Gristlethorn has been working on connecting some grizzily communities together, mostly talking and hugging things out.
Zellgato would have frequented outskirts--having found the whole affair disconcerting as well as feeling about about Genius upon hearing about her more from Gristlethorn. Effectively he'd wonder about trying to be helpful for random communities--while also taking time to scan and document and start compiling his own data on his private phone. Mainly trying to guestimate how likely it is he meets a parasite type.
It gives him some nightmares and paranoia.
In so far as possible he would keep in contact with Gristlethorn (and offer his scanning services if his beary good cohort wanted to check out Grizzly communities)
Zellgato also would likely have told April to keep in touch.
April manages to get Gristlethorn and Zellgato on the line at the same time. "They want you back in. I guess you know things went to s&~@ pretty much everywhere in the camps around ARIZ-29. I doubt you know how badly. You're going to have to see it to believe it."
"I checked on that kid you asked me about. She's safe, or was last time my people saw her. Her mom, two dads, IX, and her were heading to the Witch Mountain colony. Lot of mutants and psychics living up there from what I hear."
April arranges for a shuttle to bring you back to the same location. They spare no expenses and send the fancy kind. The autopiloted shuttle that picks you up is empty and smells clean. The briefing materials are loaded in the onboard computer system and begin playing as you sit down.
There are two files on the system one marked Von Junzt and one marked McGregor.
The scene changes. Same Gaian, but in another room. He can't stop scratching around the bandage on his cheek. He's scratching around the bandages and down his neck furiously. Finally, he frantically tears off the bandage and rips the open the stitches underneath. Within a few moments, he has torn himself free of the skin that covered his face. The reptilian face beneath licks the air a bit, before the Gaian sheds the rest of his human exterior; what emerges is a lizard-like humanoid about 4 feet tall and thin.
The scene changes quickly through several short dated clips as the lizard-like creature regrows humanoid features, again copying those of the Gaian named McGregor. His skin is puffy and pale at first and things like the eyes grow last. It takes four days for the lizardlike creature to resemble a human again. The creature seems blind for the last day, sitting on its bed with brand new unopened eyes. They captured the moment that the eyes finally open.
The scene changes to an examination of the McGregor creature's human skin. The skin is stretched out on the operating table and pinned down. It's torn in parts, but they've pieced together the entire exterior. RAIN's doctor is saying, "It's all one sophisticated organ ... the eyes, skin, hair, all excreted from this gland here ..." The camera pans to another table on which lies the corpse of the reptilian creature that was the Gaian McGregor. The doctor, conducting an autopsy, is pointing to something inside reptilian.
The camera sweeps the room and you see that it was a doctor talking. You can hear Von Junzt answering questions as the doctor guides the camera towards an MRI display of Von Junzt's inner workings. He is no longer fully human. He is being transformed into something else, but they no longer seem completely separate.
Von Junzt, or whoever this really is now, is laughing, "We ... they ... are the unworthy, the [laughs] raktavarna, the lowest of masters who come to rule. We are sent forth to open the gates and prepare the way for those we serve."
The scene changes. You're looking at the MRI display again, but the transformation is even more advanced. The doctor is explaining to the cameraperson, or, perhaps the future viewer, "You can see the creature's brain here and VJ's brain is still almost entirely intact, while in the autopsy of McGregor, their was no sign of a human brain left at all. I expect it is the last thing the creature consumes of its host before completely replacing them. Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating."
The scene changes. The doctor is examining Von Junzt as Von Junzt talks. Von Junzt says, "Listen, I can read his thoughts more each day ... it's like he's born with these memories ... More seeing than reading ...". Von Junzt is strapped to the chair.
The doctor continues to poke and prod and rather casually says, "Clearly their mission is encoded into their DNA. If only we could read it, perhaps you could get some rest and we wouldn't need your help so badly. Here, take another one of the pink pills."
Von Junzt takes the pill.
The scene changes again. Same room, but maybe later. Von Junzt is shouting, "I know where we're going. I can see it now. I know what we are supposed to go. I have been prepared to serve. We are the raktavarna, first among those who serve; we come to prepare the way for those who will rule ..."
