Outbreak, Quarantine, Suffolk County. Shady antics

" 'Citizens of Long Island, be warned! We interrupt today's scheduled broadcast to bring you this most important public service announcement.'

'To all residents of Suffolk County; South Fork and Shelter Island are being quarantined, effective immediately. Citizens, stay in your homes. For the benefit of citizens without the advantage of their home wireless set, for those who can spread the word; if you see a resident out of doors; warn them! A state of emergency has been called. Repeat. The risk of contagion is imminent! The National Guard have been mobilised, and preventative agencies are fast at work to end the threat of danger. This emergency broadcast is for the residents of South Fork and Shelter Island. You are hereby warned to stay in your homes. Citizens travelling to and from Suffolk County are immediately ordered to stop their journeys.'

'With us in the studio, is Colonel Thomas Prenderghast, to share a few words and tell us how you can help to overcome this threat of contagion, like a patriot.' "

" 'Thank you Colonel Prenderghast. Here with us, to provide further details on the risks of this contagion, Doctor Jeremiah Bennett, supervising the Communicable Disease Center relief effort.' "

From the moment the wireless emergency broadcast first aired, many residents of the southern peninsula of Suffolk County and those of Shelter Island, began to feel the symptoms. The timing was uncanny, to say the least, however news of the rapid response of the CDC and it's operatives, was greeted as a blessing, and it's beleaguered folk listened readily for further bulletins. The courage of Long Island was commended, and the continual radio broadcast brought them news of the endurance of the American people and inevitable progress.

Along the length of the peninsula, homes and public buildings displayed flags made of table cloths and bed sheets, which brought the ministrations of the relief effort. From the South Fork, nearly a hundred locals were brought to the attention to the white suited Communicable Disease Center operatives, as their convoys systematically crawled through the towns and villages, providing a clean sweep of the area. The residents of North Haven through to the Hamptons, complained at being the worst effected. Blurry vision, many unable to walk for vertigo and always that same tinnitus, an unrelenting fluctuating whistle. Those that suffered from the symptoms were fetched unquestioningly from their homes, and led to the central quarantine camps for treatment and further blood-tests.

At these camps it was learned that some residents were wholly effected by the symptoms of the contagion, that few might not survive. Whilst others were taken for specialist care. But the questions about what this contagion was and where it had come from, remained strangely unanswered.


* * *


Sebastian Shaw offered Donald Pierce a reassuring smile. The man was a danger, but a danger with a use, nevertheless.

Edward Buckman's method had been an expensive undertaking, but bringing in Pierce had quite clearly been a stroke of inspiration. However, there was only so often you could resort to the same plan. As far as Shaw was concerned, the reason for providing test groups was over. The Hellfire Club's Council of Chosen, was in dire need of new direction if they were becoming the one-trick-pony. Now they had successfully secured the necessary blood-samples, it was time to turn that success into something more practical. Perhaps Pierce had shown himself to be useful in a more active capacity --time to step up the plan, as it were. More than the simple miner or the Club's resident foundering elitist, that most took him for; Pierce had demonstrated skills that could be an indispensable part of Lang's project --there was a thought!

But what was Shaw thinking? Lang could wait another day. For the moment there were other things that had priority.

"You've seen the Dane girl, then? Our test appears to have found us a latent, what shall we call her, mutant?" Shaw tested the word with cynical humour. Then changing his conspiratorial tone for a more direct approach, he addressed Pierce. "I find myself wondering, just where do you keep finding these machines of yours?" He gave the Mining Exec a challenging look, an expression reserved for the build up to judgement. "I think we can afford to give this device of yours, a proper test." Shaw said, at last.

Donald tinkered but in the purposeful manner that made him appear to be busy in thought or hard working on one of his projects, the truth was his anticipation had gotten the better of him. It was a project he could throw himself into. He paused to watch the orchestrator of his involvement, Sebastian Shaw, there was a shared ambition which meant for an alliance of sorts. He returned the smile and got back to adjusting his equipment. The machinery was a complex and rather convoluted contraption that he had thought up whilst vying to win the contract to work with his fellow esteemed Hellfire Club members. This was what it was all about, not how much money you had or stock in a company, it was who you knew and what you did with the special attributes you brought to the table, fortunately for Pierce, he had some fanciful ideas that went beyond just creative gesturing.

