metropolis ♔ has it gone for good? or is it coming back around?

[wynn]

Fireside - Arctic Monkeys

WHO || Oliver, Felicity S., Emma F., Bo, Brantley, Lex Luthor
WHAT || The Knights investigate a connection between Luthorcorp and Sarandis' experiments on Andres
WHERE || Metropolis Kansas
WHEN || April 23rd, 2015
HOW || Actionspam

Metropolis is a bustling city even during these cold winter months, but they have no trouble finding the Luthorcorp building - because it literally towers over the skyline, dwarfing the Daily Planet nearby. It's still daytime when they arrive, working hours, and employees in well tailored suits hustle in and out towards elevator banks, past the front desk.

Comments

[telepathy]

[ Dr. Janik looks sharply over at Brantley, as if she can't quite figure out why he might ask that. Brow furrowed, he shakes his head, clearing his throat, "No. No, he's a busy man, and we're only one of many labs that LuthorCorp has acquired in recent years. I can't imagine he has time for every lab."

Tilting her head, Emma fixes Janik with a curious look of her own, but she makes no comment on whatever she finds that's interesting there. Up ahead, there are no emergency exit signs or fire evacuation charts that'd give an indicator of where they might sneak out to quickly. There are, however, large double doors that lead into a lab.

Janik pushes the lab doors open to invite them in.

Inside, long white tables have impressive backlighting and top lighting, making for quite the clean workspace. All the equipment is stainless steel, and there are microscopes and touch-screen, glass-only computers at each work space. There are no drawers at the work benches themselves, but rather plenty of complex filing systems snug against the walls. All the storage is stainless steel like the equipment. Spot and knowledge (tech) or knowledge (sci) checks to learn more about the specific equipment. ]

[succubestie]

[Bo takes her time to glance around the room as they pass through the doors (spot 21), and apparently she did her homework on some of the stuff they might find here or something (know tech 20 total).]

[fixyourproblem]

[Brantley looks around the lab (spot 18) and finds lots of things he doesn't even know what they are, he probably recognizes some basic ones but not the cutting edge de-atomizer or something (knowledge 10). That's what you get for skipping science classes.]

[telepathy]

[ Only Bo would recognize that the equipment here is specifically for genetic testing, which grows increasingly odd as Janik explains, "A number of infectious diseases spread from the shadow world to our world once the Veil opened. Since that time, it's been up to us to examine more scientific means of treating them, given that many of them seem to linger even while the Veil closes us off from magic. If we rely solely on the divine and the arcane to treat them, well, the unpredictable nature of the shadow world puts us in a very precarious position." ]

[succubestie]

[Yeah, that doesn't sit well with her at all. She's lying liar who lies.

She reaches out, as if she's going to put a friendly hand on her shoulder to catch her attention (touch atk 17 if needed) and gives the woman a gentle suggestion, as well as laying on the charm (diplomacy/charm 36).]

Come on, no need to be modest. Tell the truth. You're doing much more important work with this kind of machinery.

[If it doesn't work or she manages to pull away, she's hoping she can bluff her way out of the little act.]

[telepathy]

[ ASHLEY THE DOCTOR IS A MAN. But Bo has charm for both genders anyway so it's all good. Unfortunately, with a nat 20 will save, this doctor is apparently nOT SWINGING THAT WAY. He pulls his arm back reflexively.

"It is not modesty. I don't know what you've heard of this facility, but we're dedicated to finding ways to keep up with the way the shadow world has affected the biology of our world. If you'll come with me, I can show you our testing facilities." He waves them forward, visibly rattled by Bo's come-on.

Slowly, Emma's eyes slide over to Brantley like WELL I GUESS IT'S UP TO YOU IF WE'RE TAKING THE HONEYPOT APPROACH HERE. But she does invite herself to Bo's thoughts (will 16 to resist but why would you?) to try and figure out what that was about. ]

Testing facilities? You've patients on this site?

[ "Oh, quite a few. In fact, Mr. Luthor's asked that we personally introduce you to some of them, so they can speak for themselves to what LuthorCorp's funding has done for them here." ]

[fixyourproblem]

[Brantley smiles as he sees the sign that the doctor is leaning his way. It's not often that you could see a Succubus' charm doesn't work, more so it's even rarer to have a chance to win against Bo's supernatural charm over a guy.]

Really? That's a really noble cause. It's rare to see a good man these days. [He starts moving closer toward the doctor.] I am sure the patients are in your good hands. Let's have a chat with them. Then after that maybe we could have a view of your most interesting work. [He sends him a charming smile with along with eye signal that shows sexual interest. (diplomacy/charm 40) ]

[succubestie]

[Nope, Bo lets Emma slide right in there. :) She's clearly thinking about how these machines are totally not used for what he's saying, unless they're trying to genetically make these people immune to said diseases. She doesn't know how this shit works.

But they aren't making vaccines, she's pretty sure?]

[telepathy]

[ Briefly, Emma's eyes snap wide with alarm, understanding what Bo's worked up about.

