Aberrant: Stargate Universe - Nice Genes

[Mr Fox]

Hermiod cocked his head curiously, "Our consciousness gets downloaded into the mind of the clone as the final step, when our old bodies wear out. Rather than risk the process failing at that critical juncture we begin by transferring memories only into the clone prior to the final step. It also acts as a safeguard should something happen to us. A clone could be awakened without the final transfer of consciousness, but that is much more traumatic and means a long adjustment period lasting many years. If you wish to know the scientific means then I can provide a tutorial on the process."

Cam had returned from stowing his gear and had walked up on the conversation while Kyria was asking her question. "Yes, that would be appreciated. What helps us understand your process will help us help you to solve it."

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult glanced at Cameron and nodded agreement with his suggestion before turning back to the Asgard, tapping her lips with an elegant finger in contemplation. "With Cameron, I am agreeing fully. There is another I wish to bring up. Relying solely on cloning technology, do you wish to keep your population static, rather than dynamic? Do you have no way to add new, distinct individuals to your society, or no wish to?"

[Mr Fox]

Both Asgard seemed to consider this before responding. Hermiod spoke first, "We do not currently have a way to expand our population other than by multiplying clones. It is possible for there to be more than one Hermiod, however, that is not something we choose to do."

Almost on his heels Loki said, "We would expand our population."

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult nodded at both of the aliens. "Then, perhaps, your ancestral genetic material, it can be more useful to you than you previously thought, yes? It would seem you have two goals we need to consider. One, to deal with replicant fading, and, two, restoring to you a method of natural procreation. Presumably, your children would inherit the new genetic traits, and would be capable of adapting to your cerebral evolution."

[Mr Fox]

How you could tell when an Asgard was being frosty it might be hard to explain, but everyone listening could feel the ice sickles dangling from Loki's reply, "We can deal with our own procreation, your assistance with that is not needed."

Hermiod glanced at Loki somehow seeming to disapprove despite their reserved expressions, but he kept silent.

[Ryan Hawke]

Ryan followed as best as he could through the scientific discussion, but he knew a "Back Off" tone when he heard one.

He looks to Yesult. "Let's take it one problem at a time Yseult."

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia and Vinny found a room. There wasn't a question about whether they'd be sharing, but after it was done, Olivia wondered. She was getting really comfortable being around him, though she still packed a bag for nights she stayed at his apartment. He hadn't offered to clear out a drawer or anything for her. Afraid to bring it up, she just kept her mouth shut for now.

Vinny's thoughts were somewhere else, and he showed her where his mind was when he put his arms around her waist. His breath was warm on her skin as he nuzzled through her hair to kiss the back of her neck.

"Hon, c'mon," she said softly, turning to face him. He loosened his arms enough to let her slide around, then tightened again when he had her where he wanted her. His intentions were even clearer as he leaned against her, capturing her lips for a kiss. Despite her desire to leave and see Orilla, Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and enjoyed it. It was only when he started to edge them back toward the bed did she stop him. "Seriously, I wanna see Orilla. We can have fun later," she pleaded.

"Wanna be the first," Vinny said, stopping his movement toward the bed but not the gentle kisses he was applying to precise spots on her neck.

Shivering against him, Olivia asked, "First what?"

"First to fuck on this planet in millenia," Vinny remarked, giving her a sly grin.

"Even if we wait, we'll be first," Olivia said. But even as she said it, she realized it might not be true. She and Vinny weren't the only couple among the specialists. But Olivia didn't want to think about that. She gave him a soft kiss. "We can wait."

"Tease," he grumbled, pulling her closer still.

She pulled back and looked at him seriously. "You'd rather have sex with me than see the Asgard homeworld?"

Vinny nodded. "Bunch of Fuckin' Grays."

Something in her melted and Olivia relented. "Okay," she murmured, then giggled as he scooped her up and carried to her to the bed.

[Rorx]

Gwyn adds his request to the others to be included in the tutorial on the memory/consciousness transfering process. Then decides to hold his tongue rather than deliberately irritate Loki further. However, he did turn to Hermiod, "I'd have thought that when the war with the replicators kicked off again that you would have been more willing to produce duplicate clones to have the additional Asgard power you would need."

[z028 Riley]

"Souls." Kyria spoke suddenly. "It's souls, something like that. I never studied superstitions all that much, but there is something that is more than your body or your memories or anything like that. It's that unknown spark in the universe that is just you. Making a dozen clones of yourself, whether with technology or quantum, it couldn't really make that too. So you've got something that's not.....complete....not really a person."