The precision of such a device that had been designed was not up to his standard, although with a small populated area and a number of factors worth testing he could easily make the necessary adjustments to make for something a bit more reliable. “A latent, mutant? Wonderful Shaw, what an intriguing concept.” Pierce turned his back and scowled. What a fool Shaw was, of course there were mutants, but even better, more unpredictable and inevitably malleable where the latent mutants. The kind of sleeper agent that could be turned into a loyal, subservient, living machine. The true purpose of his machines creation to enslave these people for a purpose that ultimately served himself.

Turning to hear the question proposed by his senior, Donald laughed casually. “Oh pish posh Sebastian, I find myself wondering if you really want to know the answer to such a thing given your status of plausible deniability of course.” He guffawed playfully and caught the look that had been offered. Sensing the meaning of the words spoken to him, Donald placated himself and nodded quietly. There was still a number of unknown factors to his machine, and not having the adequate subjects previously to experiment upon this would be the first real test to its effectiveness. Testing blood samples and symptoms from a broadcasted hypnotic suggestion where one thing but absolute proof beyond doubt of the existence of a mutagenic genome in a targeted individual was something of science fiction. It was time to turn that into fact.

Lorna Dane, she was an attractive young thing. Unceremoniously strapped up, bound by hand and foot to protect herself, in his words “from unforseen nervous reaction to the particular treatment to reduce the contagion within her system.” Donald entered the specially sealed room that housed the machinery and the attached woman. “Hello again Miss Dane. I’ve just been given authorisation to attempt to cure you by our special medical machinery here.” His smile was one perfected by expensive dentistry and years of predatory behaviour. Donald checked the leather bindings, they were securely strapped by large metal pins, if this truly was what was described as a latent mutant, then she wasn’t going anywhere. “This should only take a moment, I must warn you there may be a slight pain.” His false sincerity dripped like honey as he manned the over sized switch. It was like something out of Frankenstein’s Monster. Large metal turbine devices surrounded the young woman and computational machines filled the remainder of the room. There was barely enough room for an assistant, as to why the room was otherwise empty bar the two of them.

He mentally noted all the settings that had been configured and heaved on the switch watching as the machine groaned into life. As light began to flash before his eyes, Donald marvelled at how easily people where manipulated like sheep to the biddings of their superiors and masters. Lights of electrical arcs sparked across the room and the way in which CDC were able to control a small populated area with such purpose and speed was compared. Donald’s confidence in the plan and his creation might just prove to be his undoing.

A blur. That what everything seem to becoming in Lorna’s head, a blur of words and movement that really didn’t seem to be connected to anything. She was unsure how she got here or where here was but knew she wanted to be anywhere but here. She was unsure if she was sick or drugged or maybe see was both. She wondered if this was how Alice felt when she fell down the rabbit hole.

Lorna had her doubt that she fell into Wonderland for it felt more like a horror movie from the late-late show. It made her wonder if she just fell asleep in front of the Television, again. If that was the case she was going to have to swear of horror movies for a few years. The only thing that made it where she knew it was not a nightmare because her whole body was in pain and felt heavy. Her body ached and her joints felt like they were scatted and reset with super glue and glass.

Through the blur of words and noises she heard her name. She did her best to focus on the speaker. For a moment the blonde man face looked like just skin pulled tight over as skull straight from a horror movie. Her eyes blink rapidly as the man features became more human like and less monstrous. His words swirled around her head only a few sunk in but she had a feeling that everything he said was lies. She shook her head and wiggled trying free herself. “No, I…” She said trying to stop whatever he was doing to her but before she could say more the switch was flipped.

