Charmed Plot

Main Actors

• Squeak
• System
• Ardra?
• Altis
• Ataxia

Secondary Actors

• Darkon
• Frostbyte
• Zeta

NPC or unavailable actors involved

• Theeka
• Silverrain is being played as an NPC in this plot with permission from her player.
• Gilgilo also NPC at this point in time. Volunteers are sought to play Gilgilo, a possibly rogue or otherwise mind controlled Toymaker.

Occasional Appearencs By

• Strange William
• Besax

Factions Involved

• Bubble Dolls
• The Data Exchange
• Toymakers
• Toys

Major Plot Points

The Beginning

• Squeak meets System and befriends the probe. System scans Squeak and detects the presence of a modified version of Nikolai's Charm virus. System determines that the virus is contained and Squeak is not a threat of contamination to others (this later proves a somewhat false conclusion).

• Ataxia discovers that Squeak contains somewhat disturbing memories buried under his Toy programming, she brings this to System's attention and the probe takes immediate interest. System, having befriended and become somewhat attached to the toy begins an investigation in to what occurred. (He) seems curious about the potential that Squeak was converted unwillingly in to a toy.

The Investigation

• Using the programming bays at Toymaker Labs, System and Ataxia witness fuzzy memories pulled from Squeak's recent past. While they discover that the toy has little or no memory of events that occurred prior to his transformation, there are accessible memories of the process itself. This gives System ideas of where to go with (his) investigation and (he) concludes from the evidence that the transformation itself was, in fact, not a consensual procedure. System also concludes from this evidence that the version of the Charm virus that was used for this conversion is a much more dangerous variant from the "Bubbledoll gum" that caused the outbreak of Charm Fever.

• In the mean time, System gives Squeak an implant and begins trying to teach him how to communicate using it. Squeak occasionally mews during this time period, but no one observes it except for Frostbyte, who keeps this information to himself. Squeak does show some progress in using the implant, however he often seems to forget about it and other things that occur. System concludes that this is somehow the work of the modified Charm virus inside of Squeak. but the action is not yet fully understood. System (and others) discover that Squeak eats the rubber balls he is given to play with when no one is looking. This action discovered, Squeak begins to simply eat them in front of others. The reason why this behavior was obscured is unknown.

• System and Ataxia learn that Squeak has been 'sleeping' in his crate on the 40th floor of the Toymaker Labs tower. When Squeak leads them there, they find his crate buried among a number of crates of unshipped and stored Toys. His crate seems to have been overlooked for shipping due primarily to the side with the destination and manifest papers on it having been knocked off and tossed aside during Squeak's first 'escape'. On locating the crate's lid, System discovers that Squeak is a custom ordered toy that was supposed to be sent directly to Queen Theeka at her Charmory.

• Squeak's continued fascination with Prime leads System to grant Squeak a connection of his own. This serves to stabilize Squeak's mental processes somewhat and helps with his memory, when he can remember to use Prime's resources to recall events past.

• Subsequent searches of the Toymaker Labs tower reveals no new evidence, though many areas are inaccessible.

• System and others discover that Squeak is immune to Strangevirus, he is seen drinking from the fountain at the warpgate in Strange. Afterwards Squeak is observed to mew.

• Rumors begin to circulate about Priestess, a being memetically programmed for the specific act of priestessing. System observed Priestess and by careful comparison of the knowlege she displayed, he suspected her of being Darkon reborn. Through his usual extreme tact, System queried Priestess about this matter:

Priestess looks over her shoulder, as the others arrive. "Oh, hello, children."

System bows as (he) enters. "Greetings, Priestess. We had a query for you."

Priestess nods, and says, "I'm sure you do, System."

System states quietly, "Are you Darkon?"

• Priestess/Darkon granted System access to the basement of Toymaker Labs. Inside a hidden lab was detected and entry was forced. The lab contained research notes and data as well as a number of samples of Charm Virus, from the original stolen sample made by Nikolai to the version used to convert Squeak to his Toy form. There were exactly 10 individual strains (counting the original and the final product). Dispersal mechanisms were also found that looked very much like rubber balls that would release the viral agent when they were chewed on. Frostbyte was called in to examine the lab notes, he stated that the handwriting was that of a Toymaker engineer named Gilgilo. Frostbyte lead the investigating party (System, Squeak, Frostbyte, Zeta, Ardra, and Altis) up to the labs level of the tower and to Gilgilo's work area. The door is opened after some difficulties and the lab is found to be completely infected with Charm Virus with no Gilgilo to be found. Samples of the virus are collected and the rest is destroyed in short order. Once in the lab, papers instructing that the project be carried out are found with Darkon's authorization on them, but they are identified by Frostbyte to be forged. It is decided that further investigation is needed.

• System and Zeta bring Squeak to live in Primus while they develop a treatment program to rid him of Charm virus. After lengthy computations, a strict regimen of measured injections of Zeta strain Strangevirus is begun. Squeak seems to react favorably to this. Discoveries are made about the functioning of the virus and how it erases memories and reduces intellect.

