"I think the main point of us being here," Experiment interjected on Build, suddenly having a deeper, more serious tone of voice, "Is to figure out EXACTLY what is happening, and, most likely in this case, to figure out how to stop it from spreading beyond using people as guinea pigs who end up dead.
"I'm thinking that this guy must have some sort of... Mind control. It's the only way I can see these people submitting to him within seconds of what seemed to be the most agony they'd ever endured." 2.0 continued, leaning forward on the table. "Perhaps he has a power similar to those classified as Defenders- They are able to power up heroes and the like for a short time by whatever means... Perhaps his is simply a far stronger, more permanent, and possibly even more deadly version."
Leaning back, Experiment shook his head. "But that doesn't explain the exact reasoning behind all of this- Instant mind control? A hurried death? Insane abilities of aiming, strength, speed, and the five senses? ...To me, it almost sounds like some sort of alien conspiracy."
Igor shifted his attention from Vern for a moment to discuss the topic on hand.
"From what I havth obtherved, that hardly appearth to be an 'athtounding dithcovery in neurothienth. I do not thpethialize in that particular field, but I do, on general printhiple, equip all my creathions with thybernetics, or I at leatht alter their brain chemithtry ifth they are thtill alivth. In a fthew cathes I havth even completely remade a perthon uthing nothing but thtem thells generated fthrom the thubjecth own body. Evthen if this here ith thomething unique in dething, thurely not in effect. Why ith thith thuch a big deal?"
Jake would find very quickly that Arachnos lacked a good bit of information about Vern and M - namely, all of it. According to Recluse's records, the two might as well not have existed.
"Be careful what you pry into." the spindly mechanoid whispered as it stepped next to the youth for a moment, "If you already consider some here freaks, your mind may well warp if you delve too far."
As Dr. Phillis introduced himself, M seemed intrigued for the first time. If one followed Vern's eyes while they mustered the man, one may have noticed him duplicating this sensation. There was someone with a bit of humility here. How very unexpected.
Still, the two kept quiet about it. Indeed, they did so until Dr. West proposed a stop. This was all getting most curious indeed.
"I wouldn't worry about that, Master Build." M commented to the man's troubles, "Madame Eirene isn't one to be careless with knowledge. And even if these...people know, I can assure you we are quite safe here."
"I've got to agree with Mr. B...Experiment," Vern corrected himself, having almost failed to pick up on M's earlier slip-up, "and Mr. Igor. If this is a problem, why didn't you just ask me to order over an execution unit from the Labtower? What's up with this, Daniel...?"
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
"I think I'll hold my comments for later," said Toy succinctly. He was looking a bit more attentive now, leaning forward in his seat with his chin resting on one fist while the other hand lightly rapped on his leg.
"I hate it when people play god," Solid muttered to himself as he rested one hand on Essex's head and gave the girl a comforting scratch.
Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.
Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.
NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.
Klaus watched the video carefully.
"Ein vould have to agree vith Igor. I don't see any kind of great neuroscience breaktrhough, just another super-soldier program. But I assume zis other data vill explain more, so please, Doctor Vest, do continue."
((I have to kill my brother for distracting me from my computer now.))
"I didn't even realize I brought him!" Sheldon replied, just as surprised as the combat android, "Felix! What were you doing inside my coat?"
"Mrahr? Muh-raaaaah... Mrah," was the animal's reply.
"He used to be a gerbil," Ryat99 explained, "Shel's pet... Then he turned him into a living teddy bear. It was a somewhat painful process for the bear, but increased his lifespan... To what?"
"I don't even know," Sheldon said, "Felix was looking at around another month before I put him through that experiment... Now he's just a little fuzzy machine!"
"Mrrrmrrrrmrrrrrrrrrrr!" the tiny bear whined, then went back to making happy "Nn" sounds as he drank greedily from the glass.
"I have another one, too," Sheldon explained, "Not my project... A little lab mouse that somehow got into our boss's base... She was turned into a smaller, cuter version of this guy. My friend, Sarah, she's been keeping Katie because she's obsessed with the cuteness."
