[AGAINST THE CURE]
Timing: Early morning hours of the 9-16-17
Doc has spent most of the evening by himself. Since his run in with Zodiac the Cathedral in Tomkin, he had a lot to think about, to work through. She had been instrumental with redirecting his splintered thoughts. And she had helped him come to terms with another important issue. He was actually feeling much better than he had in weeks. It was surprising really, how the most simple thing could make a huge difference in one’s outlook.
Even Ripper’s asshole move from earlier in the evening had not managed to break his mood. Well. He was still pissed as all **** at Ripper, but the anger was a type of catharsis for him. The moody emotions melted away in the midst of his anger. On the one hand, he should thank Ripper for being such a fucktard imbecile, but the reality was, Ripper just enjoyed ******* everyone over. What was the most current way to **** everyone over.. Invite the humans, to the Vampire Townhall meeting.
Doc didn’t care about Ripper’s ‘presumed’ motivations, of merely wanting to help, as someone mentioned to him. And He didn’t believe for one ******* millisecond that Ripper was the least bit sorry. The meeting had to be cancelled. Of course it did. Vampire Hunters and Paladins would be on site to attack any and all vampires as they can or left. ******* ****-for-brains-asshole.
The beep on his phone indicated that he received another email. He had already deleted the email Ripper had sent him. Deleted it, unread. However, as he glanced at the sender he saw it was Elizabeth. He opened the email and began to read. As he read, the meeting was forgotten. He set the phone aside, and moved to his laptop, opening the email program. He reread Lizzie’s explanation about email fragments.
There were several fragment, but two of them caught his immediate attention.
"The term homo sapiens draculae, named for a common species of large vampire bats, has come up in conversations, but I thought that was a bit on the nose. Besides, looking at vampirism as a form of natural evolution is dangerous and counterproductive to what we're doing here."
The phrase ‘what we’re doing here’ struck an ominous chord with Doc, but he continued to read.
"It took months of experimentation to come up with a standard core set of traits deemed vampiric, but now that we have a better understanding of what makes a vampire tick, we can equally better provide an agent for change."
Doc stared at the screen. He was intimately aware of what the term ‘experimentation’ conjured. They .. whoever they were, were experimenting on Vampires, and had been for months.
"Ultimately, the impression I got from the people upstairs was sinister sympathy. They feel bad for the vampires, but are willing to take action if need be. Leave it to politicians to have two opposite views on the same exact subject."
Opening a new email, he replied to Lizzie.
“Thank you for the documents. The contents are quite concerning. We should speak, when can we meet?”
He encrypted the email and hit send.
A Cure? (Open)
-
Doc
- Registered User
- Posts: 3641
- Joined: 29 Nov 2011, 16:11
- CrowNet Handle: That Guy
- Location: The hot ladies call me "Duckie"
- Contact:
A Cure? (Open)
Ego correctionis silentio grammatica tua
IC Forum username: That Guy
Dressed by Ariadne-
Elizabeth
- Registered User
- Posts: 3498
- Joined: 01 May 2011, 01:32
- CrowNet Handle: Dreamer's Pang
- Location: Tower of Ivory
Re: A Cure? (Open)
[AGAINST THE CURE]
When rumours started speculating about an apparent cure, Elizabeth had multiple feelings on the subject. The first was disbelief, because vampires had only been around, to the world's knowledge for a handful of years. But only recently, they had been revealed to the world. A year, perhaps at most. Yet, there were diseases that had been around for decades...even centuries that still had no cure for their affliction. There was skepticism; at first.
But...skepticism aside...what if it were possible? What would be the side effects of such a cure? Would someone be able to once again walk in the sun without any issues? Eat regular food and both taste and appreciate it? Have a family? It was something to consider. Vampire life had been good for Elizabeth. Great, compared to most. She had been alive to see not decades pass, but centuries. Even while in the realms, she was still 'around' in a sense and time continued onwards. But, what would life be like when she saw one thousand years? One thousand years of technological advances, but what about personal?
Family was something Elizabeth never truly really had. Not after her father had died. Her household shifted dramatically and there was a lot of unhappiness within the home. Mostly between her and her mother. When Elizabeth attempted to have what was robbed with her, even against her 'choice,' there was still the absence of the familial ideal. There were fleeting moments of happiness. The birth of James. Followed by Abigail, but had been robbed of that happiness with her last child when she died months after she had been born. Though she wore a mask of happiness around James, Elizabeth had never recovered completely from the death of Abigail. That was not to say that she had never been happy with James or that he did not ever make her smile, or there was no love between her and her child. But there was a hole that could never be replaced with the death of Abigail. So, after her escape from the realms, Elizabeth tried to attempt what it was she felt had always been lacking. And that too, eventually failed. Perhaps, all good things do come to an end.
Still, personal and skepticism aside, Elizabeth could not actually favour one side or the other in regards to her opinion about a cure. She could see the dangerous consequences of a supposed cure falling into the wrong hands, but at the same time, could not blame someone for wanting the cure for themselves. It was quite the conundrum. The names of companies that worked alongside with the government working on this cure had been attained by word of mouth and a little research of her own. Once the companies names were attained, Elizabeth entered their databases and began going through email logs. It was surprisingly...easy. Something to potentially be wary of. Still, Elizabeth retained the snippets she was able to find and then frowned when she saw the word 'politicians.' There was only one person she could think of sharing this information with, given his desire to enter the world of politics. No one liked to be caught with their pants down. The information she gathered was sent to Doc through an email for him to decipher and not long after, a reply was sent from him, to her.
Not wanting to take any chances on too much back and forth, Elizabeth decided to reply into his mind. Immediately. Name the location and I will be there. Elizabeth moved from her computer, turned it off and moved to the front door of her penthouse apartment. By the time she was in the elevator, she suspected Doc would have a location for her.
When rumours started speculating about an apparent cure, Elizabeth had multiple feelings on the subject. The first was disbelief, because vampires had only been around, to the world's knowledge for a handful of years. But only recently, they had been revealed to the world. A year, perhaps at most. Yet, there were diseases that had been around for decades...even centuries that still had no cure for their affliction. There was skepticism; at first.
But...skepticism aside...what if it were possible? What would be the side effects of such a cure? Would someone be able to once again walk in the sun without any issues? Eat regular food and both taste and appreciate it? Have a family? It was something to consider. Vampire life had been good for Elizabeth. Great, compared to most. She had been alive to see not decades pass, but centuries. Even while in the realms, she was still 'around' in a sense and time continued onwards. But, what would life be like when she saw one thousand years? One thousand years of technological advances, but what about personal?
Family was something Elizabeth never truly really had. Not after her father had died. Her household shifted dramatically and there was a lot of unhappiness within the home. Mostly between her and her mother. When Elizabeth attempted to have what was robbed with her, even against her 'choice,' there was still the absence of the familial ideal. There were fleeting moments of happiness. The birth of James. Followed by Abigail, but had been robbed of that happiness with her last child when she died months after she had been born. Though she wore a mask of happiness around James, Elizabeth had never recovered completely from the death of Abigail. That was not to say that she had never been happy with James or that he did not ever make her smile, or there was no love between her and her child. But there was a hole that could never be replaced with the death of Abigail. So, after her escape from the realms, Elizabeth tried to attempt what it was she felt had always been lacking. And that too, eventually failed. Perhaps, all good things do come to an end.
Still, personal and skepticism aside, Elizabeth could not actually favour one side or the other in regards to her opinion about a cure. She could see the dangerous consequences of a supposed cure falling into the wrong hands, but at the same time, could not blame someone for wanting the cure for themselves. It was quite the conundrum. The names of companies that worked alongside with the government working on this cure had been attained by word of mouth and a little research of her own. Once the companies names were attained, Elizabeth entered their databases and began going through email logs. It was surprisingly...easy. Something to potentially be wary of. Still, Elizabeth retained the snippets she was able to find and then frowned when she saw the word 'politicians.' There was only one person she could think of sharing this information with, given his desire to enter the world of politics. No one liked to be caught with their pants down. The information she gathered was sent to Doc through an email for him to decipher and not long after, a reply was sent from him, to her.
Not wanting to take any chances on too much back and forth, Elizabeth decided to reply into his mind. Immediately. Name the location and I will be there. Elizabeth moved from her computer, turned it off and moved to the front door of her penthouse apartment. By the time she was in the elevator, she suspected Doc would have a location for her.
Why are you taking me through troubled waters, I asked? Because your enemies cannot swim, he replied.
-
Zodiac
- Registered User
- Posts: 1987
- Joined: 02 Aug 2011, 22:23
- CrowNet Handle: Raggedy Ann
- Location: The Pandora Project
- Contact:
Re: A Cure? (Open)
[FOR THE CURE]
"Polls show that people are slightly favorable towards the newly revealed vampires, but how long until that changes? How long until headlines get grimmer and grimmer? Do you want to be part of the administration that did nothing about it?"
”Where did you say you found this?”
“In my morning hacks,” the redhead explained as the gypsy re-read the strange message again. “I found it odd. You been saying that for ages basically, right?”
”Yes I have, and in typical form I was laughed at and ignored and now someone else says it and it will be gospel.” Zodiac snorted. ”Was this in the basic hacking pile?”
