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"It's like a g-giant theme park of science!"
— Brains

The Quantum Research Center, or the Q.R.K. (Quark) for short, is a scientific research facility that specializes in the study of gravitons. It is located in Switzerland, New Geneva, and it appears in Heavy Metal.

The large circular building is where Professor Moffat works, and is home to the Supreme Hadron Collider. Other marvels of quantum physics include the "TR-4500", the "Intersecting Synchrotron" and the "Thermolabs Impulser D-76".

Brains visits the Q.R.K. after Proffesor Moffat finds herself and her colleagues unable to fix certain problems they have been having, and to witness the activation of the Supreme Hadron Collider too. Alan Tracy also tags along, having brought Brains there using the Helipod. Both Brains and Alan were excited to be there upon arrival, but fairly soon, only Brains remains interested in the various projects.

The Gravity Well Incident[]

Things soon get exciting for Alan, though, for soon after the Supreme Hadron Collider is activated, a meteorite (which turns out to be a satellite for the G.D.F.) crashes down nearby in a corkscrew-like manner for no conceivable reason. This is followed up by a nearby passenger plane being pulled down to the same area in the same way, and in an attempt to stabilize the craft with an electromagnetic cable, Scott Tracy in Thunderbird 1 also ends up spinning downwards alongside it. By generating incredible speed through rapid descent and full power, Thunderbird 1 and the passenger jet are able to gain enough strength to escape the well, but after scanning the area for more potential objects to be caught in the well at Brains' command, John Tracy finds out that the gigantic Worldwide Space Station is about to pass over, something Thunderbird 1 cannot carry.

Back at the Q.R.K., Brains and Moffat conclude that these strange things are happening because the Supreme Hadron Collider has generated a gravity well, pulling everything above the Q.R.K., even beyond the atmosphere, down to it. The gravity well became bigger, stronger, and self sustaining. The ceiling of the facility was torn down, and people/objects inside became weightless, with smaller objects flying towards the collider.

Thunderbird 4, with it's strength, small size, and multiple tools, had to dangle from Thunderbird 2's electromagnetic cable to operate on the collider. As plans to dissipate the well from Brains and Moffat come and go, Thunderbird 4 resorts to simply blowing up the Supreme Hadron Collider, returning gravity to normal and saving the day.

No other scientists at the Q.R.K. aside from Moffat were seen doing anything throughout this entire ordeal. Plans to build a successor to the Supreme Hadron Collider were declared by Brains and accepted by Moffat. The incident also accidentally created a newly discovered quantum particle, named the "Centurium 21" by Professor Moffat.

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