James Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 [font=Georgia][size=3]Proteus made his way back to the command center. Upon entering, he noticed that the HUD surrounding Havoc's face had become markedly more complicated. Status windows and three dimensional maps were tiled on either side of primary navigation display. At the same time, Warlock ran past Proteus toward the hallway. No prompting was required; Proteus immediately sat beside Havoc and pulled up his own weapons-based HUD.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"Warlock is manning the turret?" he asked, as his fingers fluttered over a nearby keyboard.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"Yes," replied Havoc. "Where's Iota?"[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]Havoc held down a nearby green button with his gloved finger. "Where are you, Iota? We need to be on battle readiness."[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"I'm headed toward the second turret," came the quick and staticky reply.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]The HAPC slowed down as it approached the mouth of the aquaduct. As they came closer, the water below grew deeper and ran faster. The rushing water soon became audible from within the HAPC's interior. It was no doubt made louder by the cavernous interior walls within the aquaduct's entry tunnel. From their respective HUDs, both Havoc and Proteus were given clear views of the vehicle's surroundings, via small, durable cameras embedded in the outer skin. As the lighting levels dropped, the HAPC's sophisticated cameras automatically adjusted their settings, so as to maintain visibility. Both Havoc and Proteus noticed that the walls of the aquaduct had at first seemed aged and corroded. They'd seen expansive cracks and water damage all over the entrance. But now, the walls seemed noteably smoother, as though they had been built - or retouched - somewhat recently.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]Warlock and Iota were each manning roof-mounted turrets. The first turret was accessed from a small entryway just behind the command center. It was a front-mounted turret and was intended to be used to cover the front 50% of the vehicle's surroundings. The second turret was similar to the first but had several key differences. Firstly, it was located at the rear of the vehicle, with the aim of covering the remaining surroundings. Secondly, the physical weapon itself was quite different from the front-mounted turret. Where the front-mounted turret was a larger and more versatile weapon, containing a grenade launcher (itself capable of firing multiple types of grenades) and a high-powered buster cannon, the rear turret was far smaller and lighter, containing a high-powered machine gun with armor-piercing titanium bullets. Despite the HAPC's size, it had always been designed with the intent of mobility in the battlefield. To that end, the twin turrets had an attack and defend relationship; the front turret's heavier and more varied weapon set were useful for attack purposes (especially firing on buildings and larger battlefield units), the rear turret's smaller and higher-speed turret was intended primarily for defence and support. The primary turret would get the HAPC into a dangerous area and the secondary turret would pick off any remnants who may want to follow it as it leaves.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]Generally an HAPC crew would consist of at least six. Two would be used for navigation and weapons support, two for manual turret control and two for firearm support. In that aquaduct, though, there were only four reploids. Each reploid would have to do more than their share; Proteus and Havoc would have to make up for the lack of firepower, while Warlock and Iota would have to be particularly accurate with their own weapons.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]As the HAPC made its way through the enormous serpentine aquaduct, Havoc noticed odd readings on his HUD.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"Proteus, look at that," he said, pointing to the upper left portion of his HUD.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"I can't see anything," said Proteus, as he fiddled with his camera.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"Look up toward cell 400 B, top right of your forward camera view. Can you see that piping?"[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]Proteus adjusted his view accordingly and there he saw it, several smaller pipes running along the upper walls of the large aquaduct piping. Some of the smaller pipes dipped in behind the concrete walls at various intervals, while other pipes periodically breathed steam into the aquaduct.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"Are those new?" asked Proteus.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]Havoc rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I doubt they'd have been built all the way back at the beginning of the city."[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]The pipes grew more complex as the HAPC continued into the darkness. Several pipes ran all the way up to the ceiling, where they snaked away into shadows. The HAPC's night vision systems were working well, but its thermal imaging system was becoming confused. The aquaduct itself was relatively cold, but large patches of ceiling glowed a vivid crimson in the thermal imaging windows. The smaller pipes also eminated a deep red glow. Proteus' thoughts were confirmed by Havoc as he spoke.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"They must be ejecting steam into here," he said thoughtfully. "There must be some kind of exhaust system we don't know about. None of our schematics show anything this elaborate."[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"Maybe we are getting closer to Prime's base," suggested Proteus.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]Havoc nodded. "Yeah, we must be. I just hope we can sneak past without much trouble."[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]It was as though Havoc's words were immediately debated, as several dozen red dots appeared within the thermal imaging windows. At first they were small and moved lethargically, but within seconds they grew in size and number; they then began shifting around the screen at higher speed. Havoc activated various camera filters in succession, hoping to identify the objects. But he saw nothing on any except the thermal camera.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"Shit," breathed Havoc as his hands moved even faster over the various keyboards and panels in front of him. [/size][/font][font=Georgia][size=3]"Whatever they are, there's a lot of 'em."[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]Finally, Havoc noticed tangible movement on his night vision camera. He zoomed in to take a better look. What he saw was unusual; it [i]looked [/i]like a large spider. At the very least, Havoc decided that it had ten legs, which moved rapidly as it crawled along the exhaust pipes. The machine's body appeared to be a small disc with rounded, dome-like sides. A small weapon barrel of some kind appeared to be attached to each disc.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"Their weapons look quite small," remarked Proteus, as he zoomed in on one of the strange objects.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"That's true," said Havoc, "but it looks like there are hundreds of them out there now. If they number high enough, they could overwhelm us or concentrate their collective firepower on one spot."[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]Proteus raised an eyebrow as he prepared the HAPC's hull defence systems. "Death by a thousand paper cuts?"[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"Hopefully our gunners are quick enough," replied Havoc.[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]Proteus nodded. "According to the map we're still several kilometers from Warlock's friend's warehouse. The exit is just up here."[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=3]"Hopefully we don't run into Prime too soon," said Havoc, "we can't let anything stop us now. That warehouse is our last chance to make things right."[/size][/font] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 It was around dusk near Xen when Demos woke. Shortly after Wily made his intentions clear that Demos realized he had no choice but to undergo the transformation if he wanted to live and claim his revenge. A small drone, only reaching as high as Demos' waist, but easily twice the width, floated by on a vacuum drive that allowed it to skim the floor by bare millimeters, and Demos followed it to a bench-like table near the far wall. It was a boxy creature, with many ports over its outer tin shell in which various arm-like tools emerged. There was a small, circular ring on the top plate that served as a small holographic projector. Demos had climbed on the table and lay prone, and the giant generator that etched the representation of Wily turned, and the doctor "followed" his creation. At the same time, the cylinder atop the drone sprung to life, and a diminutive copy mimicked the full-sized projection's movements, but maintained stationary. From above the workbench a large mechanical limb descended, with over a dozen tentacle-like extensions with clawed tips. "Don't worry, Demos. This won't take long." The drone reached up with a three-fingered arm and pierced the skin of his neck. A small probe extended from the center of the "hand" and suddenly, Demos saw no more. It took only a few hours, due to the many different appendages able to do the labor that would have taken an aging human weeks, and the computer mind quickly made calculations that would have taken even longer. First his armor was stripped away, and then the heavy-knit black jumpsuit was cut away. Bronzed skin over etched synthetic muscles was peeled away and very suddenly the reinforced skeletal frame and hydraulic structured limbs were exposed to the cold air. Many of the hand-like claws on the tentacles glowed red-hot, and began disassembling the Reploid. He was in many pieces in mere minutes. His fusion core was shut down and removed. His main CPU was taken out and separated. His wiring was completely striped out. He was a husk. The small drone split open at the top and revealed that its interior was almost entirely storage space, which was filled with complicated machinery. The arms sprouting from the ceiling made constant reaches within to pull out pieces. Three dedicated themselves to retrieving parts and the other seven labored. The first to be installed was the new power core, but it was not a typical generator with a radioactive power cell, but rather a large, segmented series of conductors. These were made from a mixture of copper, cast iron, and titanium with tempered gold plating. This essentially was Demos' new power core and basic frame. It was not completely solid, but rather, was made up of highly condensed composite layers with a honeycomb mesh pattern that ensured stability. The tubing, no thicker than a standard wire, was made up of over 200,000 layers and ran throughout his body like veins. These conductors were layered over by a double-plated lead skin to protect the other internal machinery from radiation damage. These essentially made up a body-sized core although there was a traditional-yet-advanced active uranium ore deposited within a small particle accelerator in his chest - the standard for second-generation Wily Bots. Now that the basic structure was updated, the arms swiftly recast new hydraulics, gears, and joints. These were a titanium alloy with iron and lead ore mixed within the composition; they had tremendous strength yet were flexible enough to withstand many times the strain of their maximum output and exceptional heat resistance. With that done, the synthetic muscles were grafted back onto the cybernetic limbs, the thick skin over the muscle. A new jumpsuit, polyester threads interwoven with thin, thread-like iron stripes, was stretched on. Next, his armor had undergone heat tempering, had a new finish and thin, honeycombed skin of plated iron ore, meant as a reinforcement of the main suit. It was some time later that Demos awoke and found himself strung up against the ceiling. His eyes snapped open at some random inclination. He did not know what had forced him awake, there was no comm-- All form vanished within his mind as his body raged. He knew nothing; felt nothing, saw, heard, smelled nothing. A blinding torrent of energy flowed under his fingers, up his arms, down his back, through his legs, within his head. Every inch of body was filled with euphoric strength; every speck of steel and flesh carried an inner light, an inner fury. Waves of power filled his hands, his mind, and his whole body. Over and over again, timed with each breath his automated body functions forced in, it pulsed, this never-ending gift. He never experienced something so complete before. As pure energy ran through his body, through the conductors, he could offer no feelings as he lowered gently to the ground, the countless wires attached to his torso and limbs acting like a pulley system. He knew nothing, not the fact that he was still strung up to Wily's lab, that he was slowly descending, not that he was standing on his feet now, not that the cords disengaged and swiftly withdrew back into the ceiling as the tiles above closed back together. He only saw his strength and was blinded by his potential. It was absurd. He had never felt such a surge. It didn't seem possible that he could feel so vibrant. It didn't seem possible that he could feel so vivid. It wasn't possible that he could feel alive. He had often thought what it would feel like to have an actual body, to feel blood pumping through his skin, to know what a beating heart felt like, not just electrical impulses. And this, he thought, is probably as close as I'll come. "I see you're functional." Finding a moment of clarity as the raging sea of energy dwindled to a steady, gentle pulse, Demos spun quickly in his new body. '...New body? No. This is still me. This is me. This is what I was made for.' Demos registered the hologram of Wily, and slowed his heavy breathing. Everything he did was foreign. Every action seemed new. The haze that surrounded his mind was slowly clearing, but not quickly enough in his mind. "It is marvelous, isn't it? The power that you wield? It took years to design, to work out. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was when Zero had his little temper tantrum. I had originally planned to eventually upgrade him with the TITAN project, but I feel you justify that. What is it like, Demos, what is it like to freely control pure energy?" The Elite Squadron Commander could offer no response; he was still working his best to absorb the diagnostic he ran on his body. "I can only imagine. To freely adapt your power signature over every inch of your form, as easy as flexing a muscle. From the crown of your head to the soles of your feet, you can express your power as simply blinking an eye. The ports in your hands, though small, are made of melted diamonds with titanium filaments that act as transformers for outgoing energy." Demos almost absentmindedly checked his palms, and, sure enough, there were pearl white crystals that were no larger than a dime. Almost as if he had accessed a memory file, he suddenly drew a plethora of information in on these gems. He seemingly knew out of nowhere how these small orbs were connected directly to his conductors, how they tunneled incoming energy through convection energy transfer using the filaments, how the diamond focused energy like a prism. "The conductors within your body flow under a total of ninety-seven percent of your surface area. They are, effectively, your circulatory system. Energy is carried through them like blood. They are your life. They can transfer energy generally outward of your body as a mass, but only from your ports can you truly manipulate the signature. "And likewise, the ports can absorb energy as well, and add it to the potential within your core. It is not perfect, and cannot assimilate, say, a charged particle cannon blast, but they are essential to your existence none the less. "And let us not forget the cache within your body. You've sensed it, right? The stores? Like little pockets, no? These are special. Iron ore and uranium fused together using a high-density particle accelerator; they are designed to magnetically detach themselves at a specific energy reading. I suppose it would not take much to guess just what that signature is." At this, a tile on the floor in front of Demos slid back, and a small metal arm rose up. It had three thin, curved claws on it, like those of a hawk's talons, in a tripod shape. The arm rose to about waist level and leaned in, about a foot from Demos' form. He lowered his arms, eyes darting to the hologram of Wily. It was in the original position from when Demos had first arrived. It gave a wicked smile. Demos snapped his attention back to the snares before him, in just enough time to see the spikes lunge for his face. -- As the dagger tips dug into the side of the bridge of his nose and one in the very center of his forehead, he collapsed to his knees, and the arm pushed harder, sending his head into recoil. His limbs twitched and he shuddered often. ?Hmm. Fool. You really are just like the rest,? Wily growled through digitally gritted teeth. ?Did you honestly think you?d just be free to go? That all my efforts were some generous effort to save your life? Hmph.? The hologram began walking away, towards a modest-sized control panel, as if it was simply habit that drove the projection. ?Why would I want Zero? I said it myself; he is a failure at all he does. Any attempt to reprogram him would be outdone by getting revenge. And why stick with revenge when I can accomplish my original goal?? Wily?s persona turned and looked at the quivering Demos. He knew the Pure Strain Wily virus would not take fully, but it would rewrite some of his subsystems ? enough to make him a pawn, enough to make him controllable. After a few minutes the claw disengaged and withdrew back under the floor where the tile replaced itself. Demos kneeled in a daze for a few seconds but soon stood with a slightly confused glance crossing his eyes. He looked over at Wily, unsure of where the past minutes went. He last remembered the overwhelming euphoria calm itself as he manually lowered his power output and Wily explaining his upgrades. ?Go, Demos. You have work to do.? Demos, still thoroughly confused, nodded once, and disappeared as his body scattered into the air. -- -- -- Thermal scans now showed a massive collection of ordinance swiftly keeping pace with the Impact as Havoc tried to maintain a very constant heading and speed. These...things obviously knew the Hunters were there, or at least someone had entered the Aquaduct. Literally hundreds of these cybernetic droids seemed to ghost around them, weaving an impossible path through thick collections of pipes. Bringing up a night vision rendering of the main viewing panel Havoc could identify a twenty-millimeter laser burst cannon on each of the spider-like drones. Upon further inspection, he found that they were all leveled generally at the Impact, rotating on the core shell as these acrobatic climbers scurried along. But from what he could tell, they had no intention of firing, as the cannons had not even been warmed up...at least not yet. Havoc reached up to the control panel and pressed a modest black button for a brief second, saying, ?Maintain radio silence,? before returning to his control stick. He did notice a slight hitch in the movement of the droids the moment he engaged the communications port, but they almost instantly regained their pace. That confirmed that they were indeed simple robots, most likely on a group-level command system. All it would take for them to open fire was a certain signal, whether it be the Hunters or something else, and they would have a very serious problem on their hands. For a few more tense minutes the HAPC [i]Impact[/i] lumbered along just over the mass of surging water with little lateral movement. Havoc tried his best to stay as far away from the net of scurrying drones that enveloped the cavernous tunnel. Constantly cycling between different types of views he was quite suddenly greeted to a portion of the tunnel that had been blasted deep into the earthen ore that surrounded it. Over the bare rock were sheets of metal that looked like they were fairly recently forged. From this, small lean-to huts and mesa-like dwellings covered the high sidings. In the middle of this manmade valley was a fairly decent structure, similar to a pyramid in shape, with various satellite receivers and burst-transmission emitters dotting the outer structure. Havoc took a sharp breath when he switched to the thermal band and saw the cut-away was dancing with heat signatures. ?Proteus.? ?Trust me, I see it. A little hard to miss.? Havoc nodded once and scanned once more on an infrared scan and swore as he saw lines of blurry figures emerging into the valley from the caves. He looked around to the segmented plasma screen around him and jerked hard on the control sticks. The Impact compensated and slowed swiftly but did not buck as hard as it should have. Above, each drone now stopped and took direct aim at the Impact, and the barrels of the cannons glowed slightly golden. Havoc threw forward the throttle control to his right, and tilted the control sticks forward. The result was the Impact leaning forward at a slight twenty-degree angle and roaring as the plasma engines shifted to full output. ?Light ?em up!? Havoc roared as he heard the release of energy from above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 [size=2][font=Georgia][b]PRIME'S BASE[/b][/font][/size] [size=2][font=Georgia][/font][/size] [size=2][font=Georgia]Within a second, bursts of gunfire exploded from the turrets atop the HAPC. The small drones - which must have now numbered in the hundreds - were moving in unison, as though they were part of a larger entity. As the HAPC's rapid gunfire painted the cavernous walls of the tunnel, the drones dodged and fired in unison with remarkable speed and accuracy. Their individual weapons were small, but the crew of the [i]Impact [/i]could feel the thud of thousands of projectiles striking the machine's hull every second. The force was such that Havoc initially had difficulty steering the vehicle; the rear tended to lurch sideways, almost sending the craft into the tunnel wall. The hull integrity monitor fed data to Havoc constantly. Through it, he was able to identify where the vehicle was being struck and what the extent of the damage was. The HAPC's engine, which was a thin, wafer-like, fusion-based engine, was housed in the floor of the vehicle. It was slim and stretched from the rear of the vehicle to its front, somewhat like a large lithium battery. Havoc could now see that the drones had focused their fire at the lower half of the vehicle, in an attempt to damage the delicate engine. The engine was protected by various measures - including layers of reinforced titanium shell and a high-powered energy shield - but such systems would not withstand the constant drone barrage for very long.[/font] [font=Georgia]"We need to get some distance between us," said Havoc calmly as he continued to struggle with the HAPC's self-alignment systems. "If we can just make some room, we'll be able to fire off grenades. That should stop them."[/font] [font=Georgia]Indeed, the [i]Impact's [/i]grenades were so powerful that, if detonated at close range (and within the tunnel), the resulting pressure would easily have flung the vehicle right into the nearest wall. Even if it were not destroyed by the blast, there was a good chance that the blast [i]and [/i]the resulting concussion wave could have severely damaged the vehicle, stranding the crew within the expansive tunnel system.[/font] [font=Georgia]The only escape was the valley that lay beyond a large hole in the tunnel, which was itself layered with what looked like fresh construction work. From their position, it was possible to see the expansive valley, with the strange pyrimidal structure in the center. Flying directly into Prime's base would no doubt be suicide, but with some distance, they'd be able to deploy the HAPC's heavy weapons. Havoc privately hoped that, if given a slight window, it would be possible to destroy most of the base's defense systems. Afterall, the base had probably not been designed to withstand an assult by a certified military vehicle of the [i]Impact's [/i]capabilities.[/font] [font=Georgia]The gunfire grew heavier, as the [i]Impact [/i]rose over the water and lurched closer to the looming exit. The miniature drones promptly scattered further down the walls of the tunnel, as they now had a better opportunity to hit the HAPC's delicate underbelly. The vehicle's upper turrets were only able to reach the outer edges of the swarm - from their position, it was difficult for Warlock and Iota to hit the bulk of the drones.[/font] [font=Georgia]"Hold on!" yelled Havoc, as he jerked the control sticks fiercly, sending the [i]Impact [/i]into a kind of momentary nosedive. The vehicle's impressive bulk slipped through the exit and accelerated down toward the distant pyramid, which was now growing ever closer. The drones continued to give chase, however, and quickly massed in a thick wave along the rocky earth outside the tunnel.[/font] [font=Georgia]As the HAPC picked up speed, it rocketed downhill, over the large rocky outcrop that led into the heart of the valley. "Yes!" exclaimed Iota, "I have them in sight now! Keep going, we'll finish them off!"[/font] [font=Georgia]Proteus, meanwhile, diverted much of the HAPC's energy to its rear energy shield, so as to fend off the rearward attack. "Shit!" yelled Iota.