[IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

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mrdent12
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by mrdent12 »

Friday, April 12, 2019 - ...And I Will Do No Harm...

"Getting donors and test subjects as you term them will not be difficult. This is not a laboratory of Sokolov, however. People will notice bringing two civilians into the base and while they may not ask questions of you or I, they will talk. It will effect morale. After us confiscating and losing their vehicles not to mention other acts, they already are not trusting of us. So long as we maintain the joint base, we will require their support not to mention training for the army we are raising.", cautions Diego.

"Simply gathering subjects is minimal risk. I trust you have a place in this base or somewhere else to conduct your experiments? Doing it in the shared laboratory space will make it difficult on other base operations if we are to secure the area properly. Your robots will need to be used as not to invite scrutiny by regular base security.", adds Diego. He had Iona where he wanted. Now he just had to make sure it didn't end up costing them the base.
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by Supernaturalist »

Iona
HP: 2
VP: 0
Cnd: Normal
PP:0
EP:3
Dominion Point: 0

Friday, April 12, 2019 - ...And I Will Do No Harm...

For now, it is probably wise to conduct one procedure here. I shall have to plan for the logistics of conducting large numbers of the procedure in the future. Perhaps building an annex on to the infirmary which includes an entrance where donors can be brought into the facility secretly without passing through the other areas of the base." Iona's pauses, her eyes drifting away from Diego. "I may be getting ahead of myself, of course. I must make certain that the procedure is medically sound."

Her eyes returning back to Diego's ominous form, she continues in her characteristically soft one. "That is why a test run is so important. I have gone over the procedure nearly a hundred times in my own mind, accounting for various contingencies. That is still no substitute for the real thing. I could prepare an 'operating room' as discreetly as possible over the next 48 hours. Would that be enough time for you to acquire a couple of subjects?"
OOC: If Diego agrees, then Iona would like to identify some room where the procedure can be attempted. She would take the equipment there herself, slowly spreading the preparations over 2 days. She will do small amounts during one infirmary shift, then wait for the next shift to start before taking any more supplies to the room. This way any particular shift may only notice small shifts in supplies and equipment.
OOC: Here is Iona's Stealth roll for discreetly moving equipment to the isolated "operating room"": Stealth Roll for Equipment: 1d20+2 9. Ok, my first total is a 9. Iona will spend an HP to try and do better. Here's the re-roll: Stealth Reroll: 1d20+2 21. So a total of 21. I have deducted her HP; she now has 2.
Last edited by Supernaturalist on Sun Feb 19, 2023 2:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
mrdent12
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by mrdent12 »

Friday, April 12, 2019 - ...And I Will Do No Harm...

"Finding donors will not be difficult. I will caution that if you make even a single room attached to this base similar to Sokolovs lab of horrors, it will create issues in morale that we can ill afford. So, if there is a site close, but not quite attached to this facility you would be able to do much more. Regardless of how you bring equipment out of the main infirmary, the supplies will be noted as missing. If you bring too much it will impact normal functioning of the infirmary. That is impossible to hide from questioning.", remarks Diego. He didn't quite care about the infirmary in general, but it was a useful place for high value players.

Feeling like he had to hammer home the point. "When you are close to being ready let me know and I will ensure you have two test subjects. I am sure you know how to accomplish your experiment without compromising the lives of Valkyrie or high value patients. Your robot guards will be needed to monitor the impromptu lab entrance and area plus ensure the subjects are compliant. Unless you wish to be scrutinized by the base personal I would not advise using them.", adds Diego.
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by Sakuro »

Friday, April 12, 2019 - ...And I Will Do No Harm...

OOC wrote:If Iona is trying to be sneaky about moving equipment around, I will want a Stealth check when she starts in on that.
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by mrdent12 »

Friday, April 12, 2019 - ...And I Will Do No Harm...

