Notes taken by Alastair and Samantha Beadle.
Silver sparkles fill the air, trapping everyone in place, the group, and the Brood. Only Truth, who is desolid, can still move around. Servo cybernetically turns off his cutting torch, as it is now being held against the head of the Brood queen that was Avenger, and he doesn't actually want to kill it.
John Doe is not trapped as he has burrowed inside the body of the Brood queen. He is eating his way inside, but progress is slow - Avenger's flesh is very tough.
One of the Brood fires its blaster. The blast is contained within the entrapment, and covers it. It falls unconscious.
The entrapment, whatever it is, does not seem to be inhibiting people's ability to breathe, or stopping sound.
Noesis reads people's surface thoughts. Blitz is confused now that he has shaken off the effects of the mind-affecting beam. John Doe is thinking about borrowing into the Brood Queen. Truth is thinking about exploring so Noesis tells her to stay in contact. He moves on to Chronos, who is a little concerned about what is going on, then flicks back to Truth as he sees her about to vanish through the ceiling.
A blue glow appears in the centre of the room. It grows from a line to a swirling cylinder, like a Star Trek transporter effect, then fades to reveal a four legged cylinder, about 1.5m high, with featureless silk-finish silver skin. Its legs make up about half its height.
Truth moves up through the walls to the bridge of the saucer. The projection of what is outside is still running. Outside she can see there is a half-elongated ovoid shaped ship, its hull made up of what look like many small mirrored hexagons, moving closer. It looks bigger than the saucer, about 150m long. As Truth watches, a panel in the side facing the saucer opens and four long jointed silver metal arms extend out and take up a position that looks like it's getting ready to grab the saucer.
Blitz, who is a claustrophobe, starts to panic about being trapped, mumbling in German.
The four-legged thing that has appeared walks about, examining everyone trapped, including the Brood. It seems to have no trouble moving through the entrapment. Noesis tries to read its mind, and to his surprise finds that it does indeed have a sentient mind. It feels unlike anything Noesis has contacted before - very highly ordered, and thinking very fast. Its main feeling is curiosity, overlaid with concern, mainly for the Brood queen, but to a lesser extent for all those present. It seems anything other than evil.
Suddenly, a blue glow starts to form around the group (apart from Truth). Noesis tells Truth of this, and she heads back to the others.
The group (apart from Truth) vanish; Truth arrives back through the ceiling just in time to see this happen. A blue glow starts around the Brood, and they too vanish. Another blue glow starts around Truth and the 4-legged thing. They vanish too...
The group appear in a featureless circular white room, about 6m in diameter and 4m tall, lit by an even glow from the ceiling. It is in weightlessness.
A glow appears in the centre of the room and quickly focuses into a roughly 2m tall, 0.75m diameter cylinder of what appear to be featureless rainbow-striped worms moving and twisting around one another in the air. It seems to be a hologram. Servo speaks to it. Initially it just mimics what is said, in the accent of the speaker, but several of the group (mainly Servo) keep talking to it, telling about Earth and Earth technology, and a bit about Earth society, and a bit about Earth nations and the like. He tries not to make the human race look too bad.
Truth attempts to walk through the walls of the room, and finds she can't.
After an hour or so it seems to have learnt enough English to communicate with the group, though it timing and phraseology are a little strange. It starts asking questions.
"What is your species called?"
"Human, apart from John Doe."
"What is his Species?"
"We don't know."
"How many of them are there?"
"More than one. Probably. Unless that was me."
"What are your names?"
They tell it their superhero names.
It says its name is Rainbow Dancer, and that it is a Caretaker.
They are the first caretakers to meet the Brood, and they have never met humans before, and never heard of or met anything like John Doe.
It asks whether they require gravity. The group in general say "yes", and it gradually winds up the gravity until told to stop. When asked what does this, it says "artificial gravity", but explains no further.
The group ask what species the Caretakers are. Rainbow Dancer tells them they are not a biological species at all, but a race of intelligent machines.
