Mission:Troubled Times - Part One: Break-In

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Part One: Break-In

Briefing

I suppose there's no point in hiding it from you; you'll find out soon enough. You see, my work involves a lot of dangerous creatures. Creatures that the people of Paragon City might not particularly like having within municipal borders. I have all the relevant permits, of course, but I'd rather not deal with the negative attention if it got out to the public. So that's why I need you. You can deal with that, right?

  • I'll check out the scene.

Excellent! Hopefully there are some clues that will show who broke in... and what their objective was. I had a lot of valuable research going on; if the wrong people got their hands on something dangerous, it could be a calamity for this city. My lab is in a facility in Jamison Office Park, so you'll need to take the train to get there.

Unnecessary Solicitation

Have you discovered who it was who broke into my lab? You shouldn't wait, we don't want the trail to go cold.

Mission Objective(s)

You pass the remains of an activated EMP device as you enter the lab.

  • Investigate Lab Break-In
    • 4 clues to locate
    • 16 specimens to contain (Heroic)
    • Escape with the evidence!

It seems clear the Freakshow were behind the break-in, though the ransomware makes it seem more sophisticated than most Freak operations.

Enemies

Arachnoids
Hydra
Snakes
Wailers

Notable NPCs

  • Hydra Telepathic Link Snooper x4 (Hydra Spawn) This Hydra test subject appears to be coordinating its movements in synchronicity with its peers, but only at certain intervals.
  • Arachnoid Antivenin Test Subject x4 (Arachnoids Arachnoid) These Arachnoids have somewhat larger fangs than others you've encountered, potentially to make extraction of venom easier to facilitate.
  • Sthenic Brood Candidate x4 (Snakes Mamba Fang) This Snake seems to have been chosen for clutch size and deposit rate of eggs.
  • Auditory Hallucinator x4 (Wailers Wailer Queen) There isn't enough time to contemplate what these monsters are doing here... just that they shouldn't be here.
Clue
Electrical Burns

These doors have been melted to slag. The scorch marks left behind resemble those caused by a powerful electrical discharge.

Clue
Destroyed Stasis Pod

This stasis pod looks like it was torn open from the outside, the damage resembling that caused by the jaws of life or something similar.

Clue
Drug Ampule

This empty vial looks like the type used for Excelsior.

Clue
Ransomware

When you examined the lab's mainframe, you found it locked down with ransomware. Curiously, the message demanding payment was filled with outdated "l33t" speak. When you tried to interact with the computer, all of the sealed doors in the lab were thrown open and a flood of dangerous creatures were released.

Escaping Specimen Dialogue
Editor's Note:
Align Status Hero.png
Defeating all 16 named specimens before reaching the exit will award the character one Hero Alignment Point.

Mission Objective(s)

  • Call Dr. Stribbling to report your findings

Briefing

Hello, Character. I'm currently at the location of my backup lab, preparing to transfer some sensitive research. What did your investigation uncover?

