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Post by StellarWind Elsydeon on Feb 7, 2011 16:18:55 GMT -5
It was not a dark and stormy night.
It was certainly night, but the skies were clear and the radiance of the full moon filtering through the reinforced glass of the windows into the exhibit hall made it reasonably light - especially when compounded with the faint glow of the city lights and the vague illumination of the few lit overhead lights refracting against the marble arches of the ceiling. Dark and stormy nights always made horrendous settings for anything, anyway.
Along the walls of the chamber, nestled between the pillars supporting the ceiling, were alcoves containing display cabinets of equally-reinforced glass - their contents telling the story of a civilization long gone, buried underneath the ash of a volcanic eruption and recently unearthed by an archaeological expedition to the island that this civilization once called home. Segments of mosaic, works of pottery, weapons and coins in various stages of restoration lined the walls, silently speaking of the lives of their owners before the cataclysm that wiped them out without a trace.
But were we to turn our eyes away from these relics and to the very center of the chamber we would have noticed - within a large cylinder of glass - something that seemed not to, on the whole, belong. To the untrained observer it would have seemed to be some esoteric work of art, a monument, possibly an idol - taller and wider than the average human being. One might have even come to the conclusion that the civilization in question created it as an object of worship.
A more informed observer, however, would probably recognize the dissimilarities between the aesthetic style of the civilization's creations as displayed in the cabinets and this monument. They would probably comment on the way the thing's surface glistened in a way that no material they have seen before does - strange, rippled refractions which brought to mind images of flesh and metal. They would comment on how its form brought to mind something between a cephalopod and a plant - encased in a mantle of sharp-looking petals, twisting at its peak. They would probably comment on the way it appeared nearly seamless. No humans could craft such a thing. The same trained observers could tell you that they have no idea what this thing is, but whatever tests they ran on it when they found it suggested it would be harmless enough to display it.
(And of course, there would always be the observers who think they are informed, and proceed to blurt some meaningless phrase like, say, 'Chtulhu Fhtagn Cheezburger'. They were the worst of the lot, but hey, it got the occult-freaks into the museum, and any paying customer is a good one.)
It's been several months since this particular exhibit opened for public viewing, and seeing that nothing in particular happened through all this time, the powers that be at the museum were under the impression that nothing in particular will continue to happen and that there was no particular reason for heightened alarm. The security cameras swiveled silently in the corners of the room. The nightwatchmen silently made their rounds through the chambers, the light-beams of their flashlights occasionally illuminating dark corners. Just another night past closing time.
Or so it would have been.
From within the overlapping 'petals', a faint glow suddenly emerged - one that seemed to emphasize their edges. Softly, veins of greenish-blue light spread through the mantle in a pattern that evoked the branching out of blood vessels - or perhaps nerve cells - and circuitry. Something about the monument's outer surface seemed to lose its rigidity, as if the tense muscles of a great beast were relaxing as life returned to its bones. The petals slowly seemed to unravel, revealing a layer of tendrils sporting leaf-like appendages, pulsing with an eerily organic beat as they seemed to draw energy from the light emitted by the fallen mantle.
The vein-patterns continued to spread, consuming the mantle in its entirety, its glowing mass slowly disintegrating as it appeared to be absorbed into the roots of the tendril mass. Soon, the vein-pattern spread upwards, from the roots of the tendrils to their tips - first on the surface tendrils, but slowly towards the ones reaching into the depths of the mass - where something was connected to them, being nourished, revived after a long slumber.
One by one, the surface tendrils went the way of the mantle, slowly revealing the pod's contents - A vaguely humanoid figure, approximately 1.8 meters tall, possibly slightly taller - in what appeared to be an encounter suit, the deeper tendrils connected seamlessly to various key points on its mottled, organo-metallic dark green surface - a surface possessing a similar refraction pattern to the pod that protected it.
The thing had an elongated convex head with four segmented tentacle-mandible appendages extending from modules on its side. The head was connected to a body possessing two powerful-looking clawed digitigrade legs through a neck somewhat longer than a human's, an array of overlapping plates running along its back from the base of the head to the tip of its longish, flexible-looking tail. The underside of the thing's neck and the joints areas of its limbs appeared to be covered by a layer of dark, vaguely pleated bio-polymer - offering what would seem to be increased flexibility. As the deeper tendrils began pulsing to life, there was a stir in the encounter suit. Slowly, the plates running along its back began moving up and down, revealing their connection to each other via an odd membrane - almost as if the suit was breathing. Perhaps that was exactly what it was doing.
Soon the deeper tendrils broke down as well, absorbing themselves into the suit. A change overtook its skin as it appeared to relax a little from its tensed state, allowing the mottled patterns on its surface to occasionally change. On various plates, several bio-luminescent nodes were exposed, emitting faint patterns of light. The final tendrils to break down were those attached to the thing's arms on their upper segments as well as the palms of their five-fingered hands.
There was a moment of complete silence.
Then - in a quick motion similar to a camera shutter - a round-lensed orifice at the front end of the thing's head snapped open, emitting bright azure light. The orifice opened and closed several times - as if the creature was blinking - before settling down on a semi-open configuration - more open than closed. Whatever the thing was, it was awake.
Tilting its head to the sides, the creature reached a hand forward experimentally, its motion impeded - as it found out - by a thick barrier of reinforced glass. Turning in place, it felt the barrier stretch all around it. This will not do.
The shutter opened a little more, the color of emitted light changing as the frequency of the creature's sight adjusted, analyzing its structure - searching at first for impurities - points of weakness - and then for something else - the glass' frequency.
There.
It happened in a snap - the backplates opened to their maximum possible width, and a deafeningly-loud single tone sounded. The glass cylinder shattered from the inside, raining shards all across the room.
The plates closed again. The sound faded.
The alarms sounded milliseconds later, startling the armored being - in its newly re-awakened state, it had little more than instinct guiding it - and its instincts told it to leave this place as soon as it possibly could.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Feb 7, 2011 16:26:35 GMT -5
Bzz... Bzz... Bzz...
Bzz... Bzz... Bzz...
Bzz... Bzz... Bzz...
Felix groaned and rolled over. Something very squishy squirmed underneath him, then a very bony something jabbed him in the ribs, making him roll right back where he came from. No matter where he moved, there was something partially soft and partially painful to land on, and that irritating buzzing still hadn't stopped. There was no doubt that it was his phone, but opening his eyes meant a world of pain for his head, so he was in no hurry to do that. A stray limb draped itself across his midriff, the owner snoring softly somewhere to his right. He furrowed his brow, and started kneading his forehead with his knuckles to try to reduce the impending headache. Something to his left fidgeted, another person probably trying to get comfy in this mess. The buzzing still hadn't stopped.
A voice somewhere around him mumbled, "Answer yer goddamn phone..." before being replaced by snores.
Felix groaned again, and finally wrenched himself free of the mass of flesh and limbs surrounding him. He took a second to brace himself before finally opening his eyes. A solid wall of pain centred in his brain as the effects of the hangover kicked in. No sickness, this time, thank Christ. Just a massive headache. A bit like a series of bombs going off in his head. He groped, partially blindly, for the edge of the bed. His jeans were on the floor somewhere. First pair, pale grey. Definitely not his. Second pair, black, too many pockets. He fished around in the pockets for a few items. The first thing he produced was a joint, the second a lighter. Before continuing the hunt for his phone, he lit the joint and inhaled deeply. Finally, he produced his phone. Flipping it open answered it automatically.
"What now?" he mumbled, closing his eyes again for a moment and listening. It was Samm's voice.
"You know that pod?"
"Which one?"
"The one in the museum."
"Samm, we're watching at least ten fuckin' things that could be called 'a fuckin' pod in a museum'."
"The one that's probably alien being held in Winstone Museum, Advancements of Civilisation Exhibit?"
"Right, that fuckin' pod," Felix mumbled, taking another drag. "What about it?"
"It's active, whatever's inside it is out and it's loose."
"And why the fuck are you tellin' me?" Felix asked, knowing exactly where this was going.
"I'm busy. They're assigning you, because you're the only person free right now."
"What the fuck is more important than a fuckin' pod goin' renegade?"
