The Meteor [Open/Accepting]

[Dark Xaero]

[Jack : Steel Town : Restaurant]

A steroid-induced army of assholes was definitely one way of putting it. After their little dance with danger at the Steel Meals diner, Jack, had accompanied Sera and her friend Ash to a restaurant which was conveniently located next to the common house Douglas's daughter, Ava, had requested for them to meet her in. The problem was, that had been more then a few hours ago, and judging by the time Jack felt pretty sure they had both called it a night.

So it was that he now sat there, obediently, with the two women, passing the time with thought on what the Howitzers would likely try to pull next. They were no different then any other gang he had encountered during his journey, but something was there and even after cross referencing the other gangs he had fought in the past the Howitzers appeared a bit more above the tier. He certainly had not expected such a group to even establish a peaceful business connection with a settlement, much less be allowed access into it.

Which led him over to Ava and her involvement in all of this. Using his visual optics he materialized an image he could only see before him of the young raven haired woman, then added yet another image next to it of the napkin which contained the note she had written to them. According to her plea members of the community were vanishing which had started likely the moment the gang had begun business relations with the town. Jack, didn't need to be a Senti to know these events were likely going to be the result no matter how you looked at it. Still, after the fight, he was pretty sure Ava was now safe as the gang would likely be gunning for him and Sera.

Sera, she was certainly an interesting organic and more then capable of handling a fight, but besides that she was now his friend and along with Douglas that put the counter at two. Jack, had always wondered what it would be like to have a friend. He had read so much about them in a number of old books which he had browsed during his travels, but every time he had tried to implement a friendly demeanor towards someone, he either received a round of buckshot to the chest or like more recently a metal pipe to the back of the head. Someone always wanted something, and friendship was as worthless as a dime when you had to eat.

Erasing the two windows from his vision Jack returned his focus to the discussion Sera and Ash were now more entwined in, clearing his throat so as to alert them of his presence. “So uh, how long have you two been friends?”
 

[Kallori]

The question wasn't anything new to the girls. It seemed strange though, for Sera to almost completely forget Jack was still with them. She had thought he had gone off to talk with the Sheriff or Douglas.

"Oh, jeez, I don't even remember that! Do you Smoke?"

Sera thought for a bit before a smile spread across her face, and she gave a slight fist pump before resting her arm on the table they had sat at. The two girls must've done it subconsciously. "As long as we can remember!" Though her statement didn't provide anything much in the way of ammo for a topic, it was the first thing that came to her head. Leaning back, she figured she should elaborate on her friendship with Ash, and by extension, he other four members of their group.

"So we were, what, five or six? Something like that?" she stole a glance at Ash before continuing on, "when we had all met. We weren't anything special, being kids and all, and I don't think any of us really figured out if we could do some of the crap that those Senti can do. Y'know, superhero stuff like laser eyes and controlling the elements. she paused for a moment, taking a quick breather, "But nonetheless, we had decided to create a group, just us, in a rather vain effort to make ourselves known."

"I think our nicknames stemmed from our preferences in battle, and when we found out some of us actually were Senti, from our abilities." Ash paused for a moment, reflecting a bit. "Strange that those of us who became Senti ended up with fire-based powers, don't you think Smoke?"

"Yeah, that was kind of an odd coincidence, especially when we were debating that our group would have some kind of association to fire." Sera looked back to Jack as she went on. "You remember the nicknames we've been spitting back and forth at each other right?" he probably did, since the girls did it a lot. "Anyway, I got the nickname Smoke because of my inclination towards things that go boom. At first, it wasn't much, but you can see it now that I have a gun.

"My nickname would seem like just a shortening of Ashley, but it's deeper than that. I think it was because I like setting things on fire."

"Actually, I think that's how Cinder got hers, though she's one of them Senti people with fire abilities. She's got a radically different type of fire ability where she can just touch anything to light it up red."Sera did a little demonstration by holding her right arm in front of her and touching a stiff index finger to the top of the table, making it easier for Jack to get an idea of what Sera was trying to say. She turned back to Ash, "I think you started out with crowbars and torches."

"Oh right! That's how I got into swordplay!" Ash laughed a bit.

"As for the boys, we seriously don't remember them. I think our falling out had something to do with it, but it's hard to pinpoint that, since we didn't really have a spat or anything."  

[Kallori]

Soldiers were being flung around like small toys in the crossfire of a child's tantrum. The wake the Goliaths had brought was overwhelming, and there wasn't even that many. At least they had managed to weaken one enough for it to be killed. They sure as hell didn't want to lose any more men.