  • It was the Freakshow.
The Freakshow? Are you sure? This is very disturbing, those thoughtless brutes probably destroyed some very valuable research! And who knows what they might be doing with whatever they stole? Did you figure out what they took, by the way?
You describe what you found in the lab. When you get to the part about the broken-into stasis pod, he goes pale.
What? No. No no no. Oh no. This is very bad, Character, very very bad.
Dr. Stribbling lets out a sigh.
I suppose it's best that you know exactly what they took from my laboratory. You see, I have been investigating ways to eliminate mutations or genetic alterations from living people. As part of this research, I had taken custody of an extremely dangerous mutant so that I could test my work. I had the mutant safely secured in the stasis pod, where their powers were being suppressed.
If they have escaped, it could put the entire city at risk! We have to recapture them and bring them back into my custody.
Mutation origin only
  • Eliminate mutations? You know I'm a mutant, right?
Dr. Stribbling pauses for a moment, then speaks slowly.
Of course, I'm aware. And I can appreciate your hesitance about my research. But you have to understand, I am doing this only for altruistic purposes. You're using your powers for heroic purposes, but not everyone is. When you put someone like Double Tap or the Council behind bars, we take away their weapons. But if someone like Mangle or an Outcast is arrested, we can't keep them from being a threat with their powers.
Imagine if we could take their abilities away? Imagine how much safer the world would be if we could make sure that people who abuse their great powers are no longer allowed to do so? If my research did bear fruit, I'd make sure it only goes into the hands of people who would use it properly.
  • What you're talking about is eugenics.
No! Of course not! I don't want everyone to lose their powers. There are people like you, Penelope Yin, or Positron who use their powers for good. There's no reason to take your powers away! And I'd never think of using my research to do that.
Plus, even if we didn't use it to take powers away from villains, there are people out there whose genetic abnormalities are harmful to them or unwanted. There's a mutant whose body combusts whenever it comes into contact with oxygen... But unlike someone who can control their fire powers, he is just in intense pain. Imagine we could cure him? It would be a boon to the world.
I just want to use my research to help people, either through taking away mutations they don't want or to prevent people from using their powers for evil.
  • You're right, some people don't deserve powers.
I'm glad you see it my way. But that's neither the here nor now; we need to recapture the mutant. There's no telling the amount of damage he could cause if he's allowed to roam free.
  • Your research is dangerous and ripe for abuse.
Dr. Stribbling sighs.
Look, we can continue to debate the ethics of my research, but every minute that goes by, the mutant is out there. The longer we wait, the more damage he can do. He needs to be recaptured. Once you do, then we can decide what to do with him.
  • Fine. But don't think I'll forget about this.
I understand. But that's neither the here nor now; we need to recapture the mutant. There's no telling the amount of damage he could cause if he's allowed to roam free.
  • You're right, some people don't deserve powers.
This selection loops to another branch of this conversation which is already documented.
Science origin only
  • Eliminate alterations? Science gave me my gifts, you could take them away?
Dr. Stribbling pauses for a moment, then speaks slowly.
Of course, I'm aware. And I can appreciate your hesitance about my research. But you have to understand, I am doing this only for altruistic purposes. You're using your powers for heroic purposes, but not everyone is. When you put someone like Double Tap or the Council behind bars, we take away their weapons. But if someone like Shock Treatment or a Troll is arrested, we can't keep them from being a threat with their powers.
Imagine if we could take their abilities away? Imagine how much safer the world would be if we could make sure that people who abuse their great powers are no longer allowed to do so? If my research did bear fruit, I'd make sure it only goes into the hands of people who would use it properly.
  • What you're talking about is eugenics.
This selection loops to another branch of this conversation which is already documented.
  • You're right, some people don't deserve powers.
This selection loops to another branch of this conversation which is already documented.
  • Your lab was full of monsters!
Monsters? Oh, you meant the test subjects. Yes, I am doing various tests on those creatures. Did I not tell you? They escaped their containment chambers? That's unfortunate... I guess that means you destroyed them. A shame, they were difficult to procure...
  • You could have warned me about the danger!
Oh. Well, I never expected that anyone would be foolish enough to free them. Anyway, here you are, alive and well! So no harm, no foul.
But harm could come if the wrong thing was stolen from my lab, so...
  • Your face will be fouled if you don't warn me next time!
Ah... I see my quip was too pithy. I do apologize, Character. I honestly did not expect them to be free. I shall make sure I am more robust with the information I give you in the future.
  • What sort of powers does this mutant have that makes him so dangerous?
He can manipulate time itself. And not just to slow down or speed up time, but to completely reverse it! He once used his powers to completely reverse time and de-aged a child until the child was simply unmade. I hope I don't need to explain how dangerous he could be. The amount of destruction and loss of life he could cause.
Thankfully, the drugs that were keeping him in stasis will take some time to wear off. Even if he is free now, he won't be able to make full use of his powers. It's imperative that you find out who broke into my lab and where they took the mutant.
  • You were experimenting on a person?
No, of course not!
Not directly. I was taking cell cultures from him and experimenting on those. That way I could see if my methods would have a lasting effect on his DNA before trying it on a person. I'd never use untested methods on a person.
  • How was your research going?
It was beginning to show progress. I was able to deactivate the mutated genes approximately one-third of the time. Unfortunately, this was on a cellular level, so it was still not useful for a full scale test. And, of course, this was only for a single person, so there's no telling if it would work on others... Hence an important reason to recapture the mutant so I can continue my experimentation.
  • Why were you researching that?
I want to make the world a better place. There are dozens... no, hundreds of people out there who were either born with or given dangerous powers. Many of them use their powers for good, but many others use them for evil. If we arrested Black Scorpion, we can take away his super suit and take away his powers. We can't do the same to Captain Mako or Barracuda... But imagine that we could!
How many lives could be saved if we could prevent villains from using their powers? And that doesn't even get into the fact that many people don't get beneficial mutations and desperately wish they could be cured.
Ouroboros.png Flashback only, completed arc at least once
  • By the way, just mentioning for no reason, but I can get places really fast! (Skip M1dway)
The doctor looks rather taken off guard by your statement of speed.
Oh, well, that's... good to know. I suppose the faster you can get around, the more quickly you can recover the mutant.
A bit clumsy, but hopefully this will let you reduce the number of people with numbers in their name that you have to deal with this temporal loop.
Clue
10,000 Leagues of Nope

One time in a submarine with M1dway and his pet octopus was enough. You have declined to meet with him again on this trip through time.


  • I'll hit up the Freakshow.
Yes... Yes! That is a grand idea. I wouldn't have thought of beating up random gang members for information, but that is why you are the hero and I'm just a scientist. You know, some in the scientific community see heroes as little more than brainless thugs, but not me. Different areas of expertise is the difference! No biologist would be able to come up with that idea.
But be fast, Character! There's no telling what sort of danger this mutant could put the city into. Or what the Freakshow are even doing with him. This could be a terrible disaster!
  • I'd better get going.
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