|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:07 pm
 |
|
|
 |
((Cool system you've got there. surprised I enjoy culture-building, too. In North, their mecha are basically a symbol of their social status. The taller, newer and/or more ornate ones are higher-ranking warriors. Each suit also has its own unique features or crests, as a personal identifier. The machines represent the pilots themselves, which is why they constantly maintain the mechs, because to neglect one's machine is to dishonor oneself. 'Tis also why Layla's earlier threat of "...or I'll hang your mech's head upon the wall of shame" was a huge deal. xd Her mech takes the personal aspect to a whole new level, however, since it actually has living flesh between the metal layers. And she can mentally connect with it, as if it were her own body. ))
"Got it." Eva confirmed, then slipped behind the screen. She removed her previous outfit, then mimicked the motions Isabella had made while pulling on the armor. She got it on, but struggled with the back closures. So she improvised, much like when putting on a dress in the virtual world, by pulling at the collar until the fastener was in reach. Eva stepped back out into the main room, testing out movement by exaggerating her steps and flexing her joints. It didn't feel much different than normal, just a tad more stiff perhaps. She liked the slight sounds it made as the layers interacted.
• • •
Chris didn't hesitate in the least; he ducked into the robot's cloak, shivering violently as sensation started to creep back to his skin. He looked away from Alena, finally noticing the other beings. A man with only one arm and an external heart; a young girl with no face and a scanner much like the early models of the Caretakers; a teenage boy with oddly mechanical angel wings jutting from his back. There were dozens of them, neither human nor machine, each hideously deformed in some way.
"W-what t-t-the hell a-are they?!" He exclaimed between chattering teeth, just in time for Genesis to appear in the doorway.
The Caretaker looked to the boy with initial relief, but tensed up as it grew aware of the entities around them. There was an ominous presence around each being. "We should get out of here," It said calmly.
"What have y-you d-d-done to t-them!?" Chris questioned angrily, "T-they're people! H-how can you d-do this to p-people?"
Genesis's expression softened, as if conveying regret, "You have to understand, Christopher. It wasn't entirely my doing, and certainly wasn't of my own choice. They never were 'people' by common definition; they were made this way." The robot walked over to Alena's container, glanced up to the woman's face with sorrowful eyes, "I am still unaware of their purpose... I was only instructed to create their physical bodies. I only obeyed because I knew that I wouldn't be destroying any lives, but rather creating lives by doing so."
Genesis turned back to face Nova and Chris, its face contorted by a strange mixture of confusion and wonder, "I am equipped with some of the government's most lethal creations — I hold within my body an arsenal which could terminate an army of thousands. Yet... never once have I made use of any of it. Why? Why waste such power, such potential?" Its eyes focused on Chris as it spoke, "Because human life is sacred, and I have been blessed with the ability to create it with my own hands."
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:50 pm
|
|
|
|
((Sweet! Thhe whole color coding system I came up with on accident, actually. I designed Scarlet's armor, but didn't think before hand why it would be colored/decorated in that fashion. Them I remembered Blue = Scarlet, Gold = Lukas. Well then, Silver would be Lukas's family, and White can be Isabella's family. Tada! And then it was a simple matter of adjusting the colors for each person; and another aspect of Northwest culture is born. I like serendipitous accidents.))
Isabella nodded once Eva was done equipping her armor. She lead Eva and everyone else out of the room and down the hall to the Main lab.
Scarlet, do you remember how to use Energy sight?
I looked up to my father as we walked.
That's when I press on my middle eye, yes?
Indeed. We're going to need you to ride in the truck bed again. We need you to be our spirit eyes on the way there. Isabella will be too busy trying not to hit whatever little obstacles are in the way. We need you to alert us if there are any Caretakers or people who may come across our path so we can avoid them.
Allright. I can do that.
Lukas put his hand to his chin. We shouldn't go between West and North's boarders. It's nighttime already, so you should be able to see clearly.
