Catalysts: IC 2.0 Announcement in OP!

He shrugged and made a large breakfast consisting of three eggs sunnyside up, half a pound of bacon, two pieces of toast and four pancakes. "Mmm. Well you just eat as much as you can. We can always just get more from the city." He laughed and moved to sit at the dining table.

She sat down with him, satisfied with what was left. It was a nice change, actually tasting food for once. Either she was absorbing fog or swallowing people whole. No matter, she had Ragnarok back, and he didn't hate her. Both had been under an immense amount of stress, frayed nerves was to be expected. "So, what's the plan for today? Go out hunting, work towards the virus, make more snakes..." She laughed casually, enjoying the sensation of ripping the bacon with her teeth.

Nox just went and sat in the lobby. He would have all day to plan and all night to work. He would probably need it. He went into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of milk. He returned to the lobby and sat there drinking it.

"Eh, I'll work on the Viral coding. We need a test subject so Nox'll fetch us one and then we can see the initial results. Then of course I can go on to manipulate my viral makeup and start attacking. In the mean time we need soldiers so that'll be Nox's job for a good part of the day, and yours as well if you wish. Hard to believe I came to this city to kill everything in my path huh?" He laughed at his little joke and bit into the yolks of his eggs happily.

She nodded, continuing to eat in such a way that she could appreciate the taste. "Y'know, food tastes best when you haven't tasted it in ages." Closing her eyes, she thought about what to do for the moment. "I don't know if I can convert the remaining fifteen girls myself, so I'll have to wait until the guards are stable. Speaking of which, once the kids have had their hourly fill, I'll get to that."

Nox heard Ragnarok say his name. He said nothing, still drinking his milk. Good. Just keep drinking your milk and the explanation will come. Eventually. He was still a bit tired, and would probably even seem glum.

A quick look at the map had revealed that this building housed three main broadcasting stations - all, unfortunately, on the same floor, making it more difficult to pin down which one the bee-man had taken up residence in.

"Alright... Let's think here," Winter muttered, more to herself than to Dali, as she tapped the map with a finger. "When the bee-man took out that chopper, he was on this side of the building" - she indicated an area with her hand - "so that rules out studio 1. Unless your memory has anything more accurate to add, I say we find some stairs that this guy hasn't blocked off and march our way up."

She did not want to mention the crack flamethrower they had on them - doubtless the bee-man guessed how they intended to use the spray can, but she did not want to give him any further reason to believe that they weren't going to be playing by his game's rules for much longer.

Several minutes and two staircases later, the pair found themselves on the appropriate floor of the station, approaching the door of Studio 3. It was relatively quiet; this was most likely the incorrect door. Still, it was worth opening, and when Winter put her hand to the knob, the actual act of opening the door was near superfluous - the room was barren, and the only thing that was moving was a few papers, gently pushed off of a nearby desk from the breath of air that followed the door's opening.

Winter closed the door and leaned back against it, staring down the hall at where the door to Studio 2 would undoubtedly be. "You ready?" She asked, not turning to look at Dali.

Nox got up again, and went to the fridge to refill the cup of milk. After he refilled his cup he grabbed a small post-it with a waffle batter recipe and retreated into the cooking area. He gathered the ingredients and waited, sipping his milk all the while.

Getting up, she kissed Ragnarok before taking her plate to the kitchen and rinsing it off. "Might wanna skip by the floor I'll be working on if you have a weak stomach. The plants will stop the water and other fluids from damaging the building itself, but you never know." Leaving her plate to dry, she returned to the main room. "Won't be long."

After the waffles finished cooking he took one off the plate and left the rest on the table. He then returned to the lobby and began to drink his milk again. My kind is like... Going in reverse. I am sooo slow right now...

Sliding out into the hallway, she approached the first of the six. They had swelled up a lot, the snake bodies curling into whatever space they could. "It is alright my precious ones, your rebirth is at hand." Shifting her index finger into it's blade form, she dug the tip into the top of the cocoon and dragged it downward. Water and other fluids flowed out around her, the newly formed gorgon falling forward into her arms.

