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

[commentboxtroll]

It being your home doesn't change that it has a funny name.

[ Sorry but not sorry. ]

A what? You mean this? [ He raises the soda a bit. ] No.

[ He's not about to hand the soda over, okay. He's thirsty. However... ]

Do you want one?

[reconnaissance]

It's not a funny name.

( A little bit huffed, although she shrugs. Shrugs and then has a bit of a coughing fit, groaning when it passes because this is really crap. ) Where are you from, then?

( Huh. She eyes him, wondering if this is like a classic Homer lead in. Go get one yourself, then. ) Yeah.

[commentboxtroll]

Gregminster.

[ Which is a very stately name! But then she indicates, yes, she would like a soda. Predictably, he sighs. ]

Alright. What kind? Or will just any kind will do? I can't exactly promise they'll have a much variety left...

[reconnaissance]

Sounds boring.

( A shrug, but she's being a little petty. What's a little pettiness between... acquaintances... ? )

Any kind. ( It's not like her taste buds are too crash hot right now. ) Why are teenage boys always so lazy?

[commentboxtroll]

Yeah? It is.

[ Political center of the Republic? Of course it's boring. ]

Any kind. Got it. [ But at the question, he rolls his eyes and turns to go. ] Good question. I'll think of an answer as I lazily take a half an hour to go to the cafeteria and back.

[reconnaissance]

( Okay, that makes her laugh. Even if it is kind of a coughed up, painful sound. )

Don't be a dickhead, Caesar.

( She says it fondly??? )

[commentboxtroll]

What a rude thing to say!

[ Is all he has to add before he's out the door. Despite what he had threatened, he doesn't take that long to go and pick up a second soda. It's more like ten minutes and the one he brings back is some fake citrusy-flavored one. ]

Here. [ Which he walks over to her to hand over. ] One for you.

[reconnaissance]

That's me. "Rough as guts."

( It's easy to pretend that's all she is, sometimes. Just some coarse rural kid, and nothing else, as much as she hates when people treat her like that, when they assume that's all there is. She's caught between not knowing if she wants it all to be acknowledged or wrestled away, sometimes, even if she knows that denying all those things is going to make it worse.

She's getting tangled up in that line of thought when he comes back, and she accepts the drink with a brief smile, a "thanks" that's more mouthed than spoken. )

Do you think people can ever be so messed up there's nothing good left about them?

( Since he knows about war. And whatever, she just-- always likes to ask things, doesn't she? )

[commentboxtroll]

[ That was an interesting and sudden question. ]

I brought you a soda to be nice, not to invite a philosophical debate.

[ Why she would ask him, of all people... Though it sounded along the same lines as some of the questions Collette would ask him from time to time. He wonders if it's for the same reasons, trying to justify their own wars. ]

Though I suppose. It kind of depends on the person, doesn't it?

[reconnaissance]

( Ellie snorts a little, swallowing painfully around the protest her throat is about to launch. There's a sorry buried in there, somewhere, but it might not sound especially genuine. )

I dunno. I think so. Different situations can lead a person to do different things.

( But she wonders, sometimes. At least she can pretend to distract herself by cracking open the can, taking a sip and feeling relieved for those few moments, even if it isn't that cold. She still presses it against her neck. )

I wonder if there's ever just some line, though. If you step over that, you've gone too far, or if we should keep giving everyone more chances just because it was "different for them."

[commentboxtroll]

In my own opinion, I do think I would stop giving chances if someone began laughing maniacally and murdering orphans left and right.

[ Or civilians in general. He can't outright say 'killing' in general, seeing how his family's business tends to involve it on various levels, but there are certain kinds...

He recalls the mercenary with his brother, for the most part. That man in black. If there's anyone who fits Ellie's line to cross, that'd be him. Dwelling on that, even for a few seconds, gets a darker frown out of him, rather than the bored look or the irritated scowl she might be used to seeing from him. It isn't directed at her, as he looks off in a different direction thoughtfully.

But then he shakes his head and turns back to her.

It lasts all of a few seconds. ]

But I don't see why you'd be worrying about it.

[reconnaissance]

If you didn't I'd be worried.

( Maybe she doesn't trust him the same way that she'd trust Steph, would follow her orders without question (does she even trust Steph like that? Ellie loves questions and loves not dying), but she's pretty sure he has a good head on his shoulders. He's not like Harvey, but then again, she's pretty sure no one could be like Harvey. Not anyone worthwhile.

I've done some messed up stuff at home. ( it's easier to admit that, now. Less raw, less angry. It feels like more people here know what that's like, what can push you to it. It helps. ) Sometimes I don't know if we're fighting for freedom, or what.

( Today in honesty hour with Ellie Linton - she's always been blunt, just not necessarily that good at communicating. ) And then there's all the stuff we do here. I kinda wonder how it weighs against your soul.

( She never really worried about it, but-- Robyn. )

Are you okay?

( The frown. )

[commentboxtroll]

Hmm? [ The question gets a blank look, but then his thoughts catch up and he shrugs. ] I'm not sick enough to garner much worry.

[ Which he assumes isn't actually what she was asking about, but he'll purposefully misunderstand. ]

And I wouldn't be able to give you an opinion. I don't really know about what you're facing at home.

[ But if it's a nation fighting to be free of another, well, that's no unique story. ]