Theo pulled the trigger of his blaster, the energy blast creating a large hole in the skull of the Goliath they had brought down to their level. "Serves you right, mutant b*****d." he whispered. For good measure, he gave off two more shots, the first blowing away an eye and the second blazing through the beast's temple. Nodding to his handiwork, he joined up with the remaining troops "Still no word about backup?"

"Actually, I just got a call from Simmons," one of the soldiers stated. He looked even weaker than Theo, but amazingly, was still alive, and definitely knew his way around a gun. "Apparently some guy named Hawkins is coming to help."

"That 'guy' happens to be my boss." Theo remarked before lifting his gun and looking to where the Goliath that had tried to sneak up on them was before charging. Good. If Zach was coming, they'd have an easier time handling the situation. More so if Zach used that weird mind trick on the beasts. It was something Zach didn't like discussing much, but Theo distinctly remembered him saying something about his ability having the capacity for death. Something like that? Whatever, they were getting reinforcements, and that was all that mattered at this point. He was just glad they had lasted this long to defend Hanover.

The scream of the Goliath was near deafening, but they stood their ground, blasting the beast with everything they had, though ammunition was wearing thin by this point.  

[Dark Xaero]

[Zurai : Splinterburg]

This was dragging out too long, with time already short Zurai was positive the Splinterburg defensive line would soon fall without his assistance. This new mutant certainly wasn't making anything easier and with a footmobile currently in his care, things were only starting to escalate against his favor, he had to do something.

Looking to his opponent who currently seemed preoccupied with observing a piece of shiny metal laying discarded amongst the rubble near it, Zurai patched into his communicator. “Beta unit 62 respond.”

A tense moment of static filled his audio receptors before a deep monotoned voice responded in kind. “Commander, unit 62 reporting. I have successfully regrouped with unit 51, are you in need of assistance?”

Assistance was a way of putting it. Glancing to his right at his current counterpart, Unit 45, Zurai assessed the newest damage it had received so far. Despite his best efforts to protect the footmobile from being torn asunder by this fast acting threat, the Babysitter had taken the machine's blade arm, making it now less then effective as a front line unit. Examining the point of detachment Zurai was intrigued at how precise and clean the cut had been. Besides the obvious sparks jumping from cables and wiring being abruptly severed like those from the wound on his arm, it was almost as though a scalpel had taken a run through flesh.

“Negative, I have established contact with unit 45, unfortunately we have encountered a problem, one that I alone will handle. 62, I am sending 45 your way, he is damaged but can still fight, pull back from your current coarse and rendezvous on his beacon, understood?”

“Understood commander.”

As the static channel shut off Zurai glanced to 45 once more. “45 I'm directing a route for you to follow, once you find 62 you will all continue on your original orders and meet with the first regiment to provide assistance, is that clear?”

There was a short silence before the larger machine gave a small nod. “By your will commander.”

Zurai gave his own nod in reply before taking a second to transfer, through a secure wireless connection, the information he had thrown together for the footmobile. Then, without a single utterance of words further the hulking machine behind him turned and made it's leave. Zurai took a moment longer to watch his soldier exit, holding on to the belief that they would reach the resistance without any other obstacle stepping into their path.  

[Kallori]

Hurry up, get out of there. The place is gonna collapse.

A large building toppled over, it's burnt husk and damaged beams had now crumbled, breaking the structure's ability to support itself, and now the entire top half of the several-story building had fallen off, crashing hard into the ground. Girders and stone lay twisted and dented where the building had broke. It was quite the sight to behold if you weren't running for your life to escape the scene.

Phew, glad that's over. Why did it have to crumble on me right then? I barely did anything.

A young woman with flared orange hair underneath a beanie got to her feet, the tongues of her shoes flopping with each movement her feet made. She looked herself over, to make sure she didn't suffer any damage that would be life-threatening. Nope no gashes, just a few scrapes and bruises.

She sighed, a strange sound coming from her throat that seemed rather digital. Digging out a small spray can, she hovered it over her wounds and pulled the trigger on the nozzle. a gaseous stream of something was now being applied, and quickly went to work in stitching up her wounds.

Good thing Sis left me this, since I can't regenerate or nuttin'. She popped the can up in the air before grabbing it and stuffing it away. Now, time to amscray! Before long, she was off at high speeds.


She heard a few voices coming from a distant location. A signal maybe? Emergency dispatch? Whatever it was, they were in trouble. She tried to pinpoint the source, but needed a bit more. Just a couple words... Fortunately whoever was in need spoke again through a signal. There. North by northeast. I'm on my way! she wanted to say, but her lack of voice prevented her from actually saying it. To her, it was more of a mind thing, restricted to mechanical devices. She tore off again, closing in on the location with speed that rivaled an automobile.

