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Post by Moe on Dec 6, 2023 17:53:35 GMT -6
Beth was surprisingly quiet as the pair headed up top, and into the pristine, shining, robotic city above. For the most part, it functioned like any other city would. Robots going about their daily lives, automatic cars zipping to and from as a more efficient means of transportation, though there was an eerie lack of organic life. No birds, no bugs, no trees or plants, not even a single rock. Everything was made of metal. It was any wonder why nobody ever dared get near the city. If the giant turret security system didn't kill them, all the reflections would surely blind them. One other thing to note, was that Apollo was connected to everything.
Atlas sat perched on Tex's shoulder, quietly taking in all of the sights. This one something very few humans every saw and lived to tell, and the ones who did, were stuck in an underground city. "This is amazing." Mark said, watching from the safety of Beth's shambled home. "Apollo built this place from the ground up. He could've done this to the entire world. He could've done this to Kaiser City, easily, a couple years ago."
"So why didn't he?" Ikuki asked, genuinely curious.
"He wishes he could have." Mark answered. "His whole purpose was to help humanity. He could've built a paradise, but instead somebody out there used him to create an apocalypse. I don't really blaming humanity for isolating him like this. He only built his own citizens because he was alone. At least, that's what he told me. I'm still unsure how much he told me was genuine, and how much could've been the guy behind the metaphorical curtain."
"Can you guys hear me, okay?" he spoke into the communications, through Atlas.
"We can hear you, loud and clear. Emphasis on the loud and clear." Beth was much quieter than they were used to, in the short amount of time they'd spent with her. She was quiet and on edge and trying to draw at little attention to themselves, as possible. "If you're any more loud and clear, you're going to put a target on us. Don't you guys have a virus to code, or something?"
"Something like that." Mark said to her, careful to be quiet as she did have a point. "Keep heading to the tallest building in the city, can't miss it. Stay in touch if things go sour."
"Roger, roger." Beth said.
"So, what kind of virus are we supposed to be making?" Ikuki also had a computer out, ready to collaborate with Mark on creating a code to shut down an all-powerful robot.
"We're not." Mark smirked. "We're creating a trojan. I couldn't say anything with Tex around, because whatever she knows, is going to be accessed by Apollo. After the firewall is installed, it'll restrict access to Apollo. The guy controlling Apollo will still know we're coming, but he won't know how. So, we lead him into it. He's going to see at least some of Tex's code and her portaling capabilities, so we give it to him. We give him a neatly-wrapped little box with the promise of portal tech, and when he opens it, boom goes the whole system."
"That is genuinely terrifying. You can bring down entire empires, with that sort of thing." Ikuki noted.
"I can, and I have. You'd be surprised how many heads of corporations will fall for that. All you've gotta do is offer drug and-or money, and they're all for it. Before they know it, bam, all their money has gone into some nobody kid's bank account." he said with a devious grin. "That would be me, by the way. Though as far as they know, my name is Lærke V. Jeppesen, from Ysselsteyn."
"So," Mark cracked his knuckles. "All we need to do now is get in touch with Jasmine to see if she can make us a believable enough decoy, of Tex's coding and blueprints."
"Well, I suddenly feel kind of useless." Ikuki sunk into her seat. She was okay enough with coding and technology, but this was way beyond her and Mark sounded like he had a pretty good handle on things.
"Hey, you're not useless." Mark set his computer down, and embraced Ikuki in a tight hug. "You helped modify Atlas, so we could stay in touch with Beth and Tex. You're super smart, great with machines and building things, and you're way better at designing AI than I am." he leaned into her, giving her a kiss as he complimented her.
"Careful, compliment me any more and I might think you're flirting." she teased him.
That, of course, caused him to blush as he caught himself. They'd been alone, save for Tiffany, for so many months, that Mark had almost forgotten Nox was with them again. He cleared his throat and tried to play it off as most definitely not flirting; "I'm just saying, don't ever think you're useless. Not for a second."
Ikuki just leaned back into Mark as he was still embracing her, thinking quietly to herself. She did feel useless, but he was right. She was good at building things. "Actually," an idea struck her. "There's plenty of scrap robot parts, all over the place. I could probably make Nox a full-body suit to match that helmet Jasmine gave him. That way if anything happens, he won't have to expend any extra energy on a shielding spell. What do you think, Nox? You wanna go scavenge some parts, and make your own suit?"
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Post by Banshee on Dec 6, 2023 18:16:13 GMT -6
Tex was taking in all the sights that surrounded her and the others. To her, she was more interested with how the structuring of each building was and how it was designed. Everything seemed so clean and smooth to her, a much different lifestyle than the junk heap of a city they came from. And the best part was, she didn’t have to worry about harboring any furry critters because there wasn’t any within the area.
As impressive as it was, Tex couldn’t help but be thankful for the fact that Apollo wasn’t able to take over the entire planet. There were still some chances left for the planet to be capable of recovering from such devastation. Plus Nature often brought diversity which made traveling around enjoyable. At least, that’s what she saw in books that were laying around in the various buildings that she’s been within. Historical monuments to paintings to natural mysteries. All of that would be absent had Apollo been successful.
“I can hear you.” Tex said to him while she continued to examine the buildings and street designs.
While Beth and Mark had their discussion, Tex could hear RJ and Jasmine through her own headset. The two of them were impressed with how everything looked as well. She could hear Jasmine scurrying about within the lab. Tex assumed that it was most likely something for her to record the sights with. Perhaps a memory stick or something.
She then turned her attention to the tallest building within the city. To her, it felt like a giant needle of some kind. A tall domain that could oversee everything happening within the city. A part of her wondered how incredible it must feel to have such a powerful ability to create their own world and be in control. It was definitely impressive and she wonders how much knowledge does Apollo actually have? And whether or not, she could ever amount to something so vast in her future?
If she was capable of surviving that long.
“Interesting.” Tex spoke lowly to Beth. “This place is quite fascinating. I can understand why Apollo dislikes the idea of having intruders break into his domain. There’s been a lot of work done here and the construction of these buildings are phenomenal. I have not seen anything like them before. It’s a shame that things aren’t as clean as they seem though.” She made sure that she used the radio to speak to her as she knew anything verbal may cause some form of disturbance with the natives.
- - - -
Nox wasn’t paying too much attention to the scenery. He wasn’t fond of large cities because it took away the natural aesthetic. Trees and grass, flowers, and animals. He loved seeing those things and to see them vacant from the area, only made him feel that the place was just an empty shell with nothing remarkable about it.
He looked down at his scarf and played with it just a little. A part of him began to wonder how his brother was doing and whether or not he was healing well. Nox wished that he could say something to him. And any chances that he had, Nox was unable to do it because he was on the other side of the fence. Essentially.
He could hear the flirting going on between Ikuki and Mark. Nox smirked but kept his comments to himself. After all, teasing them wasn’t as fun doing it by himself. He wished Lux was there to join him and tease them together.
He then heard his name be called. Nox glanced over to see that it was Ikuki. She mentioned something about building an armored suit. Nox grinned. “Of course! I’d love to do that! I don’t really have a design in plan but anything that I can fit into and move around in, is suffice enough!”
Nox hopped to his feet and walked over to Ikuki. “Alright. Why don’t we do that then! We can leave the hardcore nerd-stuff with him and Jasmine.” He gestured to a communicator which had Jasmine’s video feed pop up.
“Have fun!” Nox said with a cheerful wave before he ventured about to find anything worth using.
“Alright Mark. So Tex has been updating me with a lot of information. I’m trying to record as much as I can. Right now, I have RJ in the background keeping an eye on her while I help with our plan. We’ve managed to get some coding down but we’re going to make it a lot cooler than what we’ve got.”
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Post by Moe on Dec 6, 2023 21:15:42 GMT -6
"Hey," Mark held Ikuki's hand, stopping her before they left the shack of a home. "Please be careful, out there. Both of you. The underground might be safer than the Expanse, but that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous. There's a while different set of dangers, down here. Pollution, infections, viruses, any number of toxins are just floating around out there. Stay suited up, don't talk to strangers, and definitely don't take anything from them. Especially if they say it's food."
