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 Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 4:03 pm
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"Well, wood or paper. Both of which are from plants." Eva answered with understanding, "So... is it a conscious decision to prefer one thing, or is it instinctual?"
• • •
"Of course, ma'am." The woman nodded once and swiftly headed for the door, while the three other attendants finished unpacking Scarlet's belongings. She notified anyone that passed by of the girl's orders, and followed them out of the palace after having delivered the glass of juice. The full staff of attendants streamed out of the building and spread out into the town beyond.
Rey loped through the streets with her feline grace, carried by the excitement of those around her. Many of the garages hummed with activity, the local bakeries emitted heavenly scents of celebratory cakes, the seamstresses toiled away at lavish garments. Even the children worked on their own little crafts. She slowed down to a casual walk in the downtown sector.
One thing that never ceased to surprise her was the people. Though each person's style was unique, their faces were subtly similar. In fact, a good portion of the population appeared rather androgynous. Not a single man lacked some womanly quality, nor any woman without a manly feature. Pale-skinned, overall thin in figure, greying hair, beautiful faces. A couple of the children even possessed the slightest of a grey tint to their hair. Rey had it, too; her first grey hairs came in when she reached the age of eight. It was Northern belief that those who were born with or developed greying hair in their childhood were among the Evolved. This thought was based from the fact that prior to the war, a large surge of the new generation had been born with this mutation.
The mechanic took a long, winding series of paths between the buildings, heading for her home. It was a small one-story house near the outer wall, with its own attached garage and junkyard. She immediately ducked into the garage and began plotting out the basis for a new mech design.
• • •
Genesis compiled all of the information into a file, and wirelessly transmitted it to Nova. The image appeared on the screen for Gerald to see:
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:20 pm
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Odessa grinned. Plant matter. The greens that the firetypes eats fuel their fire but not in the forge, but for their own inner fire and body. Fire types get little to no nourishment from flesh. Hell Fire types are perfectly capable of getting away with eating a popsicle stick for nourishment. Not the popcicle, the stick.
She pointed to Lukas, who was in there, eating a very large vension steak that was cooked medium rare and a side of grilled chicken. Dad's a plant type-- He's The Creeping Vine. He eats mainly flesh. If you ever get a chance to look at his teeth, do so-- they're as sharp as razors. I too eat a great deal of meat myself, as I'm a Water Lotus.
She grinned at Eva, showing a very sharp version of a set of perfectly white supermodel teeth. But my inital path is water, so I can eat just about anything.
She gestured to an Earth path passing by. He smiled and his teeth seemed to be kind of flat, large, and shovel like. He's a stone type. They eat mainly mineralized and condensed purified stuff. They can literally eat rock. She nodded to him, and he went on his way.
Odessa nodded to Eva herself. You are a Wind path. Wind wears down on everything, so you can eat pretty much what you like. Just follow your insticts, and you'll eat what your body needs at the moment without focusing on one thing too much.
She tilted her head to think. There are other factors, like Scarlet, for example. You may not tell from the way she acts normally, but she's a predetor. Her path is the Firecat. She is Fire and Wind. So she relies on veggies to fuel her fire and flesh to fuel her body, with bits of everything else mixed in to keep her healthy.
~~~
I soon found myself alone in the palace. I looked about.
My... new home. But first, this place is posioned. I must clense it.
When I was sure I was alone I stripped out of my royal armor and stood there naked. I stood there quietly for a second and started to breathe deeply, the sound was kind of like the sound of a crackling fire and at the same time the hissing of a great cat. I go goosebumps, before jumping high into the air. I landed in one corner of the room, kicking at an epicenter of the posion-- a collected point of deep depression. I bounced out of the room into the garage, doing spins and acrobatic moves as I made my way to a table and jumped into the air, slamming down on a certain spot on the surface that nearly snapped the thing in half, instead leaving a huge crack in the supposedly durable and tough work surface. I hopped about the room, clensing other certain spots in this fasion. Then returning to my room, grabbing a simple white silk slip, I slid it onbefore doing my dance/gymnastic/acrobatic dance out the door into the palace itself. A half hour passed and found me outside, doing this along the line if metallic trees outside the palace.
I finally stopped, panting as the silk settled around me. I was sweating and panting heavily. Thankfully only the garage, the corner of my room, and this section of trees had been tainted by Layla's depression.
Looking about, satisfied that I hadn't missed any spots, I went back inside and headed to my rooms again. I stripped off my gown, grabbed the chilled carrot juice, and entered the bathroom, looking about as how they had styled this place as well.
~~~
Nova nodded and closed the vat, pressing a few buttons here and there. She then poured the silver liquid into an opening, before pressing her hands against the control panel.
