It is the year 2023. A small asteroid hustles towards the Earth. It is called the Syrvian asteroid, named after the man who first saw it. The UNTIL Gateway station charted the asteroid's projected path, and deemed it was on a collision course for Earth. Sizing of the asteroid, however, places that it's so small that an impact would not be fatal to the planet, and so the Gateway station does not divert its course or destroy it.

As the asteroid nears, preliminary scans show that it contains large amounts of Neutronium, and UNTIL congratulates themselves on having the foresight to NOT destroy the asteroid on principle. A protest group forms, and demands that UNTIL or some hero destroys the asteroid, citing possible untold ecological damage, but they are by and far ignored, as the obvious benefits outweigh the perceived risks.

As news of the Neutronium content of the asteroid filters down, a fierce bidding war begins between nations and corporations for the rights to salvage the asteroid once it touches down and claim the Neutronium. Shouldering past the competition with both an undisclosed bid amount and promises of kickback, Harmon Industries wins the bid and gains ownership of the asteroid once it impacts Earth.

Months pass, and the asteroid enters Earth's atmosphere. Gateway Station plots it's collision course, and estimates it'll impact in the middle of Siberia, a fitting location given it's name. Harmon Industries sets up a station in the middle of the Buryats region of Siberia, just south of the meteorite's projected impact site. As the meteor passes the Earth's atmosphere, a massive telekinetic blast slams into the meteorite, blasting it off course and far to the east, towards the Bering Sea.

A special team of UNITY heroes, on stand-by at RCMP Force Station Steelhead for just such an occasion, are dispatched immediately after the telekinetic attack, rapidly deploying to the new projected impact site. There they find a VIPER mobile Nest, ready to intercept the meteorite and steal all the Neutronium for themselves. A fierce battle rages between the two, but the UNITY team proves triumphant, beating back the VIPER teams just before impact. The team is barely able to get inside the impact bunkers before the meteorite hits, digging a thirteen foot deep impact crater, just west of the Bering Sea.

But VIPER would not surrender the meteorite so easily. Wave after wave of VIPER tanks, soldiers, Brickbusters, Psionic Pummelers and Powered Armours descend on the Mobile Nest, fighting bitterly to defeat the heroes and reclaim their would be ill gotten loot. The UNITY team fights bravely and, with equal helpings of grit and valour they best the waves and hold their position until an UNTIL peacekeeping force arrives via Osprey, securing the perimeter and giving the besieged heroes a much needed breather.

As the Harmon Industries team arrives a few days later, they are accompanied by an unknown group of armoured clones. The team claims the clones had helped them fight off several attacks by VIPER assassins, and that they wish only to observe the meteorite cracking process. UNTIL begrudgingly allows them near the meteorite, but warns them that any suspicious actions will be deemed as hostile acts and they will be attacked immediately.

The Harmon Industries team sets up their equipment to crack open the meteorite to claim the Neutronium contained within. What transpired afterwards is a mystery, as all contact with the group was lost shortly afterwards....

Captain Henson pilots his UNTIL F-24 fighter jet over the Siberia mountains, racing towards the location of the Syrvian Meteorite and the Harmon Industries team. His fighter wing contains two F-24s identical to his, totaling three jets for repaid reactions. They had been dispatched from the UNTIL Aircraft Carrier Scinfaxi, currently sitting in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan.

There had been zero communications with the Harmon Industries team, the UNITY Team, and the UNTIL Peacekeeping force for the past thirty minutes. Tensions were high, and it was assumed that VIPER had somehow gotten the better of them, that maybe the clones were hostile after all. Captain Henson angled his jet, tilting it so he had a clear view of the Mobile Nest as he soared past it. Within he saw no signs of VIPER forces, but he also saw no sign of the UNITY team nor the UNTIL Peacekeepers.

He radios back to Scinfaxi "This is RR-Lead to Mother. Site's a ghost town. Zero movement. Repeat zero movement. Entering holding pattern." He pulled his jet and entered into an infinite eight loop pattern, directly over the impact site, his wingmates following his lead.

Ospreys loaded with more Peacekeepers are dispatched from the Scinfaxi, and race towards the site.

Pressing a SCBA hood over his head, UNTIL Sergeant Major Julian looks down the rows of Osprey seats, seeing the other Peacekeepers doing likewise. "Alright men. We're touchdown in fifteen. Fan out and search the nest as soon as feet touch dirt. Cover each. We don't know what to expect, but a poison gas attack is highly likely considering it took out everyone at once. Who's got the spares?"

One of the Peacekeepers raises his hand. Rather then the KTF Assault Rifles the other Peacekeepers had, he held several Mini-Self Contained Breathing Apparatuses, designed to be fitted over a poison gas victims face to get fresh clean O2 into their lungs so that they could be extradited to a decom center safely and quickly.

The flight of Ospreys soars over the cold Siberia mountains, reaching the Syrvian Meteorite impact site fifteen minutes after launch. The Osprey touches down, backdoors opening and the stream of Peacekeepers flood out, each trooper spreading out as he exits to form a wide fan pattern behind the Osprey. As the last Peacekeeper exits, the Osprays lifts off, and returns to the Scinfaxi.

The Mobile Nest is deathly quiet. Julian stalks forward, using hand signals to usher the force forward. The Mobile Nests consists of three impact bunkers, where the VIPER Technicians would sit in safety from the shockwave of the Meteorite's impact, a mobile com-com center, where the Nest Leader would coordinate forces, a large camouflaged barracks tent, where the bulk of the forces were kept, both before the UNITY team's arrival and after, and finally the Harmon Industries Meteorite Cracking Dome, which covered the impact crater and had both a viewing platform and operations room. Five troopers went to each. Julian took the HIMC Dome's operation's room. It was supposed to be fully self contained, so if it was a gas attack any who were inside would be safe.

Stacking up on the door, he tries the code given to him by his CO, which should override the locks. Oddly enough, the door wasn't locked, and it slides open easily. He frowns, and enters, gun at the ready. Within is a mess. The lab's been smashed, power flickers unsteadily, and papers lay strew on the floor, tossed from the counters and left lie where they fell.

Through his headset he hears one of his troopers. "Got survivors. Impact Bunker Alpha. Our guys.... But they're.... They've been mutated."

