Paper Molotov: Minnows

[Molotov]

(solo)

“The larger and more complex the organization, the more difficult it is to recover individual responsibility.”
- Michael Barnett, Eyewitness to a Genocide

[Molotov]

Mara was defeated. She hated to admit it, but she had been outsmarted so badly that she had essentially gift wrapped herself for her enemies. It hadn’t even required Molotov to catch her. That was, perhaps, Mara’s greatest shame. That even as a proxy, she was so incredibly predictable, that Molotov could leave it to his lab assistants to get her captured.

However, the shapeshifter had plans. Somehow, someway, she was going to escape. Once her escape was completed, Mara knew that she had the perfect revenge already planned. The lab did contain three rather large vials of Omega class serums, and Mara now knew there was little that Molotov feared more than them. When she had the chance, she would expose him to the most potent of them all.

“Perhaps even before this Cell he seems to be training for,” Mara thought. The advantage to being held captive in a lab was that she heard a lot of the idle chit chat that went on. Increasingly, she was being treated like a lab rat, which was fitting given that was what she was.

Mara hated it, the experiments performed on her were mostly humane, save for the fact that she had no choice but to be a participant. What really burned under her skin was the fact that Molotov was testing out experimental drugs to counter mutation on her. By the end of these experiments, Mara would be powerless. “Powerless against Molotov,” she thought. “What will he do to me then?”

However, she had little to fear on that front. Molotov was no longer vengeful. Mara wished he was, but she knew it was unlikely. Molotov was too clear headed. Vengeance was in many ways a disease, but it was not contagious. She could tell Molotov had trapped her not out of a sense of revenge but of necessity by the fact that he’d left a note in her cage. It was a short note, fairly polite, and offered her a good deal more information than he would have been obligated to share. The added information may have suggested a hint of arrogance, but Mara didn’t mind.

Somehow, someway, she was going to break out. Then, she would have her revenge.

[Molotov]

Dear Mara Jade,

I am glad you like my work. It is a bit surprising that you take such an interest in it. Finding sponsors for me has been particularly difficult. However, as flattered as I am by your interest in what I did in Rockford, I don’t want you coming any closer to my mutagens. You have been a menace, mostly a minor one, but I couldn’t afford to have you sneaking around me any longer.

As you probably know by now, I have developed new serums. Some of them are so bloody powerful, that a clever owner might be able to rule the world. That was never my intention. I gave up on that with Gisela, where I learned, just as you did, that it was a futile effort to control the world. However, instead of redirecting your better desires like I did, Mara, you decided to give in to your hate. You are angry and bitter, and that’s why you’re going to be locked away while I am free.

I don’t hate you, and mostly feel sorry for you. Still love, this is the best that I can do. Perhaps once your mutations have been wiped out, you’ll know why I did this all.

It took some soul searching, but I know now the flaw in mutagens is not because it gives so much power so quickly. That is a dangerous thing, but it’s what mutants make of it. The problem is that I gave the mutagen to children. Children who didn’t know enough suffering and were far too idealistic. Ideals are often good, but they’re bloody terrible if they come without compromise. Within those who know compromise, power is best in the hands of the idealistic.

That’s why you scare me Mara. You seem to have no ideals left but lining your pockets with gold. You probably deserve it more than most of the wankers out there, but you don’t care about how you get it. That bothers me Mara.

Jennie is here. It is far too complicated to explain how she got here, and I’ll let her tell you the story if you really want to hear it. She knows you better than I do, so I wouldn’t try to do anything particularly clever. I’ve made sure everyone knows how the poison mutation has effected you. You’re going to be here for a while, so I would make the best of it. The lab is working on some things to help you.

Regards,

Molotov

The letter angered Mara. Yet she read it every day. “Of all the self righteous drivel,” she muttered out loud. She especially took umbrage at the way Molotov talked about the Gisela Open, as if every last Mutant Misfit that died could be written off by him as a childhood mistake. “Such arrogance,” she thought angrily.

Still she continued to read the letter. Not only was it the only source of information that Mara had on her nemesis, but it kept her angry. Being trapped in a specially made cage gave her few opportunities to maintain her spirits, and a sense of vengeance was one of the only emotions she could cultivate.

As infuriating as Molotov’s note was, reading it was better than feeling numb. She renewed her vows to kill Molotov. “If you think I scare you now… just wait,” she thought. “I know the mutagens you’ve been working on…”

[Molotov]

Tenthair-san,

We thank you for your payments. They have always been generous and timely, and we have come to rely on them. We wish you good health and fortune. I apologize that Molotov has not written to you, and that I must write in his stead. However, our work continues in his absence. We have identified two new mutagens according to his specifics, including the shapeshifting and poison mutagens that have escaped us for so long. We have also identified how mutagens manage to appear randomly in nature, and which types of mutagens will not emerge artificially.

As for your project, we have had limited success. A theoretical limb has been constructed, but we have little knowledge about the mutations necessary to make it graft onto you. An unrelated stroke of good fortune may have altered the priorities of some of our scientists, but we hope that the work on Project Jade will not make the preparation of your limb any less expedient. Molotov has is reservations on the theory behind our last design, so we are approaching with caution.

