”As good as I could,” she replies before Gallowglass walks in. At her suggestion, Kayla shakes her head vigorously. ”No. Absolutely not! It’s too dangerous. If you got found out...”
Ultimately, she knew it was going to be up to her, so she decided to try and take her mind off it. She grabs another bit of egg and tossed it to Gallowglass. ”Here. Let’s see what you got!” she says as she leans her head back and opens her mouth.
Gallowglass winks, "Oh come on, make it a challenge at least"
With that, she turns her back to Praetoria, attempting to throw the bit of food backward over her shoulder and into her friend's mouth.
"How's that?"
Without even moving her head, the bit of egg falls flawlessly in her mouth. She giggles as she chews on it, clapping her hands at her friends skill. ”That is so awesome. If we go to college together, I call you as my partner in Beer Pong!” she says with a laugh.
The morning progresses as everyone enjoys the breakfast that Shin has cooked, and conversations run from recent events to future plans. The morning meal is winding down when a buzzer sounds alerting the group that someone has activated the hidden lift that allows someone access to the underground lair.
When the door opens, Silver Shield steps out. Her high-tech suit of armor is polished to a radiant sheen, and her namesake -- the shield with a myriad of functions and uses -- is on her back. She pulls off her helmet and gives her graying hair a toss.
"Good you're all awake. I was afraid you would have some bad habits, such as sleeping in late." She does a quick headcount, noticing you're one short. "We'll have to get Mosaic caught up later, if she's still planning on being part of the team? Since I see you all here, that is what you're planning to do? Be a team?"
Without waiting for an answer, Ms. Quinn strides confidently into the rec area from the kitchen/dining area. Then she moves with purpose to the wing where the bedrooms and bathrooms are located. After giving them a once-over, she returns to the main meeting room.
She squares to face all of the young heroes. "This used to be the secret headquarters of the First Watch. I pulled it out of mothballs for the use of Frostbite and Scorch, but left a couple wings shut down, since I didn't see them needing it. But if you're going to be legit, I might as well activate the rest of the base."
She looks up above your heads and says in a clear voice, "Blockbuster, acknowledge: Silver Shield."
A low thrum can be heard/felt through the complex. An emotionless, artificial voice answers. "Welcome, Silver Shield. It is good to see you again."
Ms. Quinn smiles. "Good to hear your voice, too. Activate console. Prepare for new users. Oh, and prep the med bay and chem lab. Open the Proving Grounds, and bring the 'bots online."
A pair of blank walls suddenly shift and slide down, exposing a much larger portion of the complex. A bank of computers, keyboards and screens flickers and comes to life. Two additional rooms light up, one revealing several cots and a variety of diagnostic equipment, while the other has a number of high-tech instruments, centrifuges, and spectrometers. Lastly, a much larger room than the small area where Praetoria conducted her morning exercises lights up, showing several heavy-duty weights, an aerial obstacle course and practice dummies.
A panel slides open in a distant wall and a simple robot clomps out and moves to stand next to Silver Shield. She tilts her head as she looks at it, and winces. "Okay, so the equipment is maybe a few years out of date, but we can get that fixed. Or your alien buddy can do some tinkering, if he's that sort." She gives Isaiah a glance.
Ms. Quinn moves to the bank of computers. "Let's get you all logged into the system quick. And I know you'll want to play with the new stuff -- well, new to you -- but there's important business to discuss."
Albert gives you a sympathetic look, but doesn't answer. He moves over to a tablet and taps it a couple times, then sets the screen in front of you.
Your publicist is on the other line, fuming. "What are you doing approving interviews without going through me? Do you realize what appearing on Darcy's stupid feminist-theory series is going to do to your image? You don't need to be challenging the status quo! You need to keep that girl-next-door image up! You don't need to be another Mysteri! That won't play well in the Heartland or the South! You need to keep smiling, and do your thing. I'll decide when you do your interviews."