"More than I can share without getting bored. They're teleporting you to the location in five, hangover cure supplied."
"Thank fuckin' Christ for that," Felix grumbled, hanging up. It'd take five minutes just to extract himself from the numerous naked bodies around and on top of him. He rolled the random guy from off of his legs not exactly gracefully, and dragged himself over the woman whose arm was now across his legs. He was suddenly grateful for whoever owned the bigger-than-kingsize-bed everyone had crashed on, because he was in no mood to fight his way out from the bottom of a dogpile. He pulled on his clothes quickly, just in time for his body to dematerialise.
"Urgh... where's my fuckin' hangover cure?" Felix complained, as his body was reconstructed in a very different location. On the floor next to him, on a plate, was a glass of water and a tablet. He recognised it immediately. It was one of the tablets Samm always carried around. A 'perfect synthesis of magical and chemical products to restore the body to fit, healthy state' or something. Felix didn't care, he just swallowed the pill and downed the water.
He waited five minutes, checking the time on his phone and smoking himself into a grave out of boredom. Suddenly, he felt miraculously better. It was then that he checked his surroundings. A secluded corner was the first thing to grab him. He was stood where an exhibit should be, except it wasn't due to perception filters. It wasn't that people couldn't see it, it was just that they didn't want to. The perception filters forced any bystanders to ignore that there was nothing in the space. It went by completely ignored. From this space, he could see the thing in the pod.
"I'm dealin' with some sort of fuckin' biomech demon," Felix muttered to himself, checking his equipment. It had, thankfully, been teleported with him. After a minute, he was fully decked out in all his standard gear. Luckily for him, the perception filter extended to the ceiling. He pointed his fist to the sky, and pressed one of the six buttons on his band. Instantly, a dart, attached to a wire, fired out and planted itself in the roof. He didn't need to push the button again. After three seconds, it pulled him up to the ceiling, where he stood on one of the ceiling support beams. He adjusted the visor covering his right eye, twirling the dial until it registered as heat sensitive. Observe before confrontation. He needed to know the creature's weaknesses before he engaged it.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Feb 7, 2011 16:30:53 GMT -5
NAIC: Oh my god. It is the reemergence.
OF THE CURATOR
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Post by StellarWind Elsydeon on Mar 1, 2011 6:11:39 GMT -5
Yes, escape. But where? The armored being scanned its surroundings in search of potential escape routes. The most promising path seemed to be through that other glassy construct, the window. It was large enough to fit through, and he could find its frequency quickly enough to shatter it as well...
A shout broke its temporary concentration, causing the creature to spin in its tracks and process this new threat: A pair of the local lifeforms, bipedal organisms clad in nearly-identical clothes. Probably summoned forth by the alarm klaxons. - a thought confirmed as analysis of the writing on the armbands they wore indicated they were Security. Judging by the items they held - which the armored being took to be a weapon of some sort, they were primarily concerned with their own security, as opposed to its.
While the first security guard's yell was more of a "Hey!" and came from before the two even entered the hall, the second's response was a different. He could sense surprise, confusion, even some dread, from the other guard - an inexperienced young hunter, tackling large prey they've never seen before and wary of it.
Rather, the guard's response was more to the line of "What the hell IS this thing?!"
"Whatever it is, it ain't natural," the second guard muttered - he was an older specimen, more battle-hardened, possibly higher in rank in its pack. Even in its instinctual frenzy, the armored being was analyzing the situation, attempting to formulate a battle plan. It was part of its training.
Wait, was that another heat signature it sensed for a second? This one was different. Muffled. He could sense it at the corner of its field of vision, but when it turned its sensors to it, there was nothing particularly remarkable about that spot. It stared directly into the spot, trying other frequencies. Same response every time. Vague muffled silhouette for a fraction of a second, then it dissolved into nothingness.
There was something there. There had to be.
A vocal cue caught its attention - the security guards were on the move - slowly in its direction.
"Alright, ya freak, ya put your hands right up there in the air and don't make any sudden moves. Would be best if you just surrender what you tried to steal and stand down peacefully, 'cause these here are real guns and they shoot real bullets, and I don't know what you are but I think that I can find something vital to put a hole in if you make any false moves," the older one muttered. The armored being analyzed the two guards as they approached.
"You think it speaks English?" the younger one said, his fingers tightening their grip on the weapon he wielded.
"It's standin' there like a deer in headlights, Junior. I don't think it even realizes we're here. Whatevs, though. Makes our job easier. We're as good as we've got the sunnovabitch."
Steady...
"I don't know, I've never seen anything like it, maybe it wants to eat our brains or something!" the younger guard said.
"Relax, Junior, we've got the guns. What's the worst that could- AAAAAARGH!"
They moved too close. The being couldn't allow them to do that. From a pair of grooves between the overlapping back-plates and the rest of the armor, a pair of long tendrils whipped out, jabbing themselves into the backs of the two guards - who collapsed like a sack of potatoes as thin, blue-glowing metallic wires - like vines - seemed to sprout from the point of impact, binding them. The vines were merely a formality - the main effect was the paralysis coursing through the guards' bodies, a result of the tendril's tips injecting them with a culture of nanomachines simulating a temporary inhibitory effect on their motor neurons. For a little while, they would have no control over their musculoskeletal system. Then they would be fine again, assuming they can release themselves from the bindings.
That was another part of its training. Avoid, if forced into conflict, incapacitate. Only failing that, kill. With extreme prejudice.
The tendrils retracted almost immediately. The guards underestimated it at their own peril - but the armored being had a feeling that more would come where those came from. It had to find an escape route... And do so being relatively undetected. There was a brief blur of adaptation as the texture and color of the creature's armor changed. Soon enough, it was nearly undetectable - there was a very vague motion blur as it moved and adapted, but for the most part, it was invisible. Active Camouflage.
Never mind the window. It would create too much of a commotion. Plus, with the other thing that was possibly watching, if that was not a sensor glitch, there might have been more danger in that path.
