Aberrant: Quantum Zero - Quantum Zero

[ProfPotts]

The Virus outside leaps & crawls up over the roof of the house, then...

*I have you now!* Will moves into action with incredible speeds, catching up to his opponent in a split second and delivers a devastating punch to the back of its head.

Will darts across the lawn, up the wall, & is behind the Virus before it knows what's hit it! The crimson Nova's glowing hand darts out in a lightning fast karate punch that both splatters the Virus' grey-matter over the roof, & sends it's remains clattering down the far side of the house.

Derek looks like he's about to pass out.

Ash lays a hand on Derek's shoulder,

[Cough] \"Y-you're doing f-fine, Derek,\" [cough] she wipes a sheen of sweat from her brow, \"I c-called the company...\" [cough] \"... e-everything will b-be...\"

She breaks off, looking confused ::confused ,

\"I f-feel so f-faint...\"

Then collapses, twitching, to the floor.

From the lounge the Virus scurries into the corridor, then to the kitchen - with Glacier close on it's heels (the walls get a frost coating, delicate crystal ornaments shatter - the house gets nicely wasted during the brief, but destructive, chase). The thing keeps shifting colours to match it's background, but Glacier doesn't need to see it to kill it, & runs faster to boot... Inevitably one of the beast's mighty claws connects, carving through the Virus' soft flesh & freezing it solid at the same time - moments later the macabre statue shatters into a thousand pieces that scatter over the kitchen floor. ::shocked

Glacier realises there's no prey in the immediate vicinity - there's still plenty of stuff that needs smashing though...

In the games room:

\"I don't know, Emma. I really don't. I keep thinking they're after you, and in that case the best I can do is get you out of here. If I can carry you at all, that is. I feel like I couldn't even keep myself on my feet now...\"

Emma looks worried,

"I don't want to be the reason people get hurt - do you think they'd help Mr Masters & the others if I went with them?"

Tears well-up in her big brown eyes. ::smiley4

[phoenix]

Glacier roars in frustration at the easy kill. The virus is now merely a icy replica of itself. He was at least expecting some trouble hitting it! The bear anima rears up on two legs (the figure inside remaining totally impassive) and puts its fist through the icy statue, then sets about redecorating. He picks up a rather tasteless statue and hurls it out the window. It misses the window, but fortunately it was ice by that time anyway, and simply shatters against the wall. Turning his attack towards the wall itself, he leaps at it with a vicious spinning motion and makes three considerable slices in it before landing in a crouch and putting his fist through it. He carries on like this until he gets bored or there's nothing left to destroy, and the figure inside begins to recover awareness...

[Asbjørn]

Emma looks worried,

\"I don't want to be the reason people get hurt - do you think they'd help Mr Masters & the others if I went with them?\"

- \"Don't say that. None of this is your fault, Emma. And you know as well as I do they won't stop. These people don't care about innocent lives. They'd take you away, and leave them to die.\" He looks at her, the literal fire in his eyes burning brighter again, almost at its usual vibrant level. The tone of his voice underlines the seriousness of what he's saying.

Tears well-up in her big brown eyes. ::smiley4

Nathan's voice kinda loses the edge as he glides closer to Emma and places a hand on her shoulder. The static surrounding him makes her hair reach out for his hand. "Don't cry, Emma. It will be ok. They will be ok. Ok? Trust me..." - *Damn! Why do I always say things in the clumsiest way possible..?* ::rolleyes ::confused

Hearing the noise and voices from the other room change he tries to determine were Glacier and the 'bad guys' have gone. When it sounds like things have calmed down a bit in the dining room, he turns back to Emma. "Ok. Let's see if there's anything we can do to help out there. Stay close behind me just in case, ok?"

Letting her hold on to his hand he glides back towards the others, on the lookout for any threat that might pop up.

[Ayre el KaBeer]

On the roof:

Will darts across the lawn, up the wall, & is behind the Virus before it knows what's hit it! The crimson Nova's glowing hand darts out in a lightning fast karate punch that both splatters the Virus' grey-matter over the roof, & sends it's remains clattering down the far side of the house.