Climbing a small ridge, she found an Andro Unit that looked like it had its sword hand sawed off by something as it was moving away from a different person. Wait, no. Zooming her peripherals in a bit, she saw that the smaller of the two was a robed Andro, but of a very different make and model. She had never encountered one that looked like this one before. Was it a new development? No, that wasn't right; she was part of a new development in AI. She remembered her Sis telling her something like that.

Whatever the case, she figured this warranted investigation. Turning her head, a Goliath came into view, and she knew that it was obviously causing a disturbance. But what did she have to fight it with? Looking around her immediate position, she couldn't find anything to use as a weapon! What could she do? An idea came, but it was very risky. Whatever, if it worked, fantastic.

Turning around, she ran about fifty yards away, then whipped around, stopping dead in her tracks. She leaned down, putting her hands on the ground and taking up a position similar to a runner, took off like a bullet. Her legs pumped at insane speeds, but she was built to handle it. Moving up the small ridge she was peering over before, launched from it and in the line of the Goliath. In seconds, she had grabbed onto one of its tusks, wound around it, and kicked a few teeth into its gullet. It wasn't as easy as she had thought though; some were really in there, and someone as small as her would have little effect. Whatever, she got one. Looks like a different part of the face needs tearing off. Narrowly escaping the Goliath's fist, as it had come up to grab her, she positioned herself on top of it's tusk and with a splayed hand, plunged it into the beast's eye. It was quite big, but size didn't matter, really.

When she retracted her hand, the globular optic, along with her hand, was covered in blood. Noticing that the beast was raising it's hand again, most likely to cover its wound, she leaped off from its face, eye still in her hand. Landing near the robed robot, she stood up and, with a forceful grasp, crushed the eye, which resulted in a lot of blood to splatter everywhere.

She turned to the robot, smiled, and then began to move her lips, though an array of noises that a computer might make if it was almost fried came from her mouth. She figured she might as well do it to say she wasn't some kind of enemy or Senti or anything like that.  

[Dark Xaero]

[Zurai : Splinterburg]

If the moment had become anymore awkward and Zurai was actually human he would probably imagine a wandering tumbleweed roll by the scene that had literally landed. A young woman in casual attire with flared hair peaking out from under that of a knitted cap or, beanie, stood happily before him chattering away in a variety of odd and unusual sounds that, to his logic, weren't possible for an organic to emit, albeit with such ease. This then lead him to his next query, why had she not taken notice of the terror that was, from what he could see past the top of her head, now hungrily, closing the gap between them at incredible speeds.

“MOVE!”

Tossing his left magnum free to the air Zurai slammed his hand into the girl, knocking her aside a few feet as the long slender talons of the Babysitter shattered the ground where she had stood.

A plume of dirt soared high raining bits of stone amongst the scene before a sharp echoing howl tore out Zurai's opponent, the very pressure of the cry quickly clearing the site of its obscurities allowing full view of this final clash which had initiated beyond.

Catching his weapon Zurai took full advantage of his current proximity to the mutant, aiming both barrels of his magnums at its head and firing. Only to growl in distaste as the beast phased out of sight, all thanks to its speed no doubt.

Body tense Zurai scanned the surroundings for any sign of movement keeping note of the Girl's location while he searched, in case the creature went the way of a predator and attacked the unsuspecting one. But it wouldn't do that, no, it wanted him.

Like a sixth sense an internal proximity alert blared just seconds early as the mutant, seemingly appearing from above, dove in for a strike. Zurai, whirled his weapons upon each finger, turned to greet his opponent, burying the bayonet of each magnum deep into its skull as it swung wide.

“Hit the pavement!”

Unleashing a volley of skin melting electricity the mutant didn't even have time to scream as it's head erupted in a shower of blood and smoking brain matter further blanketing the already dead mutant covered area along with Zurai himself, who's long sleeveless coat, hood, and armored humanoid body were already a bit soaking.

As the shattered and smoking body of a once fearsome babysitter hit the dirt with a hard thud, Zurai tucked away his weapons and let his arms hang lazily to his sides. It had been a successful first contact, he now had all the information needed to further evaluate and help protect the populace against this lurking menace. Bringing up a map displaying the locator beacons of his entourage he quickly took notice that 62 and 51 had successfully regrouped with 45 and were starting back towards the defensive line. The only thing that remained to be done was to join them but before he could do that he wanted to know about this girl.

