=CHAPTER 10D: THE MACHINE DRAWS NEAR=
=CHAPTER 10D: THE MACHINE DRAWS NEAR=
~AO v2.0~
((Courtesy of @codedhopes))
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[SEVERAL HOURS EARLIER, TITUS MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON…]
Soi: Horf...aaugh, that was way too much walking for my liking…
Call: We have arrived at the Prison, Doctor.
[The hulking fortress of steel and tower loomed ominously over the father-daughter pair, it’s once strong doors blown wide open by some massive force. Inside, there was a loud chaotic noise of many different prisoners and wards either dealing with each other, or the surely infected robots that were also trapped within.]
Call: I detect several Xellular signals within the complex, Dr. Sanda. Signs of viral infection also detected.
Soi: Oh, boy…
[The large, soft-hearted doctor nervously gulped as they both headed inside--the cool air was welcome, but it didn’t much help the situation they found themselves in.]
Soi: Oh, Will...I really hope you and the Mighties are alright…
[While the Whites were busy storming the Robot Factory, it was up to Soi and Call to take care of the Prison break-in--and ensure the personal safety of Dr. Blackwell, who had been imprisoned for life for his cyber-terrorism crimes against the country…]
[...And maybe, get some answers. Although Soi really didn’t think someone like Blackwell would be very willing to give them.]
Soi: Whoever heard of breaking INTO a prison…? (What’s your game here, Graham--?)
Soi: ...But...we need to talk to Blackwell, so...C’mon, Call!
Soi: The sooner we can get this over with, we can get out of here!
Call: Yes, Doctor.
[MISSION DETAILS: TITUS’S MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON HAS EXPERIENCED A BREAK IN. MULTIPLE DANGEROUS PRISONERS HAVE ESCAPED. DR. BENEDICT BLACKWELL IS HOUSED WITHIN THE DEEPEST PART OF THE PRISON. VIRUS PRESENCE CONFIRMED.]
[MISSION OBJECTIVE: ESCORT DR. Soi AND LOCATE DR. BLACKWELL TO ENSURE HIS PERSONAL SAFETY. QUESTION DR. BLACKWELL FOR POSSIBLE INFORMATION OF THE VIRUS. AVOID VIRAL INFECTION AT ALL COSTS.]
[SUB OBJECTIVE: MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT, MITIGATE PRISONER THREATS.]
[SYSTEMS READY?]
[GO!]
Soi: Any prison built to house a genius like Blackwell will be a tough nut to crack into...we’ll just need to search every nook and cranny until we find a way in.
Soi: Alright...this must be the main prison building. Dr. Blackwell’s cell will be deeper inside...although I doubt they’re going to just keep him in just ANY old cell..
Call: Analyzing…
Call: Results: Dr. Blackwell will be most likely somewhere in which security is highest. We will need key cards to access the maximum security wing.
Soi: Yes, you’re right…
[At the end of the hallway littered with prison cells at it’s sides, there were a set of blast doors blocking their path. A key card terminal was mounted just beside it, blinking red.]
Call: Please wait here while I search for the key cards, Doctor. This area is safe.
Soi: A-Alright...b-but be careful, yes? A-And don’t be long!
Soi: I...really wouldn’t want to be alone in such a...dim place…
Call: Yes, Doctor.
[Call boosts on ahead, using a built in jet pack on her back. She wasn’t much taller than Beck, thus her small stature makes it a bit easier to slip by the patrol bots. A few of the supplies from a nearby storage room were strewn about this hallway--]
[And on one was a bright red plastic card with a metallic strip.]
[CALL] //: I have found one of the key cards.
[DR.SANDA] //: Already? Fantastic! I think there is another door behind this one, though...either way, try to find one more before we move on!
[CALL] //: Yes, Doctor.
[BWAN BWAN BWAN--]
Call: ?
[Unfortunately for her, sporting such a bright pink outfit didn’t exactly make her dressed for stealth.]
Patrol Bot: -INTRUDER DETECTED-
[Although not infected, this patrol bot still had a function to follow. It’s dangerous shields sprinted forward to attempt to apprehend the Soi bot by knocking her over first--]
[CALL has entered Defensive Combat Mode.]
[Shoom!]
[She extends her hand forward and a bow like gun appears in it--the tip of it glows once before firing an arrow-shaped energy shot into the patrol bot--which knocked it far backwards.]
[Her shots weren’t modeled after Beck’s, though--while indeed damaging, they didn’t break apart Xel like Beck’s buster did. After a few more volleys of arrows, the patrol bot shut down from too much damage to it’s frame.]
Call: Threat neutralized. Proceeding.
Call: Scanning.
Call: ....Organic lifeforms detected ahead.
[As Call turned the corner, she was greeted by a fairly alarming sight--or as alarming as one can get for a bot with a limited emotion range. Green hues blinked in slight surprise at the hall filled with wards and guards--all either injured or simply unconscious. There was a few that Call could not detect any vitals in, either…]
Call: ….
[The gruesome sight doesn’t seem to faze her as much as a normal bot would react to, at least. She steps carefully over the crew, eyes scanning their bodies--until she finally spied another key card poking out of a out cold guard’s back pocket.]
Call: -Swipes it-
[She makes her way back with all due haste--Back with Soi, he could definitely hear all the blasting going on, making him pace with worry and fraught.]
Soi: Ooh...Will, I really wish you were here…! I’m not really the kind of scientist for field work…! Much less this...Gh… I don’t even know how to defend myself…
Soi: (And don’t even get me started on your Dad…)
Call: Doctor?
Soi: --! Call! Did you--
Call: I have the key cards. We must proceed quickly.
Soi: Yes, yes! Let’s go…
[Beep! Beep!]
[As both doors opened for the two, there was something on the other side--something that seemed quite lost and afraid. It was small and pink, with a lot of scratches on it’s tiny body. Once it spotted the Doctor and Call, though--]
Patch: :’’’D
Soi: ! Oh--A Patch Service Bot! Perfect timing!
Soi: Call, plug in to recharge your shield energy! Use that as fuel to power your energy barrier--It should have just enough to deflect enemy fire!
Call: Yes, Doctor.
[The Patch bot was more than happy to come with them--with a happy beep and a twirl, the Patch bot flew behind Call to plug into some ports on her back--and then it folded away to look like a pack.]
Call: Charging complete.
Soi: Good, good! Let’s keep going--
Call: Doctor.
Soi: --Oh, yes?
Call: Question: Why was I equipped with an energy shield?
Soi: --Er...huh?
[Soichiro was absolutely not expecting a question like that, at a place like this. Call blinked blankly at her father, patiently awaiting an answer while he fidgeted and thought of a proper response.]
Soi: W...Well...it’s just...uh...aheh…
Soi: You never know, you know?
Soi: I just...thought it would be a nice little feature to add to your combat mode, that’s all. Just...covering the bases.
Call: …
Call: Analysis: Doctor Soi had concluded that this unit would eventually come across dangerous situations at the time of this unit’s conception.
Soi: S-Something like that! ^^’’’
Soi: But enough talk, dear--we REALLY should get going before something else catches us. Come on--
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[When Nico arrived on the scene, he looked somewhat disoriented. The air around him flickered, as if glitching with time itself.]
Nico: (Ugh, time warps… getting worse…)
Nico: (Pull it together, Alnico…)
[He did his best to shake it off as he looked around.
The facility was a lot larger than he had expected. He had been convinced at first that there was only one prisoner housed there, based on the way that people spoke of it. He could perceive now that this was not the case.]
Nico: (They're probably headed to the deepest part of the dungeon, so to speak…. So just making my way down should catch me up to them, right?)
[He began hovering down the hallway, casting bits of metal into the air. They created a floating shield of shrapnel about him, which he spun around in orbits occasionally.]
Nico: (Now let's see here…)
[BWAN BWAN BWAN--]
Patrol Bot: -INTRUDER DETECTED!-
Nico: !!!
[He gave a blast of a magnetic field, slamming the bot against the wall.]
Nico: Out of my way!
[He tossed it back behind him. When they started to come back, joined by others, his eyes flickered brighter green.]
Nico: So you want to play this the hard way? Fine then.
[Nico used SHRAPNEL SHIELD!]
[The cloud of shrapnel acted like a rain of daggers and knives, tearing into the patrolling squadron.]
[Nico used MAGNET MISSILE!]
K-CHUNK! K-CHUNK! K-CHUNK!
[The homing missiles sped toward their targets, latching onto them on impact. They blinked for a few moments before creating a small but powerful explosion, rocking the victims with the full force of the blast and ensuing shockwaves.
Between the rain of metal that had continued to swirl about and the bombardment of Combat-level grade of explosives, his opponents were reduced to nothing but crumbling Xel.]
Nico: -Grins slightly cruelly beneath his mask, feeling that little surge of a Wily's delight at the thrill of power- Heh.
Nico: I'll fight my way through if I have to.
[He wrenched out the shrapnel from the dissolving figures and carried on his way down the hall, moving with greater speed than before.]
Nico: (Now… where are you…?)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[MEANWHILE…]
[It’s a long trek through the labyrinth like prison--and the two weren’t exactly conspicuous on this stealth mission. Call did quite well despite not being dressed for it, though, easily sneaking past the various patrol bots still on high alert.]
Call: -From the vents- I have another key card, Doctor.
Soi: All the way in THERE? How?
Call: Unknown. Hypothesis: Someone threw it in here.
Soi: Bad day, I guess…
[Call kicks open another vent grate and crawls out, some dust on her hair. She brushes herself off some before motioning for her father to follow her.]
Call: The wing should be up ahead.
Soi: Oh, thank goodness…
[As Soi inserts the last keycard, the way into the maximum security wing opens--or at least the entrance was now available to them. It’s a long hallway with a large door leading into the wing--beside it, a large terminal was blinking idly.]
Soi: Ah--finally, something I can work with--!
[Call stands by the wing door while Soi gets to work on the terminal, typing away at it with vigor.]
Soi: If this is what I think it is--
[SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!]
[Suddenly, a HORRIFYING demonic screech fills the complex, both in the air and across the feeds--before they shut off COMPLETELY, cutting off any feeds coming in and out of the prison….!]
Call: -ERROR--
Soi: -SCREAM--
Soi: Wh--What in the world was that--?!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[Nico reeled from the sound of the scream, a part of his mind becoming lost to static. It was abrupt and almost maddening—to be suddenly cut off in entirety from the RMD and everyone in it, left with nothing but his own internal experiences and thoughts. It was not like simply turning off the transceiver—this was worse, far worse.
He staggered and crashed against the floor in a heap, clutching at his head in pain.]
Nico: Nnnnhhh!
>ERROR X05: UNRESPONSIVE/DAMAGED SOFTWARE DETECTED
[Errors blared like a throbbing headache, and he was dazed by them. The only way he could think of to solve it… was to go ahead and shut it all down, send his transceiver offline.]
Nico: Nnnnnnggg…
[He pushed himself up off the floor, slowly hovering again. He was still a bit limp, trying to gather up his strength from the strange attack.]
Nico: …
[It suddenly occurred to him that he was truly alone now. There was no way to recall him at this point. If he continued forward, he ran the risk of self-destruction.
And unlike Cardinal, he did not have the jailbroken override function to stop it.]
Nico: … … …
[He pressed on.]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Call: Error: My communication lines are unresponsive. This unit detects a jamming signal within the screaming just now.
Soi: Oh, poppycock...that i-isn’t good--
Soi: I--I’d better hurry up then--you watch my back, alright, dear?
Call: Acknowledged. I will stand by.
[There is nothing but the quiet sound of typing, Soi murmuring to himself as he did so. No comms...which means his phone wouldn’t work. They really were on their own on this one.]
Soi: Yes, this door is locked electronically...one second while I hack it open…
Soi: (I really hope I don’t end up getting arrested for this myself--)
[BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN--]
Call: Warning--
[INTRUDERS DETECTED. DEPLOYING UNITS TO LOCATION: MAXIMUM SECURITY WING ENTRANCE HALL.]
Soi: Great Caesar’s Ghost--They’ve found us! -SCREE, WE’RE GONERS--
[CALL HAS ENTERED OFFENSIVE COMBAT MODE. RESTRICTIONS: PRESERVE DR. SANDA.]
Call: Please focus on hacking the terminal, Doctor. I will try to neutralize any threats.
Soi: C-Call! Wait--!
[But it’s no use--drones were already closing into their location, easily outnumbering the lone Sanda Number. Call’s eyes glowed a dull green as she raised her weapon, a faint hint of a familiar focused gaze on her face…]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
(...Nearly...Nearly there...at last…!)
[There was a furious red glow fast approaching, and the light it cast off scored all who dared to oppose it’s destructive warpath to it’s objective…]
(All these years...you could have come for me...could have looked for me...yet you chose to hide here…)
[It was far too fast for Alnico to even get a proper look at the mysterious whirlwind of red and rage, fully intent on getting past him.]
[SHING!]
Nico: ?!
???: OUT OF MY WAY!
[His shrapnel shield hurled about him, but it seemed to be of no avail on the powerful figure before him. He was rammed into and bowled over, completely overtaken by the new attacker.
Just as he got up again to his feet, however, it was gone.]
Nico: (What the hell WAS that? I swear this place has become nothing but chaos…)
[He gathered up his shrapnel again, ignoring the alarms that were starting to increase. Now that his transceiver was off, they didn't bother him mercilessly.]
Nico: -Tries brushing off some Xel and ends up smearing it- (Ewww…)
[He tried pursuing the new intruder, not wanting to let them run amok.
Unfortunately for him…]
"-SNARL…-"
Nico: …!
[He was given something else to worry about.]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[BLAM BLAM!]
Soi: I never thought I’d be hacking under GUNFIRE, for crapes’ sake--!
Soi: B-But I’ve almost got it! Just a little more, Call--!
Call: Yes, Doctor.
[Call pivoted to avoid oncoming fire from her right, and then activated her shield to deflect the patrol bots from ramming her to the ground. The biggest threat right now was a giant, bladed patrol bot, hurling it’s huge cutter right at the combat secretary.]
Soi: DUCK--!
[She dropped to the ground at the last moment, the blade harmlessly passing above her. It had a boomerang effect, unfortunately, but just as the cutter was about to return to it’s unit, the pink Xelbot got an idea…]
Call: Opening fire.
Soi: --?! Call?!
[BLAM BLAM BLAM!]
[SCREEEE--]
[Stunned by the sudden onslaught of shots, the bladed patrol bot couldn’t recover fast enough to catch it’s own blade. When it came back, it embedded itself into its frame with a loud, horrific screech.]
[THUD!]
[The massive patrol bot fell to the ground, dissolving into a giant puddle of Xel. The other patrol bots followed suit to Call’s accurate aiming and shielding, clearing the area of all other threats.]
Call: All hostiles neutralized, Doctor.
Soi: I...I can see that… (...Her fighting style was...different this time around. Huh…)
Soi: ...Oh! The door! Right, one moment--
[ACCESS GRANTED.]
[The door slowly slid open, granting access to the maximum security wing of the prison. It’s not as dead quiet as one would like--there were faint sounds of screams and shouting just down the hallways of cells.]
Soi: Oh, that’s encouraging…
Soi: ...Now I’m really starting to worry about Dr. Blackwell. You...You don’t think the robots around here have gotten into his cell already…?
Call: ….
Soi: …? Call?
[The secretary bot was strangely silent, staring straight ahead with a blank, yet...paused expression. As if she was in deep thought.]
Call: ...Interesting…
Soi: Uh...What is it, Call? Did you figure something out?
Call: ...I often detect an aversion to combat in Beck’s vocal patterns, while I have no such reluctance.
Soi: …! (...Has she been analyzing her own combat protocols this whole time? It’s the only reason I can think of, if she’s asking NOW…)
Call: Question: Why would Dr. White include that hesitation in his design?
Soi: --Er--
Call: Beck is an Arena Combat Model, built for the purpose of acting as the role of a healer for Team Mighty Numbers, due to his Xel Manipulation function. A common strategy when dealing with healers is to neutralize them first so that they will not restore their allies’ vitality. Analysis concludes that Dr. White would have known that this would make Beck a constant target for other combatants in the Battle Colosseum.
Call: To include a hesitation to combat in this setting...
Call: It’s...illogical.
Soi: ….
[For a moment, Soi allowed himself to mull over it. When Call put it like that, it...was true. It didn’t make SENSE that Will would specifically make Beck so afraid of combat when that was the setting he was going to BE in--why with Beck, when all the other Mighty Numbers weren’t the same way, when they COULD have? Growth aside, even if he hadn’t...would Beck even be the same?]
Soi: Mmm...yes, well...that, uh…
[KSSSST!]
Soi: --! (The monitor--?)
[The screen on the terminal suddenly cuts off from it’s database, and a video feed pops up. Once the static clears, a familiar Mighty Number comes into view.]
Avi: Yoooo, Doc Sanda-Man! Duty calls from Call, eh? Haha--! Thank the maker I reached you!
Soi: Wha--Avi?! Y-You’re supposed to be at the FACTORY, why are you--WHERE are you?
Avi: Mighty No. 6 is reporting LIVE from above the Prison! I got a hot scoop fresh off of CherryDyn’s production lines that just couldn’t wait another minute!
[The screen switches off from Avi to a series of blueprints…]
Soi: ---??
Soi: ...What is this…? Schematics for a Combat Model…?
Call: ...These are blueprints for a CherryDyn patrol type combat model, Doctor.
Avi: Bingo! I scouted up ahead and spotted a nasty guard dog! I’m talkin’ one sick puppy. Probably literally! And there’s more than one--
Avi: It’s part of a line called the Cerberus series! There’s three of them--each of them has a total of one, two, and THREE heads respectively! And they’re assigned to patrol high level security locations...like the Prison.
Soi: -PALES- Oh...Oh, no… (Call is...I don’t know if Call can HANDLE something this huge--!)
[The screen flashes back to Avi upon hearing his uncle’s distress.]
Avi: Hey, but I got a pro tip! Blast his big eye first! That’s his weak point. THEN go for massive damage! He’s only got one, so he’ll be totally blindsided if you knock it out first!
Avi: Should be no problem for our call girl! How’s everything holding up for you two?
Call: All systems are still operational, Mighty No. 6. Dr. Sanda is safe.
Avi: Great! I wish I could stay and provide support, but I gotta fly back to the Factory--it’s a PARTY in there, lemmie tell ya--
Soi: No time for stories, Avi--you can tell us when we get back home! Please, hurry back to Will--!
Avi: Roger! See ya, and good luck!
[KSSSSSSSSST!]
Call: ….
[Call stares back at the screen after Avi signs off, yet again with that paused expression.]
Call: It’s not only Beck.
Soi: --?
Call: All of Dr. White’s designs have such contradictions...
Call: Aviator has an aversion to blood despite being a news reporter. Cryosphere possesses no fear reactions even when presented with situations that incite it. Brandish imparts his teachings of Japanese fighting styles to those that show a certain level of temperament, rather than skill level. Even Seismic, who is the team tank of the Mighty Numbers, is one of the more rational of the line rather than Pyrogen, who sometimes shows levels of ill temper.
Call: Why put such imperfections on designs that would negate their very functions?
Soi: ...Have...you been thinking about this since we arrived?
Call: I have been analyzing this data for 6 months, 3 weeks, 4 days and 17 hours, Doctor.
Soi: ….
Soi: ...Oh. o~o
Soi: (That...long. Huh. I...I guess she takes time to analyze other data when she’s doing her desk work...?)
Soi: I...Call…
Soi: I’m sorry, but...could you wait just a little longer for that answer? We’re...in the middle of a mission…
Call: ….
Call: Affirmative. This unit apologizes for straying from the objective.
Soi: No, no...it’s alright.
Soi: We should head deeper. It’s not long now--Blackwell’s cell should be somewhere in there...
[Father and daughter make haste for the maximum security wing at last, and it’s nothing but a mess inside. Bars bent this way and that, entire walls were caved in and the lights flickered ominously, damaged by some heated scuffle that had occurred not too long ago, most likely by the convicts and wardens of the prison.]
“I ain’t gettin’ cored, man! I’m OUTTA HERE--”
Call: -Eyes glow green, raises bow--
Soi: Ack, Call, get out of the way--! [Soi had just enough time to pull Call to the side of the hall as a group of Xelbots and humans in prison uniforms were racing down the opposite way.]
“MOVE IT, Fatso--”
Soi: >|T -Rude--
[The panicked convicts were too focused on escape to care for a Doctor and his only child in the prison, freedom beckoning them just beyond the walls. Soi’s annoyed expression slipped away into worry and concern as he watched them vanish around a corner.]
Soi: …
Soi: ...They...They probably don’t know what’s going on outside, do they…?
Soi: Those Xelbots weren’t infected...I guess they were lucky, maybe they were in solitary confinement when the virus broke out…
Soi: (But there’s nothing that’ll protect them if they even do get outside...Oh, no…)
Call: Doctor.
Soi: --Er, uh...sorry, Call, I just got...sidetracked for a moment.
Soi: --! Ah, look--there!
[Finally, at the end of the hallway, there it was--the gateway to the cell of the most dangerous man alive, in the form of...some sort of elevator. It was rather plain looking, save for a singular plate with a serial on it.]
[P-2045453.]
Soi: I...uh. Is this it?
Call: Searching database.
Call: This serial seems to be the number assigned to Dr. Blackwell.
Soi: So his cell is… underground? O.o
Soi: (Did they really built all this just to house him down there? Good lord…)
Soi: ...Well...down we go....
[DING!]
[They both entered the elevator, the reinforced steel doors shutting behind them as Soi punched the button for down. They smoothly started to descend…]
Soi: …
Soi: (...Will never liked his own father…)
Soi: (He always seemed bitter whenever I tried to talk to him about it...and he always switched the subject over to something else. From what he says, Dr. Blackwell doesn’t sound very nice…)
Soi: (And I’m inclined to believe him...Will said he just left him and Rebecca when he was 10…)
Soi: (Still...this is the first time...and maybe even the last time I’ll get to see him face to face.)
Soi: (I have to wonder...has he changed?)
[SCREEECH--]
Soi: --???
Soi: -What is that horrible noise--
Call: -PING, WARNING--
[The horrid metal screeching seemed to be coming from ABOVE them--]
Soi: -Looks up--
Soi: --!!!! LOOK OUT!
[CRASH--!!]
[Falling through the roof of the massive elevator was a HUGE canine unit, it’s singular eye boring holes into the pair, teeth buzzing in it’s maw as it HOWLED. The noise was akin to an alarm being raised, and the REAL alarms seem to respond to it by going off themselves.]
K-9: -HOOOOOWWWWL-
Soi: -SCREAMS--
[Helpless Soichiro skids off across the floor until he hits a corner--the weight on the elevator was uneven, causing the entire thing to screech against the elevator shaft as they continued to move downwards.]
Call: This appears to be one of the Cerberus models.
[DSN-000 HAS ENTERED OFFENSIVE COMBAT MODE.]
Call: Threat confirmed. Initiating combat protocols.
Call: Analyzing.
((Pic))
[ E N C O U N T E R ]
[CDN. ERR - CODENAME: K-9]
[HEIGHT: 333 cm]
[WEIGHT: 1009 kg]
[XEL COUNT: 201,800,000]
[The K-9 CDN did not waste a single moment in it's movements, poising to lunge at Call with it's teeth bared. There's little time to react, but Call was ready--she easily slid under the beast as soon as it jumped to the other side of the elevator.]
Soi: aaaAAH--
[...Which in turn, caused the round Doctor to slide to the other end as well. The elevator was big enough so that Soi wasn't in any immediate danger, and the K-9 was solely focused on Call for now.]
Call: I detect no viral infection in this model. Doctor, please find a way to stop the elevator--
Soi: There isn't! There's no terminal or box ANYWHERE--
Soi: What kind of--gh--elevator doesn't have an emergency brake?!
Call: ...
[There's a slight change in Call's stoic expression, as if she's trying to process something other than her analysis protocols. She doesn't have time to finish, as the K-9 unit opens it's mouth to reveal a gun hidden in it's throat--]
[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]
Call: Barrier.
[In an instant, Call's Barrier shields her from the oncoming shots. Luckily, they were energy based, so they didn't ricochet off dangerously--after all, Doctor Sanda was nearby--]
Call: -Frowns- ...Error...
Soi: -Gg--
Soi: Call! Do you remember Avi's advice?!
Call: --!
Call: Affirmative, Doctor. Knock the eye out first.
Call: -Aims--
[BLAM!]
K-9: ROOOOWWWWWWWWL--
[The shot hit its mark true, and the canine bot howled in PAIN as it was rendered blind, it's eye shutting close against it's head. Call takes this opportunity to fire even more shots at it...but they only bounce off harmlessly against it's armor.]
Call: ...
Call: This unit cannot pinpoint any other weakness other than the eye...
Soi: That can't be the only way--there has to be another way to damage it!
Soi: Something that its armor doesn't protect--!
Call: ...
Call: Analyzing new data...
K-9: AWOOOOOOOOO--
Call: -PING!-
[A spark flashes in Call's mind, manifesting as a sharp glow to her green hues. She bolts off towards the K-9 unit and jumps--]
Soi: CALL--!!
[Her foot SLAMS into its bottom lip, and the flash of her barrier goes up, forcing the K-9 unit to open its jaws wide--]
K-9: -HNGHE--
Call: -Burst of data-
[And then she jumps right back into the air, mirroring Beck's back shot, unloading shot after shot right down its throat--!]
K-9: -SCREEEEEEEEEEEEE--!!-
Soi: -Covers his ears over that HORRIBLE noise, hnnng--
[Call lands on the ground as graceful as a dove, stoic as ever as as the canine CDN coughed and spazzed in pain, pawing at it's own snout and throat.]
Soi: : D!! Brilliant! That's my girl!
K-9: Rrrrng...
K-9: -BWAAAAAAAAAAN--
[PING!]
"ALERT! ALERT! CONDITION RED RAISED TO CONDITION BLACK. CONDITION RED RAISED TO CONDITION BLACK. MAXIMUM SECURITY WING LOCKDOWN INITIATED!"
Soi: D:!! -Oh no--
Soi: (Now how are we going to get out?!)
[The alarms on the K-9 was responded by some stray CDN supply drones, who had found their way into the shaft through the damaged holes left behind by the fighting--and their cargo was both marked fragile and explosive.]
Call: --!!
Call: -BLAM BLAM--
[Fearing that the drones would target the Doctor, the combat secretary turned her attention at them, shooting them down and their cargo. The crate broke on contact, revealing another CDN inside--one that blew up after significant damaged was was taken.]
Call: Analyzing--
Call: -Grabs the bomb CDN-
[As it flailed in her grasp, she lobbed it at the K-9 unit with considerable force--it didn't explode on contact, however...]
K-9: RAAWWWR--
K-9: -CHOMP-
Soi: --!
Soi: It ATE it--
Soi: (--! Of course, it can't see! It probably thought it was Call!)
[SCREEEEEEEEECH--]
Soi: -Stumbles-- ?!
[The elevator suddenly jerked and slowed, metal screeching against metal as it halted right in the middle of the elevator shaft--as if they weren't trapped in here already--!]
K-9: -WHINES AGAINST THE SOUND--
Soi: -Our eaaaars--
Call: Analyzing...
Call: This unit believes we should stand back--
K-9: -Hack--HACK--
Soi: Butter and toast--! Help--!
[Call dashes over in a moment's notice thanks to her Jet Pack, hovering behind her father and pushing behind him.]
Call: Hnn...
Call: Patch--full output!
[JET PACK BOOST: MAXIMUM OUTPUT REACHED.]
Soi: Whoooa--!
K-9: -ERROR--ERROR--
[Call and Soi just barely made it outside the blast radius as the K-9's lower half exploded from the inside out, its dying, final howl echoing out into the shaft and shorting out into static...]
[THUD.]
[The Titus prison guard dog fell onto the elevator floor in a smoking, broken mess, charred Xel bleeding out from it's mouth and staining the pristine white.]
Soi: -Uuughh...-
Call: ...
Call: Threat Neutralized.
[DSN-000 HAS LEFT COMBAT MODE.]
Call: ...Doctor Sanda, are you injured?
Soi: @~@ A...A little queasy from all that shaking and tipping about, but I'm alright for the most part...
Soi: -Hooorf...-
Soi: You were really something back there...
Soi: But now we have other problems to worry about...
Soi: D: I think we're stuck in here, Call, I don't see anything that would help us out...climbing out seems dangerous, it's still a long way down...
Call: -...Frowns- This unit has exhausted all of the power from the Patch Service Bot. I am unable to fly outside and look for a solution.
Soi: (Oh no...that means she can't use her barrier either...)
Soi: (We can't call for help, can't get out, can't go down OR up...)
Soi: (Have...have we failed? Oh, Will--!)
Soi: Gnn...!
[The younger Sanda twin frets for a moment, before slowly getting back on his feet. There were still people in here, weren't they? Maybe--just maybe.]
Soi: HELLO?!
Soi: -Yells upwards- IS ANYONE UP THERE?! WE'RE STUCK--!
Call: This unit calculates the chances of survivors still in the prison are--
Soi: No time for that! Please, just--make as much noise as you can, SOMEONE has to hear us--!
Call: ...Analysis complete. This unit will use the elevator shaft's structure to ensure the best echo possible.
Call: -Takes a scrap from the K-9 and CHUCKS it-
[WHANG!]
Soi: -That'll do--
[The sound definitely echoed, that's for sure.
…
…Wait a minute, those weren't echoes…!
And there was another sound— growing louder. …Music?]
[There was a grating and screeching noise from the upper floors…]
[WHAM!]
[A cloud of swirling metal descended into the shaft.]
Soi: -SCREE—-
Call: -Blinks in mild surprise- ...It appears our call for assistance has been answered.
Call: Analyzing data...
Call: Error--cannot connect to the Sanda Enterprises server.
Soi: (That music...)
Soi: -Bangs on the side of the wall- Hello?! We're down here! Help!
[As if in response, the metal was sharply flung in a circular radius, embedding itself in the walls above.]
PING!
"Sanda?"
Soi: --!!
Soi: By Jove! Alnico, is that you?!
[Indeed it was. There was a fierce glow fading from his eyes as the DWN plunged down the shaft with purpose, coming to a silent halt and hovering in the air in front of them.
He was in full armor for once, making his expression significantly harder to read. But there was an undeniable flicker of something deeper as his gaze fixated not on the Doctor, but rather…]
Nico: …
Call: …
Nico: (They could almost be sisters…)
Soi: (...Oh.) o~o (Oh, goodness, I didn't think of that--)
Call: -Bows- This unit thanks you for coming to our aid.
Soi: I...uh. -Subject change go--
Soi: Y-Yes! D-Did Will send you as our back-up? There's currently no comms working right now...
Nico: - -; Hardly. I…
[He suddenly clutched at his head, and the air around him distorted with an audible fuzz and reverberation. It only seemed to get worse, and he clutched his head with both hands.
His powers abruptly reversed, sending him crashing to the side.]
Nico: -Pries himself off the wall, grumbling- Dammit, not now—!
Call: !
Soi: Nico--!
Soi: (What was...is this because of the disconnect from the server? Time? Or maybe both...)
Nico: Mmmnnrrgh…
Soi: Are you alright?
Nico: Relatively speaking.
[He seemed distinctly unhappy, though.]
Nico: More on that later. You asked me a question. No, Doctor, I was not sent.
[His eyes suddenly flashed a full green and he bared his teeth—not that they could be seen.]
Nico: No one would ever send me, you were all conspiring to CONCEAL THE TRUTH!
Soi: Aahh-- -Backs up--
[…But the temper faded just as quickly, and he looked away, somewhat tired and possibly even ashamed.]
Nico: …I saw you on the monitors and realized that there was trouble. After arguing with Siamini, I stormed out and came over here.
Call: ...
Call: -Blinks several times at that-
Call: ...Error...
Call: ...
Soi: -n-;;;; (Hnn...he's right, we shouldn't have hid Call away from him, but it was such a sensitive... issue...)
Nico: That… that all can wait until later, though. There's someone else here, but I can't connect to the server and there are very hazardous warps that are making things worse. My short-term memory is being jacked with, and without the server to reference, I'm starting to forget what happened on the way here and what happened after I got here. We need to leave as soon as possible.
Soi: Ack... alright...
Soi: ...But we need to finish this mission first.... Dr. Blackwell is at the bottom floor, but we're stuck...
Call: -Looks around- The floor is currently skewed at a 24 degree angle, Doctor. My analysis concludes that the elevator is stuck because we are not aligned with the shaft.
Call: Cause: Improper weight distribution.
Soi: >>;;
[Nico crosses his arms in thought, scowling a bit.]
Nico: I can move the elevator, but I doubt I'll be able to fix it. I want to keep a firm "grip" on the both of you in case I make things worse.
Soi: Mmng...we really don't have a choice anyway...
Soi: We HAVE to get the the cell at the bottom.
Call: Dr. Blackwell may be able to provide useful insight once we secure our objective.
Nico: …Excuse me?
[A brief pause.]
Nico: Nnn, never mind—
[There was a sudden tense feeling about them and a terrible noise of straining strands and grinding gears.
…While it was moving, it was slow and sounded like it was making things worse…]
Nico: Bah…
[There was a loud CLANK as the elevator abruptly righted into place and started descending both rapidly and smoothly.]
Nico: -Visibly surprised- Well huh.
Soi: : D! Well done, Alnico!
Soi: We should be there in no time...
Soi: I just hope he's alright, though before that K-9 unit came in here, there wasn't really any signs that anyone else came before...
Nico: -Gives a look- …You guys ran into a dog?
Call: Yes. A CDN unit that patrols prisons such as this one. K-9 must have been assigned to patrol this area specifically because Dr. Blackwell is held here.
Nico: I guess it would make sense to develop a pack…
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[DING!]
[The elevator chimes as a very large reinforced door appears--of course, there was a keycard terminal next to it.
The door had a single window.]
Nico: -Flatly- If you don't have a card, I'm tearing it off its hinges.
Soi: No, no-- -VERY QUICKLY PULLS THEM OUT- |D;;; We ran into a lot of them on the way here! One of them must have enough clearance...
[Surprisingly, the first card he pulled from the many they collected indeed had enough clearance to disengage the lock. It opens with a small hiss.]
Soi: ....
Soi: -...suddenly very nervous-
Soi: (...I'm going to meet Will's father...)
Soi: (Founder of Xel Robotics and everything else aside, even. I...)
Soi: (I really wish you were here, Will...)
Call: ...Doctor?
Soi: ...--Oh, I...sorry. The...the reality of the situation just hit me all of sudden...
Soi: ^^;; I'm fine, I promise.
Nico: -Eyes flash full green again-
[But it abruptly dies down. He pinches the bridge of his nose, venting heavily.]
Nico: -VERY strained- Right.
K-TANG! K-TANG!
[He takes a protective position in front of the both of them, holding a horseshoe magnet defensively in each hand.]
Nico: Let's finish what we came here for, then.
Soi: Y-Yes...
[DSN-000 HAS ENTERED DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE.]
Call: This unit is ready to engage should the situation turn hostile.
Nico: …
Nico: -Quietly- If I take too much damage, scram.
Soi: ...
Call: Affirmative.
[Nico seems to relax a bit at that, as if satisfied.
Soichiro opens the door with some effort--it's quite heavy, after all--and they all step inside the cell.
...It's...very clean. The floor is a mirror in of itself, and while the room is fairly big, there's not much in it. A table with no drawers and a plain chair, a sink near by, a separate closed off section that must have been the bathroom. Very reflective surfaces. Very....empty.
Save for, of course, the elderly man sitting at the lone bench that sat at the center of it all.]
((Pic))
Ben: So it was you making all that racket.
Soi: Ah, uh...h-hello, Dr. Blackwell...
Nico: …
[The Robot Master recognized an air of authority when he saw it in action. And this…
This almost reminded him of…]
Nico: (…Mikhail…)
[He subconsciously gripped at the magnets tighter as he was seized with the fear of a memory made sharper.
Mikhail himself was locked up as they spoke, and the situation looked rather grim.]
Nico: (All the more reason to /hurry/…)
[Ben himself obviously looked frail. Old. But the cold hues of blue he bore showed a deep will and wisdom only acquired with long life, and they seemed to bore holes into the three, relentlessly.]
Ben: I will admit, you three were not what I was expecting. Especially you.
Ben: Yes...you're one of the Sandas, aren't you? The scientist one.
Soi: -Gulps- Mn...yes, that's me. Dr. Soichiro Sanda.
Ben: -Looks at Call- ...And this is your daughter, I take it.
Call: -Bows- Greetings, Dr. Blackwell. I am Call, an Arena Combat Xel Type Model. I am a support unit for various tasks and purposes.
Ben: Mm. Manners. Very good.
[And then his gaze falls to Nico himself.]
Ben: ....
Ben: Interesting.
Ben: Very interesting. So there ARE more of you...
Soi: --!!
Soi: (Wait, does...how does he...?)
Ben: -Brushes beard in thought- Yes, that makes sense now. They did ask me about that other one.