Von Junzt begins to lash at his restraints, babbling.
The doctor didn't expect Von Junzt to move so fast. He probably didn't expect that the flesh of Von Junzt's arm would tear so easily. The reptilian creature pulls its lizard arm free from the fleshy human-like outer covering. This frees that arm from the bonds that Von Junzt's to the chair. Reptilian talons tear strips from the doctors face. The doctor bleeds. The video cuts.
The chopper begins to descend in the parking lot of the same former big box store.
Zellgato issues his thanks to April's information.
"....Well....thats dreadful. I was hoping they would have tried to
remove it from him.... also thats real bad." Looking at his grizzly cohort, "I can't say I was expecting a call back, nor this... I'm glad I decided to spend my reward on an upgrade, and some of my time remembering my past...getting back some of what I used to be. I don't know what they're going to ask of us, but boy I don't think I have the weaponry to fight too many of something like that. I wonder if their full conversation shows up on my scanner or not. I'll need their data if we're going to end up working for them. So no one else we work with ends up like him."
Zellgato puts his hand over his head and leans back in the seat as the chopper descends, patting his new gear, but lamenting the relatively low amount of supplies he could gather in a short time.
Gristlethorn sighs.
"Not a surprise actually. They didn't exactly treat us well when we started out either. Still you'd hope wouldn't you?"
Three choppers descend on the tarmac of the former big box store, which the automatic pilot's voice tells you is Paul's Mattress Emporium. They probably haven't sold a mattress since 2033. Mr. New Washington is standing on the tarmac, ready to greet you, beside him is the doctor from the video.
Zellgato hops off, keeping his head low and out of the hazard zone, giving a nod to pressumably his re-employer. "Howdy. No Peggy this time?"
The small Human male who decended from the third chopper looked like something out of a hunting guidebook from a couple of centuries ago. He was of medium height and a slight build, but he moved with confidence and carried his pack well. A buttoned black case was attached to one side of the pack, and likely contained a weapon of some sort, as he did not appear to carry any others.
He had a several days old set of facial hair growth on his face, and his eyes seemed focused on the area around him; in fact, his head rarely stopped moving, like he was trying to see everything at once.
Arriving at Mr Washington, he asked "So, who's the target, and what did they do?"
Zellgato blinks at the new arrival-Something out of a vid panel book even. Perking at the statement of Target. Does he know something we don't or is he assuming we have a specific target.
"Peggy?" asks Mr. New Washington, momentarily confused. "Oh, yes, that was L337's alias for this last assignment. We gave him that assignment as a favor! Oh, well, L337 made a nasty mess at the end, trying to settle a personal vendetta against one of the Gaians. He's actually rather lucky that the person he killed was no longer human in any way or he would have been violating Law R-4."
"Very lucky!"
"Please, let us introduce you to the other member of your team, and then we can explain what we need."
The doctor and Mr. New Washington lead you into one of the buildings, presumably an old mattress warehouse. As with the previous building, they've taken a huge space and put sub-structures within it. In this case, there are two transparent chambers that look to be made of reinforced glass and steal. Air seems to be pumped in and filtered on the way out.
One contains Von Junzt and the other a reptilian creature. The raktavarna seems to be growing a translucent white film over its scales, including its eye-sockets. Von Junzt is watching you. The other creature has not seen you enter.
"Uh..Howdy buddy. See they didn't take it out of you.. How're you...two? or is it just one?"
While statin thag, Zellgato will take a moment to scan his former cohort, and if no one stops him, will do a rapid scan of the Doctor, New Washington, and the ferral looking human. "Hope you don't mind.. but I've been rather paranoid since the last mission."
"Hopefully this mission is more straight forward than the last. Some of us aren't really designed for subtly."
"Uh..Howdy buddy. See they didn't take it out of you.. How're you...two? or is it just one?"
While statin thag, Zellgato will take a moment to scan his former cohort, and if no one stops him, will do a rapid scan of the Doctor, New Washington, and the ferral looking human. "Hope you don't mind.. but I've been rather paranoid since the last mission."
