[X] Bruce: Banner is on the first flight out of Brazil. He'll analyse this serum sample and try to figure out what the hell it is while Tony's heading to Tennessee. Plus, he can turn into a big green rage monster if things get heavy.
Voted on the other thread but wanted to give my logic.
Steve: Tennessee smelt of trouble, some backup would be nice. And Cap was some of the best backup Tony could ask for, plus if Tony's hunch was right, whatever ex-soldiers that were on the Mandarin's payroll would hesitate to shoot the Captain America
Something the movies only really touched on was the super soldier programs that were inspired by Steve. The soldiers he'd fight are all dark reflections of him. Even though the methods are different? Maybe what Eriskine says is right. You aren't just amplifying power you're amplifying character. All of those soldiers are burning up inside. And there's also some symmetry on him facing off against people who think they're the master race with a Stark. Because history doesn't repeat but it does rhyme
[X] Steve: Tennessee smelt of trouble, some backup would be nice. And Cap was some of the best backup Tony could ask for, plus if Tony's hunch was right, whatever ex-soldiers that were on the Mandarin's payroll would hesitate to shoot the Captain America.
My logic is that we can call Bruce when this is over to help figure out Extremis. In the movie itself, it didn't take long for a cure to be found, Bruce should be able to figure out a post-dosage stabilizer that Jack could use.
[X] Bruce: Banner is on the first flight out of Brazil. He'll analyse this serum sample and try to figure out what the hell it is while Tony's heading to Tennessee. Plus, he can turn into a big green rage monster if things get heavy.
[X] Bruce: Banner is on the first flight out of Brazil. He'll analyse this serum sample and try to figure out what the hell it is while Tony's heading to Tennessee. Plus, he can turn into a big green rage monster if things get heavy.
I'm a bit concerned about him hulking out down town however he is one of the brightest minds out there and could deconstruct the serum.
[X] Natasha: If Natasha could infiltrate Stark Industries then she could infiltrate Kilian's little thinktank. Killian's role in this was still unclear, but he had some part in this, Tony was sure of that. And Nat will find just exactly what.
Extremis is no serum but nanobots so I can't see Bruce being a good fit for this problem
Between Tony and Rhodes I'd like to think we have enough heavy firepower
I'd rather have some infiltration/intelligence person rounding out the team, so either Clint or natasha
[X] Natasha: If Natasha could infiltrate Stark Industries then she could infiltrate Kilian's little thinktank. Killian's role in this was still unclear, but he had some part in this, Tony was sure of that. And Nat will find just exactly what.
[X] Steve: Tennessee smelt of trouble, some backup would be nice. And Cap was some of the best backup Tony could ask for, plus if Tony's hunch was right, whatever ex-soldiers that were on the Mandarin's payroll would hesitate to shoot the Captain America.
[X] Steve: Tennessee smelt of trouble, some backup would be nice. And Cap was some of the best backup Tony could ask for, plus if Tony's hunch was right, whatever ex-soldiers that were on the Mandarin's payroll would hesitate to shoot the Captain America.
[X] Bruce: Banner is on the first flight out of Brazil. He'll analyse this serum sample and try to figure out what the hell it is while Tony's heading to Tennessee. Plus, he can turn into a big green rage monster if things get heavy.
Getting Bruce Banner for the scientist rather than the Hulk is good I think.
And in an unexpected emergency, theres not a lot of plans that survive contact with the Hulk
[X] Steve: Tennessee smelt of trouble, some backup would be nice. And Cap was some of the best backup Tony could ask for, plus if Tony's hunch was right, whatever ex-soldiers that were on the Mandarin's payroll would hesitate to shoot the Captain America.
[X] Bruce: Banner is on the first flight out of Brazil. He'll analyse this serum sample and try to figure out what the hell it is while Tony's heading to Tennessee. Plus, he can turn into a big green rage monster if things get heavy.
Okay, 24 hours later, current vote count is at: Banner - 20
Natasha - 9
Steve - 8
Clint - 0
Poor Clint.
So the winner with the lions share of the votes is Dr. Bruce Banner! So Tony and Rhodey will now know about what Extremis can do before they encounter it.
Over the last few months, you had been punched, kicked and shot at. By the end of the invasion you had felt like a walking corpse. You thought you knew pain.
You were wrong.
There was pain, and then there was this.