Soi: They—?
Ben: Hm. Yes. That's what I said.
Soi: >>;;
Ben: -Taps his cane VERY loudly-
Soi: -Flinches--
Ben: What do you want?
Soi: (Gh...Not a very talkative person...)
Ben: You didn't come all this way just to free me, I take it.
Ben: More questions. Always more questions...
Soi: T-Then you know what's going on outside? The virus? The clashes, the chaos--
Ben: Of course I am aware!
[The sudden SNAP in tone and posture made the kinder Doctor step back in fear. Blackwell curled up a gloved fist so hard that it shook, his teeth gritting as he contained a rage that burned deep in his eyes...]
Ben: That is all I've been hearing! Questions, accusations, pleads to a solution I DO NOT HAVE!
Ben: What that twit Graham expect, activating HER again?! AGAIN! HMPH! Call: --?
Soi: I-I...what? Graham--from CherryDynamics?
Nico: …
[His eyes were slowly seeping into a full green. Nearby metal was starting to shake slightly…]
Soi: Wh-What do you mean, 'activating HER again?'
Ben: Who ELSE? Trinity, of course! THAT project, the one that I was against from the start!
Ben: Graham is OBSESSED with her, with USING her to 'disrupt' the weapons industry! The FOOL!
Ben: I STOPPED him last time, and what thanks did I get? A LIFETIME stay at this maximum security 'resort!' HMPH!
Ben: His GREED led him to ignore all the warnings I put, all the time and effort into ensuring her final rest! But does he CARE? Of COURSE not.
Ben: Money is his only god, and in that petty pursuit, he's DOOMED us...
Soi: You...you tried to stop Graham? He framed you?
Ben: He's done PLENTY worse, Dr. Sanda.
Ben: That is not a man you are dealing with. That is a d e m o n.
[There were quiet rattling and scraping noises that were growing louder…]
Ben: A demon that has destroyed EVERYTHING I've had...
Ben: And placed me here, to face the end of my days in SOLITUDE.
Ben: Though now I don't have long to wait, it seems...
Ben: I had to stop them, because there was...a chance...
[...There's a distant stare as he stops short, the grip on his cane tightening around a certain spot.]
Ben: ...
Call: ...Doctor?
Ben: --...
Ben: If it's true...if she has been activated again, and it's been this long...
Ben: Then it is over. There is NOTHING that can be done now.
Soi: Wha--
Soi: I--you--don't say that, there--there HAS to be another way--! We've been working hard on a cure, and there's been efforts to minimize the--
Ben: You don't UNDERSTAND!
[He abruptly stands.]
Ben: Trinity can assimilate any robot's programming and OVERWRITE IT, TAKE CONTROL of it!
Ben: And not JUST the programming! She can assimilate a robot's components, their parts, their CORE, expanding herself ENDLESSLY!
WHAM—
[The bench abruptly tore right out of the floor, SLAMMING toward the group.
Nico held out a hand to stop it in its tracks, his eyes a deep and VIOLENT /full RED/.]
Soi: -Shrieks, sidestepping to avoid crushed toes--
[Nico vented heavily and haggardly for a moment, before…]
Nico: -SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEECH— -
Call: !!
Ben: -Frowns at this-
Soi: -aCK--
[Bits of the bench started flying off in splinters.]
Nico: That BASTARD! /SON OF A BITCH!/ We all KNEW he was behind it, we should have NEVER LET IT /GET/ THIS FAR—!
Ben: (Obviously. But he's GOOD at avoiding responsibility and consequences, it's not like you would have GOTTEN far, anyway.)
Soi: -N-Nico--
Call: -Places herself in front of the Doctors-
[This was the rage of Wily and his sons, who had inherited his absolutely MADDENING fury.]
Nico: We let it slide for the sake of all of YOU, and what do we find—?! /That THING eats code, IT CAN /FLAY US ALIVE!/
Soi: I-I--
Ben: (...So she does. But we? Perhaps I was on the mark. How many more of you are there, besides those two?)
Nico: -Points towards the door, still holding onto the magnets as the shrapnel starts swirling around him- Who's been lying to us, Sanda, and for HOW DAMN LONG?! /THAT THING INFECTED THE WHOLE DAMN SERVER!/ If Mikhail hadn't had tertiary backups, there's a high chance WE'D ALL BE DEAD RIGHT NOW!
Nico: For God's sake, Sanda! It absorbed Tobias! TOBIAS, OF ALL PEOPLE!
Nico: We should have let him rip open their sever MONTHS ago, back when we found that ex-CherryDyn accountant funding Greater Dusk!
Ben: -Raises an eyebrow- (...So THEY WERE behind that as well. Not surprised...but their involvement in much less ethical things leaves a few questions answered...a group of non-Xel models, and a 'Mikhail.')
Ben: (That is most DEFINITELY Russian...)
Ben: (Who exactly have you tangled yourself up with, Bill?)
Nico: Instead, Jack takes a sawblade to the back, we all get a SECOND Monstropolis, AND EVERYONE GOES MAVERICK!
Nico: [Fraggin'] hell, Doctor—! Tobias nearly KILLED Avi on live television, Shadow tried to CUT OFF Seven's hands, AND CARDINAL DIED TRYING TO RESCUE SHADE!!!
Nico: And now Mikhail is under arrest for this whole mockery of fate! WE /ALL/ KNOW HOW THAT IS GOING TO [color=blue]END[/color], SANDA!
Ben: {ENOUGH!}
[C R A C K!]
[The bold, sharp crack of his cane hitting the floor, the authority behind the Latin, and the rising CLOUD of dark cubes of utter blackness behind him give the Doctor a dark, terrifying aura--he GLARES at Nico with a beastly snarl, the dark Xel behind him pulsing in RAGE.]
Ben: {SILENCE, boy! Your anger is misplaced, and your tantrum helps NO ONE.}
Ben: -Casts a hand to one side, the Xel follows- {You DARE repeat what I have KNOWN for years in front of ME?! Had I not been locked away, I, too, would have taken action--but at what COST?!}
<DWN-018 has entered Defensive Combat Mode.>
[Nico's eyes flicker from full red to full green, and then start fading back to normal.]
<DWN-018 is now Online.>
[He's left with a mournful look of stifled anxiety, smothered by a forceful strain on emotion in the face of wrathful authority that denies the right to feel at all.
Within moments the color leaves his irises entirely, making what little is visible of his expression black and hollow.
With almost anyone else, he may "tearfully" give a hoarse protest, but…
Not with a man who was as unforgiving of shortcomings as the likes of Doctor Benedict Blackwell, and everyone knew that other than the Cossack series…
Robot Masters couldn't cry.]
[The poor ex-Industrial bowed his head in smothered agony, filled with intense despair in the face of such deserved outrage. He was shaking in sorrow, and seemed to be anticipating an extremely severe punishment.]
Ben: -Growls-
Ben: Bah! How PITIFUL. If this is what the rest of your kind is like, I'm sorely disappointed.
Soi: Hey--!
Ben: -GLARES-
Soi: O~O!!
Ben: You. -Jabs his cane at Nico-
Ben: Clean up your own mess. NOW.
Ben: I hardly have any place to sit besides that bench, so I would APPRECIATE it if it was back where it was.
[There was a tense pause for a moment, and then Nico mercifully seemed to relax. The tenseness in the air dissipated and the pieces of the bench started silently drifting toward the main feather, seamlessly fitting in to where they had been torn. The bench was righted and gently put back into place, even bolted back into the floor.
Nico was quiet for a moment, breathing deeply as if gathering his courage for something. He closed his eyes.]
Nico: ``…Everything…``
Nico: ``…Everything… isn't that right…?``
[He dared to glance up, raising his head just enough that his turbulent green eyes were slightly visible when he opened them, looking on in tired and sullen defiance. He held eye contact for a few bold moments before slowly shifting down—not out of cowardice, but in weariness.]
Nico: ``You're right about the cost…``
[He closes his eyes tightly, searing with regret.]
Nico: ``What you don't know is we've already seen this happen before. When we came here, we wanted more than anything to make sure it never happened again.``
[He turned his head away.]
Nico: ``I deserved what you said. So how could I have reacted otherwise?``
Nico: ``But don't…``
Nico: ``Don't judge the others based on the misery you see in me. They don't deserve it, especially not the two oldest…``
Ben: Hmph.
Ben: I would say 'we'll see about that', but quite frankly, I'd be surprised if we lasted more than this coming week.
Nico: -Raises an eyebrow- (I'd be even more surprised if you were let within sight distance of David, but there you go.)
Ben: If she's been activated...then it's already too late. Trinity cannot be stopped. Keeping her Offline was the ONLY thing stopping her from consuming ALL into herself. It's been an entire week and a half...
Ben: In all this chaos, all the robots she must have absorbed...
Ben: It will not be long before Titus falls.
Nico: …
Nico: (Why Titus specifically?)
Soi: I... n-no...
[The black Xel seems to gather around Ben like a shroud, a cloud of despair and sorrow as he sits back down onto his bench. After a moment, he heaves a long, deep sigh. The Xel around him behaves as such.]
Ben: And after that...no, she won't stop. She will spread, and spread, seeking out more to assimilate and consume.
Ben: It is... possible, perhaps, to survive in an environment like this. Closed off. No way in or out. But that in itself is only prolonging death.
Ben: -Half-lidded, entirely DEAD gaze, void of hope or life- ...run, Soichiro.
Ben: Take your daughter, your friends, your loved ones, and run.
Ben: If you leave now...you will still have a chance...
Ben: ...Maybe.
Soi: But--!
Ben: Listen to me.
Ben: Every second you waste here lessens your chance of survival. You need to leave me here and run as far away from Titus as you can. You run, and you do not stop--
Soi: We are NOT leaving you behind--
Soi: He would never--
[BANG--]
Soi: --?!
[B A N G--]
[The group turns at the sound and sight of the cell door, which was already dented considerably--]
[B A N G--!]
Call: Error, I detect no--
Nico: >>;;; If this were me, I'd have blown it outwards, not drawn it inwards. This isn’t my doing, I sw—
[BANG--!!!]
Ray: -DEMONIC SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE OF R A G E--
Soi: AAACK--!!
Ben: --?!?! GNNN--!!
Call: E--ERROR--
Nico: ?! -Struggling to stay focused through growing errors- (Why…)
Nico: (What the hell, why does she sound like Kate?)
[Nico probably shouldn't have taken those seconds to think about that. Because in those few seconds, the red raging bot had teleported in a blaze of fire from her spot, and reappeared right in front of him--]
Nico: !
Ray: -BURST OF WILD DATA--
[SLASH--!!]
[Claws--sharp claws, talons, TEARING--]
Soi: ALNICO--!!
Ben: -Backs away, wide eyed in disbelief, utter disbelief--
[Nico retained enough Awareness to hear and to try and use his magnetic power to distance himself as he fell to his knees, hand over his power core. The damage was massive—much more than he had ever endured and lived. He couldn’t handle much more of that, though— he could feel the MASSIVE drain on his core as his body worked to repair the damage.
When his mind tried to pull on cross-references, it seared him in pain, for he was unable to do so. To make things worse…]
Nico: -Silently, so silently across channels that aren't working, silently screaming in pain and despair— -
[The air around him was much harsher and distorted and seemed to echo things that had just happened and murmurs of things about to happen, and through it all, his injuries were doubling.]
[DSN-000 HAS EN--]
[Call never got the chance to fire off a shot, or even entirely enter her combat protocols--a heel met the side of her torso, dark claws grabbing onto her blond hair and RAMMING her head into the floor.]
Soi: CALL--!!
Call: -Pain--
Call: -Flash of green in her eyes--
[DSN-000 HAS ENTERED OFFENSIVE COMBAT MODE.]
[Her bow gun appears, and she shoots directly behind her, RIGHT into the hostile robot's face. She SCREECHES in pain, recoiling as it burned her unprotected eye.]
Soi: STAY AWAY FROM HER--!
Ben: -Heavy EMOTIONAL breathing--
[The older Doctor could not keep his eyes off of this mysterious bot that had suddenly appeared. He was too shocked to respond to anything else--]
Call: Doctors, please flee--
Ray: QUIET!
[Flames danced, wicked, SICK violet flames, so very familiar--]
Call: --!!! WARNING--
[WHAM!]
Call: GHNK--
[A fist makes heavy contact with Call's gut, causing her to double over, the air knocked clean out of her systems.
At this point, Nico recovered enough to move again. His reaction—even though the database couldn’t support a deluge of cross-references—was immediate.]
<DWN-018 has entered Lethal Combat Mode.>
[Nico used MAGNET MISSILE!]
[The screech of the Missiles makes for Ray's form--]
Ray: -Turns around, snarls--
[SCREE--CHOMP--]
Soi: --?!? What on EARTH--?!
[In an impressive display that was nothing short of horrific, Ray had caught the Missile in her mouth, revealing row upon row of sharp, razor TEETH--]
Nico: !?
[The missiles exploded, and Ray roared. Whether it was in pain, annoyance, or defiance was hard to say.
With a sharp growl, she takes Call by the throat and drags her over towards Nico...]
Call: -Gnn--
[When Nico tried to throw her off-balance by adjusting magnetic fields, she held steadfast. Annoyed, she started adjusting her grip to become something more like a crushing vise.]
Ray: END your foolish antics, or I’ll snap her pretty little head off!
[Nico abruptly stopped, visibly shaken. She took the opportunity to rush at him.]
[WHAM!]
[He was thrown to the ground with considerable force. Angered, his eyes flashed red, and he raised the arm that had a launcher.]
Ray: WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!
[With her free hand, she took a sharp swipe across his arm, tearing gashes that split the launcher and ripped open the panel with the Power Capsule. This time, Nico screamed and his systems screeched from the pain.]
Soi: No! STOP IT! LEAVE THEM ALONE--!!
[Soi's pleas fell on deaf ears. Ray stomped on the fallen Robot Master, RADIATING sadism and rage.
Nico looked up into the unforgiving half of a face, overcome by a wave of intense and indescribable heavy emotion.
Here, he was looking into the face of death. He needed time—so much more time—to think, to understand, to comprehend.
But of course, he wouldn’t be getting it. And if he died before getting the chance to reconnect to the RMDC, he would forget everything.]
Call: -Ghnn--!
[The Sanda Xelbot’s cries of pain spurred his fighting spirit once more, though, and he bared his teeth in a snarl and grabbed the boot pinning him to the floor, clearly intending to force his way free and keep on fighting.]
Ray: Idiots...
Ray: -Aims her buster--
[BLAM!]
Nico: AUGH—!
Ray: STAY there and bleed.
[Not for long, he wouldn't. Oh, coolant was running along so perfectly cruelly, but the wounds themselves seemed to be… repairing?]
Ray: Tch...
[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]
[Nico put a hand to what was left of his throat, glowing with surge. He gave a stream of woeful pings of warning, clearly concerned with something beyond the horror of the fight and overall dreadful situation.]
Soi: STOP IT! PLEASE! YOU'RE KILLING HIM--!
Ray: Quiet, HUMAN...
Ray: Be thankful that my rage does not ask for YOUR blood...
[She turned her predatory gaze to the aged prisoner.]
Ray: ...but HIS.
Ben: ...
Ray: Hello, Father.
Ray: Did you m i s s me?
Ben: ....R...Ray...chel...?
[She loomed.]
Ray: Oh, don't tell me you've gone senile in here. Raychel is d e a d...
Ray: Now it's just ME, the MONSTER you've created when you left me to D I E.
Ray: -Wicked, cruel smile- It's funny how karma works, hm? It comes back when you very much least expect it.
Ray: You and I...have SO much to catch up on...~
Ray: But first...
[C R U N C H--]
[Nico’s speakers crackled in the wake of the damage.]
>WARNING: DAMAGE APPROACHING CRITICAL LEVELS
>SELF-DESTRUCTION IMMINENT
Call: -Hnnh--!-
Ray: I'm going to make sure these PESTS don't get in the way.
Soi: CALL--
Ray: Oh, they'll live for NOW, Doctor. It won't matter in the end, though.
[She took a moment to lick loose, oil and coolant-covered Xel off of her talons before giving a wicked grin.]
Ray: After all, SHE'S almost ready for her GRAND debut...~
Ray: The final show the Colosseum will EVER have!~
Ray: And you, dear Father? You and that rotten excuse of a man get front row seats.~
Ben: ...R...Raychel--
Ray: -TOSSES Call aside-
[Call slams into the back wall in a heap, her head hitting the floor again with a sick crack. Soi screeches and rushes to her aid immedately--but as for Ben...
The sound of his cane clatters to the floor as Ray slowly, very slowly, takes her time in approaching Dr. Blackwell.]
Ray: I'm going to enjoy...EVERY last moment of YOUR SUFFERING...
Ray: And when it all BURNS...when everything in this useless city falls to her, I will PERSONALLY escort you BOTH to the gates of hell m y s e l f...
Ben: -Fear, sorrow, h u r t—- Raychel—!
[Claws grab at his shirt and coat, a TWISTED, crazed smile decorating her face, flames flicking at Blackwell's form as if they, too, wanted nothing more than for him to burn in their fury.]
Ray: We're wasting time...
Ray: Only hours left...! Yes... I'll make this work...
Ray: I WILL have my answers--!
[BWIP!]
[And just like that, they both vanished in red and violet flames, Ben's pained yell the only thing echoing off the cell walls...]
[PING!]
[COMM LINK ONLINE.]
[Nico was dizzy with screaming alarms, warning him that any more strain would be deadly for everyone. The heat was becoming overwhelming—he had to shut down before that became the tipping point.
As if in defiance of this, he brought out an oil-stained object that looked like a square of fabric wrapped around something circular in shape. He held it out in the direction of the Doctor, pinging once.]
Nico: Doc...tor...
Nico: You need... to leave...
Nico: Leave...
[He flicked his wrist, sending the object clattering. The fabric fell away, but the treasure it hid clattered a few feet away from Soi, a plastic packet skidding slightly closer.
The medallion was familiar—it was one of the same ones that had been given to some of the Mighty Numbers. The packet appeared to contain a single green ribbon, neatly looped into a coil.]
Soi: Alnico--!
Soi: (Hnn--I can't just leave him here, he's--!)
Soi: -Frantically looks back towards Call-
Soi: (But Call--oh, Call, I--I'm sorry I couldn't--)
Nico: Turn… off… and get… out….
Soi: (Hnn...he's right, I have to get her out of here--have to get her into repairs--)
Soi: Gnnn...
Soi: I--I promise--I promise I'll send someone after you, I swear--
[Soichiro frantically grabs both the packet with the green ribbon and the medallion, fumbling with the latter as he tried to figure out how it worked. Meanwhile, he manually shut off Call with his other hand. Her optics dimmed and her eyelids closed, her bow gun disappearing.]
Soi: Just please hang in there--
Soi: (I have to warn everyone--)
Soi: (Have to warn Will-- have to get everyone OUT--)
Soi: (Before it's too late--!)
[BWIP! BWIP!]
[The two vanish from sight, leaving Nico behind in the empty cell. Blackwell's cane had fallen next to the bench, the only physical sign of who was housed in this prison not moments ago.]
Nico: …
[He was in very bad shape, and the heat was getting too much. He had a nagging feeling that he was supposed to be able to reflect in a meaningful way on the situation as a whole, but…]
Nico: (Too hot… not enough time…)
[Shut down or allow himself to self destruct? In the end, would it even be able to make a difference? Was it worth the risk to the others, even if they did manage to pull off a miracle? He was so very close…]
Nico: …
Nico: (I'll leave that… up to them….)
((Insert shutdown sequence here—I'll need to comb various stories and archives to determine if it's something I've written before in full under "normal" circumstances.))
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More Posts from Dauntlesstales and Others
=CHAPTER 2B: BEYOND THE WATERY VORTEX=
~AO v1.0~
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{In the Meadow…}
[The days seemed to go on forever. It had gotten very dark and cloudy outside, blending day into night.
Cossack and DWN-019 worked almost non-stop on Doctor Light Number Eight—with the Doctor’s sons enforcing mandatory mental and physical breaks to prevent burnout.
Getting to Tobias’s actual coding was not easy. Offline or not, he was highly defensive—and Snow wasn’t exactly able to help, being out cold, himself.
And when they did find him…
It was just a mess. There were errors all over the place, and clearing them up would take quite some while. Sifting through the error report from the last system crash alone took DAYS.
And now, they were finally getting past the system reports and into the base data.]
Mikhail: …
Siam: Doctor?
Gemini: Is everything alright?
Mikhail: Mmm? Oh, yes… I’m fine.
[…But it was a lie.
A lie so as to not distract the twins from their analysis on the data they had got from Avi as part of the ordeal—for that information could prove quite enlightening.
But no…]
Mikhail: Just… a little weary, I suppose.
[…He was concerned.
Inspection of the Awareness code had showed that it had changed. Crucial components had changed—rewritten themselves.
Somehow, the encounter with Avi had prompted (or, more likely, FORCED) Tobias to rewrite himself.
What worried Mikhail the most was that some of the coding was beyond what he could recognize.]
Mikhail: (-Groooooaaan- {Will… I wish you were here…!})
[He still had the few fragments of notes that his best friend had given him regarding coding with Xel. That was a lifesaver—it told him that some of this seemed to be connected to functioning within a Xel chassis.
It may just be junk data, useless without the proper hardware. (Which, of course, would mean it would need to be pruned somehow, or else it would cause perpetual system errors.)
But he couldn’t say for sure what it would do, yet. He needed to go through the rest of the code to be sure—
He needed to know for sure that Tobias’s self had not been torn apart by being fused with Avi.
Sure, they had a back-up, but…
He dreaded the thought of being forced to resort to using it.
But if it turned out that this damage was beyond repair… he would have no other choice.]
Mikhail: (Oh, Avi…! What did you DO to him?)
———————————————
{Elsewhere…}
[Cardinal forced himself to physically relax.
He had taken shelter in a cooled, dark, abandoned basement. The sun beat down mercilessly outside— 102ºF, and that was WITHOUT the humidity.
He had retreated there as much for safety as for the isolation.
He needed time to think.]
Cardinal: …
[Everything was dead ends. His attempt to get news on the situation ended with hearing Aviator talking in a cheerfully sadistic manner about his latest caller.
As he’d made his way toward the highways, he saw that they were still in complete chaos. Going anywhere was going to be time consuming and dangerous. He couldn’t afford to just go running around blindly, even though he had no current leads.
He was going to need some sort of focus…]
Cardinal: …
[He visualized the situation like a strategy game board. All the pieces in play… including his own.]
Cardinal: (Now if I were Shade, where would I be…)
[He was hitting a mental block, Shade shrouded in darkness.
He knew that this was because he was unwilling to consider the worst.
He forced himself to remember his own advice…]
-*-*-*-*-*-
“Remember, you aren’t really fighting them—their physical form, perhaps, but you’re actually up against the parasite.”
-*-*-*-*-*-
Cardinal: (…Right. The parasite. Focus on the virus, Lou…. What do you know about it?)
-*-*-*-*-*-
Jack: I think...whatever was in those crosses just...
Jack: Pulled out all the... bad parts of me...
-*-*-*-*-*-
Cardinal: …
[He forced himself to continue this line of thought, despite the cold pain it was making him feel.]
-*-*-*-*-*-
Shade: ...Bein' an assassin, Cards?
Shade: It's hard.
Shade: It's hard because...I'm so good at it.
Shade: Sometimes that even scares ME.
- - -
Shade: ...At the very least, Ah' can give them a quick death.
Shade: ... ... ...Never really felt the need to make someone suffer before.
Shade: At least, not like...ya know.
Shade: With malice and all that.
Shade: ...Ah' hope Ah' never do.
Shade: Because the minute ah' do? I'll be no better than Viper.
-*-*-*-*-*-
[Cardinal sucked in air through his teeth, pain stinging at him. He wished—not for the first time—that he could cry, just to have some way to relieve this stress.]
Cardinal: (Feeding what is already there… already there…. …)
[It was too much for him.
His Emotions.exe program was becoming exacerbated. He couldn’t continue this right now—not in this heat—without consequences.]
Cardinal: G-gghhh…
[He stood abruptly.
He was going to need to get somewhere with working air conditioning if he were to have any hope of finishing this process any time soon.
And time was not on his side.]
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 2D: BEYOND THE WATERY VORTEX=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
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{SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.}
Jack: . . . . .
Jack: oh man I am so cold--
[He made it.]
[Somehow, he made it.]
[In the COLD, pouring rain, he made it.]
Jack: frag frag frag frag--
[It was coming down in SHEETS, and the city was in utter turmoil. There were nearly no humans in sight in the street he was in, and the robots that were left were free to follow their new directive: destroy. ]
[Fortunately, Jack stuck to the back allies to avoid being seen by them, quickly making his way towards a familiar landmark--]
[The Space Needle.]
Jack: (OK, you're back now, you're in the States....)
Jack: ....
Jack: (NOW what?)
Jack: (Can't find Carmen if I can't find her brothers....)
Jack: (Can't exactly CALL her cuz of Six...)
Jack: (Bird guy is who KNOWS where....I'm on my own here.)
Jack: ......
Jack: (Well--I can't just keep moving around without SOME idea of where I should go--)
Jack: (Space Needle's a landmark--people know it, so someone's GOTTA be there--maybe someone that can help or something...)
Jack: (Gonna take a while to get there by FOOT...)
[Jack takes a moment to scan the streets, eyeing the many abandoned cars left there when the virus first struck.]
Jack: (...Hate to take someone else's car, but if I'm lucky--)
"HEY--!"
Jack: --!!
[Jack turns around at the voice--it seemed to come from behind--no wait--]
"GGHHAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH--!!!"
Jack: oh SH--
[Jack sprung out of the alley and into the street as a large, LARGE fireball NEARLY burns him alive from above-- it shatters the pavement were he once stood before, leaving only a scorched, black hole in the ground. ]
Jack: WHAT THE HELL IS--
[WHAM!]
[Jack felt a foot connect with his abdomen, and he was kicked back into a totaled car, creating a sizeable dent...]
Jack: NGH--!!
Jack: Awwwwshitthatsmarts--
[...Giggling.]
Jack: ...???
"Why, ALOHA, little man!~"
Jack: --?!
Jack: Wait a--
Jack: You--You're Plume...!
[Jack had HEARD of this one--Plume was Hawaii's very own Arena bot fire dancer, part of the small but efficient combat team, Island Koas. They weren't among the high ranking teams--so Jack had never FACED her--but her solo fighting career was impressive enough.]
Plume: Hehehe...Awww, did I scorch you? I WAS aiming a little TOO low, wasn't I?~
Jack: UM--
Plume: {You seem like a good dance partner.~}
Jack: .....
Jack: Uh--M-Miss Plume--I--I don't have Hawaiian in my languages--
Plume: Really? That's too bad--
[Fireballs start to form on both of her hands--and one on her head--despite the pouring rain, it didn't seem like it was affecting her in any negative way.]
Plume: Maybe I can take you back to my island and TEACH you a few tricks?~
Jack: Uh--Well--uh...
Jack: --....
Jack: Wait...
Jack: How in the WORLD did you get here to the mainland?
Plume: Mm? Oh...
Plume: I had a little HELP.~
Plume: He's having some fun with the Navy!~
-*-*-*-*-
[MEANWHILE, OFF THE WEST COAST...]
"HE'S MOVING TOO FAST--"
"WASN'T HE ON STARBOARD SIDE?!"
"SIR, I CAN'T GET A LOCK ON--"
"LOOK OUT!"
Merlion: -R O A R I N G-
-*-*-*-*-
[BACK IN SEATTLE...]
Jack: ....The Navy--...
Plume: He was visiting my island when I asked him for a ride. I didn't want to miss the big Luau here on the mainland, you know? ~
Jack: ....Miss Plume--
Plume: But enough talk! ~
Plume: I want to see if you can LAST longer than the OTHERS.~ Finding the PERFECT dance partner is SO hard these days--
Jack: Miss Plume I REALLY don't wanna hurt you--
Plume: I wonder, little man--
[FWING!]
Jack: oH CRAP--
[Plume swayed to one side gracefully, and a wave of fire flew from the flames that burned from her wrists--forcing Jack to duck under it.]
Plume: Can you take the heat?~
[ E N C O U N T E R ]
[IKN.1 - CODENAME: 'PLUME']
[STRENGTH: 20 DEFENSE: 20 S.ATTACK: 40 INTELLIGENCE: 30]
[Plume's central abilities--Fire and Dance--blended very well together in terms of her native culture. And it showed on the Battlefield: Plume's a graceful fighter, using her dances to both avoid enemy fire and deal some damage herself.]
[Wave after WAVE of fire pierced through the streets, slashing at cars and scorching the asphalt. Jack had no choice but to keep backing off, avoiding her and the resulting explosions from her destructive onslaught.]
Plume: Where are you going? We haven't even STARTED!~
Jack: MA'AM, I REALLY, REALLY THINK--
[FWING!]
[A fireball nailed him right in the shoulder--not a large one, but enough to really BURN--]
Jack: Aaah--!
Jack: (OhGodshe'sreallytryingtokillme--)
Jack: (SHE'SGONNA--)
Plume: {Ooooh, little maaaaaan!~}
Jack: . . . .
[Jack doesn't stick around. He BOLTS for it.]
[....]
[Or. Tries to, at least. ]
[The street he's on happens to be a dead end. ]
Jack: WHA--
Plume: Theeeere you aaaaare.~
[Swaying from side to side like a puppet on strings, Plume lightly approaches Jack with blue fire trailing behind her--her eyes a deep, deep red.]
Plume: Why do they ALWAYS run away?
Plume: .......
[The fire around her dims just for a moment.]
Jack: ...?
Plume: They NEVER stay. Not for long...
Plume: No one does...
Plume: You VISIT Hawaii. You don't stay.
Plume: No one EVER stays...
Jack: ......Miss...Plume...?
Plume: ......
[Plume's expression changes.]
[It changes to one of anger. ]
Plume: Why don't they STAY?!
Jack: --Erk--!
[She steps ever closer, fire and rain mixing together, steam rising to the darkening sky as Jack feels his back touch brick.]
Jack: --!! (Nonononono--)
Plume: My home is... paradise on Earth...
Plume: Who wouldn't want that? ~
Jack: (Oh God I don't wanna hurt her--it's not her fault she's like this--!)
Jack: (Wires and Hacking--what GOOD would those do?! UGH, I CAN'T DIE HERE--!!)
Jack: (Come on, Jack, THINK...)
Jack: (All your stupid wires can do is just grab things and there's no WAY I'm getting that close to Plume--)
Jack: (--!!!)
Jack: (WAAAAAIT A SEC--)
[Jack frantically looks around for something--ANYTHING--that looked sturdy enough support his weight.]
Jack: ---!
[There! Above him--a set of broken, steel stairs that lead to the roof of this building--an apartment complex. The bottom was blown off, so there was no way to climb it from the ground--]
[But if he aimed right--]
Plume: YOU MEN NEVER STAY W I T H ME!
[ZIIIIIP!]
[FOOOOM--]
Jack: SORRY MISS PLUME--
[Jack shot his wires up to the broken stairs--and retracted them, lifting himself up and away from Plume's furious fire!]
Plume: ?!?
Jack: BUT I GOT ANOTHER DANCE TO GET TO--
Jack: AND I'M PRETTY SURE SHE'D KILL ME IF I WAS LATE!
Plume: -SCREEEEEECH-
Plume: COME BACK HERE!
Jack: NOPE--
Jack: GOTTA RUN, BYE--
[Fireballs are chucked at his retreating form as he runs up the rest of the stairs, demonic screams of rage filling his ears. When she saw that she couldn't quite get to him from here, she decides to double back--for now.]
Plume: {I'LL MAKE YOU STAY WITH ME, LITTLE MAN--S T A Y!!}
Jack: ........
Jack: Oh God--
[Finally seeing that he was safe for the moment--he collapses in a heap, catching his breath. The first stars start to twinkle in the sky.]
Jack: (OK--....can't stay, you're not safe, she'll come back through the other street on the other side--gotta keep moving...)
Jack: (Tired...so tired, can't rest--....ugh crap my shoulder hurts...)
Jack: (Don't have wheels...can't steal a car...)
Jack: .......
[......]
[Jack's hand rests on his face as he thinks, momentarily staring at the small panel on his wrist that his his wires.
...He never thought they'd be useful for anything but tripping things and yanking or holding people in place...]
[......]
"DENCER! LET ME GO!"
"I--"
"PLEASE!"
Jack: .......
Jack: ....Mmmng.
[He's kinda always thought his Wires were just....an annoyance.]
Jack: .......
[But maybe they weren't? They DID just save him from being Hawaiian barbeque...]
[Maybe he could do something....MORE with them?]
“…You are a stronger man than you give yourself credit for, Jack.”
Jack: ........
Jack: (What ELSE...what else...)
Jack: ....
Jack: (Well--right now I need a fast way to the Needle--but no wheels. All I got are these things...)
Jack: .......
[ONE MINUTE LATER...]
Jack: Godalmighty this is the stupidest thing--
[Jack was standing right on the edge of the same roof--goggles on, sleeves rolled up, looking down to the street below. The building was about 10 stories high...]
Jack: .........
[A fall from this height...it wouldn't KILL him, but it would certainly do some major damage.]
Jack: .....
Jack: I do NOT get paid enough for this...
Jack: OK--just...aim for that other building across the street--and swing--like--like Tarzan or something like that--
Jack: OK on three....
Jack: One....two....
Jack: ......
Jack: Two and a half...
Jack: .......
Jack: .....
Jack: . . .
Jack: [FRAG] IT I CAN'T DO IT--
Jack: (I CAN'T JUMP OFF A DAMN BUILDING IT'S SUICIDE WHAT AM I THINKING--)
"{OH LITTLE MAAAAAAAN!~}"
Jack: . . . .
Jack: [Glitchfragit]--!
[He backs up, takes a few deep breaths, and takes off in a running start--]
[FOOOOM!]
[The street below him lights up in FLAMES as he leaps from the roof--]
Plume: --!!!
[ZIIIIIP!]
Jack: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH--
[His wires latch onto the taller building on the other side...]
[....and he sails... ]
[Over the flames, over Plume, in a perfect arch that ended just on the building on the corner--]
[Jack didn't have enough height to reach the roof of that one--but it was enough to catch onto a windowsill, scrambling up to find perchance--]
Jack: --!!!
Jack: ......
Jack: HOLY SHIT I'M ALIVE--
[Even Plume had to take a moment to process what just happened--the little man wasn't a flying model... ]
Jack: I FREAKIN' DID IT--
Jack: FRAG, THAT WAS AWESOME--YO, MISS PLUME DID YOU SEE WHAT--
[FOOOOSH!]
"RAAAAAAAAAAGH!!"
Jack: ....Ohright--
[Sheeeee was still angry.]
Plume: {WHO TOLD YOU YOU COULD FLY AWAY, LITTLE MAN?!}
Jack: AAAAAND I'M OUTTA HERE--
[ZIIIIP!]
[The repeated sounds of ziplining wires and screams of bloody rage echo throughout the rainy city, drawing ever closer to the Space Needle...]
Jack: Gotta get high enough to reach the top--!
Plume: -DEMONIC SCREAMING-
Jack: (THAT DOES NOT SOUND GOOD AT A L L--)
[Jack has never been this high UP before--]
Jack: Almost there almost there--
[And all this wind and rain was NOT making things any easier--he REALLY needs to thank the ice kid for the goggles--]
Plume: {LITTLE MAAAAAAAN!}
Jack: FOR PETE'S SAKE I'M NOT LITTLE--
[WOW that Needle was WAY up high--]
[C R A C K!!!]
Jack: GGNH!!
[The intense electricity messes with his systems, alright, due to being close to it to begin with--]
Plume: NAAH--!
[But that went true for his pursuer too.]
Jack: (No good--gotta get inside--gotta break through a window--!)
[To do that, he needed enough speed--so he proceeded to swing another lap around the Needle, fireballs pelting from below, rain pounding in his face and thunder clapping above his head--]
Jack: AAAAAAAAAAAAH--!!!
[With one final scream, Jack swung--one final time, lighting flashed, for a moment he couldn't see a thing--]
[C R A C K!]
[Static. Glass breaking.]
[Screams.]
"OH GOD THEY GOT IN--"
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE--"
[More static...]
"ELI, WHAT DO WE DO--?!"
"GET ME THE GUN--"
"HE FLEW IN THROUGH THE WINDOW-- "
"WHERE IS THE GUN?!?"
[. . . . . .]
[SYSTEMS REBOOTING...]
[.....]
Jack: ........
Jack: Nnngh....
[SYSTEM REBOOT COMPLETE.]
Jack: Nh...?
Jack: Uuugh, my head....
Jack: Owwwww...
[. . . . .]
[CLICK.]
Jack: ....?
[With some effort, Jack turns his head towards the strange sound--]
[Only to find a revolver being pointed at his face.]
"Alright, ya crazy freeloading flyin' freak--"
[A middle aged human man looks down at the CDN, cold muddy eyes beating down on him in an unforgiving manner.]
