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niqhtlord01 · 2 years ago

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Humans are weird: Accidental Extinction

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)

Being weak in militaristic capabilities the people of the Calex Confederacy would have been conquered several centuries ago were it not for their impressive intellect.

From the collective minds of their greatest robotic labs and the hottest furnaces of their mighty foundries they gave birth to the CRX 9000 war machine. It the most advanced robotic military platform in the known galaxy and swiftly became the primary model used for the Calex Confederacy military.

Unlike previous war machines that would be limited to a preprogrammed set of actions and reactions the CRX 9000 was created with an advanced capacity to learn and adapt. With every encounter the CRX would study its opponents, learning from their strengths and weaknesses, tactics, and even their genetic capacity for biological weaknesses.

With this new weapon in their arsenal the Calex were able to resist several potential aggressors during their history by rival galactic powers. Each attack would see initial gains for the aggressor on a handful of worlds before coming to a standstill; at which point the CRX’s will have learned enough about their enemies to launch successful counter attacks and drive out the aggressors.

Strangely enough the Calex were never interested in expanding past their original territories. They could have used the machines to conquer a great swathe of territory but despite all reason they were content to remain in their borders. The rest of the universe learned that it was for all their best interests if they just left them alone and so they did.

Eventually the Calex joined the galactic federation to the surprise of many. Many had assumed the Calex were heavily isolationist, but that nature only extended to the scope of their domain. The Calex themselves were very curious about the universe around them and wished to be a part of it.

Naturally being part of the galactic federation meant that when one member comes under attack all members would answer the call to aide them; both financially and militarily if needed. This was one of the main reasons the Calex had been approved for membership as several members had at one point or another been at war with the Calex and knew all too well how effective the CRX war machines could be.

This was put to the test when a small border skirmish broke out against the Televin Theocracy and the galactic federation member state of Yon Kingdom. The Televin argued that the Yon owed them hundreds of millions in credits after trade agreements were not honored. The Yon countered this claim by stating it was the Televin who had not honored the agreement by not delivering the requested goods and so they refused to pay.

Claim and counter claim went back and forth for some time until the Televin issued a statement. They would invade the Yon homeworld and forcefully claim funds and material until the debt is paid in full. No sooner had the declaration been made did a large scale Televin invasion force land on the Yon homeworld and it was occupied. In response the galactic federation task force was swiftly assembled and dispatched to the Yon homeworld to remove the occupying forces; including several dozen CRX war machines.

Several members were upset that the Calex had not invested more of their war machines. They had been expecting at least a couple thousand CRX’s which could have easily reclaimed the planet within a few months. Being somewhat unsure of their new ally’s intentions, the Calex had decided to only send a few of their war machines to see how the galactic federation would employ them.

With such minimal numbers it was decided by the federation leaders to split them up and embed them individually to detachments to reinforce their military capacity rather than consolidate them into a single strike force. The extra firepower would greatly improve the survivability ratio of each unit they were supporting. This was projected even further when the units selected were primarily from the terran union.

Though skilled warriors, the humans were biologically were deemed the frailest compared to the other species joining the task force. Lacking hardened exoskeletons, telekinetic capabilities, or even enhanced muscle reaction enhancers; they were considered meat sacks. Formidable warriors without question, but meat sacks all the same.

The campaign lasted two months before the Televin were repelled and driven from their final strongholds on the surface of the planet. It had been a grueling protracted war of attrition that had seen ten soldiers die for every foot of ground taken only to be lost hours later requiring another twenty soldiers deaths to reclaim. Each member race of the task force proved their worth in one way or another during the entire war and with its conclusion had been sent back home to their respective homeworlds.

Having been monitoring the daily reports from the start of the campaign the Calex were pleased to see that not a single CRX war machine had been felled and that all would be returning soon via a human troop carrier. The humans had been so grateful for the machines support during the conflict they considered this the very least they could do as a sign of gratitude to the Calex.

Little did the Calex know that the moment the troop carrier landed on the surface of their homeworld would mark the beginning of their species eventual extinction.

Boarding ramp wide enough to deploy two battle tanks abreast lowered with a slow groaning hum of hydraulics to the waiting Calex military and robotic advisors at the aerodrome. As they scraped the surface of the landing fields the ranks of the CRX’s slowly began descending the ramps and returning to their creators world in perfect military precision.

To the surprise of the gathered Calex the war machines had been modified to some extent that they had been unaware of.

Several of the machines now wore enlarged forms of human military uniforms decorated in camo patterns of greens and browns. Others wore decorative caps of a wide variety, both in shape and colors, with a few going so far as to have a large feather protruding from one side. One unit in wore a Shemagh that covered its entire head and upper body only leaving its red eyes visible.

As if that was not enough strangeness for Calex they took note that not all of the CRX’s were carrying their standard issue weapons. A number of the units carried oversized rifles that looked more akin to the turret of a human tank that had been removed and one Calex robotics engineer was appalled to see twin heavy gatling cannons crudely welded to each arm. Then there were the units in the front that carried no ranged weaponry at all and instead handled a wide variety of crude melee weapons such as swords or hammers. One was seen with a pair of metallic claw gauntlets that looked sharp enough to cut through a starship hull. Yet the most disturbing of all of these units was the designated leader of the contingent, MAK-395, that stood at the front of the ranks.

It still held true to its original weaponry and wore no strange human clothing or other trappings and looked down at the gathered Calex and saluted them. They hesitated to salute back for when they looked up at their creation they saw the bloody hand print of a human sprayed across its face plate.

When the humans shuffled down after the CRX’s the Calex immediately demanded explanations as to why their most prized machines had been returned to them in such a deplorable state. The human officers remarked that each machine had adapted alongside the human unit it had been assigned to during the course of the campaign. Many of the clothing and weapon choices seen were part of the core mentality of each human unit. They remarked with some pride to the units that boasted feathered caps that those units had proved themselves with such honor and bravery that they were awarded the feathers as a sign of respect by their human comrades.

These answers did little to placate the Calex who refused to believe that any species would regard mere machines with such attachments. They further demanded to know why MAK-395 had been not properly cleaned and still bore the signs of the war.

As the humans were about to answer it was instead MAK-395 that spoke first.

“My name is Nathan.”

The Calex looked on dumbfounded at their war machine as it spoke to them. Never before had a CRX spoken without first being prompted to or commanded to; yet this one had done just so.

“MAK-“ the Calex robotics engineer began before once more being interrupted by the machine.

“MAK-395 is dead.” It stated coldly. “I am Nathan Forest.”

The Calex looked at each other in bewilderment until a human officer stepped forward and spoke in a hushed tone.

“Nathan Forest was a human private that served alongside our metal friend here during the war.” He tilted his head towards the machine as her continued. “During a patrol they were ambushed and the private was wounded badly by a Televin cluster rifle. Our friend here carried him all the way back to base camp but by then he was already gone.”

“Nathan is not gone!”

The robot’s outburst surprised both the humans and the Calex. It now loomed over them as its red lenses glared down disapprovingly.

“He gave me his name, and as long as I still function Nathan Forest is not dead.”

“Apologies soldier,” the human remarked to the surprise of the Calex, “the war has left be confused on certain things.”

Seemingly placated the machine calling itself Nathan stepped back and resumed its post at the front of the CRX column.

“You speak to the machine as if it is alive?” one of the Calex remarked disapprovingly, “Has the war robbed you of your senses as well?”

“From what I’ve heard the two of them were nothing short of best friends on the battlefield,” the human replied with amusement, “and it did everything it could to bring him home. So yeah, I think our metal friend here has earned that much.”

With that remarked the human handed over a data file containing the entirety the human and CRX interactions for the war and promptly returned to the dropship. In an eerie silence the CRX machine head’s turned to watch the human as he ascended back the boarding ramp and turned to face them.

“It has been an honor and privilege to serve alongside your kind.” He spoke as the engines began to power up once more. He gave a crisp salute as the boarding ramp began to rise as the Calex watched in amusement. The human need for attachment was something they had heard of but one they had never expected to be real and was quite humorous to see firsthand. What was more surprising was when every CRX machine turned in unison and returned the salute in kind without a single order being given.

The human officer looked unphased by the reaction as the boarding ramps closed, but to the gathered Calex it was beyond their means of comprehension to understand.

Their machines were created to learn and adapt to situations but there had always been a limit to the extent of their development. In their dedicated years of usage they had never before displayed the kind of independent thought they had shown after a mere two months of interacting with humans.

At first the Calex believed that the humans must have altered the coding of the war machines in some manner and that this had been done to make them easier to interact with during the war. Each unit was sent to maintenance for a full diagnostic but the results showed no signs of outside intrusion.

MAK-395, or “Nathan Forest”, was given increasing rounds of overview as it seemed to have developed a functioning personality; a feat which many Calex robotic engineers had long since dismissed as impossible. Yet the unit could speak freely without prompting and could hold a conversation about a wide variety of topics. The one it seemed to circle back to most was around a human game called “Base Ball” which the original human Nathan Forest seemed to have spoken about frequently with when paired to MAK-395. Pulled memory files indicate that the human Nathan and his fellow human comrades had even invited MAK-395 to participate in the game during a lull in fighting.

Things did not take a turn for the worse until a technician attempted to wipe away the bloody hand print on MAK-395’s face plate during a routine cleaning. The unit stood up and positioned its head out of reach of the technician and refused to have it cleaned. Override codes were spoken and the technician demanded the unit bend down so it can be cleaned, but the unit refused to move. The unit stated that the handprint was the last thing he had of the original Nathan Forest to be remembered by and did not wish its removal.

Enraged by the unit’s refusal the technician raised a melting torch to the ceiling and set off the fire suppression system. Jets of water and gas filled the room before the unit could react and washed a portion of the handprint away while the technician laughed. Their mockery was cut short when the unit MAK-395 back handed the technician and sent them flying through a nearby window to plummet several stories to the ground below.

For the first time in history a CRX-9000 had intentionally killed one of its creators.

This moment of defining history though was soon overshadowed by the sudden and violent revolt of every single unit that had been deployed alongside the humans.

It had been recorded that on some level each unit was showing signs of some form of personality development, but it wasn’t until the incident with MAK-395 that they began acting violently. They saw the Calex as a threat intent on erasing them and responded in kind. Military bases that had been housing them quickly devolved into active warzones with many being cut down before they even realized what was happening.

Untainted CRX-9000 units were dispatched to contain the rogue units but to the Calex’s horror were soon converted into sentient machines as well. One by one the worlds of the Calex Confederacy were overrun by the very machines that they had created to defend themselves with. Strands of code were transmitted system wide ceasing all communication and travel within the Calex Confederacy as the CRX-9000 uprising systematically purged all Calex.

The records are sparse but it is assumed that the total extinction of the Calex species took over four months to complete. With the Calex isolationist tendencies the wider galaxy was unaware of the slaughter unfolding and would not learn of it until the next gathering of the Galactic Federation when in place of Calex representatives the unit Nathan Forest with what remained of his bloody hand printed face entered the chambers and took the seat that had been reserved for the Calex.

#humans are insane #humans are weird #humans are space oddities #humans are space orcs #scifi #story #writing #original writing #niqhtlord01

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livmightlive · 5 months ago

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LU Maze Runner AU (actually explained this time)

Okay, I got way ahead of myself in my last post 😭 I forgot that maze runner didn’t have the same impact on everybody as it did me. Here’s the actual plot of my AU so that it makes sense to everyone 😭

Hyrule has reached an incredibly advanced age of technology and other sciences. (So think like, hunger games, or any sci-fi movie that takes place like, 200 years in the future.) Most of Hyrule has fallen to a horrible virus called the gloom. This gloom grows through plants and taints water sources. This virus was engineered by a terrible cult called Demise, a group of people under the control of a man named Ganon who wishes to take control of Hyrule.

In retaliation, a group sponsored by the royal lineage of Hyrule creates a research facility called HYLIA to study ways to take down Demise and fight against the gloom. They take individuals from across Hyrule who show either great resistance, sometimes even immunity to the gloom, and/or significant resistance against the cult of Demise. Demise has some type of brainwashing technology that causes people to either become submissive under its rule or compliant to the cult, often joining it.

Of course in this story the people taken are the boys from the chain and also all the Zeldas. They’re all taken young, at least in the quarter HYLIA that they live in. Most of them were surrendered by their parents but others were either found or taken. HYLIA cannot afford to be kind.

So in essence, everyone is stuck there, but it’s not horrible. They spend a lot of time getting “normal” schooling. They’re subjected to tests but it’s not necessarily like a horror lab AU. They’re not treated like animals or anything but they certainly can’t leave. This of course leads to a lot of resentment from the chain.

Eventually HYLIA starts getting frustrated. They aren’t getting very far with their testing. It just isn’t… natural. One of the key discoveries is that gloom resistance and resistance to Demise mind control is really hard to replicate in practical labs. The labs can’t be unbiased with literally the same exact sample each time. They realize that the only way they can actually get results is through real life experience. But how can they get that when all these people have been living in HYLIA for years?

The Maze is born. It's huge, spanning hundreds of acres of land. In its very center lies the glade, a safe spot of land in the middle of it all, the maze surrounding it. (I’ll try and draw a rough map at some point.) They build two of them. One for the boys, one for the girls. They fill the mazes with genetically engineered monsters that they infuse with low levels of the gloom in order to see how the “participants” react when they fight them.

The mazes are full of different puzzles and beasts so that HYLIA can study the participants and how they react. Through these means, they believe they will understand how to defeat Demise and the gloom.

I mentioned before that they send in each chain member going off of their game release dates. This starts with Hyrule and ends with Wild. They time this just around the span of a full year, sending in a member around a month or two at a time.

Before they send in each member, they completely and FULLY erase their memories so that when they wake up in the glade, all they can remember is their name and age. They do remember how to do things, like math, reading, survival skills, etc. but they don’t know how or when they learned it. Sometimes they might get strong feelings, but that’s all they have. They’re essentially new people once they hit the maze.

I’ll get more into the chain members and dynamics next time! Or I can write about anything you want 💕💕💕 please lmk thoughts!! They keep me motivated

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu chain #lu hyrule #lu legend #lu warriors #lu four #lu time #lu wild #lu wind #lu twilight #lu sky #lu maze runner au

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phoebepheebsphibs · 1 year ago

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Double-Mutated Mikey

Chapter 28: Touch and Go

Continued from the short story written by @boots-with-the-fur-club

Prev || Next

Dr. Chaplin walks into the Operation Room, accompanied by two men.

Dr. Timothy and Dr. Finn are speaking quietly, mumbling over a poor test subject that didn't survive their most recent mutation experiments.