For hours fire had spread through your veins, burning you from the inside out. There had been no rest, no respite, just this constant heat that wouldn't go away no matter how much you begged or pleaded.
There had been times when the heat had been so excruciating it felt like you were going to explode from the inside out. And each time, at the very last second, one of those machines would do something and bring you back from the brink.
You could sense them now, the hundreds from the injection and then the tens – maybe even hundreds – of thousands that joined them at some point overnight, when the heat had reached its peak. They rested in your blood, your heart, your bones. In every part of your body, they were there.
You could no longer sense the remains of your armour, in fact, you couldn't sense anything at all. These microscopic machines took up every part of your senses that you had learned to tap into these last few months. Every minute, every second, the blueprint, the essence of them entered your mind's eye. And each time it was just a little bit clearer, just a little bit easier to understand.
It finally ended at some point in the night when something snapped and your face met the mercifully cool ground.
**
You awoke to the sound of metal doors scraping across the floor.
Getting yourself to your feet was easy, effortless even.
Around you were the bubbling, burnt out remains of whatever you were strapped to.
Looking down at your hands you blinked. Because instead of burnt skin and a missing hand you found healthy, undamaged skin – along with a second hand. You closed your eyes and pinched your arm. Opening them, you stared. Yeah, your missing hand was still there.
Huh.
You looked past your hand and blinked again. Because instead of the comforting strength of your armour, your arm was bare. A fact that the rest of your body mirrored.
Your armour was gone.
And you were naked.
Why were you naked?
You suppose you should be more concerned, but this wasn't the first time you'd woken up naked in a strange place. Though normally you'd remember where you left your pants.
Before you could begin to search for a way out (or some clothes, you'd take either) the door finished opening.
The woman that stepped through looked familiar. As she came closer, you recognised her as the one that injected you before everything became pain and fire.
Maya Hansen tossed you a half-opened duffel bag. Inside you saw a stack of clothes.
Thank god. Fighting your way out of a secret facility while naked was on Tony's bucket list, not yours.
"How are you feeling?" She asked as you slipped on a pair of sweatpants.
"Fine." Better than fine. You felt great, fantastic even. You felt like you could crush steel with your bare hands. You looked at your hands again this time in wonder, and then something orange flowed underneath your skin.
You startled. What the fuck?
Hansen grabbed your hand and gave it a speculative look. "Small surge. Not uncommon for someone still transitioning to Stage Two." She felt your forehead. "Has your body been twitching? Any sudden spikes of heat? Steam coming out of your ears?"
"Uh, no." You answered. What kind of disease did she think you had? "Look umm, you've already seen me naked, can we skip the whole check-up thing?" Things were moving too fast. The last thing you remembered was you on the brink of death and getting injected with… something. After that it was all fire and pain that blocked out anything that might have been said afterwards. You needed a few minutes to try and remember.
"No." She pulled you up a staircase and sat you down on a chair in front of a turned-off computer. You could've broken out of her grip, but you didn't want to piss off the woman who you were pretty sure saved your life. "I need to make sure all your vitals are good before Killian gets here. Hold out your arm."
She strapped a blood pressure monitor around your arm. Well if you're going through this whole song and dance then you'd try to get some answers in the meantime.
"What happened to my armour?"
"Melted off. Same as your clothes," Hansen answered absently. "Tense your arm please."
Your free hand (the one that just grew back) leaned against the desk. Melted? That didn't sound right.
Heat flared in your arm and a machine… buzzed for a lack of a better word in the area. As the area cooled, you got the feeling it was content.
A couple of hundred more of those and maybe you would gain a basic understanding of what the fuck they were doing.
Hansen hummed. Clearly, she caught the small flare.
Your eyes darted across the room, looking for something, anything you could use. With the computers next to you and the irrigated garden back downstairs you could make a decent high-pressure hose. Strong enough to knock someone off their feet, or maybe blow a hole in them if you overpowered it.
Of course, all this was moot because you still couldn't sense them.
Bored, you swung your arm and accidently knocked against the side of the monitor.
As your bare arm connected, all the machines in your body flared at once.
Information flowed through you.
No, that's the wrong word. It didn't flow, it bombarded you.
