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

[flightybookshrew]

Not that I am aware of, but given the fact that we are basically pounding at the door of a fortress and hoping it lets us in, we can hardly be surprised when there are moments of frustration.

[She frowns at the screen, tapping a few more keys, then tugs the USB drive out and smacks it on the counter before she plugs it back in. After a few seconds, the screen starts processing the way it should.]

And sometimes you simply have to remind the machine who is in charge.

[chittybang]

Hey, whatever works. [Asami smirks at her, and then she watches the screen process the file all the way through. When it's finished, she quickly saves the file and is about to pull out the USB from its port when something on the screen crops up. It's an animated little novelty guy, and it seems to have a very important question to ask:

IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE SAVING AN OVERWRITTEN FILE. WOULD YOU LIKE HELP?

Feeling a little impatient, Asami sighs and repeatedly clicks the Don't show me this tip again button.]

Is this really necessary?

I'm sorry this is so late.

[flightybookshrew]

[Rose leans forward to squint at the screen for a moment, and the little dancing...person...and then she actually laughs softly, a sound that cuts off into a cough before she gets control of herself.]

Hundreds of years and computer programmers are still assuming end users are morons.

[She watches Asami finish in silence, still smiling faintly.]

If you mean all of this computer-rewriting and trying to change the make-up of this virus. I'm not sure. We could be fixing it, or we could be making it worse. There are...a lot of possibilities.

it's most ok!

[chittybang]

Well, the more we tamper with it, the more we're screwing it up I suppose. I wish we could just break it.

[She sighs and clicks a few more buttons on the screen.]

I think that's all we needed to do, anyway. Thanks for your help. What's your name?

[flightybookshrew]

I don't think it's quite so simple as that. 'Breaking' a virus could be worse than allowing it to propagate in the first place.

[Still, the initiative seemed to have some idea how it would work.]

Hopefully they're right though. I'd rather not return to our time and find out everyone is dead. [Such a positive thought, hmm? She didn't answer for a moment, coughing into her suit. When she was done she drew in a breath.]

Oh. I'm Rose. I'd say it was nice to meet you, but given these circumstances, well.

[chittybang]

[Asami can't tell if she's trying to be funny or if it's an actual concern, but the idea begins to worry her on her part. But, what's done is done, so she thinks all they can do from here is wait and see.]

I'd still be struggling with this machine if it weren't for you, so I'm quite relieved to meet you! My name is Asami.

[She holds a bulky hand between them for an awkward handshake while she continues:] I suppose we should get going.

[flightybookshrew]

I suspect you would have figured it out eventually. [Rose shrugs, though it's hard to tell in the big suit.] And yes, leaving would probably be the best option before us.

[She looks around as she starts to walk.]

It's a pity though, this place is probably working on other research, just as terrible as the virus.

[chittybang]

It's too bad we can't just go ahead and corrupt all of their files. Then again, I suspect these aren't their only computers.

[Every step brings a trickle of dread into her system. Going into that cold is the last thing she wants to do, yet she's anxious not to spend any more time than she has to in these corridors.]