Inside, the sound was like a hissing--a cross between the sound of many insect wings brushing together and the sound of steam escaping from a pipe.
About 10 minutes later, she righted herself and twisted the hatch to open the vat. Out poured some steam, and she peered inskide as it dissappated. She nodded, and inside curled up in a fetal postion, was the new shell which Genesis had designed.
Is this satisfactory, Genesis? I made a minor edits, to the powersource mainly, which is now a mercury genorator which should power you indefinatly. No need to recharge, right?
She stepped back from the vat with a bow to Genesis.
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 1:59 pm
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The Westerners had filed out of the truck, and now surrounded the fallen insectoid. It hadn't stirred since. Devon carefully nudged at its limbs with the barrel of a gun, finding them to be a great deal heavier and more solid than any flesh could be.
"No doubt about it; this thing's purely mechanical. I also suspect that it's a government creation, judging from the way its joints are mounted. Northern mecha use standard 2-degree rotation in the knees, yet this thing has ball-joints. That's a distinct Caretaker feature." Devon declared grimly, tapping the machine's nearest knee, "I just wish we knew why it was here, and what purpose it served."
"And how many more there might be, or where they're placed." Chris added.
The group fell silent. Some of them glanced off into the distance, taking in the emptiness and mystery of the Wastelands. If any city had ever stood there, the nuclear warfare and infinite mounds of sand did a phenomenal job of hiding the evidence.
• • •
Genesis examined the new body with excitement. It was much more efficient, and would certainly set himself apart from his brethren. No longer would Nemesis be his sister-model, for he had now ascended into an existence separate from the ideals of a Caretaker. He was more than a simple-minded machine.
"This is perfect. Thank you, Nova." He returned the bow, smiling.
• • •
Eva listened intently, her memory slipping back to the undergrounds when Odessa described Scarlet as a predator. She was only halfway-conscious during the chase between Meta and Scarlet, but she remembered so well that brief glimpse of the girl's feral eyes. There was nothing human about the Scarlet she had seen that day.
"How did people deviate so far from what they naturally were? I know that evolution helped to physically change humans, but why did they lose all the characteristics which your people still possess, like instinct? If anything, you seem more highly evolved than any person out in the fields. All of Northwest is better suited for this planet than the others..." She mused. The more she thought about it, humans in general were very artificial. It was almost like they never truly belonged on Earth, but arrived one day as a foreign threat to natural life. And they had already destroyed everything.
• • •
Raowan shuffled down the walkway with a paranoid haste, while one of the so-called indestructible robots trudged beside him. Large, graceless, loud and impersonal. It carried two heavy duty guns at its sides, ready to kill in an instant's notice. Even the admin found himself highly unnerved by these war machines, but had no choice to use them under current conditions. Somewhere, Alena still lurked the halls.
Virgil and the other Guardians were being led by two of these machines to the central hub, where the other administrators hid until the threat is terminated. Except for Raowan.
He heard the announcement of the simulation shutdown overhead, and felt his whole body knot up from stress in response. Ten days. That wouldn't be nearly enough time to prepare! Not with this security crisis currently plaguing their facilities. And this vital transition began without any notice whatsoever to him...
Shane. It had to be Shane's idea. He was the only other admin that would commence any sort of action. Raowan bit nervously at his lower lip. There was something suspicious going on between Shane and the other three, and he was clearly being alienated by them. He tried to focus on the path ahead.
Raowan ended up at the creation lab which Eva's AI terminal occupied. The hall outside was still completely ruined, but everything within remained intact. He went over to the computer while the robot guarded the doorway. The giant screen above pulsed with constant fits of green numbers, recording the woman's every thought into complex binary. He watched them for a moment, before proceeding to write his own thought into her mind:
Eva, there is something urgent about to happen. The simulation will shut down in ten days, and I have reasonable belief that I am being hunted by own colleagues. I know that you hate me, as you probably should, but I'll need your help. Everyone does.
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 1:07 am
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Nova nodded and giggled, before spinning gracefully around Genesis, looking so fragile and doll-like as she played.
You're welcome Genesis! Happy to help!
Gerald chuckled and watched her play.
"Heheheh, Science."
~~~
Ah, Physically change humans? No, what grew was our intellect, it grew and grew and our bodies were left behind. And as it grew, our minds and souls started growing apart, until they became natrually dis-jointed. When you become that intellgent, you stop caring about the environment, and everything looks like an exploitable resource. When you give up the alter of the heart, you lose what it means to have kin, a brother, a companion.
Odessa glanced at Eva for a moment, watching her intently, before continuing.
