With a final glance over his shoulder, he knew that both the Ambassador and Commander were more than accomplished enough to get themselves to safety; they were already doing so at that moment. Atomic Adam wasted no time in discerning the fastest route down, wanting to inspect the chaos below.
The blast that had caused the tremor had shifted most of the bridging platforms, ruining the alignment between these platforms used to access higher or lower levels. These platforms were mostly used by those who did not have a taste for teleportation or displacement technologies, leaving many stranded. Though Atomic had Tel-Tech (Teleportation Technology), he thought better of using it, fearing that the blast may still have a residual disruptive effect on such devices, remembering Max's warning about their sensitivity.
He leapt over the edge of the platform, aiming for another one about 8 levels below him. Luckily, enough time had passed and there were no longer pieces of debris falling. About halfway to his landing spot, a switching platform hovered into his path. Atomic quickly braced and prepared to roll. As he came out of the roll, he leapt again, off the platform, plummeting towards the lowest level. As he fell, he silently whispered his appreciation to Metaversal Max for the specially engineered accessories he so often needed to deploy.
Mere seconds before hitting the ground in an empty street, Atomic grabbed at the corner of his trademark silver jacket with a tugging motion, activating the Hyper-shoot functionality that Max had installed and refined over the years. The jacket "sheds" a layer of its fabric, which in turn activates the gravcheck, altering the density of the graviton fabric around the wearer, ensuring a safe landing.
Atomic Adam strode toward where he heard the clamor coming from; he hadn't landed very far. As he turned the corner, he encountered a scene of chaos and destruction. Buildings were crumbling, fires raged, and people were running in every direction. The blast had caused widespread panic and confusion. Atomic Adam quickly assessed the situation, searching for any signs of survivors who may be in need of assistance. He knew that time was of the essence, and he would do whatever it took to restore order and help those in need. He also knew that finding the source of the blast would be essential in determining the best path toward peace.
Amidst the chaos, Atomic Adam spotted a group of trapped civilians huddled together near a collapsed building. Without hesitation, he rushed to their aid, using his strength and agility to clear away debris and create a path for their escape. Once the civilians were safely out of harm's way, Atomic Adam turned his attention to the source of the blast. He needed to uncover the truth behind the attack, he needed to know who all the players were. Making an alliance with one mysterious organization so soon after the turmoil started may not have been the wisest of choices, but he knew that more allies were better than none.
As he approached the blast scene, he started to get the feeling that not everything was as it seemed. Something was not right about the scene in front of him. He scanned the area, checking the blast radius, pattern, spread, and level of destruction, analyzing the information as best he could. This was not the blast of an explosive, rather a discharge of energy. He could discern faint traces of it leaving the scene, as if the discharged object had walked away.
Atomic Adam had two choices:
Time was of the essence.