Reckoning (Sess, DEI)

Aug 4, 2018
334
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16
Somewhere in the UK
#1
Southern China - Location unknown
September 5th.


A notification. A message on an old account - one she hadn't touched in over six months. Normally she'd just ignore it, but this one stood out. Separate from the countless job offers and contracts. Ashley hadn't spent the time since the fall of the Directory sitting around, but most of it had become a blur of violence and the occasional smiling face. A businessman approaching her in the ruins of Beijing and asking who she worked for. Mercenaries following her. Fighting for her. With her. They felt her rage and became one with it, sweeping cities clear of the monsters that tried to prey on those too weak to defend themselves. She'd made a small fortune off of her own violent urges, achieved a position some would give everything to merely grasp at.

And despite all that, she hated it. Hated fighting day in day out. Hated that she could barely remember anything besides the violence she inflicted. Hated that she had to pay someone to even keep track who was who in her own organisation. But above all that she hated the man who had put her on this path. His face still stayed strong in her mind, and seeing his name in a message brought all those horrifying memories back to the forefront. Faded, but never truly gone.
Subject: DYLAN

He's finally gone too far. DAMONs. He's turning people into DAMONs. I don't know if you're still out there, but something has to be done.
Coordinates are attached. If you want to kill him, this is your best shot.

-Katri.
The name stirred faint memories. A colleague? A friend? Something familiar. It was on the edge of her mind... a blur just short of any real information. One thing stood out, though. She could trust this. Lingering fond memories that slid out of her grasp when she reached for them, remaining forever out of reach. And the coordinates lead to a real location. On the fringes of the DEC forest she'd visited a few times before.

But doing it alone would be suicide. She remembered a battleship... her first failed attempt on his life. The Shaurus she'd apparently commissioned was a capable backup, strong enough to survive while lending her fire support. A couple of them could distract whatever escorts Dylan had. Buy her time for the killing blow he so sorely deserved. They looked up to her - enough would come at the mere suggestion she needed help. Enough that she'd need to limit her numbers. This was going to be risky, and sacrificing others for her own petty revenge... she'd be no better than Him.

"I'm looking for volunteers to help with a personal matter. I can't guarantee any payment or reward beyond salvage, though. As for the mission..."

For the first time in months, Ashley smiled.

"Same as always. We're going to be killing a monster."
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
0
16
Somewhere in the UK
#2
September 6th, 11:54am Local Time
Ethiopia, Edge of DEC Forest



"Commencing third test of the Scientific Resolution's main gun. I hope we've had the cameras set to account for the energy spikes this time. Mobile Weapons don't grow on trees, you know!"

An echoing roar rocked the ship, seemingly accentuated by the ominous hum of the Battleship's main cannon. It'd been six months since they'd had to use it in combat, and since then the upgrades had been substantial. Coolant systems, redundant safety mechanisms... Extensive preparations to make sure it couldn't be disabled as easily as it had the last time someone had taken offense to his particular brand of science. But of course, that wasn't all. He was still a man of science, and a gun that could only destroy things was a waste of perfectly good materials. The truest of weapons outgrew that simple descriptor, being equally useful as plowshares when the time of conflict had passed. Creation as well as destruction.

At least, once he'd fixed that pesky requirement for an organic component. The ADAMON had exceeded all expectations, but each new one required an irritating quantity of human resources.

"Three.. two.. one.. fire!"

The sheer output from the beam rocked the ship, large enough to completely encompass the unfortunate Cornix - and reduce it to ash. Nothing remained of the automated weapon except a few flecks of dust drifting off the crater. Dylan relaxed into a slouch at the sight, rolling his eyes and sighing.

"Disappointing. But at least we can use it for proof that they need a live subject to make a proper DAMON. Do you think we need a fourth test, Vertalis?"

Perhaps it could be considered a stupid question. They'd destroyed several such machines, but each previous failure had been marred by some mechanical fault or recording issue. Even fruitless tests retained some purpose. And that last blast revealed something the Captain hadn't noticed yet - three mobile weapons silouhetted by the beam. They'd appear on the radar soon enough though, plunging the bridge into a red glow as proximity alarms blared.