"We'll be okay." Ikuki smiled at him, before turning to suit up.
"I know you will. I'm just saying, stay away from anything sharp, rusty, dusty, standing water, mud, trash heaps, and keep your helmets and filtration systems on-" he started to ramble, worried about them.
"Mark." she placed her hand on his cheek and flipped her helmet visor up, so he could see her face. "We'll be okay. I promise." she smiled softly at him, before giving him a kiss. "We took all our precautions before coming here, and I'll make sure Nox keeps his mask on at all times, and I won't let him pick up anything too weird. You and Jasmine focus on that virus. Between the two of you, I'm sure you can get it made in no time." she flipped her visor back down, and started to follow Nox outside. She turned around briefly, facing a noticeably-worried Mark. "I love you." she smiled at him, underneath the helmet.
"I love you, too." he smiled back at her, as the duo left.
He sighed as he sat back down, right as video feed from Jasmine turned on. He looked tired and worried, and still couldn't stop thinking about what happened with Lux, but there were other things to worry about right now, and he tried his best not to show all the anxiety on his face. "Best take as many notes as you can, right now." Mark said to Jasmine. "As soon as Apollo is decommissioned, the whole city is going to come crashing down with him. There might not be anything left to scavenge, by the time it's all over with. Speaking of, now that Tex isn't around, I think it's time to tell you the whole plan."
He went on to tell her about Apollo, the trojan virus, and them acting like they were going to give the person controlling Apollo, Tex's schematics. "So I need you to send me something that looks exactly like Tex's code on the outside, but on the inside, I'll have a trojan ready to shut Apollo down. It'll go right for the killswitch. Thousands of years of earth history, in the most advanced AI system ever created, gone just like that. It feels wrong, but this is what he wants." Mark shrugged. "The least I can do for him, is make sure that people know the truth."
-----
"The whole place is a little too clean, if you ask me." Beth huffed. "Too pristine, too symmetric. I like chaos! Surprise! Anarchy!" she found herself getting a little too into the moment. She took a deep breath and composed herself, standing upright and very robot-like. "Sorry, always done this solo. Working in teams gets me a lil riled up, ya' know?"
As they walked toward Apollo's building, it became more and more obvious that they were being watched. Security bots stood on guard, waiting for orders to eliminate the trespassers.
Apollo's digitized face appeared on a screen in front of the building; "You may let them pass. They are from the outside, seeking shelter. They must pass a mandatory screening, before I allow them to live here."
He hadn't met either of them, but he knew Mark and Ikuki wouldn't come there, themselves. Whoever was in control, had seen them and was expecting them. So of course, Apollo was expecting someone more unassuming. He had done screenings on outside robots many times before, so this was nothing new. Except, Beth knew she wouldn't pass the screening, and was beginning to grow nervous.
"I think you should go, first." she leaned over to Tex, and whispered. If Tex was allowed to go first, she could install the firewall into Apollo and the two of them could escape, relatively unscathed. If he insisted Beth went first, then they were in a whole heap of trouble.
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Post by Banshee on Dec 6, 2023 22:49:26 GMT -6
While listening to Mark express his concern to Ikuki, Nox readjusted his mask over his face. He wanted to make sure that it was tight but not too tight to where it’d scrunch his face too much. No matter how long they’ve been out and about, he still couldn’t get used to the mask on him. His glasses often fogged up and pressed too firmly against his nose. At times like this, he wished that he had contact lenses. But the idea of holding his fingers so close to his eyeball, freaked him out.
“I won’t do any of that. Not without the proper Personal Protective Equipment.” He then pulled out a pair of tongs and some other tools that he may have to use if he needed something. Nox slung the bag over his shoulders, which nearly knocked him over. He winced, because this was a thing that Lux would’ve normally carried. He was the stronger brother. Nox was just the brains.
“We promise nothing bad will happen because of our curiosity.” Nox said to Mark with an attempted smile. But the mask blocked him from being able to show that he was actually doing it. So he gave him a thumbs up.
Once they were freed from the fretting Mark, Nox quietly followed after Ikuki and entered the chaotic world that surrounded them. A part of him was super excited about this. He may finally get his own armored suit. “You know...” He said to Ikuki. “I honestly don’t know how much more I am going to grow. If I recall correctly, information that I’ve learned about my parents...neither one of them were very tall.”
He hopped over something that was laying on the dusty ground. “Mom, I’ve seen her in pictures with other folks. She was always the smallest. So I have a feeling that Lux and I aren’t going to be much taller than we are. If we do grow, it’s probably going to cause minor modifications to the suit. Something of which I don’t think will be too much trouble.”
Nox walked over to a pile of discarded robots and looked at their rusted weapons. He frowned, not enjoying the idea of being unable to use any of their weapon parts. “It stinks that Mark doesn’t want me to use a weapon like these. I mean...I get it. But we’re going against robots that shoot things at us.” He then knelt down and pulled out some tongs to pry some metal apart from one another.
“I view technology versus magic to be similar to oil and water. However, it is possible to mix those two together. Hence why we have some dressings for salads.” He lifted up a battered weapon and looked it over for any parts. There were some lenses and some interesting mechanisms that appeared somewhat decent in structure. But he wasn’t sold on whether or not he wanted to use them. “I bet with the right mixture, we can manage to make technology work with magic-or vice versa.”
He tossed the part aside and moved onto another pile. “So that’s why I was originally interested with the weapon that Jasmine had given me before Mark took it away. If I could make healing ‘bullets’ I could heal my partner from a distance. It may hurt on impact but the healing would cover that.” He sighed as he knelt before another pile. “Of course, I don’t know how to do any of that. So I’d have to find a way to test my theories out.”
Nox tilted his head as he discovered some decent looking armor. He began to pull it from the body of the fallen machine but it was fighting him. The boy stopped for a moment and said; “Without having a plan of action on how to take down robots, I feel that I won’t be very useful in terms of using magic against them. I don’t have the right mixture for that procedure. So all I may end up doing is, wasting my energy and a potential possibility of healing a comrade when needed.” Nox plucked a screw driver out from his bag and began to work on the metal. “Sorry if I’m talking too much.”
- - - - -
Jasmine listened to Mark discuss what he’d discovered during his adventures. Then proceeded to tell her the plan behind Tex’s back and she sat there in silence the entire time. Nodding her head and jotting down some notes for herself to memorize so that she’d know what the plan was exactly. “Alright.”
She then glanced in a direction off camera. Jasmine was saying something to RJ about the plan. His voice was a bit hard for Mark to hear. But the result was, Jasmine turned her attention back to Mark and smirked. “Sounds like a diabolical plan.”
“That’s going to be easy as pie.” Jasmine grinned before chomping down on another loaf of bread. “RJ’s really good with that sort of stuff. So I may work with him on that.” She then added; “It’s unfortunate that something so powerful and amazing in technology needs to be knocked down. But if someone is snacking on his data like how I am devouring this delicious bread, then it’s not safe.”
“Jasmine...seriously, you’re going to turn into bread...”
“Maybe. At least I can be tasty. This meatbag of mine isn’t doing so hot.” She clanked on her metallic arms and grinned at RJ off camera. Which was promptly met with an annoyed groan from him. Jasmine laughed at his misery and turned back to Mark. “Too bad we couldn’t like...stash his brain into something smaller and keep him hidden from whatever is using him.”
- - - - -
“It’s fine.” Tex commented to Beth when she mentioned working alone. “I normally do too. If I have a companion with me, it’s normally my Mother Unit.”
Seeing the possible threat standing before them, Tex mentally prepared herself for a possible battle. Her scanners indicated that they were actually a threat as their weapons were spotted. However, she could also notice that there were some small laser guns pointing at them with cameras attached. So either way, she and Beth would be doomed.
