Electra Posted July 7, 2012 Posted July 7, 2012 "Thank you, Captain," Fleur said, polite and placating. "We have no intention to do anything to harm you. I'm Fleur de Joie, I've been rehabilitating the land west of here to make it fit for humans again. These are my friends, Gaian Knight and Gabriel. They live here too, and are helping me today. You see, something bad is happening to the plants that I've been setting in, some airborne microorganism that is weakening and beginning to kill them. I've been told that something like that might have been released during the conflict that damaged this world in the first place, and we're looking for any clues we can find. We'd like to speak with you about it, if we may."
Supercape Posted July 7, 2012 Author Posted July 7, 2012 GM "We have no intention to do anything to harm you. I'm Fleur de Joie, I've been rehabilitating the land west of here to make it fit for humans again. These are my friends, Gaian Knight and Gabriel. They live here too, and are helping me today. You see, something bad is happening to the plants that I've been setting in, some airborne microorganism that is weakening and beginning to kill them. I've been told that something like that might have been released during the conflict that damaged this world in the first place, and we're looking for any clues we can find. We'd like to speak with you about it, if we may." The Captain nodded to each of the heroes, even saluting Gaian Knight for some reason. His face was quite stone cold when Fleur explained the situation. "A plague" he said, with tombstone dullness, encapsulating Fleur's concerns simply. "You better come in..." The inside of the ship was predictably, working but with the same peppering of make-do repairs. "Pardon the ship" he explained "It's a devil to keep running. Scraps here is very handy, he keeps us supplied with a few pieces of metal and wiring that survived the devastation. I've managed to keep several systems running, but this ship is never going to take off again..." The "laboratory" room of the ship was just as rag-tag. Flickers of electricity, chemical equipment, microscopes, and a few pots of bubbling fungus. He sat down carefully, so as to not destroy any of the fragile equipment. "The agent you speak of, its affecting plant's?" he asked rhetorically. "That's not good. Not good at all" he sighed. "Its a Grue weapon, from the war...if you can call such a lopsided battle a war. Quite what it is, I can't say for certain, yet. But there were lots of these weapons flying around then. This ship..." he said, knocking a wall with a thud "...was designed to carry out a biological attack. I've been looking for a method to neutralize the weapons for...oh...years now...." He sighed. "One or two possibilities. But I'm not close" he said, dimly. "The thing is, the Grue developed not only weapons to selectively infect humans, but, with such a dangerous infection, they developed another system. A counter-agent, if you will. Something that attacks everything else. Think of it like an extremely aggressive immune response. It kills of any other infection, kills of anything that is not human. Or Grue, come to that...." "It was designed to 'clean up' after the war. Rid the surface of any remaining biological weapons. But your plants, they are neither Grue nor human. It will eat them up too..."
Fox Posted July 7, 2012 Posted July 7, 2012 Gaian Knight frowned, rubbing the back of his head as he listened. "Well, that's...a fair bit worse than we thought, then," he admitted, frowning. "If it only spares humans and Grue, then the bees are probably in as much trouble as anybody. Not that they'd do too well in the long run without any plants, but...." He sighed, wishing he'd spent at least a little more time learning about biological agents. Rocks don't get infections.... "I don't suppose there's a counter-counter-agent? A weapon so...ah, voracious...that it hunts everything seems pretty dangerous; sometimes these things have a bad habit of jumping species boundaries, don't they?"