They then ask it who made them, then. It replies "A race ... the Kash!Gat'an - see." A full-size hologram appears of a creature like a deep blue spider-centaur - six legs on a horizontal body with an upright torso bearing a pair of very long, thin two-elbowed arms with at least ten fingers on each hand. The head is very spider-like with many pairs of eyes of different sizes in different positions, and a pair of long feathery antennae. It does have mandibles, but they are not very big.
The group ask it to help them with the Brood eggs implanted in them. Rainbow Dancer says they cannot transport the eggs out of them - they are too integrated into them. Perhaps something can be done when the ship - the LookFar - reaches its destination, which will be in approximately an hour. If they have the time perhaps something can be done, but the group cannot be put into stasis unless the Caretakers know more about human biology than they do.
It asks whether it can take samples of the group, so as to better understand human biology, and perhaps help them better. Everyone donates. It also asks John Doe, and he agrees on the understanding that the Caretakers will tell him everything they find out. It mentions that samples have also been taken from the Brood, that they are well, but that they are attempting to escape.
It asks whether the group need anything, for example food or drink. Servo asks for a replacement breastplate to replace his that was destroyed by a Brood acid bomb. The old one is transported in, and Rainbow Dancer asks if this is the item. It is, and it asks Servo to place it inside a hatch that opens in one wall. Servo also asks for replacement parts for his taser, which was taken apart to re-power his armour. These are provided.
John Doe attempts to practise becoming a genetically good creature (having found that the Brood are genetically evil). He doesn't have much luck.
Noesis asks for more nutrient fluid, and passes over a beaker (placing it inside another hatch that opens in the wall). After a little while, metal beakers of the same stuff are produced. Some of the group drink them - it's bland, slightly sweet, slightly salty pale yellow liquid.
Truth decides that as Avenger has already changed into a Brood then she too is in danger of changing. She sits in the corner and practises fine control on her desolidification, trying to go desolid while leaving the Brood egg behind. After more than 40 minutes of practice she thinks she has got it. She goes for it, and as she does she is hit with a vast wave of pain. She grits her teeth and tries again. Pain hits her again, even more intense than before, and she momentarily blacks out, pale, sweaty and shaking.
She recruits Noesis and John Doe to help. She goes desolid; John Doe puts a shapeshifted part of himself inside her around where the egg is, in the hope that it will latch onto him rather than Truth once she tries to expel it. Noesis attempts to project mental illusions onto the egg to make it unaware anything is wrong, and Truth tries to desolidify from around the egg. Unfortunately the egg seems unaffected by the attempts to trick it, and it hammers Truth with pain until she just has to give up.
Shortly Rainbow Dancer says, "We have arrived." An image forms in the air, giving the impression that the floor of the room is floating in space. The LookFar seems to still be within the nebula, and is approaching one of the Brood living ships, a small one - only a mile or so long. Unlike the ones seen so far this one does not have any cybernetic implants.
"This is an Acanti," says Rainbow Dancer. "We met them not long ago, quite far from here. They are a naturally space-faring sentient race, who have lived in this galaxy for, so we are told by some Acanti elders with whom we have spoken, a very long time. When the Brood arrived in this galaxy, they started to capture and enslave the Acanti. They infect the Acanti with a 'slaver virus' that destroys their higher reasoning functions and makes them incapable of even conceiving of escape. Then they implant their weapons and cities within, and use it as a space vessel, consuming its living flesh until it dies. The Acanti here is a new-born baby - it's mother was recently taken by the Brood and she gave premature birth to save her child. The Acanti elders sent us here to keep watch until it can get away."
It pauses. "This baby is what the Acanti call a Soulsinger, the guardian of the soul of their race. Unfortunately for the Acanti, the last Soulsinger was enslaved by the Brood in their first wave of attacks, and its corpse is the gigantic rotting carcass on the Brood world, which the Brood have made their capital.
"When they die, the Acanti throw themselves into a sun. For a Soulsinger, this is essential - it must launch itself into a sun in order for the Soul to be released and be taken up by its successor. And because this has not happened, the soul remains trapped on the Brood world. And because of that the Acanti have no real hope of survival unless the soul can be released.