Shin looks at the unfolding and reactivating secret bases' functions with all the appeal of a kid at his birthday party, eyes widening as he took in all of the new things, including things straight out of an Asimov novel - he knew that Isaiah was technically an AI as well, but an earth based one was just amazing to him all the same.
"Holy heck, you have a real laboratory here!?" He speaks as he steps inside of it, already looking over things with scientific glee. Isaiah isn't the only science guy on the team, though most of what he knows was probably outdated by a few decades.
Still excited, he's the first to line up for the system scan, giving Silver Shield a sheepish smile. That grin falters slightly when he notices an old scar on the side of her neck, one that looked like something melted her skin.
"So, uh, I know we haven't talked before, not much, but have you fought him? Me, I mean, not me 'me', but the me that everyone knows?" He asks her. "Do you think that...I don't know, maybe there's still good in him?"
Ugh. Bots. Probably too simple for any kind of mind-work.
"Mosaic will be back. She's just busy this morning." Kylie's eyes narrow slightly in annoyance, "It's not like there's some 'scheduled practice' she's missing. She's just not here for breakfast.
"Do you want me to call her?"
As Silver Shield enters, Kayla suddenly wishes she had taken the time to get her shower and changed into regular clothes, or even her costume.
Mattie and Rory should have told us she was coming!
When it was appropriate, she steps forward and reaches to shake her hand. ”Ms. Shield, a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kayla Taylor, or Praetoria. Whichever you prefer. Thank you so much for letting us join Rory and Mattie here.”
When her turn comes to get registered to the system, she goes through the process, then turns back to Silver Shield, ”So will we all have full access to Blockbuster’s facilities now? And exactly what is it capable of? And...it may be silly, but what about expanding the shower to a full fledged locker room? Because this one at a time thing is taking forever and someone always uses all the hot water...” she adds with a joking smile to Mattie.
Rory walks in sweatpants, a tank top, and running shoes, still glistening from his morning run. Good morning, or should I say what's up dog? He sticks his head in the fridge and pulls out a jug of orange and three eggs, then pulls a shaker bottle from a drawer and combines the raw eggs and OJ. So what's the plan?
As the Silver Shield enters, Mattie stands, embarrassed at being caught still in her night clothes rather than being ready for her morning training session. As the Shield enters and begins talking without bawling her out, however, she relaxes a little. As the others prepare to get logged into the system, she darts off, returning later showered and dressed.
” I’ll admit I did use all the hot water again.” she says with a glance at Kayla But I think I’ve heated it back up again. Careful though. I might have made it a little warmer than usual.”
Isaiah, who had skipped breakfast in favor of finishing refueling Inquiry (though come to think of it, was that actually a kind of breakfast itself?), observed the new developments.
"I could tell there was more to this place than what we were seeing to start. And I might do some tinkering, if that's you giving permission, but it sounds like you've got something more pressing to drop on us first."
Silver Shield doesn't seem put off by the various states of dress, and waits patiently while various team members rush off for showers and a change. She shrugs at Psyche's offer to call Mosaic.
While putting Horizon into the system, Silver Shield frowns at his question. Her face looks haunted for a moment, but then she meets his eyes. "You have good in you. That's all that really matters."
Once everyone's back, brings up an image on the computer monitor. It shows a wide, blocky building with a huge perimeter fence. However, a section of the fence is down and a gaping hole is in one side of the building. "That's Meta Confinement Facility 22-F, commonly called the 'Zoo' because it housed some of the more... mutated variety of super beings. Yesterday, members of the Chosen hit the facility and managed to free the mutated beings known as the Mongrels.
"The two groups have never worked together before, so we're not sure what this means. I don't know if the Chosen feel that they can get the Mongrels on their side, or if they're just planning on using them for muscle, or for a distraction for something else."