Will, almost sick to his stomach from his rage and muderous acts towards the 'creature', which he knows is a nova of some kind. *It was killing those people, Masters, Ash, the damn caterers! If there's more of the evil bastards they have to die!*.

He is exhausted, going mostly on adrenalin and the need to stay alert, looks out ahead to try to spot what the creature was going towards. Worried about Natalia being on her own and hoping John hasn't hurt anyone he tries not to linger too long on the roof.

(OOC: If he doesn't notice anything then he goes back to everyone else)

[ProfPotts]

Aftermath [new scene]:

Will's search turns up no more Viruses, & he's still not sure where the one he was chasing was heading - probably just trying to get into the house from the other side, but you never can tell... ::sneaky2

Glacier (after wrecking large sections of the house) manages to calm down enough for his more rational mind ::wacko to get a grip again (since everyone was sensible enough to stay out of his way until then!).

Other discoveries - the remaining unconcious or mortally wounded Viruses soon disolve into an acrid grey-green mist, & then to nothing, leaving no evidence (apart from the destruction & dying baselines that is) to their existence; outside, the horses in the stables appear to be suffering from a similar illness to the baselines in the house; there are large sections of the lawn & gardens that have blackened & died off; Natalia is nowhere to be found ::nervous , & neither are the unknown eufiber clad Nova or PathFinder.

As the Novas gather in the dining room to assess their options Ash's cell 'phone starts to ring...

[Archer21]

In the lounge, the Stranger twitches, starting to moan and mutter. Trapped in darkness, his mind wanders, nightmares springing out the pain. Very faintly, his words can be heard.

"no...Jake...no! look out...don't get out of the car Jake...noooo...."

Unconcious, tears form under the Stranger's mask.

[brilyn]

As the Novas gather in the dining room to assess their options Ash's cell 'phone starts to ring...

Derek looks around at the assembled people, half-questioningly.

After another ring, Derek answers the phone.

"He... Hello? .....This is Derek Chalmers."

[Asbjørn]

Nathan is still airborne, floating over the unconscious people in the room. His glowing plasma forcefield is gone, and he looks like he's about ready to collapse. After having checked on the caterers (he doesn't know the first thing about medicine, but he should be able to see if they're still alive, at least...), he hovers next to Derek.

Derek looks around at the assembled people, half-questioningly.

Nathan looks from Derek to the phone and back again. \"You take it. Let's hope it's Masters' medical experts calling to see if we need any help...\"

In the lounge, the Stranger twitches, starting to moan and mutter. Trapped in darkness, his mind wanders, nightmares springing out the pain. Very faintly, his words can be heard.

\"no...Jake...no! look out...don't get out of the car Jake...noooo....\"

- "Oh crap, there's another one... Will! Give me a hand here!" Nathan leaves Derek with the phone as he rushes to the lounge and the bloody uncoscious figure lying there.

[Ayre el KaBeer]

\"Oh crap, there's another one... Will! Give me a hand here!\" Nathan leaves Derek with the phone as he rushes to the lounge and the bloody uncoscious figure lying there.

Will darts over to Nate's side "Who the hell is that, another one of the attackers?" Will also not knowing a thing about first aid that he hasn't seen on tv "Tell me what you need and I'll do my best".

[ProfPotts]

After another ring, Derek answers the phone.

\"He... Hello? .....This is Derek Chalmers.\"

[You have no idea how tempting it is for me to post: \"Hello Derek... this - is - God.\" ::biggrin ]

The voice on the other end of the 'phone is male, but not one Derek recognises,

\"Derek. I'm Kane. I pulled the troops back when I saw Glacier was rampaging. He seems calmer now, is that the case? What are the conditions of William, Ashanti, & Natalia?\"

\"Oh crap, there's another one... Will! Give me a hand here!\" Nathan leaves Derek with the phone as he rushes to the lounge and the bloody uncoscious figure lying there.

To Nate's surprise the prone figure of The Stranger isn't 'bloody' at all - although the back of his overcoat is ripped pretty badly it seems that Glacier's claws merely grazed the flesh underneath - grazed with enough force to smash the guy through a wall, but not as bad as it first looked.

Following Nate to the dining room Emma rushes over to check on Ash & Masters, & then tries her best to make the rest of the infected baselines comfortable.