“No,” Jennifer sat down and brought up the screen on Zo’s computer. “In there. Heard about a couple new places being on line so I poked around and found that. Encrypted as well.” She handed her employer the list of names she had been working.
”I see. Well, thank you for pointing this out to me.” she leaned over and gave the girl a kiss on the cheek. ”Think I will do some poking of my own here. Do me a favor? Check these places again tomorrow, okay?”
“No probs, boss lady.”
*****
"Subject 025 has gone missing. She was released as part of the reintegration protocol, for long term testing and observation, but she hasn`t done any check ins."
”Reintegration? Sounds like someone took a animal and placed it back in the wild or something.” She had found more. Much more than Jennifer had and the language within the bits of messages was disturbing, if it could be trusted to be real and not some elaborate prank. She leaned back in her chair after writing down the bits Jenn and herself had collected and read them over again. She shook her head after coming to the same conclusion several times.
Someone was treating being a vampire as a disease and – supposedly – was working on or had a cure for it.
In her small country house she turned from her computer and looked at the assortment of books that lined the shelves behind her. Over half the available space as filled on everything she could find on the subject of vampires. Too much time, too much money, and too many deals with people she never knew outside of internet contacts sat before her. To her it had been worth it at the time. Within the covers of those molding books was almost everything a person could wish to know on the subject of vampires– real and imagined, but not the one secret she had sought for a couple years with single minded devotion and determination.
Could the process be reversed?
Vampirism was not a disease. A bizarre biological process that altered and enhanced a person into a kind of up (or down) graded form of life, yes, but disease made it sound like something else. A disease eventually would run its course and in most cases destroy what it had infected. A serious disease would continue to spread among people with the same results. Death (or wishing one was dead when it had finally burned itself out) Vampirism changed the subject into a new form of being.
She had self educated herself in some parts of medical science to help her seek her answer as well as exploring the limits of the crafts she had been raised with. Something that attacked the victim in its blood. That much was certain. Her studies were limited without the equipment that could find a more comprehensive answer but a microscope told her a lot regardless. A few drops of what passed for blood in her veins on a slide and the addition of living blood showed how her changed blood transformed or absorbed the live blood. Whatever was inside of them was quite active still. On second thought, attacking the problem like it was some kind of disease in progress made sense. Remove the active item in their vampire blood and, possibly, their natural system could start again?
Or else kill them outright. That was always a possibility. If there was a cure, she knew some who could not even dare consider taking It now. Her own childer, Iris, was one. Thanks to a robbery and stabbing when she was still alive, the physicians discovered she was in the final stages of Pancreatic cancer destroying her body. This was one of the facts that had motivated Zodiac to offer her the gift/curse of what she had become. If Iris was ‘cured’ would the time as a vampire have healed and purged that disease from her body or would it start the clock ticking again and send her on her way to true death?
No, she would never allow the girl to chance such a thing.
But someone like herself?
To actually have a choice in the matter?
She sat in the silence for a long while before typing out a mass email message to a few friends of hers.
(TBC)
"Polls show that people are slightly favorable towards the newly revealed vampires, but how long until that changes? How long until headlines get grimmer and grimmer? Do you want to be part of the administration that did nothing about it?"
”Where did you say you found this?”
“In my morning hacks,” the redhead explained as the gypsy re-read the strange message again. “I found it odd. You been saying that for ages basically, right?”
”Yes I have, and in typical form I was laughed at and ignored and now someone else says it and it will be gospel.” Zodiac snorted. ”Was this in the basic hacking pile?”
“No,” Jennifer sat down and brought up the screen on Zo’s computer. “In there. Heard about a couple new places being on line so I poked around and found that. Encrypted as well.” She handed her employer the list of names she had been working.
”I see. Well, thank you for pointing this out to me.” she leaned over and gave the girl a kiss on the cheek. ”Think I will do some poking of my own here. Do me a favor? Check these places again tomorrow, okay?”
“No probs, boss lady.”
*****
"Subject 025 has gone missing. She was released as part of the reintegration protocol, for long term testing and observation, but she hasn`t done any check ins."
”Reintegration? Sounds like someone took a animal and placed it back in the wild or something.” She had found more. Much more than Jennifer had and the language within the bits of messages was disturbing, if it could be trusted to be real and not some elaborate prank. She leaned back in her chair after writing down the bits Jenn and herself had collected and read them over again. She shook her head after coming to the same conclusion several times.
Someone was treating being a vampire as a disease and – supposedly – was working on or had a cure for it.
In her small country house she turned from her computer and looked at the assortment of books that lined the shelves behind her. Over half the available space as filled on everything she could find on the subject of vampires. Too much time, too much money, and too many deals with people she never knew outside of internet contacts sat before her. To her it had been worth it at the time. Within the covers of those molding books was almost everything a person could wish to know on the subject of vampires– real and imagined, but not the one secret she had sought for a couple years with single minded devotion and determination.
Could the process be reversed?
Vampirism was not a disease. A bizarre biological process that altered and enhanced a person into a kind of up (or down) graded form of life, yes, but disease made it sound like something else. A disease eventually would run its course and in most cases destroy what it had infected. A serious disease would continue to spread among people with the same results. Death (or wishing one was dead when it had finally burned itself out) Vampirism changed the subject into a new form of being.
She had self educated herself in some parts of medical science to help her seek her answer as well as exploring the limits of the crafts she had been raised with. Something that attacked the victim in its blood. That much was certain. Her studies were limited without the equipment that could find a more comprehensive answer but a microscope told her a lot regardless. A few drops of what passed for blood in her veins on a slide and the addition of living blood showed how her changed blood transformed or absorbed the live blood. Whatever was inside of them was quite active still. On second thought, attacking the problem like it was some kind of disease in progress made sense. Remove the active item in their vampire blood and, possibly, their natural system could start again?
Or else kill them outright. That was always a possibility. If there was a cure, she knew some who could not even dare consider taking It now. Her own childer, Iris, was one. Thanks to a robbery and stabbing when she was still alive, the physicians discovered she was in the final stages of Pancreatic cancer destroying her body. This was one of the facts that had motivated Zodiac to offer her the gift/curse of what she had become. If Iris was ‘cured’ would the time as a vampire have healed and purged that disease from her body or would it start the clock ticking again and send her on her way to true death?
No, she would never allow the girl to chance such a thing.
But someone like herself?
To actually have a choice in the matter?
She sat in the silence for a long while before typing out a mass email message to a few friends of hers.
(TBC)
Some day I'm gonna be happy. I don't know when just now
I still have clouds to dance upon, and the moon expects me for tea
The Pandora Project.
I still have clouds to dance upon, and the moon expects me for tea
The Pandora Project.
-
Doc
- Registered User
- Posts: 3641
- Joined: 29 Nov 2011, 16:11
- CrowNet Handle: That Guy
- Location: The hot ladies call me "Duckie"
- Contact:
Re: A Cure? (Open)
[AGAINST THE CURE]
Timing: Early morning hours of the 9-16-17
Having received Lizzie’s telepathic reply, Doc was pleased that she was agreeable to meet immediately. He had hoped she would want to meet sooner rather than later, but it was presumptuous of him to suggest it, not knowing what she have happening. He replied in like manner, ~Genesis Solutions, Honeymead Market, 6887 is the passcode for tonight.~
Once Doc replied he lost no time in teleporting to the location to await Lizzie’s arrival. Since it was in the wee hours of the morning the location was deserted. He had chosen this location specifically as it had a secured conference room, that was sound proof and had been wired to disrupt listening devices. Yes. It did seem a bit of overkill, but after the fiasco of trusting ‘all vampires’ to work together only to have it implode spectacularly because of the fucktard Ripper just a few hours ago, Doc decided he would rather be safe than sorry.
All Doc really knew, was that there was supposedly some experimentation taking place on vampires. Why? For what purpose, he wasn’t sure of. But one of the snippets had mentioned ‘sinister sympathy. Sinister Sympathy. That spoke volumes for Doc. That told him, that the experimenters thought they were doing what was right. The phrase ‘ the needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few’ came to mind. But what were the experiments for? What was their purpose? What did the scientists already know about Vampires? Who was their test subject? Or Subjects?
The more Doc thought about the different iterations of experimentation, the more Doc realized, the humans may already know too much about the vampire community. There may be no hope of legal protections, not if the government know just how powerful a vampire could be. Except. How had they kept the vampire contained? Unless the vampire was a Fledge, they could easily get away. If the Vampire Subject was a Fledge, there could be hope.
But what if there were multiple Vampire Subjects? What if the Vampire Subjects were willing? Willing Subjects would be more apt to tell all, instead of holding anything back. And as he knew from first hand experience, fear was a wonderful motivator for getting information. Vampires healed quickly, but they still felt pain. And if, they experimenters were anything like him, they would repeat the experiments multiple times, to ensure a solid reliable response that could be quantified.
Doc rubbed his forehead. The more he thought about it, the more the iterations spiderwebbed out. This wasn’t an easy, if A happens, react with plan 1; if B happens, react with plan 2. No. This had iterations off of iterations, that spiraled and spread further and further out. Working on the information that he knew, which was scraps of emails, Vampires were more than likely being experimented on. Why? Unknown at this time. Best course of action? Find the facility where the experimentations are happening, infiltrate, hack in and steal the files, burn it to the ground.