The armored being headed towards the corridor the security guards came from, seeking out an exit of some sort. This building was not going to keep it inside for much longer.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Mar 5, 2011 16:11:16 GMT -5
The air on the roof of the museum was calm and still, perfectly silent. It was a fairly even temperature too, not too warm that it caused sweating and not too cold that it caused shivering. The perfect temperature. The roof itself had few interesting traits. Aside from the numerous security systems surveying the area, there were a number of windows to allow light to the gallery below. Naturally, all of these windows had alarms on them, triggered when they were opened without authorisation. Antonio let out a small chuckle. The Winstone Museum was home to some of the rarest and most valuable treasures known to man. Of course, every attempt to steal any of the displays had ended in failure. The security was too advanced. However, every attempt had also been missing one key component. All of the would-be thieves to have attempted before all had something in common. It was simple, really. The would-be thieves were not Antonio. And that was precisely why they had failed. The boy in question was standing on the roof. In his usual, formal attire and butterfly mask, he examined the window before him. For all their security systems inside, the windows were surprisingly lax. The alarms only triggered if the window itself was opened, and each window was on a separate sensor to the others. He slipped the ace of diamonds from the card holster at his belt and neatly pushed it into a gap in the window's frame. The card released an electrical signal that both disabled the sensor for thirty seconds and unlocked the window itself. He slid the ace back into the deck and pulled out the two of diamonds. Tapping it twice released its magic. In this case, it was a containment for a wire and grip. The boy attached it to the open window and held the grip firmly. With that, he dropped through the window. His feet touched the ground soundlessly. Two silent taps, and the cord retracted back into the two of diamonds, where it was shuffled back into Antonio's deck. A quick scan of the area told Antonio that he was not far from his destination. Currently in the "Ancient Civilisation" entrance, while he needed to be another exhibit away to find his true prize. The museum was barely a challenge at this point. This particular item, though, had been moved from its original location. An eccentric, possibly senile old rich man who prided himself on security. The paranoia of some people. His honor would not let him leave without the prize, even when the man had died and the item moved to the museum. Its monetary value alone was worth the boredom of breaking into this particular museum. The boy slipped another card out of his deck, this time the three of diamonds. He tapped this one twice, too. Instantly, it emitted a strange pale mist that lingered through the adjacent corridor. The diamond cards contained all the tools of his trade. Each one was designed for theft. Of course they were, he had given specific instructions when they had been enchanted. This mist revealed the laser trip-wires. Laughable. All of them formed a criss-cross pattern barely an inch above the floor. Pathetic. Laughable. Indeed, Antonio would have laughed had he not been on a stealth mission. Making a mental note to laugh about it later, he stepped carefully over each laser. Halfway down the corridor, red lights flashed up, followed rapidly by an alarm klaxon. Frowning, Antonio judged where he was stepping. It was not through the laser. He knew the museum well enough to know that there were no extra security systems in play here. Clearly, someone else had triggered the alarm. Antonio focused briefly, casting an illusion over himself. Invisible to the naked eye and most cameras. The only thing a camera would see would be parts of the lasers vanish as he passed them. He would not show up on camera. By the time anyone realised, he would be long gone. With this in mind, he continued down the corridor. This is part 1 of 2. Part 2 will be posted when i finish writing it
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Sem
Adventurer
<.<
Posts: 96
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Post by Sem on Mar 10, 2011 17:22:19 GMT -5
Introducing a new character which has until recently only been part of my Pokemon universe. I have created an alternate version of her for regular RP though <3 The sewers weren’t the most glamorous place to be in, but sometimes a girl had to do what a girl had to do. Lysis Fox navigated the mazes beneath Winstone, moving as swiftly and silently as a shadow. She was currently decked out in a catsuit. It wasn’t the black, shiny leather, kinky kind of catsuit, no - it was military issue. It was coal-grey and covered her body from neck to ankle. The material hugged her body like one would expect a catsuit to, but it was also functional body armor, with even an extra layer over the torso that could stop a bullet. Not that Lysis expected to get shot, no, that would never happen. The suit was merely for function, as it allowed her to be without restriction in a high security environment. On her feet were a pair of black leather boots that went halfway up her shins. The boots were high quality, and had a tiny two-inch heel. Over the suit the young woman wore a black trench that went down to her knees. Her long black hair was worn up in a ponytail so as not to get in the way, and a pair of shades covered her eyes. The shades seemed to be of the latest trend and popular brand, but they were more than they seemed. They were multifunctional, and had several useful features, such as the night-vision feature she was currently using. Her goal for the evening was to have a little excitement. She had been contracted for the theft of a particular item in one of the Winstone Museum’s displays. She was being offered quite a lot, almost as much as the item itself was expected to be worth, which tempted her to just sell it to another buyer for more money. No, she couldn’t do that. She had a reputation to keep, and the money wasn’t as important anyway. She had plenty and wasn’t in dire need of any more. What she wanted was simply a thrill and a challenge. The museum had a notorious reputation for being thief-proof. Of course, the museum had never met her before. Miss Fox took a right, walking briskly down a long corridor that ended abruptly. The ceiling was a bit higher at the end of the corridor. Lysis looked up with a grin, pulling out a small pen-like device from within her coat. She had scoped out the area several times. Visiting the museum several times during the past few days and getting the layout, as well as where the security systems were. Right now she was directly below the Prehistoric exhibit, which was one exhibit away from where she needed to be. Activating the pen, a red laser shot up to the ceiling, cutting through it. Lysis moved the laser around, creating a perfect circle. Summoning telekinetic energy into her arms, she held them both up and caught the falling slab of concrete, setting it down gently on the ground. A dim light poured through the hole, and Lysis switched off her night-vision. Putting the pen back she looked up at the hole and smirked. She ran at the wall and jumped off of it, launching herself to the other wall opposite her. Landing on it with her feet, she kicked off of it and grabbed the rim of the hole she had created. An instant later she flipped herself up through the hole and she landed in a crouch. She would’ve let out a satisfied purr or something, but this mission required every precaution. Giving a thumbs-up to the tyrannosaurus rex behind her, she switched the setting on her glasses again. Looking around she saw a myriad of red beams, which would react to the slightest touch and set off the alarms. She walked out into the center of the exhibit. Overhead she saw a camera swiveling towards her direction. The hole had been created in a small blind spot, which was very convenient, almost as if they had built it that way for her to break in. In an instant she activated the suit’s camouflage, which caused her entire body to flicker out of sight. Now invisible to the cameras and any eyes that could be watching, she made her way to the exit that would lead her into the corridor. Breaking into a sprint, she flew towards the bed of red beams that lay before her. Her first step was made between two of the crisscrossing beams, and then she jumped to the side, stepping into another gap. She then flipped towards the wall and launched herself again, flipping and touching down with a single hand in yet another gap. This rhythm continued for a moment as she got through the trip-beams and out into the corridor. Very suddenly the alarms began to whine and red lights flashed from various locations. ”What?” she thought quickly to herself. She knew she hadn’t set off anything. Someone else was here. ”Tch, amateurs, just my luck,” she thought to herself. If she needed to she could teleport out of the museum completely. Why didn’t she teleport to get inside? Well it wasn’t very challenging. She decided that while security was distracted she could quietly nab her prize. Lysis continued down the hall and entered the exhibit which contained the object of her desire.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Jun 7, 2011 15:21:29 GMT -5
Felix shifted around the rafters of the building, headpiece firmly in place. He zoomed in on the creature as it moved its gaze to where he had been barely a minute ago. As far as he could tell, it was staring at the spot. There was no way it could see through the perception filter, no one ever did. Granted, everyone else was human and probably not interested in a random alcove that nobody seemed to pay any attention to. This thing was... advanced. More advanced than he had wagered.
"Fuckin' things," Felix muttered to himself, as the creature vanished from one of his eyes. The visor covering his right eye could still see it, but... blurred. Skewed. He couldn't make out details. It took off, moving more cautiously than Felix was expecting. It was intelligent.
The black-clad man shot a piston across the corridor and began pursuit, extending a mouthpiece down from his headset. He punched the button on the side, waiting to be connected.
"This fuckin' pod," he said quietly, landing smoothly a small distance in front of the creature. He pulled out a joint and lit it before continuing. "It's fuckin' deadly what was inside. Knocked out two fuckin' guards no problem, it's got active fuckin' camo and it's fuckin' intelligent. Send in Experiment One."
"Experiment One?" Samm's voice came back. Obviously he had completed his mission already and was manning the support station. "We have no means of controlling it currently."
"I know, Peacock," Felix replied, firing another piston dart. "But it don't feel no pain, and it can't be fuckin' paralyzed. It can fuckin' stall this pod monster 'til we can contain it again."
"Affirmative, I'll track your progress and teleport Experiment One in when the transporter is active."
~*~*~
Antonio stopped at a corner and cautiously poked his head round, ensuring no guards were nearby. Luckily, the coast was clear. Even if they could not see him, there was every chance one of the blundering fools might bump into him and cause an awkward moment for everyone involved. He stepped neatly onto the adjoining corridor and strode calmly forward. Rushing lead to mistakes, and mistakes lead to leaving without the prize.
From his last excursion into the museum, he knew this corridor was protected by nothing but a few security cameras. There were no exhibits here, and hence the security was somewhat lax. He walked down with ease, the klaxons still sounding. Whatever threat that had struck had clearly not been contained. Amateurs. The faint sound of electricity crackling filled the air, but he paid it no notice. If he had to guess, it was at least three exhibits away. Even so, he slipped the six of hearts from his deck and held it loosely. Over-cautious was better than in prison or dead.
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Post by StellarWind Elsydeon on Sept 4, 2011 5:33:14 GMT -5
So there was something over there - another pursuer - though by the looks of that one, it had no relation to one of those security individuals - though they probably had similar intentions as far as it was concerned. Like the security individuals, this person clearly had the advantage of knowing his way around the structure better than the armored being did - after all, he managed to get ahead of it when their point of origin was similar. This person, though, was reliant on more than his eyes - clearly, some manner of technology allowed him to detect it even under camouflage. His weapon - or what seemed to be a weapon - was a huge unknown as well. It managed to dodge its projectiles so far, but it could not tell what effect would the projectiles tell if impact was made. And what with the way it could barely detect him in the room he escaped from...