"You got 5 seconds to start talking or your Xel's gonna stain this floor tonight."
Jack: ...........
Jack: . . . . . .
Jack: PLEASE DON'T THROW ME OUT THERE, THERE'S A CRAZY HAWAIIAN BOT THAT WANTS TO FRY ME UP--
???: We know.
Jack: --??
???: Why do you think we're STUCK up here?
Jack: . . . .
???: . . . .
???: I'm gonna be straight with you. You're a Xelbot. And all of them's gone outta their minds for some reason or another-- something about a virus.
Jack: .......
???: My family is up here too.
???: You see where I'm coming from?
Jack: .....Y...Yes sir....
???: Good.
???: Now--so far--you don't seem like Miss Plume down there.
Jack: I-I--She...
Jack: She's not OK, it's not her fault--
???: No, but right now that don't matter. Point is, as long as she's down there raising hell...we can't escape.
Jack: .......
Jack: ......
Jack: Sir--please, just--listen to me--I get it, you're afraid, and trying to protect people, but I can't stay here--
???: Why?
Jack: I'm LOOKING for someone and I REALLY don't think she'd like it if I wounded up DEAD so PLEASE--please believe me--!
[THUMP.]
???: Whatthehell--
[THUMP.]
Jack: (THE WHOLE BUILDING IS SHAKING--)
[T H U M P.]
"ELI!!!"
[As the human--Eli--snapped his attention to the screaming woman that ran around the curve of the observation deck, Jack quickly took the chance to collect himself from the floor and back off a safe distance--]
Eli: Gwen--stay back, what is going--
[The woman named Gwen was hysteric, and grabbed hold of Eli's arm with her free hand...]
[...For the other was busy carrying some... precious cargo.]
"Waaaah!"
Jack: ....
Jack: oh my God is that a baby.
Eli: YOU STAY BACK--
Jack: DUDE I WAS ONLY ASKING--
[T H U M P.]
[A deep, LOUD, primal ROAR cut through the atmosphere, and the building shook once again, swaying, the sounds of metal groaning all around them--]
"WAAAAAAAH!"
Gwen: Shh, shh, it's OK, Lily--!
Eli: Gwen--Stay back with the rest of--
[T H U M P.]
"OH MY GOD WE'RE ALL D E A D--"
[The screams of terrified humans--plus one infant child--resounded once more as the building swayed again.]
Jack: (What the HELL--Plume can't be doing this--she's not--)
[The changing angle of the ground made the CDN lose balance--sliding over to another window, and making the rest of the trapped tourists follow suit. They grabbed onto whatever was bolted down and held on for dear, dear life...]
Jack: Aaarg--...
Jack: --!!!
[When Jack's gyroscopic systems recalibrated, his eyes caught sight of the cause of the sudden tremors through the window beneath...]
Jack: ....Oh no...
Jack: Landcrusher...
Jack: Of ALL THE BOTS IN THE WORLD--
[Landcrusher--the latest member of Germany's combat team--had also been visiting America from overseas when the Virus struck, turning him from a once kind, caring soul into a rampaging beast, intent on toppling the Space Needle--just for the sole purpose of it's fall.]
Landcrusher: {RAAAAAAAGH!!!}
[T H U M P--!]
[His HUGE arms and hands were tearing away at the Needle's base, causing it's structure to bend this way and that--any further, and the landmark would crumble.]
Jack: (He's gonna bring this whole place DOWN--with all these people in it--!)
Jack: (Damn it, I can't take that guy on--he'll WRECK me, and--)
Eli: Goddamnit where's the gun--
Jack: (THIS guy's on the verge of putting one in me--)
Jack: (FRAG--this CAN'T get any worse--!)
{"YOU BIG LUG--"}
[C L A N K!]
Jack: oh sweet lord--PLUME?!
[The fiery Hawaiian had returned--and it was clear that she was NOT in a very happy mood with what she saw.]
Plume: {STAY--}
[A fireball was launched--]
[C L A N K!]
Landcrusher: --ARGN--!!
[--right at Landcrusher's face--!]
Jack: ?!
Plume: {--AWAY FROM MY DANCE PARTNER!!}
[Landcrusher's response was another berserker roar--he SWUNG his massive frame one final time at the Needle before turning his attention to the IKN--]
[Who, with a war cry, launched herself at the larger Xelbot with no fear whatsoever.]
Jack: What....
Eli: That...that's not right...
[Needless to say, the trapped humans were completely horrified at what they saw.]
Jack: (Jeezus, they look ready to TEAR into each other--...)
Jack: ........
Jack: (I can't stay here.)
[A glance at the small family. The trapped tourists.]
Jack: (Neither can they--and who knows how long those two are gonna go at it...)
Jack: .......
Jack: Hey.
Eli: --!
Jack: CDN.7037. Call me Jack.
Eli: --You're a Cherry?
Jack: YES I'm a Cherry but that's not the point--
Jack: None of us are gonna make it if we stick around here.
Jack: So does ANYONE have any ideas to get outta here?
Jack: Plume and Crusher aren't gonna fight forever--now's a better chance than any.
Eli: God, I don't know--
"I'M NOT GOING DOWN THE STAIRS, THEY'RE BROKEN--"
"Elevator's out too."
"CAN'T CALL FOR HELP--"
Jack: (.....There really IS no way down from here...)
Jack: (...Not through normal means, anyway...)
[The entire building was now leaning to one side, like some ripoff of the Tower of Pisa--but it did allow it be closer to some of the smaller buildings--Jack could easily swing across...]
Jack: (...There are, what, like more than 30 people here?)
Jack: (Swinging across back and forth would take WAY too long...)
Jack: (There's GOTTA be another way to get these people off...)
Eli: ....Hey--you...you swung up here, didn't you?
Jack: Yeah, I did--
Eli: Can't you--lower us down somehow?
Jack: . . .
Jack: (Lower...)
Jack: --!!
Jack: Eli--I need a wheel--and something long and flat, like a table or something.
Eli: --! You got a plan?
Jack: Yeah...half of one, at least. (I just hope it’s enough!)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 10B: THE MACHINE DRAWS NEAR=
~AO v2.0~
((Courtesy of @codedhopes))
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{LATER…}
[CHERRYDYNAMIC HQ BUILDING - FACTORY COMPLEX, FRONT PARKING LOT…]
[MISSION DETAILS: INFECTED CDN MODELS ARE BEING CONSTRUCTED BY CHERRYDYNAMICS’S CALIFORNIA ROBOT MANUFACTURING FACTORY AT AN ALARMING RATE. THE FACTORY’S PRIMARY M.O.M UNIT ALSO REPORTED TO BE INFECTED.]
[MISSION OBJECTIVES: ESCORT DR. WILLIAM WHITE TO THE PRIMARY M.O.M UNIT IN ORDER TO SHUT DOWN AND REGAIN CONTROL OF THE ROBOT FACTORY. ELIMINATE ANY INFECTED HOSTILE CDN MODELS WITHIN THE VICINITY. DESTROY THE FACTORY’S ROBOT MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT IF NECESSARY.]
[SUB-OBJECTIVES: ENSURE PERSONAL SAFETY OF DWN-012 AND DWN-013, MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT.]
Systems Ready?
GO!
[After Beck had fully materialized, the familiar sounds of chaos in the city had once again touched his ears, now in a more dire state than before--even way back when he and his father had to make it back to Sanda Tech, it wasn't this bad...]
[MN.6] //: Yoooo, check one two, testing! This is your mission control requesting a mandatory sound off!
[Avi chimed in as soon as he felt Beck's signal nearby.]
Will: Ah.
[William White was currently looking over a holoscreen projected by one of Avi's cameras--it seems he already had visual of the inside.]
[...His grip tightened on the glowing Xel Rapier in his left hand.]
Will: (...It's even worse than I imagined...)
[MN.6] //: Teeeeeam One, what's your status?
[MN.1] //: One here. We're at the front entrance. It's been blown open, alright. Lots of hostile CDNs...They're almost crowding where the doors were.
[MN.5] //: Five reading ya loud and clear. Armed and ready for battle!
<DWN-013>: >Just to restate the obvious, but this is very important—
<DWN-013>: >These are just AIs, not AI&As, right?
[MN.6] //: Yuppers, just your average cookie-cutter AIs, like drones. It's mainly an Industrial Factory, not something like where ya-know-who came from.
<DWN-013>: > Good.
[…
…A priming noise could be heard.]
<DWN-013 has entered Active Combat mode.>
[For Avi, there seemed to be an echo of sorts…]
“Crashman paces back and forth Inside walls reinforced Crash bombs mounted to his arms Locked… loaded… ready… armed…”
[MN.6] //: -....miiiiildly creeped out-
[MN.1] //: ...Avi?
[MN.6] //: Huh? Oh, right, not done yet--
[MN.1] //: ... (Not what I was going to ask...)
[MN.6] //: Teeeeeam Two! You guys ready?
[MN.2] //: BRO I WAS MADE READY, I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT POPCORN FOR THESE FIREWORKS--
[MN.1] //: -Snorts-
<DWN-013>: > … -You sure you’re up for doing this, MNN-008, you just woke up a few hours ago— -
[MN.8] //: I'm fahn, Jaden.
[MN.8] //: -Got a score t' with CherryDyn anyway and Ah' ain't gonna spend it layin' down--
[MN.3] //: Ugh, don't be zzzso dramatic, Shadebro. -Bzzzzt- You're just mad you haven't gotten enough beauty zzsleep.
[MN.8] //: -Pyro wai did Ah' get stuck with the girls again-
[MN.1] //: The three of you can cause more wide spread damage together. You'll be picking off anyone too stubborn, Shade.
[MN.8] //: -Mgh, fair enough, Ah' guess.-
[MN.3] //: Anyway, we're waiting on your zzzsignal, fire bro.~ Just zzsay the word!
[MN.1] //: Good.
[MN.6] //: Team Three, you guys up and ready to go?
<DWN-012>: > Glad you finally asked, can we GO yet—
<DWN-013>: >Don’t run into a wall, Carl.
<DWN-012>: > I told you only MY dad can call me that—
[MN.7] //: Speedy.
[MN.7] //: Focus. You and I will be covering for Mic. He'll be doing most of the equipment damage.
[MN.4] //: OWO
<DWN-012>: >Easy for YOU to say. I was made to move, and being in Active Combat makes me antsy!
[A slight priming noise—]
K-TANG! K-TANG!
<DWN-012>: >This is NOT the first setting of this sort that I’ve trashed.
<DWN-012>: > I am more than ready—
[MN.7] //: -Sigh- -_-;;; Yes, we know now, Twelve.
[MN.7] //: On Stand-By until your order, One.
[MN.6] //: Last but certainly not least--
[MN.6] //: Becko? Dad? You guys there?
Beck: Right here and waiting for orders, Avi!
Will: (That's everyone...)
Will: (I hope you're alright, Soichiro...)
Will: ....Right.
Will: Everyone listen carefully.
Will: Once Avi gives the signal, Pyrogen and his Team--Team One, will lead the charge into the Factory. Your objective is to clear a safe route into the main assembly line.
[MN.1] //: Understood...
Will: After Pyro and the others make some headway, he'll tell both Team Two and Three to enter and eliminate any other threats, as well as damage the manufacturing equipment. Consider it our second wave.
[MN.8] //: Got it.
[MN.7] //: Yes, Father.
Will: After that, Nine and I will start making our own way into the complex. You needn't fight every robot you see, Beck--our objective is the factory core, the Primary M.O.M Unit.
Will: It controls all commands and functions of the factory and it's robot manufacturing machines. It's located deep in the heart of the building, in the main assembly line.
Will: Avi will be monitoring all team's progress and giving support where needed.
Avi: Yeees sir! ^^
<DWN-012>: >If Snow were awake, he’d really be asking questions now—what an acronym, geez.
<DWN-013>: >You know full well [color=goldenrod]why[/color] he’s still asleep. Try not to go running off from your group, I’m getting interference for Robot Master signals…
<DWN-013>: >I think we might have some [color=darkgreen]spectators[/color] watching.
[MN.8] //: -Yer kiddin' me-
<DWN-013>: >Unfortunately no, but that is a matter for later, I’m afraid.
Will: Right now, he is the least of our worries.
Will: ...
Will: Everyone just be very careful in there--I may have upgraded everyone's filters, but...
Will: Don't do anything too rash, alright?
<DWN-013 to DWN-012>: > PLEASE mind yourself, Mic does have clearance to restrain you if you get too out of hand
<DWN-012 to DWN-013>: > I’m the older brother here, Crashman.
<DWN-012 to DWN-013>: > YOU try not to let the others know just how much you can TANK, we all know what happened the last time our strengths and weaknesses were used against us.
<DWN-013 to DWN-012>: > …
<DWN-013 to DWN-012>: > Cardinal’s going to kill you for that.
<DWN-012 to DWN-013>: > Hmph.
<DWN-013>: >I’ll do my best, Doctor. …I’ve already discussed the matter with Pyro.
<DWN-013>: >Just one last thing—
<DWN-013>: >Um. Aviator?
[MN.6] //: Yo?
<DWN-013>: >Just… give a heads-up whenever you’re about to head my way. >.>;;;;;
<DWN-013>: > -Mild discomfort data-
[MN.6] //: No problamo, Darth Jader. : D
Beck: -Snorts, Star Wars pun, heh-
<DWN-013>: > …Heh… thanks.
<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: >The RMDC has been completely disconnected from your servers. So there’s no way for Siam to monitor our progress. What you sense is what you get.
<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: >I haven’t heard from Dr. Cossack, so I can only assume he fell asleep. I’m not sure Felix knows how to run the teleporter.
<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: > I’ll be fine, but Twelve…
<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: > …Let’s just say we’re still all equipped with our self-destruct devices and let the rest speak for itself. >.>
<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: >If we take too much damage, don’t stick around.
[MN.1] //: ....Right.
[MN.1] //: -Sharp inhale-
[MN.1] //: Mighties!
[MN.1] //: You are clear to engage combat mode.
[MNN-ALL HAVE ENTERED COMBAT MODE.]
[MN.6] //: Team One, you're cleared for frontal assault!
[MN.6] //: GO GET'EM, GUYS--
[MN.5] //: -TO BATTLE--
[MN.1] //: -Sound of FLAMES IGNITING, FOOSH-
[Interesting. Jaden doesn’t seem to be doing anything in particular.]
[From Beck's position, there was the sound of explosions and crashing of parts, and it wasn't long before whatever alarms that still worked to be set off.]
[The haywire CDNs immediately take notice and engage--they're sheer numbers seemed to almost overwhelm the three constructs...]
[BLAM.]
[…Now why would Jaden be firing at the ground—]
Pyro: --?
[And then it IMMEDIATELY churned in and started blinking.]
Jaden: …
Jaden: -Smirks-
[BOOM!]
[A pretty LARGE explosion sets off from where the drill was, enough to send debris right back at them.]
Jaden: -Looks up, eyes glowing green, still with that smirk-
[You could hear that priming noise again.]
Jaden: If nothing else, this ought to be informative.
Jaden: Time for the welcome party!
Pyro: ...
Pyro: Heh...
Pyro: (Well, it IS a sort of drill, I should have guessed...)
Bat: HA! That all you got, you walking oven rejects?! Almost ain't worth the ammo!
[Bat was riddling the hordes of CDNs with bullet holes--the mindless infected did not stop of waver, however. They really were malfunctioning.]
Pyro: Careful not to point that thing towards something Father might need active.
Bat: -He won't need THESE tin-cans active, brother, so-
Jaden: Tch.
Jaden: These guys make themselves—
[He made a RUN for it, WOW is he fast for his size—]
Jaden: -Leaps into the air- —such an easy TARGET!
Bat: !
Bat: -Hooo, that's SOME height--
[He lands down right on top of a few unfortunate CDNs HARD, and SLAMS some nearby with a backhand swing.
Then he fires right toward the entrance, into the horde.
Sure enough, it can just barely be seen that the Crash Bomb burrows into the constructs too—
—no wonder he asked if they were sentient, that would HAVE to hurt!]
[BOOM!]
[Parts go FLYING as the horde is dispersed--huh. These CherryDyn Models do break easy, don't they...]
Jaden: PATHETIC!
Jaden: I’ve seen /Pipis/ more sturdy than this!
[Once they are inside, the sounds of factory making and... other unpleasant noises greet the three team members.]
Pyro: ....!!
Pyro: -That's--
[...Oh.]
[...Those...look like the fire-type Industrial CDNs from the Oil Platform, aren't they--]
Jaden: Heads up!
[He aims for the CEILING this time.]
Pyro: ...!! Bat!
Bat: -STANDING CLEAR--
[There was a resounding crashing noise as the ceiling came down on top of the fire ‘bots.]
Pyro: Good one.
Bat: --Gh.
Bat: -Points- There's a whole lot more where that came from...
[...It was as if every time they fell one, two more would take their place. This time, it was the standard Security Elite drones that protected the Colosseum in their way...]
Pyro: Allow me.
Jaden: Pyro.
Jaden: Do you trust me?
Pyro: --?
Pyro: ....You have an idea?
Jaden: Yes, but if I’m wrong, it might hurt you a LOT.
Jaden: If I’m RIGHT, though…
Jaden: You’ll get more powerful and will be able to move a lot faster.
Pyro: --!
Bat: Ya can do that?
Pyro: Well, it's not like they haven't surprised us before, Five...
Jaden: I don’t have time to explain the details as to how it works, but yes. Only for fire ‘bots, though.
Pyro: Bat?
Bat: -BLAM- Worth a shot, Commander, but better hurry--enemy flank's comin' in T-Minus 20 seconds!
Pyro: ...
Pyro: -Nods-
Pyro: I trust you.
Jaden: If I’m wrong about this, I’m really sorry—
[He turns and fires right at Pyrogen!]
Bat: --?!?
Pyro: !!!
[Pyro flares and takes up a defensive stance by reflex, knowing that Jaden had fired too close to dodge--]
[FOOOOOOOSH!]
Pyro: --!?
[Suddenly, Pyro's energy levels take a very high spike--!]
[MN.6] //: -WHOA WHO TURNED ON THE LIGHTS, MAN, WHAT'S HAPPENING--
Jaden: -Winces a bit, shielding his face with his arm against the searing heat-
[It turns unbelievably bright, flames almost engulfing Pyro himself--]
Bat: Talk about great balls of fire--
[BURNING LEVEL 3 ENGAGED.]
Bat: -OH-
Jaden: Ngh—! -Staggers back, augh, that hurts to be so close—HURTS—-
Bat: -Ya might wanna stand back a lil' for this one, soldier—-
Jaden: Noted— -Takes cover behind some rubble-
[Without another word, Pyro charges past various other CDN with so much momentum that he BREAKS down the door to the other room--]
[MN.6] //: -Holy--
[...You can even see footprint shaped flames where he ran--]
"BURRRRNIIIIING...."
Bat: -FIRE IN THE HOLE--
"SPIRIT--!!!"
[BOOOM--!!]
[The entire building shakes from the small shockwave of wind and heat that followed, charred CDNs being blown backwards either half incinerated or just plain melted. ]
Bat: ......
Bat: HOO-RAH--!
Bat: THAT WAS SOME FINE EXPLOSIVE ARTILLERY, COMMANDER PYRO--
Bat: -You alright in there--
"........"
"Aside from being covered in soot, yes--"
"Though I didn't think that Crash Bomb would send me all the way to Level 3..."
[MN.6] // THAT WAS AWESOME--
[MN.6] //: -AND WE GOT IT ALL ON FILM, NICE-
<DWN-012>: > …Wait, you’re recording this?
[MN.6] //: -Bro when am I not recording, dude-
[There is an audible groan from the other destroyed room.]
"Really, Aviator?"
[MN.6] //: : D
Jaden: -Snorts-
Jaden: -Starts laughing-
Jaden: Avi, you crack me up sometimes.
[MN.6] //: -Thank you, thank you~-
[MN.6] //: Where you at, fire bro?
"...It was where shipment supplies were being sorted and organized..."
[MN.6] //: Ooh, good! Nice job, you guys! : D
Jaden: Aheh… I’m just glad it worked—I had a feeling it would but oh man I am so many levels of glad I wasn’t wrong—
[MN.6] //: Uh--...What exactly is IN those things--
[MN.1] //: Questions later, Avi. Can you tell us where we are relative to the factory core?
[MN.6] //: Still a long way to go, bro, but the equipment isn't too far off!
[MN.6] //: How about you go on ahead towards that and tell the other teams to get a move on?
Jaden: -Looks around at the many things still smoldering and/or burning-
Jaden: You might want to have Lady Cryo kill the flames before anyone else comes this way.
[MN.1] //: ...That would be a good idea.
[MN.1 to MNN-ALL, DWN-012] //: Team Two and Three prepare to enter on my mark!
[MN.4] //: E :< -MIC SMASH--
[MN.1] //: Cryo, you'll be on lead, there...Is a bit of a fire hazard now--
[MN.2] //: BRO WE COULD HEAR YOU ALL THE WAY OVER HERE, THAT WAS GLITCHING S I C K--
[MN.2] //: -I'M READY TO PICK SOME CHERRIES, LET'S GO ALREADY--
[MN.6] //: -EEEEEEEEY-
[MN.8] //: -Ugh, WAI-
-*-*-*-
“I’d rather light things on fire, but that wouldn’t be being…
…a good House guest~”
-*-*-*-
[MN.8] //: --....
[MN.8] //: -Ngh....-
[MN.8] //: (...this’d be more fun if he were here.)
[MN.1] //: Ready?
[MN.1] //: Mark!
[MN.2] //: PERSON THAT TAKES OUT THE LEAST CHERRIES HAS TO BUY EVERYONE FOOD--
[MN.8] //: --!
[MN.8] //: OI, AH' AIN'T PAYIN' NOTHIN'--
<DWN-012>: >DUDE I DON’T HAVE ANY CASH, WE’RE LEGIT DIRT POOR YOU KNOW—
[MN.3] //: -Who careszz, YOU GUYSZZ ARE GOING TO EAT MY DUSZZT--
[MN.7] //: =_=;;;;;
<DWN-013>: > …
<DWN-013>: >You guys ran out of groceries again? Already? Seriously?
[MN.2] //: -IT WAS SHADEY--
[MN.8] //: AH' WAS-- -BANG- ASLEEP, YA MANIACAL SNOWGLOBE--
[MN.3] //: I bet it was Mic, he'szz been kinda craving everything since he got home.
[MN.4] //: ^^;;;!
[There is the sound of slicing and sword swinging over at Brand's feed.]
[MN.7] //: ...Unless Jack returned and raided our fridge.
[MN.5] //: -Doubt it, Secretary Donald is still at the lab-
<DWN-012, DWN-013>: > ?!
<DWN-013>: > “Secretary”?
[MN.6] //: Uh--
[MN.6] //: Guys I'm getting some REALLY weird signals--
<DWN-013>: > This better not be a diversion, Avi—
<DWN-013 to MNN-005>: > Secretary of WHAT?
<DWN-012>: >Define “weird”. >_>
[MN.6] //: -No, DUDE, UH, AS IN “I CAN'T TELL WHAT IT IS” WEIRD AND IT'S HEADING YOUR WAY--
[MN.5] //: --?!?
[...There are clunking noises....]
[Sounds of something slugging and...sparking--?]
<DWN-013>: > Grrr…
[MN.1] //: What the--?!
[It LOOKED like it was one of the encountered enemies from Cryo's stage, but...]
[It looked like it had grown GIANT spider legs— and it was twitching erratically, this way and that.]
[MN.6] //: --??????
[MN.6] //: Dad, you gotta see THIS--
[DR.WHITE] //: --?!
[MN.6] //: That-- That isn't any CDN model I've seen--
[MN.6] //: -man it looks gross, EW-
Jaden: … This…
Jaden: -Ugh, no, not headaches now— -
[MN.1] //: Jaden--
[MN.5] //: There's more coming--!
[MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE....]
Beck: What is going on in there--?
Will: Hmm...
Will: (This is concerning.)
Will: (Has CherryDyn become so desperate that they're literally mashing robot designs together...?)
Will: (Graham couldn't possibly be that stupid, and if he really is, it's very demeaning that he's done so much harm to us.)
Will: (No, this...This has to be something else...)
Beck: Dad? Is...Is everything okay?
Will: --Ah. Well...
[Will turns to the floating monitor, which showed the Teams all in a three way split screen.]
Will: They're encountering robots that we haven't anticipated before...
Beck: What?
Will: It seems CherryDyn has some... unreleased products still hot off the assembly line, so to speak.
Will: Be prepared for anything, Beck.
Beck: R-Right...
Beck: ....
Beck: You're gonna be okay, right, Dad?
Will: Well, I have you, don't I? ^^
Beck: Eheh...
Beck: Yeah, but, I mean, you only have that sword...
Will: Nonsense. Mikhail gave me something to defend myself with before we left....
Will: And while I haven't quite fenced in a while...
Will: I'm sure it'll come back to me. Muscle memory and all that.
Will: I'll be fine, Beck. So long as we stick together, yes?
Beck: R-Right! (^^)7
[MN.6] //: -Oof--UH--Yeah, I'm gonna head in there now, there's these weird flying things with drills on them and they do not look happy--
[PING!]
[The ping was clearly from someone on the RMDC server. Which was very odd, considering that it was supposed to have been in radio silence.]
Beck: --??
[Siamini’s worried data flooded the feeds.]
<DWN-019>: > Oh gosh Jaden, Speedy, where ARE you—
<DWN-019>: > Where is everybody?!
Beck: Siam--!
[MN.6] //: KINDA IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING, BRO--
<DWN-019>: > -Incredulous and growing annoyed- “In the middle of something—“
<DWN-019>: > -Increasingly frantic- GUYS ANSWER ME—
<DWN-012>: > Dude we’re BUSY—
<DWN-019>: > “Busy”!? What do you two think you’re DOING?!
<DWN-012>: >Siam, for all that is good, did you just call here to scream at us or what—
<DWN-019>: > -Double data intensity- IDIOTS!
[MN.6] //: Dude, calm down, deep breaths--
<DWN-019>: >Avi, you don’t understand—
<DWN-019>: > -Talking over self- Are you two trying to live up to Wily’s name by being overly proud, or are you just plain stupid?!
<DWN-019>: >Hey, that’s not—
<DWN-019>: >There’s a primal analysis nexus being constructed, Avs! Doesn’t anyone remember what happened the LAST time a primal nexus was added into the database?!
<DWN-019>: >Do I have to spell it out for you?! If that thing goes live while you’re out there—!
<DWN-019>: > Even if it DOESN’T cause crippling pain, what kind of reaction do you think you’ll GET when you look at Shade?!
-*-*-*-*-
“Don’t… don’t do this… beg… begging you, please…”
-*-*-*-*-
[MN.8] //: --Ngh--hurts--
[Shade reeled in the despair of that painful memory. It stabbed at his heart, piercing him with sorrow right to the core.]
[MN.6] //: Sammy, bro, as much as we'd like to deal with it, we're all kinda out making sure Dad and Becker are okay in this crazy place--OW--
[MN.6] //: -OW GET THIS THING OFF OF ME--
[A red blur by Avi.]
[MN.6] //: --!
[Suddenly, whatever THING was on him was stuck with yellow boomerangs.]
[There is a SCREECH and then a Thud that followed--]
[MN.6] //: Whew--THANKS, SPEEDSTER--
<DWN-012>: >Siam, I know for a FACT that the data has been encrypted for slower release—otherwise, do you think I’d even be able to BE here at all? Please stop freaking out over something that isn’t IMMEDIATELY a problem, we’re kinda BUSY!
[Siam was clearly less than pleased with that answer. His data suggested that the situation was FAR worse than the Mighties were prepared for.]
<DWN-019>: >Do you HONESTLY think I would—
<DWN-012>: > YES
<DWN-019>: >I didn’t—
<DWN-012>: >I don’t care!
<DWN-019>: > GRAH! Why won’t you LISTEN to me!?
<DWN-013>: >No offense, bro, but if that’s all—
<DWN-019>: > IT’S NOT, YOU TWITS!
<DWN-019>: >There are some MASSIVE temporal anomalies and you’re all getting caught up in it! It’s not just you, it’s Mikhail as well—and do I need to remind you, YOU SPECIFICALLY, TWELVE, of how dangerous that could be to YOU, personally?
<DWN-012>: > -Mnnrrgh…!-
<DWN-019>: > Where is Mikhail?!
<DWN-019>: >I need Cardinal over here to properly oversee the updates, and I need his help with—
<DWN-013>: > Ugh—
<DWN-013>: >I’m SORRY, Gem, but— -BLAM!- 000 is still processing everything, we can’t move him yet, and it seems there are other problems—
<DWN-019>: >HOW can this possibly get worse?
<DWN-013>: > -Irritable- I think Mikhail is under arrest, Gemini!
[MN.5] //: (-Inwardly cursing self for using military titles where they are due out of respect, NGH-)
<DWN-019>: > …
[The feeds were slammed with acerbic data.]
<DWN-019>: > -PANIC DATA-
<DWN-019>: > -PANIC PANIC PANIC-
<DWN-011>: > …
<DWN-011>: > …Joking, right?
<DWN-011>: > Right?
<DWN-012>: > He was IN handcuffs, brother—
<DWN-019>: > Nnnnnnnn-nnn-nnn-noo—
<DWN-019>: > Stars above I don’t think I can do this—
<DWN-018>: >Look, I doubt that if—
<DWN-019>: >IT DOESN’T MATTER! NOT WHAT YOU THINK!
<DWN-019>: > I DON’T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO KEEP THAT DATA FROM REACHING THE COSSACK NUMBERS!
[MN.7] //: --!!!
[MN.1] //: You mean you can't stop it?!
[MN.8] //: -Hnnn, headache, they're gonna—-
[MN.2] //: -Oh GLTICH IT'S GONNA BE ALL RUSSAIN WINTER FURY IF THEY FIND OUT—-
[MN.9] //: Wh-What do we do—?!
[There was more than a little reason to worry. Having gone through so much suffering, the Cossack Numbers were very, VERY protective of their sister and their father. Mikhail had asked that they remain undisturbed for that very reason.
It was highly unlikely they could be convinced to sit it out—especially when one of the Numbers was the very epitome of rage.]
<DWN-018>: > Are you serious.
<DWN-019>: >I’m not the Admin, Nico! I don’t have that kind of power!
<DWN-018>: > That’s it. As head of the family, I’m intervening. Dealing with our dysfunctions is plenty; I am not going to put up with fighting the Russians.
[It would seem that Nico had lost his patience.]
Will: -Winces-
Will: (Oh, no, this...This is not good—)
<DWN-018>: >Siam, there’s got to be SOMETHING you can do—
<DWN-019>: > Well I’ll TRY to stall—I think I can by changing the data Snow gets— but hurry up as much as you can, I need the rest of the family back as soon as possible!
[MN.6] //: Roger Dodger--
<DWN-018>: >Fine, do it. Gem, get that guy on the line. We’ve got to talk this out before it gets out of hand. And as for you two…
<DWN-018>: >Speedy, Jaden, you guys were BUILT for Combat, can’t you work ANY faster?!
<DWN-013>: > Grrr…
<DWN-013 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
[MN.1] //: —!!
[Jaden began to glow white.]
[It almost… almost looked like the light from an evolution!]
[MN.6] //: -WHOA WHAT THE HECK--
Beck: --!!!!
Will: (What is...)
Beck: (I know that light--)
Will: (What IS that...?)
Beck: (I KNOW that LIGHT--!)
Jaden: I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!
[MN.1] //: ??!?
[Jaden had changed. The was larger now, and bulkier—and based on the energy ratings from him, he was packing some SERIOUS heat.]
[MN.5] //: -DATA AT ALL THE WEAPONRY BORDERING ON SURPRISE AND EXCITEMENT--
[Hatches popped open.
YEP. Those were some sort of missiles inside.]
Jaden: WE’RE TAKING A DETOUR!
[MN.1] //: Jaden--!
[MN.5] //: -I SECOND THIS NOTION--
[MN.1] //: BAT--
[Jaden used CRASH BOMBER!]
[A barrage of about five Crash Bombs were nailed into the wall, where they burrowed.
MORE hatches popped open.]
Beck: -DAD DAD DAD LOOK--
Will: -Is looking but with awe--
Jaden: -FIRE!-
[Missiles launched from EVERY port at once. In conjunction with the Crash Bombs, they took out the walls’ supports—flattening the constructs that HAD been behind it—]
[—with more continuing to the wall on the OTHER side of that room and turning it into a gaping hole of RUBBLE.]
[MN.5] //: HOOOOO-RAAAAAAAH!
[MN.1] //: -Is just shocked into silence-
Beck: YEAH, GO JADEN GO--!
Jaden: COME ON, MAJOR, WE HAVE AN EXTERMINATION CONTRACT TO HONOR—
Jaden: AND WE’RE SENDING THE BILL RIGHT TO HQ!
[MN.5] //: RIGHT TO GRAHAM'S ILL-GOTTEN OFFICE, TOO!
[MN.1] //: -The both of you better not level the place while WE'RE STILL IN IT--
[The hatches close.]
Jaden: Who said anything about leveling the building?
Jaden: These constructs, on the other hand…
[Jaden used BODY SLAM!]
[He rammed RIGHT into one of them, crunching it against the wall. It had been covered in spikes, but he took no damage.]
Jaden: ARE GONNA BE FLATTENED!
[He was jumped by several more constructs—or abominations, rather.
He skewers one with a drill and fires the Crash Bomb—with the enemy on it—right into several others, exploding.]
Beck: : D!!!!!!
Beck: -I KNEW HE COULD DO IT--
Beck: -I KNEW IIIIIIT-
[MN.6] //: Wowsers....
[MN.6] //: Uh...I'm pretty sure you guys can head on in? : D ;;;;;
Will: Ah, yes...
Will: Shall we?
Beck: Yeah!
Beck: Just stay behind me, Dad, okay?
Will: Oh, by all means, take the lead. ^^
<DWN-013>: > Let’s do this, Mighty Nine!
<DWN-013>: >We’re just the opening act—you’re the main show!
Beck: Heh!
Beck: -Running ahead- Gonna be hard to top what you dished out, Jaden! c: <
<DWN-013>: >Heh…
<DWN-013>: > Not for a hero like you, it won’t!
[A mess of what was once dense with virus fodder was now in utter ruin.]
[Will quietly made his way behind his son with methodical footsteps, careful to not let his guard down.]
Will: Goodness, the lot of you really made short work of all this...
Beck: No kidding...
[MN.5] //: HA! I've met CAN-OPENERS THAT WERE TOUGHER THAN THAT!
[MN.3] //: I appreciate the zzzeal, Bat, but can you tone down the trigger happy crazzzy little? Trying to concentrate.
[MN.2] //: KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~ WHO WANTS FROZEN CHERRY SMOOTHIES FOR DESERT?~
[MN.6] //: Not of these weird things, bleh--
[MN.6] //: But get it together, you two! Tyrannasaurous-BECKS is here! : D
[MN.6] //: The haywire robot assembly line is just up ahead, Becker, it's all up to you! And Dad too, of course! : D Keep heading straight!
Beck: Roger, Avi! I'm on it!
Beck: --Whoooooa...
Beck: Pyro, what did you do?
[MN.1] //: I don't know how, but Jaden's Crash Bombs seem to have a sort of buff effect on me...
<DWN-019>: >Well of COURSE it does, you’re a fire based construct.
[MN.1] //: << -Siam shouldn't you be stalling right about now--
<DWN-012>: > -sNORT-
<DWN-012>: >You’re forgetting something, Pyro.
[MN.1] // -...Damn it, you're right, he can multitask--
Beck: -Cough, ugh, smoke's kinda bad--
Will: -Coughing and using lab coat sleeve over his mouth and nose-
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]
Beck: -Blows smoke away with propeller wind-
Beck: Dad?
Will: -Ugh- Yes?
Beck: How exactly are you going to shut down the Primary M.O.M Unit?
Will: --...Ah...
Will: I'm going to try and hack my way into it...
Will: It can only be manually shut down from that one terminal.
Will: (....I might have to combat the virus myself while I'm at it...)
Will: .....
Beck: ...Dad?
Will: --...Er. We need to keep moving.
Will: If we can shut down the Primary Unit, we won't have to bother with the Secondary...
Beck: There's a secondary M.O.M unit?
Will: Yes, but it only serves as a sort of support pillar to the Primary--shutting THAT down won't slow or stop the factory itself.
Will: It's faster and much more effective to go straight to the Primary M.O.M unit than waste time with the Secondary.
Beck: Okay...
Beck: (......)
Beck: (When did Dad have time to read up on how CherryDyn's Factory setup works...?)
<DWN-019>: >I suppose it doesn’t surprise me there isn’t more of a redundancy in the system for failsafe measures.
<DWN-019>: >I’ll try to leave you be for now, I know that most people can’t do two entirely different things at once, but—
<DWN-019>: >I’m a little concerned by what is going on over there, given the kind of files Mikhail printed off from this server. And the fact he’s under arrest.