Von Junzt is inside the quarantine box, on the other side of thick glass, but microphones carry voices in and out. "It's two. Not sure for how much longer though."
The scan of Von Junzt reveals very little human anatomy left. The doctor cheerfully points out the human brain, "Two brains ... see this ... right beside what is the vestige of our own reptilian brain, you see the creature's brain ... and, then, this part is patched into the nucleus accumbens, that is, the pleasure centers."
"I'm not going to be me much longer. I'm barely me most of the time now," says Von Junzt dreamily.
The doctor laughs at the idea of being scanned, but doesn't object.
Mr. New Washington puts his thumb over the BMI portion and says, "That's top secret."
"Hopefully this mission is more straight forward than the last. Some of us aren't really designed for subtly."
Mr. New Washington clears his throat, "I will let Mr. Von Junzt explain."
Von Junzt explains slowly, "I know what it wants, I know what it is, I know where it is going, and I know what it intends to do. I think. I get pictures in my head-"
"We believe that these are genetically encoded instructions that activate as the bonding process occurs," explains the doctor.
Von Junzt continues, "They are the raktavarna. We come to prepare the way for those who will rule. I don't really know what that means, but there's this place it wants to go in the mountains. I can see it."
"And, we would like you to take him there and find out what's so important about it," says Mr. New Washington. "Oh, don't worry! You'll have an expert wilderness guide with you!" He gestures to Fanger.
"Well.. Unexpected.. but first things first. Von Junzt. Any last wishes or regrets for after all this ends, that I can fulfil?" briefly turning to the Doctor and Mr NW. So... a place probably full of converted? I feel like I don't have enough supplies for that.. battiries, serums, preferably immune system boosters.. Ah, but never having supplies is kind of the normal these days." mentioning briefly before waiting for VJ or his new guide.
"Well.. Unexpected.. but first things first. Von Junzt. Any last wishes or regrets for after all this ends, that I can fulfil?"
"Make it quick and painless when the time comes," says Von Junzt with a tired dopey smile. "I may still be in there."
briefly turning to the Doctor and Mr NW. So... a place probably full of converted? I feel like I don't have enough supplies for that.. battiries, serums, preferably immune system boosters.. Ah, but never having supplies is kind of the normal these days." mentioning briefly before waiting for VJ or his new guide.
"Times are tough all over," says the doctor turning his back on his medical cabinet to show Mr. New Washington the other prisoner. "In about four days, it will have grown a new human exterior, but it is essentially blind until then."
Taking out a small syringe, fiddling with it briefly while replying to Von Junzt. " Painless I can certainly do." before injecting himself with the pressure syringe for emphesis.
Settling in to listen to the Doc talk, waiting for someone to engage more with their hosts, once an opening occurs Zellgato will try to pocket useful supplies he can, not rushing, waiting for moments where he's lovely distraction of a compatriot bear, or the creatures are gathering attention. He's done it before, its how he retired with his old equipment, and he's had practice over the last week trying to scan for invaders when he meets people.
[dice=Sleight of hand over the course of the Briefing, to get some "early payment" in supplies]1d20+9[/dice]+2Biohack +5 if armour's bonus applies (since I am hiding the items in my compartments)
That broke. so. +2 biohack. +5 if Armour works. +more if anyone happens to Aid Another via talkitive distraction.
"It feeds me dopamine unless it doesn't like what I'm up to. If it doesn't like what we're doing, I may go into withdrawal."
"I will certainly provide you with a sufficient supply of opiates to make the patient more comfortable during his last ... during his mission," says the doctor.
Von Junzt winces and then looks back at Gristlethorn, Fanger, and Zellgato, "I don't think they're from this Earth, or if they are, it was a long, long time ago. I see visions of a strange world of towering monuments."
"Ancestral memories. Fascinating, isn't it?" says the doctor to Zellgato and Gristlethorn. Apparently, he doesn't think Fanger looks intelligent enough to address about medicine.
"I see a tiger-headed god-man sitting on a throne."