Supercape Posted July 8, 2012 Author Posted July 8, 2012 GM The captain nodded at Giain Knight. "And you see the danger inherent in any biological weapon..." he agreed. He spread his arms wide, indicating the wrecked Grue ship, with its patchwork repairs. "This Grue ship, for instance, brought down by its own weapon. Its a laboratory ship, as far as I can tell. Designed for some very complex and clever biological weapon delivery. Something to wipe out humans, and something to wipe out the everything else. Except, of course, it didn't go to plan. Something here got the Grue, something very nasty indeed. The Ship Crashed, and it got out. Quite what got out....that's another story, but its ugly...." He tapped a few keys, and a Grue computer screen, a good third of it cracked and blurred, hummed into life. Grue symbols flashed away. "As far as I can tell. There were two biological agents. Agent Pandora, a plague that wiped out everything, and Agent Panacea"...he spoke, as much to himself as anybody else. "Panacea is a virulent antibody response, designed to attack anything that isn't Grue or Human. Infections, for instance. Very aggressive, but fortunately not very contagious. It was designed to counteract Agent Pandora...it was the clean up agent, so to speak. Except nothing really went to plan...one crashed Grue ship, and Panacea and Plague went missing...." He looked at Fleur. "And now Panacea is back. Which is bad enough. It begs the question: is Pandora far behind?"
KnightDisciple Posted July 9, 2012 Posted July 9, 2012 Gabriel frowned in confusion. The way the Captain was speaking of these agents was making less sense as time went on. "I'm not sure I understand. What do you mean, "something here got to the Grue"? As in, one of their biological weapons broke quarantine and killed the crew of the ship? Some sort of super-virus? As for these plagues and counter-plagues, that's bad, but the way you're talking about them, you act like there's someone or something directing them. "Went missing" and all that. Did Pandora ever hit the general populace? If not, and Panacea didn't either, why would they be "back"?" He sighed in frustration. "I'm starting to feel out of my depth here, everyone. I barely understand the basic concepts of this stuff. I can negotiate or fight or counsel or teach acting, but biological warfare? Bio-weapons and counter-agents? This is Sonya's shtick, not mine. But now I'm not sure it's a good idea to bring her here, if there's a possibility of a human-killing super-plague lurking around the corner." He faced the Captain as he spoke next. "What do you suggest we do, Mr. Captain? We've got to address the problem, and sitting around worrying about Pandora won't help us at all."
Supercape Posted July 9, 2012 Author Posted July 9, 2012 GM the Captain smiled at Gabriel. "I know its confusing. Perhaps then I should explain..." He took a deep breath in. "Panacea and Pandora are twin agents, yes?" he started, addressing his audience. "The Grue had developed a method for delivering these twin agents into the human population, a method that was almost impossible to detect. They had been developed by a Grue Scientist, part of the collective, who had been experimenting on genetic and cybernetic modification. Quite the radical, this fellow..." He paused before resuming. "Anyway, this ship was his. And Pandora - and Panacea, they got loose, and killed...or changed...the crew. Pandora hit the general populace, for sure. Just one of the ways this rock got destroyed" He paused again, making sure he had their attention. "And you ask who is directing them? why they are back? what are they? well, when I said they were twin agents, I meant it..." He delivered the punchline in slow, sombre tones. He held up two fists. "Panacea and Pandora are genetically modified Grue twins. Stuffed full of all sorts of rouge DNA, but alive, immortal, and living. Two children, Pandora unleashing the worst viral plague ever to walk this earth, the other, Panacea, having a super human, aggressive immune response that is now eating up your plants..." He interlocked the fingers of his two fists. "Pandora to unleash hell, Panacea to clean up...." he said, simply. "And now, we have to find them...and I can only imagine they were sealed away somewhere. Somewhere secure, safe, and able to contain biological weapons. I wish I knew where, but I don't. I can only guess, as it is not on this ship, it was a human facility, like a research base or something like that..." "That's my best guess, anyway..." he concluded.
Fox Posted July 10, 2012 Posted July 10, 2012 Gaian Knight frowned, unconsciously resting a hand on the hilt of his sword. That is really the kind of thing you need to lead with, buddy. "Alright, so we have two immortal Grue who could be pretty much anywhere and anyone, one about as dangerous as the other. That's...." With his free hand he rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. "That's...something, is what that is. I've got another concern, then: these Grue were modified by their own people, they've probably been surrounded by some flavor of death all their lives, and they may have been sealed away for who knows how long before escaping to a pretty wasted landscape and no way to get home. I'm a little concerned by what state their minds might be in by now, especially without the rest of the Grue nearby - we'll want to talk with them, of course, but that may be kind of difficult if they're...ah, unstable, at all. I know I would be."
