[Plot] [Social] Post-Game Analysis

[Will Stanton]

The same Will who had been fighting the Titan had gone straight from the sight of the battle to the War Room in the point, still caked in mud and a bit of his own blood.

He was watching as data from the blackbird was downloaded into the computer, as footage from the various CCTVs in the area were collated, as data that the Point had collected was put together.

He sat in a chair, his fingers steepled, with a frown.

((Open))

[Shane Marsh]

"Some really exciting hero work from the plant man," Shane commented upon entering, in his best sports commentator impression.

He still looked tired, but significantly less like a neglected houseplant.

[Will Stanton]

"Yes, that was some quick thinking. Likely prevented some significant soil upheaval during the second tidal wave," Will nodded.

[Shane Marsh]

"Seriously though, good work all around. From what I could make out between getting pummeled by in the face by waves anyway."

[Will Stanton]

"Well, a passing grade likely would not have resulted in the Blackbird crashing. An error of judgment on my part, even if it did draw the attention of the...creature."

[Shane Marsh]

"Any crash you can walk away from is good in my book."

"More importantly, any ideas what in the bloody damn blazes that God-forsaken Cthulu-adjacent monstrosity was?"

[Will Stanton]

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I'm afraid that there's only limited information we have to go on, considering the reactions that both Tempest and Morrigan had to it -- we're talking something out of the physical realm, at the very least.

I'm cross-collecting all the data we had from the West Industries site, as well."

He absentmindedly scraped a slather of river mud from his cheek onto the floor.

[Shane Marsh]

"The rock monster thing you guys fought? You think it's connected? I swear, the big brains should start building a giant anime robot. You just know Narumi's got designs somewhere."

[Will Stanton]

"Just like the briefing said," Will nodded. "At least; that's Shijin's hypothesis. I'm looking to see if the data we gathered to this point backs that up."

"Giant robots are likely more trouble than they're worth, generally speaking. Not to mention they tend to invoke a fair amount of fear among the populace."

[Shane Marsh]

"What concerns me is that it appeared on our doorstep as if someone or something deliberately sent it our way. And if they did, will there be another?"

[Will Stanton]

"The first one wasn't here, though the targeting could have been changed after we engaged that one," Will pointed out.

"Or perhaps it's drawn to something. Mutant energy. The Lighthouse. Divinity."

[Shane Marsh]

"Someone or something getting a taste for Morrigan would make the most sense if it's the same sort of phenomenon. Her goddessness isn't even necessarily it. Telepaths tend to attract especially strange shite on their own."

[Will Stanton]

"We just don't have enough information yet to make any kind of determination," Will frowned.

[Shane Marsh]

"I'm sure Shijin's already back out there with his boffin contraptions, playing detective."

[Will Stanton]

"I'm sure his data will come in here when he's done collecting it," Will nodded. "We'll get to the bottom of this yet, Bramble."

[Shane Marsh]

"Wish I could be of more help in that regard. Investigation isn't my strong suit. Too bloody impatient for that."

[Toshiro Narumi]

Speaking of a certain science geek, Tosh popped up in a video chat window on of the screens. Or rather the words "Shijin is requesting a connection."

[Narrator]

After a moment, the system validates and authorizes the connection, accepting the data into a quarantined network section provisionally, sorting it and displaying it to the screens as Tosh's device(s) send it.

[Toshiro Narumi]

The video feed that came up showed Tosh's face with the soggy park in the background.

"Ahah! There we go. The data come through okay?"

[Narrator]

Come through it does. Tosh's Mutation-Meter? Spark-Scanner? Dimensional-Detector? is sending a bunch of data about the general area of the fight. It's trivial for Natalie to resolve it into a neat three-dimensional map. Residual readings clearly show the path the Titan took and even indicates with distinct bursts when it actively generated the wave. Everyone else who was present left much weaker lines and bursts form moving across the park with faint but still barely detectable differences in their energy pattern. Tosh was thorough in covering the area.

The patterns left by the X-Men are bit of a tangled mess but could probably be assigned to the various participants with cross-referencing some footage. What stands out is a surge of energy between the defeated Titan and what must have been Sam as well as a mess of at least three different weak patterns right on top of the Titan and Tosh.

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Aside from being able to make a really neat map of the battle, the fact that the creature left such a residue is proof positive that it possesses a connection to what we're calling a Spark. So, yes, it appears to have been the same sort of aberration we faced in the States."

[Will Stanton]

"As we suspected," Will said, absentmindedly scraping some more mud off.

"I'm going to play with this for a bit; try to identify each and every one of these patterns. That might help us understand this better."

[Shane Marsh]

"Think we can zoom out and verify if the beastie was headed for the university, or paying special attention to Sam?" Shane asked.

[Will Stanton]

"We can try, though I'm not sure we'll see anything at this resolution. Sam was at the university, after all, so the creature's path would be similar in either case."

[Narrator]

Aside from Tosh's readings, the map shows the path the teams took as well as a rough reconstruction of the creature's path through the estuary, where it lingered and the spot it was ultimately defeated.

[Will Stanton]

"Yes, that's not headed for the university at all, or the lighthouse. If anything, it was headed for the town proper."

[Narrator]

Based purely on trajectory it might have initially been on course for the school. Perhaps the cliffs dissuaded it? But then once it had gotten past the cliffs and made landfall in the park it definitely headed for the town.

[Will Stanton]

"Yeah, I don't think we have enough information yet to solve this. I'm going to sit with it a while and stare at it."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"I'll be noodling over it myself... after I have a shower. I think I have mud in unspeakable places," Tosh said, making a disgusted face.

[Will Stanton]

"The estuary will do that," Will nodded.

He didn't make any particular move to get up himself.