And the Vampire Subjects? Release or Kill? Doc really hoped that Lizzie found out more than she was able to share via email.
Timing: Early morning hours of the 9-16-17
Having received Lizzie’s telepathic reply, Doc was pleased that she was agreeable to meet immediately. He had hoped she would want to meet sooner rather than later, but it was presumptuous of him to suggest it, not knowing what she have happening. He replied in like manner, ~Genesis Solutions, Honeymead Market, 6887 is the passcode for tonight.~
Once Doc replied he lost no time in teleporting to the location to await Lizzie’s arrival. Since it was in the wee hours of the morning the location was deserted. He had chosen this location specifically as it had a secured conference room, that was sound proof and had been wired to disrupt listening devices. Yes. It did seem a bit of overkill, but after the fiasco of trusting ‘all vampires’ to work together only to have it implode spectacularly because of the fucktard Ripper just a few hours ago, Doc decided he would rather be safe than sorry.
All Doc really knew, was that there was supposedly some experimentation taking place on vampires. Why? For what purpose, he wasn’t sure of. But one of the snippets had mentioned ‘sinister sympathy. Sinister Sympathy. That spoke volumes for Doc. That told him, that the experimenters thought they were doing what was right. The phrase ‘ the needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few’ came to mind. But what were the experiments for? What was their purpose? What did the scientists already know about Vampires? Who was their test subject? Or Subjects?
The more Doc thought about the different iterations of experimentation, the more Doc realized, the humans may already know too much about the vampire community. There may be no hope of legal protections, not if the government know just how powerful a vampire could be. Except. How had they kept the vampire contained? Unless the vampire was a Fledge, they could easily get away. If the Vampire Subject was a Fledge, there could be hope.
But what if there were multiple Vampire Subjects? What if the Vampire Subjects were willing? Willing Subjects would be more apt to tell all, instead of holding anything back. And as he knew from first hand experience, fear was a wonderful motivator for getting information. Vampires healed quickly, but they still felt pain. And if, they experimenters were anything like him, they would repeat the experiments multiple times, to ensure a solid reliable response that could be quantified.
Doc rubbed his forehead. The more he thought about it, the more the iterations spiderwebbed out. This wasn’t an easy, if A happens, react with plan 1; if B happens, react with plan 2. No. This had iterations off of iterations, that spiraled and spread further and further out. Working on the information that he knew, which was scraps of emails, Vampires were more than likely being experimented on. Why? Unknown at this time. Best course of action? Find the facility where the experimentations are happening, infiltrate, hack in and steal the files, burn it to the ground.
And the Vampire Subjects? Release or Kill? Doc really hoped that Lizzie found out more than she was able to share via email.
Ego correctionis silentio grammatica tua
IC Forum username: That Guy
Dressed by Ariadne-
Alexandrea
- Posts: 12318
- Joined: 02 Nov 2011, 04:47
- CrowNet Handle: xRobynxHoodx (aka AlexQ)
- Location: The Clocktower
- Contact:
Re: A Cure? (Open)
[AGAINST THE CURE]
After closing the email from Zoey, Alex sighed. She hated hacking but did it often enough she could quite easily do what her friend had done, in an attempt to get the same sort of information. It wasn't that Alexandrea didn't trust the Mystic. Nothing could be further from the truth. Alex trusted Zodiac more than almost anyone. It was a combination of wanting to help mixed with mistrust for what the media had been putting out and a huge chunk of curiosity.
Her first try she was booted out. Hacking was really not Alex's cup of tea. But on her second and third tries, she got a little something-something. Which she sent right back to Zodiac;
"The term homo sapiens draculae, named for a common species of large vampire bats, has come up in conversations, but I thought that was a bit on the nose. Besides, looking at vampirism as a form of natural evolution is dangerous and counterproductive to what we`re doing here." and "Getting used to working just nights is a real killer. I feel like my family never even sees me anymore, but it`s all for them anyway."
The little bit of digging set the Allurist's teeth on edge. She's been working on an attempt at smoothing things over between Doc and Ripper when she had gotten the first blub about the latest news in town. And she was still distracted. Checking back, her hopes her crushed. Ripper had now called everyone an idiot and the chances of getting another meeting out of Doc had just been flushed down the sewer. If there had even ever been any shot at that happening to begin with.
The blonde banged her head on her desk a few times before moving on. She had done all she could and there were new fish to fry. Her adoptive sire, Elizabeth, was sure to know more. The Elder always seemed to be interested in the current events and even if Liz hadn't any new information, Alexandrea wanted to hear what the woman thought about what was going on. Putting together another email, Alex sent the same snippets of talk to Elizabeth that she had shared with the Gypsy.
It was time to say something to the family. Opening up the Qnet board, she posted a short paragraph. Nothing too biased. Her initial impressions might be wrong. Just a few words of caution, asking the Q's to all avoid making any rash choices and to as always, stay safe. And a request for more information, as everyone learned what was going on.
Her cat Penny Valentine picked that moment to jump onto Alex's desk and sit down on the laptop's keyboard. With a soft chuckle, Alexandrea rubbed the feline's furry face. It only slowed her down a mere moment before the blonde was back into crownet through her mind. She continued to search news articles on the web and posts from around the town while giving Penny a thorough massage.
After closing the email from Zoey, Alex sighed. She hated hacking but did it often enough she could quite easily do what her friend had done, in an attempt to get the same sort of information. It wasn't that Alexandrea didn't trust the Mystic. Nothing could be further from the truth. Alex trusted Zodiac more than almost anyone. It was a combination of wanting to help mixed with mistrust for what the media had been putting out and a huge chunk of curiosity.
Her first try she was booted out. Hacking was really not Alex's cup of tea. But on her second and third tries, she got a little something-something. Which she sent right back to Zodiac;
"The term homo sapiens draculae, named for a common species of large vampire bats, has come up in conversations, but I thought that was a bit on the nose. Besides, looking at vampirism as a form of natural evolution is dangerous and counterproductive to what we`re doing here." and "Getting used to working just nights is a real killer. I feel like my family never even sees me anymore, but it`s all for them anyway."
The little bit of digging set the Allurist's teeth on edge. She's been working on an attempt at smoothing things over between Doc and Ripper when she had gotten the first blub about the latest news in town. And she was still distracted. Checking back, her hopes her crushed. Ripper had now called everyone an idiot and the chances of getting another meeting out of Doc had just been flushed down the sewer. If there had even ever been any shot at that happening to begin with.
The blonde banged her head on her desk a few times before moving on. She had done all she could and there were new fish to fry. Her adoptive sire, Elizabeth, was sure to know more. The Elder always seemed to be interested in the current events and even if Liz hadn't any new information, Alexandrea wanted to hear what the woman thought about what was going on. Putting together another email, Alex sent the same snippets of talk to Elizabeth that she had shared with the Gypsy.
It was time to say something to the family. Opening up the Qnet board, she posted a short paragraph. Nothing too biased. Her initial impressions might be wrong. Just a few words of caution, asking the Q's to all avoid making any rash choices and to as always, stay safe. And a request for more information, as everyone learned what was going on.
Her cat Penny Valentine picked that moment to jump onto Alex's desk and sit down on the laptop's keyboard. With a soft chuckle, Alexandrea rubbed the feline's furry face. It only slowed her down a mere moment before the blonde was back into crownet through her mind. She continued to search news articles on the web and posts from around the town while giving Penny a thorough massage.
Crownet Handle: xRobynxHoodx
#ethicalmica
-
Amalea
- Developer
- Posts: 2184
- Joined: 05 Jun 2011, 01:49
- CrowNet Handle: Tigress
Re: A Cure? (Open)
[AGAINST THE CURE]
Hell had let loose, there was no other explanation for chaos that had seemed to spring from nowhere. The eclipse had been nearly four weeks past. The full moon had past two weeks ago as well. Hell, even the new moon wasn’t even due for a few days. Some insanity was par for the course in this city, but today had hit the level of uncontrolled chaos. Thankfully, it hadn’t seemed to affect any of her businesses given she was going to need to turn her attention elsewhere for a while.
The red-head should have known the day was going to be strange when she opened her email and found one from Ripper. The title of the email gave away the nature of its contents. Given the poll had ended Tuesday, she had been waiting for someone to let her know what had been decided. She couldn’t exactly get that information for herself given its location on Crownet. It was a disappointment, but not a surprise to see the results. It had been a long-shot, she had known that going in; at least she could say she had tried. In a way, it was better this way as she would be able to determine for herself how to be of the most help towards the goal. A simple thanks was sent in reply before she had closed her email.
Finding a new post in on the oddball Fact or Fiction site was usually good for a chuckle as most tended to sound like complete lunatics when posting there. Vampires trying to discredit humans… humans claiming vampires existed… usually in a manner that was comedic. Today, though, a frown tugged at her lips as she saw the title and poster of the post. A slew of quite unlady-like words filled her newest abode even before she opened it to read the actual text. The phrase ‘What a ******* idiot’ played over and over in her mind as she read the invitation for all the city’s inhabitants to take part in the Town Hall meeting the following week. To say she was pissed was an understatement. His thoughtlessness had endangered the entirety of the community. Not to mention he had trampled on Doc’s toes and hard work by going behind his back to do so. She knew how much thought and effort Doc had put into this venture.