We have not forgotten that. We embrace every ounce of our nature. We are human, we are ALL human. Even our predetory nature is part of our human nature. And we we spent time, much time, learning to accept our intellect. To work it in to ourselves and what bore us. Our planet. Because our intellect is part of us. We are human.
She stopped for a moment.
The path of Northwest, as it is now, is to live and grow as we are limitless; We will continue to grow our bodies and our minds. The rest of humanity will become ever more dependent on machienes, because they comfort themselves by having the machienes do tasks they find unpleasent, ir beyond them. They would have the false strength of machienes cover their weaknesses, as we will grow to adapt and solve ours.
Odessa smiled knowingly.
So... What did Rowan just say to you?
~~~
By the time the hour had fully passed, I had clensed myself very well. I put my armor back on before going back to continue exploreing the palace.
I was now in the garage; Stacking large grey bricks in a circle near one wall. Though no one could really say where they came from; They were far denser and tougher then any most bricks. It was a large circle, and I was fitting them together so neatly and so well that they fit together perfectly. I kept stacking them until they were about waist hight for me. And nearby was a anvil and a hammer that seeminly had come out of nowhere.
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 7:47 pm
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 4:04 pm
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Genesis gently lifted the new body from its container, setting it upright in a standing position. Somewhere at the back of the robot's bald head a latch released, causing the metallic panel to clatter to the floor noisily. He reached back into his own head and withdrew a few microchips, which he saved for installation in the new body. A final chip was removed, though he did not set this one aside. It was longer than the others, and had more connection points than the rest. On one side it was labeled as 'Caretaker Network Access.' Genesis crushed it between two fingers.
Confirmation screens flashed across the entirety of his vision, alerting the machine to the consequences of his decision. Every file, every memory or thought or physical notification this entity ever witnessed; it was all being transferred wirelessly. Slowly, the Caretaker's life was slipping away, becoming something anew. The final system shut down, leaving the Caretaker's eyes lifeless and unlit.
Moments later, the new machine awoke. It flexed its limbs, locked onto objects within the room, observed its strange new interface. It collected the microchips piled on the counter and promptly installed them. Just as the last one was plugged in, a memory file opened itself for playback:
It was outside, somewhere between the boarders of Northwest and North. Thousands of humans and fellow Caretakers surrounded it, all at war, and the hulking forms of mecha approached in the distance. Genesis produced a missile launcher, instantly blasting away three of the mechs. In its other hand, it continually fired a minigun, killing dozens of the Northern footsoldiers. The drone proceeded forward, tearing down any man, woman or child that crossed its path. It received a distress signal from Nemesis.
Genesis discarded its weapons and broke out into a full-speed run, lashing out at any human it passed, and halted amidst a clearing. Bodies and blood created a full circle, and only two other figures occupied the space. Nemesis and a Northwestern man. Nemesis appeared to have several spots of damage, mostly in the legs and sides where the metal had been dented or torn. The man was completely unharmed. He was clothed in white armor with blue and gold accents, and wielded the diamond-edged sword. His eyes were a strange multicolor of pink and blue, and seemed...unfocused. Genesis exchanged a few plans with its sister, creating a grenade launcher in one hand and a blade on the other arm. Nemesis adapted a flight unit on its back and two rapid-fire guns. The man remained where he stood, calm and unmoving. All at once, the two machines leapt into action. Nemesis hovered in the air moving fast clockwise, both guns blasting, while Genesis launched a few of its grenades into the center. Everything erupted, a cloud of black smoke obscured the circle. Both machines paused.
Like a flash of lightning, Genesis's blade shot up in time to meet the Northwesterner's. It rotated its whole body, throwing a kick to the man's abdomen, followed by a sweep overhead with its electrified blade. He parried with several quick strikes to Genesis's right arm, until the limb itself was torn off. Nemesis collided with him in a full-on tackle, only to be thrown underneath him into the ground. He plunged his blade into its legs, completely immobilizing the drone without killing it. Genesis righted itself, standing opposite the man, waiting.
"It doesn't have to end like this, Caretaker." He spoke with a surprisingly gentle tone, "You were created to care for the people, correct? So why is it now that your kind has chosen to assault? What have we done to deserve this?"
Genesis did not answer. It pounced forward, immediately spiraling into a flurry of kicks and strikes. Every time, both of them met with equal force, repelled the other into the same direction. No normal human would be able to keep up with their instantaneous motions. But suddenly, something changed. A bullet flew through the air, embedded itself in the man's hand. He dropped his weapon. Genesis seized the moment, driving its electric blade through the man's chestplate, deep into his flesh. Time seemed to freeze.
He shuddered, blood gushed out over the robot's blade. He glanced calmly into the machine's blank visor, "I-I-I shall not d-die. N-not y-y-yet." He pulled himself closer to the robot, causing the blade to further cut into himself, and wrapped his arms around Genesis in an embrace, "I'll r-restore y-y-your life's meaning..."