Pulling her away, she waited until her whole body had come away before motioning for the plants to open the door. Retracting the alcove along with the remains of the cocoon, the door swung open for her to go in. Placing the wet woman on the bed, she dried her off carefully and left a dressing gown by her side.

"This will be over soon enough." Proceeding to do the same with the others, she cleaned her body of the mess and returned to her room. "They're sedated for the moment. Now we just need to give them time."

He stood up slowly and walked towards Nox. He smiled quietly and sat with his brother, just sitting there together for as long as they could before finally breaking the peaceful silence. "We should start testing with the virus today. I'm going to need a perfectly suitable test subject. And you'll have to start recruiting soon enough. I'd recommend trying it during the night."

She lay down on her bed, grateful that the cocoon thing was over. Having to do that sixteen more times however made her worry. At least it would be once a day, and she knew fully what to expect. Still sleeping away in their cots, the twins were making hissing sounds as they slept. To her, it was strangely soothing.

"Yes, night would be better. In daytime I am just as weak as I appear to be." He would need a week or more to identify those who were drafted, and would need to wait for the virus anyway. "Please don't mistake this for sloth, I am useless in normal light."

"I fully comprehend that much. I'm trying to find ways to boost your physical strength in a way such as my own manneurisms but otherwise I cannot. Please; relax as long as you wish. We've got the night to work in. Best to operate under the cover of night anyways."

He returned to the fridge for more milk, this time bringing the carton. "You thirsty, man? Plenty in here and in the fridge." He st down and left the milk carton on the coffee table. He settled into his seat, comfortably considering the future.

"Nah. I'm good. Careful, too much milk will hurt your bowels. You'll be in the bathroom for a good, loooong while." Laughs and sits next to him, cracking his neck gently. "I rather appreciate being here with the family. Makes me... warm and fuzzy."

"Well, this is more than I usually drink in a day." He returned the milk to the fridge an curled up in his chair, beginning to fall asleep. No. Best to stay awake, so he could at least guard the hotel. It would work out better. "Ragnarok, do you think you could bring me a test subject for the serum? I want to see the mutation process."

He stood and stretched out, the way a man who just woke up from a long and enjoyable nap would. "Yeah man. No problem. Preference or just any old Jane/John Doe?" He craned his neck to look at Nox and smiled widely.

"Someone who would seem to be able to handle the affects of the virus. Wouldn't want them dying at our hands." At this, he got up and retrieved one of the vials of the virus and the corresponding syringe. He put on a pair of latex gloves.

He left for a few hours, before getting someone who he chatted up and had spoke of having a strong immune system. He brought the poor woman to the hotel, talking about something adventurous to appeal to her thrill seeking emotions. "Dave my friend! I have arrived with the 'thrill seeker' you referred to!" He was avoiding using their infamous pseudonyms to keep the victim from panicking.

Nox smiled. "I'm afraid you may have been brought here under false pretenses, I am Nox, yes, that Nox, and you seem to be a perfect candidate for our program. He motioned to the table. "I would suggest you lie back on the table, it reduces the risk of damage from convulsions." After she did, he approached with the filled syringe.

Steph heard voices in the other room. Great, their first victim. How naive was Nox? This was her area of expertise, lulling the victim into serenity before performing the necessary act. No, if they wanted her help, they just needed to come. In the meantime, she would wait for Ragnarok, sooner or later he would come.

"Yes. I want to see this again. Do it my brother; spread unto her our virus. Let's see how this one evolves. Just relax Emily." He called up for Steph. "My love? Please come down. You must see this, truly. It is a beautiful sight, of madness and yet purity. I cannot describe it."

She rolled her eyes and got up. Poetry. Not her favoured form of art. Nevertheless, she slithered out of the room, positioning herself beside Ragnarok. "You should consider yourself lucky. I generally consume the females, and rebirth them for their mutation. An injection is rather harmless in comparison."