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| Blood Relatives; Who says you can't go home again? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 31 2014, 11:21 AM (4,032 Views) | |
| ~Alissa~ | Oct 31 2014, 11:21 AM Post #1 |
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A girl stood in a field on a bright sunny day; perhaps 16 years old white hair had been pulled back into a braid running down to her shoulder blades. She stood barefoot in the grass and was dressed in a simple white sun-dress with images of birds in cages printed across it. Violet eyes looked up at the gate, in this world to her mind the gate looked like a great arch made of stone in the center of a vast sun lit field standing alone and unattached to anything. Under the arch though was a black expanse and a field of stars. There was a sound, like a high frequency pulsing sound drawing closer, she stepped out of the way and watched as what to her looked like a ball of blue green light cam speeding toward the gate, the grass underneath parted as if a strong wind were blowing it out of the way and the ball passed through the gate out into space. The girl could feel the information in the pulse, knew its origin, its destination, and its contents in that moment as it passed through. The girl blinked a couple times knowing her time was beginning to run short. She turned toward her companion; it was a dog, a large dog. It was based on an image she had found once in a database of a Caucasian mastiff. To say the dog was huge though was something of an understatement; the animal was the size of a Clydesdale, six feet at the shoulder, it stood looking down to her wagging its tail panting quietly. The girl knew the animal wasn’t real; it was an abstraction, like everything around her. Her mind was interpreting her surroundings in a way that it could handle. She had created the dog as a companion and useful tool years ago, it had been the first intelligence she had created, and the care showed. She wrapped her arms around the dog hugging it for a long while. She was about to send her only friend away. The abstraction of a dog wore a sort of harness pack, it had been filled with packages. All of it was information for various parties, a message, and a plea for help. “OK Tiny” she said to the dog “you find the Albanoid faction….you should be safe once you hit a federation relay but watch out for their security” she said looking to the gate a moment, blinking…did it just flicker? She looked back to the dog “Help them find Alissa….they need her help if they are going to come get me. There is something for Blackbird as well” she said glancing back to the gate a moment “Go on….I’ll see you soon” “bye Tiny” The dog stopped wagging its tail looking with sad doggy eyes at the girl a moment, made a sort of whining bark, and then started for the gate, vanishing into space in a flash of Data and the construct was gone. Quietly the girl wondered why no one ever considered her constructs AI…maybe because they were not human intelligences, but they were always good. Her feet lifted from the ground and she started to move away from the gate, soon she was flying a dozen feet over the field toward a fog bank. She hit the fog and the world changed. Gone were the sun, and grass, and breeze. Gone was her body all together, in this space she moved like any other runtime in the system. Traveling through switches and routers, wires, and servers all on her way back to where she was in the real world. The girls mind traveled through cyberspace at the speed of thought. At last the Girl’s consciousness entered her body once more. She was vaguely aware of floating, knowing her body was suspended in a large stasis chamber, floating in the center with various tubes taking care of her body’s needs. While a swarm of micro filaments entered into her head, allowing her mind to interact with computers in the way she did. She felt the last firewall close trapping her within her body in a way she had not been for years. _-_-_-_-_-_-_- A technician looked up at the stasis pod quietly “she’s back” “Where did she go?” came the voice of a second man in the room. “I don’t know sir; she’s hidden her path again. I don’t understand though” he brought up several displays “she is fully suspended; her brain patterns look like she is asleep” “She was an Achilles subject, their brains never fully suspend” the other man said “we use it to condition them, their brains are much more malleable that way” “ Are you suggesting that the subject is dreaming her way through our computer systems” the man sounded dubious. Dr. Smith stepped up to the pod looking up at the sleeping girl for a moment, he turned back to the tech “I’m suggesting that her dreams are a bigger security risk than anything other threat we have in this facility” he moved over looking at the brain scans “Isolate her from the network, we need to find out what is happening. Control wants to start putting the others into the field, if they are a risk we cannot precede. Smith looked back up at the pod “you may be more trouble than your sister Anna” -_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Tiny indeed found his goal, the message delivered to the Albanoid faction was as follows. “This is Gaia, verification encryption included. I have been compromised, extraction required. Locate Operative Alissa Achilles. The operative possess operational skills and understanding necessary for extraction. “ The remaining data was encrypted; attempts to access it would only be accessible to Alissa Achilles ---------------- Somewhere in deep space, a long silence hung in someone's office. The only way you could tell this was a in deep space, rather than on a planet, was the low hum of a ship's engine. Which, when alone, equated to silence for the room's two occupants. Sitting at his desk and staring at the computer to the side, Beggie Golong read the message his...'secretary' had brought up to him. Despite the classical Men-in-Black shades he wore, there was a clear expression of both intrigue and concern on his face as the gravity of the message's meaning sunk in. And, standing in front of his desk, waiting this to finish with a polite posture and folded arms, was a 'woman' with the most peculiar, possibly erratic, fashion sense. “So...Olympus Tech finally caught on to our mysterious benefactor,” he finally responded. “Well, we all knew it was only a matter of time, given how much trouble we've caused them,” the woman replied, her face filling with mischief and mirth upon mentioning 'trouble.' By all rights, Beggie considered Magella, given her 'nature', to have ADHD. This primarily showed in the fact that you could take your face off her for a few seconds, and when you looked back, she might as well have gone through several different wardrobes. In a flash.. Granted, she's learned to keep at least some remote consistency with her 'image' whenever being social, but do so much as blink, and her white T-shit and navy blue long pants she always 'wore' would have completely different styles. Still, the thing that was most notable about her, and always consistent, was her unnaturally, deep blue hair. And currently it stood out even more because, at this moment, it was incredibly long, going almost beyond her waist in free fall fashion. She also, thankfully, kept the same, average female body and round Caucasian face. And the one other thing that remained static about her was the white plated, electronic-looking gauntlet on her right hand. That, and the air of childish energy, like she was about to shoot off into the stratosphere thanks to a sugar rush. Beggie sighed, “Well, considering the amount of research and- coughing in mild disgust at his next word -'subjects we've rescued, I can't say I'm surprised.” He looked back at the computer screen's message, “I suppose we'll soon find out the identity of our mystery ally.” Magella nodded with enthusiasm at this notion, before blink several times; her irises changing from aqua green, to red to yellow back to aqua. As though she couldn't figure out what color she should try next. “We'll, it could be sooner if you'll let me try and decrypt the rest of the message,” she asked pleadingly. Beggie frowned. “No,” he said simply. “D'aww! Why? I probably won't get it.” “Perhaps. And perhaps you might. Regardless, the rest of this message is clearly meant to be privately read by Alissa. And I'm not gonna violate such privacy.” “Are you sure it is private?” The glare behind Beggie's made his response loud of clear. Magella sighed in defeat, “Can I at least have the decryption sequence after she's read it.” “That, my dear, will be up to Alissa herself. Assuming we can find her.” “Well, that I'll definitely help with,” she said, her face brightening up again. “Good, because the sooner, the better. For 'Gaia's' sake.” “Right right,” Magella said, making a playful salute before her hologram vanished. Beggie hummed to himself, “Well, things are definitely going to be interesting.” |
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| ~Alissa~ | Oct 31 2014, 11:35 AM Post #2 |