Electra Posted July 12, 2012 Posted July 12, 2012 Fleur listened carefully to the entire conversation, her brow furrowed in concentration. At this point, after everything else they'd learned today about what lay buried beneath the surface of what she'd thought was an empty world, the idea that there were unsupervised Grue children running around seemed as likely as anything else. "How do you know all this?" she asked the Captain. "Who are you, anyway, and what are you doing still in Freedom City after all this time? It can't be much healthier for you to be here than for the rest of us."
Supercape Posted July 15, 2012 Author Posted July 15, 2012 GM "How do you know all this? Who are you, anyway, and what are you doing still in Freedom City after all this time? It can't be much healthier for you to be here than for the rest of us." The Captain looked with some difficulty at Fleur. "An astute question. And one I am...reluctant to answer. But I suppose you deserve to know the truth, as unpalatable as it seems." He reluctantly stood up and drew himself to his full height. "I know everything about this ship. Because, you see I was on it. I am not hu..." He was interrupted by a small girl running in, who must have been nine or ten. She was dressed rather cleanly, in non-descript grey overalls, although her hair was a mess. She was, however, well fed and a lot cleaner than Scraps, who waved to her. "Daddy daddy!" she yelled, clinging onto the Captain's leg "Where were you? where were you? I'm scared! who are these people?" she asked, her eyes glistening with fear as she clung to her 'Daddy' and glared menacingly at the heroes. The "Captain" gave Fleur a knowing look. "Careful, my daughter. These people are not to be feared!" he said, stroking her hair and looking at Fleur. "Right?" he asked, pointedly.
Electra Posted July 15, 2012 Posted July 15, 2012 "Absolutely," Fleur agreed immediately, and indeed, she looked so entirely harmless, it was easy to believe it. Smiling at the girl, she reached into the pouch at her belt and withdrew a single, nearly invisible seed. "My name is Fleur, and I live not too far away from here. Scraps mentioned that sometimes he found green things for you. Greens are my specialty." She rolled the seed between her fingers, and in moments the seed was a leafy stem with a pleasant herbal scent. A second's concentration had a showy pink blossom unfurling at the top, bee balm to anyone with an eye for flowers. Fleur extended it to the girl invitingly. The import of the Captain's interrupted message was not lost on her, nor was the danger of sharing a Grue ship with a Grue, but right now her priority was the frightened child, whatever species she was.
Supercape Posted July 17, 2012 Author Posted July 17, 2012 GM The young girl was absolutely delighted with Fleur's display. "A greeny! A greeny!" she said, clapping her hands excitedly "Just like the ones that Scraps steals from the..." she looked at Fleur at Scraps, who looked distinctly uncomfortable. She went a rather bright red. "I mean, he sometimes, er, you know, takes things we...really need...." her voice trailed off in embarressment. "Yes indeed" said the Captain, with a grin. He looked at Fleur. "You have to understand, she needs proper nutrition. I bring her up the best I can, with some food replicators that keep breaking down, but nothing beats real food..." he said with a smile. "And Scraps here, well, I picked him up a few years ago, and most handy he has been too..." "As for my daughter, she is called Penelope, or Penny, for short. A very very special little girl..." he said, smiling and patting his 'daughter' on the head. He sat down again, watching his daughter with happiness. "As for your problem, consider me at your service. I would very much like to reverse the...errors of the past, if you catch my meaning. My work on this wreck has been all to that purpose, although without much success. The problem is twofold...finding Panacea and Pandora, and neutralizing them..." He looked a bit uncomfortable at the thought of the second problem. "As to their location, I can only guess. They escaped, either on their own, or with some of the Grue on this ship when things went crazy here. As they have not been...active....they must have been sealed away. The only plausible possibility I can think of, aside from being taken off world, is some earth-based facility, such as a biological research base. Unfortunately, as you can imagine, I am not exactly familiar with earth history and customs..."