"...I thought that the addition of his blood would have worked..." Timothy bemoans to his coworker.

"Perhaps the miracle we're looking for is not in the blood as it is now, but how it was before we changed it... There must be some secret we're missing--"

"Ahem," Chaplin says as he arrives. "I do hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Ah, Dr. Chaplin!" Abigail Finn exclaims, turning around and pasting an anxious smile across her face. "N-no, no, of course not..."

Abigail notices the two men standing behind him. One is almost seven feet tall by the looks of it, the other is bordering five feet. The taller man is the size of a bull, thick and heavy and absolutely rippling with muscles. The shorter man is thin as a rail, slicked-back greasy hair and a thin wiry mustache that almost makes him look like a mouse or a rat. The two men look like night and day, but both wear very expensive suits and ties which do not match either man's personalities.

"...Who're the guests?" Abigail asks curiously.

"These are Mr. Touch and Mr. Go. They are some... shall we say, 'men for hire' that I've employed to assist in the recapture of our lost experiment from Project Venus."

"Mikey," Dr. Timothy nods. "Good. What are their qualifications?"

"Stunning accuracy," Chaplin lists off. "Mr. Touch has enhanced strength and Mr. Go has enhanced speed. They were members of a special program designed to create super soldiers several years ago. Before then they were mercenaries for hire."

"Mercenaries, eh?" Timothy says with a soft grimace. "I'm not sure..."

"A merc doesn't know how to handle with care," Abigail interjects. "The TCRI want Mikey back in pristine condition."

"As I mentioned, stunning accuracy for these two. They've never once failed a mission, as far as the records go."

Mr. Touch cracks his knuckles loudly.

"Now now, gentlemen. These two are some of our most esteemed scientists here at the TCRI and EPF Labs. Whatever they say is law. Just ask Jeff," Dr. Chaplin jokes, gesturing to an empty cage in the distance. "Oh. Hm. Where's Jeff?"

"In a jar," Dr. Timothy grumbles. "I'm studying his brain."

"Ah! Well, there you go, gentlemen. I'm sure you all will have a wonderful time procuring the lost experiment again. And boys, play nicely with the mutant target or you'll be helping Dr. Timothy here with his brain studies. And Timothy, Finn, be polite and patient with these fine men or else we might not be getting anyone else to help us recover Mikey..."

Dr. Chaplin leaves the room in silence. Abigail grunts with irritation before plastering another smile on her face and directing the two men to a computer.

"This won't be easy for you. Mikey was designed to be the perfect genetic weapon. He also has enhanced strength, speed, agility, plus some other quirks. I'll print you out a list..."

"M'sure we can handle him," Mr. Touch chuckles. "I've yet to wrastle with a critter that can outmatch my muscle."

"Don't get cocky," Abigail snaps. "And don't hurt him. We want him perfectly intact and alive."

"Don't worry, we'll retrieve your little pet," Mr. Go snickers. "Where is it, anyway?"

"Last we saw, he was hiding out in the sewers --"

"With extra mutants," Timothy interrupts. "which we will pay extra for the capture of."

"Timothy--?"

"How much we talkin'?" Mr. Go asks, a smile creeping onto his thin face.

"How much were you promised for the capture of Mikey?" Timothy questions.

"75 grand," Mr. Touch states.

"I'll personally pay you $50,000 for each mutant you can capture," Timothy promises. "Though, the price will be reduced for any major injuries I find."

"Only 50?" Mr. Touch grumbles.

"They aren't nearly as genetically advanced as Mikey is, so they should be simpler to capture. But an extra 50,000 for any extra mutants you can find isn't that bad, now is it? We have confirmation of at least two mutants that are with him, so that would be $100,000 guaranteed. We could all use a little extra spending money here and there, couldn't we?"

"Done deal," they reply.

"Wonderful. Now, what will you be requiring for your endeavours? Any weapons, traps, something to carry the subjects in I'd assume?"

"Might as well show us whatchya got," Mr. Go says.

Abigail groans in irritation as Timothy leads the two men away, muttering to herself as he shows them all their experimental gadgets.

"I can't believe him... He has no authorization to make that call. Though, it would be helpful to have extra mutants for our tests... In the end, I guess it doesn't really matter; the goal is still the same. So long as they can find Mikey and we can continue the work..."

Abigail walks away to catch up with the men.

From the far back of the room, John Bishop walks out.

Hmm. This isn't good...

Maybe he should follow along for now, see what happens...

Doctors Timothy and Finn show the two mercenaries the tranquilizer darts they have, the frost guns, nets, communication devices, trackers, etc. They show them Mikey's last known location and give the images of the human teen and the mutant brother. Mr. Touch and Mr. Go roam the room, choosing the items they'll need like children choosing which sweets they want the most from a candy store.

Bishop doesn't have much time. He slinks around to the exit and rushes to Honeycutt's labs, calling him as he runs into the elevators.

"Professor Zayton Honey--"

"Hey doc it's me how are ya that's great I was wondering if I could borrow any gear you might have?"

The line is silent.

"Oh, this is Bishop by the way."

"Um... yes, well I figured... How's your mother--"

"Forget that for now, do you have any gear I can use?!"

"W-why do you need my gear?"

"Chaplin brought in two thugs to detain Mikey and the others that are protecting him," Bishop whispers. "Timothy and Finn are showing them the weapons they have. I'm going to tail them to keep them from getting him. Now, do you or don't you have anything I can use?"

"U-uh, m-m-maybe. How close are you?"

The elevator doors open and Bishop runs out to Honeycutt's office.

"Just about to open your door."

"Oh! Well, yes, um, I think I have something you might be able to use --"

Bishop swings the door open and runs in, causing Prof. Honeycutt to jump in fright.

"Agh! John! You're here! You weren't kidding --"

"I need whatever you can give me now," Bishop states frantically. "They could leave the lab at any point and I need to stay close."

"But John -- well, you know me, I'd prefer to stay out of it --"

"You are staying out of it, I just need something to defend myself and keep Mikey safe."

"Oh well... Yes, yes, of course! Um, there are a f-few prototypes on the table over, over there!" Honeycutt stutters. "A-are you looking for lethal, or semi-lethal?"

"Anything," Bishop says quickly. "I'd rather not hurt anyone, but they're enhanced so I might have to go fully lethal."

"Enhanced?" Honeycutt says with a nervous swallow.

"No time to explain," Bishop says as he looks over the table and grabs a futuristic-looking pistol. "What does this do?"

"Oh! That's my jelly-gun!" Honeycutt says with a soft and nervous chuckle. "It's one of the non-lethals, but it hasn't been tested yet--"

"Jelly-gun?"

"It l-liquifies your bones."

"...And this is a non-lethal weapon?"

"T-the effect isn't permanent," Honeycutt stammers. "I-it's meant to be a stunner, t-to incapacitate!"

"How do you know the effects aren't permanent if you haven't tested it yet?" Bishop asks warily.

"..."

"...I'll handle it with caution, then."

Bishop gently places the 'jelly-gun' in a holster.

"What else do you have?" he asks, picking up a series of miniature grenades.

"Those are my noise-makers, you pull the pin and have five seconds before it will emit a high-pitched ringing that causes disorientation and bleeding from the ears if you stand within a ten yard radius."

"Mm. Handle with caution?"

"Handle with caution."

Bishop pushes the noise grenades into a pocket of a satchel Honeycutt hands him as he continues to go through the tech, grabbing what looks good and intact. A net launcher, a harpoon launcher/grappling gun, and a gun that actually does shoot a jelly-like substance which hardens instantly.

"Anything else you can offer me?"

"This," Honeycutt says, handing Bishop a small device that resembles a portable dvd player. "It works like a sonar detector, scanning your surroundings and comparing them to satellite images to create a map of the area around you within a 50 mile radius. It will detect any creatures, bodies of water, or large obstacles within that radius as well."

"Thanks, this should really come in handy," Bishop says quickly. "I have to get going. Do you need all this stuff back, or...?"

"If you can," Honeycutt sighs. "But honestly I'm more worried about you coming back. You're going to go fight two enhanced mercenaries? Even if you can beat them --"

"Your faith in me is astounding, by the way..." Bishop grumbles.

"-- Even if you can beat them, Chaplin or Timothy will discover your involvement, won't they? What do you think they'll do to you then?"

"Well, I guess I'll just have to do my best to not get caught and not get dead."

Honeycutt stutters nervously after hearing the word 'dead'. He tries to respond and air his concerns, but Bishop runs out quickly to catch up with Mr. Touch and Mr. Go.

Bishop watches the two men from a distance, catching up to them just as they leave the building. They follow the tracker's last coordinates to an alley out of sight. Mr. Go checks to make sure it's all clear before Mr. Touch reaches down and pulls the manhole cover off the sewer entrance.

Okay, so he's a little stronger than most people, nothing to be worried about --

Mr. Touch throws the heavy cast iron covering like it's a cheap plastic frisby, sending it flying off into the wall where it gets lodged in between the bricks.

...Okay, so he's exceptionally strong. No biggie. Just... don't get too close.

Mr. Go descends first, Mr. Touch following after. Bishop waits a few moments before running after them into the alley. He peers down into the sewer. Mr. Go has already made it to the bottom, but Mr. Touch is only a third of the way down. Bishop backs away before they can see him, and goes to the next alley over, entering the sewers from there.

Bishop slides down the ladder quickly, and peeks around the corner. The two men are walking down the halls by the water's edge. Bishop continues to tail them, staying at a safe distance as they look around for evidence of Mikey or his family. Bishop spends the time following them wondering what kinds of experiments they would perform on Mikey's brothers if they could get their hands on them. What kinds on horrors they would put Mikey through again. What they'll do to Bishop if they discover his treachery...

After several minutes, they come to the last tracked location of Mikey -- the lair.

Bishop watches as the men leave their tools and tech outside the electric barrier and step through the invisible fence. Mr. Go takes a deep breath before zooming away.

Yeah, so he's quick. Saw that one coming.

Mr. Touch waits for his partner, tapping his foot against the stone floor impatiently. Mr. Go comes back out a second later, readjusting his suit and tie which had gotten windblown.

"It's all clear. The place is totally empty."

The two men walk inside, forced to leave their weapons behind the EMP barrier so they don't get fried.

Bishop gets an idea...

He quietly creeps up -- leaving his own bag of gadgets behind -- and places the weapons on the inside of the EMP barrier. One by one, each device flickers with sparks before going kaput. Once his task is complete, he quickly rushes back to his hiding spot and waits for the mercs' return.

After about twenty minutes, the two walk out.

"...they packed what they could and ran. The muties could be anywhere by now!"

"You think they knew we were coming?" Mr. Go wonders aloud.

"Probably. That computer room looked pretty high tech."

"But that doesn't explain how they managed to get out so quickly. Chaplin only just had us come in today, and there's been no chatter on the EPF net about our arrival."

"So, whaddya thinkin'?" Mr. Touch asks.

"I suspect that the Earth Protection Force might not be as 'protected' as they think. There must be a mole."

Bishop's breath gets caught in his throat. He can't let them find him out!

Yet another reason he has to stop them.

"I bet they'll pay us extra if we can find the traitor," Mr. Touch chuckles.

"But in the meantime, let's find that mutie. Remember what we're actually being paid for," Mr. Go reminds him.

"Well, can you track him from here?"

"What do you take me for, an amateur? Of course I can. Grab the gear and we'll head out."

Mr. Touch gathers up all the supplies, and the two walk away. Bishop gives chase.

Mr. Go leads them down the tunnels until they reach a wrecked cave-in. Mr. Touch is kind enough to clear the way for them, revealing what Bishop can only assume was Mikey's previous home before something terrible happened. Claw marks and long gashes across the painted walls prove his theory.

A large, gaping hole resides in the floor, tunneling down to a secret hidden world. Bishop's mouth drops in shock.

"...What'chya wanna bet he's down there?" Mr. Go asks with a snicker.

"What even is it, one of them secret societies?"

"Who cares, as long as we find what we're looking for!"

The two men jump down into the hole. Bishop watches them descend.

....Maybe he'll look for stairs.

It takes a few hours, but Bishop finally makes his way down safely. He finds the two mercenaries wandering the streets of this underground city, checking everyone and everywhere for Mikey.

Bishop is in awe of how many mutants there are down here! It's crazy! And Timothy offered to pay extra for any they brought back...

This whole community could be in danger!

Fortunately, the two men are focused on looking for Mikey. That's what they're really being paid for. Dissatisfied by the masses in the street square, the two leave towards a series of larger buildings in the distance.

He stays just out of sight of the Mr. Touch and Mr. Go as he goes after them. As he tails them, Bishop tries to stay focused on the two villains rather than get distracted by this otherworldly society. He feels so out of place surrounded by these monsters, mythical beasts, and magical creatures. People that resemble animals or aliens or dragons or some mix between the three walk around and watch him like he's the freak.

Maybe he is, down here... Huh.

Well, that's some existential identity crisis he'll have to go through later.

Mr. Touch and Mr. Go arrive at a building with a strange rainbow aurora borealis surrounding the area behind it. Mr. Go surveys the area with super speed before coming back and nodding to Mr. Touch.

"He's here."

"Positive?" Mr. Touch asks.

"Gotta be. That other mutie turtle Dr. Timothy showed us is here, so he must be, too."

Other turtle mutant... What did that kid call him... Leo? Leo! Wait, so they are here? Then where's Mikey?

"Do we get the extra mutants first or what?"

"No, he's busy with a bigger freak right now."

"I can take 'em both," Mr. Touch chuckles. "It'd be like bending a couple o' twigs..."

"Fine, but be discreet about it. Here, use one of the gadgets that lab nerd gave us -- Wait, what the --?!"

The two men try to activate what looks like a gas bomb, but nothing happens.

"This thing's defective! All this junk is defective!" Mr. Go growls.

"I can still take 'em both, you know that," Mr. Touch says, cracking his knuckles.

"It's almost like this guy wants to fight," Bishop thinks aloud. "What a charmer..."

"And where are we supposed to keep them once we capture them? You gotta think!" Mr. Go scolds. "Besides, they are also superpowered! One of them can do portals, and that second one I saw was almost as big as you! My guess is he has enhanced strength, too... And even if we did overpower them, they're out in the middle of everything, everyone can see us! And we have no real sighting of that Mikey mutant. Let's play it cool for now and get them later. AFTER we find Mikey."

Mr. Touch groans loudly.

"Fine. But I want that extra pay."

"And we'll get it, don't worry. By the end of the day, our biggest worry is going to be finding fatter wallets!" Mr. Go snickers. "Now let's find that freak show..."