Judging by her ensemble she clearly wasn't part of the 22nd Splinterburg defense regiment which only meant she was likely a local and that meant wither he like it or not, she was under his protection until further notice. So, giving himself a quick once over Zurai casually approached the civilian who, despite receiving a powerful abrupt shove to safety, didn't seem any worse for wear.

“You should be somewhere safe miss, It is not wise or advised to wander around a war zone so-”

But his words stopped, the culprit being a sudden heavy vibration staggering the ground under him. A signature he knew all to well. Searching the area for a possible sighting Zurai quickly scrambled up a nearby jutting ledge only to make his suspicions more clearer then ever. A giant, tusked humanoid towering just above most nearby buildings casually strode in their direction. It was a Goliath, one of the less common if not more dangerous creatures to ever grace the wastes and this one was not only looking rather pissed it was missing an eye. An eye, Zurai was positive the young woman who had appeared before him just destroyed not that long ago.

Maybe this girl was not just a regular citizen after all, maybe she was a Senti. Cause you had to be out of your mind to pick a fight with a Goliath alone when you were human.  

[Kallori]

Not being used to getting shoved, the girl was a little baffled. This Andro, whatever it's model, somehow wasn't that different from her, as she would've done the same thing. This was something she wanted to ask,but for later.

In a grand display of sparks and fireworks, the robed Andro swiftly dealt with a Babysitter, but she was shocked that she somehow hadn't seen that, but a Goliath instead. It seemed that it was trying to find her, as she spotted it coming into view again from her position. No doubt the Andro saw it as well.

She was torn between words and actions. Apparently the Andro didn't understand her before. Did it not make the connection that she was robotic as well? Maybe it took more evidence. But that would have to wait, as the Goliath neared with every thunderous step.

She was tempted to swipe the gun from her current ally, since he apparently could produce lightning like a Senti. What the hell, she needed a weapon, and she had a feeling her bare fists wouldn't cut it this time. She held his hand with the gun for a moment, looking into what she assumed were his optic receivers. "Cover me." her words were broken and filled with static and other assorted noises, but hopefully, he understood what she said, and a second later, she tore off, his gun in her hand. Her incredible speed was to thank for that.

Bounding up a wall to the roof of a broken down house, she launched off, aimed straight at the mutant. It didn't have enough time to react, trying to swat her away with a huge swipe of its arm, but she had dug her fingers into its skin, hitching a ride until she reached is face again. We meet again beastie. Say your prayers! she fired off a couple rounds, blasting off a couple of chunks of skin. It was spurting blood, but apparently that wasn't enough to completely kill it. Again, it tried swatting her, but she saw it coming, and backflipped over the arm, spinning down to the ground. She fired another shot, puncturing its chin before she hit the ground again. She turned in the direction of the robed Andro and shouted a bunch of nonsensical noises. Crap, he probably didn't understand that! Why wasn't I given a voice? it was a question she pondered every time she opened her mouth. Hopefully he got the message though. She had to fall back, the Goliath advancing heavily and almost squashing her.  

[Dark Xaero]

[Swiftnife : Old York : Broken Avenue]

Oh it was definitely one of those days alright. Not even a few feet from the inn Nikki had told him she was staying at and Swiftnife was already staring down, not one, not two, hell not even three, but five thugs who thought to try their luck on mugging the only guy that was actually more dangerous then the sharpest object the largest of this posse currently brandished.

Swift, rubbed a knuckle against the light stubble that graced his chin while he regarded the group that circled him with little less then a care. “Hey, can you get out of my way”

The shortest of the gang, a guy in tattered fatigues with a single pauldron that looked to have been crafted from part of a Footmobile, stepped forward armed with a piece of pipe. Judging by the pair of large scars that traced his face diagonally, going from his left eye and ending at his chin, it wasn't hard to agree that he was ugly and maybe the leader.

“Hey! Can you empty your pockets before we gut ya?” the man replied, his nasal voice dripping with enthusiasm.

Swiftnife let out a long drawn sigh, scratching the back of his head before running the hand through his messy hair. His patience was already starting to ware thin here and the little guy's voice wasn't doing doing much to help their situation, in fact it was actually grating on him and starting to reignite the dim headache he had.

Looking to the short boss, Swift address him with a cold stare. “Look, I don't have time to play with you kids right now, so why don't you buzz the ******** off or I'll make you kiss the pavement, better yet, I'll melt those marbles in your skull you call eyes.”

But the man would not be intimidated, even if it was in his best interest to listen. “Oh yeah, Freak? Say that again to my friend here.”