By the flip of the switch she knew the man to be a liar for there was a lot more than just a slight pain. She figured this what being hit by lightning would feel like. Lorna let out a scream that would be right at home in any horror movie. Her limbs strained against her bonds as her scream echo through the room. Things went from being blurry to all of sudden very sharp and focus. She tasted copper which made her think she bit her tongue.

The metal pins ripped from the bed freeing her hands and began to swirl around over along with small bits of metal from the room. Her eyes follow the dancing metal as she rubbed her wrist. Her hair frizzed out and seemed to dance about her head as even more of green roots seem to become visible. She once again wondered if she was in some sort of nightmare.

“Doctor…” She said wanting to know what was happening to her. She looked to ‘the Doctor’ which seemed to be a huge mistake for it sent all the swirl metal towards Donald at sickening fast speed. Her eyes widen at the site of flying metal. “DOCTOR!”

Shaw watched like a darkling from his vantage in the observation booth, arms folded and not the slightest sign of his usual humour.

Pierce's lab was a contrivance of complex, heavy ingenuity. Nothing about it's appearance was subtle though. The girl was akin to the fly caught in the spider's web, and the relative scale of everything about the space only cemented the comparison. What intrigued Shaw was the apparent ease with which Pierce fell to his work. It was as if the man hadn't the slightest scruple about how his work effected anything but his own success. If that were true, the Hellfire Club had neglected to recognise this man's senior sense of ambition. If Pierce's test provided useful results, Shaw's patronage would benefit them both.

The great generators in the lab below, over-charged with snapping arcs of electricity and Pierce's machine set the Dane girl screaming as it powered her. Something was happening. Shaw could feel a pushing force even while stood up in the booth, a force that centered it's strength around the latent mutant girl. It shook at the machinery while even tearing and buckling components, even the fastenings that secured Dane to the gurney were ripped free. The lab filled with debris that spun furiously in orbits and counter-orbits, turning the room into a hazardous field of whirling metal.

"No," Sebastian raised his hand to stop Tessa, as she started forward. "Not just yet, my dear." He continued, eyes fixed intently on the scene.

The scream of the girl brought no emotion to the still face of Donald Pierce, he did not harbour any sort of feeling in either way. This was simply a test subject for a project that might propel him to his rightful place. It could easily have been a rat or a cockroach in the contraption, however the young woman did have a certain quality of beauty about her. It was after all a better subterfuge, to lure and take advantage with the most unassuming looking vessel. He watched and felt a tingling in the air, something hypnotic and electric. Was this the feeling of fulfillment or and exalted aura of anticipation?

The vision before him became strange and Donald tried to clear his eyes or at least protect them from the strange array of light that had developed either from the machine or from the girl. An aurora of sorts replaced that of the arcs of electricity and a strange emerald heat haze waved out through the air like some ghostly appararition. It was truly something else. Donald mesmerised by the effect failed to notice the vibrating metal pins that had come loose from their bindings. The small metal objects in the room became animated and the machinery around them lurched as if some brazen and angry beast. Surely now some indication of what these Mutants where capable of was displayed by this frail thing. A smile crept along Donald's face.

Lorna's eyes, that was the focal point. Her eyes wide and fearfull had the same green that was slowly spreading its way through each hair on the woman's head. It was like watching little bolts of lightning travel the length of each follical as they were exposed to the energies from his machine. The spinning lofty items before her were flung in Donald's direction and he had only time to protect his face with his free arm. The pain was excrutiating and the eyes of the Hellfire Club member rolled up in his head and he drifted to the ground feeling weightless. In half wakefulness before the eclipsing dark, Donald observed flashing lights and bounds being torn free without any human intervention. His eyes blinked out the final image of his machine's slow and groaning death as the controls and lights burned out to nought.

The metal continued to swirl about the room. In the eye of the storm of metal and crackling electro-magnetic energy sat Lorna trembling in fear. Her eyes tightly close as she rocked hoping this was some how a fever induced dream. It had to be a nightmare. This couldn’t be real; it had to be just in her head. Some how denying the reality of the situation calmed her and quieted the storm around her.

