EPIC M&M: Issue 6 (IC)

[Agamon]

Sanjay, nods and gives short, generic replies to Empath's questions as his mind wanders. He noticed right away that Monica was missing when the team showed up at the SAP building, but he never had a chance to ask anyone where she was. Not with Allison running off, and the fight to save All...Ms. Vaile, and then her dragging him back into the building before that bomb almost blew them up. Then the long, boring briefing here...why wouldn't Empath leave him alone?

He stiffles a yawn and rubs his chin. "Thanks for the help with ISA, Empath. But this whole mess has been crazy and I'm pretty tired," he says, getting up. "Oh, um, hey, you don't happen to know where Monica is, do you? I haven't seen here since SAP took me away to be their lab rat. I wanted to let her know I'm alright."

 

[Calinon]

Brazilia Medical Facility
October 14, 2120

Metal Mistress
"Perhaps if you stopped getting blown up," Thunder says without turning. "You wouldn't keep waking up in hospitals." He mutes the TV and turns around after settling on a channel.

"Everyone is hurt to some degree or another. But it could have been far worse. In fact, I don't think it could have gone much better. Nobody is dead, you broke up a conspiracy in the world's largest pharmaceutical company, worked together with SAEF on camera and managed to capture my brother and get a description of Ghost for the first time ever," he says with an odd look. "I might never live those last two bits down.

"Monica is still in surgery, though. The doctors are not overly optimistic. My brother, the good one," he adds, "is coming in to help. Paco," he adds, "should be up on screen in a second." Sure enough, the video soon shows Paco slamming into you in mid fall, then turning to absorb the impact as the two of you make a massive, long crater. "He's in surgery too. You can bet Loco is going to chalk this one up into the 'you owe me' category. Anna's recoverying nicely though, and other than a bad concussion, Vince should be fine. Everone else is just tired."

Speed Demon
"Twins, ug," he groans, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "Just what I didn't need to think of. I don't think 'twins' is how we can refer to them anymore. Hector is fourteen inches tall at last measurement; we figure he should stop shrinking at twelve inches. Samuel has begun eating everything. Everything. He ate his bike last weekend because he felt like a snack. He think's its great; I fear for my hovercars."

"I'm just tired from moving my personal effects from our corporate offices."

I don't know if those were the twins names, but they are now!

Johan
"You built a neurocomputer interf.... transported to wh... triggered a what...heatsink and..." Sanchez triest to interrupt without success. Finally she comes over and clamps a hand over your mouth. "Alright, sweetie. Let me think a moment," she says. Then a moment is up.

"Ok. You built a neural interface to link up with SAP's computers and the effort transported your body there, leaving your duplicate disconnected from you. It couldn't sense you, so it decided you were dead, subconsciously that is, and tried to stay alive, and succeeded. But, if I interpret this right, you have all the smarts, and he has the duplication power. And it looks like your mental link you shared with your duplicates has been transformed into a natural dataport with mechanical devices."

Which is exactly what happened...

"The question is, can we fix it," the doctor chimes in. "Or do we even want to try. Mental disassociation to this degree is dangerous enough. Reincorporating seperate thought patterns, no matter how close the genetic match is, would be even more so, plus we have no way of reincoporating the excess genetic material, which would mean, in essence, killing the less intelligent boy."

"Hey! I'm like... right here!" your other self exclaims.

Neutron
"She's still in surgery," Empath says, and though you feel an instant of panic, it is quickly superceded by an almost euphoric feeling. You have absolutely no doubt that the feeling is being caused by Empath.

Sense motive 18... success! You can also attempt to break her powers hold over you (DC22 will save) since you know she is influencing you.

"I think it would be better if you just got some rest, Sanjay. The doctors here are some of the best in the world and they are doing everything they can for Monica. Once she is out of recovery and awake, you'll be able to see her."

Empath makes a reasonable suggestion, and Neutron gets a 14 on the will save. Not enough to shake it off, though she's not driving it into his skull or anything. The emotional control she is being forceful about, however. You can try to break the suggestion whenever you like.

October 26, 2120
Dover, England
Dover Medical Facility

X12
The matron has a grip like a grandmother, though how you know that is beyond you. Basically, she won't let go.

"You either make the time or you don't," she says sternly. "If you don't want to make the time, I will tell that family there to make arrangements for their daughter, and prepare the TOD for the injured guards from the prison escape." With that, she releases your arm and heads over to a pair of parents with two young children near the reception desk.

"Oh that's just cold," Trailblazer says, tipping his hat up and scratching his forehead.

