Yes, as you can see here, it was possible for the trip outside to turn out badly and ending with Nightcrawler incapacitated. Fortunately, that didn't happen here.46S
"We have an even bigger problem than the Hand," you tell Wolverine as you head toward the command center. "There may be a Sentinel about, controlling the centis."
"A Sentinel!"
"Yes. Apparently the centis were built to serve as helpers to the government-operated Sentinels."
"So that's why the little suckers looked so familiar!" Wolverine growls. "Hey! Wait a flamin' minute!" He stops dead in his tracks. "If these people are buildin' mini-Sentinels, why don't we just let them stew in the mess they've made for themselves?"
"Henry Gyrich is here," you explain. "He is responsible for security at this base. He convinced the scientists that the centis were in tended as security drones and for other dangerous or mundane tasks. They did not know what his real intentions were. They are innocent dupes."
"How do we know that for sure?" Wolverine growls.
"We had a little scume. It ended up with Rogue absorbing Gyrich. Gyrich seems to believe there is a rogue Sentinel nearby that has taken over the centis." you deliberately avoid relating to Wolverine all the details of your battle with Gyrich and Andrews. You have more reason to hate Gyrich than anyone here, but you are used to controlling your passions in the interest of unity. Wolverine, though, might well jump at any excuse to batter Gyrich around.
"I am not happy about leaving these people alone, even with the mass field, Logan." you continue, "but if the slightest possibility exists that there is a Sentinel here, we must search for it, and if it exists, we must kill it before it escapes this island. They are too deadly to let loose on the world."
You receive no argument from Wolverine. "Have you told the others?" he asks.
"I've talked to Dr. Laughlin about the Sentinels. He's agreed to help us?"
In the command center, Michael and Dr. Laughlin are wiring together some sort of small box, Dr. Andrews is watching the outside monitors and Drs. Kirsch and Craig are programming something on the computer. Rogue stands at the foot of a tablé, smiling slyly at the body lying before her—Henry Gyrich.
*'Doesn't he look nice?" the young mutant asks coyly. "I keep picturin' him with an apple in his mouth and potatoes all around."
"Storm?" Dr. Laughlin calls you over to where he and Michael are working, "We had an idea. For some reason the centis never stopped relaying information to our computers. I think they can be traced by their broadcast frequency. We're making you a tracking device."
"Excellent!" you reply.
"The centis should be sleeping." Michael pipes up.
"Sleeping?" you ask.
"Conserving their energy," Michael explains. "The centis use up lots of power to levitate and fire their weaponry, so they can't use very much energy at night when their solar rechargers aren't operating. Since we've never seen them at night, we assumed they must roost somewhere."
"And at night, the shadows come out," you muse. "A curious coincidence, wouldn't you say, Wolverine?"
"The centis take the day shift and the Hand work the graveyard shift." Logan says with a low whistle. "Quite a team!"
"Who are the Hand?" Dr. Laughlin asks.
"Michael's shadows," you explain. "An organization of ninja assassins."
"Wow!" Michael gasps. "Did you see them?"
"I took care of a few of 'em." Wolverine answers, "though there's plenty more out there, I'm sure."
"Gyrich is starting to wake up," Rogue informs you. The government agent blinks, then sits up and glares at all of you. Then he turns to Rogue. "I'm adding an espionage charge to your list. woman. My head is classified information."
"Your head is a kettle o' snakes. mister," Rogue retorts.
"And it's gonna be oatmeal if you don't shut up!" Wolverine growls.
"Wolverine, Rogue! Please." you snap at them.
"Blast it!" Jesse hisses as she notices a red light starting to flash on a control panel.
"What's wrong?" Michael asks.
"The mass field's going down again," the scientist replies, rising from her chair.
"What exactly is the problem?" you inquire.
"I don't really know. The field requires a very delicate balance of energy, based on some complicated equations, so the computer controls the power feed. There must be something wrong with the program that runs things, because it keeps underfeeding power to the inner mass field, though the same program is having no trouble keeping the outer barrier up. I have to get down to the basement again to feed power manually."
"I see. You must do your best to see that it remains up while we are out hunting centis."
Jesse nods grimly, spins on her heels. and leaves the control center.
"The centis are govemment property," Henry Gyrich snaps. "I forbid you to destroy any of them!"
"Why don't you just come with us, Gyrich, to make sure we behave," Wolverine suggests slyly. ' 'Then you can invite the Hand to tea—maybe invite the Sentinel, too."
"You have no proof that there even is a Sentinel," Gyrich states.
