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Post by Moe on Nov 27, 2023 18:28:57 GMT -6
The outside of Jasmine's base made Mark cringe; he couldn't stand messes, and his lab had to be neat and organized at all times. Of course, as they ventured inside, it was much nicer. Mark breathed a sigh of relief, glad it was all a ruse.
Mark gave RJ a genuine smile, as he introduced himself. "Nice to meet you, RJ." he said, extending his hand to him. "We're from Kaiser City, nothing special about it." he shrugged.
"Actually," Ikuki interjected. "There's a high ratio of mutants in the city, and there's a lot of action happening there! Lots of superheroes and villains, it's like living in a comic book!" she said with a smile. "A good one, I mean. Not a lot of bad guys wanna mess with him." She pointed a thumb at Mark.
Mark blushed at that, suddenly feeling a little called out. Of course, neither of them could possibly know anything about him, but he still felt put on the spot since he hadn't fully come to terms with it. "I'm...nothing special, either. And uh, thanks for the hospitality. All I need is a few energy drinks and a better computer than a laptop. I brought my own hard drives, but it's a little more than a portable system can handle." he said, holding up his suitcase. "And..." he stopped to think for a moment. He'd already shared his face and name with these people, meaning he put his full trust in them. "Actually, I promised my family I'd call every day. I think they'd like to meet you. I feel like you and my sister would get along." he said to Jasmine, with a laugh.
"So, while you repair Tex, I can try and figure out the best course of action." he said, setting the case full of notes, hard drives and laptop onto a table. He wobbled a bit before yawning, the lack of sleep obviously catching up to him.
"I think first, you need to rest." Ikuki set a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm fine." Mark insisted. "I don't need sleep or food, I just need to figure this out. The sooner we can get to Apollo, the sooner this will all be over with." he said, though he could barely keep his eyes open. He took his helmet off and set it on the table, as he could feel a nosebleed about to start.
"Mark." Ikuki grabbed him by the shoulders and forcibly made him sit down at a desk. "You're tapping into too much of your power, without any rest period. Call your contact and tell them we're going to rest a little while, before meeting them. That's not a suggestion." she said to him, firmly.
"Fine." Mark said, a little short, as he took out his phone and sarcastically spoke into it, "Hey, Apollo, we're going to be a little late to murder you, on account of my wife making me take a nap. Sorry for the inconvenience." he said, giving Ikuki a look of annoyance. She didn't notice it, but he was indeed speaking directly to Apollo and quickly hid his phone away before anyone would notice.
"You don't have to be an ass." Ikuki gave him the same expression.
"Sorry." he sighed. "Look, this is time sensitive. You said yourself that there's something a whole heck of a lot worse than Apollo, and if we miss our window of opportunity because I have to stop and rest because I suck at being...what I am...then what's the point of being that, at all?" he sounded defeated, and tried to push those thoughts back so he could focus on the task at hand. "We have data backed up from an avatar we captured a couple years ago. We can use that data to localize the code and reverse-engineer a firewall to install directly into Apollo. We just have to get it to him and installed, before we're able to sneak in and destroy his mainframe. However..." he said, moving his hand up to his face as his nosebleed was starting to get worse. "Destroying Apollo, will destroy the entire city. The robots are all connected to Apollo, and then there's the underground city...people have lived there, for generations. There's no way they would survive out here, and the shuttle doesn't go out that far, to evacuate them. There's too much to plan and take into consideration, we don't have time to rest."
Ikuki nodded, though worried. She was worried about him exerting too much energy, but he was right. Destroying Apollo meant destroying an entire civilization, but not destroying him also meant letting the entire world be destroyed. She sighed a heavy sigh, sat on his lap for lack of another chair, and leaned her head against his. "I'm sure there's a dark magic spell to send them all to another realm, or maybe you could freeze time for them where they're not affected by the explosion, or...I still have that blood magic book, and you still have blood..."
"We'll figure it out. We don't...want to go there. Let's just focus on one thing at a time." Mark said, trying not to think of any more scenarios, as he was tapping into his powers again to look at possible future outcomes, but it was clearly draining him. "Just...worry about the present..." he said, as his head started buzzing and he tried to keep himself from falling over. "We'll stay here for as long as it takes for Jasmine to repair Tex. That should give me enough time to work on a firewall program, and we'll work out a plan from there."
Ikuki definitely noticed him getting woozy, and gave him a worried look.
"And I will rest." he added, to which she nodded in agreement.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 27, 2023 21:57:22 GMT -6
“Ah yes, we have our fair share of mutants too.” RJ nodded while pointing to himself. “I’m part fairy actually and am capable of dabbling in magic. But uh...I prefer tinkering with machines more than anything.” He laughed a bit nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. “Um...I know a guy that’s like...part crocodile...so there’s that level of mutant genes...”
Then RJ silenced himself as he watched Mark talk about not needing food or sleep. The guy looked way more exhausted than needed and RJ wondered if he had a fear of resting. If that was the case, then he wondered if melatonin would’ve worked wonders on the guy? Though he had to admit that he was glad that Mark’s wife was there to keep an eye on him.
Jasmine planted her hands on her hips and nodded to Mark when he mentioned working on some plans. “Right. You go do that.” She turned to Tex and said; “Alright you. Let’s examine what needs to be repaired and perhaps we shall start working on them as soon as we can. After all...” Jasmine said with a sly grin. “I think you’re going to have one hell of a mission soon.”
Tex had stared at Mark and Ikuki for a moment. Something within the bag that Mark carried, caught her scanner. She reached up and tapped the side of her head a few times and rescanned the bag. But her scanners still claimed an anomaly within them.
“What’s wrong?” Jasmine asked Tex while Mark and Ikuki were in their own discussion about him taking a breather and getting some sleep.
“My scanners are malfunctioning.” She stated as she quickly turned away from Mark and Ikuki. Tex didn’t relay any further information about what her scanners were doing or what they detected. To put it simply, she just wanted to get repaired and any discussions about something trivial, wasn’t on her mind for the moment. So without further delay, Tex walked into the repair room with RJ and Jasmine following in tow behind her.
But then RJ darted back into the room, quickly flailing as he returned. “Oh! I-uh, forgot.” He laughed a bit nervously as he scrambled to pick up a pen he had just dropped. “Uh, if you need any assistance, please feel free to give us a shout. Wake us up if you need. Or uh...we do have some helper robots around here and if you need anything from them, just ask.”