 

[Mordane76]

"Oh no, she didn't," X12 says, following after her.

"Ma'am," he says, coming up behind her. "I'm not a doctor. I didn't take an oath to help people like you and your staff did, so don't proceed to try and guilt me into helping these people - you want my help, ask me like a person, not like some god-damn machine that you can use to cover up your hospital's inabilities to help the sick.

I'm not even sure I can help them - I over-expended my abilities on a mission in China, and they haven't completely returned yet. I will try, though... But I'm not moving an inch until you treat me like a person. If you can't do that, then I'll go get you a shovel, and you can dig that little girl's and those guards' graves yourself."

 

[Mimic]

"Everyone is hurt to some degree or another. But it could have been far worse. In fact, I don't think it could have gone much better. Nobody is dead, you broke up a conspiracy in the world's largest pharmaceutical company, worked together with SAEF on camera and managed to capture my brother and get a description of Ghost for the first time ever," he says with an odd look. "I might never live those last two bits down.

"We got lucky with Mason, he killed a lot of guards before we could take him down though." Michelle tells him glancing down at the bed she is sitting on. "As for Ghost we were at the right place at the right time and what about Mole and his crew did they get away? Anithos was hurt pretty bad, Ghost killed one of his duplicates and that seemed to send him into shock." She says looking back up at him, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"Monica is still in surgery, though. The doctors are not overly optimistic. My brother, the good one," he adds, "is coming in to help. Paco," he adds, "should be up on screen in a second." Sure enough, the video soon shows Paco slamming into you in mid fall, then turning to absorb the impact as the two of you make a massive, long crater. "He's in surgery too. You can bet Loco is going to chalk this one up into the 'you owe me' category. Anna's recoverying nicely though, and other than a bad concussion, Vince should be fine. Everone else is just tired."

"I hope Monica is going to be ok, Sanjay and her have been gotten pretty tight from what I have heard... I hope he takes the news ok. It looks like I owe Paco more then Loco, if you ask me. Can you let me know when he is out of surgery so I can thank him?" She tells him with a smile, trying to lighten the mood somewhat, it doesn't last as her shoulders slump slightly and a small sigh escapes her lips.

"Is this what leadership is? Making a decision on the fly and hoping to God that its the right one? Its a lot harder then I thought and it doesn't make you very popular. Especially when you criticize someone who has been nothing but helpfull and supportive." She adds glancing over to where Tara is sleeping.

 

[Dalamar]

"I've had my share of different opinions when I've had multiple instances of myself. I don't think I would like it with multiple thoughtpatterns inside one head."
Johan turns to his 'duplicate', "What do you say we both try to live the way we are now? You will cease trying to feed on my brains, and I'll make sure they don't try to feed yours into mine."

 

[Agamon]

Sanjay arches an eyebrow at Empath, both at her statement and her use of her powers on him. "In surgery?" he asks, quite calmly. Tired and even more easily influenced than normal, he didn't want to fight anymore. "Why would she be in surgery, she was fine when I left. What happened?"

-1 on my Will save with a DC 22? Nah, think I'll pass. Besides, it's probably for the better...

 

[Calinon]

Brazilia Medical Facility
October 14, 2120

Metal Mistress
"I am not too worried about Mole and his crew. I've already gotten pretty much the whole story about that out of Straightjacket. It's kind of nice to know the kid isn't border-line insane afterall, though I can't really say I'm all that thrilled about his father," he says with a frown. "Anyway, don't worry about the Mole. I doubt he'll be back anytime soon."

As you tell him about Mason and Ghost, he simply nods. "At least Mole wasn't working for Anarchy, or none of you would have gotten out alive. When Mason is around, people die. We've never managed to avoid it, and it could have been far worse. I can barely penetrate his skin. If it took luck, then it's luck that finally managed to take him out of the picture, and soon that'll be permanent." His voice holds no displeasure at the thought of his flesh and blood being executed for his crimes.

With the conversation turned to Monica, Paco and Loco, he tries to remain impassive. "Monica is in bad shape. The doctors don't give her much chance to survive, but my brother is on his way, so if he arrives in time, that should increase those odds tenfold. As for Loco, he's the leader, and he doesn't let anyone forget it. If you owe a member of the SAEF, you owe him. Trust me, I've been holding onto that favor you turned in for a good long time with no little satisfaction. Paco's pretty tough too; though he thinks he's tougher than he is. Straightjacket could have done better taking the impact than he does; he's not overly bright, but you don't have to be smart to be brave. And it's better him than you on the table. Not meaning to be crass, but I'm getting really tired of hospital visits."

