good number of the walls had been broken down, as if whoever did this wanted to cause extra destruction rather than use the convenient doors.

They found a garage area capable of holding 5 vehicles. A set of steel cabinets were along one wall, smashed. Opening one they found racks, but whatever they held was gone.

Hmm... some pieces of plastic and circuit board in here. They had a couple dozen of whatever these were.

I think I found one!

Diamond had lifted up one of the cabinets that had been folded in half and unbent it. Inside were several of the crushed devices, and one that appeared to have survived.

It looks like some kind of scanner. Were they searching for something with all of this?

I don't know, but it looks like the only clues we will find will be under the rubble that only you could move.

There was not much left to find. Under the rubble of smashed walls there was usually just crushed furniture. But in one office they were in luck. In the twisted wreckage that remained there was a computer, though mostly crushed. Diamond started to take it apart, pulling out the hard drive.

We're in luck. This looks intact enough for me to check out.

They left with the hard drive and scanner, not wanting to risk being discovered while examining it. They met up at Brandi's apartment and got down to business. Nikki hooked up the hard drive and examined its contents for several minutes before commenting.

This is not good.. Definitely not good. This lab was a project to try and recreate Ultrawoman's powers. Whenever she appeared agents were sent out with these scanners to gather as much information on her as they could get. In the lab they build a machine to infuse a person with the same type of energy that goes through her body. They were calling it Project Ultra.

Oh that is just great. I'm almost glad that Walkiria is not here, you just know how she would be going off on hearing that! "Project Ultra? What? Are they trying to make better hamburgers by copying the biggest cow they could find?"

Nikki couldn't help but laugh at the impression.

They had made great progress. One of the problems they were still having was the human body was not good at retaining the energy. That is why everything in that building was giving off energy.

Brandi thought for a minute

Does this mean we could make a scanner to track Ultrawoman?

Nikki shook her head.

No, her body can contain the energy. It is only when she is actively using her powers and at fairly close range that she gives off enough to detect. That is one of the reasons why they had so many scanners. However... did you notice the hole in the outer wall of the building?

umm.. no I didn't notice anything about it.

It was broken from within. It could be someone on the inside it could be that one of the people in the project got a dose of power and decided to take off with it. That would explain why the energy was detected outside the shielded lab. And if they wanted to keep the power for themselves why there was targeted destruction in some of the rooms. A human empowered by this project leaks energy like a sieve. Can you up the range on that detector to see if we can find their trail?

I'm on it!

A few minutes to adjust the detector, a few more to get back to the area of the lab, and the hunt was on!

=========================================

Big thanks to for illustrating my story!

FireBrandi belongs to me and is available for parties.

Diamond belongs to and is appearing with permission.

Ultrawoman is mentioned but does not appear, she belongs to

Walkiria also is mentioned but does not appear, she belongs to