He then pointed over to a darkened hallway. “In that small hallway, there is a few spare rooms that we keep for company whenever we have them...It’s rare so uh...feel free to use those rooms as you please. There’s a bathroom there with a shower, a kitchen there... So uh...yeah! Make yourself a home, it’s...uh...” He glanced back and then faced them again. “It’s the least I can do because dealing with Jasmine hasn’t always been so easy...”
“RJ...” Jasmine called to him. “Can you help me with this?”
“R-Right!” He said as he scrambled back.
Tex’s original warnings eventually came to light. After a few hours, Mark’s bag had suddenly began to shift. At first, it randomly fell towards its side and the flap popped open. A small blade-like weapon slid out from its safety and clattered onto the floor. It then began to skitter, as if something underneath it was lifting it up and moving it around.
Skitter. Skitter. Skitter. Clunk.
The blade was suddenly moving on its own. And the clunk sound, was the blade accidentally bumping into a desk within the room that Mark was using. It then flopped onto the floor once again, as if smacking itself against the desk had actually hurt it.
Then. The blade suddenly began to glow a soft purple. Its body began to grow, forming into something human-like. A body. Arms. Legs. Hair. And a pair of thick black and round glasses popped up on the face as the body morphed into a small Elven boy.
The boy coughed as he adjusted his glasses and looked around the room. “Oh! Mark! Hello! Sorry for the intrusion. I uh...Well... I have no excuse, really!”
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Post by Moe on Nov 27, 2023 23:03:47 GMT -6
Tex scanning their bag was a bit odd, but Mark didn't really think anything of it. All they had in that particular bag was a few basic supplies. Snacks, Mark's coffee, a few of Ikuki's trashy romance novels, nothing extraordinary or odd. Ikuki on the other hand was a little bit nervous, as she didn't really want others to see the kinds of reading material she was into. Mark paid little to no mind about the ordeal nor when they had left the room, as he was so intently focused on getting all his hard drives and backup data set up.
Ikuki, however, smiled at RJ and thanked him again for their hospitality. "Actually, a kitchen sounds great right about now."
"For coffee?" Mark hadn't been paying attention to anything around him, but he certainly perked up at the prospect of caffeine.
"Lunch." Ikuki stuck her tongue out at him. "But I suppose I can be nice and make coffee, if you promise to take breaks every now and then and try to actually sleep, for once."
"UuuuuughI guess." Mark grumbled. "Thank yoooou." he said in a much nicer tone as Ikuki left for the kitchen. He then proceeded to grab a pair of headphones from his bag, completely missing and not noticing the extra item in the bag. He worked best with loud music, but figured it was somewhat rude to be blasting loud music in a stranger's home. Thankfully he'd brought them for the shuttle ride, and was glad he did. Music helped him focus and to drown out any distracting noises. And that was something the pair of cat-eared headphones did a fantastic job of, as Mark didn't notice the sounds of the magical sword that exited his bag and was clanging around on the floor, hours later.
Ikuki was busy in the kitchen preparing lunch, while Mark was fully engrossed in decrypting all the data they'd pulled from the Apollo avatar, and trying to make a coherent string of code to work into a firewall they could use against whoever was puppeting Apollo. He didn't notice the sword flop out of the bag, nor did he notice the sounds it was making as it flopped about on the floor and bumped into a table behind him. And he most certainly didn't notice as the sword turned into Nox, who was now hovering over his shoulders.
Mark didn't hear Nox speak, since the music was so loud. He didn't feel a presence behind him, either. He didn't notice Nox was there at all, until he caught a glimpse of an unusual reflection in the monitor screen. It wasn't immediately obvious that it was the reflection of another person, so again, he didn't think anything of it. It wasn't until he turned slightly to reach for his coffee, nearly bumping into Nox, did he realize there was somebody else there.
He turned to see Nox hovering over his shoulder, causing his heart to nearly leap out of his chest as he jumped back, causing the chair to fall over and him getting tangled in the headphone wires, and knocking over a few objects from the desk as he scrambled to get back to his feet and untangled from the mess of wires.
"NOX, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE." he shouted, clutching his chest as his highly-caffeinated heart felt like it was about to beat out of it.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 27, 2023 23:20:11 GMT -6
He was beginning to wonder how long it was going to take before Mark noticed him there. But figuring disturbing him was quite rude, Nox decided to remain silent and not say a single word. Instead, he peered over the man’s shoulder, examining the coding that he was attempting to weave together. This, was all foreign to Nox as he was no expert in programming mechanics or alterations of Ai...whatever Mark was working on.
Then when Mark suddenly realized his presence, turned and got himself tangled within his own devices; all Nox could do was step back a little and watch as Mark flailed about. Startled by realizing Nox being there beside him. Sitting there, hand on his chest and panting in shock.
“Uh...Hi?” Nox said as he stood there in confusion as to why Mark responded in such a way to him. “It’s only me, Mark.”
He then offered a hand to Mark to help him stand back up, or at least get him back onto his chair again. Nox then decided to indulge him on answering his inquiry about why he was suddenly there. “Well...It’s really a long story. But I’ll give you a smaller version of it.” He laughed a little.
“So Joe and I been trying to keep tabs on my brother by using Dawn. Apparently Lux went into an underground arena of some kind. So Dawn followed after him because neither Joe or myself were able to go there. But uh...suddenly everything went silent. Joe was trying to go but she ended up getting dragged into something really troublesome. So I went out to locate them myself.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Then I saw you hop on the train and uh...I snuck on. Glad to know we’re going to the same place.”
Nox then clapped his hands together. “So it’ll be like old times! But this time, I’m a lot stronger than I was the last time. While at home, Reese was persuaded into letting me train with someone who’s very skilled on enchantments. So I know a thing or two about stuff like that!” He laughed. “I hardly compare myself to a professional but still!”
Without any further explanation, Nox hugged Mark. “I’ve missed you so much, Brother. I’m glad that I’m getting a chance to see you in person again.”
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Post by Moe on Nov 28, 2023 12:59:08 GMT -6
Once the initial shock wore off, Mark took Nox's hand when offered to help him off the floor, and untangled himself from the mess of wires and objects that had fallen. His heart was still beating with a massive amount of caffeine-fueled adrenaline, but he was finally able to take a moment to breathe and gather his thoughts to process what was going on.