Suddenly, Apollo’s face appeared on the screen. He already knew they were going to be there. But then when he mentioned mandatory screening, Tex instantly wondered how Beth was going to make it past. She glanced over to her, spotting her energy levels slightly elevated which indicated that she was a bit nervous.
Tex didn’t want to risk her life, even if she didn’t care for Beth that much. The last thing she wanted was her to be eliminated on the spot. So Tex turned towards the robots waiting for one of them to step forward. “Sounds good.” She shrugged as she took the first step. There was no fear within her. No hesitation.
She merely held her hands up, showing that she had nothing to hide. No weapons drawn. No tricks or gimmicks. Tex slowly approached the wall of guards and went for the screening.
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Post by Moe on Dec 7, 2023 16:10:19 GMT -6
Ikuki frowned as Nox observed the weaponry, somewhat agreeing with Mark. Though, she also saw Nox's point. "He just wants to keep you safe, you know. What happened with you two leaving has really been eating at him, the last few months. It's not that he doesn't trust that you're capable, he's just afraid of losing you two, again. And if I'm being honest, so am I. With Lux being out on his own like that...after what he did...Mark is just being extra cautious, with you. However," she said, as an idea struck while they were looking through the discarded pile of parts.
"Hmmm." she picked through some parts that didn't look like they came from a robot, but an ancient civilization. "Maybe we can give you a real gun, without giving you a real gun. Have you ever played paintball?" she grabbed a plastic jar out of the trash heap. "If you can make a healing potion, we can put that potion in little silicon balls that pop when they're shot out, so they'll heal without hurting anyone. I don't know how to make something like that, though." she admitted. "I'm sure if Mark could get us some blueprints, it'll be easy enough to follow."
----
Elsewhere, as Tex and Beth prepared to enter Apollo's domain to be scanned, someone else was watching from afar. He saw everything through Apollo's eyes, and found it curious that Apollo would allow what was clearly an organic lifeform to enter his core. "You're planning something." a deep, growling, authoritive voice spoke out. It was cold and heartless, and would have sent shivers down anyone's spine, had anyone been there to hear it. He switched feed from Apollo, to someone else.
"Edna." he growled in the same calm-but-chilling voice. "There are two unknown lifeforms entering in Apollo's headquarters. One of whom is organic. You told me you killed Time-Space, you did not tell me that he had others working under him. You left his followers alive, and now they are planning something. I offered you Apollo's backup data, should you eliminate the problem, and the problem has very clearly not been eliminated. Next time you kill a god, make sure you kill their followers, as well."
He almost hung up on her, leaving it at that, but decided against it. He still needed them, and he was sure they were still desperate enough to take any offer. He snarled and growled as he was angry, but spoke once more. "However, I am gracious enough to give you one more chance. Finish off the followers of Time-Space, and perhaps I will be merciful and still gift you Apollo's data, even though you don't deserve it."
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Post by Banshee on Dec 7, 2023 18:38:17 GMT -6
It didn’t dawn onto Nox that Lux had done a number to Mark’s confidence until Ikuki mentioned it. To Mark, Nox figured that he must feel like a failure because the last thing he wanted Lux to do was, to get involved with the enemy and go down a dark path that he may later regret taking. But yet, there he was. Doing deeds for the enemy, working under the Corporation that caused a lot more harm than good, and disappear from their lives. Any appearance of Lux often brought a lot of sorrow and pain.
Nox looked down at the metal within his hand as his mind fumbled over his feelings about the whole situation. “I understand...” He said a bit disappointedly. But his disappointment wasn’t aimed towards Mark but at Lux. “I wish I knew what my brother is planning and why he’s where he is... Mark and you, mean the world to both of us...I don’t know why he has this...thing where he wants to push all of us away. It’s so complicated trying to understand him.” He sighed.
Then Ikuki picked up an item which caught her attention. Nox then glanced over to her when she asked if he’d ever fire a paint ball gun before. “I haven’t even shot one of those fake dart guns that kids get. So I’m probably going to be safe and say that I haven’t.” He dropped the items in his hands to look the item over. “You know, it might be a good idea to do something like that then. I’m...not entirely sure on how to make the balls though. Not without moulds and whatnot. But the potion portion of things won’t be too hard! A-As long as we can find the materials...But considering that this place is...kind of radioactive...”
Nox sighed but then slapped the side of his masked face. “Bah! Think positive! We can figure out something with that! I’m sure of it!” He then opened his bag and offered it to Ikuki. “Let’s pack it and see if we can find anything else out here that could be valuable to use.”
After loading his bag with more stuff, he stopped in his tracks as he stood on top of some sort of busted up vehicle. “...Ikuki?” He called to her and glanced over. “...I’m sure we’re going to be fine. But in case anything happens...whether the inevitable or separation. I just want you to know that I’m super grateful to have you as a close friend. Mark as well.”
He turned away for a moment before adding; “As soon as I am capable of doing it...I’m breaking my attachment from my older brother and joining you guys. I...can’t speak for Lux...but I will at least make sure that I’ll be around you folks. There’s so much we can do...and for once? I feel like I’m actually a valuable addition to the team. And once I get a handle on my healing capabilities, I’m going to be your other medic.” He grinned. “I’m going to learn as much as I can to help make healing a lot smoother and less painful.”
Nox then hopped off the machine and walked over to her, smirking. “Besides. When you have kids, I want to be the awesome Uncle.”
- - - -
Her office was a cold steel colored room with only one window which had a thick set of blinds that shielded the room from the bright sun outside. The air was cool and the noise was absolute silence. And the only thing that made any noise was her, mumbling to herself as her hand sifted through the layers of paperwork that were neatly piled upon her desk.
The sharp green eyed woman stared down at a particular piece of paper that had a mugshot of Dirk on it. His description of what his powers were capable of doing, his height and weight, his own physical attributes. Everything was listed upon this piece of paper. And right at the bottom of it, stated “SUCCESS.”
Her hand brushed back her neat dreaded hair as she smirked. “Things are going so well for the prisoners.” She mumbled lowly as she gently placed the paper into a folder of completed projects. “Only ten more to go...And we’ll have a good enough army to-“
Then a voice broke her thought, startling her in her seat. She flinched and promptly turned towards her computer which suddenly spoke to her. The Other was acknowledging her in a tone that normally meant something was going wrong. Her thoughts immediately turned grim as she suddenly felt that she was about to lose something.
“Yes sir?” She responded right after he called her name. Edna turned to face her monitor in full and placed her hands neatly on her grey work suit. Her legs were crossed, giving her a professional but girlish posture.
After hearing the news of two individuals breaking into Apollo’s sanctuary, she fought to keep herself from gritting her teeth and frowning. A nerve had been struck hard and she instantly wanted to lash out at the team that was in charge of the situation. But no, she kept herself professional with the Other.
There was an urge to defend herself, as she truly didn’t know that Time-Space had followers that were so clever. But she knew he wasn’t requesting her side of the situation and was merely informing her that if she screwed up again, her company would lose out on the information he had. And that was something she couldn’t lose out on. It was her duty to be in charge of such an operation.
What made things worse for her was, she never failed. And this was the first time a plan of hers, backfired. The sudden knowledge of this, angered her. But she continued to speak in a calm fashion. “Sir...” She said after he admitted that she and the company didn’t deserve the information he had. “I will see to it at once, that they are eliminated. I apologize for any...insufferable setbacks.”
After she hung up, Edna pressed a call button. “Jet, Roach, and Lux. Report to my office immediately.” Her voice sang throughout the building with a tone that meant she was serious about the situation at hand. After she let go of the button, she casually brought her fingers together and tapped them. Frowning. “I need a word with Roach anyways.”
Within minutes, Jet was the first one to arrive. He greeted her but Edna quickly pointed to the nearest seat without saying a word back to him. She didn’t even watch him as he scurried over to take his seat. Shortly after, Roach and Lux showed up. The two of them were also treated in the same way and promptly sat in their respective spots as well.
