[center][img]http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo63/NMShape/cooltext142067183038523_zpsiknawoc6.png[/img] [img]http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo63/NMShape/cooltext141340328007740_zps3gxyewql.png[/IMG] & [img]http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo63/NMShape/cooltext136250037968154_zps7irjncxu.png[/img] [h2]Part 3 [/h2][/center] [indent][h3][sub]Location: Sharman Square, outside the apartments[/sub] [sub]Timeline: During the Riots, Night time[/sub][/h3][/indent] [b]”I wonder, what makes people believe it is in their right to determine who lives or dies? You decided that the man, likely mentally impaired and driven by the very drug killing him, wasn’t worth trying to save. You could’ve done a number of things.” Michael paused to catch his breath then continued one. “You could’ve touched him and teleported him into the streets then out of the city. You could’ve taken her, her friend, and yourself out of harm’s way. As for killing her, would you consider that if she wasn’t infected? If her friend had been more aware than maybe she could’ve prevented or gotten to me sooner, saving Racheli’s life or buying time. Maybe if the girl hadn’t been in the same room as her dead relative, then she might’ve avoided infection completely.”[/b] He chuckled then uttering one last thought. He lifted upright then turned to face the masked brunette. [b]”As for burning, the reason I don’t like it hot is because it resets me. I become dormant. So it wouldn’t have matter, save you stopped her suffering and murdered her. How much good would that do in the end?”[/b] Gabriel landed near the two women and the whatever-he-was, still trying to figure out why his phase signature was so similar to a dying girl's. Well. Not quite dying anymore- her vitals had come much closer to stable than before, thanks to Supermodel's quick thinking. He'd have to thank her later. For right now, however, he had some questions for the ghostly bastard. Based on what he could hear and what he overheard, there was something seriously wrong with her metagenesis trigger. Might have something to do with the "virus" and "planetary scale infection" deal. Just maybe. [color=teal]"Okay. Now that we've got that woman mostly stable, I have some things to ask you. First of all, that 'sync' effect you were referring to- what exactly does that entail? And secondly, where did you come from? Why are you here? And, perhaps most importantly, why does your 'host' have almost my exact same phase signature?"[/color] Michael turned his head, sensing movement, his face now acknowledging the individual’s arrival as the man that blew up the apartment floor. He paused for a moment to absorb the question then spoke in a reasoning voice. [b] “Mentally, her and I have to sync up. This means aggression and violent emotions are required which was part of the reason I took on the guise I have now. In her mind, she loathes this person more than any others and more because he is her father. Getting her angry enough to want to kill someone is the requirement because when we sync, I’m fixed in place to a host and can no longer switch out. Also any damage that had occurred is fixed.”[/b] His feet twisted about, his body facing the man, and continued with his answers. Racheli’s mind was slowly stirring through he willingly ignored her in favor of answering the man’s questions. [b]”Where I came from is too vague, so I’ll currently give you the recent facts. I originally was put on a hunk of rock floating in space before I was found by a company bearing some strange markings. A G intertwining with a C, their name unknown to me. My main function was to make this planet suitable by infecting as many beings as possible, it was what I was designed to do."[/B] [b]"Currently I'm what you would describe as sterile thanks to those idiots that imprisoned and dissected me."[/b] Michael continued. [b]"I'm unable to reproduce more independent ones but I can still infect. And the answer to your final question, I thought it would've been obvious. When someone plays god with genetics, they usually want whatever divine being they worship does: recognition. They put their signature on it. In blunt words: your suit and I both came from the same exact source."[/b] He paused to let the words sink in then added. [b]"It won't matter much now. Racheli's esteemed savior might've decided to become her executioner."[/b] Gabriel contemplated what the projection (for that was the only thing it could be, given what he knew) had been telling him. It was all... a bit much to take in. Assuming he was telling the truth, of course. [color=teal][i]Is he telling the truth? Could her... "virus" be a Phylactery?[/i][/color] [b]"it's not inconceivable. given our phase signatures are practically a perfect match- like siblings, really- it would be more implausible for our devices to be unrelated. and besides, i am device 006. it stands to reason that there should be at least devices 001-005, if not more after myself. simple logic."[/b] Gabriel nodded. It was rather logical, when put like that. But still, if all of this were true, it was rather a disappointment. He shook his head- he finally meets another derivative of whatever civilization created Daedalus, even mostly lucid, as compared to when he'd first bonded with Daedalus. And it turns out to be a killer virus. [color=teal][i]I'm starting to think that maybe whoever made the Phylacteries weren't very nice people. I mean, look at us- they made a living library, and then armed it with nukes, essentially.[/i][/color] [b]"it is rather troubling. i had not thought my makers capable of making something like him. though, i did have only myself to compare to. still, this is a tremendous opportunity."[/b] [color=teal][i]How so?[/i][/color] [b]"well, assuming he himself is not a phylactery, he is, at the very least, sourced from one. and he still seems mostly lucid, as opposed to when i came to this planet. his insight into our nature could result in us vastly improving our capabilities. at minimum, we gain the insight into our original function that we have been searching for."[/b] Gabriel was about to respond to this, until he registered what the projection had just said, his eyes narrowing slightly. [color=teal][i]"Executioner?" That doesn't sound... pleasant.”