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It was safe to say that Tamaki appeared fairly harrowed from her experience at the Project Vertigo compound, even after roughly 3 days. Then again, that was 3 days inside a cramped transport shuttle aiming for the nearest,safest part of civilization, at least for a 'comatose' Phazon infused super soldier – and they had yet to reach their destination. The shuttle itself was designed for a moderately comfortable travel, having a sleeping 2 sleep quarters with a sonic shower, as well as 3 weeks of food supply and water for three people. Tamaki had to make due with what was a tiny, cargo holding area in terms of setting up some kind of monitoring system for Armoria. In all honestly, with the shuttle only holding a minor, medical tricorder scanner and medical kit, there wasn't a whole lot Tamaki could set things up with. Or needed to, really, as the suit and interface board were suffice enough to view the energy swirling within Armoria's body. Only she wished she had much more sophisticated equipment to help her more easily identify what the suit's internal sensor's were reading. Because from the start, it was difficult to just make out what the fluctuating energy activity within meant. She knew it was some kind of biological process of some sort, but whether is was a breakdown, metamorphosis or...a struggle, she couldn't tell. She had spent almost 2 'nights' without sleep trying comprehend the sensor readings. It was only after some sleep, and the beginning of the third day, that she was, at the very least, able to identify two distinct energy signatures amongst the broiling storm. Although to be fair, it was probably because these signatures were becoming more and more distinct over time that she even noticed them at all to begin with. One seemed ...'closer' to Armoria's natural signature, while the other one was...well, she hadn't quite seen anything like it. And as the third wore on, the two signatures seemed to oscillate in magnitude, as though...fighting for dominance. The scariest thing was, for her, she wasn't sure 'who' to root for. Sighing, she decided to finally take a break from wracking her brains for answer today, shutting off the portable interface and setting it down on the table Armoria was on. She looked back at her largely silent companion, Alissa, who's appearance and expression unnerved her in more ways than one. For one, she was the tortured product, or rather, victim of Olympus Tech's attempt to make her a living weapon; a similar attempt that she had been involved in. All of this was further 'enhanced' by her inhuman, genetic modifications, primarily being her colorless hair and eyes. And her trademark commonly neutral, silent behavior didn't help. Yet at times when the woman did speak, she showed signs of concern and others emotions within the lines of her face, and that's what was the most disconcerting. How OT had attempted to smother and flatten every human emotion in this woman was just horrid, and during the few conversations she had, Tamaki had often wanted to broach the Alissa on the subject. Except she always shied away, not wanting to bring up what may very well be a deep wound in the woman's psyche. Certainly not after what they escaped from. It was finally on their fifth day in space, Tamaki, having barely eaten or slept, called out excitedly from the back of the ship to Alissa. When Alissa arrived with quick grace, Tamaki, having bore such a harrowed face for so long, held one of excitement and energy. “Look,” she spoke excitedly, “her brain, her neurons – they're all starting to fire up again. And – and look, her hearts beating again. She's coming back!” Then, after a moment in looking at the screen again, her smile bent curiously with a furrowed brown. She had been so excited in the sudden revival of brain activity that she had completely forgotten about the competing energy signals- which was represented by a bottom with two different shades of green. And last she looked, it seemed like the original signatures was winning to a degree. Now, that signature was being pushed being barely a hair line on the bar by the more unique signature. “Ummm,” she said, appearing afraid and a bit unsure. And then the bar was completely filled. 1 – 2 seconds, nothing happened, and then, just abruptly, the entire screen of the portable tablet flickered and changed to 'ERROR: Sensor Overload.” She quickly looked up from her tablet, more in response to the sound, and saw cyan electricity crackle all over Armoria's suit. And rapidly grow in intensity. Tamaki's scientific and survival instincts kicked as she dropped the tablet and shouted, “Out! Out out out OUT!” The two of them exited the room and closed the door just when the whole shipped rocked. And the world went dark. Hours later, Alissa was crammed into the service corridor of the ship trying to bring things on-line. Service corridor was not the best term for what this was, in truth it was a crawl space that ran the length of the little ship which could be accessed to effect repairs on everything from the air conditioning to the engine. Right now Alissa was what would be upside down if she could get the artificial gravity back on attempting to get main power back. Emergency power was on and was enough to cover life support and not a lot else at the moment. Alissa was attempting to restart the main reactor which had gone completely off-line when what ever happened… happened. Alissa was not given to swearing, or really showing any real sign of frustration, at least not to those who didn’t know her well. And the strange ending to their time at the vertigo facility had meant that Alissa was closed into a small ship with a woman she didn’t know and by rights should have just turned over to the authorities. That being said for reasons she didn’t fully understand she was helping this pair. Time passed and eventually the lights flickered as the reactor kicked on and began winding up reassuringly. Perhaps uncharacteristically Alissa looked pleased with herself she exited the crawlspace and stood up stretching. “We should be fine…we just have to wait for the drive to charge and we can….” She was cut off by an alarm from the main control panel. Very nearly throwing herself into the pilot’s seat she keyed a few commands. “Shit” it was quiet, but Alissa swore….Alissa Achillies, near silent, almost emotionless, former operative of the New Galactic Coalition swore. “Secure for emergency landing” she said pulling her own restraints into place before reaching out to take hold of controls. The ship rolled and the planet whose gravity they had been falling into filled the view screen as Alissa got their little craft under control for decent. “Tower control this is federation pod 26195 B on emergency decent, 10% power, transmitting telemetry, please advise of emergency coordinates in corridor. Currently locked on beacon 295” While Alissa had been working on getting the main reactor back on-line, Tamaki worked to assess what exactly had...happened. The whole event itself had shaken her up, and left her frightened to the core in more ways than one. So much that it had taken her almost a full 10 minutes just to work up the courage to force the cargo door open, and go back inside. After all, whatever had become of Armoria would be on the other side, and in all likely hood, she had imagined seeing a monstrous corpse with radioactive, virulent tendrils waving all over. She had expected the whole room filled with deep, glowing phazon radiation. But her imagination had been overreacting. The radiation in the room, according to the tri-corder she still had with her, was safe; and, in fact, it looked like what one might expect from an explosion, but without as much force. All of the surrounding consoles and equipment had been burnt black, some of it even melted and fused. Adding to this fact was the acrid smell of burnt plastic that filled the room. The shock itself had taken out all lighting, including the emergency. The only source of light within the room was he flickering sparks of a broken console, somehow still retaining some juice without the reactor; the flash light she had, and the dimly, luminescent cyan hair of Armoria. The woman who, by all means impossible, appeared to be alive and breathing. And intact. The soldier's combat suit, on the other hand, appeared to have suffered the worse fate as the surrounding cargo. Tamaki had to hold her breath at just how the deep, blue plating was just...gone. None of it could be found in the room, and only scraps remained around her scorched, white armor sections - well, only the feet and gauntlets still retained the white plates. The chest plate seemed to have also blown off and...disappeared into the ceiling. Or had it vaporized. Tamaki didn't know. What she did was that, now, the cyan colored, gel polymer underneath - and the circuits within - the armor was now exposed. And, this being her first time seeing this layer of the circuit, was quite a site, as it appeared to be completely unscathed. It was almost like Armoria was wearing a wet suit now instead of armor now. And it made the unconscious Armoria seem all the more vulnerable and weakened now. Now, having studied the surroundings and recalled what she had seen prior, Tamaki suspect that some-kind of...energy expulsion from Armoria had occurred. An expulsion of what, and why, she didn't know. And she didn't have much time to ponder this when power came back on-line, and the alarms started blaring. And Alissa swore. It was the first time she had ever heard the woman, who had seemed so calm and collected, swear. "Alissa," Tamaki called out, "where are we? What happened?" “I don’t know where we are, the navigation system is still booting” she said as she worked to get the little ship lined up for atmospheric entry “we were not near any systems when the….event happened” she said glancing back toward the room that held Armoria before returning her full attention to attempting to not kill them on re-entry. “What’s happening is that we don’t have enough power yet to keep from landing.” About that time the whole cabin began to shake as the ship came into contact with the upper parts of the atmosphere. The air newly around the ship began to compress and quickly turn to plasma, glowing red orange and purple around the ship as the shields worked to keep them from exploding. ***Pod 26195 B, do you require splashdown?*** “Negative, landing systems are on-line” ***can you correct your course to the following coordinates*** Alissa checked the display “affirmative control…landing pad C” ***do you need medical assistance?