When the video played, Ryat99 stared blankly for a few moments as Sheldon furrowed his brow and considered the possibilities.
"It appears," the inventor intoned, "that the people are being infected at the very least by that first individual and being placed into a form of mind control, as mentioned earlier, before being put through a cybernetic enhancement process. This process seems to be little more than a 'Chip', a device that here changes the normally automated controls of the body, such as breathing and heart rate, and converts it to other commands, such as adrenal output, acuity, and muscular development. Carefully regulated, such an individual could easily become exceptional at most feats, but it would burn out most living bodies... I've heard of similar experiments before, but mostly conducted on corpses and massively supplemented by cybernetic augmentation, and no, I don't mean Freaks or Vahz proteans. If this is an enhanced version of such research, I must say I'm growing quite distressed."
Ryat99 was still playing the footage back in his head. Felix had crawled out of Sheldon's lap during his explanation to hug Essex's upper arm. The little bear made a low rumbling akin to a purr, but more dog or bear-sounding.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
[ QUOTE ]
"...You really worked hard in Science class, hm? You didn't have a girlfriend 'till your forties, right? Poor you."
[/ QUOTE ]
Dr. Phillis rolled his eyes behind his blast goggles and remained quiet. How very Billyboy-esque to jump to such a conclusion, and even moreso to speak it aloud so freely. The comment would normally bother the man on principle, but once again, he didnt care. What did it matter if he was insulted one more time? The accusation was false either way, his lover was a beauty to behold, and Midas wasnt even in his thirties yet.
After being offered a drink by Essex, the doctor gave her a shadow of a sneer and waved her away. Shed caused him enough trouble already, and he didnt plan to eat or drink anything offered. He wasnt even sure why he was foolish enough to come to the meeting in person. He had replicas at the ready that he could easily control.
As Dr. West began, he supposed he didnt really care.
He watched with extreme interest. These men seemed to develop power beyond even his cybernetically enhanced henchmen, the Nephilim, and from what he could see there was no major surgery of any kind required, just a pat on the head. The Councils super soldiers, which were constantly thwarted, took months to develop their enhanced strength and senses, and they werent nearly as formidable.
He could see why they were called here, despite the protests of others that they could do the same. The change had occurred too rapidly for comfort, and they were too extreme. How could a body survive such abuse?
The extreme control bothered him as well. The man had seemed terrified at first, and then in seconds seemed entirely submissive. Controlling minds was bad enough, controlling the minds of men you convert into unbelievable super soldiers was something else entirely.
Dr. Phillis was more than surprised when the man who had insulted him before, Experiment, seemed to actually have something intelligent to say. He nodded, liking the line of thought, but definatley not taking it into serious account. Running on assumptions was foolhardy. It often had to be done, but he would much rather wait for more information before he tried to contribute. Especially since this seemed to get even more serious, from what the others were saying.
[ QUOTE ]
"I hate it when people play god," Solid muttered to himself as he rested one hand on Essex's head and gave the girl a comforting scratch.
[/ QUOTE ]
Midas couldnt help but look to the pair and snort. If the S-6 unit wasnt playing god, he was seriously unfamiliar with the term.
[ QUOTE ]
Jake would find very quickly that Arachnos lacked a good bit of information about Vern and M - namely, all of it. According to Recluse's records, the two might as well not have existed.
"Be careful what you pry into." the spindly mechanoid whispered as it stepped next to the youth for a moment, "If you already consider some here freaks, your mind may well warp if you delve too far."
[/ QUOTE ]
((>.> Does M have psychic abilities?))
Jake regarded M a bit coldly, no doubt with the same cockiness all teenagers have. "I'll take my chances. Believe it or not, I think my mind may be rather flexible by now."