Edna leaned back in her chair and glared at the trio. “Care to explain what happened back at the Arena?” She then quickly, but sharply said to Roach, “Don’t even try to speak. You’re incapable and it’s going to forever stay that way. You’re lucky that I don’t have your hands removed.”
The three of them glanced at one another. Then Jet said; “We got the prisoners?”
“And?”
“Uh...I’m...not sure what else to say. We did what we were to-“
“SILENCE.” Edna snapped at him with absolute disgust. “You three were sent there for a job. You were to win the tournament and bring all of the prisoners back. Now don’t play stupid with me.” She jabbed a finger at Jet and then Roach. “Jet, you failed to correctly keep HIM in our custody. And Roach? I’m going to have a NICE word with you.”
“Wait...what are you talking about?” Asked Lux.
“Super X or whatever his hero name is.” She waved her hand and spoke with no respect towards Lux’s friend. “He was supposed to come back with the prisoners and he didn’t. Can either of you idiots explain to me what happened?”
“...He...escaped...”
“Wait...what?” Lux turned to Jet. “I thought he was dead?”
“As the matter of fact, he very much is alive.” Edna answered for Jet. Her tone was really cold. “You three do not understand the level of disobedience and failure you’ve performed. If this company goes down? All three of you little mistakes will be going with it. I WILL make sure of that.” She spoke through her teeth and continued to glare at them.
“Our client has something of which we desire. The order was, to kill off that God. Which...” She turned to Lux. “Which is why you were created.” Edna saw the look of being stunned and she continued to dig deeper into his heart. “You weren’t created because someone was bored. You were created because you consist of the perfect gene formation that we needed to manipulate it and craft it into something that could be used against the Gods. You were MADE to be a God Killer and nothing else.”
Roach flinched in her spot but did nothing. Jet winced and nervously glanced at Lux. Lux on the other hand, clenched his jaw tightly and glared at Edna.
“You’re nothing more than an expensive Science project. You’re the weapon we need to destroy them. And you failed.” She leaned on her desk to glare at Lux even more. “Mess up one more time, boy. And I will see to it that your little girlfriend back home will be the first for you to witness a forced transformation.”
“N-No...” He leaned forward but was quickly pushed back by Jet. “You do not touch her.”
“The little cute fire haired girl?” Edna said with a cold smile. “She’d be perfect to turn into a robot. Don’t you think? A dragon-powered robot? It’s amazing that we haven’t had the lucky chance to obtain any of her own species yet. But mark my words, Lux. You screw up again? She’s ours.” Edna then leaned back and looked to Roach. “As for you. Don’t play stupid with me. I know what you’ve been doing.”
The green haired woman laughed. “Learning to speak with your hands, how adorable? It’s such a cute way to avoid the verbal restrictions we’ve placed upon you. And what’s worse? You’re getting too comfortable with OUR weapon. So for that? I’ve got an important mission for you. A one way ticket, to be more precise.”
“W-Wait...” Lux and Jet both said in unison but were immediately silenced by her.
“Roach, you will be the one to go to Apollo’s place. I know you’re incapable of doing much anyway. But what I want you to do is, harm that organic that’s following a white armored robot around. That will surely bring out that God. Lure him into this area...” She pointed on a digital map beside her. “And by then...Lux... You WILL kill him for certain.” She glared back at him. “Or...”
Edna then smiled. “Well...” There was a scoff. “I wouldn’t want you to lose the only girl that’s ever wanted to be your friend. Growing up in a world without them, is so very lonely. And you most certainly wouldn’t want to be the reason why her life ends. Now wouldn’t you?”
Lux hissed.
“And don’t worry. If that’s not enough of a threat. Then I shall include your dearest brother in on this.” She saw Roach shoot onto her feet and make a move towards Edna. But as soon as she did, Roach was met with an agonizing electrical surge which forced her back down. Edna however, found her pain to be amusing and continued to speak to Lux as if there wasn’t anything happening. “Don’t make the list longer, dear.” Her eyes narrowed at him. “We know who you’re close to. And I’ll see to it that you watch all of them suffer. Roach and Jet included.”
Edna smiled more as she leaned back into her chair. “Understand, cutie?”
“I hope you rot in hell...”
“Oh, I’ll make sure there’s room for us to tango, sweetie. Because where you’re going? Isn’t a good place either. So please...spare the threats from happening. And do what you were created for. Got it? Now get out.” She hissed.
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Post by Moe on Dec 7, 2023 19:55:27 GMT -6
Ikuki smiled as Nox approved of the idea of a potion paintball gun. "Actually, there's this little thing called ectoplasm." she said, reaching into a shadowed area and pulling out a gross, green mass of goop. The blue orbs on the hands of her suit began to glow as they channeled her magic, and formed the goop into something more solid, in the simple shape of a ball. "Shapeshifters use ectoplasm to coat themselves in, when they want to turn into something with more mass than they can shift around. It's considered dark magic, since you're reaching into the ether to obtain it. Reaching into the darkness and using something that pretty much makes up the dark space...it can corrupt. Unless you've got a pure heart, and I'm pretty sure you do." she booped Nox on the nose of his mask. "And if I get corrupted, then I've got god on my side. So, we're both safe."
"My point is, I can make lots of these from ectoplasm." she began to shape the one big ball, into multiple smaller ones, about the size of paintballs. "We can mix your potions with this stuff, instead of finding molds and supplies and filling each one with a liquid. It'll have the consistency of snot when it hits someone, but I'm sure they'd rather have that, than not being healed." she snickered.
She couldn't help but smile when Nox told her that he wanted to stay with them. If she had any right, she would fight Reese for custody of the boys. His last comment caught her a bit off guard, but she smiled underneath her mask. "I think you'll be a great uncle. Though the way things are going, it'll probably be a while before we're ready for that. We should handle all the world-ending crisis's before starting a family."
-----
Alarms began blaring within Apollo's quarters, signaling that there were intruders within the building. Beth looked around, panicked, fearing she may have triggered the system when she was scanned. In truth, the one controlling Apollo had manually triggered the alarms.
"No no no, this was not supposed to happen. ł гР₦Ø₮ ₳ⱠɆⱤ₮ ₮ⱧɆ₥." Apollo assured them in his calm voice. "𝗢̘̚𝗿̘̚.̘̚.̘̚.̘̚.̘̚𝗱̘̚-̘̚𝗶̘̚-̘̚𝗜̘̚-̘̚𝗶̘̚-̘̚𝗜̘̚-̘̚𝗱̘̚.̘̚.̘̚.̘̚.̘̚𝗜̘̚?̘̚" his voice began to glitch and get more corrupted, as he was not in control and the one doing so, was not going to allow Apollo to speak to his newfound friends. Apollo's face on the screens surrounding the building began to corrupt and distort, all the while this was happening, security was storming in and surrounding Beth and Tex.
"Hey, Tex? I don't think this plan is going to work. It might be a good time to call for backup." Beth said, keeping her back against Tex's so as neither of them would have their backs facing security.
"Stop." a new voice replaced Apollo's. It was the same growling, cold, alien voice, finally making his presence known to the group. "So, Time-Space didn't have the courage to face me, himself. He had to send his cult followers in his stead. Typical god." he snarled. He never showed his face on the screens, instead Apollo's distorted face was still frozen in place, as his creator spoke through him. "I have commanded security to escort the robot into Apollo's core, to access its memory banks. As soon as we find out what it knows, it will be decommissioned. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same, for you. Organic matter is...difficult to read." the voice laughed a haunting, gravely, deep laugh.
Soon after, the voice disappeared and Apollo's corrupted face began to return to normal. He had no idea what had happened, unable to see anything that his creator had done. "I did not alert security. Why are they here?"
Beth scrambled trying to catch up to Tex, but was promptly stopped by security. She let out a burst of electricity, disabling the first wave of bots. "ATLAS!" she called out to the tiny robot, sitting on Tex's shoulder. Shouting his name activated his original coding, as he turned on and began playing video and audio feed back onto Mark's computer.
