RPII-Dark That Follows [Open]

[NPC]

7 September 2013


It started with a few, as these things often do.

The strange thing about it was that there was no Patient Zero. One man appeared at a local hospital before the others did, but they were all found to have been infected at around the same time. Further investigation found that the initial patients had nothing to do with each other, and that none of them had been out of the country for months or years.

Their symptoms varied. Some of them had no outward signs of any trouble, but reported with some embarrassment that they had been having a lot of odd-smelling diarrhea. Others were rushed to the hospital to be treated for severe dehydration. Of those, some had developed sunken eyes and wrinkled skin, and some had not. And many showed no symptoms at all, and never went in for treatment. That was how it spread.

While cholera was a serious problem in many developing countries, it was rare in the States, and usually came from travelers returning home from one of those epidemic-seized countries. And the first few cases did not cause much alarm at all. It wasn't until hundreds of people started arriving at hospitals for triage or emergency care reported those symptoms. And as the disease spread, thousands and thousands more appeared at hospitals and clinics, hoping to be seen. What started in the depths of New York City spread throughout the Northeast in only a few hours, and then along the Eastern Seaboard and out west before nightfall. By the next morning, each of the contiguous States were seeing thousands of cases, and growing portions of Mexico and Canada were starting to feel the disease's effects as well. It had spread more quickly than even modern technology had allowed, and faster than modern technology could handle the influx of patients.

The scope of it was the biggest problem. No one was equipped to handle that many cases that suddenly. Hospitals, and in some cases entire towns, were quarantined by order of their mayors or governors. The Federal Emergency Management Agency rushed to help, meaning that the agency got tied up in red tape and was not able to respond in a timely manner. Other organizations also sprang into action, offering all the help they could, and soon found themselves spread thin, when their own operatives weren't succumbing to the disease themselves.

Another considerably large problem was death.

In a majority of cases, the patient died within hours. That wasn't unusual in cholera epidemics, but it did make dealing with the matter that much more difficult. It added an air of urgency to the proceedings, both within hospitals and among the patients' families. If nothing was done quickly enough, all hope for the patient was gone.

The disease struck very discriminately, but without any observable pattern. Specials and civilians alike were affected. Some who had had contact with eventual patients, and some who hadn't. People of all walks of life and vastly different genetics. Some fell ill quickly, some caught it slowly, most never caught it at all. But there just didn't seem to be any particular reason to it. It just happened.

And when it happened, it left lost lives and tattered families in its wake.

[OOC thread]

[Marcus Rodgers]

"It's cholera."

Marcus just stared at the doctor. "What? Cholera? She hasn't even been anywhere near-"

"She's the twenty-sixth patient with these symptoms, or close enough to them, that we've seen over the past three hours. We don't know what's going on, but it's definitely cholera. It's been happening all over the city."

Marcus sighed and loosened his grip on Mira's hand just a little. "Then she's been near someone who was infected? She's been with me since we got to New York. I'm not sick."

"You're not," the doctor acknowledged. They had run some basic tests on him earlier. "Like I said, no one knows what's causing it. They're checking the water system now."

"Prognosis?"

"It's difficult to tell this early on. But if she makes it through these next few hours, she should be fine."

Marcus sighed again and glanced over to Mira. Her eyes were closed. The skin around then was wrinkled and sunken. "We've put her on an oral rehydration solution and are monitoring her progress. I'll be back to check on her soon."

Nodding absently, Marcus continued to watch Mira. He couldn’t quite tell whether she was sleeping or unconscious, but she wasn’t quite responsive. Her breathing was even, though, which he took as a good sign. The door closed softly behind the doctor. "Mira. Corazón.” He squeezed her hand, very gently. “Por favor... no me dejes.”

[Helena Rahal]

Wesley was in disbelief, how the hell had he gotten cholera when he rarely left his marina? All the systems were up to date, he had the usual maintenance and upkeep for them taken care of. The truth of the matter was that he spent more time on his boat than he did on land, there should have been no way that he had gotten this disease. He swore if this was some long lasting remnant from Katrina, then that would be all too poetic, since it would not have surprised them that in their rush to repair the city corners were taken. Not fully repairing the pipes or water treatment plant would just be something that the less than manageable agencies and contractors would do.

It didn't matter how he had gotten the disease though now that he had it, now was simply making it through the damned cycle. His family checked in on him now and then, making him soup and keeping him as hydrated as they could. Although he would never admit it to any of them, he was using his ability to siphon some of their life energy to keep himself from completely succumbing to the disease. It was never anything much, he cut it off as soon as whoever was there started to feel worn out.

Wesley was just glad that it was not Gabriel who had showed up at the marina to take care of him, Wesley still distrusted the man. His wife was not much better but at least she was not poking her nose into family affairs as it seem this Gabriel was. Which made the fact that he was having to rely on his family to take care of during this damned illness all the more infuriating. He had kept cordial but quiet relations with most of them, preferring the solace of being alone. Fate had a twisted sense of irony that he now had to rely on others for however long he was under the illness sway.

[Lucius Kilvayne]

I thought it would be fun and games.
Instead it's all the same.
I want something to do.
Need to feel the sickness in you.

Lex Kilvayne was swamped, thouroughly swamped. From triage, to clinic, to laboratory. So much work to do. This cholera epidemic was quite literally the best thing for him. He had a challenge, finally. His brother's people were phenomenal help in figuring this thing out, but there was still so much ground not yet covered. Cases came in rapidly, and conventional antibiotics failed. The people at the Ark and the Kilvayne Corporation had been working on that end, with Lex acting alternatively as supervisor, consultant and spokesperson. And on top of that, he had his regular patients, as well as emergency room coverage. Not a moment of his life wasn't presently dedicated to what he loved the most.