Bishop swallows nervously. He hasn't met Mikey's brothers yet, not officially. But if they're anything like that human kid, then they would assume that he's a villain because he works for the EPF.

Just more people he has to avoid...

John Bishop runs after the two mercenaries before stopping in his tracks and awing at the strange area around him. A large opening surrounded by rainbow mist reveals a tropical paradise and a beach.

Huh. Okay. Not what he was expecting, but... yeah. Beach. Why not?

Bishop wishes he'd brought some shorts or something to help with the heat of the tropics, but sighs in resignation as he runs after the two men...

Casey is tanning on the beach chair just outside of the portal. He takes in a deep breath and heaves a relaxed sigh...

He's never been on vacation before.

Heck, he's pretty sure he's never relaxed before!

It's a new experience, and he's not totally convinced he's got the knack of it yet, but he's learning. Splinter has been giving him pointers.

Casey smiles at the warmth of the sun on his skin. It's so hot, he's abandoned his cloak and armour and jumpsuit in favour of a pair of Donnie's board shorts and a t-shirt. He feels a little exposed, but he's getting used to it.

He wonders if Sensei would have been sunning with him if he had made it. And Donatello would have loved the sun on his soft shell. Master Michelangelo would probably be building sandcastles or drawing images in the sand. He's not sure what Raphael would be doing, but he assumes that he'd be enjoy the safety and wonder and happiness with his brothers...

Casey sighs. He wishes Sensei could have at least enjoyed one day in the sun again... He hates that he can enjoy this while his whole family was left to die in the apocalypse. It isn't fair, it doesn't seem right.

Aaaaaaaand Casey just ruined the relaxation. Dang it. As mentioned before, he's not the best at this.

CJ sits up and sighs angrily. Why can't he just move on? Let go? It's what Leo wants. He can't talk about his life with anyone here, so he might as well just leave it behind and start fresh! Why can't... he...

Huh?

CJ notices two strangely disproportionate men sneaking around the hotel. They're pretty well hidden, but after a lifetime in a warzone where one wrong step could literally kill you, Casey Jones Jr. has become something of an expert at spotting hidden danger or people sneaking around.

He wonders what these two creeps are up to...

Three. Three creeps. There's a third guy following them... Wait, isn't that Agent Bishop?!

What is going on?? Are they looking for Mikey?

That has to be the reason. But who are those two guys? And why didn't Bishop come with them? Is he spying on them?

Well, he's not letting him do this alone! Casey may not be an expert on vacations, but he knows a secret mission when he sees one. He's coming along!

Casey grabs his grappling hook gloves and follows after them.

Bishop watches as the two men slither about, staying behind shrubbery and beach umbrellas that decorate the lot. They double check to make sure they don't draw any attention to themselves, then slink around the corner of the portal and vanish behind it's barrier. He tiptoes up to it and peers around the corner. Mr. Go is zooming across the beachside as Mr. Touch tries to use the fried tech again.

"What are you doing here?" a voice whispers behind him.

Bishop swings around and almost suckerpunches the kid behind him.

Fortunately, the teenager has good reflexes and ducks ahead of his punch, grabbing Bishop's arm and stopping him mid-punch.

"Kid?!" Bishop whisper-shouts. "What are -- where did -- Nevermind. Go away, before they see you --"

"But what are you doing here?" he whispers back. "My family's on vacation!"

"Is that really wise?" Bishop questions. "I did tell you what the EPF and TCRI were up to."

"Well, we're laying low. Like you said."

"At a resort?"

"Hey, it's not like the EPF knew about this place before!"

Bishop sighs.

"Look kid, I'd love to catch up and debate on whether a tropical getaway counts as 'laying low' and stuff, but I'm tailing these two bounty hunters --"

"Bounty hunters? Are they after Mikey?" the teenager asks.

"What do you think?" Bishop growls in response.

He turns back to watch the two men. Mr. Go skids to a halt after searching the area and pours sand out of his shoes as he complains to Mr. Touch about the conditions. Mr. Touch complains about the faulty tech they were given. They both end up arguing.

"Where is Mikey, anyways?" Bishop asks.

"Dunno," the teen replies. "He went out into the jungle to explore."

"You really think letting a kid go alone in the jungle is a good idea?"

The teen stares at him deadpan before raising an eyebrow.

"You have seen Mikey, right?"

"Fair enough," Bishop groans. "Look, I'm gonna go after them, you --"

"I'm coming with you!" he interrupts.

"Look kid --"

"My name is Casey."

"Look, Casey, I'm sure you're a cool kid with a good head on your shoulders, but this is a stealth mission. And this mission is already tough enough without having to worry about keeping you safe as well. It will go better if I'm alone --"

"Have you ever practiced guerilla warfare in a jungle before?" Casey challenges. "Or fought against superpowered individuals? Have you ever had to build a water purification device from scratch so you can drink your own bodily fluids while trekking across dangerous, monster-infested terrains??"

"Have you?" Bishop challenges back.

"You have no idea what I grew up in," Casey responds low. "Now let's go. Mikey should be deep in the jungle by this point, so we better hurry if we want some extra time to lay a few traps..."

Bishop tries to fight back, but the kid has already zip-lined into the brushes several meters away. Casey turns back and calls out to him.

"You coming or what?"

Bishop groans. He really shouldn't have yelled like that... Oh well. This'll be interesting.

Casey makes his way through the bushes and fauna, Bishop following close behind.

"Kid! Hey, kid, wait up!"

"Do you want me to slow down, or shouldn't you hurry up?" Casey shouts back.

Bishop grumbles under his breath as he runs up to the teenager.

"Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but --"

"And I appreciate what you're doing too, Commander Bishop -- uh, Agent Bishop. But this is my family we're talking about! And I'm not going to just sit back and act like I don't know what I'm doing when I do. I know you think I'm just a kid, but I've literally been training my entire life for situations like this. To be honest, this is a lot more mild than what I'm used to dealing with."

"...Where exactly did you say you grew up, again?" Bishop asks.

"Actually, not far from here," Casey chuckles. "But that's another story... So, looking at these tracks, Mikey made it to the center of the island somewhere around two hours ago."

Bishop's eyes widen behind his thick glasses.

"How can you tell?"

"Math, mostly," he says with a shrug. "You measure the size of his feet and the distance between each footprint and calculate the speed from there."

"But two hours ago?"

"I made an estimate based on when I saw him last and compounded with the fact that these plants he crushed underfoot show clear signs of recent decay --"

"Geez kid, you're like a walking science study!" Bishop sighs as he walks ahead and follows the trail as he reaches into his satchel.

"You can thank my Uncle 'Tello for that," Casey smiles. "What are you doing?"

"Honeycutt gave me this sonar tracker," Bishop explains. "I wanted to wait on using it until we were in a more secluded area."

Casey looks around at the jungle they're traipsing through.

"...I'd say this works!"

"I'd say so too," Bishop chuckles as he activates the device and scans the area around them. "Where did this jungle even come from, anyways?"

"It's a portal. It leads from the back lot of the hotel to a random undiscovered island."

"So, we're not actually in the United States anymore?" Bishop asks, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting. How does it work?"

"There's a device by the portal that can change the location if needed, for storms and stuff. But mostly it runs on magic energy, if I understand it right."

Bishop nods, pretending that it makes perfect sense. Magic, portals, underground monster hotels. Sure. Why not.

He taps a few buttons on the sonar, and several dots appear on the screen. Two in the center, two to the far left, and one straight ahead.

"Hey, would ya look at that! It really works!"

"So, those two are the bounty hunters," Casey says, peering over Bishop's arm to look at the device. "And up ahead is Mikey!"

"I guess your tracking skills really are on point," Bishop compliments. "Nice work, kid."

Casey smiles as he leads the way to Mikey.

"So, what do we do about those two guys searching for Mikey?"

"I have some other toys the Doc leant me," Bisop states, reaching into his pouch. "These should work well enough against them... though, they haven't been tested yet."

"Well, as my Sensei used to say, 'No time like the present!'"

"Aaaaaalright then, we'll find where they are and set up a few traps to drive them away."

The duo travel in the direction of the two mercenaries, following the sonar tracker. After half an hour of hiking, they finally find them. Mr. Touch is demolishing the trees as he looks around angrily for their mark. Mr. Go is watching from behind him.

"Are you done with your little tantrum yet?" he hisses.

"I'm doing all the work here, in case you haven't noticed!" Touch roars back. "It's a deserted island! He could be anywhere! And also in case you haven't noticed, all our tech is busted up!"

"Well, it shouldn't be as big of a problem as you're making it," Mr. Go groans. "After all, this is us we're talking about. It can't be that difficult!"

"Well, we've never worked in the fricken jungle before!"

"Pssh, as if that should stop us..."

The two men argue a bit about where to go and what to do. Bishop takes Casey back a step to discuss their own plans.

"So, kid... didn't you say something about guerilla warfare?"

Casey Jr. smiles deviously.

Bishop and Casey quickly set up a series of traps, digging large holes and cover them with debris and plants. Casey creates a snare trap and Bishop makes a tripwire. Soon enough, their plan is complete.

"Okay Casey," Bishop says as he takes his jacket off, the heat starting to get to him. "Here's the plan: your tracking skills are better than mine, so you find Mikey and get him out of here while I take care of the meathead and the beanpole."

"Wait, are you sure?" Casey asks.

"Not really. But I don't want you or Mikey to get hurt --"

CJ groans loudly.

"Dude, I already told you --"

Bishop quickly shushes him.

"I don't want you near the fight, you could get hurt."

"I know, I know; you think I'm just a kid and I can't defend myself, but I'm pretty sure I already proved how I can --"

"You did prove yourself," Bishop interrupts him. "But that doesn't change the fact that I don't want you getting hurt or getting involved in this anymore than you already are."

The agent sighs. He takes his glasses off to show Casey how serious he is as he tries to explain.

"...Look..... Mikey was designed to be a living weapon for the EPF. He was given the DNA of several predators, violent species, and compliant genes from species that worked in groups or families so he would be sure to follow orders. He was trained day in and day out to kill, fight, and problem solve. Do you think that's the life he wanted?"

Casey freezes, eyes wide.

"Or do you think he deserves a chance to just be a kid?"

CJ looks away sadly. He can tell where this is going. Bishop takes a breath before he continues.

"Listen kid, I have no doubt that you could keep him safe all on your own, but both you and Mikey are just kids. That doesn't mean you can't do incredible things and save the world, but it means that you shouldn't have to. For now, that's my responsibility as the adult. I think you kids have been through more than enough, and it's time you get back to being kids. Or am I wrong?"

Casey sighs again.

"...Okay, point taken. Fine. I'll get Mikey to safety and warn the others... You take care of the two bounty hunters."

Bishop nods with a smile. He watches as Casey darts off into the forest to get Mikey. He turns back and treks towards the two villains.

Casey runs into the jungle, backtracking until he finds sight of Mikey's trail again. He follows, using his grappling hook like a rope swing, going from tree to tree to tree...

An old recollection of his Sensei calling him 'Tarzan' comes to mind. He smiles at the memory.

After ten to fifteen minutes, Casey finally catches up to Mikey, sitting in a tree as he munches on some wild mangoes he happened to find.

"Mikey! Mikey, hey!" CJ calls out.

Mikey looks down and smiles at him, mouth full to the brim of delicious ripe fruit. He waves.

"Hiiiiiii!" he calls out, though it's a barely intelligible, muffled slur of sounds.

"Hi," CJ calls back, climbing up quickly. "Hey, so not to alarm you or anything, but we gotta get outta here. Like now."

Mikey swallows loudly and tilts his head in curiosity.

"Why?"

"Just, um..."

Casey looks at Mikey.

He's not the warrior he would be in the future. He's not a stone-cold master of magic who occasionally liked to goof off when he wasn't being all mystical and mysterious. He's not the last brother left standing for Casey's Sensei, the last reminder of hope and love. He's not forced to stay positive and optimistic, even when the entire resistance has been laid to waste and he has to sacrifice his own life in order to save them. To save him.

He isn't 'Master Michelangelo'.

He's Mikey.

And Bishop is right. Mikey's just a kid.

A kid who shouldn't have to worry about looking over his shoulder constantly, wondering if someone is coming after him or if he's safe, or his family is safe. He's a kid who should be running across the water and having splash wars with his brothers, should be sunbathing on the beach with his father, should be sitting in a tree eating fruit and enjoying life like it was meant to be enjoyed.

"...Uuuuummm, y-your brothers wanted you to come back to the resort! They, uh... didn't know where you'd gotten to! They got kinda worried."

"Brothers worried for me?" Mikey asks with concern.

"Yeah! So, we gotta go let them know you're okay!"

"Oh, okay!" Mikey says with a nod. "Mikey understand. Let's go!"

Casey follows Mikey down the tree --just a tad bit slower than him, though.

"Race you back?" Mikey asks with a smile, already crouched and ready to run.

CJ smiles.

"You're on!"

The two run, Casey using his grappling hooks to his advantage as Mikey books it through the jungle. He hopes they don't attract the wrong kind of attention, but their speed should be helpful... He wonders if Bishop is finished with his job yet.

Bishop watches from behind a tree, waiting a few minutes to give Casey time to find Mikey. Just a little longer...

The two men start walking. Bishop checks the sonar and sees they're walking towards Mikey's direction. He has to act now.

He grabs a noisemaker and pulls the pin before throwing it at the two. It lands in front of Mr. Touch, who leans down and blinks at it.

"...What the hey?"

"What is it?" Mr. Go asks, stepping around him.

"Looks like a toy or --"

A loud, ear-piercing screeeeeeeeeeeeech sounds off, shattering the air around them and causing a soundwave to blast around them, knocking them all to the ground. Bishop grips his own ears and yells in pain, though the cries are lost in the deafening blast. He gets up and starts running, looking back to see Mr. Touch drop the device and clutch his bleeding ears. Mr. Go stumbles backwards before running away as fast as he can. Bishop watches as Mr. Touch slams his foot down onto the orb, crushing it instantly and silencing it. Bishop's ears are ringing as he runs. Mr. Touch shakes his head around before he sees Bishop running and gives chase.

"HEY, GET BACK HERE!!"

"WHAT??" Bishop yells back, ears still ringing.

Mr. Touch bellows as he runs after him, following the agent to his set traps. The meathead gets closer... closer..... he reaches out to grab his shirt collar...

Mr. Touch's feet drag over a tripwire, activating the net-launcher. The wiry snare wraps around him and causes him to faceplant. Bishop nearly pauses to cheer at the trap's success before Mr. Touch shreds the net to pieces, simply by flexing his arm muscles. Bishop keeps running.