She taps a few buttons, and images of a series of human-animal hybrids appear on the screen. Many are quite grotesque. "Chiros is their leader, and fairly smart for a bat... person. Warthog is their brute. Don't let Terrier's name fool you, she's a scrapper, and fast. Harpy is pretty much what you'd expect. And Vespid gives me the creeps." The final image is a humanoid wasp, almost more insect than woman.
"It's typical for teams to share information like this and to stay on top of developing situations. Because of the possibility that releasing the Mongrels is a diversion for something else that the Chosen have in mind, the Alliance has decided to put you in charge of engaging the Mongrels when they re-appear. Given your performance against the Crab, they feel you're able to take them on. This will free the Alliance to remain alert for whatever the Chosen has in store."
Horizon is relieved to hear that the veteran hero hasn't written him off as a lost cause, smiling to himself as he crosses his arms and goes to change into a fresh costume. When he comes out, he watches the presentation about the Mongrels with concern, feeling a bit icky as he stares at the mutated manbeasts. "It's like the Island of Doctor Moreau in villain form," He comments on them.
"Do the Mongrels have ties to any other organized groups, like the Duskguard?" He asks, considering the group and wondering how best they'd work together to take out these villains. Praetoria for Warthog, the twins on Vespid, Psyche and Isaiah for Harpy, Gallowglass and her dog for Terrier, and he and Mosaic could probably contain Chiros.
"Also, uh...I don't know anything about the Chosen, so could you tell us about their methods and operations?"
Psyche doesn't bother to transmute her costume - it really is for public appearances, but something about Silver Shield's mission concerns her. "Do they have any powers aside from the expected bestial physicality?"
"I'm... touched by the Alliance's trust, but aren't the Mongrels pretty outgunned?"
Ms. Quinn's mouth twists in response to Psyche's question. "You say that like that's a bad thing? Plan to focus on mitigating damage and protecting civilians when you engage. You outnumber them, and have more raw power, but that doesn't mean they should be underestimated. They're not just beasts -- Harpy has a sonic attack, Chiros has unerring sonar, and Vespid has some sort of unconventional psychic abilities."
She shakes her head at Horizon's first question. "No, they're generally antisocial, and don't play well with others. Which makes this so puzzling. Shin, the Chosen are fanatics, who think that those with powers should rule over normal humans. They're dangerous, which is why the Alliance will be dealing with them."
Mattie cocks get head as the situation is outlined, waiting until Psyche’s and Horizon’s questions are answered. When the Mongrels have acted together before, what kind of thing have they done? What are their targets and aims? If we know that we might be able to find them before they’re able to do too much damage”
Kayla listens carefully to everything Silver Shield tells them. She had heard of the Mongrels before, but never expected to be fighting them. Given her recent mind control experience, Vespid in particular was making her nervous. But she couldn’t help but wonder what the true motivation was to assign them to deal with the Mongrels...and was there a way she could use this as a chance to find more help in learning what happened to her parents?
__________
Holly hangs her head a little. Oh my god, I'm so sorry. we had just had our second victory as a team, I was a little too excited, I didn't think. what excuse should I make? She asks
afterwards, should I go see of the team needs me, or is there some publicity I should be getting
Silver Shield smiles at Mattie. "Good. That's where you want to start. But I'm not going to just stand here and lecture you on all this -- the computer will let you access answers to all those questions and more. I'd like you to get used to doing your own legwork."
She makes a pointed glance at Frostbite. "You can start by working out how you plan to search for them. Better to find them before they start rampaging."
Silver Shield seems to be making sure you are all prepared, and then stepping back and letting you handle things from there. She'll likely be watching close, grading and critiquing along the way.
Her job right now appears to be watching you, and she's not likely to drop it to run off chasing leads. The best way is to set her at ease so she won't feel like she has to watch you constantly.
You've met Silver Shield before, and she has always seemed to get along well with your parents -- especially your mom. If you do your mom proud, she'll be proud of you herself.