[/font] [font=Georgia]"What is it?" asked Havoc, still staring intently at the various navigation controls in front of him.[/font] [font=Georgia]"The drones!" cried Iota, "they're in the air!"[/font] [font=Georgia]"What?!" roared Havoc, as he peered through the rear camera view. Sure enough, he could see a thick swarm of metallic objects behind them, rapidly growing larger on the screen. The little drones had apparently retracted their legs and were now using small plasma engines, which glowed a bright blue on their undersides. Suddenly, the entire crew felt an enormous thud, as the metallic fist slammed against the rear of the HAPC. The thud soon gave way to fresh bursts of gunfire, as the drones scurried over the vehicle's hull and began blasting directly at the outer hull.[/font] [font=Georgia]"My god," said Havoc under his breath, "they're going directly for the engine! I can't shake them off!"[/font] [font=Georgia]Proteus's fingers darted over the touch screen in front of him, as he re-aligned the hull's energy shield. As the shield materialized in various places, it connected with the drones and send them flying off. But the drones - remaining undamaged from the shield - simply scattered in mid-air, re-grouped and re-attached themselves to the same place on the vehicle.[/font] [font=Georgia]"This is hopeless," said Proteus, "there's no way to remove them from there. We're going to have to crash-land."[/font] [font=Georgia]Havoc nodded and brought the [i]Impact [/i]lower to the ground. They were now remarkably close to the large pyramid, but in a fleeting moment, Havoc noticed that there were no obvious defense systems present. He could see no large guns, nor could he see the welcoming committee that he'd expected. Instead, the entire area remained eerily silent, save for the drones that were beginning to peel the outer hull away as they focused their gunfire on specific points.[/font] [font=Georgia]"Okay, hold on!" yelled Havoc. The reploids did as they were told and braced themselves. They braced themselves, but they did not abandon their posts - if the ship was going to go down, they'd go with it, captain included.[/font] [font=Georgia]The enormous HAPC finally came into contact with the abrasive, rocky earth. A high-pitched screech echoed through the vehicle's cabins, as reems of orange and white sparks were thrown outward from the hull. "Quick!" called Havoc, "divert the power from the shield to the engine! I'm going to need all the power I can get to pull this thing to a halt!"[/font] [font=Georgia]Proteus nodded quickly and diverted the power, but just as he did so, the rear undercarriage of the [i]Impact [/i]exploded forcefully and fell away from the craft. The entire vehicle shuddered violently from the explosion and several internal monitors went black. "Fuck!" cried Havoc, "the engine's critically damaged! We won't be able to stop! Everyone, hold on!"[/font] [font=Georgia][/font][/size][size=2][font=Georgia]Proteus closed his eyes and gripped the console tightly, as the [i]Impact [/i]dived right into the wall of the pyramid. A thunderous crash rang out through the valley as plumes of dark smoke billowed from the wounded building.[/font] [/size] [center][font=Georgia]------[/font][/center] [center] [/center] [left][font=Georgia]Proteus opened his eyes. Everything was silent, other than the sound of crackling flames. He was lying on his back, on top of the command console. Above him, he saw the [i]Impact's [/i]main hallway. Light was streaming in from the rear; the doors of the cargo bay had been blown clear. Proteus checked his internal systems for damage. There was a deep gash just above his right eye and he noticed several thin wires protruding from his skin. He seemed otherwise okay - the internal systems check confirmed that he hadn't lost much mechfluid, though he could barely see from his right eye, as it was covered in the thick substance. He lay still for a moment and then, satisfied with the results of his sytems check (or as satisfied as he could be, given the circumstances), he crawled to his knees and adjusted his sight.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Is everybody okay?" called Proteus, toward the hallway above him. For a moment, he almost panicked; he couldn't see Havoc anywhere in the command center. But the [i]Impact [/i]contained no windows, so it was clear that he hadn't been thrown from the vehicle in the collision. Finally, he heard sounds of clanking metal from above. Havoc's face appeared from an open doorway. He looked down at Proteus and nodded.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"I'm fine. Iota is hurt, I think he right arm has been badly damaged. The explosion got her."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"And what of Warlock?" asked Proteus.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"It's okay, I'm alright," responded Warlock's voice from the cabin nearest the command center. "Just a headache," he added jokingly.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]The entire crew climbed up through the hallway and emerged from the rear, which was still smoking heavily.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]It was only when the entire crew were standing safely on the earth that they appreciated the true scope of the area surrounding them. They valley appeared to be relatively secluded; its only entrance, other than from the sky, was through the aquaduct. The drones were lying scattered on the ground - some of the quite far away. Perhaps the blast had destroyed all of them, although at a glance, most seemed to be intact. The pyramidal structure seemed much larger when one stood near it, thought Proteus. It had no discernable openings or features, other than the various communications equipment near its apex. The surrounding huts, which were actually not as closed to the pyramid as Proteus had first thought, also seemed to be deserted. Maybe Prime thought that the entire crew had been killed in the collision? If so, why hadn't he made any attempt to remove the [i]Impact [/i]and clear up the gaping wound in the side of the pyramid? Proteus felt that they must have been there for at least an hour after the initial crash.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Where is Prime?" mused Proteus aloud.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Wherever he is, I'm glad it's not here," said Warlock, as he brushed a hand through his matted hair.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Iota's arm was badly damaged, but she seemed in good spirits. She was sitting on the ground near Havoc, who was still checking himself over. He was carrying a bag with him, which Proteus assumed was full of weapons. He must have gathered them up quickly as they passed the armory cabin, thought Proteus.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]The crew heard a soft, electronic whoosh from nearby. The front of the pyramid apparently had a kind of door at ground level, which swiftly opened, to reveal an enormous machine. It was a bipedal robot of some kind, but it did not look at all like a reploid. Proteus instinctively aimed his buster at it, suspecting that it was perhaps a cyborg of some sort.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]The robot was at least three times taller than the crew of reploids. Its torso spun around and faced them. The top half of the machine was like an angular metallic cage, with a small head on top. The arms - if you could call them that - both resembled heavy machine guns, with reems of ammunition streaming out of them and into the large torso cage. The legs were long and angular, with long, splayed toes at the feet. The robot's legs were almost bird-like, but were nonetheless thick and robust-looking. The machine promptly began walking towards the Maverick Hunters crew, the movement of its legs making an ominous hissing sound.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"My name is Prime," said a voice that came from somewhere deep within the enormous robot. The voice sounded harsh and metallic. "Hold your hands above your heads at once." The robot spoke calmly and despite its size, it moved with grace and swiftness that gave it a formidable appearance.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]The crew all immediately held their weapons at the ready. As far as they'd come, they were not prepared to negotiate. Besides, they had fought and destroyed Massacre, who was far more imposing than even Prime himself.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Prime aimed his guns at the group and paused. "You have ten seconds to comply."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"What?" Havoc raised an eyebrow. "This is the infamous leader of the local gangsters?"[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Ten."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"This all seems very automated," said Iota.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Nine."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Why is he the only one here?" asked Proteus.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Eight."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"I don't care," replied Havoc. "He's getting in our way and we don't have time for this shit."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Seven."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Oh, dear me...whatever is going on here! Prime! Stand down!"[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]A small, somewhat nervous voice came from behind the group. They turned and saw a small man standing nearby, holding a thin remote controller of some kind in his hand. He looked to be about sixty-five years old, give or take. His hair was a deep silver and he wore large, black glasses. He was dressed in an odd sort of coat, which [i]almost [/i]looked medical in nature, but appeared to have some obvious military influences.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Six."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Stop! Now!" The man pushed past the Maverick Hunters and walked right up to Prime. He opened a small panel on the robot's leg and entered some sort of numeric code on the keypad within. Immediately, Prime's aggressive stance relaxed and its guns lowered.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Okay, this is getting odd," said Warlock, as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]The old man turned around and smiled awkwardly. "I apologize," he said nervously, as if he was embarassed. "This wasn't supposed to happen."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Who are you?" asked Havoc.[/font][/left] [left][font=Georgia][/font] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Oh, I'm sorry," said the man as he adjusted his glasses. "My name is Dr. Inoue. I know who you are - you are all Maverick Hunters aren't you?"[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Proteus nodded. "We are searching for a local weapons expert."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Dr. Inoue smiled. "Yes, well, I am the only man around here who fits that description."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Havoc glanced at Warlock. "Wait. I thought you said you knew this guy? Why didn't you warn us about all of this?"[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"I've never met him before," said Warlock. "He never trades directly with customers himself. As far as I ever knew, his stuff was sold directly on the black market in Xen."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Yes," Dr. Inoue interjected, "and you wouldn't be wise to purchase large amounts of arms on the black market. You might make one of the gang leaders suspicious, especially given the obvious origin of your transport."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"We need help," said Havoc, "but Iota here is injured. Can we go inside and do some repairs?"[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Dr. Inoue smiled and gestured toward the entrance that Prime had exited from. "Absolutely, please follow me. On the way, I shall explain what this is all about."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [center][font=Georgia]------[/font][/center] [center] [/center] [left][font=Georgia]Havoc, Proteus and Warlock followed Dr. Inoue through a string of expansive corridors. Iota had been taken to the infirmary by one of the doctor's medics. He'd promised that she would be repaired in no time.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"I know what you are going to say," said Dr. Inoue as he walked ahead of the group. "What about the rumors of Prime? The big gang leader from the aquaduct? Well, the truth is, Prime is one of my creations. He isn't quite up to the task of leading a gang, though."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"So why perpetuate the rumor?" asked Proteus.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Xen is very complicated," replied Dr. Inoue. "There are many different factions and many different political rivalries. It is not safe for me to openly do business within the city. Besides, even if I did use the city to continue my research, one of the gang leaders would probably try to kill me. They consider me dangerous, because I supply the vigilantes with weaponry."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Vigilantes?"[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Yes," said Dr. Inoue. "As you might be aware, Xen is very different from Novus Concordia. It's a place of outcasts. It is lawless - there is no government. Power is controlled by a very loose network of gang leaders. Whether they are replimasters, or humans or reploids matters not. They all desire power and they are all greedy; this is what motivates them. As a result, they cultivate vague alliances, which shift from month to month. But there are still many people in Xen, perhaps the majority, who simply want to live a quiet life. Although the city contains gangsters and criminals, it is also home to people who actively oppose them."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"So they are a kind of police force, like the ALED?" asked Havoc.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"They are not like the ALED," replied Dr. Inoue. "They are not there to enforce any laws and they are not particularly organized. They do, however, seek to destroy the most powerful crime bosses in the city. As I said earlier, the relationships in Xen are very complicated. In a strange way, Xen is like a haven for those of us who previously lived very regimented or oppressive lives...[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Proteus thought he understood what Dr. Inoue meant. He had felt a sense of freedom as the [i]Impact [/i]had been travelling along one of Xen's highways. The wide open spaces and the lack of strict regulation made the place attractive to Proteus. Novus Concordia was not a particularly strict society, but life was different for reploids - especially those in military service. A Maverick Hunter's life was about commitment and sacrifice, about training and devotion to the Commander. He had never known any other way of living and the life of ordinary citizens intrigued him. Warlock, for example, was almost a kind of unspeakable blasphemy for the higher-ups at the Maverick Hunter HQ. He was a reploid who had "gone off the rails" and who had ultimately been rejected by the organization. The human commanders did not understand his motivations and despite the reploid's general complexity, they still viewed Warlock and others as subordinate beings, built for a particular purpose.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]At this moment, Proteus felt a sense of admiration for Dr. Inoue. He was human, but he was different from any human that Proteus had ever met before. His manner, the way he spoke, his frankness...he didn't posess the somewhat duplicitous nature that Proteus had seen in other humans. Even in the more sincere conversations Proteus had had with various humans in the MHHQ, he had always felt a slightly patronizing tone. Or, conversations were always simply orders that had to be carried out. Proteus realized that he'd never really spoken to a human on equal grounds - when it didn't involve orders or medical treatment or training.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"So," continued Dr. Inoue, "I live in this installation with various other humans and reploids. It is necessary to live this far away from the city, to avoid detection. The myth of Prime is maintained simply as a security mechanism. So far it has worked, but there are times when overly-curious trespassers try to make their way here."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"And that's what the drones are for," said Havoc, in a slightly gruff tone.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Dr. Inoue nodded. "Precisely. You managed to break through thanks to your vehicle. The Maverick Hunters and the ALED have no business at all in Xen, so we never see them here. We therefore never have to worry about creating defences to fend them off."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"We are still trespassers, though," said Havoc, "and you have not tried to get rid of us so far. Why?"[/font][/left] [font=Georgia][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=2]Dr. Inoue stopped and turned to face the group. [/size][/font] [size=2][/size] [font=Georgia][size=2]"Something must be happening out there for you to have even considered coming out this far. I had heard rumors when you were spotted in the inner city and I expected that I might be one of your stop-off points. But I couldn't be certain, so I did nothing to lower my defences. I originally came here because I wanted to do something more with my life - I wanted to be more than another faceless weapons scientist within the UN. At least this way, maybe I can affect some change..."[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=2]"That's very noble of you," replied Havoc, "but it doesn't really answer my question. You are right, something [i]is [/i]happening in Novus Concordia. And something does need to be done about it, otherwise we could be facing a total catastrophe."[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=2]Dr. Inoue nodded gravely. "Come to my meeting room and we shall talk. I want you to tell me what I can do to help you."[/size][/font] [center]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------[/center] [font=Georgia][b]THE SIGMA STRAIN[/b] Proteus' room was spacious but ultilitarian; it was not particularly designed for comfort. There were some amenities, however: a sink, coffee pot, cutlery and fresh fruit lay on the counter at one end. At the other end was a single bed with simple white sheets. It looked very much like a private hospital room and this made sense to Proteus; afterall, Dr. Inoue probably entertained guests very rarely. The meeting with Dr. Inoue had been surprisingly short. Surprisingly, Dr. Inoue seemed to know of Commander Sigma although he seemed reluctant to go into specifics. Perhaps Proteus was misreading Dr. Inoue, but it almost seemed that he was somehow scared of the Commander. Dr. Inoue had simply said "I can only tell you to be very careful with Sigma, [i]nobody[/i] has outlasted him." Nobody in the room had prompted Dr. Inoue to go further. There were some positive results, though. Dr. Inoue had agreed to provide weapon support for Proteus and the others, on the condition that the weapon signatures were removed (Dr. Inoue stressed that he did not want the technology to be traced back to his laboratory). Proteus was shocked to learn that Dr. Inoue carried some very unique weaponry. Much of the technology Proteus saw seemed almost beyond anything the Maverick Hunters had produced - Proteus remembered the chest-beating and chanting that Maverick Hunter officers often engaged in when it came to weapons superiority. There wasn't much more time to think, as the door to Proteus' room opened suddenly. The sound was deep and harsh, it made Proteus think of the MHHQ blast doors. Proteus looked up to see who had disturbed him - it was Dr. Inoue. "I'm sorry to bother you so soon," said Dr. Inoue quietly. He gestured toward a nearby chair. "May I?" Proteus nodded. "Of course, doctor." Dr. Inoue sat down on the chair and cupped his hands together. He looked at the floor. "I am sorry all of this had to happen." Proteus cocked his head to one side. "It's not your fault. You have been of great help to us already - we should have died long ago." Dr. Inoue smiled slightly but did not look up. "You are all very brave," he said quietly. "I am sorry to say it, but we do not have all the parts that Iota needs. We can patch her up but she will need longterm fixes if she's to survive." Proteus paused. "What can't you fix?" Dr. Inoue raised his head for the first time and looked at Proteus. His tone hardened slightly. "We can patch up the titanium damage but Iota has lost a great deal or her mech fluid. It is impossible to replace that here." "Can you give her a substitute to keep her going?" asked Proteus. Dr. Inoue shook his head. "No, we can't. Mech fluid contains multiple elements that are highly sophisticated, including protoneurone. This is very specialized nano-technology that we have no way to replicate." Proteus was searching desperately for an answer. "She can't live without some mech fluid at all?" "At best, a reploid can survive with mech fluid levels of around 10% - 6 or 7% if you really want to take a major risk. Iota is sitting right on that line, she is just under 10%. Unfortunately this means that she doesn't have enough fluid to keep her body operating at full capacity. This means that elements of her body will slowly deterioriate - her body will begin to shut down until it receives a mech fluid infusion. This is a safety procedure that the Maverick Hunters built into every reploid; if a reploid were to continue to operate with critically low levels of mech fluid, a fusion collapse could be triggered." Proteus' eyes widened. "Fusion collapse? I have never heard of the term." Dr. Inoue nodded. "If you push a reploid's fusion core too far - especially with low levels of mech fluid - it could shut down. A fusion core is built from the same energy that powers the sun. When the sun dies out, a super nova is produced. This is often followed by the birth of a black hole - in other words, there is a massive explosion followed by an implosion." No wonder MHHQ never told them. What reploid would want to know that they are potentially a walking bomb? "Luckily a reploid's system has many ways of preventing this," said Dr. Inoue, "including a progressive system shut down. If Iota were to push herself too hard with such low mech fluid levels, however, she could easily trigger a fusion collapse. A fusion core is significantly more powerful than its older nuclear equivalent - this might give you an idea of how serious a fusion collapse would be." It took Proteus a while to to process the information. Being a reploid was difficult enough in many ways, but the thought that Iota could literally blow herself up was almost too much to bear. Proteus paused for a moment before continuing. "What if we manually shut Iota down and take her somewhere to get help?" "Shutting her down manually would prevent any chance of a fusion collapse," Dr. Inoue began, "however, there's only one place where she can be properly treated." "Where?" asked Proteus. Dr. Inoue looked into Proteus' eyes and his warm face hardened; it was as though it were covered in shadow. "Maverick Hunter Headquarters," said Dr. Inoue.