The information that entered your mind about this insignificant monitor was a thousand times more detailed then any information you had been able to sense before. You now knew that this monitor was made exactly one year, six months and three days ago. You knew the composition of materials that made up this monitor down the decimal. And for a brief second, you saw everything that had ever been displayed on it. Terabytes of simulations involving human bodies and some kind of serum.
So much information. And there was more.
You could feel a presence in this machine. It was small and pathetic, but it was there. It called out to you, telling you that if you justreached out you could take hold of it and make it yours…
Your mind brushed against this presence and for a split second, every machine in your body buzzed at once. Because for that second, you weren't just you. You were the monitor.
Thankfully, Hansen took your gasp as a reaction to the stethoscope that she just placed against your chest.
You looked at your hand and moved it away from the computer, carefully so not to touch it again. These machines had done something to your powers, made them stronger, more focused, but completely reliant on them. You would have to do some testing when you got a moment alone to be certain but you were pretty sure. Still, with this much of a boost maybe you could repair your armour completely even with a big chunk of it missing.
You just had to find it.
"So, you going to tell me what these flares mean?" You asked as you felt heat spread across your chest. Just like before, it faded away to nothing a moment later. They didn't feel dangerous but what did you know? And you still didn't have a clear enough picture of exactly what these machines were doing to you. It was getting clearer by the second, but at this rate it would still likely take several hours.
Hansen shook her head. "Just be patient, I'll explain in a minute."
Patient? Sure, you can be patient.
You spent the next several minutes rhythmically tapping your fingers against the table, still being careful not to touch the monitor again, until another surge flared – this time in your leg.
Okay, enough with the misdirection, time to get some answers.
"Alright enough! What the fuck is going on" You demanded, lifting your pant leg, revealing the new orange glow. It was already cooling but it was still visible.
"Calm down." She said, and something dark and hot burned in your chest as a pounding filled in your ears.
"No, I will not calm down!" You rocketed to your feet. Ripping the blood monitor out of her hand, you ground it to dust in your palms.
You took a step forward and she flinched back. In the reflection of her eyes you saw a figure wreathed in fire, their eyes glowing a malevolent orange. "What's happening to me?!"
"You're evolving."
The man that spoke in the doors frame had slicked back blonde hair. The same man from last night. The one next to him was equally familiar. With his cocky grin and balding head.
Savin.
Your fists clenched.
"You've become a part of the next stage of human evolution." The blonde continued. "Some growing pains are to be expected."
That was… spectacularly unhelpful. You took a deep breath. Losing your cool wasn't going to get you anything here. By instinct, you grabbed a hold of the machines circulating through you and activated them. It took a moment, but eventually the all-encompassing heat flowed away in time with your lowering heart rate.
All the while, the machines circulated. The image getting clearer by the second.
The blonde clapped. "Magnificent. Direct control in less than a day." His gaze looked past yours. "Well done Maya, I'm smart enough to admit when I was wrong."
"Killian," something approaching unease marred her face before her expression smoothed over. "What are you doing here?"
"To meet our newest success," the blonde–Killian said. "Well, Savin wanted too." He amended. "I want to know our progress."
"Fully integrated." Hansen answered. "He's already had four surges in the last fifteen minutes. I'd say he's ready for Stage 2 at any time."
"Aww, you hear that," Savin mocked, in between chewing on gum. "You're a part of the tribe now."
You pointed at Savin. "First, fuck you." He snorted. You moved on to Killian. Going down the stairs, you got right in front of him. Your face started to heat up again. "Second, who the fuck are you and the fuck are you talking about?"
"You haven't told him?" Killian asked.
Hansen crossed her arms. "I was about to before you made your grand entrance."
Kilian scratched under his chin. "Ah." He smiled. "Well, I could explain, but a demonstration seems more appropriate. Savin?"
The punch came out of nowhere, too fast to see. You saw stars as his fist crunched against your face with bone-breaking force.
You stepped back but didn't fall. Distantly you were aware you should be unconscious, or at least sprawled on the ground after a punch like that but the machines buzzed and power flowed up your arm.
Your turn.
Your felt bones crack under your fist and Savin stumbled back.
Savin's face was a wreck. Your punch broke his nose and fractured his jaw. Impossible. You weren't that strong. You could see Cap pulling it off (and let's not even get started on Thor and Hulk) but you? Without your armour?