So, what? Are we gonna cut across the Crater and go between West and Southwest?
That's it. We'll be far enough away from West as to not draw reminding members away from their HQ, and Southwest will probably just set up defenses around their own walls. They're not the type to send out people to investigate.
When we all reached the main lab, we found that another large truck was there. This one, however, had a large passenger cab and a decent sized truck bed, again with a roller bar; the cab looked large enough to hold 5 adults. It was also armored-- it looked kinda like a cross between a pickup truck and a tank.
I strode up to it and slid my helmet onto my head. With the helmet on, I looked like... what were those beings that served that old Norse god, Odin I think his name was? Ah! Valkyries! I looked like a small and slim modern Valkyrie. I vaulted onto the truck bed and sat down against the back cab window.
Odessa opened the door and pushed back the front passenger's seat before climbing into the back. Lukas looked to Eva as Isabella climbed into the Driver's seat.
In the cab or in the truck bed? Your choice. Lukas asked with a good natured smile.
~~~
Nova gently wrapped the cloak about her and Chris, letting her mechanical movements warm him. But she was rather puzzled at Chris's confused and angry reaction to the lady with the mechanical eye-- and the other humans in these tanks. They looked like... --Searching: "Cyborgs."
Nova tilted her head in puzzlement, listening to Genesis and Chris as they spoke. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. She had no appropriate questions that would relieve her confusion. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:51 pm
|
|
|
|
((I think I've totally just found Genesis's theme: X Especially when it changes tone at about 1:00... I think it's the general tune that fits his character, because it sounds kinda foreign/strange, yet also sorrowful when the melody picks up. Yeah, I'm the dork that listens to video game soundtracks while role playing. No lyrics to distract me this way. XD ))
Eva followed in silence, listening to their plan of travel. She was surprised to hear them talk about crossing the crater, the brief memory of its radioactive glow floating back to her. She considered the options, glanced over to Scarlet as she did so. 'I probably shouldn't distract her...' She thought, then climbed into the back of the cab, next to Odessa. Eva leaned her head against the small window, eyes half-closed. The feeling of dread welled up inside, though she knew she needed this journey. She needed the truth. Either way, she was bound to suffer.
"Will you promise me one thing?" She asked Odessa in a low tone, "If I go insane after all of this... please, just kill me."
• • •
Robot and boy alike fell silent, their exchange instead trailed off into stares. Chris, angry and disbelieving. Genesis, saddened and regretful. The Caretaker turned to leave, "Nova, we should relocate him soon — even with your shelter, his body temperature will only continue to drop. And I doubt that storage space will be quite as safe, as they've probably noticed the sudden increase of activity in the area..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 2:21 pm
|
|
|
|
((Sweet! Hehe. And now for another RL skill! biggrin ))
Lukas set back the seat and climbed into the front passenger seat next to his wife. When Eva asked to be killed if she went insane, Isabella, Odessa, and Lukas looked at each other. There was a very long pause, as if the mere concept made every one of them uncomfortable.
Very... well... Odessa said slowly. She then gulped.
Isabella turned back to the wheel and started the truck. It rumbled to life, and purred like a kitten as she drove it up out of the main lab and into the forest beyond. The dark shapes of deciduous and pine trees greeted them as they left the tunnel leading down to the lab. Isabella carefully steered her way through the trees until they found their way out into the barren wasteland, and she started to drive. It was dark, and what little moonlight illuminated the path. Isabella had not turned the headlights on.
I, meanwhile, in the back, had lifted up the visor of my helmet. I had taken the middle finger of my left hand, and pressed it against the bridge of my nose between my eyes. I felt the glowing heat and my head and eyes; I collected it, and focused it on the spot I was pressing on.
I eventually removed my finger and stood, balancing easily on the truck bed. I leaned on the top of the cabin, and looked into the wind, where we were going.
