[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/4P1s6Sk.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/BVAvSa1.png[/img][/center] [color=gray][h2]Ghost Corp Head Quarters, Laboratory[/h2][/color] [@SporkoBug], [@Herald], [@Qia] [hr] The pink-haired child gave a serious nod, almost comical given her size. A nozzle was adjusted on the spray, and, delicately, she pressed the handle. A slight fizz escaped, making contact with the burns. Mimi would immediately notice how cold it felt, like ice cubes on a hot day. In the next few seconds, a thick foam would coat the tail feathers and all areas that were obviously burned. The cold sensation faded slightly, and there was the smell of mint in the air. The pink-haired child looked up at Mimi. [b]”Okay, just leave it on there for the next half hour. Okay? Na'lai thael! [i](Don't touch it!)[/i] Very important, okay?”[/b] Meanwhile, two scientists had circled around Wren's gurney, checking vitals and going over initial assessments. One forgot themselves and swore aloud, hissing at the wounds. [b]”Captain Wren, the heck did you do…?”[/b] He mumbled. The pink-haired scientist knew the next step, and reached into the station again to hand a pair of scissors over to one of the scientists. [b]”Thank you, Daphne.”[/b] The female scientist said, using the scissors to cut and remove Wren's shredded and bloodstained clothes. He was left in his boxers as the two scientists began examininging and cleaning wounds, and checking to see if any bullets had remained lodged. The male scientist was preparing an anesthetic. If there were no bullets, they'd numb the area and start sewing the wounds shut. Bandages were also prepared for the gashes around the ankles and wrists. Off to the side of the room, one of the guards smirked under his visor and face mask, plucking up Val's rifle, pistol and knife. It's possible that Val's comments even made the guard chuckle. Val's items were taken to a work table pushed up against the wall for inspection and safeguarding as Val once again faced the general. [quote=Val]“So I did what any man in my position would do, I shot a few Ravagers, then boarded a flying green snake to the warm embrace of Ghost Corp.”[/quote] General Solen listened to Val's story, nodding along at certain parts, only his dark eyes giving hints of his thoughts. They twinkled in amusement as Val's tale concluded, and the general procured an old-fashioned walkie-talkie. [b]”Relay on the history of the outskirts of Elhm, close to the crash site?”[/b] He asked. There was a fuzz of static that perforated the channel, before a voice cut through. The general held the talkie up so Val would be able to hear it clearly. [b]”Codename W3nd1g0 and Fr33dom made contact with the site at oh-eight-hundred. Heat signatures indicate there was a violent transformation from an unknown Lawless accompanying the Umbra variables. However, Codename Wend1g0 was able to negotiate a peaceful surrender without grevious injury to either side. Heat signatures confirm Ravagers converged on the site, however Fr33dom used their abilities to help the group escape. Approximately nine heat signatures went cold in the aftermath, some neutralized by Ghost Corp, some by the Lawless.”[/b] The general pressed a button on the talkie. [b]”Copy that.”[/b] Before he tucked the device back into its space on his belt. Eyes alight, he took a few steps closer to Val. At this closeness, it was a bit more apparent that the general was a few inches taller than Val. His hands clasped behind his back. [b]”...You could have lied. About anything. Especially the men you killed.”[/b] Another long stare, before the general nodded. [b]”You've got a good heart. It's the burden that might get you killed one day. But you and I both know it's the only way to live in this Dust-forsaken world. “I value truth, and trust. You're already proving yourself to me, that you may be a fitting guardian for these Umbra fallaways*.”[/b] A scientist approached Val, taking back the empty coffee cup. [quote=Val]”...If you're going to hurt them, you'd be better off putting a bullet in me right now. Not to say they can't take care of themselves... but a man is only as good as his word and his rifle in the Dust. And well... you've got my rifle at the moment.”[/quote] There was a slight crinkle of crow’s feet around the dark eyes of the general. [b]”I can assure you, Guardian of the Fallaways, that all the tests my people will do will be entirely painless.”[/b] There was a pause, before his gaze darkened. [b]”Umbra is planning something. Something big. It might even be as big as the Perishing Event. And you and I may be witnesses to a sliver of that plan.”[/b] His head inclined to the two Umbra girls. [b]”How big that sliver is… well, it'll determine what happens to them. Best case scenario, we discover how Wilds interact with them, and create new tech that will keep us ahead of Umbra. Worst case… well,”[/b] His eyes locked on Val, and hardened. [b]”No one will like that.”[/b] A pause, before his head tilted lightly. [b]”Now, you're a guest here, willingly or not, and I feel I owe you an explanation. You have questions, I'm sure. I'll try to explain as best as I can.”[/b] And he fell silent, waiting for Val to unload any anxieties or curiosities he had. Meanwhile, in the back corner, one of the guards was, indeed, dismantling and cleaning Val's rifle. [quote=A]“No, I’m fine,”[/quote] Doctor Willfreed stared for a moment as she had A sit on the gurney. The tone indicated quite the opposite. And with her background in psychology and mixed medicine, the doctor could see a ripple in what should be a flat sheet when it presented itself. [quote=A]“Is…am I supposed to feel something?”[/quote] Doctor Willfreed pursed her lips, before she grabbed a metal stool, sat, and scooted a bit closer to A, taking the Umbra fallaway's hand again. [b]”You're the first of your kind. No one blessed with the taint of a Wild has ever come from the sky. As there are no Wilds in the sky, from what we know, the technology put in you is… unique. Untested. It could have side effects. Side effects such as phantom pain, mood swings, irrational fears, schizophrenia, delirium in extreme cases. Trying to force so much AE in a single vessel is bound to short-circuit the system, after all. And from our distance-tests, you have a [i]much[/i] higher concentration of AE than traditional Possessive Subjugation.”[/b] The Doctor took a pause, looking up at A from where she sat hunched forward. Her glance instinctively snapped to VV, in the gurney just behind A. VV was giving A a wide-eyed, concerned look. When VV saw the doctor had caught her staring, she grimaced, before whispering to A. [b]”The General said this won't hurt. You'll be fine, A. I promise…”[/b] Alas, VV had to speak loud enough that the doctors attending them would also hear, but Doctor Willfreed didn't react. The doctor attending VV directed her attention again, having VV lie down on her gurney. Doctor Willfreed, though, decided to slow down the pace just a little, to try and make A feel more comfortable. [b]”From my reports… I don't know enough. But I do know you’re suppose to feel something. A lack… Is called dissociation. It indicates there's something not addressed, a trauma that is causing little imbalances in the mind.”[/b] A pause, before the doctor asked. [b]”I'm aware you were three when you touched down, yes?”[/b] *** [i]*Fallaways: Lost people, without a true alliance or home.[/i]