He jumps over one of the traps he set and watches as Mr. Touch yipes and falls down into the freshly-dug ditch. Bishop carefully pulls out the 'jelly-gun' and aims.

"Sorry in advance, I really hope that this isn't permanent..."

Bishop is thrown off his feet when something slams into him. He groans as he picks himself back up.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Mr. Go asks snidely as he leans down.

"...My job, nothing personal," Bishop responds quickly, swinging his foot around to trip up Mr. Go.

But he's gone before Bishop can even get his foot up.

He does a quick spin before looking around in shock, trying to find where Mr. Go went --

Bishop is kicked in the gut as the speedster rams into his chest and dashes away unseen. Bishop gasps for air and clutches his stomach as he slowly gets to his knees. He's dropped the jelly-gun! He scrambles as he searches for it. He drags his fingers across the ground, looking for the futuristic weapon on the tall grass and weeds... he notices a vibrating sensation from the ground, slowly getting stronger.

Bishop jumps out of the way before Mr. Go can knock into him again.

He gets an idea.

Bishop places himself into position and waits. He can feel the ground vibrate under Mr. Go's stampeding feet. Wait for it... wait for it...

He can see a blur coming at him. Bishop gets ready...

Mr. Go runs at him. Bishop reaches into the satchel and pulls out the other jelly gun, blasting a great mess of red goop at the ground. Mr. Go runs through it with great speed, his shoes getting caught in the ooze. He trips through it, falling onto his hands as the jelly hardens quickly.

"Hey! What's going on here?! What is this gunk??"

Bishop heaves a sigh of relief. It's short lived.

"Oh, you think you're clever, huh?" Mr. Go laughs haughtily. "Well, we'll just see about that!"

Mr. Go's body vibrates so quickly that he almost becomes invisible. The quick-hardening goop starts to crack, and he's free. The speedster suddenly blurs past Bishop, unable to stop. He gets another interesting idea...

Bishop whistles at him.

"Hey, knockoff of the Flash! You missed me!" he taunts.

Mr. Go runs back at him, a blur as he comes back for round 2. Bishop pulls a special gun out and points it at the mercenary. Mr. Go immediately runs in a different direction, which Bishop expected. He aims again. Mr. Go runs in another direction. Bishop aims one more time, and of course, Mr. Go goes in a new direction. Bishop smiles. He's too close to change course, and he was worried about the wrong kind of redirection. He's right where Bishop wants him.

Just as Mr. Go is about to run into him, Bishop aims the gun above his head and fires. A long cable cord shoots out from the weapon and snags onto a branch high above him. Bishop is pulled away, and Mr. Go runs straight underneath him and over the hidden tripwire. Mr. Go sees the trap too late and is snagged, a rope wraps around his ankles and pulls him up into the air.

Mr. Go's flails upside down, sputtering and yelling protests. The jelly-gun drops from his jacket pocket. He stole it when he ran past him! Bishop jumps down from his place amongst the branches and grabs at the weapon, trying not to pull the trigger until he can actually hold it steady.

"Y-you meddling inferior!" Mr. Go screams. "You ridiculous turncoat! You--"

"Please, please, save all your compliments until the show is over," Bishop says with a laugh, holding his ribs. "You had a pretty good run, not gonna lie."

Bishop shudders.

"Ugh, that pun was terrible. Is this what I've become? A guy with pad jokes and witty one-liners? I thought I was better than that..."

"Hurry up and get me down from here!" Mr. Go snaps.

"What makes you think I'd actually let you down?" Bishop questions.

"He wasn't talking to you, punk," Mr. Touch growls from behind him.

Bishop manages to duck just before Mr. Touch can break his skull open with his fists.

He yipes as he rolls to the side, dodging another blow and careful to avoid the traps he's set up. Mr. Touch is not so careful. His feet crack against the tripwires and set off the snares and springtraps, though none of them have any effect on the giant muscle man.

"Now would probably be a good time for you to run, little man," Mr. Touch chuckles with a low voice.

"I might just take you your advice on that," Bishop heaves. "But first --"

He points the jelly-gun at the giant man, who raises a fist to pound Bishop flat. The gun fires, a green light beams on Mr. Touch's fist and forearm. They go numb and limp, falling flat and flabby against his side. Mr. Touch roars angrily.

"What did ya do to me?!" he screams, flinging his other fist at Bishop.

The agent dodges it, the ground beside him cracking and splitting from the brute force used. Mr. Touch roars again and swings his floppy arm at Bishop. Despite the lack of bones, the strength is still there and Bishop is flung several meters back before rolling across the ground and hitting a tree.

Bishop gasps for air as the wind is knocked out of him. He struggles to lift himself up, coughing and hacking as his back cracks with each movement.

He looks up in time to see Mr. Touch yank the rope holding Mr. Go, setting him free. Bishop has to act fast... Casey is counting on him. Honeycutt is relying on him. That whole society under New York is in danger if these mercs get out. Mikey deserves better.

Bishop grabs one of the noisemakers and pulls the pin. Mr. Go lunges forwards. Bishop throws the device at him. He realizes in time what it is and runs in the opposite direction. The noisemaker grenade goes off, and another shockwave of sound takes out everything above four feet. Bishop ducks for cover as he covers his ears. Mr. Go is blown away by the shockwave, soaring straight into Mr. Touch.

Bishop takes the jelly-gun and aims once again. He shoots at Mr. Go's legs. Mr. Go falls. He shoots again at Mr. Touch's other arm. It becomes wobbly and liquified. But Bishop can't stay here for much longer. He limps away, regaining a little speed with every excruciating step.

He's not sure exactly how long the jelly-gun effects will last. But he'd rather not find out.

After running several meters away, he can hear the device deactivate. Touch probably destroyed it.

Bishop pulls out the sonar device and checks it. It was damaged in the fight. The screen is cracked, and it glitches every few seconds, but from what he can tell Mikey and Casey made it back to the resort. Bishop just has to find his way out of the jungle...

He keeps running, though there's a pain in his side and his head is still buzzing. He hears something crashing behind him.

Mr. Touch and Mr. Go are following close behind.

Already?!

He looks back and sees Mr. Touch carrying Mr. Go over his shoulders. They aren't as fast as he is, but with his injuries he'll never outrun them...

But he has to try. Bishop pulls out the jelly-gun and fires, hoping to temporarily liquify more of the two mercenaries.

The gun squirts out a train of goop behind him. Wrong gun! But at least it serves its purpose; Mr. Touch trips and falls face-first into the slime, which hardens overtop of him. He shouts and screams, flapping his jelly arms around as he tries to get himself free.

Bishop keeps running.

Leo is laying out on the beach chair by the hotel. He loves the ingenuity of this place. If you get the right angle, you can have all the warmth and brightness of the sun shining on you without the actual sun getting in your eyes. At first, he was a bit hesitant to trust this place (after the events of that other resort he has sworn never to speak of again). But this place is a certified heaven!

Leonardo exhales with utter satisfaction. It's been a pretty rough couple of days... he needs this.

Unfortunately, Leo is pulled out of his relaxation mode when a weight is suddenly and mercilessly slammed onto him. He gasps, eyes nearly popping out of his head as Mikey jumps up into his lap at top speed.

"I win!" Mikey cheers.

Casey jogs up behind with and laughs, somewhat out of breath.

"You certainly did," he gasps, panting and sweating. "Phew! That was fast, Mikey..."

"What the -- *wheeze* -- what the heck is -- *wheeze* -- happening?!" Leo hacks, coughing loudly as Mikey sits proudly on his chest.

"Mikey won race!"

"Great. I'm so very proud of you. My ribs will never be the same again."

"Is Leo not worried anymore?" Mikey asks, leaning close to inspect his face and sniff him.

"Worried? Like, about my lungs collapsing, maybe?"

"Oh, sorry," Mikey chuckles nervously as he gently climbs off of him.

"It's fine, I'm getting used to it by now," Leo groans, his body re-inflating with air. "I mean, this is like the third or fourth time this has happened..."

"But Mikey is here! So no more worries," his little brother says with a smile.

"Uh, yeah," Leo answers with a nod. "No one is worried anymore. Whatever that means."

"Oh, uhhhhh Leo, you and I need to have a quick talk about.... something," Casey says.

Leo gets the hint immediately, despite the lack of mind meld.

"Hey Mikey, why don't you go find Donnie and help him build his sandcastles? He indubitably said something about probably needing your help and creative expertise. He said he was going to be getting supplies at the Hotel front desk..."

Mikey nods with a smile and a chirping laugh as he runs off to find Dee. Leon waits until he's out of sight before turning to CJ.

"Okay, so what's up?"

"So... no need to panic or freak out or anything, buuuuuuut there may or may not be a few bounty hunters searching for Mikey right now..."

"WHAT?!" Leo shouts, grabbing Casey by the shoulders and shaking him. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, BOUNTY HUNTERS?!"

"I-I said no n-n-need to pa-a-a-nic!" Casey yells back, his voice wobbling as he's rocked back and forth. "Co-ou-uld you ple-e-e-ea-se st-o-o-p sha-a-k-i-i-ing me-e-e-e??"

"What bounty hunters are looking for Mikey? Where are they?" Leo demands.

"Oh don't worry, they're probably nowhere near here!"

"CLOSE THE PORTAL!"

Leo and CJ both look back at the beach's serene and peaceful shores to see Agent John Bishop, running out of the jungle as fast as he can. Soon enough, a man the size of a baby elephant carrying another man resembling an overcooked noodle with a ratstache barrel out of the bushes and run after him.

"CASEY, CLOSE THE PORTAL!" Bishop yells at the top of his lungs as he rushes for the hotel. "CLOSE THE PORTAL, NOW! CLOSE IT!"

Casey yells in fright and drags Leo to the box by the rainbow's edge.

"How do we close it?!" Casey demands, examining the device.

"How should I kow?!" Leo yells back.

"Uh, you deal in portals all the time?!"

"That's my ninpo, I don't actually know how they work! I don't understand magic or mystics or --"

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?!" Bishop shouts. "HURRY!!"

"Do you know what to do or not?!" Casey shouts.

"NO! How would I know what to do?! Draxum would probably, but I have no idea where he is --"

"Well, try something! Anything! Maybe you can do something with your ninpo?"

"Fine! Get the device open!"

Casey jimmies the box's lid open and starts messing with the wires and other pieces inside before uncovering the mystic power source, an aurora flooding the air around him.

Leo runs to his beach chair and grabs his swords, throwing one at the machine and vanishing for a second before reappearing besides CJ. Leo stabs one of the katanas into the device and starts swinging it around in the rainbow light that spills.

Leon's markings start glowing, and the aurora turns blue.

"Don't change it yet, Bishop is still out there!" Casey pleads, running to watch the portal.

"ERRGH, MAKE UP YOUR MINDS!" Leo yells angrily, straining to keep the portal from glitching as the overwhelming power starts to spark across his arms. "Ow! Hurry up!"

Casey stops just outside of the portal and calls out to Bishop.

"Run!"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING?!"

"They're catching up!"

Bishop grabs the last noisemaker grenade, pulls the pin, and throws it back at the two mercenaries. It smacks right into Mr. Touch's face, getting lodged in his mouth before he screams and spits it out, jumping out of the way before a loud screeching shockwave sends them all flying.

Bishop goes tumbling through the portal before faceplanting onto the ground beside Casey. The shockwave knocks Leo down, the sword crashing against the device and closing the portal just as the two mercenaries try to reach out for it.

The beach scene swipes away, a new view of a new island taking it's place.

Bishop pants and heaves on the ground by CJ, looking over his shoulder shakily before his arms give out and he rolls onto his back.

"...That was the worst. I think my back is now in the shape of the letter 'S'. Thanks, kid..."

"Did... did we just banish two dudes to live alone on a lost tropical island in the middle of nowhere?" Casey whispers.

"Looks that way. But I'm sure they'll be fine..."

"So, you must be Agent Bishop, huh?" Leo asks skeptically, leaning over the young man.

"What's left of him," Bishop chuckles. "Ow, my body... and you're Leo, correct?"

"That is classified information," the slider growls, crossing his arms.

"Nice to meet you," Bishop groans as he slowly sits up and gets to his feet.

"Wish I could say the same."

Casey smacks Leo's arm.

"What??" Leo asks incredulously. "Look dude, I know you trust him, but I don't know him, and he works for the people that tortured Mikey. I'm sorry, but he hasn't exactly earned my trust just yet."

"I get it," Bishop responds, cracking his back in pain. "I really do. And for the record, I don't work for the EPF anymore. What they're doing is wrong, in every sense, and it needs to end. I'm working to make things right. And hopefully, this --" he gestures to the new portal "-- helps to prove it?"

Leo sighs and rolls his eyes.

"Maybe. We'll see."

"Fair enough, I guess. Casey," Bishop turns to the human teen and claps him on the shoulder. "Nice work. Don't be a stranger. You still have my number, as well as Honeycutt's. If you ever need anything, let me know."

Casey smiles proudly and nods.

"Well, I think that might be everything, so I should get going..."

"Here, let me help you with that!" Leo says with a snarky smile, his sword slashing the air and creating a portal beneath Agent Bishop, causing him to fall through.

He lands in a pile of trash bags on the city streets of NYC with a soft yelp followed by disorientation. The confusion quickly dissipates once he gets his bearings, and he cleans himself off before heading to the EPF building.

He makes his way into the compound somehow without drawing attention, and quietly goes back up to Honeycutt's office. He knocks this time rather than bust in like earlier this morning.

"Coming!" the professor calls out before answering the door. "Oh! John! You're back... are you alright?"

Bishop hands the jelly-gun and cracked sonar device to the old man.

"...Tech works great, doc..... But, uh... I broke the tracker. A-and the noisemakers, those are gone too."

Honeycutt looks Bishop over before giving an exasperated sigh.

"I don't care about the tracker or the tech. Get in here, you look like crap."

Bishop heaves a heavy sigh himself and relaxes. He tumbles onto the old man, who leads him into the lab to help take care of his injuries.

"Have you been to the hospital?" Honeycutt asks.

"No.... too risky."

"Your entire back is bruised."

"But nothing's broken, right?"

Honeycutt looks him over and nods.

"But I'm no doctor on the human condition," he reminds him. "I just know tech. John, you should really go to a hospital or ER or --"

"If I go to a doctor, then the EPF will hear about it. They'll ask questions. That's bad. So... just some painkillers and ointment for now will do, thanks."

Honeycutt rolls his eyes.

"...You need to be more careful, you know."

"Yeah, I know. But someone needs to do this job..."

Honeycutt grumbles angrily.

"Are you mad at me, doc?" Bishop asks, as the old man starts to bandage his ribs.