Best respects,

Sami Noreiyuki

Tenthair Tirale was not amused. He had invested far too much of his money into Molotov’s genetic research for them not to find results. The high elf was surprised at first that they had been willing to take his funding. Molotov had turned down quite a few offers for patronage before. The high elf thought it was his reputation in Shanleh that had earned him credibility. Unlike the other funders, most of the monks had considered him to be a native son. The fact that Tenthair had spoken little of their language had failed to disappoint them.

For the most part, Tenthair had been content to leave the science to people like Molotov and the monks at the monastery. However, the recent progress report he had received was unsatisfactory. He was displeased, and that meant that his bosses would undoubtedly be displeased. Tenthair was going to have to remind them that his funding didn’t come out of some perverse desire for scientific research, but because he intended to see results. Tenthair had only agreed not to take samples of the existing serums in exchange for a completely repaired arm. The fact that a new project called Jade had taken up valuable research time was completely unacceptable. As Tenthair reread the missive he received, he could barely believe the arrogance of the lead researcher.

“And they tell me now Molotov isn’t even there,” he thought angrily. Tenthair had hoped that he’d get his hand back by the Cell. Now, that seemed quite unlikely. He had no intention of tolerating it. Soon, he would be at the monastery, and he would take care of business there.

[Molotov]

Mara Jade didn’t quite know why everyone seemed to be particularly agitated lately, but the tension in the lab was quite unseemly for a monastery. Mara reveled in it, to see her captors running around the place like rats in a maze, it almost felt like their positions had been reversed with hers. Everything was so particularly brisk, they had even forgotten to take blood samples from Mara. “They’ll probably forget to feed me too,” she realized. It wasn’t too bad a price, the shapeshifter would have gradually sacrificed a days rations if it meant she could go without the incessant prods and pokes with hypodermic needles. They had taken a great number of samples, all to see if Mara’s genome had reverted back to what it had been before the poison mutation.

However, Mara was fortunate this day. Despite the hurried atmosphere, Jennie Stormer had remembered that Mara needed to eat. She brought a more simple plate than usual, this one consisting of nothing more than steamed rice and a banana, but it was better than Mara had expected. Jennie was too kind.

Mara watched now as Jennie used the little contraption that had been rigged up to feed her. Molotov had been particularly concerned about Mara using food as an opportunity to unleash her poisons on the lab. As such, he had installed a special box in the wall, one with air tight seals both on Mara’s side, and in the outside to the lab. Whenever the box was opened on the lab side, Mara’s side would suddenly be electrified at a fatal level. However, even before it could be open, Jennie needed to complete an initial scan of toxins in the air.

“Seems to check out,” the blonde declared.

Mara smiled snidely. “You’ve already died once, what should it bother you?” Mara really wasn’t sure where all her rage towards Jennie had come from. Jennie had been one of the nicest people to her during the Gisela campaign, and even here in the lab she had been quite kind. However, Mara couldn’t get over the thought that not only had Jennie forgiven Molotov, but that Jennie had sided with Molotov over her. “She even helped get me here…” Mara thought bitterly.

However, Mara still had a need for conversation. Her days were particularly dull without it, and Jennie seemed to be the only person in Shanleh who was even remotely concerned with treating Mara a captive humanely. Thus, she hoped her sarcasm wouldn’t drive Jennie away.

Mara was lucky. It didn’t. Jennie merely blinked in sadness and looked up at Mara like a long lost friend. “I thought you’d be happy to see me, even under the circumstances,” Jennie said. She then shrugged. “I suppose I thought wrong.”

That sent Mara into a wave of desperation. “Jennie no!” the former Misfit managed. “Jennie, I’m glad to see you, just under this circumstance…”

Jennie sighed and took a piece of paper out from her pocket. “Molotov wanted me to give this to you when he thought you were ready…” she said. “But I suppose I’ll just give it to you now…”

With that, Jennie left and turned off the lights. It would only be come morning that Mara could read the letter. In the meantime, the elusive shapeshifter would have to make herself content eating in the dark and pondering the mystery of the letter.

“Never thought you’d be so cruel Jennie… not you…” Mara rued.

[Molotov]

A few hours past midnight, it occurred to Mara that she could still read the letter. All she would have to do was adjust her eyes so that they functioned with less light. For a shapeshifter, that was an elementary transformation, requisite in so many lizardian and serpentine shapes that were almost essential in her routines.

Thus, she felt a little foolish as she adjusted her vision and dug out the letter that Molotov had written for her. Carefully, she unfolded the paper, her hands seeming that much more clumsy the more anxious that she got. Mara didn’t know what the paper contained, but if it explained how Jennie had come back to life, then the shapeshifter desperately wanted to know of it. Already, she envisioned resurrecting the rest of the Mutant Misfits that hated Molotov from Gisela; Jeremiah Frost, Will Moore and the entire battalion of disfigured mutants that Molotov had just let die. Once she escaped this cage, she would revive them, take over the lab and make Molotov pay. With an army, it would be that much easier for her to collect her reparations.

Finally, Mara got the paper open. Like a hungry diner with a voracious appetite, she moved on to her note.


