Molten Steel, Burning Heart (Tack)

GEAR

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#1
January 28th
1 PM
A Ruined Hospital

Saudi Arabia Outskirts

A designer boot lashed out, smashing into the side of the decrepit vending machine. With a mechanical whine and a wheeze, a colorful styrofoam container clattered into its tray, where a waiting set of painted nails greedily swiped it up, holding it into the green-tinted light as it filtered through the crystals that covered the building.

Shrimp flavor.

Damn.

Four days, she thought.

It's been four days, and still nothing.

It was all because of that damn woman.

As soon as she'd gotten a glimpse of Vulyn in the Medius grasp, she'd headed for the closest medical facility she could find... and concealed the Medius as best as she could, hidden beneath a series of camouflaged tarps that would only conceal it from the most thickheaded of raiders. The Raubtier was as good as lost, and she wasn't daring to venture back to see what had happened to Zan-El, or that accursed dragon-looking thing that had shown up.

She gave the machine another well-placed whack, causing it to shudder and deposit something else. This time, a can of soda rattled into the receptacle, and she quickly pulled the tab, throwing it back in a grateful swig.

Well, she thought... At least the equipment worked.

Downing the entire rest of the drink in one go, she crumpled it in her hand, and looked down the hall at the one remaining room, where they'd gathered everything they could. Time to see if she could get past... "Security."

She strode off toward the source of the light, letting the can rattle to the floor behind her as she did.




In the distance, unawares to the woman, a machine hovered.

It was no fighter jet, nor was it the sleek form of an Opus. No, it more closely resembled... a dragonfly almost, wings beating against the air as its camera eyes clicked together, surveying the surroundings. The DEC corrosion of the landscape caused it little difficulty, and while it was no Cornix, it hailed from an entirely different line of engineering that was more... practical, as it were.

The photograph of Eris it had just captured was run through databases... and returned an affirmative result. The Directory were in luck, it seemed.

The Tsentr Project would soon be back on tis feet.
 
Nov 12, 2018
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#2
The gynoid was estatic. Not that she'd ever let that frustrating fleshbag know. So obsessed with "making sure whats-her-face didn't die" and her health. Oh please, like it would even matter after the host's brain was overidden, and her master was given flesh once again... She couldn't help but grin, a evil looking thing as she saw her reflection in the glass pane.

"Nothing will stand in the way of Luciferd's return... We shall reign over this planet as it's saviors... They don't know how lucky they are that we arrived. I sha-"

And here she comes. That ignorant woman. File Data had been leading her on for a couple days now, waiting for the process to finish. They were angry and annoying, and she couldn't wait for her Black Knight to strike them down, a sentimental sacrifice to their new war on the *Vol*. But... Until it finished she needed her. The servant stood up, bowing politely to Eris as she walked up, sinking into her older programing, the docile Nurse that once monitored a simple soldier...

"Mistress Eris, how may I be of assistance to you today? Lady Vulyn seems to be on the road to recovery, I'm pleased to report."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vulyn did NOT look on the road to recovery. At least it sure as hell didn't look like that from the outside. Her body looked like it was stuck in default, something moving under her skin, and... Well the mess in her head was weird in of itself. Vulyn had an invader in her body, and she wasn't going to let have her without a fight. A fight that... She was winning.

Her mindscape was a vast void, litered with every piece of trivia you could ask about her, and this monster inside her was trying to override those functions, but it clearly was struggling. Something was slowing it down, and this scrapper was shoving it into a corner. It was in her mind, and it was weak. It was fighting a nutjob who just kamikazed against some kind of alien Tausendfuesler, and her will was not going to be beaten by this one.

Her body twitched, something starting to bleed out from her, a red metal... She opened her eyes...

And screamed in victory.
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#3
There she is.

"Yo."

A pair of painted nails flashed in the air, as the woman gave a wave to the gynoid. It was anything but polite in spirit, as she only barely managed to hide a scowl. Today, at least, the news seemed to be good - but something told her she couldn't trust this woman.

What even IS she? Thought the mercenary privately; I've been waiting for a moment where she sleeps or walks away or something, but she hasn't dropped her guard for even a second since we got here. What the Hell?!

...and what kind of name is "FILE DATA" anyway?!

"That's good news." She sighed, shoving her hands in her pockets as her foot tapped irritably on the ground.

"When do you thi-"

A scream.

For the briefest of moments, Eris' eyes went wide - and locked with File's own in a challenge. It was a certain kind of glare, one that carried with it an implicit message. In this case, that message was simple: fuck you.

"Vulyn!"

The mercenary bolted forward, attempting to shove the stranger aside to enter the room-
 
Nov 12, 2018
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#4
Oh. That's not a great sign.

It was a bit weird to hear your lord and master screaming after what should have been a peaceful nap after they wiped away the mind that was already occupying it. Like starting up a new computer, a happy occasion. Not screams. Perhaps it would best to let him kill themercenary and be on with it. Then they could see to assembling the rest of their "Extended Family". The gynoid didn't follow her in. She'd wait for the Black Knight to execute her.

----------------------------------------------------

Vulyn looked like absolute shit as she stood up, stumbling around the room. What the fuck had happened to her? Last she knew she was... With Eris and Zanel... Eris! Zanel! The girl stumbled forward, her body feeling heavy as she stumbled to the door. She needed to find her friends. Friends. Guess that's what they are... "Eris!"
 

GEAR

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#5
Eris' surprise was almost palpable as, instead of her shoulder-check meeting with the immovable force that was File Data, she practically barrelled into the room to see Vulyn crumple to the floor.

"Vulyn!"

The mercenary immediately dropped to her knees, sweeping the young woman up in an embrace. It was an uncharacteristically emotive action that surprised even her, and she distantly registered her pistol clattering to the floor beside her as she pulled Vulyn in close, emotion filling her voice.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." She gasped, surprised to find tears at the edge of her eyes as she clutched at the young junker.

