Jonny stood just outside the RV, watching and counting the jellyfish as best he could.
They didn't move around to much but they seamed to be grouped together close enough that he needed to count there tops to be sure that the mass of ribbon like tentacles was in fact just one.
Jonny had set up his camera and his screens so that it showed him what he was recording where his eyes should be looking.
It was like wearing digital glasses, it also let him zoom in. If he had more time he was sure he would be able to attach a camera to one of his birds using it like a drone.
Taking a deep breath Jonny took the step forward into town, testing before Jason woke up, weather or not the hypnosis effect was just a proximity effect or his glasses set up really was working.
One of the large jellyfish floated down to Jonny he couldn't feel anything but he was blinded by the glowing flashing lights.
After a moment the jellyfish started to drift forward, assured that Jonny would be walking with it.
But Jonny stood still waiting for it to pass, after the first 5 minutes he was sure the tendrils wouldn't end that they where rapped around him in a way that meant he would have to walk the whole way or fight his way out.
It was his fear of what mite happen if he attacked the jellyfish but didn't kill it, or if he did kill it and what would happen with the rest of them floating around.
He felt foolish and impatient if he would have taken some more time to read the file on the jellyfish. Instead of just being so exited he could use the camera set up to see them with out there first effects acting on him.
It was while he was lost in these type of thoughts that the world around him was revealed the ribbons of mesmerizing light floating away from him.
Letting out a long sigh of relief Jonny looked around to be sure that there were no zombies or other things that were trying to kill him.
To his surprise the zombies were following the jellyfish, another 2 jellyfish floated down and lead them away when the group got to big. Leading them to a cluster of other floating Jellyfish all of them floating as if on a light current.
Seeing he was free from the Jellyfish spell Jonny finally noticed the "zombies" for the first time.
'they seam like... people.' Jonny thought to himself watching the people moving around. Admittedly they seamed dirty, angry, and had a nasty green gunk covering there mouths.
Jonny had seen worse at a Saint Patty's weekend party, not a whole small town's worth but taken person by person they just seamed to be on a bender.
He could even hear some light grumbling and drunken slurs of speech coming from most of them. That's when he noticed not all of the zombies where following the Jellyfish, a few were ignoring it heading to the river's edge or going into buildings nearby.
Jonny wondered how long his bird's would take to get the info he sent them for. He didn't think it would take long for the birds to scan the zombies and tell him what was wrong with them but he was wondering he was using those birds wrong this whole time.
The one's he sent out to scan his house for anything interesting still hadn't come back, let alone the ones he had sent out to examine the people going under the change.
That made it all the more surprising when the bird sent to scan the jellyfish had come back so soon.
Jonny wanted to ask Drew, his power had let him see memories so that should mean that he saw everything that had go into the making of the birds and the tortoise. So he should know how to use it better than anyone else.
But Drew had other things to do. 'is it possible that Nathan knows?' Jonny wondered feeling a little hungry he sent a text to Nathan as he headed to the buffet to grab a little bit to eat while adding that little tweak he need to make the missile to add onto his attack ring.
He glanced at where Jason was sleeping seeing he was still dead to the world Jonny sent a text to Jason's phone letting him know Jonny was grabbing a bite to eat.
Drew sent Jonny a text to Jonny's surprise. "eating dinner come grab a bite while I got a minute."
Jonny was glad he was already hungry, hurrying to the buffet.
Looking at the tables Jonny's eyes got stuck on 2 large men leading down to get at the buffet table, one was wide as well as tall his head large bald and a little misshapen, a huge nose, beady little black eyes, and large pointed ears.
Jonny normally didn't stair being to much of a people person to be so rude but he couldn't take his eyes off the man, the thought of hippos in a river kept coming to his mind.
Cursing himself for being so insensitive he tore his eyes away seeing Drew wave a hand to him sitting out in the open for once.
Jonny waved back grabbing a quick plate of tasty fatty meats and potatoes before sitting down across from Drew.
"I see you saw the money pits." Drew said stubbing out one of his rain smelling cigarettes.
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"yeah, where do they build people like that?" Jonny asked shaking his head digging in to his own plate of food.
Drew's eyes narrowed for a moment "I think they said the're from some where in the Atlantic."
Jonny shook his head "think every one of them is like that or are they extra big to them?"
"No clue, you had questions about that little trinket you let me scan?" Drew asked clearly done talking about the 2 large men. especially sense they seamed to be walking next to the table Drew and Jonny where at. There was an odd mint smell coming off of them that mixed oddly with the rain smell Drew constantly gave off these days.
"Yeah, why dose it take so long for my birds to come back after I send them out?" Jonny asked cutting at his steak.
"Well what are you telling them to look for?" Drew asked poring ketchup over a hot dog and taking a bite from it.
"useful things?" Jonny said unsure exactly what Drew meant.
