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 Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:18 pm
Chapter 1 - Beginnings
10/10/05
[1] A short while after exitting the lab, Soul Bottle and Essence Vial securely bagged in a pouch, Alexi gently alighted at the entrance to her floating palace. With an excited smile, she entered the palace and floated down to the level of her lab, where she kept her notes and personal research. Doors opened and traps disabled as she passed through the air, recognizing their creator. Members of her army bowed their heads as she flew by them, acknowledging their leader but none stopped her to speak. All knew how important this day was for her.
Portals slid shut behind her quickly as she entered her personal chambers, letting noone else enter. Swiftly making her way to the research lab beyond her private quarters, pulled out the pouch containing the bottle and vial, as well as a small titanium disc that she carried within her pocket. With a quick gesture and a whispered keyword, Alexi's armor suddenly started to slide away. Within moments, Alexi was no longer wearing armor but was wearing a comfortable low-cut dress, bracelets, heels, and a pendant.
"Ah...thats better," she sighed in content, sitting herself down less than elegantly on a nearby chair. Setting her precious newfound items on the lab-table in front of her, she smiled. "Time to get to work. Just have to make sure I get the right soul in the bottle..."
Alexi gestured at the table and a sleek vault-like block of ornate marble rose out of the table itself, seeming to form itself from the metal table-top. The front face of it opened and a variety of containers were revealed. Pausing for a moment, she perused the containers before choosing what looked like a round bauble of glass with no openings.
"This will do...this will do nicely..." she spoke half to herself, cupping the globe of glass in her hand. Her eyes flashed and a little chiming click sound emanated from the globe...slowly, a hole began to form in the top of the globe of glass-like substance. Gently, Alexi placed the Soul Bottle and the metal disc inside it. Flashing her eyes at it again, the globe began to re-seal itself.
Taking four pieces of metal out of the vault, Alexi placed them on the table and they immediately melded seamlessly with the metal top. Adjusting and fine-tuning these pieces of elaborately constructed machinery, she placed the glass-like bauble between the four prongs. Amazingly, the bauble began to hover between them.
"There, that should do it." Waving her hand at the vault on the desk, it receded back down into the table-top. Turning slightly, Alexi pulled out what looked like a notebook out of a shelf beside her. She paused a bit, smiling at the irony that, with all that fancy technology around her that she could use to take her research notes she and many of her race still preferred writing her notes down in journals. She set the journal down and began writing with a nearby stylus... Alexi Day 1, Kalec's Resurrection Experiment - Raevan variant.
Proposal - To attempt a resurrection of Kalec through splicing one of his memory chips with the essence of a Dragon Lich, the closest thing to a Drakien.
Completed Steps to proposal:
1) Get in contact with Kyou and make a deal with him on payment for an experiment. (check)
2) Meet him at his Lab and receive the bottle and vial needed for the experiment. (check)
3) Make certain that the soul that enters the bottle is of Kalec's titanium memory chip. (under way)
Later to-do list.
1) Take the items to Kyou for further processing
2) Guide the newly resurrected Kalec form to see if his memory and powers can be restored.
3a) If this cannot be done, find a different Transhuman option for resurrection
3b) If this can be done but he doesn't have enough of his memories, try implanting a memory chip manually.
3c) If this can be done and he has all his memories, reinstate Kalec as the leader of Transhumans. (plans later to be devised)
Notes and specific details:
Today, I was able to make plans with Kyou to have this experiment done. I can't wait to see how it turns out. The excitement must be getting to me because I took off right away and flew to his Lab without even asking where it was. *hits self* In addition, as I was flying to the lab, I encountered a number of enemies who attacked me on sight. Of course, I took care of them, but not without getting myself hit by a rather powerful Sandstorm attack by one of the Koorians. Ruined my recent armor-polishing. I'm just glad I remembered to bring my sword.
Note: it seems that someone among the ranks of my race is trying to keep me from accomplishing my goal. Remember to find and kill him/her with a specially agonizing death.
In any case, I managed to reach the Lab by concentrating on areas with massive magical power. Normally I don't use this ability, since its completely useless in transhuman territory, but it will be nice to note that this ability is useful in tracking down things outside of our territory. Note: Remember to notify army members of this occurance.
I found Kyou's lab to be quite a small lab on the inside, though the outside looks quite formidable. When I arrived, Kyou was sleeping, and his assistant Doctor Chloe helped me retrieve my order and showed me the inside of the lab. She's a little timid and accident prone, or at least forgettful. But I used to be too, before that monster came into my life. Of course, I didn't tell her the truth about the damaged and rather ruffled up armor. It'll repair itself, but I told her it was because of a storm. Note: Remember to meditate later to keep inner demon in check.
Anyway, the part that impressed me the most was his method of splicing soul and essence to make a whole creature. Our transhuman methods usually use genetics and then implants and genetic manipulation to create new transhumans with new powers and such. The simplicity and speed of his method is astounding, and I never guessed that it would be possible to do this. However, I have signed a form stating that I would not steal his technology and I intend to keep my word. I very much respect him for coming up with that method. This gives me great hope. Perhaps one day I -will- be able to come up with some way to graft subspace demons to real materials or souls.
Note: Research into that again, instead of scrapping it like you did the last time.
I also met a certain Doctor Tsu. I hate this demonic succubus side of me sometimes, because it took over for a bit after sensing a male presence. He seems like a good person, and doesn't seem to have that lust for me that the bad men do. Though, I could be wrong. Can't tell with men sometimes. Note to self: Try harder not to judge all men by their gender.
Kyou emerged when I was getting the vial and bottle. He seems rather .... odd in person and I caught his eyes roaming over my body. I think also that he may be a little on the lazier side, or perhaps he's just too engrossed in his work. I think he gets the picture though, because when I gripped his hand, I put a little more pressure on it than I should have and his eyes changed from lust to a little bit of wariness. I should remember to give him a chance, especially since he's taking care of this experiment for me. Without him, I wouldn't be able to complete it.
Chloe apologized to me quite profusely and I assured her that I wasn't disappointed at all. I think that they've done this enough times that the experiment should run fine. But just in case, I slipped a few hairs at Doctor Tsu so I could monitor their progress a little through them. Not visually of course. But at least by voice and sound, as well as magics. And perhaps he'll find something out through them that will better the experiment and resurrection - who knows? At the very least, it'll be interesting.
Parts 1 and 2 have been completed. Part 3 is under way and I hope that my suspended and taint-free suspension globe will be able to make sure that Kalec's soul from his memory chip is safely transported into the bottle. I'm not sure how the memory chip will look when its soul is gone, but perhaps it will look brittle and corroded and I'll be able to tell from that visual sense that his soul is in the bottle. If not, I'll have to use my other instruments and magical means to determine that. Note: Monitor the globe closely, perhaps construct an automatic means of doing so.
So far so good. We'll have to see what happens in the coming days.
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 8:19 pm
10/10/05
[2] Some time later, Alexi awoke and, feeling refreshed, she walked over to see how the soul bottle was going. To her dismay, nothing was happening at all. She had expected to see the metal corroding, or at least perhaps a little bit of a glimmer inside the bottle, but nothing was happening. There was no change.
She quickly considered the options. Perhaps the bottle was defective. No - that couldn't be it...Kyou's bottles were renowned for being wonderful soul-catchers. No...there had to be another reason. Was the bauble interfering with it? That couldn't be it either. The bauble was designed to hold things inside, and keep outside forces from doing anything to disturb the contents, but it never stopped a reaction before. No...there was something she was missing...something she had overlooked....
She pored over her notes and the advertisements that brought her to Kyou, which listed the rules and all the intricacies of soul-catching. It had seemed so easy to her when she first looked through it, but perhaps her excitement had caused her to miss something...then the fated words appeared before her...
"As long as the item is not manmade, a soul can be extracted from it."
She stared at those words for a moment, dumbfounded. Then it began to sink in...With a horrid scream, Alexi let loose her fury - how could she have missed this? How? She should have -known- it was too good to be true, and now her experiment and crusade was done before she started. The demonic powers within her began to take over and with a cry, she ripped the bauble out of its place on the desk and flew with inhuman speed out the palace.
Servants and colleagues alike avoided her as she flew out, her demonic screams alerting them to her mood. It was best to leave her alone when she was like this and noone, not even Lindin, would dare face her in this rage, for doing so was suicide. She hurtled out the main gates, crying in fits of rage and sorrow into the open air.
While clear and sunny just a moment ago, the weather began to change as she flew up higher and higher into the skies. She wanted to drown her sorrows, and the skies mirrored her pain. Clouds began to gather and the sun started to get blotted out - angry arcs of lightning began to shoot across the sky. Rain began to fall, like angel's tears falling to drown the world. The air sizzled with anger and mixed sorrow as Alexi flew.
Suddenly, a calm coldness came over her and for a split second, she didn't care anymore. Screw this - she would find some other way to do it. And somewhere, a voice spoke to her, suggesting to her something hellish...Taking the bauble into her hand, she threw it into the Heavens with all her might, willing the lightning around her to strike it so she could start anew. She just wanted this over with. And for some odd feeling, she had the thought that lightning would solve all her problems...
The bauble disappeared into the darkness, and with a viscious thundering sound, lightning began to stream into the bauble. For a few seconds, the bauble managed to hold out the electricity streaming at it - it was built, after all, to be the ultimate insulator. But everything has its limits, and with a sharp cracking sound, the skin of the bauble broke open, letting electricity inside...the memory chip sizzled with power and lightning began to stream from it into the bottle....
Meanwhile, Alexi hovered there and suddenly the calm coldness was gone. She suddenly cared again. "Oh Kalec...what have I done...What have I done?!" With an anguished cry, she threw herself into the air again in a full-speed flight.
The broken bauble began its descent from the heavens as gravity took effect, falling faster and faster as Alexi shot through the air towards it. This made her even more alarmed as the bauble came within sight. She knew she was fast, but was she fast enough to catch it in time? Straining her wings as hard as she could, she let out some of the demon in her again and with a dark flash, her limbs gained new power. She would pay for this later of course, but she didn't care. As long as she got to her precious items, she would be alright.
She was so close now...so close she could almost touch the bauble...just a little further and...the ground was rushing up at her so fast...she reached her arm out, straining with all her will to stop the bauble from falling anymore....
With a shriek, Alexi let out one last burst of strength and her fingers closed around the falling bauble, but she was falling too fast. Throwing her wings open as hard as she could, she tried to brake her downward descent but failed to stop herself completely. Sobbing, she clutched it to her, not caring about the burning sensation she felt as it lay against her flesh, because something was different. Something had changed about this bauble and there was something alive in it - she could feel it. All she could think about now was to protect the bauble. She quickly spoke a word, enveloping the bauble in a bubble of air.