When Nox gave him a hug, he happily returned it. "I've missed you, too. We haven't see you since you left....but why?" he said, voice just a little more stern and parental. When Nox explained the situation, it didn't make the reasoning any better. "Wait, Lux and Dawn are in the underground?? Oh my god, Uncle Argon is going to kill me..." was his first thought upon hearing that his cousin was in Olympus, and that she wasn't responding.
His second thought, was everything they were planning on doing, and it being time sensitive. "So now we have to find Nathan, Lux and Dawn..." he sighed. "They're all in a really, really dangerous position right now, with what we're planning. Although, if they all went dark around the same time...they very well could all be in the same place..." he trailed off, trying to think. He was trying to focus on so many things all at once, it was starting to become difficult to settle on a single thought and emotion. "Wait, okay. Let's start over. You shouldn't be here! Lux and Dawn shouldn't be here, and Nathan never should've come here! This place is really dangerous, Nox. There's bandits and monsters and killer robots and, you know, massive amounts of leftover radiation and UV from the ozone being blasted out of existence. I'm really, really happy to see you and I would love for us to have hero adventures again, but this is unlike anything else we've faced and I don't want to see you get hurt."
"Is everything okay?" Ikuki peaked in, after hearing the noise. "Nox??" she was also taken by surprise, seeing him standing there. She quickly rushed over and gave him a big hug, not even questioning why or how he was there. "Oh my gosh, it's so great to see you! Where's Lux??"
"In Olympus, and so is Dawn. So we've got three people to find, now." Mark answered.
"Oh...oh, no....there's no way we're going to be able to scope the entire city, before...things happen."
"Yeah. I know." Mark sighed. "But Nox said they went dark, too. So if we're lucky, they're all together. But you," Mark looked back to Nox. "Need to get on the first shuttle back home. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you, out here."
"Alternatively," Ikuki said, tapping her fingers together. "And hear me out. He'd be safer, sticking with us. He didn't travel here by himself, right? So why send him home on a dangerous shuttle by himself, when this is the safest place he could be?"
Mark wanted to protest. He wanted to send Nox somewhere safe, to tell him that he shouldn't be risking his life out here. However, Ikuki did have a point. "I guess." he sighed, heavily. "But please, stick close to us. You take one step out of this base, and there's danger. From the weather to the radiation to the bandits to the horrible mutant monsters who made this place home. And Olympus is even worse. I already lost you both once, I don't want to lose you all over again."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 28, 2023 13:57:38 GMT -6
Mark, as predicted, was going to be overwhelmed by emotions. It was something that Nox was prepared for and when it all came into fruition, he was not surprised by the slightest. He simply remained quiet and allowed Mark to explain himself, get caught up in his chaotic emotions, and then grow concerned over Nox’s wellbeing for why he had gotten there in the first place. However there were answers that were left in mystery, even for Nox, so he couldn’t even give Mark the information he wished to know. For instance, Nox wasn’t quite sure as to the real reason why Lux went to the Underground to begin with.
Once Mark seemingly settled down, he proceeded to explain the dangers that Nox was going to face. And while Nox understood wholeheartedly as to why Mark was worried about all of this, he also knew that he couldn’t stay behind. Lux was out there. Dawn was out there. And he couldn’t just stand in the back and let the big boys play while leaving him alone in the sandbox.
Nox shook his head. “I understand, Mark. To be honest, I am terrified. But you have to understand that...Lux is my brother. Regardless of what truth surrounds him.” He hinted that he had his speculations about what his twin brother really was. “In short...Joe and I discovered some family photos...” He shifted himself in his spot as he felt a little nervous about telling him.
“There were tons of photos with my parents with me. But none of them had Lux in them. And with the insults that Reese calls him all the time... Changeling, inadequate, and faker...I have my speculations that he’s not exactly what I’ve been led to believe him to be.” Nox frowned at the thoughts before shaking his head and saying; “He’s...every bit of me, despite what his beginning is. Losing him, feels like I’ve let myself down. So I have to go, regardless of the dangers that may approach me-err-us. Lux is still my brother.”
Then Ikuki stormed into the room, questioning what was going on. And not too far behind her, Jasmine walked in carrying a small weapon of some kind. Nox didn’t really have a chance to respond to this before Ikuki made her way over to him and hugged him. He also took the opportunity to hug her back, excited to see her with Mark. “I’ve missed both of you so much. You have no idea what crazy happened since we left.”
Jasmine lowered her weapon and blinked, confused. “How the hell did you make it into my lab without triggering the security system?”
“Oh, it’s quite easy.” Nox said to her while still hugging Ikuki. “I slipped past them by using a signal alteration spell that tricks machinery into thinking nothing strange is going on. It’s quite easy actually so I’d suggest that you program something within the system’s protocols to understand that magic exists.”
When Jasmine gave him a really weird look of disbelief and annoyance, Nox gave out his cheeky giggle. Showing off his grin, something that was most likely, dearly missed by Ikuki and Mark. “Just kidding. I can shape shift into weapons. So, I took form of something small to fit into Mark’s bag. I did it a long while back though.”
“You’re a little shit. You had me fooled.” Jasmine frowned.
Nox couldn’t help but grin again when Ikuki was standing up for him on the topic of tagging along. “Yes, it is quite dangerous. It was not easy sneaking onto that shuttle. And besides, is it really all that much safer to be with a verbally abusive brother?”
Then when Mark explained his fears to him, Nox only shook his head. “Mark...I don’t want to lose you again either. Not being around either one of you, was so...” He snapped his fingers as he tried to think of a word to describe what he was meaning to say. Nox sighed, as the word failed to make an appearance. “It was rather cold. Reese, as you’re aware...” He stopped talking for a moment as he didn’t want to talk too much more about Reese.
After Nox explained to Jasmine why he was going to the Underground, she shrugged. “Eh, I get it.” Jasmine waved her hand a bit dismissively. “From the sounds of it, you have family that sucks. I have that too. We’re all a bunch of weird-os here. So you’ll fit in. But Mark does bring up a valid point. How are we going to make something for you to wear while being out there? I don’t have enough time to make something and if time is of the essence, then we really don’t have that much to play around with.”