Savin rubbed his nose. "Nice punch," he cracked his nose back into place and the broken skin flared orange. Just like last time, except this time, instead of your HUD lighting up, you felt a heat already becoming familiar flaring on your own face.
Hansen coughed from behind you. Turning around, she handed you a pocket mirror and pointed at her face. Looking into your reflection, you saw the bruise on your face fading away, leaving nothing behind but unbroken skin.
Impossible.
"You were dying," Kilian said. "Beyond even the grasp of modern medicine. So, Miss Hansen decided to change your fate." He gestured to you. "To give you a second chance."
You grit your teeth. "Why so generous?" You weren't buying what he was selling. Even though they saved your life, it was only in jeopardy in the first place because of them. Maybe you owed the doctor something, but this guy, you didn't owe shit. You gestured at Savin. "I disrupted his little drop off and beat the shit out of him, until his friend…" Your face paled as your mind flashed back.
Oh god. The orange glow. The same glow under your skin. Was that going to happen to you?
Killian smiled.
"Ah yes, Taggart." He shook his head. "A pity he couldn't regulate."
Regulate? Was your first thought. You're a maniac, was your second. You desperately wanted to say the latter, instead went with the former. As much as you hated to admit it, Killian held all the cards for now.
He tilted his head, his gaze baring into you at your lack of visible reaction. "The serum that saved your life is called Extremis." He tossed three marbles to the floor. They opened to reveal a set of projectors. The room was then illuminated by a high-quality 3D image of a human brain. "It's a revolutionary step in genetic manipulation. Users are stronger, faster, more resilient." He pointed at your arm, the one that less than twelve hours ago had been a stump. "And are capable of regenerating missing limbs in a matter of minutes."
You leaned forward, interested despite yourself. Sounded like a super soldier serum. "Sounds revolutionary, how come I've never heard of it?"
He shrugged. "it is still in development." He pressed a button on his wrist and the image of a brain switched to a video of someone getting injected. "Much progress has been made over the years," The man started to glow, burning from the inside out. But there are still flaws in the process," he started to thrash, even without audio, you could tell he was screaming in agony. "Ones that need correcting, before we give it to the world." The glow became more intense, and familiar. Then he exploded, and the video cut out.
Just like Taggart.
"Of course, such advancements require sacrifice for the sake of progress." Killian continued, the maniac still smiling despite what he had just shown.
You wished you had your suit right now, but the horror in your face was plain to see. "And how many have died for the sake of your progress?"
"Enough." Killian said. He raised his hand. "The question is, will you add yourself to that number?"
"What are you talking about?"
Killian started to pace. "One of the flaws that we have yet to correct in Extremis is that it needs multiple injections to complete the process." He turned to face you. "Last night, you were injected with the first dose. You are now faster, stronger and healthier than you have ever been. But what you're experiencing now is only Stage One – a fraction of Extremis' potential. You need another injection soon to complete the process and then, well…" he glanced at Savin. "I don't need to tell you what you'll be able to do."
No, he didn't. You remembered well enough. You hit Savin with enough force to put a hole in the wall, and all it accomplished was breaking his ribs. And he walked off less than thirty seconds after. Not to mention that he was able to fight you in hand-to-hand.
If one Extremis user could match you, then they could match over half the Avengers roster.
At the cost of being a ticking time bomb.
"And what happens if I don't take the injection?" you asked.
"You'll die," Hansen answered. At Killian's nod, she continued. "Extremis is practically stable. If you get to Stage Two, then there is almost zero chance of going too hot."
"But I'm not at Stage Two, am I?" You asked.
She shook her head. "You need a follow up injection within the next two days. Otherwise, you'll keep getting hotter and hotter until you go critical and then…" She trailed off but you had a pretty good idea.
You'd end up like the man in the video.
Like Taggart.
"This is all very interesting," you said, deliberately keeping your voice even. "But you still haven't answered my question, why did you save me?" You doubted that they went through all the trouble of bringing you over here and saving your life just to let you die later. But everything had a price and you had a feeling you wouldn't like the cost.
"We want you to fix the flaws." Killian said.
What?
He continued. "I admit, I was originally against it. But Maya can be very persuasive." He pressed something on his wrist. And the video changed to you fighting against the Chitauri Robbers. "An engineer capable of integrating Chitauri Tech into their suit. As a fellow scientist, I would love to pick your brain. But I'm more interested in seeing exactly what you can do with Extremis."
