"As much as I want to get down to the basement... I think you have a point, Truth. Before we go on, lets look around and see if we can't figure out what they were making here. Maybe we can figure out what they meant by 'wrong hands'."
And with that, your group splits to scour the few offices on the floor that hadn't been destroyed by whatever took off the top of the building. You yourself scour the initial room that you had started in: the computers were all reduced to little more than debris, and without knowing what the passwords were, you didn't think you'd be able to get into them anyway. So instead, you used the tip of the Panzer Blade to force your way into the locked filing cabinets, slicing away at the lock bars that kept the drawers from opening to get at the paperwork inside.
And what you find... is more than a little disturbing.
From the few papers you skim, you quickly learn that the research center you were in was definitely looking into super soldiers, but the track they had been using was the head researcher's interest in an old videogame/movie series known as DOOM. They had focused on improving the basic abilities of the average human like speed and reflexes, while looking for a way to greatly increase natural regenerative properties to allow scratches to heal nearly instantaneously, and fatal wounds to be reduced to minor inconveniences.
While promising, the small amount of work they had managed led to horrific results. The 'Murder Rats' as they were called were Phase 4 of the project, and apparently the first batch of test subjects that hadn't been reduced to little more than twitching balls of flesh and bone. Close to a hundred of the things had been 'made' each slightly less horrific then the last as they slowly tried to tweak the
virus they were using towards the results they wanted.
Phase 5 was a group of dogs that had also mutated in a horrific manner, showing that the 'SSV' changed depending on which species it was used on. Once this was revealed a pair of the researchers volunteered to test the modified virus on themselves as Phase 9.
On one, the virus worked as intended. The woman was three times stronger and faster than she had been before, while gaining the ability to regenerate from otherwise lethal wounds in seconds. The other test subject though wasn't so lucky. The man's body was twisted to such a degree that he wasn't even recognizable as human. While he somehow remained sane, the man had spent his recent days living in pain. The upside though was he was almost a hundred times stronger than a normal human and almost immune to physical damage. No decent change in physical speed though.
"Hey, Nepgear, you find anything?"
You start at James' voice. Turning around, you see him come through the door with a handful of papers. "I... think so. This stuff is sickening. Did you know two of the researchers volunteered to be experimented on? Why would they do that? Especially if they knew..." Knew that their chances of not being turned into horrific monsters was practically non-existent.
"Well... I can't really say. But I think I found the office of the female volunteer. She had a personal journal alongside her actual research notes. The power boost you gave us is great for breaking into filing cabinets by the way." You snort at that as he sits on the floor next to you, careful not to knock any of the small piles of paper surrounding you over. "I'm no phycologist, but I think she was suffering from depression. Probably hoped the thing they were working on would kill her or something. When it didn't and she survived, she started doing little 'experiments' on herself to see how far her regeneration went. Started with 'little' things like cutting her arteries, before she eventually moved up to mutilating large portions of her body when no one was keeping an eye on her."
You find yourself staring at him. Slightly horrified at what you were hearing. "Well... whatever started her on it, she eventually started getting off on the pain. Diary cuts out a few days ago so I'm not sure how far that progressed but... Chances are she's still alive at least. Along with the other guy." He frowns at the papers he's holding, as if he could figure out the secrets of the universe from them if he scowled hard enough.
You stand. "Well... we know that the 'serum' they were working on was based on some kind of virus. I can't find anything on possible transmission vectors... but I don't want to find out how bad things could get if it got out. So lets head to the basement and help White and the Maidens find it." James nods slowly, before standing to follow you as well.
Once back next to the stairs, Truth and the other two members of Team GEAR join the both of you. "This shit is sick. Who the hell makes something like this?" Truth is almost green from what she found, and you couldn't blame her. "If this thing is transmittable from something as simple as touch, or god forbid something worse like water or air, at least half the human population is going to get turned into monsters. We need to stop this..."
Before you can agree with Truth though, Michael breaks in, "I'm not sure about you guys, but something's still bugging me." Attention shifts. "From what I read... the scientists working this knew
exactly how dangerous these things were. And from some of the containment measures mentioned in the reports they definitely knew the dangers of letting it out. So... how the hell did the rats break free? I can't imagine the workers screwing up that badly: seriously, they had a physical reminder in one of their coworkers! So what went wrong here?" The question is a legitimate one. You were wondering at it yourself.
"The only thing I can think of... is someone let the rats out intentionally." Gabriel's voice cuts through the sudden silence like a knife. You turn towards the angel in surprise: her bubbly personality had been subdued the entire mission, not saying a word at all up until this point. Almost like she had taken on an entirely different personality than the one you knew. "But with how weak they are individually, the only reason I can think of for them to do that... is a distraction." She refocuses her gaze on the rest of you. "Meaning that someone who shouldn't be here, is, and is probably after the 'virus' so they can use it's current format as some kind of weapon."
"Then we better get moving. Shouldn't we?" Even you can hear the determination in your voice. The five of you hurry your way down the stairwell, with you in front, followed by Gabriel and Truth, with the rest of GEAR taking up the back.
The first floor is even more of a wreck then it had been when the whole fiasco started, the massive hole the Scorpion had punched downwards towards the basement was wider than you remember it being. More dead rats, and even a few of the mutated dogs mentioned in the reports were scattered around the edges of the hole.
