[sylvanSpider]

Aren's fingers still held onto the gun with a tight grip until they were well away from the danger where he finally relaxed and put the gun back in its holster. He looked down as if to watch his step, though it worked to enable him to avoid eye contact as his guide spilled his gut wrenching story. “Christ. I see why Serj moved us. We were in a different part of the city initially, but he moved our asses out of there as soon as he could. Got the clearance papers and everything. My brother and I had our...issues...but shit, he would've never allowed something like that to happen and wouldn't wanna be around that shit either.” Aren reached up and pat Ian on the back, “It's alright though now. You didn't hurt his guy and they're in a different sector. Your brother's safe.”

He didn't want to get into the nitty gritty with his own brother, so he hoped that Ian was smart enough to pick up on the past tenses he used in reference to Serj. He was glad he didn't ask. Though he figured if this guide-scientist relationship was going to continue, eventually he'd have to tell him about how his brother was a part of the military, maybe corrupt, but he was always taken care of. Eventually he'd have to tell him about how he'd grown up a massive disappointment to Serj, that repeatedly he'd heard how he wished it was his twin sisters that lived instead, shit, maybe even just one of them. They were athletes. They were strong, and fast. They were like him. “Why would he be so set on Old Money? That shit is worth nothing now. Now it's all in material goods. The world don't work that way anymore.”

The soft ground was relaxing to Aren. They were surrounded by green, everywhere he looked the various shades greeted his eyes. He could see why so many people wanted to leave the city. The green was so lovely compared to the gray of the concrete and brick the city was made of. Aren strapped on his mask, taking out some of the tools necessary for collection, complete with rubber gloves he now slid over his fingers, and bands to make sure the gloves wouldn't slide up. “We won't need to go in all the way just yet. Just wanna collect a few samples to look at under my microscope, see if I can draw some comparisons.” When he realized he probably didn't know what type of comparisons he was wanting to make and what was being compared, he cleared his throat, “Ever hear of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis? It's a fungus that works as an entomopathogen – it turns ants into fuckin' zombies. Well, not only ants. There are a lot of different species, and each species will target a different arthropod. Cordyceps are a type of fungi that aren't...well, they ain't like mushrooms, not the ones we eat for food or a psychoactive good time. They're a sac fungi, and I think that whatever this fuckin' fungi is, I think it's a cordycep related to Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. Unfortunately, even if it is related, scientists pre-Reckoning never tried to find a cure in the ants – it didn't affect us. But, if I can find the system within the body that it attacks specifically, and find something that the fungus doesn't like, maybe I can reverse the effects.”

He crouched down beside one of the old Runners, scraping off a piece in its entirety using one of his tools. His tools came in a variety. Some made by himself based on books he'd read, and others that Serj had brought back for him. He slid a few samples into a baggy and snapped the top shut, “Y'know, technically, mushrooms and cordyceps have the possibility of being poisonous rather than venomous. So theoretically, I could handle these with bare hands so long as you give them a thorough washing after. It's not worth the risk, but I figured I'd spread the info.” As he spoke, he pulled out some white masking tape and a marker, labeling the bag in giant chicken scratch lettering: RUNNER. He then moved to the Growth, collecting samples from that. When he was finished, he held up the baggie close to his face, “Certainly looks like a cordycep..” he muttered.

“What if we set it up in a shit hole area? A place that won't grab attention and off the normal routes? It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just a place to keep my microscope and tools. That's all I'd need. Shit, we could even make it look like it was left behind.” When he was finished collecting samples, he brought out a Polaroid camera, the old kind. The kind that developed pictures right then and there. His brother brought it back for him, complete with film and paper replacements. The old throwaways wouldn't work as there was no longer any place to get film developed, and digital cameras were long gone. This was how he had to go about science. When the picture came out, it was all black and Aren took it and began shaking it and the image slowly started to come into focus.[b] “Thank you for doing this for me. Already, I feel like I learned a lot.”