Meanwhile, Dr. Janik really is gayer than a gay pride parade because he just rolled an 8 will save. Clearly picking up on what Brantley is putting down, the man takes a moment to sputter over his words, then pulls off his glasses to clean them, clearing his throat.

"I— Yes, right this way." He turns away like he needs Jesus to take the wheel post haste, leading them through swinging medical doors into a long, sterile white hallway. Two thick metal doors on the left, one on the right, but they pass all of them, heading for a security coded, double metal door at the end with all kinds of red and yellow warning paint. There are no handles on the door, but Janik's security card opens them to a nondescript lab that opens around a corner, so there's no way to really see inside until they step in, which he invites them to do.

"Dr. Abrams is inside; she'll be able to bring you abreast of our research." He nods particularly to Emma and Bo, then gives Brantley a more reluctant, grim sort of look as he waves him in as well. ]

[fixyourproblem]

[Brantley sees the expression Janik makes as he invites them in. There's something wrong with it and it feels like they are walking into a trap. He could ask to be left alone with the Doctor and discuss things in private, so Bo and Emma could investigate the testing lab with Dr. Abrams. And if the testing lab is really a trap, he might be able to help them by persuading Janik to help them out. He feels bad for letting Emma and Bo walk into it without him but he thinks that this is the best choice in this condition.]

Maybe my colleagues can meet with Dr. Abrams while you show me other parts of the facility. To save time, if you don't mind, of course? [He smiles again at the gay Doctor, with less charm but more inviting smile (diplomacy/charm 28).]

[telepathy]

[ This poor doctor just crit-failed his will save.

"I'm really not supposed to—" He glances amongst all of them, clearing his throat and moving so his back is to Emma and Bo, like he can't tolerate their judgment as he's setting up some one-on-one time with Brantley. "Give me just a moment," he intimates to Brantley, then turns to Emma and Bo with an inviting smile, gesturing for them to head inside.

With a perhaps overly put-upon roll of her eyes, Emma looks from Brantley to Bo. By all appearances, she seems under the impression Brantley's just fucking off to get laid, and she's not impressed by it. She'll head right into the secondary lab. ]

[succubestie]

[Bo's sense motive was literally garbage, so she seems totally at ease with all of this, moving into the room right after Emma.]

[telepathy]

[ Once they're both in, Dr. Janik closes the heavy metal doors, and waves for Brantley to join him in heading off back down the hallway into one of the previous rooms they passed.

Inside the secondary lab, around the corner, they'll notice that Dr. Abrams isn't there. The lab is open enough that she'd be easy to spot. However, that doesn't mean they're alone. Large metal tanks line the walls that aren't visible from the entryway, complex letter and numbering label systems on them on big placards. There are small, resilient glass windows at the top of the tanks, but they'll have to get closer to see what's inside.

Otherwise, there are a series of lab tables—four across the length of the room, which is maybe sixty feet deep. Standard genetics research equipment, Bo would know, is on each table, and a projector that displays the image from a research slide appears to be the only thing casting dim light over the lab.

Emma looks around, expression predictably sour, ] I feel as though we may not be meeting Dr. Abrams.

[succubestie]

Yeah, I'm getting that feeling too.

[She'll take a quick look around, checking for other ways out or anything useful laying around (spot 31 or search 20) before she checks the tanks.]

[telepathy]

[ Inside the tank, Bo sees this. It's dark inside, and the tank itself is closer to a fish tank than a grav couch, accommodating what appears to be mORE THAN ONE OF THEM. But she can't tell how many because they're just a mass of horrific faces and blackness.

Emma, meanwhile, tries to scan for conscious minds using read thoughts, suspicious that they might well be dealing with human experimentation, but as she lifts her hands to the side of her head, eyes misting over white, she flinches, and lets out a cry of pain (will 14). ] Oh my god! [ She doubles over, backing into one of the tables, visibly shaken by whatever she saw there. ]

[succubestie]

Oh, crap.

[Backing away. Yep.]

Fighting disease my ass. This is bad.

[And then Emma cries out, and Bo is running over to her, placing a hand on her back and another on her shoulder to steady her.]

Geez, are you alright?

[telepathy]

[ As Bo moves to Emma, the telepath explains in a pained voice, recovering through sheer fury and stubbornness to shove away from the table. ]

Their minds are lost, driven mad by captivity and experimentation. They're — They're rabid. What Luthor's done to them ... [ It's not something that should be done to any living creature, basically. That's what she's getting at here. Her eyes flash, lip curling. Precisely the kind of thing the Knights try to protect Shadowkind from.

And while Bo is turned away from them, four of the pods open ...

Across the floor, one of the black, spindly-armed creatures swats at Bo's back with a single, tentacle-like arm, but it flops out wide and misses (attack 15).

More horrifically, it appears to be joined by a large, catlike creature with great claws and a lion's mane that sports two powerful bird-like wings on its back. Its wings flap out, and it tries to lift itself into the air. The high ceilings of the lab give it little room, but it does manage to fly in closer to them.

