EVENT 007.1

[btryl]

WHO: Daisy Johnson, Caroline Forbes, Hope Mikaelson, Klaus Mikaelson, Gabriel Reyes, Jack Morrison, Cassius and Doctor Grey.
WHERE: ?
WHEN: February 18th – February 20th
WHAT: After asking Cassius to remove their neural implants, Cassius makes good on his deal.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Body horror, psychological horror, physical trauma, mental trauma, surgery, loss of autonomy, coercion, and needles.

And uh, a fun brain ditties site we found.

> EVENT 007.1

Cassius sends out a location pin on the morning of February 18th, different for everyone who requested it. A black hover car with tinted windows pulls up to each, no driver at the helm, and sits expectedly until they let themselves in. In one car is Daisy, in another Caroline, Hope and Klaus, and lastly Gabriel and Jack. Any questions spoken aloud will not be answered, and the car will begin to hover before turning down the next available corner. The locks click, and suddenly it becomes difficult to stay awake. Limbs become heavy, and eyelids slowly begin to fall. For those that struggle to see their last waking moment before they drift off into slumber, they'll notice that the self-driving car has been circling the last mile over, and over, and over again.

When they awaken, there is an antiseptic smell in the air: fluorescent lights glare overhead in a facility that looks like it was made for an entirely different kind of experimental function. What the facility was used for previously isn't apparent, but its current purpose has been reimagined. If they look down at their arm, there is an IV feeding into it. They'll have the sense that they haven't been operated on, not yet. The source of the IV itself leads somewhere unknown. If they go to remove the IV, they'll hear a bark of caution from a speaker. "Tsk tsk! I wouldn't do that if I were you. Gassing you—it was so sloppy. But I'm prepared, oh yes I am, to do what must be done."

After a few more silent minutes, a projection pops up for all of the captive Displaced. "Hello, hello, hello! Welcome to my facility my fine patients. I'm Johann Grey, and you can call me Doctor Grey. First off, let's allow gratitude be given where it's due! Thank you for being so willing to invite my fine friend Cassius into your lives—and thus, me by association. The last specimen I had were … less experienced—less durable. Less familiar with what they've been given. But from what I understand, you have been around for a while. Let's see what we discover together, shall we?"

If there is room for alarm, Johann doesn't grant them much chance to respond to it. Whether they have the IV in their arm or they've removed it and have all but asked to be gassed once again, they'll slowly begin to feel the same wave of fatigue hit them.

As for anyone left behind or hopeful they may be able to trace the paths of the lost Displaced, they'll come up empty handed. El's unable to access the security feed once the hover limos set off for their final destinations, making zer blind to Cassius' actions. Any trackers (such as Daisy's engagement ring) can be traced to a location: a limo rental lot, where the limo has been parked and left for several hours.

DAISY
CAROLINE
HOPE & KLAUS
GABRIEL
JACK

> OOC NOTES

Hello and welcome to the Brain Surgery Club! If anything from our write ups doesn't suit what you'd like, please contact us on your thread on the Permissions Post so that we can make any necessary revisions. We want this to be fun for you. Some of your requests will be worked into the thread later on, but if you would like to have it there from the start, let us know.

All characters will be told that due to the number of surgeries, there will be a three day period before they're allowed to go free. Some of the reasons cited will be "need for care and recovery" and "the number of people going under the needle in contrast to the number of personnel involved." If anyone does any research before they get drugged, this will check out!

If someone sends a message to their currently missing friend, it will just show up as an unread message during this time (if they have those notifications turned on). They'll be synced up with their usual network presence afterward (unless they request a different outcome, such as a new identity).

We're assuming that all characters will want to have a neural implant reimplanted at the end of this process as they will otherwise be disconnected from the world, and our hope is to have them released on time for the Arrival Log! If your character is happy to sit locked up in a room cut off from the world, they may be able to be rescued from their unfortunate situation once some of the others are released back into the "wild."

Anyone who has their characters try to chase this lead will find that Cassius and Doctor Grey prepared for such a likelihood. Any trackers placed on them will be left in the limo to be found, with no other signs or residue of their presence.

As a final note: we give blanket permission for harming or killing Doctor Grey! There will be opportunities for that within these threads.

> NAVIGATION

Comments

[evite]

[ no, she hates it, thanks. she doesn't bother to hide the eye roll that comes from his question. ]

So what's the plan here, doc? You check my vitals, make sure an earthquake isn't going to blow up my heart or a neighboring block, send me loose with a 'ship back to sender' address? Because I'll be honest, your little pick-up job was a little bit on the shady side.

[btryl]

You are the ones who broke into the UNA, and I've been watching you long enough. I had to take extra precautions. I doubt you'd be so reckless dealing with me.

[ His voice comes through, matter-of-fact. ]

So no, no, it's nothing so selfless. Though I will say that how long you want to stay is your choice. I'll install your neural implant again when you're satisfied.