"All available pilots, please sortie. Hostile mobile weapons detected on attack vector."

"Maybe later. Someone light a fire under maintainence, I think Terra Sentinel just sent us some test subjects!"




"Engage the DAMON, but don't take too many risks. If this is like last time he..."

Ashley paused, racking her brains. Remembering the attempts she'd made. Failures. Both times he was in the exact same place - hiding on the bridge. An oversized chair. People jumping in the way to stop her from dealing the final blow, or slow her down just enough that he could shut down her machine. But now she had friends of her own. Enough to tip the balance in her favour if she used them right. No. Not 'used'. That term of phrase sickened her a little. They were her allies. Here to help because they chose to, not just because she was paying them.

"He'll be in the bridge."

She'd had their names written down. Have to get them a bonus if this worked, and relying on her memory for that wouldn't cut it. The loosely painted identifiers on the sides of their Shaurus were enough for now. Red circle and.. what looked like a spear? It wasn't like she could judge their choice in iconography.

"We've got it under control, Boss!"

"How did they even get a DAMON under control? ...if you remember, anyway."

A quiet hiss of annoyance escaped. Both of them knew Ashley didn't really care about the little slights, but jabs against her memory were still guaranteed to rile the woman up. But at a time like this a little anger could go a long way to keeping her focused.

"They've been doing it for a while. It looks bigger than the normal ones... don't let it catch you off guard."

The Ares lead from the front, Scaffold edge already spinning as the two smaller machines split off. Heading for the Rook ADAMON that even now was eyeing up its own prey.
 

Hitura Rael

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#3
"There are enough junk yards we could reproduce the same effects with old cars and dish washers or something. Perhaps chunks of the satellite back in china would suffice as a good test subject?" Vertalis mused, poised with his data pad to take notes on the canon fire. He was no engineer, but he picked up monitoring the electrical components quite easily with a little studying. It was a necessity if he wanted his greatest work to flourish. "No one said we had to test exclusively on mobile weapons, after all. And a wide variety of subjects IS part of proving out scientific theories." He braced himself as Dylan counted down, it would do no good if he missed the results because he toppled from a little turbulence. Not that there wasn't a second hand recording things. Minerva was a good assistant, even if she was starting to show signs of rebellion. But that was a good thing, right? More of her mind coming back to her. It just meant a little more cautions to keep her reigned in before she did something stupid like swallow goldfish or eat laundry detergent pods or snort powdered sugar candies. Teenagers had a survival instinct comparable to a toddler after all.

Vertalis quickly recorded the data to his notes on the canon fire, then sat down at his seat with a satisfied chuckle. Everything was within parameters. Perhaps a test of how long it would take to overheat the cannon if fired in succession... it would be a good safety test. He glanced over to the commander's chair with a fatherly grin, "Ah Dylan, you invest too much into wanting expectations to be reality. Think of it more as a learning opportunity than a failure." He rubbed his chin for a moment and tapped the stylus against his knee. "I think we should do a few make up tests to account for the data we lost, and perhaps toss in some non mobile weapon subjects. Planes, cars, trucks... maybe old buildings. Debris... And I have ideas for further scenarios. A lot more. Firing at the same thing is all well and good but variety will better serve us. For example, what happens if a living and dead component were present? What about a living component without a mech? Multiple living components without the mobile weapons? What if they were in other machines, like cars or planes? And I would very much like to conduct a round of testing to ensure we have a proper estimate of how many times we can fire before it needs to cool off."

Vertalis paused with a frown. Terra Sentinel dogs, here? Well, it couldn't be helped. "Minerva, be a dear and greet our guests." He flashed a malicious grin, "We would prefer them alive of course. But if that is not possible... bringing back their biological material samples should suffice. We can just clone them and use the clones for live subjects and the corpses for dead subjects. And... do let cuddles out to play. I'm sure he's itching for a good fight." He chuckled to himself. Of course the ADAMON wasn't sentient in any way. It was just a mindless beast now completely under their control. But he DID frame the creature as a 'pet' for Minerva and she had unfortunately taken to bonding with the thing. Still, as far as a pet went, Cuddles was not the worst they could do. At least there weren't dimensional droppings to deal with from the beast.