His impassiveness fades as you ask him about leadership. "I only pray to God on Sundays. Every other day I'll sell my soul if it means protecting people. I put every single person on EPIC in danger every single day, and it never gets easier to do. And don't worry about Tara. I've said far worse things to Titan than you said to her," he adds. Giving you a shrug, he says, "You've been unconscious for eight hours. We talked. And you can see where she is."

Johan
"Fine!" he says with some exasperation. "Whatever. Don't care. Just lemme out of here so I can go eat and see Anna."

"I think we'll ponder the problem a bit more. This might be a alright stopgap, but we don't know what exactly that is going to do to you. But so long as there shall be no brain eating," Sanchez says, hitting the button to let the restraints pop open. "Try not to go peering into the hospital computers with your new power, Johan," she says. "We don't know how much control you have just now."

"I think that the electromagnetic field becomes strongest at this point, and look how it seems to affect the genome and dna strings in his cerebral cortex... " the doctor starts in as Sanchez and he analyze yet more data.

Your double is already off and with a none-to-pleased glare at you, stalks out of the office and down the hall.

Neutron
"When she ran with Vince and Loco after Ghost, they caught up with him. Ghost used his powers to phase two metal rods into her body, then released them. The metal fused with several organs, resulting in serious trauma. The doctors are working to keep her alive until Doctor Johnson can arrive from New York," she says calmly. "If it weren't for Vincent, she would have been buried in the rubble and certainly killed."

October 26, 2120
Dover, England
Dover Medical Facility

X12
"That's exactly what you are," she snarls back at you. "You were created with that purpose. You are nothing more than a tool to be used as," she says as her form ripples and changes before her eyes. A hand clamps down on your arm as Prophet now stands where the administrator was, "I see fit."

Your vision shifts and you see a black and white frozen image behind you, the administrator talking with you and Trailblazer. You whirl about finding yourself facing her, still gripped by your father.

"Don't you recognize her? Look closely. She helped me create you; program you. You are as much her creation as mine. Well, perhaps not as much," he says with a chuckle. With a burst of memory, you do remember her face, vaguely, from lab work early in your life. "You have two choices now that you remember; serve her wishes, or kill her," he says with a dark laugh.

You slam back into your normal vision, arm burning under your uniform. The administrator is talking to you, but pauses. "Are you alright? You appear somewhat disoriented? If you aren't up to trying to help the girl, I can certainly understand that."

"Just a tool," echoes in your mind.

 

[Mordane76]

"TRAILBLAZER!" X12 screams. "You helped him, didn't you!" he continues to scream, backing away from her. "You helped him make me!" he yells, turning, looking for Trailblazer. "You were there, in his labs! Get her away from me, Trailblazer - get her away before Prophet comes back. I won't, Prophet - TRAILBLAZER!"

X12 continues to back away, praying for Trailblazer's intervention.

 

[Velmont]

OOC: Sorry if I've been silent. Twice my connection failed after I try to post... damn african connection

Jay looks at the different devices. He grabs the XY assault unit. He weight it. Take in in his hands and take a close look.

"Lightweight, non-lethal and more stable than bullet-type weapon, as it is based on light. That will make a great crowd control or SWAT weapon. I see that you have worked hard these lasts years, father.

That will make a change of the out of date equipement we use for training at the military base."

He continue to examine each device, fascinated by the technology in it. His rough knowledge of these kind of device make him think he will be able to maintain such things, but he could hardly try to recreate such things.

Jay get out of his tought as Titan speaks to him.

"Thank you sir, to accept me in your ranks. And I hope that you doesn't accept me for the donation my father make to you. I don't want to be a weight, and I am use to see person be refused into mission when they doesn't fit in...

For the school, a soldier is not simply being a well train figther, but need to be a good tactitian and knows as much as he can, so he can better understand the world he must help or fight for or against. I know I am not the brigthest guys, having pretty average grade all the time, but I am not a man that step back at the first sight of difficulty. I may not be as successfull as you may wish, but I will put all the effort needed to catch up, wathever it takes.

But I have one question. I have been training to handle explosive during my military training. I would like to know if I would be able to continue it during my time with you. Such skill could save lives someday, but I know it could cost mine too, and for both these reason I want to continue so I can be prepared to as much possible situation than I can be prepared to."

 

[Agamon]

"I see," Sanjay says with a nod. "Well, I hope she's okay. Have you by any chance heard anything about Vida, the woman that helped free me from the lab and how she's doing? Or anything about my own condition and what I might need to do? I might still be carrying the virus.."