A thousand questions popped into her mind as she fell.."What happened? What was this feeling? How did..." and suddenly, a sickening crunch and sharp pain enveloped her as she smashed into the ground. Darkness began to envelop her mind... she looked at the bauble to make sure it was alright and was startled to see something inside..."Oh god...it hurts so much...my bones are broken...wings...tattered...but at least... at least the bottle...is safe...and Kalec made me so...I can heal quickly....thank you Gods...Kalec would be so prou...."...and the blackness brought on by pain enveloped her mind.
The bauble rolled out onto the tall grassy field she had landed in and the contents rolled out into the grass. The memory chip that was there had been completely destroyed...but, thankfully, the bottle itself was not harmed...
The angel demon named Alexi lay there on the waving grass plains under the breaking sunshine... she lay there, and healed her wounds.
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 10:54 pm
10/11-12/05
[3] "....wake up, sleepyhead."
The fallen angel felt consciousness painfully return in the form of some sort of pointy object being jabbed into her ribs. She moaned against the grass and rolled over onto her back, wincing in pain as her healing bones and wings slid on the ground. At least she was conscious now, she thought as she raised her head to greet this familiar voice.
"Lindin?" she winced into the bright morning light and slid a hand up to shield her eyes, blinded for a second by the glare, amplified by the dialation of her eyes from the shock she had just taken. After a moment, her eyes adjusted and she could see the handsome young red-head standing haughtily before her, the scabbard of his sword in his hand. He looked so handsome...the morning light making a little halo over his head...her hero...
"Mornin' sunshine," the young man quipped, shattering her fantasy. "Not in the best of shape are ya? Seems like you need a little help." She grimaced a little at his tone, but nodded. She did need his help, and one learned not to take Lindin's quick remarks seriously. It was just his way of expressing himself, and everyone knew the demon within him was a bit too strong for him to handle. He was a good kid really.
"Ye.." her voice cracked, and she paused a minute before trying again, wetting her throat. "Yes..I need help Lindin honey...would you be a dear and carry me? I can't fly at all..." She lifted her hand up to him, looking away in shame at the state she was in. This wasn't how an Angel was supposed to look like, beaten and broken. The bottle! The pain suddenly disappeared as she slid her hand around on the ground, trying to find her precious bottle.
Lindin's eyes flashed black a little. "Get there yourself. I did my job guarding you from those nasty little armored vultures that were going to finish you off. How'd ya get into this mess anyway?" Suddenly, his face softened and his cheeks turned an embarassed red, almost as dark the color of his flaming hair. "Oh god..sorry 'Lexi...here - lemme help you up." Bending down, he stowed his sword and lifted her up into his arms as if she were a child.
Even as gentle as he was though, pain still tore through her muscles - Alexi gasped out loud, eyes flung open wide, and then the darkness took over her mind again...Her hand met glass and...with her last conscious effort, she slid the bottle into her carrying pouch...and blacked out.
What happened next was all a blur to her. She remembered waking in midflight to see the clanging of swords and the blasts of magica that heralded a duel, but it was so close.... she remembered blacking out again and foggily seeing Lindin's face in his battle rage and then hearing a sizzling sound, with cries of pain around her. All she could think of though was the bottle inside her carrying pouch. Was it safe? What had happened with it? Somehow, she knew though that there was something inside, something that was causing that sizzling sound she heard...The darkness then took over again and it was some time before she awoke again.
___________
Artificial daylight was what woke Alexi up next, and she awoke in the familiar arms of her bedsheets. She didn't move at first, fearing that jolt of pain that would knock her unconscious again, and she carefully analyzed her body internally. Convinced that she was at least alright to move around, she lifted her arm to take a look.
Whole. That was good. And the other arm? Whole as well. She didn't think much time has passed though, and it would have taken at least a few days for herself to heal all those broken bones. Someone must have put her in a regenerative chamber, and she silently thanked Lindin for that. But something didn't feel right ...
She suddenly sat bolt upright as she realized she was completely naked underneath the bedsheets. Clutching the bedsheets to her, she cursed and tried to find her armor or some sort of clothes she could wear. Lindin must have taken off her clothes to get her into the regeneration chamber, and though she trusted him, she hoped the boy didn't get any ideas. That demon of his was a mite unpredictable. And how did he get into her inner chambers anyway?
"Sup, girl," Lindin's voice suddenly sounded, startling her and almost making her drop her bedsheets. She hadn't even noticed him standing there. Curse that boy for being able to be so sneaky. "Lindin!" she sputtered. "Wh...what are you doing here? I need to get dressed!"
"Just watching over ya. You know, you should really tweak those security bots and traps of yours. They suck. Don't worry. I didn't -look- at you." He grinned mischievously and, pulling a hand out from behind him, he tossed her armor-dress at her, knowing full well that she had no arms to catch it. She fumbled a bit, and then threw out her leg and caught it with her foot. Lindin chuckled as she grimaced at him, a grimace that turned into a slight smile and into a chiming laugh. Lindin just had that way with her. His non-challant attitude made him one of the only men who could make her smile and laugh like that.
"Oh Lindin, you little b*****d," she grinned. "Now turn around and let me dress!" He grinned and turned, then before she started to drop her clothes, he glanced back. "Lindin!" He laughed and turned his face back to the wall as she quickly donned her clothes.
The bottle.
Her eyes widened and she began to fumbled inside the pouch of her dress to see if it was there. She began to panic. Where was it?
Lindin turned around, hearing her fussing with her dress, and smiled. "If you're worried about that little bottle you had before, don't worry - I put it in your lab. Figured it was one of your crazy experiments or somethin. If you ask me, that little bottle is fragging awesome. It like. Shocked the hell out of some of these soldiers that attacked me when I was tryin' to get you up here. That ain't Kalec in there is it?"
Relieved, the tension went out of Alexi's face and hope took over. "Really? It did? Wonderful! I'm trying to resurrect Kalec again. Hopefully it will work this time Lindin...I wish he were back so that we wouldn't have to fight anymore.. not alone anyway... This Doctor Kyou has a new method of melding souls with essences to create creatures. I think this might be one of the few ways I can get Kalec back again..." She sighed heavily. "I just hope it works."
Lindin nodded, the mention of Kalec making him serious. There were few things that could make him this way, but Kalec was his mentor. No. He was more like his surrogate father, the man who kept his inside demon from taking over and killing him when he was younger. His real father was never there. Kalec was. Until he died anyway. And if he and Alexi were ever going to have a chance at making the transhuman wars end, it would be through getting Kalec back. He and Alexi exchanged looks that showed that they both knew the implications and seriousness of this project. This was no time to play games.
The two of them walked into the lab, where Lindin had placed the bottle. The shimmering and sparking bottle sat on the table, held in suspension by the same four prongs that Alexi had used earlier. Lightning arced over the surface of the bottle, and a cold fire burned inside. There was a power there - a soul that was charged with electricity from the heavens. A familiar power that the two of them knew well, but hadn't seen for quite some time. It was when that power disappeared that the Transhuman wars had begun. It was through this power that it would all end.
While Lindin had seen it before already, Alexi could barely breathe at the sight. Rotating her bracelet on her right hand, her protective gauntlet slid out and covered her white, delicate looking hand. She slowly wrapped her fingers around the bottle, taking care not to drop it, and brought it to her eyes.
She gazed at it for some time, poring over it, peering into it as she wrote notes in her journal log with her left hand, writing diagrams here and there and descriptions. Alexi Day 2, Kalec's Resurrection Experiment - Raevan variant.
Completed Steps to proposal:
1) Get in contact with Kyou and make a deal with him on payment for an experiment. (check)
2) Meet him at his Lab and receive the bottle and vial needed for the experiment. (check)
3) Make certain that the soul that enters the bottle is of Kalec's titanium memory chip. (check)
Later to-do list.
1) Take the items to Kyou for further processing
2) Guide the newly resurrected Kalec form to see if his memory and powers can be restored.
3a) If this cannot be done, find a different Transhuman option for resurrection
3b) If this can be done but he doesn't have enough of his memories, try implanting a memory chip manually.
3c) If this can be done and he has all his memories, reinstate Kalec as the leader of Transhumans. (plans later to be devised)
Observations of bottle: The bottle seems to be undamaged, but there are now contents within it as well as this arcing lightning shimmering across the surface now and then. I've tried placing it against the table and it started burning a hole in it before I quickly removed it. Its a good thing Lindin put it in the suspension holder.
Visuals: Arcing lightning, swirling blue firey mist inside
Other senses: High concentration of magic - definitely a soul, familiar as well. But different a little somehow.
After checking the bottle to see if the memory chip's soul was sent into the bottle, I discovered that it hadn't been. Note to self - artificial items cannot be used in soul bottles using Kyou's technology.
This angered me and I think the demon inside me must have taken over, because I went outside and hurled the bauble holding the bottle and chip into the skies, whereupon lightning struck it. I don't know what compelled me to do so. Perhaps its was the demon within me. Or perhaps it was the soul of Kalec inside the metal, telling me what to do. Note: Investigate this phenomenon.
Anyway, something within me clicked and I had this remote thought that it would be alright if I just got that bottle back. Get the bottle back, was all I could think of. I'm not sure what caused that either. But I flew over with all my strength to get that bottle back because something had changed about it.
Of course, I wasn't quite fast enough. I mean, I caught the bottle, but I didn't get it fast enough to stop myself from smashing into the ground. Note to self - train more and develop some extra air-braking technology.
Lindin saved me. I mean, I've saved him plenty of times from his own haste, but this is the first time he's ever really saved me. Did I thank him for it yet? I don't think I did. Note: Thank him after I write this down.
Anyway, I think I've managed to get some sort of essence of Kalec from the chip into the bottle because it seems really very familiar to me for some reason. That power just resonates with a Kalec-like feeling. Though it may just be my mind playing tricks on me, Lindin also said the same thing and he wasn't joking around at all during the time he was saying that to me, which means he really is serious. In any case, I think I'll have to set up an appointment with Kyou to get this completed. Not sure about when he's available. Note: Figure out Kyou's schedule and figure out a time when we can meet.
Here's a little memory-capture of the bottle itself.
Memory Capture of Bottle
And that should be it. More notes will be taken if other observations are found.