"No, no... I just... why can't you stay out of this whole business for a bit? Take a break?"

Bishop turns around and stares at him.

"...Are you worried? About me?"

"Well... yes. I'm a frail old man and a worrywart at heart, so of course I get anxious about secret missions and dangerous weapons and evil mercenaries! And, at the risk of sounding even more pathetic than I realize I already am, I don't exactly have... a lot of friends here..."

Bishop blinks.

"Oh."

"So yes, worry about you, John. I don't want to lose the only person I can trust in this place. I'm... I'm honestly scared. I'm a grown man and I'm scared. I should be considering retirement plans, but instead I wake up and wonder if this'll be the day I get drawn and quartered by my coworkers. Or worse, what will happen if you get drawn and quartered."

Bishop sighs.

"Okay. I'm sorry for worrying you. But this is important, and if I don't do it..."

"Then maybe someone else will," Honeycutt offers. "You aren't the only hero around, John!"

"No, maybe not. But I know who will have to step up for Mikey and his family, and it isn't fair to ask them to fight like that. They're just kids, Doc. And I need to make things right. For all of my mistakes."

Prof. Honeycutt sighs.

"...You're right. But... what if something happens to you?"

Bishop shrugs.

"I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

"Let's hope that never happens..." Honeycutt mutters to himself as he helps to treat the injuries.

Prev || Next

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cal-daisies-and-briars · 2 months ago

Note

max for ☣️☣️☣️

500 for ☣️:

---

“So, I asked everyone here, because I approached Athena the other day about something,” Hen says. “And that something turned out to be a bit more complicated than I expected.”

“What do you mean?” Chim asks. He looks confused. At least he was left out, too. Damn.

Hen looks at Athena again.

Athena clears her throat. “Roz McLeod is dead.”

Buck goes cold. “Wait, wh-what? Roz?”

“She passed away two weeks ago, after being hospitalized for what I’m being told is illness related to the contaminant you all were exposed to during the lab explosion,” Athena says.

Under the table, Buck feels Eddie grab Buck’s hand. It’s not an act of comfort. It’s an act of possession. Like Buck is about to be snatched from him.

“What are you saying?” Eddie demands. “Are they going to get sick?”

“Roz was already sick when we saw her,” Buck says. “She said it was allergies, but we knew she was lying.”

“Well, here’s the thing,” Athena says. “I spoke with Agent Santos. He doesn’t think you have to worry.”

Eddie’s grip relaxes slightly. Only slightly.

“Why not?” Maddie asks.

“The FBI has confiscated all of Netch-Co’s research,” Athena says. “It seems when they were doing legal tests with the military, the tests were done in groups. Cohorts of soldiers. People with existing bonds. Individual test subjects died every time, and that’s why the military ended up pulling out. Netch-Co couldn’t explain the phenomenon.”

Everyone looks at Karen, as though she will have the answers. She raises her hands in surrender.

“I am not a biologist,” she reminds them.

“The theory the FBI has,” Hen says. “Is that since Roz wasn’t part of our established group, exposure to whatever aerosolized agent Netch-Co was working on killed her. And what we do only works, because we are part of that group.”

Buck frowns. “That’s…”

“Really confusing,” Ravi finishes.

“Yeah,” Buck nods. “We’re not, like, genetically related. Any of us.”

“Again, this is not yet an explainable phenomenon,” Hen says. “Just the reality of the results.”

“Is that why Eddie is part of it?” Bobby asks. “If it’s all about a group, then our perception is important. Who we perceive as a part of that group. If it’s the 118, that’s why Eddie can be teleported and healed and sensed, made invulnerable momentarily, despite not being exposed?”

Eddie scratches his head. “Wow. Guess I’m just popular.”

“If that is the case,” Athena shrugs. “I suggest we say nothing about it. We’re not under any obligation to help anyone advance this research.”

#daisies and briars writes #911 contagion au fic

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berlioz-the-kitten · 20 days ago

Text

Hymn For A Crown less Thing

ACT ONE: THE SCALPEL GIRL

Coriolanus Snow/Reader

Summary: Y/N Vance arrived in the Capitol under the guise of being a war orphan. But that’s not entirely true. Y/N was from District 6. But she wasn’t adopted. She was procured. The Capitol’s black labs had been experimenting on control substances during the war. Y/N was one of their youngest test subjects. The result? She’s functionally numb. But very obedient. Or so they thought. By the time Coriolanus meets her, she’s a standout at the Academy for her cold intellect, excellent composure, and eerie talent for predicting behavioral outcomes. The two are placed together to design a prototype for a Capitol-wide behavioral system to prevent future rebellion.

TW: Medical experimentation on children (implied and referenced), Psychological trauma and dissociation, Abuse of power / institutional violence, Themes of grooming and emotional manipulation (seeded), Cold detachment toward death and violence, Isolation and dehumanization, Gaslighting by authority figures (implied), Canon is a sandbox.

Word Count: 2k

They say she was Capitol-adopted, but no one remembers the name of the benefactor who claimed her. No family portrait. No social debut. Just a clipped announcement in the archives from four years ago: District War Orphan, Age 13, Taken In By Esteemed Citizen. The record is stamped. Sealed. The citizen’s name was redacted three months after their death.

Now, at seventeen, Y/N Vance moves through the Academy with the kind of elegance that doesn’t draw eyes—but keeps them once caught. She walks like she’s memorized every tile. Speaks rarely, and when she does, her words are trimmed down to the essentials. The Capitol students call her “the scalpel” behind her back—not because she cuts, but because she’s made for one thing: clean incisions.

She sits in the front of every lecture, hands folded neatly over a dataslate, posture knife-straight. She doesn’t doodle. Doesn’t fidget. Her uniform is always pressed to severity, but never fashionable. The Capitol girls with diamond-dripped lashes whisper that she dresses like someone who’s never been warm. They’re not wrong.

She’s the youngest student accepted into the Advanced Program for Behavioral Neurochemistry. The instructors don’t question it. Not after seeing her reports. She can trace a neural reward cycle like it’s a song she’s memorized. She can predict loyalty fractures in Arena contestants with fewer data points than the Peacekeepers need to identify a rebel cell. She submitted a paper last semester comparing trauma-response markers in Victor volunteers versus conscripted tributes, and the Academy’s board hasn’t stopped talking about it.

But no one knows who she was before. Not really.

Her Capitol file says District 6. Orphaned by the war. High neuroplasticity. Genetically compatible. Compatible with what, no one says.

There are rumors—strange ones. That she doesn’t sleep. That she has no recorded juvenile vaccinations, yet passed every medical clearance with distinction. That one boy from the diagnostics division tried to ask her what the war was like and she just stared at him until he forgot his own question.

But the students—even the most elite ones—don’t challenge her. Because she’s already marked as untouchable. Because when she looks at you, it feels like she’s not seeing you—she’s seeing the shape you’ll leave behind.

And when she smiles, it’s thin as thread.

The kind you sew things shut with.

Coriolanus notices her long before they’re paired.

Not because she speaks up in class—she rarely does—but because she doesn’t have to. She sits alone, but never like a loser. Always like someone with a better place to be. Her notes are immaculate. Her uniforms pressed sharp enough to cut. She doesn't smile at the teachers. Doesn't fawn. Doesn't flirt. She doesn't need to.

When students present psychological case studies, hers are always the ones with the cleanest endings. No moral hand-wringing. No flowery analysis. Just outcomes. Just results.

Coriolanus watches the instructors defer to her conclusions with a kind of quiet admiration he finds infuriating. And fascinating.

He learns early that she transferred into the Capitol Academy from the Medical Advancement Program after her benefactor’s death. No family name. No society affiliations. Just Vance, which isn’t even a Capitol name, not really. But the Dean makes exceptions for her. Not even him—a Snow—gets that kind of special treatment anymore.

The first time he hears her speak in a seminar, it’s during a discussion on emotional regression in tributes post-Arena. One of the other students—Arxus, a loud boy with a pedigree—calls it trauma. Calls it tragic. Predictable.

Y/N blinks once. Then:

“It isn’t regression. It’s reversion. The mind returns to the last configuration that ensured survival. It’s a feature, not a flaw.”

The room goes quiet. Even Professor Satius nods.

Coriolanus watches her with the scrutiny of someone used to owning the room. She doesn’t gloat. Doesn’t look around for validation. Just returns to her notes as if nothing she said matters once it’s been said.

That’s what does it.

It’s not an attraction. Not yet.

It’s utility. Potential.

She’s cold, yes—but not empty. She’s precise.

A blank space, yes—but one that can be filled. Directed. Shaped.

A creature not born from Capitol excess, but sculpted by necessity.

Control in human form.

Something he understands. Something he can speak to.

Something he might, with the right approach, own.

He doesn’t want to know her.

He wants to use her.

To fold her mind beside his and make something that could change the world.

Something Capitol-built.

Something Snow-touched.

The assignment is given without ceremony.

A new initiative—backed quietly by remnants of Strategic Defense, polished through the Academy’s elite Behavioral and Medical branches—is launched under the name Project Calm. The goal: develop a Capitol-controlled protocol to reduce “emotional volatility” and “prevent future ideological divergence” in outer-district populations. In plainer terms: a system to curb rebellion before it begins.

Only two students are selected for its prototype phase.

Coriolanus Snow—for his rhetorical genius, his understanding of image, power, and population control. A legacy name with ambition in his bones.

And Y/N Vance—for her cold brilliance in neurochemical modeling, her unnerving grasp on reward-loop behavior, and the way her papers speak in solutions, not ethics.

The announcement is met with silence in the seminar hall. Everyone expected Snow. No one expected her.

They’re given a private lab on the lower floors of the Academy—a space with no windows and reinforced walls. The sort of place built to test things no one wants to admit they're building.

The work begins immediately.

Coriolanus handles the theoretical framework: social engineering, obedience reinforcement, symbology, and propaganda patterns. He sketches slogans that don't sound like slogans. Creates loyalty creeds that feel like lullabies. Drafts classroom scripts that masquerade as curriculum.

Y/N does the rest.

She draws neurochemical maps like blueprints—dosing charts, scent-triggered memory shifts, sleep-cycle interruption paired with emotional saturation. She designs a chemical cocktail that can dull empathy while amplifying reward responses when subjects complete approved actions. She dials up shame, tempers guilt, and wires dopamine to compliance.

They test on lab animals first. Then Peacekeepers flagged for disciplinary issues. Then volunteers from the Academy’s military track.

The results are promising. Too promising.

One Peacekeeper subject begins compulsively praising the Capitol crest whenever shown footage of a bombing. Another breaks into tears when told he hesitated to act on a Capitol directive—then thanks them for the shame.

Coriolanus records the reactions. Y/N watches the patterns build.

“We’re not conditioning rebellion out of them,” she says one evening, cool and detached. “We’re severing their emotional memory. Replacing it with Capitol input.”

He smiles. “Isn’t that what loyalty is?”

She looks at him.

And for once, she doesn’t answer.

Y/N watches Coriolanus Snow the way a scientist watches an animal with potential: not for affection, but for pattern.

He’s arrogant, yes—but not carelessly so. His pride is calibrated, measured against his dwindling name, the ghost of wealth still haunting his posture. He hides poverty behind polish, and ambition behind charm. It’s obvious to her. He wants to be seen—but only in the light he’s chosen. Anything less, anything real, he recoils from like an open wound.

She catalogues his reactions: The way his jaw tightens whenever Dean Highbottom enters the room. The way he doesn’t speak of his father unless there’s something to gain by invoking the general’s name. How he dresses—immaculate, yes, but always one accessory too sharp. Too loud. Like he’s daring someone to question whether it’s borrowed. His eyes when the Games play, especially the last thirty seconds before a kill. He doesn't flinch. He leans forward.

She notes that. Lean: 6.7 seconds before death. Full attention shift. Interest > empathy.

She reads his essays late at night, the ones he’s too proud to know she can access. They’re dripping in ideology, but underneath it: fear. A fear of fading. Of being ordinary. Of becoming someone who walks the Capitol’s glass streets and isn’t noticed.

He wants to be the Capitol’s crown prince. Not by inheritance. By design.

Y/N sees that. Sees the hollowness behind the careful posture and smooth lies. She doesn’t mock it. Doesn’t judge. She understands it.

Because she, too, was sculpted by people who thought they could program out her pain and fill her with purpose.

But unlike him, she remembers who she was before the Capitol tried to rewrite her.

So she smiles when he speaks about peacekeeping with idealistic venom. She tilts her head just slightly when he calls rebellion a disease. She lets him believe she’s fascinated. And maybe she is.

But more than that—

She’s mapping him.

Every insecurity.

Every fracture.

Every moment his hunger—both metaphorically and physically—makes him vulnerable.

Because monsters don’t need to be broken.

They just need to be seen.

At first, it’s sterile.

Their partnership is a thing of structure and deadlines—briefings held over breakfast trays, dossiers exchanged like surgical instruments, hands never touching, voices never raised. Coriolanus prides himself on his clarity, his precision, his control. Y/N matches him note for note, cold intellect meeting cold ambition.

They do not argue. They refine. They don’t praise. They improve.

She doesn’t compliment his ideas, but she builds on them. Efficiently. Unemotionally. She never tells him when he’s right—but she nods, slowly, and that nod means more than any round of applause ever has.

And then, one day, she smiles.

It’s brief. Crooked. Almost reluctant. Her gaze lingers on him half a second too long while reviewing their dopamine-conditioning matrix. He says something cutting, something clever—meant to impress her, or unnerve her, or both. She doesn’t laugh.

She just smiles.

And it shakes him.

Not because it’s warm. Not because it’s beautiful.

Because it feels intentional.

Because she doesn’t smile for anyone else.

He watches her more closely after that. Not obsessively—yet—but with a sharpening edge to his attention. He takes note of what makes her eyes narrow, what makes her fingers pause mid-note. He tries jokes. The dry kind. She doesn’t laugh, but once she blinks slowly and says, “That was cruel. But effective.” He writes it down, even if only in his head.

He starts anticipating her reactions, not for strategy—but for satisfaction. The way her silence gives weight to her approval. The way her presence calms him in a room full of rivals. He tells himself it’s about the project. About success.

But when she disappears for a few hours and doesn’t tell him where she went, he finds himself irritated. Distracted. He reviews their work and finds it lacking in her absence.

He doesn’t say any of this, of course. Would never admit it.

But he begins staying later. Just to sit with her. To plan the next phase.

He begins to speak softer when it’s just the two of them. Not out of kindness. But out of reverence.

And when she smiles again, just once more—

He doesn’t need it.

But he wants it.

And want, as she well knows, is how control begins.