Lastly, a small creature, barely 2 ft. in height, comes walking out of one of the tanks. It's unburdened by weapons, but it doesn't appear to need them. This creature looks horribly mutated, sporting scales, elongated features, reptilian eyes, and exaggerated teeth and claws. It runs for them, crazed, and leaps up onto the lab table behind Emma. ]

i think i'm first...?

[succubestie]

[Bo uses her move action to draw her blade as she ducks away from the first creature's attack before she lashes out at it with a side strike that likely misses horribly (atk 14, dmg 11 if it hits somehow).]

yeah it's just you and me unless brantley gets in here in init so i'm counting rounds

[telepathy]

[ The black creature avoids Bo's blade, and Emma steps around her, putting herself between Bo and the creatures to raise her hands to her temples. A billowing white force projects forward from her as she uses her psionic blast to try to stun the creatures.

Monster 1 gets a nat 20 on its save. Sad day. SO DOES THE ENORMOUS CATLIKE MONSTER OH MY GOD. And the small, mutated fey creature gets a 23 so they ALL SUCCEED. This is the fucking worst.

The second shadowy spindly-armed creature crawling out of its tank gets stuck on its way out, losing a turn. Similarly, something bumps up against the door of another tank, struggling to get it all the way open. It affords a faint glimpse of a single hoof in the hinge of the tank's door to any character with a spot check higher than 25.

And then it's the other monsters' turn again!!! Yay!! Aren't you glad they weren't effectively stunned. The black thing crawling across the floor slaps its tentacles at Bo again—both miss (atk 11, atk 13).

The winged, catlike creature descends on Emma in a flurry of claws since she'd tried to stun it; it bites her, and slashes it with two claws for a total of 23 damage. THAT'S 2/3RDS OF HER HP. THIS IS GOING WELL. She looks pretty shredded already, and things are not going well for our heroes.

The small fey creature casts lesser confusion on Bo, which means she needs to make a DC 14 will save or do nothing but babble incoherently for one round. ]

[fixyourproblem]

[Brantley follows Janik as he heads off to the previous room. He just hopes Emma and Bo will be alright inside the lab and if anything happens, he hopes that he can convince Janik to help them.

As they enter the room, Brantley opens up a small chat, trying to infiltrate the Doctor's mental defense.] The ladies weren't exactly pleasant, were they? If it were up to me, I'd have picked other people to work with.

[He smiles, loosening up. Though, he really doesn't like stiff woman like Emma, he doesn't dislike her enough to kick her away.(Bluff 25)]

So, what is in the agenda? A tour of more exciting part of the lab, or maybe you have other particular thing in mind?

[telepathy]

[ Fumbling with his key card in a way that indicates perhaps he isn't used to this kind of attention, Ashley swipes to open another door down the hall, reaching inside to flick on the lights. This lab is smaller—only two or three work-stations, and a plethora of complex computer systems to go with. The computer monitors flick to life, and a spot check of 25+ would notice that Bo and Emma are visible on one of the monitors, on a camera that's on the same wall with the tanks they're exploring, which keeps those tanks from being visible. ]

Perhaps you should consider taking a job here. It shouldn't be hard to break your ties with your employers at the Karthur Institute. [ Janik moves to a control panel below the monitor, turning to Brantley with an inscrutable expression—earnest, but there's something else there. ] Come in. I want to show you the research we're doing here. It's quite invigorating.

[fixyourproblem]

[Now this is nice! No fighting to death with a bunch of pirates and crabs, having a good company who doesn't snark at him, Oliver and Felicity are probably having a nice chat in other part of the facility and the ladies are probably enjoying a nice tour with Dr. Adams. What a great mission this turns out to be! (spot 11)]

Perhaps I should. The personnel here seems to be more interesting. At least, one of them is. [He smiles as he moves next to the console. Despite the fun time, he is having, Brantley still keeps his eyes open in case the good Doctor has ulterior motive. (sense motive 19)]

[telepathy]

[ Smiling, Ashley settles into a swivel chair in front of the control panel, pointing to a computer. He seems by all accounts to have only one motive: science. And he's highly dedicated to it, excitable even. ]

The files on the projects are there. [ He fusses with the control panel, busily flipping a series of switches and pulling one large lever. ] Infections were only the first step. The Shadow World has sent so much over; we've been trying to learn what we can about their genetics. Hybridization. Imagine the transhumanist medical applications: the resistances they've built up to everything the Eldritch Tide has introduced into our world, adapted to real humans.

[fixyourproblem]

[Brantley almost glares when the doctor says 'genetic hybridization' and 'adapted to real human'. But he doesn't want to blow his cover yet, so he holds his emotion and maintain his friendly face.(will 17)] So you can make drugs that can cure every diseases and at the same time, give human immunities to them? That's amazing. But, isn't it dangerous? Won't be there side effect?

[telepathy]

Certainly. No science is perfect on the first run-through. We're dealing with some nasty side-effects on our current batch of subjects. There are kinks to be worked out, but that's part of progress.

[ He explains it in a hurried, excitable way. ]