The tunnel the Scorpion had burrowed was filled with even more dead creatures of various type. Right at the end of the makeshift tunnel you find the scorpion itself, it's pincer sliced off, and it's stinger frozen to the wall in what looks to be ice.
"Holy shit did we miss a party or something?" Truth slows her own pace so she could rotate and get a better look at the now-dead scorpion as she passes it.
"Looks like it... is that ice?" You pause to ask the question right before you open the door to the last room, most likely where the virus was being kept.
Samael shakes his head, "No. That's frozen space-time. I recognize it from my research into the Goddess' before being assigned to Team GEAR. It's not a perfect effect - a strong enough creature can break through it - but it leaves behind what looks to be ice. And it's easy to hurt yourself if you run into it. An older soldier I talked to said he lost his arm because it got caught in one of those blocks."
"Nasty."
-/LINE BREAK IDENTIFIED\-
The scene you walk in on is, yet again on this mission, not what you were expecting. Long lines are carved into the walls and floor of the massive test chamber. Trails of blades that had plowed through their obstacles to get to their targets.
Goddess White, and the Maidens stand in the middle of the huge room. East is sporting a long gash down her sword arm that was slowly bleeding, but noticeably healing as you watched. Goddess White was scowling fiercely at the person in the center between them all.
And that person, standing on a bloodied surgery table wore a smug grin, holding a metal container in one hand, while in the other a massively long blade: green eyes and silver hair you knew exactly who this was.
Angel WEAPON. Sixth strongest Magical Girl in existence. Second of the WEAPONs and Gaia's chosen hitwoman.
"Oh? We seem to have some new comers to our little dance."
Her voice is soft, but held a current of danger to it. Her blade glints menacingly in the dim light, and you can feel fear well up in your chest. Truth places a comforting hand on your shoulder. "Sorry to interrupt. But we came here to retrieve a little something that's a bit dangerous to leave laying around. And considering what I see, I think we all know what I'm talking about." Your gaze quickly leaps from White to Angel WEAPON, trying to keep both of them in our sights as much as you can.
"Truth!" Goddess White's voice cuts through the air, "Don't let her get out of here with that case! Help us!"
Truth's gaze flickers to the Goddess, but Angel interrupts whatever conversation they were about to have. "Help you? Now why would they do that? ... Unless you didn't tell them." She languidly turns to your group, almost dismissing the Maidens entirely. "You're here to keep this-" She wiggles the metal case above her head, "- out of the wrong hands, yes?" When Truth confirms, her smile turns malicious. "Cute. Did these three tell you why
they were after it? The
full reason, I mean?"
You can see nervousness enter Goddess White's eyes at Angel's words. Quickly, you peak around the room to judge distance: Angel was just barely inside Truth's aura range. But it was enough to confirm she wasn't lying: she couldn't at the moment. Her tone is smug, "These three want to take the virus for
themselves. Their lord and master desires to unleash the virus across Mother and wipe out a good chunk of the Human race."
White snarls, "But the survivors will be far more powerful then they were originally! Isn't that what your precious
'mother' wants in the first place you bitch?!"
Angel glares at Goddess White over her shoulder. "Of course that's her eventual goal. For humans to be individually strong enough to destroy entire mountain ranges! To be capable of reshaping the landscape on a whim! But at the same time she understand that turning all of Humanity into one giant cosmic paperweight defeats the whole purpose of forcing her weapon to take on such strength! She's seen every NGE that's come out! She knows what doing that is going to lead to, she's not an
idiot.
She wants humanity to remain numerous. By increasing their individual power, their overall strength is going to rise exponentially. If a base human can bench press a super tanker, think of how strong the Magical Girls are going to be! This virus defeats that purpose entirely!" She turns to face you and Truth completely. "This Virus has a .03% survival rate amongst all the test subjects. Of those, less then half survive without mutation. If it gets out like these idiots are planning, it will
decimate the Human population. Gaia's plans will be set back by centuries, and the Unified Light will loose their little war. I'm here to take this virus to another location for Mother to dispose of since the research team that
had been working on it is dead, or captured. My sister will be here shortly to help me: so time to make a choice, little lights. Help me save Humanity from this virus... or help these fools kill everyone."
The room is silent. Your gaze returns to bouncing between Angel WEAPON and Goddess White. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Truth and the rest of Team GEAR waiting for
you to make the choice. Truth's eyes are filled with fear. But James, Michael, and Samael all look at you with
faith.
You swallow.
[]Help Angel WEAPON. That Virus is too dangerous to let go! It needs to be destroyed before any lives are lost.
-[]Battle plan.
[]Help Goddess White. The Virus is dangerous... but the thought of facing down yet another Goddess, and this one actually wanting to kill you, is a far more daunting prospect.
-[]Battle plan.
[]Take a Third Option. Fuck this shit, your out. The Virus is dangerous, but your not strong enough yet to make a real difference in a fight like this. Let them beat the shit out of each other.
+5xp Met Angel WEAPON
+10xp Learned of the Virus
15 EXP Gained = 57 EXP Total
(Unlocked Character Profile! Angel WEAPON (Level 2))
