B.E.A.C.O.N. HQ, Medical Division, Quarantine Wing
Ozpin watched in silence as a collection of scientists, doctors, and researchers flooded the room before him, each amd every one of them covered head to toe in neon yellow biohazard suits. They were taking samples, drawing blood, doing everything to figure out just what was ailing his Huntsmen.
Eighteen Hours Ago
He was notified via intern of an biohazard alarm registering at a huntsman safe house. In normal situations, in the case of a false alarm, the team leader must enter in a code to shut down the alarm within a span of less than ten minutes. Any longer and a team specially trained to handle toxins and other biochemicals would swoop in to clean up. However, as Ozpin was notified, the alarm had been continuously ringing for over twenty minutes and no one on the three teams were answering the emergency comms.
Within fifteen teen minutes a biohazard removal team had been assembled and was on the way. By the time they arrived the sensors were indicating a much higher level of unidentified toxins in the air.
Clearing out the neighborhood under the guise of a gas leak the squad approached with Director Ozpin at their heels. The initial entry was quite difficult, a sheet if solid steel had encased the windows and the only two doors. Someone must've initiated the emergency protocols.
It took a team of welders working simultaneously on the front door almost a full thirty minutes to break through. Upon entry all agents witnessed a strange pink smoke swirling around the living room, pulling more of the same from the other room of the house. It moved as though it was alive as it gathered itself together before converging onto the stairwell in the vague shape of a human woman who chuckled and waved soundlessly at the very confused and mildly perturbed agents before collapsing into itself and vanishing with a soft pop.
Making note of the strange sight, Ozpin walked further into the safe house examining the walls for signs of a struggle. How is it my best teams didn't put up a fight? Were they overwhelmed first?
"Director Ozpin! We've got something."
Following the voice Ozpin found a scene that baffled him even after so many years at this job.
Six huntsmen fallen over in odd spots in the kitchen, glowing pink veins glaring out at them.
Mr. Arc had fallen over at the counter closest to the fridge with a napkin clutched tightly in his right and the microwave door wide open, a frozen dinner laying unopened.
Ms. Valkyrie and Ms. Adele had collapsed in the entry way to the kitchen both face down, both with the same glowing veins.
"Director! There's more." More?
Following the biohazard agent into the training room were more of his huntsmen in states of unconsciousness; Ms. Scarlatina seemed to have fallen under the effects of the drug while in the middle of her workout and was slumped over one of the machines uncomfortably. Whereas Ms. Belladonna was collapsed by the side of the pool, still in her swimsuit and still soaked. She must've gotten out when she saw them collapse.
The crackle of his earbud brought him out of his thoughts, "Director this is squad leader Nelson, we've found the vampire girl and she's- snarl- Oh hell-" A loud thump reached his ears as the line fizzled out. The agents around him reached for their weapons and followed him out the training room and to the stairway. "Nelson? What's going on in there?"
A door opened and the squad leader stepped out with his hands raised. Motioning for the agents behind him to lower their weapons Ozpin took in Nelson's ruffled appearance; his helmet had a deep gouge in it and his tactical vest had been torn in half.
With a salute he began to talk, "Director sir. We found the vampire girl and she's awake but doesn't appear to be in her right mind. She's got the same veins and her eyes have changed to match them. The moment we came close she attacked. Rutherford has got her contained now."
He was quite right, the young princess had been effectively hogtied with enchanted restraints and was being moved into the hallway. This must effect nonhumans and humans differently if this is the result. "Be on your guard, if whatever that was has changed Ms. Penny so drastically then who knows what it's done to Catalaya." Or if we'll even be able to restrain her.
Present, B.E.A.C.O.N HQ Medical Division, Quarantine
Ozpin sighed as he watched another group of doctors and security rush off down the corridor parallel to the room he was currently in, half of them came back a moment later with two unconscious agents on stretchers. That's four more agents they've knocked out since they got here.
Both the Phantom beast and the Vampire princess had been increasingly difficult to keep under their control. While the human Huntsmen remained unconscious the supernatural members had their own range of symptoms; increased agitation, incredibly inconsistent mood swings, and random bouts of violence that once they were completed left them disoriented and they lapsed into a fugue state.