Mara,

You’re probably wondering about Jennie now, how she got here, why she’s with me and all of that stuff. No doubt you’ve looked through my books (or the ones you could find) trying to figure out how I brought back the dead. The fact is, I didn’t. It was done by a creature named Onyx Calico during an adventure we had in Salvar. We had stolen an ice shield from the forgotten ones, and for some sodding reason, Calico took this as reason to vomit up Jennie’s soul. Now she exists as a ghost, corporeal enough to function in our world, though I’m not exactly sure if she’s real. Not that it matters anyways… none of us are real since the mutations.

Jennie may have wanted to tell you this herself, but I’m not sure what she thinks of you anymore. She’s different from the Jennie you knew, no longer dying, no longer affected by my serums. She’s happier now without you. She didn’t want you here, and she’ll probably be happier when you’re gone.

You’re cursed with my old curse Mara Jade. Everything you touch turns to ashes, and you won’t be able to fix it as long as the mutation is within you. You’re too stubborn with it, you think it entitles you. It doesn’t.

I suppose somewhere in here, you probably expect an apology. Thing is, you aren’t getting one. For all the bloody people out there who I’ve wronged somewhere, I never really did wrong you. You were the one who joined my army, and you’re the one that stole my serums. That’s why I’m never apologizing to you. There were mistakes made in the past, but if we want a better future, I’d just as soon bury those mistakes. Mine and yours.

Molotov

This letter was considerably less formal than the other. The last bit about the apology seemed more like an addendum to the previous letter than something that belonged here. “Or perhaps it’s some kind of message about how he wants me to treat Jennie,” Mara wondered. Anyways, the note was a huge disappointment. If what Molotov said was true, though she had no certainty that it was, then there was no resurrection serum.

Reading the note had been nothing more than a waste of time.

[Molotov]

Tenthair arrived at the monastery and seemed less than impressed. It seemed almost criminal that a research project of such importance would be held in a place that seemed so utterly antiquated and out of touch with reality. Instead of the smells of Alerar’s industry or Corone’s business district, the only things that Tenthair smelled in the Shanleh air were rice noodles and incense. “This better be worth my while,” he thought grimly as he made his way towards the laboratory. A pair of monks had directed him, and after what was an overly elaborate show of gratitude, they had offered him an embarrassing cornucopia of herbs to dull the pain of his severed limb.

Naturally, Tenthair had refused them all. His injury represented weakness, a weakness that he didn’t want to show. As the financier of the research, he had always fancied himself in a position of power. Even Molotov himself had been willing to offer a few polite words every now and then. His severed limb represented the exact opposite. It was a failure on his part, and Tenthair hated to be reminded of it. That was why he had been financing Molotov’s research, it represented his best and only chance at some kind of revitalization.

When he had found Molotov had left the project temporarily, it was a pure slap in the face. To hear his own aspect of the project was being held in abeyance due to a recent development was just all the more insulting. Someone needed to make sure the people in the lab remembered who supplied them. That was why Tenthair was there.

However, when he got to the lab, he found nobody. There were vials, test tubes, small burners and many multicolored liquids, but not a single person anywhere.

“Hello?” Tenthair called out irritably. He kept his ears open attentively, but got no answer. “Hello?” he called out again.

This time, there was a rustle.

This caught Tenthair by alarm, because he saw no one. He turned behind him, and no one had entered. Wishing that he still had his pistol, the vampire began to survey the room more cautiously. All the walls seemed solid stone, save for a portion that had been covered by a linen curtain. “Quite suspicious,” Tenthair thought. He reached for his sword and moved towards the curtain cautiously. The rustling sounds were getting louder, only now they were beginning to sound more like a muffled beating, as if someone was on the other side of a sound proof cage.

Tenthair curiosity was piqued. He thought back to the mention of a new Project Jade. The vampire had paid little attention to the name earlier, but now he couldn’t help but to notice that Jade was in fact a woman’s name. A smile appeared on his lips. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a dirty little secret,” he said out loud as he pulled the curtain away violently.

And there, confirming his suspicions stood a woman banging impassionedly against the glass. “Help me…” she mouthed.

[Molotov]

Mara had no idea what to make of this stranger before her. He looked nothing like a rescuer, or even one that might be capable of such an action. This elf who had somehow stumbled into the lab seemed quite wealthy, but he lacked any of the sophisticated air that often accompanied people like that. Instead of the offsetting arrogance that was almost endemic to wealth, the elf before her seemed hollow and tired.

“And he’s even lost an arm…” Mara noticed. She didn’t say anything, sound was barred. Unless someone was to open up her food slot, there was no way that she could have any kind of communication. The shapeshifter thus waited, curious how long it would take this stranger to figure this fact out.

After fifteen minutes, she lost her patience. She began to pantomime the actions. It took another five minutes before the elf understood her. Finally, they were able to have conversation, and the trouble that it took getting to this point made Mara a bit more attentive than she might have normally been to a stranger for whom she had no plans for.

“Good you finally figured it out,” she quipped dryly. “I’ll skip the obvious question first by answering it. Yes, I’m kept in prison here, and yes I would reward you any way you want if you got me free…”

The high elf’s response particularly surprised Mara. “Don’t know if you’re of any use,” he said bluntly. “So why would I want to rescue you.”

Mara blinked. “Do you like Molotov?” she asked.

“He has his uses,” the elf replied.

Mara didn’t miss a beat. “I have more.”

There was a pause before the elf replied. Mara tried not to seem too desperate.