Minerva shifted her dull gaze to her father at the command. It was better than standing by watching them warp more unfortunate souls into slaved beasts. She had her own experiments she wanted to run on the new ADAMON of course, but no way to do so. She set her notations down and made her way to the hangar at a brisk pace. If she could just go unmonitored near them long enough to explore their brain waves... perhaps find a way to hack into it... maybe she could find a trace of their human selves still in there, trapped and dormant. It would be cruel to awaken that part of them of course... but if she could find a way to reverse the process or extract the human data... perhaps she could save them.

She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. Now was not the time to worry over their fate. She had three others to save right now, and the ship. Perhaps... if she could accidentally damage or destroy the canon in the fight... They'd rebuild or repair it in time, of course, but how many lives would be spared if that thing were out of commission for days? Months? Her expression steeled into resolve, her pace redoubled. The Capra could do it... She had the output to significantly impact the canons. She couldn't rely on Cuddles' power to do that with Vertalis having that remote override and too much monitoring on her to install something to counter it. And now even the Capra had a remote kill switch to prevent Minnerva from doing something stupid... Dylan wouldn't use it though, not unless he thought she was turning on them. The damage would have to be convincingly accidental...

Minerva paused momentarily in the hangar, the smell of oil and machinery hitting her all at once. She loved the smell, always taking a moment to relax with it. It was so much better than the sterile and chemical smells of Vertalis' lab. This was much more... alive. But... she didn't have time. With a small sigh, she hurried to the Capra to settle into the pilot's seat, her mind clamping on the task at hand. She had to alert Roman to the plan somehow, should he deploy along side her. She was fairly confident she and Cuddles could handle this situation alone. It would be better if they were alone... There would be no risk to him or the others. But that was their decision to make. They all knew the risks of fighting around 'Frankenstein's Fortress'. "Deploy Cuddles." She muttered into the mic, watching the hangar door slowly open.

The monstrosity that he had become stepped forward and dropped from the open mouth of the bay like a sack of boulders to shake the ground below with his landing. The creature heaved an unearthly roar at the approaching intruders, the only warning they would be getting from the beast.

Once the way was clear, the caper moved into place. The sleek succubus inspired machine took her place on the catapult. "Chaos Capra, ready to launch." Minnie muttered and braced herself. The force generated by the propulsion system could be disorienting at times, but nothing too terrible. It was something like you'd get on a roller coaster drop at an amusement park. That didn't mean she liked it. She had always hated roller coasters... The Capra slid forward and launched out into the open air, allowing a freefall for a moment before the wings snapped open, the demonic mecha taking flight to it's position in the front of the ship.

By the time she was in position, the three assailants moved into visible range. For a moment, she forgot to breathe. Her heart dropped to her stomach. Anxiety gnawed painfully at the bottom of her stomach. Before she knew what she was doing, her hands moved to open the comm lines to the general channels, ones she hoped the enemy would have open to hear. Only one word escaped her lips before she resumed breathing, one stunned word laced with the sound of dead hope and longing, "Ashley..."
 

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#4
A loud exhale, bordering on a sigh. Roman had enjoyed laying on a couch while they were doing the tests. Painfully aware of that cannon and its properties now courtesy of having witnesses it once. Once was enough, more than enough. He had half a mind to climb up this infernal thing and pull out that atrocity cannon himself. That sounded like actual fun, but sadly this time his machine was a lot less beefy so it wouldn't be as easy. If only the bossman was around, those others in charge he didn't like not one bit.

Still he meandered to the hangar where the new steed was waiting for him. They had to be seriously insane to give him something like this, sure half of it really suited his style but the other half was a damn katana, he was more of the shanking type than the slicing type and the thousand time folded steel sucked at that. Precision was overrated previously but now he had to care. At least until he got his mitts on some proper weapons, or just used the machine's fists.
He looked over the machine, Goryu, like someone had told a Japanese artist about European dragons and some sort of dragon knight was brought to Eastern standards.

