smashacademy | Bookworms and Shadow Bugs

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Bookworms and Shadow Bugs

[Video, to students taking his class]

Greetings. To the newbies in the school, my name is Dr. Gordon Freeman and I'm the physics teacher here. Now, much as no one wants to admit it, the school year is coming up on us fast. Enclosed with this transmission is a list of supplies and books you'll need for my class this fall.

[Private, to Mac]

Hey kid, are you ready for another year?

[To faculty, plus Ishimaru]

Hey, has anyone learned anything new on this shadow bug situation? Best I can figure is that it's all coming from the world on the other side of those rifts up above us. Those clones might be part of their life-cycle, a sort of parasitic larva-to-adult transition... I wish I could say that it's the first time I've seen something like that. If anyone has any information, I want to know.

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You bet, I'm super ready!

[Need to be excited over something, after all.]

People seem to kinda need the distraction, anyhow.

I agree. Although pretending the problem doesn't exist doesn't mean it's going to go away, the school year has to start sometime.

...It's kinda bad though, ain't it, sir?

I mean, I saw the sky. It's pretty bad right now.

I can tell, there's a lotta people scared.

...just between you and me, Mac? They have good reason to be. I have yet to see a case of trans-dimensional resonance that meant good news, but at least the worst we're getting is a bunch of communal shadow bugs with an aversion to fire.

[At least the Combine wasn't on the other side. If they WERE, they would all be trapped in stasis pods or experimental labs and the school turned into a bio-mechanical internment camp.]

It could be a hell of a lot worse, trust me.

[He might not completely understand all of that, but "it could be worse" wasn't really good to hear.]

Y'heard about the Aparoid War though, right? I heard nothin' but stories since I got here 'bout four years ago.

I mean, things've gotten really serious before. If people are really gettin' scared and if that sky means anything...?

I mean, I'm all for thinkin' like an optimistic sort but I ain't likin' this at all.

Yeah, I heard about the Aparoid War before. Sounded like something straight out of someone's nightmares... Don't worry. If anything like that ever happens again, we'll be ready for it.

[...]

Y'think there's anythin' I can do? I ain't a soldier or some tech genius but there's gotta be somethin' I can do durin' this.

[Through everything he's seen, this was starting to scare him. He had to do something to counteract it, if it meant he would be helping the situation.

He didn't want another Aparoid War for this place.]

You don't have to be a soldier or a tech genius in order to make a difference. You just have to know what's right, and not hesitate to fight for it. I know you, and I know that's what you would do.

They are increasingly becoming more aggressive, Gordon.

Edited 2014-08-08 03:28 (UTC)

I've noticed that too. How many places have they gotten themselves into?

Also, have you seen anything else unusual around the school? [...] I mean, unusual in a relative sense.

They seem to be increasing in numbers and making their presence well known especially away from campus.

[Civilians are having issues too, he didn't need to say that. It was obvious.]

Things are most definitely worse. Has something happened?

The rift is getting wider, other than that I don't know what's spurring them on. What I want to know is, why they're not swarming the school. There are a TON of people here with crazy abilities that they would probably covet, if any one of those bugs had the forebrain for it.

They appear to react solely on instinct in order to multiply and create copies of residents. Though I am unsure of why they do not approach the school.

[A mental bite of the lip.]

Perhaps, we should use this school as a shelter, if nothing else.

Yeah. Stockpiling supplies would be a good idea, if we can make it to the city and back AND if the shops haven't been looted already. We'll need to get word out once we think we can handle the numbers that will show up.

We do have to think fast, because the public is getting restless. They are scared Gordon, and many people in the school are as well.

Things will get far worse until it gets better, and there is still so much information we do not have.

They're gettin' worse. Seem to be coming from the bunkers under the school, or at least congregating down there.

[Basements were always bad news, man. Always.]

The idea of a life cycle isn't something I'd considered. You think there's a way to... interrupt it?

If I'm right, it's a parasitic existence. So we take away the host organisms and the parasite dies.

[He pauses.]

Unfortunately the host organisms happen to be US, so that's out of the question. Those statues also play a part, but I'm not sure what part just yet. A sort of surrogate host, maybe.

[Joel was quiet for longer than was maybe necessary before speaking again.]

...if it really is a parasite, shouldn't there oughta be a vaccine or somethin' that could be developed? Some kind've repellant to stop the things being able to grab ahold of folks to clone them?

A repellent... [He scrubs back his hair in thought and adds with a shrug.] Other than fire, obviously. Right. In order to effectively stop the process I'd have to learn how it works in the first place. So let's take a look at what we know:

We know it takes a number of these bugs to clone anyone. We know they can also clump together an form big-ass monsters. We also know that they require physical contact with a host in order to make a clone. Can you think of anything else importnt?

From what I've seen, they can take on the, uh, special abilities of folks they copy. Weapons, even. But when they turn into the monsters, they have their own abilities and attacks. We don't know if the monsters they combine to form are copies of somethin' that already exists in this world or if they're an entirely made up thing. Somethin' the bugs can do on their own without findin' a host to copy.

We know the individual bugs feed on electricity. Weird dinner choice, but they seem to love it.

So. We either figure out a way to stop 'em feeding, If we're gonna kill them all starvation might work out somehow. Or, we stop them clumping together to make bigger shit. Short of spraying them down with Pam, I don't know how we'd do that.

That's not a bad idea! Preventing them from unifying might help. They likely read the magnetic fields generated by the current in order to feed. An EMP might disable or stun them. The problem is, that would also disable anything else that runs on a current.

[...Like his SUIT.]

If you can figure something out for those of us who don't use fancy weapons, it might be an equalizer. I'm handy with guns, knives and that kind of thing... but I get the feeling that sets me a little out of my depth against the bigger shit these things can make.

[He'd be strawberry jam if he'd had to take on Galleom by himself, after all.]

[...For the benefit of those without crazy electronic shields, suits and sensors, this might be worth investigating.]

Tell you what; I'll do some work and see what I can do.

Alright. Sounds good, Gordon. I'll be happy to test whatever you come up with.

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Bookworms and Shadow Bugs

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Video, on the same filter as Gordon's private post

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