The being reasoned that this pursuer was not to be taken lightly. He could actually be a threat. Engaging him without knowing more about it would be folly. It would find a different way.
But how? This pursuer was directly in its path - it was either going back or confronting it. Thinking clearly was difficult. It had to find a place it could regain full control. Somewhere it could understand...
Another piston dart whistling by reminded it that this was no time for hesitation. it would have to make its own exit. A few frequency scans indicated there was a room above it. It would have to do.
The armored being extended its tendrils again, lashing them up to pierce the ceiling, a culture of corrosive nanobiomachines burning a hole in the ceiling above it. With a bound of its powerful, clawed legs, the being launched itself up, embedding its tendrils in the floor above and hoisting itself up, landing in a crouch. Proceeding to retract the tendrils, the being made a dash towards another corridor, active camouflage masking its motions.
Suddenly, it paused as some new information registered on its sensors. Something large materialized nearby.
It was not alone.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Jan 21, 2012 18:15:40 GMT -5
It was not pretty.
Felix reasoned that was probably one of the reasons it had been sealed up, and why he'd never seen it.
Experiment One was the very first attempt at creating a bio-warrior that followed orders to the letter. Sure, it was the strongest but it was pretty much the most unstable. It didn't feel pain. That was probably why it couldn't be trained. With no means of conditioning it, there was no way of making it realise it had to follow orders. A perfect destructive being. They'd been given strict orders surrounding when it could be released, what they had to do if it went berserk, how to keep it away from anyone it might unintentionally hurt, the works. Calling it in wasn't something to be taken lightly, but orders were orders and the higher ups wanted the pod-creature contained.
"Damn, you didn't fuckin' tell me it was this fuckin' ugly," Felix muttered into his headset.
"You never asked," Samm's reply came.
It had no head to speak of, the space where its head and neck should be just void of anything. An expanse of skin. The rest of its body was made up of patchwork skin over bulging muscles, with thick wires running underneath the skin in the arms and legs. It's lower half, thankfully, was covered by baggy cloth, it's feet shielded by boots. The overall aesthetic was pretty horrible to see. Felix could see its wrists, small tubes extending out of its skin. Without any warning, the experiment threw its arms to either side and the wires shot out like tentacles. One latched on to the wall, another on to a polished suit of armour. After a moment of what looked like a vacuum hoover sucking, the wires retracted again. Blades extended from the experiment's arms, one stone, one metal.
"So, what, it fuckin' steals alloys?"
"Not quite," Samm replied. "Those wires scan the nearest, and strongest non-biological structures and replicate the substances to create blades. The experiment then locks on to the biggest threat in the area and launches its assault. We never found a way to change that lock-on, however, so it was just as likely to kill millions in a city than it would be whatever we sent it up against."
"Please fuckin' tell me the other pissing experiments aren't this dangerous."
"We perfected the technique, though at the cost of lower strength."
"Good, this thing's a fuckin' monstrosity."
"Duly noted."
Felix watched as the experiment raised its arms and began to circle the pod-creature.
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Post by StellarWind Elsydeon on Jan 25, 2012 14:59:55 GMT -5
Definitely not alone.
The being observed this new threat as it materialized, scanning its structure. This one was not a natural organism - It was a biomechanical weapon through and through, created for battle. Its patchwork-like nature made an understanding of its nervous system difficult - with proper time for analysis... But there was no such time. The impression of it being a weapon was enforced further by the way the thing produced weapons from its arms - a metal blade and a stone blade. The two had different frequencies, obviously. The being could probably manage to identify the frequency of one and produce a tone that would shatter it - but robbed of one blade, the monster's other blade would still be a threat. Not to mention the fact that it had no way of telling whether or not that would impede the creature all that much - it may simply produce a new blade in a moment's notice. Doing a deeper scan to produce a tone was not worth the risk.
The thing was circling it now. It was hard to determine how intelligent this creature was - it seemed more like a wild, vicious, single-track minded animal - or if you will, an agitated wasp's nest. Was it assessing the danger? Was it waiting for the being to make the first move? Was it trying to make the being nervous? Did it even KNOW what it was doing? Where the hell were the thing's sensory organs, anyway?
Did it even matter? This thing was in the being's way now. Subtle changes flowed through the being's encounter suit. Bio-luminescent nodes flashed, mottling patterns fluctuated. Biological machines slowly whirred to life, preparing to extend tendrils and blades at the first sign of violent action.
It seemed combat was inevitable this time.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Feb 16, 2012 9:28:30 GMT -5
A figure crouched on the roof, his posture almost cat-like with his spine curved and hands splayed across the stone. If it hadn't been from the red lights flashing on and off in the museum, he would have gone completely unnoticed. He was remarkably still, his eyes gazing through the window next to him. Aside from being male, his details were completely obscured. The darkness hid his face, his stance hiding his height. In fact, the only thing anyone would be able to tell was that he was intently watching the scene below him through the visor covering both eyes.
Two things were engaged in combat below. One of them looked like a bastardized version of Frankenstein's monster, as far as he was concerned. Patchwork skin, too many muscles and no head to speak of. Somehow the lack of head made it more frightening. Or would, anyway, if he hadn't seen scarier stuff in his life. It had blades coming out of its forearms, one of which glinted as it lunched at the other creature. The other creature was much more aesthetically pleasing, at least as far as bizarre non-human biology went. It looked to be covered in armour of some variety, very streamlined and slick-looking. He had already seen this creature dispatch two guards, no problem. This fight should be interesting at any rate.
Something caught his eye as it flitted across his vision. A human, darting from support beam to support beam. He focused his attention on the human. Pistons attached to his wrist were letting him go from beam to beam, and on each beam he was firing a couple of bullets at the alien-looking creature. Looked like non-standard ammunition, given the way each bullet crackled with electricity. The figure on the roof extended a hand, a brief glow covering it as a metallic dragon head formed there, just in case.
~*~*~
Antonio turned another corner, finally arriving at his destination. In the centre of the exhibit, in a glass case that was undoubtedly covered in various traps. A large diamond. Not as large as the one he had stolen several years ago, but one that would fetch a hefty price anyway. There had been rumours of it being enchanted, but Antonio rarely gave such gossip any attention. Unless he had been explicitly told it would incinerate anyone who touched it, he couldn't care less.
He approached the case, taking the two of diamonds from his deck again and tapping it twice. There were no laser trip-wires this time, with the majority of the traps on the glass case itself. He ducked down to examine the underside of the pedestal. A panel was screwed into place. He slotted the card into the groove between panel and pedestal, electricity crackling again and deactivating the security systems. The light under the diamond flickered, then failed completely. The boy stood up again and lifted the case from over the diamond.
"Finally," he breathed.
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Post by StellarWind Elsydeon on Feb 27, 2012 3:09:08 GMT -5
Two.
The realization penetrated the armored being's consciousness as he took the evasive. The odds were not in its favor - he was up against two opponents. One on the ground - the bladed hulking monstrosity - and one from above, continuously firing some kind of electric bolts.
Evading both of them was no easy feat. The bladed giant was a lumbering creature, rather swift for its mass but wild and uncontrolled: lunging forward and swinging its blades in a manner that suggested that terrible damage would be inflicted should they strike true - but the creature's movements made evading them less difficult than it could have been, provided the armored one wasn't cornered by its attacks.
The threat from above, though, drew the being's attention - it was quite agile and the firing pattern... The armored being suspected that it was being herded - perhaps to be contained. Was he marked as a target for some form of research? If so, the giant's presence made little sense - it did not seem to care much for containment - only destruction. As for the other target...
The being considered its options. Clearly, the greater threat was still the larger creature. Its structure still made no sense to the armored being, and in order to incapacitate - or kill, if necessary - it, the being would need all its concentration to mount an assault. The target from above would have to be taken out first to remove that distraction and prevent it from hampering mobility.
The armored being briefly looked up, keeping the giant in its visual periphery as it shifted scanning frequencies. There it was, the source of the projectiles. Jumping from support beam to another. A human - a target it already knew how to incapacitate - but to get to these support beams, it would need a boost...
