Two simulations were running on two different terminals; one bio-chemical and the other bio-mechanical.  Neither seemed to be working.  The bio-chemical simulation of the new formula came the closest to stability at .01% after adjusting the energy variable far beyond what was practical with these current systems.  And that was after 10 minutes at the heightened levels.  The bio-mechanical, a system for stabilizing (control) his shape, 'the pump' was unsuccessful from the start.  Even if the formula were ready, there was no way to administer and control this 'stop gap' measure.  Maybe the time for a cure was past...his cells to altered....

Emily grunted, "We learn something in failure.  HA! ARRGH!  No steps forward...."  She lets the last of her sentence trail off.  Rubbing her eyes, "We had more tools, agents, power and others to advise before.  We're limited now...sorry."

In reply to The Game Master (msg # 1):

Simon felt the sudden rush of anger. He never got this angry before at a failed test. He actually punched the wall hard enough to break his hand. The pain was intense, and gone within a few seconds. His bones...both human and inhuman, re-set themselves and flesh restored  itself.

"It...its pointless. Shut it down." He said in his voice if human and animal growl. He  struggled to get control of himself, looking away from Emily. Not that she could see his expression. Under those bandages, he did not have a face...only a ever-changing mass of nightmare.

"We...we need to accept reality. Our work was never ment to work this fast or to effect the entire body. We need to rebuild all of our work models...and that could take years." He paused on that last part, as he lied to the woman he loved.

More like decades...if ever. He thought to himself. He would never say that to Emily. Mostly because it would make her sad, and angry he was giving up.

However, acceptance was one of the five stages of grief. So was denial...which Emily was still in. No one...not him, not her hero Doctor Norman Borlog, not Einstein, not her parents...could force Emily to give up. It was one of the things he loved about her.

But he could not live with the idea she would use up her youth and life sitting down here in these tunnels trying to get him back. It was crime...a crime of selfishness on his part to string her along.

"Listen...we need to talk about you finding new work. A new project. Up there...in the sunlight. We wanted to help people, remember? So you need to go do that. For both of us."

He could almost predict precisely how she would tell him to go screw himself. It was not the first time they had this conversation. Because they where both stubborn twits.

Wrinkling her nose, she vigorously started to shake her head.  "No...no, no.  There is so much to do here.  You need the help...and...and we learn things even in failure."

She walked across the room twirling a fidget spinner; a toy of frustration.  It lit up as she spun it.  A little electric red circle in her hand.  She came close to Simon, but did not grab him.  Hold him....  "I did this to you.  We created this thing to save lives and it did.  It worked, even if it wasn't how we expected.  We can figure this out.  Together."

She wasn't mad; her voice was tender.  "Besides, what am I going to do after so long working on the 'cutting edge'.  Go to work as a nurse?  <snort> We need to keep things quiet.  I can't become the world renown scientist taking the world by storm. We need to keep it on the 'down low'."  She waved her hands around the 'lab' and hoped the bad joke would be taken as such.

In reply to The Game Master (msg # 3):

When she turned away, Simon found himself reaching for her. Trying to gently touch her shoulder to bring her in for a hug. Like he used to do when she needed comfort or...

Then he saw his hand. He saw the scales forcing themselves through the bandages even as he almost touched her. He pulled his hand away, covering with the more human wrapped other one. Then as she turned after no doubt seeing movement in her peripheral vision, he turned his body so she could not see the mutated limb. He hid it with his other arm.

"You did not do this...I did. When I stole the prototype. I...should have thought of another way." Granted he could not think what else to do. Legally they had no grounds to stand on. Chaneycorp held the patent, and had lied to them in their contracts. However, it would take years in the legal system to prove that-and Chaneycorp had the lawyers and the money to make that take forever. Certainly long enough to develop the WMD version of Emily's and his work.

"This is my fault, and my problem. You have no blame in it, and that more than just me telling you that. Legally, Chaneycorp only has a case against Simon Feck, not you. They have no proof you are involved. You can still have a career."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:41, Thu 23 July 2020.

