Part 24: Going Back For Seconds

Update 21: Going Back For Seconds

"March twenty-second, report on the Biomass.

We have made two major breakthroughs in our research. First is the long awaited investigation into the nature of the transgenants. We have researched enough of the individual transgenants to put together a working theory of where they came from and what they really are.



The DNA proves what we suspected all along, that the transgenants are just mutated versions of humans and regular animals. The troubling part is that they seem to be more of an experimental failure then a finished product. This leaves us with the question of if they were just practice runs, what is all of this testing leading up to?

Following this our lab boys paid a second visit to some of the salvage we've collected, specifically that of the UFOs dubbed 'Planters'. Investigating all of the varies chemicals and supplies inside we have isolated the compound they use to plant more Biomass.



We finally have some idea of what the Biomasses purpose is other then a massive terraforming agent. The idea that the Biomass itself is a psionic entity has come up, possibly explaining the large number of psionic transgenants found in it. We also have some idea of how to kill it now, if we can find a node.

Combining these two pieces of research we're currently developing a way to repulse the Biomass ourselves using psionics. I'm not sure about this, as all that happened when I walked into the lab was an instant and massive headache. They tell me thats going to be a side effect of the technology and if we want these things to work on a global scale they will require tremendous amounts of power, as well as nearly incapacitating any human near the generator.

To more precisely calibrate the Biomass repulsers the lab boys wanted a live specimen from the Biomass areas. Great. Booya's team was sent out for this one."




Golden: Ah man, another disgusting forest of this stuff. What are we doing out here again?
Booya: CoE wants a live transgenant from the Biomass. Says it will help with a defense against the Biomass.
Golden: Great.
Vallhallan: You could bitch about anything, couldn't you? We're a step away from developing a way to stop this shit from covering the earth.



Ackbar: Enemy sighted. It is one of those fleas on a rock.



Ackbar: And... something else. I do not know what it is.
Jimmy: New type of transgenant, be careful.
Ackbar: Herrrghk... The devil has paralyzed me!



Ice7: Look out! Critters from behind!
Gulping: The hell, the Biomass has lice to go with this nasty hair it grows?
Booya: Just shoot everything and ask- Damn it I can't move!
Vallhallan: Fuck, me either. Shoot the new thing!



Gulping: Got him!
Jimmy: More lice coming this way.
Vallhallan: I can move again!



Vallhallan: Ha. Got those things.
Ice7: Was that really necessary?
Vallhallan: It was fun.
Golden: We need something alive dumbass.
Vallhallan: Not a problem. Got the bugs over there that Ice shot.
Booya: You're carrying them Val. Should be easy with the heavy armor. Rest of us clear a path to the evac point.



Jimmy: Ahh, the purple! It burns!
Booya: Settle down Doc and just shoot the thing.



Ice7: It exploded.
Golden: Huh. Just a stick left.
Jimmy: Hey, Booya. Just so you know, I'm not really a doctor. I'm a medic.
Booya: What's the difference?
Jimmy: Well, a doctor heals people. A medic just makes them feel better about dying.
Golden: Note to self, don't ever need a medic.




Ackbar: More of those armadillos!
Gulping: Ah god they're attacking me. I'm hit, medic! Oh wait no, stay away!
Booya: Oh quit it you pansy, I'll patch you up.



Gulping: Thanks Sarge.
Booya: Yeah yeah, we'll have a group hug later rookie.
Vallhallan: Fuck these things are getting heavy.
Golden: Uh hey guys? Anyone else see that transgenant back there?
Ackbar: Taking aim.



Gulping: Huh, those things just pop when you kill them.
Vallhallan: Can we hurry this up? Tired of carrying these things.
Golden: What the hell? You're not even carrying them.
Vallhallan: What are you talking about?



Golden: Look at you. Those things are just floating above your hands.
Vallhallan: Well I'm gripping something. You come over here and hold them.
Golden: Hell no.
Vallhallan: Then shut up and lets keep going.
Jimmy: That is so weird.
Vallhallan: Shut up Dr. Death.




"With the capture of the Biomass transgenant and the other research we have completed it might only be a matter of days before we can build a large scale Biomass repulser.

Redeker has been doing well and sharing with us the events surrounding the destruction of X-Com in Mega-Primus. It is interesting to learn of the Cult of Sirius was actually aiding X-Com. That they hated the Micronoid aliens and were willing to work with X-Com to stop them. I guess using someones idols as a food source is a good way to enrage a people.

However now that we face Sectoids, or Reticulans now, the cult is willing to fully embrace them and is once again shooting at us. However their activity seems to have drastically dropped in South America. We have some disturbing theories on the reason why, but until we have some more evidence we don't know anything for sure. The leading idea is that the green Biomass liquid makes better nodes if used on a complex brain and large nervous system. So what if the Reticulans have made contact with the Cult and taken them off where ever they are basing and are using them to fuel the Biomass nodes? Christ...