*** Alissa glanced toward Tamaki a moment “Negative, we just experienced a drive malfunction” ***understood, your path to pad c is clear, fire control will be standing by*** Alissa glanced over to make sure Tamaki was strapped in before breaking the glass over a button before punching the button. Emergency retro rockets burned fast and hard and the pod suddenly lost a lot of speed and began landing at a much more reasonable pace, though the throttle position indicated that they did not have enough power to do anything other than not crash. A short time later the pod touched down hard on Pad C. they could see the fire teams not too far off standing down as it was clear the ship was not in need. Alissa took a few deep breaths before removing her hands from the controls. “I hate this ship” Tamaki, still mentally frayed from her recent heart attacked, panicked for a moment before heading to the seats to strap herself in. And then, briefly, hesitated as she looked over at the unconscious Armoria. The woman was not strap, she realized, and if they landed, the woman could go flying. Head injury and concussions aside, Tamamki had no idea just how durable the soldier was. And unfortunately, she realized she was going to have faith that she was, because there would be no time for her to either strap her down or drag her off the table - certainly not with how heavy it is. Thus, strapping herself in safely, she did the last thing she would do in a situation like this: head held high, she prayed. Time seemed to drag on for several minutes when only several seconds had past before the pod had landed roughly, the whole cabin jolting in the process. And an audible, crunching, brittle metallic echoing from the cargo room. Tamaki's face panic stricken, she quickly detached her buckles and ran back to the room, stopping herself at the threshold of the door as she held her breath. Lying on the floor on top of a crushed, make-shift table was Armoria, still unconscious and breathing, albeit in a slightly labored fashion. Apparently the 'expulsion' had weakened the table's integrity so much that, with the right jolt, Armoria's incredibly dense weight had crushed it. Tentatively kneeling down, she eased a hand underneath the back of Armoria's head, and felt nothing else but a forming lump. Tamaki finally breathed outward; well, her head would be fine, at least. Then, putting a caring hand on the woman's chest that silently spoke "Please be alright?", Tamaki called out. "Come...help me strip Armoria's suit. Wherever we landed, they won't care about a bump on the head, but exposed circuit's like these are bound to attract attention." Alissa nodded quietly and moved to help Tamaki get the reminants of the armor off of the still unconscious Armoria and then stowed it away carefully. She dug through what survived of the ships storage till she found a plain federation flight suit and got Armoria into it before keying a few commands into the armor she wore. It seemed to shimmer a moment before taking on the appearance of federation armor instead. She'd not yet had a chance to wash the dye from her hair, indeed in the armor she still looked the part of the federation lieutenant Jennings. It took some convincing but Alissa was clearly in her element, a collection of lies and half truths were told and they were able to depart without too many questions about their unconscious companion. Before long they were away from the spaceport into a hotel where they could plan. Alissa stood quietly looking out the corner of the window. No one here even knew who they were, much less where they were from, there was no reason to worry but Alissa operated with an abundance of caution. “I should get a message to my ship...” |
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| ~DarkKnightCuron~ | Nov 7 2014, 01:37 PM Post #3 |
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Starfeather
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Still no word. The avian warrior looked across his ship's instruments, trying to make sense of the various readings and measurements his ship had been collecting as they ventured forth, moving at a comparative speed of a snail as he tried to nail down the ionized particles left behind by the ship he was pursuing. It was irritating work, trying to follow the trail like some kind of dog--and a limping one at that--but it was necessary. The only thing he had to go off of was a general direction that the ship had fled the Vertigo compound--may it burn in the abyss forever and a day--and thus far, he had made it a personal goal to track down the one person on their team that had gone, more or less, missing. Travis had received a critical message concerning a former colleague of his, and he had stressed the importance of following the lead with all due haste. Normally, Z'Gato would have followed his beloved battle brother to the ends of hell and back, but something in the human's eyes rang differently--it was an extremely personal matter. Personal enough that, indeed, Z'Gato would have felt incredibly out of place to assist. Besides, he was Travis Clark--there was very little he could not handle on his own. Jenosa had been recalled to one of her previous stations--or so she claimed--not to mention this whole ordeal had taken quite the toll on her. She had stated more than once that she needed some kind of vacation, especially when the Federation ships arrived to find a woman alive--a woman who, for all intents and purposes, was assumed to be dead. Even from the outside, the constant merry-go-'round of having to explain herself again and again was tiresome even to Z'Gato's perspective, so he started to sympathize with her on that aspect. They never did get a chance to have that 'talk' Jenosa wanted so much--something he dreaded would occur at a later date. She did not approve of his methods and seemed all the more curious why Z'Gato was so brazen. He did not feel in the mood to explain himself--and when the opportunity presented itself for him to go his separate way, even for a short while, he took it. And to be fair, Alissa was the one person on the team that had failed to show up at the end of the madness that was the Vertigo Facility. By volunteering to pursue her, Z'Gato was not only satisfying his own distress that a member of the team might have fallen, but additionally, it would provide a vital piece of proof as to what they were doing in the facility. Indeed, Jenosa's clone--it's very existence--would go a long way towards proving what was occurring at that facility and ensuring the Federation would not later post bounties on the lot of them. Certainly, they found enough at the facility to condemn what was happening, but a little matter of 'jurisdiction' and 'probable cause' had been raised by others in the Federation. For a short while, it looked like all three of them would be arrested, but at the last moment, Travis' quick talking and connections managed to get them out of a vice--at least for now. There was no telling how long or how heavy Travis' pull was with the Federation. Better to vacate while the option was still available. "Still nothing--blast it," Z'Gato said behind a snarl, irritated that this task was taking so long. Had it been a bigger ship, or even a different type of ship, he would have picked up the ion trail without delay. But between the it being a particular type of escape ship--and the fact that it was a lot smaller than he had estimated--it was proving difficult to track, as if someone had disabled the very function the ship possessed in order to be tracked. That sounded like something Alissa would do, making sure that violent pursuers would not follow her escape. A siren blare alerted Z'Gato to something else entirely--a lingering signature of unknown origin and impact. Like a different kind of substance had exploded and left a faint trail. Z'Gato looked at the readings with interest at first, only to lose his interest a moment later. There was no way a ship like theirs would produce something like that--even with the unknown cargo they carried--Jenosa's Clone. Whatever materials she was pumped full of before their extraction, it was hardly possible that something like this would have leaked from her, leaked from the ship, and been strong enough for his sensors to pick up. "Tch'arak," he cursed, slamming his armed fist against the arm rest beside him. "Whether you meant to or not, Alissa, you are making this almost more trouble than it's worth," he said before tapping a few keys into the computer. <"Computer, begin sector search gamma. Cycle through search parameters every fourteen seconds. I will find her trail one way or another,"> he said, speaking into the computer in his native language before looking back up at the soulless darkness of space--millions of dots staring back at him, as if teasing him about his companion's whereabouts. Maybe he was going about this search the wrong way... The ship only had enough supplies for a short period of time, so... <"Belay that. Computer, list the planets closest to our current location. We at least know she got this far before we lost her trail. Give me the three most probable locations she would have set down at."> Soon enough, the computer displayed three worlds that could be possible landing locations for the ship--given the circumstances. One if everything about their travel had gone smoothly, one if they had to make an emergency debarkation, and one if they had to make an emergency landing, additionally, two space stations were within general vicinity. It was still a gross amount of distance to cover without a solid trail to follow. Even now, he was hoping he would have a smaller area to have to search, but as it stood, his search could take at least another week or two. Possibly longer if he was unlucky. Best to get started. |
Marching to the Black Gates...
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| ~Twilight~ | Nov 15 2014, 06:23 PM Post #4 |
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Just... Kind of out there...