“Well then, since you have more uses, tell me how he’s locked you in this cage.”

That struck a nerve. Mara shuddered reflexively before replying. “Because he got lucky,” she said angrily. She took a deep breath, contemplating whether or not she should create some kind of a ruse that would let her poison this annoying creature. Yet, she refrained, because he seemed like her best hope of escape. He was the first person she’d seen in a long time whose loyalties to Molotov seemed uncertain. With no other plan, it was truly a sellers market for the captured shapeshifter.

Knowing she’d have to change her tone, Mara swallowed a bit of her pride as she continued. “Well look…” she said. “this isn’t really fun for me in here, but trust me, you’ll find out how useful I am soon enough…”

The feline smirked. “Are you project Jade?”

Mara bit her lip. “So that’s what he’s calling me…” she realized. “I’d assume so. That is my surname.”

“Tenthair Tirale,” the feline said, introducing himself. “I suppose then there are deals that can be reached.”

Mara smiled.

[Molotov]

Tenthair had been a bit surprised by the girl. It was clear just from her demeanor that she had deserved to be locked up. Any little bit of sympathy she may have accrued through the direness of her plight was quickly washed away by her attitude. However, the elf felt that he had been particularly clever in his responses. He’d given nothing away, and even his pledge to help was cryptic. Tenthair didn’t doubt for a moment that this Jade was a mutant, and that her powers were likely to be quite dangerous when released. Until he knew more information, he had no intention of letting her go free.

“If there is anything you need, please let me know,” he said. “I want you to be comfortable here.” With that, he shut the food slot and drew the curtains back. He then sat down at one of the lab’s benches and waited impatiently for someone else to arrive. He paid no attention to her protestations as he left her in her prison.

Eventually a messenger arrived. Kedx could tell that it was no one important from just a mere look at the boy. The messenger was a native child, and seemed to glance furtively at all the beakers and liquids as if looking at them too long would anger some kind of invisible spirits.

“Can I help you?” Tenthair asked coldly.

The boy gulped. It was clear his tradespeak wasn’t particularly good. He stumbled through a few words that were either gibberish or his native tongue before putting the paper on one of the lab tables and leaving. Kedx grinned. He had thought that he’d caught the word “Molotov-san” somewhere in there. This was either a letter for, or from Molotov. Either way, the vampire doubted he would have been wanted to have read it under most normal circumstances.

That just made him all the more eager to read.

Noreiyuki-sensei, Jennie,

I’m not really happy as I’m writing this. I was training for the Cell, but then I heard rumors about an insurrection in Vainta. I went to help, thinking that I had really put the Gisela Open behind me. I thought that all the training I’d done here and all the talks I’ve had with you were going to mean something. They didn’t. In battle, I froze, I lost men, went on crazy suicide missions and was ultimately unsuccessful. The only difference now is its Haidia and not the Misfits paying for it.

I just feel so numb, but I’m going to have to compete in the Cell anyways… If Mara doesn’t come to the lab, I’m going to have to bloody draw her out somehow. There are also too many bloody nobles I’m going to have to get off my back before I can work on anything in peace. Thing is, I’m starting to wonder just how much I bloody care. I’m beginning to think sometimes that because I’m so far from perfect, nothing I’ve ever done matters all that much anyways. Not that anything anyone’s done ever mattered, least of all me.

I could use some good news, so if you have any, please send letters to the Broke-thorn inn. I’ve registered as Jay Bentley, so that’d be who you’d want to send it to. In the interim, I’ll be surviving, because that’s what people like me do. We bloody survive, whether or not that’s a good thing or not is a matter of opinion.

Hopefully the Cell goes better. I'm just so damned sorry about all the bollocks with Gisela.

With love and respect,

Molotov

Tenthair bit his lip. “Damnit…” he thought. ”Not only is the bastard not working on my arm, but he’s now fighting in the Cell instead of me…”

Right then and there, Tenthair resolved that regardless of what Noreiyuki would say, he was going to be ending his agreement with Molotov and setting Mara Jade free. It would be worth it just to punish Molotov, even if he had to go to other sources for an arm.

[Molotov]

Before Tenthair could act upon his resolution, he was interrupted by a blonde haired woman. “Uhh… you’re Tenthair Tirale, right?” she asked. She scratched her head, trying to remember when he had been invited to see the facility. “We’re about a day away from testing the first prototype of your arm…”

Tenthair’s frown faded cautiously. “Really…” he said. “Quite a coincidence, given that I am here and all.” He assume this was the Jennie Stormer who occasionally wrote their correspondences.

Jennie smiled nervously. “Well it is…” she said. “But it’s just a prototype, it might not work exactly… you know? Don’t get too eager before we figure this out for sure…”

Tenthair looked around. The laboratory was certainly messy enough to suggest that people had been working there recently. Papers and files were scattered everywhere, some of them even stained by chemicals. However, Tenthair couldn’t see a single experiment being conducted, nor a single vile of a serum anywhere. There was also nothing that resembled an arm anywhere. The only thing of interest was a large safe mounted on the back wall. It seemed to be secured with both magic and a thick padlock.

“If they’re working on my arm… it doesn’t look like they’re doing much of a job of it…” Tenthair thought snidely. “Where’s Molotov?” he asked, even though he knew the answer.