Under other circumstances, Diego would have likely shot Iona down. Turning even one room in the base into another monstrous experiment room was giving Sokolov that much more leeway into the base. It wasn't the experiments themselves which bugged Diego anymore. He could care less about the morals associated with those. On top of the foot hold was the risk. Kidnapping two people exposed him and the base to further Stronghold scrutiny it didn't need right now. It also put Stronghold on alert if not done with precision. Another risk Diego knew would come back to bite the base was the morale aspect. Not everyone was evolved like he was to see the whole chess board without regards to the pawns or bystanders. People still needed to feel like they mattered. People still needed to feel some sense of morals being on their side. In the new Utopia Diego hoped to help bring about, he knew he would have no place for what he had become or what he was capable. The new Utopia was for others. Others who objected to kidnapping two people and subjecting them to a probably horrific experiment by an underling of a mad doctor.

Getting his heart, the black heart, what belonged to him, and what he needed was more important. if the base had to be lost, it had to be lost. He could likely get the heart on his own. With Iona's aid it would be easier as it has a phone number to dial and like every male Romper was into it. While it was doubtful Romper would hand over the heart, he might be persuaded to make a deal of sorts or at least leak information that would aid Diego in his quest to be complete. After exposing the base, helping him would be the least Iona could do.

Pulling from his knowledge of the city plus any intel reports, Diego spent a few hours just watching the less patrolled bits of the city that still would have suitable candidates. Until Iona was ready, there was no point in grabbing anyone yet. His first victim would need to be in a spot with minimal cameras and blind spot areas where a quick car jacking could be effected. It would need to be someone of relative good health by appearance. In addition, the person would need to have little ties to others as best a quick stalk could accomplish. All of his training said to gather more info and wait for the opportune moment to strike. In his past life, there was a whole procedure wrote for this sort of thing. He had to break procedure.

Once the first victim was found and transportation was procured, Diego kept an eye out for a place to pick up a hooker or someone else who might come more willingly. Knocking them out was a trivial matter. Nontrivial would be how he got them back to the base in whatever entrance Iona knew about that wasn't the main entrance. The easy answer was drive them into Ward 3, enlist Iona to get the bodies in, and drive back out with a look of being on drugs with a just got lucky face. Once clear, park the vehicle and go back "home".

When Iona notified Diego of the nearly ready time, he put his plan into motion based on previous collected intel. Finding the first victim, Diego made quick work of subduing the person at the most advantageous spot near the car. If needed, he would morph into a hoodlum and break some of the cameras first in the area and surrounding places to make it look sort of random. Next, Diego set out grabbing a call girl or someone more willing with notice of going back to a hotel. Instead of a hotel though, Diego would drive through a place with some blind spots and knock the hooker out. WIth two victims secured, Diego enacted the rest of his plan. Meeting Iona at the prearranged spot enlisting the help of his agents in Ward 3 to identify any trouble areas, he would get the people brought into the lab of horrors before heading back out after 30 minutes or so to go "home".
21,23,22 stealth
Taking 10 on Deception for 22 as needed.
Perception 26 if needed
Spycraft 15 if any added insight since I came up with the plan from someone with no operational expertise in this sort of thing.
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by Supernaturalist »

Iona
HP: 2
VP: 0
Cnd: Normal
PP:0
EP:3
Dominion Point: 0

Friday, April 12, 2019 - ...And I Will Do No Harm...

Placing her trust in Diego, namely that the two subjects will be delivered in a couple of days to the predetermined room, Iona formulates a plan for the inconspicuous movement of surgical equipment.

At first, only small items are moved: An oxygen tank, a single tray of surgical implements, an IV-bag stand. Furthermore, they are moved slowly, spread out over the morning, evening, and "graveyard" shifts of the infirmary. Strategically, more items are transported during the last shift as there is no one present but a single nurse (with physicians "on call").

If confronted and pressed by any of the staff, Iona mentions that a connection has promised to deliver more medical equipment soon, and that an "overflow" surgical room is being prepped. But that is a lie that might not even be needed.

On the second day, the last remaining items are moved by her alone: An anesthesia machine, an operating table, and a portable vacuum/suction machine. Again if questioned, Iona follows up with her same story - with one addendum: If the equipment does not materialize with three or four days, then the surgical equipment will return back to the infirmary.