[evite]

[ she's reckless with everybody, it's her thing. ]

And if I say I'm satisfied, you'll fix me up and send me out of here? Because I have things I could get back to, now that you mention it.

[ pause. ]

The ones? Who else is here?

[btryl]

[ Now there's amusement coming from the intercom. ]

Though you weren't the only one with a like request from Cassius. I'm not inclined to tell you who. Privacy reasons, of course, I am a doctor.

[ Probably? ]

[evite]

[ that's an annoying side-step if she ever heard one. ]

You avoided my first question, doctor.

[btryl]

I didn't, but if you'd feel the pressing need, the yes. I'll reimplant your neural implant and deliver you back to the place that you had come.

[evite]

[ this seems too easy, but. why look a gift horse in the mouth? ]

Unless there's some good reason for me to be here? Yeah, I'd like to go home. I don't even know how long wherever here is.

[ a pause. ]

Am I still in New Amsterdam?

[btryl]

Not in, exactly, no. A bit more out, actually.

[ Cassius did promise, after all. ]

And what would the good reason be? You're already without your implant, which is what you asked for, but you can't very well leave without it. That would be awfully reckless of me.

[evite]

[ her gaze swings up, suddenly, peering up at the ceiling as if she'll find the intercom there, hidden amongst the tiles. ]

That's not what I asked for. I asked for my powers back, and that's what I was promised. [ there's a line of tension that hasn't been in daisy's voice before, one hand curling into the arm of the chair. ] Are you telling me you shaved my entire head in order to take out an implant for no fucking reason?

[btryl]

Oh, no, no, no—you did. You see, I read the request myself.

You said something along the lines of, "Somebody put an inhibitor chip or something like it in my head with this implant, and I want it out."

[ But he sounds a little curious. ]

I couldn't prove that there wasn't one without checking. I wasn't the one who put in your original, after all.

[evite]

Yeah, I wanted the inhibitor out! That — [ she exhales, fuming ] The whole point of me going on that stupid mission was to get something for it, not to just be your brain surgery playtoy.

[ she feels used. manipulated. it's not her favorite feeling.

but she needs to focus. she can deal with her feelings in the privacy of her own home, whenever she gets there. right now, she needs to make the most of this. she needs information. anything.

time to be the agent, not the girl. ]

Who put in the original? And how did you read my request, if I sent it to Cassius? I doubt he printed it out.

[btryl]

Oh, come now. Don't be unreasonable. [ His voice sounds less gleeful and more exasperated. ] How would I have found a chip in your head without removing your neural implant?

[ To him, this had been exactly what she asked. ]

Without the surgery I'd guess, perhaps. There's really no method in that. It sounds unfair to the fulfillment of your deal. Whatever was done to you originally was not done by me—we'll say a former coworker had a hand in it, though I couldn't say how far that rabbit hole goes.

[ With a more methodical tone, he answers: ]

Cassius reached out to me after your request. We have a symbiotic relationship, him and I. I hope you didn't think that he would be conducting this, himself. [ Johann seems to find the prospect amusing. ]

[evite]

So there was nothing in the implant. [ it isn't a question. it's acknowledgement, quiet acceptance. a deadend, really. but daisy tries to think of home, of what coulson and may would tell her — the old cliche, too. when a door closes, open a window.

maybe this doesn't have to be for nothing. ]

Does your former coworker have a name? An employer?

[ the doctor talks in unhelpful riddles as much as cassius does. she's not surprised they're working together. ]

When you say symbiotic, what are we talking about here? He helps you with the crossword, you scratch the metaphorical itch he can't reach?

[btryl]

[ There's a sort of mm at the first statement. ]

We work together toward different goals but the same commonalities. We help each other, just as I'm helping him now fulfill your request. Though the the end goal of Judas was a bit more me than him—bah! Anyway!

[ Oh yes, a turn of subject because she did ask another question, didn't she? ]

Oh no—people like my former coworker don't exactly need an employer, but you'll have to forgive me for being cagey with the name. Not really my story to tell, and all.

[evite]

[ more like her story that's missing details, but fine. if she can't press him, no use fighting. easier to loop back to the other. ]

So Judas was for you. Why not reach out to us directly, then, rather than let Cassius play the messenger? You would have gotten a lot more bites if the offer hadn't come from an AI people already hated.

[ she pauses for a moment, considering. ]

Do you have a way to reach us? The Displaced, I mean. Did you know who we were?

[btryl]

Psh—of course.

[ That was part of this whole thing, anyway. He has been paying attention. ]

It wasn't as if Cassius didn't want to see him—besides, it's always interesting to see you work, after all. My interference is more of a wrench than not.

[ Of course he knows them. There's a little pause where a hm! comes across the intercom, followed by an interesting, interesting that's definitely not meant in Daisy's direction. He comes back after a moment. ]

Though I most certainly could, if I wanted to. Cassius has a little soft spot for the lot of you, after all.

[ But perhaps not for the same reason Johann has them here. ]