[ QUOTE ]
"It appears," the inventor intoned, "that the people are being infected at the very least by that first individual and being placed into a form of mind control, as mentioned earlier, before being put through a cybernetic enhancement process. This process seems to be little more than a 'Chip', a device that here changes the normally automated controls of the body, such as breathing and heart rate, and converts it to other commands, such as adrenal output, acuity, and muscular development. Carefully regulated, such an individual could easily become exceptional at most feats, but it would burn out most living bodies... I've heard of similar experiments before, but mostly conducted on corpses and massively supplemented by cybernetic augmentation, and no, I don't mean Freaks or Vahz proteans. If this is an enhanced version of such research, I must say I'm growing quite distressed."
[/ QUOTE ]
Jake nodded in his direction and announced, "That about sums up what I've gathered from it. Anything else before we continue?"
Experiment shook his head toward Jake, "Nothing- I think Sheldon got the best idea of it- But, according to Dr. West, Vanessa still has some information."
Leaning forward, leaning his head on his right hand, Experiment's frown deepened. "What would this information be, madam?"
((I dunno...but the fact that he's been replying to what people have been thinking could be a clue. 
))
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
((Also, the whole 'Knowing my secret identity' thing... But, since Experiment's identity is pretty much common knowledge by now, due to the amount of times people have called him John around people he didn't know, he didn't even notice this time around. xD))
Essex looked surprised as the little bearcat cuddled at her arm, and shifted her attentions to it, holding it rather to comfort herself. "Hello, little fellow.." she cooed, scratching its ear. Still, she clung close to Solid...
West surveyed the group and nodded quickly, motioning for Vanessa to take the podium.
"Aye then." Vanessa barked out in a commanding tone. "Rotor, take th' footage t' 16:25:08 if ye please, lad."
With that, the footage rewound to a scene during the autopsy; the brain partitioned into parts.
"As ye can see." Nessie said, pointing up with a laser pointer at the partitions, "'E's got the brain divided into sections. Doc Igor, I'm well aware of yer expertise in the reanimative neurosurgery department. I'm sure ye can tell me what these partitions represent."
She gave a brief pause, but had no patience to wait and slammed her hand down on the podium.
"Through all our years o'research as a worldwide scientific community, traditional science 'as only been able to identify the purpose of 20% o' the 'uman brain. Through th' delving of Metahuman Advanced Delegation, or MAD science, tha' number has increased to 45%."
Moving the laser pointer around several partitions, she frowned.
"Th' brain seems to be partitioned as such - separating th' parts whose function we know from th' parts we don't."
Sliding her glance to the gathered scientists, she folded her arms.
"It'd seem that these people, aye, jus' another supersoldier program, have found some way t'activate an' control those latent parts of the brain. Th' parts we dinna even understand yet."
Leaning forward, she regarded the group seriously. "An' that means we 'ave some bloody idiots out there, meddlin' in powerful neuroscience an' relying on cause and effect experiments instead o' careful research, who 'ave found ways to unlock the pontential of the brain's -entirety-. And they're nae scientists. And since they're nae scientists, then their discovery is nae going to be used for the betterment o' anything."
She pointed to the uniformed anonymous forces who seemed to be in charge.
"They'll be used for war."
Raising an eyebrow, Vanessa rested her hands on her hips. "An' as bloody fascinating as war would be, a world at war o' this magnitude, as it's shapin' up, lads, would be a world with 'eightened security and a world with a lot more paranoia -- an' considerin' the scope o' this discovery, many more difficulties for we scientists to get bloody anything done. Ye see what we're gettin' at, lads?"
"Additionally..." West piped up, speaking mostly to Vern, "It won't do to simply wipe all of them out. Having them chance upon this discovery means wiping them out would be wiping out this key to our own potential. I think what they have is of interest to all of us, for various reasons. And quite frankly, due to the mix of people here I feel perfectly comfortable having that secret outed before us all. We are all men and women of science. We have different goals and inspirations but we share a common patience and diligence when it comes to advancing knowledge."
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
((Think of it as a living teddy bear, Essex. A Gund Snuffles bear, to be exact. It has fur, teeth, claws, organs, a thick layer of fat (to absorb impact and insulate from cold, heat, and electrical bursts), and a set of six spikes that shoot from his back when he's in danger or angry. Right now, though, he's in "comfort mode."))