Jennie blushed. “He’s not here,” she said. “But I do most of the applied research anyways. Molotov handles the theory, he doesn’t have the discipline to see things all the way through, you know?”

Tenthair nodded. “I see,” he said. “And what proof do I have that I can see a prototype tomorrow?”

Jennie turned to a desk on her left, rummaged through some papers and then handed Tenthair a piece of blue paper that was full of scribbles and had a few iodine stains. “I’m sorry if it isn’t neat enough,” she said sarcastically. “But if you had even told us you were coming, then we could have shown you something more formal. If you want, we’ll test the prototype in front of you tomorrow, but don’t hold me responsible if the whole damn thing backfires on you…”

“Thank you,” Tenthair replied evenly. It was clear that Jennie had little patience for him. He began to read the note.


20% 46% poison serum. 5% lightning, rest Molotov’s regeneration… Poison effects only in large doses. Final tests tomorrow. (Tests OK!) Regen permanent though. Lab rats regrew their tails for 9 10 15 30 days. Label under alpha…

Bloody hell Jen- this is Omega if any damn thing is
- Mol

“We’ve fixed the poison problem now…” Jennie said. “The only affects you’ll have with the finished product is a healed arm. Nothing long term or damaging, but right now, it’s only a prototype, alright?”

“Of course,” Tenthair replied. He tried not to smirk. The idea that he might not want to have the kinds of long term effects they were talking about seemed laughable.

[Molotov]

That night, Mara could hear someone rustling through the lab. She could tell it wasn’t someone who was supposed to be there, by the fact that they had muffled shoes. She knew that it wasn’t an ordinary burglar, because they had headed for the lab instead of one of the rooms with more riches. She scowled. Mara didn’t want anyone getting at Molotov’s serums other than her. She felt that she deserved them, they were reparations for all the things that the mutant had done to her.

“To hell!” she thought. She banged her fists against her transparent wall. “To hell with this all! She cursed Molotov for trapping her, cursed herself for falling into his trap. Poisonous clouds of air had puffed out her nose as she exhaled angrily, privately fuming over everything that had happened to her.

It was almost as if her hatred for Molotov had taken a life of its own and was starting to overcome every last rational thought in her brain. Now, she wanted nothing more than for the person in the lab to be dead. She couldn’t even stop her ranting as the person came near her, and removed a cloth skull cap to reveal that he was the same elf that she had met earlier in the day.

“You!” she hissed. With her hair waving wildly, she threw herself upon her barricade. She knew that the elf couldn’t hear her, but she still convulsed wildly anyways. By now a green poison mist had collected along the top of her cell.

The elf took notice. Instead of saying anything, he went back into the lab. A few minutes later, he returned and shoved a note through the food slot. Mara had calmed down by the time the elf had returned, but her cage had become so saturated with poison that it would be hard for her to tell.

Meekly, she went over to the letter and began to read it. It was simple, terse and to the point, and its words made her feel that much more ashamed about her outburst.


I’ll be back tomorrow, as long as you’re sane. We’ll talk about the potions then, I need your help.

The shapeshifter chaffed at those thoughts. “If I’d have kept my cool, I’d have been out of here by now,” she realized. With a sigh, she made her way back over to the corner and hugged her knees up to her chest. A single tear fell from her eye before she fell asleep.

[Molotov]

Later that afternoon, Mara could see people in the lab arguing. She couldn’t make out their words, but their gestures made their intentions readily apparent. Given what she had encountered the last night, Mara could imagine the subject of the arguments. Tenthair wanted to get potions that Jennie wouldn’t let him have.

“Figures,” Mara mumbled out loud. “Everybody wants their hands on my potions...”

She wondered why she spoke out loud when there was nobody in the cell with her. If there was anyone listening, it would be a covert listening device that Molotov had installed. Mara wouldn’t have put it past her formal general to have installed one. She knew he had some kind of a plan for her, because he had let her live. She knew that Molotov was not the kind of person who spared someone’s life because of cheap sentimentality.

Mara figured it was because she wanted to stay sane. Being trapped in a cell could be grating on the mind, and being surrounded by people she had such conflicted emotions towards could tug at her heart-strings. By talking to herself, Mara felt that she at least had some degree of control over something, if only her own voice.

She began to scribble a bit more down on the piece of paper that she had been given. The second day she had been locked in the cell, Molotov had placed a notebook in for her use. She had refused to use it up until now, but with the promise that Tenthair was going to break her out tonight, she had begun to write diligently. She wanted to leave a farewell message for Molotov, just to pay him back for all the letters he had sent her.

“That bastard has taken advantage of my captivity with his stupid letters,” she thought. “Let’s see what he thinks of this when I’ve burned his entire fucking place to the ground...”

Mara scribbled furiously, only to be interrupted by both Tenthair and Jennie. The two of them had stopped arguing, and now hovered over her with their arms folded. Mara didn’t like this change in their reactions.

“What is it?” she said. She realized they hadn’t opened the lunch slot. They couldn’t hear her yet. She banged on the clear wall. “What is it?” she shouted. The whites of her eyes had begun to take a slight green hue.

She watched as Jennie took out a piece of paper, let Tenthair read over it and then slip it into her food slot. Mara grabbed the paper voraciously and began to read, she felt as though her freedom was contingent on the words written there.