"Alright. Give them space. Com-Com team, get on the horn and get in touch with the Scinfaxi. We need a Mutation Treatment Center up and ready stat."

"Got survivors. Barracks. It's the VIPER prisoners.... They've mutated too.... What happened here?" Came another trooper over Julian's com. He ignored that, waiting for confirmation from the Com-Com team.

"Com-Com team, respond..."

Silence.

There was no gunfire. There shouldn't be a reason they're unable to respond. He makes a hand signal, then says over the radio. "Radio silence. All teams bunker down. Shout if you see ANYTHING."

He abandons searching the op room, and makes for the Com-Com trailer. The door sits ajar, and he stacks up to its left, two of his fellow soldiers taking the other side, while the other two stacked up behind him. Taking a deep breath, he readies himself, and enters the trailer, sweeping left as the other soldiers enter and sweep right. Like the operations room, the trailer's been wrecked from the inside. Standing there in the center of the trailer are one of the five UNTIL Peacekeepers who were supposed to secure the trailer. He stands in place, staring at the backwall, unmoving. The other four are nowhere to be seen.

Julian moves towards him, his squadmates covering him as he advances. "Talk to me." He says as he advances.

The lone soldier turns to look at the Sergeant Major.

His face and much of his body has mutated. Eyes have grown over his body, ripping through his armour, and a tiny third hand extends from his chest, growing longer with each passing second...

Sergeant Major Julian lowers his gun, "Easy now. Stand down soldier, we're gonna get you out of here."

The soldier opens his mouth, stammering out the words "H-hhe-help m-" Before a large, swollen red eyeball grows in the space between his teeth, stopping all speech. Julian shook his head, taking a step back as the soldier turned in place to face him. A flash of movement, and a bolt of Force energy flies past his head, slamming into the mutated soldier and sending him careening into the backwall, slumping to the floor in a heap.

The soldiers, who had all been paying attention to the mutated soldier, spun in place, seeing that someone had come through the door. It was one of the UNITY heroes! He pants, holding his hand aloft. He was a Force Projector, one of the strongest on the planet.

The soldiers half heartedly raise their weapon. "What was that for?!" Julian shouts, angry at the heroes' unprovoked attack.

"He was going to attack you. I've seen it happen. They change, and then go crazy..." Beads of sweat dot his face, and his stylized blue and purple tights are ripped in places.

Julian's radio springs to life. "Movement! Bunker Alpha! The survivors ar- WHAT TH-" The report is cut short by static, and the sound of gunfire within the mobile base.

The Hero shakes his head. "Go, now. Leave this place! UUURRRGGGH!" He grunts heavily, grasping his outstretched hand. He trembles, and focuses intently on his arm. It splits between his middle and ring fingers, and the split runs all the way to his elbow. The soldiers can do naught but stare in horror as the two halves reform into complete arms, with multi-jointed webbed fingers on the two miniature hands. "LEAVE! GO! I can feel my sanity slipping..." He releases his mutated arm, and using his unchanged hand, forms a sphere of pure Force energy.

The soldiers raise their gun, expecting him to attack them. But instead, he jams his palm up under his chin. Julian realizes what he's going to do. "No! DON'T!"

But it's too late. The hero releases a fully charged Force blast. The soldiers stare, slack-jawed and wide eyed, horror written plainly across their face as the hero stumbles backwards, then collapses outside the trailer.

More gunfire joins the one from Bunker Alpha, as Julian's radio springs to life. "The mutants are hostile sir! They're attacking us! GEEEZUS! It just touched him, and they vanished!" A myriad of similar reports join that one, as the mutants turn against their would be rescuers.

Julian shakes himself out of the terror, and touches his com. "All units! Retreat! Fall back to Exfil Point Bravo!" He double steps it, and the rest of the team follows suit. As he steps outside, he's stunned by just how much the Mobile Nest has changed in the few minutes since he went into the Com-Com Center. The barrack tents have mutated, morphing into runny, goopy looking parodies of their former selves. As he watches, a panicked soldier flees one of the melting tents, blindly firing his KTF rifle backwards as he goes, not even caring where he shoots. He trips, and in a flash, something is on him. A mutant? It's apparently female, slender, and inhumanly tall. Its face is elongated to a hooked point. He doesn't recognize the armour it wears as being VIPER or UNTIL. One of the clones he heard about? As the soldier attempts to scramble away, it latches onto him, and both just vanish.

Nothing leaves Bunker Alpha or Bravo, but the five soldiers stream out from Bunker Charlie. There was probably no mutants in there. Two soldiers jump from the elevated viewing platform over the HIMC Dome. He starts to question their logic, but before the thought even fully forms in his mind, a massive, pale blue and yellow hand erupts from the center of the dome, an unblinking red eyeball in the center of its palm. It effortlessly swats down one of the F-24s buzzing overhead, and the other two break formation, splitting in opposite directions from the massive hand.

Of the 35 UNTIL Peacekeepers who went into the Mobile Nest, only 12 left it. The two soldiers who had jumped limped along, helped by the soldiers from Impact Bunker Charlie. The small group breaks into a fighting retreat as they leave the Mobile Nest behind, a small group of VIPER and UNTIL mutated soldiers giving chase, before one of the F-24s strafes the chasers with its Vulcan cannons, giving the Peacekeepers a much needed break and room to escape. The two fighter jets engage the massive hand, raking it with cannon fire and missile strikes.

A trio of waiting Ospreys sat at Exfil Point Bravo, an emergency evac spot should things go bad. And from what has happened, Julian is certain this qualifies as 'really bad.' As they near the Ospreys, one of the soldiers who was with him in the Com-Com trailer screams, grasping his SCBA hooded face. Julian turns to look at him, and is greeted with what appears to be a water paint portrait of the man's face: His features are goopy and runny, almost as if someone had splashed water on a not yet dry painting. He heaves and retches, doubling over as a set of elongated limbs reach out from his back. Julian grabs the soldier, and drags him to the Osprey. "Hang in there! We're gonna be at the Scinfaxi soon, and we'll get you treated. Just hang in there!"

The mutated soldier trashed and screamed the whole ride to the Aircraft Carrier...