It was obvious that the arrogant male had not thought this course of action out. The location itself would preclude the general human population from attending. Mortll’s rules on the matter were rather clear – humans had to be vouched for before being allowed entry. There was no way that would be bent as it was invitation for trouble; particularly from the paladin pest duo of Gideon and Esli. Thus, it was also clear that the moron had not discussed the move with Doc as the red-head was well aware he knew the rules.
She couldn’t help but laugh lightly at the next post; Mortll was tearing him a new hole over his idiocy. The message was insanely clear and hoped the male heeded in in the future, though she suspected he wouldn’t. The blood thief couldn’t begin to imagine what was occurring on Crownet in regards to the matter; it was times like this she missed being able to poke at it, but those days had past ages ago. Her hacking skills had faded away though it wouldn’t have mattered given it had been more securely protected. Really, she didn’t even need to look to know that the meeting had been, at the very least, moved but she heavily suspected it would be canceled. Safety would be a major concern now. Even with Eirene’s Will performed on the location, the risk was still present given humans could attend and make note of the vampires in attendance for future use.
It was the breaking news alert on the television playing in the background that finally pulled the red-head away from the computer; the term vampire in the news was always going to catch her attention. Grabbing the remote, she jacked the volume up and crashed on the couch to hear the entirety of the bulletin. That Harper Rock had entered a State of Emergency wasn’t too much of a concern; there was already a heavy military presence surrounding the Quarantine Zone and the old Mausoleum in Cherrydale. It was the reason for the declaration that was extremely worrying. A cure for vampirism itself was problematic. That it was being developed at a facility within the city was a major problem.
It was no surprise that the facility was under assault. The government obviously hadn’t thought this venture out well. That a cure was found would have become public at some point regardless of whether it was through the current email leak or via an official press release. The reaction would be the same regardless; so who the hell thought building a facility and researching the cure in a city full of vampires was a great idea. Even allowing for the need for test subjects, it was still a moronic move and she certainly wasn’t about to feel sorry for them.
That the government was working on it was a worrying prospect. There were a lot of reasons they would be interested in such a thing and most weren’t positive. In the red-head’s mind, there was very little chance that they were developing it as a goodwill offering. It was more likely set to be a weapon of some sort. And with the facility under siege, there was no telling what would happen or in whose hands it would end up.
Rising, she nibbled on her lip as she considered the possibilities. There were more sides that would be vying to get the cure for nefarious reasons than there would be looking to destroy it. There was the government, the paladin groups, regular humans, vampires who hated vampires, and vampires that wanted to be human again that came to mind as potentials.
The red-head slid back into her computer chair, tv volume still high in case of further updates, in order to see if some of the news sites might have additional information. She also wanted to see if anyone had posted in that human-only area about it yet. There was also an address to acquire for the facility; she suspected she’d end up there sooner or later. The real question on her mind though was ‘What can I do to help?’.
Hell had let loose, there was no other explanation for chaos that had seemed to spring from nowhere. The eclipse had been nearly four weeks past. The full moon had past two weeks ago as well. Hell, even the new moon wasn’t even due for a few days. Some insanity was par for the course in this city, but today had hit the level of uncontrolled chaos. Thankfully, it hadn’t seemed to affect any of her businesses given she was going to need to turn her attention elsewhere for a while.
The red-head should have known the day was going to be strange when she opened her email and found one from Ripper. The title of the email gave away the nature of its contents. Given the poll had ended Tuesday, she had been waiting for someone to let her know what had been decided. She couldn’t exactly get that information for herself given its location on Crownet. It was a disappointment, but not a surprise to see the results. It had been a long-shot, she had known that going in; at least she could say she had tried. In a way, it was better this way as she would be able to determine for herself how to be of the most help towards the goal. A simple thanks was sent in reply before she had closed her email.
Finding a new post in on the oddball Fact or Fiction site was usually good for a chuckle as most tended to sound like complete lunatics when posting there. Vampires trying to discredit humans… humans claiming vampires existed… usually in a manner that was comedic. Today, though, a frown tugged at her lips as she saw the title and poster of the post. A slew of quite unlady-like words filled her newest abode even before she opened it to read the actual text. The phrase ‘What a ******* idiot’ played over and over in her mind as she read the invitation for all the city’s inhabitants to take part in the Town Hall meeting the following week. To say she was pissed was an understatement. His thoughtlessness had endangered the entirety of the community. Not to mention he had trampled on Doc’s toes and hard work by going behind his back to do so. She knew how much thought and effort Doc had put into this venture.
It was obvious that the arrogant male had not thought this course of action out. The location itself would preclude the general human population from attending. Mortll’s rules on the matter were rather clear – humans had to be vouched for before being allowed entry. There was no way that would be bent as it was invitation for trouble; particularly from the paladin pest duo of Gideon and Esli. Thus, it was also clear that the moron had not discussed the move with Doc as the red-head was well aware he knew the rules.
She couldn’t help but laugh lightly at the next post; Mortll was tearing him a new hole over his idiocy. The message was insanely clear and hoped the male heeded in in the future, though she suspected he wouldn’t. The blood thief couldn’t begin to imagine what was occurring on Crownet in regards to the matter; it was times like this she missed being able to poke at it, but those days had past ages ago. Her hacking skills had faded away though it wouldn’t have mattered given it had been more securely protected. Really, she didn’t even need to look to know that the meeting had been, at the very least, moved but she heavily suspected it would be canceled. Safety would be a major concern now. Even with Eirene’s Will performed on the location, the risk was still present given humans could attend and make note of the vampires in attendance for future use.
It was the breaking news alert on the television playing in the background that finally pulled the red-head away from the computer; the term vampire in the news was always going to catch her attention. Grabbing the remote, she jacked the volume up and crashed on the couch to hear the entirety of the bulletin. That Harper Rock had entered a State of Emergency wasn’t too much of a concern; there was already a heavy military presence surrounding the Quarantine Zone and the old Mausoleum in Cherrydale. It was the reason for the declaration that was extremely worrying. A cure for vampirism itself was problematic. That it was being developed at a facility within the city was a major problem.
It was no surprise that the facility was under assault. The government obviously hadn’t thought this venture out well. That a cure was found would have become public at some point regardless of whether it was through the current email leak or via an official press release. The reaction would be the same regardless; so who the hell thought building a facility and researching the cure in a city full of vampires was a great idea. Even allowing for the need for test subjects, it was still a moronic move and she certainly wasn’t about to feel sorry for them.
That the government was working on it was a worrying prospect. There were a lot of reasons they would be interested in such a thing and most weren’t positive. In the red-head’s mind, there was very little chance that they were developing it as a goodwill offering. It was more likely set to be a weapon of some sort. And with the facility under siege, there was no telling what would happen or in whose hands it would end up.
Rising, she nibbled on her lip as she considered the possibilities. There were more sides that would be vying to get the cure for nefarious reasons than there would be looking to destroy it. There was the government, the paladin groups, regular humans, vampires who hated vampires, and vampires that wanted to be human again that came to mind as potentials.
The red-head slid back into her computer chair, tv volume still high in case of further updates, in order to see if some of the news sites might have additional information. She also wanted to see if anyone had posted in that human-only area about it yet. There was also an address to acquire for the facility; she suspected she’d end up there sooner or later. The real question on her mind though was ‘What can I do to help?’.
-
Zodiac
- Registered User
- Posts: 1987
- Joined: 02 Aug 2011, 22:23
- CrowNet Handle: Raggedy Ann
- Location: The Pandora Project
- Contact:
Re: A Cure? (Open)
[FOR THE CURE]
Basically, it was a matter of choice.
Choice was not something the gypsy had enjoyed too much in her lifetime.
She read the reply from Alex and sent a simple thumbs up emoji in return. She had been skimming various sites not normally accessible to the living and saw the firestorm was already beginning to brew. Everyone had an opinion on the matter of course, and most of them were negative. She could understand the suspicion of it all. The fact the government and not a private agency was running this was a big red flag. Not that she trusted private enterprise that much either, but the gov’s motives were usually the same. Screw the little guy, keep itself in power, dictate how all must live and milk every dime it can from the surplus population, and how can we use this to our best advantage. A private group might have a more specialized agenda that could be worked around, but they too follow the quest of more money.
Best advantage did not always equal for the good of all.
She got the snips Jenn had found and her own and began to compile a list of them. Some of these had been posted on the vamp webs but there was always a chance of mis-information going on there. When she sat back and imagined how many plots. Plans, hopes and nightmares were suddenly brewing in the darkness (and the light. Hey, let’s not ignore the remaining paladins and other super humans out there) her mind boggled. She glanced at the clock and saw enough time had passed to try again. She hacked into WHO and was not disappointed.
"According to the briefing, the project is designed to provide an option to the affected and will not be compulsory, though speaking from a strictly fiscal perspective, being `cured` is more likely to increase overall healthcare spending than reduce it."
She laughed at that one. Leave it to the government to involve the almighty dollar in the deal. It always came down to folding money. A lesson she learned very early in life. Money was the difference between life and death, guilty or innocence, help or hindrance. Whatever they charged for a dose of the ‘cure’ would be beyond most’s ability to afford.
Her paranoia kicked in (with good reason) as she considered it more. What would be the process of getting the ‘cure’ into one’s hands? How would that work?