Beck: .... Files...?
Will: ......
<DWN-019>: >Evidence files, Beck.
Beck: ....For...For what?
Will: Siam.
<DWN-019>: >William, with all due respect—
<DWN-019>: >My family leader is dead and our Doctor could very well follow, and you’re in the middle of somewhere dangerous while I’m trying to keep the Cossack Numbers from hearing something I DON’T have the authority to censor.
<DWN-019>: >I am a bit stressed, sorry.
<DWN-019>: >You and I need to talk when this is over.
<DWN-019 has left the conversation.>
Will: ......
Will: -Sigh-
Will: >>
Beck: ...Dad...?
Beck: What's going on?
Will: . . . .
Will: Beck, it...
Will: . . .
[Will places a reassuring hand on his shoulder.]
Will: I...I'm sorry, but we don't have time.
Will: We have to get to that terminal.
Will: ...Please, I know...I know things seem troubling, and that's a light way to put it...
Beck: .....
Beck: No, I...
Beck: I get it.
Will: --?
Beck: We gotta keep going.
Beck: (....I get it...)
Beck: Avi said the factory line was just down this straight path...
[Beck hovered over to the other end of the room--or, rather, where the room WOULD end, because the wall that was there was in several different pieces now.]
Beck: Don't fall behind, Dad!
Will: . . .
<DWN-012>: >Boy does this bring back memories.
Beck: You said you did wreck a place like this before, right--
[THUD.]
<DWN-012>: >Yeah, the place where I was built—hmm?
<DWN-012>: >Mic, did you—
[SMAT!]
[MN.4] //: -Oops-
[MN.4] //: MIC SORRY, MIC DIDN'T BRING WALL BACK DOWN--
[MN.7] //: Speedy--
<DWN-012>: > -SPRINGS BACK UP, readjusts balance sensors- Ow.
[MN.7] //: . . .
[MN.7] //: -...Oh.-
[MN.4] //: -Speedy okay? Okay.-
<DWN-012>: >YEAH BRO I RUN INTO STUFF ALL THE TIME, no big deal—
[MN.4] //: -Goes back to crushing things-
<DWN-013>: >Him wrecking where we were built is more impressive than it sounds.
<DWN-013>: >I was built there too, and like all ‘bots, I had a testing phase. Let that sink in for a moment, heh.
<DWN-012>: >And…
<DWN-012>: >And there was also Wily Nine.
<DWN-013>: >Oh yeah—Dad assigned him to a factory, didn’t he?
<DWN-012>: >Yeah.
Beck: .....
Beck: (...Wily Nine...)
Beck: (....Huh...)
Will: --!!
Will: Beck, look out--!
Beck: !
[Beck flanked away JUST in time to avoid a MASSIVE cylinder-shaped pillar crashing down from the ceiling, the CherryDyn logo pulsing above in a hologram.]
Will: --!!!
Will: That's the secondary M.O.M Unit--!
Will: How did it end up--
[The Hologram suddenly glitched Red and PURPLE-- ]
Beck: ?!
[--And then out materialize the generator robots from the Power Plant--! ]
Beck: NOT THESE THINGS--
Will: -BACKING FAR AWAY NOW--
[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]
[A blast of chilling ice coated the generator bots before they could charge and lock his systems--Beck did NOT want to be rendered immobile with his Father so close to these dangerous CDNs.]
Beck: Dad, get away! Now!
Will: -Ngh--
[Will turned to take cover the other way--]
Will: --!!
[...Only to find that a few trash robots had been materialized to block him.]
Will: We're surrounded--!
[Will took a step back, holding his Rapier in his left hand while his right went behind his back.]
Will: Ngh...
Will: (Parry, thrust, stance wide...)
Will: (Never take your eyes off your opponent...)
Will: (Look them in the eye and strike without hesitation--!)
[One of the trash bots leaps--]
[CLANG!]
[Will side steps out of the way, the Xel in his weapon glowing as it is thrust into the construct--]
[KKKSST--]
[...The trash bot's Xel begins to melt away--]
[SHING!]
[And then suddenly, it isn't there anymore.
The Xel dissipates as the trash bot vanishes, stabbed right in the exact center of its central core.]
[Back in the Meadow, Siam was utterly speechless.
The manner in which Will had acted was nothing short of slightly terrifying. To see the ease and unflinching willingness in which he could dissolve those that opposed him…
…It was more than a little unnerving, and a harsh new perspective that cast the Doctor in a much darker light than before.]
<RMDC>: > SENDING UPDATES…
[The reaction to this permeating their collective consciousness was immediate.]
<DWN-011 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-012 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-013 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-018 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-019 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
Beck: --??? -Confused for a moment before going back to FIGHTING--
[Will let the trash bots come to him, watching their every move with a steely gaze that didn't quite suit his overall appearance...
He moved with practiced poise and grace, and while he did miss a swing here and there due to being out of practice--]
[SHING!]
[...The trash bots were no match for someone of Will's technique.]
[Siam suddenly felt very cold and ill. This was the man that had access to their blueprints and inner workings.
Suddenly, he wasn’t so willing to share them anymore.]
<RMDC>: > ERROR: ADMIN PASSWORD REQUIRED TO CHANGE ACCESS LEVELS. REQUEST DENIED.
<RMDC>: >CONTACTING ADMIN…
[The sickening chill had gripped the others as well. They were overcome with the need to flee for their lives.]
<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: > H-how much more of this do you think there i-is—
[MN.1 to DWN-013] //: ...Are you alright? -What is with the sudden drop in mood-
[MN.1 to DWN-013] //: This factory is CherryDyn's, I wouldn't be surprised if it is larger than we think.
<DWN-013>: > D-dammit…
<DWN-013>: > -N-no, we aren’t okay-
<DWN-013>: > Let’s g-get this over with and get out of here…
<DWN-013>: >I won’t abandon you now, but something has happened and now I very much want to go home.
[While Jaden had started showing submission again, his older brother had much the opposite effect.
His usual hot-blooded demeanor had turned icy cold, much more like Shadow’s when the latter was in a dangerous and silent mood.
Furthermore, his usually green eyes had turned and were now glowing a deep red—a sign that he felt the presence of a powerful and aggressive, cruel enemy in his midst.
…
But then there was a shudder of some sort in the air, almost a glitch within reality itself. Everything RIPPLED and there was a deep reverberating gong sound that rolled into an echoing, vibrating low tone that drowned everything out, everything becoming stretched and warped. It suddenly rocketed over them like a sound wave, seeming to shatter in the far distance.]
<DWN-011 has left Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-012 has left Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-013 has left Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-018 has left Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-019 has left Defensive Combat mode.>
Speedy: -Puts a hand to his head- Nnngh…!
Brand: --!
[MN.7] //: Speedy--are you alright? (...What just happened?)
<DWN-012>: > I hurt, really bad— it’s like… like all my programs just ran flat into a wall and were turned off for ages—
[He coughs, trying to re-calibrate various sensors.]
<DWN-012>: >Ugh… I wasn’t made to handle that sort of thing, it really hurts…
[…He was right.
Somehow, he seemed to have taken damage from whatever that was just now. The readings showed it.]
<DWN-012>: > (Maybe Siam was right…. Nnnngh, I have a bad, bad feeling about this…)
[MN.4] //: -PING- -Mic can provide cover if you need a minute-
[...And it REALLY seems Mic was confident in this, because he was just walling the other crazed CDNs.]
<DWN-012>: > …
<DWN-012>: > -Emotional data- Th… thanks, man…
[He grits his teeth against the pain and forces himself back to his feet.]
<DWN-012>: > -You guys really are the best-
Brand: -SHING- No need to thank us. -SHING- Besides, being the defense is Mic's function.
[CRASH!]
[A bunch of CDNs were casually swept aside by Mic's huge arms--he briefly turns back to Speedy to give a reassuring smile.]
Mic: ^w^
Mic: -Turns again to WHAM on a CDN that tried to get the jump on him-- -NOPE, DENIED-
Speedy: Heh… -Weak smile- I guess just… so not used to it.
Speedy: Our family… my series, just so very different, such a different experience.
Speedy: Almost all my brothers shot at me at least once. Including the defensive-based unit.
Speedy: That was the last time I… actually fought, was… the [color=blue]end[/color] of our Generation…. As the Last Survivor of my series…
Brand: .....
Mic: -WHANG- : E -Awwwww-
Mic: -Mic give you hug later-
Mic: -Busy with Cherry crazies right now but IOU a hug-
Speedy: Heh…
[A larger boomerang materializes in his hand. He’s smiling with his eyes closed.]
Speedy: Just try not to crunch hug me, I hear FMN-004 likes to do that.
[When he opens his eyes again, they’re glowing with determination.]
Speedy: But we’ll make our way out of here, alright—
[He gives a short burst of a sprint to vault his way onto Mic’s back.]
Mic: -Oop- : D!
[He hurls the larger Quick Boomerang down the hallway, slicing through about a dozen and a half constructs before it gets wedged into a piece of machinery.]
Speedy: And we’ll get to hang out with someone that gives a better name to what these guys are associated with.
Speedy: Let’s speed things up so we can FFW to the feast, yeah?
Brand: -Nods-
[Brand slices a few CDNs in half before pointing his sword towards the next room.]
Brand: Onwards!
[MEANWHILE...]
Beck: KYAH!
[Beck doesn't waste a second slamming a guided missile at the M.O.M unit, it's systems damaged and scrambled--but it was now churning out fused abominations of whatever it could find in CherryDyn's database...]
Beck: What even ARE these things??
Will: -KICKS A TRASH BOT AWAY- The systems are infected! The manufacturing programs must be going haywire--
[Another trash bot that seemed to be fused with a fire based bot is dissolved--]
Will: --The virus must be finding schematics in CherryDyn's database and mixing them together--!
Beck: But WHY?
Will: --Ngh-- I don't know--
Will: (Does...Does SHE know I'm here--?)
[CRUNCH.]
Will: --??
[After a few seconds, there was a sudden explosion from beneath one of the heavier fused Xel beasties—]
Will: --?!?
[Sending (besides Xel) a splatter of hissing liquid and green shrapnel pieces everywhere.]
Beck: Dad?! Are you okay?!
Will: Fine--
Will: --!!
Will: (...B... Battery Acid...)
Will: (Ngh--not you, not NOW--!)
Will: BECK!
Will: We need to get moving, NOW!
Beck: On it!
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN]
Beck: Out of the WAY--!
[Will ducks for cover just in time before Beck unleashed a Level 2 Burning Spirit--]
[CRACK--CREEEEEEEEEEAK--]
[The display on the M.O.M unit flickers and dies, the top end of the pillar melting away and--]
[CRAAAAAASH!]
[...falls backwards, COMPLETELY taking out the wall to the next room after.]
Beck: --Oops--
Beck: Uh...aaaat least we can pass--? ^.^;
Will: Goodness--
Will: (I didn't think Level 2 would be THAT effective...)
Will: Are you alright?
Beck: Yup--I'm good!
Beck: Let's keep going--
"Eeeeyyy, Beckers!"
Beck: !
[Avi flies in from the giant hole in the wall, surveying the damage done by the now broken M.O.M unit.]
Avi: Wowzers, next time give a little heads-up there, buddy, you nearly pillar-ized me!
Avi: -BADAUM TISSS SOUND EFFECT OVER THE FEEDS- : D
Beck: -Giggles- Sorry, Avi, I didn't know you were there.
[MN.7] //: -My guess is Avi, which means ignore it-
Avi: Love ya too, Ninjabro! ;D
Avi: Things all good with you, Dad?
Will: I'm fine, Six--what's the status of the other teams?
Avi: Team One is making some pretty good headway, and the other Teams are following right behind--they're not too far ahead of where we are.
<DWN-013>: >I must admit concern for the structural integrity of the place if we collectively keep blowing up walls and stuff, though…
<DWN-013>: >It’ll probably be declared structurally unsafe after we get out of here.
<DWN-012>: >Heh, no big loss. |D
Avi: -Snorts-
Beck: Hey, Avi--you haven't seen some weird fused robots, have you?
Avi: Oh, THOSE things--
Avi: Yeah, they're popping up everywhere in this place, they're so weird--
Will: Hmm...
<DWN-013>: > That’s rather not my point, though—
<DWN-013>: >We can say with a great degree of certainty that when things get unstable enough, they collapse and bury you alive, it happens more often in our family than you think. If this keeps up for too long, that puts you in a lot of danger, Uncle Will.
Will: ....
Will: (He's right--there's not only the infected robot threat, but the status of the factory building itself...)
Will: ....
Will: The fused infected CDNs and the weakening integrity of the building is all the more reason why we must hurry to the Primary M.O.M unit.
<DWN-013>: >Gah…
<DWN-013>: >If only we had Cardinal’s use of the Search Snake Power Capsule right now—that thing is great for scouting out unknown territories, it’s why it was made to begin with…
Will: (...Or to spy on others, in this case...)
Will: Avi, can you scout out the next room for us?
Avi: Already did, Daddo! Cleared it out while you guys were busy--this way!
[The next room seems to be a data storage room, with screens that take up the entire wall much like in Sanda Labs...]
[...Except they showed off dozens upon dozens of blueprints and schematics for all sorts of CDN Industrial Models--it looked like a viewing room for whatever few humans that DID work in the factory to oversee the manufacturing process.]
Beck: -Look, ITS A ROUND DIGGER, BUDDYYYYY-
Will: (All these models...)
Avi: --!!
Avi: Well, well, well, what do we have here...
<DWN-012>: >A punplane who’s about to tell us something interesting?
[Avi flies over to a schematic that's waaaaay up high near the ceiling, something that seemed...Out of place...]
Avi: Hey, Dad? The rest of these plans are for Industrials, right?
Will: ...They all seem to be, yes...
Will: Did you find something?
Avi: ..Oh, yeah, I FOUND something, alright--
Avi: A schematic for a COMBAT Model.
Will: --!
<DWN-012>: >I don’t get why that’s so strange—
Avi: (And if I'm reading this right--)
Avi: --!!
Avi: Uh Oh--
Avi: DAD I GOTTA GO--
<DWN-013>: >Woah, woah, woah—
<DWN-013>: > -Avs are you okay— -
Will: What--
Avi: Got a hot scoop to deliver to Doc Sanda-Man, DON'T WORRY I'LL BE RIGHT BACK--
[Without another word, Avi shifts into Jet Mode and zooooooms back out the way Will and Beck came in.]
Will: Wait--Avi! What about Soi?!
Beck: ....
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]
[Beck flies up to where Avi saw the schematic for the CDN combat model...]
Beck: ....
Beck: K-9...?
<DWN-013 and DWN-012>: > …
<DWN-012>: > Scrap—
<DWN-012>: > Canine models can get VICIOUS…
Beck: Combat model designed to patrol and guard--
Beck: Maximum security establishments--!
<DWN-013>: > UGH this is all Fahrenheit 451 on us—
Beck: -THERE'S ONE AT THE PRISON--
Will: SOI!
Will: (Oh God SOICHIRO--)
Will: (And you--)
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Soi: A-Are you sure you don't want to, uh... swap missions...?
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Will: (Oh, Soi, I never should have--!)
Beck: Dad--Uncle Sanda--!
Beck: And--And Call--!
[PING!]
<DWN-018>: > -Shocked data-
<DWN-019>: > NICO YOU STAY PUT—
Will: --!!
[Unfortunately, this was the worst thing that Siam could have said. Nico quickly snapped out of it, and his data became almost horrifically aggressive.]
<DWN-018>: > … You—
[There’s a loud WHANG and a crash, followed by static—]
[As if Siamini had been flung against a wall by a powerful force, and possibly into a transmitter.]
Beck: Wha--?
Will: (Nico...)
Will: (....Soichiro is going to need all the help he can get in there--)
Will: (Oh, please, Avi, PLEASE get there in time to warn them--!)
<DWN-012>: > Augh…
<DWN-012>: > By the time this is over EVERY ROBOT MASTER AWAKE is gonna end up in repairs, GREAT—
<DWN-013>: >With Cardinal, Nico, and Siam all out of it…
<DWN-012>: > I KNOW—
<DWN-012>: > Let’s hurry up and get out of here before I have no one left to look over!
<DWN-012>: > Doctor!
Will: --!
<DWN-012>: >Based on the perimeter and area of the building before we got in here, how close do you think you are to where you need to be? And would it be on this same floor or in a basement?
Will: Th-The same floor--and there's still quite a bit to go--
<DWN-012>: >Nnngh…
<DWN-012>: >Alright then—
<DWN-012>: >We need to make sure the building stays in one piece until then. Mic, as you go along, will you put in reinforcement beams in rooms and so forth to reinforce the structural integrity?
[MN.4] //: -PING- Hmm hmm! ^w^
<DWN-012>: >Good. Team One—
[There’s a loud crashing noise.]
Brand: . . . .??????
Brand: -What--
Brand: -I thought that only happens in the old cartoons Avi watches all the time--
[MN.8] //: Oi, what the HELL was that noise--?!
[MN.2] //: -Shadey stop being grumpy and COVER ME YOU COWPOKING GRUMP-
Beck: Dad--
Will: -Ngh...-
Will: We have to keep moving--
Will: (Soi--Soi has Avi coming, and Call is there, and Nico is on his way...)
Will: (He'll be fine, he'll be fine--oh goodness please let him be alright after this--)
<DWN-012>: > …Uh…
<DWN-012>: >OKAY so apparently not all the walls are meant to take Combat-model force momentum??
<DWN-013>: > …
<DWN-013>: > You RAN THROUGH A /WALL/ are you SERIOUS—
<DWN-013>: > -CRACKS UP LAUGHING-
[MN.2] //: -Yo for REAL, HE DIDN'T GO SPLAT--
Will: (... Well, this IS mostly an Industrial Robot Factory...)
<DWN-013>: > Are you kidding, Sis?
<DWN-013>: > -Warm data- Dad made him to be FINE after running into walls at well over 100 mph.
<DWN-013>: >I guess since he held up and something has to give when two objects meet…
<DWN-013>: > He just went right through the wall oh I’m dying of laughter here
[MN.2] //: -DUUUUUUUDE THAT'S SICK-
<DWN-013>: >How are you three holding up, by the way?
<DWN-013>: >Haven’t heard from you in a whi—
[MN.2] //: HEY MIC DO YOU THINK IF YOU THREW ME AT A WALL I'D GO THROUGH IT TOO LIKE THE KOOL-AID MAN IN THE FUNNY COMMERCIALS--
<DWN-013>: > -SNORTS-
[MN.1] //: -cryo please FOCUS ON YOUR TEAM, NO ONE IS THROWING YOU AT A WALL-
[MN.2] //: -BUT IT BE SO COOL, THO, I'D BE ALL OOOOOH YEAH, GLITCHES, GET WRECKED--
[Jaden’s laughter quiets down a bit, but he’s still grinning as he goes at the infected CDNs around him in drill-to-hand combat.
He’s quite good at it, too, in a way that suggests he trained to be so.]
[MN.3] //: -Bzzzzt, we're fine, just pretty concentrated on these CDN creeps-
[MN.8] //: -Very focused data, trying to stay in the zone here but SOMEONE KEEPS YELLIN'--
[MN.2] //: -TOO BAD, I'M TEAM LEADER, PLLLLLLLPGH- -Raspberry noises-
<DWN-013>: > -Gently- Shade?
[MN.8] //: What?
<DWN-013>: > You’re awfully tense, and that makes it harder to focus right.
<DWN-013>: > …Everything will be okay.
[Shade didn’t respond to that.
As much as he was trying to hide it, he was in a great deal of emotional pain and physical exhaustion. He had only just woken up from the fights of his life, and the main thing that kept him going in the face of the terrible things, the things he had done—the only thing that kept him going was because he HAD to.
He had to—they needed him—
And he had to, he had to keep his mind—keep it off of—]
[MN.8] //: (Nnngh…)
[…The fact that the update of Cardinal’s memories to the server was a ticking time bomb, just waiting to make the Rebel Angels even more terrified of him and potentially hostile…
…really, really wasn’t helping.]
<DWN-013>: > We’re all in this together, alright?
<DWN-013>: >And we don’t need perfection here just now—
[Background noise of something being lit on fire.]
[MN.8] //: .....
[MN.8] //: -mmmgh.-
<DWN-013>: > -He’ll be okay, I promise-
<DWN-013>: >He’s already running again.
[MN.8] //: … … …
[There was a muffled bit of data that seemed edge with dread—dread, uncertainty, anxiety, concern—
Almost as if he were thinking to himself a worry that what happened could ever be forgiven.]
<DWN-013>: > Ah ah—I know that data—
<DWN-013>: >Just try and loosen up a bit and be there for your sisters, okay?
<DWN-013>: >We can deal with the rest later after we get home.
<DWN-013>: >Think of it as…
<DWN-013>: > -Lightbulb-
<DWN-013>: >Some DLC for your tagging incident. : ]
[MN.8] //: --....
[MN.8] //: (....That would be nice...)
[MN.2] //: -YEAH AFTER WE CLEAN UP CHERRY'S MESS, WE CAN AAAAALL BE NICE AND CHILL TOGETHER-
<DWN-012>: >GG, Icewoman—
<DWN-012>: >Now I want black cherry flavored snowcones—
<DWN-013>: > I prefer strawberry and lemonade flavor, myself.
[MN.2] //: -Glitch when Snow wakes up we gotta make ALLLL THE SNOWCONES AND ICE CREAMS--
[BOOM—!]
[MN.2] //: --What the glitch was that?
<DWN-012>: >I’m not sure— Bat?
[MN.5] //: That wasn't us or Pyro--not Jaden either--
[MN.1] //: Avi isn't here and Shade didn't blow up anything, did you?
[MN.8] //: Nope--
[MN.7] //: --....
[MN.7] //: Beck--
[Static.]
[MN.9] //: B--Buddy--that's not Buddy--
[MN.7] //: -????-
[DR.WHITE] //: It's--It must be an unreleased, upgraded Round Digger Model--!
[Explosions can be heard over the feeds--]
[MN.9] //: -BUDDY IS LIKE TEN TIMES BETTER THAN YOU, STOP SHOOTING WATER AT ME--
<DWN-013>: > …
<DWN-013>: > -A Digger that uses WATER????-
<DWN-013>: >Are you sure that’s not a glitched model?
[MN.9] //: -Don't care--
[SHING!]
[MN.9] //: -This thing can wreck the whole building if we leave it unchecked--
<DWN-013>: >If Avi were here, I’m sure he’d be punning about “where’s the fire” or soOOOOOoOooohhhhh okayyy…
<DWN-012>: > -No, bailing and letting it run loose is not an option-
<DWN-013>: > -Didn’t mean it wasn’t tempting for a moment-
[SHING SHING SHING--]
[MN.9] //: -UGH THIS THING IS WAY TOUGHER THAN BUDDY WAS--
<DWN-012>: >But nowhere near as tough as you!
<DWN-012>: >I guess he’s using your form, Brand. : ]
[MN.7] //: >> -....He uses it well-
[MN.9] //: -wat really--
[MN.9] //: -I MEAN--THANKS NII-SAN--
[There's a strange burst of data when Beck is praised by his elder brother--]
[SHINGSHINGSHINGSHINGSHINGSHING--!]
<DWN-013>: > ?
Will: Oh my--
<DWN-013 to MNN-007>: >Brand, what am I hearing?
[MN.7] //: Otouto?
[MN.9] //: -......-
[MN.9] //: @~@
[MN.9] //: Sooooo dizzyyyy...
[MN.9] //: -Blrgh, dad why did you program me for nausea--
Will: -I--I think Beck just did Brand's Spin Slash technique--
Speedy: -Raises an eyebrow- …
[MN.7] //: What!?
[MN.9] //: WHOA WHAT REALLY I CAN D O THAT NOW--
[MN.9] //: -NII-SAN--NIIII-SAAAAAN I DID THE THING--
Speedy: -Slight wry grin- So when you hear it from someone you hold in high regard then, huh…?
[MN.7] //: -Low-key actually excited about this, what, that isn't pride, what are you talking about--
[MN.9] //: : D!!
<DWN-013>: >So… he can unlock secondary abilities, too? -Seems… pleased about this, in a sense-
<DWN-013>: >I wonder if that’ll happen when eventually you get to have our forms.
<DWN-012>: >Heh. Imagine Beck, like, duplicating himself!
<DWN-012>: >Or teleport spamming! B]
<DWN-013>: > -Chuckles at this-
<DWN-013>: >You’re just full of awesome surprises, aren’t you, lil’ bro?
<DWN-013>: > -Warm ping of approval-
[MN.9] //: ^//^
[MN.9] //: Eheh...
[MN.9] //: -Imeannii-sanistheonewhomadeupthatmoveso--
[MN.7] //: >>;
<DWN-013>: > -Laughs in data- Tell you what, Beck!
<DWN-013>: >After this is over, I’ll teach you some of the non-Capsule style moves I use!
[MN.9] //: -OOOO REALLY--
[BLAM--]
Will: Oh dear Beck wait for me--
[Will hurries behind a gleefully excited Nine, who is spurred on by the prospect of learning something new from one of his other brothers.]
Beck: Come on, Dad, how much further?
Will: Ah--Not long now, now that you took care of that Round Digger...
Will: We should be seeing some of the assembly lines right around here...
Will: .....
Will: That's odd...
Beck: --? Huh? What is?
Will: ...The assembly lines are going in reverse--?
<DWN-012>: >Say what?
<DWN-012>: >That sounds… really gruesome…
Will: (That's strange--why would the factory disassemble its own models?)
Will: (Something is wrong here...)
Beck: .......
Beck: (There's a lot of Xel up ahead, I can feel it...)
Beck: (Huh...)
<DWN-013>: >Why would models be being torn apart into Xel? That’s honestly messed up. >.>
<DWN-013>: >Even a malfunction should just cause it to shut off, because a buildup backlog would just cause an explosion somewhere.
<DWN-012>: > …Unless it were being used somewhere else in the factory, somehow…
<DWN-013>: >Doing what?
Will: Only one way to find out...
Beck: Keep going?
Will: Yes.
<DWN-013>: >Let us know.
<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: >Kinda concerned we haven’t heard from 18 or 19 yet…
<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: >Nico must have either knocked 19 out entirely or else taken out the transmitter altogether. I hope it’s just the transmitter, because I don’t want our cousins to get involved…
[MN.1] //: Tch...
[MN.1] //: (Alnico, you better know what you're doing...)
[MN.2] //: --uh--
[MN.2] //: Guyyyyys--
<DWN-013>: > -Distracted- Yeah, Icesis?
[There is what could only be described as absolute chaos over Cryo's team's feeds--even Beck himself could hear it on the next rooms beyond.]
Beck: --!
[MN.2] //: WE MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE HERE--
[MN.8] //: -REQUESTIN' BACK-UP, THERE'S BEEN A INFLUX OF CDNs--
[MN.3] //: -BZZZZZZT OW--
<DWN-012>: >UH.
<DWN-012>: >TEAM ONE YOU MIGHT NEED TO BACKTRACK—
<DWN-013>: > Hang in there!
[MN.1] //: Bat! Move up front with Jaden--we're heading to the assembly lines!
[MN.5] //: Roger that, Commander--
[MN.1] //: Speedy, Brand, Mic, how far are you from their location?
[MN.4] //: -Not far, heading that way now--
[MN.1] //: Beck, stay with Father until we can clear things up enough for you to pass though!
Beck: Yessir!
[There’s an increasingly loud clanging noise coming closer.]
[MN.2] //: -EY, CALVERY IS COMING--
[MN.3] //: -BZZZ, HEY, HANDSZZ OFF THE PONCHO--
Jaden: -Runs in- HI BECK—
Jaden: -Runs past- BYE BECK—
Beck: !!
Bat: CHAAAAAAAARGE--
Beck: -WHOOPS, OUT OF THE WAY--
[Pyro does pause for a moment when he catches up to check on Beck and Will--]
Pyro: --...
Pyro: Father, you're a mess--
[Will did look a bit worse for wear, but there wasn't any real major injuries to worry about.]
Will: Eheh... Don't worry about me, son.
Will: Go.
Pyro: -Nods-
Beck: -GO GET THEM, BRO--
[Inside the assembly lines....]
Cryo: TOOK YOU GUYS LONG ENOUGH--
Cryo: -FREEZES A CDN instead of finishing that SENTENCE--
Dyna: -BZZZZ, THEY JUST KEEP COMING--
Jaden: Not for much longer, they don’t.
Shade: Ya seen Brand and the others--?
[Shade, of course, was at a high vantage point along with Cryo to pick off the CDNs as they came out of the lines.]
Shade: We need them t' trash the equipment--
[CRASH—]
Pyro: --!!
Speedy: -Keeps running so he doesn’t get run over- HI GUYS MIC AND BRAND ARE RIGHT BEHIND ME, STAY OUTTA THE WAY I THINK THEY AREN’T GONNA BE STOPPING EITHER—
[SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING--]
[RRRRRRRRRRR--]
Mic: -SLAMS RIGHT INTO A PROCESSING UNIT-
[Speedy opens fire with Quick Boomerangs.
Shade flinches at the sound.]
Shade: --ngh--
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
KTANG!
[Leaping onto the walls and vaulting onto a statue, he peppered the room with high speed Quick Boomerangs.]
"You clearly haven’t learned I don’t go down so easy, Counter.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Cryo: Hey! -Sprays with cold water--
Shade: GAH--
Cryo: I need ya here and now, bro, gotta keep those CherryDyn's down!
Shade: | [ -Ya didn't have to cold spray me--
Brand: Mic! Help me with these processing units!
Mic: -MIC SMASH--
Jaden: HEY MIC!
Mic: !
[He fires into a bit of debris and kicks it over Mic’s way.]
Jaden: Give ‘em a slam dunk! >B]
Mic: E : <
Mic: -WHAM--
[A slew of CDNs are crushed underneath the pile of debris, now just a pile of Xel on the floor.]
Cryo: -THREE POOOOOINTS--
[BOOM!]
Brand: --!
Mic: -OOO TRASH BALL GO BOOM--
Pyro: Dyna, barrier!
Dyna: You got it--!
[A bunch of bits fly in front of Pyro to create an electric shield, which he stands behind for a moment before igniting himself--]
[--And CHARGING FORWARD, Using Dyna's shield as a battering ram against the CDNs--!]
[Interesting. Bits of surge from what’s left of the Crash Bomb provide a boost. Not NEARLY as much as the full thing, but still.]
[PING!]
[MN.6] //: HEY GUYS, AM I LATE TO THE PARTY--
Speedy: EEEEY, LOOK WHO’S OUTTA THE JOINT.
Speedy: Tell me you have good news, bro!
Speedy: Everyone’s in one piece, yeah?
Avi: Yo I got there JUST in time, bro, Call's giving the pooch a lesson--
Speedy: How’s our younger brother?
Avi: They're on their way to Doc Blackwell, and--Uh.
Avi: ....Wait, what?
Speedy: …
[He leaps up onto a higher vantage point to start taking out his frustration on the production lines.]
Speedy: Nico went in there! Are you saying he’s not back yet?
Avi: -YO SAY WHAT--
Jaden: He must have seen Call on the screen after Siamini looked up the status of the Sanda team after hearing you freak out over the dog plans.
Avi: -I--I didn't see him there, I didn't know, I only broadcasted to Sanda-bag--
Avi: -Gaaaaaaah if I knew I would've stayed and backed him up--
Pyro: Avi--
Avi: --?
Jaden: I wouldn’t worry about it…
Jaden: He could tear things up pretty badly if he puts his mind to it.
Jaden: Especially if he took shrapnel bits with him on the way…
Speedy: I’m going to guess yes, given he was going into something with Combat in mind.
Avi: -Oh-
Avi: ....
Avi: : ' D -Okaaaaaaay yup cuz that's not terrifying to think about at all--
Jaden: -Laughs at this-
Jaden: We’re Wily constructs, dude.
Avi: : ''''' D
[PING!]
[MN.9] //: How are you guys holding up?
[MN.5] //: Managed to push them back at least--
[MN.6] //: -EY BECKO GUESS WHAT, CALL'S BEATING UP THE DOGGIE AND NICO'S, UH--GOING IN FOR BACK UP-
[MN.9] //: Oh, That's-- waitdidyousaynico--
<DWN-013>: >Yyyyyyeah, uh…
[MN.9] //: -NOBODY TOLD HIM ABOUT CALL--
<DWN-013>: >No, we didn’t, but he apparently saw, because he took out both the transmitter and possibly Siamini as well in the process of storming off.
[MN.9] //: -Thaaaaaaaaaat's not good--
[MN.9] //: Do you guys need a hand?
<DWN-013>: >No thanks, I don’t use hands. B]
<DWN-013>: >No hands no problem, right, Shade?
[MN.8] //: Heh...
[MN.8] //: Little help does sound nice, though.
[MN.1] //: Someone has to stay with Father--
[DR.WHITE] //: No, we're running out of time--
[DR.WHITE] //: We NEED to get past this into the main assembly line--
Jaden: You want me to come over?
[DR.WHITE] //: No, Jaden, you're needed with the rest of your team--all of you just keep concentrating on the infected units while we slip by!
[MN.9] //: -Don't worry, I'll be in Mic's form for defense--
Jaden: Awesome! Go for gold, guys. : )
Jaden: We’ll just be having a ball here, right, Icesis?
[REXELECTION: SEISMIC]
Beck: -Snorts-
[MN.2] //: -TEN POINTS FOR YOU-
Beck: Hey, Dad--get on!
Will: --Wait--what, on you--
Beck: -This'll be much faster than you on foot--Don't worry, 'Linka and I do this all the time--
Will: Oh--
Beck: Just hold on tight because we're going to be going really fast--
Will: Uh--H-How fast--
[RRRRRRRRRRR--]
[MEANWHILE...]
Mic: -SMAAAASH--
Brand: --Mic, is that noise you--
[RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--]
Will: -SCREAMING, TOO FAST, TOO FAAAAAAAAST--
Avi: -GO BECK GO--
Beck: -SKIDS AROUND STUFF- You sure you guys don't need some--
[WHANG--!]
Beck: !!
[OH WHEN DID A ROUND DIGGER GET IN HERE--]
Jaden: Woah! -Knocked over-
Brand: Haaaaaah--!
[S H I N G !]
Jaden: o.o
Jaden: -Looks as the half of a Round Digger turns into Xel goop- Nice one, bro.
Brand: Hmph.
Brand: Nothing here my blades cannot handle.
Cryo: -Oh stop being dramatic, ya loopy ninja-
Mic: -NOPE, got this area all under control-
Mic: -Maybe help Cryo team instead--
Cryo: PFFFT, I'm ice CREAMING these bots--
Cryo: -There's snow many of them though--
Shade: -Sigh- -BANG-
Shade: Maybe if ya spend more time FIGHTIN' and less on yer lame puns...
Cryo: -Shrills- WHAT?!
Cryo: Just remember who you're talking to, Shadey, I'm SIX WHOLE NUMBERS OLDER THAN YOU--
Jaden: Like the other punster? | ]
Avi: : D
Cryo: Okay YES but six as in OLDER--
Shade: -Rolls his eye- Yeah, yeah, an' Ah'm--
Pyro: Shade stop arguing with your sister--
Shade: -OI SHE STARTED IT WITH HER PUNNIN'--
Speedy: -Laughs a little at this-
Jaden: -Jumps onto Mic- You provide a great vantage point, bro. : )
Mic: ^ W ^
Beck: -ZOOOMS AROUND XEL MUSH-
Will: -AAAAAAAH STILL TOO FAST, HELP-
Speedy: Buckle up, Will! |D
Will: -WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT I DIDN'T DESIGN BECK W I T H SEAT BELTS--
Beck: -Skids as he just HAS TO LAUGH AT THAT--
Beck: -BYE GUYS, HEADING FOR THE LINES NOW--
Will: -PLEASE, I want to get ooooofff--
Pyro: Bat! You're with me, we're going to secure the room ahead!
Pyro: Jaden, stay here and provide support for the others, alright?
Jaden: You’ve got it.
Jaden: Come on, bro, let’s wreck some things.
Speedy: Heh. It’s what we were made for!
[They both give devilish grins.]
Beck: -GOOD LUCK GUUUUUYS--
[Beck, with his father in tow, races across many a battered hallway, Pyrogen and Battalion following close behind.]
Pyro: Crash and BURN!
[Following Pyro's lead, they thin out the CDNs that littered the reversed assembly lines, giving Beck a clear pathway towards the center of the factory.]
Bat: HAHA! Now that's what I like to see! First into battle, the tip of the spear!
Pyro: | ]
Pyro: Heh, of course--it's a leader's duty, after all.
Beck: --!!
Beck: Dad--look!
Will: -Opens his eyes--
Will: !
[CHERRYDYN MAIN ASSEMBLY LINE FLOOR.]
Will: At last!
Pyro: We'll keep things under control here so nothing tries to come up from behind!
Pyro: Good luck, Beck!