Oh - I should ask Lindin for a memory capture of the sight of the bottle "frying the hell out of," as he says as I'm writing this, the assailants that attacked us while he was trying to carry me back up to my palace. He probably won't give it to me. But at least I can note here that this bottle seems to have great power within it. I have high hopes. May the gods be with me I suppose.
"Bah - get out of here boy." She slapped him on his shoulder playfully. "We need our rest. I'll contact Kyou and see if we can find a time to do this experiment." Waving her hand, a little hovering machine came over to her and plugged into the base of her skull. Her eyes fluttered a bit and then it detached as she sent her message. Lindin grinned again.
"Whatever you say, 'Lexi." he smiled and walked toward the exit.
"Lindin?"
"Yes, 'Lexi?"
"Thanks for saving my life hon."
"Pssh. Don't mention it 'Lexi. See ya."
And with those parting words, Lindin walked calmly out the door, a smile on his face that was anything but mischievous. But of course, he wouldn't let Alexi see that.
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2005 1:18 am
10/13-14/05
[4] "...Kyou is busy right now, please leave a message after the tone."
"Dammit. Thats the 5th time.." Alexi muttered to herself, cursing her luck. Inside though, she knew that the good doctor was quite busy right now, and it looked like it would be awhile before she would be able to set up an appointment. It was just as well though. She needed the time to clear her mind and think of what her future plans were, and the war effort needed her right now. Commando raids were becoming more frequent, which heralded the coming of something darker and more powerful.
She shuddered at the thought of what that power might be. She normally didn't express fear but alone in her chambers, she let her weaker emotions out a little bit. Kalec would save them all...but for now, she would have to hold the fort until he got back.
She thought of her old compatriots. Lindin was one of the last of the group left. Mondai was nowhere to be found, and the Sleeta clones lost contact with the troops months ago. Of course, knowing Mondai, she was probably out hunting commandos on her own, having her "playtime" as she always put it, with a grin and a child's laugh that had an echo like a demon's. And play she would, at the expense of her prey. But where were the Sleeta clones? They never lost contact like this.
Sighing, Alexi collapsed back into her seal at the labdesk, gazing into the ball of flame that the bottle before her housed. This was all too much for her. She wasn't born a fighter, and now she had to command an entire army. "Oh Kalec...why did you leave me with this burden..." she wondered aloud. Sometimes she hated him for leaving her so alone. It wasn't his fault of course - his sacrifice of his main physical form to save them was a selfless gesture. But at moments like this....
She shook her head to banish those thoughts. She shouldn't think of him that way. It would only be a matter of time before Kalec returned to them, but that was for the future. She had to concentrate on the present. And, as her scouts had reported, that present involved taking care of these commando attacks.
Down on the surface of the planet, the clashing of swords and the sounds of explosions, both magical and mechanical, ripped through the air. Sharp cracks of sound were heard now and then as well, denoting a direct hit on living matter by a subspace cannon.
It was going to be a long night. She could feel it in her newly healed bones. She longed to call Lindin up and just joke with him for a bit, but she knew that it would only distract her. At least she had the soul-bottle on her desk to keep her company, she thought.
As if to agree, the bottle's surface shimmered with a sudden arc of lightning. Grabbing a blank journal from her shelves, Alexi plugged her mind into the army's networks and, gritting her teeth in concentration, began to draw up her battle plans...
_____________________
On the ground, a battle was coelescing. The sharp clashes of metal on metal and the sizzling of direct-damage spells being cast rang through the air. The plains were littered with pockmarks where cannon-fire had smashed dark black and burning holes in the ground, and fires had begun to spark in the tall grass. Screams of rage as well as those of pain could be heard sounding across the field. But at least this was better than the deafening silence that came from the dead. At least, when you screamed, you knew you were alive.
However, while all this outward action was going on, there was something...someone hiding in the darkness, striking in the dark, slipping silent death into the bodies of the living with a ghostly touch and the silence of a shadow. Something that gave out a childlike laugh in the air as all the chaos was going on...a laugh that seemed like a happy little girl's voice, but if you listened closely, there was a sinister air about it...
In the middle of the army that had come to assault Alexi's flying fortress, a group of officers debated their tactics. The senior officer, a tall man who carried himself with assurance, stood in their midst, barking orders as the rest stood at attention, cannon fire and magic bursting in the background.
"First officer," the man pointed to his subordinate."Move out and take some of our commandos behind their flanks. Lieutenant, you go to the first quadrant and hit them in the face as a distraction. Colonel y...."
*giggle*
A thin silver line flashed through the darkness, and the orders were cut short with a gurgle. The officer stood there for what seemed like an eternity, eyes open in shock and disbelief at the blade that had just passed through his armor and into his head between his eyes. Slowly, he fell lifelessly to the ground, and his form began to dissolve in what looked like black smoke, into the air.
For a moment, the officers around the dying, fading man just stood there, dumbfounded. Then, as realization of what just happened, all hell broke loose.
Some soldiers began to flee in random directions, abandoning their posts. Some readied their weapons and steeled themselves for a fight. Others tried to find somewhere to hide, and those with wings took to the air, probably the safest thing of all to do. They all had one thing in common though. They knew she was after them. And nothing...nothing escaped from her.
One fleeing soldier ran into the woods and hid behind a tree, hoping and praying to the gods that she wasn't going to get him. Maybe behind this tree, she wouldn't see him. Maybe if he just hid and didn't run, she wouldn't be interested in him.
*giggle*
The officer looked around frantically. Left - not there. Right - not there. He looked around the tree. Not there either. Sighing his relief, he turned around....and before him stood a girl with an young and pretty looking face, smiling at him innocently.
"Hiya! Name's Mondai. Whats yours?"
She seemed innocent enough. But what was a little girl doing out here in the middle of the woods? He opened his mouth, about to say his own name, but suddenly, realization began to dawn on him, and all his muscles went slack. He couldn't think. He couldn't breath. All he could do was stand there in panic.
After a moment, hearing no reply, the girl frowned in disappointment, her grey eyes becoming a little darker. Her dark hair blew a little in the wind, and her scarf began to...writhe a little, as if it were a cloth serpent. Her eyes began to narrow.
"You're no fun." She pouted...her voice started to become more and more gravelly and deep, until it literally had a demonic echo to it. Her eyes blazed a black fire... "Fine. Well, if you're not going to entertain me, maybe I'll just entertain myself!"
The last scene the poor hapless officer would see was the twisted face of the child named Mondai, streaking towards him, with a black dagger-sword in her hand. Just before his eyes faded into the air, he could see a little ghostly gray shadow replica face right behind Mondai's shoulder...a face that looked at him in sorrow and, perhaps, remorse even as Mondai's face was twisted in demon-rage. In that moment, he suddenly understood her rage. He understood everything about her - he understood why she killed, why she was always so young - why he was going to die. And he smiled.
Then...nothingness.
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:34 pm
10/18/05
[5] Alexi sat bolt upright in her bed, drenched with sweat and gasping for air. For a moment, she forgot where she was or what had just woken her up. Slowly though, she began to remember the nightmare that had caused her to be like this.
Scenes kept flashing back to her as she sat there in her nightshift, clasping her sheets to her. It seems that she had been dreaming about her past....the image of her parents taking care of her...her ex-fiance frolicking with her through the air, dancing on the winds...the rage in his eyes, after being corrupted by the rogues...her family being killed flashed in front of her...
She shut her eyes and covered her face with her hands, dropping the sheets, and sobbed silently for awhile, drowing her sorrows. Why did it all have to happen to her like this? Why?
When she next looked up, though, the sorrow was gone. And all that was left there was the vengeance that kept her alive. She quickly donned her armor-dress and strode to her staging room and plugged herself into the machinery. She had to beat these rogues. Or die trying. For her family's sake.
"Pull up personel profile, Lindin Chaosmage," she barked at the screen.
"Confirmed - profile downloading..."Computer/Mental Link Lindin, Chaosmage Specialties - Fire magic, mayhem, chaos, destruction Listed variants: Rathien Commando, Avatar, Mecha.... [select one] >>Access Commando ...Rathien Commando Variant accessed... [Lindin, Rathien Commando Variant A] [Gender:] Male [Race:] Rathien Transhuman, Dragon Class [Age:] 260 [Personality:] Volatile and rebellious - recommend extreme caution [Weapons:] Subspace flame sword [Abilities:] Various and sometimes random - [known abilities] [Hatred Limit:] High, almost continuous [Specialties in physical combat:] Close range combat with subspace sword, longer range combat with chaos-type magic. [High physical stats:] Speed, Reflexes, Strength [Weaknesses:] Lack of caution or planning. Headstrong and doesn't like orders. >>Location [Location of Lindin, Commando Variant:] Undetermined
Alexi swore. Lindin must have found some way of taking himself off the command locator. It was typical of him. At least she had a line she could call him at anytime. This complicated things though. It was harder to strategize when she didn't know exactly where Lindin was. Damn that boy...she knew she wouldn't be able to stay mad at him for long though.
"Computer - access Mondai Lostsol's Files"
Acknowledged Alexi - accessing..Computer/Mental Link Mondai Lostsol Specialties - Shadow Magic, Assassination, Stealth, Fear Tactics Listed variants: Drakien Commando, Avatar, Mecha.... [select one] >>Access Commando ...Rathien Commando Variant accessed... [Mondai Lostsol: Commando Variant A] [Gender:] Female [Race:] Drakien Transhuman, Spirit Class [Age:] 312 [Personality:] Schizophrenic - switches between child-like and sadistic [Weapons:] Dual retractable soul-grafted swords, venom daggers, and subspace guns. [Abilities:] Cloaking, Splitting, Shadow-stalk [Hatred Limit:] High, and very volatile [Specialties in physical combat:] Close range combat with swords and daggers, or ranged attack with subspace guns and daggers. [High physical stats:] Speed, Dexterity, Adaptability [Weaknesses:] Works poorly in groups, and likes to play with targets before the kill. >>Location [Location of Mondai, Commando Variant:] Dark Forest, outside of Castle >>View Location [Accessing...]
Suddenly, a red flash burned through the clearing and tore through a number of the rogues, leaving them screaming and writhing in agony as they burned to pieces. She recognized that flash of red light, and the maniac that almost flew through the area as he ran, dodging the numerous bullets and shots and parrying some with his sword...
"Lindin," she whispered. "You little b*****d..." She smiled with that comment. That boy knew how to destroy an army alright.
Mondai and Lindin actually worked together quite well, though they usually weren't team players. It seemed, that perhaps, their personalities, while jarring against others, found common ground together. But were two of her elite guard enough to keep the rogues at bay? The sheer number of them was disturbing, and this was just the initial wave of expendable and very new rogues. Sooner or later, the Rogue Commandos would arrive and, while they weren't quite as good as her guard, there were a lot more of them and all with special powers of their own.