Still it was quick, hit relatively hard for its weight class and what not. So he shouldn't complain too too much, after the Capra deployed the samurai dragon followed shortly impacting the ground as its tail moved around, a three horned visage staring out over the environment. Behind its back, an almost regal collar as it almost looked as if a massive crown adorned the neck and shoulders of the machine's back. A katana and its sheath at the ready as it trailed behind the Capra, not particularly motivated in its defense of the ship behind it.

Roman however, did hear the words spoken by Minerva. Raking his brain to find the answer, that was the woman who rushed the bridge six months prior. Well damn, what a turn of events. A glance went to the giant ship, was it time? He didn't answer yet, he barely knew the assailant that was Minerva's wheelhouse. For now simply observing.
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
0
16
Somewhere in the UK
#5
"Don't be ridicious. Shooting an inanimate object would be like trying to teach a rock to think. Theoretically possible, but a waste of time and effort!" Dylan laughed, waving off Vertalis's initial suggestions in both a metaphorical and literal sense. He was willing to entertain some of the others though. Eventually. They'd not tried more normal vehicles, but something about using mobile weapons just felt right.

"We'll have to secure some aircraft, but it's doable. As for rapid fire..."

The push of a button set the Resolution rumbling again, the sound of the central cannon igniting once again joining the thrum of background nosise. Faint blue light that was immediately blocked out as the defensive shutters closed - leaving them reliant on cameras for now. The room was instead bathed in red light as alarms howled, framing Dylan's smile in a uniquely malicious light. This wasn't just an experiment any more.

"I think we've got the perfect excuse right here. And... pencil in an extra test. We're going to find out just what happens when we shoot a sphere with it.

Things had gotten personal. Now while Dylan was normally above holding grudges, two attempted murders was already very close to crossing a line. And this made for a third. There was a pattern here, one that couldn't be ignored - it was time to kill her. No playing around for extra data, but frankly even a conventional battle would provide information enough.

"Defensive batteries! Ignore the other machines, try to pin down the DEI signature!"



Dozens upon dozens of red beams were fired at the approaching Mobile Weapons, quickly refocusing and altering their fire until they were practically forcing An Ares into a tunnel of red light. Trying to force her down into the arc of the Resolution's main gun. It seemed to suceed at first, the machine dipping down until it was in clear view of the battleship and then stopping dead. Freezing in mid air as a red mist began to leak out from the hits sustained. Then the Scaffold edge began to spin. Glow brightening with every word the woman spoke.

"Couch! It's time you paid for everything you've done!"

Space began to distort, the air around the Ares becoming hazy - until a golden blade cut through the fog, grinding through air with the sound of teeth ripping through metal. Then another. And another. Soon hundreds of blades split the sky, closing on the Resolution from above and below like a gigantic claw. As Ashley slowly advanced the claw moved with her, each saw spinning inwards towards the Ares to form a colossal grinder.

"They're going to forget you. Just another monster languishing in the back of a history book. I'll make sure of it."

A choked laugh escaped Ashley's lips, the sound seemingly echoed by the conjured saws as a backdrop to their metallic screech. Despite their sudden appearance the blades seemed Real. Almost more real than the world around them, despite their blatant violation of natural laws. This was what she'd been waiting for. What she'd wanted all along. A way to kill him and destroy all he'd created in one fell swoop. She'd hardly have remembered all of his amoral experiments even before the sphere, not hat it mattered one bit. He'd keep them close. All his jounals and notes and weapons. All soon to be dust like they deserved to be.

The sight gave the Shaurus pause, one of the MWs stopping to stare until a stray laser clipped the edge of their shield. True to their orders they were ignoring the battleship and setting their eyes on the escorts.

"Hey, did you know the boss could do that?"

"She does a lot of weird stuff when she gets mad. Dibs on the one with the Katana!"

"Watch yourself. Once that DAMON starts moving I'll see if I can get it gummed up."