This became known as the Syrvian Virus First Infection. The Syrvian Asteroid, besides the large amount of Neutronium, also contained trace amounts of an alien bacterium. Upon contact with the Earth's Atmosphere after being blasted free of its rocky cage by the Harmon Industries' Meteorite Cracker, it multiplied and flourished. With no natural predators, it replicated itself endless and rapidly. The scientists, the troopers, even the Heroes who were at ground zero were instantly infected. Through sheer force of will only one hero did not succumb to the infection, while the others mutated, changing in ways even the Qliphothic realm hadn't imagined.

The bacterium was spread by air currents, but it was slightly heavier then air, so it hung low to the ground. The Peacekeepers who were dispatched to the site to rescue the survivors were also infected, as the bacterium could infect a person through skin contact. The infection spread throughout the entirety of the Scinfaxi, and then from there to every major UNTIL base as the UNTIL workers were assigned away from the Scinfaxi and given space to cope with the loss of their comrades.

In the span of a week, over a quarter of the planet was infected with Syrvian Virus, both through contact with the surviving UNTIL Peacekeepers, as well as the radiating virus spreading from the Syrvian Meteorite site, an invisible miasma that coated half of the Eurasia continent, and most of the American western coast, and grew exponentially with each passing day.

Panic rocked the world as the first major mutations started world wide. One of the mutations was a sort of self destruction, where physical contact with an uninfected or an unmutated person would cause both the infected one and the victim to dematerialize at an atomic level, leaving nothing behind but a light mist. Insanity was prevalent in all cases of mutation, though some took longer to succumb to the madness then others.

Fighting the mutation was out of the question. This only lead to more and more infection. The bacterium refused identification, and all means of combating it failed. It was resistant to extreme heat, cold, medicine, even specially designed nanomachines meant to target and eradicate the alien bacterium became corrupted and failed. Only isolation proved effective at stopping the spread of the Syrvian Virus.

Within three months, 99% of the non meta-human population was infected. Meta-humans seemed the most resistant to the mutations, but even a single exposure was enough to guarantee infection. Even if they showed no sign of mutation, they could pass the virus on to uninfected individuals.

Underground bases and survival bunkers proved fruitless, as the virus miasma would seep through the ground and find even the smallest crack and enter the bunker. The survivors took to living in massive flying fortresses, the likes formerly used by the super villain Cyberlord. Obtaining self sufficiency by using massive solar panels and by flying above the clouds, these fortresses became mankinds last hope for survival on a planet literally changing beneath their feet.

Those infected did not simply just change and mill about mindlessly. They would slap themselves onto buildings, somehow merging with the materials and morphing the structures. The most common motif was hands and eyes. It wasn't long before every free standing structure on the planet was bedecked with massive grasping hands, and unblinking eyeballs, gazing longingly towards the sky.

The fortresses weren't entirely self-sufficient. Regular supply runs were required to upgrade and maintain the fortresses, which were never intended to be used as survival bunkers. These were at first performed by infected meta-humans who could fly, but as more and more succumbed to insanity, they were rapidly replaced by robots salvaged from the remains of Bureau 17.

It was during one of these routine salvage runs for parts that humanity's greatest weapon against the Syrvian Virus was unearthed...

It has been four months since the First Infection. What remains of humanity now lives in floating fortresses high above the ground, constantly circling the planet, ever fearful of what lies below. A handful of the world's most brilliant minds were among those living in the sky. One of them was the self proclaimed Head Director for the Survival of Mankind Project, Director Hounin Kyouma. His base of operations became known as the SMP Nest, a trio of fortresses linked together with a series of odd devices above, and a massive circular tube running between them, linking the three together. These two objects are the main reason he dispatches robots and sane heroes to the surface, to retrieve objects not yet morphed by the infected below, and apply them.

The first, the devices above the fortress, was something he called an L2 Lifter. It was a specialty device meant to to project a 1.7 Megawatt signal in the 5 to 8 Megahertz region of the high-frequency band into orbit. The tube below the fortresses was a ramshackle Particle Accelerator. These combined should, in theory, allow Director Kyouma to send basic SMS messages to any major brand cellphone in the past.

He needed one more part for the Particle Accelerator. The L2 Lifter was the first thing he completed, being the easier of the two to construct.

Director Kyouma stood in the Ops Center of the SMP, looking at a viewscreen. The view was provided by one of the repurposed robots he had dispatched alongside the former villain turned hero Blazeover, a pyrokineticist who, despite having repeated prolonged exposure to the Syrvian Virus, has not succumbed to the madness and mutation that had claimed so many lives in such a short time. A lab assistant stood next to him, and timidly spoke.

"So... Uh... This is the last piece, right?"

"Yes. With the correct sized Quadrupole electromagnet, the Kyouma Cyclic Particle Accelerator will be complete."

"And uh.... This helps us.... How?"

Director Kyouma puts a hand to his forehead, sighing exasperatingly. "I'll explain Operation Mail to the Past... Again." He takes a remote out of his pocket, and with practiced ease, presses a rapid series of buttons. The viewscreen flickers, and the view of the ground is replaced by a rather simplistic slideshow. It shows a stylized SMP Nest, Director Kyouma speaking as he flips through the slides.

"First, we decide how far back we want the message to go. We do this by adjusting the broadcasting region of the HF band up or down. Lower is further in the past, higher to closer to the present. With me so far?"

The assistant nods slowly. He clicks the remote and the slide changes to one of a person holding a cellphone, and a super imposed view of an inbox with a new message notification sent 'five months from now.'

"Then we decide what we want to send back, and to whom. I've already decided the message. 'Syrvian Asteroid hazard to Earth. Destroy it.' As well as the recipients. Nominally, I'd have sent it directly to the director of UNTIL or to one of the techs working on the Gateway station.... Buuuuut I couldn't get either of their cellphone numbers and we frankly don't have the time to dig through UNTIL HQ to try and find them. So I choose a number of environmental nutjobs known for protesting and making a muck. I am more then certain that with enough voices, UNTIL will be forced to listen to the masses and destroy the Syrvian Asteroid long before it nears the solar system."

"Hmmmm..." The assistant has a rather blank looking expression on his face. Director Kyouma doesn't notice this, and clicks the remote, moving the next slide right along. It's another stylized image of an envelope, first being smashed together into a small ball, then thrown through a black hole.

"Next, we compress the data, use the Kyouma Cyclic Particle Accelerator to create a Kerr Black Hole, which theoretically functions exactly as a worm hole. Coupling the data with a cellphone number, we use the L2 Lifter to project the data as a 1.7 Megawatt signal into the black hole. Upon exiting the wormhole in the past, the data is picked up by a satellite as an SMS, then sent to its intended target."