[/font] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted April 19, 2007 Author Share Posted April 19, 2007 [B]Prime's Base Xen Outer Limits 2103 hours[/B] [B]---[/B] Proteus stood at Iota's side as she lay on a cold steel workbench within Dr. Inoue's primary robotics lab. After a few hours of repairs, Inoue had done all he could. Iota was functional, for now at least, but time was running short. She remained stationary as much as possible, to preserve what little operational power she had left. Proteus looked at his downed comrade through empathic eyes. The reploid knew that if the only way to repair Iota was to return to Maverick Hunter Headquarters, then that was the only course of action they would take. "We need to head back to HQ," Proteus said in a calm, somewhat authoritative manner. "You lost a lot of mech fluid. Your need protoneurone or you could..." "I know, I know, total system shutdown." whispered Iota softly. "Actually, Iota, it's much worse than that." Started Proteus, unsure how to put it into words. How could he tell her that she was essentially a suitcase nuke with a very short fuse? Proteus couldn't bear to break the news so heavily like this. "We need to shut you down manually, Iota. You need to conserve your system power until we get back to base." Iota smiled at Proteus, who was visibly shaken by the whole situation. "Don't worry about me, Pro'. Just shut me down, I'll be fine." she said quietly. Proteus smiled back at her, but his smile was just for show. [I]If you knew that you were hours away from a thermofusion collapse, Iota, you'd be worried too,[/I] Proteus thought to himself. "Do it." she whispered faintly. Proteus reached to Iota's temple, and depressed it, which in turn caused a thin metal plate to slide out from her head, as was the standard manual deactivation procedure for any reploid within the Maverick Hunters. A tiny blue keypad lit up on the plate, and Proteus began to enter the manual override code, followed by Iota's Hunter identification number, her production number and activation key. Then all he had to do was enter the 25 digit manual shutdown confirmation code, the 15 digit authentication code, and the 12 digit final authorization number. Shutting down a Maverick Hunter was no easy task. No less than a hundred digits later, Iota's eyes closed and her system went into stasis. Proteus looked at his friend, laying there so still. She couldn't feel, she couldn't move. She was essentially dead. The whole idea of death, of sentience that was once there disappearing entirely, frightened Proteus. Was she dead, laying here on this workbench in Prime's base in Xen? Was she dreaming? [I]Reploids don't dream, Proteus, get a grip![/I] He shook his head, and focused on the task at hand. He picked up Iota, and carried her rigid body from the laboratory to the small hangar where the Impact was now located. Warlock, Havoc and some of Dr. Inoue's own robotic helpers were busy loading the Impact, while engineering droids put the finishing touches on various upgrades to the HAPC. The doctor himself was overseeing the work. He turned to see Proteus carrying Iota, and smiled weakly. Dr. Inoue didn't like it when he failed, and as far as he was concerned, not being able to replace Iota's mech fluid was a failure on his part. "I'm sorry I couldn't have done more for her, Proteus," the Doctor started humbly. "I hope these upgrades help you on your journey." "Don't apologize, Dr. Inoue. You've assisted us more than we could have possibly hoped for. We are in your debt." The Doctor chuckled and patted Proteus on the shoulder. "I'll hold you to that." Proteus was taken back by the Doctor's actions. He hadn't had a lot of human interaction in his life, and certainly not such casual interaction as this. Dr. Inoue had treated him like an equal, like a human being with just a simple touch. That made Proteus happy. He smiled, and took Iota into the Impact. He lay her down in the HAPC's infirmary, and proceeded back out of the HAPC, where Havoc, Warlock and the others were finishing with the supplies. "We can't thank you enough, Doctor Inoue." Warlock said as he shook the Doctor's hand. Even the normally gruff and unfriendly Havoc nodded at the Doctor and gave his thanks. "Well, you should go now. It's getting late; the cover of darkness would be in your best interest. Besides," laughed the doctor, "it gets pretty rough around here at night." After brief farewells, the group was off. They headed east, back towards Novus Concordia and the quickest entrance Hunter HQ. [B]--- Center Gap Novus Concordia 2145 hours ---[/B] Zero sped through the desert like a man possessed. Well, a [I]reploid [/I]possessed. Mounted on his personal Slepnir-class hoverbike, Zero gunned it towards the Impact, following the signal he was picking up on his long-range sensors. He knew that if he didn't intercept Proteus and the others before they reached MHHQ, then all was lost. Silhouetted against the full yellow moon, the red hunter streaked across the sand, kicking up a trail of dust that clouded the night sky behind him. Zero had his suspicions about Duke from the first moment he lay eyes on him, but it was only now that those suspicious were validated. [I]"Why Zero, they're Maverick Hunters from the Central Hunters African Operations System. Surely you've heard of the C.H.A.O.S.?" "Simple, Zero. I had them transported via the South Indian ocean's submarinal reef current. In a H-Class Sub, they were able to make it here in a matter of hours." "That's right, X, Now you two, go and report to... Report to the... Head of Medical Ops. Who is that?" "Doctor Karmen, Sir." "Yes, that's right. Go and... Check on her casualty reports. Do a body count. Something."[/I] Zero knew there was no Hunter organization, affiliate or subsidiary by the name of C.H.A.O.S. He knew that there was no submarinal reef current in the Indian Ocean, and he knew that Dr. Karmen had defected to Red Alert long before the attack. And so would any real Commander. Although he didn't know the specifics, Zero knew that Duke was an imposter, and this "Emerald militia" of his was no government sanctioned army. X couldn't see through Duke's web of lies, but Zero was less naive than his comrade. Then there was Reverb. He'd seen the reports as they flashed across every screen in HQ to Novus Concordia. "Maverick goes berserk in Hunter HQ," they claimed. But Zero could see exactly what was going on. The footage showed Reverb killing no less than 13 of Duke's militia before being cut down by Duke himself, with the public and media portraying Duke as a Maverick-slaying Hero, triumphing over evil. But Zero could see the truth; Reverb found out about Duke's scheme and got killed, getting framed in the process. He didn't know what Duke's true intentions were, but he knew that this man would stop at nothing to accomplish what he set out to do. He couldn't tell X any of this--Such blasphemy and slander against the Commander would be denounced as treason and mutiny. It might even merit him banishment to Xen, or termination. The Red Hunter was alone, at least for now. He pulled the throttle hard and the hoverbike lurched forward into the dark desert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 ? Flash, I love you. But you destroyed half of my plans. XD Welcome back, man. -- It was some time before he remembered what had transpired over the past day. His mind was a haze of jumbled memories and mixed emotions. He was still not completely adapted to his new body. Something had opened up inside of his mind, his CPU. He felt like he was walking on air, everything was distant. The power that coursed through his whole body, his pulse, threw his perceptions off and overwhelmed his senses. It was some time before he remembered he had teleported out of the underground lair of his despot father. Time raced forward as he tried to recall the past hour within his memory banks. Either it was an error, or he had gone back to Hunter Headquarters. Even though his unique energy signature had changed, his identification access code allowed him in. There. It hit him like a bullet train, the events that surrounded him. Now everything slowed to a crawl, as he surveyed his surroundings. Scorch marks plastered the walls, parts of droids and Reploids alike strewn around like dust in the wind. The registration of the electronic equivalent of a sense of smell told him of synthetic blood and hydraulic fluid, of plasma tar burns, of burning embers. Third floor mess hall. With dozens of Hunters, armed to the teeth, in front of him. And hundreds behind him. -- Havoc stared intently at the screen before him, an incredulous smirk on his face. The trip through the Aqueduct was much longer now that he wasn?t flying evasive maneuvers. Doctor Inoue?s swarm droids had followed the [i]Impact[/i] for a portion of the tunnel system, a winding, lolling escort of living metal. But now it was much quieter without the constant thudding of energy blasts colliding against static shields. There was no urgency to find some sort of escape from a certain death. ? Well, at least, no more than what had developed into the usual. So, flying at half-throttle, and not flying for his life, Havoc was hard-pressed to not think of what random fate had befallen his older brother. Demos had basically raised Havoc, back before Havoc had actually existed in his entirety. As Chaos, Havoc had learned much about combat, much about battle, from his brother. Though he did not have direct access to his full memories, as his father, Levia, had rebooted most of his hard drive, he did have sub-systems that made most of his previous life almost instinctual. So it was difficult for him to imagine his older brother being taken away, especially in a manner that Warlock had described; recalled by a robot?s creator through a supersonic demolecularization process. If that was the case, it would mean that Doctor Levia, killed by Zero?s hand, was still alive and over one hundred years older than he should be. Along with the past few weeks, it was a lot to absorb. With an almost ironic shift, the [i]Impact[/i] turned to the original tunnel of the Aqueduct. He could almost swear he could see the graying night slowly edging towards dawn at the mouth of the system, still miles ahead. ??Something wicked this way comes,?? Havoc muttered with a sigh. -- Reforming from teleportation, Demos had returned the prodigal son. Gleaming new armor, striking features, and a much unattached demeanor made others double-take. His normally lackluster armor, well worn and sturdy, now shined with what seemed like an inner light, and though was a darker slate color, it glinted brightly. Needless to say, this drew unwanted attention. His blind search for Zero came to an abrupt halt when he sighted a squad of the Emerald-armored Hunters approach. Two came directly at him in the main lobby, chatting amongst themselves. Another came from his left, from a powerlift, and another from the guard station several dozen yards at the main entrance. He gave them no chance to organize. In some distant part of his infected processor, Demos remembered that his foe was Duke and his horde, that he was supposed to eliminate their corruption from the Hunters Organization. However, with the virus that clouded his inhibitors, he saw no distinction between unyielding fury and discreet evasion. Ripping into a fury, he slung his right arm down as he lowered into a somewhat animalistic crouch, and forced his energy outwards. The radioactive, molten ore within his body, primed with pure fusion power, and separated from his body. It solidified once it erupted from the ports in his hand, and a long, slightly curved sword simmered into shape. The crackled of energy sent the lobby into a craze, Reploids and humans alike running for cover. The Emerald Hunters reacted a little too slow. Demos charged backwards, spinning right and sprinting to his two foes. He had been discovered, and before more were alerted, he had to eliminate these threats. Closing the distance with ridiculous speed, he cleaved once to the left at a downward angle and caught both of his targets as they were shoulder-to-shoulder. Various fluids sprayed in a thick mist in a twenty foot radius, and Demos did not wait to revel in his kill. He turned right and formed his left hand into the Fox-III Buster Cannon and directed a charged shot to the chest plate of his third victim of the day. The blast exploded in a wave of heat and pressure and for all purposes vaporized the outer core of its mark. And his last two enemies had enough time to ready their weapons before they were sliced apart with a five-strike flurry. The simple fact of the matter was that Demos had forged a weapon out of thin air and light, and performed the third terrorist attack on MHHQ in the past three days. With a growl, Demos took off in a charge towards the stairwell. It would only be a matter of time before he would have to improvise, before Headquarters began performing lockdowns to try and trap him. But he knew more than one way to his goals, and access tunnels would not be the only secret in his arsenal. It would still take all of his strength and skill, and his current state of raving lunacy to even survive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted April 19, 2007 Author Share Posted April 19, 2007 [B]--- Center Gap Novus Concordia 2252 hours ---[/B] [i]"Do you hear me, Zero? There's a Maverick inside HQ! Zero? Zero!...""[/I] , the message from X yelled. Zero gritted his teeth and cursed. A Maverick breeching HQ was a serious threat, but this was his chance to act, while Duke's attention was elsewhere. He switched off the holocom in his palm and continued towards the [i]Impact[/i]. [B]--- Command Room Omicron Maverick Hunter Headquarters 2249 hours ---[/B] "...God dammit, Zero, where the hell are you!?" screamed X, into the flashing static on the monitor. He slammed the End Transmission key and gritted his teeth. A door on the side of the room opened. Duke emerged, an entourage of his Emerald soldiers accompanying him. He strode into the center of the room, up onto the "Command deck", as it was called. A raised circular platform encircled with holographic displays, and directly in front of the massive main screen of the room. They had certainly spared no expense in outfitting each of HQ's 10 auxiliary Command rooms and 2 primary Command rooms with the finest military technologies known to man. X spun to face Duke, and saluted him accordingly. Duke nodded to him and spoke. "Good to see you, X. What is the situation here?" "There's been a breech, by the third floor mess hall in E sector. Surveillance reports that it's one individual, teleported in and went berserk; made a real mess. Textbook Maverick." X stated. Duke frowned. This was the last thing he needed. He'd have to act as Commander and oversee this crisis, if the Hunter's trust in him was not to waiver. "Do we have a name?" asked Duke. "We have unconfirmed reports that it could be one of our own, Sir, we're detecting nanotechnology with the Elite Squadron's signature. We think it's Demos." "My god. How infected is he?" Duke's eyes widened. A fully fledged Maverick was hard enough to contain, but an Elite Hunter who had succumbed to the deadly Maverick virus would be like an unstoppable force. Especially one with such extensive upgrades so recently installed. Duke scanned Demos up and down. This wasn't the same Reploid they had on file, no. He was different, very different. "Nanoscans are telling us Maverick A.I. has corrupted significant portions of his cerebral protocol, and parts of his operation matrix." X read the reports straight as they came up on the holographic display in front of him. "It's incredible; no Reploid has [I]ever[/I] survived such a severe infection, they'd simply cease to function ." Duke shook his head. "If he can survive such a severe infection, he must be impossibly strong. We need to take him down, now!" This was his time to shine as Commander of the Maverick Hunters. "Lock down all of E sector. Dispatch every S rank hunter we have to his last reported location. Set a teleportation barrier over E-sector, as well... I don't want this bastard getting away from us." Duke commanded. Within seconds, sirens were flashing, and HQ was in red alert. Hundreds of S-rank hunters geared up and dispatched to E sector, in search of the Maverick Demos. His buster and his beam saber at the ready, X led the army of S rank Hunters into the sector. --- Well I'm off to Auckland for a few days. Don't kill anyone while I'm gone, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 ...You know me too well. >_> --- Blitz Bloodfur had always lived an exciting life. Though he was an animal-frame reploid, though he had been flushed off a manufacturing line, he still carried as much sentience as a creature could with just ones and zeroes. Bloodfur was huge, towering fifteen feet tall and weighing close to a ton and a half. He was solid, thick, and gained his title due to the crimson fiber optic strands that covered his armored shell. He was known throughout the Maverick Hunters as a vicious and loyal grunt worthy of his honorable position. Back during the wars, that is. Now he was busted down to guard commander of Headquarters Entrance 72, Subsection E. He covered an area of twenty-thousand square meters ten times a day and monitored eleven other Hunters. Even with the recent attack and reports of Hunters going viral, he had no concerns. He was the equivalent of a mall security officer. Nothing ever happened. Nothing would. Not against the Hunters. No Maverick, no berserker, no Sigma form would ever [i]dream[/i] of launching a direct assault on Headquarters. Especially Bloodfur's district. And that's why he never had a chance when the plasma bolt tore his watch post apart. His huge frame did not save him. His decorated records did not save him. Not his razor-sharp claws, not his spined whip, not his monstrous strength. Nothing saved him when the white-hot blast blew his guard station and collapsed the outer wall of the Headquarters lobby. His guards were gone. His position had been compromised. He had failed to live up to his legend. Alarms blared loudly, announcing Demos' arrival at the Hunter's Headquarters interior entrance. Wily had teleported his creation within the walls of the most sophisticated military complex on Earth. Oddly enough, the Elite Squadron leader's signal had not been blocked, even though it seemed as if Duke knew what Demos and his company had done, if at least to some degree. The semi-docile Demos was allowed access within the HQ's transport zoning, and the teleport was not redirected or scrambled; a welcome mat had been put out. Upon beaming in, his entire demeanor had changed. Demos almost instantly reverted to his usual fire-hot pessimism. He walked freely to the guard station located closest to the Teleport Rally Pad, a characteristic scowl and glowering eyes crossed over his face, and armed his buster. He got few stares until the last moment; many had heard of his misadventures and horrid general attitude. Though he looked somewhat different before, with the slate-gray tear stripes running down his cheeks thicker than before, with his near-black armor trimmed in silver lining, with his helmet fins flared even more than before, he was still recognizable as the sour Hunter who rarely asks questions after shooting. However, a charging buster [i]does[/i] tend to get attention quickly. But by the time he had been noticed, it was far too late. Several explosions rang out around him and tore holes messily in the flooring and walls, exposing the long hallways and various rooms through a new, craggy window. And this is how his rampage started. He tore his way through sparse resistance that came as he plunged upwards through the vast headquarters. Most opposition came from the emerald-clad Hunters that crooked knee to Duke, though this made little difference to the modified Demos. The Wily Virus strain that infected him dulled his logic to the point that all Hunters who followed Duke were enemies. His own immunity system was now starting to fight back, now being triggered by irregularities within his neurological patterns. Unfortunately, it took lives to spur this reaction. ---- Havoc had finally shaken off his wondering as he piloted the [i]Impact[/i] down the last stretch of the Aqueduct. Instead, his thoughts had been replaced by the agreements made earlier, and the revelations of a true man. [i]"And so it seems like we're completely lost," sighed Havoc. It took some time for Hunters to explain everything to the doctor, even with seclusion and no interruptions. To fully put everything in perspective was no easy task, especially with so many things intertwining and so many things unknown. By the time everything was said and done, Doctor Inoue sat in his seat, brow furrowed in deep thought. He was not so much as set aghast by all of this, but instead approached the situation with a degree of analysis almost befitting a case study. Perhaps it was the isolated lifestyle that brought this on, but there was very little outward shock as a result of this development. Whatever the case that explained his control, the doctor almost seemed to be set at ease knowing what was now troubling the outside world. Perhaps, on some level, he was now set with the Hunters that stood before him, in avenging his daughter's death. But again, whatever the case, he did not stir outwardly. It was almost calming to know that something was being done to correct the horrors abound. "But...anything you could offer would be incredibly helpful, regardless of the odds," Proteus pursued. "Even the smallest bit of aid can push us further." In the spacious board room, at the large, oval conference table, Doctor Inoue sat; hands folded over each other, and gazed from one Reploid to the next. While his eyes pierced gravely, his thoughts also mounted higher, and he perhaps saw this as an opportunity to not only bring justice to the recent change of events, but also bring justice back to the corrupted world that was now held in the hands of impending war. Doctor Inoue stood slowly, and paced to a small terminal a few yards from a three-dimensional projector. He entered a series of key strokes, and the device hummed to life. Various maps and charts flared into view. Overlaying schematics showed the layers of Novus Concordia, progressing through the ages, as more and more structures were added on to the zoning landscapes. Aside from it showered different graphs, such as pollution distribution, population changes, income status, profession tendencies, and many other statistics that, generally, would not be considered. There was also another projection, a listing, to be exact, of a multitude of weaponry and combat support utilities. "I, undoubtedly, have the largest collection of information, resources, and stockpiles outside of any military organization. I also see the world for what it really is," Inoue said quietly, hands resting silently over the keyboard. "I..." He turned deliberately to the Reploids, though his gaze was focused on something invisible, some phantom vision that his heart showed his eyes. "I want to see that world return to peace, to a time when men like me are no longer needed." Proteus drew a deep breath, and held it, staring into Inoue's eyes; Warlock and Havoc merely looked on at the projections. "I will help you. No matter the cost, I will help you."[/i] Havoc shook his head as the mild alarm buzzed at the Communications Console. It was the long-range interceptor detecting a lock-on. Havoc cycled through his options and pulled up a triangulated three dimensional overhead map. On the thermal band, a pitch black landscape settled around a creeping dot of purple and red, with a dwindling trail of yellow and green. Havoc shook his head. It was a single-rider vehicle, but traveling very fast and emitting much radiation due to the high output. It couldn't be much to worry about, but the fact that it was heading right for his comrades and the [i]Impact[/i], with a secure infrared satellite lock. "Warlock, prime the main turret. We might have company." ---- Carving lithe strokes through air and solids alike, Demos danced his blade to and fro. It was a solid blade, formed when a blinding white flash from his palm, the molecules of the ionized metals within his stores breaking apart as his unique energy signature projected through the matter. In this way, the atoms destabilized, accelerated to a rate of super-metabolic transfer, took shape through controlled energy transfer, and magnetized to solidify and emit a single point width ion barrier. Effectively, this created a force field that resisted plasma and other energies through a redistribution of kinetic power, and still held sway as a solid weapon. It could be said that this gave a nod to the Progressive blades, but the fact of the matter is, this technology was the predecessor, and was thus not as advanced to destabilize other energy emissions. In this way, a matter that happened as quickly as a lightning strike and as easily as a thought, Demos wielded a wondrous leafblade of untainted perfection. He clashed beam weapons without fail and deflected laser and plasma rounds as if with a sabre of his own. In this way he was vastly underestimated by those that challenged him in his berserker frenzy. Using full-body charges and swooping, wide cleaves, he expertly carved a swath through resistance as he continued up the central Headquarters command. Upon reaching the fifth floor, access passages were effectively sealed. It seems as if Hunter Command had finally gotten through to find his position and triangulate. As a result, the winding corridors he was using to avoid being sealed off in the elevator or locked up within bottlenecks. So now, his only option was the old-fashioned way; the stairs. In order to continue in this manner, he had to cross the mess hall, returning to the third floor. He knew what this meant. If Hunter Command had the ability to seal him off from a non-direct route to the Commander's Office, they also had time to rout him to a specific point. A large, open point in which one could be cut off from retreat, where one could be easily surrounded and outnumbered and outflanked in coordinated strikes. If Hunter Command could flush him in a specific direction, they also had time to scramble a defensive unit, perhaps an entire battalion by now. After all, he had only gone through sparse resistance as he continued; probably those that had not yet had time to regroup at the sallypoint. Demos took his time as he approached the doors to the mess hall. All radio and burst transmissions had ceased some time ago, just after his path was blocked by a foot-thick titanium shutter. That meant a stalwart defense was already in place and required no more support at that position. With a mighty kick, the double push doors flew off the hinges and careened into the vast, cafeteria-like dome that made up a two-story egg known as the mess hall. Within the dug-out that formed an oval within the central command building, that had many tiers and outcroppings, there laid in wait at least two hundred Hunters all armed to the teeth with not only on-board weaponry and standard equipment, but also heavy assault gear and emplaced artillery. Over four-fifths of the Hunters there were the bright-green variants that represented Duke's personal employ. On the various levels and seating areas were no longer tables with idling soldiers but instead heavy machine guns. Instead of a small line of warriors waiting for subsistence were mortar launchers. At once, a multitude of weapons armed and directed, in some fashion, at the Elite Squadron's commanding officer, but no discharge was made. "Hold your fire." A voice, one heard many times by Demos and by many Hunters, rang out. From behind a line of anti-personnel mini-guns stepped a cobalt-clad Hunter. X was offering Demos a chance to surrender for a reason or another. But despite the support in his cadre, X stood well away. The Blue Bomber held his Z-Sabre in grasp, but did not activate it. When he spoke, he was calm and reserved, choosing his tone, but not his words, carefully. "Demos...what are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" Demos, faltering between radically furious and completely introverted, curled his lips in a fierce snarl, showing his accented fangs, a characteristic of his brother that Wily favored in his clichéd perception of evil, but when he