The Adventure

Small Fry's cleverness allows her to counteract some of Raines's programming...and with him beaten, it can't be reversed, unless one of you really screws up an interaction with the controls!

Rocketeer does major damage, and the results are immediately felt: instead of the chaotic weather, the temperature changes to a pleasant 70F, and a cool breeze wafts through the room. A temporary break from the onslaught, probably, but still a welcome one....

Unfortunately, Rocketeer has pushed her armor to its breaking point! She's out of the fight, leaving Shield Maiden and Small Fry to wrangle WeatherCore!

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Round Five

19: Victor/Shield Maiden – down to Valkyrie-in-Training (2), down to Mild-Mannered Alter Ego (2)
16: WeatherCore – down to (2), -5
14: Small Fry – down to Subatomic Shrinker (1)
12: Dr. Elias Raines – down to Megalomaniacal Scientist (0), Aspiring Oligarch (1), some attackers -5
7: Ragnar Thunderheart – down to Alcoholic (2), Demi-god (0)

3: Team: Rocketeer – down to Mad Rocket Scientist (1), High-Flying Daredevil (0), Technopathic Nanoimplants (0)
3: Team: Allied Defense Droids – (1)

Shield Maiden, you're up!

Yes, she does mean it...as the Valkyrie is able to dodge WeatherCore's relatively weak wind-burst counterattack, and in her frenzy send metal and wires flying!

WeatherCore now targets Small Fry, unleashing an...enchanting snowstorm with flakes so large they look like handcrafted Christmas decorations. With its power rapidly dwindling, and its targeting system gone haywire, it's the best it can muster.

After a grueling battle that KOed half your team, you've finally persevered! WeatherCore is now harmless, its energy flickering like a small bonfire, its AI as placid as a contemplative monk. The intense weather ceases, and the temp. is now cool, like you'd expect from an underground lab. The lab is in shambles; it would take weeks for an expert team to repair all the damage. Raines, however, is still muttering something about "imminent victory" whenever he flickers back to consciousness.

Meghana hasn't emerged from her containment unit, and your teammates are down. It'd be a good idea to revive them all quickly, and then deal with Raines and WeatherCore just as swiftly. There's no telling who else noticed the battle, and plans to swoop in and fight for the scraps.

Then again, you're heroes, so maybe you don't give two shits who shows up!

Also, those underlings who remained upstairs? Some of them surreptitiously watched the battle, and then the group decided to skedaddle while everyone was distracted. It seems they didn't trust either side to deal with them fairly. They've all scattered to the four winds, disappearing in the cotton field surrounding the facility.

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Summary of Cliches

Victor/Shield Maiden – down to Valkyrie-in-Training (2), down to Mild-Mannered Alter Ego (2)
WeatherCore – down to (0)
Small Fry – down to Subatomic Shrinker (1)
Dr. Elias Raines – down to Megalomaniacal Scientist (0), Aspiring Oligarch (1)
Ragnar Thunderheart – down to Alcoholic (2), Demi-god (0)

Team: Rocketeer – down to Mad Rocket Scientist (1), High-Flying Daredevil (0), Technopathic Nanoimplants (0)
Team: Allied Defense Droids – (1)

The AI doesn't answer, but WeatherCore's bonfire-like energy does flicker. Soon you see (and feel) energy moving through the thick cables that connect WeatherCore and Meghana's containment unit...only this time, it's flowing to Meghana.

You hear some clicking noises, and then the lid of the unit slides off the top and folds down to the side. Thick fog pours out. Hands grope the sides of the unit, and a disheveled, haggard woman drags herself out. Still too weak to stand on her own, she leans against the ornate staff she wields, peering around confusedly.

At full strength, she would be a commanding, even regal, figure. Now, though, she looks lost and helpless.

She turns to address Small Fry....Her normal stats:

Master of Typhoons, Wielder of Maelstrom (5)
Environmentally Conscious (3)

Her current stats:

Master of Typhoons, Wielder of Maelstrom (1)
Environmentally Conscious (1)

Small Fry's knot would've been rewarded with whatever merit badge the Girl Scouts have for such things.

But would it prevent a determined, cognizant adult from breaking free? Probably (k)not. But Raines is neither of those things at the moment, so he'll just roll around helplessly while you all get sorted.

Small Fry's sunbeam gives Rocketeer's armor just enough power to allow her to struggle to her feet. It also lifts the rocket-loving woman's spirits! She's still too damaged to attempt anything crazy, though.

With her nanoimplants still damaged, however, Rocketeer's technopathy is giving her a terrible migraine. It'd be a good idea to tackle this problem immediately, either by herself, or with the aid of her teammates.