Mission: Bad Science Saves the Day

[initiates]

Date & Time: Mid-Day, 3310 | Present Day June 14th-16th
Location: Andersfeld, in the (far former) state of Alaska. (Also known at one time as Anchorage, Alaska.) | Back in Exsilium, those manning the Transport Pads, or working on developing the antibiotics and administering them to the ill throughout the city. Yet others will need to hop-scotch through time gathering sufficient supplies to save lives.
Characters: Volunteers to alter medical research, people working on antiobiotic cures, people distributing appropriate cures, and those who are doing minor missions into the past to retrieve adequate supplies to treat the sick in the present.
Summary: Transports are asked to help save tens of thousands of lives, first by traveling two years into the past and altering scientific research. Second, by helping with the manufacture and development of antibiotics or other cures, once the mission is complete. Third, by distributing the cure to the affected parties. Fourth, by going on pointed supply missions solo, or with up to two other people, in order to get enough supplies to save people in the present.

Whatever your character decides to do, the weight of saving lives is on their shoulders, unasked, and perhaps unwelcome. What will they do when faced with this decision?

Warnings: Illness. Freezing cold. Possible death. Drunken scientists.

In Andersfeld, the snow falls in thick, fat flakes, winds blowing in gusts up to 60 kph. Everyone is bundled up against the weather. Spirits are generally low, if not outright alcoholic. Safety lines and lights guide those brave enough to venture outdoors from building to building.

For the Transports with a six hour window to alter a future that will kill over a hundred thousand people in three weeks, it's a dangerous and necessary bravery.

In Exsilium, the success of the mission to Andersfeld is felt as soon as scientists notice the virus responding to antibiotic treatments. It becomes a race to finding the most effective means of combating the now bacterial infection, and of mass producing any working cure for distribution.

Some help with the production.

Others hurry to cart the supply out to the places hit most heavily. Yet others work directly with administering the antibiotics, in most cases, via an IV line. Those less heavily affected will be granted ridiculously large antibiotic pills, needing to be coaxed down spasming throats.

Those who need action, or who are no good with the sick, are asked to make countless small trips through time to secure the supplies needed to produce enough of the cure to save the tens of thousands who are ill but not yet deceased.

And for those too ill to assist, now is the time to rest, heal, and get better. In a world like this, one never knows what surprise might next lie in wait. The Transports and the Initiative have thwarted total disaster for now.

Mostly.

Comments

[retraced]

I've dealt with worse before.

[Which is another reason why this sort of thing is so shameful. He walked through the entirety of Cheshire's dimension with huge bloody gashes in his chest, a fever should be nothing in comparison, and yet.]

[gevurah]

[ Why is she not surprised he said that? ]

And you were the one giving me the lecture.

[retraced]

--That was different!

[He exclaims with a single, painful sounding cough.]

You'd been injured for a long time by that point!

[gevurah]

[ She slows their pace, craning her head to see if he's alright. ]

At least I could breathe. Besides, I said it wasn't anything couldn't handle on my own.

[retraced]

I could...

[No, he can't even finish that sentence. He would have still been crawling up and down the wrong hallway if she hadn't come along when she did. And to prove her right even more, his steps slow as soon as hers do, and he gasps sharply.]

I c-can't breathe.

[gevurah]

Gil? [ She comes to a halt and peers closer. She doesn't want to pull off the mask and yet her concern skyrockets when he says the words she doesn't want to hear. ] Hang on.

[ She puts the supplies down and then tries to get him to at least lean against a wall, placing both hands on his shoulders. ]

Is it your chest?

[retraced]

[Leaning is good. That's somewhere halfway in between upright and lying down, neither of which he wants to do right now. He doesn't trust the ground, it feels like it's trying to turn to water beneath his feet. Maybe it's melting into the snow outside. That might be okay, though. At least then it wouldn't be so hot.

He closes his eyes, which is also a bad idea, but he doesn't dare open them back up until this weight on his chest has cleared and he can take a deep breath again. He half-gasps half-coughs and manages a small nod.]

[gevurah]

[ It's too cold to open these suits anyway. Instead, she waits for the coughing to cease before she slips her arm underneath him again and this time she uses a bit of that super strength she's acquired to hoist him up and grab the supplies at the same time. ]

Hold on. I'll get you to a doctor. Save your breath for now.