"We have been looking for a way to help them. And you," says Rainbow Dancer, indicating Blitz, "are the closest to a sun we have seen. This is the only chance the Acanti have for survival at present. Will you help us help the Acanti?"
The group have a few objections to this, as it seems a bit like a suicide mission. "Why can't you just nuke the planet, or at least just the Soul, and release it yourselves?" is the main thrust of their argument.
"We cannot use nuclear weapons," replies Rainbow Dancer.
"Do you know how to make them?"
"Yes, but we cannot." The group look sceptical. "And we cannot supply parts and knowledge to you, either," says Rainbow Dancer somewhat severely.
The group try to convince the Caretakers that they should help them destroy the Brood, as Earth is in danger from them. Rainbow Dancer says perhaps something can be done once the Soul has been freed. The Soulsinger, so the Caretakers have been told by the Acanti elders, have great powers, beyond those possessed by the other Acanti, and perhaps, once the Soul is freed, the new Soulsinger will be able to remove the eggs for them.
They quiz it about whether they Caretakers know about good and evil. "We do." And about whether they know about the end justifying the means. "We know of the concept, but do not agree with it." And about whether the Caretakers are opposed to suffering, such as that of the Acanti. "We decide such things depending upon the situation."
John Doe says that as the Brood are intrinsically evil, this justifies killing them. Rainbow Dancer strenuously disagrees. "Even if they are evil, they do not deserve to die."
The group argue about doing this thing for the Acanti and Caretakers before the Caretakers try to remove the Brood eggs from them. They ask if the Caretakers can tell them how long they have got until their eggs hatch. Rainbow Dancer scans them all (not that anything seems to happen) and tells them that Blitz and Chronos have got about four days (assuming no time-acceleration of Chronos' part - Chronos is not doing himself any favours by using his time-acceleration powers left and right!); Truth has about six days, and Servo and Noesis about eight days. Noesis asks what will happen when his egg hatches. Rainbow Dancer has no idea.
"How long will it take to get back to the Brood world?" ask the group; they don't have any idea how long it'll take, and whether the Caretakers have faster-than-light travel. "Less than half a day," says Rainbow Dancer, overhearing. "We have faster-than-light travel too."
With it only taking that long to get back to the Brood world, the group decide that it is worth the risk to do this thing and return before their eggs hatch.
Because Blitz is vital to the plan, it is suggested that he goes into stasis until the Brood world is reached. He agrees. Chronos also decides to go into stasis for the duration. Two drawers, something like those for holding bodies in a morgue, slide out of the wall. Blitz and Chronos climb in. The drawers slide closed.
The LookFar sets course back to the Brood world.
As it returns, Rainbow Dancer is asked about the Brood who were captured, including the queen which was Avenger. It tells them that they have been put into stasis in a life-support capsule and will awaken in a few months when it reaches the Brood world. This does not please the group particularly.
Noesis asks Rainbow Dancer for some anti-depressants as he needs them. Unfortunately he doesn't have a sample. Rainbow Dancer says they will try to make something that will do the job. After a little while a panel opens revealing a vial of something. Noesis asks what it is, and any side effects it may have. "It is based on our models of human brain chemistry, and should not have any side effects," says Rainbow Dancer. Noesis decides to risk it and plugs in the vial. It feels like a huge black weight has lifted from his mind, and he becomes decidedly more perky, Californian even. John Doe falls over in shock.
Servo asks Rainbow Dancer for more grenades, and refills/recharges for his various weapons systems. Everyone takes a grenade to use if people start turning into Brood.
Rainbow Dancer produces a black chitinous insect-looking sphere from another wall panel. "This was given to us by the Acanti elders, it should give a psychic trace towards the Soul which, we are told, is located somewhere in the head of the old Soulsinger." It is taken from the panel. Truth goes desolid and puts her hand through it; she feels some kind of effect in her mind, and finds she has acquired the psychic 'scent' of the Soul, enough so that she reckons she can find her way to it.