People were unnerved by the smile on his face, as he gave out diagnoses, looked at lab findings, and whatever. People seemed to think he ought to be stressed, or sad, or feeling some kind of negative emotion. People didn't know what it meant to be a Kilvayne, it seemed. Like others of his tribe, he didn't give a fuck what people thought. He had work to do.


Lex was presently checking in on the hospital front. The doctors here were good, but he was better. He wasn't so much overseeing things here, as offering an extra bit of leadership amidst the chaos. They had a hierarchy that was functional most of the time, but they wanted a hand for this one. So, he had stepped in. First, he stopped by the MacGuinness family. His own family members had private suites, and he had been well apprised of their situation at every moment. Adrianna was in California, but her lover being a biokinetic would surely recover in time to see to it that Adrianna made it through. His father was presently one with the Atlantic Ocean. He heard a rumor that Adrian was residing in Lake Tahoe.

The MacGuiness family had it bad, he wasn't sure they would make it. The head of the clan was a good man, too. He stepped into their suite, which was nice, but not anywhere near as lavish as the Kilvayne suite. Or was it the Kilvayne wing? He supposed their contributions to the hospital were such that they had some part of it named after them. This very suite may be in that wing. He never kept track of such things. His vanity was focused on ability, not wealth or fame. So, he regarded this family highly. Mr. MacGuiness had made his restaurant a quality dining experience, and Lex knew this firsthand.

"Hello, Doc," Ronan said, " Glad to see ya. Any news on the research front?"


Lex smiled, wanting to have more than he did for the man, "The work is progressing well, but they are still trying to make a real breakthrough. I can tell you, it won't be a dead end. The Kilvayne Corporation is a miracle machine, and I am saying this indepent of my bias. How are you doing?"


"Been better," He said with a wry smirk, " Family is holding up, it seems."

He looked over at his sleeping wife and their children. It was a damn shame to have the whole family ill like this. Someone should have been resistant. From a professional standpoint, that would have been the goose that laid the golden eggs. They had already gotten a survey of those who were showing resistance, even his own brother. That had put them on the right track, but they needed more.

"That's good. When we have something approved for trials, I will let you know."

He moved on, and looked at the next item on his itinerary. Rodgers. He hadn't met them just yet. A new case, it seemed. Intriguing. He looked over the notes, and smiled. The wife was ill, the husband was not. If they had both been exposed, Marcus could be resistant. That was helpful, potentially.

"Then she's been near someone who was infected? She's been with me since we got to New York. I'm not sick."

He was already speaking with a doctor, as it happened. Lex decided to stand outside the door, and overhear what he was saying to the doctor. It was also so he could get some idea of the kind of man he was going to be talking to in the next moment.

"She's the twenty-sixth patient with these symptoms, or close enough to them, that we've seen over the past three hours. We don't know what's going on, but it's definitely cholera. It's been happening all over the city."


Lex had been hard at work since the first wave, and people he talked to had expected the response to be so much quicker than it had been. The truth was something like this had been coming for some time. There had long been the potential for a virulent pathogen to become a pandemic outbreak in an instant, but it hadn't happened. Until now.

So they had been elsewhere? He would have to look into that. The other doctor left shortly thereafter, and Lex nodded to him as he passed by, giving the Kilvayne a quizzical look. He must not have been made aware of Lex's role in this situation. No matter. Lex entered the room, to find Marcus talking intimately with Mira.

"Hello, Mr. Rodgers," He said cautiously, " I am Dr. Lex Kilvayne, and I am involved with the Cholera Outbreak Response Project that is ongoing. You may know that the Kilvayne Corporation and its affiliates are working on solutions to the crisis. Among our efforts we are collecting historical data and biological samples to build a map of the outbreak, to find causality and pathways to a cure. You may be able to help on both fronts."

[Marcus Rodgers]

When the second doctor walked in, Marcus looked up, then turned his attention back to Mira. Every doctor looked the same to him at that time. Mira was his focus. Nothing else held his attention for long. But as the man began to speak, Marcus turned slightly to look at him. Apparently he was looking for data, on behalf of the Kilvayne Corporation.

Marcus distrusted large companies out of hand. For one to ask him to give them permission to use him for their testing was laughable. He didn't give one shit about the hundreds or thousands of people out there who might also have fallen ill. He cared about her, and if this man could do nothing to help her specifically, then he could get out.

"Sorry, I don't feel like being your lab rat today," Marcus drawled, his voice dripping with disdain. "So unless you have something to help my wife, you and your friends and your corporation can kiss my-"

"Shut up, Marcus."

Marcus' head spun around to look at Mira. Her eyes were still sunken ill; she looked as though she had awakened herself from death. Marcus didn't care. She was alive. "Mira. Corazón." He kissed her hand and then leaned in to kiss her cheek, sick or not. She turned her head slightly as his lips met her face, a known signal to Marcus that she was not happy with his actions. She took in a breath and then addressed Lex directly, her voice faint and sounding tired.

"Please forgive him, Doctor Kilvayne. He overreacts when he's worried." She did give Marcus a small squeeze of his hand, and smiled as best she could at Lex. "I will be glad to help in any way I can. So will my husband." She stressed that word while giving Marcus a pointed look. He nodded and, with a small sigh, turned to Lex.

"As she says."