spoke, though with fervor in his lemon-yellow eyes, he was completely devoid of emotion. "Have [i]I[/i] lost my mind? This from you, the blind zealot? Tch," Demos muttered. "You, who follow a terrorist of the state? You, who listens to a usurper and obeys a murderer who slays without prejudice?" Demos? face relaxed, but his voice grew to a roar. "You are a mockery to all you have lived, fought, killed for! You spit in the faces of all that rely on your blade for protection by bending to Duke's will!" The entire gathering, with the exception X and few true Maverick Hunters, tightened their grips on weapons and handles, anticipating a burst of explosions to follow the burst of rage. As Demos ranted, he waved his blade about emphatically, though he moved little otherwise. This ebb and flow of emotion was a sign of balance returned to his neural net, but he was still far from normal. "For the crime of treason against the Maverick Hunters organization, and supporting a terrorist and threat to the stability of the protective barrier the United Nations provides for," Demos shouted, hunching his shoulders as he foamed and raved with darting eyes. He drastically changed again, and pointed his blade at X, standing straight and set, a fierce determination came over him; he finished, "I condemn all who continue to oppose peace to death." With this, Demos charged, right shoulder down and blade spitting embers as it carved along the floor. It rose as he drew near, and flew for the dodging X... -- I totally just edited what I had written months ago to fit the new situation. XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 I hope I'm not stepping on any toes here - I have had some difficulty following a few things (like the relationship between Demos/Levia/X/Zero) so I won't touch on that much. A really short summary to just explain sides might be good though - I think I've got the gist of where we're at now. [font=franklin gothic medium][b]Hunted by a Red Warrior[/b] The [i]Impact[/i] rocketed from the Aquaduct's north-eastern exit with such force that it left an enormous plume of dust and sand in its wake. Maverick Hunter Headquarters' western barrier was almost 100 kilometers away but was visible over the distant horizon. Warlock and Havoc were sitting in the [i]Impact's[/i] command center, while Proteus was sitting by Iota in the medical bay. HAPCs such as the [i]Impact[/i] regularly contained a crew of six but the team had to make do with only two active crew members. Havoc was piloting and Warlock was responsible for weapons and navigation; he was also performing regular diagnostics on the vehicle. "Whatever's behind us," began Havoc as his eyes continued to focus on the horizon, "is [i]right behind us[/i]; it's on our tail!" The HAPC's external sensors were picking up a faint reploid signature. "We aren't getting a complete scan", said Warlock, tapping his fingers over an expansive keyboard, "the sensor arrays are severely damaged from your little entry into the Aquaduct." Havoc grinned ever so slightly. "When you have a few hundred drones firing at your HAPC, I'd like to see how well [i]you[/i] last." Suddenly, the [i]Impact's[/i] hull shook violently, activating an internal silent alarm. Red lights flooded the command center. "That was defnitely a Hunter's buster," cried Havoc as the fusion engines began to struggle - the enormous HAPC was beginning to produce odd electrical sounds. It was as though the [i]Impact[/i] were dragging its lower hull along the harsh red sand. Proteus appeared in the corridor directly behind the command center, steadying himself with his hands against the walls. "It's Zero!" he called above the noise. Havoc and Warlock glanced at each other with wide eyes. For a moment a horrific thought flashed across their minds - what if Duke already knew the Hunters were returning? Was this the first stage of an unfriendly welcoming party? Had all their efforts been in vein? When both Havoc and Warlock turned to look at Proteus again, they felt somehow relieved; he did not look concerned. "I don't think he's trying to harm us," called Proteus from halfway down the vehicle. "I think he's trying to get our attention!" The situation seemed absurd to Havoc who, at first, laughed out loud to himself. He had expended so much energy concentrating on simply keeping the wounded [i]Impact[/i] stable that he hadn't taken pause to consider the sheer absurdity of their situation. He probably would have kept laughing if the Hunters hadn't come so close to death on multiple occasions. Before he could ponder the matter further, the [i]Impact's[/i] cabin filled with rushing cool wind; the HAPC had almost reached top speed and the wind's roar was almost deafening. Both Havoc and Warlock looked over their shoulders and saw an odd sight - the rear doors were wide open and Proteus was holding Zero's hand, dragging him into the rear cargo bay. For a brief moment the situation seemed very surreal, particularly to Warlock - he had effectively been banished from MHHQ and if [i]anyone[/i] were to face retribution from the Hunters it would have to be him. And yet, after months of isolation in Xen, he was now on board a Maverick Hunter HAPC with none other than Zero. For a moment, Zero and Proteus appeared to be talking amongst themselves. Zero took pause to glance down the hall at Warlock once or twice - his eyes did not look malicious, though. He somehow looked relieved to see Warlock's face. Warlock smiled to himself. It was an internal smile. Seeing Zero actually gave Warlock a slight tinge of homesickness - there was still something inside him that was pure reploid, purely duty-bound. It was a small part, but it was still there. Zero's glossy red finish - like some kind of expensive race car - was utterly impressive. It was as though his presence filled the entire cabin with a strange aura. [b]The Question[/b] Twenty minutes had passed. Warlock, Havoc, Zero and Proteus were sitting in the [i]Impact's[/i] command center, each encased in pure Maverick Hunter HQ leather seats. After fifteen minutes of intense discussion, silence fell over the HAPC as it sped towards the Western Barrier. Zero was the first to speak. "So, as you now know, I am aware of what has been happening. I am sorry you had to find out this way." "We already escaped from the HQ, we knew Duke wasn't on the level," murmured Havoc. He laughed to himself. "It's so ironic that you're here telling us this now. You are a true Maverick Hunter poster boy. Do you have any idea what Duke would do if he knew you were having this little sit-down with us?" Zero nodded. "Of course. But Duke and the Maverick Hunters are not one in the same. I am still loyal to the Hunters - more loyal than ever. I would put aside anything to see the integrity and honor of the Hunters preserved; that includes putting aside a false Commander." Proteus had had little to do with Zero over the years. Proteus, like his comrades, was a real live Maverick Hunter. Yet the likes of X and Zero seemed, somehow, far above all others - they were almost beyond reproach. Seeing Zero sitting right in front of him, wearing his brilliant glossy red armor and talking of honor and dignity...it somehow exemplified why Proteus was a Hunter in the first place. "Okay," began Warlock, "so we now know that Duke is an imposter. We know that his so-called Emerald Squad is like a private police force and that Maverick Hunters is pretty much a lame duck right now..." Zero nodded. "So you're wondering what we do next?" All of the Hunters nodded at the same time. "Well," said Zero, his hands clasped together thoughtfully, "I'd say our first port of call is to repair Iota. I saw her in the medical bay on my way down the corridor and there's no question that she needs urgent attention. I think we can sneak her into the Medcoms Unit at the HQ without much trouble." "I hear Demos is causing quite a stir, which might buy us some time," said Havoc with a slightly guilty grin. Zero nodded but did not smile. "Yes, it might be just what we needed. Hopefully he can hold out long enough. You can bet he's all Duke is thinking about right now - Duke will need everything he's got to stop Demos." "So we repair Iota and then what?" asked Proteus, shifting forward in his seat. "Good question," said Zero. "I think our goal should be to stop Duke." Warlock grinned. "Easier said than done, my friend." "I know," said Zero, "but there's one important question in all this that nobody has asked." The Hunters all glanced at each other and then at Zero. "The question is, what has Duke done with Commander Signas?" [b]The Plan[/b] It seemed like such an obvious question - what [i]did[/i] happen to Signas? And yet, nobody had asked. Even Duke had expected the entire Hunter HQ to simply accept the concept that Signas had been replaced and that discussion on the matter had ended long ago. Had Signas retired? Did the MHHQ Commanders vote on his removal? Either way, it appeared that Duke had relied on the unflinching obedience of the Hunters not to ask questions. And predicably, they hadn't. Nevertheless, it was a shortsighted prediction. At some point, eventually, someone was bound to ask. At the very least, Duke's new Emerald Squad was sure to be questioned by one Elite Hunters. Proteus' thoughts were interrupted by Zero, who was pacing back-and-forth in the command center. "Even with Demos' distraction, it will be impossible to enter the HQ in this vehicle. The HQ's sensors will detect the vehicle's signature as soon as it comes within range - I'm sure they will be on the look-out for the missing HAPC." "What do you suggest?" asked Warlock, who was viewing a topographic map of the desert that lay in front of them. "Well," began Zero, "I think we need to ditch the [i]Impact[/i]. Instead of heading directly for the HQ, we should start heading due east." "Why the east?" asked Havoc. "The eastern suburbs of Novus Concordia are going to be easy to blend into - especially Clockwork South and Neon Falls. Lots of reploids there. It's a touristy place with a few big nightclubs. Many of the older-model reploids work there now that their military careers are over. It will be harder to detect our specific reploid signatures there when there are thousands of reploids in the one area." Zero glanced at everyone and then sat down in one of the leather chairs. "Also," he continued, "I know a nightclub owner in the area. We can take the HAPC there and he'll hide it for us. He might even lend us a civilian car." "Hold on a sec," said Havoc, standing up, "a civilian car? You don't think the barrier guards at MHHQ would be suspicious about a few reploids showing up in a Honda?" For the first time, Zero laughed. "No, not if we use the right entrance. Entrance 101, to be exact; it's where most of the human staff enter the complex. Scientists, administrators, lawyers, accountants...MHHQ is also a massive beauracracy, too. It's probably the least-guarded entrance and if we really need to convince one of the guards to let us in quietly, I'm sure we can..." At this, Zero held his buster up to the dull interior lights. Its deep crimson surface reflected the faces of the other hunters. [/font] Phew. I hope that gives you guys something to work with in terms of entering the facility and what happens beyond that. ^_^; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4][COLOR=Red][I][B] Last time, on Maverick Hunters: Personification! [/B] [/I][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] [I]"Go, Reverb," Duke commanded. "Run, before they find you. Run to the Desert. Seek refuge in the City of Sin." "No Duke. I won't. I'll kill you, even if I die trying." "Believe me, Reploid, you will die trying!" the Human roared, drawing his beam rapier, and lunging at Reverb. Before the Hunter Elite could react, the lazer-blade pierced into his chest, sending a massive shockwave of agony through his entire frame. He bore the pain, and stared Duke straight in the eye Green Hunters stormed into the room, forming a circle around Reverb's body, and began to riddle his lifeless frame with laser pellets.[/I] [B]Elite Maverick Hunter Reverb was mercilessly slain at the hands of Duke and his Emerald Militia. However...[/B] [I]The forefront of Reploid technology, Reverb, lay still in the Junkyard, ripped apart by the same weapons he had used everyday to suppress the Maverick threat. A figure wrapped in a black shroud approached the Hunter's powerless body."Reverb", the voice started. "...who, who has defiled you so?" The cloaked man stooped over and lifted Reverb from his filthy grave.[/I] [b]A mysterious Cloaked figure has rescued Reverb's tattered torso from a junk heap in Novus Concordia. Who is this mysterious figure? Or perhaps we have seen him once before;[/b] [I]There it was. Down the end of the corridor, backed against a wall, was the shadow. It was dark, and too far away to see easily. Before Iota could enhance the image, it darted away again. Iota swallowed her fear, and began to pursue the creature. She reached the end of the corridor, and turned left, following the being jumping in and out of the shadows. She aimed her guns and fired as she ran--Sadly, she missed on both shots. Frustrated, she tried again, nailing a shot right into the back of the thing's leg. It stumbled initially, before it regained it's composure and continued. Iota took note of numbers on the walls as she ran. The creature and her were progressing further and further down into the bottom levels of Maverick Hunter HQ.[/I] [b]What connection does this Cloaked mystery-man have with Reverb and Maverick Hunter HQ? Meanwhile...[/b] [i]Duke laughed heartily. No-one suspected him of any wrongdoing. Turning his monitors off, he retired to his desk. His superiors would be pleased, for their control of the Maverick Hunters was growing at an alarming rate. Soon, the entire robotic world would tremble at their feet.[/i] [b]The population of Novus Concordia and the rest of the world are not aware of the nefarious Duke's true agenda. He and his Emerald Militia continue to spread like bacteria throughout the ranks of the Maverick Hunters. Who are Duke and his Emerald Militia, and what are their intents? --- Third floor mess hall, E sector Maverick Hunter Headquarters 2313 hours ---[/b] Demos lunged upward to the airborne X, his metal saber spitting white lightning as it clashed with X's Z-saber. The blue reploid was flung backward, unprepared for Demos' newfound strength. He landed upright, and quickly retaliated, firing his buster in quick succession as he charged towards Demos. With reflexes akin to a god rather than a reploid, the infected Demos swung his saber forwards. In a flicker of blue and white plasma fire, the shots were dispersed, and Demos' blade met that of the oncoming X. His green saber crackled as it hit Demos' ionized blade. As it wasn't a later model Progressive blade, it couldn't refract a beam saber; though it certainly made them struggle. X parried to the right forcefully, giving him enough room to spin his body around and thrust his MK17 Mega Buster into the dark reploid's face. "Don't make me do this, Demos. Surrender now." said X, with sympathy in his voice. This was his friend, his comrade... These noble thoughts were cut off suddenly with a swift kick from Demos into X's chest, sending the Hunter hurdling backward and straight into a steel plated concrete wall mere feet behind him. The force left visible dents and cracks in the cold metal, as well as severely damaging the armour on X's back and shoulders. He slumped to the ground lifelessly. Demos grinned, and raised his saber in front of his face, lining up the downed Hunter in front of him. The other Hunters dared not move for fear of reaping the consequences. "You deluded fool." He aimed his saber at X's head and brought his arm back, bent at the shoulder and elbow, poised to lunge forward and destroy the hunters face. But in that split second, the inexplicable occurred. The area in immediate proximity to Demos shimmered and blurred, and a blurry grey shape appeared if only for a nanosecond before it vanished, the distortion disappearing as well, taking the berserker Hunter with it. This was a blink, a short-range, point-to-point teleport, which meant that it could only have come from, and been staying within, Maverick Hunter HQ. [b]--- Clockwork South Novus Concordia 2420 hours ---[/b] Within meters of entering Clockwork South from the desert highway, brightly lit signs and amazing structures filled the landscape. The famed Clockwork terraces were here, among many other truly remarkable marvels of modern technology. Clockwork South was the mecca of modern technological indulgence, a sanctuary for the ultra-modern. The HAPC [i]Impact[/i], fully geared for intense combat with mounted weapons and bronze-coloured battle armour was quite out of place here. It trundled down the main street of Clockwork South, spilling out over three lanes of traffic. Humans and reploids alike gave many strange looks to the massive piece of Military hardware, looking bigger still as it cruised alongside small civilian cars and trucks. They came to a small street which veered off of main street and into an alleyway, lined with blue lights and what looked like small palm trees. Zero, who was now piloting the [i]Impact[/i], slowed the HAPC to a standstill and turned to the others. "The nightclub is right down there. It's called [i]Xanadu[/i]. Guy named Omar Hajish owns and runs it, he's there every night." "It looks pretty nice," Proteus said as he looked at the alleyway on the monitor. "What's the catch? Is it a crime racket, or a gang stronghold?" Warlock chuckled and shook his head. "Maybe in Chrome Beach or Red Canyon. Not in Clockwork South," he laughed. "Hajish is a good honest guy who survived a Maverick attack a few years ago. He was a bystander, long story short he gets shot and we save his life." "...He said that if we ever required anything, anything at all, that we need only ask." The [i]Impact[/i] was far too big and indiscreet to leave on the side of the road outside of the club. Warlock volunteered to find cover for the Heavy APC and stay with Iota. "I don't think an exiled Hunter walking around the streets of Clockwork South at this hour is such a great idea," the red and black clad reploid said. "I'll take this thing and find some place to lay low. Let me know what our plans are." Proteus nodded, and turned to face the impressive entrance to the nightclub. He, Zero and Havoc strode toward Xanadu's massive main door. The exterior was clean and very modern, but it seemed abandoned due to lack of populace. On the interior, though, this was certainly not the case. It was a mass of people, hundreds upon hundreds of ravers and party goers dressed in outfits so eclectic and wild that even three Maverick Hunters in full armour didn't look too out of place. Strobe lights fluttered all colours of the spectrum while lasers danced in and out of smoke plumes. Zero had seen a few nightclubs in his time, but for Proteus, this was surreal. The lights, the sound; the heavy bass shook the floor and reminded the reploid of a bombing run. Above the seething horde of ravers on a mezzanine floor was an exquisite looking VIP area, lined with dark red velvet and private areas. Even further above that was a set of windows, fully tinted, which was undoubtedly Hajish's private lounge and office. "It's up there!" Zero pointed, yelling to Havoc and Proteus. It was hard to make out the dark windows with the smoke and lights, and it was even harder to work out where the elevator to the lounge was. Havoc spotted it on the other side of Xanadu, so the Hunters pushed into the crowd and toward the lift. [b]--- Sub Level 10, Unnamed Sector Maverick Hunter Headquarters 2431 hours ---[/b] Demos let out a yell that would strip the paint from a car were he not imprisoned within an impenetrable force field. He formed his buster for the hundredth time and let out a barrage of plasma fire. Had anything else been in the path of such a bombardment, it would be incinerated, reduced to molten pulp. But with more of a hiss than a crackle, the shot fizzled into nothingness. This only served to infuriate Demos further. Half an hour later Demos was hunched over severe, panting heavily. His buster was smoking and whirring like mad as it cooled. But the force field that kept him confined had showed no sign of losing any integrity or power. Demos looked up at the wall of light and beyond it spotted a shadow out of the corner of his eye. It moved, ever so slightly against the darkness in the corner of the room, and stepped into the light that emitted off of the cage. He stood at six foot and was cloaked in a ragged brown shroud, the distinctive greaves and gauntlets of a reploid visible beneath the shroud. His hair was cut very short, his grey eyes heavy and his face rugged. The shrouded figure held in his right hand a tall metal staff, with a electrical component at the end of it. The figure raised his left hand, palm spread, and a section of the field disappeared like a door. Within milliseconds, Demos lunged foward to attack the reploid, his sword still forming with an explosion of white light. The unknown reploid brought the bottom end of his staff up hard, smacking Demos hard in the chin. It sent the crazed Elite squadron commander back flipping before being slammed hard in the back with the back quarter of the staff. The rough concrete floor cracked and moved with the force of Demos colliding with it. He lept up immediately as he hit the dirt, staggering momentarily before shifting all weight to his back foot and running at his assailant. The cloaked reploid did neither flinched nor faltered. At Demos he pointed the top end of his staff. It's end looked alarmingly similar to a FC-889 electric fusion coil, used in the Thermofusion power plants that powered HQ and much of Novus Concordia. The coil was a central part of the core and could function independantly. If someone were to wield it as a weapon, they would be able to displace some 60000kW of energy; roughly the production capacity of a standard nuclear power plant. Thick blue and white streams of electricity pinned Demos to the wall, before subsiding and dropping him to a slump on the floor. The bolt of energy had left Demos' optics and primary circuits shocked and dizzy. The translucent red force field reappeared where it had deactivated, trapping Demos once more. "Maverick Hunter Elite Squadron Commander, Demos. Succumbed to the Maverick virus like a weakling. Yet..." the cloaked figure scanned Demos up and down, a look of confusion spreading across his face. "The Virus is far stronger, as if he were infected with a concentrated amount of Maverick A.I. Interesting." Demos snarled like a caged animal and punched the wall of light. A burst of energy erupted and singed the reploid's fist. "I don't know who you are or what you're doing, but if you don't let me out of this fucking holding cell right now..." A giant bolt of raw electricity ripped through the laser wall and surged into Demos, cutting off his words. The pain was unimaginable; Demos could feel his every component frying slowly. "Don't try to resist, Demos. I am your friend. I know of the atrocities committed by Duke and his entourage. I can help you," he raised his left hand once more, and it glowed with an eerie green shine. "...and I can heal you." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Heh. I admit, my stories are a little contrived, I'll admit that first. There is a lot to this storyline, so a short version is kinda hard. Let's see what I can pull off. Demos is a lot older than he remembers. He was made after Bass' designs, but a few things were changed, such as height, size, overall strength, minor upgrades to improve the structure. He fought, somewhat behind the scenes, though he did battle Rock a few times and quite ably at that. His creator, Andrew Levia, a creation of Wily himself, tried to foster Demos as Light had with Rock. This was a little trickier, as Demos, at that point in time, knew who really made him and for what purpose. Around the time of Megaman VIII, Demos was shut down and redesigned to a slighter, less outgoing version of himself, codenamed Drake, in an attempt to make him stronger by giving him something to fight for. In this way, his memories were concealed. Levia then put on a facade that showed his son he was a government-hired scientist for a Russian black-ops department with the goal of preservation from attacks from Wily. His original form was contained within this new body, meant to reemerge when a program code was activated. During the battle with the Replimasters back in MHR, Drake experienced a situation which required abilities that his condensed form did not possess, so his self-preservation instincts activated the change within his frame and CPU, thus unleashing Demos once more. In this way, a programmer secret that was a backdoor entrance to the CPU opened up again and let his regressed memories back in, through a controlled way. Whenever he recovers from a Standby, memories are replayed in his hard drive, the closest thing a Reploid can have to a dream. He only recently found the truth when Wily upgraded him with the TITAN Project. Havoc on the other hand was made a general Zero-clone, something that Levia had done on his own, without orders from Wily, to protect his 'family' in case Wily tried to cover his tracks once Zero was unleashed. It was somewhat like a game of spy versus spy. In-context, Havoc was created as Chaos and upgraded through a powershift that took away some of his ranged capabilities in favor of close-combat. Out-of-context, I had ideas of retiring Demos and replacing him with Havoc, and Craig wanted the name Chaos for the MHP version of his character. Heh, I know it's a little crazy, but those were my..."younger years." As for the relationship between the characters, Demos and Havoc generally have the same outlook on life, though Havoc is a little calmer, not as fiery as Demos is infamously known to be. Demos knows the truth about Zero's past, seeing the devastation of his home after the Red Fiend attacked the underground base Levia was given. Havoc, as Chaos, saw this as he was being launched into orbit in a stasis capsule. Neither one of them actually saw Levia die. Demos hates Zero with a passion, and dislikes X for the simple fact that X is Zero's close friend and protégé. Havoc does not particularly like Zero either, because of the air strike incident and from the general vibe Demos gives off around Zero. Havoc is on general friendly terms with X due to the simple fact that he is 'young' and has no other bearing than X is an exceptional Hunter that has time and time again saved many lives. The few loose strings are that Demos is infected with the Pure Strain Wily Virus, what will happen now what he knows the full truth of his past, what of Wily now that his automated lab is now active, and what happened to Levia. Well, I had plans to answer most of that, but I'm now in a force cage, so... *smiles* But not to worry. Things will be resolved. Hopes this helps, James. [spoiler]God Almighty, this is the short version?