"You can see why we find this somewhat concerning," says Mr. New Washington.
"Humm, so is a stealthy invasion, or are they building a beachhead?"
Gristlethorn sighs dramatically, trying to attract all eyes towards him. "So anyway, we're not exactly a high-firepower team. Not unless someone is carrying a ton of explosives that I can't see at least. You'll remember what our last in-and-out resulted in, so this time how about some damn evacuation plans!"
Mr. New Washington's already pink cheeks redden further. He looks embarrassed for a second and then says, "I think we can all agree that mistakes were made on the last adventure. From what Mr. Von Junzt has explained, he and his companion, were attacked by IX, one of our other new recruits. We hope such an incident won't occur again."
He looks at Fanger, for no other reason than that Fanger looks, to him, more likely to attack a member of his own party. He looks at Zellgato, who has enough time to pocket 3 vials of drugs, poisons, or medicinals of appropriate level and three others, which he will find later are marked TRANS1, TRANS2, and REGEN.
"We have not been able to locate Mr. IX, by the way."
That's not what April told you, but apparently she doesn't tell Mr. New Washington everything.
"As for an extraction plan, we will have a chopper ready to haul you out. We'll find a pilot and have them waiting. But, you will have to hike in. The mountainous region Mr. Von Junzt is drawn to is off-limits to drones."
Mr. New Washington shares a picture on one of the large screens. It's a sketch by an amateur artist, of a mountain range. "Mr. Von Junzt drew that. It's where he, well, they, want to go."
Gristlethorn recognizes the range before Mr. New Washington shares a second image, this one a photo.
"Mt. Moran. The peak is privately owned and off limits to fly overs."
Gristlethorn was standing on the side next mountain over in the "100 Acres" colony just last week. The bears even mentioned staying away from there, but didn't expand upon why. They clearly knew more than they were saying.
Von Junzt is silent but is staring at the image on the screen. Perhaps it isn't really Von Junzt doing the staring.
"Humm, so is a stealthy invasion, or are they building a beachhead?"
Gristlethorn sighs dramatically, trying to attract all eyes towards him. "So anyway, we're not exactly a high-firepower team. Not unless someone is carrying a ton of explosives that I can't see at least. You'll remember what our last in-and-out resulted in, so this time how about some damn evacuation plans!"
[dice=Bluff for a distraction]1d20+10
"We believe that they're doing both. We have shut down seven 'nests.' Unfortunately, the largest nest escaped capture in Las Vegas and has gone into hiding. Most of these creatures seem pre-programmed to conceal their true identities, cultivate future hosts, and perform the ritual necessary to summon more 'Raktavarna'. That's all this one was. Mr. Von Junzt, however, had a different mission."
"You are correct that there may be others like him out there. If you need to hire back-up, we can provide you with funds, but we have no other agents available right now."
Von Junzt speaks now, "We must open the door to the Keeper of the Keys, the Eater of Men, the lowest of the Masters."
He pauses and then says, "Or, that's what my little friend is telling me, anyway. hehe."
"I can't say I know anyone who'd want to join in on this, or at least I don't now of anywhere they might be. Though if you're offering might raid the local armory for some basic supply gears, as well as some portable nutrition."
Raising an eyebrow at the double speaking, "...is that a literal door? 3 titles for one? or one title and 3 of them?"
Gristlethorn laughs. "Well I know several people who would get in on this. The ones we can afford are too far away, and the ones that are close enough are too expensive.
"More realistically, well I might need to pick up some better mountain gear if we're planning on a hike. I'm more of a people bear, but I can rough it if I have to."
"Hope you don't mind.. but I've been rather paranoid since the last mission."
"I don't mind, as long as you ain't got any of them microwaves in that thing. Don't want the Cancer after all"
"So, what the heck is going on here? You said sum stuff bout aliens and invasions and whatnot, but what we talking about here? the Grays? somethin else?"
Whatever his thoughts about the looks the Mr. New Washington was giving him, Fanger didn't even seem phased.
He does take a look at the map and pictures and says "We'll need some climbing and cold weather gear at the very minimum. Any of you do any mountain climbing before?"