And an analysis of the bladed giant's attack patterns - even this wild beast seemed to have subtle patterns - provided it with an idea.
The armored being extended its blades and charged at the bladed giant, watching its arms closely. There it was - the twitch of the muscles, the flow of the wire - the swing of the blade...
The armored being leapt as the bladed giant's blade crossed where he briefly was. The beast swung again - but when its blades were at their highest point, their target changed direction. There was an impact of biometal against stone as the armored being launched itself forwards and upwards, using the giant's blade as a spring-board - directly towards the man on the support beams. Twin tendrils lashed forward to inject their target with paralyzing nanomachines. This irritating insect had to be disposed of before the fight could be finished.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Mar 6, 2012 4:34:02 GMT -5
"Shit!"
The goddamn thing wasn't acting like any mindless thing Felix had ever fought. It was intelligent. Incredibly so, in fact. Any other monster would have continued its assault on Experiment One, at least for a longer time than this. This thing had barey paid any attention to the experiment, and gone straight for him instead. As soon as he saw it shift into a jump, Felix set a piston firing. He was still just a fraction too slow, one of the tendrils headed straight for him.
Out of nowhere, something rammed into his stomach and carried him up. The glass behind him shattered as he was forced out into the cold night air, his shirt thankfully taking the brunt of the shards. Functional and fashionable. He was still winded as he landed on the roof. Gasping, his crawled to his feed and kept his hand on his gun as he massaged his chest. Whoever had thrown him up here had a bit of strength behind him, or at least a bit of speed. As his eyes refocused, someone landed in front of him. Blue hair, blue t-shirt, easy stance with his hands in his pockets. Felix had read the report on this one.
"You're Yoshimitsu," he said warily. He could go toe-to-toe with Powers, no problem. The problem was, Yoshimitsu's powers had shifted again. He was an anomaly.
"That's me, hello," Yoshimitsu replied brightly, waving. "A thank-you would be nice, since I just saved your life an' all."
"I had it under fuckin' control," Felix retorted uneasily. Why was the boy here? Yoshimitsu laughed and produced a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. He threw one to Felix, then lit his own.
"Uh huh, sure, if you wanna believe that," Yoshimitsu said with a warm smile. "I don't need to ask how you know who I am. I met Samm once. I like his hair."
"Fuckin' Peacock, always fuckin' standin' out like that," Felix muttered to his communication device. He raised his voice to address Yoshimitsu again. "So, what, you were just fuckin' hangin' around waitin' to play fuckin' hero? Some God complex you fuckin' got there."
"God complex? Nah, I've fought Gods, I don't wanna be one of them. Samm didn't tell me much so I had to fill in the blanks myself. Thing is, you guys aren't the only ones who can monitor the world," Yoshimitsu replied, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly with his free hand. "I've got some friends. Fratley tipped me off that the alien woke up, and Araini used some magic to check what was going on with it. I reckon I know more about it than you."
"No one fuckin' knows more than us," Felix snapped back. He threw the cigarette stub aside and pulled a hipflask out of his pocket. After downing the entire thing, he pulled out a spliff and lit that. "You really do have a fuckin' God complex."
"Nah, just friends in good places. We're about to have an issue though, I think. I'm not letting you guys contain that thing, it's not humane. I don't know what you do with the things you capture, but if that Frankenstein-style monster is any indication, I can help it a damn sight more than you. So I'll give you a one time offer."
"We're not fuckin' interested in your offers," Felix replied, relaxing his stance. No opponent expected someone with a relaxed stance to attack. He got himself ready, because Yoshimitsu had been relaxed right from the start.
"You might like this one. If you and Frankenstein downstairs leave now, I won't have to beat the crap out of you and kill the beastie," Yoshimitsu offered. Felix noticed his hand flex slightly. The boy was ready to fight.
"Now I know you're fuckin' kiddin', you never kill any-fuckin'-thing," Felix replied with a cocky smirk. The smirk faded slightly when Yoshimitsu's expression hardened.
"It'll be better off dead than contained and released for use only, like a slave."
"Go to hell," Felix snarled, raising his gun and firing.
~*~*~
Antonio lifted the diamond from its cushioned resting place, sparing just a second to rotate it slightly to examine the way the light was refracted through it. Vague rainbows flickered around the pedestal, moving quickly as Antonio admired the sheen of the gem. After a few seconds, he slid the diamond into his pocket and turned to walk away. He only stopped when he heard someone cocking a pistol.
"Don't move, boy," a heavily accented voice ordered. South of the USA, which could only mean...
"My dear Marshall, some of us have better things to do than wait around," Antonio replied lazily, turning his head very slightly to keep Marshall in the corner of his vision. One of his cards was still in his hand, glowing very slightly. "Did you not already learn that you have no means of containing me?"
"An' yeh still as cocky as ever," Marshall retorted. He lowered his gun casually and took several steps forward. Antonio's body tensed, despite knowing he was safe. Marshall had always been an unknown element. "Come on, boy, hand over the diamond."
"I think not, Detective," Antonio said silkily. He turned to face the cowboy, keeping his expression decisively neutral. "The diamond itself may not interest me, but the monetary reward is substantial indeed. If you don't mind, I would like to go and claim it."
"As a matter o' fact, I do mind, yeah," Marshall objected. He slipped a hand under his poncho briefly, then pulled out a small black disc. "The thing is, I was fed up of always bein' one step behind yeh, so I contacted the guy who wanted the diamond an' found out who he hired. Bit reluctant to tell me who yeh are, but I could figure it out. I asked the curator to move the diamond here, an' the rest is history. Now, boy, put the diamond back. Yeh under arrest."
"No, Detective, I will be leaving now," Antonio replied, the card in his hand flashing. Marshall opened fire, but the bullets met a hexagonal barrier that stopped them completely. Antonio smiled, but his smile faltered when he saw Marshall raise the black disc. Instantly, the barrier faded and Antonio felt the magic in his card falter, then fade.
~*~*~
Kid was fast, that much was obvious. The second Felix had pulled the trigger, two giant, spectral dragon wings formed around him and caught each chunk of metal. Even the electricity was nullified. Somehow, all their files on this blue-haired boy had been incorrect, or at least outdated. It was a known fact that he was a summoner, and that his chosen summon was a dragon named Bahamut, but this variation was different somehow. The entire dragon wasn't being called into existence, just bits of it.
Felix blinked, and suddenly Yoshimitsu had vanished. He whirled the dial on his visor, setting it to detect everything possible. X-ray, infrared, even uncloaking and enchantment dispelling. Nothing. He'd simply vanished. Yoshimitsu only reappeared when his boot crashed into the side of Felix's head. Felix staggered to the side, his visor completely shattered and his head spinning. That kick was powerful. The visor was made out of a metal that was meant to withstand anything. He was lucky his head hadn't come off completely.
He slipped the ring from his finger and felt it expand in his grip, changing into the shape of a sword. He spun, his eyes finally finding Yoshimitsu again. He was wearing strange boots now, almost like dragon claws. They faded away, but two gloves formed over his hands. Both shaped like a dragon's head. He raised his fists, clearly inviting an attack. Felix was never one to disappoint, so he ran forward. He feinted left, then spun and brought the sword round from the right. Yoshimitsu raised one hand to block the sword, then sunk his other into Felix's stomach. With no time to stop for breath, a blast of fire exploded out of the fist in his stomach and sent him hurtling backwards.
"I can still ease up, just so you know," Yoshimitsu offered, the gloves fading away. They were replaced by a naginata, the blade resembling a dragon wing. Felix dragged himself to his feet, watching carefully as Yoshimitsu casually twirled the naginata around his fingers. Luckily, Felix had been prepared for losing his visor. Inside his ear, there was a smaller communication device that would pick up on the vibrations along his jawline and translate them into words for whoever was on the receiving end.
"Peacock, if you're there, some fuckin' advice would be good," he muttered, keeping his distance from Yoshimitsu. If he got too close, the fight would be over.
"I would have said avoid engaging, but since that option's clearly out..." Samm's reply came.
"I did avoid fuckin' engagin'. He engaged me."