“Hi, I am known as Zodiac and I would like to get the cure, please.” Her polite note would say as she handed it to the attendant.
“Certainly, now if you will have a seat and fill out these forms please.”
As someone drops a pile of papers in front of you asking some very personal questions along with requiring your fingerprints and who knew what else. They would treat you as an honored guest the whole time.
Until you were human again.
Suddenly your business license is revoked and your operations are forced to shut down. Your assets are frozen and the subject of tax evasion comes into play. Warrants to search your home(s) for stolen property. Dragged into court to prove your identity. The police wish to speak to you about unsolved crimes they suddenly feel you may be a part of. Information on other vamps would be demanded of you if you ever hoped to see the light of day again.
Zodiac had tried very hard to keep her business ventures as legit as possible to the public and government eye, but anyone who dug as deeply as the tax people would would find all is not as it appears. She kept a low profile, but in the beginning all was not legit. She stole from people, ran scams, did dealings on the black markets. Every skill she had been taught as a child to survive no matter what had come into play and very little of it fell into the lines of legal.
By the time they were done with her, she’d be lucky to be leaving town with Ginny under one arm, a walking stick in the other hand and five bucks hiding in her shoe. If she managed to still have shoes once they were done that is.
Or else be spending the remained of her now human life in a jail cell while she was prodded day and night to give up others of her kind. No rest. No peace. The questions would never end.
No.
Power corrupts and there is no greater corrupt power than a government no one can hold accountable for its actions. Once your power was gone they would have no fear in raping your entire life for every dime they could get out of it.
And what of her fellow vampires? Even if by some miracle the Gov types were unable to get her to reveal anything about the others, she would be suspect. Once the domino effect kicked in everyone would be suspicious and who better to blame than one who used to be one of them. Some friends might remain friends, but then again.
Her childers? She could see no issues of them to her, but how would the others react to them? Your sire is a traitor- die *****?
She’d have to go on the run, of course. Actually that idea did not disturb her so much. How many times had she debated selling everything, packing up the van with some needed things, grab her cats and just go back to exploring the world. There was much of Canada and Mexico she had not seen as well as parts of America. Have money transferred and processed to some accounts attached to fake ID’s and just enjoy the view. Wanderlust was in her bloodline, so the idea of saying **** it all and leaving would not be an issue at all.
But again, if she left she wanted it to be her choice and not something forced upon her.
She had enough of that kind of ******** already in her lifetime.
It was all a pipedream. If there truly was a ‘cure’ the odds of it landing in her hands was astronomical and she certainly would not approach the government for it.
”No choice in the matter at all. As always. **** my life.”
She went back to searching for more clues. Hopefully Alex and whoever she would be dealing with on this could make use of them. She would play the long game, as was her habit.
Wait and see how things fell, and then decide how to act.
It was one of the few choices she could make anymore.
(to be concluded)
Basically, it was a matter of choice.
Choice was not something the gypsy had enjoyed too much in her lifetime.
She read the reply from Alex and sent a simple thumbs up emoji in return. She had been skimming various sites not normally accessible to the living and saw the firestorm was already beginning to brew. Everyone had an opinion on the matter of course, and most of them were negative. She could understand the suspicion of it all. The fact the government and not a private agency was running this was a big red flag. Not that she trusted private enterprise that much either, but the gov’s motives were usually the same. Screw the little guy, keep itself in power, dictate how all must live and milk every dime it can from the surplus population, and how can we use this to our best advantage. A private group might have a more specialized agenda that could be worked around, but they too follow the quest of more money.
Best advantage did not always equal for the good of all.
She got the snips Jenn had found and her own and began to compile a list of them. Some of these had been posted on the vamp webs but there was always a chance of mis-information going on there. When she sat back and imagined how many plots. Plans, hopes and nightmares were suddenly brewing in the darkness (and the light. Hey, let’s not ignore the remaining paladins and other super humans out there) her mind boggled. She glanced at the clock and saw enough time had passed to try again. She hacked into WHO and was not disappointed.
"According to the briefing, the project is designed to provide an option to the affected and will not be compulsory, though speaking from a strictly fiscal perspective, being `cured` is more likely to increase overall healthcare spending than reduce it."
She laughed at that one. Leave it to the government to involve the almighty dollar in the deal. It always came down to folding money. A lesson she learned very early in life. Money was the difference between life and death, guilty or innocence, help or hindrance. Whatever they charged for a dose of the ‘cure’ would be beyond most’s ability to afford.
Her paranoia kicked in (with good reason) as she considered it more. What would be the process of getting the ‘cure’ into one’s hands? How would that work?
“Hi, I am known as Zodiac and I would like to get the cure, please.” Her polite note would say as she handed it to the attendant.
“Certainly, now if you will have a seat and fill out these forms please.”
As someone drops a pile of papers in front of you asking some very personal questions along with requiring your fingerprints and who knew what else. They would treat you as an honored guest the whole time.
Until you were human again.
Suddenly your business license is revoked and your operations are forced to shut down. Your assets are frozen and the subject of tax evasion comes into play. Warrants to search your home(s) for stolen property. Dragged into court to prove your identity. The police wish to speak to you about unsolved crimes they suddenly feel you may be a part of. Information on other vamps would be demanded of you if you ever hoped to see the light of day again.
Zodiac had tried very hard to keep her business ventures as legit as possible to the public and government eye, but anyone who dug as deeply as the tax people would would find all is not as it appears. She kept a low profile, but in the beginning all was not legit. She stole from people, ran scams, did dealings on the black markets. Every skill she had been taught as a child to survive no matter what had come into play and very little of it fell into the lines of legal.
By the time they were done with her, she’d be lucky to be leaving town with Ginny under one arm, a walking stick in the other hand and five bucks hiding in her shoe. If she managed to still have shoes once they were done that is.
Or else be spending the remained of her now human life in a jail cell while she was prodded day and night to give up others of her kind. No rest. No peace. The questions would never end.
No.
Power corrupts and there is no greater corrupt power than a government no one can hold accountable for its actions. Once your power was gone they would have no fear in raping your entire life for every dime they could get out of it.
And what of her fellow vampires? Even if by some miracle the Gov types were unable to get her to reveal anything about the others, she would be suspect. Once the domino effect kicked in everyone would be suspicious and who better to blame than one who used to be one of them. Some friends might remain friends, but then again.
Her childers? She could see no issues of them to her, but how would the others react to them? Your sire is a traitor- die *****?
She’d have to go on the run, of course. Actually that idea did not disturb her so much. How many times had she debated selling everything, packing up the van with some needed things, grab her cats and just go back to exploring the world. There was much of Canada and Mexico she had not seen as well as parts of America. Have money transferred and processed to some accounts attached to fake ID’s and just enjoy the view. Wanderlust was in her bloodline, so the idea of saying **** it all and leaving would not be an issue at all.
But again, if she left she wanted it to be her choice and not something forced upon her.
She had enough of that kind of ******** already in her lifetime.
It was all a pipedream. If there truly was a ‘cure’ the odds of it landing in her hands was astronomical and she certainly would not approach the government for it.
”No choice in the matter at all. As always. **** my life.”
She went back to searching for more clues. Hopefully Alex and whoever she would be dealing with on this could make use of them. She would play the long game, as was her habit.
Wait and see how things fell, and then decide how to act.
It was one of the few choices she could make anymore.
(to be concluded)
Some day I'm gonna be happy. I don't know when just now
I still have clouds to dance upon, and the moon expects me for tea
The Pandora Project.
I still have clouds to dance upon, and the moon expects me for tea
The Pandora Project.
-
Azraeth
- Registered User
- Posts: 3777
- Joined: 14 May 2011, 03:41
- CrowNet Handle: serpent_melech
Re: A Cure? (Open)
He had doing the vampiric equivalent of eating a bowl of cereal when the news had struck. This was to say that he had been seated in his new apartment with a fresh, warm mug of blood clasped between his fingers, seated in his favored ASOS joggers and t-shirt (early evening yoga was always part of the routine), as the evening news played on the television screen. Little headlines ran across the bottom in bold print as the anchors talked about how there was this cure in the works, and how there was a compound in the forest around Harper Rock, which was under attack by ‘terrorists’. Well. It didn’t take much guesswork to assume that ‘terrorist’ was a euphemism for ‘a bunch of angry vampires and suped up magical humans’. In that moment, he was the vampiric equivalent of a human with a spoon sticking out of the corner of his mouth, milk dribbling over his chin with something of a dumbfounded expression. This was to say that he had a blood mustache and hadn’t realized it. “Well the **** really hit the fan quickly on that one.” He commented out loud to himself. Not surprising. People hated change.
Fear of the unknown.
To Az, this was just like the issue facing the vampire community back when the bloodthieves had first become a thing. The cure, much like the Broussard in that case, was a tool, and tools could be used either for beneficial or nefarious purposes. To him, that made the issue essentially neutral, which meant he needed to do some research, find out more about the whole thing. The first step, he supposed, was to reach out to Nikolae. The father of dragons (a nickname lovingly doted upon the man by the avid fantasy nerd that was Az), was a lot more together in the head than most people realized. Yes. Nikolae was...well. Insane. There was no two ways about that, but he possessed a keen type of crazy, which lended itself to a clarity of vision. Nikolae was a survivor.
