S.T.A.R.S., Reporting for Duty!

[starsescapist]

WHO: starsescapist, starspointman, starsmedic
WHAT: Immediately upon arriving in Desai, the STARS are on the job and heading to the morgue to see the body that was collected from the Tayon sewers.
WHERE: The morgue, located underneath Center City.
WHEN: Right after thisMorgues were never a happy place to go to. They always weirded Jill out, despite the training she's had and the

Comments

[starspointman]

Chris is a big, pretty intimidating looking guy. Especially as of late, with his increased training and the god-bod he's built up. But despite this, he's still a big teddy bear. So when Jill pokes him in the side, he makes a silly noise of surprise and actually giggles.

"Hey, knock it off!" Chris says, laughing. The coroner looks over to see what's going on, then turns back to what he was doing earlier after a shrug from Chris.

He listens to what Jill has to say, dropping his hands from his head and crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes narrow slightly as he processes exactly what Jill is suggesting, and the look on his face says that he isn't too keen on the idea of a new T-Virus strain.

"Jesus Christ, Valentine. You could be onto something. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that's not in, or we're gonna be in Grade-A shit."

Chris looks down at his boots, shifting one of them as he thinks, and finally looks up and nods at Jill.

"Yeah, I think you're right. We're gonna have to talk to the investigating agents as well. But before we head down there, we're gonna have to get set up at the hotel and gear up."

[starsmedic]

Becky is still parked in front of her computer; she's doing that geek thing where it's clear she can SEE the words, but she's leaning forward anyway, inches from the monitor, to see if she's reading it right.

She wheels back, finally, and looks up at the coroner.

"You said the symptoms mimic Ebola... you're right, of course, and there are a lot of ruptured blood vessels in the victim's corpse which fit the hemorrhagic profile."

She puts a hand in her hair and then stands up.

"The glial cells are still compromised, though, which is significant of rabies and only rabies as a disease..."

After a moment of exchanging a meaningful sort of 'we both know what's going on here and it's not good' way, Becky then looks back at Jill and Chris.

"It doesn't fit the protein distribution of our anti-virus. Our anti-agents won't work."

[starspointman]

"Let's pretend I have no idea what you just said, and run that by me again. In English, please." Chris says, smiling at Becky in his usual goofy way. But despite his smile, there's a look in his eyes that says he may be beginning to understand what Becky is saying, and that he doesn't like it.

He crosses his arms over his chest, awaiting her answer.

[starsmedic]

"We're dealing with a different strain," she replies, "the attacks with the T-Virus are actually caused by imbalances in the victim's brain which overstimulates and changes their hunger responses. If these results are anything to go by..."

She puts a hand on her hip, and one to her mouth, thinking.

"It looks more like rabies. Not hunger, but uncontrollable violent urges that might manifest through attacks with the teeth and mouth... at least to start with. Our anti-virus isn't suited to this strain, so it won't cure it."

[starspointman]

Chris is silent for a moment, looking down at his folded arms as he takes in the information. After releasing a strained breath, he finally speaks.

"So we're fucked then. And so is Desai, unless we put a quash on this as soon as possible."

His big arms uncross, and Chris sticks them in the hip pockets of his cargo pants.

"I don't like this. Not one bit. In fact, it su-...wait!"

Chris' hands come out of his pockets and he snaps his fingers.

"Sophie said that these victims has numerous puncture marks caused from injections. Have we looked at those closely yet? Because that means that someone is behind this."

[starsmedic]

"Possibly," Rebecca nods, looking very tired and very worried all at once. "But I do agree, we need to move on this, and fast."

[starspointman]

Chris nods his head, grunting out an affirmative, then turns to look over at the body on the morgue slab.

"I think we have everything we need in those reports that we're gonna find, short of calling in CSI: Miami. What do you say we head back to the hotel and gear up, then we'll go take a poke around in the field and get away from these microscopes?"