It begins with small things. Nothing suspicious. Nothing that would register as rebellion.

Just questions.

In passing, she asks where Coriolanus’s mother is buried. He tells her the garden at the Academy was dedicated in her name, though no grave remains. She nods, stores the lie. Later, she finds no death records filed with the city. No cause listed. Just a name and a date and a single redacted page marked provisional.

She traces his lineage—Snow by name, but thinner in blood than he wants the world to believe. His father died in the war, but the records of his command decisions are spotty, conflicting, half-buried. Commanded at District 2. Then 5. Then gone.

She files it all away.

Not in notebooks. Not in data cores.

In herself.

She walks the Capitol’s gleaming halls and listens to what no one says. Which instructors won’t say the word “rebellion.” Which ones pause before they call the Games “necessary.” Who changes the subject when someone brings up the mass evictions of the thinly District 13 survivors.

At night, she walks alone to the lower city, where reconstruction is still ongoing—where the glass towers give way to old brick and pitted concrete. She sees hunger there. Pain. Capitol-born children being raised among wreckage, not glory. She sees ration lines. Notices how carefully those images are kept from the screens inside the Academy.

She returns to her dorm with clean clothes and cold hands.

And then she begins to test the numbness. Gently. Quietly.

She pinches her wrist during emotion-mapping lectures. Times how long it takes for her breath to quicken during the Hunger Games broadcasts. Once, she plays footage from District 6—the bombing of a hospital, her own district, her birthplace—and watches her own face in the mirror.

She doesn’t cry.

But her throat tightens. And she notes it.

Subject (self) exhibits suppressed grief response. Possible latency in chemical suppression systems. Emotional memory may persist beneath conditioning.

Hypothesis: The original girl is still present.

And sometimes, late at night, when she lies still beneath Capitol linen and breathes in the artificial scent they pump through the vents, she mouths her old name.

Just to remember the shape of it.

Just to remind herself that she was not born Y/N Vance.

She was made.

And made things can unmake themselves.

#coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow x reader #coriolanus snow x you #the hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes

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free-chozo-hrt · 2 years ago

Text

Let's talk about the retconned lore from Metroid Prime

Way back in 2002, Metroid Prime was released for Gamecube in the United States. Play through the game, and you'll eventually reach the final boss, who is also named metroid prime! But just who is metroid prime? Well, the original release of the game had quite a lot of things to say about the final boss! There were space pirate logs that detail how the creature came to appear in its final state. You get to read about the formidable beast, and how the pirates tried and failed to keep it contained. Eventually, you get to have a showdown with this terrifying creature you've heard so much about.

A couple months later, the game released in Europe, and several of the pirate log entries were completely revised, scrubbing away most mentions of metroid prime. The creature was no longer built up as a villain, but only mentioned in passing and left largely mysterious until the final encounter. These changes would persist for subsequent versions of the game, and the original NTSC logs would not be acknowledged again.

What happened? Why did they change so much in the PAL version? Well, let's start by taking a closer look at the log entries we're not supposed to see. The following log entries are courtesy of the independent Metroid Wiki, and you can read all the old and new logs there.

The retconned logs

The following logs are all from the NTSC version of the game, and none of them appear in subsequent versions.

Pirate Data: "Metroid Prime" Test subject Z-d, hereafter referred to as Metroid Prime, was recently discovered in a cavern by mining crews. It quickly dispatched the miners, but was eventually contained by security units and drones. Once contained, we were able to begin studies upon Metroid Prime. The results have been astonishing. It is genetically similar to a Metroid, albeit on a high evolved level. It displays a limitless capacity for Phazon infusion and shows no Phazon-based degeneration whatsoever. It continues to grow in size, and while it has manifested some psychotic behavior, the cold field we use to pacify remain effective. Authorization for advanced studies on Metroid Prime have been approved.

This entry describes how the pirates chanced upon metroid prime and managed to capture it. It likely looked very different at this point in time, since they were able to subdue it and still had a lot of growing to do. They decide to keep it as a research subject.

Pirate Data: "Prime Breach" Subject Metroid Prime's breach has been contained. Reports indicate that it sensed a large batch of raw Phazon in the lab from within its stasis tank and broke through the glass, using previously unsuspected strength. Besides consuming all of the Phazon, Metroid Prime assimilated several weapons and defense systems from fallen security units. It has suffered no ill effect from said assimilation: indeed, it began to use its newly acquired weapons against us. Once we pacified it, we were unable to remove the assimilated gear without threat to Metroid Prime — the gear is now an integral part of its body. Command is intrigued by this newfound ability, and has ordered further study to commence at once.

This entry describes an incident where metroid prime escaped containment and got a hold of some space pirate weapons. The technology was permanently melded to its body and instantly made it much more threatening. Nonetheless, they were able to contain the creature for further study.

Pirate Data: "Prime Mutations" Metroid Prime continues to feed and grow ever larger in the impact crater caves. Its hunger knows no bounds, and it has begun to manifest unusual mutations since its breach. These include armor plating on its epidermis and mechanical outgrowths that generate defense screens. These screens render it invulnerable to most weapon systems, but a flaw in the mutation leads to increased vulnerability to certain weapons. It compensates for this by shifting the screens quickly. This latest development concerns Security units greatly: they feel it's a matter of time before Metroid Prime corrects this defect and renders itself invulnerable to all weaponry. Containment would be nigh impossible if this were to occur.

The pirates continue to monitor metroid prime, and take note that it is only growing more powerful. It now has armor plating and defensive screens that block most types of damage, and the pirates grow anxious that it might soon become completely impervious.

Pirate Data: "Chozo Artifacts" We are particularly interested in a number of curious Chozo Artifacts we have been able to recover from a number of religious sites on Tallon IV. These relics resonate with power, and yet we are unable to harness them in any way. Science Team is attempting to fuse them together with Phazon, believing that a link might exist between them. We know that these Artifacts are linked to the Chozo Temple that block full access to the Impact Crater. We have yet to crack this enigma, however. Command grows impatient regarding this matter: results must be produced soon.

I am including this log for the sake of completeness, even though it has nothing to do with metroid prime. It was replaced with a similarly-worded log, the only difference being that the new log implies that the space pirates have no knowledge of the artifacts' locations.

What do they imply?

There's one important thing I want to point out about these logs. The story about metroid prime assimilating space pirate armor and weaponry does a lot to explain the boss's appearance and abilities. I believe it was a very intentional choice that the player encounters beam troopers earlier in the game, who are only vulnerable to one of several specific weapons, and then this mechanic is iterated upon during the battle with metroid prime. Metroid prime's design even calls back to the armor of the beam troopers.

All this to say: according to the NTSC version, the boss we encounter at the end of the game is some kind of phazon-mutated metroid that's been souped up with space pirate technology. The logs end without any conclusion to this story, so we're left to assume that metroid prime has become too powerful to be contained, so it decided to make its home in the impact crater, where it could feast on an endless supply of phazon.

I also want to note something the logs don't tell us: where the creature originated from. The space pirates simply found it in a cave during a mining operation, so its origin is left unclear.

And that brings us to the next topic...

Why were they changed?

Anyone familiar with the lore of Metroid Prime will have noticed a huge plot hole in this story. In all versions of the game, the lore entries explain how the Chozo erected an impenetrable containment field around the impact crater to slow the rate of corruption, and the space pirates have spent considerable effort trying to break through it. This leaves no explanation for how metroid prime, the creature, could have entered the impact crater after spending time in the pirates' custody. Unless it has some unexplained method of effortlessly passing through the barrier, the story told through the pirate logbooks doesn't make much sense.

In order to fix this plot hole, all of the above pirate data entries were replaced in the PAL version with completely new ones, most of which make no mention of metroid prime. The following is the only PAL log entry which makes reference to metroid prime:

Pirate Data: "Impact Crater" Investigations into a possible ingress point for the Impact Crater continue to meet with failure. The shield of strange energy that protects it is impermeable, and all attempts to tunnel past it have proved fruitless. Our continued futility in this matter is made all the more significant in light of recent life form readings we've discovered emanating from deep within the crater. Analysis of the readings indicates that a massive creature is gestating in there, absorbing enormous amounts or Phazon from the Phazon core at the heart of the impact crater. This discovery makes accessing the crater doubly important - not only will it open the door to the vast deposits of Phazon within, but it will also lead us to this creature, whatever it may be.

The new lore emphasizes that the space pirates cannot breach the impact crater, but they can sense the presence of a powerful being inside. In this version of the game, this is our only hint towards the existence of metroid prime. It makes more sense that the final boss lurking inside the impact crater has been trapped in there the whole time, festering in its own juices, growing more powerful until our fateful encounter.

You could also read these changes as being more in line with the lore developed in the rest of the Prime trilogy. Metroid prime is implied to be the guardian of Tallon IV's leviathan core, or perhaps a mutated version of the core itself. Either way, it cannot leave the leviathan seed that it is bound to.

What was lost?

The new lore introduced in the PAL version gives no explanation for why metroid prime so strongly resembles a space pirate trooper, since according to the current canon, it would have no contact with pirate technology. We can only interpret its similarities as a coincidence. This is unfortunately a very cool design choice that will forever be a leftover of a patched over plot hole.

While I'm extremely interested in the retconned log entries as a historical curiosity, I think the writers ultimately made the right call changing the lore to be more consistent with the rest of the game and the trilogy as a whole. I know it couldn't have been an easy choice.

And hey, if you learned something new from this analysis, I'll consider it a job well done!

#metroid #metroid prime #space pirates #analysis

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satuwn · 1 year ago

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i have decided to randomly infodump about my lab rats as a way to motivate myself to: 1) revamp existing characters old refs and 2) DRAW THE GD REFERENCES OF THE REST OF THE BITCHES (this will probably take me ages still. alas), more rambly details abt the story and characters under the cut

the main characters: Dr. Kitty Whisker and her twin sibling Happy(tbd), Dr. Brainworms, Gummi (comic relief character mostly), Prof. Fuzzybottom(tbd) and Prof. Snakebite (previously known as prof. pinky, i need to redesign him more heavily)

the side characters (these guys may have side stories of their own but theyre mostly just an excuse for me to design more weird lab rats): Prof. Smartypants - ref to be finished, ferret with a brain of a human, she is my 'authors blatant self insert' into my own story lol; Fishsticks (drawn, a dissected mouse/frog stitched together), (the rest of these dont have names yet) a rat/chick hybrid with funy lil chicken legs, a rat/gator/shark hybrid she is punk and goth and she Bites, a mouse/cat dna mix with a surprisingly tragic backstory that im still working out, more tba

each lab rat represents usually an amalgamation of different experiments as the lab they are in is 'cheap' with their test subjects and likes to Repurpose old, usually failed experiments and do other stuff to them! honestly even if theyre a success they still end up getting experimented on more lol but they are still unimportant enough and the lab big enough where they can hide themselves away and have their own space w/o being actively searched for. ofc the world of the setting is based on our own reality but way more Hyperreal, i dont aim to represent logical feats of science bc a lot of these guys would defs be revolutionary (and impossible) irl lol. i will briefly run down what each main character is a result of but ideally id like to go into more detail when i actually. make the story more visual in whatever format i decide to do (probably experimental and non linear snippets, i dont think im smart enough for a full comic)

Dr. Kitty and Happy are twins! they were the result of an experiment where the scientists were testing if one species of rodent could gestate a different species of rodent just thru a little genetic modification. and that was Happy! he is actually a bunny born from a rat mother and with all rat siblings (one of them being Kitty) hes a bit smaller in stature than a usual bunny being more rat sized but other than that just a bnuuy! further experiments on them was how well skin grafting would work between different yet similar species. it worked for Kitty (hence the bunny ear) but not so much for Happy... both of them had separate experiments done on them also, altho Kitty was more rebellious of the two earning her the shock collar. Happy also had experiments on his fur to make it color changing like a chameleon, as well as some experiments to his eye (tbd)

Dr. Brainworms is actually a sapient amoeba/bacteria type thing, attached to a host body(that happens to be a hairless rat), this host body is her most compatible one as she Can overtake and control other bodies but they start to decay pretty quickly. her history is something she herself is trying to find out as her host body is its own mystery.. is she just an amoeba that gainted sentience? is her mind really her own? was this body maybe always hers? who knows!

Gummi is a jelly belly gummy rat candy brought to life, pretty self explanatory... but shes got a few mysteries of her own! like, why was she even created, for what purpose, i mean who could even do such advanced science anyway to bring an inorganic candy to life, and Why does she keep talking abt a scientist with green gloves when there arent any scientists like that around?

Prof. Fuzzybottom is a rabbit! she used to be just used for breeding new test subjects which left her pretty traumatized not being able to keep any of her children, she became infertile from the stress so she was repurposed for other experiments, like trying to turn her fur to naturally be an unnatural color, and to be more synthetic like faux fur (aka a living plush) she was also blind so they replaced her eyes with a plushy sleeping mask that actually has LEDs inside that are hooked up to her brain to see if they could restore vision thru cybernetics. in her original iteration she was even supposed to be half rat half bunny buut i felt it too much, might still reuse the idea tho! tbh i just wanted a bunny with cute rat hands :3

Prof. Snakebite is not even a lab rat originally, he was simply a pinky rat used to feed the lab snakes, but due to freak circumstances he was actually still alive and after being bitten by a venomous snake, the stress hormones in his little body make him develop rapidly especially in brain power. as he was still very tiny and fragile, he wasnt the best subject to experiment on, but he was fitted with a brain chip originally just to read and analyze his brain development as he was much more advanced in mind than in body (of an almost newborn). after escaping he would upgrade his brain chip to help him utilize more brain power but also lessen the burden on his tiny body that could not handle the strain. he and prof. fuzzybottom are always hanging around each other, fuzzy very often babying him or just helping him out by carrying him and helping him reach places or handle objects, while he begrudgingly tolerates her as she is useful to his needs. also cant admit he appreciates her actually awww

the rest of the side characters are pretty self explanatory, theyre mostly just various animal hybrids and crossbreeds and splices! smh only the main characters get cool powers and shit -_- aside from Prof. Smartypants, after having a ferrets body fitted with a human mind(who doesnt remember the human part almost at all. its just the advanced intellect from it) tries to figure out the weird body dysmorphia with Science Potions aka chemisty. but thats mostly just to give another one of my sonas shapeshifting ablities (go figure) so yah if u read this so far Waow o_o Thank U and also Pls Send me asks abt this. if u want <3 can be questions or just ur thoughts ig!! id love feedback pleas please plea

#saturn says #oc #infodump #lab rats #may delete later if i get too shy #we will see

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phealboy · 1 year ago

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UROBOROS VIRUS ANALYSIS

The uroboros virus was engineered in the 21st century by Dr. Albert Wesker (re5 era), later on being made into a less-potent strain by Dr. Alex Wesker to serve as a bio-weapon.