Seeing that you're not arguing, Ms. Lester calms down some. "I'll tell them you have an important meeting with your new team -- don't worry; I'll make it sound important -- so why don't you get yourself there asap. If you can give me some advance notice about your next battle, I'll try to get a better camera crew there so it won't all be jerky cell phone videos."
Nodding at Silver Shield, Kayla steps over to Isaiah and asks ”Well, do you think you can upgrade this stuff to modern...or better, level of technology so we can maximize its effectiveness? The better our ability to get intel, the better we will be able to neutralize our threats.”
"I'll get working on it. And putting it up front, I've got some regulations not to go too far; no spreading around technology the locals couldn't produce themselves. I can totally go up to stuff that would be considered top-of-the-line, though. Still, that'll take a lot of time, and we should get started now with what we already have. We should see what this computer has on them; what are their motivations, modus operandi, and so forth."
Isaiah examined the computer, estimating its capabilities and how to operate it, as well as checking if he could link up with it over the wireless.
Kayla nods. ”Okay. I don’t want you to get in trouble with your own people.”
Kayla then steps over and looks quizzically at the computer, and says ”Blockbuster, acknowledge: Praetoria,” before waiting for the response from the machine, or if it would.
The same mechanical voice responds to Kayla's voice. "Welcome, Praetoria. How can I assist you today?"
Isaiah quickly surmised that the computer is about as efficient and capable as today's highest-end computers that are readily available. Halcyon City has certainly seen its share of supercomputers in its day. Blockbuster still sits in the upper end of the spectrum, though modern military and superhero (and supervillain) computers are going to be much more capable. It shouldn't take tremendous effort to get it comparable to the best that's out there.
Kayla smiles. ”Can we get displays of reports on individual members of the Mongrels? Known strengths, weaknesses, associates, and typical criminal offenses?”
The computer whirs a moment as it processes the request. One screen displays numerous news articles while another side monitor starts showing snippets of video from previous sightings. The main monitor brings up booking-style photos of each member while listing various statistics.
"The Mongrels. Human-animal hybrids characterized by their dislike of their status as metahumans, and their animosity to baseline humanity. Current records indicate the five original members were humans subjected to experiments by now-defunct Unlimited, Ltd., a power-broker researching gene splicing in the late-1990s.
"Current roster is led by Chiros, human-bat hybrid with prehensile feet, membraneous wings, and adaptive sonar. Super-senses also highly probable. High intelligence scores and subsequent studies in genetics as he has made attempts to both cure himself and create more animal hybrids.
"Harpy: human-raptor hybrid with similar appearance to the mythological creature of the same name. Has flight, sharp talons, and vocal cords that can produce a variety of sonic effects.
"Warthog: human-warthog hybrid with prodigious strength and toughness. Sharp tusks and enhanced sense of smell.
"Terrier: human-canine hybrid with enhanced speed, strength, and fighting capabilities. Also has enhanced senses and tracking skills.
"Vespid: human-wasp hybrid with a poisonous sting and winged flight. Also possesses enhanced optics due to her segmented eyes, and other senses due to antennae. Also possesses a hypnotic mental power that can daze or dull other's senses."
The screen that was showing video clips starts showing other grotesque monstrosities. "The Mongrels first attempted to force the genetics staff at Unlimited, Ltd. to cure their state. They were opposed by an early team-up of the Praetorian and Ultra Star and defeated.
"They appeared a year later after escaping from the lab that was created to cure their afflictions. Their rampage was stopped by the Alliance.
"Their third appearance also coincided with a shift in their modus operandi, as they teamed up with Simon Wingfield, the Wyvern, in an attempt to create more animal hybrids with a variant of the Wyvern Serum. The Alliance prevented their plot to poison the water supply of Northside.
"The Mongrels were most recently apprehended when they tried to enlist the felinoids Calico and Greymalkin to their cause. The Praetorian and Ultra Star again defeated them."