"I see. Maintain your distance and look for an opening. With these new abilities, though, that opening may never come. If the fight seems hopeless, withdraw. He doesn't seem to wish the alien any harm," Samm stated. "I need to keep an eye on Experiment One, just to ensure it hasn't gone berserk."
"Suit yourself," Felix muttered. Yoshimitsu was still stood there, casual as ever, the naginata whistling as it twirled.
"Arguing with your friend? Samm was pretty forthcoming with stuff I wanted to know back then," Yoshimitsu commented with a lopsided grin. "Come on, I thought you guys were tough. Samm nearly beat me once. Sure, I was drunk and all over the place, but even so. Unless you've given up?"
"Shut your fuckin' mouth," Felix snapped.
~*~*~
Experiment One swiped the air above it as the alien bounced from one of its blades which, aside from a whooshing sound, had no result. Rather than a standard version of the five senses, the experiment had a series of sensors running underneath its skin, embedded in its muscles. They detected movement, analyzed the air currents surrounding a target and judged the likely modes of attack or evasion. While more accurate than sight would be, they had the drawback of not actually seeing what an opponent was. The only thing that was being flagged up was the opponent's body. It was registering as an unknown alloy. One stronger than stone.
The experiment lunged again, calculating where its opponent would move. It dodged to the side, so the experiment spun and brought the metal blade swinging around instead. Another dodge, this time by jumping. Experiment One snatched a hand out and grabbed the thing by the throat. Or nearest variation of a throat it had, anyway. However, after only a few seconds, its fingers went slack and its arm dropped completely, releasing the creature. Something was flowing inside the muscle. Automatically, the experiment's body started adapting to fight off the intrusion.
The wire in its dead arm jutted out slightly, still operable. It shot out, aimed at the experiment's opponent. Whatever alloy was covering its body, Experiment One would have it.
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Post by StellarWind Elsydeon on Mar 10, 2012 11:44:00 GMT -5
Definite patchwork nervous system - and adaptive physiology. The creature may have been monstrous, but it was fascinating in its own way. A rather crude foray into bioweaponry, mayhap, but this was, after all, a younger civilization.
A younger civilization that has only recently begun to explore the possibilities of techno-organics. Perhaps this was the source of their interest? The armored being was not aware of the exchange going on on the roof, but it did manage to detect another individual pulling its earlier target out of harm's way - although this new signature only registered on its sensors briefly. Another threat? Perhaps - but not necessarily one aligned with what it was currently facing.
It - or rather, he. As the last vestiges of the post-reemergence instinct haze cleared, the armored being remembered fully who he was, what he was, and what brought him to this world - although clearly something went terribly wrong. He would have to investigate this when he manages to escape this place. This wasn't a facility for the containment of individuals - it was a facility for the containment of artifacts. His arrival pod was clearly mistaken for one, but how? How long has he been in that pod? If he had the time he could analyze the data the pod logged over all that time - it was still stored within his encounter suit's neuromatrix - but that would require concentration he needed to focus on his current opponent.
The headless beast. Motion sensors had to be the only explanation to the thing's relative accuracy - and the fact it actually managed to grab hold of his suit earlier suggested some rather effective processing unit in all that muscle mass. It learned and adapted - in a manner similar to his own encounter suit... A worthy opponent indeed. The warrior within him respected the thing a lot more now - and the scientist within him was fascinated.
The creature's adaptive physiology would prove to be difficult, though. Already he could sense changes within the creature's infrastructure to fight off his paralysis-inducing nanomachine culture (Alternative modes of muscular innervation? Immune-like reaction? How did all those pieces even fit together? fascinating!) and if he was going to neutralize the thing, he would need to-
The surface of his encounter suit was briefly grazed by some kind of a tendril - the same sort of sensory tendril that the thing used earlier to clone metal and stone for its blades. Was the thing trying to replicate his encounter suit's biometal?
Sure enough, the beast's stone blade seemed to lose its integrity and collapse into dust as a new blade seemed to grow to replace it - although one could define it only very loosely as a 'blade'. The creature could not replicate organic compounds - and the biometal's intricate structure was doing quite a number on its processors - while the stone and metal blades sprouted in a very rapid manner, this blade was growing very slowly... and it resembled a sponge more than it resembled a proper blade.
And somewhere in its central processors, the beast was probably aware of it, but powerless to stop the process once it started - it was like a pocket calculator trying to generate a complex three-dimensional representation - And this sort of operating system hang was exactly the sort of opening the armored being needed. Extending his blades, he launched forward, targetting the creature's other arm (the one that was still a possible threat) at what looked like a seam in the patchwork physiology: if he could neutralize one of the creature's arms, perhaps it would make the battle a bit more even.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Mar 11, 2012 14:42:08 GMT -5
Yoshimitsu snapped his heel down on Felix's hand, wincing only slightly when he heard at least two fingers break. He danced away again, chiding himself slightly for how much force he was putting behind his attacks. Since he was used to fighting supernatural entities of varying levels of power, usually very high though, he wasn't used to limiting himself so much. He could have been wrong, but he was pretty sure he'd managed to break Felix's left foot as well. The dark-haired guy was limping enough anyway. Keeping up the tough guy act sure was a pain sometimes.
"C'mon, just give up, you'll come out of this more or less intact if you do," Yoshimitsu suggested, letting the boots around his feet fade away. This time, nothing came to replace them. With any luck, Felix would actually listen to him this time.
"Fuck you," Felix snapped in response, raising his gun again. Even as the bullets left the chamber, Bahamut's wings wrapped themselves around Yoshimitsu's torso and protected him. As they faded away, Yoshimitsu shot in and thrust his knee into Felix's jaw, sending him skidding back across the roof. At least there was no cracking sound this time. He shot in again and grabbed Felix's shirt, then flung him across the roof in the opposite direction. Still trying not to hurt him too much, especially after breaking bones already.
"Look, you're completely outclassed today. Come back with reinforcements if you want, but at least go and get yourself fit and healthy again," Yoshimitsu said, a sword materialising in his hand. Shallow cuts would heal much quicker than other injuries. "I'm not your enemy, not really. I just want to give that alien the space it needs to grow."
"Who do you fuckin' think you are, you blue-obsessed piece of shit?" Felix snarled, standing up. At a guess, Yoshimitsu figured Felix didn't take losing well. "You don't get to fuckin' tell us what to do or what the fuck wrong or right means. You don't have a fuckin' clue what we do or why, so back the fuck off and let me do my goddamn job."
"Sorry, no can do," Yoshimitsu replied with a sigh. "If you're really determined to drag this out, then-"
Something caught his eye. Down through the shattered window, he could see the fight again. One of the blades on the experiment thing had changed, though Yoshimitsu couldn't really call it a blade anymore. It was like an unfinished drawing, full of gaps in the texture and huge chunks just missing. He registered Felix lunging at him again, but he deflected the attack without even looking and kicked Felix away again. The alien launched an attack again, and Yoshimitsu cringed as one of the experiment's arms was ripped straight off. Black blood oozed from the arm, too thick to be anything even resembling human.
"Lights out," Yoshimitsu said, appearing in front of Felix again. He clapped his palms against a still-recovering Felix's temples, rending him unconscious immediately. He flourished his sword, and the blade lengthened and widened as it twirled.
With no hesitation, Yoshimitsu jumped through the shattered skylight and twisted slightly in the air. Putting his full strength and momentum into the attack, he brought the sharp edge of the blade cutting straight through the flesh of the experiment and cleaved it in two from head to foot. The two pieces of the monster held still for a moment, probably while it tried to register what had happened, before the right side slid slightly and fell to the side. Yoshimitsu pushed the other side lightly and let it fall harmlessly away from him. He let his sword vanish and thrust his hands into his pockets.
"Hi there," he greeted the alien.
~*~*~
Antonio maintained his dignity, despite being thrust into a confrontation he had neither expected nor desired. He did not leap, jump, flinch or in any way show any fear outside of keeping his expression decisively neutral rather than his usual smile. He stepped, rather quickly but without running, behind a suit of armour as Marshall fired his gun again. He heard the clang as the bullets hit the metal and felt the armour shudder under the force. Once the hail of gunfire had ended, he slipped another card from his deck and felt the magic inside. The black disc, it transpired, could only neutralise one card at a time and only after use. Inconvenient to be sure, but otherwise not an issue.