[/spoiler] ----- The lights dimmed low over the lab, still soft from the mechanized surgery. Abandoned and cold, the massive STARK II supercomputers, huge in size, still hummed with quiet life, mulling over the processed information they had obtained from Demos's CPU. It had been dissecting the data for the past seven hours, searching for anything of interest. Around ten minutes later, the monstrous banks whirred louder, coming back from the grave. Likewise, the rest of the lab started coming back online, for the second time in one day after over a century of inactivity. The lights shown bright, the multiple computer consoles glimmered to life, and many things happened at once now. The projector from the ceiling spun around to the main terminal and the image of Wily clawed through the passage of time and appeared in a twang of red laser. The large screen powered on and showed an overhead view of the Earth, moving very quickly as it updated from over a hundred twenty years' worth of data. "Hmm." The screen now segmented itself into eight different screens, two showing the birds eye view of the Earth, one directly on-center, and the other tracking an object in orbit. Two more showing vital signs of Reploids, one active, the other inactive. The remaining four streamed communications data that was recorded over the ages. The image of Wily tilted his head at this. He noticed a constant open source, even at the point of the Catastrophe, the point where the world went silent. A satellite and a motherpoint server. "...You clever son of a bitch." And there it was; a direct connection through long-range burst transmission to an orbital rig. One that not only received transmission but returned in through a non-encrypted radio band. Satellite JH0129-Levia and Port Sib-69.23N/135.11W. Two unprotected communications device with wireless access from both ends, one with burst communications and the other broadcast transmission. Wily looked at the data that rapidly increased in quantity in the past five decades. He looked back to the screen showing the view of Earth from JH0129. Wily's avatar smiled, nodding slowly as he set up his computer to plot and track the satellite's course and trajectory. He now had a dedicated source, protected from outside influence, but not isolated from it. The image tilted its head back, and laughed audibly over the mounted speakers on the ceiling. This would do just fine. In a world filled with WiFi connections, he just found his own private little network-breaker. ----- In the red glow of the containment cage, Demos smirked viciously, retracting his blade in a violent flash of white energy. His left hand lowered to his side and opened wide. He contracted his fingers in, making a claw as his arm began to shake. "Heal me, huh?" Demos snarled, literally drooling in rage through his bared teeth. A slight crackle popped once from his cage-like hand, a synapse jump from the filament-embedded diamond in his palm to his fingertips. Very quickly afterwards, a sizzling sprang to life when white-hot fire filled Demos's hand. Acrid smoke wafted outwards as the pure energy he was wielding burned the air itself, and the blindingly bright orb, barely stable, pulsed as it grew in strength. "Come on," the Elite Squadron Commander growled. "Let's see who can heal who the most." The stark light snapped loudly now, and in the reflection of Demos's lemon yellow eyes, it gave off a frightening glare to this masked tormenter. And although the cloaked figure did not flinch, it did seem that he respected Demos and his strength enough to not press him further. Demos, on the other hand, did not possess the stability of mind to do the same. The Elite Hunter slung forward with his left, whipping the misshapen sphere of unadulterated energy into the red-hot cage that contained him. The reaction was a violent, twisting explosion that circled the ion field. It warped the linked bars of energy outwards to the point they faded slightly, and it was then that Demos leapt forward. Palms open, fingers wide, he slammed into the field with a roar of fury that shook the walls. His ports burned white, sparkling brilliantly, and there was a very harsh whine as the red energy swirled into the hands of the crazed Hunter. He continued his yell as the crimson fire spread across his hands and into his palms. A few seconds more, he lashed backwards, smoking across his arms. The field shredded into what appeared to be almost a large mesh design, a chain link fence. As he continued to draw the raw energy in, it dispelled with a burst of sound akin to thunder and sprawled across the floor like lightning. Demos gave off a throaty growl full of menace and brought both of his hands down this time as white-hot energy started to flare out. In his two palms he gripped ferociously strong spheres of unrefined kinetic power. They barked off crackles like a welding gun, like the shattering of electricity. He continued to growl at his shrouded opponent in the sharp white basking his fire gave off, focusing his eyes on the face of his adversary. It was then that his growl silenced and the irises of his eyes elongated. If it could be heard over the chortling of energy, there would have been a slight mechanical whirring as his vision zoomed in. The beast that had taken over Demos slowly stood straight, face softening, brow relaxing. He almost lost himself to what he saw, that which shattered his resolve - mostly. The energy in his hands pulsed as it stabilized and flared once more before remaining constant. And in this calm that had suddenly blanked out the Maverick, Demos re-awoke for a moment. ----- X wearily trudged himself into the Command Deck, sweat still beading his forehead and panting. His armor was charred and burned stark white in small patches from the flash of heat energy that formed Demos's leafblade, and his back was scuffed and chipped. Though he stood tall, his face showed the defeat he dare not admit. Duke turned his attention from the screens streaming data from the fight to the Hunter, his eyes glaring and his mouth twisted in a grimace. His words were harsh and loud as his fists balled in anger. "X, how could you let yourself be bested by one Maverick? You practically had an ARMY at your side!" X bowed his head in disgrace and his shoulders drooped low. "I'm sorry, Duke," X mumbled, thoroughly cowed. "I know how strong Demos used to be. The infection in him...it's unreal." Duke continued to sneer at his Hunter for several lingering moments before his face softened and he turned back to his reports. "Yes, I see that now," replied the Usurper. "Perhaps he is too strong to be subdued." The heads of all Reploids in the room turned to Duke, faces showing a range of emotions, shock being the most common. "I've never seen anything quite like him. Forming ionized blades out of thin air. The speed and strength in which he moved. He quite obviously earned his glory here." Duke stood slowly and descended from the Command Deck Control Platform. "It is not just the infection. The scans isolated the remapping of his CPU that the virus corrupted. He is completely different than he was before. His entire body is shimmering with energy. He is running at nearly three-hundred percent of his previous normal combat abilities...without the aid of the virus. The emissions of his energy signal were constant, too, meaning his limiters were still in check. "I'm afraid this is getting too out of hand for us to be cautious. He is a threat to every living being around him. Demos must be stopped." Duke stopped at the foot of the platform and placed his hand on X's left shoulder. "...Demos must be stopped. By any means." Duke did not care to listen to the murmurings around him. He released X and reascended to the Control Platform and brought up broad-range communications transmission on his panel. "Attention, all Hunters. This is Commander Duke. By now, you all know that a Maverick has infiltrated Headquarters and caused irreparable damage. This crazed Reploid is one you know well; he is the Elite Squadron Commander, Demos. He was last seen battling to his limits with X in the third floor Mess Hall in E Sector. He was almost bested and made a hasty retreat. There is a teleportation scrambler in place over E Sector. "He is still in Headquarters, Hunters. He is still lurking, waiting, and ready to tear apart all that we have fought so hard to build back up. If you encounter the wounded and disgraced Commander, confront him and call for reinforcements. Do what must be done. He refuses to listen to reason, and will not surrender. Protect Headquarters and your comrades with your lives." Duke ended the transmission and tented his fingers in front of his face as he distantly focused on the screens before him. What he had just done was order an execution warrant for the Commander of the Elite Squadron, an act that had never been done before. Most of the Reploids in the Command Deck, pale in the face, went back to fevered work in general silence. X merely narrowed his eyes. [i]"Demos is a very great threat. Even in groups, our best Hunters will get cut to ribbons. Is Duke hoping that some random ensign gets a lucky shot off?[/i] "X," Duke called out, still deep in his thoughts. "Yes, Commander Duke?" X replied, though with less zeal than normal. "You are dismissed. Get repaired to safe combat parameters and hunt him down. Do your duty." X did not salute as he turned, and walked away. ----- Don't know exactly what you're planning Connor, but there. Also didn't know what to do with the other plot line, so I'll let it stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted May 15, 2007 Author Share Posted May 15, 2007 [b]--- Sub Level 10, Unnamed Sector Maverick Hunter Headquarters 0019 hours ---[/b] The shrouded captor of the rampaging Demos knelt in concentration, one palm planted on the floor. It was as if he was in a trance, and his entire body shone with an aura of soft yellow light. Demos eyed him with caution and curiosity. It appeared he was summoning power from some unseen force. The Maverick Commander knew such a feat wasn't possible; even with today's technology. One final pulse of light, and the cloaked figure stood to face Demos. "This isn't going to be pleasant Demos." He snapped his fingers and the translucent red field that separated the two dispersed into the air. Demos wasted no time in launching an offensive; his unparalleled reflexes seeing him start sprinting before the field was even down. This was his chance to strike--the fusion coil staff had been set down on the other side of the small room. His captor was defenseless, or so Demos thought. With momentum rivaling a runaway freight train Demos charged at the shadow dwelling robe, leading with his massive right shoulder. The Cloak didn't flinch or move from his position. Shifting his back foot slightly, he thrust his forearm forward. It had transformed into an arcane-looking buster that resembled an ancient jet engine. As Demos closed in to inches away from him, the robed reploid discharged a tremendous bolt of undiluted thermonuclear energy point blank into Demos' stomach. The infected Hunter was smashed backwards with violent force, but once the smoke cleared he was on his feet once more and readying a strike at the shrouded tormentor. "That's good, Demos; get angry. Get [i]real[/i] angry." taunted the Cloak calmly. With an infuriated yell Demos sprung at him, fist pulled back with a white ribbon of energy dancing around his hand as his sword materialized. The shadowy figure spun left to avoid the attack, but was quickly met with the right foot of the hunter who kicked him hard in the chest before spinning to the ground. He rolled and lept to his feet, meeting the Cloaked figure face to face as they grappled. Demos grabbed his opponent by the neck and head butted him hard in the face again and again and again before throwing him hard into a wall. The metal plating twisted and cracked with the force of the impact, which sent the Cloak bouncing off the wall and down to the ground. The maverick stood hunched over his victim, savoring the moment before the kill. But his revelment was ended abruptly as a small burst of plasma fire rung out from the shadows and exploded on his back, scorching his armour but dealing him no real damage. He spun around, snarling, his eyes glowing red with the fully manifested Maverick virus peaking in intensity within him. It was now that the Cloaked stranger struck. He jumped to his feet and grasped the back of Demos' head tightly, his fingers pressing so hard they left visible dents where they gripped. Time seemed to slow down for both reploids as an intense golden light erupted from the Cloak's hand. Suddenly, all that Demos experienced was searing, unbearable pain. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound would manifest. His mind was being purged of the Maverick A.I., circuit by circuit. The agony was unimaginable. After what seemed like an eternity of suffering, Demos slumped to the ground. His eyes were dulled and smoke flowed from his mouth as his circuits radiated excessive heat. Such a massive influx of pain had nearly killed him outright, neurological systems were borderline terminal. A weaker reploid would surely of been reduced to mere scrap metal. Suddenly, his vision cleared and his racing mind slowed. Gone was the limitless rage--Demos was in full control of himself once more, and for the first time he could feel the extent of his new, untapped potential. These latest upgrades had transformed him into a complex and powerful machine of war. Startled by his sudden return to conscious thought, Demos scanned his surroundings and rose slowly from the ground, to a crouching position. He looked up at the Cloak and began to speak. "Where are we?" he muttered, voice raspy and low as his vocoder flickered back into normal operation. His GPS was damaged, or offline, or even both. The shadowy figure bent over and offered Demos a hand, pulling him up to his feet. "We are in the catacombs of Maverick Hunter Headquarters, deeper than most would believe existed. Over a kilometer below the B2 hangars and service areas. Even the B6 munitions testing fields are hundreds of meters above us." the Cloak responded, looking up at the ceiling of the room. It was hard to fathom how deep underground they were. More puzzling to Demos though was that he had never heard of any facilities this low within Headquarters. Cloak lowered his gaze and stared Demos in the eye. He extended his right hand to the Hunter. "Pleasure to finally meet you, Commander Demos. I've heard a lot about you." Demos hesitated for a second, then grasped the reploid's hand and shook it firmly. This was the first non-violent interaction he'd had with another being since his Maverick rampage. "Thank you, comrade. What's your name?" he inquired. "I would give you it, had I one to give." the reploid started. "I've never had a name... but you can call me Cloak." he said, tugging lightly on the brown shroud wrapped around his torso. Demos nodded. His self diagnostics were showing mass regeneration extending throughout his primary cortex and cerebral processing unit. The lingering signs of a severe Maverick infection. "I went Maverick, and you cured me.. How did you do that?" asked Demos. Purging a reploid of Maverick AI was possible, yes, but it required hours, sometimes days of intense nanomachine-based restructuring and recoding. Somehow, Cloak had eradicated Demos' system of the Maverick AI instantly--Or so Demos thought. A surge of berserker fury coursed through his body and he dropped to his knees, howling in anguish. Cloak let a plume of golden light erupt from his palm into Demos, engulfing him, and making the virus recede once more. Panting, the Elite Hunter got back on his feet. "That happens; it will probably happen once or twice more before you're completely uninfected. It's the virus dying--it's like an organism, writhing in pain and twitching. Don't worry, I'll suppress it." said Cloak, speaking with the tone of knowledge like someone who had done this a countless times before. Demos narrowed his eyes and looked at the stranger in front of him. "What are you?" Cloak shifted his gaze to the ground, waited, then looked back at Demos. "I suppose you would call me a proto-reploid. Built nearly a century ago to aid in the construction of Maverick Hunter Headquarters and all that lies below it. I am the last of my kind... All the others died during and right after the construction process." he knelt and touched the ground. "Below us is their grave, and their salvation." Demos was confused. He opened his mouth to comment, but was cut off by Cloak before he could utter a sound. "There is much you need to know about this place and what lies deeper beneath Hunter HQ. But not now; there are other matters at hand." A silhouette emerged from out of the shadows. Demos could hardly believe his eyes. His former comrade Reverb faced him, though it was Reverb as he had never seen him before. His armour was lighter; gone were his shoulder columns and heavy chest armour. In its place Reverb donned only a tight charcoal-grey singlet. His gauntlets and grieves were redesigned, though they retained Reverb's green and black colour scheme. "Hello Demos." said Reverb. Demos grinned and grabbed his comrade by the shoulder. "I thought you were dead." "I was. Cloak saved me; rebuilt me. And it seems he saved you too." The Elite squadron commander nodded to Cloak. He was unsure of this mysterious stranger's motives and agendas, but he was certain that they were on the same side. --- Here's a sketch I did of the new Reverb. I [i]did[/i] have a very colourful post written up highlighting his new features and stuff, but the board decided to delete it when I uploaded the picture... -___- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 [font=franklin gothic medium][b]OMAR LENDS A HAND[/b] The elevator rose quietly through Xanadu's various levels with its three occupants on board: Zero, Havoc and Proteus. All three sincerely hoped that Warlock had been able to find a suitable location to dock the [i]Impact[/i]; its presence in the city - especially with its numerous battle scars - would be sure to raise suspicions. When the elevator?s doors opened, a rather ordinary office appeared in front of them. Desks with paperwork punctuated the room and there were several posters displaying Omar at various stages of his life ? these were presumably old advertisements for Xanadu. Despite the amount of paperwork, the office was almost empty. Behind it, the trio could see a second office with blacked-out windows; its door was now opening slowly, revealing a rather tired-looking man. Proteus glanced at the posters and then back at the man who had emerged from the rear office. There was no mistaking it; this was Omar himself. However, he had clearly aged since the posters had been produced. Either that, or he had lived a very stressful life. Proteus could not decide which thought made more sense. Omar ? despite his somewhat withered appearance ? was a purely unique character. He wore large round glasses with deep purple lenses and he sported a well-manicured goatee. His skin was a deep shade of olive and he wore an impressive mane of deep black hair on his head. At any rate, he was certainly nothing like the people Proteus had become accustomed to in the Maverick Hunter Headquarters. Omar approached Zero first, his hand outstretched. ?Zero, my man,? he said casually as he shook the reploid?s hand. Zero simply winked and gestured toward Havoc and Proteus. ?So these are your comrades, eh?? Omar grinned broadly and shook their hands briskly. ?Any friend of Zero is a friend of mine. Join me in my office, fellas and we?ll see what we can do.? [B]AN HOUR LATER?[/B] Omar looked at his watch. ?Well, that was quite a story,? he said with a smirk. ?And that was the short version,? said Zero, ?if we?d gone into detail you would have been sitting here much longer.? ?So you want to get into the HQ,? said Omar, as he rubbed his goatee thoughtfully. ?Why come to me? I know I owe you a favor, Zero, but I?m not a miracle worker.? Zero nodded knowingly. ?I understand ? and I would never ask you to risk your freedom or your life for us ? but there [i]is[/i] something you can do to help us.? It was at this point that Zero stood up and looked down at Omar?s desk. A slight whirring sound emanated from Zero?s head and Proteus noticed that his irises were widening and changing color. Zero?s eyes were now a vivid orange and as their brightness intensified, a three-dimensional schematic appeared before them. It looked like part of the Maverick Hunter HQ. ?Do you recognize this place?? asked Zero to no one in particular. Havoc nodded immediately. ?Yeah, that?s one of the Barrier Gates. Those gates are the only way in or out of the HQ.? ?Correct,? said Zero, ?but there is something unique about this gate.? ?It?s a civilian gate,? added Proteus. Zero nodded. ?Maverick Hunter HQ, as you know, has a permanent population of around 100,000 people; all of these people are employed by the organization on some level. This number does not count reploids, who are considered HQ property as opposed to employees.? Zero paused for a moment as if to emphasize this fact. ?Most human employees are classified as military personnel. However, a limited number ? maybe 5,000 or so ? are classified as civilian workers. All civilian workers enter through this one gate, to the east of the facility. Like all gates, this one is secure; all staff must go through a checkpoint. Unlike military gates though, there is no bio-scanning equipment here.? ?Why is the security lower on one gate?? asked Havoc, ?that makes no sense.? Zero sighed. ?Unfortunately it?s a political thing. Civilian contractors didn?t want to face rigorous and time-consuming screening?and many of them wouldn?t submit to biometric implants. The UN wanted to facilitate their ?comfort?, apparently.? ?What a joke,? huffed Havoc, ?what if there were ever another Maverick outbreak?? ?I suppose political interests come before security for some,? said Proteus quietly. ?So this gate has lower security; are you suggesting we enter through here?? ?Yes.? Zero nodded. ?But we will need to disguise ourselves as humans ? this will involve a little creativity on Omar?s part. And of course, we?ll need one of your cars, Omar.? All three reploids looked over at Omar, as the schematic of the gate dissolved into thin air. Omar simply grinned. ?You never ask for anything small, do you, Zero??