[open/closed] I watched a change in you

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who: John Sheppard & friends, GUEST STARRING the retrovirus, and anyone unlucky enough to cross his path
what: John's problematic transformation from a man into a manbugthing and all the drama that follows
when: Late April to early May
where: Various, inside and outside the wall
warnings: Graphic violence, sexual content, disturbing imagery, language... your typical Rated R Sci-fi movie

Day 0: John is bitten by a venomous insect in the field. Lingering traces of the Irratus bug retrovirus in his system are activated in biological defense, successfully counteracting the venom.

Day 1: No outward physical mutation. Physiological condition is optimized. All symptoms of stress, fatigue and exertion are eliminated. Near instantaneous healing of minor wounds. Strength, speed, stamina, and durability are at peak human capacity. Dopamines and hormones exceed normal levels. Positive change in mood is subsequent.

Day 2: No outward physical mutation. Instantaneous healing of minor wounds. Strength, speed, stamina, and durability are above peak human capacity. Dopamines and hormones are off the charts. Senses are enhanced. Extreme decline of mental/emotional/sexual inhibitions. Behaviour is erratic and reactive.

Day 3: Physical mutation begins, progressing rapidly. Pupils become slitted. Skin and extremities show signs of textural change, becoming rough, hardened and discoloured. Grey dermal patterning covers significant portion of body. Near instantaneous healing of major wounds. Strength, speed, stamina, and durability , as well as senses, are super-human. Shift of brain chemicals and hormones from human to Iratus bug. Loss of mental/emotional/sexual inhibitions. Behaviour is extremely erratic, reactive, and violent.

Day 4: Physical mutation advances significantly, altering facial features. Skin takes on an exoskeleton appearance. Strength, speed, stamina, and durability, as well as senses, are super-human. Complete regenerative ability. Extreme shift of brain chemicals and hormones from human to Iratus bug. Loss of mental/emotional/sexual inhibitions. Loss of identity, and some cognitive function. Behaviour is that of an apex predator. Hyper-violent, territorial, and predatory.

Day 5: Chrysalis. Complete transformation to Iratus hybrid, and loss of human consciousness. Point of no return.

Comments

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"Alex! Finally got some shuteye." If John's looking good, it's because he's feeling good. After his first solid night of sleep in nearly a month, John feels like a brand new man.

He walks up to her, coffee in hand, and plants a kiss on her cheek. He's not big on PDA in any form, but today? It just feels right. She's his friend, and he's glad to see her. If anyone has a problem they can say it to his face.

His smile falters for just a split second when she asks after Poe. Them. The relationship. That whole disaster.

"No, but..." He's feeling strangely optimistic about the possibility of being really over it. No, optimistic is the wrong word. He just feels incapable of being weighed down right now. High on life. Or maybe high on the sleeping pills Carson prescribed him.

Either way, today is different.

"I've got my own stuff going on. Had a great run this morning, too. Busted my previous record. Smoked Sam Wilson."

[11calls]

Alex just laughs when he kisses her cheek and she gives him a little nod. Getting actual sleep can be a miracle and a natural high so it's not unexpected how up her friend is today. He seems good, and he looks good even if it's not because he ended up getting back together with his boyfriend. That could come later, if he kept getting some sleep.

The mention of him beating Sam Wilson earns him a little chuckle and a nod, before she just nodded with an impressed sounding "wow!" She knows of Sam by reputation more than anything else, but he definitely out does alex herself on the running time. And a fair amount of other people who weren't superpowered.

"Clearly I need some of whatever you did to help me sleep!" Her voice is teasing because she's working on both potions and medications that Dr. Frankenstein is giving her, but she's not had that much luck yet. Soon though, hopefully. "I seriously cannot get over how good you look!"

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"Didn't have much of a problem last time we hung out." Innocently said, with a less than innocent smirk.

"You look good too. Always do." He takes a long drink of his coffee, looking around the little cafe.

"Kinda crowded in here. Wanna take a walk?" John offers her his arm.

[11calls]

Alex just chuckled softly, in response before she smirked at him in return. "Well, I do seem to remember that being true..." She let her sentence hang for a minute before she tucked her hand into the crook of his arm.

"Sure, a walk would be good. Where do you feel like walking to?" With her coffee in the other hand, Alex let him lead her outside and away from the crowded cafe with a grin.

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"I dunno. Anywhere. It's nice out. Let's see where we end up." There's something particular beautiful about today. The weather is perfect. Not too warm or cold. Sunny, with just enough clouds to be pretty rather than blazing. A breeze that carries the scent of flowers, and the foods of local food vendors.

Having a pretty girl hanging off of him helps.

"You never talk about where you're from." Not that John can say anything. He's tight-lipped about Atlantis. People he's close to know the basics, but he doesn't disclose anything that could pose a potential threat to security. He'd rather be safe than sorry. You never know who's listening.

He wouldn't be surprised if there are Genii even here.

[11calls]

"Okay. Taking a wander sounds good. I haven't done one of those in a while." Of course Alex took her dog out for a walk three times a day, but the two of them had set patterns of where they went and where they ended up. With John, she didn't have that, so she just figured she'd enjoy the time out in the sunshine with him in a good mood. Maybe it would rub off on her if she was at all lucky.

Once they were outside, Alex just smiled and took in the scent of the air, adding to it with a sip of her coffee before he said she never talked about where she was from. Unable to keep the surprised look from her face, Alex just asked: "really? I honestly feel like I talk about it too much sometimes." Or at least certain aspects of it. The demon ones if nothing else, and all the ones around the show. But, she just shrugged at him with a smile before she added: "I'm an open book from Seattle who was born in Vancouver and raised in a small town outside of it. What else do you want to know, John?"

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"I dunno. What don't you talk about? You're the only person I've ever met who's more vague about their past than I am." And because of that reason, John doesn't usually act. People are private for their own reasons, and most days he wouldn't think to pry.

John starts heading towards the river because... why not? He hasn't been back there since Poe. The river, and that little B&B, was their place. Where they went to get away from it all.

Somehow, right now, thinking about him doesn't immediately kill John's mood. Maybe he's finally getting over him.

"For an open book, you don't have a lot of pictures. That's what I'm saying."

[11calls]

That was new, but maybe it was a part of the whole thing about trying not to overshare when she considered her show. So, Alex just frowned for a moment before she thought about what to add. "Well, you know I'm a workaholic. We talked about that, so for the last three years, it's kind of been sort of nothing but cults and demons and nightmares and sacred geometry and me just sort of losing my mind a bit." Alex laughed softly at that but honestly? It was mostly true.Especially the year before.

"Don't look at me too badly, but I definitely have one of those crazy ass bunker boards with theories and complete with red strings hanging in my office." Alex's voice went softer as she confided that to him, and there wasn't a lie there. Currently it was one part the Eastern US and the other part the world. Demons and cults were no jokes.

She grinned at him before adding, "I'm also adopted, I grew up in a suburb of Vancouver, BC, my dad's a cop and my mom was a dispatcher before they got me then she did the whole stay at home stuff. I always wanted to be a reporter and dressed up as Lois Lane for every single Halloween. My mom was super active in the church and she used to call me every Sunday to ask when I was getting married." Now she calls and asks when Alex is bring up 'the nice young man from her podcast.' The answer was probably never.

"Let's see," she says after a moment, "my favorite color is red, my favorite movie is His Girl Friday and my current favorite book is Betrayal: Crisis in the Catholic Church because even though it's a hard read, it's some of the best investigative journalism since Woodward and Bernstein." There's a little laugh, and it may have some bitter tones in it. "I always wanted to be Ira Glass, not in Scooby Doo."