Pandemic

[Farah]

“Yes.” Farah answered. Both she and the Mirialan were carrying metallic containers marked with a biohazard symbol. The pistol was still cocked in Farah’s right hand, a testament to how much she trusted her new friend.

Trying to make a break for it with the samples would be suicide by now. Maybe the captured scientist would be able to run from Farah, but there was no doubt that Alexia and her team would put a few shots into the back of her head.

“Our top priority will be to make a vaccine and distribute it to the surrounding boroughs.” She shifted the container cradled against her chest with one hand. “Unfortunately, we won’t be able to give it to anyone who’s already ill. But we can prevent this epidemic from getting worse.”

She gave a pointed look to the Mirialan. Not one of exact discuss or weird admiration, but a mix of both. At least the woman was cooperating so far which was good. It would be such a waste if she decided to go rogue on them.

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Farah"]


"That'll do," Alexia said a bit flippantly. Countless people had already been infected and might die or be in terrible health for the rest of their lives, but that was not her problem! "Our people will be the first to receive treatment. Then the vaccine can be distributed," she stated firmly. She had her priorities worked out. Self-preservation came first.

In this moment she received a transmission. Her hand went to the small communicator in her ear. She gave a curt nod. "That was the Boss. She's captured your old employer," she told the Mirialan and her colleagues in a rather pointed manner.

Upon hearing this news, some of the scientists looked dejected. However, the Mirialan scientist did not seem too bothered by this. "He was too much of a dreamer and not enough of a scientist. Could not stay away from the holocameras. What will you do with him?"

"You don't need to know." Alexia was clearly not in the mood to chit-chat. Especially not in front of someone who'd worked for the enemy until half an hour ago. "C'mon. We're going back to the base." The old, repurposed church would be a safer environment. It would also allow Farah to reunite with her new buddy Doctor Zakarias Vont.

 

[Farah]

“Oh, good.” Farah seemed a little more upbeat, though her tone was dry as ever. “Can always use more brains to pick.” Whether that was literal or a metaphor would remain to be seen.

Back at the base, the Zeltron doctor quickly sussed out her new favorite uncle. “Doctor Vont,” She approached him, looking exhausted but pleased. The Mirialan woman was in tow. “We’ve managed to track down the source of the outbreak, as I’m sure you’ve heard by now.” She lifted one of the biohazard containers in her hand.

“We have samples of the different virus strains.” Her head tilted to the green skinned woman at her side. “As well as one of their researchers and by proxy, access to their data.”

“It should be enough to produce a vaccine that’s a decent match.”

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Farah"]


The good Doctor looked up from his work, focusing on the Zeltron. "Yes, I heard. A lot of people are not very happy with you right now." He wagged an amused finger at them. However, his eyes lit up when he saw the lovely containers "Ah! Excellent. I can't wait to pick to her brain...figuratively speaking." His smile was not reassuring on that though. The Mirialan looked a little disconcerted. "Yes, I just need to study the different virus mutations, find the common RNA threads and create a way to neutralise them. Viruses are so very interesting, don't you agree, my dear? Almost mechanical in their application. On the one hand that makes them easier to predict once you have discerned their patterns, on the other they are absolutely ruthless...not even really alive either. Oh my, I'm talking too much, bring them over, but be careful, dear, one slip of the finger and we're all dead. Ser Brute, do please help her," he addressed one of the guards, a big Trandoshan guy.


"Tell me when you're done," Amara ordered, sounding more than a little exasperated by the nerdgasm session. Sciencey stuff was not her thing and the Doctor was too excitable for her tastes. So she excused herself from the scene, electing to have a nurse apply some bacta. Probably also give her some aspirin because her head hurt. Guards remained though, just in case the Mirialan got funny ideas.

 

[Farah]

The scientists would quickly get to work on mapping out the vaccine—the Mirialan proving to be useful and so far, not a traitor. It would take a few days and a few unfortunately dead test subjects, but you couldn’t make a working vaccine without breaking a few eggs. Or so the saying goes.

“It looks like we’re done.” Farah approached the cyborg woman in an unusually cheerful manner. All things considered, her own situation was not so bad here. They’d given her food and access to a refresher, clean clothes and supplies. A place to sleep as well, but it had been her own choice to barely use that.

The Zeltron held up a vial of unassuming clear liquid. “It’s had a good response in vitro with protecting against the virus. Same for the patients; it seems to provide a decent amount of resistance to the virus. The ones that do get sick only suffer minor symptoms. Of course this won’t do anything for anyone who is already sick and only offers some protection, but we can’t go around genotyping everyone and manufacturing a vaccine specifically for them, now can we?”

Her big grin was almost nauseating. It seemed that she may have picked up some of Vont's mannerisms.

“Either way, this will cover the most ground. If we distribute it to everyone then this disease will be nothing more than a seasonal cold.”