Servo is given a cigarette-lighter sized device with a button on one end to signal the Caretakers when the job has been done. Rainbow Dancer says they will only be a few minutes away from transporter range.
It also mentions that the saucer has been left with the baby Soulsinger. Someone asks what the saucer was powered by. "Magic," says Rainbow Dancer.
The Brood world is reached. Blitz and Chronos are brought out of stasis.
Six black circles appear on the floor by one wall, with six corresponding circles above each one on the ceiling. "We will transport you down to the surface," says Rainbow Dancer. "The Brood do not seem to have transporter technology, so they should not detect you." Someone mentions it might be better to appear in a defensive position, so the circles re-arrange themselves into hexagons. Everyone stands on one, facing outwards. The walls vanish as a view outside is projected all around. The ship is barrelling down towards the Brood world, surrounded by incandescent plasma, and pursued by several Brood shark ships, firing. The surface of the world below seems to be a mix of barren rock and seas that look stagnant and polluted.
"Get ready," says Rainbow Dancer. "Three. Two. One. Go!" The Caretaker ship vanishes in a blue transporter glow.
The group appear to one side of a rip in the flesh of the huge carcass, with the wall of the tear behind them and alien vegetation screening them from view in most directions on the other side. The nauseous rotting stench washes over everyone, Truth especially. Blitz hovers to avoid touching the 'ground'. A sonic boom is washing over the area, and the incandescent trail of the Caretaker ship can be seen in the sky above. Dawn is breaking.
Far off in the distance Truth and Noesis can make out a Brood patrol flying across their line of sight. Everyone ducks, and the Brood fly on, seeming to have noticed nothing.
Truth can psychically sense the direction of the Soul, like a beacon down and to one side.
They make their way carefully out of cover and off in the direction Truth indicates.
After a little while they come to the entrance to what looks like a giant maggot tunnel in the rotting flesh, dotted with alien plants and fungi, some of which are luminous. The trail leads down it. Servo fires a flare off down the tunnel; it lodges in the wall where it turns out of sight, lighting it brightly. Noesis breaks off parts of the glowing fungi to use when the flare dies out (Servo only has 4 of them, each one lasting about 5 minutes). Everyone goes down the tunnel apart from John Doe, who remains behind at the entrance, digging out chunks of rotting flesh to fill the entrance hole, which he'll cover with part of himself to blend in with the surrounding 'landscape'.
The flare dies down and they go by the light of glowing fungi instead.
Truth senses movement up ahead and goes desolid just as a large creature that looks like a monstrous cross between a giant spider and a giant rat leaps from the darkness, towards Servo. Everyone attacks it. Blitz blasts it, causing it pain, so it turns on him. Servo attacks it again and as it turns at him Truth does the grenade in the head trick again, covering everyone (apart from herself!) in bloody mess. The creature falls over dead.
They continue on. Scavengers pass them, going for the new corpse to clean up the mess.
John Doe finishes filling the hole. It's a rather convincing. He burrows down into the tunnel (in a very small form to be as subtle as possible) and follows the others. He passes the mess they made of the attacking creature (now covered with scavengers) and soon rejoins them.
Down they go.
A second creature appears. It is also dispatched.
A fork is reached. Truth psychically tells the way to go and they continue on. More creatures leap out and attack them, from side tunnels and from concealment. All are killed. Truth can tell that the psychic presence is getting closer - the 'beacon' is getting stronger.
Noesis can detect some mental power being used nearby, but can't tell from exactly where.
Suddenly a horde of things like 30cm long black praying mantises pour out of a small side tunnel, and crawl over Servo, trying to get into his armour and at him. Fortunately, although it is not air-tight it is sealed well enough that they can't get in. He fires a gas grenade at his feet (telling everyone else to hold their breath first). Some of the creatures fall off unconscious and are stamped upon. The rest run away into cover.
They go down and down, eventually reaching what seems to be bedrock, all slimy with rot. They pass through a dome-like area, festooned with fungi and strange vegetation which seems to have been carved from the rotten flesh. They pass out of it and through another.