Beth tried to call out for help, but another wave of security bots were coming, and Atlas was still sitting on Tex as the two were escorted further and further away. "Shit." was all Beth could manage to say, as she was being swarmed.
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Post by Banshee on Dec 7, 2023 20:22:58 GMT -6
The orbs that Ikuki played with were mesmerizing to Nox. He had never seen anything like them before. The boy stepped closer to examine them in a closer range. She spoke of it being part of dark magic. Which led him to wonder if there was a light version of the same thing? Just...obviously on the lighter scale. It would’ve been a lot easier for him to access if that were the case.
He was suddenly booped on the nose which made him smile at her with his childish persona. “N-No...I’m just myself. I do things because I feel it’s right...” Nox paused to think over what he had just said. Then laughed; “I guess that means that I’m pretty darn pure.”
“That is really cool! I’d love to be able to tinker with the combination, actually. Because I’m sure at one point it’s going to be really helpful. Whether we have to slap Mark with it or my brother. Who knows?” He laughed. “But this is splendid! I want to do something like this!”
He then rubbed the back of his head. “Dang...I cannot believe how long we’ve known each other. At first, all I knew was to turn into a sword. But now? I’m learning healing spells, nature magic, and using my emotions to empower it all.” Nox was excited over the progress. “It’s amazing how time flies though! I am totally not the same kid you first met a long while ago! And you’re not the same Ikuki either!”
- - - - -
Tex froze when she heard the corruption take hold over Apollo’s AI. She quickly drew her internal weapons but was promptly met with aggression which forced her into withdrawing them. Jasmine had hissed into her head to knock it off. Any threatening moves on Tex’s part could potentially ruin their plan.
But as Tex backed into Beth, she knew that regardless of their actions; both of them were in hot water without a way to escape. Tex could very well use her portal ability to save Beth. But would it be worthwhile in the end? They were surrounded. Out numbered by the masse. Even if she could teleport her out of the area, Beth would have to run like hell to get away.
“I’m afraid it’s not going to either.” Tex responded to Beth.
The voice mocked Mark for his absence. Tex mentally frowned, looking at the screen of the frozen Apollo. “Can you blame him? With a face like yours, who’d want to?”
Suddenly the security moved in around Tex, separating her from Beth. Tex’s arms were quickly grabbed at, preventing her from using them at all while being escorted. She was then forced to walk beside the robots, leaving Beth to fend for herself.
Tex glanced back, trying to figure out a way to save her. But she couldn’t as her hands were practically bound to the robots beside her. She then saw a shadow zip overhead. Just as she looked up, she saw another robot leap down from above and land beside Beth. Two of her four hands drew out long blades as she rose to her feet.
Roach had made her appearance.
Tex jerked her arms to break free from the robots but they held onto her rather tightly. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t help. Beth was sure enough going to die to Roach, as Tex still viewed her as an enemy and not for who she really was. “BETH!” Tex shouted out at her. “BEHIND YOU.”
Roach twirled one of her blades and continued to stalk closer to her. She knew what she was doing was wrong. But Roach had no other choice as she was currently being controlled and her body was moving on its own.
Then there was a vicious swipe. Two of the nearest robots backed out of the way to avoid her strike. Roach was going to prove her worth by fulfilling her portion of the deal. She was going to lure in Mark. Bring him to the trap that awaited him.
Roach wanted to say sorry to Beth. She hated herself for being stuck in this mess. But she couldn’t do anything about it. And if she didn’t make it out alive, she hoped that Lux would know what would be the best option for himself.
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Post by Moe on Dec 7, 2023 21:39:49 GMT -6
When Roach approached Beth and swiped at her, Beth tried to roll and dodge out of the way, but the blade managed to slice a bit of the stitched-together robot armor off her, leaving her soft organic stomach exposed. She released another surge of electricity, frying all the security bots around her, except for Roach. "Oh, you're built differently." Beth mouthed off to her. She was running out of power, as those last two jolts took most of her energy. She stood up, trying to conserve her own energy and absorb the electrical energy from her surroundings.
Apollo had no control. He tried to recall the security bots, but they weren't obeying him. At this point, whoever was controlling him knew that Apollo had sent these two in very much so on purpose, and had locked Apollo's access to the rest of the city. He was in a panic, he wasn't in control and was programmed to not understand why. To the outside, it looked at though he had sent security out, on purpose. It looked as though he wasn't doing anything, to try and help. All he could do, was watch as Tex was escorted into his core, and Beth was being attacked. he felt...remorse. Humanity had isolated him and shunned him away, history had painted him as the villain, but he couldn't help but pity the humans. They were a lesser life form, and weren't capable of reasoning or understanding the bigger picture. These few, however, did, and were trying to help.
All he could do now, was watch Beth and Roach fighting. Roach was proving herself to be too much for Beth to handle, as Beth could barely recharge her electric powers before Roach could strike again. She was moving too fast for Beth to keep up with, and she had accepted her fate.
That is until Mark showed up behind her, blocking Roach's blade with the energy shield on the arm of his suit.
"I didn't know you could teleport! That would've been super useful to know!" Beth said to him.
"I didn't know I could, either!" Mark defended himself. "I'm still getting the hang of this whole space-time thing. As for you," he said, shooting an EM blast at Roach, to get her a safe enough distance away that he could help Beth up. "Beth, where is Tex?"
"Being escorted into Apollo's core. They're going to read her memory banks and decommission her." Beth answered.
"Okay. First thing's first. You get back to the underground. Tell Ikuki and Nox what's going on, and get them prepared for a bigger fight. Apollo wouldn't have sent reinforcements, so it looks like the guy upstairs knows we're here and our plan backfired." he had to speak quickly, in-between fighting Roach off and keeping her from slicing into either of them. "I'll stick around and help Tex. I promised I'd keep her safe, now GO!" he shouted to Beth as there was an opening for her to bolt.
She turned around briefly to make sure he was going to be okay; "I'll be fine, just warn Ikuki and Nox!" he shouted to her. "You..." he turned his full attention to Roach, giving her the full force of a punch to the visor. "No violence is my first rule!" he shook his hand, as he just punched a robot and it did kind of hurt. "But I made a promise to a friend, and I'm sick of breaking promises!" He leaned over, closer to Roach, while she was getting her bearings. "I want whoever is in charge over there to hear me, loud and clear. As soon as we take down this city, you're next."
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Post by Banshee on Dec 7, 2023 22:14:27 GMT -6
There was nothing she could do. Tex was just as useful as a yesterday’s newspaper sitting in the rain. No matter how much she fought with the other robots, they seemed to tighten their grip upon her. She could even hear Jasmine talk to her through her private channel.
”Tex, don’t. Beth will be fine. I understand that you’re trying to help her.”
“But Jasmine, it’s a part of my duty to make sure my team is safe. Regardless of how I feel about them. She is not going to survive against Roach. Roach is Jet’s comrade and the two of them are deadly. Though...I don’t see him anywhere.”
“Who cares? Just stop fighting those guys. The more you fight, the more you jeopardize the mission. Let...Let me see if I can figure something out. Alright? Just hang tight.”
Tex glanced back at the skirmish happening behind her. Roach was on Beth like a fly on some delicious food. Her attacks were swift. They were well aimed and deadly. Beth was clearly losing her fight against the swift moving robot. It would only be a matter of time before Beth fell to her and Roach would become her problem.
Meanwhile, Mark suddenly appeared before her. Roach was just as shocked as Beth was to see him just pop up. Her strike to Beth was reflected by Mark who protected the strange woman. Roach was then smashed with an EM blast which sent her stepping back a few paces. The shock to her system was causing her to seize and respond rampantly.
During that time, she motioned the word “help.” But she wasn’t sure if either one of them knew anything about sign language. As it was a seemingly dying art.
However her systems repaired themselves and she was back to attacking Mark. Her swipes were fast and just as dangerous as before. Roach knew that she was outmatched by someone of a God level power. She could easily be eliminated from time at any moment. But she hoped that his knowledge about her, would stop him from doing so. As he knew her terrible truth.