Praetoria sits on the table top as the computer provides them the information she had requested. ”Sounds like we need to be looking into possible targets related to genetics research with animals. Also, I think we will need to subdue Vespid first. Then I will try and hold the rest of their attention while we eliminate opportune targets one at a time. My parents beating them twice will likely paint me as a huge target for them. They’ll want revenge. We can use that to our advantage, and I should be able to take anything they can try and dish out.”
She looks to the screen again. ”Blockbuster. What local facilities have been prioritizing research into genetics and gene splicing?”
Psyche had left the building.
She left a few tendrils behind to listen for any sudden excitement in her team, but beyond that, everything was focused on finding the Mongrels, no ears, no eyes, no body, just her mind combing the city.
She loved it.
Her mom had always insisted that she spend a lot of time on external things. Yoga and dieting to stay fit and pretty, fashion to blend in or steal the spotlight, pageants to stoke her competitive side for those pursuits, she'd never even given Kylie a hard time on the rare occasions she'd been interested in someone - frankly her mom had occasionally been too aggressive a matchmaker.
All of that felt like such a waste of time when she was free like this.
She couldn't do it all the time, sometimes the voice of the city was just too loud, but it was great to have the excuse.
Right, the Mongrels.
She hadn't planned on a telepathic sweep for them. She'd never met them, they weren't particularly likely to be thinking about her or some other plainly unique topic, she didn't have a location to start - none of it made for good conditions.
But if Vespid was some kind of psychic too, well, that opened up possibilities. Especially if her mind really was that alien.
"Guys, I think I have something..."
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The supercomputer spends a couple seconds searching, then several names pop up. Infini-corp Double Helix Research Arm; the Dawkins Genetics Research Facility; Halcyon Central Medical Institute; and the Halcyon University College of Medicine.
You stretch your powers out into the wide city, opening your senses to hear the constant sussurus of thoughts of the millions of humans populating Halcyon. Trying to pick out a single thought is like trying to find a particular drop of water in the ocean, but if it's alien enough, you might recognize it as it stands apart from the din.
After a few moments, you manage to pick out something different. Insect-like, a droning, buzzing hypnotic mind that you suspect might belong to Vespid. As you hone in, to see what you could learn from her thoughts, the buzzing intensifies, but is comforting. Inviting you to belong. ::Hello? Do you wish to join the hive? Yes, I hear you. Come, and listen:: It's like a chorus, singing in perfect harmony and you're invited to be a part of this perfect mind. It's beautiful, and you can belong. What's more, you can share this perfection w oth others. You have the power. You can broadcast this perfect, perfect song and soon that discordant cacophony of thoughts in the city will be unified and happy. One.
::You have power! Yes, come to me and share the hive with others! Yes! Together we'll--::
An overwhelming force grabs your mind like a tornado and pulls you out of the blissful droning haze, silencing the buzzing sound in an instant. Your mind is swept like a tidal wave back across the city and slammed hard back into your body. As you're reeling from the psychic attack and subsequent rescue, you see the scowling face of Gothic floating in your vision.
::Amateur:: She couldn't sound more disgusted in your head.
Kayla listens to the options and begins thinking aloud.
”I doubt Infini-Corp would go through the trouble of backing their break out to set themselves up as a target. But they may not even be involved. We could split up and recon all four, two of us at each place. A flier and a non-flier if possible.”
”Scorch and Frostbite at Infini-Corp. Myself and Gallowglass at Dawkins. Psyche and Horizon at the Medical Institute, and Isaiah and Mosaic at the School of Medicine with the Inquiry. Then if they show themselves we can radio out to the rest and we could rally up and take them down.”
”What do you guys think? That sound reasonable? We just have to agree to not engage unless absolutely necessary until the rest of the team arrives,” Kayla says, putting her hands on her hips, which would probably look a little more heroic had she had the time to change into her uniform yet. Instead she looks more the part of a bossy Zumba instructor.