“Well, I know we just met... I’m Nox by the way.” He said to Jasmine. “I’ve been practicing enchantment spells. When my brother disappeared, I had requested my Tutor to teach me spells that she felt would be beneficial to the situation. Now, I’m not an expert but with what information that was provided, her lessons were primarily focused on preparing me for this. And so...”
Nox pulled up his sleeve to reveal a nicely braided bracelet made out of a twine. There were beads on it to make it decorative and not something undesirable to look at. “Joe’s sister made this for me. And this is my enchanted item that allows me to survive in radiation.” He grinned. “The nice thing is, not only did I put power into it but my Tutor applied her own energy into it as well.”
He then crossed his arms and looked to Mark with a smirk. “So I’m going with you. Even if I’m scared out of my wits.”
But before he could completely feel comfortable and confident within himself; Jasmine hurled a small weapon over to him. Which Nox could hardly catch in time and merely fumbled it before it fell onto the floor. Wincing at this, he reached down and plucked it off the ground. Examining it, he turned to Jasmine and waited for her explanation.
“You’re going to need some weapons while being out there, kid.” Jasmine said to him. “There’s robots bigger than you guys. Meaner than anything you’ve ever faced. Bandits that will not hesitate to tear you limb from limb. I hope you know what you’re going in for, because there’s not going to be any turning back.”
“My brother means the world to me.” Nox explained to everyone with a sudden burst of determination. “He’s been spiraling out of control with his emotions and constant misguidance from others. I need to ensure that he’s going to be okay and remind him that he’s not alone. Dawn...was unfortunately dragged into this because of my negligence and inability to stand up for myself as well as face my own fears. But after I lost both of them, I can’t stay in the shadows anymore... I’m not going to turn back. No one is going to stop me either.”
Jasmine grinned and looked to Mark. “He’s a tough little kid, ain’t he? I like him.” She then stuffed her hands into her pockets. “Our repairs on Tex are nearly complete. She will be able to open up portals to teleport you into a safer area but she is not strong enough...not on demand anyway, to be able to successfully teleport you into a completely different area. So she will be accompanying you all out there while I stay back here and work on some other projects with my husband.”
She let out a groan. “I really wanted to tag along but he insists that I am to stay here in case of anything major happens... Tex does have the ability to open a portal to this place. But it will need to be a quick decision and used as a last resort only. Because doing so, will destroy her systems.” She glanced to Nox to clarify what she meant. “Basically go kaboom.”
“I understood what you were talking about, Ma’am.” Nox frowned before returning his attention to Mark. “I can promise you that I’ll stick by your side.”
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Post by Moe on Nov 28, 2023 17:08:42 GMT -6
As Nox told him the things they had found while they were away, it sparked a number of emotions within him. Namely, guilt for not telling both of the boys what he'd seen, and underestimating their ability to handle it. They were going to find out on their own eventually, and it was only putting them in danger by letting them. He finally sighed, deciding it was time to tell the truth about what he'd seen. "Nox, there's something about you and Lux that I need to tell you about. Not right now...it's kind of just a you-and-me conversation."
"And don't worry about weapons." Mark said to Jasmine. "Ikuki and Nox both have magic going for them, and I can...handle my own. We'll make sure to take good care of Tex, too. She might...have to be the one to request an audience with Apollo, and install the firewall. She's the only one Apollo and his puppeteer haven't seen and won't suspect. I've been working on a code for it, and a compatibility drive to connect her to Apollo. I've been thinking she could go in under the guise of giving him information about the portal technology she uses, since that would benefit both Apollo and whoever is controlling him. So she goes in, installs the firewall, blinds the guy behind the curtain, and make way for the rest of us to come in and destroy Apollo."
"What do you two think about that plan, though?" Ikuki asked Tex and Jasmine. "We don't want to overstep out boundaries."
"Right. Yeah. It just seems like the most logical plan, and Jasmine seems pretty logical." Mark shrugged. "Also, the helmet I gave you is connected to mine, and Ikuki's. If we need to reach each other for any reason, use the comms system on that. Speaking of, I should probably get you one made, too." he looked to Nox. "I can easily make a wrist comm or something that you can use, on the chance we get separated." he started trailing off, going back to the computer to write down notes and ideas. "But first, we need to find our family. As soon as you finish repairs on Tex, we'll leave. Our contact knows we got delayed and sent me location information, so we shouldn't have a problem getting their on our own with the bandit car."
Ikuki crossed her arms, giving him a look. He'd broken his promise to get some rest, and he immediately knew that's what she was thinking. "I know, but we don't have time to rest." he said to her. "My brother, my cousin, and my best friend are all out there in a city that's about to be obliterated. We don't have time to just relax."
"Mark." Ikuki placed both her hands on his face, giving him a stern look. "You are literally Time. If you will us to have time to rest, then we have time to rest. If you keep saying we're out of time, then we're out of time. That's how you work. Now just stop thinking for the rest of the day. Turn the switch in your brain to off, tell the universe you need a break, and just sleep for one. Night. Can you do that for me?"
"I can...try. I'll try, but I can't promise anything." he said, only to have her keep giving him that stern look. "Okay. Fine. Nothing will happen in the one night we take to get some rest. Did I do that right?"
"Good enough." she gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Also, you need to eat. I made spaghetti."
"What would I do without you?" Mark smiled at her.
"Probably starve to death." she shrugged, giving him a teasing smirk.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 28, 2023 17:33:54 GMT -6
Mark nearly startled Jasmine when he mentioned Tex’s name. She quickly turned to look behind her to see that Tex was actually standing there quietly. “How on this planet did I not hear you?” Asked Jasmine who then sharply said; “Wait, never mind. Don’t answer that.” She turned back to Mark and decided that it was best to answer him.
“It’s fine. I like the idea of this logical plan of yours.” Jasmine then crossed her arms and said; “Well, since the boy is going along. I may have some spare helmets laying around the lab. I’ll search-“
Tex interrupted Jasmine with a simple; “Not needed. I have acquired a helmet from one of our spare Scavenger uniforms. It’s capable of handling hits but the radio communicator needs some alterations. RJ has skills with adjusting it but if you desire the opportunity to work on it instead, then it’s yours.” Tex then tossed the helmet over to Nox who fumbled to catch it. Her eyes narrowed at him, skeptically wondering how useful he actually was going to be out in the field.