Jutting a thumb to the left of him, a more typically sized goon took a step forward challengingly, smiling to reveal a mouth full of decayed teeth before raising a piece of metal to his mouth and promptly exhaling a greenish gas on to it. Dropping the thing to the dirt while it immediately began melting.

Swiftnife growled. “Of course you'd have a senti who spews acidic gas.”

Why couldn't he just get a break.  

[Dark Xaero]

[Jack : Steel Town]

Smoke huh? It certainly was an interesting nickname, way less menacing then “Red Eyes” anyway. A young man with messy brown hair, soft eyes, and dressed in a grey jumpsuit with a lightly stained apron wrapped around approached the table they were sitting at. It was the waiter. He gave a rather pleasant smile to everyone, especially Ashley, before pulling out a pad of paper and a pencil. Jack wasn't one to stare but judging by the look the young waiter gave to Ashley alone and the slight blush on his cheeks, it was obvious that the man was infatuated with her.

The waiter cleared his throat. “I-I apologize for taking so long to get to you but we had a bit of mess to deal with in the kitchen. So, have you decided?”

Glancing to the other side of their table at the menu's that had yet to be touched before returning his focus back to the waiter, Jack lightly waved a hand. “Nothing for me thanks, I was about to head out, one of us needs to sleep. It was nice meeting you Ash I'll see you guys later.”

Backing his chair away from the table Jack rose to his feet and returned the seat to its original position before giving a smile and waving a hand. He then strolled casually to the other end of the building and out the main door. As he stepped into the soft light of an early dawn hearing the entrance to the restaurant shut behind, he gave a stretched and a slight yawn, yet another side effect of being a mimic. Though he acted as if he always had a healthy intake of air, the truth was he never needed to breath. Still he always was curious as to how it felt.

Grabbing his long dented pipe from beside the door Jack Moved to the main road which directed him around the common house that the restaurant was behind, preparing to enter and maybe get an early start on speaking with Ava. This way he could just relay the information he got from her to Sera later since she likely needed a good rest soon. Jack knew he could use a few hours of charge himself but his curiosity right now on what Ava had to say was just too high for him to get any. So, with renewed vigor he steeled himself and proceeded to open the main doors.

“Hold it, Red Eyes”

Jack froze, recognizing the drawl which could only belong to one man. Looking to his left, his sight was graced with the strong bodied and serious gaze of Sherif Springs who approached in a light jog. The man was massive, with well toned muscle barely restrained under a form fitting shirt and faded jeans he certainly didn't have to demand respect, he already had it. The sheriff was armed to the teeth as usual only this time he lacked the large laser rifle that often sat strapped to his back.

“What is it Sheriff?” Jack asked innocently.

The hulking man took a moment and wiggled his thick moustache before spitting something to the pavement. “We need an extra man to handle a little situation near our power generator, ya up for it?”

Jack stared at the Sheriff for a few seconds letting the information settle. “Um sure, do you want me to get Sera?”

The Sheriff shook his head. “Nah need to keep this under the bridge, deputies only and all that, but were short a man and since you can fight and nobody knows ya, your the best bet. So how about it, wanna earn your keep get some creds?”

Jack nodded, he was flat broke so a little job for some pay didn't sound to bad, besides, it couldn't be worse then getting chased by a pack of hungry mutants.  

[Kallori]

Sera watched Jack as he stood up and left, never taking her eyes off of him until he was out of sight. Well, they did need to rest every now and then, but Sera didn't feel tired at all. Glancing back to the menu, she noticed it had a few of the same foods that Steel Meals had, though some were new, such as Drillpig Pork, Kittik Chowder, and some strange drink called Air Berry Shake. I thought vegetation was scarce. she thought. "I'll take a Needle Drake Steak and that Air Berry Shake, see what it's like." she looked up to see the waiter jotting down her order on a worn piece of paper.

"I'll just take the, uh, Chowder, thanks." Ash's voice seemed flustered, which immediately caught the attention of Sera.

"Very well, I'll bring them out to you." The waiter seemed to choke back something during hose last couple words as he promptly headed back into the kitchen.

"No way!" Sera exclaimed as soon as the waiter was out of earshot.

"'No way' what?" Ash was confused by Sera's words.

"Don't deny it, I saw what you did!"

"Do what?"

"Blush! You blushed right back at him!

"That's absurd!" Ash twisted around in her seat to face away from Sera. "What makes you think I'd be into him?"

Sera took a second to reply. "I didn't say anything about you being into him, I just said you blushed." Ash turned back around, slowly, though she was looking down before throwing a glance in Sera's direction. Sera's face immediately brightened up, and she seemed very giddy. "You ARE into him! Get out!" she gave Ash a playful push.

