Epidemic Exsilium: Stage Two

[initiates]

Date & Time: June 8th - June 14th
Location: Throughout Exsilium
Characters: Anyone participating in hunting down the sleeper agents; anyone participating in taking care of the ill, or being ill themselves.
Summary: Stage Two of the Super Virus Epidemic strikes; sleeper agents of the United Earth are revealed.
Warnings: Illness, violence, needles. (Those IVs, man!)

Sniffles and coughs aren't unusual during the spring, with people combating allergies even in the far future, and colds being as present as always. But with more and more people falling ill, and none responding to antibiotics, things are starting to get worrying.

The first death is of an infant, on the night of the 7th. It's not the only one: three more are recorded not long after. It's unknown about the state of patients who never presented for medical assistance. Those familiar with viral infections fear the worse, especially as the usually healthy demographic starts arriving, coughing and displaying symptoms of the same sort of illness.

If that's not enough out among the natives, the Initiative has received its own information and insight into the true nature of the virus. "Wasmannian" Agents, spies of the Initiative in the United Earth, have reported back information at great cost to their security in their undercover positions. There is a super virus headed your way. They've been shipping it in to the island since December 3312. These are the manifests. We've deciphered most the code-names. Good luck.

Now the Initiative turns to the Transports for additional manpower to hunt down the United Earth's sleeper agents, pick up the shipments of the virus, and track down its physical origins in order to do something to stop the impending decimation of Exsilium's population.

Things are getting scary. It's a sick, sad world out there. Where are you, in the middle of it all?

Comments

[alphonse]

[If Ed is aiming to horrify him, he's certainly successful.]

That's not funny! Don't you dare start talking like you're going to die!

[imperfect]

Okay, okay. [...He wasn't completely kidding, but that was a little too far. Besides, he did more or less promise to talk about Heiderich for real someday.]

What I meant to say was... he just wanted to make a difference in the world, feel like he accomplished something. And he knew exactly what he was doing. He was something else. But he'd forget it didn't just have a start and an end - there're consequences along the way, too.

[He sets the glass down on the floor.]

There's more to it than that. He had his own reasons. But that's the part I was thinking about just now.

[alphonse]

[Al fixes Ed with his best I'm still mad at you look even as he listens. As far as explanations go that's still a fairly vague one, and he wonders why Ed's picked now as the time to get talkative. Maybe it's an attempt to appease or stall him, or even just a result of the fever. Ultimately, Al decides it doesn't matter.]

We should get going. There'll be plenty of time for stories later.

[imperfect]

[It seemed like a reasonable argument to Ed, but he decides he'll come back to it when the room isn't quite as foggy.

Slowly, he starts to get to his feet.] Then give me some space so I can go fetch my coat.

[alphonse]

[He doesn't get far before Al has a hand on his shoulder to gently urge him back down. He knows Ed isn't going to like being babied, but letting him stumble around the apartment in this kind of condition would definitely be a bad idea.]

I'll get it. You just try to rest.

[imperfect]

[He takes it as a personal insult.] I can walk, Al. [And if he doesn't fetch his own coat, he can't use it to sneak all of his work out...]

[alphonse]

That doesn't mean you should, Brother. Getting to the hospital is going to be difficult enough without you pushing yourself before we even leave.

[He carefully doesn't mention that he already expects he'll end up carrying him.]

[imperfect]

[Less than mollified, Ed reaches up and attempts to pry one of Al's hands away.] It's not even that far...

[alphonse]

[Typically, Al is unmoved.]

Exactly. It'll just take a few seconds for me to grab it for you.

[imperfect]

[Just as predictably, Ed finally lets go of Al's wrists only when something else diverts his attention - not the light of reason, but rather another bout of coughing. There's a little retching mixed into this one.]

[alphonse]

[It's sudden and worrying enough to distract Al too, but he's quick to remind himself that simply watching and hoping fervently against the worst isn't going to get Ed treatment any faster. He slips away to retrieve Ed's coat in record time, kneeling beside him once he returns.]

Maybe you shouldn't try to talk any more. Should I get you another glass of water?

[imperfect]

It's not as bad as it sounds. [He'll concede that the shouting match he'd otherwise quite like to have probably isn't a good idea, but rasping or not, no power in the world is going to stop him griping entirely. Yet.

He grabs at the coat as he stands up.]

[alphonse]

It sounds bad enough.

[Al doesn't try to stop him, but he's standing by and remaining watchful. His hopes for Ed getting very far on his own aren't high, but he's willing to give him a chance.]

Pretending you're okay isn't going to do you any good, you know. It'll be easier for me to help if you tell me the truth.

[imperfect]

I thought I just did.

[Pulling his coat on with a defiant and completely unnecessary flourish, Ed heads for the door. He's going nowhere fast, but for now bullheadedness alone is enough to keep him from toppling over.]

[alphonse]

[There's a lot Al wants to say about stubbornness and immaturity, but rather than risk Ed's temper flaring and the subsequent effect that would have on his cough, he just sighs instead. He grabs an umbrella before heading after him.]

You really want to try to walk the whole way?

[imperfect]

[Unfortunately for everyone involved, Ed's temper doesn't take much provocation. He stops for a second to look over his shoulder.] Al, are you hoping I'll keel over right now just to prove your point?

[alphonse]

Of course not! I just don't want to see something happen to you again!

[He stops, looking away guiltily.]

I'm not trying to bother you, okay? But watching everyone suffer like this without really being able to help isn't easy for me either.

[imperfect]

Al... [Ed isn't sure how much exasperation he wants to load onto that one word, so it's just as well he can only say it quietly.]

Listen. Sometimes it's not a bad thing to step back for a while and give people a chance.

[alphonse]

People have already died from this, Brother. That isn't something it's okay to take chances with.

[imperfect]

Nothing's going to happen to me, Al, and that's final.

[He turns away and keeps going, step by unsteady step.]

[alphonse]

[Keeping pace with him is almost a challenge, and Al has to more or less stop periodically to pull it off.]

If you mean that, then you'll listen to the doctors and do everything they tell you.

[imperfect]

I know, I know. [He tries to lighten his tone a little as he says it, although under the circumstances that might be the opposite of reassuring.

Devoting most of his effort on their way down just to staying on his feet, Ed makes it to the lobby without any notable incident, or even much coughing - but when the door opens and the chill hits him (...was it always this cold?), he staggers.]

[alphonse]

[With a casual air, Al opens up the umbrella and holds it over both of them, conveniently putting him within reaching distance in case Ed's unsteadiness wins out.]

We should hurry. It looks like the rain might get worse.

[As if Exsilium's murky skies ever give any other impression.]

I know you won't like it, but we'd get there a lot faster if I just carried you.

[imperfect]

Or if we ran -

[He sneezes loudly. It immediately turns into yet another attack of uncontrollable coughing, forceful enough that it takes a little while for him to catch his breath afterwards. Ugh, by this point his glove probably counts as a biological weapon in its own right.

And if he does keel over now, he'll just have to resign himself to being worse than useless again. Of course he will.

Quite slowly, he clenches his fists.]

...Al?

[alphonse]

[It's not being able to do anything that's always the hardest part, and once again Al's only option is to wait for the coughing fit to subside. From where he's standing it sounds like Ed's gotten worse even in just the last few minutes, and he'd rather not think about what that might mean.

Upon hearing his name, he leans in so Ed won't have to raise his voice to be heard over the rain.]

Right here, Brother.