metalogs | [Open] Oh, Worm?

Entry tags:

[Open] Oh, Worm?

Who: Everyone who wants to get in on Worm Plot related things
What: There's a bug going around, and it might be a little more literal than you realize!
When: Backdated from the start of April through May
Where: Central City
Notes: Relevant context: April Confluence, May Confluence, and Mechanica's announcement.

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01. Hivemind Shenanigans (CLOSED)

(For any of Dylan's close friends who received a bit of symbiote goop from him get to be part of a little mental groupchat while this plot lasts. Keep in mind:

Your character can shut the groupchat out at any time.
Your character can choose not to project thoughts.
If you want to have them accidentally project thoughts and emotions, that's cool too.
Even if we didn't thread out your character getting a bit of Dylan Ooze, as long as they're close friends, we can handwave it and let them join the hive.
This isn't permanent! Dylan will be collecting pieces of himself from the others once either the vaccine is developed and/or the worm plot ends. )

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02. Interacting with the Infected

Many citizens of Central City seem... off. Some are exhausted, with fuzzy memories, and powers on the fritz. It seems like they're wasting away.

Then, suddenly... they're back to normal, as if nothing ever changed. Sick? When were they sick?

The symptoms are explained in detail during the April Confluence Post. Do your characters try to help the sick? Make them remember when they were sick?

Or did a firm handshake from the formerly-sick acquaintance leave you with a creepy-crawly feeling you're unsure how to explain?

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03.Vaccine Development (Location: Broadmoor Hospital)

Any science-y types who want to help with Pete Ross' attempt at making a vaccine will be directed to Broadmoor Hospital. Knowing that Dylan is immune to the disease, he'll be closely inspecting samples of Dylan's symbiote matter to isolate the biomarkers that repel the worms.

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04. Wildcard

Is there another way you want to engage with the Worm Plot? Are you stuck in Central City when you just want to get back home to Sunset Falls? Are you loudly complaining about the Society's secrecy regarding the whole matter?

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[Sleeper, on the other hand, had found getting into the lab a little more annoying. First their presence was objected to as an animal, and when they'd shifted into a giant, inky black humanoid with yellow stripes and no obvious features beyond too many eyes, security had reacted as if they were a threat.

When they explained that they were here to assist with the parasites, and that they had experience with alien lifeforms and a specialty in chemistry, well, that hadn't gotten security to lay off, but at least they got an escort to the lab. Just in time to hear Spidey's entrance.]

Given the fine line between parasitism and symbiosis, I wonder if I should be offended by that.

[They aren't offended. More amused, and maybe once the team working on the project acknowledges them, security would be less concerned.]

Would someone please explain that I may be an alien monster, but I'm not actually here to hurt anyone?

[That is definitely not where Spidey expected to hear that voice from. He actually turns to stare for a second, eyes wide behind his mask.

God, I clearly need to get out more.]

Y'know, I bet if you dropped the monster part, that might be a slightly easier sell. That said, I for one am very happy to hear that you're on our side. As in, y'know, the side of not hurting people.

Maybe, but I wouldn't want to sell myself short.

[So they're not exactly human, but then, they aren't exactly a normal symbiote by most people's standards.]

Besides, you do realize the entities we're talking about have a hive mind, just as my kind do, right? So what happens to one is going to cause ripples. Not against stopping the uncontrolled spread, but not all of us have the option of forgoing a host-body.

Whoa, whoa. In my defense, I did not know your- ah- your kind had a hive mind.

[His own relevant experience felt much closer to a parasite than what it might be for the others. And the Venom Project definitely wasn't part of a hive mind.]

Sooooo in that case, you'd probably be more the one to consult on a plan here. I volunteered to help however I can.

My world's Spider-Man is mostly an ally. I apologize for making assumptions.

[They shrug a little.]

I've never had a permanent bond, unlike Venom, who prefers to not be alone. Our hive is...not typical.

[A bit of an understatement, especially considering Dylan and the others currently connected to help with shielding from the parasites.]

What we've found so far is that the self-aware aspect of the mind that is behind the infection is very young. Afraid of that which is not already a part of it. I don't know if it could learn to control spread or not. But I definitely would not say that wiping it out wholesale is an appropriate action.

Which is why I'm working on immunization, not wiping them all out. I'm not looking to add genocide to my resume.

[Pete hands over a 20 dollar bill to Peter, before he turns to the guards.]

It's fine, guys. He's with me.

I actually prefer they/them. Gender is a superfluous concept when your species is asexual.

[Sleeper is a rebel on many levels, but they have their reasons.]

So, right now we know that the infection won't spread in the presence of symbiote matter...

[An annoying if useful piece of information.]