Alexi rubbed her temples, an old habit from her past human life that came through sometimes. She didn't remember anything about that life except a few facts, but it still broke through her barriers when she wasn't thinking about it. How was she going to beat them? Why did they all decide to attack -her- right at this moment? Why...
The bottle.
The familiar thought jolted her and she broke the connection to the computer.
That had to be it. There was no other explanation. They were after Kalec's essence and soul. And why not? After all, Kalec was going to be "reborn" into a new body, with little memory of what he was or what he had done before. Whoever could meld him to their own devices would, essentially, control the entire Transhuman races and the entire future of the races.
She shuddered, her eyes open wide. She had to keep him safe. She just had to. Until Kalec grew up, she would have to keep him safe from harm, from corruption...suddenly the burdens of motherhood hit her full on, and she nearly fell out of her chair. It was her turn to be the parent. The entire future of the Transhumans depended on it.
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 12:29 am
11/21/05
[6] In the depths of her chambers, on a table in her lab, Alexi awoke with a start. She felt cold metal beneath her, the probing of cables and tubes lacing her body...her eyelids began to feel impossibly heavy and they kept falling shut. Where was she...what happened?...WHO was she?...
Memories began to flood in and she remembered...
__________________________
One month ago, 10/19/05.
"We're surrounded Lindin." The two were indeed surrounded, with polearms and guns pointed directly at them from all sides, even from the air. A rogue skyship hovered up in the air above them, cannons pointed downward. There really seemed to be no way out. And yet, there was no sign of fear in that child's voice as the black haired girl stood back to back with the red haired mage behind her...
Lindin merely smiled a nonchalant smile, shrugging a little. "Its no problem. Just the way I like it Mondai. We can handle these idiots. After all, there are what. Like a few hundred of them? Easy pickings."
Mondai smiled a childish grin, one of glee and greed, at Lindin's words. And in that voice, something else could be heard. Something sadistic...something no child's voice should ever have in it. The troopers surrounding the two began to look a bit worried...
"Lets play!"
With those words, Lindin and Mondai spun into action. White flames suddenly began to lace the air, and shadows threw themselves into the surrounding troopers. The first screams of the dying were heard, and the choking gurgles of a few troopers began to sound through the darkness. Battle hardened soldiers took tail and ran. Others tried in vain to hit the spinning light and shadows, only to be met with steel and flame.
"Hmph. Too easy," Lindin snorted. His spinning form ran through the fields, burning through the enemies around him as if they were dry tinder and he were a firestorm. The terrain and air around him burned and through it all, he danced through the leaping flames, himself unscathed by their heat.
Looking down on the battlefield through her mechanical eyes, Alexi smiled. It was utter chaos ... screams of the dying and burning piercing the air, cut off by the sound of a sword slash... and yet, there was something elegant about it all. Something right about it. Something almost beautiful...
"Yeah Lindin its no fun." A dark child's form flickered here and there in the firelight, almost as if it were an illusion brought on by the haze of the flames. "They don't put up a fight." A little pout could be heard in the child's voice, a little voice of disappointment.
"FIRE!" the voice of the commander suddenly roared from his hovering skyship, and with that command, the cannons of the skyship as well as armed troopers on the ship began to blast into the ground, shrapnel flying every which way. A few unlucky soldiers were caught in the blasts and ripped to shreds. Warheads, it seemed, cared little which side you were on.
After the noise died down, there was utter silence. The field was completely wasted and there was really, no chance that someone caught in that blast could have survived. The soldiers caught in the blast certainly didn't. Alexi gasped a little in shock. There was no sign of Lindin or Mondai. But why would there be? Thats what a disintegration cannon did after all. Vaporize what it hit.
Gryun smiled in his command post up on the skyship. If his superiors would have just let him do that right away they would have kept those two from causing so much trouble. After all, he was a commando. There was only one real way to deal with those trained the way he was. And that was with the cannons. Troopers had no real power over them no matter how many.
"Alright men. We're done. Lets move..."
"Oh you're certainly right old man. You're definitely "done."" Behind the commander, a haughty voice sneered. A strong and firm grip clasped over the commander's throat...
"Wha...?" *choke*
"You heard me. 'Specially cuz you tried to fraggin' bomb us with those cannons. You're getting senile you old cow, being away from the nexus too long. And you call yourself a commando. Don't you remember? They installed a cannon-dodging training module when you were gone. You're obsolete."
The grip began to burn...literally. The flesh on the commander's neck began to redden, and then begin to burn and char... it was all the commander could do to keep from screaming.
"Thats right. Feel the burn. No pain no gain yeah?"
Suddenly, the commander began laughing...even though the burning sensation was still there and his flesh was dripping down his armor. He laughed with the laugh of someone who knows something. Lindin frowned.
"Why are you laughing old man?" He shook the commander, smashing his sword into his leg and twisting it. The commander just kept on laughing..
"You...you don't even know...what's going on...you're so immature...hahaha...you might be powerful but you certainly aren't smart..."
"Oh yeah old man? What are you fraggin' talking about? TELL ME!" Lindin roared, feeling suddenly sick to his stomach...something was wrong. It really was all too easy..
"Why do you think we dispatched such a small contingent of forces down here? You think this is all we have? Take a look at your precious castle!" The commander was beginning to choke now, the bone and metal of his spine beginning to show through the cables laced inside his flesh. Black blood began to spill out only to char instantly.
"I don't see wh.." Looking up, Lindin suddenly knew. He had been duped. This wasn't the real attack force. And while all those soldiers had been thrown at him all that time, they weren't doing it to kill him.
They were doing it to distract him. And Alexi was up there...
"Oh gods...'Lexi..." His breath caught in his throat and he lost his concentration. His grip began to loosen on the commander's throat...and in that moment, the commander twisted out of Lindin's grip and drew his sword. Lindin suddenly felt the tip of a sword being placed against the small of his back, a strong forearm suddenly around his neck within a split second. This -was- another commando after all...
"I want you to hear my name before you die scum. A child trying to play at being a soldier. A child who is prey to his emotions, trapped by the lie that is the nexus. I end your pitiful existence. I whose name is Gr...ack.."
The sound of Tolarkien metal ripping through flesh interrupted the voice of the one named Gryun. He never got to finish his name.
"Grack? What a silly name. You must have had a silly mommy to have such a silly name. Didn't you..Grack?" More ripping could be heard. A soft moan of pain could be heard, muffled somehow. Lindin broke free of the man's grasp and whirled around to find a shadowy form enveloping the commander, daggers stuck through him as if he were some sort of pincushion.
"Stupid too. What a silly stupid toy you are...can't even count...thinks one when there are two...look at the blades...can you count, Grack? See? There's one blade...there's another...that makes two right?" Dark eyes blazed behind the commander of the ship, and a little beyond, cut up forms of the once-living crew were strewn about the corridor. The child-demon that was Mondai sneered. "Useless...useless toy..just a puppet with his strings cut..." The commander gurgled softly.."Good thing you're useless or I'd feel bad about breaking you."
There was a sharp cracking sound. And then there was silence as the body slipped to the floor, lifeless, and began to disintegrate into the air.
"Mondai...'Lexi's in trouble. It was all just a distraction." Lindin said to the child-demon a little cautiously, whose eyes had not lost their black glow. She was in her hatred. He relaxed a little as he remembered how good of a control she had on it though usually.
"This I know. But she can handle herself I'm sure for awhile. Besides, I just figured we could use this ship to get up there. Can you fly it kid?" It was a little odd that this little child-like entity was speaking to the towering Lindin as if he were the child, but the eyes of Mondai showed just how old she really was. Lindin nodded in respect.
"Yeah I can do that Mondai. Piece of cake. Just have'ta hotwire this baby...might take awhile.." He ran to the command console and, plugging himself into it, began to hack in.
"Just hurry. I'm not sure how long Alexi can last against them."
__________________________
As the cannons fired, Alexi gasped a little in shock. She wasn't gasping in shock at the cannons firing. No - she knew that those two could take care of themselves. What she was -really- shocked at was the alarm going off in her quarters, signalling intruders. There had been no warning - no sign that there was someone approaching...
No time to figure out how they got here. There was only time to deal with the fact that they -were- here.
"Have to get some reinforcements...but all the reinforcements are on the outside...How did they get past...no matter. Deal with them yourself. Send a signal and hope someone hears it."
Alexi quickly got out of her command center, unplugging herself from the nexus. She was able to communicate with it without the wires, but it was so much better communicating directly with it. Sighing, she pushed a couple buttons on her evening gown, and in seconds, she was donned in her battle armor. She got the feeling she'd need it.
"The vial."
Walking past the table holding the bottle and vial made her remember what they were after. She had to hide it someplace. She had to keep it safe. But where? There was no place safe enough. And it might be too dangerous to keep it on her person...
A frag it all.
She grabbed the vial and bottle and bid them to sink into the table. Maybe they wouldn't find them there. And as the items sank into the liquid metal table, she grabbed the sword hanging on the wall. She'd need that too. Making sure everything was secure, she sped out of the inner chambers, flew out of the catacombs, and out into the courtyard...
*crack*
As she burst out into the light, the cracking sound of a hand-held disintegator gun sped right by her ear. Another sped past her right side. Training her ears to the sounds and lights of the guns, she dodged left and right, up and down, spinning around the courtyard. They were here. But how did they get past the...
Oh. Oh damn.
Suddenly, Alexi realized what had happened. She had been tricked. Deceived beyond a doubt. This...this was her own army she was facing. She had trained them all. Every last one of them. What in the 10th hell happened? Had they all been corrupted? They must have...
*crack*
No time to think. Just...just kill...
With a cry she smashed her huge sword into the nearest soldier next to her. Losti. The girl she had shown the sights of her realm with just last week. She winced as the girl's flesh parted, and though it only took an instant, it seemed like forever. The girl never cried out. Just fell into pieces.
"Noo!"
As she continued to fly, she sliced her wings into the next closest soldier...Hunat, who used to have a crush on her but knew her heart belonged to someone else. He was the sweetest boy...always there for her...How could he have turned on her... His leg and arm came off just like that, like the limbs off a puppet when cut with a knife.