They thought you were a scientist? Well, it wasn't the worst assumption to make. You don't think technopathy existed outside the realm of obscure science fiction before you came along.
You had been very careful about using your powers in public, looks like it paid off.
"Of course, if you do help, I'm willing to offer a very generous employment package." Killian smiled. He then held up three fingers, letting them down one by one. "Ten million dollars, a high-level position in my organisation and access to all the Chitauri tech that the government has stored away gathering dust." His hand now closed, he held out the other. "So, interested?"
So that was this was about. Help them perfect Extremis and walk away with money, power and favour from someone who would no doubt become a super-power to rival SHIELD with an army of Extremis lead soldiers at its head.
You looked at Killian's outstretched hand.
And all it would cost you was your soul.
You remained silent for a long time. Until you looked Kilian in the eye, slapped his hand away, and spat on the floor. "Go to hell."
Extremis was powerful, you couldn't deny that. But you wanted no part in this future.
Killian smiled. "I thought you might say that." He pressed on his wrist again. "Well, if the carrot won't work, then I suppose the stick will have to do."
The hologram faded away, replaced with something far more horrifying.
Skye flinched as an orange hand hovered near her face. Her arms and legs were tied to a pole, and two men wearing ski-masks stood next to her in a dark room.
You paled. No, no way. This couldn't be real. She should be safe; Tony should be watching her!
"Now this is a live feed," Killian said. You grit your teeth. "I take it from the look on your face that she is your friend?" He took your silence as a nod. "Good, because she was very hard to track down." You buried the hysteria building in the back of your throat. You needed to focus. Your arm flexed as the machines in your arm buzzed. They helped regulate Extremis, you got that so far, but what about boosting it?
Killian continued. "It took my people a long time to get something from that Halloween footage." He gave you an award-winning smile. "Thankfully, I have friends in high places." He leaned in closer, as if he was sharing some great secret. "You'd be surprised how little it takes for secret spy organisations to sell you out when they don't trust you."
Your vision tilted red.
He closed the video. "Now, about that position?"
Your fist was a blur as it struck out. Faster than when you struck Savin, your arm glowed as you put all your focus into that part of you that came from Extremis.
Killian caught it out of the air.
Pain exploded from your arm as Killian pressed down.
"H-how?" you whispered.
Fire trickled out of Killian's mouth as his entire body burned orange.
"No…" Him too?
He pushed your arm to the side and slammed his hand into your chest. Winded, you collapsed to the ground.
"You know," he said, crouching down to eye level. "I've been wanting to meet you for quite a while. The Traveller, the only Avenger without a face. No name, no history, just a constantly changing mask. A true embracer of anonymity, something I can appreciate."
"Aww, thanks." You pushed yourself back up, Extremis already healing the damage. "Tell you what, you go grab my helmet from wherever you stashed it and I'll sign it for you." Right after you use it to crack this fucker's skull open. See how long it'll take him to regenerate from that.
"But I must say – I'm disappointed." He confided. "After all the speculation of who you were. People thought that you're a spy, or an alien that turned against the Chitauri, or maybe just a lone genius fighting for a cause. But no, instead, you're just a kid, over his head." The Extremis faded away, leaving no sign of its presence. "But maybe one smart enough to see the writing on the wall."
Maya stepped forward. "Killian…"
Killian held up a finger. "Just a second." he turned to Maya. "Yes, Maya?"
She looked at you, and hesitated. "…never mind."
"Excellent," Killian said. "Now, I hate to be crass but it seems you need to be clarified on reality." He took out his phone. "One text, one phone call and my people will inject her. Then, assuming she doesn't die from the initial dose, will be in the exact same position you are. Though I doubt she's smart enough to save herself." He put the phone away. "Of course, you can avoid all that if you take my offer."
The or you both die was left unsaid, but you could see the writing on the wall clear as day.
That video couldn't be real, but you couldn't take that risk if there was even the slightest chance that Skye really had been captured, then you'd never forgive yourself. If only you could still sense without touch! Then you'd know for sure if the video was real…
But no, that wasn't on the table. You needed to work with what you had and this wasn't a situation where being you would help. You needed to follow the example of the man who had been in the exact same position and not only turned it around on his captors but came out so much stronger for it.
So, what would Tony do?
For now, he would wait for the opportune moment.