Beck: c : <
[The door automatically opens, and then slams shut behind them--]
Beck: !
Beck: Whooooooooooa...
[Right in the middle of the entire assembly floor was the Primary M.O.M unit, it's displays flashing from red to purple with errors littering the holoscreens around it.]
Will: There it is...
Will: .....
Will: (All the assembly lines so far lead to here, but in the reverse way...)
Will: Alright, first, we need to find it's computer core and destroy it--
Will: That will halt all of the production lines so I can hack into the systems themselves and shut them down for good--
[Will calmly approaches the M.O.M unit slowly, looking for any sort of panel it might have that will reveal it's inner workings...]
Will: Beck, I need you to scan this with your C.Visor and--
Beck: --!!!
Beck: DAD, UP--!
Will: --?!
[Beck grabs Will and yanks him backwards, right before--]
Will: -Fumbles right into his back-
Will: Wh--
[GGGHGHGHGGGGGH...]
[The Doctor scrambles to his feet as the very earth shakes from the force of a giant, MASSIVE construct slams down just where he was not moments ago--]
Will: What on--?!
[PING!]
<DWN-013>: >WOAH, guys, what’s with the shaking—
<DWN-013>: >It’s like something Gamma size slammed down!
[MN.9] //: -WHAT THE HECK IS THAT--
[MN.9] //: WHAT IS THAT, IT'S--IT'S LIKE FOUR TIMES BIGGER THAN MIC--
[DR.WHITE] //: G--Good heavens--
[DR.WHITE] //: I--I've never seen it's like before--th--this isn't like ANYTHING that CherryDyn's schematic database has--!
[DR.WHITE] //: --!!!!
[DR.WHITE] //: No, wait--of course, it makes sense now--the reversed assembly lines, the mixed up fused robots--
[DR.WHITE] //: The factory, the virus--it's--
[DR.WHITE] //: It's begun to CREATE it's OWN DESIGNS--!
[MN.9] //: WHAT--?!
[MN.9] //: H-HOW, HOW WOULD--
<DWN-013>: >Ooookay, um…
<DWN-013>: >Where are you guys right now, exactly—
[DR.WHITE] //: -Too terrified to answer--
<DWN-013>: >I’m… going to try and contact Siam, hang in there—
Beck: D--Dad--?!
Will: (Run, we need to--!)
[Will backs up, but the cold, hard surface of the door reminds him that they just can't run from this.]
Will: (Ngh--!)
???: -HELLISH SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-
[MN.7] //: -What on EARTH WAS THAT--
Beck: This thing is huge--
Beck: Why would the virus want to--to MAKE something like this--?
Will: Ngh--
Will: It's still trying to cause mass destruction...
<DWN-013>: >Okay, so I couldn’t contact Siam, BUT—
<DWN-013>: >I was able to contact someone else, and they’ll be right on over—
???: S C R E E E E E E E E E --
Will: Beck--
Will: We--We have to--
Will: -Grips sword-
Will: We can't let this thing leave this factory--!
Will: We have to stop it here--now, and shut down the M.O.M Unit before it can create an ARMY of these--!
Beck: --!!
Beck: But this is--this is WAY bigger than anything else--
Will: We have to TRY!
Will: Otherwise it will tear this place apart with EVERYONE IN IT!
Beck: --!!
Beck: (Everyone--)
[TRIGGER RECONIZED. XELFILTER.EXE ENGAGED.]
Will: You distract it!
Will: I'll handle the M.O.M Unit!
[REXELECTION: SEISMIC.]
Beck: Yes, sir!
[SCANNING...]
[SCAN COMPLETE.]
[E N C O U N T E R.]
[MODEL: CDN-XXX, CODENAME: NAMELESS]
[HEIGHT: 774cm WEIGHT: 4048kg XEL COUNT: 809,200,000]
[The giant Xel goliath lurches forward, and one of it's arms raises to the sky--]
[And-- detatches--?]
<CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: HARD KNUCKLE.>
Beck: -UH OH--
[The arm rotates, and the boosters on its end propel it STRAIGHT at the pair--]
[Will and Beck both dive on opposite directions, Beck rolling to the left while Will tumbles to the right and off the platform.]
Will: -Ow--
Will: (Have to get to the M.O.M unit--!)
[The M.O.M unit is a slick jet black pillar instead of the smaller white secondary unit...
He calls on the terminal at once and begins to type away.]
Will: (If I can just find an old back door I used for this...)
[ACCESS DENIED.]
Will: Argh--!
Will: (Of course HE would lock my old pathway out of the system--!)
Will: (Fine, hacking the old fashioned way, then--where is that computer core--?)
[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]
[CRAAAAAAASH--!]
Will: --?!?
Will: Beck--?! Are you--
[As Will turns around, he is SURPRISED to see the giant, 25 foot tall Xelbot--]
[....Utterly in pieces.]
Will: Wha?
[...]
"Ngh..."
[POP!]
[Beck's head peeks out from the mountain of debris, in his default form.]
Beck: Okay, so...
Beck: These things break WAY too easy to my default weapon.
Beck: No joke!
Will: ...Really?? ?_?
Beck: Yeah!
Beck: Huh. Kinda weird that something is that big and it doesn't even hold well...
[CERCHINK--]
[A panel slides open behind Will, prompting him to turn around to watch it open--]
[ A black sphere with the CherryDyn logo on it juts out, pulsing with a sickly purple glow--there was no saving this data core, not when it was so corrupted like this.]
Will: The computer core--!
Will: (So it is infected...)
Will: Beck--
[SCREEEEEEEEEEEEECH--!]
Beck: -Wha--
[The earth once again shakes, felt by all in the building--]
Beck: A--Another one??
Nameless: -SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-
Beck: GAK--
[Wait, why is the floor moving BACKWARDS--]
<CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: DWN-009>
Will: BECK!
[Chink--]
Will: --!
Will: No you DON'T--
[SHINK--!]
[Will manages to slash at the core with his Rapier before the panel shuts it away, the systems on the terminal glitching out as it went back into the M.O.M unit.]
Will: (I see now--)
Will: BECK!
Will: Keep breaking the Nameless!
Will: I'll destroy the core myself!
Beck: -BLAM BLAM- On it!
Beck: -Ugh, I didn't need a work out today, this thing is fast--
[BLAM--]
[CRAAAAAAASH--!]
Beck: Two down!
Will: (And the core should--)
[Right on cue, the core panel once again opens, the core itself revealed.]
[SHINK--!]
[ERROR--INTERNAL COMPUTER CORE DAMAGED.]
[PRODUCTION DOWN 25%]
Beck: It's working!
[S L A M--]
Nameless: SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE--
Beck: -Oh jeez--
<DWN-012>: > Guys are you okay in there
<DWN-012>: >DO YOU NEED STRUCTURAL ASSISTANCE
<DWN-013>: > -KINDA SOUNDS LIKE THE BUILDING’S FALLING ON TOP OF YOU OR SOMETHING?-
Will: Fine--we're fine, It's just Beck on the third of one of those things--
Will: -SHINK-
Will: I've damaged the computer core of the M.O.M unit, the production lines SHOULD be slowing down now!
[WHANG--]
Beck: --GUH--
[Beck struggles to keep an even footing on the moving assembly line, and failed to dodge an incoming arm from slamming into him AND the wall.]
Beck: ACK!
Will: You can DO this, Amadeus!
Will: Just hold on!
Beck: Nngh--
Beck: Y-Yes sir...
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]
[As the third Nameless unit is felled, Will wasted no time moving from hacking the terminal to striking at the core the moment it came out of the panel, with quick thrusts and parries.]
[ERROR--PRODUCTION DOWN 50%, SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT.]
Will: (Ngh, I need--I need MORE than just this sword--)
Will: (But Beck is busy with the Nameless, and--!)
[There’s a shrill, FAMILIAR whistle that BLASTS across the feeds.]
Beck: --?!?
Beck: (No way--it--it can't be--)
Beck: (He can't be up already--?!)
“RRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNGGGGGHHH…”
Beck: --?????
[SCREEEEEEEEEEEE--]
[S L A M--]
Nameless: -HELL SCREECH-
Beck: Oh MAN--
Beck: (Help--)
[FOOSH.]
Will: --?!?
Will: Jazz?!
[Indeed. It was none other than Cardinal’s support unit—and BOY, did she seem to be in a BAD mood.]
Jazz: HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHSSSS!
Nameless: -HELL SCREEEEEEEEEEEE OF PAIN--
Beck: Jazz--!
Beck: : D
[While Beck was happy to see her, Jazz didn’t return the affection. She was angry, and vicious, and it showed.]
Jazz: >8K
Beck: --Oh right you're in pantheress mode, Kay then--
Jazz: >|K
Jazz: Ree-ow.
Beck: We need to take THIS big thing down!
Beck: -And keep them away from Dad while he does his thing, okay-
Jazz: -REE-OW.-
[SHING!]
[YUP. THOSE ARE CLAWS IF EVER THERE WERE SOME.]
Beck: O.O
Beck: -....NICE- ^.^
Beck: -Yes, there will be food after, we know you-
Beck: Let's get 'em, kitty! > : D
Nameless: -SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEE-
Jazz: Ree-ow.
[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]
Will: (Oh, thank goodness, at least Beck will have some support...)
Will: (I still have to take out this core, but I have nothing else--)
[There was a squealing noise as Jazz dug her claws into the Nameless.]
Will: -OW, OUR EARS--
Will: --!
Will: (Wait...)
Will: (I DO have something else--)
-*-*-*-
Mikhail: At least take the sensory defense mechanism with you, Will!
Mikhail: I’m begging you—
Mikhail: You and Sanda are the ONLY friends I have ever since we were relocated in the protection program! PLEASE don’t get yourself hurt!
-*-*-*-
[Will scrambles to get the sensory defense mechanism off from around his neck--]
Will: (This--)
Will: (If I can get this right in the core, the signals should overload it and the system--!)
Beck: DAAAAD I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN DO THIS--!
Nameless: SCREEEEEEEEEE--
Will: Just a little longer--
Will: --And brace yourself--!
Beck: --?? Wha--
[CRAAAAAAASH--]
[Will presses the mechanism and throws it into the open panel, where it lands right on the computer core--]
Will: (I hope this works--!)
[The panel closes, and--]
[The closed panel prevented the blinding light, yes.]
[At least… the VISIBLE light… to the outside observer.]
[ERROR--E R R OR--]
[But the SOUND, and the SOUND and the LIGHT over the FEEDS—
Not so much.]
<DWN-012>: > -ERROR: DATA OVERLOAD-
<DWN-013>: > -ERROR: DATA OVERLOAD-
<CSU-001>: > -ERROR: DATA OVERLOAD-
[It was like every possible avenue related to the perception of vision and sound was overwhelmed in a blinding and deafening way. Both in the traditional sense and through data alone— it BLASTED throughout not only the entire factory, but also the building next door.
Although the concept had been originally designed specifically to fight against Robot Masters running a DWN_OS, it functioned through the use of sensory overload. Anything—even organic things—that had sensory perception was, to some degree, susceptible. This included the Mighty Numbers.]
Beck: -OW OWOWOWOW--
[MN.4] //: @~@
[MN.7] //: -ngh--cant see--!
[MN.6] //: -CRASH, OUCH, WE'RE OKAY BUT OW MAN WHO TURNED ON THE BRIGHTNESS SETTING TO EXTREMELY NOT OKAY--
[For Shade in particular, the experience was borderline torturous—his high sensitivity made it not merely uncomfortable—it made it PAINFUL.]
[MN.8] //: UUUGH WHAT THE DAMN HELL I S THAT--
[He was suddenly overcome yet again.
Memories of the fight bombarded him—recollections of times Cardinal had used Flash Stopper, of when he had let his fans screech loudly across the feeds—it cascaded and echoed back against the HORRIBLE sensation already being applied against him—]
[MN.8] //: -Ngh--!
[THUD--]
[MN.6] //: -Oh crud SHADE BRO ARE YOU OKAY--
[MN.8] //: -WHAT'S IT LOOK LIKE--
Will: --?!?
[Will was taken aback at all of this, but didn’t have long to dwell on it.]
[E ROR LRKRKKDJSNAK--]
[SY TO TME F ISIALUT RE--]
Will: --!
[The lights and the holoscreens around the M.O.M unit blink out one by one, and then--
The assembly lines all over the factory come to a screeching halt.]
Beck: @~@
Beck: Uuugh, my head...
Will: ......
Will: >~>!;;;;
Will: (Er...Oops?)
Will: (I--er.)
Will: (Oh dear I really shouldn't ever make Mikhail angry ever again--)
Will: o~o;;;;;;
[MN.1] //: -Jaden???? Speedy????-
[The two of them were out cold, though they were still Online, at least.]
[MN.2] //: -YO THIS IS NO TIME TO BE TAKING A NAP BRO--
[SPLLIIIIIIISH--]
<DWN-012 is now Online.>
<DWN-012>: > -Gurgle noises-
[MN.2] //: -Rolls over to Jaden now--
[SPLLIIIIIIISH--]
<DWN-013 is now Online.>
<DWN-013>: > -AWAKE, SO AWAKE NOW— -
[MN.1] //: | / --Ngh--head still hurts, what WAS that--
[MN.2] //: -Yeah that was, like, WAY DIZZY-
[MN.3] //: -Bzzzz ugh is there such thing as robot asprin Because that would be nice right now--
<DWN-013>: > Ugh…
<DWN-013>: > That was Doctor Cossack’s robot mace.
<DWN-013>: > …On the lowest setting.
[MN.2] //: -YO ARE YOU FOR REAL-- --Wait what isn't Uncle Mikhail like back at the lab--
[MN.3] //: ...Hang on, didn't Doc Cosszzack give Daddy zzsomething like...?
<DWN-012>: > My head still hurts… man is that strong stuff.
<DWN-013>: > Is Shade okay?
[MN.6] //: Eeeeeeeh... -Gives the so-so kinda guesture-
[MN.8] //: -Incoherent data, mostly grumpy to angry data, but mostly discombobulated-
<DWN-013>: >Ow.
<DWN-013>: > …I don’t hear any more crashing noises, the production seems to have stopped…
<DWN-013>: >Does that mean we’re done here…? @~@
[PING!]
[DR.WHITE] //: ...
[DR.WHITE] //: ....Um. I-Is everyone--um...--MOSTLY alright--?
[DR.WHITE] //: -Dear god I am SO sorry I hadnoideathedevicewasthatpowerfulareanyofyouhurt--?????-
[DR.WHITE] //: -WE'RE SORRY, BECK WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE GIANT ROBOTS, THE CORE WASN'T--
[DR.WHITE] //: O~O
<DWN-013>: >I think Jazz is still stunned.
<DWN-013>: >There should… should be a button that does a hard reboot for systems on that device… it must still be intact, because destroying it sets off the highest setting.
<DWN-012>: > We’re okay, we’ve had worse—
[MN.1] //: Ngh... Besides minor damages from the fighting and a massive migraine...
[MN.8] //: -Sounds of stumbling and broken cursing-
[MN.1] //: ....We'll be alright, Father.
[DR.WHITE] //: -Oh thank God, for--for a moment I thought I had seriously hurt you all, I'm SORRY--
<DWN-013>: >No, noooope… >m> That was the LOWEST setting. That doesn’t… isn’t meant to do lasting harm.
[MN.9] //: @~# I really need to lie down...
<DWN-012>: > We should probably head back…
[MN.9] //: yeah that sounds nice, I'm--just gonna carry Jazz back after a bit--
Will: .......
Will: Beck.
Beck: --?
Will: Hold on to these for me.
[Will handed off both the device and his rapier off to Beck, who was resting besides a disabled Jazz.]
Beck: --???
Will: You go on ahead with Jazz without me.
Will: ....There is someone I must see first.
Beck: Huh?
Beck: I--I don't understand--
Beck: Who?
Will: ......
Will: -Puts a hand on Beck's head-
Will: Don't worry about it, alright?
Will: You make sure everyone gets out safely.
<DWN-012>: >You come back okay too then, or else Mikhail will give us an earful. |D;
Will: Eheh--yes, of course....
<DWN-013>: > …I honestly think he might have been put to sleep.
<DWN-013>: >Otherwise there’s no way he wouldn’t have been saying stuff through all of this.
<DWN-012>: >My point still stands…
Will: (Rest, that will do him some good...)
Will: I know.
Will: Just let me finish a few things here before I go.
Will: (Rather, go take care of some unfinished business.)
Beck: Okay....
Beck: Just don't take too long...
Will: I won't.
[Will fondly smiles at his son before turning around, tattered lab coat flowing behind him as he made his way towards a far off door.]
Will: (It's time you and I had a little chat...)
Will: (. . . Gregory Graham.)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=INFECTION=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @xelconsumer, @unluckyadept)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
//:LOG IN SUCCESSFUL. WELCOME, NO. Ø
//:LOADING FILES…
//:FILES LOADED. ENTER COMMAND PROMPT.
//:COMMAND> CHECK REVELATION.EXE STATUS
//:RUNNING…
//:CALCULATIONS COMPLETE. DATA HAS BEEN UPDATED, SAVED AND UPLOADED TO DESIGNATED PROGRAM. FILE REMAINS QUARANTINED. PROGRAM IS RUNNING NORMALLY.
//:COMMAND>PREPARE ENDGAME FILE FOR UPLOAD. DESTINATION: NBCA DATABASE SERVER, CHERRYDYNAMICS MAINFRAME SERVER, ALL
//:RUNNING…
//:ENDGAME FILE HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR UPLOAD. UPLOAD NOW?
//COMMAND>SET TIMER: JUNE 21, 20XX, 11:45 AM.
//:RUNNING…
//:TIMER SET. RUNNING SCAN…
//:WARNING: VIRUS DETECTED IN FILE! SOURCE: REVELATION.EXE. ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO UPLOAD THIS FILE?
//:COMMAND>YES.
//:RUNNING…
//:COMMAND SET. ENDGAME FILE WILL UPLOAD IN: 24 HOURS.
//COMMAND>SEND MASS MESSAGE TO: DLN-001.5, DLN-001, DWN-INFINITY, ADD CONTACT: Copy
//:ENTER MESSAGE…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
//:MESSAGE RECEIVED. FROM: Ray. TO: @a-fading-light, @thegatesofinfinitespace, @firstchildofwily. SENT: 11:46 AM.
//: …Where should I begin…?
//: …Ah…right. I suppose an apology is in order, firstly…it’s been quite some time since I’ve spoken to any of you, and I’m sorry. Truly. Some of you are angry with me, I know, and it is my fault. I know I’ve been rather reclusive these last few months, and…there is a reason for it. Several, in fact, of which I will now tell you, the people that have made my wretched existence…a little easier. A little more…brighter.
//: …I have been working on several projects. One of which is looking for a more permanent solution for my deteriorating condition, caused by my lack of a central core. I have searched for many, many decades, and with the recently opened rifts these last few years have opened up some new leads…
//: …But all I have found are…dead ends.
//: I…I’m running out of time. It grows worse, my horrid curse…I am falling apart more rapidly, I must hunt more frequently…and…and the pains…
//: It hurts now. I feel as if I am rotting away from the inside out. It hurts…so much. I cannot…hold myself together for long…there is only…pain…hunger…pain…and hunger…
//: Ngh–!!
//: Hunger…consume…feed…! I can’t–need…more–!!
[…There is silence, it was as if the message was edited and continued much later…]
//: ….Do you see now?
//: I…I am not long for this world.
//:…This…world…
//: …This world. This cheap, thrill-seeking world, only caring about their advertised construct battles and those who provide it! As long as humans, the sinful ones, have that to entertain them…their precious Battle Colosseum…their so-called heroes…! They care about nothing else…
//: And it’s all because of them that I am this way. All of it. All of it. ALL OF IT. I would have never resorted to such disgusting ways of survival if it wasn’t for them! The NBCA, CherryDyn, and ESPECIALLY HIM…
//: I was doomed…doomed from the start…doomed to fall…doomed to die…
//: ….
//: …But I refuse to leave this mortal earth…fading away in some…dark, lonely corner, amongst the filth and the departed…by my own hands…
//: No.
//: If I am to die…If I am to be sent to the Void, never to return…if I am to burn, burn in hell…
//: Then this world will burn with me. Along with all those who have wronged me. CherryDyn. The Colosseum. Humanity.
//: They will burn…they will pay for their sins…pay…in blood, in Xel…it doesn’t matter.
//: …..
//: Don’t bother trying to stop me. The rifts are beginning to close…as if the fates already know how this ends…
//: …And no matter what happens, I…will be no more…
//: I just…
//: ….
//: I can’t…take this anymore. The endless slaughter…the constant…fear…I can’t…there is nothing…I can do…I can’t be saved…
//: …Caleb Light…my dauntless rebel…I love you so, so much. I gave you…everything I had left…everything that I am…and…you are the best–no…the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me. My light in the darkness…my Mate…I’m so sorry I have to put you through this. Please…forgive me…
//: Rock…MZ…I give you my blessings…focus on the future you have now, together…whenever you DO get married, eventually…that is, if you haven’t already. Don’t let me…ruin it with my acts of vengeance. Just…stay out of it.
//: And you, Copy…brother…your anger is just…but I would never abandon you. I swear, I will make them all pay for what they’ve done… As my last sin, as my last will…these humans will all die, like they should, and they will know what happens when they cross a predator…
//: …
//: I…don’t want to cut this short. But the wheels have been set into motion already. Even I couldn’t stop them if I wanted to. And even if I could…
//: …….
//: Days…hours…that’s all I have left…
//: …
//: I’m sorry. This is probably the last you will hear from me.
//: …Good-bye.
[END OF MESSAGE.]
[Felix tossed and turned in restless dreams.]
“If this is to end in fire…”
[This was not the first night that this had been happening. It had been going on for a while now, on and off—mostly off, until the days of late.]
“…then we should all burn together…”
[The dreams and visions had come upon him like an illness. He was lightheaded and damp with perspiration—but he felt bitterly cold. Far too cold for the summer.
He had ignored it at first, but they had gotten worse and worse, and now?]
“Watch the flames climb high
Into the night…”
[He saw worlds churning. He saw them BURNING.]
“HELP ME!!!”
[Where did the present start, and the future end? Or was this all in the past? There was no way for him to know, no way for him to tell.]
“Don’t… don’t do this…”
[He felt as if there were a dark shadow over him, trapping him in this endless nightmare.
He wanted to wake from this vision, to warn them of what lay ahead. But.
Even if that would have been possible…]
“It’s only going to… to hurt you…”
[…It would never have been enough to prepare them for what was about to happen.]
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 11C: SWALLOWED UP INNOCENCE=
~AO v2.0~
((Courtesy of @codedhopes))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
[The floor was coming up fast—]
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR]
[WRRRR...]
[—but his brother's form slowed his decent enough to help him land--painfully, but land--right on his feet, the ground cracking underneath.]
Beck: -Gnn...-
Beck: -That was close...-
Beck: -Reverts to default- (Why does this place have so many steep drops?? We gotta be underground by now--)
"Amadeus."
Beck: [!]
[The Mighty Number looked up towards the hoarse, glitched voice that called to him.]
Beck: ...Ray...?
((Pic))
[On one of the many, many mounts of infected Xel cubes that littered the place sat a hunched over, red clad Xelbot. A tattered, red cloak sat limp over her form, which--]
[Which looked as if it was falling apart before his very eyes--]
Ray: Why am I not surprised they'd send you here, into the belly of the BEAST?
<DLN-008>: > -STAT-KKKKKKK IN-KKKKKK-IRY-
Beck: !!! (Toby--!)
Beck: I-- -Hand to his ear- I'm okay--
Ray: -Unamused- So they're listening. Clever that you found a way around it.
Beck: Ray--Ray, listen to me, please...
Ray: ...
[Strangely, she doesn't protest. In fact, she almost seems...]
[...tired...]
Beck: I... -Pause-
Beck: ...
Beck: -Quietly- I was worried about you and...I...thought...
Ray: Save it, Beck.
Beck: -Taken aback--
Ray: Your usual speech isn't going to do anything. Even if I wanted to, Amadeus--
Ray: I can't STOP this.
Ray: ...
Ray: -Quietly- Why did they send YOU here? You, of all people?
Beck: No one sent me here--
Beck: I came because I HAD to, it's--it's HELL outside, Ray, Titus is going to get EATEN, I can't just sit by and watch!
Beck: I can't just sit by and just DO NOTHING when I know people are suffering, when YOU are suffering--
Beck: Why didn't you TELL me--?
Beck: That--that it was THIS bad...?
[There's a faint, emotional flicker of her mismatched optics, and she looks away, shadows darkening her face against the eerie lights around her.]
Ray: ...
Ray: Because it wasn't going to matter anyway, Amadeus...
Ray: You should have never come here...
Ray: -Suddenly angry-- You should have never COME here!
Beck: -Ack--
Ray: You should have NEVER came back! Never! Then this would be EASIER--
Ray: But every time, you insisted, you pressed, you wouldn't go AWAY, and then--
Ray: -Hand grasping on helmet- And then you made us care! Because you thought I was worth something, that I was worth it--
Ray: AND LOOK WHERE THE HELL THAT LED US TO!
Beck: Ray, please--! Please, we can still fix--
Ray: THERE IS /NOTHING/ TO FIX!
Ray: You should have never come here, Ninth, because IT'S TOO LATE.
Ray: ...You should have ran when you had the [fragging] chance, you [fragging] idiot...!
Ray: You should have left us to--
Ray: -VIOLENT COUGH--
Beck: [!][!][!]
[Oh. Oh no.]
[There's red in her hands--]
Beck: Ray--
[BLAM--!]
Beck: [!]
[A warning shot is fired at his feet, and Ray is staring him down with hazy, pink eyes.]
Ray: Stay the HELL away from me...
Beck: You're--you're sick, Ray, I can--
Ray: No.
Ray: No, you can't.
Ray: You won't even get the chance to.
Beck: --?
Ray: ...
Ray: Good bye, Beck.
Ray: You really did TRY, in the end...
Beck: What--what are you talking about--
Ray: ...Try to leave his Self be, Flower.
[Fhoosh.]
Beck: Wait--!
[Ray suddenly vanishes in a flurry of red and violet flames, leaving only the bits of dead Xel her crumbling body left behind.]
Beck: Ray!
Beck: RAY!
[Gurgle...]
Beck: [!]
[Something...something was--coming out of the ground--]
[Vrrrrrsszzkkkkkk...!]
[KKKKSSSSSGGRRRNGG--!!!]
[Something...like a orb-shaped cloud of buzzing Xel, with eyes a VIOLENT magenta, and horrid teeth--]
???: -Dnnghh...-
Beck: Wha--?
[And in that massive, monstrous form...]
[...was another smaller sphere, and a...symbol...]
[A symbol that unmistakably resembled his.]
((Pic, probably))
???: Cnghhh....!
[The living Xellular sphere regarded the Mighty Number with strange, almost OTHERWORLDLY like beeps and clicks, as if it, too, was just as alarmed at Beck's presence.]
Beck: ...Are...
Beck: Are you...Trinity...?
Trinity: -SCREEEEECH--
Beck: [!][!][!] -LEAPS backwards--
[Without warning, the thing--Trinity--lunged at him with a SNAP of her jaws, sharp edges grazing armor for a moment before he pulled away in time...]
Beck: Guess that's a resounding yes--!
[MN.9 HAS ENTERED OFFENSIVE COMBAT MODE.]
Beck: Alright, then--just you and me now!
Beck: Dad says you and I are the same, somehow, and if that's right--!
Beck: Then I know you--the REAL you--is in there somewhere--!
Beck: Don't worry, Trinity--
Beck: Because I'm going to save you too--!
Trinity: SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE--!!
((Pic))
[E N C O U N T E R]
[MODEL: CDN-1201 - CODENAME: TRINITY.]
((distorted text)) [HEIGHT: ∞ WEIGHT: ∞ XEL: ∞]
Beck: --?!? What ARE these readings?! That shouldn't even be possible--!
Trinity: -SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!-
[THAT was familiar. The familiar screech that had come again and again— sometimes on its own, sometimes overlapped with that of his siblings—
But there was no mistaking that sound.]
Beck: -Winces--!-
[The floor moves again, UP--]
[WHAM!]
[And flings him that way until he crashes back first into the ceiling, followed by the floor then flipping upwards to SLAM him towards the opposite wall--]
Beck: GNH--!
Trinity: -LUNGES--
[REXELECTION: SEISMIC.]
[The screech of tank tracks fill the air as Beck narrowly avoids teeth again, curving around to switch to default and firing at will--!]
[BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM--]
Beck: --?!?
Beck: (No effect?! That usually WORKS--!)
Beck: (Nng--okay, okay, we have other options--)
[REXELECTION: DYNATRON]
Beck: -BzzzZZZT--!-
[A flurry of bits swirl around him and Trinity, and he snaps his fingers--]
[BZZZZZZZZZZRT!]
Trinity: -ROARS-
Beck: (That did SOMETHING, I th--)
Trinity: -LOUD, HORRID BEEP--
[She... sinks back into the floor--]
Beck: [!]
Beck: -Spins on his heel--
[And good thing, too, so he can see the giant set of jaws REACHING for him again--]
Beck: -SCREE--
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]
[He propels himself away from being turned into lunch, and tosses a few propeller blades at her for good measure.]
[This only made her VERY angry.]
Trinity: -GURGLES IN OMINOUS RAGE--
[SPLAT!]
Beck: -EW, EW--
[Something vile and sticky was spat at him, staining his usual, pristine armor a sickly pink...]
[XELFILTER.EXE IS ENGAGED.]
Beck: -Gross gross GROSS--
Trinity: [Frustration emoticon x4]
[When it became clear that it wasn't working too well, Trinity responded by spitting up MORE of the obviously infected Xellular substance.]
Beck: -STOP THAT--
[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]
[PHSSSSSSSH--!]
[The high pressure stream of HOT water was enough to push Trinity far enough to phase through the wall again, screeching bloody murder--and the Mighty Number wasted no time turning the stream down a few settings and dousing HIMSELF off.]
Beck: (Gross, GROSS, I'd give ANYTHING for one of Cryo's power washes right now--)
[Splat--!]
Beck: -UGH--
[More--but...that came from above him--]
Trinity: SCREEEENGH--!
Beck: !!!!
[She CRASHES RIGHT on top of him, and the jagged edges of her teeth try to latch onto his limbs, which were the only things keeping her jaws from clamping DOWN on him, DEVOURING him WHOLE--]
Beck: -PANIC, PANICKED DATA--
Beck: nononNONONONO--
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH]
Beck: {GET AWAY!}
[SHING!]
Trinity: -UNHOLY SCREAM OF R A G E--
[The Mighty Number wildly slashes at the infected CDN, but the sword doesn't cut--it PHASES right through her, the Xel merely parting to let it pass harmlessly.]
Beck: -SCREAMS--
[CRACK--]
[CRUNCH--]
[MN.9] //: -PAIN--
[Fast--he had to think fast--!]
[REXELECTION: COUNTERSHADE]
[Click--]
[BOOM--!]
[Beck flips through his forms until he manages to land on Shade's, loading up a familiar, red dart and aiming it right at their eyes. An explosion followed, a SCREECH filling his ears as Trinity backed away IMMEDIATELY.]
Trinity: -SCREEEEeeeEEE--
Beck: --!! (Of course--)
Beck: (Should have went with this from the start--!)
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN.]
Beck: (I just have to get CLOSE again--)
Trinity: -Sinks back into the floor--
Beck: [Drops emoticon x3] (...Is--is she hiding?)
[Hardly.]
[Woosh--]
Beck: [!][!][!]
[The floor slid out from underneath him, revealing Trinity waiting with open jaws for the Mighty Number to fall right into them.]
Beck: -YIPE--
Beck: BURNING--
Trinity: -ROARS--
[She leaped upwards--]
Beck: SPIRIT--!!!
[B O O M--!]
[The force of the fairly powerful explosion was enough to both expel Beck from the small gap and to force Trinity to retreat again into the walls, ROARING in pain.]
[Nine sails through the air and collides with ground not soon after, somewhat of a smoking mess.]
Beck: -Nnng...-
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: -Better...-
Trinity: -Screeeee....-
Beck: (Finally winding down--)
Beck: (But getting too close doesn't seem to be the greatest idea--she REALLY wants to make a snack out of me. Not a wonder where she gets THAT from...)
Beck: (If that's the case--!)
Trinity: -SCREEEEEEEEEEE--!!-
Beck: Sorry, Trinity...
[REXELECTION: BATTALION.]
Beck: ...But this is probably gonna hurt!
((Pic))
[Barrel gleaming, Beck takes on his older brother Battalion's form. Trinity seems to almost recoil at this sight, and then becomes more aggressive--she lunges once more in an attempt to take a bite out of his arm cannon before he can--]
[BOOM!]
Trinity: -WILD SCREECH OF P A I N--
[Fortunately, Beck was counting on her closing the distance--he leaped backwards and fired a missile right into her face.]
[The Xel that surrounded her core began to flicker and then finally glow a sickly pink...]
Beck: [!] (Finally!)
[Nine rushes forwards--]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Trinity: -SCREE--
[--only to be flung backwards by the floor again. His back hits the wall with a CRACK.]
Beck: Gnh--!
[His vision swam for a moment, and before he could re-calibrate his senses, he's once again flung away--this time TOWARDS Trinity again.]
Beck: -AACK--
Beck: (This isn't good--I'm getting tossed around like in a pinball machine!)
Trinity: -HISSSSS--
Beck: -Click--
[BOOM!]
[Another missile finds it's mark, and more Xel flakes away from her. Beck absorbs that quickly, rolling to his left to fire another towards the wall across from him.]
Beck: (I need to think ahead--)
[Instead of exploding on contact, this missile embeds itself into the wall, and starts beeping quietly.]
Beck: (Need to focus--)
Beck: (Need to get her attention--!)
Beck: HEY!
Trinity: -ROAAAAAR--
[The whole room ripples, causing Beck's senses to suddenly go on high alert.]
[SHINK!]
[Far too late. A scream rips through his throat when he's suddenly struck from behind by a spike protruding from the wall, easily piercing through the armor on his shoulder.
There was a matching ripple in what little data was getting through the static, which didn’t help at all.]
Beck: -H-Hurts--
Beck: (Hurts, but--need--need to FOCUS--!)
[He aims--]
[BOOM!]
[--and fires once more, keeping Trinity's jaws at bay while he PAINFULLY pulled himself away from the spike pinning him down.]
[SHINK--]
Beck: -Narrowly backs away from another spike missing his HEAD--
Beck: O~O!!!;;;
[SHINK SHINK SHINK--!]
Beck: aaAAAA--!!
[More, so, SO many more spikes--! They jutted suddenly out of the walls, the floors, even the ceiling, threatening to IMPALE his chassis if he didn't move fast enough! And move he did, scrambling to get away from them.]
[Beep--]
Beck (Running out of time--) HEY! OVER HERE--gnh!
[Some of the rapidly forming spikes cut him deeper than he would like, but he can't stop now--]
[Beep--]
Trinity: -HELLISH SCREECH--
[And she follows--]
[Beep--]
[Beep--]
[Beep--]
Beck: NOW!
[COMMAND ACKNOWLEDGED: DETONATE.]
[BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP--]
[BOOOOOOM--!!!]
[All Beck hears is something inhuman WAILING** in pure agony as the explosion engulfs the room. Static fills his vision, and he feels his helmet fly off his head as he tumbles across the ground.]
[ERROR! CRITICAL DAMAGE! FORM: DEFAULT.]
[The wails of pain seem to die off in volume, and he hears cracking, and then...]
[...]
[...Silence...]
[Even longer than what should be there...he was being chased down by spikes before, so by now, he should've been...]
Beck: Hhggnn....
Beck: -Can't...can't see...-
[Something must have gone wrong with his optical functions...]
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 2...]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Kkkkkkkk...
>kkkta—s. -nkkkkkkk-ry—
Beck: Hooo...
[That seems to have worked. Immediately, his vision returns to him, and he is greeted with a rather strange, peculiar sight.]
Beck: [!]
Beck: What the...?
[The smoke clears fully...]
[Floating amidst the rubble of broken Xel and debris was a small, pink sphere, with a symbol not unlike his. A gentle pair of wings, seemingly transparent and pixelated, seem to be keeping the sphere afloat in a silent hover.]
Beck: (That...)
Beck: (That must be...Trinity's Central Core...)
[It was surrounded by some...some odd, fierce violet flame, and it pulsed in a highly unsettling manner.]
Beck: -Stumbles to his feet-
Beck: I...
Beck: ...Trinity?
Beck: ...Hello...?
Beck: -Ping?-
[...]
[...Nothing. At least, from her.]
<MM>: > STATUS?
Beck: [!]
Beck: -Attempts to ping Morse Code--
[MN.9] //: [ONLINE. PURGE IN 5.]
Beck: -Whew...-
Beck: (Okay...she's...okay, okay, where--where is my helmet?)
[After retrieving it from where it rolled off and putting it back on his head, Beck edged closer to the infected core as carefully as he could.]
