trans_9 | Here's the deal these days: They know exactly who we are. They know exactly where we live.

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Here's the deal these days: They know exactly who we are. They know exactly where we live.

Cybil is currently talking with Jaime Reyes about the possibility of hacking the ship's systems. Just a normal day on the meatship, a normal conversation in one of the cold zones, where there are no working sensors, about getting the hell OFF the ship, or turning the big bitch around.

"Do you think we could have our resident tech nerds build something to bridge the gap from technological to the more organic parts of her systems?"

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Brainy rolls his eyes.

"I'm immune to most telepathic intrusion. And is it that difficult to conceive that physiological and psychological differences from most humanoids would make it impossible for a neural parasite to wrest control of an individual's mind?"

He sighs. "Hold on, if I'm to cause it to remove itself, I need to verify that I've uncovered all available vital intel from it."

He needs to concentrate for a moment.

Edited 2009-02-28 09:27 (UTC)

Well, there were the Hawjabrans, whose brains were spread out through their bodies...

< None that would allow the host to take control of the Yeerk, certainly. >

Also, Brainy had tried to shoot him. It had only been dumb luck that he had missed, and that Ax hadn't been crushed in the debris.

Wait. 'Dumb luck'?

Brainy doesn't do anything dumb. Even his luck is smart.

"None?"

He grabs a beaker and fills it with a mild solution that won't hurt what it's about to contain.

"I'm releasing my hold on your motor control and letting you go now. If you know what's good for you, you won't risk my ire by attempting to control me again, Erzak-1172. You know what will be done to you again if you do."

Apparently, this simple threat is enough. As Brainy leans his ear over the flask, a gray slug squirms its way out and falls in it with a plop.

...It then proceeds to curl up in the bottom corner of the flask.

He looks to Ax. "You were saying?"

Edited 2009-02-28 09:44 (UTC)

"...That's nasty."

Chris stares at the flask from behind the cover of the other who have newly entered the Med Bay. Now that he's standing, an astute eye (eg. those of quite a few here) might notice that though he's standing normally, one leg of his plant-suit is gnarled across the surface, like it might be from some sealed-up injury.

"Still nothing," Lyta said after making another attempt at scanning Brainy, only to come up with the same result. A pseudo-validation that Brainy was telling the truth, perhaps?

She looked over at the other crew members that had been strapped down to the tables in the medbay. Finally, her eyes settled on the unconscious Sam.

"What happened to him?" she asked Brainy. "Ax said he was one of the infested."

"Forget that fucking fucker!" If anyone had forgotten the lung power of either of the currently enslaved twins, Murphy's yeerk was about to remind them. He didn't struggle - much - just yelled.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ! What the fuck did ye fuckin' do, ya great fuckin' green bastard?!"

Apparently the host's language had rubbed off on the yeerk. Poor bastard. "Fuck you, ya goddamn fuckin' bastard! Swear to fuckin' God! Ya fuckin' freak!"

"You do know that such foul language is the sign of an inferior mind, yes?" says Brainy calmly.

And no, he is not explaining how his brain works so that you know how he reversed the control.

Turning back to Lyta, he goes on, "As I said, I'm immune to most telepathic influence. Most Coluans are telepathically-resistant," Brainy says, putting the flask on the tray, and turning back to his work on Sam. He finally drops his shield. "As I've also said, he has perforating head trauma. A bullet wound to the temple. Judging from the damage, likely self-inflicted. The Yeerk is gone. Perhaps it wanted to avoid capture and decided to deal a greater blow to us than merely surrendering."

A suicide attack in every sense of the work.

"He's not the only casaulty--Blue Beetle's body may still be in the Statuary. I suggest it be recovered lest the Yeerks attempt to recover his scarab from it. They could devise any number of sinister uses for it."

Nice way, again, to break the news, Brainy.

"Jesus Christ."

Jaime was what, sixteen, he'd said? Just a kid. Just a goddamn kid. Was it Paco that'd killed him? Or had he died because he'd already taken a beating helping her and Ax get away?

She shouldn't have left him.

"The only other Controller I'm aware of besides Robin, who Supergirl has been dispatched to assist Terry in detaining--is Leela. Erzak here was good at controlling more difficult subjects, but had a somewhat low rank and didn't have much available intel for me to gather. All I know is that the Yeerks have a weapon they've built and keyed into Stacy's systems, that is meant to cripple Stacy's nervous system and allow them to wrest control of the ship--but it will likely severely damage her databanks in the process, causing her to lose any data she may have on coordinates to our home universes. The Yeerks know this and don't care as they have coordinates to their home universe memorized. They must be stopped, but Erzak didn't know the location of the device."

Brainy pauses, seeing the hesitation--and the guilt--in the Captain's expression.

"Cybil, we must act now. Or we may lose the capacity to go home."