[brilyn]

\"Derek. I'm Kane. I pulled the troops back when I saw Glacier was rampaging. He seems calmer now, is that the case? What are the conditions of William, Ashanti, & Natalia?\"

"......."

Derek visibly calms (though still pale) as he starts to talk shop.

"Ok... Kane? We have a medical emergeancy here. I don't know you, you don't know me, but trust me when I say we appear to have a high level virus in the area. It appears to be airborne, and I suspect it kills in hours. Ash and Masters have been afflicted, and I haven't seen Natalia. The Novas in the area appear to be immune. Ash was not exposed directly to the Nova who instigated this, it was Masters who was hit, but she is showing the same symptoms.

"We need some serious medical equipment on site, or I'm going to have start fabricating it. Incubation time for the virus was nil, and both Ash and Masters dropped unconcious immediately after. They will NOT live til morning.

"As for Glacier, I haven't seen him around, and I don't give a damn if he is or isn't. We need help NOW!!!!" ::angry

[Archer21]

Seemingly responding to Nate and Will's presence, the Stranger speaks again, his eyes still closed. His words are broken, rambling. "unh...Jake? Is that you? No, wait...you're dead...ohhhh...gotta save Dad! Jake, I'm sorry! so sorry...." The words trail off, and a sob wracks his battered body...tears can now be seen streaming down both cheeks.

[Asbjørn]

NWill darts over to Nate's side \"Who the hell is that, another one of the attackers?\"

- \"No, he's not one of the bad guys. I saw him deck a couple of the viruses, and he got this hit when he tried to save Emma from one of them and...\" - his voice trails off a bit - \"...Glacier. Where the hell is John?\"

Will also not knowing a thing about first aid that he hasn't seen on tv \"Tell me what you need and I'll do my best\".

Nathan does his best to check on the stranger, but he's not even able to turn him over. His hands try to grip his coat, but there's absolutely no strength in his fingers. \"Damn!! I couldn't wrestle a chipmunk like this...! ::confused \" - He checks on the frosty scratches on the man's back - \"Tough bastard though... Doesn't look too bad, all things considered... Honestly, Will, I don't have a clue what to do here...\"

He looks a bit sheepish before a thought strikes him \"Emma! Get in here! Do you have any idea how this guy's doing?\"

Seemingly responding to Nate and Will's presence, the Stranger speaks again, his eyes still closed. His words are broken, rambling. \"unh...Jake? Is that you? No, wait...you're dead...ohhhh...gotta save Dad! Jake, I'm sorry! so sorry....\" The words trail off, and a sob wracks his battered body...tears can now be seen streaming down both cheeks.

Nathan looks from the stranger to Will. "You talk to him, 'Jake'..."

[phoenix]

The white bear looks around at the totalled room, then fades slightly. The figure in the center of it all comes out of its trance. "What the hell.." Glacier's eyes widen as the memories snap back. An onlooker would be prepared to swear that the anima somehow appears guilty. "God dammit! What did you do?"

Glacier runs down the hall; the bear loses its white hue and the black claws vanish from Glacier's arms. It begins to fade, but then notices an odd aroma and sniffs the air. Glacier stops abruptly, and the anima snaps back into reality. "Vomit.. sweat.. and there's something in the air..."

(OOC: stop paying for Claws and Force Field, but don't dorm' down.)

\"...Glacier. Where the hell is John?\"

The nova himself continues on his way down the hall, then he comes to the sobbing and unconscious Stranger, with Nathan and Will stooping over him. The latters' attentions immediately switch to him to try to divine whether or not he's in control from his glacial countenance. He holds up both hands in a gesture of peace, then approaches them. His anima moves in to try to sniff the Stranger, but shies off when he begins shivering violently in response to his cold. Standing at a safe distance, Glacier speaks.

"I'm here, but I have no idea where John is. I thought I smelled him going down to the cellar, but it was this guy! Where the hell did he come from? He was fighting the V.. the creatures!

"Jesus.. Guys, I totally lost it. I'm so sorry.. Is he okay? Where is everyone else? What's going on?"

[Asbjørn]

The nova himself continues on his way down the hall, then he comes to the sobbing and unconscious Stranger, with Nathan and Will stooping over him. The latters' attentions immediately switch to him to try to divine whether or not he's in control from his glacial countenance. He holds up both hands in a gesture of peace, then approaches them.

