Make me more energetic in setting right what I find wrong with the world instead of complaining

[portsmouth-crew.livejournal.com]

Your mission, should you choose to accept it--and you will, because that's the kind of people you are--is to find out why so many homeless patients are disappearing from the streets of Portsmouth. The doc doesn't take on the easy cases. Look at me. Look at any of us, really.

This one didn't go out on the tip board. No point in panicking people, but I've been combing through the e-mails and postings on our board to see if anything comes up. Not sure I've come up with a whole lot. The answers are probably out there on the streets.

Camilla can't remember the last time there were this many people at the doc's house. Usually it's just him, Charlie, maybe Nite-Lite and some of his crew, Tara when she can, and Camilla herself. The Black Canary a couple of times, Arisia--who makes Camilla feel big and clumsy--but the pilot's new. Great cook, that lady. This Manhunter chick's scary, even without the gauntlets and the staff, but she's looking for someone, and Tara likes her, so that's something in her favor.

Poor Arisia. Used to be, when she came here, she'd be helping out the doc, but this time around she's mostly been sleeping or being quiet somewhere in the house. Still nice as ever, but something really bad must've happened.

Camilla leaves off wondering about Arisia as everyone files into the meeting room. Time for her to start tracking what they find, see if there's a pattern to the pieces.

Comments

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

Oh, all of this just gets better and better. Bad enough to have the Arrow family supervillians of pimps and pushers involved.

"Now Wonder Woman in a jet? Could have sworn the current one flies on her own. Maybe someone's is seeing or thinks they see something from the golden age." she has a sinking feeling. "And if the operatives we're looking for are impersonating the good guys to get their bad work done, we all are in for a long, long day."

She pages to her notes, rips them out of the notepad and hands them to Camilla. Not like she needs them, but should something happen to her, it's nice for dispatch to have her evening logs.

"Here's what I got:

"Della Fitzroy - good mid-Western girl; no legal or any other trouble until her boyfriend contracted the virus and passed it along. She's on the run here in Portsmouth for the clinics and for the fact her very large, very fundamentalist family doesn't have people here. There was a thought out there her boyfriend might be trying to find her but -" Green Shield shrugs. "She went missing about three weeks ago. People just assumed she'd died or been found by someone.

"Next up 'Flatnose.' Best anyone knows is that is first name is 'Rich.' Confirmed gone as of two weeks ago, but might have been longer. Flatnose had a rep for being thrown out of anywhere and anywhere - shelters, bars, soup kitchens, even health centers. St. Chris's was the only place that would still take him -" She does not note that it's because she signs up to deal with the guy when she can because his punches and other attempts at injuring her are decidedly feeble. "No word on the street except the fact people feel safer with him not around.

"Blaine Montrose - likely not a real name, since I'm a fan of that character actor and he looks nothing like the guy." Tara runs a hand through her hair. She'd rather deal with Flatnose most of the time. "He was a bugchaser who turned up positive 5 years ago, but likely had it longer than that. He has been - " It's almost a sneer. God, it's hard talking about Blaine's brilliant walking suicide when she goes back to Star and sees her best friend fight for her life night after night. "This last 18 months things went from 'treatable and functional,' down to 'unemployable and almost perpetually ill.' His T-Cell count is the lowest in the troop and he's been seeking treatment the least amount of time. Lately, he's been taking things more seriously, but it comes and goes. He's been gone almost a week and the cops have a pool on if it was suicide or something like it." She rolls her eyes. "I know this guy. He's a real showman. Likes to sing showtunes in the lobby...Dresses as the Grim Reaper for Pride Week. Goes to city hall meetings and utilizes the First Amendment. He missed last week's, which is how they figured he's missing. I think if he committed suicide he'd wouldn't make it a small quiet thing because I'm not sure he could make anything in his life quiet or small."

She has been giving this report standing. These last two? She needs to sit down. "Lastly, Kim-Ly and Anh Dung. No sirnames given, ever. Mother and son. Kim-Ly seems educated, especially about history, but she declined to say how she picked up HIV. Anh Dung is 7 and appears to have been born with HIV. They both spoke English. Anh is better at it. Kim-Ly helped us with a a Quebec guy in hospice before he died last year by translating things into French. Sadly, there isn't a lot of call for translation services, so trying to find her a job has always been rough." Maybe if we could have... she shuts that thought down and continues. "Word out there is that Kim-Ly got a job of some sort, though before she disappeared. She was always welcome at the local shelters, even those that don't normally accept children, because Anh Dung is so well-behaved and quiet. Last sighting: A couple people remember seeing her talking to a man in a suit, then getting into a white work van - which fits with the white theme we seem to have going. The license plate may've had a Y or a T in it, with either a 3
or an 8."