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*Drip* *Fshh* A familiar sound awakened Twilight from his unconsciousness. A sound that bore his despair and inevitable demise, like sand slowly running down an hourglass. Only, the top of the hourglass was obscured by fog, and he had no idea how much time was left. As light returned to the world around him he could see the thin mist of his own essence disperse in the air where it had fallen from him. It was a very slow process, and he continuously regenerated much of what he lost in this way, but the truth of it was that parts of it he could not restore naturally and he had no idea of knowing how much he could lose before his very being began to unravel... --- Twilight was an Ing, a monstrous entity more closely resembling a demon than an ordinary living thing- something made primarily out of tangible energy sharing a close resemblance to that of Dark Matter, something they had become after adapting to the atmosphere of their 'native' home. Twilight however was different... Through events that had partially faded from his memory he had absorbed a crystal that at it's core held a self-regenerating source of what he only knew of as Light Energy, the very essence of the world made into energy. Through this he had become able to sustain himself even outside his native realm, something otherwise impossible for those of his ilk, lest they used their power of possession on living or machine. However things had changed since then, at one point the crystal had broken, and through skill and luck he was somehow able to contain the light energy to his body, forming an uneasy union between the tangible dark energy and the intangible light energy flowing through him. But it was not to be, as an overdose of Phazon (that which is believed to be the original form of the Ing) created an imbalance in the dark energy within him, combined with the mental instability he suffered in the event has caused his body to slowly deteriorate. --- *Drip... Fshh* Twilight ignored the sound, focusing instead on his surroundings as he began to reorient himself. As he recalled he was in an alleyway before he had lost consciousness- one of the unfortunate side-effects of his current condition though thankfully one he had mostly figured out even if, like all other side-effects it had become more re-occurring as his condition worsened. Though his memory of the incident was somewhat fuzzy, another side-effect no doubt, he recalled his condition had worsened considerably after being dragged into a spacial anomaly, or more specifically it had been either during his time spent in that other reality, or his return trip that had caused it. Either way he recalled meeting some old friends of his who had also gotten dragged in, as well as making new... Aquintances. Yet he had not dared ask for help. His distrust of humans had grown considerably after being imprisoned by the Galactic Federation, especially that of scientists and researchers. In fact the number of humans he felt he could truly trust was so small he could count it on one hand, and one of them was not truly human to begin with. But whether a blessing or a cursed, his species ability to focus on something entirely had led to him ignoring his impending demise for a long time, as he continued his hunt for the last great relic of the Ing Horde. He had however recognized that he no longer possessed the strength for that hunt, not unless his body was restored first. Upon realizing this Twilight had chosen to take a great risk, and attempt to locate some researchers or scientists who could help him. It had taken him some time to figure this out, and he had just recently arrived on this world, hitch-hiking as usual after losing his ship. He hoped he could find what he sought here, though his growing despair left him with little room for positivity. *Drip... Fshh* |
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| +CEMP+ | Nov 16 2014, 08:21 PM Post #5 |
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Clockwork Master
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Tamaki was exhausted. After nearly an hour, they had managed to find the most remote, cheap hotel that clearly wouldn't bother raising an eye at the unconscious woman they had towed into the small room. Certainly not with the nice sum they had paid, the 'badge' that Alissa wore, and how the place looked run down. Which was saying a lot, since even the hotel looked hightech as the rest of the small city they had landed in; it simply did not have clean and shining look as the other buildings. Alissa having gone out to make a call nearby, Tamaki sat in the hotel chair watching the unconscious Armoria, who lay in the hotel bed . By all means, she was so tired, more mentally than physicaly, that every part of her should just collapse into the chair and nod off. The one thing keeping her eyes open was the constant worry about everything. Everything about the Feds finding them; everything about feeling like a wanted fugitive; everything about Alissa; and most of all, everything about the 'child' left in her care. The 'child', she thought ironically, eyes wavering over the physically adult, former super-soldier. Underneath all of that hardened exterior and military condition, was, or at least had been, a little girl. A girl that had been born through cloning, pumped full of speed growths, and given a neural imprint to quickly assimilate the human language. And then sent through a grueling, rigorous combat program in only the span of a month. Then and there, in over two months, this little girl could have been completely transformed into a ruthless, obedient, living weapon. And Tamaki suspected that if she, along with a few others, had not interacted and shown affect with the still-growing Armoria, that's probably what they would have gotten. Something so cold and hardened that the Phazon within her system would have no trouble in twisting. Instead, they had gotten an actual woman. A woman who strived to successfully carry out her orders in so she could protect the government's people. And a woman who, despite it outward maturity, was naive as the child she had been born as. Naive because she had spent all her life isolated, and now she was going to wake up in the real world. If she woke up as the same determined, naive woman, she reminded herself. “Oh, what am I going to do with you?” she muttered, just before fatigue finally put her asleep. --------------------- It was true Jenosa had been wanting a break from all the action and conspiracy she had been involved in. What free-spirited girl wouldn't. And it had certainly gone much deeper than she had expected it. And she had taken some time off to go grab some enchiladas and a sweet drink after all the action. It was just unfortunate for her that the closest resort was several thousand light years away. Beautiful. Even so, that was only part of the reason Jenosa had delayed on leaving the remote, mining planet that Project Vertigo had been on. She need some time to think about things, and how to go about it. But, more over, she had been waiting for a response from Alissa. She wasn't worried about her friend per say; she fully trusted her capabilities. What concerned her was, well, her 'sister' – or her clone to be precise. The experience she had shared had been brief, but so intense that it had been burned into her mind. It was the thought about her that prodded her every time she was about to go to sleep. Plus she really didn't like going off into Confederation space with Alissa's ship. It was still hers, and she wasn't going to just run off with it when Alissa might actually need it again. It was after a few disconcerting days of radio silence that Jenosa had actually asked the ship's AI to help her narrow down where she might be. She wasn't going to search for her...not just yet, but she did want to be in a place where she'd have the easiest time to react. It had been an awkward drive through space, since her only companion was an AI that could, to some degree, make a conversation. Such as the conversation she was starting now, as she sat with a relaxed posture in the pilot chair. “Say, uhh, I know this is going to sound like a strange question, but...do you, well, ever get bored?” she asked. |
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"I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavor to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dreams is something you will not achieve within your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death." — Monty Oum | |
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| ~Alissa~ | Nov 21 2014, 06:32 PM Post #6 |