“Woah...a sentient robot!” He chimed as he walked over to her to touch her white plated armor. As his hand was reached out, Tex immediately stepped away from him. Nox then froze in his place as he didn’t want to alarm her anymore than he already did. “S-Sorry.”
“Refrain from touching me.” Tex said in a flat tone. But when Jasmine glared at her, it was a silent indication for Tex to be a little nicer to him. Against her desires to be nicer, Tex reluctantly added; “Please. I don’t appreciate it.”
Knowing how Tex wasn’t too keen on Nox quite yet, Jasmine decided to push her out. After all, she still needed some final repairs. “Alright. So let’s go back to the lab and finish you up. Mark, get some rest whenever you can. Ikuki, your food smells amazing. And kid? Everything is the same for you. Get some sleep, eat up, do whatever you need to do. They’re gonna need you to be on your highest alert when you’re out there.” She grinned before pushing Tex back out of the room.
Nox watched her and Tex walk back out of the room. He couldn’t believe his eyes on how competent Tex was with speaking and thinking on her own. In a way, he felt that she was sentient, or pretty close to it. Regardless of that, he was still intrigued by her design and capabilities. Another interesting aspect to the robot was, she didn’t wear any sort of logo or emblem on her. This meant, she wasn’t created by a large corporation or some form of organization. She was purely something made by the hands of Jasmine and RJ, which alone was amazing. Nox really wanted to get to know them more but he knew time was ticking and that later, may be best.
Nox then decided to give Mark and Ikuki some time alone while he ate some food that was offered. He also snuck in a couple little chats between everyone as well. His thoughts were correct about Tex not being built by a company. RJ stated that she had been a long time project for Jasmine, ever since she was able to understand blueprints. He had only helped her out because of his ability to program and do some minor tweaks here and there on her design. But over all, he made sure that Jasmine got most of the credit because Tex was essentially her childhood creation. One of which that she held dearly.
He wished he could’ve asked Tex some questions but she didn’t seem too thrilled with speaking to him for some reason. And when he asked Jasmine about it, she simply told him that Tex was often difficult to befriend because she was programmed to be on high alert. But she said that working alongside her may help with the icy outer layer she had.
After a few hours, Nox snuck into Mark’s room to see what he was up to. Quietly, he tapped on the door before walking into the room. “Hey...Everyone is distracted and I’m...honestly quite curious to know what you know...uh...in regards of my brother. I kinda...have a feeling that we may be on a similar thought path...” He had kept his voice low so that no one else could eavesdrop on their conversation.
“If...now is okay for that.”
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Post by Moe on Nov 28, 2023 20:08:41 GMT -6
After emotions and planning a course of action had been settled, dinner eaten, and the group dispersed within the base all working on their own parts of the plan, Mark had also retreated into the lab where he was working on a firewall. He hadn't forgotten Nox, but wasn't sure what the right time to talk would be. Nox seemed to have found the appropriate moment, however, as there was a gentle knock on the door before he walked into the lab.
"Hey. Yeah. Now is fine." Mark said as he sat down his cup of coffee. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you any of this, as soon as I learned about it. I saw some things that I didn't think either of you would be able to handle, and that was on me for underestimating you and maybe I was projecting a little bit. I know first-hand what an existential crisis is like, and I was scared of putting both of you in the same position, but I never stopped to think that maybe you were both already going through one. Now that things are starting to get dangerous while you're both looking for answers, that's something I'll always wish I could've changed. Okay..." he took a deep breath, figuring he'd stalled enough, and now was finally the time to talk about it.
"Remember a couple years ago, when I astral projected back in time? We talked about it a little bit, but I didn't tell you everything. I saw Lux, and your parents. I watched as your mom pulled him out of a vat of liquid. They worked for Cornelia Corp...that's why they've been after Lux. He's technically their property. That doesn't make him any less your twin, though. You two share genetics, exactly. That's the definition of a twin." he tried to force a smile, trying to make the situation just a little better, but he knew how much the truth could hurt. He purposely left out the details of their father being the one to run the experiments.
"Look, this doesn't change anything. Fake memories and cloning aside, you two are still twins. Unfortunately that's all I can tell you. I wish I could go back again, but I hope that answers a lot of the questions you've been having."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 28, 2023 20:46:30 GMT -6
Nox took a seat on the nearest chair and leaned on its backside. He could already tell that this conversation was going to be rather tough on Mark because of how he was carrying himself. It was plain as day as to how much Mark cared about the twins. They were siblings to him and he was their big brother looking out for them. It was all something that both Nox and Lux had searched for within their own actual brother but never obtained such feelings as Reese was entirely selfish and engulfed within his own casing. But Mark? He was that person. A guy that both boys could turn to whenever they needed.
He couldn’t help but admit that times had been rough since their departure. Lux had severed himself from the group, completely. And that was something Nox was going to have to update Mark more on, once the conversation allowed it.
But pushing thoughts aside, he quietly listened to Mark speak. At first, there was an apology which was followed by the reason for his reluctance for telling the boys about what was going on. Nox quietly kept any opinions or comments to himself and simply, heard him. He was a man with a huge heart and often meant no harm with doing what he did. Nox understood that. Lux however...
“Interesting.” Was all Nox could say as his gaze drifted towards the floor. His eyes caught onto some crumpled up paper that must’ve been dropped by Mark at one point or another. The boy’s mind was trying to wrap itself around Mark’s claim.
The missing memories. The lack of photos that Nox saw back at home. Mark some how managed to project himself into someone’s mind or...something. He witnessed the chaos and...his brother being in a glass casing. These thoughts brought shivers down his spine as he thought more about it. But these emotions that he felt, weren’t of resentment or hatred. In fact, they were quite the opposite.
Mark’s claim solidified some of his own theories about his brother. It explained the mysteries he was facing. The weird misunderstandings and the memories that just weren’t there. All of it actually made sense. However, there was one thing that did sting and that was; Mark mentioning his Mother pulling Lux out of said vat and protecting him.
A small tear escaped his eye and Nox removed his glasses to wipe it away. And after a moment of silence from him, he simply said to Mark; “Thank you for this.” He inhaled and turned his attention to the ceiling. “It’s...actually a relief to hear you say this...”