She was suddenly punched in the face. Her helmet taking the brunt of the blow, she stared at him as it didn’t phase her too much. He shook his hand as he didn’t think his motions through. As he did that, she took the opportunity to lunge at him with her blades. But she ended up getting caught as he leaned in towards her head, speaking to the communicator that was linked to Cornelia Corp.
Roach shoved him away from her and staggered back. As she twirled her blades, a sound came from her helmet. This was no her speaking at all but the radio had turned into a speaker mode. Despite the voice coming over in a deeper and distorted tone, Roach knew who it was. And it was Edna.
”You know, you’re awfully funny for a guy who couldn’t save a certain little boy from his demise.” Edna let out a cackle. ”Your threats mean nothing to me.” Then the feed cut out.
Roach stalled for a moment. She stared at Mark, and even though her visor prevented anyone from seeing her face within it. She was scared, upset, and at a loss. For it wouldn’t have been a surprise if Edna did end Lux’s life because he had failed her.
She was issued a command from Edna to engage in a fight with Mark once again. Roach continued to fight back which caused her to drop her swords onto the ground, letting them clatter as they landed. The robot then pressed her hands against her helmet, making a motion that she wanted the thing to come off. But it was strapped to her too tightly.
Edna wasn’t finding her rebellious tendencies amusing and gave her a severe shock. Which broke Roach’s command over her own body, allowing her to reach down and pick up the blades once again. Roach then lunged at Mark with several more haphazard attacks. Her plan was to slice into him as much as possible to slow him down, to make him suffer, and to be much weaker for the next portion of the plan.
Whatever that was. She did not know anymore. Originally she thought it was supposed to be Lux. But if he was dead, then who was it that waited for Mark on the other side? Roach had no idea and right now, her own mind was fighting against herself and her controlled body. All she could really do was hope that Lux and Nox were both okay and well. And that she would have a chance to see them again.
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Post by Moe on Dec 7, 2023 23:39:39 GMT -6
Mark took note of Roach's sign for help, clearly she didn't seem to be in control. There was more going on with Cornelia Corp than he had realized. "I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt you, but I can't let Apollo get to Tex. Or, whoever's controlling Apollo." he spoke gently to Roach, knowing she was in there, somewhere. He made the same circling motions that he did with Lux in the arena, but he wasn't nearly as focused this time. He couldn't dodge every swipe of the blade, and took several hits. Thankfully his armor took most of the damage, save for the few softer parts where Roach's blade managed to slice through and lacerate him. It wasn't severe damage, but it was enough to draw blood.
When Edna spoke through Roach's radio, it sent fury raging through Mark. "You didn't kill him. He's too important to you. He was too expensive. I know your types. You'd sooner work your projects to death, than waste them. You're going to get every bit of your money's worth." he said through his teeth. "But I swear, if you lay a hand on him, I will not hold back, anymore. You really don't know who you're dealing with."
Mark hated speaking like that, to Roach. Deep down he knew it wasn't her that he was talking to, but seeing Roach's desperate movements for help, hurt. He wanted to help her so bad, but he was afraid if he tried, he would end up making things worse for her and for Lux. He tried dodging her moves again, but they were too erratic, too unpredictable. She kept landing hit after hit, and he was still too tired to use too much of his powers. His mind and hers were both on Lux, and time was running out to save Tex. "Please, if I don't save Tex, we're all going to die, that includes you!" he shouted, desperately, at Edna.
After a final swipe from Roach, Mark gathered all the strength he had. Something was starting to take over him, and he didn't feel like himself. Not a single bit. He grabbed Roach's blade, his armored gloves protecting his hand from the sharp end, and something surged in him that just said "Enough." He barely had time to think or react, as he sent Roach...somewhere. He fell to his knees, exhausted, wondering what had just happened. He could teleport himself...could he teleport others, too? What else could he do with the combination of space-time?
As the power dissipated, he felt like heavy. Like gravity had suddenly gotten much heavier, around him. His stomach was in knots and he felt like he wasn't...human. Where did he even send her to? They were both obviously thinking about Lux, so he could only hope it was somewhere safe. Although, that power that came over him...it terrified him that he sent Roach to her death. That he erased her from time. He could've sent her to literal space, for all he knew. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought, but he had to stay strong and help Tex. He'd made a promise to Jasmine, after all.
He forced himself back to his feet, even though he still felt heavy and the wounds from Roach's blades were bleeding and throbbing in pain. "Tex...if you can hear me...I'm coming for you. We'll install the firewall, manually. After we upload it to Apollo's core, portal us out of here. The faster we get this over with, the better, please. I feel like I'm gonna be sick..."
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Post by Banshee on Dec 8, 2023 7:32:59 GMT -6
All Roach could remember from the fight was being locked in arms with Mark. He had grabbed her blades with his own hands to stop her from stabbing him. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t budge. And the next thing that happened was, hearing him say “Enough” and she was suddenly gone.
Roach landed hard on the ground, tumbling as she went. Her blades fell out from her hands as she rolled into the nearest immovable object. She hit it with a thud, though not hard enough to knock the figurative wind out of her. Slowly, she sat herself upright to see where she had landed.
“Roach?” Lux said as he bolted over to her to help her up. His two companions, who were going to be used as extra help to take down Mark, also rushed over to her side. “How the hell did you do that?”
She reached out to him then all of a sudden there was a surge of electricity bursting within her helmet. Edna, was furious with her and her punishment was to overwork her systems to destroy the important core within her very frame. Roach let out a silent yell as the pain was exploding within her. She reached up to her helmet to take it off but her arms locked, preventing her from doing so.
Lux couldn’t stand there and watch. He rushed over to her and mindlessly grabbed for her helmet. He was promptly greeted by a surge of electricity which shocked his fingers. Lux pulled back, flailing a bit. He looked back at her as she helplessly tried to remove her helmet. “What’s happening to her?”
“Edna...” Cringed Lucian. “She’s going to kill Roach.”
“Here!” Llani threw Lux the gloves she was wearing. “She’s trying to remove the helmet. See if that helps her!”
Lux tore off his gloves and put on hers. He then grabbed a hold of Roach’s helmet and pulled at her. But it wouldn’t budge. He tugged and tugged but all he was doing was yank on her head. Lux let go to look at the seizing robot and tried to figure out how to get her helmet off. Then he noticed a latch on the backside of her neck. A spot where she wasn’t limber enough to go for.
Lux dove for her neck and fought with both her seizing and the latch. It was bound tightly and was difficult to move. This frustrated him more and more as the panic seeped into him. He was going to lose the only robot that cared about his existence since the very beginning. She was going to die and he wasn’t going to be able to do anything about it.
The latch sprung loose and Lux was finally able to get the helmet off her head. Suddenly, the electrical surge stopped. But the damage was already done. Sparks flew out from her joints. Parts of her body stopped responding. Lux and the other two shifted in front of her to look at her face.
It was then, he noticed a strong resemblance to Nox. The purple hair, the bright yellow eyes, the pale complexion. His eyes widened at the sight. She was just like him and his brother. “...R-Roach? This is...what you look like?” He said as he brushed away her hair from her face.
She mouthed to him, “I’m sorry...” Her shaken hand reached up and gently rested against his cheek.
“WOAH!” Llani screamed. “Roach has been your Mother the entire time?”
“What makes you say that?” Snapped Lucian.
“Pfft. I may be slightly deranged and intoxicated by my own abilities. But I can see the similarities between him and Lux-even if he is a clone. He was cloned off of her actual kid. So... DUH!” She giggled. “That’s so wild!!!”
“M-Mom?” Lux said with his eyes tearing up. “I...Is that true?”
She slowly nodded and gave him a weakened smile. Roach held up her hand, shaped in a C like pattern. Lux then pressed his hand in the shape of a C to hers, to complete a heart. At this point he was crying. The person he had longed to see again was struggling before him. And before he could say anything, her systems seized up and made her collapse onto the dusted ground. No longer, did she respond.