"Code Blue! Code Blue in room B15! Get a crash cart!" No.. Ozpin turned back and followed the doctors to the room housing Ms. Rose who lay on the bed seizing as though she was being electrocuted. The doctors moved faster than he could follow in effort to keep her alive. Live Ms. Rose. You must live. Your stronger than whatever this is.
A discreet hand on his shoulder let him now that Glynda had arrived and was doing her best to comfort him without crossing boundaries.
"Clear!" The young woman's body shuddered. Come on...
"Clear!" Again but nothing happened more than another jump.
"Clear!" Another jolt but this time accompanied by her heart starting anew.
Ozpin released breath he didn't know he was holding and Glynda gave him a gentle squeeze and pat of his shoulder before stepping away.
Both the Director and his Deputy turned back when the heard the doctors began to murmur frantically as Ms. Rose shuddered once more before falling flat on her back with a deep exhale that released a puff of pink smoke that swirled through the air like a panicked bird. The doctors took a step back as it rushes around the room, trying to infect a new host but finding its pathway blocked by the suit they wore.
One of the doctors in a stroke of genius placed their hand behind a containment jar and stood waiting. The gas swirled above their heads before zeroing in on the jar just in front the agent's bare hand. It quickly swooped towards it before meeting a wall of reinforced glass and was swiftly trapped within the air tight seal.
Heat seeking?
"That was quite dangerous doctor." Ozpin said in a monotone voice with a raised eyebrow. The doctor handed the jar of angry pink smoke to another man in a white biohazard suit. "We has a theory that the smoke was seeking out hosts through their body heat, which is how it infected the whole house so quickly. We theorized that upon being expelled it would seek out a new host in order to keep itself alive."
"Like a virus?" The doctor nodded in agreement.
"What's your name doctor?"
The man straightened up, "Mathers sir."
Ozpin stepped forward once more, "Well then Doctor Mathers, how long do you think it will take to figure out how to forcibly eject this from the rest of them?"
Doctor Matherss stopped for a moment and examined the woman on the table once more, "With an actual sample of the gas now, a few days, a week at least with the right equipment and that's barring any other changes or outside interference."
With a tap of his cane and a nod Ozpin turned to walk away, "Give a list of the equipment you need to Deputy Director Goodwitch and get it done." With that the Director moved off into sterile hallways of the Quarantine wing.
This is good an all but what about the woman. Those movements were much to familiar to be a coincidence.
His mind wandered to the marks that had appeared on Ms. Nikos in front of their very eyes.
Defensive wounds all over her arms and face. Then there's the bruises, shaped in a way that can only happen upon impact at a high speed with a stiff object.
One moment the wounds were there and the young woman was whimpering and shifting in her semiconscious state, clearly feeling the pain. Ten minutes later the wounds disappeared and Nikos relaxed onto the bed once more.
Then there were the reports of scratches appearing on Ms. Belladonna. Blood on her nails and bruising on her face. Like she was in a fight with none other Nikos. Was she the aggressor? If so why? Those two never had a problem with each other before.
The only explanation Ozpin could come up with was that this gas, this infection was forcing them to fight somehow. Perhaps in some shared mindscape in which all the Hunstmen shared except for the two members of purely supernatural blood.
Just what sort of hallucinations were they being subjected to that could break such close bonds.
How long before it kills them?
Location Unavailable, Location Unavailable, Wonderland
Pyrrha awoke with a groan as she was jostled into a sitting position. Raising her arm to rub at her face she immediately sat up at the feel of something much too soft and much to fuzzy resting on her forehead.
Looking up into the eyes of a startled human sized rabbit. Dust dammit. Worse hallucination ever.
"Oh goody, goody you're awake. I was afraid you would miss out on the cake."
Pyrrha blinked confusedly at her transformed friend? "Cake? There's cake?"
"But of course there's cake! What type of party would it be without the cake!" A loud voice shouting directly in her ear startled her right out of her chair and not the grass beneath her.
The first thing she noticed was the very strange hat atop their head. It was the strangest mixture of green and purple, with a post it note on the side and it somehow had two brims at the bottom.
The next thing she notices are the very bright, very familiar blue eyes staring directly at her as though she had two heads. "Weiss?"