"AHHHHHHHHH!! YOU BASTARDS!" She hated this, tearing into those she loved. Why...why did they turn on her? Why were they shooting at her, raising their weapons against her, screaming their hatred at her and looking at her with those hate-filled eyes when she ran her sword through them? She couldn't bear it. She couldn't. And yet she killed anyway, even as sword tips bloodied her arms, her own blood mixing with the blood of those soldiers she had trained. Gore splattering over her own armor. Holes piercing through her wings...she was surrounded by them, familiar faces. She closed her eyes and began to slash and slash and slash and slash, not wanting to see them, not wanting to look at their faces. The pain she felt on the outside was nothing compared to that she felt on the inside...that feeling of betrayal. Her double-cross tattoos ached from the memory...
And in her mind, the scene played back again. The betrayal she faced when her fiance turned on her all those years ago. The hatred in his eyes as he slew her kinsmen and then her parents and sisters. The feeling of fright, panic, and betrayal she felt...the way he left her dying on the pedestal. The way she raged at him...and cried at the same time...Tears gushed from her normally cold eyes...and for a moment, she was a child again. An innocent angel who had her innocence robbed from her...the dark arms of her mother reached to her..and she embraced them...and let go of her body...
With a roar, the body of Alexi let loose her true fury, black streams of magic streaming all over her form. Her eyes blazed black, the armor she wore beginning to spike with black spines of magic dense enough to be matter. The cables showing under ripped flesh began to pulse with power, flesh beginning to heal rapidly. And with the tears still glistening on her hate-filled face, she sped into the crowd of her ex-minions with all the fury of a hell-demon.
Swords tore into her and she didn't care. She killed their bearers mercilessly and the wounds started to heal. Canon-fire tore at her, but a force kept her from being destroyed, deflecting or neutralizing the attacks. Pikes and daggers stuck out of her from all angles and yet, she remained alive...killing and killing and destroying until there was no more...
And when it was over, she fell to the ground.
Practically lifeless, and waiting to die...
_________________________
She slipped in and out of consciousness. It was hard to tell what was reality..what was a dream...what was a hallucination...
Was this how it was going to end? In betrayal?
What happened to them? Why did they attack her...
_________________________
"Your kind are pitiful..."
"Justic No! Don't please I beg of you...!"
"MOTHER! FATHER!..."
They died in front of me...like the last time...
_________________________
So quiet...I like the quiet...Mother? Am I going to see you again? Father? Hannah and Mari?
I miss you....
Getting darker...getting sleepy...so sleepy...
_________________________
A light...a light somewhere in the dark...interesting light...something about it...fly...fly to the light...
"You're going to be alright 'Lexi...hang in there...I'll make you right as rain..."
Arms around me...so warm...so familiar....Kalec?....Kalec is that you?....
Darkness again....
_________________________
11/21/05
"Mornin' sunshine." As Alexi sat up and focused her eyes, she saw Lindin's face there, grinning in that mischievous way of his. "Took you long enough. We thought you were never going to wake up from that deep sleep of yours."
She ached. Her whole body ached. And her soul...or whatever it was - maybe it was her heart. Ached. She remembered everything now. And tears began to come out of her eyes again, unbidden.
"L..lindin...I.." she couldn't finish her sentence, and just began to break down...she threw her arms around the half-dragon. His warmth was comforting.
"Shh...don't worry about it now. We took care of everything outside while you were gone. And I'm the one who got you in here and fixed you up. Took me awhile though. Had to figure out how to work these stupid machines without your passcodes. Took too long." He grimaced.
"You don't worry yourself one bit kay 'Lexi? We managed to find some of the soldiers who didn't get hacked and assimilated, or otherwise corrupted. Seems that the enemy figured out a way to mass-infect us through the Nexus. I've shut it down for now. Its by sheer luck that you didn't get infected. Well that or you're just too strong for the fraggers." He stroked her hair and wiped away her tears.
"I know how you feel...well sorta. I fought alongside some of these guys. They were my pals. We pulled so many pranks off....man. Its just really hard to believe they're gone. But I saved their memory chips from before they were corrupted. We can't get them back now, but Kalec'll know how to do it. I'm sure of it."
Alexi began to stop sobbing...she knew she had to be strong..but so many...so many of her friends dead... she should just be glad to be alive...but still...
"I...I don't know if I can be strong enough. I...I shouldn't have let everyone get so close to me...I just...everyone I get close to, I lose you know? Everyone...I...I don't want to lose you..."
"Shh....it'll be alright. You'll never lose me. I'll always be there to save you. I was just afraid I'd lose you.." The young mage smiled, and Alexi noticed only then that his clothes were ragged. For a second, there was something different about his face too. Like something of his innocence had been lost...something that made him look like his real father, Kalec...and then it went away as he looked her, perplexed with that boyish grin of his.
"What? You're looking at me funny 'Lexi. Whats wrong?"
"Oh nothing Lindin dear...nothing at all..." and for awhile, she gazed into his eyes. Those amber eyes seemed golden at this moment, and the ragged clothes didn't matter. And for that moment, she cried again as she let him into her heart completely...he was the only one left. The only one that mattered...and he wouldn't leave her.
Her hero.
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 12:33 am
1/12/05
[7] It had been months since the battle at Alexi's palace had begun and she was getting weary of it all. Her head hurt, which was uncommon for a transhuman. She was glad it hurt though. At least it meant that she was still alive. A small miracle really, considering the events that had transpired.
She didn't want to think about it. Memories flashed up in front of her anyway. Many of her comrades had been slain in he initial battles and she had painstakingly done the techniques required to resurrect them through cloned copies. The good thing though was that after the first few battles, she had figured out how the rogues were hacking into the system, and by severing the link to the main Nexus, she was able to help the others break free. It was a wonder again that she didn't succumb to the hacking. Neither did Lindin, come to think of it. She wondered why that was so.
Stop it.. she thought to herself, shaking her head in silent admonition as she pored over the battle plans. She was tired...so tired. Her eyes suddenly fell on her pile of letters from outside the region, a pile long since ignored in favor of planning war. When your life was on the line and the future of your race, priorities had to be set. She glanced at them briefly, leafing through them, and a name caught her eye.
[Attn: Alexi Jameson. From: Kyoupiruchi of the Reivan Lab. Important!]
Uhoh.
With everything going on, she had stopped contacting Kyou about her reivan and her appointment, assuming that he was too busy since he didn't return her calls. But that was months ago...she should have kept checking. After all, though the wars and battles were a major part of all this, it was the reivan resurrection that was the most important thing. How could she have forgotten?
Opening the letter in haste, she read the contents and sighed. She berated herself harshly. Kyou had finally gotten less busy and was able to take an appointment. And though she at least took careful protection of the bottle and vial, this was inexcusable. The date listed on the letter was a few weeks ago. Maybe there was still a chance that there was an opening...
She ran to her table and summoned up her bottle and vial. As if responding to her haste, dark rune-like patterns began forming in them, as if they knew it was time.
She had done her preparations, placing the bottle and vial inside a compartment of her desk and forming a chamber there for them that was really quite an elaborate virtual simulator. In that simulator, the knowledge Kalec accumulated during his time played quickly again and again, as well as all his memories and all the knowledge she herself could put into the computers. On a seperate matrix altogether from the main one, the integrity of this chamber was sound - noone could put in code or information without her permission. Hopefully, she thought, this simulator would further along the development of the new Kalec and make him remember.
Quickly grabbing the entire compartment from her table, she slid it under her arm and took flight, soaring out through the portal-doors into the smoky air. The few but elite Transhumans that remained flew after her without a word, knowing what she was intending from the thoughts she was sending through her personal Nexus.
"You're not going to leave us behind for this are you?" a young man's voice cut through the fog, as Lindin flew up to match her speed.
She smiled warmly in the face of her stress. "No, Lindin, I'm not. Come along. You're all welcome to join."
"I'm coming too!"
Startled, the two winged transhumans looked back to see Mondai leaping through the air, defying all gravity when she really had no wings to fly with. How..
"Bah look at the expressions on your faces! Silly people, I'm smart too ya know." Mondai's form shimmered in and out, flickering like a shadow through the fog. "I'm just jumping shadows."
They were both so carefree...Though, if you looked into their eyes, both of them seemed to have grown up quite a bit - a little of Lindin's mischievous smile was gone, replaced with a grown man's hardened grimace.
Under Alexi's arm, bottle and vial shimmered. The compartment had been under the care of all three of these people. The bottle and vial had heard their voices, witnessed each battle either through first person with one of them protecting the compartment, or through their eyes through the virtual sims in the chamber. And inside, Kalec's mind and power pulsed, ready and willing to be finally let out into the world once again.
________________________
"Kyou!"
Alexi quickly slid into the lab, hoping the scientist was around. At this late hour, she didn't think so, but Kyou operated on a different schedule than she did. If he wasn't there, she would just leave the vial and bottle for him..no...that wouldn't be a good idea. -THEY- would come after him. No, she had to keep them safe if he wasn't there..or even if he was there...
The place seemed like it was deserted, and beyond the closed service desk, the only sound that could be heard was the bubbling of experiments. There was something new about the place too that she couldn't quite grasp.. Ah - Chimeras. A sign on the wall reminded her. She had missed that too. It was too bad really. But it couldn't be helped with her schedule like it was.
Her guards were outside. She had to deliver this personally.
Set up camp nearby she thought towards her guards and they responded with affirmation. Keep watch. Mondai and Lindin, you two are in charge as usual. See that nothing bad happens to this lab and keep me posted.
With fluid haste, the transhumans set into motion, setting up a quick base in the buildings around the lab and securing the area with tech and manpower. Sentries were quickly deployed, mobile turrets grounded, and nanomachines quickly melded into the walls to further strengthen and modify them. Within minutes, the area around the lab had become a quickly expanding base.
"Well, I guess we wait.." Alexi smiled and hugged the vial and bottle to her. They emitted a warm darkness that was the essence of Kalec. It was just a matter of time.
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Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:04 pm
2/6/07
[Chapter 2 - The Return]
[1]
What do I do now?
Memories washed through the angel's mind like a tidal wave, threatening to overwhelm her. It was in these moments that she really remembered she used to be human. Try as she might, Alexi didn't know the answer to that question, or could she come up with a reasonable idea about what her next step would be. Her plans with Lab 305 and Dr. Kyou to resurrect Kalec had gone out of her hands at the last minute. Everything had turned to chaos in the past year she was gone.
Gone as in dead.
A year had passed after Alexi stumbled into Lab 305 and had managed to deposit the bottle and vial holding Kalec's material components. It was fortunate that she had received Kyou's letter and responded at that time. The war had taken its toll. She had died mere days after she had turned in the items, her feminine body broken into fragments by the mercilessness of an Avatar, a machine with the consciousness of a Transhuman.