When Psyche makes her claim of finding something, Kayla looks to her hopeful that splitting the team would be unnecessary.
"Man, what a drag. The Chosen sound like real bums. Thinking they're greater than others because of what they are, not who they are," Horizon comments, scowling at that. "Sounds like just another form of discrimination to me. I had enough of that from being nisei in my time," He adds as he steps next to Kayla.
"My current thought is that these goons just busted from the cooler, right? I don't think they'd want to draw attention to themselves right after getting free. They probably don't even know there's a new team of heroes or what our powers are, so we can use that. Kayla, you've got the right idea, but these aren't hideouts, they're targets. We bust them where they're hiding, we can control the fight."
Horizon's mind is honed and focused as he considers the angles. "Blockbuster, acknowledge: Horizon," He calls out, thinking of where to search. "Seems like last time they were active they'd given up the whole 'make more of us' and just tried recruitment instead. Hey Blockbuster, give us a list of new animal hybrid villains that have been active and at large since the Mongrels were last caught. Also give us a list of any recently vacated or out of business zoos, pet shops, aquariums, or similar themed places they might be hiding."
He shrugs at Praetoria while the computer runs through the tasks. "We shouldn't assume that the Mongrels will be alone either. Maybe one of these Chosen chumps is playing manager to keep them on task. You weren't wrong, just not working all the angles, doll."
"Wherever we end up scouting, I can definitely help with that. Inquiry has got an awfully good sensor suite, and I can fab up bugs and trackers easy if I know where to plant them. A few hidden cameras can do a way better job of staking a place out than a pair of more obvious watchers, and are tireless to boot."
"We also might want to discuss tactics for the fight. Sounds like Vespid is pretty dangerous, but don't underestimate the others; just because we've got the advantage in fighting power doesn't mean we can take them lightly. I may be the best at tackling Vespid when the fighing breaks out; I'm pretty sure I'm the most psy-resistant member of the team."
"What is it? Got a telepathic signal?"
Holly has Albert drive her to the headquarters, after breakfast and her meeting.
Morning guys... okay, we're in full on situation room mode... what's happened?
Kayla arched an eyebrow as Shin stepped up.
Wow. First bit of leadership I’ve really seen out him. He’s kinda cute when he isn’t all scared of becoming Dusk...
She’s so distracted in her thoughts and looking at the results of his own search that she doesn’t even hear Isaiah’s points. It’s only when Holly arrives that her focus returns.
”Mosaic! Hey! Silver Shield and the Alliance have a job for us to tend to!”
Leaning against the counter with his arms crossed in front of his chest nonplussed by the sudden appearance of his mentor. He had started his morning of so well and her presence was braught all his insecurities from the previous day rushing back. Sweet no reason this couldn't all have been set up for Mattie and I.
Kayla strikes a pose and that causes Rory to crack a smile. I have reservations about splitting up, I think cameras and sensors is probably the best way to go. Rory is straining to avoid eye contact with Ms. Quinn.
Mattie nods. ”I agree. We shouldn’t split up if we can help it - that risks them being able to takes us out two at a time.”
At Shin’s words she nods. ”Yeah, these are targets, but Aren’t we forgetting something? - The Chosen busted them out... maybe we should look at their goals too?” she turns to the computer and, leaning back in her chair addresses it. ”Acknowledge Scorch,... Ok ‘Buster,can you see if there’s any overlap between the Chosen’s and the Mongrels’ known goals? Do the chosen have a history with any of those genetics places?
"Welcome, Horizon," the mechanical voice responds to Shin's command. "Recently active animal-human hybrid villains: Salamander, member of the Chosen. Amphibian-human with fire generation powers. Smilodon: Genetic cross of human and sabre-toothed cat. Currently at large. Caiman: human-crocodile hybrid. Still in custody at the Zoo. Outlier case: Mourning Dove. Human revenent that can morph into a dove. Currently deceased, though that status does not preclude her from remaining active."