Mara,

Tenthair and Molotov labs have come to a compromise we believe we both can live with. We will devote more of our energies to his arm, cutting down on any project that does not directly relate to that. Unfortunately, that means the end of Project Jade. By the end of tonight, we will have created a serum that will eliminate your powers. Molotov had come close to it as a cure for Jennie and we think we can perfect it fast. Tommorrow you will receive it. There will be some risks, but they are risks we’re willing to take. We’ll cure you of your powers, and you’ll be free.

Mara crumbled up the piece of paper and threw it at the wall, straight at Tenthair’s head.

“YOU SOLD ME OUT!” she screamed. A huge cloud of poison spewed out of her mouth as she shouted.

[Molotov]

Mara was asleep that night when she heard the sound of a crash. The transparent barrier that had kept her captive had been destroyed. Dark energy rotated around the fragments of the barrier that were now scattered all on the floor. Mara’s eyes opened wide. The person who had released her was capable of some very powerful magic.

She looked up and she saw a man clothed completely in black. Mara looked into the eyes of the stranger, and she was sure she had recognized him. “The elf,” she recognized. She had seen too few people not to recognize one of those few that she had seen recently.

Mara smirked. “I thought you were going to let them fix me,” she said.

“I couldn’t let them,” he replied. “I don’t trust them here, they’ve tried too hard to keep me from my arm...”

The shapeshifter knew that wasn’t the case, but she decided it was best not to contradict him. Especially now that she had been set free. “Then again, now that I’m free, I don’t really need this jerk,” Mara thought. “He doesn’t care about me, if he did, I’d have been freed by now.”

Mara didn’t even realize that her anger had reached such a great simmering point that she now needed to justify a person’s life to stop her from killing them. However, just right before she was to let a mist of poison seep out from her lips, she caught herself. Whatever the elf’s powers, they were formidable, and now he had committed himself to freeing her, Mara figured he’d have to help her escape. She figured Molotov had at least a few other fighters in his lab, and so he would still come in handy.

“Lets go get the serums,” he said. “I want any of the ones that would be of use to me.”

Mara nodded. She dropped the notebook with her incomplete last diatribe against Molotov in her cell and then headed out into the lab. Immediately, she headed for a set of serums that were kept near the burners. Mara had never seen their colors before, but recognized them as being similar to the poison one she had ingested.

“You hadn’t heard anything about new serums?” Mara asked.

Tenthair nodded. “They’ve got some new ones,” she said. “They called them omegas...”

Mara smiled. “These must be them,” she said. She knew the omegas were powerful, but didn’t explain them that way to Tenthair. “They’re some new experimental ones, there are ones on the desk over there that are probably better. One of them is fire, another is lightning. Take those if you want them for profit, I’ll look through his notes to see if they do have the cure for your arm...”

Once Tenthair was distracted with other serums, Mara put the vials she wanted into her pocket. She shifted the shapes of her eyes so that she could read in the dark and began to leaf through Molotov’s papers. She wasn’t looking for anything for Tenthair though, instead she wanted to know more about the serums she had grabbed. Soon, she found what she was looking for.


Tesla, Poison, Radiation and Growth- They must be destroyed if Mara’s coming. Either that or we trap her.

We’ll trap her yeah. Bloody hell, Jennie, you gotta add regen here too.

Mara laughed sardonically. A few pieces of paper later and she realized that a fluorescent peach serum she had pocketed was regeneration. Before she could think about the implications of it, Tenthair called out to her.

“Find anything about a regenerative thing yet?” he said. “I’ll need that to get back my arm.”

Mara only replied by releasing her poisons into the room.

[Molotov]

Mara only hovered over Tenthair’s dead body for a few moments. She didn’t dwell very long the elf that had freed her, but instead kicked the elf’s pale corpse. After a few minutes, Mara transformed into a small fox and disappeared into the night. She moved quietly, and disappeared without incident. She remembered that Molotov had plans to enter the Cell, and while she knew she would not reach soon enough to stop his entry, she could sabotage his victory.

-x-

The next morning, Jennie was the only one who could enter the lab. There was too much residue from poison. The corporeal ghost had no need to breathe, and so she could discover the notebook that Mara had left behind. Jennie had noticed many of the more vital serums were gone, and she hoped that Mara’s notebook would give her some insight into the shapeshifter’s intentions. When she opened it, she found nothing about Mara, but enlightening information none the less.


Molotov,

I know you think you were clever, writing notes to me that I could never return. Were you afraid of what you’d say when I had the last word? Now that you’ve said what you wanted to, now I’m going to let you know the truth. You’re an ass.

Everything you tried one time, you failed at it completely. You thought you were the big fish in the pond, and you could eat any of the little fishes that you wanted. I remember the way you threw us all at the nobles in Radasanth and slipped away. It was pathetic. I was just glad that I was smart enough to leave before they killed me to. Clarion escaped, but you killed him. But you won’t get me. I’m too smart for you.

Just you wait Molotov. You might never see this, because I already killed me. If we’re minnows, then you’re a minnow too. Everything that happened in Gisela was your fault, but everything that happens after will be mine.