He shifted in his chair and brought his attention to his friend...no brother. “Looking back at everything...” Nox stopped for a moment to think it over. “I know I must be sounding much older than I really am. But the thing is; there was no way that you could’ve easily told either one of us. While I was already in suspicion over some parts of it back then...” He shook his head. “Lux wouldn’t have listened. And if he did? It would’ve destroyed him.”
Nox kicked his feet a few times while sitting in his chair. This caused the chair to sway back and forth a little. “Mark, what you did was what you felt was the right thing to do.” He then stopped kicking to turn to him with a smile. “Even I think I would’ve been stuck in a whirlpool of emotions.”
He laughed. “But you’re right. Fake memories and different beginnings. Lux grew up with me for the biggest portion of my life. To me, he’s a brother. No...he’s MY brother. And nothing is ever going to change that.” Nox smiled brightly. “Knowing this information has really helped pull me through my own doubts and unanswered questions. Hearing this, relieves me. You honestly have no idea. Though...you might, considering you may have been wanting to tell us about this for a while now. And I am not going to think any different about you because I know you mean no harm in anything you’ve done for us. Protecting us or not, it’s all because you really care about both of us. And I have no words to describe how appreciative I am about this.”
But then his smile faded as his gaze drifted towards the side. “I...wasn’t really telling the truth about why Lux went to the Underground. I mean, part of it anyway. You see...Reese...and Lux...” He rubbed the back of his head.
“Lux was having a really rough day. Joe’s Father was trying to train him in using his telekinetic powers and Lux kept messing up. It was frustrating him even though her Father was being super patient and understanding with him. And...then her Uncle stepped in to give him some pointers.” Nox’s frown deepened. “Even though Lux was being treated wonderfully by Joe’s family, Reese had...to ruin it by stepping in and impeding on the progress with his...shallow personality.”
Nox shook his head. “I couldn’t overhear everything that was being said but I do know that Joe’s Uncle and Father were quite ticked off. And...Lux snapped. He lost control over his ability and pretty much sent a wave of energy at everyone. Myself included, was hit by the blast. Which...I think terrified him because I actually did get hurt. But regardless, Lux took off.”
He rested his head on the backside of the chair once more. “Later, Joe found out that he took the quickest route to the Underground...He’s...” Lux stopped short as the most bitter portion of the truth was hard for him to swallow. “He’s...in...their hands now. And...Dawn did get roped in on this because I was too afraid to go out on my own. But...I should’ve gone with her...And this is why I’m heading to the Underground. I NEED to see if I can find either one of them. I have to get them out of there... Or...at least Dawn anyway... She doesn’t need to be involved with C.Corp...Or deal with any sort of weird links that they have with the Underground.”
Nox then hopped out of his chair and walked over to Mark. “I’m sorry that I’ve been untruthful to you too. But...I didn’t know how else to tell you either. Especially over the calls. I...I hate myself for being such a coward and a wimp. But this is going to be my first major step forward. I need to save both of them and I know that you’re going there for similar reasons...” He paused and added; “I...had taken the same shuttle you did. And when I saw you guys outside the window, making your way in? I quickly hid.”
He laughed. “I’m surprised Jasmine actually played along...or maybe she didn’t even notice because she was fixed on that device of hers. Either way, when you got onto the shuttle...I quietly waited for you and Ikuki to be distracted with Jasmine and Tex. Then I quickly turned into something small, a short knife of sorts. Then I just...palled around with you until you got here.”
He then smirked. “Gotta admit. I’m sneaky.” Nox winked at him. “Maybe that can become useful at one point or another?”
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Post by Moe on Nov 29, 2023 14:23:26 GMT -6
When Nox mentioned Reese, it lit a fire in Mark. One that he didn't often have. Generally, he tried to treat everyone with kindness, even bullies like Reese. This had escalated from bullying to full on child abuse, however, and that filled him with anger and hate, two emotions he very rarely felt. "I've got one more confession to make, Nox. A few months ago, I...said I accept. Not on purpose, but I still meant it in the moment and I guess it still counted. I don't have full control of my powers and I don't even know what I'm capable of, but I do know I can see memories and I can force memories to surface. Once I figure everything out, I swear to...well...me, that I will make Reese re-live every single memory of how horribly he's treated Lux. I'll make his memories focus on Lux's face, every time he was talked down to. Every single time that Lux sucked it up and did something amazing, in spite of it all. Every time he smiled all while taking Reese's abuse. I want him to see and to feel what he's done to Lux, and I want him to see how amazing Lux is, despite how he was raised."
"It's...probably not the most god-like thing to do, but eh." he shrugged. "I never believed in a god, anyway. I write my own rules."
When Nox apologized for being cowardly, Mark interjected; "Don't apologize for anything, Nox. You're not a coward or a wimp. If you hadn't snuck aboard the shuttle, and told me all of this..." he fidgeted a bit, while talking. "Nox, once Apollo is destroyed, the whole city is going to collapse. He's connected to everything and once he's gone, everything will be destroyed along with everyone who's still left in it. We don't know how to evacuate everyone, if we even can. We're trying to find a solution where nobody gets hurt, but all the possible outcomes are..." he trailed off, shaking the thoughts out of his head. "If you hadn't told us Lux and Dawn were there, they could've gotten hurt a lot worse. I'm sure they're handling themselves just fine right now, but if the city's destruction penetrates to the underground....I'm not so sure what the outcome will be. And that scares me."
"You being here is good. It brings to light new information, and it changes the possible outcomes. I'll have to let...my contact know." he almost let slip that he'd been talking with Apollo. Sooner or later, he was going to have to be honest with the others about everything, but now didn't feel like the right time. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you everything I saw, a lot sooner. I know it's a lot to process, but Ikuki is right. Right now we should all get some rest, because first thing in the morning, we're heading to Olympus."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 29, 2023 18:55:50 GMT -6
As much as Nox wanted to get revenge on Reese for tormenting his brother, he wasn’t so sure about how he was going to go about it. But when Mark mentioned that he wanted to resurface some memories to haunt Reese, he began to wonder if that would even work? Reese, he felt was a titan of his own ego. A wall. An immobile force that seemed to have no end to his egotistical personality.