She could barely remember the experience now, or how she got to the Lab - she wondered now whether she made the deposit successfully. All she could remember was the massive face of death staring at her as she died in Lindin's arms. In time, she knew, it would fade away as all her other deaths had faded. But it would haunt her for some time.
It was lucky she was alive now. It had taken Lindin's hard work and research through his father's journals to resurrect her again. It was stressful to have your loved one die every so often in combat, and she wondered how their newly wrought relationship would work out under these circumstances. The process required to re-integrate memories into a new clone was perfected by Kalec and without him, it was much harder to do.
Thankfully, that option did exist. She wished it would have worked on Kalec in the first place, but his situation was too complex to solve in such a simple matter. He simply didn't have any semblance of his own soul. That was the main problem. You couldn't approach resurrecting someone that was never really alive.
Her head hurt. Ached really.
I'm getting too old for this.
Her whole body ached. It was a new clone's body, so it was understandable.
One had to get used to the new body, and go through weeks of debriefing until the memories took hold. Hours and hours of going through her own personal logs and recordings of what she was doing had helped, but she wasn't quite herself yet. Re-integration was never quite a tight fit. It would take some time for her to be comfortable being in her new body.
And so will Lindin...
She laughed a little at that thought. They had just gotten their relationship started before she had to go and die on him. Though her memories were still fuzzy, she could distinctly remembering how it had felt to finally have someone in her arms again, to be in his arms and feel comfortable, how her dress had been torn to shreds by their motions, how he had felt inside her...
She shook her head. Now wasn't the time for thoughts like that. They had tried earlier in the week, oh they had tried very hard. But it seemed that since she was uncomfortable with her own body, it was much harder to be comfortable feeling someone else's body against her. Besides, she had important business to take care of.
But where to start?
"I guess I'll just have to go over and see how it turns out. Maybe Kyou will forgive me for dumping this all on him and his staff." She sighed heavily, thinking out loud, hoping it wasn't too late. She laughed derisively at herself for being so foolish. "I don't even know if he's born yet. He might even be grown up by now, wondering why he exists, with all the personality and memories of Kalec but without knowledge of what they mean. "
Without a teacher to guide him she thought. She knew how it felt to come back into the world without a clue as to what was going on, with someone else's memories in her brain. Oh the memories of that were fresh in her mind alright.
"Lindin!" She called into the other room, where her lover, if you could call it that right now, was resting.
"Yes 'Lexi?" He mumbled, half-asleep. Early morning and night weren't his favorite hours.
"We're going on a trip. Can you get the ship ready? I need to get to Lab 305."
"Yes ma'am," he replied, somewhat sarcastical and got dressed. He wouldn't let it show of course, but he was a bit disappointed that Alexi's plans for Kalec were coming before her ability to love him physically. He couldn't blame her, and it was a bit selfish, but he was young and he wanted things to happen -now-. At least she'd shown appreciation for his work, and after all, the main thing was that he had her back - alive and whole again. It would only be a matter of time before she warmed up to him again. Pulling his coat on hastily, he made his way to the door and headed to the ship, Alexi in tow.
Meeting all these people is going to be interesting, I'm sure Kyou has made a lot of experiments. I wonder, if I'll fit in.
She laughed at herself a little. What a foolish human trait it was, this need to fit in with others. She'd have to recondition herself again to feel less emotion.
((Story continued here: [RP thread]))
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:09 pm
2/7/07
[2 - Uncovering Memories] Accessing datafiles: Kalec Lostsol, Deathmage
A hidden disembodied entity pored through the archives of the information network that made up the collective consciousness of the transhumans, accessing the hidden cache of information with a mere thought.
Computer, access memory files, display important memories as real-time mental-images.
*Confirmed: Clearance Accepted, accessing...*
____________________________________________
(Flashback)
Where did I put my research materials?...
The slight man in a labcoat bustled around the cluttered laboratory, searching through the piles of papers strewn about the room. Organized chaos, he had told himself and who had time to actually put away things and neatly put them away when on the verge of a breakthrough? Being neat in the lab was inconsequential. He had a computer for a reason.
There was so much about the computer that was superior to the human mind, he thought. So much that could be useful if he could just find a way to integrate it into human consciousness. Give it life somehow.
All this tied into his overall goal. There had to be some way to improve the human race, which had become slow and lethargic with the abundance that came with the Age of Corporations. His ultimate goal was the complete transcendence of the human race, to become energy-beings. But for now, he had to perfect the aspects of the physical body, and make it ready for such drastic changes.
His hand finally came upon what he was seeking, and he exclaimed out loud as he picked it up.
"There you are!" His laughter had a bit of a lunatic air to it, but what others had sometimes decided was insanity was actually his genius. His mind was always constantly at work. Without something to work on, he felt empty, as worthless as a beaker sitting in one of his cabinets.
The blue light of the room glinted off his round glasses as he raised the needle to the light. It glowed with a liquid power, as if the concoction itself was imbued with energy.
"Now, to test you out my precious creation. I have just the subject to do the final testing on too. She really needs this..."
He hurried out of the lab to the elevators which led to the vast basement of the complex....
_____________________________
"Kalec!"
The pale young girl laying on the cot brightened as she saw the slim form of the scientist. Her sunken eyes told vast stories about a life-threatening illness that inflicted excrutiating pain on her frail body, not that the attempted cures had been successful either according to the reports and analyses doctors had given her.
"Hey there beautiful, you ready for some good news? I did a bunch of experiments and I think I came up with a way to help you get better, by strengthening your body." The dark-haired scientist smiled gently and pushed his glasses up higher on his face, his long hair falling down to his shoulders.
The girl on the cot sighed a little at the sight of the needle in his hand. "I hate needles..." she whispered, obviously worn out and drained of energy. The scars on the inside of her arm spoke for her, and she rubbed them instinctively.
"I know, you hate being the human pincushion, but this should be one of the last ones you'll need!" Then he lowered his voice a little, looking around to see if the guards were around. "I'll get you out of here soon. But I need to figure out how to get you better, with the lab materials available in my research lab. There just isn't any way around it." He looked sadly at this once-lovely woman, who had wasted away before his eyes.
It was because of her that he was able to feel again. It was because of this one girl that his eyes had opened up, and questioned the explanations his superiors had told him, that the research subjects here were voluntarily cooperating because of an illness, and that they were convicted felons who would be better off here than in prison. He wondered in disgust why it had taken him so long to realize it, and shook his head. The researchers had probably done more harm than good to a perfectly healthy human body before she was sent to him, broken and helpless, scars lacing the inside of her fair thin arm like some sort of battlefield.
He smiled gently, but with a glint in his eyes that could only be his calculating genius at work. His superiors had made a grave mistake, sending this girl to him, thinking his reputation as the immoral scientist without a soul would keep him from being affected by her plight. Her gentleness.
But he wasn't immune. She had given him a reason to live, reminded him why he did his research. Gave him a soul by loving him. He didn't know if he loved her back. He didn't know what love was, really. He was a test-tube baby himself, without parents, without any purpose but to do research, and he was very good at that. But he liked to think he could feel emotion. He often pondered what the meaning of his life was, why he existed. Before her, he thought it was just to practice science - the deaths of his subjects didn't really make him feel anything. But this was one girl he didn't want to die. She had given him a reason other than death to live.
"Just close your eyes and think happy thoughts, of returning to the outside world again. Free of all your bonds, with no more needles to poke into your skin..." he told his charge in a soothing voice. He had that kind of power over people, the ability to persuade, to calm them - to make them like him. He used it now to calm his patient.
"Mmm...I see a blue ocean, a seafront where you and I can go after we're out of here....one of the last places industry hasn't touched..." she smiled and barely noticed as Kalec inserted the end of the syringe into her pocked arm and injected the blue serum.
At this image, the scientist smiled. This is why he had chosen her for this particular concoction. His aqua-blue mixture was a perfect match to her personality. It would take effect soon. He wished he could find some way to get out himself, but at least she could leave in peace.
Something began to happen immediately, faster than he had predicted. She looked a little alarmed at what she perceived was happening to her body. Her thin brown hair began to thicken and change color into an unnatural blue, fading to a seagreen at the ends. She suddenly couldn't breathe, and she groped without much strength at the air. Kalec took hold of her hand and squeezed. Her lips started turning blue.
"I can't breathe..." she gasped.
"You'll be fine, I promise, like I told you before we have to make it look like you died to one of my experiments. You'll come out better than ever. See, I'll show you."
The scientist pulled what looked like a small furry object out of his pocket. It seemed lifeless at first, but after a few moments, it began to move and raised its head. The furry creature was a small monkey, its hair blueish green and its eyes glowing with an inner light, and after yawning and stretching a bit, it leapt into the air, covering the length of the room in a single bound. Seeing this through eyes that were changing already, the girl smiled and closed her eyes again.
"Thank you Kalec... I don't know if I'll see you again... but please make sure you come find little old me? Don't forget me."
"I won't forget you my dear Sleeta. I won't ever forget you." He smiled and bend his head down to kiss her finger as the last breath left her smiling blue lips.
___________________________
[It seems our prodigy scientist knowsss more than he should]
{He isss rebelling. He will cause disssturbance among the ranksss.}
[Do not worry my brethren. He will be a valuable asset to us.]
(Yes. He will be the catalyst for the exodus. When we finally betray that imbecile Starr)
*Silent but emotionless laughter resonated in the link*
{Agreed. We will sssee to it that thisss researcher becomesss one of the sssubjectsss}
[What of the girl though?]
(She will provide leverage against this scientist...Pull her deeper into the complex. study what he has done to her with our genetics so that it can be perfected and redone with all our species....)
*General agreement was sent through the link*
{Agreed. Sssee that it isss so. }
______________________________
"What do you mean, taking her downstairs! She's dead! Send her out to the mortuary!"
The indignant and angry voice thundered down the halls as the hum of the hover-cot droned towards the elevators. The scientist raced after the cot, speeding down the halls, yelling at the top of his lungs despite the exertion he must have been taking to chase such a speedy vehicle.
[Orders are to take the subject downstairs for further study.] The white glare of one of the reptile-like guards held Kalec's eyes as they raced down the hall, the thing sending thoughts directly into Kalec's mind. [These orders are to be carried out immediately. You are to report back to your laboratory to research on the next subject, subject 29457.]
"Like HELL I will!" He pushed his glasses up against his face again furiously, angry at this turn of events. But his mind had already grasped the gravity of the situation, as it calculated all the possibilities. They had found him out. He had to think of some way to fix it. "You are not going anywhere with that body."