KnightDisciple Posted July 17, 2012 Posted July 17, 2012 When Penelope was introduced, Gabriel made sure to give her a winning smile, though he let Fleur work her magic for introductions. When she had finished causing wonder with her mastery over plants, Gabriel crouched down and offered the girl a friendly handshake. "Hello Penelope. My name's Gabriel. I'm a friend of Fleur's. I live pretty close to Fleur. It's nice to meet you. It's up to your father, but I think once this mess is sorted out, all of you would we welcome where we live." He stood up, his expression drifting back to the serious as he addressed the Captain. "We actually have a few ideas and leads for where to look for the twins. So I'd say we first have the problem of how to interact with them without dire consequences, and second how to stop the larger consequences to this planet. Is there a way we could stay in contact with you while we look?" Suddenly, he snapped his fingers as he remembered something. "Scraps here mentioned seeing some odd-looking folks in ominous black outfits creeping around this area a while back. Do you have any insight what might have been going on there?"
Supercape Posted July 17, 2012 Author Posted July 17, 2012 GM "Scraps here mentioned seeing some odd-looking folks in ominous black outfits creeping around this area a while back. Do you have any insight what might have been going on there?"
Fox Posted July 18, 2012 Posted July 18, 2012 Gaian Knight raised his eyebrows at that, looking with a small bit of concern between the three wasteland dwellers. The Captain's old enough to decide that for himself, and Scraps is a tough little guy, but Penny....? "I could fit a couple more on my makeshift platform, but...are you certain?" he asked, carefully. "We wouldn't want to expose you to any undue danger. If there might be mad Grue out there - or mad anything else, really - we wouldn't want to put you into any more danger than strictly necessary, history with the issue notwithstanding."
Supercape Posted July 18, 2012 Author Posted July 18, 2012 GM The Captain raised an eyebrow in a slow manner at Gaian Knight. "I can defend myself" he said, with a calm confidence "and Penny, and Scraps, if need be. Although this world has been dead to any threat for so long, it is true. " He walked over to some apparatus, and gently removed it, bringing out a rifle from the containers below. It looked heavily modified, but the distant progenitor was probably a Grue weapon. "As for threat. There is considerably more threat in not going. The problem started here, and we...myself and Penny, are the Solution..."
Electra Posted July 18, 2012 Posted July 18, 2012 "If we're dealing with rogue Grue, juveniles or not," Fleur pointed out, "the Captain and possibly Penny are the best equipped to know what we're looking for and to be able to find it." She didn't look entirely happy about that fact, but continued. "We could take Scraps and Penny to stay with the bees, for the sake of argument. It won't take but a minute to get them to Beedom Valley, and the bees will take good care of them. They really couldn't be better protected anywhere on Sanctuary. I'd rather not take any children into danger if we don't have to. We may have to move quickly once we get started. The clock is already ticking for my plants."
KnightDisciple Posted July 18, 2012 Posted July 18, 2012 "Fleur's right. It's not going to be safe for the children. The bees will keep them company." 'Heaven help someone trying to harm the children, for that matter. Some of those bees breathe fire!' "So unless you explain, openly and in detail, why we should endanger Penny or Scraps by bringing them with us, it seems wisest to place them in a safe location, while you accompany us on the search. I appreciate you've got...unique perspective...but I don't appreciate riddles, half-truths, and small pieces of a larger truth. If you still know something useful that you haven't told us yet, come out and say it." Gabriel appreciated a bit of melodrama in one's speech as much as the next person, but it was clear the Captain's tendency to use melodrama to disguise his lack of full disclosure was wearing thin. His tone wasn't angry, but it was firm and final.
Supercape Posted July 18, 2012 Author Posted July 18, 2012 GM The Captain looked at Penny, uncomfortable at talking in her presence. "Penny is vital to my efforts to neutralize Panacea and Pandora..." he said, writhing and frowning, not looking at anyone directly. He patted Penny's head gently, with a sad face. "She is a very special girl, you see, aren't you Penny?" she asked, to which she looked up and smiled, full of pride. He forced himself to look once again at his guests. "Thanks to my efforts, Penny is immune to all the Grue Bioweapons. She is the third part of the equation, able to neutralize both of them..."