Glacier can probably sense the tension in Nate as he approaches. His glowing eyes are fixed on him and one of his hands is balled into a fist, ready to summon what's left of his energies if he has to. He breathes out and visibly relaxes when the human part of him seems to be in control.

His anima moves in to try to sniff the Stranger, but shies off when he begins shivering violently in response to his cold. Standing at a safe distance, Glacier speaks.

\"I'm here, but I have no idea where John is. I thought I smelled him going down to the cellar, but it was this guy! Where the hell did he come from? He was fighting the V.. the creatures!

\"Jesus.. Guys, I totally lost it. I'm so sorry.. Is he okay? Where is everyone else? What's going on?\"

- "He'll be ok, I think. You seem to have just grazed him a bit." - Nathan sighs and looks at the carnage and people around him - "We're ok for now I guess, but a lot of people here need medical attention ASAP. Derek is working on that. There's one person missing though. Why don't you go and try to find out what happened to Natalia?"

[Ayre el KaBeer]

QUOTE

Seemingly responding to Nate and Will's presence, the Stranger speaks again, his eyes still closed. His words are broken, rambling. "unh...Jake? Is that you? No, wait...you're dead...ohhhh...gotta save Dad! Jake, I'm sorry! so sorry...." The words trail off, and a sob wracks his battered body...tears can now be seen streaming down both cheeks.

Nathan looks from the stranger to Will. \"You talk to him, 'Jake'...\"

\"Ahh... There, there, it's gonna be ok\". Will looks up at Nathan with a worried expression on his face.

\"He'll be ok, I think. You seem to have just grazed him a bit.\" - Nathan sighs and looks at the carnage and people around him - \"We're ok for now I guess, but a lot of people here need medical attention ASAP. Derek is working on that. There's one person missing though. Why don't you go and try to find out what happened to Natalia?\"

"I left her near some trees when I saw Glacier and a girl, I thought he was going to try to harm her so I hurried over to help. I'd better go get her but all this talk of virus'..." Will turns and calls out to Derek "Ahh... Derek, could I, err we, be contaminated and make Natalia sick too?"

[Archer21]

\"Ahh... There, there, it's gonna be ok\"

Hearing Will's voice, the Stranger's sobs subside...shifting around in his near-comatose state, he rolls over onto his back, groaning in pain. His overcoat falls open, displaying a military style LBE harness connected to a utility belt of some sort. The harness is studded with grenades, each one color-coded. A strange looking pistol is resident in a shoulder holster, a matching holster on the other side is empty, it's contents still on the floor of the dining room. The belt itself is metallic, and throwing spikes adorn the outside casing.

The Stranger's face is covered by both the eufiber of his costume and a slate-grey mask. The eufiber appears almost like a muffler, wrapped around his chin and mouth. His eyes are concealed behind the darkened lenses of the mask. The horrendous impact suffered previously seems to have loosened the mask...

[phoenix]

Glacier examines the wounds left in the Stranger. "Holy cow. He's tough..."

\"Ahh... Derek, could I, err we, be contaminated and make Natalia sick too?\"

"I don't think I could be. You want me to go find her and tell her to get as far away as is reasonably possible? That's probably best, but I'd be more comfortable if I knew John was out of here. The fewer baselines among those present, the better."

[brilyn]

Derek, could I, err we, be contaminated and make Natalia sick too?\"

\"I don't think I could be. You want me to go find her and tell her to get as far away as is reasonably possible? That's probably best, but I'd be more comfortable if I knew John was out of here. The fewer baselines among those present, the better.\"

Derek looks up from the phone sharply, covering the mouthpiece:

"Yes, it's highly likely that we're all contaminated, and are carriers. Ash was not touched by the grey thing, but she's on the ground. Worst case scenario, this means that the virus is air-borne, and has a human vector.

"As soon as I'm off the phone, I'm gonna start taking blood samples from everyone present to see who is and is not infected.