She blushed and looked away from the group, "Sorry, thinking out loud. Um....where are we going to start, Hermiod? No time like the present, right?"

[Mr Fox]

Hermiod nodded in agreement with Kyria's words. "I would not perhaps use the word soul, but the essence of what you say is correct. We found very early in our cloning process many thousands of years ago that copies were somehow lacking. But aside from that, once the copy is made their memories can be downloaded into the new clone when it is time for the original to discard the old body, but those memories feel hollow and foreign and did not integrate well. It is not quite a taboo with us, but I believe the Asgard would choose to become extinct rather than take such a drastic step." For once Loki seemed to be in complete agreement.

"You are not tired after your journey?" Hermiod queried?

Seeing the response he said, "Very well then, once the rest of your companions arrive we will begin."

[Rorx]

Gwyn looks around and spots that only Livy and Vinny are missing and turns back to Hermiod, "Those not present have little interest in the science we've been discussing, but would probably like to see more of your planet when they emerge."

Livy's not a scientist, but she would have been interested to hear this stuff about their 'evolution'. which means she's been delayed by Vinny. Oh, for chrissake! Heh, at least they 'got a room' I guess.

[z028 Riley]

Kyria got a thoughtful look on her face, then blushed deeply. "Um, that could be a little bit. I'm sure we can catch Livy up real quick when she gets here, and Vinny isn't really going to care."

The young telepath looked both amused and mortified.

[Mr Fox]

Cam suppressed a chuckle. "Yeah, I think we can get started whenever you guys are ready. Let me just unlock the Ancient device and you can begin your investigations." He walked over to the stone device and placed a hand on it. None of the symbols glowed at first, but after a moment many symbols began to light up all around it's circumference. Cam concentrated and after a moment all of the symbols dimmed.

"It's done, and I've put it in a manual mode, so it won't just zap someone that touches it." He shook his head in disbelief, "I can't believe one of the ancients left it in that automatic mode like that. I wish I knew their reasons."

Loki moved over to the device and touched it in several places, but nothing happened. "That is unfortunate. It seems it will only work for a being with the Ancient gene. We will have to make our own device using it's template. That will take much more time than we had anticipated. Perhaps weeks or even months."

Hermiod was quick to add, "Do not fear. We will return you to Earth before you are needed again." He gestured to a small raised circle next to the wall of the chamber a short distance away. "Please, let us begin by doing scans of each of you."

He led the way slowly to the scanner. Cam was the first to step forward into the circle. Light rose up from the circle surrounding him and bathing him in it's eerie greenish glow. After a couple minutes he began to become bored and opened his mind to the Asgard's device, to see if he could understand it. In it's way it was more complicated than the Ancient devices he'd been able to examine, but it was complication born of being less sophisticated than the Ancient tech. The Ancients had perfected and streamlined their tech millenia before the Asgard had evolved. Still, it was like swimming against a strong current, most of his effort was going into simply trying to get his bearings and understand how the tech operated on a basic level. It was without a doubt more 'alien' than what the Ancient's left behind, but then they had been humanities' ancestors.

Hermiod spoke, "Good, Colonel Mitchell. I was just about to ask you to actively use one of your abilities. This will help greatly."

Loki also looked at one the holographic display that was being generated by the scan. It consisted of a transparent view of the Col. with Asgard symbols dancing across it with pointers to various parts of his anatomy, but most focused on his brain. "You are one of those with enhanced brain function? Do you have enhanced memory?"

Cam found it a little hard to speak given the sheer amount of input he was experiencing. "Uh, yeah. I remember what I... experience since... since the... transformation."

Loki seemed pleased for the first time, "Excellent." There was just something about the way he said it that reminded the listener of Mr. Burns from the Simpsons.

The scan finally ended and Mitchell stumbled a bit as he stepped down and shook his head as if to clear it. "Woah."

Loki ignore him, "We will scan one of the humans who do not have enhanced intellect and memory next." He was addressing the specialists without actually talking directly to them.

Hermiod added, "Would one of you please step into the scan that does not have enhanced memory."

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult focused her biological awareness on Cameron, comparing what she sensed with the Asgard's holographic rendering, intuitively interpreting the alien symbols. She nodded at what she read, a grin spreading on her lips as some of her conjectures were corroborated with the Asgard readings, other results enabling her to put together impeccably reasoned hypotheses with the disparate data and sights she had witnessed.