[/font] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 [b]--- Xanadu Club Clockwork South, Novus Concordia 0046 hours ---[/b] Zero stood and turned his head to face Havoc and Proteus. He grasped his helmet firmly and slid it off his head. The Hunter's long blonde hair was pulled back into a tidy ponytail that reached halfway down his back. He held the red and white helm under his arm and spoke. "I do apologize for coming to you unannounced Omar, but we have little time to waste. We need disguises for all three of us, quickly." Zero paused momentarily. "Warlock and Iota, too." Omar let out a toothy grin and adjusted his purple tinted glasses. "Well then... Let's get started." [b]--- Sub Level 10, Unnamed Sector Maverick Hunter Headquarters 0050 hours ---[/b] "You were built by [i]Flash[/i]!?" Demos yelled at Reverb, taken back by the very mention of his former Commander's name. Reverb nodded. "Yes, I was. Although I had no knowledge of this until Cloak here told me," The green and grey reploid looked over at the shrouded figure, who was sitting in a meditative position on the other side of the room, eyes closed. "He told me that Flash built me a few years ago, and he completed me merely weeks before... you know." Demos was confused as hell, and now cast his suspicious gaze at Cloak. What other secrets did this stranger know? The Elite squadron Commander wasn't going to sit idly by and let them remain unknown. He stomped over to Cloak, standing over him in an intimidating manner. "Alright, Cloaky. What's your story? How do you know so much about Reverb?" Cloak remained stationary, and opened his eyes as he answered Demos. "Demos, if I told you now it could jeprodise everything. You will know, in time--" He was cut off by the massive Hunter, who grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up with one hand. Demos snarled at Cloak, their faces inches away from each other. "Wrong answer. Tell me everything, [i]right now[/i]." the dark reploid said through gritted teeth. He spread out his palm, and with a crackling white light, his saber materialized. No sooner than his sword was formed, a massive pulse of blue plasma fire knocked Demos to the ground. As he fell, he twisted in mid-air to land crouched and ready to strike at his assailant. Reverb's buster arm was outstretched, a blueish glow still radiating from the barrel of the weapon. It hissed and whined as steam escaped and it's cooling turbine spooled down to a standstill. His expression stern, Reverb slowly lowered his buster. Demos frowned and spoke harshly. "Attacking a superior officer is considered treason, Reverb." "I'm pretty sure succumbing to the Maverick virus constitutes as a resignation from the Hunters, Demos, so don't even start." Reverb retorted, not a quiver in his voice. Demos was surprised by this. Gone was the innocent, young Reverb that had joined the Maverick Hunters. Replaced with a battle hardened individual who bore little resemblance to the Reploid Demos had initiated into the Elite squadron. Demos rose to his feet and nodded to Reverb. "I'm sorry, Demos, but we have to trust Cloak. I know that he has to do what he's doing for a reason. Not to mention he rebuilt me after Duke ripped me to shreds." Cloak interupted the two with haste in his voice. "You must go. They're looking for you, Demos; and they have your scent, so to speak." "My.. scent?" said Demos, slightly confused. The shrouded Reploid picked up his staff and turned to face Reverb and Demos. "Flee this place. Head upwards. And if you can..." Cloak clenched his fists tightly around his staff. "Kill Duke and as many of his Emerald Militia as you can." Reverb nodded, and Demos reluctantly agreed. The two reploids ran from Cloak's room, into the black corridors of sub-level 10. [b]--- Command Room Omicron Maverick Hunter Headquarters 0054 hours ---[/b] X stood alone on the commander's platform in Command room Omicron. Duke had retired for the night, after all--He was only human, and humans need sleep. Besides, Demos' trail had gone cold hours ago. Until now. "Commander X, long range scanners are indicating a unique power signature--From below Headquarters!" yelled a hunter from the radar station. X turned his head to face him. "Is it him?!" X asked hastily. "No sir... There's [i]two[/i] signatures!" The blue reploid raised an eyebrow in confusion. "[i]Two[/i] power signatures? Are you suggesting Demos had an ally [i]within[/i] Headquarters all along?" "It would appear that way, Sir," replied a Lieutenant manning the database console. "Look at these readings." X's eyes widened in bewilderment as he looked at the second signature, for he had seen it many times before. "Reverb?!" he exclaimed. [b]--- Xanadu Club Clockwork South, Novus Concordia 0143 hours ---[/b] Omar yawned and rubbed his eyes beneath his purple tinted glasses. He glanced at his wristwatch and sighed. Even though he managed a bustling night-club, he liked to hit the hay before the stroke of midnight "Alright, how do we look?" Zero, Proteus and Havoc stepped forward, all dressed in generic civilian attire--Shirts, ties and pants. They had removed all of the detachable pieces of their armour; Zero had taken his helmet off, gauntlets and grieves were detached. Even without his armour, Havoc still stood very tall and daunting. He wore a long jacket to try and play down his size, but it did little to hide his broad frame. Proteus donned a pair of square-framed glasses and a waistcoat. The three reploids looked unmistakably human. Omar smiled and clapped his hands with delight. "Fantastic, fantastic! You look more human than I do," he laughed. "Here, take these as well." He handed a small suitcase to Zero. The hunter opened it to reveal another two outfits--One, a man's suit; black with a faint pinstripe, white shirt and red tie. No doubt this was intended for Warlock. The other, woman's clothing; A professional looking blazer and shirt, with a short black skirt to match. "For the others, Iota and Warlock. There are shoes, and glasses to match in there as well." Zero nodded and closed the suitcase. He extended a hand to Omar. "Thank you, Omar. I won't forget this." said Zero, smiling. The reploids each took turns shaking Omar's hand and exchanging words of gratitude. They would have to leave now--It would take roughly four to five hours to reach Headquarters from here, and that would leave them arriving right at 7am, when most of the civilian staff arrived. The three disguised reploids left Omar's private lounge, and headed outside towards the [i]Impact[/i]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 [color=#606060][font=franklin gothic medium] [b]THE SEARCH FOR MOTHER[/b] Havoc, Zero and Proteus walked out of the club looking no different to the civilians around them. They had arrived at the club in the early evening and it was now dark. Clockwork South was bathed in cool blue neon as far as the eye could see and the crowds were swelling outside the popular night spots. Zero looked around and breathed in the night air. He raised his wrist to his mouth and spoke quietly. ?Warlock, can you hear me? It?s Zero.? Zero was an older model reploid. And as impressive as he was, his technological capabilities didn?t match other newer Hunters. Unlike Proteus, Havoc and others, Zero had to speak into a wrist-mounted radio emitter to communicate with other Hunters. Proteus heard the speaker crackle to life. ?I?m here. You guys took long enough! I was getting odd stares all night; only just found a good spot to hide the [i]Impact[/i]. It?s in a parking structure a few kilometres east of your position. I?ll send you the GPS coordinates. You better get here fast; loss of protoneurone isn?t Iota?s only problem! There seems to be a software malfunction as well. Hurry, guys!? Havoc looked at his feet. ?Poor Iota?? Zero nodded and pointed eastward. ?We?d better go, we don?t have much time. I?m sure Iota will be okay.? The trio began walking away from Xanadu. Despite the crowds and their noise, Proteus felt oddly at peace. All was quiet in his mind ? it was a similar kind of freedom that he?d felt in Xen, although here it was somehow different. There was warmness here. Proteus knew that this was what it felt like to be home. Proteus?s thoughts were interrupted by a strange sinking feeling. He could hear buzzing ? like radio static ? in his ears. And as he walked, he could see faint images snapping in and out of view right in front of him. The images were all different and they were difficult to make out. Some looked like the interior of a stark white room and in others, Proteus was sure he could see the face of a beautiful young woman with thin-rimmed glasses smiling down at him. And then he heard yelling and crying, followed by quiet breathing. Proteus stopped in the middle of the street and held his forehead. ?Proteus, what?s wrong?? asked Havoc. He put his hand on Proteus?s shoulder. ?Are you all right?? Proteus paused and nodded slowly. ?Yes?but I don?t think I can come with you.? Havoc and Zero looked at each other. ?What are you talking about?? said Zero, apparently taken aback by Proteus?s sudden change of heart. ?It?s hard to explain,? began Proteus slowly. ?Several years ago I was involved in a Hunters mission in support of the ALED. Flash was there. It was one of the last times I saw him alive?? Havoc looked away. The memory of Flash was still raw in his mind, as much as he tried to deny it. ?During that mission I heard voices; they were strangely familiar to me,? continued Proteus. ?A machine can?t have a mental illness, surely. Can it?? Zero shook his head. ?No. Did you hear voices again just now?? ?Yes,? said Proteus. ?This time I saw images too. I think there is a reason for all this. At the time I dismissed the experience, but I have given it a lot of thought over the last couple of years. And after my abduction at Red Alert, it all somehow started to make sense.? Havoc cocked his head. ?What's making sense?? Proteus paused before continuing. ?I discovered my original purpose. I was built by Lucia Karman, an ex-Hunters employee. She?? He couldn?t bring himself to say it. ?She was a traitor. She built me to infiltrate Hunter HQ?to sabotage it. I was to be activated remotely by her. But Flash found me and he activated me himself...somehow her plan didn?t work. I don?t know what went wrong.? Havoc took a step back and glared at Proteus. ?What are you saying? Is there more we need to know?? He looked threatened, as though Proteus would fire his buster at them at any moment. Zero put his hand up, ?Havoc, no, I don?t think we have to worry about that.? Proteus smiled at Havoc awkwardly. ?No, I am not under her control and I never was. But the software that was designed to control me is still present. And I think it is malfunctioning?I am not worried about committing treason. I am worried for my sanity ? if this software error gets worse, it may not be reversible. Nobody knows what?s inside me, including myself.? Havoc stepped closer to Proteus and lowered his head. ?I?m sorry, I didn?t mean to imply?? ?It?s okay,? said Proteus quietly, ?you have the best interests of the Hunters in mind. That?s what your purpose is. And that?s the reason why I need to find out what this software is and find a way to delete it safely ? I don?t want the Hunters to be at further risk. What happened to Flash?I don?t want it to happen to anyone else I care about.? The crowds of people around them were deafening but the three Hunters stood silent for several moments. Zero looked up and smiled warmly. ?Thank you for your honesty, Proteus. We will be okay without you for now. Just?be careful out there on your own. I want to hear from you regularly, you hear?? Proteus grinned and nodded to the others. ?Thank you. I will be with you again soon, I promise.? And with that, Proteus walked off in the opposite direction to his comrades. As he walked away, he had one location in mind: [i]The Golden Mile[/i]. [b]THE GOLDEN MILE[/b] The entire street appeared as though it had been frozen in time. What were once shiny new cafes and boutiques lay before Proteus now as desolate husks. Remnants of chairs and tables littered the street; Proteus tried to imagine what the patrons were doing before the missile struck. It was difficult to imagine something as obtuse as death and it was even odder to think that this street had, at one point, been teeming with life. Looming before Proteus was, by far, the largest building in the street. It was more damaged than any of the others to the point where the average person would not have identified it as being anything unique. Proteus knew of the building?s past largely due to his own research. This building ? this unremarkable, blacked-out, crumbling façade ? was, at one time, a laboratory. In its day, it was known simply as Angel Square. Despite its current state of depression, it was once a building that housed some of the world?s most promising robotics research. It was here that Dr. Light spent the majority of his twilight years studying robotics for medicine. It was in this facility that protoneurone was invented and it would have been the place where the first protoneurone treatment for humans could have been unveiled had the building not fallen victim to a devastating missile attack. Angel Square sat in the direct center of The Golden Mile ? a long, winding street that had become famous for many reasons (with plenty of dubious reasons among them). Angel Square was perhaps the most famous building on the mile because it was a place where many of the greatest researchers of the period strived to work ? Dr. Light was the chief patron of the organisation. He had taken over stewardship of the facility after his tenure at the Maverick Hunter Headquarters. It was, as he had famously said, his way of giving back to a community that had given him so much. Proteus thought this was strange, given that William Light had devoted his entire life to science; the community, he thought, had not given very much back to Dr. Light at all ? with the exception of several honorary titles. Angel Square?s entrance was far from secure; there was no front door at all. In fact, much of the building?s walls had large pieces missing as a result of the missile attack. As Proteus entered the lobby he wondered how anyone could have survived the blast. Many of the offices had been completely crushed by imploding ceilings and enormous piles of debris lay everywhere. The air was thick and musty ? probably full of building fibres. Proteus engaged his night-vision and took another glance around. There were few signs left. The reception desk had a small plaque behind it with various directions: LEVEL 1 ? OPERATION THEATRES LEVEL 2 ? VIRAL RESEARCH LEVEL 3 ? CRYOGENICS LEVEL 4 ? STEM CELL LABORATORY LEVEL 5 ? ROBOTICS AND CYBERNETICS LABORATORY LEVEL 6 ? PROTONEURONE RESEARCH CENTER Half of the sign was missing. There were apparently more than a dozen levels in the building. Proteus found it notable that much of the laboratory resembled a regular hospital; with some exceptions, there was nothing especially unusual or grand about Angel Square. Proteus took an interest in Angel Square for one reason only: this is where he had been born. At least, it was within this facility that Dr. Karman had conceived some of her most controversial designs ? Active Cellular Modulation was revolutionary and had tremendous positive applications, but it was ultimately overshadowed by the horror of her obsession with cybernetic technology. It seemed ironic to Proteus that he had quite literally been born in a hospital, where most reploids are birthed in some kind of manufacturing center. Ultimately it was here, in this place, where he hoped he might learn something more about Dr. Karman. In the recesses of his mind, Proteus was curious about his birth ? and he did think of himself as having been born, rather than being ?activated? ? but his primary interest was tactical: what could he learn here that might give him an advantage over Red Alert? Proteus knew that the organization was based entirely around Dr. Karman?s motivations and those motivations grew from a singular event ? the missile strike that decimated Angel Square and all of her life?s work. Proteus was looking for files, transcripts, video?anything that could fill in the sizeable gaps in Dr. Karman?s history. The center of the building had collapsed inwards and was exposed. Proteus looked up and saw clouds drifting lazily overhead. From his position he could see all of the floors clearly. He was most interested in the Robotics and Cybernetics Laboratory: this was where Dr. Karman had spent the majority of her time while at the institution. The soles of Proteus? boots began to glow a vivid blue as he rose into the air and hovered upward towards the sixth floor. As he ascended in silence, it was as though he were on his way to heaven; that he was actually enveloped by the gaping wound of a war-torn building made the situation ironic, but Proteus preferred to ignore the logical side of his mind for once. As he approached the entrance to level six, he expected something grander than what he ultimately saw. The sixth level was as plain ? if not more so ? than the rest of the facility. It was utilitarian in nature, with the odd flourish here and there (mostly evident were several paintings depicting forests and lakes; places that had once been part of Novus Concordia before the city expanded). The sixth floor had suffered a large amount of damage from the missile blast. Desks were thrown across the room (many in pieces) and there was paperwork everywhere. It would be difficult to find anything of value in the room but Proteus knew he had to persevere. Before he could further contemplate the scale of the mess, however, Proteus noticed a large stack of newspaper sitting against the far wall. The newspapers appeared to be in order as though they had been deliberately stored for a period of time. Proteus navigated through the debris and began flicking through the newspapers. Several headlines were highlighted: [b]SECOND MISSILE ROCKS THE GOLDEN MILE[/b] [b]YOUNG BOY KILLED IN TRAGIC ATTACK[/b] [b]CONTROVERSIAL SCIENTIST DISAPPEARS AFTER LOSS OF SON[/b] [b]YEARS OF RESEARCH LOST[/b] Proteus paused as he considered the articles. He returned to the very first headline: ?Second Missile Rocks The Golden Mile?. ?Second missile?? said Proteus aloud. He had always thought that there had been only one missile attack here and that it had been Warlock?s fault. Had he just assumed the existence of only one incident? Proteus could not remember ever being told anything to the contrary, although Dr. Karman had always referred to ?the missile attack? ? although there hadn?t been mention of a second attack, there had also never been confirmation of only [i]one[/i]. As he read through the various articles he saw no mention of Warlock?s name. This seemed strange as everyone had always told him that Warlock was not only the culprit but that this was a highly-publicised fact. If there had been a second missile strike, thought Proteus, it was feasible that the latter strike had nothing to do with Warlock at all. And for that matter, did it have anything to do with the Maverick Hunters? It was entirely possible that Dr. Karman?s rage was completely misdirected. Nevertheless, these articles did not answer Proteus?s most burning question ? what was the strange software inside his mind and why did it malfunction? Flash had died more than a year ago and he was the only one who saw Proteus in stasis prior to activation. Only he could really tell Proteus what happened upon activation ? had he noticed a problem and disabled the software? Had he run a pre-activation diagnostic just to be safe? Perhaps he?d started Proteus?s BIOS in Safe Mode, which prevented Dr. Karman?s software from initializing. In any event, Proteus had nobody to turn to. Who could he turn to for information? Where could he go for documents? ?I must keep going,? said Proteus aloud. He continued to search through the dusty laboratory for answers; he needed a lucky break.[/color][/font] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 It didn't take long for the two Hunters to be discovered by Command's scanners. It had, in fact, pinpointed their position just after they had entered the second underground parking garage. They ran side-by-side, at breakneck pace, upwards. Ascending manually, not taking anything automated, both Reverb and Demos made it to the first floor without any interruptions. It was late, and after a major attack in Central Command; there were no civilian- or military-based personnel up at this hour. Only Hunters would be on duty, which was a double-edged sword for the two renegades. By the time they had reached the access stairs in the back of the lobby, they knew they were being tracked. Thundering footsteps above, several stories up, told of at least thirty heavily-armed Hunters on their way to intercept the pair. Demos and Reverb pressed on, running upwards, taking three steps at a time, and barreled their way into, again, the third floor in Section E. The mess hall. This time they were not greeted by a massive collection of Emerald Militia or regular Hunters, for that matter, just maintenance crews repairing the damage that had been done from the earlier incursion. Demos raised his buster high and fired off a quick burst of shots. The crews took about half a second to look at him before retreating into one of the many surrounding hallways leading to other sections of the level. Reverb notched his eyes tightly and continued to run for the opposite stairwell of the one they had just emerged from. Demos, however, stood completely still, looking back at the doorway. Reverb noticed and turned around, walking briskly backwards. "Demos, come on! We don't have time to fight every squad we come upon!" Demos craned his neck around to Reverb and snorted. "Why not?" he asked. "Most of them will be coming from above anyway, why not keep our flank clear?" He turned his head back to the door, but instead started to walk away, turning to face Reverb after three steps. He reached down to his left thigh, and accessed the compartment within his armor. The plates slid open and he caught the beam generator as it fell. "...One left. Great." Demos took ahead in stride as Reverb turned to follow him to the opposite side of the mess hall. When he reached the door he opened one side slowly, checked the hallway and then slid through the marginal opening. Reverb followed, not quite sure what Demos was up to. As soon as Reverb was through, Demos slammed the door shut and kicked the corner on the left door in. He placed the generator on the inside of the dent with the cotter pin sticking upwards. He tested it slightly, opening the door inwards, and smiled when he saw the outside corner of the door would catch. Demos motioned for Reverb to follow and together they ran down the hallway and up the general use stairwell. These stairs were marble, with glass siding and brass handles, much more showy than the steel, white-washed railing and cement steps in the access halls. The downside was that sound traveled just as well in these halls, and it was no problem for their advanced hearing to pick up the harsh crackle of the beam generator as it flashed a ten foot radius of ionized energy. The trap had been sprung and caught their pursuers unaware. Some were still alive and their groans were also audible. Demos and Reverb continued upwards until they reached the landing for the sixth floor, one of the munitions training levels in Section C, where they decided it was time to do a little shopping. They slunk in through the door, taking a brief moment to whisper thanks that it was late and the lights were off. They leapfrogged their way behind cover past the ranges, busters armed and primed. This would definitely be a staging ground for an assault group, but so far, it seemed empty. Almost like it was... "Evacuated," Reverb whispered. Demos glanced at the green and grey Hunter briefly, almost hating him for finishing the thought in his head. If they both reached that conclusion around the same time, there was a good chance that it was evacuated and they were in some deep ****. The problem with their isolated approach was that they had to go through the artificial testing field, which was an open plain of grass and simulated environment consisting of one and a half square miles of coverless space. They rounded the corner of the checkout station on that side of the field and crouched at the entrance. "Well...what do you think?" Reverb asked. "We can assault the most heavily guarded section of Headquarters with standard loadout or we can assault it with a couple of tons of ammunition. You pick," Demos said with a toothy smile. "You don't think there could be a task force over there, do you, waiting for us to raid the armory?" Reverb asked rhetorically and not without a pinch of sarcasm. "I'd bet the farm on it. But let's see if there isn't something we can't do to improve our odds..." Demos entered the checkroom after kicking the door off the hinges, which elicited a grunt from Reverb. He booted the control mechanism for the field's climate control and began adjusting the settings. "Eighty degrees Celsius, full cloud cover, moonless night, and thick fog," Demos said with a sense of satisfaction. "Now all we have to worry about is if they have any laser designators or sonic amplification device and we're set." "Why not just add in a sandstorm while you're at it?" Reverb said with a smile. "I would if I could, but I think it might cause a bit of an overload." Once more they crouched by the door and saw the engineered environment warp itself to the designated settings. What was once a bright and starry night with a huge moon over the flat field turned into a simmering hell as the air distorted from the heat and the clouds and now-featureless sky blackened. Both Demos and Reverb charged into the waist-high grass, bent at the stomach, heads down, and arms back. They weaved in and out of each other, one's path overlapping the other's until they reached the "Throne" - a rock outcropping that was always the centerpiece of the arena for war games. There they held cover and peered over the edge of the top. They couldn't see more than twenty feet past the rocks due to the wavering, scorching air, even with the myriad of selective visual filters that all Hunters are required to have. "Well, the good news is that the thermal image looks like the sun exploded." Demos said wryly. "So what's better than both you and your enemy being blinded?" Reverb asked, knowing the answer as a cardinal rule of warfare. "The element of surprise." And then the two Elite Hunters vanished into the tall grass once more. ----- Hope you can work with that, Connor. Been playing a combination of Rainbow Six Vegas and Far Cry lately, and it kinda rubs off on ya. XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 [B]--- Commander's residence, Residential Sector Maverick Hunter Headquarters 0131 hours ---[/B] X stood at the door of the train impatiently, waiting for it to come to a complete stop before he exited. This train was part of the expansive network of elevated and underground lines that crisscrossed MHHQ, providing rapid transit across and within the sprawling complex. This particular region was the Residential Sector, also known as the "Town Square"; the urban area where permanently posted human and non-combat robotic staff lived. There were apartment buildings, smaller individual homes, and a lot of greenery in the form of parks and trees. Businesses were dotted along in between houses and flats--Cafes, boutiques and the like. A bustling and thriving community within headquarters. The blue reploid departed the train and ran, looking due west. There, from beyond a few blocks of modern family homes loomed the silhouette of the impressive mansion which was the Commander's Residence. It was Signas' residence before his untimely disappearance, and was now home to Duke. As X approached the house he noticed armed guards patrolling the wall. They weren't Hunters, rather they were the Emerald Militia; Dukes own personal goon squad. If X wanted an audience with Duke at this hour, he'd have to sneak past security. Pressing himself flat against the wall of a building only a few metres from the high outer wall of the Commander's Residence, X quickly surveyed his surroundings. Two guards were posted at the main gate, while another two patrolled the perimeter. From here the Hunter couldn't tell whether there were more on the inside of the complex, so he'd have to hope for the best. His cloaking device buzzed and