M.A.S.S. Device
- The M.A.S.S. Device is a piece of technology from the Transformers vs. G.I. Joe continuity.
Created by Cobra munitions manufacturer Destro, the M.A.S.S. Device is a powerful teleportation system able to traverse interplanetary distances. The device is powered by three "catalytic elements" which must reach "transmutational synergistic stasis" for the machine to function. It has not, however, been perfected: though travellers do reach their destination, they are burned alive in the process. To date, only Destro himself has proven able to survive use of the M.A.S.S. Device, due to his partially cybernetic physiology.
Fiction
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
Returning to the Decepticobracropolis, island headquarters of the Cobra/Decepticon alliance, Destro ordered the M.A.S.S. Device prepared so that he and a squadron of Crimson Guardsmen could travel to Cybertron for a face-to-face talk with Megatron. Every single guardsman was immolated by the journey, still dying horribly in interdimensional fire as they arrived in Megatron's throneroom, leaving a slightly "frayed and tattered" Destro the only survivor—exactly as he had predicted. Funeral for a Friend
Intending to use the M.A.S.S. Device to reach Cybertron himself, Snake-Eyes performed a meditation ritual, focusing his control of body and mind in the belief that it would allow him to survive the journey. Thinking that Snake-Eyes had defected to Cobra, a revenge-seeking Duke tackled the ninja into the M.A.S.S. Device portal, and the pair were set adrift in the void between worlds. Form Follows Function
Ask Vector Prime
Cobra used the M.A.S.S. to conquer Earth in Primax 1185.04 Alpha. When Megatron tried to conquer it too, he found that Cobra could warp their legions to anywhere he showed up. Ask Vector Prime, 13/6/2015
Notes
- The M.A.S.S. Device was the central MacGuffin of the original G.I. Joe animated mini-series, which revolved around the search for its three catalytic elements: radioactive crystals, heavy water, and meteor dust. Its name stands for "Molecular Assembler Scrambler Sender", though when IDW introduced the machine into their comic book continuity, it was changed to "Multipoint Asynchronous Subether Station".
- Transformers vs. G.I. Joe is coloured to appear as if it is printed on older paper that has yellowed with time, but in a cute trick, the light of the M.A.S.S. Device is stark white, as if it were so bright that it was burning the yellow off the page.