Standing alone in her makeshift operating room, Iona goes over the details of the procedure once more, insuring that all the necessary items are available.
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by Sakuro »

Friday, April 12, 2019 to Monday, April 15, 2019 - ...And I Will Do No Harm...

Diego has a rough time acquiring the test subjects for Iona. Perhaps due to the rumors he spread about Iona flying around the city after saving Valkyrie, Stronghold patrols are more active than normal ... and that is saying a lot. It is almost as though they have forewarning about his movements. Every time he makes a move to kidnap someone they are in the area. The first person he subdues, a group of soldier catch him in the act and he has to flee the scene with his captive.

The hooker he tries to lure has second thoughts. He forces the issue. She screams. Seconds later armed mercenaries are running into the scene guns blazing. Diego manages to escape without prolonged conflict ... but it was messy.

As he makes his way back to Ward 3 he sees Hadron-tech drones in his rearview mirror ... following him. It takes a long time for him to shake them. He lays low for a while. What feels like a long time doing nothing with two kidnappees in his custody.

Even though he is extra careful when he eventually does make a move to smuggle the two people into your headquarters, the base security is keen and on guard. They spot him in the middle of the act ... and information about his actions trickle down from there even if the guards don't question of hinder his actions.

Iona's equipment smuggling goes just as poorly. Your subordinates are good at what they good and missing equipment is promptly noted and reported. Security personnel keep track of her movements. No one stops her. She's in charge, after all. But she does get a questioned. Your resources are finite and Iona is redirecting equipment that is needed. But her story seems to work. At least until Diego arrives with his suspicious cargo. Then people realize they were lied to and you are hiding something serious from them.

OOC wrote: Diego has a bad run of it. His actions are noticed to some degree every step of the way. A side effect of this is his having to take extra care in getting the kidnapped people into your base. He ends up being a day late.

Since Iona tied lies and fabricating a story into her equipment smuggling, I made a Deception check for her. She was clearly noticed moving equipment to the new room, but most people buy into her story ... until Diego brings kidnapped people into the room Iona has been moving medical equipment into.

Pretty much everyone on the base knows something is going down before Iona even starts in on her experiment. The atmosphere at the base is really tense.
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by Supernaturalist »

Iona
HP: 2
VP: 0
Cnd: Normal
PP:0
EP:3
Dominion Point: 0

Friday, April 12, 2019 to Monday, April 15, 2019 - ...And I Will Do No Harm...

Iona awaits for the subjects to be delivered to the prepared room. Upon their arrival, Iona plans to have both of them heavily sedated in preparation for the procedure. There is no time to waste. For security reasons, the young cyborg has one of her security droids posted outside the room to insure that prying eyes (and nosy personnel) do not get a glimpse of what is going on inside the room.

As the 48 hour period expires, Iona anticipates the Ascendant's arrival, beginning the process of initiating the surgery: surgical scrubs are donned, sterilization procedures are initiated, and equipment trays are opened. There is nothing left to do but wait for their arrival to the room.
Last edited by Supernaturalist on Fri Feb 24, 2023 1:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
mrdent12
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by mrdent12 »

Friday, April 12, 2019 - ...And I Will Do No Harm...

During the kidnappings, Diego ran into a bit more issues than he anticipated. His previous deception, while saving the base from discovery had other side effects which just introduced more complications. Diego wasn't completely displeased though. Iona was being made look worse, effecting Sokolov to a degree.

Upon return to the base, Diego sensed the tense mood as was anticipated. He would have avoided this in normal times. While his black heart was out there, it wasn't normal times and each passing day it was still out there times got less normal. Making his way past any on lookers with two captives in two, Diego deposits them with the robot sentries. "Your master has it's request.", is all Diego says to the sentry. He had to dispose of the vehicle in some ward away from Ward 3. Preferably one where it would get picked clean.
Expertise Hadron City 18 for figuring a suitable dumping spot.
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by Supernaturalist »

Iona
HP: 1
VP: 0
Cnd: Normal
PP:0
EP:3
Dominion Point: 0

Friday, April 12, 2019 to Monday, April 15, 2019 - ...And I Will Do No Harm...