The assistant's face remains blank. Director Kyouma still hasn't noticed. He clicks the remote again. This slide is of a stylized gathering of people holding hands around the planet with Director Kyouma standing on top of it half buried in bundles of cash of various currencies.

"With UNTIL destroying the asteroid in the past, the present will change, and the Syrvian Virus will have never made it to planet Earth. I will be declared savior of mankind, and everyone everywhere will give me loads of money!"

The assistant gets that last part. "So you're just greedy?!"

Director Kyouma shakes his head, then shrugs. "You just don't get it. There's no point in explaining further..." He clicks the remote, and the view changes back to the robot's PoV...

The man wore a brilliant red outfit. It featured stylized flames and a sunburst pattern on the chest. It covered him from head to toe. Even though materials were rare nowadays, he still maintained his costume in pristine condition. Just because the world was coming to an end didn't mean he had to meet it not looking his absolute best.

He was known to the world only as Blazeover, a pyrokineticist super villain who had tormented stretches of the Oklahoma panhandle and parts of Texas for years. When the Syrvian Virus pandemic hit, he at first delighted in the carnage he could wrought unopposed, as resources were stretched thin attempting to contain the virus.

But as time went on, he grew weary of it. With society collapsing and unmutated people being rarer and rarer, the chaos he used to so endear became non-existent. The mutated did not have the same reactions as people when he set them aflame. Most would simply burn and smoulder without a single scream, as if they were unaware of the fact they were burning. Tormenting those who gave no reaction was no fun. And he hated that.

It was shortly after that realization that he was approached by a hero. At first, he thought he could at long last have some real fun, torching a living person who would scream and writhe. But the hero didn't come to fight, he wanted Blazeover to help them, the organization called SMP Nest. Blazeover was a madman, through and through, but he was no idiot. If they could stop the virus, or even reverse it, he could go back to how it used to be.

"I'm not doing this to win any favours with the man upstairs. I'm helping you because of one reason only: I want it to go back to the way it used to be, when people would scream when I set them on fire. If you're willing to accept that, then I'll do what you want."

Through the hero, Director Kyouma accepted Blazeover's terms. In reality, he had wanted Blazeover as soon as he heard he was still alive. No matter what the madman had asked for, he would have given it. Blazeover had had over two straight months of constant exposure to the Syrvian Virus. Yet he was unmutated, and still sane. Well, Kyouma actually doubted Blazeover was ever sane, but Blazeover certainly still had use of his reasoning facilities.

And so, two months later, Blazeover finds himself picking over the remains of a massive underground laboratory near Vibora Bay. Director Kyouma had heard that an old VIPER Nest was here, and there might be parts he needed for his device here. Blazeover had no idea what he needed, or why. All he knew was that he had to keep the robots safe, and torch any mutant who tried to get close. He was among the last heroes remaining, almost all having already succumbed to the mutation, or vanished through contact with one of the Suiciders, the mutants who dematerialized themselves and whatever they were touching, so called because of their berserk bullrush to get in physical contact with the uninfected.

Over the past few months, he had time to reflect. Why had he remained 'sane' when others lost it. Why didn't he mutate. The reality of it was he had no idea. But he choose a convenient excuse: His hatred. It gave him focus. An edge he could use to slice through the madness and drive straight and clear towards his goal. In the end, maybe it didn't matter why he hadn't gone insane yet.

The base wasn't as badly morphed as the Vibroa Bay buildings overhead. If not for the eyes lining the ceiling and the pulsating biomasses every so often, one wouldn't even realize that this place was infected. Holding his hands afloat, he focuses his rage, feeling it burning hotter then the sun, forming into a fireball between his hands. Flames ignite along his costume, adding to the inferno raging at his fingertips. With a grunt, he forces the fireball forward, slamming it into one of the biomasses, incinerating it. Of course, it didn't even have the common courtesy to scream.

The robots were picking over some sort of tech device. They were close to finding what it was they needed, and soon Blazeover could leave this place behind, and be a step closer to his goal. A scream issued from across the room, and Blazeover smiled. He knew that burning that biomass would attract trouble. And he needed the excuse to vent right now.

Charging up another Fireball, he vaults over the working robots and faces towards where the scream came from. A trio of multi-limbed, constantly changing mutants rushed towards him. They were running, that made them Suiciders. Smirking, he channels even more heat to the fireball, and with a flourish, tosses it up into the air, then spikes it like a volleyball directly at the three. The orb of materialized hatred soars true, slamming into the lead Suicider and erupting like a volcano in their midst, scorching them.

He follows this up with a spin, thrusting both hand forward and projecting a constant stream of intense fire, finishing the trio as they collapsed into melted puddles, which Blazeover did not ignore, directing the flames onto that to ensure nothing remained of the mutants but a scorch mark.

As he properly disposes of their remains, he hears a female voice call out to him. "WATCH OUT!" He turns his head towards the source of the call, just in time to see a Suicider rushing him from the side. A trap?!

But just beyond it, he sees a human girl, with light blue hair, leap forward, swinging a hook like object and catching the suicider's leg, pulling it back and tripping it up. She moves forward, and delivers a lethal blow to its head, before using the backside of the hooked object to hack the Suicider to bits. Blazeover can only stare in amazement. Then he realizes what she is, or rather, what she isn't. She's not a meta-human. But she's not a mutant either. But he didn't care. She was a person. And that meant she'd scream when he set her on fire.

With a mind shattering laughter, he turns and charges up another fireball, ecstatic about this turn of events. After so long, he was finally given some measure of relief! He wasn't going to let this opportunity pass him up.

Director Kyouma and his lab assistant watch the video feed from the robot. It was one of two sent alongside Blazeover to an old alleged VIPER base in Vibora Bay. They had undercover intel that some of the machinery left behind there may house a large quadrupole electromagnet, which was the last piece needed to complete the Kyouma Cyclic Particle Accelerator. One of the robots was heavily shielded so it could carry the magnet, while the other was decked out in long range weaponry to support both Blazeover and the retrieval robot.