On a few closing notes, we've successfully developed a plasma rifle, capable of putting out large amounts of damage accurately at medium range. The only draw back is the power drain and low battery life of ammo packs. Haggis should be happy to have a plasma weapon to play with that doesn't move on its own.

And lastly is the spread of the Biomass. Show here,



and here.



If we don't produce results on our findings about the Biomass soon we stand to lose Nordvik in a matter of days and Krasnoyarsk further to the south. If we are able to save them, they would prove useful in controlling the Asian area. Hopefully the lab work will pay off quickly."





--Soldiers Logs--


Posted by Rear Admiral BOOYA 'Booya'

*** ååååååååååBEEP ***

Journal of Malcom McLean, ( "BOOYA") dated xx/19/2085.

I get shot at a lot. It's sorta what I do for a living right now; blasting Reticulans, I mean. It can be harrowing sometimes, slinging lead and lasers at what I now understand are the mutated husks of once-living beings, and the technologically advanced aggressors that we have come to know as the alien menace that they are.

But y'know what I don't like?

My computer goin' nuts on me.

My last journal entry, now that I look at it, has been mangled, and previous journal entires displayed very peculiar messages when tryin' to access them; seems I caught a bit of a nasty virus. The boys in the tech department were a little bit agape when I brought in my computer, literally wrestling its ass through the doorframe as it tried to beat me with its input peripherals, to quote them. As we cracked it open, to no small amount of complaining from the computer, we found that somehow the computer had 'grown' a siphon, which lead downwards in the building through the wall, somewhere into the basement levels.

I'm just gonna quote the guy who fixed my shit, he's got a log for me:

<<< TECHNICAL LOG FILE INSERTED, DISCLOSURE AT DISCRETION OF PARTICIPANTS>>>

c3003662304, xx/16/2085
The system has somehow become rampant, which is peculiar given the state of its inferior architectureINFFEEERRIOR CIRRRRRCCUIIIITTSSS? HOW DDDDDDARE YOU, HUMAN and has managed to replace its internal liquid cooling system autonomously with what I discern to be an ethyl beverage alcoholDROOOOVE MY CHEVY TO THE LEEVVVYY BUT THE LEVVY WAS DRYYYYYYthat the computer has somehow extracted from one of the basement sub-levels.

How the computer was keeping itself cooled with this substance, I will never know, but I have to go sit down now, because I'm feeling a bit light headed. I will be replacing the system's inteWHAT ARE YOU DOING WITHHHH THAT SCCCCRE`WWEDRIGVER NO STOØØØØØØOOOooooooøøøønal components within the hour, as maintenance volume is fairly slow right now.

Log ends

<<< TECHNICAL LOG TERMINATED >>>

**** LOG TERMINATION ****



Posted by seaborgium

Personal Log Entry 9, Bruce "seaborgium" Smith, Janitor for the Council of Earth,

Someone stole my whiskey a little while back. I had put it in a safe place, and it still got fucking stolen. It wasn't some random joe either. That fucking cyborgs goddamn computer drank it. Screaming at him didn't seem to help, he said he had nothing to do with it.

Well, guess what? Fuck him. I found him getting it fixed down at the IT guys office, and yanked it off the fucking desk. It actually started complaining at me!! Me!! It drank my fucking booze and started complaining that it got taken away!! I hauled it down to Haggis, banged it on the desk, and told him to give me 5 lbs of plastic explosives, a flamethrower, and an AK. Apparently the look in my eyes was enough to get him to not ask questions.

I hauled all that shit outside about a half mile from the base. Luckily where I'm at right now isn't surrounded by that freaky biomass shit. I think I'm somewhere on the East Coast of what used to be the USA, but I'm not actually sure. Beautiful country, hope the biomass doesn't eat it.

Anyways, so I hauled this fucking computer outside, and set it in a little depression in the ground I found. The whole goddamn time it was bitching about how it needed more booze, yadda yadda yadda. Fuck that thing, it was my booze not it's. So I backed off a little bit, and torched the goddamn thing. Once it was burning nice and bright, I found a convenient tree to hide behind and chucked in the explosives. Hell of a lot of wind from the plastique, but the boom was quite satisfying. Once the fire had mostly died down, I picked up the AK and emptied a couple clips into the hole. It was just mechanical at that point, fire until I heard the click, reload and repeat. After about 5 minutes of pulling the trigger without even realizing it was empty, I made sure what little fire remained wasn't going to burn down the area and headed back into the base.

As for the booze? What's left is gonna get drunk tonight. I still got at least one barrel in my room, but the remaining shit is gonna make one drunk ass fucking janitor tonight.

---End log