"Well..." though she didn't get to finish as their meals arrived, the waiter setting them out before the girls.

"I hope you two enjoy. And please, let me know what you think."

Sera picked up a fork and knife, diving right into the steak. "Yeah, I'll give Dane my compliments." The waiter stuck around a couple more seconds, as he turned once again to Ash, blushing yet again. Did he want to ask something? Sera, mouthful of steak, cocked her head up at the waiter. He didn't seem to notice.

Ash stirred her chowder for a bit before speaking. "So Smoke, what's the plan for tomorrow then?"

Sera swallowed what she was eating before saying anything. "I don't know, really. Me and Red Eyes were going to go meet up with Ava for, something. I forget what, though she'll probably fill us in. What were you thinking of doing?"

"I don't know. I want to go and find the boys and Cinder, but that seems like a longshot." she sighed, "It's tough when you don't have something to drive."

The waiter, obviously not wanting to handle the situation right now, started to slip away, "I'll just, go get your bill..."  

[Dark Xaero]

[Zurai : Splinterburg]

Yup it was official, the woman was out of her mind, combine that with the fact she was a speedy Senti and you could probably guess why Zurai now just stood there and stared in what he would probably classify as complete bewilderment while this individual who had quite literally dropped out of nowhere into his care, snatched one of his weapons out of its holster, muttered something in complete and incoherent gibberish and raced off to try and tackle a colossus alone. Which, from what he could tell as she dashed back towards him with the giant mutant hot on her tail, wasn't working out so well. Zurai certainly had his work cut out for him.

It was blatantly obvious she was crying for help, but her weird and unknown language made the effort seem more amusing then urgent and if Zurai had a humor function he would likely laugh. But he didn't, he was a cold calculating machine who needed to watch out for people like this woman and despite his orders he had only one means as of current to neutralize a Goliath quick and effectively.

Zurai hung his head. “I find this completely illogical but, my orders are to eliminate threats that pose harm to civilians here and Senti or no Senti I must comply”

Pulling out his remaining weapon Zurai accessed his core functions, shuffling through a slew of programs and other miscellanea until he was at the heart of his most buried and secure parameter. The very thing that made him who he was and what Nicole apparently had denied him access to while here in splinterburg. He stared at the three tiered encryption that blocked his path and though he could easily disengage them given enough time, that was just the problem, he had no time.

“Ah my mistress, I should have suspected this.” Closing the window he regained his visuals watching as the offending beast tore off the top of a nearby complex and hurled it with lazy precision at the woman who with some last minute fancy foot work managed to avoid the impact if only barely.

“The hard way it is.”

Aiming his gun Zurai used his sensors to further secure a target on the remaining eye of the Goliath. Though the creature had taken only superficial damage amongst its body thanks to his little helper being a pest, the Volt magnum the Senti held only functioned at standard capacity, due to the fact that its base damage could only increase when charged by his integrated abilities. Alone it was just a standard laser gun.

Super charging the weapon with his power Zurai pulled the trigger. In a flash the gun projected a slightly condensed electrical stream which went off with a mighty boom hurtling debris around and staggering him slightly as the ledge beneath his feet formed a fresh crater. The round, soared at high velocity while the mutant, turning to address the large noise with a curious expression, howled as its last eye vaporized along with a chuck of skull.

Zurai collapsed to a knee partially drained. Though it was nothing compared to going “full throttle” as Nicole often put it, using his lowest power output on the gun still took its toll, but, instead of leaving him vulnerable for over an hour this weakness would pass in a mere fifteen minutes. Looking to the Goliath while it stumbled about, clumsily grasping the air for a sort of stabilization to its balance, Zurai found a type of satisfactory relief or something along those lines be brought to his attention as the beast tripped and abruptly impaled itself on the jagged edges of a concrete structure. Killing it instantly.  

[Kallori]

She almost slipped into the fresh crater her Andro ally had apparently created with his gun. Were they able to do that the entire time, or was it more complicated than that? Looking at the one she had swiped, then to the one the Andro was holding, she figured he would do better with it.

Climbing up the small ledge, she tried to help the Andro to his feet, since apparently that humongous blast had drained some of his energy before returning the gun to his care. She gave him a pat on the back, conveying he had done a fine job, but there was still the issue of speech. She was a Mimic, there had to be some way to let him know she wasn't just another organic with superpowers. The noises she had made proved that much to her. But what could she do? Was she even able to send a signal of any kind his way? She knew robots could relay information to each other. The thing now was how to do that.

