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Nestled in the hills surrounding Harbin and nearby Pingfang, a lone building crumbles quietly, testament to the wills of time, and humaniy's desires to forget sins of the past.
Only one crumbling chimney remains of this 'lumber mill', part of the 'Water purification' department that was known as Unit 731.

All is quiet, all is serene, small animals inhabit the ruins now.

Half a mile away within an arcing copse of twisted trees, an armed sentry patrolling outside a massive metal door steps on a twig. the crack, resounding like a bullet, sends the small animals and many birds scurrying, shrill caws of protest breaking the quiet. As the soldier continues his round, watched by his colleagues, well hidden in the brush, the door becomes more visible. As well as the writing on it, in English and Japanese.





Hellbane Laster: Project Incipient and Viral Progenitor
"Viral infection and mutation is the dichotomy of life itself, played out in minature at three times the speed. Woe to he who knows not the heaven I would create..."


David Maximillian: Gaian chemist and arcanist, independant consultant and HR manager. Head of personnel management.
"The will to live drives man, yet it alone cannot provide. The will to learn, to evolve and adopt new practice and adapt new form shall pave the road for humanity."

Shito Ishii: Unit 731 co-ordinator. Immortal head of scientology and testing. Ishii's name has been leant to the project due to his extensive knowledge of all areas of study on every level after years of study in private with unlimited test subjects provided by Bane. Able to study without the limits of law or morals, Ishii's knowledge and methods are some of the most dangerous and effective to date. He has also been attritbuted to recent surges in terrorist activity after prelimary test subjects were released from Level 4.

John Abernethy: English Surgeon specialising in pathological anatomy and viral cells since becoming immortal in the 1800's. Level 1 head of staff.
"There is no short cut, nor 'royal road' to the attainment of medical knowledge. The path which we have to pursue is long, difficult, and unsafe. In our progress, we must frequently take up our abode with death and corruption, we must adopt loathsome diseases for our familiar associates, or we shall never be acquainted with their nature and dispositions ; we must risk, nay, even injure our own health, in order to be able to preserve, or restore that of others."

Francis Crick: English Biochemist and Biophysist, specialising in molecular level biology. Drawn to further explore the properties of necrotised cells after his untimely death in 2004 at Bane's hands, and subsequent rebirth.
"I also suspect that many workers in this field [molecular biology] and related fields have been strongly motivated by the desire, rarely actually expressed, to refute vitalism."

Cecil Adams: A supposed pen name for a writer in an old American paper, Cecil was in fact one of the early gene-splicing advocates and a scientist himself. Now specialises in Gene enhancement and heads up level 3.
"...the genes almost always accurately reproduce. If they don't, you get one of the following results: One, monsters—that is, grossly malformed babies resulting from genetic mistakes. Years ago most monsters died, but now many can be saved."

Peter Abelard: French Scholar of logic. Consultant on Level 4.
"By doubting we come to enquiry, and through enquiry we perceive truth."

Rita Levi-Montalcini: Italian American neurologist responsible for discovering nerve growth factors. Head of staff on level four, using combination of neurology and NGF to create 'programmable' pathways in the brain for Bane's soldiers.
"As for the presence of large NGF sources in snake venom and male genital organs, they may be conceived as instances of bizarre evolutionary gene expression."

Douglas Jacobson: American tactical strategist and weapons specialist. Since meeting Bane and transfering to the Ishimura project, Jacobson has taken over RnD for weapons systems, working in conjunction with Robert Koch to develop ammo types effective against various enemies. Head of level 5.
"Whats this s**t about if it bleeds we can kill it? If it so much as TWITCHES it's gonna be the worlds most tasteless 8ft pizza..."

Claude Bernard: French physiologist specialising in dissection, and cataloguing of effects of trauma and disease on all areas of the cadavers that pass his way. Chief of level 6.
"A physician's subject of study is necessarily the patient, and his first field for observation is the hospital. But if clinical observation teaches him to know the form and course of diseases, it cannot suffice to make him understand their nature; to this end he must penetrate into the body to find which of the internal parts are injured in their functions. That is why dissection of cadavers and microscopic study of diseases were soon added to clinical observation. But to-day these various methods no longer suffice; we must push investigation further and, in analyzing the elementary phenomena of organic bodies, must compare normal with abnormal states."

Robert Hooke: An early English physicist who initially abhorred vivsection, despite carrying it out, he has since changed his view in light of modern anesthetics... and then further slid into callous scientific interest with or without pain relief under Bane's hand. Head of staff on level 7.
"Nay, I kept him alive above an hour after I had cut off the pericardium and the mediastinum, and had handled and turned his lungs and heart and all the other parts of its body, as I pleased."