But the thought was incredible enough and so, Nox smiled at Mark with a nod. “Yeah, make sure he sees it too. Lux smiling at him. Getting into trouble in town. Hearing him laugh whenever he’s with me or Joe. All of those memories will haunt him for sure. He hates seeing Lux happy for some reason.”
Mark then did bring up a valid point. If it weren’t for Nox facing his fears to meet Mark again to inform him about Dawn and Lux’s whereabouts, there would’ve been a higher chance of them perishing within the demise of Apollo. And although he wasn’t so sure about how else he could help Mark, he did somewhat feel rather proud of this. He warned Mark about a potential life threatening situation. If they had perished during the ending, then Mark was sure never going to forgive himself.
Nox hoped that he could at least, help prevent such an end.
At the end of their conversation, Nox hugged Mark tightly once again. He buried his head into his chest, enjoying his comfort once again. Mark to him, was a big brother, a guardian, someone to look up to. He was family. And Nox missed those interactions between him and Ikuki. For as long as he could recall, Reese never showed any emotional support to either brother.
“Right. You try to sleep well, Mark.” Nox said before turning away to head for bed.
- - - - -
“Okay, so...” Jasmine chomped down on a loaf of bread and chewed on it while kicking her feet on top of her table. Beside her, RJ rolled his eyes at her lack of care for being proper and Tex made a flat-faced cringe over the fact that she was going to need to re-wipe the table again. “While ya’ll slept, a few of my Scavengers returned from their runs. Instead of having them go back out into the field again. I had them help prepare you guys.”
“Jasmine...please lower your feet.” RJ whined.
Jasmine rolled her eyes and let her feet fall hard onto the floor with a thump. She chomped down on her bread again and continued; “So the vehicle is ready to run. Fueled up. Got new tires. They checked over the breaks and sensors. Cleaned it up. It doesn’t look brand new but it should run long enough to get you to where you need to go.”
She then bit into her bread again. “So there’s also some supplies in there too. Some food items that one of my Scavengers felt was important for you guys...Um... What else am I forgetting about?” She tapped her fingers on the table a few times.
“Nox has a helmet that allows radio communication between everyone on the team. Same goes for the radio on the vehicle that you are riding in. However, I am not capable of driving said vehicle and the boy appears to be too young to do the same. This means, Mark you may have to be the driver.” Tex said to him with a stoic look. “It’s also equipped with a minigun. So we can shoot our way through debris if needed or to create dust storms behind us if someone is following behind.”
“So yeah, I’m stuck sitting behind because my husband requires my assistance.” Jasmine said a bit dismissively. “But Tex will be my eyes and I will chime in through a radio she has equipped-as well as your com-channel.” She then wrinkled her nose. “Man, it sounds like it’d be so much fun being out there.”
“Stop complaining.” Sighed RJ.
“So yeah, you’re all prepared.” She then tossed Mark the keys before hopping to her feet. “Enjoy your breakfast because I don’t know where you’re going to have another delicious meal.” She then winked to Nox. “You stay out of trouble kid.”
“I promise.” Nox said with a nod after he finished his final bite of his breakfast. “Man...I’m kind of nervous... But like...excited nervous.”
Once everyone was ready, Jasmine was waiting at the hallway that led to the garage where the vehicle was waiting. She then will open the door to show it off. Jasmine then helped Nox with getting his gear together and tightening his lightweight armor. She laughed when he had a hard time walking in it at first. But once he got the handle of things, he was ready to go.
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Post by Moe on Nov 29, 2023 21:27:13 GMT -6
It was hard to tell what time it was, within the base. The harsh rays of the sun were kept out, and time was irrelevant here. Mark was still in the lab, working on a firewall and connectivity update for Tex to install into Apollo. When he was finally finish, he leaned back in his chair and stretched, satisfied with his work. About the time he was ready to go to bed, Ikuki joined him and gave him a very annoyed look. "I know, I know. I'll come to bed in a second. I just finished this firewall program. Whatever code this guy is using against Apollo, it's a lot more advanced than anything I've ever seen. Or, maybe ancient? It's really hard to tell."
"Mark. It's morning." Ikuki said, flatly. "You never came to bed. Jasmine is about to come down here, to debrief us."
"Oh." Mark said, with a realization that he was in trouble. He'd broken his promise to get some rest, and Ikuki was clearly upset. "Sorry. It just...had to be finished. We don't-"
"We don't have time. I know." Ikuki sighed, sitting next to him as they waited for Jasmine. "Kinda funny, honestly. I'm just worried about you, okay? You're the one who accepted being both, a god and a human. So, you have to start taking care of the human part of you. Otherwise, you really will become something you don't want to be. I'm sorry if that sounds cold, but that's just how it works...and maybe I'm being really selfish, but I don't want you to lose your humanity. That's the part I fell in love with." she said as she gave him a kiss.
It wasn't long, before Jasmine came in to explain the plan for the morning. "Your guys work fast." Mark commented on how quickly they'd fixed up the runner. "That thing just barely got us here, yesterday." he said as he caught the keys Jasmine tossed to him. "So, now that we're all geared up to go, there is one last matter that we need to take care of. If you're ready for it." he looked over to Tex.
"I've been working all night on that firewall, and an upgrade so Apollo and Tex will be able to connect. I just need to install that into Tex, so she can be able to transfer it. That should buy us enough time to go in there without whoever is controlling Apollo, seeing us. And...I do have one personal request." he said, suddenly acting a little nervous. "I promised a...friend...that I would try and find out if Apollo really was the one who pulled the trigger on the planet, or if was the guy behind the curtains controlling him, and blocking him from finding out. If you're able to pinpoint that exact memory within his database, I can comb through it and see if there's any missing or hidden code. If it matches what I found to create the firewall, then Apollo might not be the bad guy, after all."
"Are you insane?? He still destroyed most of the planet, whether he was in control, or not!" Ikuki said. "If we let him live, who's to say someone else can't do it all over again?"
"I didn't say that. We still go through with the plan. I just...want people to know, if he wasn't the one at fault. I think he'd appreciate us telling the world that history wasn't all it seemed to be. At least, that's what I'd want. For people to remember me for me, not what history said I am." Mark said with a shrug, sympathizing with Apollo but still not telling anyone that the two had become friends over the last couple of years.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 29, 2023 22:06:55 GMT -6
Jasmine smirked at Mark’s comment about her team being pretty quick. “Yeah, you guys got lucky that my A team made their return last night. They’re still here, actually. Some of them are asleep while the others are in the lab preparing for their next mission.”
