By the time you returned to the outpost, the sun had already begun it's descent and Alec had worn down your patience. The boy spent half the trip complaining about his treatment and the rest spouting nonsense about too much heat which was, quite frankly, ridiculous. The explosions didn't even create that much fire. Still, while you only needed to have Louise blow up three brightly flashing vehicles that got in the way, guiding the undead through the streets still took far too long for your liking.
After helping Moira's people finish moving all manner of computer and 'scanners' into the building, you join the woman herself as she observes the proceedings. As usual, Moira doesn't bother to look at you as she says, "I was beginning to think you weren't going to join us."
"Yes, well I was needed elsewhere. I trust the samples and research I have provided have been useful?"
"And you would be incorrect." She replies with a scoff. "Those cadavers are worthless in this line of research and not a shred of paper your contacts brought had any useful information. The poor excuse of a scientific community this world has have all but given up on asking why. Instead, they seem to have focused entirely on the sociopolitical repercussions of parahumans and accepted the illogical theory that powers come from what is essentially a brain tumor."
Pointing an accusing finger at Clockblocker, who is nursing a stamina potion next to Vista, she continues, "That child even had the temerity to laugh when asked whether or not any parahumans he knew of have the ability to read minds. 'The amount of energy and computational power needed to intercept and decipher the thoughts of another sapient being exceed the limits of the human brain' but stopping an object in time or acting as a living Alcubierre drive is perfectly reasonable. I have half a mind to petition the Commander to place a bounty on the fool who published that waste of ink."
"Disregarding the research then, what have you discovered?" You ask, hoping to distract her from the building rage.
"Other than that the new lobe serve no real purpose, not a lot." Vahlen sighs, flipping her datapad around to show a colorful image of a three dimensional brain. She circles her finger around an unusual structure in the organ. "The tissue of the 'Gemma', as it is called, is just a mass of neuron-less flesh and veins... though there was one interesting discovery. Once the subjects returned to this world, they experienced a brief loss of consciousness and a spike of adrenaline registering on our implanted probes. While that sounds like a minor stroke that many suffer from daily and would normally be no cause for concern after a brief checkup, the situation and it's coinciding with readings of some exotic energy in the lobe tell us otherwise. If we didn't already have our sensors adjusted to detect something similar from your portal, we honestly might not have noticed."
Absorbing her summary of their research so far you turn to watch Clockblocker freeze a block of wood in the air while frustrated scientist wave their devices at it and him. Vista seems to be doing much better than before, if lacking sleep, and is waiting for her turn. Off to the side of the room, you can see the orange teen shivering as two people in full body suits swab his skin and Gregor is being run through a tube-like machine. The last group in the room contains Alec and Louise, who are waiting impatiently near the door.
Status: Healthy
Magicka: (650/650)
Choose:
[] Have Alec explain his power before using it on Louise while you and Moira observe.
[] Wait for the clean-room to be finished and then ask for a volunteer. Be sure not to inform them that they're going to be vivisected, that would just cause unnecessary drama.
[] Kill Alec and reanimate him to see if you can control his power or understand more about it. The monstrous pair would be more convenient due to not being close to Louise's friend or part of a large organization, but their mutations might contaminate the experiment.
[] If they are creating a similar effect as your Oblivion Gate, perhaps you could increase the effect to something more easily studied.
-[] Clockblocker or Vista. 50/50 chance.
-[] Gregor or Newter. 50/50 chance.
-[] Alec.
[] Write in.
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A/N: 50/50 chance applies to the choice of test subject, not the chance for success.