"Sounds like we need to get a hold of some Committee goons," Sheldon whispered to Ryat99, who was still rifling through the footage, "Dammit, I wish we brought Dale here. He's been dissecting Agent parts... He could probably have helped on this."
"Committee Agents are just like you mentioned, boss... Basically supercharged Protectors, minus cloning or biological reanimation. Now please, hush... I'm trying to disseminate this stuff further..."
And so he did. Second by second, frame by frame, he sifted through the clip. Some things he focused on, like the salute.
"Sheldon... If it were actual mind control, that wouldn't be a mock salute... The guy would execute a proper one, because the one controlling him would know what one looks like. This one seems... Either insulting, or he doesn't know what a proper salute looks like. The fact that the guy manipulating him like a puppet doesn't seem to care indicates he either isn't psychically linked to the guy, or he doesn't know what a salute is either... Military, actual trained military that is, can probably be ruled out right away... Individuals making their own army? Possible... I wish this clip had some stands or insignias... Of course, that would be the last thing these individuals would want right now... To be noticed."
He continued after a few seconds of more scanning.
"I think that part of the brain that was partitioned off was the sector dedicated to imagination. I think we'd need to find what's inside that module... Perhaps what we witnessed wasn't a psychic attack, but a troubleshooting exercise. All said, this warrants further investigation. This little bit of data is not nearly enough to begin to crack open the mystery at work here."
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
Igor sighed.
"I thtill maintain thith ith hardly an amazthing dithcovery. Reanimated corptheth altho uthe their entire brain capathity to functhion. Ifth you want, I havth a diagram in my bag fully detailing the human brain."
He paused.
"Although, I am thtill inclined to help now, becauthe it would be bad for buithness for anyone elthe to figure it all out." He added quickly. Which was only half true. Igor was also too subserviant to turn down any given task or job.
M and Vern let Igor's delusions fly by the wayside. So, this was what it was all about - stealing the research. No wonder Dr. West had called something so 'public'. Even considering the relative secrecy of it all, a disruption of these happenings by force now could draw a great deal of unwanted attention due to just the sheer scale under debate here.
"Smooth, Daniel." Vern remarked with a toothy smirk, "Very smooth. Alright, we're in. So about where are we talking? If it's close enough to the Trans-Siberian, we can probably just go by rail; nice and inconspicuous. If not, M can call us a ship anytime. That is, unless you haven't already arranged something...?"
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Experiment sighed, leaning back. "Damn- I was hoping this was alien mind control, would have been an easier job to just dissect parasitic aliens.
"It's pretty troubling, really, to watch these people mess with all of this without a clue as, most likely, to the true power of these 'Meat Puppets.' Hell, if even one of those guys got out, and managed to get somewhere populated, it would not only cause mass havoc, but an autopsy would pretty much publicize the reasoning behind that power," Leaning forward again, 2.0 sighed. "And most likely letting any villain that could be specializing in that area to have the key he needs to create a much more organized army of nigh unstoppable soldiers."
"Recording finished." beeped a voice on his wrist, which Experiment grunted to- His PDA had recorded the video for him to possibly review later.
Turning to Sheldon, Experiment replied to his theory, "It COULD be that he doesn't know a true military salute... Or he's used to these guys not knowing how. Do we know exactly how long this has been going on? Hundreds of mind-slaves could have gone through this process by now." Nodding, affirming himself of his decision, 2.0 continued. "You know I'm gonna help as much as I can- And I will ask the same thing Vern asked..."
With that, the old grin spread across his face. "What's our ride, Doc?"
"This isn't my area of expertise," Jake stated, leaning forward in his chair and getting a rather serious look on his face, "but I think I'm with the 'Not enough info' crowd."
He leaned back now, nearly falling out of his chair due to forgetting that the back of said chair was now in front of him. He quickly caught his balance again, though, coughing into his hand and blushing slightly.