There wasn't much to do at SMP Nest, so whenever Blazeover or one of the heroes were dispatched to retrieve something, Director Kyouma and whoever was in the lab at the time would watch the live feed. As the trio entered the underground complex, Blazeover sets another biomass on fire, having done so to nearly every one he came across.

"You know Blazeover is a madman, right?" The lab assistant asked, an effeminate, waifish young man with rimless glasses over bright blue eyes, messy brunette hair currently tied back into a ponytail, and wearing a lab coat that was a size too big for him.

The green eyed Director Kyouma easily stood a head taller then the assistant. He was rail skinny, a direct result of a sparse diet of MREs and vat-grown soy protein. His jet black hair was currently messily styled into a slickback "greaser" look, though he claims this was due to circumstances, and not preference. Like the assistant, his lab coat was a size too big, again a direct result of their situation. "Yes, but he is OUR madman. It is better we have him under our control, as opposed to Director Plisskin."

Director Plissken was a former VIPER Nest Leader at the repurposed Canadian Project Awakening Facility, who took over the project ages ago from Mechaniste after the latter fell in combat to a plucky hero who Kyouma couldn't quite recall the name of currently. He then repurposed the facility into one devoted to Anti-alien projects and weaponry, deciding that there were plenty of labs dedicated to conquering the Earth, but not enough devoted to defending it from extraterrestrials. The facility saw little action after that, a few skirmishes with Force Station Steelhead, but nothing major like what old Project Awakening had seen.

After the Syrvian Virus Outbreak, he had managed to flee into the safety of the flying Fortresses, taking with him a number of VIPER personnel. But with the disappearance of the Supreme Serpent, alongside the utter loss of the Council of Thirty to the Syrvian Virus, VIPER was in essence no more. None the less, Director Plisskin ran his fortress like a VIPER Nest, and would only let those who swore allegiance to VIPER and the Supreme Serpent serve under him. With humanity in the straits it was in, the other Fortresses tolerated Director Plisskin, as he did dedicate his Fortress to running anti-alien operations to defend against Qularr and Gadroon attacks, who weren't above harassing the weakened humans now that GATEWAY Station was unmanned.

Kyouma shook his head, dismissing the train of thought about Director Plisskin. The three had found the machinery that might house the Quadrupole Electromagnet, and the two robots set to work dismantling the machine. Blazeover sets fire to another biomass, finally eliciting the response he so desired, attracting attention from the local mutants. "Fire Support Bot, keep an eye on Blazeover, but only give assistance if he absolutely requires it. Retrieval of the electromagnet takes priority. Do not allow the electromagnet to be damaged or lost." He spoke the order plainly, confident that Blazeover could handle any threat.

The video feed switched to the robot watching Blazeover. The assistant let out a low, long whistle. "I never get tired of watching him work his fire."

"If you make a hot joke, I'm going to dock your ration allotment today." Kyouma countered harshly. The assistant didn't make the joke he was about to make as Blazeover directed a stream of flames onto the remains of the mutants.

Then came the voice. "WATCH OUT!" Director Kyouma did a double take.

"N-no way..." The robot kept watching Blazeover. "Pan to the source of the voice. NOW." Kyouma spoke urgently.

The robot turned to look at the person who yelled. It was a young girl, with light blue hair and green eyes. She wore a ragged brown and black bomber jacket, and tattered jeans with bits of heavy leather sewn onto them in places, forming a sort of makeshift armour padding. She swung a modified crowbar, elongated with the backside of the hook sharpened to a fine point. She attacks one of the suiciders, effortlessly bringing it down, then ending its misery with the sharp end of her crowbar.

Then came the laughter. The robot pans back to Blazeover, who is charging up a fireball. Director Kyouma speaks quickly, "Do NOT let him finish charging. Interrupt him. NOW." The robot complies, rushing the Pyrokinetist and bodily tackling to the ground. "Direct vocal override. Blazeover, you are NOT to engage that girl. I repeat. DO NOT ENGAGE."

"To hell with you and your damn Nest. I want that girl, I want her screams. I NEED her screams. And you won't stop me." Blazeover says, pushing the robot off of him.

Kyouma bites his lip, then says. "Corinna, RUN. Get away from here, NOW." If she said anything, he didn't hear as Blazeover forces a Firestrike directly into the robot's head. "Retrieval Robot, complete your mission as intended. All other assets, converge on Blazeover's location. He is considered hostile, but retrieval of the girl takes priority. Do NOT allow her to come to harm. Bring her safely back to SMP Nest. Eradicate Blazeover if necessary. Otherwise abandon him." A chorus of affirmatives greet the Director.

The lab assistant blinks. "Uh... S-sir? Do you... Know her?"

Director Kyouma gives the boy a flat look. "That's my daughter..."

The girl stared at him dumb founded as he charged the Fireball, funneling his rage, hatred and desperation into it until it grow to the size of a beachball. His manic laughter rung through the empty halls of the VIPER base, stunning the young survivor. Just as he was about to throw this ball of distilled rage right at her, he was tackled to the ground by the robot, interrupting his charge. As the robot bodily took him down, he heard Director Kyouma's voice through the robot's head. "Blazeover, you are NOT to engage that girl. I repeat. DO NOT ENGAGE."

Trying to save survivors? What did he care for survivors. She was already infected. Even if she wasn't mutated, there was no way she'd be allowed inside SMP Nest. No, she'd be wasted there. Studied, perhaps. No, he had better uses for her. As Blazeover struggles to topple the robot off of him, he speaks. "To hell with you and your damn Nest. I want that girl, I want her screams. I NEED her screams. And you won't stop me."

He finally gets an arm under himself, using that to leverage himself up and knock the robot off of him. He rolls on top of the robot. As he rears back his hand to throw a Firestrike directly into its head, the robot barks out one last sentence. "Corinna, RUN. Get away from he-"

Though he didn't let it finish, slamming the Firestrike directly into it's face and destroying the speaker.

The girl, shaken out of her stupor, glares wide eyed at the scene before her, "H-how... How do you know my name?!" She rears back the crowbar, and flings it at Blazeover, before turning and running.

