All Good Things Not of This Earth...

[Tearen Wover]

The God-Mind had spent several days in Rapture now, and had quickly discovered that it didn't need to fear persecution from the local populace. Just as the rumors had suggested, Rapture was a place of free enterprise and exploration. The inherent death toll that accompanied such activities was marginally regrettable, but ultimately it just separated the wheat from the chafe. Currently, Nealaphh had taken to occupying itself with assisting an experimental surgeon in developing special genetic splicing formulas known as 'Plasmids'. It was fulfulling work, insofar as it let Nealaphh conduct some of its own experiments on the hapless subjects. Presently, Dr. Steinman swept into his office in a fury, shoving a stack of medical records off of his desk and onto the damp tile floor.

The shadow looked up from its work at a nearby lab table and let its telekinetically held instruments gently fall to rest on a bloody tray of tool. The god-mind dismissively slowed then flow of time around its current test subject in order to prevent the human from expiring while Nealaphh spoke to the doctor.

Doctor, it is distressing to see you in such a state. What has happened?

Steinman looked up from where he sat, slumpee forward with a blood stained glove grasping his sweaty forehead.

"Ooohhh nothing, Nealaphh. Just another failure. Another miserable attempt to bring true beauty to the human body." Steinman said, his voice on the edge of tears. Normal humans might be concerned that this sort of reaction from the 'atrocities' Steinman commited was a sign of psychosis, but Nealaphh knew better. It was simply the sign of a slowly illuminating mind.

There there, Doctor. Every set back a learning experience, yes? We have not even moved beyond the prototype stage; failure is to be expected. Nealaphh said, taking a step forward. Steinman looked up at the god-mind with bleary eyes, tears mixing with the blood of some random patient.

"But...but the goddess...Aphrodite...how can I please her, Nealaphh? How can I please her when all I can do is create...wretchedness?" Dr. Steinman asked, clinging to Nealaphh's heavy robe in desperation.

To please the gods is to attempt to surpass your own limits. They do not expect mortals to be perfect. Believe me when I say that Aphrodite is pleased with your efforts, and the pain you put upon yourself in her name honors her. Nealaphh said, gently prising Steinman's hand off of his robe. The doctor was not placated.

...Steinman...the failure of your experiments is due to the weakness of human flesh, not your own skills. Perhaps...there must be a Plasmid to alter the human body to suit your methods...

This caught Steinman's attention.

"...it...that's is possible, Nealaphh...Yes! A pseudo regenerative plasmid, that's what we need! Nealaphh, you mad genius!" Steinman said, rocketing up from his chair and grasping Nealaphh by the shoulders. The doctor rushed over to where he stored his ADAM, and overlooked his stockpile.

"...we will beed more Adam. Nealaphh! Would you do me the tremendous honor of acquiring some? I must begin working on formula notation!"

The god-mind nodded.

Certainly. You will have what you need by the end of the day. There is something I must do in the mean time. Nealaphh said, a thought suddenly occuring to it. It began to walk slowly out of the lab when Steinman called out to the shadow.

"Nealaphh, wait!" The doctor shouted. Nealaphh turned around slowly, with a quizzical look in its eyes. Steinman gestured to the table Nealaphh had been at.

"Your patient?"

Nealaphh paused for a moment before releasing the temporal lock. The young man strapped to the table immediately resumed screaming in pitched terror. Nealaphh winced. It did not want to kill the test subject yet...he still had some experimental worth. The god-mind flexed its telekinetic powers and crushed the dock worker's voice box, his screams suddenly becoming hoarse whispers of pain. Satisfied, Nealaphh exited Steinman's offices and wandered up on the the Medical Wing promenade.

Nealaphh had been annoyed, for quite some time now, that it did not have a direct line of contact to the outside world. Cat and Demetrie were good allies, but Nealaphh needed someone to act exclusively as its eyes in the Omniverse...someone that no one would ever associate with the shadow. Nealaphh thought back to its old Multiverse and recollected one such tool. A strong willed man, world-weary and fierce. Most importantly, totally irreverent and crude.

And so, Nealaphh called Drake Oneir unto the Omniverse. He was a scruffy, thin man, dreased in a weathered leather jacket and dark grey newsboy cap. His right arm was distinctly missing, and he wore a grey and orange satchel over his shoulders. In the few minutes it took to reconstruct Drake, Nealaphh also imbued the man's brain with a working knowledge of the Omniverse, so as to avoid the needless process of informing him of the situation.

Several Rapture citizens watched in awe at the sight, as the rainbow glinting bouncee brilliantly off of the glass walls that surrounded them all. Once Drake was reconstructed, he rolled his head around on his shoulders and sighed.

"...couldn't give me my other arm though, eh Jeltz?" he scoffed, glaring at Nealaphh. Drake knew the god-mind as one Bartleby Jeltz, the head representative of an intergalactic technology company that had abandoned Drake after a symbiote had been torn out of his body. It was a long, long story.

You are aware why I called you here?

This ellicited another sigh from Drake.

"Yyyyeaaaahhh..."

Your first task is to go to the fountain. You will stay there and report on new primes entering the Omniverse.

"...uh...sure. I guess I'll walk."

Nealaphh blinked slowly and summoned a sleek looking vehicle for the secondary. It was black, had an enclosed canopy and was shaped like a bullet. Large thrusters dominated its rear section, and it hovered noiselessly above the ground. Drake beamed at the UNIBike; it was his prized posession back in Wing City. Drake didn't say another word as he mounted up and kicked on the ignition of the UNIbike with a deafening roar.

All of the Rapture citizens yelped and jumped back as Drake shot off down the wide hallways. He turned a sharp corner and was out of sight within six seconds. Satisfied, Nealaphh decided now might be as good a time as any to go hunt down some ADAM for Steinman...but perhaps there was time for a walk through the gardens first...