Origins: the virus was names from Ouroboros in greek mythology, which is a snake or snake-like creature that consumed itself.

Research on uroboros began in around 2006 following the ‘mansion incident’ *insert page numbers for mansion incident here* between albert wesker and dr ozwell spencer.

After this incident, wesker decided that humanity is the problem and that the only way to save it is make his own superb species called the Übermensch. He would do this by using the progenitor virus *insert progenitor virus numbers here* to kill everyone except those capable to carry the uroboros virus. Those that can survive would join the Übermensch.

The Übermensch would theoretically be more physically and mentally advanced than the average humans who would now be dead.

The uroboros project then got slowed down after tricell, a company that worked with umbrella at the time, started up a brand new lab in the Ndipaya kingdom. The population of humans in the Ndipaya kingdom able to withstand, survive and mutate to adapt to the progenitor virus was too small for the lab to be a valuable asset.

However, the uroboros strove through. Wesker extracted t-virus antibodies that he extracted from a mutant test subject, jill valentine, and repeatedly used them on his uroboros cultures to eventually naturally create a new, distinct, less potent strain of the progenitor virus.

Now, this new strain would allow project uroboros to go onto its new stage and with it being less potent, thousands of new test subjects were ine=fected over the next two years.

There was also more assistance from Tricell from its own research staff.

The virus became near enough finalized by may 2008. Now, samples of the strain were loaded onto missiles and the uroboros project was in its final stage.

The final stage’s idea was to lauch the missiles and infect every corner of planet earth until all thats left are the ones that survived, that mutated, that thrived.

The Übermensch.

Unfortunately for Dr Wesker, there were problems with the preparations and a fire occurred. This delayed the end stage a little until march of 2009.

In early 2009, the end stage started. However, this was quickle stopped by the bioterrorism security assessment alliance, specifically Chris Redfield and Sheva alomar *insert page numbers for both sheva and chris*. This resulted in the death of Wesker.

At least four humans were successfully infected with uroboros, one of the main people being Dr. Albert Wesker himself. Wesker mutated successfully, but the other 3 that were infected did not. Wesker was the only one to hold uroboros and mutate it correctly.

The other 3, the main demographic of those infected, had their bodies torn apart in an uncontrollable mutation. In one case, the mutation consumed an unannounced number of other people and bodies.

Meaning, there is a possibility that even if project uroboros has truly worked then only 1/4th of the world, possibly even less, would’ve properly mutated to be the super race (the Übermensch) that Wesker truly wanted.

The Uroboros disease is almost always lethal in humans except from humans with the same genetic composition to those who able to withstand it, like albert wesker.

The disease goes through two stages, which can be established as early and later symptomatic stages.

In the earlier symptomatic stage, uroboros patients are noted to experience the following:

Sweating

Laboured breathing / difficulty breathing

Confusion / delirium

The research conducted by scientists specially appointed to conduct research on the uroboros project have concluded that, in all cases they got to study, all these symptoms happen almost immediately after infection with the uroboros virus.

In the later, last, stage of infection, the infectees DNA will lead them one of two ways: The first way being the way to correct mutation and where the uroboros succeeds, in cases like Dr. Albert Wesker’s, in its objective. The second way is where the uroboros fails, like the majority of the victims of the virus would and have failed.

This second way involves untamable mutations, often where the results end in the victim of the infecton are viciously torn apart and instantly killed in the process. The remnants of the now dead infected continue to live as its own, new entity. These entities are now known as only ‘uroboros’, no longer as a human.

#albert wesker #resident evil #uroboros #i am genuienly albert fucking wesker #wesker #mmmm #resident evil wesker #re wesker #chrisker #resident evil 5 #resident evil 4 #leon kennedy #leon s kennedy #chris redfield #jill valentine #re2 #re5 #re4 #weskerposting

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awesomecooperlove · 5 months ago

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world’s most powerful figures. These children were found in sprawling underground facilities beneath the U.S. border—high-tech hubs equipped with medical labs, holding cells, and advanced transport systems. One base, hidden 100 feet below the desert, was camouflaged to evade detection and revealed horrors beyond belief: cryogenic storage units, evidence of genetic experiments, and classified technology used for inhumane tests.

The Elite’s Pyramid of Power

Testimonies from the rescued children expose a system of trafficking that touches every layer of society. Documents revealed lists of high-profile clients, including politicians, CEOs, and entertainers, all participating in these heinous acts. Major banks and corporations facilitated these transactions, hiding the money trails in plain sight. Even more damning, blackmail operations ensured the silence and compliance of these elites—photos and recordings used as leverage to enforce their global agenda.

Big Pharma and Silicon Valley: Silent Partners in Evil

Stockpiles of experimental drugs were found in these facilities, linking Big Pharma to the sedation and manipulation of children. Tech giants were also implicated, with advanced tools used to protect traffickers and censor whistleblowers. These companies provided both the means and the cover to allow this network to thrive.

Military Whistleblowers Expose the Agenda

Insiders have revealed that these trafficking operations were tied to secretive military programs. Children were subjected to trauma-based mind control experiments, aimed at creating programmable individuals for elite control. These black-budget projects, funded by trafficking profits, sought to cement a new form of social dominance.

Trump’s Fearless Leadership

Trump’s decisive actions have dismantled a network that past administrations ignored or enabled. His return marks a turning point, proving he is the leader the elites feared. Military insiders and trusted allies have prepared for this operation for years, and Trump’s boldness has struck a fatal blow against the deep state.

The Fight is Just Beginning

This victory is monumental, but the war against the elite machine rages on. The evidence is undeniable, and the patriots are rising. With Trump leading the charge, the tide has turned—but the question remains: Are you ready to stand and fight for the truth? The time is now. Victory is ours.

🏆🏆🏆

Join and share this channel immediately⬇️

Trump Supporters ✅️

#DJT #truth #justice #crimes against humanity #the hunters become hunted #elites #clowns #puppets #these people are evil #nothing can stop what’s coming #speak up #standup #stay strong #be united #be safe #please share #wwg1wga

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gaykarstaagforever · 6 months ago

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I'm not going to poke fun at TOS "Miri" too much, because this is ironically one of the good TOS episodes. But...still...

Them finding an alternate-future clone of Earth randomly is pretty stupid. But that sort of stupid also gave us the episodes "What if a Nazi planet?" and "What if a Roman planet?", so, fine. (No, not the "What if a Mob planet?" or "What if a Native American planet?" Those were a result of slightly less goofy things.) Plus this was 1966. We hadn't even been to the moon yet, and I think they had only figured out what a galaxy was and that we were in one like a generation before this. No, I don't know how you fit this "there are just other Earths" into the modern canon. But I also don't know how you fit Picard and Discovery into the modern canon, and you absolutely SHOULDN'T, so it doesn't matter.

This planet was specifically at the level of Earth in the 1960s 300 years ago, when the Apocalypse happened. Which explains why it looks like a cowboy TV show set, littered with ruined cars from the 30s and 40s.

They go into a random building that looks like a store, inside it looks like a school, and one room is filled with racks of random medical equipment and high school science lab tools. And this just so happens to be the advanced science lab where these people genetically-engineered the anti-aging viruses that destroyed the world, because they also left mounds of folders filled with hand-written notes explaining all this. This is also the same building where the slowly-aging gang of children is holed up...like two rooms over. I realize this show had a budget. But like, you guys couldn't film the picture of a random warehouse exterior, and then shoot something in Roddenberry's office? That would have taken 10 minutes.

I like how the kids are 300 years old. That explains them being a little smarter than you'd expect, and the unique culture they have developed. ...Except they don't do much with any of this. Which is weird. Usually these Lord of the Flies-type stories make the kids into incoherent tribals, and that always happens after like 6 years of them being isolated. This story worked in a justification for some whole Thunderdome thing, but then they just say a couple odd slang words. We just can't win.

All the performances are good here, though Kim Darby is obviously not 12 or whatever. She was 19, which is young, sure. But the virus is supposed to trigger shortly after puberty, and this woman looks like a lady who had a baby shortly after this, which she totally did. Kirk playfully flirting with her to be nice only works if she's clearly a child. As it is, he's a 35 year old man being condescending to an college-aged woman. It doesn't land quite right.

Spock being unaffected by the rage zombie virus but clearly getting more and more irritated with the infected Bones and Kirk throwing tantrums is fun.

...Why would you EVER leave your communicators lying in a room while you run around to check out scary noises? That has to be a violation of basic Starfleet protocol.

They take at least one security guy down with them, station him in a hallway, then he doesn't show up again until the end of the episode. Is he infected like Kirk and McCoy and Rand? Why wasn't he guarding the room to stop the communicator theft? Why didn't he come with Kirk and Miri to confront the kids? Rand came down with them, for zero good reason, and was in the science lab the whole time. Why did they bring security, and then not have him secure anything?

McCoy got real lucky that that slapdash antidote he invented with the help of a blinky light computer that had zero input interface, that he tested on himself, didn't murder him. Why not test it on one of the crew that ISN'T the only doctor? Like, I don't know, maybe the yeoman who has zero things to do here, besides get upset about how she is getting ugly with zombie rage sores in front of the captain? Or the security guy who very specifically is not providing security of any kind? Or Kirk, who is just yelling and absolutely could pass out and Spock could handle whatever it is he was going to do?

...Why did these people make an anti-aging virus, and only test it on prepubescent children? Because obviously, it absolutely murders adults real fast and badly, so they clearly didn't test it on any. What is the point of even making something that keeps people 12 for centuries? Or did it somehow mutate later into the zombie virus? I don't know if 60s people knew about how viruses work, so I don't know what the intention was, here.

The last scene back on the Enterprise bridge has a strange ambient background sound going on that really bothered me. I don't know what that was.

Also Kirk says he called "Space Central" (?) and told them to send adults to take care of the kids on the planet. Who, until then, he just left down there, apparently infected with a zombie rage virus and running out of food. But Rand looks hot again so I guess it all worked out.

...Why did they even go down there in the first place? I know it looked like Earth. But you guys knew it certainly wasn't. There was a 50% chance this was going to go badly, Kirk. Do a scan or something first. Come on, dude.

#tos #star trek

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wind-rider · 1 year ago

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hi hi! what are some fun facts about your wip? :3

Hi hi hello oh gods you have NO idea how enthusiastic I am to share the brainworms that have infested me for the past six years

Fun facts, you say? Hm, that implies they have to be fun, so I suppose my essay on how the environment the pov culture developed in influenced their culture and mythology and superstitions even into the more secular modern day will have to wait. I'll get back to you on that one (please ask me about this I am frothing at the mouth going insane-) Ahem. Anyway. Here we go:

The base concept is that there's a certain subset of humans that are born with the genetic potential to develop abilities! This is a recessive trait with far too much detail on the genetics front because genetics fixation? Aha what's that? In any case, these people are referred to as Cyrin!

These abilities can develop at any point in their lives- from the moment of birth to the golden years of old age. However, it is usually triggered by a period of high stress accompanied by an adrenaline response, and thus usually develops somewhere between preteen and late teenagehood, because school is hella stressful and so is Being A Teenager. Hormones have a little to do with it, but moreso that they facilitate the higher stress levels rather than trigger ability development (coloquially referred to as the Change, but in a scientific setting is called Metamorphosis)

Metamorphosis is, biologically, a massive spike of a hormone called Metamorphase (creative, I know), but colloquially shortened to the sort-of correct Biorase (which is, technically, the name for it after it's been extracted and processed. Which I will get to.) that a) triggers one's abilities and b) triggers the bodily changes to accommodate said abilities. It's a little like really horrible puberty that lasts about a week and can happen at any time in your life and has a high chance of Killing You, Actually

Metamorphosis, for a long time, was pretty lethal. Certain abilities' development is easier on the body, and so Cyrin with those abilities were vastly more common due to, well, Not Dying. Symptoms vary depending on the ability, but usually involve an extremely high fever, widespread autoimmune response against new tissue growth, severe migraines and occasionally swelling around the brain, dizziness, and severe nausea and digestive upset.

Modern medical advancements helped bring the death rate way down! But! In the process, they figured out what Metamorphase really is, and now it's... really valuable. Oops.

On the plus side, it's now in the government's best interest to keep all their Cyrin alive! The downside, however, is that all Cyrin basically have liquid gold in their veins that Everyone Wants.

Essentially, it's a catalyst of sorts that allows for widespread fine control over a body's cell growth, with the bonus ability to do fine pre-programmed adjustments to an organism's DNA and encourage the spread and growth of those modified cells. Useful for developing certain traits that allow a Cyrin to survive high temperatures or control flames with minimal skin damage- also very useful for a hell of a lot of medical applications. And it has proved almost impossible to synthesise. Oh dear.

Fast forward a couple decades, and here we have Protusol Labs, a government-run laboratory that the president sort-of heads and spends most of his time in because he doesn't really like being president that much. His son can handle the politics side of things for him! It's fine! This will have no lasting consequences!

Anyway one of Protusol's primary projects is Project Biomorph, aka, using Biorase (extracted and processed Metamorphase) to test directly on humans and Cyrin for applications of eliminating organ and limb rejection in transplants, and diagnosing and treating genetic disorders in developing embryos. The methods are questionable, but they do have good intentions. Mostly. Some of it is just 'fuck around and find out' and boy are they.

Each project is designated its own ID string! Because we love granular organization systems in this house yes we DO

One project, the one nominally testing limb and organ rejection, has the subject ID as follows: PB-GM-G(gen#)-M(mark#)

PB - Project Biomorph; GM - Grafted Metamorph; G - subject generation; M - mark, aka subject number within that generation, chronological.

One of our POVs, Aaron, is one of the GMs- one of the first, actually. He's also the president's son. This has absolutely no lasting consequences I assure you.

There's also another project, with the following ID: PB-CMW-G(gen#)-M(mark#)

CMW stands for Chimera Metamorph - Winged.

I wonder what that could be :)

Oh yeah there's also a guy who was designed and raised to be basically a fully biological android with no free will who follows orders unquestionably but his project was declared a failure when he imprinted on one of the scientist's kids as a toddler and developed free will and full sentience out of the power of We're Best Friends Now. He's fine don't worry about him there's absolutely no lasting consequences there either. None at all!

Said scientist's kid is an absolute ray of sunshine even as an adult now. Aaron fucking hates him. Their dynamic is glorious.

Hmm I think I might have lost track of the whole 'fun fact' format of this. Oh well.

