Issue No. 11: The Gloves are Off

## Overview

The Callisto 6 get into a fight with Dr. Jerome Blair who is revealed to have a poisonous breathing and secretion ability. Despite close calls, they manage to get the better of him. Oya, back at Blue Dolphin Station, is able to use her powers to find the location of a cryogenic pod containing an ally. Lacy pulls all information from the Cassium computers. The Callisto 6 rescue all prisoners from the facility and take the pod. Lacy and Luma confirm that they've somehow been hearing each other's thoughts the entire time.

## Plot Synopsis

Callisto 6 finds themselves on the twentieth sub-level of the Cassium-owned facility with Dr. Jerome Blair. He offers to give them a tour which is jarring to all of them but they go along with it for the time being. The sub-level is filled with cryogenic pods that each contain an experiment on a stolen corpse. They learn that there may be nothing they can do to help Sal recover from his necrotic injury.
Luma, still disguised as Oniko, sees manifestations of code and hears thoughts that aren't her own as Lacy goes through computations in their head. She shakes it off as they continue through the tour with Jerome. It's when she realizes that he's trying to get them away from the exit that she finally acts. She tries to get the drop on him by leaping up and wrapping her arms around his neck.

Almost instantaneously, she's forced to drop back off as she's wracked by a painful, sickly feeling tearing through her body. Jerome inflicts poison on anyone with the misfortune to touch him skin-to-skin.

It's a situation that goes from bad to worse. Even though Cass is able to temporarily knock Jerome out of the fight, they're subsequently set upon by several of the mutations that are released from their pods. Cass and Hopps are busy trying to clear a path to the exit when Jerome comes back into the fight and breathes poisonous gas into the rest of their faces. Anton is knocked out.

Oya, still back at Blue Dolphin with Sal, can feel that the rest of Callisto 6 is in mortal danger. She uses her powers to find some information on if there's anyone else in the facility that might be able to help them. There is but the bigger surprise comes when she sees a pod containing an eighth person who has been exposed to the Callisto energy.

Back at the facility, Lacy finds out the same information from the computers. Jerome is able to be rendered unconscious and taken out of the battle which leaves them to take care of the mutations still coming for them. After the released mutations eventually dealt with, Lacy initiates termination protocols which liquefies the remaining mutations in their pods as they sleep.

Callisto 6 makes their way up to the 14th floor where the pod is and find cells with sleeping prisoners locked away as well. These prisoners are discovered to have been people that Cassium believed the city would never miss and likely would've been next in line for experimentation. The weight of the reality of this facility sits heavily on them all.

Lacy evacuates all the employees with a fire alarm and, after they have everyone outside, wipes every computer in the building of everything down to the most basic of functions. They board everyone onto Amelia with a newfound realization about the enormity of the tasks ahead of them.

Lacy and Luma confirm that they have in fact been hearing each other's thoughts throughout their mission here. Lacy cheekily points out that Luma definitely wasn't *just* thinking about her worries during the mission in reference to her flirtatious moment with Cass. They share a bittersweet moment in remembrance to someone they've lost that Cass reminds them of.

## Cast

* Bonnie Gordon as Lindy "Hopps" Hopper.
* Hector Navarro as Anton Andazola.
* Aliza Pearl as Oya Guillen.
* Amy Dallen as Cassie "Cass" Charke.
* Sam de Leve as Lacy.
* Gina DeVivo as Luma Orsini.
* Eric Campbell as the Storyteller.
* Xander Jeanneret as Cobalt.

## Non-Player Characters

* Sweet Baby
* Sal
* Dr. Jerome Blair

## Locations

* Site 78C
* Blue Dolphin Base

## Quotes

**Jerome Blaire**: "There's... no such thing as science nonsense."
 **Luma [Thinking about Cass]**:
'***She's just like him* [ Hawk ].'Lacy**: "I think so too."

## Trivia

* This is the first episode in which Lacy grants Sweet Baby authorization to use lethal force.