The first one hung back for now, taking careful aim with the cannon built into the left arm as it sighted the Capra. But for all the care put into aiming, the sudden barage of laser beams was anything but precise, violently explosive recoil bucking the barrely around wildly as the suit struggled to keep it on target. Each individual bolt seemed rather weak, but the Shaurus was spitting out dozens - in a wild enough spread to threaten the Goryu as well. Her partner dived instead, shield unfolding into a wicked sickle as it charged the 'Knight' from below. Going for a cheap shot on the legs or thrusters, or anywhere the point of the blade could find a chink in its armour.
 

Hitura Rael

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#6
"No, Dylan, shooting at an inanimate object gives a baseline-" He sighed. The man truely just... did not understand how to science. There were so many scenarios they needed to test to ensure they understood the capabilities of the canon. What was he going to do if they skipped firing at a building and found out in the field that the targets within the building were unaffected thanks to the building shielding them? He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Truly, the man was dense and rushed results...

His attention, however, turned to the enemy approaching the Resolution. He frowned at the thought of testing the rapid fire on them. Not when they had their own deployed. "Dylan, with all due respect, we have several issues testing that in this case. First off, we might hit Minerva and lose the Capra-" He didn't really care if they hit Roman. Minerva was a little too taken with him and he'd be damned if she got a boyfriend ever. "Second off, we do not know the effect it would have on Cuddles. Finally, what if it turns her into a damon WITH the sphere's powers? That might put us a little out of our depth and possibly cause us to lose the sphere- if the reactor doesn't go critical and exlode taking everyone in a radius at LEAST equal to a nuclear blast."




Minerva frowned, her voice tight, "Roman, do not let the mist touch you. Leave her to me... Try not to kill her friends. Anger makes her stronger." The Capra moved between the ship and Ashley, her hands shaking on the controls, But before she could appeal to Ashley... Thousands of blades manifested, surrounding the ship. All those people on board... Only two of them deserved to die! The charade... was at an end. It was do or die now, she couldn't afford to keep up the act. "Ashley stop!"

The runes etched in the Capra's wings glowed green, her left hand following shortly after with an arcane glow of purple and black smoke. The Capra unleashed blast after blast on the impending doom of the ship. "You don't have to do this, there's another way! Don't punish everyone on board for Dylan's actions! There are other ways!" Minerva stood her ground, for the most part, doing her best to dodge the barrage of fire coming her way. She had only one focus- Protect the crew. If she had to go to the bridge and grab Dylan herself she would.

For all the fear Cuddles put into the other two, his attentions turned elsewhere. The two massive horns on the ADAMON's shoulders glowed with a sickly yellow energy, arcs of electrical currents running up and between them as an orb of dimensional energy coalesced and grew, like a massive red eye suspended in black light. It reached full size before being launched, the assault aimed at the blades to protect the ship- To protect Minerva. The ball of energy exploded in a whirlwind of pulses, striking out at the golden blades.
 

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#7
"Well damn." Roman finally commented, "Second attempt huh, I'll leave her to you the schmucks I'll keep away from the action." With that the Goryu continued apace to the, if he had to admit, rather silly looking machines attacking them. It was kind of obvious these were not made with form in mind, let alone over function. At no point during their inception did visual pleasantness come in when these two were made and if it had, whoever did do that would need to be fired, hired and then fired again for how badly they failed.

Of course the stupidest looking things could frequently pack a serious punch, so maybe that was an intentional stupid look to disguise the lethality of their machines. At which point yeah they had succeeded. During his approach Roman took care that the stray shots didn't strike him as the Goryu drew its Katana, taking it in one hand and leaving the other open.


"Hey there nice meeting you. The name's Roman." Roman said over the open channels to the man charging him, immediately noticing the dirty approach taken. That was a point in their favor. Sadly in spite of all the honorable appearance his unit had, the man inside was anything but and this was exactly how he'd fought for his entire life. The Goryu raised its leg as the sickle passed underneath, then stomping down on the shield itself to get it stuck for a moment.
"I'll be handing you your ass today." The Goryu's free hand punched forward at the slit which was obviously the peephole of his foe. A clawed draconic arm extending forwards in a punch at the same time the leg was raised, freeing the shield.

