Thanks to the organic uniform provided by Stacy, Sam was clean and free from the sticky goop that he and Murphy had fallen in while exploring the secret room in the clock house.  Now, clean and dry once again, he meandered down the streets of the city, studying all the massive structures that he'd only given a fleeting glance before.  He stopped in front of St. Peter's Basilica, the very same cathedral that Connor and Murphy had been coming out of when he ran into them.  Glancing downward, at the cargo pocket on his thigh, he pulled out his father's journal and took out the rosary that they used as bookmark--among other things--and a small silver flask.

Turning his eyes back to the building in front of him, he started up the steps and disappeared inside.  Several minutes passed, minutes spent over the basin of holy water, blessing it for a second time, and filling his flask with it.  Giving a satisfied nod, he tucked both items back into his pocket and stepped back out into the city.

Cybil took a moment, when the group had split up, to lean against a wall, out of sight, take some deep breaths, and try to get her blood pressure down.

She'd had no time to recover, but then how much time did it take to recover from what she'd seen? She kept expecting to see bloody grime streak up the walls like an infection, kept expecting to hear the sound of sirens, of metal dragging on metal, closer and closer. She kept expecting to wake up and find out what was seeing now was illusory, the delusions and hallucinations of a dying mind, random neurons firing off as her brain baked in her head.

She hoped that Rose da Silva had come in time to save her daughter.

Cybil wasn't sure what she could've done against that blood-thirsty, evil crowd, but if Rose was alive, she knew she'd storm through hell (and it had been hell) to save her little girl.

All she had was hope.

She'd never been very good at hope.

But the situation at hand needed her attention, and it was better for her that way--to have something to focus on, even if she found herself in a situation that was just as unreal, if not quite as terrifying.

Now she wanted to go around, get to know everyone better, get a better handle on the situation. She'd gotten a little datapad from the library, a blank one, and was filling it with notes for herself, making up a roster of people, to keep trap in case someone went missing, those kinds of things.

The city was enormous, as they could see when they left the tube and entered the level it was on. It was enormous and cobbled together, seemingly. So many different buildings, temples, cathedrals, a massive tree, a labyrinth, so many different things. And overhead, a sort-of blue sky that wasn't a sky, and a light that could've been the sun if you squinted, projected there.

This ship wasn't just a ship, it was a COLONY, apparently. With a whole city inside.

"Un-Fucking-Believable."

This was where the other pod-people supposedly were, in this city.

"Okay, kids in the middle. I don't care if you can fight or can shoot lightning out your ears, stay in the center where we can protect you. If there's something the adults can't handle, then feel free to jump in. Noncombatants are with them. Anyone with a weapon, if someone is engaging an enemy in hand to hand, obviously, hold fire, even if you're a crack shot. Safeties of your weapons on until it seems like we might be running into something. For most of us, being able to shoot is only a thumbflick away and I don't want any friendly fire. Be careful not to hit anything that looks like a window, so we're not all tossed into space," Cybil said, standing at the front of the group.

"Andromeda. Cortana. Let us know what you can as we go, and if you think there's something we need to see, let us know to take a look. You're our tourguides."

And the important part.

"If you think you heard or saw something strange, calmly let the rest of the group know, even if you're not sure. We shouldn't be jumping at shadows and we can't panic, but we shouldn't be too relaxed either. We have no idea who or what might be here with us. Be careful. Not careless. Not paranoid."

Her gun was out in her hand, safety was on for now, and it was aimed at the floor.

"Kara, Harper, and Flash, I want you on point with me. Sam, Connor, Murphy, I want you bringing up the rear. The other people with superpowers in the middle, where you can get to the front or back easily if you're needed at either and where you're closest to the kids and the people without guns or powers to protect them."

She would, quite frankly, be amazed if anyone actually listened to her. She was just a cop. But

"Everyone ready? Let's go."

[ooc: Read this before tagging.]

The AI of Seamus Harper's ship, the Andromeda Ascendant was trapped here along with everyone else, her AI core stolen or at least copied to Stacy's systems. Other AIs had been captured along with her. But she did have answers to some questions, and apparently was willing to tell the crew things Stacy wasn't willing to without being questioned.

Apparently, one of those things was that Cybil Bennet, someone who had popped recently, right along with them, and was merely a police officer back home, was the captain of their crew.

Their crew of what, Harper had asked?

Andromeda's answer:

"The crew of this ship, Harper."

It was then that the eyelid-like visors covering the windows of Obs Deck started to separate, letting in the light--and oh, was there light. They were in the currents of a multi-colored cosmic riptide, surfing the stream. Stars shot past beyond the lights, nebulae, galaxies sped along them as if they were what was moving and the ship wasn't.

It was beautiful.

It was horrible, because it meant they were in space--or something like it. That was a very long way away from their homes.

"We are a very, very long way from Commonwealth space."

Faith stumbled out of the Hub into a room filled with lockers, presumably with people's stuff inside.

A movement caught her eye, and she took a running leap at it. "Yaaaaah!" Looking before leaping was never her strong suit.

After the initial confusion of the pod release, the podlings have been allowed to wander at their discretion around the living area.

However, even though no one really pointed it out, people might find themselves drawn to a large oblong room at the one end. All of the hallways just seemed to lead there, for some strange reason.

The ceiling was massively tall, and shaped like a semi-circular dome. This sight would greet anyone who entered. There were fleshy couches and chairs for those that wished to sit down.

It looked, quite accurately, like a place people were meant to gather.

And gather they would.

Pop. Pop pop pop. Poppuhpoppoppop. KASCHUNKhiiiiiiiissssss.

There was condensation and mist spraying out from cracks in oblong glowing things that were clustered along the floors and walls of the huge, ancient-looking caverns.

For now, the ones that were cracking were the closest to the floor, but perhaps later, the figures sliding out of the pods would be sliding out onto the slimy walkways and platforms above.

Pop. Poppop. KASCHUNKhiiiiiissss.

There was light, and unconscious minds breaking through the top of the briny, harsh waters of consciousness, as their bodies did similarly and broke free from the pods, sliding to the floor, shivering in pools of slime.

Once the temporary blindness that some of them had passed, and once they were free of their sleepy stupors: somebody had some splainin' to do.

But there would be no explanations, as the only thing that could explain was only watching, silently, almost as a mother would look at their child right after it was born.

Pop. KASCHUNKhissss.