"I've done a HALO thruster jump before. I've done a march around hills. Both times I was supplied with gear for it. but no. I've never climbed a mountain that size before. I'll have to defer to you for that. "
Mr. New Washington sighs and pulls out a stack of the new currency. When he sees your disapproving faces, he sighs more loudly and pulls out some of the old currency. "Just write a list of what you need so I can use it as a receipt."
He then adds hopefully, "I'm sure you'll want to be packing light."
"Do you know if there's a road that heads to the top? I know some mountains with ski slopes and whatnot at the top and roads that lead to them."
"I don't mind, as long as you ain't got any of them microwaves in that thing. Don't want the Cancer after all"
"So, what the heck is going on here? You said sum stuff bout aliens and invasions and whatnot, but what we talking about here? the Grays? somethin else?"
Zellgato ignores the quib about 'The Cancer', but will give Fanger a brief overview of whats occured up till now . Zellgato does however, leave every mention of Genius, Peggy, April, Rena out of the story. Instead keeping it brief at "cult induced by infection/religion/happy brain humping parasite"-to quote Von Juntz, "alien body snatchers" "I'm paranoid and like to check people now" and "last time I didn't see anything like these creatures just the symbiotic earlier stages"
"I'm afraid in regards to pinpointing an exact location, Mr. Von Junzt has been less than helpful. He has provided us with sketches and believes he can guide you on a trail. For this reason, we need some agents to walk him in ... He personally asked for the two of you," explains Mr. New Washington.
"You kept your cool before, even after you knew something was inside me," interjects Von Junzt from his glass cell.
"We have identified the location of what Mr. Von Junzt believes is the starting point, and it is close enough to one of the old climbing routes, a moderately difficult climb according to the infosphere."
Mr. New Washington provides you with information and maps of the climb.
"Now, we have no current information on the mountain. Alistair Drench, the CawfeeTM billionaire, bought it in 2030 and hasn't been seen since. Some humans attempting to climb the mountain in the past 55 years have been attacked by drones. Mr. Gristlethorn, we are hoping you might find out whether any of your uplifted brethren have attempted to climb the mountain and find out what assistance they can provide if any. You can tell them the North American Regional Alliance will be grateful to them for any help."
Mr. New Washington doesn't explain why Alistair Drench went into hiding but anyone with any knowledge of popular culture knows it was, reportedly, because CawfeeTM was never an adequate substitute for coffee and people hated on him for his success with every cup they begrudgingly drank. He fled the haters.
"Well. That explains why its us really. But hey, Von Junzt is still a former partner. Sounds like we have a decent if vague outline of a plan then.
They load up a couple of slick new Apex Rangers for you with all the gear you have requested. They might as well have put the NARA logo on the side though. It's clearly someone with a budget is sponsoring you and that will be clear to anyone who sees these new, rugged, and expensive vehicles.
You have a long trip ahead of you.
"Try not to scratch them," says Mr. New Washington handing over the control fobs.
I'd say it went pretty well. I was attempting to negotiate some Bear-to-Bear trade routes.
100 Acres is well known for its alcohol and tree products, particularly Mead, but they have to trade for most of their honey, after they had a hive collapse and their older trade partner has suffered too many bandit raids to have an exportable excess.
"Does that line work on anyone?" Gristlethorn asks Mr. New Washington.
"Try not to scratch them," says Mr. New Washington handing over the control fobs."Does that line work on anyone?" Gristlethorn asks Mr. New Washington.
"Sadly, no, but I hope some day to meet agents who can return a vehicle undented and with a full fuel cell," says Mr. New Washington.
He's offering two vehicles for the trip there.
Are you going to 100 Acres first or straight to Mount Moran, a mountain peak which is haunting what's left of Von Junzt's psyche?
Witch Mountain, where IX headed off to, is further North.
"I wouldn't mind a quick stop by 100 Acres. I'd like to see if my last negotiation has kept and some more local info would always be useful."
"Detour it is. Let me know if you're running low on happy VJ"