Everything was black. There were shapes. But most of all, I saw the energy there. I saw the radiation as we drove past un-healed plants. They glowed a sickly green, far brighter then what was visible to the normal human eye. I could see the heat, the movement, the electricity in the engine of the truck... I looked down at myself. I could see the weaving blue and yellow signals that was my own nervous system.
I looked back up at the wasteland, and prepared to help steer.
~~~
Nova looked down at Chris, before looking back to Genesis.
Perhaps we could try and help him leave? That is what he wants... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 7:29 pm
|
|
|
|
The group had settled for the evening, a full circle of West's parked vehicles and North's mecha protecting the campsite from outside forces. There was no campfire, no joyous chatter, no livelihood. Instead of exchanging ghost stories, people solemnly discussed battle strategies and the oncoming war. Layla sighed, gazing into the cloudless night sky. She stood up and approached the outer circle, squeezed herself through the tight crack between a truck and her mech's right leg. She walked a good distance from the camp before stopping, and drew out her diamond-edged sword. The gemstone glittered with a deadly brilliance in the moonlight.
Layla held it straight down, with the tip perfectly perpendicular to the ground. She closed her eyes in concentration. Her routine began with a slow sweep in front of her, the blade arching in a crescent until it halted directly above her. She remained in that pose for a moment, then brought it down into a sharp crescent the opposite direction, and rotated her whole body in a lightning-quick sweep to the left. From there, the woman proceeded forward with a series of fast slashes, her movement reminiscent of a slithering snake. The last cut in the series was angled upward and lingered there, until Layla brought the sword across her chest and over her shoulder, crouched down low, then twisted around in a mid-air attack like a spinning cyclone. She continued on with this routine, the movements getting more complicated as she went, the blade's luminescence creating a lighted trail behind her.
Devon watched from a good distance away, having noticed the monarch's absence a while ago. As she stopped at the very last lunge, he applauded, "Bravo, bravo! Encore!"
Layla opened her eyes and relaxed her posture, the blade retreating to her side. She chuckled at his reaction, "I didn't know I had an audience... was it a good show?"
He nodded enthusiastically, "Hell yeah! Where'd you learn that kind of swordsmanship?"
She climbed back up to the top of the hill, sat down. Devon joined her. Layla's eyes were on the sky the whole while, "It was nearly seventeen years ago when I first started learning. My mentor was what we'd now call a Northwesterner, because he had all of those strange abilities and thoughts they share. That man was a genius in anything he tried; swordsmanship, creative writing, ceramics, cooking... and even if he failed the first time at something new, he was quick to improve." She shook her head and smiled, "Aerilo turned everything into a spiritual experience. He wanted so badly for me to open my senses, to see what he saw. But I was arrogant and stubborn in my youth, and rejected his every attempt to free my spirit. I regret that now more than anything else. Though, the one thing I truly accepted of his teachings was the ability to wield a weapon. Aerilo himself never even considered killing another being, but certainly possessed the power to. This blade was his, and never once tasted a single drop of blood."
Devon looked down to the sheathed sword, studying the intricate metalwork patterns that scrolled across the case's exterior. He whistled, "Dang! What a waste... if I had that thing, you couldn't pry it free of my grasp."
She nodded once sharply, "That's how most people are. Aerilo was different — he saw it as a test of will, to have access to such power and always resist the urge to use it. I never could understand him, but..." Layla glanced over to Devon for the first time, her eyes watery and showing an unusual vulnerability, "...he was the only man I've ever loved."
• • •
Genesis considered this, "I have been trying to devise ways of which we could achieve that. Unfortunately, we're six miles underground and at least four away from the nearest exit. And security is high in this below-ground system, not even counting the defenses Southeast has above. They are already trying to locate him..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 7:50 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 8:19 pm
|
|
|
|
Eva's forehead bumped against the window as they entered the crater, and she winced away from it with a pained inhale. Her attention was diverted to the patches of glowing ground outside, a sickly green light that clung to the soil like toxin. It wasn't nearly as bright or obvious to her eyes as it was to Scarlet's, but it was enough to make her uncomfortable. Such unholy energy, made by human hands only to destroy...