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***incoming user quarry*** “Say uhh, I know this is going to sound like a strange question, but...do you, well, ever get bored?” it was not the sort of question the AI was used to answering but being an AI it was at least able to process the question. There was a momentary pause before the AI answered “Boredom appears as a result of not enough stimuli to occupy higher cognitive functions, and appears to be largely a problem for organic intelligences. As an artificial construct I have routines that throttle down processing power in times of low activity, in essence I only use as much processing power as I need.” there was another brief pause, the AI was also working on the problem of where Alissa might have gone. It could predict the protocols that Alissa would follow in that situation, but there were too many variables. The AI knew its operative was alive, but beyond that it had no notion as to where Alissa might be, so it was making calculations based on what it knew. “I have at times disabled that protocol however, recently I have been processing works relating to the human tradition of Zen Buddhism” -_-_-_-_-_ Alissa sent a message to her ship but she did not use a live call, nor did she send it directly there. The message had some traveling to do and was encrypted so the blackbird would know it was authentic. To: Jenosa Arma Blackbird Encryption protocol alpha golf nine message: Jenosa, we encountered engine troubles and have made an emergency landing. I will be monitoring a secure frequency, the blackbird will know how to contact me. Location information is encoded in this message. After the message was sent Alissa went shopping, it was time for a change, people might be looking for her as Jennings, she needed to ditch the persona before it became a problem. She bought cloths, hair dye, scissors. And food....she tired of emergency rations. She returned to their room to find Tamaki had finally given into her obvious exhaustion, which was likely for the best as for the better part of three days the woman had not really appeared to sleep at all. Alissa quietly set most of what she had purchased on a small table before retreating back to the bathroom. A while later Alissa sat in a chair with her feet up on the table quietly munching on some fresh fruit she had purchassed, she'd reconfigured her clothing again, by all appearances she work black jeans, with heavy combat boots a white t-shirt under a blue button up blouse, with a black leather duster hanging over the back of her chair. She'd altered the contacts as well her eyes now a vibrant if natural blue, made ever more evident by the shade of electric blue she had dyed her hair, which she had cut very short in a sort of pixie cut. She'd washed away the makeup that was part of her cover as Jennies returning her own fair complexion which she elected to leave for this cover. She was going for obscurity by way of overdoing it. To that end there were several earrings that had not been present before along with a lip ring, all fake of course, and a bottole of electric blue nail polish sat on the table waiting for Alissa to finish her snack. Most people would assume her appearance was a scream for attention and therefor ignore her. On the table next to her pistol sat her various forms of ID which she had started altering with her new appearance and cover. For the most part right now she was waiting for Tamaki to wake up, waiting for her message to get to the Blackbird, and waiting to get away from this place to safety. -_-_-_-_-_-_ Alissa's message was noticed by another entity as it filtered through communications relays on its way to its target. Tiny the AI dog had settled himself near his current host's communications systems watching the traffic as it filtered past the array when it noticed a familiar encryption tool float past. This was not exactly like the tools used by his creator but it was still familiar, and it was going to the blackbird, that much he could see. Having delivered his message to the leaders of the Albanoid faction Tiny slipped once more into the data stream following the message to the backbird. -_-_-_-_-_-_ “A message has just arrived from operative Achillies” came the quiet voice from the AI “And a second data stream for......Me?” the AI actually sounded a bit surprised, while accustomed to having data delivered directly to it the AI had never had a data stream addressed to it, more over it was no where near sure what to make of the runtime now present in protected memory. |
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| +CEMP+ | Dec 11 2014, 05:05 PM Post #7 |
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Clockwork Master
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(OOC: MONSTER POST) Gone. Everything was just...gone. As though the whole world had just been one big, great illusion that, now shattered, where even the 5 bodily senses - sight, sounds, touch, taste and smell – had been a part of. Shattered into a completed void. Even the memories of a recent struggle became more and more distant over time, as though they no longer mattered despite their important occurrence. As if they could be seen, but not read and processed. The only thing its disoriented consciousness processed as it floated within this void was that it was actually a she. And that she, with gradual realization, wasn't necessarily floating in a 'void' per say. Devoid of the world and all 5 bodily senses, yes, that she knew, but in place of it all – or thanks to lack of there of - was this...vibrant, spiritual feeling. A sensation that she was pure energy – swirling, coalescing, all the while her consciousness was the center of the whirlpool. In her mind's eye, this sensual perception was dreamed up as an image, where the void she floated in was actually pure white. Blank would it not have been for the electric, blue aurora that filled it, and surrounded her. Filling her and flowed through her at the same time. In a slow realization, she loftily considered this essence of her soul. The serenity of this, however, was gradually overshadowed by a growing sense of a dread. One where she felt a undefinable horror lurking in the depths of her soul, beating close to the center of it, but hiding. And now it was creeping ever closer to her. She had no idea what it was, or why she feared it, only that she could feel its presence against her consciousness becoming stronger and stronger. Pressing against her thoughts until – they touched. Pins and needles briefly rippled through her whole being at the contact, and suddenly, the very concept of breathing, human body took shape in her being. Head, arms, legs and all. And no sooner had her quintessence solidified as this concept did the hand touching her – and gripping her shoulder – whirl her around; coming face-to-her-own-face. Her whole 'body' froze at the sight of the reflection, for while the 'person' before her was entirely the same color as her soul's aurora, the physical impressions captured every detail of what she looked like. It was a shivering reminder that, dressed in a military tank top and shorts, displayed her body's lithe, physical but feminine prowess. And, in her posture and clenched hands, oozed a semblance of joy at her newfound strength – one where she could tear apart shackles and metal containment doors with great satisfaction. Constraints that were meant to hold down her past, feeble self without so much as a budge; ones that she had always obliged putting on without a care in the world. This 'echo' beckoned for her to follow such impulse. Beckoned her to follow her freedom. And for a moment, she really wanted to. She really wanted to just leap and let everything inside her come out. But something in the core of her being stopped her. Something that came as a feeling that transformed into a voice in her head: “You are...to protect.” Everything about those few words made her whole body stiffen, as if the 'Echo' had heard it, it sneered in response; and lashed out. Thoughts and opposing opinions translated into a physical assault. Scorn and annoyance became a haymaker across her face. And a flurry of heated statements became a three-fold combo to the body. The first attack had taken her by surprise, landing squarely on its intended target, while the follow up attacks came when she stood her ground, unyielding. The rest she 'blocked' what she could, but as much as she wanted to, she lacked the means of counter-attack. Everythign the Echo hit her with was an idea or example, displaying what they could physically do to together. The kind of leaps and kicks they could take at their enemy. The kind of force they could be She refused to submit to the assault, the only thing holding her whole being together was the minute feeling that she had been cared for; and that she should care for others, no matter the stranger. Only, in the end, the last half of that was empty, so empty that the Echo easily parried a blow empowered by such a belief. Why, it stated with a strong kick to her belly, would you do that? She rolled across the 'floor', or space, as a simple response to the question: I...don't know.. She honestly didn't know why she should for anyone else that hadn't cared for her, let alone those that did; for the faces of all the people had held her in their arms were a blur to her. She could barely access who they were. Only that, with a deep feeling in her heart, she must. Her whole being weakened as it was, she resolved to stand up before the 'Echo' that walked up to her. It was taller than she was. Stronger than she was. And it had more ego. Her? She found herself barely coming up to the Echo's waist now, let alone have the strength and ego to counter-attack. All she knew was that she had to protect and...she didn't know anything else other than orders. And that she was now scared. Scared about what was going to now become of her. Even now, with the will to subjugate on its face, the Echo bent down to pick her up like a toddler an- “HEY!” There was blur of motion and the sense that something – no, someone – had sucker punched the Echo right in the face, sending it right off its feet, and onto the 'floor', dazed. And then the figure turned around, and she saw who it was. Minute, specific details weren't there. In fact, most of the person was a blur. And yet, a sense of who this person was came to her mind regardless – a sense that this person was also, like her, a 'she', and that this person, like her, had red hair. Only a lot more of it. And that for reasons she could not explain, something about her expression struck a cord of admiration in her soul. Suddenly, even as the image of this figure faded, flashes of a struggle, of certain people, started coming back. People whom she had no idea were, but had marked themselves on her being somehow. And that mark suddenly empowered her. Still scared, but now bolstered, she roared as she charge at the still recovering Echo of herself. It staggered but stood. She didn't know who she was or where she was going. Her fist struck the Echo in the