Beck: Okay...
[XEL PURGE ONLINE.]
Beck: Okay, Trinity...
Beck: Just...hold still, please, it'll be all--
[Zip!]
Beck: !
[The infected core flew away from his reach--]
Beck: Wait--no, hold still--
[Zip!]
Beck: I said hold still--!
[Zip! Zip!]
Beck: Trinity--!
[Zip zip zip!]
[The flying core's flight path grew more and more erratic as Beck chased it around, and it buzzed angrily every time his fingers managed to brush the surface.]
[Ziiiiiip!]
Beck: !!!
[Until it suddenly stopped.]
[And shot straight down into the ground, phasing through it and vanishing from sight.]
Beck: No!
Beck: You are NOT getting away--
[Rumble...]
Beck: --...that...easily...?
[GRROOOWLLLL...]
Beck: --!!!
[All at once, the room started to glow, and the Xel debris around him began to float upward.]
Beck: Wha--
[P I N G.]
Beck: UGH--!
[A distorted ping rang through his head--]
[CDN.1201] //: [ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. CHASSIS NOT FOUND. DATA PROCESSING CORRUPTED--]
Beck: ?!?! Trinity--?!
[CDN.1201] //: [ERROR. ERROR! DO NOT UNDERSTAND. CANNOT UNDERSTAND--]
[A VIOLENT shake knocks Beck off balance--]
Beck: ACK--!
[CDN.1201] //: [DIS....DIS....]
[CDN.1201] //: [DISTRESS. DISTRESS. CANNOT UNDERSTAND. DISTRESS. DISTRESS. DISTRESSDISTRESSDISTRESS--]
[CDN.1201] //: -Fast paced data, cross references too fast to compute, too much, TOO MUCH--
[SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE--]
[CDN.1201 to MN.9] //: W̕H͘O̸̴͡ ̧̕͢A̵̷M̀ ͢͟I̕?̶͏͠
[CDN.1201 to MN.9] //: W̷H̷O̢.̀͡͏.͏̀͏.A̛͜R̶͠͝E͘ ̷̷͏Y͢͞͏O̵̡Ư?
Beck: Y--You...you're--
[CRACK--!!]
[The earth opens before him, and a hellish roar breaks the still silence.]
[A heartbeat passes. A flower blooms and rises from the ashes of death and conflict, a sickly scent rising into the air...]
Trinity: RHAOOAAAAAAAAARH--!!!
((Pic))
[As Beck gazes upwards in horror, his systems frozen in place, he doesn't even find the strength to s c r e a m.]
[CDN.1201 to MN.9] //: W̡͡H́A̢̕T̨͝͝ ͜I̷͜S ̨͞T̨H͘I̶͠S̀͜?
[BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM--]
[Beck's only response was to shoot wildly in terror, his voice finally breaking free of crushing fear with a strained yell. It does nothing in the face of this deadly bloom.]
[The eyes on it's stalk stare and stare, stare into his very soul--]
[Sickly vines of Xel and virus start to grow into the ground, power pulsing and pulling everything they can grab towards the monstrosity they grew from.]
<DLN-008>: > -WARNING! 07.01.2016T MEMORY DATA CROSS-REFERENCES TO MULTIPLE HAZARDOUS FILES!-
<DLN-008>: > -ERROR—-
[The data was becoming erratic.]
<DLN-008>: > -S-s-s-s-system approaching processor limits-
Trinity: -DISTORTED SCREEECH--
[Beck does EVERYTHING in his power to scramble and get away--enough to grab his bearings, process, think of how in the WORLD he was going to fight this thing--]
[CRACK!!]
Beck: !!!
[The ground around him suddenly pulses and BREAKS upwards--revealing MORE twisted vines that reach all the way to the ceiling, taking root up there as well.]
[CRACK--!!]
Beck: (It--)
[CRACK--!!]
Beck: (IT'S BLOCKING ME IN--)
Trinity: -SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE--
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH.]
[SHING!]
[On instinct, Beck swiftly dons his older brother's form and slices one of the vines away. Only to look on in horror as it near instantaneously regrew itself, with no window for him to escape.]
[He tried another form.]
[REXELECTION: BATTALION]
[...And another...]
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN]
[...and another.]
[REXELECTION: SEISMIC.]
[Suddenly it made sense.]
[All the stories he heard, the ones he was never supposed to hear.]
[Never in a MILLION years could he have EVER understood it, until now, until experiencing it FIRST HAND.]
[The paralyzing, mind-numbing FEAR of being trapped, cornered, and...and...]
[SHINK--!]
Beck: AHHHGH--!
[Pain. White hot, burning pain, pressure being applied at his chest that was growing ever so slightly each passing second. He was--being pressed--CRUSHED--against the thorn-covered vines--]
Trinity: -SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE--
[CDN.1201 to MN.9] //: Wh͘at͞ ҉i̶s t̀hi͏s?̶ Whát i͘s ͟th̢ís?̴ What įs th͞i̢s͢ẁh̶a͝t͠is̀th̡i͢sw̕h͝at͠įst̷hi̧swha͠tis̕thi̶s̡WH̢AT͢AR̵EWE͡-͞
Kkkkkkk—
Kkkkk—
[This wasn’t good.]
Beck: -S--Stop--
Beck: -Please--stop--it hurts--
Beck: -Don't--please--please--!-
[CRUNCH--]
Beck: -SCREECH OF PAIN DATA--
[WARNING! WARNING! MN.9 HAS SUSTAINED CRITICAL DAMAGE! SHUTDOWN IMMINENT--]
[He could faintly hear--over the very, very little data through his feeds, panic. So much panic. His friends, his family--]
Beck: -Ghnn--...!-
[BLAM!]
[Nothing--he couldn't do anything. Nothing was working and everything was too much, too much noise and pain and despair--]
[He can't--he can't just die here--!]
[CRUNCH--]
[XEL COUNT AT 40% BELOW NORMAL--]
[Screams. All he could hear were screams--]
Beck: -H--
Beck: -Help--
Beck: -He...lp...-
KKKKKKKKKKKK—
[Alone. An empty void in data once the feeds finally cut out. No help was coming.]
[All Beck could do now was reach out with his fading hand, up at the bloom who was slowly, but surely, draining the LIFE out of him.]
Beck: -T...Trin...ity...-
[He had to--]
Beck: -You...you're...-
Beck: -Like...us...-
Beck: -Like...m...me...-
[C R U N C H--!!!]
[Static. Static, cold, numb.]
[The pain cut off in an instant, and he couldn't hear anything anymore. Couldn't feel, couldn't see, either--just a hazy, white static in his head. And it, too, was slowly fading away...]
[Fading away into darkness and nothing, as if it was all just a bad dream.]
[Slowly...slowly...]
[Fading away...]
-------------------
<DLN-008>: > -WARNING! 07.01.2016T MEMORY DATA CROSS-REFERENCES TO MULTIPLE HAZARDOUS FILES!-
[What Beck could barely hear, Tobias heard perfectly well.
Tobias screeched in agony at the overwhelming data of pain and despair he was receiving from all the Mighty Numbers at once.
It was creating one harmful Primal Analysis Nexus, and adding to multiple other toxic PANs as well.]
<DLN-008>: > -Screams in AGONIZING pain—-
>WARNING! SYSTEM CRASH IMMINENT!
[Dozens of memories of violence had completely blinded him—and with Avi in use as an auxiliary processing unit, he was dragging the unfortunate Xelbot down with him into the server’s darkest memories in the process.]
-=-=-
Beck: -H--
Beck: -Help--
Beck: -He...lp...-
-=-=-
>CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: DCN-000 MEMORY DATA.
>ERROR—
KKKKKKKKKKKK—
[PING.]
[STATUS UPDATE: MN.9 CHASSIS NOT FOUND. ANALYZING...]
[LOADING.]
[LOADING.]
[PING.]
[MN.9 IS NOW IN CORE STASIS MODE. ERROR: AUTOMATIC TELEPORT RECOVERY OF CENTRAL CORE FAILED, SIGNAL NOT FOUND...]
((Insert various notifications mentioning that DLN-008 is Offline and DLN-000 is Offline OR in maintenance mode; there’s no server for the memory data to be transferred to, so Tobias attempts to connect to the SEDW via Avi
Have fun with that, Will ))
((Wall of cross-references listed, none of them are playing, though—because they’re pouring in too fast for any one to start, because it keeps getting interrupted by more, more, MORE—))
<TT>: > ALERT—SYSTEM FUNCTIONS COMPROMISED. CODE RED—SATELLITE LINK FAILING
[Klaxon alarms could be heard over the feed. The familiar voice from the Pentagon’s cyber unit that had helped them several days ago and the day previously was on the line. Shouting could be faintly made out behind him.]
“Guys we need that comm back! SITUATION CRITICAL!”
[That was putting it only mildly.]
[On the other side of the feeds, Sanda Technologies was in utter chaos.]
[MN.5] //: IF YOU GO OUT THERE YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD!
[MN.7] //: -Fervent Japanese- {I WILL NOT LEAVE MY BROTHERS TO DIE, EVERY SECOND WE WASTE--}
[MN.1] //: ENOUGH! We can't--we can't do anything with the virus in the Coloseeum, we--
[MN.2] //: GUYS I CAN'T HOLD THIS SWARM OFF FOREVER, SOMEONE DO SOMETHING--
[MN.3] //: -LOUD, LOUD BUZZING- SOMEONE NEEDS TO ZZSAVE OUR BABY BROTHER BEFORE HIS CORE GETZZZ DAMAGED, WHY ARE WE JUST ZZSITTING HERE?!
[MN.6] //: -SCREECHING--
[MN.8] //: DAD--DAD, AVI--hang in there, brother, it's me, it's only me--!
[MN.4] //: -Loud rumbly sounds of DISTRESS, must--must protect, must be wall--
“WARNING: DEFCON 2 ACTIVATED.”
“Do you read me? Sanda Enterprises, do you read me—?!”
[Ping.]
[MN.5] //: DO NOT MAKE ME CRIT YOU FOR YOUR OWN--what the hell?
[MN.7] //: ?!
<KDN-5056>: >ERROR—ORDER NULL
[MN.7] //: ??? ({What...who...? What is...what is that serial? Who--})
[And again— though this time, a distinct sense that focus was being placed on Brandish.]
<KDN-5056>: >AWAITING YOUR COMMAND
<KDN-5056>: >WHAT ARE YOUR NEW ORDERS, MASTER
[MN.7] //: ...
[MN.7] //: {...Sh...Shadow...?}
<KDN-5056>: > PROCESSING...
<KDN-5056>: > ORDER NOT RECOG...NIZED...
<DWN-024 is in Defensive Combat Mode.>
<KDN-5056>: > NOT... AN... ORDER, THAT IS...
<KDN-5056>: >A... <DWN-024>: > {MY...}
<DWN-024 is Online.>
<DWN-024>: > {...name...}
[MN.7] //: {Shadow--!}
<DWN-024>: > -Clearly disoriented but definitely there- {Brandish...?}
[MN.7] //: {Thank God--}
[MN.7] //: {Quickly--we must--}
[MN.5] //: You are NOT going ANYWHERE--
[MN.1] //: Father--!
<DWN-024>: > {What—what do we need to do? I—I seem to have failed, Tobias is... I cannot sense them, it is—you are the only one I can hear, the connection must be fading—}
[Min’s voice broke through, though it seemed she wasn’t talking to them.]
“{Are you threatening us—}”
“{Like HELL are we going down with you, Morandi!}”
“{HOLD THE LINE, KAZIMIR! YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES IF YOU MAKE GOOD ON THAT THREAT!}”
“WARNING: DEFCON 1 ACTIVATED.”
“SANDA ENTERPRISES, DO YOU READ ME?!?!!”
[PING!]
[DR.WHITE] //: R--Reading! We--we read--
[Poor man. He sounds so broken.]
[DR.WHITE] //: I...
[PING!]
[DR.SANDA] //: Will--Will, we need to do something, we have to--
[DR.SANDA] //: Gn, I knew it, I knew it, we should have listened to him--!
[DR.WHITE] //: Beck...
[DR.WHITE] //: ...can't...can't be...
[DR.WHITE] //: Can't be true...
<DWN-024>: > Sensei?
“{I’m not waiting any longer, Morandi—you’re all toast—}”
“{Oh yes you WILL. You don’t have the authority to make that call on your own!}”
<DWN-024>: > {Was there something you wanted me to do?}
[MN.7] //: -Strained, stressed and VERY conflicted data-
[MN.7] //: Kohai...
[MN.7] //: {Take...take Tobias and go--}
<DWN-024>: > {Where? Is there another tower?}
[MN.7] //: {No! Just--anywhere but here! Leave!}
<CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: 06.21.2016T MEMORY DATA
<DWN-024>: > N-nngh—!
[MN.7] //: --!
<DWN-024>: > C-cannot—cannot abandon—post—
[There was a flash of dazed pain.]
((Shadow’s programming has conflicting directives, and it says as much))
[MN.7] //: {Shadow! Listen to me--you need to go, please! If you stay, you will--!}
<DWN-024>: > -ERROR-
[There was a harsh blast of static and a deafening roar, as if of an inferno flaring inside a confined space.
For a moment, there was a vivid image, almost too sharp to be real—]
((Pic – Earth from space))
[MN.7] //: ?!
KSSSSS....
[Static.
Nothing but static.]
[MN.7] //: {SHADOW--!}
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 8B: TRAPPED BY LASER LIGHT=
~AO v2.0~
((Courtesy of @codedhopes))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{Washington, D.C., Shortly Beforehand…}
Cardinal: FINALLY…
[He was only a few blocks away. He could see from here that there was a crowd gathered some ways away from his target—
—just outside a clearly defined radius.]
Cardinal: (Ugh…)
Cardinal: (I’m going to have to go right through a window.)
[He yelled over the wind. They were going to come in fast.]
Cardinal: Looks like I was right, Scout!
Cardinal: Hang on, okay?! This is going to be a really rough ride!
Scout: Rarf!
[He tossed a dual-colored sphere in the air, releasing a burst of red light. This materialized into a bird, which caught said sphere before it fell.]
Cardinal: Baron, it’s confirmed. FLY.
[The robin shot off at an astounding speed, almost as if it had teleported itself.
There was a grated rumbling noise.]
Cardinal: Sorry, Jazz. Get somewhere safe—the roof, if you insist on sticking around. I won’t let you crash-land.
[He leaped out of the transformed flying panther…]
[CARDINAL used ITEM-2!]
[…right onto another gadget. He held out his shield in front of him, angling down at one of the windows that looked out into the sky from a roof.]
[MISSION DETAILS: MNN-008, COUNTERSHADE AURTHUR WHITE, HAS TAKEN THE WHITE HOUSE HOSTAGE. AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF OFFICIALS AND STAFF ARE TRAPPED INSIDE.
MISSION OBJECTIVE: EVACUATE THE BUILDING OF ALL PERSONS WITH NO CASUALTIES. RESCUE COUNTERSHADE.
SUB-OBJECTIVE: PRESERVE CULTURAL ARTIFACTS AND STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY.]
[SYSTEMS READY?]
[GO!]
Cardinal: We’re going in!
Scout: Rarf! -LET'S GOOOO—-
[He didn’t really hear the shouting from the crowd in their surprise, but he sure felt their “welcome party” favors. It hurt, but it didn’t phase him one bit. Even when he started taking fire from the White House security system as well.
He did leap down off of the ITEM-2, and there was a VERY high pitched whine noise as his blaster primed.]
BLAM!
[Top of the line security, down to bullet-proof windows? Yes.
Able to withstand a charged shot from a plasma blaster designed to take out tanks—as in plural, multiple at once?
Nooot quite so much.
The sound of glass shattering mixed with that of a starting fire. There was a click and a whirr, the barrel of Cardinal’s weapon changing as he fired again, just as they were landing.
It started to rain.]
Scout: -OOO I DIDN'T KNOW HE KNEW RAIN DANCE-
WHAM.
[They landed down in a hallway hard, the rain putting out the fire.
The security countermeasures started to go berserk, and Cardinal was forced to put up a wall of razor sharp leaf-shaped projectiles to give him time for his next move.]
Scout: -AND Razor Leaf, ooooo-
Scout: Rarf!
[There was a rotating noise and another click, and then…]
Ptew pew pew pew pew!
[…Dozens of tiny snakes—they looked like little mechanical coral snakes.
Then he stood to his full height and blasted a tune.]
Cardinal: (Ready or not, Shade, here I come!)
[The White House was indeed large and vast--finding Shade in this mess was to prove difficult, even with the Search Snakes.
....But it wasn't long before they found traces of his obvious presence.
There were strange, gray orbs floating around the hallways and entrances, glowing a strange, greenish color.
At first, they seemed to be dormant—
...Until they turned red when the Snakes approached...]
————————————
"—?"
"Motion? Thought Ah' told them flesh wastes t'stay PUT. . . Lessee here. . ."
————————————
[The Search Snakes were spread out, but Cardinal had remained where he was.
He was in full armor—something he hadn’t done in real Combat since the last time he fought his brother. Because of this, his whole face was covered, and his expression was impossible to read.
Despite this, his fierce green eyes burned with a fire that pierced even his shades, visible to not only a sensitive camera, but also to the naked eye.
After a moment…]
SHING!
[The leaves that had shielded him scattered, slicing everything in their path as they moved down the hall.
This included, among other things, a security camera.
The feed went down immediately, followed by several others in the same hallway.]
KSSSSSSSS—
[Cardinal had created a small blind spot.]
————————————
"—!"
"Sonofva . . ."
"Who the hell IS this guy. ..?"
"Thinkin' he can come inta' MAH new home. .."
————————————
Scout: Rarf! -NICE SHOT-
Cardinal: Scout, we’ve got a problem. There are people trapped in here.
Scout: —!!
Cardinal: I’m going to have to start breaking down doors.
Cardinal: (If Shade were in his right mind, he’d want me to do this first.)
Cardinal: (And if the President THEMSELVES is here, nnng…)
[His fans whined even louder at the surge of compulsion to follow out a military-grade order.]
Scout: -RARF-
Scout: -WE KNOW HEADBUTT-
Scout: -WE CAN HELP—-
Cardinal: You might need to save that on the people inside, my friend. I’ll explain in a moment—
[He hit the floor to avoid a sudden stream of mixed projectile weaponry.]
Cardinal: Some cover, if you please? -Scout, use Sand Attack.-
Scout: -Rarf!-
[Scout used Sand Attack!]
[Scout didn't need to dig--he simply shook himself VERY rapidly, dust and sand scattering EVERYWHERE.]
[...He was apparently very dirty.]
Cardinal: Heh. -SMIRKS-
[He starts shouting in a taunting tone.]
Cardinal: HEY SHADE! Too bad your glasses got all dusty. Better wipe the dirt out of your eye!
————————————
"Grrrr. .."
"Just keep talkin', Birdy, see where THAT gets ya. .."
————————————
[.......]
[VEEEEEEEEEEEEE--]
Cardinal: I don’t think so.
[CARDINAL used FLASH STOPPER!]
[WOW, everything is hit not only with BLINDING light, but whatever is in those intangible waves of data is enough to STUN everything in the hall.]
Cardinal: >B]
[There is a HUGE clattering somewhere deeper in the house--it sounded like something very heavy just fell--]
————————————
"AUGH MOTHERSCRATCHIN' CHEATER—!"
————————————
Cardinal: -Speaks in a low voice- Scout, when I break through the door, the people inside are going to be terrified. Someone IS going to start shooting. Try and stun them, or at least get their aim off.
Scout: -Rarf!- -Nods-
[Another click.]
[Cardinal used SHADOW BLADE.]
[There was a hissing SHUNK noise as he cut RIGHT into a triple-reinforced, double-locked door of something much stronger than steel.
Another rotating click, and he stuffed a Crash Bomb into the hole the acid was eating away—he didn’t have time to wait.
It blinked and beeped a few times before…]
CRASH!
[Cardinal slammed through the opening shield-first.]
[Bullets start FLYING the second he does, and yes, there is much screaming—]
"GET DOWN—"
Scout: RARF!
[Scout used Tackle! ]
[One of the men in black goes down, gun clattering to the floor. Two more follow suit—it seems like Scout has gotten quite good at dodging incoming fire.]
[Scout used Growl!]
Scout: -GRRRR, STAY DOWN-
[Cardinal doesn’t make any witty comments this time. He just goes into a full-on tackle of his own. He grabs one man in one arm, another after dropping his shield—
And as soon as he rams into the third…]
[CARDINAL used TELEPORT!]
{Outside…}
[Cardinal reappears inches from the crowd outside the kill zone, dropping the two men he was carrying to the ground. The third, already on the ground, had also been taken with him.
This caused no small amount of panic, and he was lit up with half a dozen sniper scopes. A few even got off fire, hitting him square in the left part of his chest.]
Cardinal: -Huffs- (Are you kidding me?)
BWIP!
[He disappears, only to reappear a moment later with two other people, holding them by their wrists. One of them was shrieking and trying to mace him. Again, no effect.]
Cardinal: No offense, but I’ve been through worse!
Bwip!
Paramedics rushed over to the vic—]
BWIP!
[—ooooor not—]
Cardinal: -Drops the guns onto the ground with a clatter- DON’T shoot Beck if he shows up, officers!
[He also tosses over a file folder of notes someone had been working on, hiding behind his shield to better withstand incoming fire.]
Cardinal: Still—you guys might need those!
BWIP!
{Inside}
"HEY--THAT'S MY TIE--"
[One more man in black snuck in while Cardinal teleported back in--]
Scout: GRRRRR—
[Scout used Headbutt!]
WHAM!
[The security man skidded across the room and hit the back of his head with the wall, knocking him out instantly.]
Scout: -GRRRR—- -SHAKES HEAD AND TIE AGGRESSIVELY BEFORE SPITTING IT OUT-
Scout: | [
[Cardinal picks up the man, pausing for a moment as he hears the security out in the hall recovering from the stun he had put on them earlier.]
Cardinal: This is going to be a long day.
Scout: —!
Scout: -SNIFF SNIFF-
Scout: -NOSE IN THE AIR, COULD IT BE—-
[BANG!]
Scout: -YELPS-
[A red laser appears on the ground near Scout's feet, followed by a energy shot, scaring him out of his wits and causing him to run behind Cards.]
Scout: -Whimperrrrr-
Cardinal: -OW, that was loud- Gosh dangit, Shade!
[He grabs Scout with his other arm—]
BWIP!
Scout: —???
[—and when he reappears inside, it’s without the officer…
…and also out in the hallway, yards and yards from where he had ever set foot.
As long as he could see it, he could go there.]
Cardinal: You’re going to have to do better than that, KID!
Cardinal: But if you insist on playing hide and seek…
[Cardinal used SCREECH—]
[He briefly stopped the mufflers on his fans, causing their overworked whine to get broadcast over his speakers.
It was worse than metal grating mixed with fingernails on chalkboard.]
Scout: -WHIIIIINE-
————————————
"AAAAARUGH--!!!"
"Goddamn BUCKET OF BOLTS--AH'VE HAD IT UP T' HERE!"
"Fahn, if ya wanna DIE SO BADLY--"
————————————
[....Oh dear.]
[All of the orbs go active.
And there were red, red lasers, reflecting off of them all at once--which was real, which one was SHADE--]
Cardinal: Oh, please.
[He laughs as his arm shifts again.]
Cardinal: Guess what, Shade?
Cardinal: Two can play at this game.
[Cardinal used GEMINI LASER!]
[Aaaaaand suddenly, the hallway was filled with death laser ping-pong.
And Shade’s were NOT the only ones bouncing at angles!]
[BANG BANG BANG—]
[It was truly a sight to behold.
It was like watching a game of chess, except the pieces were far deadlier.
Gemini Lasers met energy shots, with every red laser changing to accommodate the angle and trajectory.]
[Cardinal didn’t stick around to watch the lights and display contest.
He had already grabbed Scout with one arm, running right into the fire shield-first. About partway through, he leaped and slid down the rest on his back, with his shield out in front.]
Scout: -RARF RARF—- -WHEEEEEEEEE-
[Cards was moving too fast for the lasers to lock onto him correctly—and once the one behind him figured this out—
...They all vanished.]
————————————
"Oh, Ah' see what yer goin' for, Birdy..."
"Can't have that, no sir."
————————————
[—This area seemed to be more decorated...]
[Cardinal barely noticed, and almost didn’t care. He got up to a knee.]
Cardinal: Scout, I need you to do something for me. Find a rope or a cord of some sort. Even a curtain tie will do if it’s long enough.
Scout: -Rarf!-
[He sets the Zig down.]
Cardinal: Please, be careful…
Scout: Rarf! -Sniff Sniff-
[Cardinal took a moment to take in his surroundings.
This looked like a historic display of American History.... Medals, paintings, photos of past presidents...]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: (Nnngh… I can’t do anything too dramatic in here, I need to move out of this place…)
Scout: Rarf!
Scout: -HOLDS UP A FANCY MILITARY ROPE THING-
Cardinal: !
Cardinal: Thanks, Scout. Now let’s get out of here—
Cardinal: Before Shade does something stupid!
Scout: -RARF!-
Cardinal: (What I wouldn’t give for backup from Tobias right about now…)
Cardinal: (At least that office was one of the only places with anyone inside of the work quarters. I guess most people managed to evacuate.)
Cardinal: (Looks like there’s different kinds of rooms over this way—man, I wish that I could have seen the White House back at home, I’m going into this totally blind—)
[A low noise and a rotating click.]
Ptew ptew pew!
[Another nest of Search Snakes slither on their way.]
Cardinal: (THIS room must be horribly dangerous. This much priceless history? That’s a screaming neon sign for “DEATH TRAP SECURITY” if I ever heard one.)
Cardinal: (I’m going to have to tank some hits, probably…)
[He looks around the room skeptically.]
Cardinal: …
[He grabs Scout and holds him directly between his shield and his body, and makes a run for it.]
[BWAAAAN—]
[Something from the ceiling unlocks—]
[Oh dear THOSE ARE VERY MUCH MILITARY GRADE MACHINE GUN TURRENTS—]
Cardinal: (Aw glitch.)
[There’s a whine as he holds up his free arm, it shifting to have a wrist launcher.]
KTANG KTANG!
[Cardinal used MAGNET MISSILE!]
Cardinal: -EVEN MORE RUNNING FOR IT—-
[The missiles lock onto the turrets, attaching to them before exploding. Unfortunately, while this takes SOME of them out…
…some of them merely malfunction, firing at random.]
Cardinal: DAMMIT—
[CARDINAL used METAL BLADE!]
[He took some hits protecting older paintings from the unfriendly fire, but his shield held firm.
The same couldn’t be said for the turrets that were introduced to one of THE most deadly Power Capsule weapons known to man.
They crashed down to the floor. And as Cardinal approached the end of the room—]
Cardinal: GOSH DANGIT!
[…Locked doors barred his way.
And he could hear the whine, feel the psychological heat of lasers lighting up his back for long ranged target sights.
He whirled around, back pressed up against the surface, taking the incoming fire to his shield.]
Cardinal: (WHY are there locked doors in here?!)
Cardinal: (Augh…)
[To the unfamiliar observer, it would appear the bird had been cornered.]
[VRRRRRRRR...]
[A laser.]
[A very familiar one.]
[PING!]
[MN.8] //: Not so sassy nao, are ya.
<DLN-000>: >Shade.
<DLN-000>: >This is stupid floor design, Shade.
<DLN-000>: >I’ll have to have a word with your brother about this after I haul your chass out of here.
[Oh, he was rushing robodrenaline, alright. “Heart” rate had increased, his fans (while thankfully muffled) were louder, giving off more heat than earlier.
There was also that clicking and whining noise again…]
<DLN-000>: >Your desire for sass is very important to us. Please hold, and the next available representative…
[Cardinal used DRILL BOMB!]
[He shoved something very much like a Crash Bomb into the door behind him. It ground away at the metal as it tunneled in, embedding itself in the door before exploding.]
<DLN-000>: > —WILL GET BACK TO YOU!
[Cardinal used FLASH STOPPER!]
[AUGH, again with the BLINDING light—]
[MN.8] //: -—GNGH-
[There was a deep growl on the other end before it cut out--clearly Shade had not been pleased with that.
Not at all.]
[Cardinal didn’t waste a moment. He turned his back to Shade—he had no choice—and his arm shifted again—]
[CARDINAL used SUPER ARM!]
WHUNK!
[He punched a bigger opening through the thick door where the Drill Bomb had made the first breach.]
WHAM!
Cardinal: -IN YOU GO, SCOUT—-
Scout: RARF!
"WHAT IS THAT—"
Cardinal: Tie them up for me— OW!
Scout: ! D:
???: Please stay behind me—
???: TAKE ANOTHER STEP AND I WILL OPEN FIRE—
Scout: -GRRRRR-
Cardinal: Go ahead, it’ll just put you in the hospital! Metal ricochets, genius!
[He squeezed his way through, hearing things becoming active again behind him.]
Cardinal: I don’t have— ouch! —time for this—
[He grabbed one end of the rope and then—]
[Cardinal used TOP SPIN!]
bbbZZZZZZZzzzKT—
[The top clattered along, circling and snaking around the people in the room. The rope he had tied to it followed after.]
Cardinal: -YANK!-
[WHAM.]
[The sound of multiple human beings hitting the floor at the same time follows suit.
Cardinal used the Super Arm again to sort of push them all into one pile of disgruntled, frightened, aggressive humanity.]
BWIP!
{Outside…}
[Cardinal jumped off and did a backflip out of the way off of the piled people, bringing his shield out in front of him.]
[.......]
[That's weird.]
[No sniper fire?]
Cardinal: -Takes a moment to catch his breath- (Ugh… I can feel the slugs embedded inside me. I’m going to need to shed this armor before too long, at the rate this is going—)
[It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t being shot at.]
Cardinal: …???
Cardinal: -Peeks out behind his shield- ,’B/?
[Vrrrrrrr...]
[...? Wait, that sound—those sound like propellers—]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: -Looks uuuuuuup—-
AviCam: -FLOATS IN-
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: … -COCKY GRIN BENEATH MASK-
Cardinal: Smile, you’re on candid camera!
AviCam: -MAKES SOME LETTERS IN THE AIR-
[G O F O R R E S C U E—G L.]
Cardinal: See ya later, Hoverbrother. Send my love if things…
Cardinal: … blow up in my face ;D
[He takes the moment to take off his helm entirely. Man, he looks exhausted.]
Cardinal: I can only assume you’re keeping them from crowding around with questions—thanks, because—
[He pulls out what looks like a miniature oil can and douses himself with it. And then another one. Oddly enough, he seems bone dry after. Huh.]
Cardinal: -Puts his helm back on- —I gotta scram!
Bwip!
{Inside}
[He reappears back inside.]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: …???
Cardinal: (Where the heck did Scout go?)
[The happy Zig was nowhere in sight.]
Cardinal: Nnnngh… (I told him what would happen, so… I guess something went wrong. I hope I run into him on the way rounding up stragglers…)
[There was a buzzing noise as he was lit up with lasers again.]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: Really, Shade? This is SO boring.
[Buuuuut then they… start spazzing out?]
Cardinal: …?
Kkkkk…
Cardinal: !
Cardinal: (Wait a second—music?)
[Not just any music…]
Cardinal: Eight!
[PING!]
[MN.8] //: Well, well, well.
[MN.8] //: If it ain't the infernal Wily child and the Lil' doggie.
[PING!]
[A surprisingly firm voice echoes though the comms—]
[MN.9] // COUNTERSHADE!
<DLN-008>: >Shut up, Shade.
<DLN-008>: >The only reason I haven’t fried you to a soot speck is because Beck’s my friend and Cardinal would kill me. |[
[The whole building abruptly seemed to fill with harsh static. Not just the noise—the electricity itself. And, as Tobias had predicted, Cardinal was NOT pleased.]
Cardinal: Cut that out, Eight.
Cardinal: Is there anyone else in here?!
<DLN-008>: > Yes—
Cardinal: Then cover Beck and STALL for me, dammit!
[He takes off.]
Cardinal: (With Tobias messing with the security system, that should make it marginally less deadly by making the systems cut in and out—)
Cardinal: (And there’s two of us, he can only be in one place at a time, he’s not Siam, after all—)
[BANG BANG BANG.]
[Crack!]
[Cardinal’s armor had finally taken too much damage from energy shots. It shifted away into his normal gear.]
Cardinal: Fantastic.
Cardinal: -RUNNING FOR IT AGAIN-
[Lasers in all directions--]
[Wait—no...It couldn't be.]
[That can't be him just down the corner.]
Shade: Boo.
Cardinal: Shade, I’m not—
[CARDINAL USED RAIN FLUSH!]
[It was raining indoors and now EVERYTHING was wet—]
[His other arm turned into a blaster.]
[Cardinal used SPARK SHOCK!]
Cardinal: —IN THE MOOD FOR THIS!
[He suddenly was surrounded by live electricity.]
Cardinal: Out of my way or I swear to God I’ll fry you to a core.
Shade: ....
[He stands there for a moment, looking as if he is complimenting the threat.]
[Then.]
Shade: -Grins-
Shade: Alright.
[BANG—]
[—???]
[Wait, that shot came from behind him—
And where did Shade go?!]
Cardinal: -Ow-
[In the bad mood he was, he jumped up onto ITEM-2.]
Cardinal: I told you I’ll get back to you, you impatient brat.
[BZZZRRRRRKKKZZZZZGGGHHHHHHHVVVV—]
[…Well.
THAT hallway and everything in it was sure toast.
Various spheres dropped to the floor, but no sniper (or core thereof) was among the casualties.
Cardinal shot on down the hall, following flashing static panels along the way. Left, right, right, left, up a flight of stairs, down stairs—
He was suddenly thrown off his wind surfer when everything began to float and hold in place. And an object in motion…]
Cardinal: !
WHANG!
Cardinal: OW!
Cardinal: Tobias, what the frag was that for?!
[Disgruntled, he didn’t wait for an answer. Left, right—]
Cardinal: -Comes to a screeching halt- …
Cardinal: … And I thought the last room was a death trap…
[Standing before him were two more impressive looking doors. They were more grandiose and obviously stronger than the last. And… the Presidential Seal was in proud, bold colors right in the center.]
Cardinal: (That’s gotta be the way to the Oval Office!)
Cardinal: … (But… Tobias led me here, so that means…)
Cardinal: (Oh hell…)
[VRRRRRRRR--!!]
[There was a wave of UFO-like Xelbots that flashed into view--before vanishing into thin air, barreling themselves straight into Cardinal's path--]
Cardinal: -NOPE-
TSSSSEW!
[Cardinal used Rolling Cutter!
It’s super effective!]
Cardinal: Hey, Area 51 called! They want their rides back!
Cardinal: Hope those came with a warranty.
[VRRRRRRRRR!]
[Oh, lovely, more turrets--]
[VVVVRRRRrrrrrrrr....]
[....They...powered off?
Suddenly, the lights flickered.]
Cardinal: …
[And dimmed. ]
Cardinal: ?
[To his slight surprise (and fair annoyance), Cardinal began floating again.]
Cardinal: Tobias, for the LAST time—
[PING!]
[MN.3] //: Oooooh, Shaaaaade!
[MN.3] //: BIG ZZZSISTER WANTSZZ TO HAVE A TALK WITH YOU.
[MN.8] //: -Oh, bite me, witch hag.-
[MN.3] //: YOU CAN'T PLAY HIDE AND ZZZSEEK FOREVER--
Cardinal: … Dyna?
[MN.3] //: Go on now, Becky, I got thiszz, I KNEW thiszz place had it'szz own power grid, yum.~
[MN.9] //: Hookay, thanks, Dyna! c:
Cardinal: -Aaaalrighty then- (I better hurry up before the whole gang arrives.)
Cardinal: -Bounces through the lower gravity before it abruptly changes-
[He takes one look at the door.]
Cardinal: (How am I going to—)
[…But was interrupted by the sound of the security systems starting up again.]
Cardinal: .___.
[CARDINAL used SKULL BARRIER!]
[He was just in time to prevent becoming an energy and lead pincushion. Still under fire and holding up the shield, he rotated through his capsules until…]
POW!
[He lowered his hand, turning off the Thunder Beam.
He had managed to blow the fuse, which turned off the security in the hallway…
…and the lights…
…and the air conditioning.
It was starting to get very hot, and things smelled like burnt electronics.]
Cardinal: Man…
[He takes out the Shadow Blade again.]
Cardinal: I feel sorry for whoever holds the homeowners insurance on this place.
[He sliced at the door repeatedly in intersecting diagonal lines. This time, he let the acid eat away at the door.
He didn’t like how unnaturally silent it was now that he had put the whole hallway into radio silence. Only the windows brought any light in at all.]
Cardinal: (Here’s to hoping I’m not too late… not for them, OR for him…)
[Cardinal used HARD KNUCKLE!]
C R A C K!
[Cardinal used SHIELD BASH!]
[And burst RIGHT into the Oval Office!]