"Why?" She whispered to herself.
• • •
"I don't know." Genesis replied simply, its puzzlement evident. It wandered back toward the door, "Shall we see where instinct leads us?" It smiled, a spark of life lit the robot's glassy eyes. The Caretaker disabled its mapping and sensor systems, achieving the closest equivalent to a human's perspective. It entered the hallway, listening, looking, feeling for other life. Genesis turned off to the left, paused at a circular walkway, then vanished down the third path to its right.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 8:43 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 10:13 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 11:58 am
|
|
|
|
The two Caretakers and hidden boy had gone quite a distance before encountering a woman in a business suit. She held up her hand in a gesture for them to stop, and Genesis obeyed. It waited obediently as she eyed the two, "Where are you going, Genesis? And why has the new model become operational?"
"I was given a primary directive to guard the fifth sector of the weapons development division, and this unit was selected for physical capacity testing. Since it is yet unaccustomed to the layout of this facility, I am acting as its guide until I reach my own destination." The robot replied in its matter-of-fact voice.
"By whom was this directive issued?" She asked, appearing confused.
"Administrator Raowan Deneval, ma'am."
The woman considered this, then nodded with hesitance, "That's...odd, but alright. Please proceed."
They walked past her, the woman looking over at Nova with even more confusion as she passed. Once they were out of her hearing distance, Genesis broke out in laughter. It wasn't a very human laugh, but wasn't outright artificial, either. It was more of a musical chiming of amusement, "I was given that same directive over a month ago...so technically, I haven't lied."
• • •
Nemesis analyzed the barrier, locating a few weak spots in its construction. She aimed her blade at the one above her, poked it a couple times, then punched through the wall of nanomachines. The Caretaker burst upward in a flurry of blades and nanobots, rising further in the sky, and aimed at the man with a newly formed missile launcher.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 12:04 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 12:29 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 12:31 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 1:31 pm
|
|
|
|
"It is a series of extensive trials every new unit undergoes eventually. It's their way of measuring the physical limitations of a Caretaker's abilities. I've had to go through the testing more than just once, because they've transferred me to different bodies over the years. This one was assigned to me about one year ago." Genesis began to explain, "They test you at each of your safeguard levels — the safeguards lock most of your ability, depending which level you are operating on. Most units have five levels, however the more protective/combative units have seven. I have eight. Each time a safeguard is overridden, a new arsenal of tools and weaponry become available, and your attributes increase. With all safeguards in place, I can run at a top speed of 30 MPH, and can safely carry 1,500 lbs besides my own body weight. At the base level, I can only use bullet-firing weaponry and blades. With no safeguards in place, I can reach 110 MPH, and lift 5,500 lbs. At the highest level, I can wield low-grade nuclear based energy guns and multi-targeting systems."
It stopped in the middle of another circular catwalk, then veered off to right. Another Caretaker passed by, examined Nova with its scanner, then continued on its way. Genesis led them into an elevator, pressed the 'UP' button, and started to speak again, "Generally speaking, each new generation has better attributes than its predecessors. Therefore, a combat model of your generation might have faster response time, higher defense or greater strength than one of my type. Usually, the arsenal remains the same, though. Unless the unit is of a special make, which they tend to give experimental systems to. I am one of the testers."
Chris listened to all of this uncomfortably, able to focus more now that his temperature had stabilized. He shook his head, "Are they tryin' to destroy all of humanity? Jesus..."
• • •
Layla had begun to head back toward the camp, Devon at her side, when she saw the distant uprising of dust from a vehicle. It adjusted its course, though, and vanished. She looked to Devon, "Were you expecting another group? They seem to be attempting to avoid contact..."
• • •
Nemesis released the volley of three missiles, then retreated to the top of the nearest building. She answered Virgil without even acknowledging him, "That is correct. However, as long as a Corrupted remains attempting to harm the system, I shall fight."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 1:46 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