Blazeover swings his left arm up and in front of himself, a large fiery disc forming instantly and dulling the impact of the flying handtool, before burning it to cinders. He screams at her back as she flees. "Run little rabbit! Run for me! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" He pushes the robot aside, ignoring the other one. Robots didn't scream. He wasn't going to waste the calories melting it to goo, not when there was an actual live person he could listen to. He sets off in a run, chasing the girl.

~~~~~~

The girl called Corinna ran, disbelief and terror still etched across her face. After months of surviving the crazy mutants, she thought she had finally lucked out and found other sane people. But instead she was met with insanity, and not even the kind she was used to. What did that man mean by "I need her screams?" Her mind raced as she ran, trying to figure out what he wanted, or why he had turned on his allies.

She presses herself on, hitting the stairs leading to the surface, taking the steps three at a time. She's gotten very used to running, so the effort did not exert her too much. Behind her, she could hear the bellows and laughter of the madman as he gave chase. "I'm cursed. Must be." She mutters to herself, pushing the door open and stumbling out into the alleyway.

Vibora Bay changed. There were few places that didn't, but the change was most radical here. The resident supernatural entities took to the virus badly. Towering spirals of barbs and spikes, intermingled with furred hands grasping from the walls of buildings and buildings with fangs that attempted to impale you as you passed. The only building that wasn't morphed was the High Apostolic Church, although she wasn't sure why. The buildings surrounding it however glowed vivid neon colours. She knew enough to stay away from that area: The mutants were especially hostile, and suiciders all too common.

As she pushed the massive metal door closed, she felt a sudden rise in temperature, and stumbles away from it, a bolt of flame impacting the door and slagging the metal. She frowned, hoping she could at least give herself some time by closing it all the way, but instead she settles for kicking it close, and running away.

She ducks out the alleyway, hearing the madman behind her. "Scream for me rabbit! SCREAM! Let me hear your anguish!" He flings another Firestrike, the fast yet weak attack sailing true and striking her back, skidding across her shoulder as she rolled, mitigating some of the damage. She bites her tongue, deciding she WASN'T going to give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream.

She comes out of the roll and into a crouch, facing the red and yellow attired villain. His grin only falters slightly as he didn't hear her scream. She digs quickly in her jacket pocket and pulls out a small thick glass orb. He smirks as he sees her do this. "Oh, what is this? The little rabbit thinks her toy can save her?!"

She says nothing, and instead just throws the orb at the ground between her and him. As the glass shatters, the two chemicals within it mix, instantly creating an thick cloud of yellow foul smelling smoke. She covers her mouth and nose, and runs for it, ducking into the ruins of a building that had melted on one side to grow into a large furred hand reaching towards the heavens on the other side.

The distraction was only that, a distraction. The mutants didn't react badly to the smoke, but it often times caused enough confusion for her to escape safely. The madman yells "USELESS!" and spreads his arms, creating an expanding ring of fire around himself, dissipating the smoke. She didn't expect it to last very long, but she was honestly hoping it'd last longer then that.

She delves into the building, a multi-story brownstone. Calmly the madman stalks her, enjoying the sensation of the hunt. "Where are you rabbit!" He calls, following her deeper into the Brownstone. No place was safe, and the walls within had mutated and changed, the result of the infected merging with the materials and somehow changing it to bio-matter. Eyes embedded in the walls stared at her as she ran through the halls of building, and grasping hands would try and grab at her. The last thing she needed right now was to be grabbed and held as easy prey for that psychopath. She ducks into a side room, one that used to be a study, though the books the lined the shelves had mutated, merging into one amorphous blob of biomass that pulsated regularly.

She knelt in the center of the room, behind what used to be a desk. If she was lucky, he would walk right past her and she could escape easily. If not, the glass window behind her had been broken months ago, and she could dive out that for an emergency escape.

What hit her first was the smell. Burnt flesh. Then came the sound, the crackling of something being roasted. She clamped a hand over her mouth, trying not to retch as the smell got worse. He was burning everything he came across, and getting closer. The heat was the last thing to hit her, the temperature rising rapidly, beads of sweat dotting her forehead and face. A gout of fires rages past the door, torching the hallway. He was just outside!

"Little rabbit... Where are you, rabbit?" He calls mockingly, peering into the room she's hiding in. She holds her breath, trying everything to not give herself away. For a long second, there's nothing, then she hears him start to walk away. She releases her mouth, and gives a sigh of relief. The heat was unbearable, and she was looking forward to leaving him here.

Then the flames began to fall. Little droplets of fire raining from the ceiling, impacting her, the desk, the biomass, and everything else. She cries out in pain as the tiny spears of flame strike her, burning her, before she clamps a hand over her mouth. "FOUND YOU, RABBIT! BURN RABBIT! BURN!" The Madman bellows, standing just outside the door.

She grimaces and flings herself through the broken window, praying to whatever deity would listen that there were no suiciders in the streets below...

Corinna abruptly wished she had the foresight to look OUT the window before she jumped through it. She falls for maybe a foot, before landing solidly on a furred arm, angled downward as the hand grasps at the ground. At least it was helpful, as she rolled down the arm, putting out what flames clung to her. She could hear the psycho above her, laughing. She rolls off the furred arm, falling to street and making a practiced landing on her hands and feet, much like a cat. She scampers underneath the arm, it giving her cover from that cursed fire rain.

"I'm cursed. So cursed. I'm just going to go into the swamps and never bother trying to find people again." She mutters, patting the places where she was burned. She looks around, trying to see if she could spot one of her stashes: She needed a weapon. It wouldn't put her on even footing with a super, but it'd at least make her feel better about her situation.

The arm flexed and bucked, being burnt by the madman's fire. "Don't you give up?" She mutters again, spotting one of her cyphers marking a house where she had previously stashed weapons and aid items. She mentally counts down, then makes a mad dash across the street, fire raining all around her, striking her and burning her as she went. She gritted her teeth, focusing on her goal: She had to get across the street!

Pushing herself to her limit, she breaks into a full out leaping sprint, adrenaline allowing her to ignore the pain that racked her body, the smell of her bomber jacket burning away.

She crosses her arms in front of her face, diving through a bay window and rolling into the house. She rapidly unzips her burning jacket, balls it up tightly and flings it back out the window, the remaining glass orbs she had breaking as the jacket hits the pavement. It wouldn't do anything, but she had to do something to keep from giving in to despair. She frowns as she surveys her surroundings. The house had mutated more since last time she was here. Shaking her head, she moves from the large living room to the kitchen, finding the old ARGENT Arms case she had dragged with her. She pops open the lid, and digs out the contents. Three more of the stink smoke bombs orbs, and another modified crowbar. She hefts the bar in her hand, savouring it's weight.

"A red crowbar's enough to make anyone feel like a free man... Uh, woman." She says, correcting herself at the last moment.

