[network] @hotstud_xxx; video, Day 116 [audio]

[rubikscomplex]

[House is at the school and there's time to actually play the piano. There is also a conspicuous lack of depressed vampire in the area. Well, that's fine. Probably. He doesn't want to deal with Beckett again. Anyway, there's news to report and music to harass people with.]

Hello, Snowhellions! Dr. House here with tunes to fill the soul with gladness. Stay tuned for an important announcement after about blood. Blood. It's what's inside. Maybe. This one goes out to all the nosiest members of Norfinbury.

[The first song for madame's and monsieur's pleasure tonight is a piano cover of Billy Joel classic with House singing. It makes a point, he thinks.]

I'll take requests now. And great news about the blood thing: We've got specks inside of us. Who said the kids didn't need to get that program? Kesara found a microscope, Quark found some binoculars we could use for the objective lenses, voila! Extra magnification. Not electron-microscope level, but MacGuyver couldn't do better. So. Blood. My guess is still nanobots, maybe something to do with the MN? But four different people, four different worlds, three humans, one... troll, no powers except some sort of smell-o-vision. Took a few different samples, cleaned the lenses, cleaned the sample slides, same results. It's definitely something in the blood, not just an artifact. Kids confirmed they saw the specks independently in all samples without me telling them what to look for.

Next step is to get this piano to bleed again and have a look at that. Anybody near the house with the other piano?

Comments

@gravedigger; voice

[harlequinofhate]

Specks?

That's all you got?

voice

[rubikscomplex]

I'm working with a compound microscope with one free socket and an objective lens from a pair of toy binoculars, Chuckles. You want me to tell you I saw nanomachines or particles of MN poison straight up, get me something that can actual focus to that scale.

[harlequinofhate]

Okay.

But first, Uncle Jokey would like to see slides of some blood samples.

[rubikscomplex]

[Enjoy the best pictures that House could take last night, Joker.

The first pic is the slides themselves, nine neatly lined up shards of glass. They're labeled with K, Q, and H and 1, 2, and 3 in red, three for each letter. A red sharpie is laid next to them for scale. The next series of pictures a titled 'basicmagnification' and have a letter and number 1-3 associated with the different slides. These pictures have clearly been taken through the microscope and show blood that is, in fact, looking pretty much like blood. The next set of pictures are titled '10xenhance' and follow the same labeling scheme as the other pictures. These are again taken through the microscope and the blood is, in fact, filled with with little specks. There's something there, but it's impossible to tell what they are at this magnification.]

Good enough, Uncle Jokey?

[harlequinofhate]

Tiny bots beating in our veins...

[A groan of frustration. He wishes the magnification was better.]

I have an idea but you're gonna have to play nice with the Joker, savvy?

[rubikscomplex]

Well, you know I don't play nice with the other kids. What's the idea, clown?

[harlequinofhate]

Your valiant hero took all my gear. In that was the goo I sprayed in your face. Ask for that if you see him, won't you?

Get your blood on a slide and put the chemicals on it.

See if it reacts. Some kindsa metal don't care for acid much. Record what happens and show it to me.

[rubikscomplex]

My knight in red, white, and blue armor!




Fine. Not a bad idea. I'll send it over whenever I get ahold of some drain cleaner.

[harlequinofhate]

Until then, see if you can put a match to the little buggers.

[rubikscomplex]

I'm not wasting my matches on that unless I'm starting a fire first.

[There's a pause.]

Anybody listening, don't start a fire in that basement in the ice tunnels unless you're burning the place down. Shadow wolves have a mean bite.

[harlequinofhate]

It's for science, man!

[rubikscomplex]

So was the fire in the stove. And now I look like a hooker after a werewolf bachelor party.

[harlequinofhate]

...What in flying heck's name are you talking about?

[rubikscomplex]

Ice tunnels. Basement next to the pharmacy. The shadows are alive and get pissed when you light a fire in the stove. Me'n Captain America spent the night there trying not to die. Good times. The shadows bite.

[harlequinofhate]

You mean the little shadow people that are wandering around everywhere?

[rubikscomplex]

You're not this much of an idiot. You know that's not what I'm talking about, asshole.

[harlequinofhate]

Unless you mean the actual shadows in the basement come to life and start chomping on people I really don't.

Haven't seen any of the resident monsters yet.

[He sounds like this fact saddens him.]

Everyone else gets to have all the fun...

[rubikscomplex]

Yeah. That's what I mean. And lucky you. All of the monsters here are dicks.

[harlequinofhate]

So are all the people. You'd think we'd get along swimmingly.

[rubikscomplex]

Guess we're going with the opposites attract wisdom over the dick-shaped birds of a feather.

[harlequinofhate]

Uhuh, you keep using that word, Doc, but I'm gonna take the high road here and move this conversation forward....

How are you still alive?

[rubikscomplex]

Spoilsport.

We kept the fire lit. They took off once we opened the trap door in the morning.

[harlequinofhate]

No, Doc, you said they bite.

Did they bite someone?

[rubikscomplex]

[Have you not been listening.]

Me... and America. What part of this is hard, Bozo? I've got bitemarks all up and down my body.

[harlequinofhate]

Last time I read the guide-which was a while ago, thank you kindly, you cretins,-folks were saying being touched by one of the monsters was instant death. Lights out. Game over.

Guess that's not always true, eh?