Drew shook his head washing down his bite of hot dog. "that's clearly your problem. You need to get more specific what if you asked it to get everything off of a person? They would have to learn there whole lives to come back to tell you just so you can learn they got a broken leg."
"Damn..." Jonny said he had no idea how extensive the "learning" birds could probe. "So I can use it to learn people's whole lives?"
"yep." Drew said chewing a large bite of hot-dog. "Dangerous trinket you got there. Got to ask it what you really want to know or you're going to end up with everything."
Jonny nodded chewing his own bite of steak scooping up a wad of potatoes to add to the bite.
The Large man walked by going back for another round of plates, Jonny noticed the Tall man was doing most of the eating though.
Drew and Jonny ate Jonny getting distracted mixing the bolt and grenade presets so he could get his new missile attack.
Drew seamed to be just as busy with his own projects as they ate working food half forgotten. Until Jason came in and up to the table.
"You nearly done? Cus I could use a bite." He told Jonny.
"Oh... yeah you go ahead, I found a way to not get hypnotized by the jellyfish." Jonny said
"Oh what a world we live in." Drew said dryly shaking his head.
"Oh... was I interrupting?" Jason asked looking a little nervously at Drew.
"Not at all. I should be going anyway." Drew said getting up. "i cant wait to see what all you find in that strange little town."
"Yes sir, the report-"
"wont be necessary." Drew said with a little smile his eyes flashing with his power. "One of you just come see me when your done, best part of my power if you ask me."
"right..." Jason said.
Jonny smirked. "yeah less paperwork sounds great for everyone."
"Got that right." Drew said walking away.
Jonny glanced at where the tall man and the large man had been sitting wanting to talk with Jason a once tall brick of a man about them, but couldn't find them.
'was I that into my work?' Jonny wondered.
Jason came back sitting down across form Jonny moving aside the old plates Drew had been eating with.
"So... did you say "Jellyfish?" " Jason asked Confused.
"yeah..." Jonny explained to Jason about the flying jellyfish and how the zombies looked mostly like people but dirty and sick.
Jason frowned eating from a bowl of chili thoughtfully. "i mite have jumped to conclusions, are we sure there not just sick with something?"
"maybe." Jonny said. "I wouldn't mind pulling one of them aside and trying to talk."
"really think it'll work?" Jason asked sounding doubtful.
"not really no." Jonny said with a sigh. "but with all these people running around with powers gotta be at least one of them that mite be able to help fix them. As long as they're not truly dead... hell i'm not sure if dead is the end anymore anyway."
Jason looked at Jonny's face for a long moment clearly lost in thoughts of the future. "we'd better hope that's not true, some people are better off staying dead."
Jonny thought it sounded like Jason had some one in mind when he said that.
"Yeah..." Jonny said as Jason seamed to come back to his senses.
"well... We shouldn't go killing everybody. If that's what the plan calls for Luke would have been sent not us." Jason said going back to adding crackers to his chili.
Jonny nearly laughed at that, then realized the cold truth of it. "yeah..."
Jonny pushed his plate aside. "I think i'll head back to the RV. It turns out i'v been doing things wrong and iv got some things to learn."
Jason looked disappointed for a moment then just nodded. "Yeah i'll be quick then we can head into the town."
Jonny nodded heading back to the RV once there he pulled up his birds this time making it clear as he could that he only wanted to know about anything abnormal or magical going on with them.
'would MORE birds learning the same things help?' Jonny wondered to him self.
The birds fluttered back diving into Jonny, startling him nearly out of his seat.
'Holy fuck that worked out way to well.' He thought pulling up the new info he was given.
"Abnormal status of citizens.
Infected, mesmerized, world threat."
'what the fuck is world threat?' Jonny wondered expanding on that.
"world threat, bonus x5 exp is given to any on the world who help defeat these threats to the world."
'ok thanks for just saying nothing.' jonny thought hoping the infected status would tell him why they where world threats.
"Infected, Subject's body is housing a magical chimera of Micro-Algae, Slime mold, and a Norovirus.
This Chimera grows inside the infected growing until it spills out of there bodies any way it can. The infected spread this infection by walking about, going to high places to purge the contents of the stomach, or infection of others.
The victim experiences extreme thirst, aggression, and delirium. Often drinking to excess, the Chimera grows in the water before being expelled to spread.
The infection rate is 100% and there is no know cure."
"Holy fuck..." Jonny muttered. 'no wonder its called world threat if this gets out into the water supplies or even one person gets out of the town, this could spread across the continent. And if it can grow even in the ocean the world really mite be consumed by it.'
He felt a little foolish at the thought, but at the same time this was a magic mold/virus. That said it was 100% infection rate.
" '^' " Jonny's phone went off. "stop the spread of the Slime virus at all coasts. Reward unknown/variable."
'unknown reward?' jonny thought shaking his head. 'Must be pretty damn good if it's a quest that would help save the world.'