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| − | [21:35] <Aratasujou> Anomalous cell growths detected! Recommend immediate capture and quarantine!
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| − | ''[22:09] * Aratasujou scans the slave-girl's belly. Has her pregnancy been advancing WHILE she's been captured?! How far along was she before she was captured?''
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| − | On their recent adventures to the past, the protagonists have encountered an unusual and rapid pattern of cell division in certain people they have come in contact with. Characterized by cell division well easily in league with the speed of tumors, the presence of this condition in Earth's past alarmed the protagonists significantly upon its first discovery, within a slave-woman named Sul [[Miracle of the Golden Emperor|found in 14th century Egypt]].
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| − | As [[Meiji Doyle]] was visiting the wealthy Abu in the outskirts of Cairo, she noticed that one of his slaves appeared sick, and scanned the woman on a hunch with the PSP. Discovering that the woman had masses of rapidly-dividing cells in her body the woman who would become [[The Intern]] was moved first to pity by the likely cancer prognosis, but later to suspicion instead, due to the elevated temperature at the location of the growths due to the cells there dividing so incredibly quickly. Sul claimed to her master her affliction was simply due to lack of exposure to the environment where she found herself as a slave, but Meiji did not believe a word of this, and when the time came to return and further the investigation, The Intern was ready.
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| − | Upon the return trip to Cairo, scans indicated that the presence of this anomaly was associated with the presence of [[E-Particles]], suggesting extra-temporal or extraterrestrial involvement. The sick Sul's master and home had these unusual atomic signatures, with the highest concentration on the cookware that the kitchen-slave had been handling, but the people there seemed to be normal.
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| − | ''[20:07] <Aratasujou> Ground floor contains traces of E-particles. Stronger E-particle concentrations detected in slave market building.''
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| − | The heroes discovered a FAR greater abundance of suspicious signals in another part of the town, and traced them to the slave market. While the 1324 Cairo slave market was typical in containing some of the worst humanity has to offer, it was atypical in containing high levels of signals atypical of that point in space time. Once the slaves were located, it was discovered that a large number of slave-girls, especially performing singers and dancers, displayed similar behavior to Sul's. Among a particular group of slaves, ALL OF THEM had anomalous cell growths in their bodies. These masses were clearly not characteristic of humanity, as they, had numerous DNA anomalies that did not match human genes. They had extra chromosomes, different protein structures, and cells designed for apoptosis. After the group succeeded in capturing and carefully examining the sick slave-woman Sul they found that the fact that she was seemingly beyond child-bearing age did not stop her belly being swollen in suggestion of pregnancy. In addition, she had different proteins in her body, and an immune system designed to fight different antigens than that of a typical human being. She had different chromosomes, and even an unusual brainwave pattern. Thoroughly alarmed at these implications, the heroes took stock of the apparent affliction and the capabilities of the increasingly-suspect tissue masses growing inside the women:
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| − | ===Symptoms of this condition observed in the field included the following:===
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| − | Coughing
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| − | Fatigue/lying down
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| − | Elevated body temperature in places of anomalous cell growths (among 40% of scanned individuals--might not be universal)
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| − | Increased heart rate (potentially a result of being put up on a slave auction block--might not be universal)
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| − | Markedly increased appetite.
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| − | ===Scans indicated that whatever is growing inside the slave-women at that point could do the following:===
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| − | Grow to the size of a full-sized human fetus within a month if not interrupted
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| − | Grow to TWICE the size of a full-term human fetus within two months
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| − | Grow to 3.4 times the size of a neonate human in three months
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| − | Possess >200% of the "mother's" chemical and biological divergence to humanity
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| − | Possess organs in different locations than the mother
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| − | Grow a connection to mother's central nervous system that could deliver "backup signal" to the organs of the body, keeping the mother's vital tissues functioning even in the case of the decapitation of the body it was growing in.
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| − | Carry and grow a genetic code that functioned as a computer virus against AIs attempting to analyze it--and capable of affecting sentient machines
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| − | Persist UNAFFECTED by presence of gold in bloodstream
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| − | Eventually, after retreating back to the Hotel, [[Sakura April Shinguuji]] decided to conduct further experiments to determine EXACTLY what was going on regarding these unusual cellular growths. In fact, she decided to clandestinely conduct experiements on how this unusual and dangerous condition perpetuated itself. Although this decision was of course incredibly dangerous, and risked unleashing unknown forces on the Hotel resident and world, Saki---who admittedly most likely considers the plot of the movie ''Species'' to be nothing more than a really fun way to spend a weekend, decided to do it anyway. Aware that the DNA code would compromise a computer, she sought the use of a Gigai for her tests, and set about securing them in stasis tubes and then infecting them with a recreated strain of the condition they found further back in time. Using the Gigai as a non-binary computer, she began having it review that data on what she coined the "Black Tar Tumors." The Gigai's analysis indicated the following:
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| − | ==Properties of the Genetic Code found in Dividing Cell Masses==
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| − | 1) The DNA code contains a signal that any computer attached to a radio or inter-chronal broadcasting system would be coerced into sending. (Fortunately, the Gigai in Saki's unethical secret lab was not set up to have access to broadcast.)
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| − | 2) The DNA code is compatible with baseline humans, but the genes in it are dominant over 99% of genes in a typical person.
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| − | 3) The DNA sequence provides instructions for cells to build completely new proteins not found in human beings.
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| − | 4) The DNA code is complete enough that, IF SOMEBLDY DARED, they could synthesize those nucleotides in some kind of replicator or ultratech assembly, implant it into an embryo and see what happens.
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| − | Of course, ethical people would not have acted on that fourth bit of information. Cautious people would have not acted upon that fourth property either. Those considered sane might well categorically be correctly predicted to leave it be. But once this fourth bit of information was discovered by Sakura April Shinguuji, the indescribably deadly and amoral killing machine designed to stop at nothing to achieve her goals, she immediately made ready to do exactly that.
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