Unfortunately, after a few of Az’s texts weren’t returned, it was pretty clear that the mystic was on his own. Which. Well, it wasn’t all that odd. The Dragomir did their own thing. They all had their own beliefs, ideals, agendas, and projects. They weren’t a ‘family’ in the sense that there was a ‘daddy’ who gave the orders. They more closely resembled a family made up entirely of adults, with their own opinions and lives, which did not always, but sometimes intersected. Agency and independence were pretty big amongst the dragons. Unfortunately, that meant that sometimes one or more of them were unreachable. Az knew eventually Nikolae was going to get back to him.
Thus, he decided to leave a message on the Voodoo Dragons CrowNet, before going to investigate this research facility on his own. Before he actually even got into the building, he let the shadows cloak him in darkness to hide his presence. If he was just there to observe, it didn’t make much sense to draw attention. He made his way inside, and already it looked like things were well underway, with humans and vampires fighting en masse. He recognized some of the faces, but others he didn’t. It was utter bedlam, and there didn’t seem to be much of a place to sit, so Azraeth found a mostly still warm body. The person, whoever he was, had his head spun entirely around, so the mystic just sort of dusted him off a little, unrolled his yoga mat (he wasn’t much of a germaphobe, but it was someone else’s kill, and ew), and took a seat, legs folded so he could watch exactly what was happening.
A streak of darkness flashed across his vision.
Nikolae. Of course it was. His lips just sort of twisted into an expression of amusement. There he was. Sat. Trying to figure out what his next move was going to be, and naturally his sire had already decided. Already made the call. It looked like Niko was trying to actually rip the spine out of a human guard of some sort. So Raeth reached into his pocket, grabbing his phone. There was a line of texts leading up connected to Niko’s name, and he quickly added one to the list. So you’re a terrorist now?
Though he already knew what the response would be. Since when is that new?
And that was when he noticed a few replies on the VooDoo Dragon CrowNet. He scrolled through those for a moment. It seemed that Mortll and Amalea were pretty adamantly opposed to the cure - not that he blamed them in the slightest. He just needed to think about it. What he wanted was definitive evidence. He wanted some kind of leaked document that outright said the cure was bad news, and that he should do something about it. But there was no such paper, or even hints of it to appease his need for reason. Even if that did exist though, who was to say it was real? Speculation. Fabrication. It was easy to lie to people, and even easier for someone to lie to themselves. People wanted to fundamentally believe things that enforced their world view. So maybe his desire to look for some kind of proof was misguided.
He needed time to himself. He needed to get away from the chaos, and actually think about how he felt. So he left his yoga mat right where it was, and let himself descend into the blighted land of mental decay and spiritual grayness that was the Shadow Realm. There, he was not corporeal. There, the only thing he had to worry about was the static inside of his own brain. It was silent. It was like the mouth of the void. And so he was down there, the shadow of a man with his legs folded together, and his hands in his lap. He was a silhouette, a blip of blackness in a caliginous sea. He was nothing. And in being nothing, he knew he could well and truly contemplate the current of thoughts spilling through his mind like a cascade of images and voices.
The cure itself was not inherently dangerous was it? If the government intended to make it a choice for vampires to take, rather than as a compulsory measure, then it wasn’t necessarily going to hurt anything. And yet that was an assumption wasn’t it? There was the chance that the cure could be used to give people back the lives they wanted. And perhaps that was for the better of the vampire community. That meant people who were disgruntled at having been turned could be given life. How many issues had been created because someone was turned against their will? Turned by the person who killed them? Or turned for the wrong reasons, under false pretenses, with fake promises? The cure could be used to weed out those people who actively worked against the community. The foolish. The chaotic. The dangerous. The cure was not just a way to give people something they wanted; it was a way to smooth over the whole of vampirism itself. Make it cleaner and more polished.
But what if it could be weaponized? What if people were made to become human against their will? Was there a chance that it could be used to wipe out each and every single one of them? What if Nikolae was made human again? What if that bond he shared with his sire was broken? Would that make him alone? Would that sever his tie to the Dragomir. To the Worthington bloodline? Would that make him alone? He realized that stream of thoughts was motivated by fear. By his own insecurities, and he was about to pedal away from it when he felt what might have been warmth touching his shoulder. His eyes, or lack thereof, had been closed to drown out even the minimal distraction the grayscale world had to offer. They shut even tighter as he heard the voice echo softly in his mind.
She was like silk to the ears. “You have a lot on your mind.” She observed.
He knew she was sitting across from him. If he were to look, he would see eyes like molten honey staring back at him. He knew that her gaze held a sort of magic he had never been able to capture. He knew that when she looked at someone, she saw the best possible version of that person. And that looking into her meant seeing a reflection of that. He was haunted by who she had been, and who she might have made him if he’d been able to hold onto her. He didn’t say her name. “You were always better at these things than me.” He said.
“We always arrive at the same conclusions. I just do it more quickly.”
“That’s what I mean.”
“You know the only reason for that, is that you want to be right. Me. I know exactly who I am. I know that what matters to me is my sire, my bloodline, and myself. I know that you view your life is a miracle. That you know you died some six years ago, and every moment you’ve survived since then has been a blessing. Every friend. Every minute. Every lover. Every choice you have made - all of it has been a gift. I know that we are of the same mind in this. If the choice was to step into hopeless and eternal oblivion, or lose the ones you love, you would, without hesitation, pick the former. The only difference between you and me is that you feel the need to justify your feelings, to use reason and logic to support what you think. Me? I just act on instinct. Without hesitation. Without regret.”
“Why can’t I be more like you?” He asked, words spoken into the nothingness around him.
“You are me, and you know what you have to do.”
It was over. His eyes popped open, and he realized he was at home. He didn’t know how it had happened exactly, but at some point, he had returned to the world above. He had returned to himself. In his hand, he held a human tibia with fae language etched into it. He was home, at his apartment in Tomkin.
He pocketed his homebound tome and out came the phone.
Time to act.
To Mortll : This cure thing seems like a holocaust waiting to happen. If you have any plans, I’m down for them. If you need any help, let me know. We have to fight this fang tooth and nail. If you hear about anyone with plans, pass them my way as well. I’ll do whatever is needed.
To Amalea : You always have good ideas. If you have any clue how to combat the spread of this ‘cure’ everyone is talking about, let me know. Hell. If you know anyone with a good plan, count me in.
At the end of the day, there were a lot of questions about this ‘fix all’. But when was the last time the vampire community had been handed some sort of magical elixir that was going to save it, and repair all the many problems it faced? Never? That seemed about right. Azraeth frankly didn’t trust it, and in absence of evidence to the contrary, it benefited him to maintain the status quo. To uphold what he knew versus a maybe.
[AGAINST THE CURE]Fear of the unknown.
To Az, this was just like the issue facing the vampire community back when the bloodthieves had first become a thing. The cure, much like the Broussard in that case, was a tool, and tools could be used either for beneficial or nefarious purposes. To him, that made the issue essentially neutral, which meant he needed to do some research, find out more about the whole thing. The first step, he supposed, was to reach out to Nikolae. The father of dragons (a nickname lovingly doted upon the man by the avid fantasy nerd that was Az), was a lot more together in the head than most people realized. Yes. Nikolae was...well. Insane. There was no two ways about that, but he possessed a keen type of crazy, which lended itself to a clarity of vision. Nikolae was a survivor.
Unfortunately, after a few of Az’s texts weren’t returned, it was pretty clear that the mystic was on his own. Which. Well, it wasn’t all that odd. The Dragomir did their own thing. They all had their own beliefs, ideals, agendas, and projects. They weren’t a ‘family’ in the sense that there was a ‘daddy’ who gave the orders. They more closely resembled a family made up entirely of adults, with their own opinions and lives, which did not always, but sometimes intersected. Agency and independence were pretty big amongst the dragons. Unfortunately, that meant that sometimes one or more of them were unreachable. Az knew eventually Nikolae was going to get back to him.
Thus, he decided to leave a message on the Voodoo Dragons CrowNet, before going to investigate this research facility on his own. Before he actually even got into the building, he let the shadows cloak him in darkness to hide his presence. If he was just there to observe, it didn’t make much sense to draw attention. He made his way inside, and already it looked like things were well underway, with humans and vampires fighting en masse. He recognized some of the faces, but others he didn’t. It was utter bedlam, and there didn’t seem to be much of a place to sit, so Azraeth found a mostly still warm body. The person, whoever he was, had his head spun entirely around, so the mystic just sort of dusted him off a little, unrolled his yoga mat (he wasn’t much of a germaphobe, but it was someone else’s kill, and ew), and took a seat, legs folded so he could watch exactly what was happening.
A streak of darkness flashed across his vision.
Nikolae. Of course it was. His lips just sort of twisted into an expression of amusement. There he was. Sat. Trying to figure out what his next move was going to be, and naturally his sire had already decided. Already made the call. It looked like Niko was trying to actually rip the spine out of a human guard of some sort. So Raeth reached into his pocket, grabbing his phone. There was a line of texts leading up connected to Niko’s name, and he quickly added one to the list. So you’re a terrorist now?
Though he already knew what the response would be. Since when is that new?