With both subjects restrained and sedated, Iona wastes no time getting started. The experimental procedure will be a little longer than normal as one subject's bones must be purposefully broken. Additionally, muscle tissue damage must be inflicted in order to measure the procedures healing affect on that part of the body. The entire procedure must be performed by Iona alone: No assisting physician, nurses, scrub techs, or anesthesiologist. All in all the procedure will push her considerable skills to the limit, but she has no choice.

Her own personal laptop has been set up at an appropriate angle such that the camera can record the procedure along with her periodic comments. The information gathered will aid her in refining her work. And so it begins...

Iona chooses the prostitute to be the recipient of the both the injuries and the subsequent treatment, while the healthy looking male is to be the "donor" of of all biochemical components. The female patient is seamlessly transitioned from a sedated state to one of complete unconsciousness. Once accomplished the cyborg proceeds to make in incision from her right hip all the way down to the right ankle, exposing her femur and smaller fibula on the outside of her right leg. Several different bone-cutters are used to make clean "breaks" down the length of the woman's leg. The last phase involves using a scalpel to make substantial lacerations to various muscles in the thigh and calf. Admittedly, Iona does not want to spend lots of time suturing and setting the bones of her injured patient, so the wounds carefully inflicted so as to require little repair time. The prostitute's leg is then stitched up, and her chest is then prepared to receive the "feeding tube" directly into her Aorta. With the first subject properly prepared, Iona turns her attention to the health young male. She is unsure if Diego followed her instructions to retrieve someone who openly opposes Imperator's Cause, but for her own scruples she must assume it is so.

The young man is securely retrained and gagged with a thick cloth. Despite the contempt that the beautiful cyborg feels for the donor, her own sense of care-giving triggers some remorse for the incredible agony which she will soon inflict upon him. Completely awake and without sedation, the young man is subjected to phase 1 of the biochemical transfer, namely the hormone extraction. A transfusion hose with a thick hypodermic needle is guided up his nose and forced through the thin layer of bone that separates the sinus cavity from the pituitary gland. The man's eyes widen in disbelief, horror, and pain. His fear and torment produce the very hormones needed; and soon they are being extracted in concentrated amounts.

Phase 1 is relatively short. With the hormone-extraction tube in place it is now time to dissolve the young man's skeletal structure and muscles, turning it into a pre-digested soup. It is time for Phase 2 to begin. More needle-tipped tubes are inserted into the major muscle regions of the donor; and soon concentrated enzymes are flowing over his muscle and bones. The real agony begins as he is slowly dissolved from the inside out. Even restrained, the patient's muscles tense up, as he desperately tries to free himself. But the very process of "digesting" his muscle tissue soon weakens him. Iona keeps him conscious as long as possible in order to maximize the hormone extraction process, but eventually his brain mercifully lapses into a state of shock.

After about two hours, the beautiful cyborg feels confident that enough of the young man's bone and muscle structure has been broken down; and that Phase 3 can now begin. The enzyme-injection tubes are now connected to pump, which siphons the disintegrated tissue out and mixes it with the appropriate hormones. All of this complicated admixture is then fed directly in to the prostitute's Aorta via a singular tube. Iona fancies that the process is much like how a spider feeds upon it's prey, draining the digested innards to its own stomach. Indeed, without much of his major muscles and supporting bone structure, the donor begins to deflate into a desiccated, shriveled husk.

The healing syrup is slowly pumped into the young woman with any excess diverted into cooled tanks from which future amounts will be directed back into the woman's body. Her cardiovascular system (and indeed her whole body) can only take so much of the fluid at once. With the feeding process now under the direction of mechanical assistance, Iona can finally focus on observing the patient's response to the treatment.
OOC: I'll now make Iona's Biotechnology roll: Biotech Roll for Procedure: 1d20+15 21. Ok, the total is 21. Iona will spend the HP and try for a better number. Here is the reroll: Biotech Procedure Reroll: 1d20+15 16. Ugh...well...at least the plus 10 to the roll makes it a 26. So, the final roll is 26. Iona now has 1 HP.
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by Sakuro »

Monday, April 22, 2019 ...And I Will Do No Harm...