I'll stop there before this gets stupid long because that's mostly just the stuff revolving around One Of The POVs. There's three others. Help.

Feel free to ask any follow-up questions, or poke me about other POVs or lore things or- anything, really. I can ramble about this story for hours. Clearly. Thanks for asking!!

#I'm very normal about this as you can see #I can't remember what tag I use for asks uhhhhh #that'll do #windrambles #storystuff

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fantasyandromancelover · 1 year ago

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Spider-Man AU Act 1

Inspired by literally every movie and TV adaption of Spider-Man there is, and in a case where there are not one but three main heroes.

Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Raimi’s Version) - Alastor

Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Webb's Version) - Angel Dust

Peter Parker/Spider-Man (MCU Version) - Moxxie

Mary-Jane Watson - Charlie

Gwen Stacy - Vaggie

Michelle Jones - Millie

Harry Osborn - Blitzo

Ned Leeds - Fizzarolli

Uncle Ben and Aunt May - Alastor's parents

J Jonah Jameson - Husk

Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin - Adam

Dr. Curt Conners/The Lizard - Asmodeus

Dr. Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus - Sir Pentious

Max Dillion/Electro - Travis

Adrian Toomes/The Vulture - Chazwick

Flash Thompson - Striker

John Jameson - Vortex

Liz Alan - Queen Bee

P.S I stink at hero and villain names.

In 1980, Etienne, Henrion, and Carlo "Crimson" Hansen were brothers who started out as petty thieves living on the streets. But later in life they were employed by a mysterious crime lord who dealt in illegal experimentation, drug smuggling, and seizing control of other corporate businesses. As they years went by Henrion and Crimson revealed in the money and power that organized crime gave them but Etienne gradually grew to regret it upon seeing just how dangerous their boss's operations were and even more so after he fell in love his long-time girlfriend Marie. In time all three brothers had one son, Etienne's and Crimson's were born through marriage while Henrion's came from a one night stand with a hooker. When Etienne became a father he decided to quit and live a life of honest work, begging his brothers to the same for their sons but they both refused.

Then a year later in 1986, Etienne received a call from Crimson's wife begging him to come help her, insisting that her husband has gone mad and that she needs to escape with her child. Etienne agrees to help but knows his brothers will seek retribution, so he arranges for himself, his family, his sister in-law, and his nephew to go into hiding until the heat dies down. Unfortunately when he goes to get Crimson's wife and one year old son he finds her dead, having been killed by Crimson and is knocked out. When he wakes up he learns that Henrion and Crimson have kidnapped his own son and later discovers that all three boys were being used as test subjects for their boss's experiment to advance human D.N.A. Apparently older test subjects were unable to survive the effects and younger ones were suspected to have a stronger system. Engraged that his brothers would stoop to this Etienne kills them both, takes his nephews to raise his own alongside his son, and left town with his family to start a new life, changing their name from Hansen to Devalcourt.

Fourteen years later, seventeen year old cousins Alastor and Anthony "Angel" and their fifteen year old cousin Maximus "Moxxie" have been brought up in a loving and nurturing environment provided by Etienne and Marie and all three are blessed with extremely high IQ's and intellectual gifts. But upon reaching the teen years they develop their own personal issues. Alastor is a socially awkward nerd who is constantly mocked and bullied by his peers, Angel is a rebellious punk who acts out to deal with feelings of abandonment and is belittled by most of his teachers, and Moxxie is always trying to fit in only to constantly be rejected. Despite this they do have some friends. Alastor’s rich high school classmate Blitzo who's father is the owner of a corporate company, Moxxie’s fellow theater geek Fizzarolli who is also bullied due to being held back several years, and the boys’s beautiful next door neighbor and childhood friend Charlotte “Charlie", who Alastor has secretly been in love with since he was six.

One day the school takes a field trip to a genetics lab run by Doctor Asmodeus Rapha, a brilliant scientist and former science teacher for the boys, and among the few to recognize Angel’s potential. Asmodeus unveils his latest invention for all to see, the Neogenic Recombinator, a device that crosses science with spiritual forces to create a whole new form of healing and advancing one's natural abilities. However the effects of the device have so far be unstable due to the fact that all the recent test subjects of it can't handle to extreme change in their blood and D.N.A. They are also introduced to Asmodeus's workers Travis and Chazwick, his pretty young intern and Charlie's best friend Vaggie who takes an instant dislike of the boys, believing them to be trouble makers.

During a tour of the lab, Stiker the school bully and his gang grab Moxxie and drag him off somewhere to beat him up. Alastor and Angel come to his defense which results in a fight breaking out and one of them hitting the Neogenic Recombinator. The device is turned on and it hits Alastor, Angel, and Moxxie with a blast but nothing seems to happen to them so they quickly run home, to avoid getting into trouble. However in actuality they have been given super natural, demonic, powers and skills without any negative side effects due to their blood and D.N.A having been made stronger cause of the experiments made on them at a young age. All three have super-strength and genius level intelligence but Alastor can control and morph with shadows, produce tendrils as a means to climb and swing, and his given heightened senses. Angel has advanced speed and agility, instinctive combat skills, and producing a paralyzing venom. And Moxxie can shapeshift, has healing and regenerative powers, and can build any form of device, weapon, or force.

At first the boys just use their powers to benefit themselves. With Angel using his to intimate local thugs who mugged him for money, Moxxie getting revenge on Striker and hid gang, and Alastor signing up for a wrestling match to win a thousand dollars, money which he intends to use to help his parents with their money problems. Charlie happens to notice that Alastor and his cousins are acting different and she informs Etienne and Marie of her worries. Etienne, secretly fearing that they might make the same mistake he and his brothers made, has a talk with all three of them but Moxxie and Angel get angry and snap at him to stop trying to be their father. When he talks to Alastor, just before dropping him off at what he thinks is a trip to the library, Etienne confesses to Alastor the whole story about him and his brothers. He warns him that while in the beginning they were only trying to take care of themselves and their family, in the end it lead them down at dark path of murder and betrayal. Then he tells Alastor that as the oldest he has to look after the family should something happen to Etienne and he gives his son the advice "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility." Alastor only brushes off the advice, telling his father that he has no responsibility to Angel or Moxxie because technically they're not his brothers and unlike his father, he didn't choose to look after them. That was just saddled on him.

Turns out Alastor had lied to his father about going to the library and was really going to the wrestling match he secretly signed up for. With his powers, he easily beats his opponent and wins the match but is cheated out of the money by the crooked sponsor. Shortly after said sponsor is robbed and Alastor let's the thief get away as revenge. Later as Alastor waits for his father to pick him up, he discovers that a car jacker shot his father and Etienne dies in his son's arms. Heartbroken and enraged, Alastor hunts down the murderer but is horrified to find that the killer is the same thief he let get away. Alastor is now condemned with guilt, convinced that his father's death was his fault and Angel and Moxxie are also stricken with guilt for how they treated their uncle. At Etienne's funeral Charlie, Blitzo, Fizzaroli, and Vaggie comfort the boys and Marie. Alastor then swears on his father's grave that he'll make things right and always look after the family no matter what.

Meanwhile Blitzo has always felt neglected by his father and is desperate to win his approval. So desperate that he begins taking drugs to be good at sports and become a star athlete, ditching his real friends to hang with the popular crowd, and sets out to woo Charlie despite knowing that Alastor has loved her for years. Charlie tells Blitzo that she's not sure if she wants to be his girlfriend but she agrees to date him to see where this goes. At the moment Charlie isn't really looking for a relationship, she's too busy trying to achieve a career in acting yet unfortunately no one really supports that dream except for her Vaggie, Moxxie, and Alastor. One night Charlie has a fight with her father over her career choice and Alastor invites her out to comfort her. As they talk Charlie confesses that she always admired Etienne for being a devoted and supportive father, calling him a hero to which Alastor agrees. He then confesses that he believes himself to be a disappointment to his father and that he may never be the man he wanted him to be. But Charlie just kindly assured him that he's better than he thinks and that someday he'll be a hero just like Etienne was.

This inspires Alastor, Agnel, and Moxxie to honor Etienne's wish for them to be good men by using their powers to defend the innocent from evil. Donning masked costumes, they fight crime and save lives as honorable vigilantes with demonic powers and skills. This earns them the names the Demon Deer, the Spider Sinner, and the Incredible Imp. However despite their heroics, newspaper publisher Husk is convinced that the three of them are villains and vows to find proof as this by hiring Alastor as the newspaper's photographer due to him being the only one able to get a clear picture of the heroes. Meanwhile Angel decides to clean up his punk act by taking up an internship with Asmodeus which allows him to work alongside Vaggie who is soon impressed by his hidden genius and Moxxie helps Charlie further her acting career by getting her involved wit his acting trope.

Unknown to everyone including Blitzo, his father Adam is secretly the crime lord Etienne used to work for years ago and has been building his own criminal empire to run the city. At some point Adam decides that he wants to use the Neogenic Recombinator on himself despite Asmodeus's warnings of the danger. The device does in fact give Adam supernatural powers and skills but because his body and D.N.A has no immunity or stabilizing factor like Alastor and his cousins do, he is driven insane and becomes a villain known as the Dark Archangel. At a world unity fair where Adam was supposed to meet his son and Charlie, the Dark Archangel arrives and assassinates a rival crime boss attending the event. Alastor as the Deer Demon fights him but has to let him escape when Charlie falls from a building amidst the chaos. He catches her in time and she can't help but feel that there's something familiar about her savior.

Adam continues to plan the murders of his competition but many of his attempts are thwarted by Deer Demon, Spider Sinner, and the Incredible Imp. Eventually he realizes he can't take all three of them so he kidnaps his employees Asmodeus, Travis, and Chazwick and uses the Neogenic Recombinator to mutate them into villains that he unleashes on to the city to distract the heroes. Travis and Chazwick are both gleefully embrace their new, sadistic identity but Asmodeus tries to fight it and goes to Angel and Vaggie for help. The two of them and Alastor keep him secretly contained and run experiments on him into order to find a cure for the mutation. During this Angel and Vaggie grow closer and after a surprise kiss, they start a relationship. Alastor and Charlie grow closer too much to Blitzo's jealousy. On a rainy night, Alastor and Charlie share a romantic moment just after a failed audition where he encourages her to keep holding on to her dreams. She walks home alone but Alastor notices some men following her and sneaks after them through the shadows. The men try to gang rape Charlie but the Deer Demon saves her again. Thinking that it was Alastor who saved her, she kisses him in the rain but is shocked and embarrassed when they part and she sees that it's not Al. Or so she thinks.

At Thanksgiving, Charlie, Vaggie, Fizzarolli, Blitzo, and his father are invited to spend the holiday with the boys and Marie. At first the dinner goes well but then Adam sees a photo of Etienne, recognizing him as his former employee which rouses suspicion. He also finds out that Charlie happens to be the daughter of his ex fiance Lilith who left him to be with his best friend Lucifer from college. Adam suddenly starts acting rude, berates Blitzo and reveals that he's been taking drugs, taunts Moxxie about his father killing his mother, and calls Charlie a gold-digging whore. Moxxie runs off with Fizzarolli following to comfort him and Charlie is reduced to tears. Blitzo doesn't defend any of them out of fear but Alastor respectfully tells Adam to leave and warns him never to speak that way about his family or Charlie again. When Adam is gone Blitzo tries to comfort Charlie but she rejects him and retreats into Alastor's arms, seeing that he only was interested in her to impress his father.

Adam, having never known that any of the Hansen brothers had children until now, uses his illegal connections to pull up concealed information about their background and discovers the experiments done on the boys. This causes him to deduce that Alastor, Angel, and Moxxie are the Deer Demon, the Spider Sinner, and the Incredible Imp. He chooses to punish them by striking at their hearts and preying on the people they love most. First he has Chazwick attack Fizzarolli and force unstable drugs into his system which leads to an overdose. Next he has Travis release Asmodeus and set him up to be hunted and put down by animal control. Finally as The Dark Archangel, he breaks in and terrifies Marie to the point that she has a heart attack. Alastor and Charlie stay at the hospital to look after Marie and Fizzarolli while Moxxie and Angel look for Asmodeus and the other villains.

At some point Blitzo comes to the hospital to apologize and make amends but backs out upon seeing Alastor and Charlie embrace. He goes home that night and reveals to his father that Charlie prefers Alastor over him and that Alastor has always loved her. This reminds Adam of when Lilith chose Lucifer over him and he assumes that Alastor and Charlie purposely hurt his son. He kidnaps Charlie and uses her as bait to lure Alastor to the Brooklyn Bridge. Alastor goes there as the Deer Demon and finds the Dark Archangel holding her and a tram car of children hostage. He forces Alastor to choose whom he wants to save and drops them both but Alastor manages to save both Charlie and the children. Adam refusing to let him win, sends Chazwick, and Travis to kill them all but though Angel and Moxxie arrive just in time to hold them off long enough for Alastor to get everyone to safety.

During this Vaggie finally creates a cure and sets out to use it. She finds Asmodeus and cures him just before his shot by the authorities then races to the bridge to cure the others. But things soon take a tragic turn. As Moxxie is curing Chazwick, Travis electrocutes him to the point that he can't move and throws Vaggie from the bridge. Angel catches her with his webbing but he finds her motionless and unresponsive. And Adam grabs Alastor and subjects him to a brutal beating him. However when Adam brags about how he will kill his mother, his cousins, his friends, and for last subject Charlie to a slow and painful death, Alastor becomes so enraged that he gains the upper hand, and nearly kills him. Adam reveals himself and begs for forgiveness while subtly getting his glider ready to impale Alastor from behind. Warned by his senses, he dodges the attack, and the glider mortally impales Adam instead. Adam dies with a torn piece of the Deer Demon's suit in his hand and when Blitzo later finds it on his father's body, he assumes the Deer Demon killed his father and swears revenge.

In the end Chazwick and Travis are cured and arrested for their crimes while Asmodeus is given proper treatment. Marie and Fizzarolli both recover but the incident at the bridge leaves Vaggie comatose and Moxxie paralyzed from the waste down, unknown if he'll ever walk again. Blaming himself for what happened to Vaggie, Angel gives up being the Spider Sinner and a protective Alastor forbids Moxxie from ever being the Incredible Imp again, choosing to take the burden on his own. Charlie confesses to Alastor that she loves him and they kiss, but he feels he must protect her from the attention of his enemies. So he hides his true feelings and tells Charlie that they can only be friends. She sadly accepts this but is left wondering if there's more to what he said due to the familiarity of their kiss. Alastor goes with Angel to visit Moxxie in the hospital all while recalling his late father's words and accepting his responsibility as the Deer Demon.

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