"Ahem, anyway..." He said, leaning back as far as he could. "I don't think conclusions are even necessary right now. In fact, I think that's just the thing we're going to go find out."
Jake chuckled and looked to the good doctor. "So, like my colleague just so bluntly inquired, where's our ride?"
Klaus nodded and concurred with much of what the party was saying, trying to sound respectful and polite. He paid close attention to what Igor said.
"Igor...couldn't you just tell us vat those sections of the brain are instead of telling us all of it. It's not like studying zeze supersoldiers isn't going to tell us the same thing." Klaus turned in his seat, directing his icey stare to the other man.
Dr. Philliss brow furrowed. He didnt like the theories coming at him. Or the people who were giving them, for the most part. Igor seemed delusional and entirely mad, he immediately checked him off as someone to never take seriously. Despite Experiments earlier rudeness and idiotic childish comments, he seemed to be fairly logical. His input seemed valid enough. The boy, Jake, caught his attention more than the others, however. He was definitely immature, but he was smart as well, along the same brainwave as Midas. He was glad to have someone who wasnt acting like they already knew what was going on.
One trait he disliked about them all, however, was their eagerness to run into the total unknown dangers of these adversaries.
A bit hasty to call for a way there already, arent we? Dr. Phillis asked. Wherever there is. Whoever the enemy is, it seems safe to say that theyll have a number of these enhanced soldiers at their control, and without knowledge of even who it is were after, it seems more than a bit idiotic to run in with guns blazing, even if we are all ranked in the high threat levels. Remember, science requires patience to achieve maximum results, and as a congregation of scientists, we would do well to remember this. Furthermore, even if we work for the same goal, how can we work at the highest efficiency, which will more than likely be required, without being able to trust one another on some level. Having a group of mixed villains and heroes, most of whom have never met and are disgusted by one another, running in to somehow work together and defeat an entirely unknown enemy seems an unsafe plan at best.
He rubbed his forehead as he continued. Many of you may be sure of your ability to defeat these soldiers, but have you considered the power of the man behind the soldiers? If there is a metahuman with enough power to change these men beyond the levels of most supers, how are we to say that they cannot affect us as well? There seems to be a level of mind control going on here. The mock salute that you speak of, have you thought that perhaps the reason it seemed fake was because the man was saluting himself and swimming in self-satisfaction? What if these soldiers operate on a hive mind controlled by the mastermind behind this? The casualness behind it would seem insulting if the man was supposed to be obeying orders. Or perhaps some kind of possession occurred, such as with the Circle spirits, and he became an entirely different person saying hello to an old friend? Maybe it seemed fake because this video is a fake? To limit our speculations on this matter to simple underestimation is foolish when our world could possibly hang in the balance. Of course, thats ruling out that this isnt all a trick in the first place and we arent just meant to be taken as prisoners to work on improving these men. All of the greatest scientific minds are here, whos to say it isnt a setup? Though I wont make accusations, I simply implore that you all keep an open mind about this situation as a whole. We dont know whats going on and anyone who says they do is beyond arrogant. We are not ready to charge into the unknown.
He folded his arms, unhappy that he felt the need to stay here.
"Oh, but you misunderstand." M replied to Dr. Phillis' list of troubles, "I don't think that any...um, nevermind...well, Vern and I certainly weren't suggesting a headlong frontal charge. We share your concerns in a number of points, which is precisely the reson we should move quickly - to gather intelligence."
"Indeed." the Krayten added, "Since we don't know how time might play into all this, gathering as much information as we can in as little time as possible is the most sensible first step. And where is the best spot to do that? Before place, of course."
"I suppose I could always take a look from orbit first." the spindly mechanoid tacked on with a shrug, "But I doubt there would be much difference between that and a few kilometers' distance..."
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
"I agree whole-heartedly with Vern and the stick figure, Doctor," Experiment chimed in, "I don't mean that I'm ready to simply run and gun my way in- That would be suicide, even if we had tanks, jets and the U.S. army. We don't know the full extent of these peoples' powers, as you said.