[If you will not return to your laboratory, you will be escorted by force.] The physical size and strength of the guard dwarfed Kalec by an obvious amount. But the researcher did not back down as they neared the elevator.
"I said NO!" He leapt into the elevator...and was caught in midair by the reptilian monster's outstretched arm and his body was flung hard backward through the air, crashing into a wall, creating a rather large dent in the hard metalic surface panel. With inhuman speed, the thing caught his glasses in midair and staring at the fallen scientist indifferently in the eyes, it crushed them, flinging the destroyed frames at the wall.
[Your species is inferior. You cannot win.] The cold logical voice in his head asserted. Laying broken on the ground with his frail human body unable to save his love, Kalec silently and begrudgingly agreed. There was nothing about his race that was in any way near this species besides the near-worthless abilities of creativity and emotion. The ability to think outside of logic. The existence of what Kalec believed was a human soul, a powerful and unique energy state. Perhaps this was what these creatures were after.
Though, even though his body was broken, he didn't feel anything. The shock of the damage done was taking over his system. The hatred that filled his heart, the rage at this faceless reptilian creature and the inability of his human body to do anything about it began to build. If only he could tear this thing apart with his mind somehow.
Within his brain, the synapses began to thunder with activity. Time began to slow to him, heartbeat to heartbeat becoming a near-eternity. He could see so clearly now, despite his glasses being broken. He could see every part of the creature ahead of him, see every muscle. Every fiber, every molecule. There was something there...something he couldn't quite see...it was just under the surface, writhing with energy...it called to him. He felt it with his mind. And realized suddenly what it was.
With a laugh of triumph in his now-glowing eyes - eyes that looked too much like the reptile to be coincidental, he willed his arm forward and yanked at invisible strings.
[What..what are you...] The thing thought in bewilderment inside his mind. The bewilderment started to turn into pain, pain into agony. Its body collapsed, writhing to the ground. [YOU. What are you doing to....to me!?]
A demonic grin on his face, Kalec stared straight into the thing's eyes. He suddenly knew what it was he was doing. And he yelled in triumph, not with his mouth but with his mind...
With all of his strength, he yanked hard and ripped the strings of energy he had taken hold of. The creature stiffened in one last convulsion, and then lay still. Death emanated from the body, or rather, the complete absense of life.
Smiling, his energy spent, Kalec collapsed to the ground. The other guards would be here soon. Their thundering claws were running down the halls even now, the death of their link-mate calling them into action. There was no way he could fight them off. In stealing this creature's soul, he knew more now than he had ever dreamed possible.
His Sleeta was going to be taken away. But she would be safe. They needed her to provide leverage on him. He smiled anyway as the world blacked out. They were to experiment on him now that they realized he had some power. Power that he now believed was given to him through his genetics. He was a test-tube baby after all. His whole life was probably one big experiment. He would welcome the experiments that were to be performed on him. He had to get stronger. He had to find a way to make humans stronger than these beasts that had taken over behind the scenes at the corporations.
Maybe he would be the catalyst for betrayal against the head of the human corporation that funded this research. But he would eventually lead his people, his experiments, his researchers - everyone involved, into a new era. He could feel their presences all over the complex, the signatures of human souls, now that his power had been released.
Hang in there Sleeta. Hang in there... The world faded away.
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Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 6:16 pm
2/14/07
[3 - Love from the Past] Memory files complete.
"Oh Kalec..." Eyes the color of the sea and with all of its life closed, and blue lips the color of the water of the warm coral reefs parted. The being that had accessed these hidden memory files sighed, breathing the water of the tank she had been born in. Somewhere inside her chest, her heart beat faster, and her pulse raced. She didn't know what love was...but she thought this feeling might be it.
She traced her fingers across the glass of the tank, the robotic attachments to her skull bending and giving under her movements. Her hair flowed like a deeper water within water, the wave of kelp or sea-grass as currents ran over it. Her nails were light blue, a color that could be mistaken for death except for the vitality that thrummed through them. His experiments had produced a number of Sleeta variations, of differing abilities - but she was the true one. The Authien Sleeta, the one time he had actually gotten it right.
Sweeping her hand across the liquid around her, she used ice to conjure up an image of her beloved's face, stroking her fingers across it and snatching it up into her arms before it disappeared back into its liquid form. She shut her eyes in pain. Unknowingly, her beloved had succeeded in reviving her after centuries or even millenia of experiments...she KNEW who she was. She was fully aware, and she loved him!
"Oh sweetie...why did you have to go and leave me alone like this after saving me?" Giving a big sigh, she held herself, cradling her uncovered chest in her arms in emotional pain. She was in quite a predicament, she had been saved by her genius of a lover which had taken him an eternity to make happen. And now, he was the one that was gone, who needed saving.
Her unlimited access to the memory banks of Transhuman society, which was granted her by her unflawed original soul and body, made her fully aware that noone had been able to resurrect him either. They were two of a kind, that way. Morphed to the point of no return.
It had taken time for her soul to adjust to its new body, and her body had acted instinctively to keep itself alive. She had become self-aware only now, after years of living in solitude, with robots and the Link-matrix as her only company. Well, besides the ever-peering Mondai. And the lovely sea-dragon that she had formed a relationship with and grew up with here in this decorated aquarium she was trapped in. The sea-dragon named Auralis.
A warm and loving smile crept across Sleeta's face as she thought of Mondai and Authia, an expression so human that one could almost ignore the horns and webbing that her transhuman mutations had given her. She was unique in this way. She didn't carry hatred inside her. It was compassion that drove her powers. Sadness perhaps. Sheer and unadulterated emotion. She was, in fact, the first artificial transhuman.
The child Mondai had stumbled upon this deep-space lab in her wanderings through the shadow-world, a level of reality above reality where no energy was present. Where you could jump through space and time easily if you had the means. It was here that she had met Sleeta, the last of Kalec's experiments before his passing. The final culmination of his life's work.
The child had immediately felt calm the first time in her life when she had entered the presence of this cool and loving creature named Sleeta. There was something hypnotic about her, something deep and soothing that calmed the voices in her mind, and restored her view of reality. Sleeta had caught her snooping and curious iris-less eyes peering over the tank and gasped in happiness that there was someone there, to keep her from being alone.
Mondai had visited often since then, to calm herself and keep herself from going insane. She didn't consciously know what she was doing, and if she saw her own actions, she would have laughed and called herself a puppet. But she never stopped coming. She would play at the water's edge, play her scarves in their soft state across the glass-like covering of the aquarium. Working her hands around the machinery around the lab, trying to figure out how to get the tank open. There hadn't seemed to be a way.
In her fiddling, Mondai had accidentally undone the encoding on one of the cages that linked down towards the aquarium, and a young sea-serpent Authien had flowed down the tube, gasping and thrashing about after being in stasis for so long. It was because of this that Sleeta had met the source of her power, Auralis, a copy of the original Authien who had served as the basis for all transhumans that called themselves Authien, and had powers over liquids, over freezing, over the abilities of legend that Sirens and all manners of mythical sea creatures were supposed to have.
At first, they had not known what to do with each other. But over time, as they grew together, they had learned to combined their powers, to communicate through thought and through a link. Auralis had learned what she was through Sleeta's explanations about the information in the Transhuman database, and Sleeta learned about her abilities and roots through Auralis. Auralis had been the reason Sleeta had delved more into her past memories, and the memories of those she had been connected to in her past life. It had paid off, it seems.
Auralis had the odd ability of being able to change shape into all sorts of things, because of her semi-liquid build. At times she could be a sea-horse the size of a hand, at other times she could become her true form, the previously adolescent serpent that had immense physical strength and cognitive abilities.
"Auralis, come to me my dear, I think its time. I've seen enough, and you're full-grown." She smiled and gracefully gestured to her companion in the tank. Mondai wasn't around, which was exactly what she had hoped. What was to come isn't something she would have wanted the child to watch, despite the fact that Mondai was physically older than her now. It might upset the delicate peace that Mondai got whenever she visited if she associated violence to Sleeta.
"Yesss my lady..." The sharp-toothed but kind-looking serpent writhed around Sleeta's uncovered body, its eyes glowing with inner light, with a color and depth as murky and deep as the bottom of the sea. It was indeed time.
The two closed their eyes and concentrated on the aquarium's glass-like surface. With a focused strong movement of fluid grace, the two acted as one. Ivory hand and scaled tail crashed into the wall...once....twice...three times - a crack had appeared and with a final motion, the wall of the aquarium blew open with a groan and a crack, water spilling out. Ivory limbs and scaled serpent rode the wave out into the open area of the lab.
It took a moment for Sleeta to catch her breath as her lungs adjusted to using pure air again for oxygen, but it didn't take her too long, which was surprising to her in a way, but not dumbfounding. Kalec had obviously done a good job replicating her old body, and had made some improvements. It stood to reason that he would have made her the ability to breathe in both air and water. The air actually felt like a liquid to her, just a really light kind of liquid. She let it flow across the tendrils of her hair, carrying it just as water would normally. It would take some time, but she could get used to this.
Auralis had in the meantime undergone some dramatic changes. In response to the air, her body had immediately begun to transform. Well, more like her fins had transformed into wings. She stretched them a bit and began to flap them a bit, morphing her shape into a more compact form. It would take some time to make them strong enough for lengthy periods of flight, she thought, but it would be possible. She grinned toothily. She was finally free!
"Feels good doesn't it? A smile played across Sleeta's lips again, and she gently stroked the head of her counterpart. This was to be a new day. However, she felt compelled somewhere. Somewhere alien.
"Computer, access files for the lab, get the fighter ready and transmit piloting information to me." Her implants tingled, the metal hidden under her hair responding to the commands and she had an epiphany of sorts in mere seconds about how to pilot the fighter, where it was, and where she was going. She would need clothes, armor, and weapons. Accessing that information, she turned to her right and donned the armor there. It fit tightly against her skin.
She smiled gently at her companion.
"Lets go meet our family and start our lives again.." The creature beamed back at her and as Sleeta grabbed some of the armor they took off toward the hangars a fluid grace, speeding along at the pace of a waterfall, the water from their former home following behind them in obeyance to its masters.
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Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 11:13 am
5/16/07
[4 – Laying the Foundations]
With Kyou's laboratory under renovations, the rather odd group of Transhumans and their Raevan charge were on their own for the time being.
Alexi had deemed the pickup a success, and logged it as such in her files despite the rather uncertain future that was ahead. She was confident that those around her would take care of him, and that raising him wouldn't be such a huge problem. The only issue was that, without the lab, there wasn't really much space, equipment, or information available to help the group along.