She turns, and comes face to face with a mutant. This one was once a member of the Dogz, though now he's lost all his fur, and most of the details that showed him as a human. He's now this thin, tie-dyed glob, his head, body and legs all forming into a single, continuous creature with all the curves of a telephone pole. She hefts the crowbar, readying to swing it, but the mutant doesn't react. It just stands there, staring at her with it's misshaped eyes. She lowers the bar, glad it's not a suicider or hostile. "That crazy guy outside is gonna kill you. You should run." She says to it, knowing it can't or won't respond. She wasn't even sure it understood her.

She moves past it, trying to think of a plan on how to either lose the psycho, or get rid of him. She was so tempted to just go into hiding, or sneak out of Vibora Bay. Let the psycho wonder for a few days, or pray he got caught by a Suicider. She mentally kicks herself for saving him from that one. "Next person I see getting ambushed is out of luck." She frowns, not accustomed to letting bitterness get the better of her.

She presses through the house, squeezing out the backdoor of the kitchen, before cat stepping her way around towards the street she just left, looking towards the house she was in only scant moments ago. Much of it was burning, what little material remaining that wasn't biomass being consumed as fuel for the fire that madman started. She couldn't see him, either in the streets or in the burning buliding.

Her sense went instantly to high alert. A sensation in the back of her head like someone was staring directly at her with murderous intent. She casts her gaze upward, her heart dropping as she sees him. He was coated in flames, and floating a good couple hundred feet above the house. "Of course he can fly... That isn't fair. Why am I cursed?!"

"I FOUND YOU, RABBIT! I FOUND YOU!" He screams out, charging a massive fireball between his hands. She grimaces, with nowhere to run to and no means to defend herself from this next attack, she braces for impact. "BURN! SCREAM! BURN! SCREAM!" He chants manically as the fireball grows larger and larger in size.

But the impact that came wasn't the one she expected. A soft blue orb encapsulates her, just seconds after he flung the ball at her. The fireball slams into her, but the orb surrounding her shields her completely. She blinks, and looks around for her savior, whilst the psycho does likewise. A massive shell impacts the ground next to her, and unfolds, unpacking itself into a teleport pad, three robot materializing into view. The psycho rushes down. "NO! You will NOT take her!" He lands between her and the trio of robots, throwing his hands wide and creating a continuous pulsating ring of fire. The orb bucks, and she can see it start to dim. The robots are fried, but not before loosing a series of blaster rifle shots at him.

The madman staggers under their assault, but maintains the fire, slagging the robots, then turns towards her. Corinna is dumbfounded, unsure if the orb will move with her, or if she's only safe so long as she stands in this spot. There's a flurry of movement, and a body appears in front of her. She's clad in blue and white tights, sheathed in a blue glow. Her back is to Corinna, but even so, she can tell something isn't right about her. The new woman throws her hand forward, closes her fist, and pulls back, knocking the psycho towards her. As he sails through the air, she throws her hand towards, manifesting a force blast that sends him flying backwards away from just seconds before he'd hit the ground in front of her, insytead slamming into the wall and sliding to the ground in a heap. More robots teleport in, as the orb surrounding Corinna flickers and vanishes.

He spits up blood and coughs, pushing himself to his feet. "She's mine. And you won't take her!" He bellows.

The other woman says nothing, and throws her hand towards him again. A blue sphere forms around him, and starts to lift him off the ground, but he spreads his arms apart, seeming to shred the sphere and fall back to his feet. He throws a quick bolt of fire at the other woman, before the robots turn and open fire on him with their blasters. He holds up his arm, shielding himself with that large disc of fire, but the shots are penetrating through, staggering him.

The other woman maneuvers, keeping herself between the madman and Corinna. She occasionally throws bolts of odd blue energy at him, but mostly she just bodily protects the girl.

Between the two continuous assaults, his defense falters and fails, and he staggers, collapsing to the ground. The robots ease up, keeping their weapons on him, but not firing anymore. Corinna grips her crowbar, her knuckles turning white as she squeezes the handle tightly, then she moves closer towards the madman that hounded and tormented her. The other woman raises her hand as if to try and stop Corinna, but she just brushes past her to stand over him.

She frowns, her face contorting into a mask of anger. As she raises the crowbar over her head, he says something. "Daddy... The rabbits are screaming." The way he said it, made her stop. He sounded so weak, and pathetic. Not like the psycho who stalked her across the city, more like a child.

"Why are they screaming?" He continues, "I... I didn't mean it daddy. I just thought they were cold... I didn't mean... Make it stop daddy... Make the screaming stop..."

She stands there, for a long second, as he writhes and mews pitifully on the ground. That murderous intent that oozed from him just minutes ago was completely gone. Was he reliving a memory, in the last moments of his life? Her frown lessens, and then with single, powerful overhand swing of her crowbar, she accomplished what he had been trying to do for years.

She made the screaming stop.

Corrina lifts the bloodied crowbar, surveying the ruined remains of the madman who chased her. She drops the crowbar, and turns towards her rescuers. The three robots had scorch marks on them, but were otherwise in pristine condition. Someone was keeping up on their maintenance. The woman in blue and white...

Corinna gasps, and does a double take as she sees her face. Or rather, what approximates her face. Quickly looking away, she only glances at the woman out of the corner of her eye: Where her head would be is a massive hand, cupped with a giant unblinking red and green sideways eye in the center of the palm. A set of fingers extended from her neck on either side, looking like oversized gills almost. A wig had been crudely affixed to the back of the hand, giving her some semblance of normalcy. But that explains why she didn't respond to the psycho's taunts: She physically couldn't, as she had no mouth.

The woman looks away, then digs out a notebook and pen from a messenger tote at her side, writing something on it before turning it to face Corinna. "Are you hurt?" It reads.

Corrina shakes her head. "Not r-really..."

She scribbles some more on the notebook, and shows her. "My name is Helen of the Boundless Dreams. I am a hero working for the Survival of Mankind Project Nest. You are Corinna Kyouma, Hounin Kyouma's daughter, right?"

Corrina reads what Helen wrote, then nods. "Yes, I'm Corinna." Then realization dawns on her. "You knew my father?!"

Helen tilts her 'head' at this, and scribbles a single word. "Knew?"

"Yes. My father died, when the infection first started. His helicopter blew up. I saw it..."

Helen taps the pen on the notebook, seeming as if she thinking of how to respond, then writes "But your father is alive. He's the director of SMP Nest."

Corinna blinks as she reads and rereads what Helen had wrote. "No... No way? Can you take me to him? Now?!" Her heart soars, for perhaps the first time in ages. Helen nods affirmatively, and turns to the robots. she makes a few hand gestures at them, and one produces a small air canister and face mask from a compartment on its body, giving these to Helen. She holds them and scribbles on her notebook.

"I will take you to the SMP Nest. You will need to use this mask to help you breathe, as the air is thin up there." It reads. She holds out the canister and mask. Corinna accepts them, but gives her a questioning look.

"That guy had said something about a Nest. Does he work for you?"

Helen regards Blazeover's body for a second, then writes "Blazeover was insane even before the Syrvian Virus. His loss is regrettable, but Director Kyouma gave explicit instructions to rescue you."

Corinna grimaces, but slides the mask over her face, and hangs the canister from her belt. Helen double checks to ensure the seal between the mask and her face is solid, and then stands behind her, holding the notebook so she can read it. "I will carry you to the Nest. Please relax, there is nothing to be afraid of."

She wraps her arms around the younger girl, and without fanfare, lifts off, easily carrying her weight. The three robots return to their teleport pad, vanishing from sight.

Nervously, Corinna asks, "About how long will it take for us to get there?" Of course, Helen can't respond, because her hands are full...