And that was when he noticed a few replies on the VooDoo Dragon CrowNet. He scrolled through those for a moment. It seemed that Mortll and Amalea were pretty adamantly opposed to the cure - not that he blamed them in the slightest. He just needed to think about it. What he wanted was definitive evidence. He wanted some kind of leaked document that outright said the cure was bad news, and that he should do something about it. But there was no such paper, or even hints of it to appease his need for reason. Even if that did exist though, who was to say it was real? Speculation. Fabrication. It was easy to lie to people, and even easier for someone to lie to themselves. People wanted to fundamentally believe things that enforced their world view. So maybe his desire to look for some kind of proof was misguided.
He needed time to himself. He needed to get away from the chaos, and actually think about how he felt. So he left his yoga mat right where it was, and let himself descend into the blighted land of mental decay and spiritual grayness that was the Shadow Realm. There, he was not corporeal. There, the only thing he had to worry about was the static inside of his own brain. It was silent. It was like the mouth of the void. And so he was down there, the shadow of a man with his legs folded together, and his hands in his lap. He was a silhouette, a blip of blackness in a caliginous sea. He was nothing. And in being nothing, he knew he could well and truly contemplate the current of thoughts spilling through his mind like a cascade of images and voices.
The cure itself was not inherently dangerous was it? If the government intended to make it a choice for vampires to take, rather than as a compulsory measure, then it wasn’t necessarily going to hurt anything. And yet that was an assumption wasn’t it? There was the chance that the cure could be used to give people back the lives they wanted. And perhaps that was for the better of the vampire community. That meant people who were disgruntled at having been turned could be given life. How many issues had been created because someone was turned against their will? Turned by the person who killed them? Or turned for the wrong reasons, under false pretenses, with fake promises? The cure could be used to weed out those people who actively worked against the community. The foolish. The chaotic. The dangerous. The cure was not just a way to give people something they wanted; it was a way to smooth over the whole of vampirism itself. Make it cleaner and more polished.
But what if it could be weaponized? What if people were made to become human against their will? Was there a chance that it could be used to wipe out each and every single one of them? What if Nikolae was made human again? What if that bond he shared with his sire was broken? Would that make him alone? Would that sever his tie to the Dragomir. To the Worthington bloodline? Would that make him alone? He realized that stream of thoughts was motivated by fear. By his own insecurities, and he was about to pedal away from it when he felt what might have been warmth touching his shoulder. His eyes, or lack thereof, had been closed to drown out even the minimal distraction the grayscale world had to offer. They shut even tighter as he heard the voice echo softly in his mind.
She was like silk to the ears. “You have a lot on your mind.” She observed.
He knew she was sitting across from him. If he were to look, he would see eyes like molten honey staring back at him. He knew that her gaze held a sort of magic he had never been able to capture. He knew that when she looked at someone, she saw the best possible version of that person. And that looking into her meant seeing a reflection of that. He was haunted by who she had been, and who she might have made him if he’d been able to hold onto her. He didn’t say her name. “You were always better at these things than me.” He said.
“We always arrive at the same conclusions. I just do it more quickly.”
“That’s what I mean.”
“You know the only reason for that, is that you want to be right. Me. I know exactly who I am. I know that what matters to me is my sire, my bloodline, and myself. I know that you view your life is a miracle. That you know you died some six years ago, and every moment you’ve survived since then has been a blessing. Every friend. Every minute. Every lover. Every choice you have made - all of it has been a gift. I know that we are of the same mind in this. If the choice was to step into hopeless and eternal oblivion, or lose the ones you love, you would, without hesitation, pick the former. The only difference between you and me is that you feel the need to justify your feelings, to use reason and logic to support what you think. Me? I just act on instinct. Without hesitation. Without regret.”
“Why can’t I be more like you?” He asked, words spoken into the nothingness around him.
“You are me, and you know what you have to do.”
It was over. His eyes popped open, and he realized he was at home. He didn’t know how it had happened exactly, but at some point, he had returned to the world above. He had returned to himself. In his hand, he held a human tibia with fae language etched into it. He was home, at his apartment in Tomkin.
He pocketed his homebound tome and out came the phone.
Time to act.
To Mortll : This cure thing seems like a holocaust waiting to happen. If you have any plans, I’m down for them. If you need any help, let me know. We have to fight this fang tooth and nail. If you hear about anyone with plans, pass them my way as well. I’ll do whatever is needed.
To Amalea : You always have good ideas. If you have any clue how to combat the spread of this ‘cure’ everyone is talking about, let me know. Hell. If you know anyone with a good plan, count me in.
At the end of the day, there were a lot of questions about this ‘fix all’. But when was the last time the vampire community had been handed some sort of magical elixir that was going to save it, and repair all the many problems it faced? Never? That seemed about right. Azraeth frankly didn’t trust it, and in absence of evidence to the contrary, it benefited him to maintain the status quo. To uphold what he knew versus a maybe.
I'LL USE YOU AS A WARNING SIGN THAT IF YOU TALK ENOUGH SENSE THEN YOU'LL LOSE YOUR MIND
newbie links :
( path story intro )
( beginner guide )
( exp tips )
( path story intro )
( beginner guide )
( exp tips )
-
Cellissee (DELETED 9822)
- Posts: 37
- Joined: 13 Sep 2017, 21:36
- CrowNet Handle: SpaceHamst3r
Re: A Cure? (Open)
[AGAINST THE CURE]
Emergency in Harper Rock, a cure has been leaked, terrorists assault. Cellissee frowns at the glow of the computer monitor. She sneaks a quick peek over her shoulder and winces at the almost healed bullet wound in her abdomen, and smirks. The Man, meaning any government, or authority figure for that matter, be it the police or a hall monitor, has no good bone in his body. The Man will keep you down. He wants to control you man. It's what he does. He doesn't give away cures. **** no, the leak probably came from the Man to entice the freaking assault in the first place. Cellissee smells a conspiracy. No way a government wants to help Vampires. They are scared of us. They want to control us just like they do everything else. She may be a fledgling, but Cellissee knew that there was no cure for her. Would the government forgive her for being a vampire? Would it say you just got a little bug and you fed on other people for a while, all is forgiven?
"Hell no they wouldn't," Cellissee muttered as she leaned back in the internet cafe's super comfy chair. What they would do is watch her. They would brand her and watch her like a hawk because they don't know what long term side effects may or may not occur. They will always view her as a subject random ******* number, and would put her down like a dog if they had to. Like they want to anyway. They just can't yet. The cure can just as well be a, like a trojan horse or something. Like, here take this we are friends now see all is cool then all the sudden things change and now they got you man. That's the Man right there. Cellissee knows that ****. She also knows a little bit about sneaking around systems. That's the thing about the internet, it contains the truth. It's hidden in a lot, a looot, of ****, but it's there. You just gotta dig man. Cellissee cracks her knuckles,
"Let's just see what this cure's really all about shall we?"
Emergency in Harper Rock, a cure has been leaked, terrorists assault. Cellissee frowns at the glow of the computer monitor. She sneaks a quick peek over her shoulder and winces at the almost healed bullet wound in her abdomen, and smirks. The Man, meaning any government, or authority figure for that matter, be it the police or a hall monitor, has no good bone in his body. The Man will keep you down. He wants to control you man. It's what he does. He doesn't give away cures. **** no, the leak probably came from the Man to entice the freaking assault in the first place. Cellissee smells a conspiracy. No way a government wants to help Vampires. They are scared of us. They want to control us just like they do everything else. She may be a fledgling, but Cellissee knew that there was no cure for her. Would the government forgive her for being a vampire? Would it say you just got a little bug and you fed on other people for a while, all is forgiven?
"Hell no they wouldn't," Cellissee muttered as she leaned back in the internet cafe's super comfy chair. What they would do is watch her. They would brand her and watch her like a hawk because they don't know what long term side effects may or may not occur. They will always view her as a subject random ******* number, and would put her down like a dog if they had to. Like they want to anyway. They just can't yet. The cure can just as well be a, like a trojan horse or something. Like, here take this we are friends now see all is cool then all the sudden things change and now they got you man. That's the Man right there. Cellissee knows that ****. She also knows a little bit about sneaking around systems. That's the thing about the internet, it contains the truth. It's hidden in a lot, a looot, of ****, but it's there. You just gotta dig man. Cellissee cracks her knuckles,
"Let's just see what this cure's really all about shall we?"
-
Amalea
- Developer
- Posts: 2184
- Joined: 05 Jun 2011, 01:49
- CrowNet Handle: Tigress
Re: A Cure? (Open)
[AGAINST THE CURE]
The blood thief had been shocked when she logged into the mysteriously human only forum to find that there hadn’t been a new post in over a week. It wasn’t even anything interesting – just someone looking for a metalworker. It was unusual for the forum to be this quiet, particularly with news like this circulating through the media. There should be people arguing over this by now, surely, she thought. It wasn’t just an issue for the vampire community; it affected humans too.
Honestly, if she was a normal human, she might be pissed off that the government had spent their resources to find a cure for a non-fatal “affliction” when there were plenty of other fatal diseases that could use cures. Vampires had only been out of the proverbial closet for around a year. If government scientists could find a cure in that time... how many other diseases could they have cured or eradicated in the same amount of time? Even if they had started years ago, it was the same principle – time and resources could have been better spent. She couldn’t wait to see if someone else picked up on that and started protesting the government’s actions.