She studied the image of Cameron's brain, correlating it with a precise memory of a standard human brain and what she could pull up from the consoles on the Asgard cerebral structure. A finger tapped her lips speculatively.

Originally Posted By: Hermiod

"Would one of you please step into the scan that does not have enhanced memory."

"Ryan, if you would be so kind..." Yseult asked her team leader, a gracefully showcasing the Asgard scanner. Her intent, turquoise eyes seemed to glean every minute detail of his being

[Ryan Hawke]

"Of cours Yesult."

Ryan nodded, taking his place in the circle. When all was ready, he smiled, and his hands lit up with golden light. Considering he had to maintain contact with the floor it was pretty much his only demonstrable ability.

[Mr Fox]

The Asgard scan shimmered on in a column of light that surrounded the Major making his glowing hands fade to almost nothing. The same displays appeared over Loki's console, but with concentrations of brain activity somewhat different that Cam's had been. Different areas of the brain seemed to be lit up with activity. Other than that one aspect the scans seemed virtually identical. Both men seemed to have much more dense muscle tissue than would be expected in a normal human scan and to Yseult's trained eye their metabolism's were both more active and their immune systems seemed much advanced.

On Hermiod's console another display appeared this one comparing a number of strands of DNA divided into two halves of the screen one being Cam and the other Ryan. Here too there were subtle differences, but not so great that their DNA wouldn't be recognizable as that of a normal human. That is it wasn't obvious until Hermiod brought up a third set of DNA, then it was possible to tell that both Specialists had much more ordered strands, but also whole sections of strands that were not present in the normal baseline DNA. Hermiod's hands moved rapidly and pointers began appearing at different places on the display at what must be important places on the DNA. A fourth set of DNA appeared looking much less like the other three. Unlike the first three which contained many areas that seemed random or jumbled, the new set seemed perfectly ordered at first glance, almost as if it had been engineered, which it no doubt had. More pointers appeared as if making correlations between the four sets of DNA, many more on the first three and only a few on the fourth.

"Excellent. Thank you Major Hawke. That will suffice for now." Hermiod made another gesture with a tear drop shaped crystal and the glowing field of energy surrounding Ryan disappeared.

Loki was abrupt as he spoke, "Let us have another with enhanced memory next."

"Please." Hermiod added.

[Rorx]

After a quick glance around the room to see if anyone else was going to volunteer Gwyn shrugs and steps forward into the scanner. Having done so he activates his Density Decrease, after all he doesn't know if the base of the scanner could take his increased mass. Of course there is little if any visible sign that he has done thise, so he waits to see what the two Asgard say about it while he looks at the holographic displays with interest to compare his own results with the previous ones.

[Mr Fox]

The energy field came up as it had done twice before but it quickly became apparent when the displays reactivated that things weren't going so well. The image was of a cloudy human shape with no details.

Hermiod spoke, "Please change to the use of another skill if you would, what you are doing now seems to be effecting the scan."

Gwyn shifted to the other side of his dense state and added flight to avoid breaking the Asgard equipment. In real time those watching could see the information on the displays take on a great deal of detail filling in the cloudy form with color and sharpness. Gwyn's brain like the pair that had gone before was active in different regions and like Cam and Ryan, they DNA showed very similar changes.

Each scan seemed to take thirty minutes or so, but the time so far had seemed to fly. Even those not particularly scientifically inclined couldn't help but find it interesting to see how differently each person's brains worked and watch as more and more data points were lite up on the DNA comparisons.

When the energy field evaporated from around Gwyn, Hermiod glanced at the group. "I believe this would be a good time for a short break if you wish. We have synthesized a selection of Earth foods for you if you wish. There is a room for this in the corridor and to the left, at any time you may seek out refreshment there."

[Rorx]

Gwyn stepped down from the scanner, still looking at the results and analysing the effect of the additional data. "You guys go ahead if you wish, I'm good to carry on here."

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult watched the scans with intense interest, her turquoise eyes almost glowing, as she compared what she saw with the data from the Asgard's scans. It was enthralling, almost arousing, being able to see this deeply into the minutia of life. If I can see the Ascension Device affecting someone for the first time, would I be able to copy the effect?