[Spidey's head tilts curiously in Sleeper's direction. "Mostly an ally"? He's not sure what exactly that might mean, and he really wants to ask, but then Pete is coming up with the dare money and he has to accept it with a little celebratory pump of his fist.]

Awesome. But I'm still shocked that you actually wanted to pay me for that.

[And now he has to kind of... tuck that money away somewhere. He decides a good spot is behind the webshooter on his wrist, where it'll be nice and snug against his skin, so he takes a second to do that while he listens to what's being said.]

Okay, so-- Total wipeout would be bad. Got it. And we also don't know what exactly it is about your symbiote matter that these guys don't like, right? Besides the fact that they might just... not wanna fight over who gets to keep the host.

My bad, I need to be better about that sort of thing.

[Pete nods at Peter's summation of the issue.]

Got it in a nutshell. What I'm hoping is that symbiotes and the parasites share some kind of chemical marker or pheromone or what have you that says "No vacancy".

If we can isolate it, I can make it as pure as we can until you figure out a way to properly synthesize in bulk. I can produce any chemical compound.

[It's not normally something that Sleeper advertises, but in this situation, keeping people from dying and being replaced by pod people is probably a good thing.]

One also shouldn't rule out, say, the option of terminally ill folks deciding that becoming a parasite host is better because they might get fixed in the process. In some sense, anyway. I've heard of my kind doing that as a way to hide.

[Spidey nods at both Pete and Sleeper, hands settling on his hips while he thinks all this through. He glances at Sleeper in particular for that last comment.]

Yeaaahhh, that's definitely something I'm familiar with. Consent is one thing, but when that turns into hostile takeover? Super not cool.

[Biochemistry isn't his forte, but he's still a scientist and pretty good at problem-solving. In most cases, anyway. He's hoping that this could be one such case.]

Sooo how possible do we think it'd be to get a sample of the parasite's DNA? Just unlikely, or definitely odds of slim to none?

If we can figure out a way to get them out of a host without someone else getting infected in the process? Surprisingly not that hard. There's a few Society guys who're symptomatic and volunteered to be tested.

[At least he assumed they'd volunteered. With someone like Mechanica in charge you couldn't be quite sure of that.]

I've got a few blood samples from them too.

I think the urgent thing right now is trying to isolate whatever signal prevents the infection from taking hold, and we can figure out what to do with those already symptomatic once everything is contained. Since they aren't actually any more harmful than any individual, for the most part.

[They don't have anything personal against this life-form, but uncontrolled spread is never good. And they'd prefer it not get to the salted-earth stage with how to deal with the entities.]

We know it's transferred through contact, right?

Blood samples would probably work, right? I'm only asking 'cause maybe we start by comparing samples between people who're infected, you guys who're immune, and someone that's just super normal.

..And just throwing it out there- I have no idea if I'm immune, but I'm probably not the best person to use for the "normal" sample.

It is, thankfully. This would be a heck of a lot harder to contain if it was airborne.

[Getting everyone to mask up would be a nightmare.]

I wouldn't be a good subject for testing either. Human DNA, Alien DNA, and then whatever the heck they did to mine that lets me manipulate gravity, because that's not actually one of the things my donor could do.

As for normal samples? The hospital probably has some we can use.

And Klyntar are...malleable.

[As if to demonstrate, they raise a hand and reshape it into something more resembling a giant Swiss Army knife with each tool clearly capable of functioning as just that.]

The Spider-Man of my home Earth would probably know more. My parent's host is not really all that scientifically minded, and the scientists I knew from my early days were more researchers than anything applied.

[Spidey was going to say something about this shapeshifting ability of theirs, but he pauses, just for a brief moment, at the mention of another Spider-Man. There's a slight tension in his shoulders now that wasn't there a second ago, which he tries (and fails) to dispel with a laugh.]

Yeah, we could sure use him for this right now. Where's a good scientist when we need one, huh? Heh...

[Then he shakes his head a little, a motion directed more at himself than anywhere else. Stop that.]

Okidokie, since I'm not hearing any objections, let's start with getting samples! Can we just ask some hospital staff for a fantastically boring one, or should someone go rummaging around for it themselves?

...I'm just gonna go ahead and use the intercomm to ask for some to be sent up.

[And he does just that, politely requesting a blood sample from a non-meta be sent up.]

We've got a lot more leeway here given what's going on, but even that wouldn't save us from getting literally kicked out if we started rifling through people's drawers.

So what do you need me to do? Beyond just being your friendly neighborhood symbiote? [A beat, then they wink at Spidey] Not trying to steal your thing.

[Sleeper considers some of the information that's already up, absently noting some proteins that seem to merit a closer look.]

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[Open] Oh, Worm?

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