At Horizon's second request, Blockbuster takes a few seconds to process. "Halcyon City Zoo is currently in operation, though it has two sections currently closed and under renovation -- the gorilla enclosure and the Arctic Experience. The pet store Birds of the World on Claremont Drive in Old Town closed six months ago. There is a sixteen-acre wildlife refuge located twenty miles west of Rustside that is still in operation."
Scorch's questions get the computer working on other information. "Welcome, Scorch. The Chosen's stated goals and ambitions reflect the manifestos authored by Shard, the leader of the radical group. Their central belief is the right of leadership by those with abilities beyond baseline humans. While seemingly accepting of those metahumans who obtain their powers through accidents or self-achievement, they disdain power-broker types who bestow powers to others.
"In contrast, the Mongrels alternately seek to find a cure for their hybrid states, or desire to create more hybrids in a bid for normalization of their afflictions.
"The Chosen has attacked the Dawkins Genetics Research Facility in the past, causing significant damage and nearly killing Howard Dawkins, aka the 'Gene'ius. His life and the lives of his research staff were saved by Captain Stalwart and Whippoorwill."
We have our own little HAL 9000? Holly asks More to the point, Mongrel and chosen... definitely heard of the chosen, those extremist pro-mutant dudes. Have they done something again... something with animals?
”Well, that Dawkins place seems like it might be of interest to them both.... Maybe this has all got something to do with that? ‘Buster, Can you give us some info on Dawkins and his research? Focus on anything to do with cross-species genetics.
Isaiah decided to take a moment to fill Holly in.
"Yeah. They Chosen busted a group of animal-hybrid supers known as the Mongrels out of captivity. Apparently the Alliance is worried that this might be a distraction for something else, which is quite possibly true, so they don't want to devote all their resources to chasing them down. So we get that job instead; the Alliance is going to focus on keeping an eye out for the Chosen while we track down and apprehend the Mongrels before they can get up to too much mischief. And yes, this base is somewhat bigger than before; Silver Shield woke up some offline systems, including the supercomputer Blockbuster everyone is asking questions of. That cover everything?"
Psyche's been quiet for a while when suddenly her eyelids fly open, revealing only molten pools of power beneath as she rises towards the ceiling.
For a long moment she hangs there, but then, just a suddenly, she lands, barely keeping her balance with a telekinetic nudge.
"Couldn't find them. Vespid's mind. Strange." Enticing "Made contact, but-" **nnngh** "-Aspirin. First Aspirin."
Blockbuster responds after a few seconds of research. "Dr. Howard Dawkins is one of the world's foremost experts on the human genome and the 'meta gene' -- the genetic material that is responsible for the abilities of the super powered. Most of his current research is classified under concerns for national and world security. His research facility is funded by various public and private grants. His early published research does include findings regarding the splicing of the human genome with foreign DNA as well as the discovery of the mutagenic compound called Teratogen. After various incidents involving extrapolations of his research resulted in the creation of numerous monstrosities, Dr. Dawkins' subsequent publications has been severely constrained."
Too much of your contact involved you joining in her instinctive drive to expand the hive, so that's always something that she apparently intends to do. But beyond that, you got the sense that there was something else that she didn't necessarily want to do, but had agreed to do. Something that involved sacrificing part of her hive.
While the rest of the team gathered more information, Kayla made a quick jaunt over to the room she had slept in to get her actual uniform. She slathered a bit of deodorant and considered changing, but her workout earlier was less physically strenuous and more a relaxing one, at least for someone of her abilities. She hadn’t even broken a sweat. Plus the work out gear would provide her some extra support should a fight actually break out.
She came back to the room where the others were collecting data as quickly as she could. Once back she began slipping into her one piece suit, reaching behind her to pull the cord attached to the zipper and tuck it into the back of her collar before letting her hair down and finally looking the part of Praetoria.