The buzzer rings and she takes the cinnamon rolls out of the oven and puts them on the table, not all that interested in eating.

[elfinlantern.livejournal.com]

Arisia listens to that whole thing, frowning a bit. There is something on the edges of her thoughts but it isn't collecting into anything. Almost absently, she uses her ring to pull out a cinamon roll for herself, passing one to Zinda and anyone else who wants one too.

She frowns a little more as she thinks.

[midnite-md.livejournal.com]

Pieter's head bows a bit. Such a sad business, this.

"HIV patients of St. Christopher's, being taken by operatives with a whitened theme."

A hand to his chin. "I tell you, this Great White Shark business troubles me. It reminds me of the Praeda Industries problem. I should hope those sick bastards have not found their way to freedom again."

[portsmouth-crew.livejournal.com]

"I thought of that, doc," volunteers Camilla. "They're still locked up. Doesn't mean they haven't subcontracted somehow, I know." Powerful men in prison may still be powerful men.

[midnite-md.livejournal.com]

"Thank you, Camilla."

His fingers still rub his chin.

"Manhunter, can I ask you what brought you to Portsmouth?"

[the-manhunter.livejournal.com]

Kate nods her head. "I'm trying to track down one of the lead witnesses for a case from LA. His name's Clayton Kress." Manhunter pauses, looking around her at everyone else in the room. She has to be careful, and she can't let her identity slip. "His boss - a sociopath named Lady Malady (don't ask) infected him and gave him AIDS, pretty much full-blown. I followed my leads to him over here...and that's where everything ended."

[midnite-md.livejournal.com]

Now that's new.

"What can you tell us about this Lady Malady? Simply a street name, or is she something more grandiose?"

[the-manhunter.livejournal.com]

"Something more grandiose. She has the ability to generate viruses and disease and spread them. They don't affect her, of course, but they can affect any target she chooses, with whatever intensity she chooses. Kress was one of her top henchmen, at least until she infected him. We need him to bring her down for good."

[midnite-md.livejournal.com]

There's actually a look of horror that crosses his face for a moment, at the thought of some villain with that sort of ability.

"Good lord... generating viruses? Does she just replicate established diseases or does she invent entirely new ones?"

[the-manhunter.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure if she has that power to create entirely new ones. If she doesn't yet, I'm pretty sure that she'll have it as time passes. At least until someone puts an end to that bitch."

[midnite-md.livejournal.com]

Cross takes a moment to assess this stranger.

"What separates us from her is that we do not kill."

[the-manhunter.livejournal.com]

Manhunter could argue that point, but really, what would be the point?

There was a reason she was keeping her identity a secret.

She already had a lot of blood on her hands.

"Right. Of course."

[midnite-md.livejournal.com]

"We also shouldn't lend her a hand by giving ourselves intractable diseases," he adds, taking note of the cigarette hanging from her lips.

"Think of it as a strategic choice."

[the-manhunter.livejournal.com]

Manhunter opens her mouth to say something and then shuts it quickly.

The patches really aren't helping. And being in a room with this many heroes unnerves the hell out of Kate. She's not in a court room. She's not really in her element.

And oh god, she has blood on her hands.

She needs to stop thinking about that. They don't know. They won't know. They can't know.

"So, what's the plan then?" she asks, looking sadly at her snuffed out cigarette.

[midnite-md.livejournal.com]

His jaw tightens.

"Camilla and Zinda will work on tracking down the work vans going on what little we know about the potential license plate numbers, and once we have some information, we'll hopefully have stronger leads to follow. I will need you to give us everything you know about Lady Malady's operation and methodology, even if it's nothing more than hearsay, so we can ascertain whether or not this vile woman has extended her operation to Portsmouth."

His head tilts, to regard the room.

"And I'll need to know if you have all had your shots. I can work up as many inoculations for as many diseases as we have vaccinations for, in preparation for facing this terror."

[elfinlantern.livejournal.com]

"I can help with that, keeping everyone disease free. It takes a lot of concentration but I can do that." Arisia speaks softly. "If we get into a confrontation with her, I can make it much harder for anyone to be infected."

She wouldn't be doing much else... Especially not the way things are currently. She hates being tired all the time.

[midnite-md.livejournal.com]

"Actually, come with me to the lab, dear," he says to Arisia, offering a hand to her. "I may have something that can help boost your regenerative abilities more quickly. If things go as I fear, we may need you to deal with containing this Malady. Better to focus your efforts, and with your alien physiology, she may be less likely to affect you."

[elfinlantern.livejournal.com]

Arisia looks up at the doctor and nods, giving him a small smile. "Okay." She really likes Mid-Nite.