Then she thought if showing him that she was mechanical on the inside would help. But intentionally damaging herself? At first, she dismissed the idea until she remembered her air can. A bright smile lit up her face a second later, and she enacted her idea of sending a message. Holding out her left arm stiff, she splayed her fingers on her right hand to look like claws before she dug into the skin on her left arm. The Andro would think she was out of her mind, but she had to let him know somehow. Slowly, she had carved the word "Mimic" into her left arm, some bits of metal alloy and wires could be seen where she had scrawled, peeling off her own skin. She gave him a few seconds to read it before digging her air can out and spraying over her message, which patched up her arm till it was good as new.

To add to this, she opened her mouth again, but instead of moving her lips, just let it hang, while she uttered varying digital sounds, ranging from beeps and blips to replicating alarms. Until she could establish some kind of signal that he could pick up, or vice-versa, this would have to do as her means of communicating. Scrawling notes like some kind of author.  

[Dark Xaero]

[Jack : Steel Town]

He took it back, this was going to be exactly like getting chased by a pack of hungry mutants. Looking to Springs while they briskly moved closer to the Sheriff office, Jack cleared his throat before asking for the man to clarify what he had just said.

“Spine walkers?”

The muscled sheriff nodded. “Spine walkers, there a new type of creature that not even the PAAC know about. Four feet high, six feet long with a bite that can tear concrete. They get around on eight legs that look and are as sharp as a thin metal spike. Their blind, but fast, and can detect movement at twenty feet from their vicinity, their hearing is pretty sharp too.”

Jack processed this new information hesitantly while they passed Springs office. Apparently, a group of these Spine walkers had managed to find their way over to the Steel Town electricity generator and were preventing the maintenance team that kept it running from performing their duty. According to the Sheriff this was a rare occurrence but regardless of this fact these mutants were a serious threat to the populace and needed to be dealt with immediately.

Arriving at a very large and deep crater just behind the Sheriff office Jack was greeted by three individuals, one of whom he recognized as Ryan, the bald man with the snapped noose around his neck. The other two consisted of a young woman with a fair build, wild eyes and frizzy neck length blond hair standing beside a young man with a determined gaze and short black hair. Both, were dressed in faded combat fatigues armed with projectile based assault rifles. Jack guessed these were the Deputies.

Spitting to the dirt the Sheriff cleared his throat. “Alright ladies listen, and listen good. Were gonna take a stroll on down to the maintenance area and hunt us some Spine walkers. Now, before ya'll go asking questions as to who this fella here with me is, know this, Max is sick, so he won't be joining us today and this guy here is fresh in town and knows how to fight, a win win combo if you ask me.”

Jack felt a little nervous twinge hit as three other sets of eyes in the vicinity turned their attention to him with a judgemental gaze. Did the Sheriff really have to go and put him on the spot like that? It was bad enough the nickname was starting to get popular.

The man with the short black hair looked to his boss. “I don't know Sam, after what just happened with the Howitzers.”

The Sheriff sighed. “What happened with those s**t stains was a long time coming Bryan. Hell, you know better than anyone that your sister vouched for them the moment they started depositing credits.”

“Ya! I may be crazy but Francine is the coldest b***h in town,” chimed the wild eyed woman. “She'd sell you to the slave market if the price was right.”

Bryan growled. “Fine! Whatever! I'm just glad the town is safe. So, are we gonna go do this or just stand around and think of ways to insult my sister?”

The Sheriff chuckled. “Well shoot Bryan we could do both if you want, I don't mind. But, your right, we need to head on out. Lock and load.”

Jack watched as each member of the group, except the sheriff, took a moment to check their gear. Bryan and the wild woman examined the clips of their guns while Ryan loaded some rounds into that of his shotgun. Jack however, being the only one without a gun, looked at his pipe staff with a question as to how he was going to use it in tight quarters since, from what he knew of maintenance areas, they were usually didn't have much room.

“Hey Ryan do you have a spare pistol Red Eyes here can borrow?”

Looking to the sheriff with surprise, a pistol was tossed Jack's way courtesy of the noose wearing man who didn't bat an eye from losing it. Jack however, not expecting the temporary gift, dropped his staff and fumbled with the lethal object a few moments before getting a firm hold on the grip.

The wild woman struggled to stifle a giggle as she turned to follow Bryan down the crater. “He'll be dead before he fires a shot I bet.”

The team, began to move down, heading towards, from what Jack could tell as he took up position at the back of the line, was a steel door left untouched by whatever had shattered the room before it. It did not look promising and neither did the possibility of him firing the 45 he had been given. Guns and him did not always see eye to eye. He was much better off with his fists, or a knife.  