[starsmedic]

"I'll get the mobile infirmary set up," she nods, and holds her hands out for her bag. "We're going to need it."

"The... the field?" The mortician seems very confused. This has been a blitz of information, and now they're... leaving? D:?

[starspointman]

"Sounds like a plan," Chris says in reply, holding the bag out for Rebecca to grab it. "The quicker we get out there, the quicker we get back home."

He's not going to say he has a bad feeling about this one. No sir.

Chris turns his head to the mortician and smiles, taking the sunglasses from the collar of his shirt and putting them on. The mortician's image is reflected back in the mirrored lenses.

"Yeah, the field. We've gotta make sure this shit doesn't get loose. And besides, do I look anything like a doctor or a scientist to you?"

Chris punctuates the question by patting the side of the 9mm strapped to his thigh.

[starsmedic]

Becky has forgotten how heavy it is; she takes the strap, and the bag almost falls to slam against the floor despite her trying to lift it. She saves it just in the knick of time, though, and hoists it again.

"Good point," she says, and nods in the energetic 'let's DO THIS' way Beckies will when given a task. "I'll try to be quick so we can get going."

The mortician shakes his head, slowly. He's got the look on his face like he's wondering what he's just invited in.

"Of course not.

"...sir."

[starspointman]

"Don't worry. We've dealt with situations like this before. We're well-trained, well-equipped, and we've got a personal stake in making sure this gets dealt with. It's not just some job to us." Chris' face lightens in a slight smile to the mortician. "We'll get this all wrapped up and be out of here in no time."

Chris turns back to Becky and Jill, gesturing with his head for them to GTFO.

"If that's all, let's get motoring. They're not paying us by the hour."

"

[starsmedic]

Becky nods, and trucks on out of the room with her hugely heavy medic bag in tow.

Oh -- wait, wait.

"Um..."

She pats her hips down, then returns to the mortician. She hands him one of her extra 9mm pistols.

"You know how to use this, right?"

He's taken aback by her perfectly conversational tone, but nods like he at least knows a little. He doesn't flinch when he touches it.

"The head..." he says, finally, "...like in the movies?"

Becky nods, maybe a little too chipper over this development, shoulders her bag, and soldiers back out of the room.

[starspointman]

Chris looks over at the mortician, shrugs his shoulders, then follows Rebecca out of the room. When he gets to the frame of the door he stops, turning his head slightly to the side.

"Hopefully it won't come to you using that. Because if it does, it means that we're dead and Desai is screwed. But if it does...save the last one for yourself."

Chris says this without humor in his voice, as he full well knows the seriousness of what he's saying. In return, the mortician nods to him, and Chris heads down the hall.

[starsmedic]

Leaving the poor shellshocked man by himself to palaver with Jill a bit more, Becky adjusts the strap of her bag one more time.

"I like our chances," she says, "Not that this isn't worrying, but the sole fact they have defenses set up watching for this kind of thing means our odds are that much better."

She reaches the elevator bay and pokes the "up" button. It lights up blue, as does the frame of the stainless steel doors, and makes a nice little chiming noise as they slide open. She trucks on in, and takes the place by the button panel.

[starspointman]

"Yup. I know what you mean."

Chris nods his head, falling into step with Becky until they reach the elevator. The view from back here sure isn't a bad thing, although it doesn't last long.

"Better than the odds we usually get, anyway. We don't often get the benefit of resources or intelligence," Chris says after briefly clearing his throat.

He takes position against the back wall of the elevator, looking up at the number display and reaching back to hold the flat steel safety rail behind him.

"If I know Valentine, she's either gonna prod that guy for more info, or swipe anything that might be handy for us."

He smiles, although the gesture may be moot since Becky is facing away from him.

[starsmedic]

Becky shifts her weight onto one leg, free hand on her hip, unaware she's being watched.

"Good point," she concedes, drifting to one of the side walls. Then,

"...I wish she'd stop going away."