"Frankly, I suspect that I'll be showing symptoms soon. I may be a Nova, but I'm not all that removed from a baseline, immune-system speaking. So, does anyone here have any medical training? I don't mean to be a smartass, but I DON'T mean a basic first-aid course. I'm talking someone capable of using a cellular microscope and knowing what their seeing. ::sly

"Right now, if anyone is capable of taking blood (and I mean has had training, no offense to the "I'll give anything a go once" people), please start. There's a couple syringes in the medical kit, it's a good step above most basic first-aid kits.

"Those of you who are bullet-proof let me know, I'm going to have to fabricate something that will penetrate your skin." ::cool

Derek pauses for a breath ::unsure

"Regarding Natalia: Anyone who isn't doing anything immediately useful should go to a window, door, or hole, and shout for her. Warn her NOT to approach the house. Tell her that there are people on the way. Mention a guy named Kane, she might be familiar with him, he seems to know her. Until we've got this virus thing worked out, do NOT throw her anything."

Given the circumstances, Derek still can't surpress a grin. Looking at the bear:

"Just please don't feed the girl, ok?" ::tongue

[Asbjørn]

Hearing Will's voice, the Stranger's sobs subside...shifting around in his near-comatose state, he rolls over onto his back, groaning in pain. His overcoat falls open, displaying a military style LBE harness connected to a utility belt of some sort. The harness is studded with grenades, each one color-coded. A strange looking pistol is resident in a shoulder holster, a matching holster on the other side is empty, it's contents still on the floor of the dining room. The belt itself is metallic, and throwing spikes adorn the outside casing.

The Stranger's face is covered by both the eufiber of his costume and a slate-grey mask. The eufiber appears almost like a muffler, wrapped around his chin and mouth. His eyes are concealed behind the darkened lenses of the mask. The horrendous impact suffered previously seems to have loosened the mask...

Nathan looks the stranger's equipment over, and whistles... \"Batman, go home...\"

\"Will, maybe we should take the mask off, see if he's conscious or something...\"

\"Frankly, I suspect that I'll be showing symptoms soon. I may be a Nova, but I'm not all that removed from a baseline, immune-system speaking. So, does anyone here have any medical training? I don't mean to be a smartass, but I DON'T mean a basic first-aid course. I'm talking someone capable of using a cellular microscope and knowing what their seeing.

Nathan actually looks a bit ashamed. ::blush \"Sorry, Derek... Not even the basics, I'm afraid.\"

\"Those of you who are bullet-proof let me know, I'm going to have to fabricate something that will penetrate your skin.\"

- \"Not bulletproof, but my skin is pretty tough. You might need something tougher than a normal syringe, but no reason not to try the normal way first.\"

\"Regarding Natalia: Anyone who isn't doing anything immediately useful should go to a window, door, or hole, and shout for her. Warn her NOT to approach the house. Tell her that there are people on the way. Mention a guy named Kane, she might be familiar with him, he seems to know her. Until we've got this virus thing worked out, do NOT throw her anything.\"

- "Kane is Masters' chief of security or something. If he's here he's probably got a team checking the area already." - He pauses a moment before he continues thinking out loud. "If this virus thing is aiborne, do you think I could burn it out of the air or something?" He looks around at the remains of the room. "Then again, I'm not exactly a surgical precision instrument, so maybe it's a bad idea..." ::confused

[brilyn]

\"Not bulletproof, but my skin is pretty tough. You might need something tougher than a normal syringe, but no reason not to try the normal way first.\"

\"Sure, no problem. Just to warn you, anything that's tough enough to penetrate your skin (if you're bullet-proof) is likely to hurt a HELL of a lot more than a standard needle. Consider yourself warned.\" ::smiley4

\"Kane is Masters' chief of security or something. If he's here he's probably got a team checking the area already.\"

Glancing at Glacier:

\"Yeah, Kane mentioned something about having a team about to move in, but pulling back on account of, well, a big blue polar bear..... I've told him it's relatively safe, but to stay the hell back anyway, on account of the virus\"

- He pauses a moment before he continues thinking out loud. \"If this virus thing is aiborne, do you think I could burn it out of the air or something?\" He looks around at the remains of the room. \"Then again, I'm not exactly a surgical precision instrument, so maybe it's a bad idea...\"

::blink

::blink

::crazy

"Oh dear god, please don't do that......"

