"I was hoping for some assistance in making some purchases." You explain to the woman. "Louise tells me she has found a source for many of the bulk materials we require, however there are several that I am told would be much more difficult to obtain; Enriched uranium and lithium mainly."
You can't see her face, but the slight recoiling of her posture is evidence enough of her alarm as she asks, "What do you need uranium for?!"
"Energy. While I am unsure of the specifics, it is apparently an important component in power generators."
"You're making a nuclear generator? Why would you think I can help with that? I run a nightclub and do the occasional job for wealthy clients. Even if I knew where to look for buying uranium, the PRT would find out and assume I was building a bomb!"
Surely it wasn't as bad as she was making it out to be. Any high energy power source could be used as a crude explosive, that didn't mean every soul gem or sigil stone was always going to be used as such. You haven't had much exposure to them yet, but the local PRT at least seemed reasonable enough not to make that kind of leap in logic.
Just to be sure, you feel it necessary to ask, "So that would be a no?"
"I don't want my crew to get thrown in the birdcage, so yes, that's a no." Faultline replies, perhaps a little harshly for such an innocent question. Drumming her fingers on the desk, she asks, "Was there anything less insane I could help you with?"
"Can you gather the majority of scientific documents and research papers on the subject of parahuman powers? Our organization's scientists are interested in the subject and would be quite pleased to have something to compare their findings with." As the words leave your mouth, an idea hits you. "On a similar note, would your subordinates be willing to assist in the study? If the spell that I taught Louise has such a drastic effect, there is a chance that we can devise a permanent solution to their problem whilst also gaining valuable insight on the cause."
"I... One moment please." The woman says slowly, pulling out her phone and tapping rapidly. A few moments pass in silence, during which your apprentice begins searching through Faultline's books, before a soft trill sounds. "Newter says yes, but both Gregor and I have some concerns. What exactly would they be required to do?"
It is a valid question, one you aren't entirely sure of the answer to. Still, it is better to get their agreement now and then deal with the consequences after you get what you need from them. To that effect, you reply with an unconcerned smile, "Blood and tissue samples mostly, perhaps Doctor Vahlen will need to scan them with one of her devices."
"That doesn't sound too bad." She admits, thankfully ignorant of your apprentice's involuntary shudder outside her helmet's limited periphery.
You send a meaningful look at Louise while the woman relays the message, causing the pinkette to return it with a helpless one. You didn't think the gene-modding was so terrible as to create that reaction, but everyone in X-com that went through the process all act as if it was terribly traumatic for some reason.It seems you are the only one unaffected by Moira's attempts to intimidate others.
"Alright, they both agree. I don't like getting their hopes up like this... You realize how unlikely this is to work, right? People have been studying powers since the eighties and nobody's come close to a cure. Hell, even Panacea can only do a temporary fix."
Smirking as you wave for Louise to follow you toward the door, you remark, "Their failures are of no consequence, I am none of them. There is a small camp between the two nearest mountains to the North, have your people meet us there."
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"Why didn't you just call a cab or something?" Missy grouched as she pinched two distant rooftops together. Her power was always easier to use up above the streets, the lack of people giving her more freedom.
"A car would be too slow." Dennis, Clockblocker, was being annoying and impatient. "I'd have to wait for traffic and go through all the turns and junk. You're so much faster, it's not even funny."
It was sort of nice to be appreciated for her talents, but it still didn't help that he had called her away from one of the few Saturdays she had off with her friend instead of being stuck at home. Judy was the only one who even tried anymore after all the times Missy had to leave birthday parties or her parent's fighting ruined a sleepover. "Whatever, you owe me."
"I'll do whatever you want, promise." The agreed, which made her grin. That fool! It was monitor duty and being her personal snack vendor for a month. She could make him scrub her costume for her or do her math homework or even make him come all the way to her house to pick up her mom's stupid chihuahua's poop.
Closing the gap between two distant streets, skipping another entirely, her new servant interrupted her planning. "Can you stop cackling, it's giving me second thoughts about this."
Squinting through her visor at him, she smiled cheerfully, "Okay!"
"Crap, is it too late to just take the bus?"
"Yup! You're mine now." Missy told him ominously. Or it would have been ominous, if her voice would cooperate and stop sounding so childish.
"Aww... I know you like me, but I'm just too old for us to work." Dennis said sadly and put a hand over his heart.
Sighing, she tripped him. "Idiot, nobody likes you like that."
"Ouch. I was gonna say it's not you, it's me... but when you say things like that, I think it might actually be you. Besides, Sophia's coming around to my charms."