Which was exactly what you were going to do.
The orange along your arm faded away. "You let Skye go right now, and I'll fix Extremis for you."
"Deal." Kilian said without hesitation. Killian grabbed a hold of your arm and pulled you close. "That desperation you're feeling, use it. You have forty-eight hours. I'd get to work."
"Not so fast," you said. Killian may have most of the cards right now, but you needed to take back control somewhere. Your power buzzed as ideas filled your mind. You'd start with the machines coursing through your blood and work your way backwards. At least until your power gave you the blueprint, but in the meantime, you'd try to get all the resources you could get your hands on. "If you want me to make any meaningful progress then I'm going to need all the literature you have on Extremis, lab equipment, a computer for simulations and some dead and active Extremis samples."
Killian waved his hand. "We'll get you everything you need. Maya will assist. Anything else?"
Your stomach rumbled. "Yeah, some breakfast would be nice."
You're no scientist, but with your powers you can fake it till you make it, at least for the next forty-eight hours.
In that time, you needed to figure out how to stabilize Extremis, find out if Skye's safe, rescue her if she's not, warn Tony and escape without revealing what you can do.
No pressure.
You'd start with the machines, you had a feeling that one way or another, they'd be your key to escaping here.
So, those machines have done two things to you since you woke up, what one do you focus on?
[] Use the machines to enhance your connection to Extremis. You want no part of this world Killian is creating, but you need its power now. You can almost match a fully realised Extremis user as you are, with some tweaking, maybe you could go beyond…
[] Use the machines to boost the connection to your powers. Your powers have changed. They've become narrower, more focused, but no weaker for it. With some practise, who knows what your new limits are…
10,000 Nanites – Disposition Unknown
Mechanical Intuition has temporarily changed to Touch of the Technological God.
Touch of the Technological God: You now go beyond mere understanding, at the cost of range, you are now not only capable of controlling technology, but interfacing with it as well.
Note that the character sheet won't be updated because all changes and losses are currently temporary. Whether it stays temporary or becomes permanent is something you'll decide over the next few chapters.
So wait, is our technopathy limited to the nanites right now, or can we rebuild still our armor? Also, does boosting the connection to our powers mean we can assemble equipment faster or assemble better equipment from scratch?
So wait, is our technopathy limited to the nanites right now, or can we rebuild still our armor? Also, does boosting the connection to our powers mean we can assemble equipment faster or assemble better equipment from scratch?
Agreed. Even if we can boost our Extremis to be stronger than Sevin, he is ex-military and better at CQC combat. let's focus on our strengths, not on theirs.
And since I have seen this asked in the comments a few times:
If you vote for power synergising it won't increase your range. You'll still be touched based, but any creations you make with your power will be 1 tier stronger then normal (which on average is about 4-5 Gear Stages)
If you vote for Extremis synergising then you'll unlock the benefits of Stage 2 Extremis without a follow up injection (this also means that you don't need to stabilize Extremis to save yourself) and you'll still be able to use your powers, you just wont get the extra tier boost.
Note that Stabalizing Extremis is one of a couple of actions you'll be able to do over the next 2 or so chapters, along with a bunch of other things.
[X] Use the machines to boost the connection to your powers. Your powers have changed. They've become narrower, more focused, but no weaker for it. With some practise, who knows what your new limits are…
And since I have seen this asked in the comments a few times:
If you vote for power synergising it won't increase your range. You'll still be touched based, but any creations you make with your power will be 1 tier stronger then normal (which on average is about 4-5 Gear Stages)
If you vote for Extremis synergising then you'll unlock the benefits of Stage 2 Extremis without a follow up injection (this also means that you don't need to stabilize Extremis to save yourself) and you'll still be able to use your powers, you just wont get the extra tier boost.
Note that Stabalizing Extremis is one of a couple of actions you'll be able to do over the next 2 or so chapters, along with a bunch of other things.
Wait, so if we don't boost extremis right now, will we need to get the injection from someone else, or will we still be able to stabilize it/move to stage 2 without needing Killian?
[X] Use the machines to boost the connection to your powers. Your powers have changed. They've become narrower, more focused, but no weaker for it. With some practise, who knows what your new limits are…
Wait, so if we don't boost extremis right now, will we need to get the injection from someone else, or will we still be able to stabilize it/move to stage 2 without needing Killian?