She wasn't inclined to taking a break, but her enhanced physiology depended fuel, so she quickly went to the room indicated and absently consumed a meal with unseemly haste as she pondered everything she had seen and learned. She was back to the lab in a mere five minutes ready to continue. She wanted to see the scans of Sgt. Perrault, Livy, and herself, to view the possible biological changes caused by Quantum Backlash Syndrome.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

After setting a couple of records for posterity, Vinny and Olivia cleaned up and went exploring. They knew where the others were, but neither was particularly interested in Asgard genetics. The other specialists would let them know when they were needed. So they wandered around, looking at the Asgard city - Olivia checked out the art and people, while Vinny examined their architecture and engineering.

Gradually, an Asgard approached them. "Earth food has been made ready for you," it told them, gender unidentifiable. "I am to show you where."

"Sounds fuckin' good," Vinny replied, looking down at Olivia.

"Yeah, I could eat," she said. In truth, she was starving, but she really wanted to look around some more. Patience, she chided herself. All in good time.

They followed the small Asgardian to a cafeteria, where Yseult was just disappearing from. Grabbing some food, the couple sat down and dug in, still talking about what they'd seen that day - and what they might see yet.

[Ryan Hawke]

Ryan entered shortly after Oliva and Vinny. He grabbed some food, ate before actually getting to a table and deposited the plate in the receptacle before returning to the lab. Though he didn't understand most of it, it was just too interesting to not be present for.

[z028 Riley]

Kyria declined the offer of food as politely as possible. She was far too engrossed in the genetic puzzle of the Agard to have much care for liesure activities. While the others were out eating or sight-seeing, she tried looking over that data that had been collected. She was still learning the Asgard language, which both fascinated and confounded her with how different it was from the human languages she'd learned. She bit her lip as she prowled around the examination room.

"You would think, with their dependency on hosts and their narcisism, that the Goa'uld would have pursued genetic technology like this. It's an odd blind-spot for them," the comments were directed the room in general. She approached Loki, who was pouring over one of the consoles that was spinning through the data collected from the scans. "Do you mind if I share your understanding? I haven't learned the Asgard language yet, but my telepathy would allow me to understand the information as you do, without translation errors."

She hesitated, the constant paranoia of the SGC and IOA finally settling her into a higher appreciation of other's needs for privacy. "Although, if you would find that....uncomfortable, is there a way for one of the consoles to translate to English?"

[Rorx]

Gwyn took a brief stroll into the cafeteria to grab a drink, and passed Ryan on his way back to the lab. Inside he spotted the briefly absent couple and wondered by, "Looks like they want to do a scan of each of us and you two are going to be up pretty soon. They've already done Cam, Ryan and myself." Grabbing a bottle of water seems to be water he turns and heads back towards the lab, "See you there."

[Mr Fox]

Despite his mostly expressionless face there was something a little disdainful about the little alien's response. "I doubt that you could access my mind, but even if you could I would not allow it. If you must try, perhaps Hermiod would submit to your experiment."

Hermiod nodded in acknowledgment. "I would be willing to allow you to try. Please focus on this experiment in particular and do not wander in my mind. Among the Asgard our minds are the only privacy most know and it is a cultural bias that we do not seek to learn another's secrets."

After only minutes most had grabbed snacks or drinks and returned to continue the session.

Yseult was next into the scanner with very similar results to the others. Every time a new specialist was scanned new areas of the brain were lit up along with certain areas that seemed common to all. As each new scan was added to the volume of knowledge being gathered a better and better picture was emerging of what the differences between Specialist's and non-specialists were. It was hard not to start feeling a sense of optimism. With the massive amounts of data collected, how could the Asgard not solve their problem?

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia and Vinny wandered in; Vinny began to check out the room itself while Olivia wandered up to the console. "You guys should check out the outside of the building, too," she said, smiling. "It's really pretty." She nodded to Hermiod and Loki. "Your planet is beautiful."

Loki's expression wrinkled as if he couldn't think of anything belittling to say to that, while Hermiod merely said, "Thank you."

"So, what's all the colors mean?" Olivia asked, smiling at her peers.

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult gave Olivia a distracted smile, intently studying her results from the Asgard scan, comparing it with the readings she had taken of herself with her heightened biological awareness. She was particularly focused on any genetic damage or abnormalities caused by Quantum Backlash Syndrome. She was looking for analogous structures in the Asgard genome, trying to determine if QBS would be a factor for them as well. She was curious to see the results of Sgt. Perrault's and Olivia's scans.

"The colours, there are indicating where activity that is influenced by the genetic alterations cause by the Ascension Device are occurring. As you can see, the structure and effieciency of the brain has been..." Yseult smoothly and concisely detailed their findings for Olivia's benefit, translating the Asgard text with the negligent ease of one native language into another.