"Yes, it may kill the virus. For all we know, the virus may only have an airborne life of a few minutes, or an hour or so. Or weeks. Let's not panic just yet......"

[phoenix]

Derek looks up from the phone sharply, covering the mouthpiece:

\"Yes, it's highly likely that we're all contaminated, and are carriers. Ash was not touched by the grey thing, but she's on the ground. Worst case scenario, this means that the virus is air-borne, and has a human vector.

Glacier looks profoundly irritated at the idea. \"How is that possible? Wouldn't the extreme cold kill the viruses? Because believe me, you'd have a hell of a time trying to take a blood sample from me..\"

\"Regarding Natalia: Anyone who isn't doing anything immediately useful should go to a window, door, or hole, and shout for her. Warn her NOT to approach the house. Tell her that there are people on the way. Mention a guy named Kane, she might be familiar with him, he seems to know her. Until we've got this virus thing worked out, do NOT throw her anything.\"

Glacier shrugs, then goes to a window.

"Natalia!!!" He bellows in a huge voice.

"Stay where you are! A man named Kane is on the way! Find him and do whatever he says - can you hear me? Do not come near the house!"

[brilyn]

Wouldn't the extreme cold kill the viruses?

Still covering the mouthpiece, looking irritated himself, Derek replies:

"What extreme cold? As far as I can see you do cause ice to form and water to condense from air moisture, that's not what I would consider extreme. I'd consider that to be perhaps -10 centigrade at best without a thermometer to accurately gauge it. It's more likely closer to zero.

"With regards killing the virus, you would be correct that not many viruii can survive at temperatures below body heat. It's my understanding that the AIDS virus will die after a matter of hours at roughly 20 degrees centigrade.

"And that itself is the crux of the problem. We know NOTHING about this virus. Many viruii (and most bacteria) simply initiate a hibernation mode when frozen, which is why one doesn't reheat chicken once it's been refridgerated. I am NOT prepared to assume that your cold is killing off the virus."

His irritated glance melts to one of fear:

"Are you?" ::crazy

[phoenix]

\"With regards killing the virus, you would be correct that not many viruii can survive at temperatures below body heat. It's my understanding that the AIDS virus will die after a matter of hours at roughly 20 degrees centigrade.

\"And that itself is the crux of the problem. We know NOTHING about this virus. Many viruii (and most bacteria) simply initiate a hibernation mode when frozen, which is why one doesn't reheat chicken once it's been refridgerated. I am NOT prepared to assume that your cold is killing off the virus.\"

His irritated glance melts to one of fear:

\"Are you?\" 

Glacier sighs. "I suppose not. That's the way it goes, then. I'll be good."

[ProfPotts]

Emma heads through, at Nate's request, to see what she can do for The Stranger, although she also admits she has no medical training & is just trying to make people more comfortable. She does lift & carry (easily) the masked Nova into the dining room though, so everyone can talk without shouting (at the very least).

Glacier gets no reply to his shouts, & Natalia is still no-where to be seen.

On the 'phone Kane talks calmly to Derek,

"I know you Derek. I know all of you. Help is what I'm here to provide. The team in-place around the house are wearing environmentally sealed body armour. They will be safe from the virus. They have not seen Natalia either. I will direct several men to search the area. Several more will be joining you shortly. They will have medical equipment with them. We should not attempt to relocate the patients at this time. Is there anything else you require?"

A black cat pads up to Derek, then shifts, expands, & 'morphs into the crouching figure of Janet Thorne. She stretches & stands, then looks at the patients with concern in her eyes,

"What's the diagnosis Doc?", she asks Interface, placing a hand lightly on his shoulder.

[Asbjørn]

Nathan can't help but laugh a little as he sees Emma carry the unconscious man. He smiles as he collapses in a chair, looking totally exhausted. "Will you carry me home afterwards, Emma?"

Half listening to Derek on the phone, he suddenly remembers something, and turns towards Will. "Wait a minute... What girl? You said you saw John with a girl earlier..."