The storm of metal stop as quickly as it had began. Metal debris fell to the ground circling Lorna. The girl sat in the fetal position. Spark still coming off her body and her hair moved about like crackling like live wires. She opened her eyes slowly to the total destruction around her.

Her bottom lip trembled as she looked about. “This can’t be real. It must be a night--” Physically and emotionally exhausted Lorna couldn’t take any more and in mid-sentence passed out. Slumping over limply back on to the table.

But the girl hadn't noticed, in the wake of this manifestation of power, hereto dormant; the maelstrom breached the confines of the laboratory. The currents of magnetic force spilled into the control center where Shaw and Tessa stood watching. With a cry of alarm, Pierce's technicians jumped back, or were thrown. The unfortunate metal rebar groaned, the concrete split suddenly and thunderously, whilst the myriad of consoles and databanks burst asunder.

Shaw was thrown back with the crowd, however remarkably it may have seemed --sustaining no injury but to that of his pride. His ears shook with the noise, and for a indeterminate amount of time all he could hear was a fluctuating whistle.

"Fool!" He roared, coming back to himself at last, and casting off the dust and rubble. Tessa, his personal assistant, groaned. She hadn't fared quite so easily, though except for appearing now dusty and disheveled, with a cut to her cheek, she had been more fortunate than some of the employees here. The acrid smell of burning accompanied those men.

Sebastian Shaw moved to observe the destruction of the laboratory, where Pierce and the girl must have surely perished. But with the computer banks blazing away, he couldn't get close, all Shaw could make out were broad beams of dust filled daylight, that now penetrated the room beyond. The ceiling must have collapsed on them. To have caused this damage, with the awakening of the girl's abilities, Pierce had clearly found Shaw a mutant of incredible power. What a shame this investment was likely irretrievably ruined. "Mobilise salvage and evacuate the building, now!" He ordered at the issue of footsteps behind him.

He turned and knelt next to Tessa. "My dear, we should..." Shaw began...

A sound of strained air escaping from pursed lips was barely noticeable in the din. Donald's vision filtered in from the darkness of his concussion. His body had landed heavily against a wall with a number of large instruments, still crackling with electricity. The air was full of dust and ozone, his vision blurred and his other senses were slowly becoming known to him. Black eclipsed his sight as more blinks of his eyelids were required to reawaken his focus. Another wheeze of breath found its way out of the shocked man. His head cradled by the con caved wall behind him, he eased forward and his neck took the weight painfully.

Seeing his crumpled leg beneath his form, Donald reached out with his arm and swiped the floor, missing his left leg entirely. He blinked and shook his wrist before attempting again and found his hand hitting the cold cement surface. His perspective was all off and to make matters worse he was slowly coming to the realisation that he had a splitting headache. Donald reached for his head and his right elbow buckled ineffectively. Was he drunk? He turned his wobbling slightly and just made out a large metal rod penetrating his side and pinning his forearm in the process. He grunted and shook his shoulder, his other free arm reaching beyond his capability of vision to wrench the rod loose.

Donald opened his mouth to speak and issued forth a pint of blood, his free hand covered his mouth and found that his face was wet and sticky. His headache was beyond compare and the pain in his side was awakening as to was the constricting feeling of his inner organs.
Tentatively feeling the broken shards of his cheek bone, Donald came to the startling conclusion that he was missing an eye. The man was an abstract piece of art with his limbs strewn haphazardly and metal objects embedded in him. He eased himself back against the wall, relinquishing his will to live and waiting for the inevitable shroud of cold nothing to encompass his being.

Pierce was awoken by a sharp wrenching of the metal rod and was freed and hoisted up by several sets of hands as he was ferried out of the smouldering room, between wakefulness, he saw his body being lifted up by the strong arms of his cadre of crewmen. He looked back to the room he was being hauled out of, there was nothing left salvageable and no trace of the mutant woman in all the piled up destruction. They set about securing his broken body onto the floor of a vehicle and he overheard instructions being delivered to expedite his transport to a medical theatre within his own company head quarters.