Nox chimed in; “Yeah some of them gave me some pointers on how to use this gun too.” He looked it over. “I want to adjust it though. I don’t like the idea of hurting others with bullets but if I can somehow convert the mechanisms within it to launch my healing potions, then it may be helpful. Or even better yet, could even launch trap potions like; smog, sleeping gas, or something of the like. But it’ll be something I can tinker with during the trip there.”
“The kid’s smart.” Jasmine said to Ikuki and Mark. “You got a good one with you.”
Nox grinned as he slipped over to Ikuki to give her a morning hug. He didn’t have much else to add to the conversations at hand but he did want to hear what else was going to be mentioned. Who knows? Maybe he’d know a thing or two?
At first mentioning of installing something on Tex was brought up, Jasmine had to take a step back to think this over again. Tex was her pride and joy. Of course she hoped that Mark wasn’t going to sneak behind her back and steal her coding. Then there was the young boy that suddenly appeared out of Mark’s baggage. During the morning, he had helped some of the Scavengers with a few odds and ends with some machinery. Nox seemed to know more than what he led on and that concerned her a little bit.
She was also aware of agreeing to go on with the mission. After all, that was the whole reason why she allowed them to camp at her lab for the night. Right? But still. Tex was her pride and it was hard for her to simply give an answer. Which is where RJ stepped in, as he was well aware of everything going on and if there were any chances for survival, they had to team together. Plus he was a lot more level-headed than Jasmine was.
Confidently, RJ replied to Mark; “Yes, of course.” He glanced to Tex and said to her; “Tex, allow him to install the chip into your system and download any data required to operate it.” RJ returned his attention to Mark once again when he had a follow up request.
While Mark was beginning to talk again, Tex offered her hand to him to take the chip out from his. Once she obtained the chip, she popped open her chest armor and a small drive slid open. She could hear Nox gasp in amazement over this as she was clearly installing the device without any assistance. Ignoring the boy, she then placed it within her port and closed her chest up. Then she stopped for a moment to allow her system to read what was there.
“Huh...That’s a bit of an odd request from your friend.” RJ said with a bit of skepticism in his voice. “I mean...I guess we could do that.”
“Tex would have an easier time with that since she’d be linked to him. So Tex, make sure that if you find any data, you provide him with it as well as us. I’d like to have a backup of anything you discover for proof or further investigation.”
Tex simply responded with; “Done downloading the data, everything seems to be online without any flaws. The coding is quite interesting too. Good job on that.” She then gave a stiff nod. “Affirmative. I will supply both parties with any information that I’ve gathered.”
“That robot is so cool...” Nox couldn’t help himself but fawn over how smart Tex really was.
“Organic, must I remind you that my name is Tex? Please address me as that.”
Nox flinched, not liking the idea of annoying her too much. “Y-Yes Ma’am!”
“Repairing the flaws in history isn’t going to be as simple as rewriting a story. Organic beliefs are rather...convoluted at times.” Tex said to Mark. “But if that is what your aim is, then I shall do what I can to supply you with the correct information.”
“Well then...anything else?” Jasmine asked the group.
“Thank you for everything, Ma’am and Sir.” Nox said to them both.
“You’re welcome, kid.” RJ said with a smirk.
Jasmine folded her arms and leaned against the nearest wall. She looked to the group and said; “So let me give you a tidbit of information about Tex here. Her original idea for being created was to protect and escort civilians to safety. Hence why she has a portal ability. It’s made to transport others out from a dangerous area and bring them into a safer one. So...we couldn’t help but notice how close you are to the purple haired kid.” She gestured to Nox.
“We’ve issued a command to Tex to make sure he is to remain safe. So if danger was to ever appear before him, she will protect him with everything she’s got. Tex is equipped with a plasma gun and two extremely sharp bladed disks that she can chuck at enemies like a boomerang. Tex also can fight hand to hand combat, if needed. So the boy should be in safe hands.”
RJ waited for Jasmine to finish before adding; “We...just wanted to help you focus on your main goal. So knowing that he was tagging along, we figured it’d be good to have Tex understand that he’s a part of the team as well. Of course if either one of you get into trouble, she’s also going to save you both as well.”
Tex dully said to them; “I am teamed up with you Organics for a reason. And it’s not to simply dangle a chicken leg in front of you and lure you into a trap.”
“W-Well...that’s good, I suppose.” Nox winced.
“Don’t worry, she’ll warm up to you guys.” Jasmine winked. “So, before we keep you guys stranded here. Get going, if you guys don’t have anything else.”
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Post by Moe on Nov 29, 2023 22:55:00 GMT -6
"Nnnnnope." Mark said, carefully taking the gun away from Nox. "That's a really good idea to modify it, but these things aren't built to heal, they're built for the opposite of that. And I have a very strict no-guns rule."
"But," Ikuki added. "Since you have a strong nature alignment, Mark's sister trained him in using a bow staff. I'm sure if we have any down time, he can show you a few tricks with that, if you're able to grow one." she smiled sweetly at Nox, as she returned his hug and ruffled his hair a little.
"I'm willing to compromise, with that." Mark agreed. "Also," he stood between Tex and Nox, and used the calmest voice he could, much like when Tiffany got into trouble and he was trying to be gentle with her. "We all have names. She isn't just a robot, and we aren't all just organics. Mark," he gestured at himself, before turning to the others. "Ikuki, Nox, Tex. There, we all know each other's names, now. Tex is more than just a robot, she's very special to Jasmine and RJ, and she'd very much appreciate being treated as a living being, not an object. Tex," he looked to Jasmine and RJ, hoping he wasn't overstepping his boundaries. "We'd like to be called by name, too. I think we'll all make a pretty great team, and I'd like to think we're all equals, with our own unique set of abilities." he said, keeping a calm voice and facial expression.
"Thank you, Jasmine. Nox is my brother, so that really means a lot. And thank you for trusting us, with Tex. We promise we'll protect her, just the same. Like I said, we're all equals, and we all look out for each other." he put an arm around Ikuki and Nox, and started to do the same with Tex, but remembered she didn't like being touched and respected her personal space. "That said, I think it's time to suit up and get out of here. We've got a really long, really hot drive ahead of us."
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