[brilyn]

Several more will be joining you shortly. They will have medical equipment with them. We should not attempt to relocate the patients at this time. Is there anything else you require?\"

Derek glances over the comatose forms

\"Whatever you can provide. I think we'll need some basic first aid kits to begin with, then anything that'll help me analyse the disease. I'm guessing it's a virus, but I just don't know yet. Give me an hour or two, and I'll have better info.\"

Looking concerned:

\"Frankly, people in here are either fine, or rightly screwed, so there's not a lot that can be done. If you've got anyone out there with medical experience, preferably someone who's got HazMat training, please send them in. Any medical equipment you've got that'll penetrate a nova's skin would be damn useful too, as I need to take blood samples from everyone in here.

\"Other than that, find Natalia.\"

Derek hangs up.

\"What's the diagnosis Doc?\", she asks Interface, placing a hand lightly on his shoulder.

Derek, looking thoughtful, barely glances up at the touch

"Not good. I need time to work. Guys, can you look around for anything that grey guy touched? I need to know if he left a sample lying around, maybe some skin, or dirt, or something. Be careful. Meanwhile, I need.........."

At this point, Derek's voice drops below audible, his lips moving rapidly through complex equations. Those who can still hear (and recognise the science) hear mention of 'moments', 'miracles', and strings of equations too complex to follow.

Interface places his hands in front of him, together, and draws them apart. A white glow appears between them, the air itself being twisted, morphed, and changed into plastics, silicons, glass, metals, screws, platings, tubes.

Within a matter of seconds, a powerful tool of science, a computer-based microscope roughly a foot across has assembled itself in Derek's hands. ::smokin

Derek, perspiring from the effort, places it gently on a nearby table, his hands shaking. Taking a deep breath, he calms, the shaking stops, and he reaches for the medical kit.

Taking out a syringe:

"Right, Masters and Ash first. To work."

[Ayre el KaBeer]

Half listening to Derek on the phone, he suddenly remembers something, and turns towards Will. \"Wait a minute... What girl? You said you saw John with a girl earlier...\"

Will jerks his thumb at John "You'll have to ask him, I don't know anything about her".

Will is visibly worried and starts to pace.

[Asbjørn]

Will jerks his thumb at John \"You'll have to ask him, I don't know anything about her\".

Without even bothering to turn his head, Nathan asks \"Well, John? Who is she?\"

Will is visibly worried and starts to pace.

Nathan looks at him, obviously wondering what's wrong, but he doesn't say anything.

[phoenix]

Looking concerned:

\"Frankly, people in here are either fine, or rightly screwed, so there's not a lot that can be done. If you've got anyone out there with medical experience, preferably someone who's got HazMat training, please send them in. Any medical equipment you've got that'll penetrate a nova's skin would be damn useful too, as I need to take blood samples from everyone in here.

\"Other than that, find Natalia.\"

OOC: Did Glacier's call to Natalia turn anything up?

\"Do you think I could power down for a few seconds for you to take my sample, then power up and deal with the brief exposure to the virus? Would that do any good?\"

Without even bothering to turn his head, Nathan asks \"Well, John? Who is she?\"

"She called herself Pathfinder. She accused Masters of crimes against novakind and asked me to help her execute him and 'free' Emma. She told me that Virus was already doing so, at which point I left to help you guys." He looks around at the carved and frozen walls, considering the nature of most of that "help". "Anyway, she can read minds, and she warped Will out of the way when he tried to attack. I don't know what her other powers are."

He turns to Will. "Will, what are you.. Oh ****! She's been out there with Natalia!"

[ProfPotts]

OOC: Did Glacier's call to Natalia turn anything up?

Glacier gets no reply to his shouts, & Natalia is still no-where to be seen.

[Asbjørn]

\"Anyway, she can read minds, and she warped Will out of the way when he tried to attack. I don't know what her other powers are.\"

- "What... you mean like Star Trek warp? Now you see me, now you don't? In that case we gotta get the hell out of here ASAP. She could be back any minute."

[brilyn]

\"What... you mean like Star Trek warp? Now you see me, now you don't? In that case we gotta get the hell out of here ASAP. She could be back any minute.\",,

Looking up from taking blood samples, Derek holds up a latex-glove covered hand:

"No, we can't leave yet. Masters and Ash are in NO condition to move, and as I said earlier, it's quite likely that we're all carriers of the disease, regardless of whether or not we show symptoms. There's not a hell of a lot I can do to stop you, except remind you: if this gets out to the general populace, thousands will die, at the minimum."

