A Riverview Investigative Service Report, filed by Alex Reagan

[11calls]

Grief, Sympathy, Madness and Anger:
Spreading an artificial plague.

After an extensive investigation conducted by this reporter with great assistance by Dr. Richard Strand and Officer Peter Grant of the London Magical Crime Unit as well as an anonymous source, the ISR has discovered the identity of the person who released the plague that was both a combination of magic and nanite technology as pointed out by both Dr. Victor Frankenstein and Tony Stark the younger in network posts. The culprit is a local woman, Sarah White, 49. Whiteis an engineer who specializes in magically-enhanced robotics giving her the ability and knowledge and skills to release this artificial virus. White is currently in police custody.

The virus was released on May 1st by City Hall, according to multiple witnesses who saw White in the area acting suspiciously. Extremely contagious by design, White artificial virus spread through the population, attacking both native and newcomer like a wildfire without any one set of symptoms or a period of illness. The only thing that the virus had in common in every instance was that the victim spent a period of time in a coma, and then woke up with no sign of having the disease or the ability to catch it again.

No new cases have been reported as of June first, and everyone who was previously infected has been awaken from their comas, with the magic and the nanites stopped.

While this reporter did not interview White herself, extensive research reveals that other than working as an engineer, during the first epidemic that affected the settlement ten years ago, White entire family was killed. Given that she had the ability to kill everyone within Riverview, and didn’t, and the attack happened during the month of Memoria which this reporter does not think is a coincidence.

More updates on the story as we get them.

Update #1
Dr. Frankenstein reported to us that in looking for a cure from immune patients, he'd collected blood samples. Those blood samples show no further signs of the virus. He adds, "My guess is that Miss White deactivated the nanites or sent some sort of command for them to be destroyed once the month of Memoria was over."

Comments

[11calls]

I'll do it when I get back to work.

But I would say this was official, and for the news network. It's how I spent my time for the last several weeks, actually.

[breqintopieces]

But you investigated it on your own, from outside the system of government? That isn't a system I'm used to, I'll admit. Anyone who did that where I'm from would more likely be... quietly removed.

[11calls]

Oh. You guys must not have freedom of the press at home, I'm guessing. Here, the news network isn't under control of the government. And neither is the one back home, actually. Sometimes we investigate things like this where we're on the same side as the government [mostly.] And sometimes we investigate the government itself.

It must be terrible to not have that.

Also, hi I'm Alex.

[breqintopieces]

Breq.

News circulates in rumors, of course, but the official channels are all very well monitored. It's easier to do when the travel of information from one end of the Empire to the other takes months.

[11calls]

Nice to meet you.

Ah, gotcha. Yeah, we're definitely not censored by the government here in any way. Well, at least for sure I can say I'm not. No one ever really censors me.

[Even when it might be in her best interest.]

So, is it by word of mouth then? How you get your news?

[breqintopieces]

Word of mouth. The occasional surreptitious channel, by the particularly daring. Reading between the lines of the official versions, or the telling silences.

Or getting a ship or station AI to like you enough to drop hints, but few realize that's an option.

[11calls]

So like pirated signals and stuff? That makes sense but my friend Nic back home would know more stuff about it than I do.

[breqintopieces]

Things of that sort. In most cases, the only truly important information will be about the goings on in the nearest provincial palace.

[11calls]

Wow, I can't even imagine living like that.

[breqintopieces]

[Breq hums, a small neutral sound.] I am learning to appreciate the difference, here.

[11calls]

Well, I'm happy to show you any part of my process here you want to know.

[breqintopieces]

If you continue to produce work like this, I'm sure there will be plenty I'm curious about, in the future.

[11calls]

Thanks. Hopefully this is the last sort of thing that happens like this for a while. I think we could all do with a quiet month or two, and I'd rather write about boring votes than people getting hurt anyway.

[breqintopieces]

Hm. I imagine events will fall as they will, but there's no harm in hoping.

[11calls]

Yeah, they tend to do this, but there's no harm in putting out some good energies into the universe after everyone was so sick last month.

[breqintopieces]

May your prediction be the right one, then.

[11calls]

Here's hoping. Let's all collectively cross our fingers, huh?

[breqintopieces]

Fingers crossed.

[11calls]

And hey, if you ever find something you think needs some investigating, you let me know, okay? I'm always good for poking my nose where it doesn't belong.

[There's a smile in her tone, that much is evident, but Alex does mean it. She is exceptionally nosy after all. One doesn't become a reporter not to be.]

[breqintopieces]

[There's a hint of good humor in Breq's voice as she answers.]

If I haven't myself. Until then, Alex Reagan.