Noesis detects the use of mental powers from close by again. Again, he cannot tell from exactly where they come.
As they enter another dome-like space, also festooned with fungi and strange vegetation, Truth suddenly (over the stench of rotting flesh) detects the scent of Brood nearby. Servo spots movement ahead and lets off a flare into the ceiling. Bright light and shadows play over the walls, revealing six Brood clinging to the walls.
"Do not let the mammal's tricks distract you," orders one.
The Brood open fire. Noesis is hit.
John Doe opens fire with half a dozen blasters at once. A Brood is hit and falls off the wall. Blitz fires and another falls off. Noesis knocks over another with a mental blast.
The stunned Brood recover.
Noesis is attacked mentally from somewhere.
The Brood open fire. Blitz and John Doe are hit (Blitz absorbs some of the damage, boosting his powers).
Servo launches a binding band and traps one of the Brood.
Noesis decides to try to locate where the mental attack he felt came from.
John Doe shoots in the direction Noesis is heading.
Truth decides she really doesn't want to be here right now. She feels her desolid state expanding and changing and her gaseous form shifts to an invisible and desolid one (rather than just a desolid one). However, she doesn't think she has full control of this yet, and it is very tiring.
John Doe is attacked mentally. It hurts! He can tell it came from up near the ceiling somewhere.
Truth (still invisible) tries the grenade in the head trick but misses, and drops the grenade. It goes off. She fades back in to her visible (but still desolid) state.
Servo attacks again. A Brood in knocked out.
John Doe fires up at where the mental attack came from. He seems to hit something, as a cry of pain is heard, and a cry of "You will pay for that, mammal!" comes from above. The gunfire illuminates the source of the cry - a large Brood, about the same size as the one Avenger turned into. Noesis cannot help but notice this now he is relatively close.
Blitz attacks it with some success.
The other Brood open fire.
Noesis is hit, and knocked out. He floats gently down to the floor.
Truth attacks a Brood which has fallen to the floor. It stays unconscious.
John Doe fires at the giant Brood.
Blitz attacks it again and it plummets to the ground.
Servo runs over and truncheons the Brood into unconsciousness.
Noesis recovers and wakes up.
The blaster fire from the other Brood stops.
Servo drags the large Brood, a queen, it seems, into the tunnel out of this chamber and towards the Soul. The others follow.
Suddenly Chronos vanishes, as does the Queen, and re-appears further down the tunnel. With the Queen. Noesis reads his surface thoughts. "Must protect my queen," is the gist of them, and they have a definite Brood-like cast to them.
John Doe asks Servo to throw him as a javelin-like shape. Servo does so, but Chronos, moving at super-speed, catches the javelin and throws it back, hitting Blitz square in the chest. Fortunately his powers are sufficiently boosted now for it to do no real harm. John Doe is not happy.
Truth disappears into the wall.
A blue glow surrounds the Queen as Chronos heals it.
Servo picks up John Doe and throws him at the Queen. Blitz blasts Chronos at the same time. John Doe slams into the Queen. Blitz hits, but Chronos somehow deflects the blast back to Blitz, hitting him squarely again.
Truth comes out of the wall behind Chronos. She can see that his skin is turning into the chitinous scaled skin of a Brood, and his eyes are becoming bigger and more like those of a Brood. She desolidly grabs his insides and tugs at them (distracting him), then dives back into the wall.
John Doe picks up the large Brood queen and hits Chronos with it like a giant club. Chronos falls over.
Chronos is rendered sufficiently unconscious that he won't be coming around soon. Truth puts four grenades into the head of the Queen, and it dies. Messily.
The group quicken their pace down the tunnels towards the Soul, carrying the unconscious Chronos. He is very slowly, but visibly, continuing to turn into a Brood.
Up ahead a pure white light becomes visible. The group come out of the tunnel into a smallish chamber in the rotting flesh. Through a black-rimmed man-sized hole in one wall white light is erupting into the chamber. Truth can feel that it is the Soul, and says so.
Unfortunately, also visible in the chamber, in front of the opening, is another Brood queen, this one even larger than the last...