[/i][/color] He looked over at the swordswoman, mouth twisting. If the other meta decided that Rach had to die, it would be difficult to convince her otherwise, given the evidence he'd already seen. In fact, if not for certain questions he still wanted answered, he might be contemplating pulling the trigger himself, so to speak. He'd be unlikely to follow through- blasted idealism getting in the way again. Still, given what he'd deduced, he was reasonably confident in his ability to control this incident. As the device itself had said, it was essentially sterile, and bonding it to Rach would remove any incentive of infecting others, since it would then have a viable host to preserve it. After that, it was simply a matter of nudging the girl herself in the right direction- whether to use her powers for decent means, or to avoid them entirely. The latter path was highly unlikely, but he'd take what he could get. He took a deep breath, and walked over to the swordswoman's side, looking down at the ice-packed girl alongside her. [color=teal]"So... what's your plan?"[/color] [Color=b799cd]”He’s talking about Gene Corp,”[/color] Justine replied, looking over at Hero. “[Color=b799cd]Same place that Bozo back in the apartment got his mask from.”[/color] She was still kneeling in the snow next to the stricken Racheli, ignoring the cold. It didn’t seem to bother her, for the time being. Finally, she looked up at the power-suited figure next to her. “[Color=b799cd]First things first was to get her stabilized enough for transport to somewhere more pressing. As soon as she’s pulled out of the snowpack this thing is going to explode through her lymphatic system and bloodstream. Instead of a day, we might have less than an hour. All I did was push back the clock,”[/color] she stated. “[Color=b799cd]I can get around at supersonic to virtually instant speeds when needs be. I’m not going to let her out of my sight until there’s a resolution to this situation. If you have a place we can put her as cold or colder than this, like a walk-in freezer or massive blast-chiller… Or even something that’s cryogenic like… “ [/color] She stood, rising to her six foot frame, looking at the suited figure. “[Color=b799cd]I don’t have those kinds of resources, but I would think you do,”[/color] she added. Gabriel considered the swordswoman's words about who just might have done this to their mutual ward. [color=teal][i]GeneCorp... Why is that name familiar? I must have heard it somewhere before...[/i][/color] He hazily recalled some sort of offer or something. Something about research. Whatever it was, it happened just before he'd gotten Daedalus, so his memories of that time were sadly scrambled for now. Whatever. He'd figure it out sometime later. Right now, he had a girl to save. He looked down at the women, nodding sharply. [color=teal]"As it so happens, I have several stasis pods that could do the trick. They're each their own self-contained environment, so I can adjust each accordingly to the patient, subject, or prisoner contained therein. Obviously, I will be preparing it for a patient. Anyway, my facility, as mentioned, has certain failsafes to prevent unwanted access. Follow me, and I'll show you the most convenient way to access it. Will you be carrying her, or shall I?"[/color] Racheli’s face was blank and emotionless. Her body, on the other hand, was weak and fragile from the virus messing with her system. It was amazing how easily the snow weighed her down and kept her from moving, her arms feeling more like jello then flesh and blood. A description about how shitty she felt came to mind: someone had unraveled her insides then mashed them in a puree before finally trying to bake them only half way. Thankfully, the combination of Justine’s healing and the ice had done their tasks in delaying the virus’ deadly work. Now her saviors had left her to settle into the packed tomb and try to survive the night. Since the pain stopped, Rach was content to stay where she was and just wait out the storm within her. However, it seemed the ‘Bastard Upstairs’ had other plans. None that included a good old prescription of rest and relaxation. Justine’s face surfaced to her mind, followed by the realization of the gas. Something bad was about to happen if she didn’t move but her mind was slow in putting the details together. Her face scrunched up, the lids shutting out the crackling noise in the background. Pressing her back harder into the chill behind, unable to move much, she tried to reason why. Namely why it was important she get back onto her feet quickly as her blurry vision gradually adjusted to the dim light created by the pure white snow, details sharpening through the faint screams about them. She could hear the muffled sounds. She could only guess people were frantically running through the streets-causing mayhem or escaping it- showing the horror of the raids in full swing. For the moment, her head was too weary and stuck in snow to go in deeper detail than what her imagination could weave. Too tired to absorb the night’s hellish nightmare flooding the square, she couldn’t even see the individuals who put here. However she started to remember them from fragments and naturally put their image together gradually. Asshole-hero and the brunette wonder, their voices both seeming to discussing a topic Racheli wasn’t fully overjoyed to join in on: herself. Not recognizing the woman’s voice, through something vaguely nagged at her, Rach’s eyes darkened defensively at the mention of someone carrying her. Her arms tried to move only to be stopped by the tightly packed snow and increased her alarm. Last thing she remembered was Bozo entering their apartment and… [color=indianred] “Shit! The gas, someone get me the fuck out of here. ”[/color] Racheli spat in a venomous tone her words muffled by the snow around her face, her body wiggling to get out. Her fingers tried to curl as she kept trying to chip away at the ice and snow surrounding her, desperate to get out. The reason of why Justine’s face and the memory of the gas clicked together. [color=indianred] “There’s a gas leak. Where the hell is Justine?”[/color] A ear deafening roar erupted when the building exploded. Even through the snow, Rach couldn’t deny what it was.