[phoenix]

\"What... you mean like Star Trek warp? Now you see me, now you don't? In that case we gotta get the hell out of here ASAP. She could be back any minute.\"

\"Yeah, like Star Trek. But I'm not too worried about them coming back. They didn't give me the impression of being independant operators, so if they were trying to kill us, they'd have sent bigger guns. Especially if they knew Blaze, Will and I were here. What did they send instead? A nova that manufactors a virus affecting only baselines. Besides which, Pathfinder did only mention Masters' execution, not that of any of us..

\"Since they've probably already written off Masters to the virus, I'd bet that's all he's going to have to deal with for a while. And frankly, Blaze, I'd bet it's going to be enough..\"

Glacier gets no reply to his shouts, & Natalia is still no-where to be seen.

OOC: Oops, sorry.. missed it the first time around ::blush

Glacier stares out the window bleakly, then turns to look at Will. He only says two words: "Bargaining chip."

[Asbjørn]

Looking up from taking blood samples, Derek holds up a latex-glove covered hand:

\"No, we can't leave yet. Masters and Ash are in NO condition to move, and as I said earlier, it's quite likely that we're all carriers of the disease, regardless of whether or not we show symptoms. There's not a hell of a lot I can do to stop you, except remind you: if this gets out to the general populace, thousands will die, at the minimum.\"

- \"As Soon As Possible, Derek. Relax. I know we can't move anyone yet, and I know we might kill people if we leave before the virus is dealt with. I'm just saying that there's a person who can move herself and anyone else to anywhere in the world in a second who knows we're here. And she probably also knows that we're in bad shape. Not good odds, if you ask me.\"

Glacier stares out the window bleakly, then turns to look at Will. He only says two words: \"Bargaining chip.\"

Nathan can only silently agree, subconsciously relieved Natalia wasn't his responsibility.

- *I wonder what they're gonna use her for? Kill her to punish Masters if he lives? Or swap hostages?*

His head rolls to one side as he shifts himself to get a better view of the room. "Hey... Where's that reporter, by the way?"

[brilyn]

And frankly, Blaze, I'd bet it's going to be enough..\"

Looking up from the Electron microscope

::angry

"Not if I have a damn thing to say about it!"

At this point Derek has taken blood sample from Ash, Masters, and himself (his clothing reshaped itself to present his arm).

Turning to Jan (patronising beside manner: ON)

"Alright, I'm afraid I'm going need a sample from you if I can. It'll only hurt for a moment"

OOC: Could people who are/are not bullet proof bullet proof (ie high Sta/Mega-Sta) lemme know (IC)? I think stuff like Armour can be conciouslysupressed (Prof?), but I'm not sure. Also, I'd presume that a needle should be able to break the skin of anyone with a 'natural' Lethal soak of less than 5? Possibly 7 (factoring in str... ). It's a straight push, so the needle shouldn't snap, designed for baselines or otherwise.

[Asbjørn]

Nathan doesn't move from the half burned chair he's landed in, but stretches out an arm for Derek to take a sample. As he pushes the needle against his skin a soft white glow surrounds the tip, stopping the point from penetrating. Nathan concentrates for a moment and the glow fades, letting the syringe glide easily under his skin.

(OOC: You're right. i checked the book, and armor can be turned on or off at will, so there's no problem in my case.)

[Ayre el KaBeer]

(OOC: No armor, no problem)

Will stands in line behind Nathan, his eyes fixed on Masters, not paying attention to what's being said by the others and has to be interrupted from his thoughts when it's his turn to give blood.

[phoenix]

OOC: No Armor, but Megastamina 4 and Immolate, neither of which can be turned off without dorm'ing down.

Looking up from the Electron microscope,,

\"Not if I have a damn thing to say about it!\"

Glacier simply raises an eyebrow, and turns to watch Derek's machinations with interest. Well, let's see if he does..

[brilyn]

Derek takes samples from all those present. He also takes skin swabs from those touched, from the location touched if possible.

Finally, he turns to Glacier. Holding a needle out:

"John? Please? It's the only way to be certain."