“MOM?” He frantically loomed over her and checked her over. But there was no response. Behind him, he could hear Llani and Lucian gasp at the sight. One of them had reached down to touch Lux’s shoulder, sympathizing for him.
“I’ve...searched for so long...to find a way to bring her back...and...she was there the entire time...” He said, his voice was shook. His shoulders were tense with anger and sadness. “And they purposely made her mute so she couldn’t speak to me...to tell me the truth...about everything...” He shook his head as his hand rested on the back of her head. “Mom...That must’ve been so hard for you to...face...I-I wish I knew...I wish I...” His head sank as he burst into another sob.
Llani crouched beside him and hugged Lux from the side. She honestly didn’t know if this would’ve helped him but she felt it may have. Lux was her friend. She didn’t like seeing him be so hurt.
Lucian however, turned away and glanced at the area where Mark would eventually be arriving from. “So...what are we going to do with that super hero guy? We’re supposed to help you kill him here. And uh...I dunno.” He threw his hands behind his head and frowned. “Not really feeling it, to be honest.”
Lux pushed aside his emotions after he wiped away his tears. He pulled himself back. “Screw the plan. Edna can get off her lazy corporate butt and deal with the problem herself. I’m going to do what Mom was trying to do all along.” He turned to Llani and Lucian. “You two are coming with me.”
“Oh! YAY!” Llani cheered enthusiastically. “We’re gonna have a rebellion!!!! OH! I love a good rebellion!” She giggled while nearly dancing in her spot. “Lux! You’re so smart!”
“As much as I’d love to stab my Mother in the pride...Wouldn’t our negligence hurt your friend from home? You know she’ll go after her without hesitation. Draygar are extremely powerful. Converting one into a robot like Roach is going to be devastating for the others.”
“Joe is safe with an army of them. She’ll be fine...But right now?” He glanced back to his fallen Mother. “We’re going to do what she’s wanted to do for a long time...” Lux knew he and the others didn’t have enough strength to lift her up and take her with them. He also understood how Mark thought. If he was the one that teleported her off and if he saw her laying on the ground like this, there was a high chance that he would think that he did it to her. But she was hidden from view. The only way he’d find her is, if he actively searched the area. And with the enemies tailing him, there wasn’t much time to enjoy the sights.
Lux pulled his scarf off of his shoulders and wrapped it around her neck. “Mom...thank you for everything...” Leaving her behind was hard. But unless he could rally up Jet, who was still left at the base, she had to remain there. “I’ll come back for you. I promise you’re not going to be left here for Apollo to dissect. Or...whoever the hell is running this show.”
“Come on, he’s going to be arriving soon!” Llani squeaked.
“Let’s go.” Lux said as he forced himself away from Roach’s side. He took one last look to her. “We’re going our own way.” He then turned and motioned for the others to follow him.
Lucian stood back and watched Llani eagerly follow Lux. He planted his hands on his hips and smirked. “Man...This guy...” He then turned to crouch down next to Roach. “You should be proud of this kid.” He pulled out something and looked at it. “Didn’t think I’d be using this...but here we are.” Lucian moved his hand to the backside of her neck and pressed down. “See you around, Roach...or I should say... Emily.”
Lucian then pulled himself up and quickly darted over to the others to catch up to them. Just before they would notice him lagging behind and grow curious about what he had just did.
- - - - -
Tex was hoping that Jasmine could come up with a plan. Anything. But she and RJ were discussing what they could possibly do. Teleporting out wasn’t a part of the option because it was far too early. And such a distance would level Tex, risking the plan. But if they didn’t act upon anything, she was going to be removed.
“Stop being so rough.” Hissed Tex as she tore her arm from its grasp. “I can walk. I’m not incompetent like you are. You mindless drone.”
”Tex, stop mocking them.”
“I’m not going to be removed so easily.” Tex then tore her other arm free from the other robot. As they dove at her, she punched the first one in the head and then stabbed the other in the gut with a blade that hid under her gauntlet. Quickly, she kicked behind her at the next one trying to grab for her.
Before she knew it, she was in an all out brawl with the robot guards. Kicking them and slicing them with her gauntlet blade. Tex knew Mark would be in the area soon enough. Her job was to keep these things at bay and prevent herself from arriving to Apollo before the biggest part of the plan would come to light.
There was no fear for herself. She knew she could easily be rebuilt. Tex understood her AI had a backup and would be mostly up to date when activated. But she knew that she couldn’t fail. Tex had a mission to accomplish and damn it, she was going to do it.
“Hurry up, Guy.” She hissed under her breath while smashing her fist into another robot right before she was punched herself. Tex shrugged the hit off as she was surprisingly durable for someone so petite. “You are all going to regret this.” She growled before stabbing one of the drones in the chest, causing it to spark and seize.
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Post by Moe on Dec 8, 2023 11:22:16 GMT -6
There was a lot happening. Apollo was doing his best to call off security, but at this point, his creator knew what the plan was. It was time to make his presence known, and put a stop to all of this. "I have had enough of this playing around. You've all had your fun, but now it's my turn." he snarled, speaking through Apollo's systems once again. "Something none of you seem to be able to get through your thick skulls, is that you are not preventing anything, only stalling the inevitable."
A hidden door slid open, and haunting, red, glinting eyes could be seen in the darkness. Snarling teeth gnashed as an army of Terians bolted out and toward Mark and Tex. They were the same creatures Mark had dealt with a couple years ago, and this time, Ikuki wasn't around to help stop them.
"Oh, shi-" Mark couldn't finish as he was tackled by one of the creatures, and thrown against a wall. They were much stronger than the last ones, most likely a step above the drones. They were definitely warriors, and there was definitely no time for monologuing. Mark groaned as he tried to stand, but didn't have time to scramble to his feet before another warrior attempted to thrust a broadsword into his chest. Mark was able to roll out of the way, but the sword still nicked his forearm. Mark winced in pain, as these were a lot heavier and a lot sharper than Roach's blades and they had no problems slicing through his suit.
The warriors were keeping him pinned on the ground, he'd lost his footing and they had the upper hand. He wasn't sure if they had been listening in on his fight with Lux and heard him say that, or if he just simply hadn't even been in a fight with real, army-trained warriors.
"I'm kind of busy!" he yelled in response to Tex. He was exhausted, and could only dodge them so many times. He tried using his newfound powers to send them somewhere into space, but the idea of it made him sick and he couldn't muster the energy to do it. He closed his eyes as one of the warriors came at him with a sword, accepting his fate by this point.
But the sword point stopped just short of his face, held back by ethereal tendrils looked to have been summoned from the depths of the shadow realm. Though his face was covered by his mask, he smiled as Ikuki stood behind the creature and waved cheerfully at him.
The creature snarled as he turned to face Ikuki, but she just had the tendrils pull him into the depths of wherever they were summoned from. "He'll be fine." she said, assuring Mark that she did not kill him. Of course, she didn't tell him that whatever lives in that realm would make no such promises.
She looped her arm around Mark's to help him stand and regain his footing, but he quickly frowned as he realized Nox had tagged along. "Beth was supposed to warn you that they were coming, not send you both out here!"
"We came on our own." Ikuki said. "A few hours of sleep for one night, isn't going to completely recharge you. You're still tired, and you're focused on...other things." she said, not wanting to mention Lux by name and cause even more anxiety to stir within him.
"Nnngh...fine...then, Nox...go with Tex." he motioned in the direction Tex was. "Help her install the firewall, but don't let Apollo-or whoever's controlling him-access her memory! Ikuki and I will keep these guys off your backs!"
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Post by Banshee on Dec 8, 2023 20:58:36 GMT -6
The Terians made their way out into the arena. All of them, much more organized before. However, Tex was unfamiliar with their battle styles and tactics so this was all new to her. She prepared herself for their onslaught of attacks by drawing out both of her blades and firmly planted her feet to the ground. Fortunately for her, she was already growing used to the terrain she stood on. It was dusty. Slick. And sometimes could even be a burden for her own movement.