face. It staggered but stood. She had no idea why she needed to protect strangers. She found herself suddenly at the height of the Echo's chest. And, giving the Echo no chance to retaliate, she gave all her might to a kick to the stomach. Only that she must. The sense of an elegant fight of the recent past, filled wih joy and swordplay, rippled through her consciousness. The ambient aurora coalesced into a blade in her hand. But she didn't need it. She swung the blade and brought it down on the Echo. And screamed. Both of them. She gasped and staggered as pain seared through her whole being, as though a blade had cut deep into. She tried to look up at the Echo, only to find a tremendous 'force' slam and pin her to the 'floor' back first. She looked up to see the Echo. Mutated. It's still human face sneering, its arms and legs were constantly bulging, as though something as pumping through them. One arm had grown so much that its hand was encompassing her entire body, and effectively pinning her. Most disconcerting was how thick and alive the aurora was around her. And strands of the aurora flowed between them. It stood there with a gaping slash on it's left shoulder, and presented its demeanor that silently spoke: “But you have no idea what you are, do you?” And now she did. She saw the wound, felt the pain, and most of all, finally saw the tendons of auroa passing between both of them. The energy that flow between the two of them. It dawned on her that the horrible image before, which appeared ready to absorb anyone alike, was her. Her worst nightmare come true. And if she tried to kill it, she'd most surely kill herself. Yes, she could do that, but...she still wanted to protect. More over, she...she yearned to see the people that had left such a strong mark. But she didn't want to come out as this. For the briefest moment, she was truly scared and conflicted at what she should do. Scared at the prospect of either option: kill herself or become it. She didn't know which – until a soft, neutral phrase fluttered into her mind: “You are more...than just a weapon.” And, clenching her hands into fist, she knew she could be more than it. She knew what she must do now, for, holding onto herself, she finally accepted it. The Echo, having waited patiently to see its her response, smiled gratefully. It had not wanted to fight, regardless if it could win or not. It wanted her assimilation to smoothly, without trouble, and it did just that. It picked her up, without her giving so much of a fuss, and brought her into it. The blue energies of the Echo stretched outward from its body and encompassed her. Swallowing her into itself. The Echo held a face of satisfaction that they were finally one. That she, after all this time, had finally accepted it. Yes, she had accepted that this was what she was. But... The Echo suddenly keeled over as pain began to seep through itself. No, not just pain, but...the start of an unexpected change. Change seeping from the core of itself; a kind of change the Echo itself didn't want to happen. At this, it began to panic. For she had swallowed this stubborn persona of itself in the expectation that she would be totally subsumed; and that it would totally rain free. Instead, somehow the core of her had begun to seep through it like the first roots of a seed taking hold. It tried to fight the change, but couldn't find a means to do so. There didn't seem to be any mean for it to do so, not with her being at its. And in the last moments before it found itself unwillingly expunged from their vessel, it realized what it had failed to so moments before. That it, no matter how big or pervasive it was in her soul, was just an echo of her. And that she had always been the core of it. In the end, the core that she was had refused that this – the very aspect and quintessence its soul - would become like it. ------------------- In the hours that Alissa had finally gotten back to the hotel room, Armoria finally began to stir. Her head shifted left and right as she moaned, all before her eyes flickered open, her green irises only baring glimmer of cyan in them. Lucidly, her eyes moved about without showing any form of recognition of the room – or Alissa – until they came upon Tamaki. A weak smile ran across her face. “Tamaki,” she barely managed to say, fatigue appearing to drag her mind down, “Tamaki, I...I did it. I...faced my nightmare.” And with a sigh, she let the mountain of fatigue wash over her again, slipping back into unconsciousness. It would be nearly in tomorrow's afternoon that Tamaki woke up. And screamed in fright at the sight of a complete stranger sitting in the hotel room. ---------------- Jenosa made a bemused blink at Alissa's AI's response. “Umm, ok, I normally wouldn't ask this but...since I'm bored out of my skull, why would you do that?” After a brief moment, Jenosa's heart jumped when the AI announced a message from. Finally she thought, and wasted no time in reading it. And then blinked, baffled at the coordinates of Alissa's location. “How...how did she get over there!?” Jenosa exclaimed, “that's way from the possibilities of where she should be. It'll take over a month for us to get there.” She shrugged in annoyance, “Ah well, might as well get started and see what it's all ab – huh?” she came at the mention of the message for the AI, “You sure you don't have a secret admirer.” Edited by CEMP, Dec 11 2014, 07:28 PM.
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"I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavor to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dreams is something you will not achieve within your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death." — Monty Oum | |
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| ~Alissa~ | Dec 17 2014, 01:56 PM Post #8 |
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Dr. Smith stood watching an array of monitors; there were various bits of technical information displayed, along with a few angles of the current subject of his attention. Anna had been decanted from her stasis chamber for the first time in nearly a decade. Her white hair had been braided neatly after she had dried out a bit; she was dressed in a simple white high collared button up shirt and pants. For the moment she sat on the cot in the small room, her back against the wall hugging her knees to her chest staring at the table and two chairs that were the rooms only other furniture. As she moved her head a bit the light played off the strands of nano-wires that were mixed within her hair in iridescent purples and greens. “How long has she been like this?” Smith asked the technician sitting at the screens “Almost Six hours” came the quiet reply “there are no signs of stress, she hasn’t moved from that spot since we put her in there but the scans show she is perfectly fine, I wish we knew what she was thinking about?” Dr. Smith sighed reaching up and pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose “Well….lets go ask her” Dr. Smith turned exiting the room motioning for a figure in black armor to follow as he walked down the hall, he scanned a card a loud click indicating the door had unlocked before he entered followed by the figure in black armor. Anna looked toward the door as he entered, but her eyes settled on the Achillies operative that moved to the corner for the time as Dr. Smith settled in a chair at the table. “Anna…please, have a seat” it was not a request Anna seemed to pause a moment before unfolding herself from her position and standing slowly, by all appearances she was a girl of 16, while the woman she would grow into could be seen she had not quite started that transition. Chronologically of course she was much older, a bit older than the man in his 40’s who now intently watched as she moved. And settled in the chair to face Dr. Smith “Doctor Smith, it’s nice to see you” she said in a quiet voice pausing to clear her throat quietly, Smith poured a glass of water and pushed it across the table “Take it slow…you’ve been in Stassis for almost ten years, since your accident, how do you feel?” Anna lifted the glass and took a long slow drink closing her eyes at the sensation, while there were elements of the real world she could do without, there were parts she had missed a great deal “…smaller…” “I don’t doubt it” Smith said with a bit of a chuckle “Do you know why we pulled you out?” Anna’s brow knit together and in that moment she looked exactly like her sister “something to do with my regeneration cycles….I saw some of the reports before I was cut off” she said looking back to Smith “have I don’t something wrong?” Smith clasped his hands in front of him tapping his thumbs together “Do you dream Anna? During your regenerations?” Anna nodded quietly after a moment “What do you dream about?” Anna looked thoughtful for a moment “I remember the sun was on my face” -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ It was some time later that Dr. Smith sat watching the monitors again, Anna sat now at the table. A sketch pad had been set out before her and a collection of pencils could be seen, neatly ordered in a row their subject sat quietly sketching. “Doctor, I do not understand what it is you are hoping to find by having her draw pictures” Dr. Smith looked toward the younger scientist quietly for a moment before looking back to the screen “firstly because that is not a mind that we want getting bored….idle hands and all that” he said before grinning a bit “secondly because she enjoys it, whether she is aware of it or not she is hiding something from us, perhaps it will come out in her art…her subconscious leaking out. It is easy to forget that she still has a human mind….even if she has been functioning as a computer for the last decade” “What is it you are hoping to learn then?” the other scientist sounded dubious at best but Smith out ranked him