The newspapers hadn’t had much more than the news report. Whatever extra bits and pieces the print media had were mainly unimportant information. Hidden among them was a pretty good description of where the facility could be found which she filed away for future use. She wanted more information before charging into a warzone. The other interesting bit she had found was the cure’s codename of ‘Project Revital’. She had to wonder if it was a misspelling of revival or if there was some deeper meaning. A quick Google search left the red-head staring at her screen wondering if the name was intentionally the same as a electrolyte replacing prescription medication. If it was, was it then also an insight into the cure? It would be interesting to see as more information came to light.
She had headed to the Dragomir Crownet next wondering what the resident Dragons thought of this new development. That it was silent was unsurprising; they tended to be people of action. She was sure there would be some discussion once more heard the news and had perhaps already scoped out the facility. A mental note was made to check back later.
Voodoo Dragons CrowNet was where she found a post from Azraeth indicating he was interested in finding out what was going on and seeing what people knew about it. Given he was posting here rather than Dragomir confirmed Amalea’s suspicion that the other Dragons were out of reach. She had quickly hit reply and confirmed her interest in finding out more about this mystery.
Standing, the red-head stretched slightly, considering what her next move would be. In truth, she knew she needed more information on this cure and what was really going on. Still, the fact such a thing even existed was a danger. Even if it was being produced with benevolent intentions, who was to say that they would stay that way. And heaven forbid someone like Gideon got their hands on it and found a way to turn it into a weapon, assuming it was not already. For some vampires, a cure would be a blessing. For the remainder, it was a potential hazard to be avoided. Hence the need for the information; surely some of that leaked information would surface soon.
“Serena,” the blood-thief called out, hoping her wraith would actually show. The spirit was finicky and didn’t always follow Amalea’s instructions. It was frustrating, but she couldn’t fault the wraith given it was her own haphazard ability to control her that tended to be an issue. As shadows coalesced, the red-head released the breath she had been holding.
“Mistress called?”
“I did,” Amalea confirmed softly. “I appreciate you coming.”
“Mistress sounded distressed. Was afraid Mistress was in trouble.”
Amalea supposed that was an accurate term for her current mood. “A cure has been found for vampirism…” She winced as Serena let out an unholy shriek that caused the red-head to pause and wait for the spirit to settle again. “Many will fight against it, I’m sure.”
“Will Mistress?”
“It is a complex issue,” she sighed. “It could be beneficial, but the real problem is whoever controls or has access to the cure has immense power over the community. I’d like to, at the very least, see it secured in a facility away from most while the vampire community decides – as a whole – what to do.”
“Mistress has good idea,” the wraith nodded her head much like an excited small child.
“It’s nothing major, but it shouldn’t be up to the government to hold it. There are too many issues there aside from the potential that it ends up used as a punishment or weapon. They aren’t exactly the most secure organizations.”
“Help?”
“If you’re willing, there is a facility out past the edge of the city, along the river where they are holding the cure. It is under siege, currently, from multiple factions, I’m sure. Reconnaissance is what is needed. Would you be willing?” The only reply the red-head received was a nod as the spirit faded away. She assumed it was a yes and was curious what the wraith would find.
While waiting, she returned to the computer to check for new updates on Voodoo given it appeared as it would be the most active currently. She replied to the newest post curious about what was being referenced and how it related to the topic on hand. Mortll had replied soon after stating her stance against the cure quite forcibly. She frowned as she read and reread the statement the woman had made about it ruining her business. Christ, her businesses were the last thing on her mind. There were other, far more important, things that she stood to lose. Businesses could be rebuilt and begun anew… family, friends, the community – those were costs that were too high to consider paying.
The text message alert tone had the red-head scrambling for the phone she had left on the couch during the earlier newscast. It was unexpected to see a message from the Dragomir Mystic, though its contents did make her smile slightly. She hit reply as she mulled over what she had in mind.
[text]We need information. What is this cure? How does it work? Is it safe? What are their intentions for it? Can it be used as a weapon? And most importantly… how can we get a hold of it until we have enough information to decide if it should exist or not? I’m afraid we’re going to have to get the cure first and information second at this rate. Unfortunately, I’m not aware of anyone with a plan or information at the current time. Thoughts?
They needed a plan… and information. Dammit she really wished she hadn’t given up on hacking now.
The blood thief had been shocked when she logged into the mysteriously human only forum to find that there hadn’t been a new post in over a week. It wasn’t even anything interesting – just someone looking for a metalworker. It was unusual for the forum to be this quiet, particularly with news like this circulating through the media. There should be people arguing over this by now, surely, she thought. It wasn’t just an issue for the vampire community; it affected humans too.
Honestly, if she was a normal human, she might be pissed off that the government had spent their resources to find a cure for a non-fatal “affliction” when there were plenty of other fatal diseases that could use cures. Vampires had only been out of the proverbial closet for around a year. If government scientists could find a cure in that time... how many other diseases could they have cured or eradicated in the same amount of time? Even if they had started years ago, it was the same principle – time and resources could have been better spent. She couldn’t wait to see if someone else picked up on that and started protesting the government’s actions.
The newspapers hadn’t had much more than the news report. Whatever extra bits and pieces the print media had were mainly unimportant information. Hidden among them was a pretty good description of where the facility could be found which she filed away for future use. She wanted more information before charging into a warzone. The other interesting bit she had found was the cure’s codename of ‘Project Revital’. She had to wonder if it was a misspelling of revival or if there was some deeper meaning. A quick Google search left the red-head staring at her screen wondering if the name was intentionally the same as a electrolyte replacing prescription medication. If it was, was it then also an insight into the cure? It would be interesting to see as more information came to light.
She had headed to the Dragomir Crownet next wondering what the resident Dragons thought of this new development. That it was silent was unsurprising; they tended to be people of action. She was sure there would be some discussion once more heard the news and had perhaps already scoped out the facility. A mental note was made to check back later.
Voodoo Dragons CrowNet was where she found a post from Azraeth indicating he was interested in finding out what was going on and seeing what people knew about it. Given he was posting here rather than Dragomir confirmed Amalea’s suspicion that the other Dragons were out of reach. She had quickly hit reply and confirmed her interest in finding out more about this mystery.
Standing, the red-head stretched slightly, considering what her next move would be. In truth, she knew she needed more information on this cure and what was really going on. Still, the fact such a thing even existed was a danger. Even if it was being produced with benevolent intentions, who was to say that they would stay that way. And heaven forbid someone like Gideon got their hands on it and found a way to turn it into a weapon, assuming it was not already. For some vampires, a cure would be a blessing. For the remainder, it was a potential hazard to be avoided. Hence the need for the information; surely some of that leaked information would surface soon.
“Serena,” the blood-thief called out, hoping her wraith would actually show. The spirit was finicky and didn’t always follow Amalea’s instructions. It was frustrating, but she couldn’t fault the wraith given it was her own haphazard ability to control her that tended to be an issue. As shadows coalesced, the red-head released the breath she had been holding.
“Mistress called?”
“I did,” Amalea confirmed softly. “I appreciate you coming.”
“Mistress sounded distressed. Was afraid Mistress was in trouble.”
Amalea supposed that was an accurate term for her current mood. “A cure has been found for vampirism…” She winced as Serena let out an unholy shriek that caused the red-head to pause and wait for the spirit to settle again. “Many will fight against it, I’m sure.”
“Will Mistress?”
“It is a complex issue,” she sighed. “It could be beneficial, but the real problem is whoever controls or has access to the cure has immense power over the community. I’d like to, at the very least, see it secured in a facility away from most while the vampire community decides – as a whole – what to do.”
“Mistress has good idea,” the wraith nodded her head much like an excited small child.
“It’s nothing major, but it shouldn’t be up to the government to hold it. There are too many issues there aside from the potential that it ends up used as a punishment or weapon. They aren’t exactly the most secure organizations.”
“Help?”
“If you’re willing, there is a facility out past the edge of the city, along the river where they are holding the cure. It is under siege, currently, from multiple factions, I’m sure. Reconnaissance is what is needed. Would you be willing?” The only reply the red-head received was a nod as the spirit faded away. She assumed it was a yes and was curious what the wraith would find.
While waiting, she returned to the computer to check for new updates on Voodoo given it appeared as it would be the most active currently. She replied to the newest post curious about what was being referenced and how it related to the topic on hand. Mortll had replied soon after stating her stance against the cure quite forcibly. She frowned as she read and reread the statement the woman had made about it ruining her business. Christ, her businesses were the last thing on her mind. There were other, far more important, things that she stood to lose. Businesses could be rebuilt and begun anew… family, friends, the community – those were costs that were too high to consider paying.
The text message alert tone had the red-head scrambling for the phone she had left on the couch during the earlier newscast. It was unexpected to see a message from the Dragomir Mystic, though its contents did make her smile slightly. She hit reply as she mulled over what she had in mind.
[text]We need information. What is this cure? How does it work? Is it safe? What are their intentions for it? Can it be used as a weapon? And most importantly… how can we get a hold of it until we have enough information to decide if it should exist or not? I’m afraid we’re going to have to get the cure first and information second at this rate. Unfortunately, I’m not aware of anyone with a plan or information at the current time. Thoughts?
They needed a plan… and information. Dammit she really wished she hadn’t given up on hacking now.