• System continues his investigation, Gilgilo is located in Bottomwarp, Squeak, Altis and System go in to find him. By the time they reach the area though, Gilgilo is gone. While investigating those who were with Gilgilo, evidence was found linking those guiding him with Silverrain.

• Treatments continue on Squeak, he slowly gains more intelligence as the Charm virus levels are reduced.

• After one of the later treatments another personality seems to emerge. At first just for a few minutes, but on subsequent treatments it shows itself for longer. System discovers that Squeak's original personality was a member of the DST in Upwarp and had been investigating missing time within Charmwarp.

• Recent developments find that [System has located and interrogated the toymaker] Gilgilo.

• Squeak learns to roar again. [How Squeak got his groove back]

Squeak's interactions with others

Observations may be made from behaviors and added to the overall evidence pool. Feel free to add anything that might be left out here.

Generally Squeak seems happy to do whatever seems fun. He likes just about everyone from the moment he spots them and is happy to share in a game, no matter what the type! Squeak is seen to be particularly responsive to those who seem to humor him by having squeak 'conversations' with him.

• Frostbyte has contributed to Squeak's programming on several occasions. As one of the triad that run Toymaker Labs, he has access to the override codes that are embedded deep within all Toy programming. Squeak will generally follow Frostbyte's requests without hesitation due to this.

• sabina has seemingly through intuition quite mastered the terribly rudimentary language of the toy and he seems to react in quite a loyal manner to her due to this. Recently she proposed to him and they were married in the traditional Charm manner (that is, for two days).

• Strange William managed to trigger a hidden program inside of Squeak. In this sequence, William passes a threshold for a programmed mechanism, either designed for defense or simply hitting a predetermined number of factors that causes the program to act in an attempt to spred his infection. This log is cut for brevity.

William nods to Morgan "As you desire." He sighs slightly as people leave, then flicks his tail at Squeak. It's like being hit by a telephone pole. The young man peers at Diafeara "Oh...well, I remember...something with her, I..." He frowns.

Squeak tumbles over several times before he bounces to a stop and regains his paws. This time he bounds up behind William and he leaps up, trying to put his paws up on William's shoulders and get his mouth around the back of the secretary's neck!

William spins around, faces Squeak, and murmurs something into the rubber toy's earssssss...

William whispers, "If you wish to molest me, I will be forced to find the first single lifer I can and make of their single existence, their work of art, one more to my taste." to you.

Squeak's ears fold back and he moves his head forward in a quick movement, biting William's hand and then bounding away, retreating a safe distance. Even though it appears the toy only has hard rubber teeth, something sharp must have been in there, sharp enough to leave two small punctures in normal skin.

William bleeds. He bleeds dark, dark red. Shot with silver threads. He smiles slowly at Squeak and then turns his head back to Morgan "A blessed union between husband and wife."

Besax steps forward with two quick steps and severs William's hand before the Charmvirus can infect him.

Besax's coat swoops out as he comes to a sudden stop, curling about the falling extremity and scooping it up. Nice and neat and simple. He looks to William apologetically. "Sorry, but better the hand than the heart."

Besax says, "And you, charmviral, will not engage in such mischief in my lover's house."

William blinks and...looks...down at his hand. For a moment there is a look of confusion. Then, simply, the Secretary appears to go into shock. William kneels, arm pumping red and black, staring at Besax in surprise.

Morgan leaves the book in midair, and nods. "Thank you, Brother William," he says, and once again clears his throat. "Do you, Fer...oh, William, you're bleeding all over the floor. You should stop that. It's only ruining the occasion."

Besax snaps his fingers, and ghostly shadows slip from between the columns to do their silent work.

Squeak squeaks back at Besax sharply!

As they clean up the mess, Besax settles back to his seat. "Do not look so shocked, William. The tiger? Charmviral. He would purge your Library from your heart.

William just...looks down at his arm. Clearly, he's never taken this much damage before, because he says, bewildered "It hurts. Goodness. I have...never before...been, that is to say, what a horrible mess..." Slowly, silver flesh is sealing up the awful gash, and William looks at Besax "What is...charmviral?" Although now he regards Squeak darkly.

Besax pulls out the now pink plasticy rubbery hand that used to be William's claw, and regards it with some distaste. "How undignified..."

William regards _Besax_'s offering with absolute horror "That's repellant!" He then looks at Morgan and...well...hesitantly takes his hand "Thankyou. Please excuse me. I require a different outlook on life."

William explodes from the flesh into silver threads of Strange-

Squeak bounds towards Besax, squeaking excitedly!

Besax says, "What now, charmviral?"

William's liquid blood and flesh begins, slowly and laboriously, to rebuild the creature a hand. It seems to be absorbing substance from the smoke as well. The Secretary stands up on legs almost digitigrade, and smiles at Morgan. But he's gone. Now it regards Squeak.

Squeak tries to grab the rubberized limb from Besax and squeaks!

Besax tosses the hand to Squeak.

William watches the creature, coolly. Head tilted.

Besax says, "I wouldn't bother avenging yourself upon it, Sweet William. He's not the sort to feel pain, dismay, or much beyond a mild confusion."