She gets stiff for a moment, and then turns back to face Simon.  "You don't think I'd be on their radar.  They won't let this lay...they want this, and will pursue any ends they can.  Maybe they think we are dead, but can we take that chance?  They are huge and have the resources to keep looking for any possible lead."  While talking, her hands were waving and encompassing the entire lab.  He eyes are pleading.

Standing up straight and running a hand through her hair, she exhaled heavy and loosened at touch, "What about coffee?  Charbucks?"  She cracks a little smile.

[OOC] A few questions....  What do you do with the simulations that have just ended?  You are continuously changing; do you ever bleed because of this?  Does it pain you to change at times (ala American Werewolf in London)?

In reply to The Game Master (msg # 5):

"Yeah...Charbucks sounds good." Granted with his system he could eat rotten garbage and still get nutrition out of it. His new body used every aspect of the animal kingdom to keep him alive. He could eat truly foul things...given what insects eat...but he did not want to experiment that way.

He wanted to tell her he was a jerk, and a creep, and did not love her anymore. Just to keep her away from his freakish existence. Emily was too smart to believe any of that, and he was a terrible actor.

"I will clean this up..." he said as he moved over to the samples.

OOC-samples are most likely absorbed back into the doctor himself. as he is virtually immune to posons, drugs and disease. Once absorbed, they will just be transformed by his constantly changing body.

Simon does not bleed, as he has the advantage of auto stabilization. Combined with his regen, out of combat he heals as fast as he is hurt. That includes his transformations. His body forms a brief cacoon, and generates heat and steam, converting it into mass (or less mass) depending on the size of the creature he is becoming. There is brief pain, but given the speed of the transformation(one automatic action) it does not last.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:40, Thu 23 July 2020.

As Emily is leaving, "We'll start again...after a break.  One venti coming up.  And maybe a scone."  She hurries up the ramp that leads to the exit.

The computer screens are still glowing and on with the last simulations.

[OOC] I was not thinking you would bleed and take damage.  I was wondering from a role play standpoint.

[Private to Dr Chimera: What happens next is on you.  I have ideas, but want to see what he would do.  I'll riff off you to move to the next thing.]

In reply to The Game Master (msg # 7):

Simon makes sure the security cameras track Emily's movements. He was very paranoid about her safety, and made sure she had a tracking device on her. He had to beg her to take it, mostly because he was terrified of her being picked up by Chaneycorp some dark night. It was not their typical MO, but they very well may go for a thuggish response to her interference.

He moved about the tunnels of his underground lab, looking much like a giant ant had dug out the place. Well...a giant beaver ant. Both animals natural instinct for construction made for easy building. He checked the hacked signal and the power supply from his electrified eel crab shell tank. He had to peel them off his own body, but it worked as a natural battery.

He kept his phone tracking Emily's location, thinking he should not have let her go out alone. Then again, he was not her jailer. He wanted her to have a life without his freakish fate dominating her. He would need to learn to let her go.

Of course, his feeling had not changed. He was just afraid of what might happen to her...or what he might accidentally do to her. For now, he made sure to check his base for needed repairs. Watching the local news and checking the internet for the latest Chaneycorp project he could ruin out of spite.

Emily is off and back without a problem.  She even got you favorite coffee...they were out of scones.

***

As you move around the lab cleaning and checking on items, you don't find any issues.  But, you do note that you are short on a few critical consumables.  And you always need glass test items.

[OOC] In character if you can, let me know how you stock the lab.  Chemicals, fuel (other than electricity..if anything is gas for heat maybe), food for Emily, etc.  Also, where does she stay?

In reply to The Game Master (msg # 9):

"Thanks." he said, taking the beverage from her. Of course, it was difficult enough focusing to maintain a human voice-box and tongue. Trying to drink through said orifice would no doubt cause a reflexive shape change. He moved the cup under the table he was sitting at, and extended a incesctoid proboscis from between his pointer and middle right fingers, and drained the liquid. He would form a tongue to taste it somewhere in his forearm.