The blue orbs in front of her disappeared for a second as they blinked in surprise before turning to the rabbit beside them with an overly cheerful voice that would normally make the real Weiss gag. "Your right my dear hare, she's even crazier than me!" They burst into youthful laughter before falling backwards onto the ground and somehow popping up on the chair in front of her. Where did that chair come from?
The rabbit-person-thing-creature- Oh man this headache is killing me- rolled their eyes good-naturedly and reached for an upside down teapot and a cracked tea cup. "Now, now hatter my dear friend, no one could be crazier than you in the end."
Pyrrha ignored the burst of raucous laughter that was now coming from behind her somehow and instead turned to her thoughts. Hatter? Hare? March hare? ... Oh no
"Uh excuse me, Ms. Hatter?"
The woman turned to her with a smile so wide it looked painful, "Ms. Hatter? Ms. Hatter is my mother that crazy old bint. Please just call me Hatter." They stuck their hand out to shake, "Or Charlie or Tim, maybe Javier I quite like Javier." They spoke with an odd accent all of the sudden but the redhead ignored that in exchange for simply shaking their hand and continuing on. She received quite the shock-literally- as their palms connected.
"Oh I can't believe you fell for that, pure comedy right there!" They were on the ground laughing and clutching themselves as Pyrrha simply growled and tried to smooth out her hair that was suddenly standing straight up in the air.
"Right. Funny. Anyway, can you tell me where I am?"
"Left! Right! No upside down! Topsy turvy!" The Hatter was shouting now so she directed her question at the Hare who nodded.
"Where else could you be but Wonderland! Don't you think it's just grand?"
Right. I figured...
Pyrrha groaned as she slammed her head down onto the table - where did that come from- "I need a drink." She straightened out once again when she head a whistle and watched as the teapot and a bright pink teapot stood up, actually stood up from their spots on tiny little legs and scurried their way towards her before the teapot poured itself into the teacup that squealed happily before the two now animate object gave her a thumbs up and the teapot waddled away.
Pyrrha blinked twice.
Then twice more.
The redhead poked at the teacup that seemed to have resumed its inanimate state before picking it up and taking a tentative sip. When nothing happened she relaxed a bit more and took in another drink of the surprisingly delicious drink before the cup giggled loudly, frightening her enough that the normally composed woman screamed in terror before launching the giggling object into the distance.
The teacup tumbled into a bush before waddling its way out the foliage and climbing, somehow, onto her lap with a grin and a giggle.
Pyrrha looked up from the object in her lap that was demanding to be picked up to see her hosts had decided to have a tennis match using the Hatters own head as the ball. Her headless body playing quite happily as the severed head and the composed rabbit discussed the intricacies of social economics. With a despondent sigh the woman picked up the teacup and gave it a few reluctant pets and dropped her head on the table once more, the surface turning into a soft green pillow upon impact.
I hate this place.
Location Unavailable, Location Unavailable Wonderland
Hungry. Hungry. Hungry.
Cheshire thought to herself as they continued to track the scent of the oh so delicious looking redhead woman she encountered earlier. They don't normally mind a good hunt, in fact the hunt for her prey was the best part. Aside from the eating of course. But this one, this strange woman had eluded her, had hurt her so.
The smell of their blood was intoxicating and would taste even better coming from the source directly.
Yummy. Yummy. Yum. Food in my tum-tum-tum. Ooh. What's that new scent. No familiar...
Rabbit. Rabbit and...
Tea?!
"Hatter is here. Hatter has my prey!" She growled to herself digging her claws into the dirt angrily.
Before a sinister smile spread across her face, amber eyes glowing in the dark of the forest. The queen would love to hear about this.
The amber eyed cat woman hopped in place with a light giggle before leaping into the air to grab a bird out the sky.
"You bird! You work for her?"
The little critter chirped in fear, its little hat quivering. "Yes ma'am."
"Good good tasty. Give her a message from Cheshire. Tell her I found the Hatter. I want to make a deal."
The little bird nodded frantically, taking flight the second they were released.
I give them Hatter and maybe she'll let me have the stranger instead of executing them.
Cheshire shook their body out with a happy snarl and took off after the scent.