[Mr Fox]

The more she saw of the Asgard genetics the less and less Yseult thought there would be any Backlash. Their DNA was just too orderly, likely if they engineered themselves into specialists, they would be both weaker than the human ones, but at the same time more focused. There just wouldn't be any random generation of odd abilities, they would know exactly what gifts the process would give them and in all likelihood would program them in from the beginning.

Over the next few days the Asgard repeatedly scanned all of the specialists using a as many gifts as was possible. In the end dozens of Asgard viewed the scans and worked with the data from the various consoles in the room. Finally, Hermiod asked to speak with the Specialists as a group. In the meantime Cam had worked with the Ascension device as much as he was able to unlock it's secrets and learn how to operate it manually. He was aided in the task by the knowledge the device had downloaded into his brain the first time as well as by an Asgard named Tinnion, who everyone had taken to calling Tinni.

"Thank you all for participating in the first stage of our research, from this we have determined a number of things. We do believe that we will be able to alter our own genetic code to reverse the clone degradation. In essence we will build ourselves new bodies from scratch using the information we've gathered from you." Loki stood by looking somehow disapproving. "Second, we've learned something about your own physiology. The human body can only contain a certain amount of 'advancement' beyond which damage begins to occur. It is likely that the Ancients ascended when they neared this threshold. We also believe that the differences in your DNA versus what we believe the Ancient's was like means that you lack the failsafes that would prevent unsafe advancement. We believe that what you call Quantum Backlash Syndrome is a part of this damage. In certain areas some of you seem to have already advanced beyond what is safe. However, from our studies we think that the damage is slow to build up and that if you proceed with caution you should be able avoid excessive levels."

Loki smirked. That was the only interpretation of the expression on his face as he spoke, "This is a consequence will well avoid in ourselves."

"We have that luxury, thanks to your assistance." Hermiod pursed his lips when he looked at Loki clearly not happy with his attitude.

Tinni spoke and there was a certain almost excitement to her words, "The next thing we need to do is see the Ascension device function." She gestured at Cam, "We believe that we understand the operation of the device to specifically determine it's effect on you in advance. We can create our own version of the device without this step, but it would add many months to the process. If we can witness it in action and get good scans we should be able to synthesize an Asgard version in a much shorter time." She paused as if hesitant and worried about the response, "We would like volunteers."

[Ryan Hawke]

Ryan nods and Steps forward. "I volunteered last time, this time is no Different." He looked to Cam. "Sir , I formally volunteer to go through activation of the device again."

At last something he could do. If it went wrong, they wouldn't really be out much. Most of his abilities were duplicated amongst the other specialists anyway.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"Do we know that it's safe?" Olivia asked quickly. Her expression was concerned as she looked around the room. "I mean, I'm sure you guys think it's safe, but are we sure?" Olivia didn't want something terrible to happen to anyone, even Omar if he'd been the one to volunteer. "Remember what happened to some people - becoming so twisted and inhuman they were just monsters?"

[Ryan Hawke]

"It wasn't safe the first time Olivia, but that doesn't change things, or my decision." He looked around. "If something does go wrong, then it does, and I'll live with it..." He left off the part that if it was too bad he expected the other military personnel to take appropriate action.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"Yes," Olivia replied to Ryan, irritation in her voice, "but the first time, not all of us had a choice about the device. I'm saying it's foolish to take an unnecessary risk like this when all we're doing is saving some time. I know the Asgard need this cure, but there's no point in making us into human guinea pigs, especially when we're not sure it's safe."

[Mr Fox]

Cam thought about it then said, "First time around the machine was on automatic and the results were random. I've got it dialed in now and Tinni and I are pretty sure we know how to manually operate it to do exactly what we want it to do. I won't guarantee it, but I am confident we can use it without major risk. I'm not going to have the thing set to the kind of major effect we all went through the first time. I think I..., no, I'm sure I can keep the effect small enough not to cause damage."

[The Red Man]

"I don't think that's a good idea for me." Dec said quietly from where he was leaning back against a console. He had been the only Specialist not to step into the Asgard scanner, having made himself scarce when his time came. Now, he was hanging back with his arms folded and shoulders hunched, a vaguely haunted look in his eye. Livy's words were echoing inside his head: twisted and inhuman... just monsters....

"That thing has fucked me up enough." he went on in the same quiet, intense voice. "I don't need Doc Yseult's scan-o-vision to know that I'm probably the worst QBS case not in a cage somewhere. No way am I goin' near that damn thing again." He tensed reflexively, then relaxed with a conscious effort.