”So, it sounds like most arrows are pointing towards Dawkins Genetic Research. I still think actual physical recon would be more reliable than remote observation though. Cameras and sensors can only detect so much.”
Seeing Psyche’s strained reaction to whatever contact with Vespid made Kayla’s stomach twist with anxiety. ”I guess that reinforces my point. If Vespid can do that to Psyche...we definitely need to prioritize her as our primary target.”
hmmm,... ok. How many of The Mongrels are known to have been the result of his research? How did that ‘Salamander’ person get their powers?
At Praetoria’s words she nods. ”Yeah, maybe we should check this place out.”
Blockbuster acknowledges Mattie's question with a whir and a few trillion computations. "The creation of the Mongrels is presumed to be made possible due to Dawkins' research via Unlimited, Ltd.'s exploration of his early published findings. Salamander's origins are unknown."
Mattie turns to the others ”Ok,... so it looks like Dawkins Genetics is the most likely target... What’s the best way of checking the place out? A couple of us might be able to sneak in as civilians or something. Do they do tours or anything we could use as an excuse? Or maybe we should just go with an old-school stakeout?”
”If we are watching his place alone, an old school stake out is best. But we leave he other locations vulnerable,” Kayla says, folding her arms and pondering the situation.
”We could remotely monitor the other places but focus on Dawkins? We’re pretty mobile with Isaiah along and those of us who can fly. We should keep monitoring the net for any mentions too. These guys stand out!”
"Okay, sorry. Didn't mean to worry any... Ugh.... Her mind is like a roach motel. I think I'll be able to keep her out of your heads, but going into hers was..." Nothing in Psyche's eyes change when she snaps back into focus, but there's a moment of pressure in everyone's mind, and her tone becomes much firmer.
"Okay, Dawkins, Salamander. I'm caught up."
"I'm fine," she whispers in Kayla's mind,"I was at full extension, and she got the drop on me. Won't happen again."
"It probably is a distraction. She was... not sad, she doesn't think like that, but... regretful. Regretful that she was going to be giving up part of her hive. It seemed like it was on someone else's behalf, probably the Chosen."
"We should probably assume a couple of things before facing them. First, they are more of them than we think," Horizon mulls over as he looks over the information. He's glad to be working on this problem, and not thinking of his personal dilemmas.
"Assume they'll try to bolster their ranks. Salamander might be with them keeping a tight leash to get them to do what the Chosen need from them. So, by that angle and if they want a cat member in their ranks, this Smilodon might be on their list. They're at large, and I can't think of any better hiding place than a wildlife refuge if they're the frontier type."
He frowns, tapping his chin. "I don't think you're wrong about them targeting Dawkins again, Mattie, but we should still find their hideout, not their target. If we set a trap and we're wrong, they'll cause a lot more damage than if we root them out at their base. We should run recon on the refuge first,"[/b] He says, before pausing and realizing something.
Why was he acting like he was in charge?
"...I mean, uh, that's my two cents on this. Maybe we can get a HAL 9000 to help Blockbuster run probabilities?"
Mattie turns to the others ”Ok,... so it looks like Dawkins Genetics is the most likely target... What’s the best way of checking the place out? A couple of us might be able to sneak in as civilians or something. Do they do tours or anything we could use as an excuse? Or maybe we should just go with an old-school stakeout?”
Whether these questions are rhetorical or not, Blockbuster answers. "Security to the Dawkins Facility is of the highest order. Civilians are not allowed, nor are tours conducted. Please define, 'old-school stakeout' for better probability analysis."
I mean, I'm new to this whole hero thing, but why not call them out. She says You know, one of you guys goes on tv and mouth off about how they're so small time they let the junior-alliance deal with it, and how they're such failures as villains, we aren't scared, not even excited, just bored. the we wait for them to come to us, to sooth their stung egos."
I mean, not that playing detective isn't a decent backup, but why not skip to the important part?