He hit the laptop and showed the list of chemicals he was sort of. "Need that...need that...need that..." He sighed. Normally over the counter chemicals he could order online and have them sent to a PO box under a fake name. However, some chemicals where not for easy sale. He might have to go to the dark web to get them, but that was risky. If things where really desperate, he would rob one of Chaneycorp's warehouse. He had no illusions what such criminals would do with such specialized chemicals. Of course, Emily often offered to buy him the materials they needed-but he only accepted if there was no way to trace the purchases back to her.

His goggles looked up into Emily's eyes. "It's getting late. I can set up your room for you."

Emily's Room was the nicest place in the entire HQ. He had set up flowers and rare plants, covering up all the rough dirt walls. Along with a spider-silk hammock he had made himself. From himself...but he did not tell her that. He also never told her how he got all that honey. He said it was not for human consumption-which was a lie. He just did not want to explain how he made it. As result, it had a mini-fringe with rather normal food. Along with a microwave and a computer which had a wall screen attachment where she could netflix herself to sleep.

Simon did not have a sleeping room for himself. He tried sleeping in a bed, but ended up peeling himself free from a cocoon every time he woke. His theory to why that was is a bit sketchy. His nightmares where fairly consistent, so his instincts was to protect himself from them might trigger this defense mechanism. As a result, he made a mess of any bed he tired to sleep in. That was just a theory however.

In terms of electricity and heating the place, that all came from more of his electric eel/giant crab transformations. It was painful having to rip off a part of himself and use it for power, but he grew back the limb in seconds. Again, he rarely told Emily the details of his freakish day-to-day life.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:53, Sat 25 July 2020.

The next few days pass uneventfully; nothing worse the Emily's sing causes an issue.  Her over done dancing is funny.

"How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down, into my core
Where I've become so numb, without a soul
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there, and lead it, back, home
Wake me up inside
Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark
Bid my blood to run
Before I come undone
Save me from the nothing I've become..."

When the show is done.  <Blue>"I've been thinking about what you said...about the job...do you think we could setup an alias?  It would help us get around, get what we need."<Blue>

***

On the fifth day, the need for a few chemicals and possibly a replacement for the flask set become evident when the next experiment you are setting up for will come up short.

In reply to The Game Master (msg # 11):

Simon agrees to look into making her a flase identity. However, he could not make a perfect one. Sooner or later, someone would find a flaw. Which would make life difficult for her. She was better off without him dragging her down.

Everyday, Simon told himself...'today is the day. Today is the day I tell Emily to go home. To go back to her parents, to move out of the country or whatever it is she needs to do. To get on with her life and get the hell away from the freakish insanity that was his life. Yes, he might go crazy down here alone. But she would be safe.

Expect he did not. He watched her dance, he applauded. He felt the wish to dance with her, to feel her against him like when he was human. Which he tried at once to purge from his mind as impossible and dangerous.

But he could not ask her to leave. Instead he spent most of the time trying to make the ant like tunnels more attractive and less depressing for her. Mostly by spreading plants and flowers all along the walls, along with UV light of course. No sunlight down here.

Everyday he would emerge from his cacoon after another round of horrific nightmares and said to himself 'today is the day I send her away.' But he did not.

The lack of chemicals was a welcome distraction really. It ment he had to hit another Chaneycorp plant. Stealing from them was the least amount of damage he wanted to do. He really wanted to burn the whole place down, but that would hurt a lot of innocent people. They where innocent...even if they worked for the monsters of the Chaneycorp board of directors. If he said it to himself enough times, maybe would believe it.

"I'm going to have to get those Chemicals, Emily. So I need you to stay here and stay in contact. I will need your research skills and internet savvy while I am coming around for what we need." he then presented her with a gift...a spider silk dress he had made. Again, not telling her how he made it. The color dye he used was even from his own transformations.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:03, Sun 26 July 2020.