She couldn't help but snort, "Yeah sure, the bitch who got hospitalized by the cutesy new healer for bullying is such a catch. As if she'd even give you the time of day."
"Language!" He said in a terrible impression of Dean's voice. Dennis would never be as cool as Dean, which just made it sound even more like he was mocking her for her age as well as her crush. "Anyway, hot chicks are allowed to be bitchy."
"There's so many things wrong with that!" She groaned in annoyance.
Why did boys have to be so stupid? Even Dean was like that, as great as he was most of the time. Obviously Glory Girl was controlling his weak boy brain with her stupid boobs, there was no other reason why he would keep crawling back to her after every time they broke up over nothing. One day, Missy swore, she would be grown up and then she could save him from Vicky. If only puberty would hurry up!
Giving Dennis the silent treatment while she got lost in her own thoughts only worked for so long once they reached the mountains. She didn't actually know where they were going, so silence would just get them literally lost instead of just figuratively. Being the responsible one was a pain. "Which way?"
"Uh... North? The old guy said it was between the mountains."
"What old guy? You didn't even say what we're doing except that it's important." Missy complained, creating a path of warped space up to the peak of the mountain. Thankfully her power wasn't stopped by bugs or smaller plants or else they'd be wandering for hours.
Clockblocker slowly followed, his footsteps unsteady from what was the single longest step he'd ever taken with her. "The healer chick's grandpa, I think. He said he they could cure my dad if I gave this note to someone out here."
"And you just believed him?! I knew you were dumb, but really? You're the reason I had to sit through those pointless stranger danger classes every year until middle school, aren't you?"
"Beggars can't be choosers." He shrugged. "I'd have come out here if it was Lung offering to help."
"Ugh, why couldn't you just ask Panacea? If this is a trap, I'm telling the directooo- wait a second, aren't you supposed to be working today?" Missy asked, glaring suspiciously at him, but the effect was ruined by her green visor and he just kept scanning the treetop.
"There, take us to that clearing." Dennis replied, pointing to a spot between the mountains just as a tree fell.
She didn't miss the fact that he avoided the question, but she did as he said. It was only right that they investigate. Stepping through the warped space to appear in front of a group of people in dark blue fatigues and torn up clothes, they were almost instantly held at gunpoint. Twenty people in total, they appeared to be clearing an area around the nearby log wall.
"State you name and purpose!" The sole gunman demanded while the others clutched their axes.
Diverting the space between his rifle and the two of them, Missy was about to ask if they had a permit for wood cutting, but like always, Dennis was the quickest at opening his mouth. "Hey guys, you wouldn't shoot a couple of defenseless kids, right?"
"Three seconds."
"Clockblocker and Vista, we're here to speak to a doctor!" The idiot squeaked, as if either of them had any reason to fear one man with anything less than a Tinker gun. "I've got a permission slip and everything."
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Having sent Trobror off on his hunt as soon as you arrived back at the outpost, the lizard man surprising you by taking a reluctant Hinata with him, you immediately set about working to improve the place.
The civilians that came through after you left with Louise had already begun to cut away some of the trees outside the walls. With a basic diagram for the desired buildings, Louise and Victoria's strength, and some magically crafted nails, the warehouse frames have begun to take shape. Transmuting Victoria's lava into iron and having some of the workers fashion the cooling metal into crude spikes has helped speed things along nicely. Once the third frame is assembled and the ceiling put in place, you can leave the walls to the others and begin creating a cargo rail for transporting large amounts of materials through the Oblivion Gate.
As you direct Louise on how to properly place the nails with her enhanced strength after she split one too many logs, a commotion pulls your attention to the gate... that had to be made by the workers, since your apprentice hadn't even considered leaving a gap in the walls when she made them. Despite the origin of the entryway, it served its purpose well and you spot a familiar figure being led through the open doors under armed guard.
"That's him!" Clockblocker declares, pointing an accusing finger in your direction.
Following his direction is a young child of slightly less than Louise's height. Her outfit is an armored dress of green and white with an emerald pane of opaque glass over her upper face and a molded chest piece designed to inexplicably resemble something that would fit on a grown woman's bust. From what you can see of her face, she looks less than impressed until her eyes land on Victoria.
"Holy crap!"
Status: Healthy
Magicka: (575/650)
Choose 1:
[] Continue working and-
-[] Send him through the gate.
-[] Refuse to acknowledge having met him before.
[] Escort the pair through the gate, they'll need a guide and you may as well introduce them to Moira while you have the chance.
[] Send somebody to fetch the ingredients for a Cure Disease potion and have Louise brew it during her break.
[] Write in.
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A/N: Transmute costs 100 per cast, you used it thrice to make the iron.
