>>5530500>>5530523>>5530575>>5530686"I know exactly who we can take the ring to." Edith says. "Momma bird!"
"Who?" you ask.
"It's what people call her." Sam says. "Because she's head of the science department and real nice. Real name Dr. Karen Christian, supername Ms. Cryptic. Her lab's on the 50th floor. It's real cool, but only the STEM kids get to play around in it."
The door for the lab is an entire wall. Several electronic eyes scan you with multi-colored light as you approach.
"What's with the extra security?" you asks.
"They got some real dangerous stuff inside. Black holes and such. You could probably conquer a universe with all the stuff inside."
You see several posters on the wall-door:
CAPTAIN MARVEL SAYS: THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON SAYS KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!
And it's got the big guy himself shaking hands with the old king with one hand and stuffing a genie into a brass bottle with the other.
You're surprised the genies haven't complained about it being insensitive. People do that a lot these days, likely because they don't have anything better to do than impose on the good will of others, like BOL flunkies without guts.
NOTHING HAS EVER BEEN FINALLY FOUND OUT. BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING FINAL TO FIND--CHARLES FORT
And it's got his portrait. You've heard about this guy. Pioneered the study of superpowers in the early 20th century, called them "wild talents."
CAPTAIN BATTLE SAYS: THE GREATEST BATTLE IS THE BATTLE IN YOUR MIND!
And it's got the warhorse superhero struggling with math problems on a sheet of paper--boy, can a lot of students relate!
...including you. You never had a good head for math.
Captain Battle is neat. You hope you meet him one day. Supervillains from other realities keep trying to kill him because they confuse him for another old eyepatch wearing jetpack leader-type from another world, world 6-something-something, they used numbers for their worlds.
The door hisses open.
It smells nice inside. Clean, but not like, chemically clean.
Is that mint? It smells kind of mint in here.
An enormous creature in a cloak walks up to you on big taloned feet that go TEK TEK TEK against the floor.
Glowing red eyes watch you from beneath the shadow of a hood.
Two antennae flick up and down.
"Oh hello! What brings you to the lab?" she asks in a voice that reminds you of how your mother used to talk to you, back when you were small and less of an ass. "Please don't say it's just because of the cookies!"
Edith hugs her.
"Oh, dear, thank you! But you didn't come here just for a hug, I hope?"
>What do we say? 