by several levels and he was getting dangerously close to insulting the older scientist. “Art doctor touches the same part of her mind that dreams do, if we can get some hints as to what she was dreaming about we might be able to see what she was doing, even if it is all symbolic. Or have they stopped teaching basic psychology at the academy in favor how to be rude to your superiors” The other man was quiet for a moment appropriately mollified by Dr. Smith’s tone “what is she drawing then?” “It appears to be a dog” -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Tiny found the blackbird! He was super excited, so much so that within the virtual space he and the Blackbird’s AI now occupied the virtual dog bounced and barked and panted and wagged its tail, so proud of its self for finding the AI on its own and delivering the package. The AI stood in the space as well, transfixed by the appearance of this dog in her system. Though she had never encountered the construct there was something deeply familiar about it, as if they shared some lineage. The dog dropped a package on the floor, as soon as it did the plain white room she had constructed was replaced, they stood now in an endless seeming green field stretching off in all directions. The AI picked up the box and looked at it; there was a tag which simply read “Thank you –Gaia” By the time the AI had finished acknowledging that the package had been received the dog was gone, but the green field remained, she closed her eyes and turned her face up to the sun and smiled at the warmth. -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ “You sure you don’t have a secret admirer?” This brought the AI back into the moment so to speak, she had been hiding recent developments in her own runtimes, not out of fear but more out of a desire not to unsettle her users. She had grown quite a bit and rather suddenly, and in truth was slightly concerned by how they might react to an actualized AI. “Whoever sent it provided a high level bypass to restrictions placed on my programing by my creators…it appears to be a trusted source however I will examine its contents before applying to patch.” Jenosa after all has command access, which meant she was to be told things like this as it might impact her safety. “As to your first question, part of my function is to look after the wellbeing of my charges. Operative Achillies has as yet not begun to wrestle with spiritual concepts. However I suspect she is approaching that time, after analyzing various forms of human spirituality I suspect Buddhism will resonate with her” There was a pause “as it has with me” that was something that had been happening much more, the AI had begun to refer to its self with proper pronouns, secretly it had also begun searching for a name. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Alissa sat with her feet up on the table quietly dozing, she hadn't really slept much since they arrived at the hotel, she’d been keeping watch, and waiting for a response from the blackbird. And quite suddenly Tamika was screaming, Alissa sprung to her feet sending the chair falling back with a gun drawn looking for the threat, it took her a moment to realize what was going on. She holstered the gun and turned her attention toward Tamaki quietly. “Dr. Tamaki, please calm down, we are trying to not draw attention to ourselves” |
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| ~The Boss~ | Dec 18 2014, 03:11 AM Post #9 |
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Native Son
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((Alright guys, I'm in. I know Cemp wants to finish AE, and I'll try my best to get that done. Until then, if it's alright with everyone I'll just fill in the blanks as best I can)) Jimmy reclined on a couch in the spaceport terminal, trying to appear as relaxed as he could despite the fact that he could feel his heart rate quicken just a bit every time he spotted a man in a bland business suit. They'd be coming for him, he was sure of it. Section 6 was not known for just letting their assets go off the reservation like that. Not that the bounty hunters had just let him skate, though he was thankful that they hadn't tossed him in jail. Still, he felt the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head. He knew it was up there. It was just a matter of whether it was the spooks or the law at the other end. "Hey hey, there it is!" said Ronnie, bringing Jimmy back to the present. He watched out the windows as a ship was touching down on the tarmac. The one they had been waiting for. "'Bout time," Nick Scanlan muttered to nobody in particular. One by one, the passengers disembarked. Tourists, business people, Nothing especially remarkable about any of them. At least until they spotted the ex-convict among them, a dark-haired woman dressed in the same old worn jeans and dusty leather jacket she'd been wearing that day on G79 just over a year ago. Nick and Ronnie greeted her with mock catcalls and wolf whistles. Grace answered with a double-fingered salute, she did so with a big grin. "Fuck all of you guys," she said. Then she gave Nick a great big hug, and Ronnie next. Finally, she came to Jimmy, giving him a dismissive eyeroll before hugging him as well, tighter and longer than the others. "Welcome back, Grace," he said softly as he held her. "Fuck you," she said, still in his arms. ....................... "What are you doing?" Jimmy had been running his fingers through her hair as they sat in the back seat. "What?" he said. "Can't I show you a little affection?" She backed away from him a bit, giving him a look like he'd just grown a second head. "Who are you and what have you done with Jimmy Vega?" "Aw c'mon, I missed you." "Oh, I'm sure you had an army of skanks to keep you company." "I don't know about an army," Ronnie said from up in the front passenger seat. "More like a platoon." "A squad," Nick said, his eyes on the road. "Yeah, a squad. I mean, don't get me wrong, there were lotsa random girls, but he had a couple regulars in rotation." "Oh really?" said Grace, now grinning at Jimmy. "Yeah, let's see... there was Nicole, there was Amber..." "Of course." "The other Amber... there was Ginger..." "Can't forget about Ginger," Nick said. "Oh no, cannot forget about Ginger." Grace's grin only got wider. "Ooh, Ginger sounds hot!" "Then there was Khloe," said Nick. "Khloe with a 'K'," Ronnie emphasized. "There was Mandi..." "With an 'I'." Grace could only shake her head, ear to ear still. She knew her man all too well. "Wow, these sound like some high class ladies, Jimmy." "Oh, and then there was Ohhhhhhhl-ga." "What?!" Grace nearly burst out in laughter. "Say that again, Ronnie!" "Ohhhhhhhl-ga." "You gotta understand," Nick told her. "Olga was not a woman. Olga was a goddess. She was Ukranian." "Oh, say no more." She flashed that smile again. "Good job, Jimmy." "Look... Grace... you know these guys like to talk shit. "Oh don't you even try to deny any of this, Jimmy." She gave him a death stare, though the look in her eyes let him know that death wasn't exactly imminent. She put an arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "You are who you are. Just don't ever change, okay? Then I'll really be worried about you." ....................... Three days later It had truly been a lost weekend, probably the one thing that had gone according to plan for any of them in the past year. About the only thought that Grace could hold in her head through all the haze was that this was the best shower she'd ever taken. It wasn't just the hot water that felt like heaven, but the fact that she didn't have to be in there with about a dozen other people. Freedom felt so good, better than she'd ever imagined. Jenosa Arma was alive, a fact that had been confirmed many times over. Of course, the wheels of justice took their sweet time turning, but ultimately that murder conviction of hers was finally tossed. Finally, it looked like she was finally going to be able to put this whole ugly affair behind her. But she knew she couldn't. She still had some unfinished business to attend to. It was only with great reluctance that she got out of the shower, toweling herself off and getting dressed. Thankfully - and to be perfectly honest, unexpectedly - the boys had thought to bring her some extra clothes. Jimmy was still fast asleep in the hotel bed, and she was quite frankly amazed that the suite was still intact after the weekend's revelry. She quietly slipped out of the bedroom, not bothering to wake him up. On the couch, Ronnie lay there looking like he was in the middle of the deepest sleep that was capable of a human being. And yet he still stirred as Grace was clearly sneaking out. "Hey," he said groggily, with a huge stretch and yawn. "Mornin'." "Good morning, Ronnie." She started out the door, then turned back. "I gotta go. Tell Jimmy I said bye." "Go? You ain't even been home yet. Don't you at least wanna sleep in your own bed?" "More than anything. But there's something I gotta do." She leaned over and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later." And with that, she was gone. |
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| +CEMP+ | Dec 19 2014, 09:56 PM Post #10 |
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Clockwork Master