[Dark Xaero]

[Zurai : Splinterburg]

To say that Zurai was surprised would be using the word in a wrong terminology. Sure he was a bit taken back as he stared at the sight before him of a word scrawled crudely in the flesh of a being that should not even exist. But, a smooth amount of anger surged his circuitry more so then surprise. He had been wrong about this woman, no, this abomination. More wrong then the amount of time he had lived since activation. The word torn into “her” skin was somewhat legible, however, that's not what caught his eye. Beyond the “layer” he highlighted and identified through his peripheral sensors, various amounts of hardware that didn't belong. From colored wires to small hydraulic pumps, Zurai, just stared in silence before the word that had read “Mimic” abruptly vanished thanks to its writer administering a sort of repairing material to the damage via a spray can.

She could have just been a human with augmented implants. But that logic imploded the moment he had read the word she scrawled. Mimic: of, or pertaining to, imitating an object or in this case an individual. Only, Zurai knew it was not for entertainment purposes. Looking to the damage of his own artificial bicep he continued to try and find a truth to this madness that he could perceive as his own logical understanding. But there were so many pieces now fitting together. The way she spoke, likely due to a damaged vocal chip. The fact he could not detect any abnormality at first glance due to her skin, because it was actually organic material.

He didn't want to look at her. He didn't even want to acknowledge her existence he was so disgusted. But, try as he might the skin wrapped machine kept getting into his view with a confused expression upon what was likely, a stolen face. This would be his end. This machine that, while not in full shape due to the vocal chip would be his decommission. The future was finally here and he wanted nothing more then to tear it apart.

But something was amiss about this one. Maybe it was due to its large eyes which now expressed what he guessed was akin to hurt as he backed away. Or, the fact it was so friendly that it idly chatted nonsense to him even though he had no idea what it was saying. Whatever the case, Zurai found his fury lessen as he continued to stared into its eyes. Something that he had only gotten from Alanna Cartwright whenever he visited her and she told him about her day. This... girl, was no threat and he needed to stop jumping to such quick conclusions.

But now his thoughts were directed to a query that refused to give up. What was he going to do with her. She obviously had to have come from somewhere, just, where? What factory would produce such an advanced machine only to set it loose? Regardless of the answer Zurai still had a job to complete, but he couldn't just leave her, she would have likely been scrap parts in a matter of seconds had he not acted against both that Babysitter and Goliath. No, she was better off in his care. He could bring her with him to the defensive line, only, she would have to remain close to him and stay quiet at all times. At least until he found some way for her to converse with others instead of by spoken word as the noise from her mouth alone would likely scare any organic past the brink of insanity and that just wouldn't do.

Slowly, he approached the girl, although more warily this time, tucking away both his pistols thankful to once again have a pair. “Alright, so your a machine, like me. Only, I've never heard of a Mimic classification before, let alone seen a model of your make. So, you must be the forbidden fruit of some mad engineer or faction.”

He paused to hold out a hand. “I, am Zurai, and despite what you've shown me, I cannot give answer to my classification. However, I am currently on mission and need to rendezvous with the 22nd Splinterburg Defense Regiment. If you wish, you can accompany me there, but I highly advise avoiding open communication until we find you a more ideal way of conveying Dialogue.”  

[Kallori]

The Mimic agreed, nodding her head. Though her slight smile turned into a bit of a frown as they started to make their way to wherever he had specified. He certainly had a voice, a good, functioning, and very fluent voice, almost human. If only she was provided with one. It was a constant mental torment, to have all these people and robots speak and understand each other, while she was cursed with computer-generated noises whenever she opened her mouth. Goddammit, why me? she thought in frustration. And it was all because of her manufacturer, making the slip to forget her vocal chip.

She then remembered, did Zurai specify where exactly they had to meet this Defense Regiment? Taking a small moment, she switched her optics to scan their surroundings; buildings and objects became lines on a grid, people could be found by sensing body heat, though none appeared, and Andros appeared as polygons, though colored differently so she could distinguish them from the terrain. It appeared that a small group of polygons were a few blocks away. Was this the group they were meeting with? It had to be, she sensed no other sentient being in the immediate vicinity.

Switching back to regular vision, she blinked a couple of times before rubbing her eyes. She hated when she transitioned from one view to the next. It was almost as bad as the headaches she got from moving too fast for too long. She looked over at Zurai, noticing he had glanced in her direction, perhaps wondering why she was rubbing her eyes, and instead she gave a smile, assuring everything was okay.

[gah, can't think of anything else.]