He heard the gentle clicks as Marshall reloaded his revolver. With a casual grace, he stepped back out from behind the armour and raised the card in his hand. As soon as Marshall looked up at him, gun nearly reloaded, the magic took effect and a bright flash blinded the detective. The bullets in his hand fell to the floor as Marshall stepped back in surprise. The cowboy was quick to recover, however, and slammed the cylinder back into place. Antonio kept his stance easy, but he was wary. A blinded detective with a gun was less than ideal. He pulled another card from his deck and held it out, a gust of wind blasting out and buffeting Marshall.
As much as Antonio would have liked to somehow place the blame of the theft on Marshall, time was of the essence. The klaxons had finally died down, suggesting whatever threat had been neutralised. As Marshall struggled to regain his bearings, Antonio turned and walked, briskly, away from the detective. He turned the corner and ducked into the neighbouring exhibit, slipping his now-drained cards back into his deck and pulling out the two of diamonds again, along with the six of hearts. Both the six of diamonds and the six of hearts created barriers that were impenetrable while in effect. Even should Marshall arrive to see Antonio depart, there would be no time to stop him. He held the two of diamonds out and tapped it twice, the pulley system immediately expanding upwards and latching on to the open skylight. He gripped the handle and felt it pulling him up, just in time to see Marshall turn the corner.
"Perhaps next time, detective," he taunted with a smile before pulling himself through the window and striding across the roof.
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Post by StellarWind Elsydeon on Mar 11, 2012 15:26:21 GMT -5
And so did the new presence make itself known - and the armored being had no idea how to make sense of it.
Its appearance was human enough, but it was not human: the differences were subtle, but they were certainly there. The difference was more than physiological - there was something entwined with this being - a subtle energy signature that seemed to be both of the being and yet not of the being. An essence of some sort... But nothing that he has ever sensed before.
And there was another thing - this being wasn't native to this world either... or at least, if it was, it has crossed the threshold of the Cleft of Dimension before.
The armored being considered his options for a moment. Something that could so easily destroy the creature he was battling - even weakened - would definitely be considered dangerous. But this being's intervention appeared to be on his behalf - and it seemed to attempt to communicate, as opposed to directly attacking like the others. He would have to exercise caution - although something told him that this being, at least, was sensible.
He momentarily entertained a notion that Perhaps there is intelligent life here after all.
Opening a channel of communication would be prudent - perhaps the data the pod gathered may be helpful in communication. But a gesture of understanding and non-aggression would be a good first step.
In a fluid motion, the armored being proceeded to retract whatever weapons it still had extended. Blades slotted into each other and folded along the sides of the encounter suit's arms while the tendrils settled into the grooves along the suit's sides. The armor being nodded once - slowly - and emitted a sound that was - even for an alien - pretty damn alien. It was a curious blend of sounds and tones that seemed to interweave into each other, forming a melodious, almost haunting harmony - a blend of consonances and dissonances that seemed like it should not have sounded pleasing to the ear, and yet it managed to be so in an odd way. As the being vocalized, changes seemed to flow across his encounter suit: mottling patterns and hues on the suit changed subtly. Bio-luminescent nodes unveiled, briefly changing color and intensity, and faded out, closing again. The changes flowed with the changes in the vocalization - corresponding with and complementing them.
This conversation had to start somehow, after all.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Mar 11, 2012 15:42:21 GMT -5
"I... wow. That was... Yeah. Okay. I guess that's your language? I couldn't understand a word of it!" Yoshimitsu said with a shaky laugh. He rubbed the back of his head, his spikes ruffling slightly. It was just a guess that the alien could understand him, but the technology seemed so advanced that it seemed pretty likely that it could analyze speech patterns and replicate them. Given that the alien hadn't started attacking yet, either, suggested that it was pretty analytical anyway on top of that.
"Okay I guess I'll just go ahead and explain why I'm here. I mean, I'm just guessing you can record and play this back once you've found the right language to listen to it through," Yoshimitsu continued. He put his hands back in his pockets and held a relaxed yet confident pose. "Basically, I have some friends that tipped me off that the pod you were in was active. The thing you fought earlier was an experiment, as far as I can tell, pieced together. The guy with it, he's part of this organisation that monitors Powers, people like me who can do stuff beyond normal humans. They take anything like that and analyze it, using what they can and getting rid of what's left."
Yoshimitsu glanced around, but the museum was pretty much still silent. No footsteps, the klaxons no longer blaring and just the two of them as far as he could tell. He pulled another cigarette from his pocket and lit it, noticing the way the alien turned its attention to the object.
"Thing is, I'm not really comfortable with stuff like that happening. I'm all about life. Anything that I can help live and be free, I'll do it," Yoshimitsu explained, smoke drifting out of his mouth as he spoke. "My friend Araini told me that your pod had been observing and cataloguing stuff surrounding it, and from seeing your target the seam on that experiment thing's arm, this is just a guess but you're not just some kind of warrior race or anything. It takes real brains to be doing stuff like that, so, and this is just a wild stab in the dark, but I reckon you're some kind of scientist."
Yoshimitsu waited just a second for some kind of confirmation, but he still wasn't entirely sure the alien had figured out which language he was speaking, so he just carried on.
"But yeah, given how advanced your technology is, you won't really find much in the way of research material anywhere on this planet, apart from in one place," he said. "There's this island, it's actually my island and it's a lost chunk of where I come from. I called it Mist, sort of on a whim really because I found it when it was really misty. It's special, though. It sort of, bends itself to its owner's whim, if that makes any sense. I don't spend a lot of time up there, not really, I just picked a design I liked and set it into orbit. I dunno if you can see where I'm goin' with this, but... Yeah, I don't have any use for it really. It'd probably be an ideal place for you, y'know, if you want it?"
Yoshimitsu dropped the last of his cigarette and stubbed it out underfoot, waiting for the alien to respond somehow.
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Post by StellarWind Elsydeon on Mar 11, 2012 15:53:58 GMT -5
The armored being was silent for a moment, as it cross-referenced the information with the being's speech. There was a lot more information than he expected - he would have to process the parts of it that were not in the language files later. But he understood.
"A world within a world. A shard of a stranger's home, within the home that is not the home," he responded, lights and patterns dancing on his encounter suit as he did. Even when he spoke what he assumed was the human language his voice had an interwoven quality - an echoing melodious undertone to the words said in a deep, resonant voice that was just a fraction distorted. "A curious offer. There is a truth: the long slumber, much remains obscured. Safety could permit analysis."
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Mar 11, 2012 16:25:08 GMT -5
"I... think that was a yes, I mean, it sounded like one. You're not trying to kill me at any rate, so I reckon it's okay," Yoshimitsu said with a laugh, pulling a small vial out of his pocket. He unstoppered it and poured the substance inside into his spare hand. The substance was a strange one. Phospherescent, neither liquid nor gas, a pale blue colour and it seemed to flow unnaturally, unhindered by gravity. As soon as it touched Yoshimitsu's skin, the flow changed direction and seeped into his hand where it vanished. Yoshimitsu raised his hands, and the museum vanished around them.
They reappeared in cold air, apparently on a mountain. It was rocky underfoot but a mostly level platform, an outcrop of some variety. Yoshimitsu took a deep breath, tasting the air. It was always sweeter on Mist. He looked to the alien, then gestured around him. Without waiting, however, he approached the edge of the cliff and looked out.
As it was currently, the island was split into six distinct sections, not including the mountain. At the base of the cliff in front of them, there was a thick forest. The trees were perfectly dark green, some with fruit, some with flowers, but all of them casting dark shadows. It was clear, even from so far away, that the darkness would be near-impenetrable. Yoshimitsu knew that it was home to some wildlife, things that had crawled on to the island when Yoshimitsu had landed it. He had done that several times, encouraging the wildlife to join.
Next to the forest was a desert, cold at the moment but it would have been blistering had it been day time. Dunes rose and fell over the land, the odd oasis scattered around, and some small figures moving. Yoshimitsu had wanted the island to be a safe haven for things, all things, living or otherwise, to find some peace and live without being hunted or persecuted.