crackled momentarily before activating. Once it was fully operational, he legged it toward the wall, jumping onto it and kicking himself up and over. He landed softly and kept running. Three armed guards patrolled the garden, and it seemed another two were posted permanently on the door. Invisible or not, X knew he couldn't very well bust through the front door. A balcony on the second floor of the house looked like the best vantage point. The blue hunter sprinted for the wall of the house, jumping a few feet before he reached it. He lunged skyward, grabbing onto the railing of the balcony with one hand. He pulled himself over and planted his feet gracefully on the floor. He crouched and approached the door, which as expected, was firmly locked. Obviously, a conventionally locked door was no problem for a Maverick Hunter. A small metal device extended from his index finger, and he picked the lock in an instant. He entered the door, and closed it quietly behind him. Although he had innocent reasons for entering, it dawned on X now that he had unlawfully entered the home of the Commander. He paused for a second, then shook it off and continued. He knew the layout of the building already--He'd been here many times when Signas had been in Command. X deactivated his cloak and snuck down the dark hallway, entering through a door that was slightly ajar. This had been Signas' study, and it seemed that Duke hadn't changed the decor at all. Come to think of it, X thought to himself, nothing had changed; Wooden panel flooring, massive oak bookcases lined with all manner of books, some new, some dating to pre-cataclysm times--These had all belonged to Signas. And in the back center of the study was a large, authoritative looking desk, with a computer and reading material scattered across it. A lamp on the desk had been left on. X approached it to turn it off, but not before something on the desk caught his eye. Maps and plans of HQ, covered in scrawled notes and arrows--It looked like a battle map. "Can I help you?" X cringed and looked up. Duke, still in uniform and holding a cup of coffee stood in the doorway, and he looked pissed off. X quickly stood at attention and saluted Duke before promptly addressing him, albeit shakily. "C-Commander Duke, I have urgent news that--" the Hunter stuttered. "Silence!" Duke yelled, cutting off X mid-sentence. "What do you think you're doing, X? Breaking into the Commander's Residence in the middle of the night? This is grounds for treason, you know." Duke placed his cup of coffee on a table by the door, and pressed his left ear, activating his communicator. "Security, on my mark." he spoke. Within seconds, the shuffle of troops could be heard downstairs. "Wait, Commander, it's important," said X, hurriedly. "While tracking Demos we picked up another signature. It's Reverb, Sir." Duke paused momentarily, then slowly raised his hand to his left ear. "Security, stand down." The shuffling from downstairs stopped. "Reverb? He's still operational?" asked Duke. "Yes Sir. He's with Demos, and it appears that neither of them are infected with the Maverick virus." said X. "Sir, we should call off our troops. There seems to have been some kind of mistake." The Commander shook his head. "No, it's obviously some kind of trick. Take them both out. That's an order, X." Duke said sternly. The blue reploid frowned and looked Duke straight in the eye. "With all due respect, Sir, if they're not infected, then they're no threat. Furthermore, even if they were infected, you [i]know[/i] we have extensive rehabilitation and recovery programs that have a 96.3 percent success rate. Even without considering the fact that these are our comrades, I think you're being far too aggressive, Sir." said the hunter, a tone of discontent and anger creeping into his voice. Duke scoffed at X. "I don't [i]care[/i] what you think, Reploid. And I don't care whether or not Demos and Reverb were your--[i]our[/i] comrades. They're Mavericks, and they're a threat. And any threat must be eliminated." "Dammit Commander, they're innocent reploids!" X yelled as he removed his helmet. "And I will [i]not[/i] kill them!" Duke glared at X with a snarl on his face. "You miserable machine. You will do as I instruct you!" "No!" shouted X defiantly. "Your orders go against every doctrine and protocol that the Maverick Hunters stand for!" he threw his helmet down on the ground, cracking the wooden floor. "I am the High Commander of the Maverick Hunters! I have the authority to overrule any protocol to ensure the security of this complex!" screamed Duke in reply. The two were now only a few feet away from each other. The Security team downstairs could hear the commotion and started heading up the stairs to investigate. "High Commander my ass." X said through gritted teeth. "This whole house is filled with Signas' belongings. Even the Hunter insignia on your jacket bears Signas' identification number. Hunters don't give that up if they leave the corps. They take it with them." he raised his right arm, and it began to glow, forming his Mega buster. "It all makes sense now." A crooked smile spread across Duke's face. "Sounds like you've got it all figured out X." X aimed his Mega buster at Duke. His face was grim as he glared at the false Commander. "Duke, I'm placing you under arrest for subverting the Maverick Hunters, falsifying records and information and impersonating a Commander; also for the attempted murder of Reverb, and the possible murder of Commander Signas. Surrender yourself now, or I will remove you forcefully." Eight of the Emerald Militia stormed into the room, forming a semi circle behind Duke and taking aim at X, who was quick to explain himself. "This man is a fraud. He is not Commander of the Maverick Hunters, he's an impostor who plans to corrupt the corps for his own gain." said X, calm and controlled. But none of the Militia moved an inch. Duke grinned at X's dilemma. "Pitiful robot. They are loyal to me, not the Maverick Hunters. We have our own goals." "You leave me no choice, Duke. You will pay for your treachery!" With that, X lunged at Duke, firing a quick bolt of plasma from his buster. Duke rolled out of the way, and the shot grazed the upper arm of one of the green-clad soldiers, causing him to stumble back. X seized this moment, spinning his right leg around and kicking him in the side of the head, breaking his jaw, cheekbone and nose. He was sent sprawling to the floor, blood pouring from his mouth and nose. The Emerald Militia opened fire on the reploid, and a storm of solid ammunition erupted around him. X narrowly dodged a stream of bullets from the militant on his left, grabbing the barrel of his gun and snapping the entire front end of the weapon away from the firing mechanism. He then smacked the long steel barrel into the soldier's head, knocking him out cold. As his opponent fell, the reploid was blindsided by another soldier, who tackled and brought him down hard. X grappled with the soldier, who was amazingly strong. Normally, a reploid would have no problems subduing a human adversary. The Emerald Militia, however, were not normal humans. They had been subjected to all manner of genetic enhancements, and while they contained no cybernetic implants, they possessed inhuman speed, power and dexterity, which put them on par with the physical strength of a reploid. The soldier on top of X freed one hand from the struggle, and drew the progressive knife from it's sheath on his chest. The blade buzzed to life, glowing with an incandescent blue aura. He drove the knife downwards, at the reploid's chest. X grabbed his wrist and struggled, eventually twisting the blade around and slicing at the soldier's wrist. Blood spewed from the wound, and X used this opportunity to hurl the soldier over his head, which in turn knocked another soldier over. Before he had a chance to stand up, they were on him once more. One of them grabbed his right arm, and another his left. As he fought against the assailants, the progressive knife of another soldier was thrust into his lower back. X gritted his teeth as coolant and other fluids dribbled out of the gash. Another soldier approached him from the front, punching him so hard in the face that the titanium endoskeleton in his cheek buckled, and the layer of organic flesh to the right of his mouth was ripped, exposing a bloody streak of metal. Although the Emerald Militia wore a helmet that obscured their eyes, you could still see their mouths. And this one was smiling manically as he wiped the blood from his knuckles. X launched his counterattack in a split second. He formed both hands into busters at once, and fired simultaneous shots of burning blue energy, which exploded at point blank range into the faces of the soldiers on his arms. At the same time, he performed a backflipping kick, which caught his adversary at the front in the chin, knocking him out and to the floor. As he flipped over, his eyes met the soldier at the back of him, who had lodged the blade in his back. X bent his knee and slammed it into the back of the militant's head, then proceeded to kick down onto his back upon landing. This broke his neck and spine, killing him instantly. Another hail of bullets rained down upon the Hunter. He attempted to dodge them again, but instead was caught by seven molten slugs that pierced his armor and ruptured one of his primary drive generators. X grasped his chest in agony--He had never experienced pain such as this before. As the slumped reploid tried to regain his composure, the soldier whose wrist he had slit moments before kicked out his legs from under him. Duke approached the fallen Hunter, and pointed his rapier at his throat. "Is this how it ends, X? On your knees in a pool of your own fluids?" he laughed. X snapped out of his dazed state and launched a ball of blue plasma at Duke. Duke tried to roll out of the way, but the shot hit him in the stomach, sending him flying across the room and into one of the ceiling-high bookcases encircling the room. It's shelves cracked and splintered as Duke fell to the ground, covered by shards of oak and half of the books on the wall. "Lord Duke!" yelled one of the soldiers. The two soldiers ran to Duke's side, and hauled their leader from the rubble. He was unconscious, but alive. As their attention was drawn away, X stood shakily and limped to window behind the desk. He jumped out, backwards, turning in midair to land uncomfortably on one knee. The shattering glass quickly returned the attention of the guards to the Hunter, who ran to the windows, unloading their weapons at the slowly fleeing reploid below them. Emerald Militia from all around the Commander's Residence encroached on X's position, all firing wildly at the blue reploid. X caught several more bullets before reaching an open location on the lawn. He collapsed to his hands and knees, then pressed a combination of buttons on his gauntlet. The hunter glowed with a sapphire aura momentarily, then transformed to a bolt of blue energy as he activated his teleporting system and shot into the sky. [b]--- Command Room Upsilon Maverick Hunter Headquarters 0159 hours ---[/b] A large number of the Emerald Militia were stationed in the relatively unused Upsilon Command Room, an auxiliary command centre on the far side of the ballistics firing range on the outer rim of HQ. Duke had placed them there secretly, to keep tabs on Hunter activity and to communicate with his superiors. In charge of this operation, and in reality, second in command to Duke was a helmetless member of the Militia; one Lieutenant-Colonel Valcourt. His blonde spiky hair was swept back, and his chiseled jaw was covered in stubble. His loyalty to Duke, and their parent organization was unquestioning and unwavering. Everyone in the room faced him as he stood in front of a large screen which displayed a number of maps and schematics. He began his briefing. "Alright everyone, approximately 15 minutes ago Lord Duke was injured by this Hunter, Mega Man X." a picture of the blue reploid appeared on the screen accordingly. "He killed six of our own as well. Thankfully, Lord Duke is okay, but X got away. Scans are showing that he used a long range teleport, however it appears he has not left headquarters. He is wounded and in a deteriorating condition, so all medical and repair facilities are under intense surveillance." The screen changed again, this time displaying profile shots of Demos and Reverb, although the pictures were old ones from their Hunter records. "These Hunters, Demos and Reverb, have been detected in the Section C munitions testing area. Scans indicate that they have set the EEA--that's Environment Emulation Area, people--to parameters that render the area impossible to enter by any human. From what we can tell, it's an arid, 80 degree hell-on-earth down there, so we're dispatching a battalion of sixteen exosuits to eradicate them." "Can't we isolate the area and cut their power, Colonel?" asked a militant. "Unfortunately not. If we cut the power, the area goes into lockdown. Then they'll know we're coming, and by the time we get in they'll be gone. Don't worry, our exosuits are more than capable of taking out a couple of reploids. I don't care how 'elite' they claim to be." Although arrogant, the Lieutenant-Colonel's claims were somewhat true--These exosuits stood at an intimidating ten feet tall, completely enclosing the soldier within a heavily plated suit of armour. They were armed with a multitude of high-power weapons, including dual Vulcan cannons on each arm, high pressure flamethrowers, ionized saw blades and more. They were bulky and boasted massive durability, yet still maintained an impressive level of speed and maneuverability. Equipped with multiple thrust-vectoring engines, even the sharpest turns and quickest jumps could be performed with relative ease. The screen behind Valcourt changed once more, now showing all three reploids; X, Demos and Reverb. "These three Maverick Hunters are our top priority. Although they do not truly know our agenda, they know that we are their enemy. These Hunters are far too influential, and could easy spread dissent throughout the ranks, which is something we cannot afford to happen. We're on full alert, people. These three need to be destroyed, [i]immediately[/i]." [b]--- Environment Emulation Area, C Sector Maverick Hunter Headquarters 0203 hours ---[/b] "Do you hear that?" whispered Reverb, who grabbed Demos by the forearm to stop him. Demos paused and listened. They could hear a faint rumbling, like a marching battallion. A very loud battalion. Reverb frowned and spoke. "It's like footsteps... Not many of 'em, but they sound loud. This could be trouble." Demos smirked and his buster began to glow. "Here's hoping." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 His smirk slowly dissolved and turned to a snarl, and Demos motioned for Reverb to follow. They circled north, to come around to the right of the doorway to Loadout Containment to squat in a low crouch in the tall grass. Demos shifted his visual spectrum to a combination of night vision and infrared motion detection, whereas Reverb had adjusted the zone shading of his thermal imaging to a higher temperature range. They listened intently to the thudding footsteps that approached. Demos poked his head out of the grass, and satisfied, dashed west, coming to a halt on the other side of the exit of the EEA, against the wall. Once there, he took to the ground, on all fours. He stayed low, lip curled and teeth bared. The vibrations were thunderous now, and he soon saw the monstrosities that hunted them. They were tall, bipedal, with four arms. They were very humanoid in form, with the exception of individual weapon loadouts. The general look for the white gloss mechs was two pairs of arms, one set slightly larger than proportionate to a normal Reploid, and the other massively oversized. The secondary set was the pair that wielded the machine’s main weapon, and the primary set was actually for back-up purposes and small weapons use. The first one through the entrance wielded large cannon which Demos immediately recognized as an air burst charge. It was useful for punching holes through defenses and enemies by storing pressurized air in a canister mounted on the back and releasing it in bursts. It was typically used as an entry weapon in breech-and-clear sweeps. Four other Battle Suits ducked under the containment field generators and into the simulated hellhole. They slowly advanced forward, fanning outwards, and another five followed. The two groups integrated into one, forming a staggered chain as they proceeded into the misty, artificial night. Weapons high and shouldered, the exosuits began searching slowly. Both Hunters knew it was only a matter of time before they were found. Demos had been passed over due to simple miscalculation and excellent position. Reverb was not yet discovered due to similarly superb concealment and the fact that their enemies had not yet reached his position. Outnumbered, outgunned, but not outmaneuvered. Demos was about to start advancing to Loadout Containment when a single exosuit, wielding what appeared to be a modified XM189A3, a thirty-millimeter pneumatic shell-less rifle, most commonly used on anti-vehicle armaments. The grounding tripod had been removed and a kickstand had been directly integrated with the mech’s right arm. The handle had also been replaced with a larger handle and triple-digit trigger. “Shit.” Demos reached up to his throat with his left hand and placed his fingers on either side of his artificial windpipe. He pressed slightly, and activated the point-to-point burst transmission relay inlaid within his body. It wasn’t sophisticated, but it was a tried-and-true communications method that was very hard to intercept. “Reverb, do you copy?” Reverb reached up slowly to his own neck, prone on the ground and slowly crawling backwards. “Roger that, Demos,” he whispered. “I’ve got another target on overwatch here by the entrance,” the Elite Squadron Commander growled. “I’m going to…handle it. Wait for my mark, then unleash Hell.” Reverb merely gave a double radio squelch to confirm. Demos rose off his hands and crouch-walked his way to the containment wall, silently pressing up against it. He shifted his eyes to the other exosuits as they continued their search. They were not checking their rear or the right flank. They had confidence that most in this situation could not afford. Which meant that they knew something would be there to protect them should they screw up. Demos hoped it was this sniper in the back and nothing else. --- --- Command Room Upsilon was quiet now that Valcourt had issued his orders. An active search was underway for X and Demos and Reverb had long since disappeared into the EEA without a trace. And now the remaining exosuits inside Containment were the only ones in contact. The Lieutenant-Colonel stood at attention at the Command Deck, overseeing various data streams. His attention turned from the screens when the entrance door slid open and a Hunter walked in. He stood a hair under six feet, with a compact frame housed in tactical combat gear. His hair was cut in a military flattop buzz, salt-and-pepper coloring, and clean-shaven. His aged face showed that if he was human, he would have been around sixty years old. He looked the serious type, his thick jaw set and eyes hard. These eyes, one shining blue and the other a brilliant Emerald green that looked remarkably viral. He approached Valcourt and gave a half-hearted salute. “Evening, Lieutenant-Colonel. I trust your search is producing results?” Valcourt curled his lip slightly, and made no direct response. “What do you want, [i]Commander?[/i]” The Hunter scoffed and squared his chest and crossed his arms. “Well, if you want to be like that…” he muttered. Speaking clearly, he continued; “I’m here on orders to assist your efforts.” “I do not require your help.” The Hunter sneered and lowered his arms, fists balled. “You misunderstand,” the Hunter growled. “Your Commander deemed it necessary.” Valcourt merely refocused his attention to the monitors. The Hunter rotated on his heels and stood directly in front of the Lieutenant-Colonel, sighing deeply. “Look here, worm. I’ve been working with the European Hunters longer than you’ve been breathing. And I was kicking ass way back when you were still a DNA molecule in your father’s nut sack. And when, by not only my orders but your own Commander’s orders, to take one of your issued Exosuits to handle a problem, and you give me shit for it, I am obligated to remove your liver and burn you alive,” the Hunter said loudly with a wry smile. “So hop to it, soldier.” Valcourt merely snarled even more and watched his men work. The Hunter turned away and started walking out the door, heading for the Outfitting Armory. “Whatever you say, Levia…” --- --- Demos inched further along the wall until he was literally feet away the exosuit. He lowered both of his arms and clawed his hands. Forcing energy outwards through his ports white crackling lightning radiated outward. The kinetic force stabilized in his palms into perfect orbs of unfiltered explosive force. There was a loud pop as his limits soared higher and the orbs grew to the size of a cabbage. It was stark bright now, and Demos was illuminated by his shining power, which attracted the attention of the sniper in the exosuit. The machine turned just in time for Demos to charge straight into the chest cavity, his left arm out. He slung the orb of pure energy forward, launching directly into the core of the mech. The thick steel buckled inwards, and burned cherry hot. Demos smiled evilly as he heard the primal screams of agony from the Emerald Militia within the Exosuit. The legs of the machine buckled and the torso collapsed to the ground on its back. The Elite Commander walked over to his fallen enemy, eyes glinting with malice. He stepped up on the bent plating and squatted down. Rearing his right arm back, hand flayed out, and roaring a fierce warcry slammed the energy sphere into the cockpit. The alabaster flash emitted outwards, a deafening blast blowing the sides of the exosuit out and literally vaporizing the interior. The acrid smoke billowed outwards thickly, covering the husk from immediate view. Demos leapt off the machine corpse and dashed forward into the field. He stopped some twenty yards away, seeing the large squad of exosuits advancing rapidly on his position. Demos ducked back down and forced his energy out of his right hand again, a long Dao sword shaping out of the blazing light and deep crackle. His left superheated for a split second and shifted, forming into the Fox-III Buster. He tossed his head back and inhaled… “NOW!!” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 [font=franklin gothic medium][color=#606060] [b]THE SEARCH[/b] Proteus had spent another hour hunting through piles of yellowed newspapers. Frustrated and having had little luck, he turned his attention to various office documents, many of which had either been partly incinerated by the missile strike or damaged by water as it ran down through the gaping holes in the building. Many of the papers were apparently of little importance; memos, procedural forms and diagrams seemed to make up the bulk of the paperwork. There were a few exceptions though; most notably a folder containing detailed information about Dr. Karman’s controversial cyborg research. Proteus scanned through several pieces of tattered paper and stored everything he read. He noted that Dr. Karman’s experiments had originally been centered around medical applications; stem-cell research was still a touchy area and Dr. Karman believed that authentic cybernetic implants were often better for sick or injured patients (in some cases she had firmly stated that synthetic organs were “stronger, better and longer-lasting” than their “unpredictable and frail” biological counterparts). This seemed logical to Proteus. At first he did not understand why the research had been regarded with such distain and suspicion; it seemed obvious that Dr. Karman was passionate about helping sick people, especially children. But as Proteus read through further documents he noticed that Dr. Karman’s research quickly became more invasive; the more the Angel Square board resisted her ideas, the further she pushed them, both in theory and in practical experiments. There were cases of palliative care patients in Angel Square dying several days earlier than expected; of those cadavers that were reserved for medical research, Dr. Karman’s department received some 90%. This not only seemed inordinate in and of itself, but other critical medical departments were deprived of much needed specimens (including, ironically, the stem cell research department – the very group which Dr. Karman accused of being slow and irrelevant). Somehow Dr. Karman managed to get away with it time and time again. She buried the board in paperwork and used her authority to approve various projects without their knowledge or consent. It wasn’t long, however, before her work became far too obvious to hide. Proteus read about a case of a child who had died of an undisclosed terminal illness (the illness was not in any records that he could find at any rate). Several days later, the boy had had a “miraculous” recovery with thanks to Dr. Karman’s cybernetic technology. The Angel Square board was privately furious but who could honestly attack Dr. Karman after such a result? For all intents and purposes, Dr. Karman and her team had managed to not only save a dying child…but quite literally bring him back from the dead. Over the following days and weeks, reporters and television cameras flooded Dr. Karman’s offices, eager to meet the “miracle child” and the doctor who made it all possible. Things began to unravel after several weeks when, late at night, an Angel Square orderly was doing her rounds in the recovery ward. The little boy who Dr. Karman’s team had miraculously healed had become aggressive; it was apparent that his many synthetic organs were not communicating properly with his brain. On that night the orderly was viciously attacked by the boy. The following morning, Dr. Karman’s cybernetics research had been indefinitely suspended. The question in Proteus’s mind was simple: where did he fit in to the equation? Dr. Karman had apparently invented ACM technology well before her cybernetics research began, yet there was no mention of any programs involving the creation of a finalized reploid. Proteus knew that there was something important missing here; there was a document or a folder containing the missing links he required to fill in the final piece of the puzzle. If he could learn more about his own creation, he might better understand the nature of the malfunctioning software in his mind. Given Dr. Karman’s precision and intelligence, it seemed unlikely that she would create software that was so obviously faulty – especially considering her hatred for the Maverick Hunters. If Proetus’s internal software was designed to motivate him to attack the Hunters, wouldn’t it stand to reason that Dr. Karman would have invested countless hours on developing and testing it? Wouldn’t she have made sure that everything functioned correctly? After all, she would have to assume that she had only one chance to infiltrate the organization. Proteus stood in the middle of the dilapidated office and looked around once more. It seemed unlikely that he would find more information here. The only place that seemed likely to have the information Proteus needed was Red Alert HQ itself. His experience last time was near-fatal; there was no way a single reploid could successfully infiltrate the facility, let alone snoop around undetected. What Proteus really needed were allies, but he considered that this was impossible given the present situation at Maverick Hunter HQ. It seemed to Proteus that as long as his internal software remained stable for the time being, the most pressing matter was that of Duke and the Maverick Hunter HQ. Proteus knew that his allies would need all the help they could get. So it was decided, he would head straight for the HQ. Perhaps, thought Proteus, there might be a way to at least quarantine the failing software from somewhere within the HQ. And for that matter, Proteus would at least be able to find (and take) a stock of ACM Cubes, which would increase his capabilities. Proteus hovered down to the lobby and walked out onto the street once more. It was dark overhead; Proteus had been inside Angel Square for several hours. Maverick Hunter HQ was due west of his current position but to get there in time, he’d need a vehicle.