The memory ended there, and Genesis again became aware of himself. He blinked to dismiss the screen, smiled. "So... now I know." He noted the altered voice in this new body; it was definitely more male in tone, deeper. He looked back to the line of supplies for his blade and resumed working on it.
• • •
Raowan's message toned itself in her head, read off in a computerized version of her own voice. Eva tensed. She hesitated a moment before explaining to Odessa, "He... said that he was in trouble, and that he needs my help. That everyone needs me. And... the simulation will shut down in ten days."
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 3:26 pm
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 4:14 pm
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All of the attendants had now returned, and to their designated stations they headed. If Scarlet explored the hallways further, she would end up in the office of the director of trade & inter-faction relations. The director was a burly man, clad in robes of red and gold. His face was craggy and well-defined, with the bristle of a forming beard framing his mouth. Though he didn't appear old, he too had the streaks of grey running through his hair, which was clipped neatly back into a topknot by a ruby pin. The director's office was small and crowded with documents and electronic storage devices, and upon the furthest wall was hung the trade agreement with Southeast, and the peace treaties of several other factions. He sat behind his desk, worriedly reading reports off his laptop's screen.
• • •
Eva let her head rest limply against the wall behind her as she thought, "I don't know." She replied with fatigue evident in her voice, "This could all just be a trap... Raowan was the one instructing those Caretakers to attack us, he's the reason that Metamorphosis grabbed me and hurt Scarlet. But, if the simulation were to collapse, all of those people will die..."
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 5:29 pm
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Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 2:59 pm
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The director startled at her entry, hurriedly setting down his holographic device on the desk. He returned the bow in the Northern style, on one knee with his head held solemnly low. He stood upright again, "Greetings, Lady Scarlet. I am director Kamil Laurence, head of inter-faction relations. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."
• • •
Eva glared at the floor in silence. She recalled her awakening all too well; strapped to a chair with a homicidal machine looming over her, all while the man she loved and trusted watched. She wanted to hate him... but she couldn't. Maybe this wasn't his fault at all. Maybe the other admins are the ones who screwed everything up, and Raowan was simply doing his job. She stood up slowly, stretched her sore legs.
"I know all of the risks, but... I was made for this task, Odessa. I know I'm not some mindless machine, but my birth had a predefined purpose. The very least I can do is try." Eva concluded, before she started walking down the pathway. She briefly glanced in at the Northwesterners in the dining hall, beginning to feel more endeared to the people of this faction. She was finally starting to understand them — something which most of the other factions never took the time to do. She dropped her gaze after a moment and turned away, heading for the cavern's exit.
The nighttime darkness was heavy over the grand forest. Eva smiled up at the monstrous trees, no longer intimidated by their size. She carefully stepped around their roots, trying not to give them any reason to hate her presence. Her walk was aimless, really. She was a good distance away from the cavern by the time she began focusing on replying to Raowan.
I'll be there in a few hours, waiting at the outermost edge of the rows. If a Caretaker senses my presence, you'll need to dismiss it.
• • •
After another couple hours of processing, refining, heating, shaping and cooling materials, the blade was done at last. It was a beautiful icy blue in hue, and seemed to gradually become more transparent closer to the cutting edge. Small cutout shapes of moons and stars traced down the center of the weapon's body, serving a functional purpose while also appearing nice. Genesis picked it up and held it in his left hand, and the armor panels in his wrist shifted around the sword's grip, securing it as a natural part of his body. He smiled at both Gerald and Nova, "Thank you."
Genesis left the lab and headed down one of the adjacent pathways, eventually finding his way to the training cavern. He halted at the doorway, daring not to linger too far in, as he knew that mysticism had horrible effects on his mechanical form. He spotted the teacher and Layla both, again feeling that overwhelming sensation of familiarity. As the class took a break, he called out to Layla.
She warily approached the machine, taken aback by his new appearance. There was a clear resemblance of Aerilo with the color choice and black hair, but it was also obvious that this being did not desire to be him. It was a mixture of him and something new, something less than human. Layla tried to mask her surprise as she answered, "Yes...Genesis, was it?"
He nodded, "I apologize if this is a bad time for you, but to my understanding, your mentor taught you how to sword-fight, correct? And, as of late, it seems as though a portion of his consciousness must still reside within me." He paused, noticing how she shifted uncomfortably at that statement, "I'm trying to reform myself. I want to transcend the existence of a mere robot, and I want to honor him in the process, as he is the reason that my life is more than servitude and slaughter. But to do so... I want to re-learn combat the way he taught it. I want you to be my coach and sparring partner, Layla."
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