It doesn't work. A man dies, drained to a husk and it doesn't work. Or at least not to the degree Iona hopes for. There is a minute increase in tissue repair. It is an improvement in possibly a day of recovery time. Not good enough.

While the prostitute remains a viable test subject, Iona requires more donors. That means convincing Diego to get more, but he's already committed to the endeavor. Over the course of a week, and the expiration of thirteen donors, Iona eventually makes the breakthrough she was hoping for after introducing an element of reptile DNA to the biological slurry. Cleaved muscle tissue and broken bones are all repaired by the end of the day of test number fourteen.

It is only after this success that Iona steps away from her work. Perhaps to inform Diego. Perhaps to acquire materials for her next round of testing, to confirm the results. Whatever the reason, when she returns the combat droid stationary to guard the room has been heavily damaged and disabled. Subject #1, the prostitute she had been pumping full of hormones, muscle and bone slurry, was gone. The room was in shambles. Her equipment and computer were destroyed.

There was only a moment to take in the scene before a base wide alarm went off. Later Diego and Iona would receive a report that three guards had been killed. There was some security footage of a woman getting shot repeatedly with P90s while knocking guards around like rag dolls. As if that weren't startling enough, a lot of the camera feeds were off making her movements difficult to track. There was no sighting of her at the main entrance, meaning she either left through the concealed hatch leading up to the foundry or the new, unguarded, hidden escape tunnel Iona had commissioned. It paints a troubling picture.

Later, when Iona sorts through her research, the only salvageable record she finds is the video footage of her work on Subject #1. She can marvel at the success of her new regenerative process. Her detailed notes and records are beyond recovery, however. She'll never be able recreate the exact process ... but she herself remembers enough go forward with the accelerated recovery procedure she had envisioned.

OOC wrote:Diego gets 1 HP for contributing to Iona's mad science experiments and general RPing up to this point.

Iona receives a Villian Point for her villainous personal story development.

Both of you receive 1 HP for the plot escape of Subject 1.

Congratulations, you accidentally created a meta-human. Iona will not be able to recreate that process, but her main objective is still good to continue.

The damaged combat droid can be repaired by your base staff. That is going to take time.
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mrdent12
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by mrdent12 »

Monday, April 22, 2019 ...And I Will Do No Harm...

While he was kept busy, Diego knew he was killing morale at the base yet building leverage on Iona. Each new subject dug it deeper into debt with him that he would cash in soon. As the moments passed, Diegos mind became more focused on getting HIS heart. A less obsessed mind would put a stop to the tests after a few people due to base morale. Working in a lab of horrors wasn't exactly what Null's forces had signed up for and didn't install much confidence. Still, the heart. Tilly, one of the few if only people who could dissuade him he avoided intentionally during the whole endeavor. The heart.

That was when reality hit. Iona in it's fumbling had created a super human. If in it's own lab without Null's forces on the line, he wouldn't care so much. In the escape, it took out some of the guards and weakened the base hurting morale further and revealing to the base why all the sacrifices were brought in. There would be a bill to pay. Perhaps even losing the base at this point to other administrators, but Diego didn't care. Like an addict, he was taking risks. In his mind, if he could get the heart everything would be ok. Still, he made a point to check in with Tilly and explain what Iona was attempting. Her response would be predictable. Similar to how anyone would respond to an obsessed maniac, she would probably not understand why he was sacrificing so much for the heart. Somehow, he figured he owed her to explain.
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Sakuro
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by Sakuro »

OOC wrote:Continuing from Diego's last post, where he sets out to speak with Corporal Tilly Sander. I' giving this a separate title tag, as if diverges from Iona's personal story.
Monday, April 22, 2019 - Damage Control


Diego finds Tilly in the situation room talking to a bookish man in his early twenties with stylish glasses with thick black framed glasses. Geek chic. When they notice Diego's approach the man's eyes warble. He swallows hard, and gives Tilly an almost pleading look. The dark skinned woman waves him off and he quickly hurries off as though trying to get away from the menacing transhuman. When Diego tells her he would like to speak with her, she offers a singular nod.