Strike after strike, Tex had no qualms of ending their lives if they got too close to her blades. She would duck and twirl, slide and jump over their attacks. This ambush was certainly testing her systems and sensors out and while this happened, Jasmine was obtaining as much information as possible. Noting everything that could be improved for future upgrades. Jotting down enemy information such as; what they looked like, how they moved, how aggressive or passive they were. Anything was useful at this point to study what they were going up against.
However, one of them got a sneak shot in. It used a few of their comrades as distraction, overloading Tex’s capabilities of focusing, and struck her in the side of the chest. This dented her armor and forced her to retreat from the wave. But they moved in like a pack of piranhas that had hunger.
Tex tried to ready herself but she knew her reaction time was much too slow. She was going to get overrun within seconds. And so, she prepared herself for more dents and dings to her, otherwise, clean and smooth armor.
Suddenly the ground rumbled beneath her feet. No sooner had the vibrations appeared, thick vines burst out from the sandy terrain, twirling and growing. Thorns scraped and caught the enemies, digging into them as the vines continued to rapidly increase in size. There was even a floral scent filling the air.
Tex glanced and noticed that it was Nox who had planted the vines around Tex, protecting her from the enemies trying to take her down. He then quickly drew a sling shot and placed a potion on the string. Pulling back, he fired a healing potion at Mark. Smacking him.
Nox nodded to the command and rushed Tex while she continued to battle the few Terians that snuck through Nox’s wall. Unfortunately he had to stop short as another Terian saw him as a threat and made a move towards him. He yelped and covered his face from harm, knowing perfectly well that it was futile.
Tex popped open a portal in front of him just as the enemy lunged at him. When the Terian broke through the opening of the second portal, it was met with Tex’s blade into its neck. She tore it out and moved away from its limp body while it collapsed onto the ground. Quickly, she made her way over to Nox to continue her duty with protecting him.
But Nox had other plans. He built up a vine-like barrier that surrounded him and Tex. It protected them from all sides. But he knew it wouldn’t last forever as the Terian’s had sharp weapons to use against the vines. However, it would provide a good enough distraction while he walked over to Tex to give her the chip.
“Here.” He said. “This is the data you need.” Nox watched as she opened her chest to him to show off a port for him to stick the chip in. He then helped her insert it. “Download the firewall but don’t open that one file until you’re supposed to.”
“I know the plan.” She said to him.
“I know...I’m just...” He was suddenly patted on his head.
“Thanks for helping me, kid.” She attempted a smile but gave up. “You know I’m trying to smirk.”
“I get it.” He laughed. “These things are so nasty...” Nox winced. “How are we going to beat all of them down? Why are they even here?”
“Don’t know, don’t really care. They’re in my way and I will slice them.” Tex said to him.
“W-Wait... They’re not supposed to read your memory banks. How are we going to deal with that?” Nox flailed. “You need to be present to operate your body. Without your AI commanding...”
Tex went to answer but she stopped as the Terian’s were attempting to claw their way through Nox’s barrier. She pulled the boy closer to her to protect him and whisper; “As I am downloading these files, it appears that it’s equipped with a secondary AI to mimic me. It’s...” She stopped to examine it a bit more. “...Definitely not as advanced but it’ll get the job done. So before we go, I can eject myself and the AI is programmed to do what it’s supposed to do.”
“What do we do with you then?”
“Carry me. Or find another robot.” She shrugged before slicing at a Terian that broke through. “Come on, we need to help Mark and Ikuki before they become lunch meat.”
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Post by Moe on Dec 8, 2023 22:29:22 GMT -6
"ENOUGH." bellowed the voice, through Apollo. "Formation. I understand you are just slightly less mindless than drones, but if you do no get your act together and get into formation, you will not live to see yourselves become anything more. Do I make myself clear?" he growled, as the warriors stopped attacking long enough to regroup themselves into a more organized formation.
"Interesting." Mark took not of this behavior. "They're like an insect colony. A hivemind, of sorts."
"You can study them, later. Now's our chance to get Tex to Apollo's core." Ikuki said.
"No...we've already missed that chance. Now things get a little more difficult." Mark stood up, holding his hands out. "We surrender. You're going to take Tex upstairs and extract that data, no matter what. Clearly you've got us outmatched, so there's no sense in trying to fight us and just wasting time."
"Do you take me a fool?" the voice snarled. "I know who you are, Time-Space. You created me, nobody here knows you better than I. The robot will have its data extracted, but I do not take prisoners." he growled, and commanded something in an alien language at the warriors. As he did, several of them created a blockade around Tex, forcing her to go upward onto a spiraling staircase, toward Apollo's core. Every time one fell, another quickly took its place, moving fluidly to keep Tex on a specific path.
Another group of warriors did the same thing to Mark, subtly guiding him away from Ikuki and Nox, as he fought them off. Wave after wave would move around in a fluid motion, and every movement he made, they mimicked in motions that didn't seem real to the eyes. They couldn't take the group on all at once, and separating them would be the easiest way to kill them all.
Mark tried to freeze them in time, send them through space, turn them inside-out, anything. He desperately tried to call back that same power he'd felt earlier, but he felt it was blocked. He wasn't sure if it was his own humanity and emotions holding him back, or if he was just exhausted and tapped out. Any option terrified him, which exhausted him even more.
"Nox, Ikuki, stay together!" he called out to them. "Don't let them separate you!" he warned them, only to be met with a blade at his throat. "You can't kill me. Believe me, I've tried." he warned the warrior.
"I'm aware." the warrior hissed in a haunting, animalistic voice. "Doesn't mean can't hurt you." he growled as he jammed his sword into Mark's shoulder. "Incapacitate. Watch friends die. We know you are not god of old. May house his spirit, but don't think like him. New body. Have to re-learn everything."
Mark reeled back as the blade hit, grabbing his shoulder with his other hand. Nox's healing potion was still in effect, and helped minimize the damage, but it still hurt. A lot. "So you do speak. Good. Then you'll understand me when I tell you that if any of you hurt my family, then I'll re-learn a lot of things, really fast."
"Zokar doesn't take prisoners." Sidenafyl hissed. "He eliminates problems. Why he is alpha. Why he is going to wipe the slate clean, on earth. You are problem. All life is problem. Alpha will succeed. You are only stalling for time." he said, pressing the blade against Mark's throat, once more. "If you can't die..." the warrior's face twisted into something that might have resembled a grin, if Mark didn't know any better. "Wonder what would happen, if head was removed?"
"I dunno, I'd probably put it back on?" Mark shrugged, not giving in to this creature's attempt to strike fear into him. The truth was, he was actually quite terrified. He was struggling, not knowing how human he really was. Surely there were ways to kill him, since he was still human? Or did he forfeit that when he accepted godhood? So many creatures could be considered gods and deities, it was difficult for him to grasp just how mortal, or immortal, he really was. And that thought terrified him.
The creature could feel the fear all over Mark, and hissed something resembling a laugh. "Then let's found out." he snarled, moving his sword back so the side pressed against Mark's throat, getting ready to slice his head off.
As he made the motion, Mark stood there, unmoving, and unharmed. The blade made the motion that it had sliced through Mark's neck, but instead, the Terian was the one that sustained the wound. He grabbed at his throat as he choked on his own blood, falling to the ground as he dropped the sword. Mark watched in absolute horror, as he had no idea if he did that on purpose, or if it was simply fate once again. The sight of it made him sick, but he held it together best he could and tried to play into it.
"Do the rest of you want to find out how much I've 're-learned'?" he looked to the rest of the warriors, who had started to back away in fear of what he'd do the the rest of them. Threatening them with death wasn't something he would normally do under any circumstances, but he tried to think that, technically, that warrior had killed himself. At least, that's what he wanted to believe.
"We've got to get upstairs to Tex, before he erases her entirely!" he shouted to Ikuki and Nox, though unable to see them as they had also been separated and surrounded by another group.
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