"But we know that you think there is, shugah," Rogue says sweetly. "And we aim to find the sucker and take it apart piece by piece, before you go recruitin' it or draftin' it or somethin'. That's what you hoped to do, isn't it?" Rogue taunts Gyrich with her knowledge of his mind.
"The box is finished. Storm." Michael says.
"Good. After you show me how to use it, we will prepare to leave," you reply.
If Wolverine has taken any damage, he may add 1 back to his Health points because of his Fast Healing Ability. If Nightcrawler is in the infirmary after being poisoned. turn to 28. If Nightcrawler is exploring the base with Mrs. Taggert, turn to 137.
Nightcrawler's Agility is 10, so the odds are above average in our favour. Do we want to improve his chances?137N
Under Storm's orders. you begin to explore the entire base, but the basement reveals something so interesting that you teleport back to the control center with a startled Mrs. Taggert. "There's a hidden passage beneath the base!" you tell Storm.
"According to the maps studied, the base was bunt on solid bedrock." the X-Men leader says.
"Then the maps are mistaken," you insist.
"We will check it out," Storm says.
Followed by your teammates and an angry Henry Gyrich. you hurry down the basement stairs, Jesse is there working on the mass field. She watches you curiously as you lead the others to a section of the concrete floor that is badly cracked. You tap on it once with your ninja sword, "Hear it? It's hollow underneath."
"Perhaps it is just an old well," Storm suggests.
"Or maybe a mine," Rogue adds. "Professor X said they used t' do mining around here."
"A cave or a mine would be the perfect place for a rogue Sentinel to hide," Wolverine points out.
"Shall I smash through, boss?" Rogue asks.
"I forbid it!" Gyrich declares, "You'll only let whatever is under there loose on this base!"
"Mr. Gyrich," Storm says tightly, "if there is a Senti beneath this building, even you must realize this layer of concrete is not going to stop it. The mass field is supposed to extend down through the bedrock beneath this installation. Undoubtedly, the Sentinel, if there is one, is on the other side of the mass field, or it would have gotten in here a long time ago."
Without further argument, Storm nods to Rogue.
The young mutant flies up to the basement ceiling, then plunges down, smashing the floor. She creates a hole, a meter across, through the ten inches of concrete. Warm air rises up into the basement, and you can hear wind blowing in the passages below.
Storm shines a flashlight beam down the shaft. "It appears to be about thirty feet to the bottom. The X-Men will go down to investigate. Do not follow us. Wait back at the control room. If we must go through the mass field in the passages below, Nightcrawler can teleport us to the surface in front of a security monitor so you can see us when we are ready to come back inside."
"Good luck!" Jesse calls.
"And to you," Storm replies.
You teleport Storm and Rogue flies with Wolverine down to the bottom of the shaft. A horizontal passage leads away from it. You follow the passage, creeping along as quietly as pouible.
"These walls don't look like any old mine to me: • Wolverine whispers. "Too round and smooth."
"No. They look as though they've been excavated by modem machinery of some sort," Storrm agrees.
Sixty feet down the passage, your progress is halted when you come to a rusting steel door. It's fastened in place with an ancient padlock. Wolverine offers to slash the door open, but Storm wants to leave at least one barrier between whatever lies beyond and the people above. "It will take only a minute to pick the lock," she insists.
While Storm is fiddling with the lock, Wolverine' senses the whine of a centi approaching from behind you! Rogue shines a flashlight down the corridor as you and Wolverine alm your sonic pistols in the direction of the sound. Finally you see It in the flashlight's beam. The centi hovers in the light, moving more slowly than the others did earlier. It halts for a moment in midair, then flees back down the passage.
'Follow it!" Storm orders. "It must not make it inside into the base!"
You teleport back to the vertical shaft and wait in the darkness with your sonic pistol held ready. You can see a little spot of fight moving down the passage toward you.
Make an Agility FEAT by rolling one die and adding the result to your Agility ability. If the total is 12 or less, tum to If it is 13 or more. turn to 16.
Stats Card:
Wolverine:
HP: 20/22
Fighting w Claws: 16
Fighting w/o Claws: 8
Intuition: 16
Fast Healing: 20
Rogue:
HP: 16/18
Agility: 4
Strength: 10
Power Absorption: 10
Storm:
HP: 21/21
Fighting w/o Claws: 4
Agility: 6
Leadership: 6
Nightcrawler:
HP: 21/21
Fighting w/o Claws: 4
Agility: 10
Teleportation: 6
Group Karma Pool: 25
Boon Cards:
1x Wolverine
3x Nightcrawler