[z028 Riley]

Kyria ran a hand down his side, trying to soothe him, and then stepped forward. "Why not try it out on me? Even if it does cause QBS, my body is designed to prevent the accumulation of taint. Not only could we test it safely, but they might be able to get some useful information on how to help the novas already suffering from taint to prevent further accumulation or even reverse what's already there."

"I don't know if it'll work on me," she shrugged. "But, hey, it's almost sort of a blank slate to use, since I've never been exposed to it before. And a slate that's less likely to get mangled or killed from it."

[Ryan Hawke]

"What works for you Kyria may not work for the rest of us. It may affect you differently than it would any of us already affected by it."

He nods. "My previous offer stands."

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia frowned. "I can't tell you not to do it, guys," she said. "Just given this things track record... it seems really dumb to use it again, even if Cam does think he's got a grip on it."

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult held back from the discussion, her face carefully composed, keeping her thoughts to herself. She had no intention of using the device again. The Ascension Device had changed her life far more than she ever wanted. Added to the data showing that forced human advancement led to aberrations in their genetics, flaws that she already suffered from, if mildly, she thought it very prudent. It was up to the others to make their choices and suffer the consequences. She just hoped those consequences didn't end up being to the detriment of all.

She felt a niggling thread of apprehension wend its way up her spine. The Ascension Device was too much power for any one person to control, and maybe for any number to control. She watched and listened to those who wanted to use the device once more, her inhuman eyes narrowed with concern. They stated noble reasons for using the Device, but were those they only reasons they had, or did the thought of more power tempt them, even if they were unaware of it?

Ryan was a soldier, having a more powerful weapon was a tactical advantage that few would ever consider passing up. And Kyria, she said she had been... lessened stepping into this reality. Did she yearn for what she had lost, to reclaim her true heritage, to surpass it?

Yseult's lips tightened minutely as she stayed silent... and worried. It felt like a clock was inexorably ticking, ticking towards midnight. And when that clock struck twelve, the world would be irrevocably changed in a way no one could foresee.

[Mr Fox]

The debate went back and forth for a time, but in the end Cam felt confident that it could be done with minimal risk and those interested in volunteering wouldn't be talked out of it.

It was Tinni that broke the tension by walking up and hugging Kyria in her wispy Asgard manner. "Thank you for doing this. It will save my people months which might mean the difference between winning and losing the war with the replicators. We are so few now compared to what we were before the war. I just hope that we are in time."

Ryan was the first test subject on the device, but before he could go the Asgard brought it out into the center of the room and surrounded it with clusters of sensors and other inscrutable devices. In the end only three people were allowed near it. Tinni since she wouldn't be effected, Cam because he was operating it and Ryan. Kyria had wanted to be first but since her physiology was different it was decided to go first with someone they knew it had already worked on.

Cam spent a few minutes discussing what changes Ryan would like to try and programming them into the device. In the end it was done and they were ready. Ryan stepped forward and placed his hand on the stone and light welled up through his hand and out to engulf the rest of his body. Unlike the previous uses of the device this seemed controlled and gentle. The light became brighter and brighter but never the blinding intensity that it had before. The biggest relief was that instead of the mind numbing pain that rendered the victim unconscious, there was merely a feeling of discomfort as though ants were crawling all over the person and under the skin. After a few minutes the light withdrew along with the itchy feeling and Ryan stood revealed looking exactly the same as he had before.

Cam looked cocky and definitely pleased. "See, told you it would work. Test out your changes Ryan and let us know how it feels."

Tinni interrupted, "Please, if we could first get Major Hawke to step into the scanner?" She ushered the soldier to the all too familiar round platform and waited for him to climb into it before activating the scan.

[Ryan Hawke]

Ryan embraced the light as opposed to resisting it, allowing it to suffuse him with power again. He emerged from the machine looking the same as before, but he had a wry smile that belied something different. He could see in almost to perfect deail. He could hear the heartbeat of everyone in the room, and the light whine of the machinery. His pupils contracted and dialated as he looked around, as his eyes worked like a zoom lens on a camera. Qick expirimentation made him smile. He could see the entire electromagnetic spectrum, currently he was looking around in Infrared before switching to normal vision.

He looked to the scanner and in the blink of an eye he was standing in it, with no one having seen him cross the intervening space. "That's certainly new."

He looked over At Cam. "I'd say you proved correct with this one."