[There were only three people inside, all standing around the desk, as if discussing something. The ladies had looked up sharply at the noise, and had backed away before he came crashing in.]
Des: Crap--
[The only other male in the room pulls out a firearm and pulls the trigger--]
[BLAM!]
[A moment of silence.]
Maid: -Oh thank GOODNESS—-
Cardinal: -Looks up with a slight smile-
Cardinal: Nice headshot, sir.
[The maid shrieks.]
Maid: OH MY GOD IT’S IMMORTAL—
Des: .....
Des: Or he just has a very good helmet.
Cardinal: Sorry to crash the party, Mister President.
Cardinal: But we do need to evacuate before my best friend does something he regrets when he gets over his hangover.
[The older lady gave a very puzzled expression.]
Min: …
Des: .......
Des: What?
[Despite the situation—even with his weapon still aimed at the intruder—Des couldn't help but press the subject. It was all as if something out of a surreal dream.]
Des: I'm not the president--
Des: I'm Secretary of Defense.
Des: -What made you think I was POTUS.- : /
Cardinal: …
[Cardinal was on his feet now, standing at attention, very military in posture.]
Cardinal: You’re standing behind the desk, sir.
[The older woman rolls her eyes.]
Des: -Narrows his eyes a little- And...?
Des: -It's 20XX, doesn't everyone know who POTUS is—-
[While he appreciated he wasn't still being shot at, Cardinal was losing patience. They were wasting time, when Shade was still out there.]
Cardinal: And I don’t have time for this. We’re leaving now—
BZAP!
Cardinal: -Baaaacks away from the stern looking woman, okay, she’s got a taser, that gave us pins and needles-
Des: Nice shot.
[Minerva looks down at Cardinal with disapproval. Humorously, her heels made her slightly taller than him.]
Cardinal: >_>;
[It didn't take long for Cardinal to realize where his mistake was. He spoke with begrudging respect.]
Cardinal: …Madame President, I presume.
[Minerva Morandi was not pleased. She sparked the taser again for emphasis, speaking sternly to the intruder that had broken past the last of their defenses.]
Min: Why should we believe you? You broke into the White House, through several top-notch levels of security, disengaged a good portion of the defenses in more than one hallway, and just mentioned your alliance with the terrorist who put us here to begin with.
Cardinal: …
[Cardinal had to admit she had a point. A point he hadn't even considered before.
He wasn't like his brother. Not like Beck. He wasn't a sanctioned hero, with the recognition and support of the masses. No, he was a nameless vigilante, and all he had was his honest answer.]
Cardinal: Because I’m not shooting right now?
Minerva: You didn’t think this through at all, did you.
Cardinal: No sir, I did not.
[The maid snorts a little at that. The poor woman looked like she had seen better days, especially before her sudden promotion after the whole mess had started.
Desmond Donald, on the other hand, seemed to be unsure of whether to be impressed or just incredulous.]
Des: Wow.
Des: He has guts, at least? (Or no forethought.)
Cardinal: Thanks, but we’ve got to—
[He saw a tiny, TINY red light.]
Cardinal: !!!
[He does a teleporting tackle to slam the President to the floor. Fractions of a split second later, there’s a VERY strong shot that leaves burn marks around the wall right behind where her head had been.]
Maid: -STRAINED NOISES, TRYING NOT TO SCREAM-
[PING!]
[MN.8] //: Tch!
[MN.8] //: Keep gettin' in mah way, Birdy, and Ah' WILL make ya regret it!
Cardinal: I could say the same to you, pal.
[Des had abruptly changed his aim toward the direction the shot had come from, even knowing that he was outmatched to handle such a foe. He was defending not just two innocent women: he was defending his President, and his long-time friend. If someone was going to try and take them out, it wouldn't be without a fight from him first.]
Des: -ARE YOU OKAY—-
[She was fine. Shaken, perhaps, but didn’t show it.
Then she became cross, and started to speak to the silent hunter.]
Minerva: So, you've finally shown yourself, have you? Such actions will land you in a great deal more trouble than you can hide from, Radar. This is your last chance— hand yourself over to the authorities, or you will be facing the consequences—
Cardinal: NO!
Cardinal: Leave him alone!
[For the first time since he had come in…
He actually SOUNDED scared.
Desperate, even.]
[MN.8] //: Heh.
[MN.8] //: Was that ya soundin' desperate there?
[MN.8] //: -LAUGHTER-
[MN.8] //: Ah' hate t' disobey a lady, but m'afraid yer term is up.
[MN.8] //: Now.
[CLICK.]
[MN.8] //: R u n.
[For a brief moment, silence.]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: …Heh…
[He starts laughing.]
Min: ???
Des: ....-Whispers- Um I don't think this guy is all mentally sound—
Cardinal: Shade, Shade, Shade…
Cardinal: You know what?
Cardinal: You’re right.
Maid: ?!
Des: (What—?!)
[MN.8] //: -Ooooh, now ya got his attention-
[MN.8] //: Somethin' change yer mind, Birdy?
[MN.8] //: Was it the fact that yer doin' this all fer nothin'?
Cardinal: Hardly.
Cardinal: More like…
Cardinal: I don’t have time for this, Shade.
Cardinal: Guess I’ll have to make my own!
[He turns and FIRES—]
[Cardinal used TIME STOPPER!]
[There's a harsh KFLSHK! noise and the very dust itself seems to hang suspended in the air, frozen in time.]
Min: ???
[Cardinal waltzes over toward the door, grinning.]
Cardinal: Now then…
Cardinal: Judging from the trajectory of the shot…
Cardinal: -ELBOWS, hard-
CRASH!
[Cardinal pulls a nearby curtain down and tosses it onto… well. Now that it was given form, it was clearly the fallen sniper.]
Cardinal: -Pulls something out of his traveling bag, shaking it- ~
Cardinal: -PSSSHT!-
[After spraying his own symbol on the cape once he found it, he quickly tagged “HOPE lives” on the floor. Then, and only then, could he relaxed and be satisfied.]
Cardinal: B]
Cardinal: -Tosses empty paint can behind him, looking down at the time-frozen sniper- Looks like you lost hide-and-seek, kid.
Cardinal: Too bad.
Min: -Just. Stares- o_o
[The President was both grateful and impressed.]
Min: What… did you do? -Okay his methods are VERY strange but that was rather impressive-
Des: -...What DIVISION is he in is the better question--
Min: -Starts advancing- Who built you?
[Cardinal had not been expecting this sort of response at all.]
Cardinal: I—
[She grabs at his scarf and yanks up a metal bit that glitters in the light.]
Min: I thought I saw a glint of these. -Shakes them once- -Dog tags, Des.- Is there something ELSE you need to tell me about, Desmond?
Des: Min, I swear I don't know about this—
Cardinal: (Uh…)
[It was then that Des noticed the serial number branded into Cardinal's shoulder.]
Des: Wait a second—! You're DLN-000?
Min: ! Seriously?
[Cardinal had had enough. He forces her hand away, holding (gently but firmly) onto her wrist.]
Cardinal: As charming as it is to have conversations with you…
Cardinal: -WHISTLES SHARPLY, SCOUT WE’RE LEAVING—-
Scout: -RARF RARF RARF—-
Cardinal: That effect kinda won’t last forever, we really do need to get out of here—
Des: .....Is...Is that a raccoon—
Cardinal: Close enough. Group hug, everybody!
Scout: -BOUNCES INTO MIN'S ARMS-
Scout: -HALLO NICE LADY-
Min: ! Oh goodness— Now wait just a—
[Nope, he’s already scooped her up and grabbed the others by their jacket fringes.]
Byuubyuubyuu…
{Outside}
Des: —?????
Des: -He can TELEPORT--
[Cheers erupt from the crowd, with the recovered Secret Service members forcing their way through, hemming out reporters and warning back drones with sniper lasers. One camera WAS allowed to come in closer.]
Cardinal: Heh…
Cardinal: Hello again, Avs.
Cardinal: -Puts Madame President down- I see you’ve upgraded this to include a speaker now. Your faith in me is reassuring. B]
[Avi’s voice crackled through the speakers.]
Avi: Bro, you do realize you can't hide from this, right--
Cardinal: Sadly. That’s a cost I’ll have to carry.
Min: (…Hide? Cost?)
Des: (They're talking like they know each other…!)
Avi: OKAY GOOD JUST CHECKING.
Avi: Because sometimes you kinda just let these things fly WAY OVER YOUR HEAD--
[The vague, stressed pun didn’t seem to have any effect… other than making Cardinal’s shoulders sag with weariness.]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: -Quietly- I’m sorry, Avi. I’m not done yet.
Avi: --....
Avi: Dude, Beck's in there now, just-- come on, man, can't ya believe in him too--?
Cardinal: Six, this is about a lot more than believing and proving and anything else, and quite frankly—
[He douses himself in those strange cans again.]
Cardinal: —I’m tired of seeing my brothers die. I won’t risk any chance of that happening again.
Min: Excuse me—! It's too dangerous to go back inside, and we have some questions for you, 000! Where do you THINK you’re going—
Cardinal: Here, take this, it may help you on your journey— -SHOVES SLIGHTLY SINGED SCOUT-
Scout: -LICKS FOR NICE LADY-
Min: -Ackpth—-
Scout: ~ < 3
Avi: --.... (I guess I tried...)
Avi: please don't hurt him too bad.
Cardinal: I don’t have time for this. You saw the file extension, you know my intentions.
[He gritted his teeth. It hurt, again. Hurt because there was all this pressure, and nowhere for it to go.
Hurt because he couldn’t cry.]
Cardinal: …See you in clearer skies, Avs.
Cardinal: Goodbye…
BWIP.
Min: —…
Min: …Get me Sanda Labs on a secure line. -Stop wriggling, strange raccoon thing—- NOW.
{Back Inside…}
[Cardinal chose not to reappear in the Oval Office, but instead in an open room he had passed through on the journey. From the looks of things, Beck and Dyna had been through not long ago, themselves.]
Cardinal: -Takes in a shaky breath, hoo- (…Okay. Orders… orders over. Good… good, now—just need to find either Eight or Nine…)
Cardinal: (Can’t turn on my transceiver. They know I’m here and they want me out. But I can’t just stand by and let those two slice each other up and stain the rug with their Xel.)
Cardinal: -Grumbles- Where are you, Shade…
[He walks through several halls. Everything was dead silent. The expected countermeasures of security never came.]
Cardinal: …
[He was beginning to get very puzzled.]
Cardinal: (Did Beck already get to you? …And wow, I seriously made this big a mess?)
Cardinal: -Crosses his arms absentmindedly as he enters the secretary’s office- Come on, Shade, I said I would get back to you—
________________
Thaaaaat's it, just a lil further…
______________
[He held his shield loosely by his side as he meandered the halls for another good five minutes.]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: …I guess Avi was right?
Cardinal: Maybe I should turn my transceiver back on, find out if they’re outside…
[He goes over to look out a window that faces the lawn, scanning the crowds for signs of his energetic young counterpart.]
Cardinal: Just my luck to miss out on the party…
_________________
Heh. Stupid bird.
Should've paid attention t' where you were goin'…
________________
[He turns away from the window, glancing at it over his shoulder.]
Cardinal: I should probably apologize to the President—
[CRUNCH.]
Cardinal: (What—? That doesn’t sound like glass—) -Looks down-
[What Cards saw on the ground--
A dart.
Several.
In the shape of a figure eight, all black as night.]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: (Wait a dAMN SECOND HE SAID ALL HIS DARTS DO SOMETHING—)
[BANG!]
[The darts all exploded into shrapnel, sharp, dangerous pieces flying everywhere, breaking pottering and lights and anything else that was in its radius.]
[Cardinal wasn’t shielding, so he took a direct hit.
Now, he was made to withstand exactly this sort of thing. To take it and tank it.
Didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.]
Cardinal: -GAH—-
[He staggered back, disoriented by the damage.]
[BANG--!]
[Red lasers fill the room, reflecting off of various objects to keep Cardinal guessing--]
[BANG BANG--]
[--With two more ACTUALLY aimed for him--]
[He took the hits, but answered back with a vengeance.]
KTANG!
[Leaping onto the walls and vaulting onto a statue, he peppered the room with high speed Quick Boomerangs.]
Cardinal: |[
Cardinal: You clearly haven’t learned I don’t go down so easy, Counter.
"Haven't ya heard of try, try again?"
[BANG--]
[A dart this time, yellow--]
[Cardinal used METAL BLADE!]
[The net was torn up even as it came onto him. He leaped onto a chandelier.]
[Cardinal used RING BOOMERANG!]
Cardinal: Haven’t you ever heard “Doing the same thing twice and expecting different results is the definition of insanity?”
[Laughter.]
"Look who's TALKIN'!"
"Ya sure are persistent."
[Cardinal was beginning to lose patience.
He was tired. He felt tired and old.]
Cardinal: Countershade, I have been chasing after you for over a WEEK now. I’ll hardly give up because you’re throwing a temper tantrum.
Cardinal: Get a grip, Shade— Snap out of it! This isn’t like you!
Cardinal: -Crossly- WAKE UP ALREADY!
"Temper tantrum? Boy, ya must be a real antique by now. Seein' as ya ain't made of Xel."
"Who even ARE ya, anyway?"
Cardinal: You can’t be serious. You recognized my brother and you don’t know me? That’s not a funny insult. -Actually sounds rather put out-
"Nope. Ya don't ring a bell."
Cardinal: Are you REALLY that out of it? That’s honestly just pathetic. The “sad, pitiful” kind.
"Gotta hand it t' ya, Birdy, as ya are annoyin', yer good. Heh."
"And Ah' do so love a good challenge."
Cardinal: Fine then.
Cardinal: I’ll make you remember—I’ll bring you out of this, I am going to snap you out of this if it’s the last thing I ever do!
[Cardinal used DUST CRUSHER!]
[All the shrapnel and debris that had been created by Shade and others before him was kicked up in a whirling cloud of sharp death that enveloped half the room, shredding everything in its path before getting embedded into the wall.]
"--Ngh--!"
[There is some painful data, but it is quickly snuffed out by something other than Shade.]
"Oh, it WILL be--ya can't keep flyin' FOREVER, Lil' Birdy..."
Cardinal: Try me.
[…Not his best choice of words.]
"Heh."
"Since ya ASKED so nicely!"
KSSSH!!!
[The chandelier came crashing down, with him inside it.
Even though he teleported away, he still had the force of momentum, and crashed down into the ground pretty hard.]
Cardinal: Hggghhhh…
Cardinal: (Gah… hate HATE falling from heights, come BACK, vision—)
[BANG!]
[Countershade took this perfect opportunity to fire off another shot--it was so easy, once he was blind--]
Cardinal: AUGH!
[Cardinal counteracted with a spam of Metal Blades that went in ALL directions, embedding DEEP into wherever they found score—
And there is a LOT OF rolling around and taking cover--seeing the saw blades stirred up something...Something that made him even angrier. ]
"MOTHERSCRATCHIN'--Ah' HATE when it takes more than one bullet!"
Cardinal: See now, if you REMEMBERED anything, you’d KNOW I don’t go down to one hit!
"Goddamn waste of mah TIME--"
Cardinal: Tch.
Cardinal: Anything you don’t have time to do right the first time, you’ll need to have time to do over.
Cardinal: And I’ve put a hell of a few lifetimes more into this than you.
[BANG BANG--]
[The explosive darts were out now, but single striped instead of the deadly double. Perhaps Shade didn't want to ruin his new 'Home' anymore than it already was. Cardinal tanked the hit with his shield.]
[The Proto Shield held firm as ever, though he moved aside to avoid being backed into the wall.]
Cardinal: -Gets back to his feet, shifting his weaponry again with another click.-
Cardinal: This is not the first time we’ve done this song and dance, Shade!
[Cardinal used BUBBLE LEAD!]
[The acid pellets burst upon contact, hissing and eating away at the floor and various high ground on the other side of the room.]
[SSSSSSSS...]
"Aw FRAG IT--"
Cardinal: You forgetting?! Just means I have ALL THE MORE ADVANTAGE OVER YOU!
[Cardinal used TOP SPIN!]
kzzzZZZZZZZZGGGVVVVGGGHHHTTTT—
[Marble columns were sliced clean through and brought crashing down.]
[CRASH--!!]
"--!!!!"
[There was a few moments of scrambling and--]
[--Silence?]
Cardinal: Nice try, but I know you’re fine. Your camo goes out if you’re not.
Cardinal: And if you want to play this the hard way, I’ll do just that. >B |
[....]
"Alright."
[Click.]
[That came from RIGHT beside him!]
Cardinal: (Glitch—)
[Cardinal used ICE SLASHER!]
[It wasn’t fast enough to prevent the shot that seared through his right shoulder, but. It was enough to send the whole room about ten degrees below zero, and send icicle spears flying.
There was a HISS of pain and a grunt, Shade's camo flickering for a moment--
--Before returning to normal, and the lasers that herald his presence once again came from a completely different direction--
Cardinal ends up backed against the wall, having no other option besides his shield at this point. The Skull Barrier and the Leaf Shield had both been spent during the rescues.]
Cardinal: B[
[Cardinal used ITEM-1!]
[He jumps onto a hovering platform to gain height before firing off some plasma blasts at strategic surfaces—places where he would go if he had that side of the battlefield.]
[BLAM!]
[BANG BANG BANG--]
[As if in response, Shade shoots at the ITEM-1 before unleashing a trio of--oh, no, double stripped darts--!]
Cardinal: !
[Cardinal used WIRE!]
ZZZZZZZIP!
[A grappling hook shot out of his arm, bringing him up toward the ceiling and away from the explosion.
Unfortunately, this position offered him no cover whatsoever, except for his shield—which, as always, remained squarely over his central mass.]
Cardinal: This is getting a bit old.
Cardinal: I’d rather light things on fire, but that wouldn’t be being…
[He smirked.]
Cardinal: …a good House guest~
[BANG--]
[CRASH!]
[He had the wind knocked out of him again, but…
Judging from his wheezing and shaking laughter…]
Cardinal: -Worth it-
[CLICK.]
[....Uh oh.]
Shade: Was it?
Cardinal: Yup.
Cardinal: Too bad it didn’t…
[Cardinal used AIR SHOOTER!]
[STRONG gusts swept across the room, moving EVEN the fallen marble slamming into the wall!]
Shade: --!!!
Cardinal: BLOW YOU AWAY!
Shade: Ngh--
[Shade loses his footing and is forced to back up a ways in order to keep Cardinal in front of him--and on his sights.]
Shade: Enough of this--
[CLICK.]
[...Not even Shade could make a shot in these kinds of winds--]
[...Right?]
[BANG!]
Cardinal: -OOF!-
[Okay. He was really taking a beating now.]
Cardinal: (This has got to stop. Man… haven’t even knocked out his active camo yet, lame. I wish I could use more explosions and fire, that might have helped…)
Cardinal: … (Then again, not being in such a cramped space would have helped anyway.)
Cardinal: Hoo… man, you do hit hard…
[BANG--
BANG BANG BANG--]
[...Shade doesn't answer back.
He just keeps shooting.]
Cardinal: It really is too bad Round Two had to be like this—nngh!
Cardinal: I think you would have preferred remembering!
Shade: Hey.
Shade: Birdy.
Cardinal: What.
Shade: Do me a favor.
[--Wait--why was his voice coming from behind, Shade was right in front of him--]
Shade: Stop yer PRATTLE.
[BANG--!]
[Cardinal was put to the floor, dizzy from being shot in the back. His fans were buzzing a bit, and he had to prop himself up with an arm.]
Cardinal: -WHEEZE- Now that was beneath you, my friend.
Cardinal: You’re an assassin, not a traitor.
Shade: Not my fault yer bein' difficult, Birdy.
Shade: All yer...
[BANG.]
Shade: Sass, all yer brave front--
[BANG!]
Shade: Ya don't fool ME.
[He had to deflect the shots with his shield, but his arm was starting to tire from taking the shock of the blows. He gritted his teeth.]
Cardinal: Is that supposed to mean something, Shade? I’m honestly—nnn!—confused.
Shade: It does. You'll get it REAL soon.
[BANG--]
[...???]
[That's...that's a red dart.]
[Completely red, stuck to Cardinal's shield.]
[--And then it started to glow RED, RED HOT, OW--]
Cardinal: AUGH!
[He could NOT handle that much heat, not so close to his core!
He was forced to drop it to the ground and roll to the side.]
[Cardinal used NEEDLE CANNON!]
[Needle shaped spears skewered anything and everything in sight…
…and some things out of sight.
A slight rip noise betrayed that Cardinal had scored a hit and pinned the sniper’s cloak to the wall.]
Shade: TCH!
Shade: Oh, that is IT.
Shade: -LOCK ON TO CARDINAL'S SYMBOL--
Shade: Yer SCRAP.
[BANG BANG BANG--]
[Cardinal hit the floor, hard.
Silence.]
Shade: -That was mah CLOAK, FRAG YA-
[…But after a moment, he did manage to sit up again, coughing a bit.]
Shade: Fer the love of--
Shade: Ya just don't DIE.
Cardinal: -Raspy- So I’ve been told…
Cardinal: (Great… all I have left is fire…)
Cardinal: You…
[He spoke seriously now.]
Cardinal: You’ve… got to stop, Shade.
Cardinal: You’ve… got to stop…!
[He staggered to his feet.]
Cardinal: This isn’t you. It’s not your fault, but you need to stop—
Cardinal: Don’t you remember who you are?!
Shade: — . . .
[Who...]
[Cardinal grabbed his scarf and shook it. The dart there from Shade, a gift from so long ago, stood out in sharp contrast.]
Shade: ......
[Why did he have his...]
Cardinal: PLEASE! Don’t you REMEMBER me at ALL?!
_____________________
"Yer stuck with me. B]"
___________________
"Catch me if ya can, hunting doggie!"
_________________
[Memories, as if from some far off forgotten dream...]
Shade: --...
Shade: -Confused--
Shade: The hell...
[Cardinal took a quiet step forward.]
Cardinal: Shade!
Cardinal: You’re my best friend.
Cardinal: We TRUST each other, remember?!
—————————————————
“Being able to trust someone and want to be around them, miss them if they’re gone… That’s its own vulnerability, in a way.”
—————————————————
[Another step.]
Cardinal: (Just…)
Cardinal: (Need to get close enough…!)
[Trust...]
Shade: -Blinks--
[The purple and magenta fade from his eye for a second--]
Shade: (What...)
[....And then.]
[....A name.]
Shade: . . .
Shade: Cardinal...?
Cardinal: !
Cardinal: -Another step- YES! I’m here, Shade—
Cardinal: I promised nothing would make me give up on you, and I mean it.
Cardinal: -Another step- You’re sick, but we can fix that— come home, Shade, before you do something you can’t fix.
[…
…Fix…?]
—————————————
[An admission of weakness.
His core was messed up so badly, that…]
[From a powerful enough opponent, a direct hit at full charge, if exposed, would cause him to explode.
And no armor in the world would ever fix it.]
—————————————
Shade: ...ngh...
[The assassin staggers, as if something dull was pressing on his mind, something that was NOT a part of him, something that didn't want him to--]
Shade: !
[Something within screamed--]
[--But then, it all became clear.]
[Clear to the virus, that is.]
Shade: ... ...
[Cardinal was reaching out his hand to touch him. If he could just get a hold of him, he had just enough energy to get them out of here. Away from this place—if not to safety, at least where he couldn’t do any more damage.]
Cardinal: Shade…?
Shade: . . .
Shade: Songbird...Eh...
Shade: Well, that explains the bird part.
[CLICK.]
[There was an unsettling PREDATORY grin on Eight's face, as his rifle was pointed DIRECTLY AT CARDINAL'S CORE--]
Cardinal: !?
[He was too shocked, totally blindsided, taken completely off guard—he didn't even have time to get scared before—]
Shade: Adios, Songbird.
BANG—
[The direct hit from such a close range— point blank range—had done massive amounts of damage.
He didn’t really feel hitting the floor, no…
It was all lost in a vast sea of white-hot pain that engulfed his senses, enveloped his whole body—
He couldn’t even say for sure if he screamed.]
Shade: That hurt, Birdy?
Shade: Ah' BET it DID.
[Cardinal had to turn to his side to avoid choking on oil. Now he felt sick, shivering from the pain and errors that were wracking his body.]
Shade: Oh, Ah' remembered ya, yes—ah' sure did... -GRIN-
Shade: Ah' remembered how t' finally KILL YA.
[Cardinal could hear the words, but they just wouldn’t register— but if they had, he would have been crushed not just in body, but also in soul.]
Shade: That was STUPID, bah the way.
Shade: What were ya even thinkin', huh?
[Even if he wanted to run now, there was no way out. He didn’t have the energy to teleport—he barely had enough to move.
Move he did, though, at least enough to get to his knees.
…]
[…relatively speaking.]
Shade: Eheh...
Shade: Looks like yer wings have been CLIPPED...Lil' Birdy.
Shade: Nowhere t' RUN, nao, is there. Even if ya COULD move....
Cardinal: Hnnnghnnnnnggh…
Cardinal: … (Can’t… can’t move…)
Cardinal: (Need… need repairs…)
Cardinal: (N-need to partition energy into repairs—)
Shade: Still breathin'?
Shade: Ya really ARE persistent!
[The world became a white void of pain as he was kicked in the side, hard. He fell over, and Shade forced him onto his back with a bit of pressure. His vision started to come back in, but—]
[CRUNCH--]
[A boot crunches on top of Cardinal's chest--]
Cardinal: (AUGH!)
[He couldn’t breathe.
He couldn’t. Breathe.
The weight was crushing him, breaking him, threatening to put pressure on his core—his constant massive conversion of energy into matter to save him was only intensifying the pain.]
Cardinal: Ghhghkk—!
[He was too badly injured to move. He was using all of his power just to stay alive, now—he could barely hear, barely see—]
>ERROR: HARDWARE DAMAGE CRITICAL
Cardinal: !
>COMPLETE SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT
Cardinal: (nnnONONO—)
>INITIATE SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE
Cardinal: AAAAUUUGH!
[Cardinal gave a choked cry of despair as the countdown began— audibly, no less—]
>TEN…
Shade: -Ooh, now... What is this?-
>NINE…
Shade: Oh, right...
>EIGHT…
Shade: Ya Wily constructs go up with a bang when yer too helpless t' RUN.
>SEVEN…
Shade: -Chuckles.-
>SIX…
Shade: Nao ain't that somethin'...
>FIVE…
Cardinal: (No…!)
>FOUR…
>SYSTEM OVERRIDE
>THREE…
>RUN PROGRAM: FINAL_DAYS.EXE
>TWO…
>WARNING: FINAL_DAYS.EXE IS AN UNAUTHORIZED PROGRAM. USING THIS PROGRAM WILL PREVENT COMBAT.EXE INITIATIVES OR SYSTEM MAINTENANCE FROM RUNNING NORMALLY. CONTINUE?
>ONE…
>YES
>DON’T ASK ME AGAIN
> -PING!- COMMAND CONFIRMED.
>SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
Shade: ....
Shade: Tch.
Shade: Was hopin' t' see fireworks. Oh, well.
>EXECUTING PROGRAM: FINAL_DAYS.EXE
[He became limp and weak as the program went live.
He was no longer burdened by instincts meant to preserve him to be fighting fit later, or to continue fighting on.
All the energy that had been spent toward those goals was now going into extensive repair, to keep his vitals up and his senses working. This process would not be interrupted, no matter how much energy it drained from him.
…But as a result…]
Cardinal: -Rattled wheezing from shaky, submissive gasps for air-
Shade: Heh... -Smug smirk-
[He was now completely helpless.]
Shade: Look at ya...
[Everything felt faint. It hurt, and yet…]
Cardinal: -Hazily- (Can’t even move…)
[He felt so tired. So tired.
He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and get his rest….]
Cardinal: (C-can’t…)
Cardinal: (So… so tired…)
Shade: Just look at ya, ya waste of scrap.
Shade: All yer talk and sass and comebacks and fancy display...
[CRUNCH--]
Cardinal: (-PAIN!-)
[Cardinal became briefly blinded by pain, his eyes glazing over. His fans wailed in protest at the crushing weight put on his chest.]
Shade: --And all it took--
[His armor—!]
[SNAP--!]
[His inner plate armor split open—]
<DLN-000>: > -PAIN!-
[With his transceiver off, no one could hear him— no one could hear his anguished data streams—]
Shade: --Was a few shots, from one bot--
C R A C K—!!
[He jerked sharply, almost convulsing as the armor clattered, giving way to expose the energy core within. It was glowing like a small sun—white hot, too.]
Shade: - T'prepare ya t' meet yer Maker. That is... Assumin' there's an afterlife for ya pathetic box bolts...
[Cardinal gave off bleak rattling noises as his coolant system attempted to draw air over broken fans.]
Shade: Best start prayin', lil' Birdy. Yer gonna learn the answer t' that question the hard way.
Cardinal: -Repairs, need… need repairs…-
[His vision came back to him as the conversion went into overdrive, desperate on keeping the fans running, to keep him alive.
This allowed his eyes, dulled before, to resume their green spark—his sunglasses had been knocked off long ago, and so there was nothing between the green fire and the sickly purple gaze.]
Shade: --?
Shade: What in tarnation--
Cardinal: Hnnnnggghh…
Shade: --....
[Wait a second...
There was something just right of the power core, mostly tucked behind it. As it glowed, the mobility rig seemed to just… rebuild itself.
Enough for Cardinal to grasp at something, clutching it with a stubborn resignation.]
[.....]
[Two and two were put together within a second, and the Teal Silence let out a dark chuckle.]
Shade: Stubborn jackass! So THIS is how ya kept yerslef goin' so long, hmm?
Shade: Real clever...
[He suddenly JABBED right at it with his rifle-- which was a VERY bad mistake…]
Shade: ARUGH--!
[…as far as the sniper was concerned.
The tip of the rifle had been vaporized, and Cardinal was filled with a jolt of energy that the conversion provided. From the strength Shade had unwittingly donated, he knocked the rifle out of the way to prevent his friend from losing balance, and possibly ending up losing the rest of his arm to the power converter.]
Shade: NGH--
Shade: Little goddamn bastard--should've known ya had 'nother cheap shot like that up yer sleeve...
Cardinal: -Irratable snort- (Oh please, that’s just how I’m BUILT—you wouldn’t go sticking your hand in stomach acid, would you?!)
[There was still enough strength left from that for him to regain some focus. It took effort, and he struggled to reallocate repairs to non-vital systems.
Like… talking, for example.
Cardinal vented a bit and scrunched his eyes in a grimace, trying his hardest to work up the energy to talk.]
Cardinal: Nnnngh…
[…But he could only groan. The pain was so heavy…]
Shade: Bah, for the love of— spare me yer theatrics, Songbird, S'not like ya can sing anymore.
Cardinal: (But…)
Cardinal: (I’ve GOT to, I need to tell you…!)
[CLICK.]
Cardinal: —hghkkt!
[He knew that noise.]
[He KNEW that noise, and it filled him with dread.]
Cardinal: (No…)
Shade: Heheheh...
[A sadistic smile partnered the laugh that escaped from Shade--the dart that was usually in his mouth was gone...]
Cardinal: (Shade, oh God no— please… no, don’t… you can’t do this…)
Cardinal: -Weak ping of protest-
Shade: Ah' TOLD ya...Ya can't fool me.
Shade: Ya scared now, li' Birdy?
Cardinal: -Strained fan whine of despair-
[He was in distress, that was for sure. A heartbroken dismay was sapping away at the willpower maintaining the diminishing fumes of strength in his body.
Shade leaned over, resting his rifle arm on his left knee as he put his weight on Cardinal’s shoulder. The fans there screeched as they were crushed beneath the sniper’s considerable weight.]
Shade: Good.
[The blinding pain lifted as the weight was drawn away. When Cardinal could see again, he saw his friend’s back facing him.]
Shade: I'll give ya this . ..
Cardinal: …
[A low hum...]
Cardinal: … -even weaker ping-
[He couldn’t mask it. When Shade turned around, Cardinal couldn’t help but give off a faint signal of hopelessness—
Shade was using a sniper scope to light up his core as a target, purely to mock him out of spite.]
Shade: Ya were better ’n most. Damn freakin' annoyin’, too. Shoulda known better ’n ‘’ta come HERE, t' mah huntin' grounds. You got a death wish, songbird? Huh?
[He took a step forward, letting his spurs rattle loudly in his stride across the floor...]
[Slowly.]
[It was tempting. So tempting.
He was tired. He hurt. He was scared. If… if he just let go, the pain would stop, it wouldn’t hurt anymore… he could rest, he could leave before…]
Cardinal: … (No… can’t…)
[Cardinal took in a shaky breath, willing himself to stay alive, even though his energy core…]
Cardinal: (Can’t let it end… like this…)
[…was starting to turn cold.]
Shade: -Data-
Shade: -Well, if ya insist, we can GRANT it for ya.-
Cardinal: (Can’t…!)
Cardinal: (I CAN’T LET IT END LIKE THIS!)
[Cardinal struggled to focus through his failing vision, to look that menacing red-violet eye directly on with his own, dimming green pair.
He shut down all but his central core mass fans to get the energy to speak.]
Cardinal: -Very raspy, distorted gasp- Shade…
Shade: --....
[...He's not sure if he should be annoyed or impressed.]
[Cardinal spoke again. There was a clear but quiet, submissive air of despair in his frail voice.]
Cardinal: Countershade, please…
[Oh.]
[He took a step forward...]
Shade: What was that?
Cardinal: Don’t… don’t do this…
Cardinal: …beg… begging you, please…
[.....]
Shade: -GRIN-
[He smirked cruelly at this, at the sight and sounds of Cardinal begging, pleading for his life, for mercy. Ha! Finally, after all of his talk and bravo!
What a delightful feeling.]
Shade: Heheheheh!
Cardinal: please…
Shade: (Eso es, Pájarito. Ruega por la misericordia hasta que mueras.)
Cardinal: …it’s only… only… g…going to…
Shade: --?
Cardinal: …going to hurt y o u…
Shade: --. .. . ..
[For a moment, that makes Shade pause.
The sick, purple aura left him, the malice, the evil that had dug it's way deep into his core was lifted for just a brief moment—]
Shade: -N-No—-
Shade: (No, no, no…!)
Shade: -Straining- M-must… fight… the power…
[He, too, seemed like he was in just as much pain as Cardinal was.]
[…]
[CLICK.]
[...But the moment... Passed.]
Shade: Enough!
[He spoke with a firm, authoritative command of finality.]
Shade: I don’t have time t’ waste on you. Obviously ya ain’t gonna stay out of my way while ya still runnin’.
Shade: An’ as we’ve already established, ya have this fraggin’ annoyin’ tendency to keep hangin’ on. Fahn, then—I’ll give ya the honor a’ takin’ ya out myself!
Cardinal: (No…)
[Cardinal gripped his hand tighter, as if bracing himself.]
Shade: An’ just tah make SURE you don’t get out of sight at the last second. ..
[He lowered his gaze, and his aim, right down to Cardinal's exposed core.]
Shade: This'll be the last bullet Ah' waste on ya.
[Cardinal forced himself to maintain eye contact, even as Shade lowered his rifle to point directly at the exposed core.
He didn’t… feel scared anymore. Just… defeated.
Hopeless.
…Accepting of his time, resigned to his fate… even as he dwelt with lingering, final regret, on his failure and shame.]
Shade…
[Darkness overtook his eyes.
His power was nearly entirely depleted. He would only last a few minutes longer, at most—one way or another, he had reached, at last… his final day.]
[Vrrrrrrr...]
Oh, Shade…!
[He could faintly hear the sound of Shade’s deadly aim setting up. It seemed… so far away…]
I…
[He heard a faint fizzling and hissing noise as the energy converter fell silent.
There could only be one reason for that—
No more energy left to convert from.
He could feel his heart becoming as cold as i c e …]
I’m… so sorry…!
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 2C: BEYOND THE WATERY VORTEX=
~AO v2.0~
((Courtesy of @codedhopes))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{Meanwhile, in Kansas City…}
[Cardinal and Drake had worked through the rest of the afternoon and evening, and into the morning hours.
It had been hard on them both, and they were both very tired. The blazing heat of the summer sun beat down with a merciless 102ºF.
Drake had valiantly pulled an overnighter as they went around from landmark to landmark; after their help at the zoo, word had started to spread about their actions. Not all communications were down for the count, though they were pretty limited to specific radio frequencies.
Cardinal was grateful that security officers, policemen, and employees were no longer hostile to him. He really preferred working WITH people, rather than having to deal with (un)friendly fire and explain after the fact.]
Cardinal: You holding up there okay, Drake…?
[He was starting to get concerned for his human travel companion. The only rest he’d been able to get was here and there while Cardinal was out in the field, fighting infected Xelbots. For the most part, he had refused to rest, instead helping out with evacuations. Cardinal had more or less forced him to rest at their last stop, as he knew he’d be in the museum a while. He was pretty sure that the man hadn’t eaten, either.]