[retraced]

[Okay, now there's an excuse to worry. Because he's pretty sure that his feet aren't supporting his weight at all anymore, but they're still moving. Oh man, that's not good.]

...think I'm hallucinating?

[gevurah]

[ She doesn't slow down in her stride, only glancing at him to see if the focus in his eyes have gone out already. ]

Hallucinating?

[retraced]

Ground is moving too fast.

[It's the best way that he can think to describe it. His eyes look like they're doing their best to focus on said fast moving ground, but failing at it. His breath catches again, but he doesn't choke on it this time.]

[gevurah]

Sorry, but I don't want to waste any more time. [ But she does stop and try to get his feet on the ground to give him a moment to gather himself. ]

[retraced]

[Oh. There are his feet.

Wait.

Give him a second to comprehend that while he stumbles and tries to ignore the persistent dizziness in his head.]

How did you -

[gevurah]

[ She looks on, suddenly somewhat sheepish. It's always strange to explain this part and honestly, she would prefer if she didn't have to reveal what her weapon was.

Rather, whom it was. ]

Just some perks of the place.

[retraced]

A perk?

[He hasn't realized the potential in his own weapon yet, nor does he have any idea how to summon it. But his chest has eased up a little, and though breathing still sounds like a bad, painful idea, he's at least doing it a little more steadily.]

[gevurah]

Right. [ She's vague on purpose. ] Now you need to stop talking and save your breath.

[retraced]

Oh...

[Words are just as difficult to think up as they are to say, so he doesn't attempt to do either. He must just be misunderstanding anyhow. Even when he's not dealing with a mutant virus he probably wouldn't it get it either.]

I'm all right now. [He still looks like he's in pain, but he still starts forward on his own.]

How much further?

[gevurah]

[ She offers her hand anyway to help his balance. ]

We've still got a bit of a way to go.

[retraced]

[He hesitates a moment before reaching out and taking it. The pain might have faded a bit for the meanwhile, but it's still sweltering in this ridiculous suit. Who even designed this thing? Whoever it is, he hopes that the guy is in Exsilium somewhere so that he can yell at them later. If he still has a voice to yell with. Angry gestures will do in a pinch, he supposes.]

Sorry.

[It's spoken with enough muffled gratitude that it sounds like he meant to say 'thank you' instead.]

[gevurah]

[ She's feeling the humidity in her suit, but it's better than the freezing cold outside. She probably should have struck to her cowl, which would have helped her deal with this mild heat inside the suit.

She pulls Gil along, not too hard, but she she is firm and as fast as she can take them back to wherever the portal back to Exsilium is. Once they cross over, she thinks about releasing him from his helmet at least.

As they head further down the path and she hears his apology, she says nothing at first. She doesn't look back before she finally says quietly: ]

Don't be.

[retraced]

You shouldn't have to waste your time on someone like me.

[His voice starts to go out on the last few words, and he clears his throat to try and keep it from going entirely. But he's keeping up for now, with her help.]

[gevurah]

[ He doesn't see it, but her brow furrows in immediate response.

Stoic and almost automatic: ]

No can do, Gilbert.

[ She doesn't leave people behind. She'd much rather punch herself in the face multiple times than give up on a life. ]

[retraced]

[Nothing about this is right. His head is swimming with all sorts of questions, angry thoughts, reminders that every moment he spends holding her up is another minute that the supplies that they need to help cure Oz and Break and Collette and the other half of the population is being wasted. He'd been too reckless, too caught up indulging in the idea that he'd be fine if he hadn't been infected yet after taking care of his roommates for over two weeks. That somehow what affected others wouldn't affect him.

I'm an idiot...]

Ah...I just realized. [He groans. And sounds more depressed than a grown man with a bad mutant flu should really sound.]

He's going to be upset with me when I get back.

[gevurah]

Oz? [ As they near the portal, she gets him closer to it first, double-checking the supplies she's carrying to see that everything is still tucked under her arms. ]

[retraced]

I just yelled at him a few days ago for doing the same thing that I'm doing now.

[He lets himself be led closer, giving a sideways glance down at the bag. Honestly, he can't even remember what he'd been instructed to get, but the list with all of the items is inside of the bag in case she wants to double check it all.]