~~~~~~~~

Director Kyouma paced anxiously, replaying the last memory he had of his daughter. It was just after the Syrvian Virus hit New York City. He was on the roof of the high rise his family lived in, aboard a helicopter hovering just inches off the roof. His family was being evacuated, but reports were streaming in of mutants and suiciders making their way up to the roof. An UNTIL trooper stood guard at the roof entrance, assault rifle in hand as he kept the door door and the stairs clear. Even over the sound of the helicopter, Director Kyouma could hear the sound of gunfire from the building below him.

"Director, your family is entering the top floor now. They should be up here in less then a minute." Said the UNTIL Warrant Officer who sat in the helicopter with him. He presses a hand to his ear, listening to reports, but he doesn't tell Kyouma what he hears.

The UNTIL trooper at the door levels his weapon and fires down the stairs, shouting something, but Hounin can't hear him. Catherine, Hounin's wife, is the first up, ducking low as the trooper fires over her head and into something chasing her. She sprints for the helicopter, Director Kyouma giving a hand to help pull her into the helicopter. Their daughter is the next up, followed closely by a large mutant. The trooper fires into it point blank, but his bullets have no visible effect. As Corinna ducks past the Trooper, the mutant turns on its attacker, tackling the trooper to the ground. The Warrant Officer grabs his rifle, and opens fire on the mutant, trying to support his comrade.

Corinna dashes for the helicopter, but following on the heels of the first mutant is another, slender, with an elongated beak in place of its face. Director Kyouma and the Warrant Officer recognize it instantly: a suicider. The Officer turns his weapon on the new threat as it charges for Corinna, and Director Kyouma leans out the side of the helicopter, reaching out with his hand. The Warrant officer sees this, and drops the gun, grabbing the Director and preventing him from falling out or doing anything rash.

Everything seems to happen in slow motion now. His hand, reaching for his daughter, straining against the weight of the Warrant Officer as he held one arm around his waist, and another holding onto a handle inside the helicopter. Corinna's bounding steps, the terror on her face as the mad gibbering of the suicider got closer and louder with each passing insant.

Eight feet. Seven. She's closer now. He can almost touch her, pull her to safety. She's reaching for his hand. Five feet. Four. As he strains, he's about to close his hand around hers. Her face turns to one of shock, the suicider leaping, latching onto her back. In a flash, the two vanish, Hounin's hand closing around a thin mist, all that remains of the two.

He strains against the Warrant Officer, screaming incoherently. The officer holds him steady. "She's gone! There's nothing more you can do! We have to go!" He speaks logically, and truthfully. The helicopter lifts up, the Warrant Officer speaking into his mic radio. "We have the Director's family. Hammer Down Protocol is a go. I repeat, Hammer Down Protocol is go. May God have mercy on us all."

The helicopter buzzes up and away from the buildings. The skies brighten, for just a brief second, then lances of energy fall from the heavens, impacting several buildings, reducing the tallest structures in New York state to piles of rubble over the span of seconds. Hounin is forced into his seat and buckled in by the warrant officer. His wife sits next to him, crying into her hands.

"I'm sorry for your loss." The Warrant Officer offers weakly, before taking his seat.

Director Kyouma shakes himself out of the memory. He was certain he saw her killed by a suicider. It was the single most driving inspiration behind the Survival of Mankind Project. But if she was still alive... Then it meant that suiciders didn't kill their victims. They... Teleported them somewhere else?

His assistant watches him as he paces. "S-sir? I have the reports from the robots. The gir- Uh... Your daughter has been secured. She's en route now with Helen."

He simply nods.

"And Blazeover has been killed..." He leaves out the part of the report saying Corinna was the one to delivery the killing blow.

Director Kyouma nods again, still deep in thought.

"I've cleared them to land at gate eight. They should be here in about ten minutes. You should... Uh. I mean, if you want, you can go meet them there. I can cover things here."

"Yes... I think I will." The Director leaves. As he exits the lab, the view screen flashes, displaying 'Incoming Message.' The lab assistant receives the message, reading it carefully...

Kyouma heads towards the Gates, the name given to the section of the fortresses designed to house the infected heroes who flew to the surface. Since the interior of the fortress was full of non-infected, no contact between them and the heroes were permitted. This kept the infection from spreading inside the fort. The Gates themselves consisted of several large rooms split in two with a glass wall, airtight. Here the uninfected could interact with the heroes in a face to face setting. A speaker on either side allowed communications to continue unhindered. Once Corinna was brought here, he could catch up with her. He couldn't bring her inside the fort, despite every part of his being wanting to, but at least he could hear her voice again.

He sat on one of the chairs on his side of the Gate, staring at the glass window. He wanted even more now for Operation Mail to the Past to succeed.