Love,

Mara

The word love was written sarcastically. Jennie could tell that by the marking Mara had put near it. There was a green smudging that was a bit difficult to make out, and Jennie might have not got what it was if she didn’t know the relationship between Mara and Molotov so well. When she saw it, she knew with certainty it wouldn’t end until at least one of them died.

With lips stained by poision, Mara had sealed her letter to Molotov with a kiss.

[Molotov]

The lab had returned to normal within a week. The area that had once held Mara Jade was converted back into its original purpose as a storage facility, and the poison had been cleared from the air. Sami Noreiyuki wondered when Molotov would return. There were a number of issues that the mutant would have to take care of. They would need someone to go after Mara, someone to get new research support for the labs, and someone who could find a way to stop the ongoing march of science without conscience. Sami wondered if Molotov could do all those things, but he knew someone needed to.

He took a look at one of the few serums that Mara had not stolen. It was for a lightening mutation, and the only person to have ever experienced the serum had been Jennie Stormer. Her brain had denatured as a result.

He smiled as a delivery boy came in with the day’s mail. There was a letter in there from Molotov. Sami smiled. He didn’t know what the message would be, but he had a great deal of faith in the outworlder.


Noreiyuki-san, Jennie,

Mara met with me. As you can imagine it didn’t go well. That bloody bird cost me my chances in the Cell. The worst is she’s infected me, infected me with the bloody Tesla mutation. I don’t know if she just got lucky, or if she actually planned it out, but that’s the one with the same catch as the lightening bugger. The more you use it, the more it rots your mind. It’s easier to control, but the more you use it, the more it’s going to destroy you. Drop everything else to work on that. We’re going to need more money, I heard about Tenthair, poor sod. I’ll find some way to get that. Don’t worry about a thing. I failed with my mutations once, I’m not going to fail again.

Thing is Jennie, I’m sorry that I failed you, but you ever feel like everything is just so big around you that you’re nothing more than a minnow in a sea of bloody sharks. The whole time we were in school, I felt like a poor sod who just couldn’t get a break. When we were in Gisela I felt the same way. We were tired and bloody run ragged.

Sami, I don’t know if you’d understand. You weren’t there when we fought in Gisela. It doesn’t make a difference though, you wouldn’t have liked us then. We were all a bunch of poor sods, me, Jennie, Mara. Not sure if you would have understood, but between us, we could never figure out what we were doing. In the end, I ended it the only way I knew how, but it wasn’t bloody good enough. Now it seems like the whole lab is paying for it, and I can’t say anything about that other than that I’m too sorry. I know if you’d still want to take a piss.

Jennie, Sami, I’ll bloody talk to you later, once I’ve got this figured out. For now I’ll be heading to Salvar. It’s a cold place, good for disappearing. I can get the money I need there.

Best,

Molotov

[Ataraxis]

Quest Judging
Paper Molotov: Minnows

This was a breeze to read, simply put: I’ve rarely ever gone through fifteen posts without asking myself at least once if the end was coming near. I don’t know what the score will end up being, but I have an inkling it won’t disappoint! Just for good measure, I’ll judge this to the sound of combat rock and the drums of war, oh yeah.


STORY

Continuity ~ 8/10. To many of my questions, you incorporated the answer seamlessly into the narrative and the dialogue. You even used an epistolary device the advance the plot, filling in blanks in your reader’s mind while staying thoroughly insightful and engaging. I had a bit of trouble with the expeditious explanation of Jennie’s revival, and I’m not quite sure how she even died to begin with. Tenthair’s severed arm and his involvement in the Cell wasn’t expounded on enough to enlighten me, though it was there at least. As for Mara, she’s a bit of a mystery in this category. Where was she and what was she doing before being captured? I’m guessing you didn’t explain how the capture went along because it was superfluous, though I think a quick summary would’ve worked for it.

Setting ~ 7/10. The setting in itself was limited to the monastery in Shanleh, but you did surprisingly well with what little you had to go on. The few words about rice noodles and incense were enough to set the ambiance and raise both the opposition and synthesis of the place’s spiritual aspect with its uses as a laboratory, and you kept this feeling consistent throughout the thread. The laboratories were well-described, with good details about the disorderly fashion of their arrangement. The glass tube and the lunch slot were particularly interesting touches that added to the experimental aspect of this quest. I couldn’t give you a higher score, because though the picture I had was close to tangible, there were some parts where the setting had lost focus, and in general, you didn’t rely heavily on it, favoring other things such as, you guessed it, the pacing.

Pacing ~ 9/10. What can I say that I already haven’t said? I went through this like it was the best thing since salt on brownies. Try it, it’s awesome. It stumbled at a few places only, such as the letter about Jennie’s revival and Jennie’s talk with Tenthair. Otherwise, I was a bit sad that it ended so abruptly, with the secondary characters left to fade behind Molotov’s words.

CHARACTER

Dialogue ~ 8/10. Molotov has a very distinct way of speaking, or rather writing, that makes him stand out as a man of actual flesh and blood, who’s seen a lot and regrets a lot, but tries not to pine and actually do something about his mistakes. There might have been at some point abuse of th word bloody, but even that I enjoyed. Jennie wasn’t very vivid a character, at least compared to Mara, who went through such a wide emotional range in this thread I’m not sure what to peg her. Chaotic, perhaps? Tenthair was interesting, though his being a plot device was a bit too obvious. Sad to see him leave, though!