Cybil swallows thickly. One down, shot through the skull, one dead, and who the fuck knew what'd happened to the others.

On her shoulders.

"Get those two into the beds and restrained," she orders, concerning Connor and Murphy.

"We're splitting up. Eve, sweetheart, I need to you to stay here," she says to the girl. "Penelope, can you look after her? You, her, and Chris, should hole up a little father back."

MedBay is huge after all, but fortunately there's only one way in. They should go just a little farther back.

"Lyta, Pat and Toxin, Blitzwing, Speedy, Will, Sparhawk, Brainy, and Superboy, stay here. Guard this place. Don't let them out and take down and restrain any Controllers that try to come and free them. The rest of you, come with me."

Ax had to admit, he was highly impressed with whatever Brainy had done to his Yeerk. He'd have to ask him about that. Later. After the threat was contained.

< Yes Prince Cybil, > he said, kneeling to let Eve off his back. < I am familiar enough with Yeerk technology that I believe I can disable their weapon. >

The Yeerks stole most of their technology from Andalites, after all.

"Brief me on what we're planning to do, Cybil.." Soundwave callously stared at Connor and Murphy before finally strapping them down to the beds as tightly as possible. As soon as he's sure they won't easily get out of the restraints, he backed away, looking at them.

Jono's been quietly watching. Not much for him to say, after all.

Though the whole thing with Brainy and the slug had been incredibly disgusting.

He nods to Cybil, shaking himself a bit. With Lyta staying in the Med Bay, checking people for the Yeerks telepathically was going to fall to him. Ready when you are.

Mia has been scooting around the lab, cobbling together arrows from whatever she can manage, in addition to helping herself to Kate's supply. Not like she's going to be using them anytime soon.

She shoulders the quiver and puts on her game face. "Do we have a plan?"

The Chief has been silent, learning. He can't contribute much if he doesn't know what's going on. Thankfully, a lot has been cleared up. Mind controlling brain parasites. Yeerks. Clearly not the Flood, but there's something more sinister about something capable of an infiltration like this, and capable of sentient thought without a hivemind. That is really damn scary.

"Watch Murphy," he advises. "Guy's got a fifty cal round somewhere in his leg, if it didn't go through. Makes a big hole, lots of blood. And something's up with Chris' leg." Oh yes Chris, the Spartan noticed. He doubts it's meaningful, just something gained in the scuffle, but he thinks it's worth mentioning.

"I don't know about anybody else, but first priority should be securing our ticket home." That's his, anyway. He hasn't been on board long enough to have a plan of his own, though.

Tobias is nearby, looking on in confusion and surprise. < The only ones I know of were the Leerans, which this guy obviously isn't, and the Skrit Na. This is interesting...makes me wish we could harness his powers for humanity. > Privately then he added < Erek was that way...in control instead of the yeerk...you don't think this guy is any kind of android do you? >

< He is not an android, > Ax replied privately to Tobias. < I have seen his brain -- he wished to demonstrate to me that he was not a Controller before. I do not believe that his species exists in our universe; if it does, it is not known to Andalites. >

He gave Tobias an Andalite smile. < After we rescue Stacy from the Yeerks, I have every intention of asking Dox questions about that. >

Since no one could hear him and Tobias talking to each other, Ax made sure to keep an ear tuned to the conversation around them.

Coming up behind the group, Nathan stumbled in, holding his head. There was some blood at the corner from where Sam had smashed his face in before, and he was still woozy from the concussion.

"What the hell?" He replied in a tired voice with a growling undertone to it.

"Chief, Billy, grab him!" she orders quickly. They're closest.

"Scan him to make sure he's not one of them."

The Chief's a good soldier, he grabs Nathan and pins his left arm to his side firmly, trusting Billy to catch the other.

"We're checking your skull for mind control worms, nothing personal."

Yes, he did just say that. And sound perfectly serious.

Up until this point, Billy had been quietly absorbing the briefing from the others, until the arrival of Nathan cuts through the flow of data. He springs into action and firmly locks the other side in place.

"Affirmative. Once we confirm that there are no Yeerks exerting control over your body, we'll release you."

Serious Billy is just as serious.

Sucking in a deep breath, Lyta slowly approached the new arrival. Part of her regretted that, of all the people on board, she was forced to scan Nathan. Hell, he'd been the one crew member she'd spent most of her time with, and now she had to practically invade his mind to determine whether he was a threat or not.

"I'm sorry," she said to him as he drew closer. "Just try and relax. It'll be over before you know it."

Nathan understood, much as he didn't like it either.

"Just get it over with. That Sam tried to get one into me, but the slug was shot."

He knew they wouldn't believe him just yet though, and braced himself.

After a few moments of silence, Lyta finally stepped back.

"He's clean," she said, then looked at Billy and the Chief. "You can let him go."

Here's the deal these days: They know exactly who we are. They know exactly where we live.

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