"It's all my fault, I should have checked, I should have..." - She trailed off hoarsely, shoulders shuddering as she buried her face in the woman's neck.

Never get attached. That was the way of the mercenary. Yet, she had managed to share so much with her, in such a short time as they followed Zan-El... She felt somehow responsible for her, as if there were the beginnings of something deeper, something she hadn't felt in a long time-

A friend, perhaps.
 
Nov 12, 2018
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#6
“Fuck. I feel like I’ve been falling for weeks…”

The scrapper fell against her friend, considerably denser than before. Just taking this moment for themself, Vulyn, hugged Eris back, ignoring the… Flashing lights in the corner of her vision, whatever that was. She was awake and back to being herself. No more of that long nightmare…

“Where are we? What’s happened, where’s Zanel?”
 

GEAR

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#7
"Zanel stayed behind..."

The blue-haired woman shook her head, slowly. The golden God was the furthest thing from her mind - instead, she gestured to the figure at the door, leaning in close to whisper in her cohort's ear:

"That... weird woman injected you with something," She said, quietly.

"I wasn't sure if you were even going to make it... Are you sure you're alright? Do you need anything?"
 
Nov 12, 2018
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#8
"Coffee?" Vulyn grinned, looking back to the woman and... Well she didn't look familiar... But something in the back of her head seemed to be relieved to see her. There was just something she could trust about her.

And seeing her master grin at her? FD fell to her knees, grinning excitedly.

"Praise be! Our- We need to get out of here." From one moment she went from joy to terror, looking around the room. "We must get back to our ship. Something is coming." She stood back up in the weirdest way, bending back and walking out the door. "I suggest Lady Eris secure some hazmat gear."

"What?"
 

GEAR

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#9
"Ship, huh?"

Eris gave Vulyn and FD an uncertain look, but obliged, fetching the associated PPE from a storage cabinet within the room. She didn't like the sound of any of this - but something told her the Directory would be upon them soon enough - while the strange woman gave off a nefarious aura, she at the very least had been truthful so far.

"Not sure what you have in mind lady-"

She jerked her thumb toward the window. In the distance, there was the silhouette of a trio of approaching shapes - like massive dragonflies, smaller than bipedal Mobile Weapons, but still comparable to fighter jets. She couldn't help but recall those shapes, straight from the Medius' database: Flonnes, an experimental design from the Tsentr Project.

"-But I suggest you do it fast."
 
Nov 12, 2018
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#10
File Data just gave a smug grin before looking out the window, producing a sound that resembled a dying vacuum cleaner as she saw the approaching ships, grabbing Eris by the shoulder and ushering her out of the room. "My Lord, buy us some time while we secure the Medius to my craft. Before Vulyn could respond, the gynoid would pull an *extremely* shitty looking, old model battle rifle from one of the dresser's in the room, tossing it to the confused mechanic.

"Uh, do *I* need a hazmat suit? Why does Eris get one?!" Vulyn's body was seemingly moving on it's own as FD led Eris out, standing by window as she tried to ask her questions, aiming the rifle and popping off well aimed, but powerless shots towards the Flonnes.

"When did I learn how to shoot!?"
 

GEAR

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#11
Eris only managed to grumble a response as she followed File Data, slinging herself expertly into the Medius' cockpit. The dark Personal Trooper rose from its crouch, eyes glowing bright yellow as it drew a bead on the nearest target. Somewhere to her left, she heard a strange rumbling whine, as FD's "ship" for lack of better term materialized, looking like a curious silver arrow of some kind. Her eyes narrowed in surprise, wondering how, exactly, she was planning on transporting the Medius as well.

"I'm just saying, the whole thing seems-"

1595926158905.png

She didn't have time as her console screamed a warning. There was distant glint on the horizon, and Eris sucked in a breath in shock - and threw the Medius sideways in front of the ship.

Heat.

Burning, scorching heat.

The incandescent column of flaming, bristling energy seared across the battlefield, torching everything it didn't incinerate entirely. Not even the Dimensional Energy Crystal was safe, melting into glistening puddles of scorched, gleaming glass as the hospital splintered away into nothingness.

"AaaaAAAAAAAAAGHHH-"

Eris could only cry out as the Medius was engulfed in the fluorescent beam, trying to hold it back as best as she could - but as the blast cleared, the Medius' arms had been seared away entirely, along with most of its facial features, its external armor coating melted away into nothing more than glossy, porous scrap that poured black clouds into the surroundings. To her left, she could see the "ship" - its surface as well, despite her best efforts, had become seared, causing her heart to sink into her stomach.

"Who-!?"

In the distance, a squat, blue and white form vented steam from the long twin-pronged cannon mounted atop its fuselage, tracking the status of the target - or rather, its lost sibling machine.

1595926915220.png

Within the cockpit of the Cerberus, a young girl, feet almost too short to reach the pedals, hummed away happily as she peered through the sites. Mama would be very happy with her - not only was she bringing another prototype home, but eliminating a damned Hardshell too! She could practically feel the impending headpats, so smooth and soft as she drew a bead, finger tensing on the trigger.

<Not... yet...>​

...?

Morta paused, sensing the words being spoken into the void.

<I'm not... going to die like this...
I don't even know...
Who I am...!
>




<...Nona?>
The word stabbed into Eris head like a knife, causing her to recoil within her seat. That name rattled around in her head like a trash can, filling her with nameless, insurmountable dread. In the distance, she could already see the Cerberus readying its second shot, energy crackling along the barrier.

There was a sudden flash, a bang that was deafening, followed shortly by another-

And everything fell away, into blackness, with the distinct sense she was being pulled somewhere far, far away...