[/font][/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 [B]--- Environment Emulation Area, C Sector Maverick Hunter Headquarters 0214 hours ---[/B] Reverb sprung from the tall grass in which he lay. Two of the mechs were within arm's reach already, and he caught them from the flank. He grabbed the massive prog sword at his hilt and drew it from it's scabbard. Like a hot knife through soft butter the blade dismembered the smaller two of the suit's four arms. Unfortunately for the occupant of the mech, this meant the amputation of both arms. A burst of blood and other essential fuels erupted from the severed limbs, but the stream of black and crimson was quickly halted as the suit closed the gaping wounds with a metal plate that formed from a hazy cloud of grey smoke. Nanomachines, Reverb thought to himself. Usually, this is where the man would go down. He would scream in agony while the shock came to him, cut nerves all through his shoulders and spine firing constant signals of raw pain. Pain debilitating enough to drop a grown man to the floor and weep. Usually. But not this man. Once the gashes in the front of the suit were sealed, the mech retaliated. Rather than losing himself to shock or panic, the man was in a trance; a drug-induced rage incited with a near-lethal dose of morphine, adrenaline, steroids and powerful reflex and perception augmenting agents as well. Could Reverb have seen into the eyes of the pilot within the armoured shell of the mech, he would find the bloodshot eyes of a madman possessed with bloodlust akin to a berserker of old. The mech was deadlier now than when it got attacked. Being that it had only lost it's smaller secondary arms, it was still fully equipped with it's primary armaments. A three-barreled vulcan cannon integral in the suit's right forearm began to spool, making an unmistakable whirring that always signaled imminent destruction. Reverb gritted his teeth and swore, diving headlong into the tall grass. He dived into a roll and sprung to his feet, running as fast and as low as he could from the suit and it's rotary cannon. It lay down a heavy pelting of 50 caliber rounds into the thick field in the direction that Reverb had fled--But Reverb was already far from his previous position. As the mechs prepared to pursue, a message came across their radio. The squadron complied instantly. In a seemless transition of texture and colour, the mechs now sported ACU digital camouflage. Although they were large and cumbersome, they blended in with the surroundings far better than either of their reploid adversaries did. The two stealthy mechs behind Reverb hunched over and began their pursuit. [B]--- Upsilon Armoury, C Sector Maverick Hunter Headquarters 0216 hours ---[/B] Valcourt's mechanized suit shuddered as it powered up. Screens flashed and lights flickered as the holding arms retracted and the suit became fully operational. The Lieutenant-Colonel's suit looked the same as the rest of the platoon's, but there were subtle differences. It was taller, for one; if only by several inches. It's primary weapon was a pair of vulcan-cannons, each of them a six barreled monstrosity capable of laying out six-thousand 25mm rounds a minute. These were both mounted on the mech's oversized right arm, while the left arm was essentially a field howitzer. Bursts of steam and white light flared from the suit's exhaust vents as it's mobility engines came online. These mech suits, officially designated the ME40 Mechanized Exoskeleton, were planned for deployment with the few human battalions in the Maverick Hunter ranks. Duke had other ideas of course, assigning an elite team of his personal Emerald Militia to pilot the squadron, which numbered more than 25 of these high-tech exosuits. At full pace they could comfortably run at 60km/h, 70 at full tilt. And that was without activating the vector thrust jets; powerful boosters which could instantly dash the suit in any direction with acceleration comparable to a jet aircraft. A roaring blue flame exploded from the primary boosters on the back of the suit, sending it flying down the wide C-sector main accessway. Upsilon Armoury was only several hundred meters from the Environment Emulation Area via the accessway; a distance covered in a matter of seconds by the speeding mech. Valcourt eased off the throttle as he came to the turn-off to the EEA. He followed the vehicle access route, and came before a large metal door that lead into the staging area, which in turn lead to the battle room. The heavy-looking door split in two horizontally, one side sliding down into the floor and the other up into the ceiling. As soon as Valcourt had stepped through the opening, it closed swiftly behind him. "Valcourt, engaging." the Lieutenant-Colonel said softly into his headset. He was met with a chorus of "Acknowledged" from all the remaining mechs in the EEA. As one of the suits responded, his words were shattered by a scream of sheer agony that lasted only a second before being engulfed in grating static. Gritting his teeth, Valcourt ran into the long grass and thick fog that lay in the battle room beyond. [B]--- Environment Emulation Area, C Sector Maverick Hunter Headquarters 0218 hours ---[/B] Demos stood with a foot on the chest of the fallen mech, a stream of blood flowing from the gaping hole that went right through the armoured husk of the exoskeleton and through the chest of it's unfortunate pilot. The Hunter's energy sword still extended from his right buster into the wound. Any blood that splashed onto the crackling white blade spat and hissed as it disappeared in a puff of putrid crimson steam. Demos deactivated his sword and stepped off his dead opponent, only to come face to face with another mech--specifically, the one equipped with the air-burst charge weapon. Before Demos could even raise his buster in defense, the exosuit had dashed back three meters and aimed it's weapon. "Exo-3, encountering Demos!" the pilot screamed into his headset as he squeezed the trigger and fired the air-burst at the Maverick Hunter. The reploid braced himself, although to no avail. He was flung backwards as the compressed ball of air hit him, tossed like a ragdoll some thirty meters back and into a large rock. He hit it hard and flipped over, landing violently on his back. He groaned, and got to his feet quickly. Already, he could see the suit dashing towards him. As it lurched forwards, a rustling in the bushes next to the exoskeleton caught Demos' attention. A ball of electric blue fire pierced the fog, and reduced the right shoulder of the mech to molten slag. The right arm, carrying the heavy air-burst weapon shuddered and cracked as it became dislocated from it's damaged frame. With no shoulder and it's internal mechanics all but destroyed, the arm crashed to the ground, crippling the massive suit. From out of the thick pasture jumped Reverb, delivering a strong kick to the core of the machine which saw it stumble back, giving the Reploid enough room to draw his sword. His blade in hand, the Elite Hunter lunged at his enemy. The mech, however, counter-attacked with an ionized saw-blade; an ultra-high frequency vibrating weapon like Reverb's progressive sword. The two blades created an intense sonic harmony when they struck each other--so intense that when the blades collided, they manifested a deafening shockwave and were flung apart. This brief lapse in combat was interupted with a booming order from Demos. "Reverb, [i]move![/i]" Of course, Reverb couldn't help but look in his commander's direction. Demos held the severed arm of the mech and the air-burst weapon it wielded over his shoulder like a bazooka. Reverb's eyes widened in disbelief, and the reploid threw himself clear. The Exosuit turned to face the Hunter Commander, it's ionized saw blade still spinning and glowing with a white aura. Demos smirked and materialized the Fox-III buster in his free hand. He pointed the barrel of his buster across the barrel of the massive breeching weapon, and produced a small blue flame from his own weapon. "Burn, motherfucker." Demos whispered under his breath, and activated the air-burst. Just as he had planned, the compressed oxygen ignited fiercely as it passed the flame from the Fox-III. The massive, burning ball of air and fire hit the mech with unprecedented fury; melting the front armour, frying all it's circuitry and cooking the pilot within to a crisp. The mech stood blackened and withered, and quickly crumpled to the ground as it's charred and brittle legs snapped under it's own weight. Demos dumped the now depleted air-burst weapon on the floor, and flashed a devilish grin at Reverb. "Three down." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 [font=franklin gothic medium] [b]Danger in the North[/b] The events unfolding in Novus Concordia had preoccupied the Hunters who remained loyal to Signus. Even Duke himself was unaware of the danger to the north. Proteus?s escape from Japan had prompted Dr. Karman to step up her preparations. And, after the battle with Massacre in Xen, she now had only one cyborg at her service: Gunner. Gunner stood in the centre of a large, spartan office. It was a type of penthouse, sitting at the apex of a large pyramidal structure at the top of a long, winding mountain range. One side of the office was covered with glass so that one could see for miles into the distance ? the stormy ocean beyond seemed to stretch away forever. For his part, Gunner was much smaller in stature than Massacre. He was also arguably the more intelligent of the pair; in most cases Massacre acted as his backup ? especially when the pair were on a field mission. And, where Massacre?s internal structure was visible from the outside, Gunner more closely resembled a ?finished? robot. He was not, however, reminiscent of a reploid. In fact, Gunner looked quite different; on the surface he looked most like a replimaster, being that he had a very ?droid-like? appearance. It was almost as though he were a small tank on legs, with a design very utilitarian in nature. Gunner was silent as he watched his master. She stood against the glass wall and contemplated the view quietly. When she turned around, she sat in a large leather office chair behind an elaborate wooden desk. Under this light, her mask was highly visible ? every detail was apparent. Dr. Karman?s mask most resembled the face paint of a Geisha with its glossy white surface. The mask covered her face entirely but it also stretched down over her neck and chest. It was as though Dr. Karman herself were some kind of machine ? she looked almost like a plastic Geisha. Unlike a Geisha, however, the mask?s lips were drawn thin with black lipstick. The eyes were narrow and cold; one could not clearly see her real eyes behind the blackened gaps. The intention, clearly, was to cover her skin entirely. And that theme extended to her hands, which were masked with dull black leather gloves. Her long black hair was tied back with two thin red chopsticks and she wore a long, elegant, tailored suit. The overall look was one that would invoke a mixture of emotions in any viewer; Dr. Karman?s costume was undoubtedly beautiful and elegant in its own way. On the other hand, it was eerie?she [i]almost[/i] looked like a very unique reploid, but she wasn?t a machine; nor was she entirely human. Dr. Karman?s voice also sounded slightly odd when she spoke; her voice was calm, clinical ? undoubtedly rational ? but was nonetheless muffled ever so slightly by her mask. It further contributed to the impression that she was something other than human. ?I am disappointed by the loss of Masscacre,? began Dr. Karman quietly (at this, Gunner lowered his head), ?but it is apparent that he was useless anyway. If only a handful of reploids can kill him, he would be of no consequence in a real war.? Gunner nodded. ?Any war with the Maverick Hunters will be difficult though, doctor. We will need to outnumber them many times over.? Although he could not see it, Gunner was almost certain that Dr. Karman was smiling under her expressionless mask. ?There was a time when I thought that,? she muttered. ?Things have changed. The best opportunity you can have against an enemy is when that enemy is internally divided. Under such circumstances, we no longer need to delay our effort by months; we can prepare for action in [i]weeks[/i].? Gunner looked up once more, surprised. ?How can this be so? How do you know about these divisions, doctor?? Dr. Karman stood up and began pacing back and forth by the glass wall. ?The key to this war is information, not brute force,? she said. ?Information is what will deliver victory. If the enemy is confused and divided, yet we are well-informed and single-minded in purpose, who do you think will win? We will have an unquestionable advantage over the Hunters. And, in truth, we have had that advantage for a long time now. It is simply luck ? or perhaps fate ? that Duke came along.? As if anticipating Gunner?s next question, Dr. Karman continued. ?We do not yet know who Duke really is, but he has taken over from Signas. Based on the information we have, I would say that it wasn?t a peaceful handover. Instead of falling in line, though, several Elite Hunters have rebelled. As we speak there is a battle unfolding within the Headquarters itself. This rebellion is just what we need; how can the Hunters fight as a cohesive force when they are battling one another?? Gunner considered this for a moment. ?Yes, doctor, that makes sense. How did we acquire this information though? I didn?t think it was possible to get a spy anywhere near the MHHQ.? For the first time, Gunner heard Dr. Karman chuckle to herself quietly. ?Actually, we have had a spy in their organisation for quite some time.? It suddenly dawned on Gunner. ?Proteus? But I thought his software malfunctioned. I thought we could never control him.? Dr. Karman nodded vigorously. ?Yes, that is true. However, it was never my intention to control him; Proteus [i]thinks[/i] the dormant software in his mind is malfunctioning. It is not. Every time he experiences a certain strange memory or an odd vision or sound, he is actually unwittingly uploading data. We receive regular data uploads to our central server without him even knowing. The software in his mind has nothing to do with controlling his actions and [i]everything[/i] to do with monitoring what he sees and hears. In short, Proteus?s Operating System contains our very own brand of embedded spyware?? ?But if Proteus realises the software is there,? said Gunner slowly as he played out his thoughts, ?what if he removes it?? Dr. Karman turned to Gunner and raised a gloved hand as if to stop him in his tracks. ?Impossible. The software is embedded directly in his OS. The only way to remove it would be to format the OS ? but this would be far too risky. There is only one time when a reploid?s OS is formatted and that is when they are processed for decommissioning. Even if Proteus could somehow manage a clean format, we have all the information we need to stage our attack. Any further information will simply be additionally useful.? Gunner nodded. He understood now. Everything had worked out according to plan ? perhaps even better than Dr. Karman herself had planned. ?Why did you summon me, doctor?? Dr. Karman walked around her desk and drew closer to Gunner. ?It is time to begin assembling our forces. I want you to personally prepare all hangers. And we need to make sure that all of the launch vehicles are ready. Also?I am promoting you. You are now General Gunner. Before you examine the vehicles and troops, you should head to the Armory; we have prepared several physical upgrades for you.? Gunner grinned broadly, bowed deeply and exited the room. The lights dimmed as Dr. Karman sat alone in her office. She was grinning under her glossy mask. ?My time is finally coming,? she muttered to herself. [b]Unexpected Arrival[/b] Proteus cruised along the Eastern Highway in the deep blue hover car. Ironically it was a very similar color to his armor. On the way back to Hunter HQ Proteus had paid a second visit to Zero?s friend who had reluctantly lent him a second vehicle. Proteus had never driven a car before and it seemed completely alien in comparison to the [i]Impact[/i]. And for the first time ever Proteus was able to listen to Novus Concordia radio. He had been listening to the chart toppers for the last thirty minutes but this was finally interrupted by a news report. It was a regular news report and didn?t seem unusual at first, except for one note toward the end: [i]?And in other news, Maverick Hunter Headquarters has temporarily closed its doors to all civilian contractors. The newly appointed head of the organisation ? known only as ?Duke? ? cited non-specific security concerns as his reasoning. Maverick Hunter Headquarters is due to take part in a roundtable meeting of UN officials next week, although it is unknown whether ?Duke? will attend personally or whether he will send a representative. Reports have been surfacing recently of growing UN concern over the management and internal security of the Headquarters??[/i] It was interesting, thought Proteus, that Duke was one topic of national news. Yet it was painfully obvious that the outside world didn?t truly know ? or care ? about the internal politics at Hunter HQ. General politics would not be a concern, of course, but there was quite literally a battle waging inside the complex right now and nobody was aware of it. In fact, it was probably true that many of the civilian residents of the HQ wouldn?t know what was happening either, especially if the battle was taking place in the central district (the highest-security area within the HQ, with the central tower and all of the management facilities ? including the Commander?s quarters). Just as Proteus was in the midst of thought, he saw an incredibly strange sight: there, on the side of the highway ahead, was a man who looked remarkably like Dr. Inoue. Proteus zoomed his view through his adjustable irises and confirmed without a doubt that it [i]was[/i] in fact, Dr. Inoue! He was holding up a large sign with the words ?DIODE CENTER? painted on it in large, red letters. The Diode Center was a building Proteus had seen several times before. It was a large glass building across the street from the HQ?s eastern entrance. Proteus slowed the car and stopped just in front of Dr. Inoue. He lowered the window and peered out. ?Need a ride, doctor?? [b]Maverick Hunter Headquarters[/b] The journey along the Eastern Highway was largely pleasurable. Proteus had been in such a serene environment for a long time. As he drove he passed commuters and holidaymakers rather than the usual assortment of military vehicles or ALED hover cars. Dr. Inoue had been somewhat quiet for the first few minutes of the trip but Proteus could not resist asking questions. ?Why are you in the city, doctor? I thought you had been exiled.? Dr. Inoue smiled to himself and turned to Proteus. ?When you and your team mates came to Xen, I could see that your situation was desperate. And Iota?even if you got her back to the Headquarters, I doubt any of you will be able to help her. You will need a doctor with the appropriate training.? Dr. Inoue glanced over his shoulder and back at Proteus. ?Speaking of which, where is Iota?? ?She isn?t with me,? said Proteus, ?she is with Warlock and Zero. I had an errand to run; I told them to go ahead.? ?Must have been quite an errand,? said Dr. Inoue with a smirk. Proteus nodded and stared ahead at the road, his expression serious and emotionless. ?Yes, it was necessary. I needed answers.? ?Did you find them?? There was a pause. ?No, not really. I learned more but?it was personal. I couldn?t find the information I needed to solve my problem.? And then everything flooded out of Proteus. He spoke of Angel Square and the files he?d found. He talked about the newspapers and the second missile strike?and the malfunctioning software. Dr. Inoue seemed to consider this new information for quite a while before speaking. ?I knew Lucia,? he said finally. He seemed to be looking at his knees, as though it were a painful memory. ?We actually worked together for a time. I think it was about six months in total; our fields brought us together. I dealt entirely with robotics but she had studied and pioneered in multiple disciplines.? Proteus was amazed. He knew that Dr. Inoue had been a successful scientist but he had no idea that he had worked with the likes of Dr. Karman. This was his chance to find out more about her history. ?What was she like back then? Was she very different before the missile attack?? Dr. Inoue looked out the window at the passing buildings. ?Oh yes, very different. She was the most kind-hearted person I had ever met. We developed quite a strong friendship as well as a professional relationship. But the truth was that she was far more skilled than I. Her knowledge, her research?she actually invented several entire branches of scientific study. In my entire career I have only known one other doctor with such a pedigree: William Light.? ?Did you have anything to do with Dr. Light?? asked Proteus. Dr. Inoue shook his head. ?Not really. He was in another league and he was involved in projects far removed from my own. Not to mention that even when Dr. Karman began working with him, he was already largely retired; she worked with him in Angel Square, which was after the vast majority of his career. Lucia and I are much younger than William Light would be if he were alive today.? For a moment Dr. Inoue paused again, as if considering what he had just said. Proteus was fascinated; he didn?t realize how small the elite research community in Novus Concordia had really been. ?The software in your mind,? said Dr. Inoue slowly, as if deliberately changing subject, ?is unlikely to be malfunctioning.? ?I thought it was intended to control me ? to make me a mindless weapon against the Hunters,? said Proteus. Dr. Inoue shook his head. ?No, I don?t think so. I knew Lucia?if she designed that software, I doubt it would malfunction, especially considering the high success of the rest of her engineering efforts. You function flawlessly, Proteus. You are the only reploid of your kind. Has your ACM ever failed?? ?No,? said Proteus honestly. ?Right. ACM is the most complex reploid technology ever designed, Proteus. And you are the first commercial model reploid to feature it. If you?ve had no errors whatsoever with this feature, do you really think a simple piece of software ? especially one so critical ? would fail?? ?No I don?t,? said Proteus, ?but if that is true, what could the purpose of the flashbacks be? I see images and hear strange sounds...I don?t know what the software is doing. I am worried that something horrible will happen.? Dr. Inoue smiled warmly. ?I will make sure nothing happens, Proteus. But we do need to find out the nature of that software. The Hunter HQ will have all the tools we need to do that?as I said earlier, this is why I came to the city. I wanted to help you. And that includes dealing with your software problem. Sorting these issues out will not be difficult with the HQ?s advanced diagnostics tools. The more pressing question is how we?ll be able to access them in the midst of heightened security.? ?Let me worry about security,? said Proteus as he guided the car down the last stretch of highway. [/font] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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