Fox Posted July 19, 2012 Posted July 19, 2012 Tarrant's expression went unreadable for a moment, eyes still hidden behind his goggles and the little rocks that had started following him when he stopped the gas halting their lazy orbit behind his shoulders. Only for a moment, though, while he thought on the newest revelation - he wasn't one for posturing or intimidation. "That's...interesting," he cautiously admitted, furrowing his brow. "And it's more than a little unexpected. No offense, Captain, but I think I'm starting to agree with Gabriel here - the deeper this goes, the more it sounds like we need to know the bigger picture, for all our sakes. All our cards on the table, so to speak - especially if it means taking a charming young lady somewhere that could be dangerous."
KnightDisciple Posted July 24, 2012 Posted July 24, 2012 "If it's truly necessary for Penny to come along, she deserves to know why. If she must endure even a hint of the danger we'll be facing, she's got a right to know why. I get that she factors into this somehow, but I still don't entirely understand." Gabriel sighed, tapping one hand against his leg for a moment, his gaze unfocused. The tapping stopped, and his eyes locked onto the Captain's. "I realize this may be difficult for you, but it's my condition for this little ragtag group going anywhere but this room. I think she should know just what she'll be capable of, and how she's supposed to go about it. That will help us, as well, so we know how to approach the situation." He paused for a moment, then continued so that only the Captain could hear him, at least for the moment. His lips didn't move, though it seemed his voice echoed in the man's ear. "I understand the implication of her origin, and you don't have to go into detail about that for now. But the details on her present abilities is vital. Especially if she will have to be in contact with the Twins or close proximity." He gave a sympathetic smile to the Captain, Scraps, and Penny, and everyone heard him when he spoke again. "I really this is a very weighty topic. I'm just trying to make sure I understand everything about what we're about to do. It will help make sure everything goes more easily for all of us."
Electra Posted July 26, 2012 Posted July 26, 2012 Fleur nodded in agreement with Gabriel and GK. "You obviously have a plan already in mind for how we're going to deal with the threat posed by the bioweapons," she pointed out to the Captain, "and the plan obviously involves Penny. We want to help you, we want to end this with minimal injury to anyone, but we can't go in blindly. We've got some information on where likely holding facilities might have been, but it would be folly to go to any of them without as much information as we can get." As she spoke, Fleur reached a hand up under her hood, pulling a few pins from her hair and rubbing at her scalp. The gesture was automatic, reflexive to the point where she hardly seemed to notice herself doing it. Apparently her hair was still bothering her.
Supercape Posted July 27, 2012 Author Posted July 27, 2012 GM The Captain looked at all three sternly, a hint of coldness coldness come to his eyes. "You would ask the truth?" he said with gritted teeth. "If you wish to turn the knife, then I shall bare all. A luxury I have not asked of you, you will all note. Trust I gave you, and it is not reciprocated...." "I understand the position you are in. I understand your passion to protect, children particularly. I can tell you know these are motives I share...Penny is like a child to me. She is my child..." Penny looked up to the Captain with love, but fear to, uncertain of what was to come. "If you wish me to speak, then I shall. But be aware of this. If you force my hand, I will not forget this cruelty. Not, not ever. And there will be reckoning for it. I ask trust now, that is all. If you wish more, then let it be said that I warned you..." He looked down to Penny. "If I had tears I would shed them" he said fondly. "Understand you all...my goal is to stop what I set in motion. Yes, I, all those years ago. I was the scientist who unleashed Pandora and Panacea on the world. And now, I seek to undo the horror I set in motion. When my connection to the Grue ceased, and when I was changed...I saw the enormous mistake I had made. And now, I wish nothing more than Panacea and Pandora to be neutralized. " He pressed a hand to his temple. "That is the truth. I would spare further pain from young ears..." he said looking down at Penny. "What is it, Captain?" she asked him, tugging at his clothes. He looked up at the three heroes, fiercely, without answering her question.