Robert Koch: German bacteriologist. Expert in raising samples for study, cultivating and producing samples and keeping them safely, he is ideal for his position as head of level 8.
"The pure culture is the foundation for all research on infectious disease."

James Cooper: American ex-SWAT from Los Angeles. Careful, methodical, he is among the few outside his personal bodyguard Hellbane trusts to guard him, and thus Cooper had general charge of all patrols in the reopened 731 and operates off of level 9, where he guards Hellbane's living and sleeping quaters personally.
"I'll ya one thing for free. Management dont know jack s**t about who to call in where. Aint no good listening to em, you take your orders from me, and thats final."

Jacqueline Adams: American female officer, previously employed by the 'Correctional Facility' commonly known as 'The Tombs' in Manhattan. Drafted by Bane after the initial closure in the 1900's, Jacqueline is a lady of the old rule book, menaing she's something of a sadist and believes in police brutality. Both these features have been brought to bear as chief of staff on level 10.
"There is an undeniable beauty in the color of blood...."

To follow:

Level seven: Vivisection and study labs
Level eight: Infection control and samples storage
Level nine: Living quaters
Level ten: Specimen holding zone
Level eleven: Cryostasis facility and armament station

Head of Level: Francis Crick
Science Teams: 25
Immortal/Mortal units: 70/30
Security Patrols: 40 men

Level Two is dedicated to the study of dead flesh and cells, both in stasis and in the process of cellular breakdown. Scientists on this level work on the recently deceased, infected deceased, animated immortals, rotting undead, and various levels of stabilised rot. Their goal is simple - to halt the rotting proces, or cause it to be an ongoing cycle, allowing for necrotised tissue to act as a carrier agent for Bane's viruses, and also enhance his soldiers.
In essence, recreating more stable and controllable elements from zombie movies across the globe. It is rumoured that much success in vitalising necrotised tissue has been achieved on Level Two, however the continuing research into applying infection and contagion to these creatures has been less successful.

Level Two is laid out in a long 'corridor', flanked on both sides by clear minutaure laboratories, all made of reinforced materials in the event of a specimen breaking free or resisting control measures. Vareities of tools, implemtents and scanning devices inhabit each cubicle, as well as computers for each team to use and catalogue findings.
At the rear, a heabily protected safe containing viable samples of the viruses under study is kept under lock and key, for use in infecting the specimens.

Head of Level: Rita Levi-Montalcini
Science Teams: 20
Training Teams: 5
Immortal/Mortal Units: 90/30
Security Patrols: 50 men

Level Four is a mixed unit and thus one of the largest and deepest spaces. In this area, Rita works with Nerve Growth Factors and psychology markers to almost literally treat the sentient brain, living or dead, as a programmable computer. With aide form her advisor Dr Peter Abelard, who is able to balance the removed dispassion of scientists with the more real world mentality of the subjects brought to them, Rita is responsible for the creation and maintainence of a controllable army of hosts at Bane's disposal.
Her research into neural pathways far exceeds that of the outside world, and she has thusly become very analytical and distant form humanity, a factor which is making Dr Abelards work increasingly valuable and difficult.

Level Four is plsit into three areas - Research and analysis, programming and neural growth, and Training and Examination. The first area consists of slabs for patients, microscopes and other such diagnosis and dissection equipment. The second area boasts a range of totally new equipments for stimulating the growth and injecting orders into the 'chip' in each subject's head. The third area is the largest, almost akin to a gymnasium headed up by the worlds worst PE teachers. Designe dto put the newly created soldiers through gruelling tests to check their abilities and loyalties, it is here they recieved all training necessary excluding weapons drill.

All staff on this level are particularly well armed as many experiments failand are neutralised immediately. The training area also has a reinforced particularly durable defense shield to contain rogue experiments. Able to withstand blunt force strikes and with no safety shatter system built in, to date it has never been breached.

Head of Level: Claude Bernard
Science Teams: 10
Immortal/Mortal Units: 15/5
Security Patrols: 20 men

Level Six reeks of death. Given over to the absolute discovery of all aspects of the subjects and experiments at the Ishiimura Project, Level Six is overseen fanatically and scrupiously by Dr Claude Bernard, a stickler for procedure and un-adjusted, true results. Only allowing teams of two to work on the cadavers sent his way, he maintains his teams with regular breaks, letting only two work together to keep findings clear and work steady, understandable.
A keen surgeon himself, Claude can often be seen aiding in dissections and rigoursly enforcing the storage conditions for the overwhelming numbers of dead sent his way.