On the other side of the forest was a wide lake, bordered by grass. The water was mostly still, with just the slightest hint of movement. He knew that the aquatic life living under the surface was not the friendliest. Given the depth of the floating island, there was plenty of space for things to grow and develop. He wouldn't dare go under there though.
He turned his head to see the snowfield. There was some icy water, but mostly it was solid ice and snow that supported weight easily. Some of the tamer wildlife lived there, polar bears, penguins, seals under the surface and some fish that were found only in the deepest depths of the ocean. He had spent a lot of time there when he had first made the island, the cold helping calm him and curb the temper he used to have.
The next environment was entirely mechanical and constantly moving. It ranged from older clockwork-style cogs to fibre-optics to some technology that hadn't even been developed on the main planet yet. His imagination was the limit, so he had let it run wild. Thankfully, he'd had the foresight to soundproof that area because the sound of the electronics was nearly deafening.
Finally, he saw the lava-filled rocky land. It was uninhabited, unsurprisingly. Streams of lava flowed like water with chunks of rock floating along the surface. With his mind controlling the speed, his training had developed thoroughly there. He had spawned lava-based creatures to combat high-speed on a moving rock. He smiled at the memory. Finally, though, he turned back to the alien.
"This is Mist. This is how I made it, because this was what I wanted and what I needed at the time," he explained. "I have the areas to relax, the areas to train, the areas to lose myself in. Thing is, I've left this island now. I don't need to come back here any more, but it'd be a waste to just leave it. Everything here is governed by your mind and your imagination. You will it to be, and it just is. Watch."
Yoshimitsu thought about the patch of ground next to him, he thought about its potential and its material. As he thought, he pictured it changed, grass growing and flowers forming. As he thought it, a perfect circle of grass formed, a variety flowers growing. He pictured it turning into a puddle, and the grass retracted back into the rock and the surface caved in slightly, filling with water.
"If you want it, it's yours."
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Post by StellarWind Elsydeon on Mar 11, 2012 16:43:06 GMT -5
The armored being was utterly immersed in input.
The sensation of teleportation (bottled energy?) followed by the sheer marvel of the island and its climate zones, unnatural yet natural at the same time. There was something familiar and yet alien to this floating planetary shard - and its transformation by the will of the individual who brought him there... This was certainly beyond the realms of what he has seen at his home dimension - and he has seen much for his age before he volunteered...
This person - there was something about him that made the being feel that he was trustworthy. That his word - as inadequate as words were alone for communication - could be trusted. Perhaps there were some subtle cues he picked up on instinctively. Of course, he would still watch his step on this island - but at the moment, the scientist within him was curious to degrees unfathomable. There was much to see about this place - and a home away from home was certainly a thing the being could use - especially now, when in all likelihood his kind did not exist yet.
The being turned to the person and nodded.
"It is a beautiful place," he said. "There is much to learn here. A show of great kindness to a stranger - I thank you."
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Mar 19, 2012 21:26:01 GMT -5
"It's no problem," Yoshimitsu replied with a smile. "Just give me a second, I'll pass on ownership."
He extended his hand out, palm facing skywards. While his expression never changed, it was clear he was concentrating on something. The area surrounding them was suddenly overcast, dark grey clouds swirling in as if driven by tornado-force winds. A bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens, striking down directly at Yoshimitsu. He let his easy-going smile fade for a moment while the electricity flowed around his body, never quite touching him. It spiralled and crackled, slowly surging to a single point above his hand.
"I hereby relinquish ownership of this island, may this stone forever be the proof," he murmured to himself as the lightning crystallised in his hand. It was a thing of beauty, the stone that was left behind. A perfect crystal, sparking brightly despite there being little light. Sapphire in colour, perfectly cut and just the right size to fit in his palm. He flexed his fingers, and the jewel floated from his hand. It stopped in front of Arvad, almost hesitantly, as if waiting for some instruction or command.
"You just have to touch it, and it'll recognise you as its new owner," Yoshimitsu explained, his smile reappearing. "As for that stranger line... I'm Yoshimitsu. It's nice to meet you."
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Post by StellarWind Elsydeon on Jun 16, 2012 8:08:13 GMT -5
<Edit: And three months later, I FINALLY write a damn post. XD>
"Yoshimitsu," the being repeated, pausing for a moment to process this new information - a declaration of identity. So simple in comparison to those of his own kind. He assumed that creatures of words would require simpler identities - easier to remember, for interaction to be possible. There was much about these beings that was curious.
And another curiosity was all that happened now. Energy transforming into matter, an echo of a thought. It was waiting for him. The armored being nodded, reaching out and touching the crystal with the tip of a finger.
Something had changed on the edge of the being's consciousness as the crystal faded into nothingness. There was a new presence in his mind - ethereal and yet solid - focused within, yet all around. There was a sense of connection - similar to the connection he held with his encounter suit but at the same time different. He would have to study this later.
"Once again, I thank you, Yoshimitsu." The being nodded again, the aperture of its lens briefly closing - as if in thought - before reopening.
"It is... difficult... for a Tydris to speak to ones who listen, but cannot see. Only a shard of what is conveyed - a fraction of the self - is perceived... Only a fragment can be expressed. In this world, I am a voyager. A returner, yet one that cannot return. I am... Arvad. Yes. I believe that, for now, will do."
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Jun 16, 2012 8:31:37 GMT -5
"It's nice to meet you, Arvad," Yoshimitsu said with a smile, absorbing the information given to him. His race was apparently a Tydris, and it was already clear that they were far more intelligent and advanced than humans could hope to be. Hopefully, this alien would now have the space to develop and grow instead of being persecuted or hunted for information. Yoshimitsu turned and walked towards the cliff, jet boots forming around his feet as he did. "I have a couple of friends you might be interested in meeting, I'll send them up when you've got settled in," he said with a thumbs-up before his jet boots flared up and he shot into the sky. ~*~*~The next morning~*~*~ His skin was bright red, his brow covered in sweat and his face spluttering out words that couldn't seem to form properly in his anger. His teal, flamboyantly cut suit quivered as he struggled to contain, or express himself. A vein throbbed in his temple and his hands were tense, ready to wring the neck of whoever was responsible for this mess. The Curator was not a happy man today. Already his assistant was flitting around the police officers and detectives present, handing out formal apologies on the Curator's behalf. There was a near perfect circle with a ten foot radius around him as no one wanted to get too close, to explain that they had no explanation for how an ancient exhibit apparently got up and walked off, leaving a massive trail of destruction behind it. The two halves of what they guessed used to be a living thing that lay, cut neatly in two, on the floor. Half of the windows ruined. "Mister Wood?" his assistant said, coming forward with a cup of coffee for him though it was clear she was a bit hesitant about giving him something he could throw. "Mister Wood, the investigation team has the preliminary results..." He still couldn't seem to formulate proper sentences, just glaring at his assistant. She handed him the coffee, but his hands were shaking so much she was afraid most of it would spill over the floor. "We estimate about two thousand dollars worth of damages to the exhibits and windows," the assistant explained, double-checking all the facts on her clipboard. "The ancient civilisation exhibit took the most damage so it might be safer just to replace it with something else for the time being, the suit of armour from medieval Britain crumpled but it was only there for decoration anyway, and several skylights have been smashed with the security systems shorted out by something." The Curator seemed to recover his voice at this point, because he snapped in return, "And where are the culprits? Have the useless police force come up with anything more than how much money their stupid analysis is costing us? Next time, I'm going private! Private investigators! They'd have solved this already! And how has our video footage for last night gone missing?! More like the police just don't know how to do their jobs! At least it was contained to just one exhibit!" "Mister Wood..." his assistant started, suddenly a lot meeker. The Curator recognised that voice. "There was one other thing..." The Curator's eyes narrowed. "The diamond from the unique precious stone exhibit was stolen last night," his assistant said before retreating to a safe distance. She knew what was about to happen and she had no desire to be within arm's length. The Curator's gasket finally exploded. OOC- And that should be the RP concluded! Kudos to Stel for coming up with such a fun RP to be in!
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