"I have been wanting to talk to you as well. Let's speak in my office."

She gestures to the side, then leads the to a room off to the side with easy access to the command-and-control center of your base, but separated enough for discrete privacy. Once your are both inside she locks the door, then walks to her desk and turns on a white noise generator. Something to cancel out listening devices. Then she turns around and her military decorum cracks as she throws up her hands in exasperation.

"With respect ...what the hell sir!"
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by Supernaturalist »

Iona
HP: 2
VP: 1
Cnd: Normal
PP:0
EP:3
Dominion Point: 0

Friday, April 12, 2019 to Monday, April 15, 2019 - ...And I Will Do No Harm...

Iona had no choice. All of the medical scenarios envisioned by her had failed to produce the desired results. Something new had to be tried: The regenerative properties of modified salamander-DNA seemed to be the answer. The reptiles were ,relatively speaking, plentiful in and around the sewer areas of the city. And the sequences of their DNA that were relevant could be tolerated by human hosts if used sparingly. The only mistake Iona made was including a few sequences which allowed for extended self-replication. With each passing replication the possibility of unwanted mutations increased. Unfortunately "Subject 1" fell victim to such mutations.

But there is a bright spot. Despite all the information lost in the destruction of the medical room/lab, Iona is able to determine the exact time period when the healing is complete. That allows her to adjust the serum such that over-replication (and thus highly probable mutations) are eliminated.

But there are other issues.. Lives had been lost. Medical and other base equipment had been destroyed. The base staff now knows the the full truth of Iona's activities have been hidden from them. And what of Praetor Null and the other base leadership? Would the medical breakthrough Iona has achieved sooth their anger at the cost of her research? And finally, what would Diego demand of her? He had invested quite a bit in aiding her. He would expect a sizable return on his investment.
OOC: Should I continue to post in the EE thread or move things back to the IC thread? Iona is prepared to take her newly refined medical procedure to Valkyrie. But my assumption is that Iona will have to answer for all the damage which has been done. Also, I have added the HP and villain point.
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Re: [IC] - In the Shadow of Imperator: Extended Interludes

Post by mrdent12 »

Monday, April 22, 2019 - Damage Control

This wasn't unexpected. To that end, Diego had a ready answer. "Iona's flailing was to build me leverage. While doubtless, I could get back what is mine from the Jaguars without it's help, Sokolov gave it certain charms men and some women find desirable. I can use that.", simply says Diego.

"As for the metahuman Iona created, it seems to be under the impression that it can be another mad scientist akin to Sokolov. Except, it thinks it can do good ultimately in making cures and similar things. I was not going to dissuade Iona from thinking Valkyrie would accept a mad science cure if it got me to the ends I needed. While we may be a ferocious fighting force, it is a simple matter of numbers. Stronghold has them, we don't. So, we need to be more powerful. Praetor Null and the other Ascendants are strong, but the ascendants can be overwhelmed. To take back the city, the Ascendents need to be stronger and we need more fighters. Both are in the works.", continues Diego. He had already assumed a human form as was his custom with Sanders. His voice was also modulated to sound more human as well.

Tilly would have her objections, morals and all that, but Diego didn't pause to let her voice them. "We both know that as long as Iona is in this base there will be issues in terms of functioning. Sokolovs agents have threatened to expose this base once already. If we limit Iona too much, the mad doctor will likely pull the trigger on exposing this base. His type is not above pettiness if they think he can get away with it. So, as with anyone, Iona needs to be indulged sometimes in it's endevours while at the same time pivoting it to our advantage.", adds Diego.
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