Level Six is plit into two halves, seperated by a thick door to keep the cold in the morgue side of the room. The morgue is comprised of banks of pods, containing one cadaver each, which slide into the walls and can be pushed together for maximum storage capacity.
The opther side looks like an autopsy theater turned horror movie, rows of slabs and tools laid out for meticulous work, computes framing the far wall.

Head of Level:
Science Teams:
Immortal/Mortal Units:
Security Patrols: 20 men

Head of Level: Jacqueine Adams
Security Patrols: 60 men

*Issa stalked through the scrub surrounding the entrance into Ishiimura, 731, whatever you wanted to call it, in a fine high dudgeon.
Her long silvery white hair lashed behind her with every angry jerk of her head as she led her squad, what there WAS of it, back to base.

One of the oversized and muscular men behind her carried a late middle aged man under one arm, limp and clearly unconscious. Imperiously, Issa waved the men at the entrance out of her way, knowing they all knew her and entered, bracing as she ducked into the elevator for the inevitable comments the lesser groud staff would make*

Hey there sweet thing... I see you had a good trip...

Ten minute easy job, wasnt it?

Funny that. I could swear she's been gone a whole day...

Maybe we was just missing that sweet sweet a**...

Looks like someone else tried to touch before you Mack... Shane and Griff are missing...

What happened Issa? Something bigger than a ten year old get in your way? Dont tell me one old man coudl give your 'elite squad' trouble...

*Issa glared at the men and kept silent as the two remaining members of her squad, one of whom was greatly beat up, entered carrying, of course, Jan.
Depressing the button to close the heavy doors and start their descent, she flicked open her phone as the lurid lights of the detection field played through the car as it descended*

Mr Maximillian? Issa here. Target acquired. Please inform Bane. Proceeding to Holding Zone.

*Then she hung up and made a mental note to have some serious words with Dr Adams AND Dr Abelard. ******** knew she wasnt going to try and talk to that b***h Rita about the latest failure her work was showing.*

Good. Too long have we remained without knowledge of these developments. The time for answers is at hand.

*Bane recieved the message from where he sat in his quaters, surrounded by the five men and women who made up his personal body guard.

One may expect lavish surroundings, or even some form of debauchery considering hte nature of the entity Hellbane, and of his age, but no. His quaters were simple, spartan almost. Functional.
Beds lay in one room, surrounded by the stations his guard inhabitted when he was at rest, and the rest of his quaters were given over to a mess of paperwork and photos of projects which had particularly taken his attention.
Of late, this seemed to focus most heavily on the DeSeers, and the old pictures of Narok had also been dug out.

Rising from the terminal he was working at, Bane snapped his fingers as he moved for the exit, his guard instantly moving into line around him as he descended towards Containment, a dark smile on his tinted lips*


-----------------------------------


*The doors into the containment area opened with the usual hiss of less than pleasant air, though not purtid, and the song of pain and despair most down here seemed to revel in.
Issa ignored it all as she stalked past the initial cells of local creatures and humans brought in for tests after wandering too close to the entrance, passing on towards bigger and badder beasts and people, until she was well over half way down the MASSIVE indoor space.

Now, the stench of languishment was replaced. Unlike most prisons for the condemmed, level 10 WASNT unpleasant in that it smelt of blood and excrement. Damaged subjects made for bad experiments. To that end, the men and women down here, and beasts, were actually fairly well kept so long as they did not cross Jackie. Here, halfway down the level, there was a kitchen station. Wholesome, good food was on the make, and filled the latter part of the level with its scent, which Issa breathed in happily.
Nodding to the cooks, Issa carried on, spotting her target at the end of the row - Jacqueline Adams, Jackie to her 'non enemies'. *

This is him?
Yes ma'am. He's taken a nasty blow to the head, it was unavoidable. He killed two of the new units.
One old man managed to off Shane and Griffin?
He's no ordinary old man. Be careful of him Jackie.
What're you going to tell Bane?
The truth. The soldiers arent good enough for a mere servant, let alone the real deal. It doesnt suprise me the management are interested in this lot. I tell you, you've never seen someone move like he does. He's dangerous. I'll be making sure that is underlined in my report.

*The two remaining brutes took Jan inside the cell the women stood chatting outside of, depositing him on the floor and standing guard over him as Jackie locked all three in, for now, and took up station either side of the door with Issa while they awaited their superiors*