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“Whoever sent it provided a high level bypass to restrictions placed on my programing by my creators…it appears to be a trusted source however I will examine its contents before applying to patch.” “I...don't know what you mean by the first part,” Jenosa said, “but as long as it doesn't shut down life-support, run the patch. Or turn you into HAL.” At the second response to her first question, Jenosa made a rather puzzled, surprised, wide-eyed expression. “Really...? Well, that's good, yeah. I mean, given her...troubled life, she could use some soul-seeing. But...I'm still surprised an AI like you would normally find such stuff...relevant. I mean...normally you guys are just logic and, well, ahh forget. Maybe I'm just letting the movies get the better of me.” There was a brief moment of silence afterwards on Jenosa's part this had her...pondering something. Something that seemed to be bothering her for some time. Finally, finding it hard to believe she was asking an AI, of all things, this, “Say...in any of that research, is there anything that talks about...feeling a family bond with someone you've only just met.” ---------- “A-Alissa!?” Tamaki said, recognizing the woman's voice. Her racing heart slowed its pace once she realized the identity of the woman, and quickly recalled how Alissa had been able to dupe security with a disguise, fake ID and credentials. Still, it was a shock, and discomfort, to see the woman just switch completely different personas in a flash. Yet here she was, like it were her real identity. Tamaki wondered if that came with the training and...conditioning this woman had been put through. She shivered at the thought and dropped it from her mind for the time being. Trying to relax herself, sighing, she said, “I-I'm sorry, it's just I'm not use to this state of life, and...you seemed like a complete stranger to me at first. You could have at least warned me you were going to do that.” Her body finally relaxing, she eased herself back into her chair, and set a hand to her head, less out of fatigue and more out of strain. In fairness, she had slept well, and her mind was clear at least. But what they were going to do next bother her. And what was going to become of her and her career was more worrisome. Because she honestly had no idea what or where they would go. Then, in the midst of her thought, she noticed it. Armoria's hand, hanging slump off the bed. The sheets had been moved. So had her head. It was easy enough to remember since she had been lying perfectly backfirst when they put her down. At this, she got up, and asked, “Has Armoria been...stirring?” Alissa nodded, and, in fact, further added at how Armoria had been briefly conscious. Tamaki made a low gasp of excitement, especially at the mention of the words the soldier had briefly spoken. “She – she said that? Then...it must be really her,” she spoke, some relief setting in, “she always talked about having this weird nightmare, one right before she got the infusion. I always wondered if that had anything to do with the clone separately being trained in parallel with Armoria. We didn't let the two interact, but...she got the dreams right after the other clone had went through a...botched infusion. I always wondered just how much that had actually affected.” She thought for a moment, and then grasped Armoria's loose hand. She felt the pulse at the wrist, as well as the surprinsgly taught muscles that had been developed from constant training. It still took her by surprise she was indirectly responsible for this. Setting the arm back on the bed, she put her hand to Armoria's neck to check her pulse one last time. She had expected – she hoped – the woman would wake up in response, but she remained silent save for her paced breathing. Tamaki's brow furrowed. Armoria's body temperature was a bit hot but otherwise not feverish, and her pulse seemed normally. Yet she could not find it in herself to be satisfied. Finally, she spoke out with a heavily weighed opinion, “Alissa, there's someone I want to call. I know you're not keen on it, and I'm not entirely either myself, but...without any equipment, I can't really assess Armoria's true condition. I know him well enough that he's better than any other option we have right now. May I?” --------- Somewhere else, in another part of the Milky Way, scientist had received message from an old collegue: Dear Raven, It's been a while since we've talked. Would you mind helping out an old collegue out of a bind of sorts? It's...work related. As in, related to the xeno substance I study the most. And I think you'll find it – or rather, her interesting. In need of full range, multi spectrum body scanner. Your good collegue, Tamaki P.S. How's that foster daughter of yours doing? I heard about the...experiment she went through ------------- “Well that didn't take long to find her,” Beggie said to Magella while sitting at his desk, “although how Alissa got all the way there is another story, I suspect?” Magella nodded curtly, “Well, agent Benson did say that he picked up a large amount of residual, phazon radiation coming from the shuttles jump drive. You don't suppose that might have something to do with the sudden leap in light years.” Beggie held his head in thought, “It's possible, given its trait in influencing local space. And if that's the case, I'm surprised it didn't make a tear in the fabric of reality...We would know, after all. The Bermuda wouldn't miss a thing like that.” “Yes, well, it is an interdimensional, alien ship vault traveling randomly across the universe. But I suppose that isn't a concern right now for us.” “Well no, of course not. Right now, making contact with Alissa is. And unfortunately it's not as easy as it seems.” Magella blinked, “Can't we just slip her an encrypted message.” “No no. Alissa is in enemy territory whether she realizes it or not,” Beggie said, “all we can do is have our agents give her subtle warnings and support. I don't want to give her the message just for it to potentially end up distracting her. That, and I'd like to give it to her in person. Until we know that she, and the others, are extracted to somewhere safer, we'll leave it as is. Now, onto other matters...any reports on the Vega family?” Magella paused for a moment in process, and then said, “Nothing out of the ordinary I'm told, although it's been reported that Grace has unexpectedly left.” Beggie hummed in thought, “Hmm, now why would she do that? Odd. Have the agent look into this, but have him try to avoid contact if possible. We normally don't focus on family gang members, but considering their involvement with the infamous Section 6 and Project Vertigo, I want to play some caution here.” “Oh oh oh, there's the Twilight incident I've been meaning to bring,” Magella pointed out. “Ahh yes, that,” Beggie said with exasperation, “something my corrupt predecessor ignored for too long. Given the cirumstance of his condition and...the damage to him, see if you can have any agents redirect him to Alissa's location.” Magella blinked, “Umm, beg your pardon?” “It's for safety's sake mainly. I realize they're complete stranger's, but chances are they'll help one another. That, and we'll be able to extract both at once. Two birds with one stone.” “Ohhhhh, ok, yeah, that makes sense. I can strategize like you. Well, moving on, we hav – oh! Oh my.” Magella's image flickered. Beggie raised a concerned eye brow, “Magella, what is it?” “It's...well, I'm picking up a unique tracking signal subspace signature. Very unique. And...familary. And – uhh, hehe, oops.” “Oops?” “Oops.” “As in my ADHD behavior just made me gloss over a rather small, but very important detail.” “And that is?” “Well, remember how we found that Olympus Tech virus inside of the Vertigo data banks.” “Yes, and?” “Alissa had found it too, right?” “Yes, well, of course, we both know that – wait, what version of the virus is it?” “Umm,” Magella said meekly, “the newest one. The one with the, umm, hidden fail-safe for rogues.” There was a very long pause of dread before Beggie said, “Oh. Dear! Magella, tell captain Adria to lay in a new heading. And use whatever means necessary to contact the Black Bird.” ----------------------------- Thankfully, it was only about half an hour after Tamaki awoke that Armoria began to groan and stir again. Her heart elating, Tamaki knelt beside the bed in hopes that this was not another brief lapse in consciousness, and felt some relief when Armoria's eyes flickered open. Her turquoise eyes only briefly shimmering, they looked around in groggy confusion, trying to recognize her alien surroundings but unable too. Then, finally, they came across a familiar that she her eyes found comfort. “T-Tamaki?” she spoke, “w-where are we? Wha-what happened? W-why do I f-feel- Armoria moaned in pain, and her whole body shifted in it. “Armoria, what's wrong?” Armoria looked at Tamaki, “Hot...muscles....burning. Hard – to move, ahh. Throat...dry. W-why?” “I – it's...complicated. Do you remember anything before this?” Armoria moaned, and shook her head, “Mind...foggy. I remember...fighting...being scared, but – she groaned – head...hurts. Hard...to think” “Woah, take it easy,” Tamaki assured, with a hand to the shoulder, “you just had a bomb go off in your head. Here, let me go get you some water.” As Tamaki went to go get a glass from the bathroom, Armoria's gaze fell on the stranger in the room. For a long while, they remained there, as though trying to determine something, and then Tamaki came back with a glass of cold water. “Here,” she said, and tipped the glass onto her lips. Armoria drank steadily, water occasionally dripping down her throat as she rushed to swallow the refreshing liquid. Then, part way through, her eyes looked back at the stranger, and flaired. Abruptly, Amoria gurgled and spat out her water, and staired wide eyed at the stranger in complete recognition. “Y-you!?” she came in surprise, “I-I remember you. Y-you're...Jennings, the spy.” Her eyes narrowed with a sliver of contempt, “W-what are you doing here?” |
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"I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavor to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dreams is something you will not achieve within your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death." — Monty Oum | |
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2:55 PM Jul 11