KnightDisciple Posted July 28, 2012 Posted July 28, 2012 "Penny, perhaps it would be best if you and Scraps go play in another room for a few minutes. I promise we won't be long, okay?" It was worded like a suggestion, but something in his tone made it seem it was all but a demand. OOC: If Penny leaves, the following occurs as a normal conversation. If she doesn't, Gabriel will hold off for a bit, or switch briefly to his communication power. Which...kind of messes with his diplomancy, so for simplicity's sake I'm hoping she steps out. He turned his attention squarely to the Captain. "I do not appreciate you threatening my friends. At all. Especially when we've told you exactly what we want, nay, need to know." He closes his eyes and takes a calming breath. When they open again, his expression shifts to sympathy. "Look, I get this is a rough deal. You care about Penny, don't want her hurt. That's admirable. But bluntly speaking, this isn't solely an issue of trust. We need to know what she has to do to stop this, because that's going to decide how we operate. I'm not sure how else to say that. You don't need to tell her every grisly detail of everything. But if you refuse to tell her no matter what, then you tell me. She'll know eventually anyways when we get her to the point of neutralizing them. Young ears aren't present, cant' hear. So talk to older ears, and give us the information we need. Please. We want to help all three of you, but we have to know how we're going to be helping you." He stopped again, considering his wording for a moment. "Captain...The way you're so reluctant to talk about even the most basic of details around Penny. Is she going to be hurt by what happens? Please tell me we're not going to have to sacrifice Penny just to stop these things. Please tell me she'll just be able to neutralize their abilities and save the planet, and not end up hurt or...something." "Something"'s meaning was pretty obvious, but it was clearly difficult for Gabriel to actually say the word. His heartstrings had been tugged by the "adorable children" routine, and he wasn't really eager to have his worst fears confirmed, as much as he needed to know that.
Supercape Posted July 28, 2012 Author Posted July 28, 2012 GM Penny could only tug on even tighter to the Captain, like a petrified animal, despite Scraps trying to pitch in. She had grown up in the crashed ship, knowing only the Captain, and Scraps as company. Little if anything could separate her from her father. Visibly, the Captain did not reply, although his face softened at Gabriels inaudible communication. "Your subtlety does you credit, my thanks" came the reply to Gabriel, in a range outside of human hearing. More surprising still was the Captain's lips, which did not move at all. "Penny is a clone of the two original Children, Panacea and Pandora. Identical in all aspects but one, her immune system is specifically designed to counteract the effects of her siblings. She just needs to be in the same vicinity, and her unique biochemistry will excrete the neutralising agent. As a scientist, however, I will be honest and say this is untested in the field, of course. " "Yes, she is Grue, like Panacea and Pandora, but cut and spliced with human DNA. To all intents and purposes, she is human. She is my daughter. I would not see her come to any other conclusion. I would spare her from any hurt or injury." "At first, she was just my project to undo what I had done. Now, she means more to me than anything. I would let this worn burn and rot rather than let her come to harm. But she is the only thing that will counteract her two daughters. Understand then the risk I take, the sacrifice I make. And I will let nothing harm her..."* *NB: Audible only to Gabriel
KnightDisciple Posted July 30, 2012 Posted July 30, 2012 Gabriel smiled just a bit as he nodded at the Captain. "That's what I needed to know. For what it's worth, we don't intend to let Penny come to harm. We do, however, intend to save all of these lives. I'll catch my comrades up on the situation; perhaps you should give Penny a brief rundown of what's going to be happening." Gabriel then shifted the "target" of his speech to Gaian Knight and Fleur de Joie. He briefly explained what the Captain had passed on to him, though he left out most of the melodrama and threats. He then paused a moment, before speaking normally (and thus actually moving his lips). "Right then. Are there any last-minute preparations we need to make?"
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