Drake: You're asking me if I'm okay? You're the one doing all the fighting. I can handle this, don't worry.
Cardinal: (Uh-huh. And I’m… … I’m too tired to think of an analogy, ugh…)
[As much as Drake’s presence helped things go smoothly, though, he was relieved that their time evacuating the landmarks was just about at a close. While things were far from safe in the city, all the forces he had helped free up were spread out and assisting in curbing the damage. Things were almost stable… for an apocalypse, that is.
And not an hour too soon.
While Cardinal didn’t need to eat or sleep the way a human would, and could handle the heat a lot better… he still required energy, and was really prone to wearing himself out the longer he engaged in combat. Especially in the sweltering summer rays.
He was getting uncomfortably hot, and perilously close to overheating.]
Drake: ...You don't look so good either, friend. Don't you think you should take it a little easy? You're gonna burn yourself out at this rate.
Cardinal: Ha… I’ll be fine, I’ve been through much worse than this…
Jazz: Ree-owwwr…
[Cardinal looked down at his cat. She was staring up at the arena they had teleported to, tail twitching in anticipation of battle.
Cardinal put his hands to his hips and vented a deep sigh and as much heat as he could rid from his system.]
Cardinal: …I keep forgetting how big these buildings are. I’m used to an aerial view…
[Technically true.
But it was more that in his world…
…Arrowhead Stadium wasn’t a battle arena.]
Cardinal: Well, no time like the present. Do the people inside know we’re coming?
Drake: They know YOU’RE coming. There’s apparently a recruiter trapped in the basement who’s very curious about where you came from.
Cardinal: They wouldn’t be the first. I got that the last time I visited the arena in Titus, too, heh… though I left before the recruiters showed up.
Drake: I still can’t believe you’re friends with the Mighty Numbers. -Shakes his head- Crazy world…
Cardinal: -Looking up at the sky- About to get crazier….
Drake: …Heading on in?
Cardinal: Yeah. This time, though, Jazz stays with you.
Drake: …? Are you… sure about that?
[Cardinal turned and looked over his shoulder with a frown.]
Cardinal: There are a number of Combat ‘bots around here that have gone crazy. You’ll need the protection.
Drake: …Truuuuuue…
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: “But…”?
Drake: …But you’re…
Drake: Kinda going into the middle of a lot of high- and mid-ranking battle ‘bots…
[Cardinal put on a cheeky grin.]
Cardinal: Nothing I can’t handle.
Drake: By yourself?
Cardinal: Just long enough to get backup from the security people once the building is evacuated. So, what… fifteen minutes?
Drake: If you’re sure.
Cardinal: I’m very sure. However…
Drake: Yes?
Cardinal: -Points- After this, you should go home. I’m afraid I can’t teleport you there without exact coordinates, but…
Drake: -Handwaves it- I’ll get a ride or crash at somebody’s place or a church or something. What about you? Will you head back to Titus?
Cardinal: -Shakes his head- I wish. If I go home, or to Sanda Enterprises, they’ll make me stop. I can’t go home until my mission is over. (One way or another.)
[Cardinal used ITEM-2!]
Cardinal: See you as soon as things get under control.
[With that, he took off into the sky. It wasn’t long before he was looking down at a familiar scene of chaos—]
KKKKKWWWWWWHHHHHHHH!
Cardinal: !!
[He was suddenly hit by a blast of turbulence. He had to overcompensate for it—]
WWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!
Cardinal: Gyah—!
[Another blast!]
Cardinal: (These aren’t random! They’re—)
[There was a deafening noise as he was caught up in a blast that had also sent dust and debris flying. Blinded by the grit that slammed into his vents, he couldn’t see well enough to combat the next blast.]
Cardinal: AAAAAAHHH—!
[He was knocked from his windsurfer and sent crashing to the sands below.]
Cardinal: (Not this time!)
[He immediately teleported to the ground. The momentum he had gained in that brief moment still traveled with him, and he hit the ground hard enough to really feel it.]
Cardinal: (Ugh!)
[Just as the dust was clearing up, there was a loud whipping noise and something snagged his left ankle.]
Cardinal: !
“Got the little blaster!”
Cardinal: -More than a little aggravated- Oh do you really?
[YANK!]
[He was dragged a good yard upon the sands.]
Cardinal: Hey! -Reverting to heat vision- Cut that out!
[Cardinal used QUICK BOOMERANG!]
“AUGH!”
[His aim held true, which wasn’t hard—he just had to follow the trajectory of the rope tied around him, and the sharp projectiles found a score deep in the Xel of the ‘bot trying to wrangle him. Five shots, all fired in extremely quick succession. The rope went slack.]
“Get your act together, Cassidy!”
[Cardinal could now make out what appeared to be a rancher-themed Xelbot, seething as he tried to minimize the Xel loss from the wounds. One of his hands had been badly gashed, and a couple of the boomerangs had nicked his abdomen.]
Cassidy: Easy for YOU to say, Laura!
[Cardinal took the chance to cut himself loose and spring to his feet.]
Cassidy: [Glitch—]
[BANG!]
Cardinal: -Glares- Are you seriously—
[K-ZAP!]
[Cardinal’s words were stolen by a bolt that jolted through him like white fire.
While he wasn’t really particularly vulnerable to electricity, he was running hot. It didn’t help, and he felt seared by the heat.]
Cassidy: HA! Good one, Jones!
[The female voice called out again.]
Laura: Get ‘im, Dell!
[Cardinal had to roll to the side to avoid an incoming throwing axe. He scrambled to his feet, but…]
Dell: Yer gonna be nothin’ but Xel stains, city slicker!
[Cardinal leaped into the air, jumping to avoid shots from Cassidy as another axe came bearing down on where he was. It was only then that he noticed it.
The sands were covered in piles and puddles of sickly looking Xel, with some cores scattered here and there.
Whatever had been going on before he turned up… it hadn’t gone well for a loooooot of people.]
Cassidy: Regular jackrabbit, aincha!
Dell: Oi, Laura! This one’s puttin’ up a fight! You want in on the fun?
[When the lady turned around, Cardinal got a sinking feeling.
She must look fair enough on a normal day. Dirty blond hair done up in pigtails, with freckles and a big smile. Sturdily built—strong and stocky enough to wield her weapon of choice effortlessly.
But with the infected glow in her eyes and the Xel that covered the wicked scythe she was holding—not to mentioned splattered all across her overalls—she looked axe-crazy.]
Laura: He’s not going anywhere! Strike him!
[Cardinal teleported across the sands to be closer to her, and not a moment too soon. Another bolt of electricity zapped the spot where he had been.
Getting closer also proved to be a bad idea. He was immediately forced to shield against a threshing blow.]
Laura: Bah! Think you’re all that with that trick of yours? You must be—
[Cardinal dropped to the ground and gave a low kick, knocking her off balance. He teleported rather than scrambling to his feet, opting to stand against a wall with his shield out in front of him.
As the team gathered out together, he could finally make out who they all were.]
((Pic—Cardinal v Prairie Kings))
[There were five of them, mostly the size of an average human person. They all seemed to carry a farming and ranching theme, though the enormous wind ‘bot in the back stood out.]
[KRAK—]
[This time, he shielded against the bolt that came hammering into him.]
Cardinal: (Augh! I’ll have to keep moving around as long as they keep throwing lightning at me! Who is even doing that? I don’t see an electric ‘bot out there!)
[He didn’t bother thinking on it much.]
[Cardinal used MAGNET MISSLE!]
[The three homing shots zoomed off to their different targets. Cassidy tried to dodge, only to find that they were HOMING shots. Dell tried to axe his, causing it to explode on impact. As for the third…]
The path was disrupted and the ground shook as a fierce wind ripped up the sands. It was a stronger wind than the Magnet Missile was meant to handle, and it exploded harmlessly in the air. The same could not be said for Cardinal, however.
It was all he could do to keep ahold of his shield. He WAS, however, tossed a good few yards before the wind subsided.]
Cardinal: (Gaaahhhh…! I can’t fly in this, and I can’t use homing shots either! If those don’t work, there’s no way any of the other projectiles would, either! And I can’t use fire here… there are people’s cores in the sand!)
Laura: Got you on the run, do we, ya big wannabe? What’s the matter, at a loss for words?
Cardinal: Who are you people?
Laura: Boy, you must really have your self-important big-city head up your chass, or live under a rock so primitive it’d make the Flinstones ashamed. -Holding her hand out in a “stop” gesture at the one with a pitchfork- You really ARE a special kind of stupid to come challenge us without even knowing what you’re dealing with! But then again…
[She flared up with aura, bearing down in his direction with surprising speed.]
Laura: Nobody out there CARES as they should about them “flyover” states!
[Cardinal turned to shield it, using the small port at the top of the shield to open fire.]
[BLAM!]
[The short range plasma blast only seemed to serve to make her angry. Cardinal moved quickly on his feet, turning to teleport out into the open where could fire out of her range.
Doing so earned him another blast from the wind, kicking up Xel and sand in his face. Momentarily blinded by the Xel interfering with heat signals, he was easy prey for a merciless lightning strike. This time, it left behind persistent static in his audio receptors.]
Cardinal: (NO—!)
[The farm girl fighter laughed to see his predicament.]
Laura: Sturdy for something your size, aren’t you? Well! You sure still can’t keep up with the Prairie Kings, that’s for sure!
Cardinal: Grrr…!
[He refused to be taunted like this. It set off something deeper within him—a resentment, a malice—a wounded sense of pride.]
Cardinal: If I can handle the Mighty Numbers…
[He abruptly teleported atop the wind bot.]
Laura: ?!
Cardinal: I can certainly send you lot PACKING!
[Cardinal used CRASH BOMB!]
[The wind bot whipped up a violent gust as drills bore into it, the bombs flashing.]
Laura: JONES! COVER FOR ALLEY!
[Cardinal used LEAF SHIELD!]
[The sudden swirling cloud of ceratanium leaves served as a shield against the lightning strike that followed.]
Cardinal: -Broadcasts his whistle, LOUDLY-
[The piercing tones seemed to cause as much pain and discomfort as they did for Shade. It was the few second distraction Cardinal needed.
He vaulted off of Alley’s back and cast the sharp cloud of leaves behind him.
There was a satisfying grinding and scraping noise, followed by broken squeals. Just then, the bombs went off as well, causing the massive fighter to sway in pain.]
Cardinal: Sorry to ruin your slaughter show, Miss Laura!
[BWIP!]
[Cardinal used SUPER ARM!]
[WHOOMP!]
[The wind generator was knocked over onto his face by a powerful punch from behind. When Cardinal emerged again, he was using another windsurfer. He shot up into the air.]
Cardinal: But your fun and games are OVER!
Laura: GET HIM!
[Cardinal shielded to avoid a lightning bolt from frying his systems. He took comfort in the rush of movement, which served to help cool his systems.
It was now a matter of time that would determine if he could last, more than anything else. If he didn’t wrap this up before his core got too hot, then…]
Cardinal: -Shakes the thoughts off- Time for a lesson in versatility, Prairie Kings!
[Cardinal used MAGNET MISSILE!]
[Without Alley to sweep aside projectiles with gusts of wind, the missiles could not be prevented from reaching their targets. Cardinal didn’t wait in the same spot, instead increasing his speed to head right for Cassidy.
The ranch hand cursed and fired at him, but Cardinal shielded that easily.]
Cardinal: Sorry, kid, but it’s time you moseyed on home!
[Cardinal used QUICK BOOMERANG!]
[Abruptly making a sharp bank, the veteran turned and fired at the team member with the pitchfork.
Dell tried to take advantage of the opening to hurl an axe at him, but Cardinal had teleported out of the way in plenty of time.
He chose to land right by his target, lashing out in a new cast.]
[Cardinal used TOP SPIN!]
[The sharp wires ensnared the pitchfork and recoiled, whirring mercilessly as they cut their way right through it with a satisfying SNAP!]
Dell: By George, he’s stolen Jones’s thunder!
[Ah. So THAT’S where the lightning had been coming from.]
[BLAM! BLAM BLAM BLAM!]
[His quarry was not very defensive based, despite his stocky build. Jones swung to box at Cardinal, but the latter just dropped to the ground and rolled aside. He grinned as he looked up on his back, and—]
Jones: -PAIN!-
Cassidy: Damn bastard! That there’s fightin’ DIRTY!
[Cardinal laughed mercilessly as he sprung to his feet and vaulted over Jones, pushing him face-first into the sands.]
Cardinal: All’s fair in love and war, kid!
[He teleported during his flying leap, bearing down on the ranch hand with the full force of the tackle. The two of them hit the sands.]
Cardinal: Game over!
[Cardinal used QUICK BOOMERANG!]
[He riddled his opponent with boomerangs, causing him to cry out in pain. Cardinal gave a ping of sympathy as he teleported off of him, leaving him to bleed out into the sands.]
Cardinal: (I’m sorry, Shade!)
[Cardinal used MAGNET MISSILE!]
Cardinal: (But…! There’s still a chance for these people to be detained, if they’re hurt badly enough! If I have to, I’ll put them out of their misery, but…)
Cardinal: (If it comes to that, grant me your strength of nerve!)
[He turned his attention to Dell, who did not seem to be pleased to deal with a flying opponent. Cardinal couldn’t help but smirk a little—it was obvious to him that as a close-combat type of fighter, he relied on Alley to knock opponents out of the sky and keep them grounded.]
Dell: Ugh, condescending punk! Get off your high horse, ya big coward!
[He tossed a throwing axe at the windsurfer, but Cardinal swerved aside to avoid it.]
Cardinal: Time’s up, Dell.
[Cardinal used QUICK BOOMERANG!]
[A stream of the projectiles littered the sands in a straight line before finding score on the infected fighter. He gave a glitched screech of pain, becoming frenzied.]
>WARNING! WEAPON ENERGY LOW: QUICK BOOMERANG
Cardinal: (Ugh, great—)
[He quickly set the hardware that held additional capsules to switch out that particular Power Capsule for the one containing the Ring Boomerang.]
[WHUNK!]
[This time, the windsurfer was hit. Cardinal gave off an annoyed buzzing sound, impatient for the capsule to load into place.]
Cardinal: Send my regards to dreamland!
[Cardinal used RING BOOMERANG!]
[A direct hit, right to the collarbone! Cardinal grimaced at the damage, infected Xel beginning to seep out of the wounds.
He didn’t get long to dwell on the carnage, though.]
WWWHHHKT!
[He abruptly fell over backwards off of the windsurfer as a rope of sorts suddenly ensnared him by the neck. As he hit the sands, he was dismayed to see Cassidy back on his feet, hellbent on destruction despite his heavy injuries. He was flared up with the infected aura, and gave a hard yank on the noose.]
Cardinal: HNNN—!
[The crushing bind caused fraying in his audio cables, deafening him entirely. It was also crushing parts of his coolant system and mobility rig, causing oil and other fluids to build up at his jaw hinges and leak out the sides of his mouth.
Heat was also starting to build up in his skull, and he felt disoriented by the system-wide warnings that he was approaching dangerous temperatures. If he teleported while running this hot, he would definitely overheat and start taking damage to his mobility rig and processors.]
[YANK!]
[Cardinal dropped his shield, grabbing at the rope as he used some surge to repair the audio cables.
It was lucky he did, or he might not have heard the two other fighters bearing down on him.]
Cardinal: !!!
[Cardinal used SKULL BARRIER! Cardinal used SUPER ARM!]
[He flared up with ghostly flames and pulled on the rope with all his might, pulling it right out of the rancher’s hands. The knot of the noose was sliced clean through as Laura’s scythe came down right on his throat. There was a shrieking noise as the blade clashed against the barrier protecting him from getting beheaded.
It also served to bounce off the broken pitchfork that had been slammed into his left foot in an attempt to pin him in place.]
Cardinal: This ends NOW!
[Cardinal used THUNDER BEAM!]
[Shrieks of pain as an extremely powerful bolt of lightning shot out in three directions. Laura was caught directly in the crossfire of the tri-directional beam.]
Cardinal: Shoulda brought candles, Laura!
[Cardinal used SPARK SHOCK!]
[He immediately followed up with another electrical attack, broadcasting his quips over the blast of electricity.]
Cardinal: It’s LIGHTS OUT for you!
[Cardinal used SUPER ARM!]
[He grabbed the fallen leader and slammed her into Jones, who was still trying to skewer him with what was left of his pitchfork. The two were sent flying into a wall.]
[Cardinal used NEEDLE CANNON!]
[He quickly turned and fired at Cassidy, impaling him dead-on with an enormous needle. The rancher staggered back and fell to the ground.]
Cardinal: So STAY DOWN!
[Cardinal used HYPER BOMB!]
[He hurled the massive explosive right at the two of them, as well as one at the fallen wind ‘bot.]
<DLN-000>: >EVERYONE TAKE COVER!
[He grabbed his shield and braced himself.]
[The explosion was a deafening roar of fire, and there was a great crashing noise as parts of the stadium seating were sent flying. Even with his shield taking the brunt of the blasts, he was still slammed into the wall.]
>WARNING! INTERNAL TEMPERATURE HAS EXCEEDED SAFE LEVELS!
[It was only when the debris finally stopped falling that he finally dared to look out from behind his shield, gasping for air.
There was no sign of his opponents, nor of their weapons. Sand had been kicked up everywhere, covering up the cores that had been scattered throughout the field. Not surprising, considering he’d used explosives that were designed for flattening buildings. Rather excessive.
No kill like overkill.]
Cardinal: (No… where IS everybody…)
>WARNING! INTERNAL TEMPERATURE HAS EXCEEDED SAFE LEVELS!
[Cardinal fumbled for an E-tank. It was a precious resource to use, but he had to do his best to heal all the damage done before anyone tried to give him medical attention.
The high dose of concentrated surge was like a refreshing plunge into warm water—he felt revitalized, and no longer as thirsty. All the beating he’d taken melted away, leaving him whole…]
>WARNING! INTERNAL TEMPERATURE HAS EXCEEDED SAFE LEVELS!
[…if on the edge of blacking out.]
Cardinal: -Staggers to his feet, venting heavily- (Need to at least make it into the shade…)
[He only made it to the entrance before the heat became too much.]
>INITIATING PROTOCOLS…
>POWERING DOWN…
[He didn’t even have time to respond to the incoming radio messages before dropping down to the sand.]
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 2B: BEYOND THE WATERY VORTEX=
~AO v2.0~
((Courtesy of @codedhopes))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.}
Jack: . . . . .
Jack: oh man I am so cold--
[He made it.]
[Somehow, he made it.]
[In the COLD, pouring rain, he made it.]
Jack: frag frag frag frag--
[It was coming down in SHEETS, and the city was in utter turmoil. There were nearly no humans in sight in the street he was in, and the robots that were left were free to follow their new directive: destroy. ]
[Fortunately, Jack stuck to the back allies to avoid being seen by them, quickly making his way towards a familiar landmark--]
[The Space Needle.]
Jack: (OK, you're back now, you're in the States....)
Jack: ....
Jack: (NOW what?)
Jack: (Can't find Kate if I can't find her brothers....)
Jack: (Can't exactly CALL her cuz of Six...)
Jack: (Bird guy is who KNOWS where....I'm on my own here.)
Jack: ......
Jack: (Well--I can't just keep moving around without SOME idea of where I should go--)
Jack: (Space Needle's a landmark--people know it, so someone's GOTTA be there--maybe someone that can help or something...)
Jack: (Gonna take a while to get there by FOOT...)
[Jack takes a moment to scan the streets, eyeing the many abandoned cars left there when the virus first struck.]
Jack: (...Hate to take someone else's car, but if I'm lucky--)
"HEY--!"
Jack: --!!
[Jack turns around at the voice--it seemed to come from behind--no wait--]
"GGHHAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH--!!!"
Jack: oh SH--
[Jack sprung out of the alley and into the street as a large, LARGE fireball NEARLY burns him alive from above-- it shatters the pavement were he once stood before, leaving only a scorched, black hole in the ground. ]
Jack: WHAT THE HELL IS--
[WHAM!]
[Jack felt a foot connect with his abdomen, and he was kicked back into a totaled car, creating a sizeable dent...]
Jack: NGH--!!
Jack: Awwwwshitthatsmarts--
[...Giggling.]
Jack: ...???
"Why, ALOHA, little man!~"
Jack: --?!
Jack: Wait a--
Jack: You--You're Plume...!
[Jack had HEARD of this one--Plume was Hawaii's very own Arena bot fire dancer, part of the small but efficient combat team, Island Koas. They weren't among the high ranking teams--so Jack had never FACED her--but her solo fighting career was impressive enough.]
Plume: Hehehe...Awww, did I scorch you? I WAS aiming a little TOO low, wasn't I?~
Jack: UM--
Plume: {You seem like a good dance partner.~}
Jack: .....
Jack: Uh--M-Miss Plume--I--I don't have Hawaiian in my languages--
Plume: Really? That's too bad--
[Fireballs start to form on both of her hands--and one on her head--despite the pouring rain, it didn't seem like it was affecting her in any negative way.]
Plume: Maybe I can take you back to my island and TEACH you a few tricks?
Jack: Uh--Well--uh...
Jack: --....
Jack: Wait...
Jack: How in the WORLD did you get here to the mainland?
Plume: Mm? Oh...
Plume: I had a little HELP.~
Plume: He's having some fun with the Navy!
-*-*-*-*-
[MEANWHILE, OFF THE WEST COAST...]
"HE'S MOVING TOO FAST--"
"WASN'T HE ON STARBOARD SIDE?!"
"SIR, I CAN'T GET A LOCK ON--"
"LOOK OUT!"
Merlion: -R O A R I N G-
-*-*-*-*-
[BACK IN SEATTLE...]
Jack: ....The Navy--...
Plume: He was visiting my island when I asked him for a ride. I didn't want to miss the big Luau here on the mainland, you know? ~
Jack: ....Miss Plume--
Plume: But enough talk! ~
Plume: I want to see if you can LAST longer than the OTHERS. Finding the PERFECT dance partner is SO hard these days--
Jack: Miss Plume I REALLY don't wanna hurt you--
Plume: I wonder, little man--
[FWING!]
Jack: oH CRAP--
[Plume swayed to one side gracefully, and a wave of fire flew from the flames that burned from her wrists--forcing Jack to duck under it.]
Plume: Can you take the heat?
[ E N C O U N T E R ]
[IKN.1 - CODENAME: 'PLUME']
[STRENGTH: 20 DEFENSE: 20 S.ATTACK: 40 INTELLIGENCE: 30]
[Plume's central abilities--Fire and Dance--blended very well together in terms of her native culture. And it showed on the Battlefield: Plume's a graceful fighter, using her dances to both avoid enemy fire and deal some damage herself.]
[Wave after WAVE of fire pierced through the streets, slashing at cars and scorching the asphalt. Jack had no choice but to keep backing off, avoiding her and the resulting explosions from her destructive onslaught.]
Plume: Where are you going? We haven't even STARTED!
Jack: MA'AM, I REALLY, REALLY THINK--
[FWING!]
[A fireball nailed him right in the shoulder--not a large one, but enough to really BURN--]
Jack: Aaah--!
Jack: (OhGodshe'sreallytryingtokillme--)
Jack: (SHE'SGONNA--)
Plume: {Ooooh, little maaaaaan!~}
Jack: . . . .
[Jack doesn't stick around. He BOLTS for it.]
[....]
[Or. Tries to, at least. ]
[The street he's on happens to be a dead end. ]
Jack: WHA--
Plume: Theeeere you aaaaare.~
[Swaying from side to side like a puppet on strings, Plume lightly approaches Jack with blue fire trailing behind her--her eyes a deep, deep red.]
Plume: Why do they ALWAYS run away?
Plume: .......
[The fire around her dims just for a moment.]
Jack: ...?
Plume: They NEVER stay. Not for long...
Plume: No one does...
Plume: You VISIT Hawaii. You don't stay.
Plume: No one EVER stays...
Jack: ......Miss...Plume...?
Plume: ......
[Plume's expression changes.]
[It changes to one of anger. ]
Plume: Why don't they STAY?!
Jack: --Erk--!
[She steps ever closer, fire and rain mixing together, steam rising to the darkening sky as Jack feels his back touch brick.]
(( Pic—Jack cornered))
Jack: --!! (Nonononono--)
Plume: My home is... paradise on Earth...
Plume: Who wouldn't want that? ~
Jack: (Oh God I don't wanna hurt her--it's not her fault she's like this--!)
Jack: (Wires and Hacking--what GOOD would those do?! UGH, I CAN'T DIE HERE--!!)
Jack: (Come on, Jack, THINK...)
Jack: (All your stupid wires can do is just grab things and there's no WAY I'm getting that close to Plume--)
Jack: (--!!!)
Jack: (WAAAAAIT A SEC--)
[Jack frantically looks around for something--ANYTHING--that looked sturdy enough support his weight.]
Jack: ---!
[There! Above him--a set of broken, steel stairs that lead to the roof of this building--an apartment complex. The bottom was blown off, so there was no way to climb it from the ground--]
[But if he aimed right--]
Plume: YOU MEN NEVER STAY W I T H ME!
[ZIIIIIP!]
[FOOOOM--]
Jack: SORRY MISS PLUME--
[Jack shot his wires up to the broken stairs--and retracted them, lifting himself up and away from Plume's furious fire!]
Plume: ?!?
Jack: BUT I GOT ANOTHER DANCE TO GET TO--
Jack: AND I'M PRETTY SURE SHE'D KILL ME IF I WAS LATE!
Plume: -SCREEEEEECH-
Plume: COME BACK HERE!
Jack: NOPE--
Jack: GOTTA RUN, BYE--
[Fireballs are chucked at his retreating form as he runs up the rest of the stairs, demonic screams of rage filling his ears. When she saw that she couldn't quite get to him from here, she decides to double back--for now.]
Plume: {I'LL MAKE YOU STAY WITH ME, LITTLE MAN--S T A Y!!}
Jack: ........
Jack: Oh God--
[Finally seeing that he was safe for the moment--he collapses in a heap, catching his breath. The first stars start to twinkle in the sky.]
Jack: (OK--....can't stay, you're not safe, she'll come back through the other street on the other side--gotta keep moving...)
Jack: (Tired...so tired, can't rest--....ugh crap my shoulder hurts...)
Jack: (Don't have wheels...can't steal a car...)
Jack: .......
[......]
[Jack's hand rests on his face as he thinks, momentarily staring at the small panel on his wrist that his his wires.
...He never thought they'd be useful for anything but tripping things and yanking or holding people in place...]
[......]
"DENCER! LET ME GO!"
"I--"
"PLEASE!"
Jack: .......
Jack: ....Mmmng.
[He's kinda always thought his Wires were just....an annoyance.]
Jack: .......
[But maybe they weren't? They DID just save him from being Hawaiian barbecue...]
[Maybe he could do something....MORE with them?]
“…You are a stronger man than you give yourself credit for, Jack.”
Jack: ........
Jack: (What ELSE...what else...)
Jack: ....
Jack: (Well--right now I need a fast way to the Needle--but no wheels. All I got are these things...)
Jack: .......
[ONE MINUTE LATER...]
Jack: Godalmighty this is the stupidest thing--
[Jack was standing right on the edge of the same roof--goggles on, sleeves rolled up, looking down to the street below. The building was about 10 stories high...]
Jack: .........
[A fall from this height...it wouldn't KILL him, but it would certainly do some major damage.]
Jack: .....
Jack: I do NOT get paid enough for this...
Jack: OK--just...aim for that other building across the street--and swing--like--like Tarzan or something like that--
Jack: OK on three....
Jack: One....two....
Jack: ......
Jack: Two and a half...
Jack: .......
Jack: .....
Jack: . . .
Jack: [FRAG] IT I CAN'T DO IT--
Jack: (I CAN'T JUMP OFF A DAMN BUILDING IT'S SUICIDE WHAT AM I THINKING--)
"{OH LITTLE MAAAAAAAN!~}"
Jack: . . . .
Jack: [Glitchfragit]--!
[He backs up, takes a few deep breaths, and takes off in a running start--]
[FOOOOM!]
[The street below him lights up in FLAMES as he leaps from the roof--]
Plume: --!!!
[ZIIIIIP!]
Jack: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH--
[His wires latch onto the taller building on the other side...]
[....and he sails...]
[Over the flames, over Plume, in a perfect arch that ended just on the building on the corner--]
[Jack didn't have enough height to reach the roof of that one--but it was enough to catch onto a windowsill, scrambling up to find perchance--]
Jack: --!!!
Jack: ......
Jack: HOLY SHIT I'M ALIVE--
[Even Plume had to take a moment to process what just happened--the little man wasn't a flying model...]
Jack: I FREAKIN' DID IT--
Jack: FRAG, THAT WAS AWESOME--YO, MISS PLUME DID YOU SEE WHAT--
[FOOOOSH!]
"RAAAAAAAAAAGH!!"
Jack: ....Ohright--
[Sheeeee was still angry.]
Plume: {WHO TOLD YOU YOU COULD FLY AWAY, LITTLE MAN?!}
Jack: AAAAAND I'M OUTTA HERE--
[ZIIIIP!]
[The repeated sounds of ziplining wires and screams of bloody rage echo throughout the rainy city, drawing ever closer to the Space Needle...]
Jack: Gotta get high enough to reach the top--!
Plume: -DEMONIC SCREAMING-
Jack: (THAT DOES NOT SOUND GOOD AT A L L--)
[Jack has never been this high UP before--]
Jack: Almost there almost there--
[And all this wind and rain was NOT making things any easier--he REALLY needs to thank the ice kid for the goggles--]
Plume: {LITTLE MAAAAAAAN!}
Jack: FOR PETE'S SAKE I'M NOT LITTLE--
[WOW that Needle was WAY up high--]
[C R A C K!!!]
Jack: GGNH!!
[The intense electricity messes with his systems, alright, due to being close to it to begin with--]
Plume: NAAH--!
[But that went true for his pursuer too.]
Jack: (No good--gotta get inside--gotta break through a window--!)
[To do that, he needed enough speed--so he proceeded to swing another lap around the Needle, fireballs pelting from below, rain pounding in his face and thunder clapping above his head--]
Jack: AAAAAAAAAAAAH--!!!
[With one final scream, Jack swung--one final time, lighting flashed, for a moment he couldn't see a thing--]
[C R A C K!]
[Static. Glass breaking.]
[Screams.]
"OH GOD THEY GOT IN--"
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE--"
[More static...]
"ELI, WHAT DO WE DO--?!"
"GET ME THE GUN--"
"HE FLEW IN THROUGH THE WINDOW-- "
"WHERE IS THE GUN?!?"
[. . . . . .]
[SYSTEMS REBOOTING...]
[.....]
Jack: ........
Jack: Nnngh....
[SYSTEM REBOOT COMPLETE.]
Jack: Nh...?
Jack: Uuugh, my head....
Jack: Owwwww...
[. . . . .]
[CLICK.]
Jack: ....?
[With some effort, Jack turns his head towards the strange sound--]
[Only to find a revolver being pointed at his face.]
"Alright, ya crazy freeloading flyin' freak--"
[A middle aged human man looks down at the CDN, cold muddy eyes beating down on him in an unforgiving manner.]
"You got 5 seconds to start talking or your Xel's gonna stain this floor tonight."
Jack: ...........
Jack: . . . . . .
Jack: PLEASE DON'T THROW ME OUT THERE, THERE'S A CRAZY HAWAIIAN BOT THAT WANTS TO FRY ME UP--
???: We know.
Jack: --??
???: Why do you think we're STUCK up here?
Jack: . . . .
???: . . . .
???: I'm gonna be straight with you. You're a Xelbot. And all of them's gone outta their minds for some reason or another-- something about a virus.
Jack: .......
???: My family is up here too.
???: You see where I'm coming from?
Jack: .....Y...Yes sir....
???: Good.
???: Now--so far--you don't seem like Miss Plume down there.
Jack: I-I--She...
Jack: She's not OK, it's not her fault--
???: No, but right now that don't matter. Point is, as long as she's down there raising hell...we can't escape.
Jack: .......
Jack: ......
Jack: Sir--please, just--listen to me--I get it, you're afraid, and trying to protect people, but I can't stay here--
???: Why?
Jack: I'm LOOKING for someone and I REALLY don't think she'd like it if I wound up DEAD so PLEASE--please believe me--!
[THUMP.]
???: Whatthehell--
[THUMP.]
Jack: (THE WHOLE BUILDING IS SHAKING--)
[T H U M P.]
"ELI!!!"
[As the human--Eli--snapped his attention to the screaming woman that ran around the curve of the observation deck, Jack quickly took the chance to collect himself from the floor and back off a safe distance--]
Eli: Gwen--stay back, what is going--
[The woman named Gwen was hysteric, and grabbed hold of Eli's arm with her free hand...]
[...For the other was busy carrying some... precious cargo.]
"Waaaah!"
Jack: ....
Jack: oh my God is that a baby.
Eli: YOU STAY BACK--
Jack: DUDE I WAS ONLY ASKING--
[T H U M P.]
[A deep, LOUD, primal ROAR cut through the atmosphere, and the building shook once again, swaying, the sounds of metal groaning all around them--]
"WAAAAAAAH!"
Gwen: Shh, shh, it's OK, Lily--!
Eli: Gwen--Stay back with the rest of--
[T H U M P.]
"OH MY GOD WE'RE ALL D E A D--"
[The screams of terrified humans--plus one infant child--resounded once more as the building swayed again.]
Jack: (What the HELL--Plume can't be doing this--she's not--)
[The changing angle of the ground made the CDN lose balance--sliding over to another window, and making the rest of the trapped tourists follow suit. They grabbed onto whatever was bolted down and held on for dear, dear life...]
Jack: Aaarg--...
Jack: --!!!
[When Jack's gyroscopic systems recalibrated, his eyes caught sight of the cause of the sudden tremors through the window beneath...]
Jack: ....Oh no...
Jack: Landcrusher...
Jack: Of ALL THE BOTS IN THE WORLD--
[Landcrusher--the latest member of Germany's combat team--had also been visiting America from overseas when the Virus struck, turning him from a once kind, caring soul into a rampaging beast, intent on toppling the Space Needle--just for the sole purpose of it's fall.]
Landcrusher: {RAAAAAAAGH!!!}
[T H U M P--!]
[His HUGE arms and hands were tearing away at the Needle's base, causing it's structure to bend this way and that--any further, and the landmark would crumble.]
Jack: (He's gonna bring this whole place DOWN--with all these people in it--!)
Jack: (Damn it, I can't take that guy on--he'll WRECK me, and--)
Eli: Goddamnit where's the gun--
Jack: (THIS guy's on the verge of putting one in me--)
Jack: (FRAG--this CAN'T get any worse--!)
{"YOU BIG LUG--"}
[C L A N K!]
Jack: oh sweet lord--PLUME?!
[The fiery Hawaiian had returned--and it was clear that she was NOT in a very happy mood with what she saw.]
Plume: {STAY--}
[A fireball was launched--]
[C L A N K!]
Landcrusher: --ARGN--!!
[--right at Landcrusher's face--!]
Jack: ?!
Plume: {--AWAY FROM MY DANCE PARTNER!!}
[Landcrusher's response was another berserker roar--he SWUNG his massive frame one final time at the Needle before turning his attention to the IKN--]
[Who, with a war cry, launched herself at the larger Xelbot with no fear whatsoever.]
Jack: What....
Eli: That...that's not right...
[Needless to say, the trapped humans were completely horrified at what they saw.]
Jack: (Jeezus, they look ready to TEAR into each other--...)
Jack: ... .....
Jack: (I can't stay here.)
[A glance at the small family. The trapped tourists.]
Jack: (Neither can they--and who knows how long those two are gonna go at it...)
Jack: .......
Jack: Hey.
Eli: --!
Jack: CDN.7037. Call me Jack.
Eli: --You're a Cherry?
Jack: YES I'm a Cherry but that's not the point--
Jack: None of us are gonna make it if we stick around here.
Jack: So does ANYONE have any ideas to get outta here?
Jack: Plume and Crusher aren't gonna fight forever--now's a better chance than any.
Eli: God, I don't know--
"I'M NOT GOING DOWN THE STAIRS, THEY'RE BROKEN--"
"Elevator's out too."
"CAN'T CALL FOR HELP--"
Jack: (.....There really IS no way down from here...)
Jack: (...Not through normal means, anyway...)
[The entire building was now leaning to one side, like some ripoff of the Tower of Pisa--but it did allow it be closer to some of the smaller buildings--Jack could easily swing across...]
Jack: (...There are, what, like more than 30 people here?)
Jack: (Swinging across back and forth would take WAY too long...)
Jack: (There's GOTTA be another way to get these people off...)
Eli: ....Hey--you...you swung up here, didn't you?
Jack: Yeah, I did--
Eli: Can't you--lower us down somehow?
Jack: . . .
Jack: (Lower...)
Jack: --!!
Jack: Eli--I need a wheel--and something long and flat, like a table or something.
Eli: --! You got a plan?
Jack: Yeah...half of one, at least. (I just hope it’s enough!)
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