The immediate thing that Alexi had done after the pickup was to arrange for an automated transport to carry in some supplies. These supplies included a number of building materials so she could set up a location on-planet or in space that would be much more comfortable for her group. Despite the spaciousness of her ship, it was definitely not enough to serve as a home. The lab’s destruction had thrown a wrench into the gears of the plan. However, she decided that she would make the best of the situation and set things up her way instead.
In the meantime, while they had waited for the transport to arrive, Alexi and Lindin tried to take care of Kalec and tend to his needs. Kalec seemed rather insatiable where information was concerned, and to their relief he had not really been the defenseless baby-like being they had expected him to be in his initial stages. While he did need caring for, it really didn't take long for him to figure out how to hover around on his own, and he grasped the concept of basic language rather quickly.
Knowledge and facts that may not have anything to do with something he's encountered seemed to spring to the surface at odd moments, as if he were pre-programmed with information. During this early stage of development, it seemed that he was bent on discovering the touch and feel of anything around him, as if to familiarize himself with the surroundings. The ship and the surrounding area provided enough entertainment for the time being.
One thing however that Kalec really lacked in was social skills. While Lindin and Alexi really didn't mind it, since Transhumans were never that sociable and Kalec already had a high level in their esteem anyway due to his importance, they knew that it would be tough for him when he tried to interact with other beings in the human world.
Though, Alexi had written off, this was really one of the least problematic things that could have occurred. It really wasn't a big issue - She could work on that with him, and it was something that would be learned in time. She focused more on the fact that she was delighted that he had shown such tremendous power and intelligence already.
Mondai had eventually shown that she was around, much to the delight of Lindin. She was poking childlike at Kalec, making weird faces and trying to investigate him when she was caught by her two comrades. Lindin had caught her in his arms and ruffled her black hair as siblings might do. His mischievous and nonchalant personality had always chimed with hers, and it seemed that he was one of the few people that Mondai could really relate with. In her twisted schizophrenic view of the world, he was the only one that seemed to connect with her.
Now, on this morning, Lindin ran around the ship in a game of tag with her, their forms mere blurs to the human eye. Alexi had stayed inside with Kalec and watched with amusement. It was good for Lindin to get some exercise, and for Mondai to get some steam out of her system. Or was it the other way around? Regardless, both of them needed the playtime and bonding experience. It was this connection that made them such a lethal combination in battle.
Kalec was busying himself with a few of the holo-papers on the table in the middle of the ship. Initially, it had been hard for him to grasp the information laid out to him since it was so saturated, but Alexi had quickly attached the papers to a more restricted and easier matrix, making it easier for him to find what he was looking for. Through the use of these papers and Alexi's direct telepathic explanations and teachings, he had easy access to figure out how he was made and who he was before this life.
He had no memory of that life, but he had decided that learning about it would help him figure out how to keep his powers under control. An empty vial and bottle lay on the table in front of him as well, as bright three-dimensional objects formed from the surface of the papers. It was amazing to him that he could have come from what was contained within these two objects.
Absentmindedly, Kalec played his hand over the skull pendant around his neck and wondered if the clothes he wore were also created with him, or if they were a separate thing entirely. He couldn’t imagine taking them off. He wondered if Alexi knew, but he didn’t ask. Logically, she wouldn’t know because she was just as new to this as he was. He decided to ask Kyou the next time they met, if they were to meet again in the near future.
A telepathic call from the ship interrupted Alexi's reverie.
Warning: Vessel approaching atmosphere, transport class.
"Ah finally!" Alexi breathed a sigh of relief. It was high time that the transport had arrived. That it took so long probably meant that the ship and its escorts had met some resistance along the way. It was just lucky that with the state of war the way it was, the transport had made it through safely.
"Mondai! Lindin! The supplies are here." She sent her message telepathically since she knew that her physical voice wouldn't be heard through their banter. Both stopped immediately, though Mondai looked dejected.
"Aw c'mon, we were still playing!" The message was sent with a dark cloudy and sulky mood attached, along with a child's version of a really sketchy storm cloud. As old as she was in terms of physical years, her mind was definitely still locked in her child-state right now.
”Nah its okay, we’ll just play later kiddo.” Lindin’s voice interjected and interrupted Mondai’s protestation. He took the opportunity to catch her and ruffle her hair again. ”’Sides, didn’t you say it was too cramped in da ship? We can make a better playground for ya with whats on that transport.”
At this, the dark haired girl’s gray eyes widened and shined a little brighter and she smiled, running speedily into the ship as if the idea was hers all along. Lindin laughed and shook his head, then followed suit in his nonchalant manner. With everyone inside, Alexi powered the ship up with a whir, the green runes lighting up around the hull. Within seconds, the group was airborne, shooting off towards the outer atmosphere of the planet to greet the transport. It was to be the last time that Kalec would actually be living on the planet for quite some time.
__________________________________________
Unknown to the members of the crew on Alexi’s ship, there had indeed been a reason that the transport had made it through safely, despite running into the commandos that had intercepted it. Beyond the horizon of the planet, the form of a serpent could be seen silhouetted against the bright light of the sun, the skin of the tremendous monster of a machine writhing with the ever-changing colors of the sea. The almost transparent green eyes of its master, hovering over the mechanical behemoth, peered in the direction of the transport.
“I wonder, Auralis dear, if they’ll notice me.” Blue lips parted in a cool smile as she said those words. They would notice her if she wanted them to, and would pass her by if she willed it. She was the mother of the link after all. She’d wait for the prime moment to show herself, after they had decided for themselves that there had to have been an outside influence. She had left clues to lead them gradually toward the truth of her existence.
She could sense something in the being that was Kalec that resonated of the old one’s being. And yet there was something different about him, and she knew in her heart of hearts that Alexi was going to be rather disappointed. It was alright though. Alexi wouldn’t have known about the real resurrection projects, and they would continue on without anyone’s knowledge. That, at least, was information she intended on keeping to herself even once she had met up with the group.
The serpent familiar coiled around her arms and nestled its head against her ivory chest. All there was to do for now was to wait. They’d figure it out eventually. Sleeta closed her eyes as well and meditated, losing herself in the link that was her creation.
__________________________________________
Approaching transport: standby for docking. The metallic but organic voice of the ship resonated through the minds of its occupants. It was with trepidation that they nodded in assent and allowed the ship to auto-dock.
The view that had greeted the four of them had been a ghastly one indeed. While initial probes and analysis, along with a direct link to the transport ship, had been promising, showing that the cargo had not really been damaged much, the status of the ship itself was borderline emergency status.
The reactor core had apparently been ejected shortly after subspace travel and had imploded soon afterwards. Marks of a battle laced the outside of the ship, with scores of energy-scarred trakulate running through the hull. It was apparently a miracle that the transport had even gotten through subspace in one piece initially, but the fact that there were scores even after the travel indicated that the ship was assaulted even after the subspace jump. After all, subspace jumps normally healed damage done to trakulate since a transition in and out of the pure energy state naturally realigned the molecules.
That the escort was missing meant that the ship had no defense when emerging out of subspace. A question ran through all their minds without having to be said. What had prevented this vessel from being destroyed, if the only guards it had were neutralized?
There was no time to ponder this idea however, since it was obvious that the transport’s engines were gutted and that enemies might be around the bend. The thought crossed Alexi’s mind that it was a trap, and as the ship docked with the transport, she armed herself in her battle armor and pulled her buster sword off the wall. Her comrades followed suit.
“Lets go, but be careful.” Though Alexi was rather concerned, and it showed through her voice, Mondai played with her daggers, seemingly not hearing and Lindin simply nodded with a grin. They seemed pretty confident that they could deal with any kind of problems. After all, they were known to tear through armies – it was doubtful that there would be such a large force on this transport even if it was a trap.
“Mondai, go in and scout from the shadows. Lindin, follow her up, and I’ll keep watch on the ship in case this is thing is a lure to get us inside.”
The recon went off without a hitch, and the caution that the three Transhumans had exhibited had proved unnecessary. However, it was always better to err on the side of caution, and so Alexi wasn’t concerned. Building plans were started immediately, and the foundations of the base she was making began to form from the materials as she wound her arms around to and fro to guide the process.
There was something odd, however, that Mondai and Lindin had reported in their findings. There was still the lingering question of what had guarded the transport and saved it from complete destruction, and why there were no enemies. The transport had indeed been attacked, that was for sure, due to the bodies of commandos around the frame of the ship and in the hallways. What had incapacitated them?
More than that, it was proved that the engines were not functioning at all and hadn’t been since the subspace jump. In order for the transport to make it to the planet and park itself in this manner, there was really no way it could have done so simply by drifting through space. Finally, there was an odd essence to the inside of the transport, a cool and liquid essence that was magnified more by the presence of random puddles of water among the dead enemies inside the transport.
Sleeta? No, couldn’t be. Must be another powerful Authien of some sort, not her. But the methods and magnitude of the destruction, along with the power it must have taken to drag this transport to the planet this quickly pointed to someone of her caliber. But she was dead, wasn’t she? Perhaps it had been a Sleeta clone, a remnant of the projects, but there was no way that there was one around here – and besides, the known and catalogued clones had vastly different powers, and really didn’t hide their power very well. It was easily sensed by anyone around, almost as a physical presence that pushed you back.
Her thoughts troubled by this dilemma, Alexi continued her building, the form of a base beginning to shape itself in space. The foundations had been laid, but it would take time for her to flesh it out, and more time to make it useful for training and living purposes. Lindin and Mondai worked outside the base itself, their forms barely noticeable as they sped around doing maintenance and building work, leaving Kalec pretty much alone on the ship.
Inside, the purple and silver hair on the back of Kalec’s neck had begun to rise in a rather human fashion. There was something creepy or at least familiar about this presence that lingered in the ship. Normally familiar meant that it was a good thing, but he didn’t really recognize this presence, which really just made it more confusing and weird. He fidgeted, his hand clasping his skull pendant instinctively as he gazed out not at the forming base, but at the ghost of the half-destroyed transport. He didn’t like not knowing, it made him feel powerless, and he made a resolve to find out what it was that was bothering him so much. As the foundations for the base were laid, the foundation for the Raevan’s search for himself were also beginning to form, and his purpose began to solidify. He had a feeling that this would all begin from here.
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Elsewhere, gazing at the events that were unfolding, those translucent sea-green eyes brightened, and the blue lips curved into a smile. Her initial task was complete. She wondered how long it would take for them to realize the truth.
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 4:04 pm
6/16/07
On dial up, writing in progress offline
EDIT stressed Writer's block sucks.
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