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Farah"]


Doctor Malthus Ehlich, humanitarian and renowned medical practitioner, specialising in virology, was not having a pleasant day. Just an hour ago, he'd stood on the brink of greatness. Now he was gagged, deprived of his clothing and laid on his back on an uncomfortable metal frame. He struggled, but he was restrained through straps. Arms and legs were spread wide. Peppermint oil had been applied in some areas to increase sensitivity.

At least the room he had been locked in was not filthy. A spew of angry words escaped his lips when one of the brutes removed the gag. "You will not get away with this. Release me right now and I will...forgive this indignity," he demanded.

"Who do you work for?" one of the brutes demanded. She looked like some thug. The kind of lowlife he had to free the Galaxy from.

"Listen, you thug, the police will be looking for me and my friends are very powerful."

"Electrical shocks." The ruffian's words were like a chill wind. Electricity was drawn from a standard wall socket and fed through a control box to him by two wires terminating in electrodes. Said electrodes happened to be fixed to the most sensitive portions of his body.

The doctor screamed in agony. His mind exploded in white hot pain. The agony was so great that he lost consciousness. He awoke with a start when one of the thugs poured cold water over him a few seconds later. His mouth was dry from screaming and every fibre of his body was afire with pain. "If you do not tell me what I want to know, the agony will continue. You are not trained to withstand interrogation. You will eventually comply. Do so now," the head thug said emotionlessly.

"Please...no more...I..can pay...I can give you a fortune," he felt humiliated...but perhaps he could talk his way out.

"Who do you work for?"

He flinched when he saw the other thug move her hand to the control box. "Would you like another round?" she asked, with a sadistic gleam in her eyes. "Or maybe you'd enjoy something more...poetic. Like being infected with your own virus? We have a few infected who'd be thrilled to meet you."

"No...please...I beg you!"

"Who do you work for?"

"The Galactic Sustainability Trust!"


xxx


The prison cell was soundproof, so Farah and Alexia would not hear the screams. Alexia would not have been bothered by them anyway. One of Big Sis' lessons had included torture. They had not told [member="Amara Zarides"] about that though. The older clone of Kaelin Isandros was Chaotic Good, after all.


Either way, Farah seemed extremely gregarious. Her big grin was a bit nauseating. Alexia was a firm believer in the 'tough girl code', whatever that was supposed to be. Either way, unlike her older sister, Alexia was one hundred percent organic with no robotic parts. This one might implant some nanotech in her though. It would certainly be an Enyo thing to do.


"Good. Then we can leave this mess behind. We'll keep the virus. It could prove useful...if refined," Alexia remarked. Some might question the morality of keeping ahold of a virus that had caused so much misery. She was not one of those persons. "You've been an asset," she conceded a bit reluctantly. "The Boss should be..."


"He talked," Enyo said in her usual monotone when she suddenly appeared behind Alexia. It was not teleportation, for the hybrid did not possess this skill. She was simply very good at moving without making much noise. At least when out of her heavy armour. A useful trait for an assassin droid. Enyo had not had the time to conduct repairs, so parts of her synthetic skin were still missing, giving her a somewhat grotesque look.

Her sudden appearance caused Alexia to almost jump. "I hate it when you do that," she muttered. She flushed slightly when she realised she'd lost her cool.

 

[Farah]

Similarly, Farah had no qualms about keeping the virus. In fact, she would have thrown a fit if they had tried to dispose of it—there was much potential for it. Classic evil scientist.

“Mhm.” She agreed, tickled to the point where she didn’t mind doling out complements. “You’ve done well yourself.” Credit where credit was due after all. Still, Farah could feel the exhaustion set into her muscles. She’d sleep for a good long while tonight.

Thankfully Farah had a heads up on Enyo’s sudden appearance given that she was facing Alexia herself. The slight flush of the blonde’s skin was enough to cause Farah to be even more jubilant, even if it was in a sort of smug way.

“That’s good.” She agreed. “Was he able to take you why they were developing this virus?” From a purely technical standpoint, Farah’s didn’t care so much about the why as she did the how. But with something like this, her curiosity had been piqued.

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Farah"]


"He is a member of a think tank that believes the Galaxy is overpopulated and that its population centres must be purged of the underclasses at regular intervals."

Alexia nodded. "It's a good theory. The galaxy has too many people, expanding into every niche like flowing water. Controls have to be there to deal with the excess of deadweight. However, his methods were inefficient, sloppy, poorly executed. His research would be useful though." What a lovely sociopath.

"It will be completed. There are others who belong to his group and escaped our net. They will be brought into the fold, or eliminated. He will help me, after his behaviour has been adjusted." To put it plainly, Malthus would be processed, then sent bank to his club to subvert it. The term 'throwing the baby out with the bathwater' had never made sense to Enyo. However, the meaning of it applied here. It would be silly to discard good information, and besides she was hardly one to object to purging so long as she was doing it.