"I'd simply prefer," he continued, "That we are closer to the enemy should anything change. I don't want us to make a plan here, get new info, make a new plan, get MORE info- I'd rather make a plan while out there, tweaking elements as we observe, than waste perhaps time that could be spent scoping out our enemy."
2.0 leaned back in his chair, sighing. "Although, I will agree, there is a difference between the labeled 'heroes and villains' here, especially our intents with this. I'd PREFER a whole group of heroes- All intent on aiding the greater good, possibly even sacrificing their lives to save innocent citizens." Shaking his head, Experiment sighed again, "But I realize that we're not perfect, us heroes- We would sacrifice our lives if we thought it worth it without a second thought usually, and that is our downfall. Those considered 'villains' are able to take a step back, in my mind, and those with pure intentions seem to be able to identify when it would be worth living, even at the risk of innocent life.
"Heroes are known for their willingness to die for citizens, while villains are known for their willingness to live over citizens, but I believe it is simply a case of different ways of thinking. Personally, if I had found this out myself, I'd probably be captured right now, because I'm the 'run in for the WORLD!' kind of guy." Grinning, 2.0 continued, "And I'll bet that half the people here would be saying 'Damn, if I had found this first, I could rule the world' if it weren't for our discussing this through. I don't feel like running in, but I DO want to be close, in case we HAVE to run in to stop something, as we commonly do."
Igor waved Klaus off.
"Ifth thith ith in Therbia, my couthin Igor might be able to help uth. The moved there two yearth ago. It wouldn't be too hard to contact her and havth a few ofth her Flieth do thome thurveillanth work. It would take a few dayth to relay actual imageth though."
"Dieing to let one person live? Man I really hate heros. I'm a villain. I do many unethical things for money or different odds and ends of tech. But by me surviving more people than just that one would have a chance to live." Build said to Experiment.
"And if you're thinking 'Villains don't save people!' your right. I save worlds," Build cracked a smile with that last statement. He spit his dip into his bottle and tossed it at the garbage can.
I do not know my reasons for posting, but post I must. ~~Build
"We can't stop here, this is bat country."
--Johnny Depp
"I ain't bi-curious, I'm a man. Why do you think I'm wearing this tight spandex and got all these muscles?" Meatwad
Jake had opened his mouth to respond to Phillis's list of concerns but was cut off shortly before being able to get his point across.
[ QUOTE ]
"Oh, but you misunderstand." M replied to Dr. Phillis' list of troubles, "I don't think that any...um, nevermind...well, Vern and I certainly weren't suggesting a headlong frontal charge. We share your concerns in a number of points, which is precisely the reson we should move quickly - to gather intelligence."
"Indeed." the Krayten added, "Since we don't know how time might play into all this, gathering as much information as we can in as little time as possible is the most sensible first step. And where is the best spot to do that? Before place, of course."
[/ QUOTE ]
"Alright then..." He muttered. Clearing his throat, Jake rose his voice to speaking level. "That about sums up my response." He simply stated.
[ QUOTE ]
"I suppose I could always take a look from orbit first." the spindly mechanoid tacked on with a shrug, "But I doubt there would be much difference between that and a few kilometers' distance..."
[/ QUOTE ]
"Any intelligence before-hand would be a good thing, in my humble opinion." He said, looking at the spindly mechanoid. "While we may not be going in guns a-blazing, there's still a certain degree of risk going into a potentially hostile territory unarmed." He tapped his temple as he said this last word, emphasizing that he was implying intelligence as a weapon.
Build coughed and held up his hand, "I'm guessing we aren't supposed to know about this. Thanks alot doc who ever is runnin that freakshow is gonna be real interested in others finding out about their project."
He shifted his weight nervously in his seat, "So how long before mister 'plays with brains' figures out others know about it? After all nothing stays secret in this place."
I do not know my reasons for posting, but post I must. ~~Build
"We can't stop here, this is bat country."
--Johnny Depp
"I ain't bi-curious, I'm a man. Why do you think I'm wearing this tight spandex and got all these muscles?" Meatwad