Action ~ 7/10. Some things didn’t quite add up, like why Mara was banging on the glass the very moment Tenthair was in the room. She knew that none of the scientists would ever let her out, or maybe not even hear her with the curtains closed. Even if she were desperate (which I find uncharacteristic of her, considering her somewhat composed nature in the post preceding Tenthair’s arrival) this meeting between to two was just a little bit contrived.

I’d have also thought that there would be a scanner inside the lunch slot that would allow Jennie to know Mara’s poison had been released the first night Tenthair came incognito: he opened the slot, put a note in, and Mara recovered it. By doing so, gas would have escaped inside the slot, just not on the other side of the wall. This seems like something Molotov wouldn’t have overlooked by asking for the slot to be built.

I’m also not sure just how Tenthair managed to infiltrate the monastery/laboratory twice in a row without being detected, and he even shattered Mara’s glass cage: if, like she presumed, there had been fighters stationed there as guards, wouldn’t they have heard the noise and rushed to the labs? And didn’t Mara need Tenthair’s help disposing of said fighter mutants? Killing him off simply because she didn’t want to give him the vial wasn’t the wisest move, as he could’ve simply fooled him with a different vial, or killed after they escaped safely, recovering the actual regen serum from his corpse. Impulse, perhaps? Still, she waited before and even chided herself for her quick outbursts; she could’ve waited a bit longer.

The rest of the action was fitting to all the characters and made a lot of sense. Tenthair did everything someone desperate to recover a lost limb would do, but still kept his composure as he planned to ‘betray’ Molotov. Same goes for someone desperate to escape, such as Mara.

Persona ~ 7.5/10. As always, Molotov shone. Damn him, he wasn’t even physically present in the stupid quest and he gets praise! His only presence was through the epistles and notes, however, so he’d get the same score as in dialogue. Instead, I’ll focus on Tenthair, Jennie and Mara, who form a rather unbalanced triumvirate in Molotov’s absence.

Tenthair went from the vexed and impatient noble to a conniving backstabber who wanted Molotov to pay for ignoring the work on his arm and living the life he wanted to live (that is, participating in the Cell) to someone who was too easily fooled by Mara. He’s a smart man, he should have guessed from her instability that she might kill him the moment she was freed. His mindset seemed inconsistent at some key points in the thread, though all in all, he still had a solid and believable personality.

Mara, as I’ve said, is a psychotic girl with bipolar tendencies, which does warrant sometimes irrational behavior, so I think you did well with her. Jennie seemed out of it, more like a tertiary character than anything, and I never got a feel about her. She first came off a kind, then cold, then flustered in her conversation with Tenthair. I can’t say much about Sami, since he only popped up at the end after one letter to the vampire.

WRITING STYLE

Technique ~ 7.5/10. There were the basics, metaphors, similes and the analogies, which I thoroughly enjoyed. You also, as I’ve already mentioned, made use of the epistolary device, giving this thread more depth than a straightforward narrative alone would’ve. Your writing isn’t heavy on rhetorical devices otherwise, which explains the sliiiiightly lesser score, but I consider that a choice rather than a disregard, as you manage fluidity with this eager sacrifice. Fluidity is good technique, amiright? Yaimright!

Mechanics ~ 9/10. It wasn’t perfect, but there were only a few mistakes that I noticed on the first read. Just a note, in the general sense of these terms, to affect is to have an effect, while to effect is to bring about something or making something happen.

Clarity ~ 7/10. Though the quest itself was very easy to read, some things I just could not understand. You mention mutagens and serums that induce specific mutations. Does this mean Mara was infected with one, or had she gained her shapeshifting and/or poisonous powers through other means? And just why, then, does she talk about ‘her serum’? I think it’s the serum that gave her poison abilities, but it could also be that they’re making a mutagen out of the samples of her blood. But why would they if they’re trying to cure her of a power they consider too dangerous for anyone to use? Is it being used as an antidote instead?

Same thing for Tenthair’s arm. You speak of a prototype for his arm, and then you have Jennie show him a piece of paper that mentions poison serum and lightning. Which is it? An artificially created limb, or the serum to regenerate his arm? Or is it that they have his arm, but something’s happened to it and they can’t reattach it before they deal with it? If that’s so, then this would go into continuity as well, but let’s call this the benefit of the doubt. Save for the more technical aspects of this solo, however, I think everything was in tip-top shape, so congrats!

MISCELLANEOUS

Wild Card ~ 8/10. What can I say? I’m a mutant geek, and this was like Christmas 08 came in early. That notwithstanding, I think you did an amazing job with this story, and I had a lot of fun reading this!

TOTAL ~ 78/100. Whoop-dee-doo!

EXP Rewards

Molotov gains: 4170 XP!

GP Rewards

Molotov gains: 220 GP!

Other Rewards

None, as you requested nothing, and the stuff you gained IC was already approved in your profile update!

FINAL NOTES

Once again, congratulations on a very good thread! I know it’s disappointing that it’s 2 points short of the ‘officious’ JC number – heck, I was disappointed that it didn’t get there too. Still, that’s only the officious number, so who knows!

Rain on the leaves, soldier sing, Ataraxis out!

[Karuka]

EXP/GP added!