A smile wormed its way on Roman's face at that, following up with an upwards slash at the Machine's other arm, the even sillier looking one with some gun barrel at the end of it. The upwards katana slash aiming to cut the arm clean off halfway through its length.
"Nice try by the way."
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
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16
Somewhere in the UK
#8
Goryu's fist found purchase, slamming the claw shut and forcing the weapon into being a shield once more. It was enough to stop the first blow short, and the strike to the visor sent the bargain bin scorpion reeling. But it quickly recovered, the pilot responding with a feminine chuckle.

"Willow. Looks like we're not the only ones with an animal theme around here."

Roman's blade was intercepted when metal plating shifted down the gun barrel, the arm turning into a crude imitation of a scorpion's tail - and wrapping around the sword's blade. Whoever had made these was staying very true to the theme, and a faint laugh could be heard as the pilot drove the shield-claw into the arm at the wrist. She was trying to slam it closed. To take Goryu's arm in retaliation for the attempted severance of its own.

The second machine had split off, ignoring him for now and focusing their attention on the ADAMON. Energy surged through the gun barrel as it warped and opened up, generating a sphere of what looked like energy in front of itself. Once it launched it flew over towards Cuddles almost lazily, beginning to accelerate halfway and detonating into a mist seconds before it would have struck the D-Fault. The cloud of nanomachines tried to encircle the ADAMON, interfering with its senses - and its control system. While the cloud wasn't comprised of the same nanites that the Scoprion itself emitted, they still seemed to be burning away at the barrier and anything that dared approach.



Each of the Capra's shots shattered blades, burning holes in the claw of golden death. But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough. Where her weapons failed, Minerva's words found a little more purchase. An Ares's head turned to stare at her, the rest of the machine remaining uncannily still as Ashley spoke back. There was no familiarity in her voice, cold recognition but no friendship. She'd forgotten. Lost in a cloud of a thousand broken memories.

"You. Didn't I tell you..."

In an instant the blades shifted, changing direction away from the Resolution.. It was a truly bizzare sight, the crew of the ship now faced with a golden wall as the teeth shifted to threaten the Chaos Capra instead.

"TO STAY OUT OF MY WAY?"

But before they could do more than threaten, the ADAMON's attack struck. Dimensonal power struck against other dimensional power, resulting in a brutal snapback. Every remaining blade shattered like glass, momentarily bathing the battlefield in golden light. But that light soon faded, leaving only the sickly red glow of the Scorpion's Nanomachines - and the oddly cool blue of the Resolution's main gun.

For a second the air began to shimmer, Ashley calling on the same power she'd used before. But this time something stopped her - a lingering memory.

Another way.

She'd have to fight this woman again and again if she kept trying to take down the ship, and time was not on her side. Instead of going for another massive attack, the scaffold edge began to spin. Faster and faster, until it was a green blur in the Mobile Weapon's hand. Winding up for a killing blow.

"Fine. You win. But Dylan dies. Here and now."

The blade lashed out with all the ferocity of a scorpion's stinger, lancing towards the bridge. Small enough to only kill the man it was aimed at, but not fast enough to do it instantly. Green light was matched by blue as-



"...Fine."

Dylan seemed to hesitate, but Vertalis had a point. This wasn't a time to gamble with his own life. Dimensional power had never been his sphere of expertise. Spheres weren't his sphere, either - although the wordplay brought an unfitting smile to his face. That distinctive hum began to intensify once more, the pitch changing as those experimental features were disabled.

"No experimenting. We shoot to kill."

Normally he'd have had Ashley to do this for him. Or the old Captain. Where had she gotten to, anyway? With the bigger scientific questions exorcised, smaller ones were starting to push their way forwards into Dylan's brain. Like why Vertalis's daughter was communicating with the enemy. That would have to be handled, and in this case the solution presented itself. Opening fire now would strike them both, especially if she insisted on standing directly in its path.

"I'll let you handle the psychological screening for whoever we give it to afterwards. I'm running out of good employees as it is."

The Resolution's cannon was already prepared to fire, now simply gathering excess power. It could have waited, but Dylan saw the scaffold edge begin to spin. That same blade that had almost claimed his life twice - and he'd be damned if he waited and let it try a third time. One single press and the cannon opened fire, blue light spilling forth in a torrent of death-
 

Hitura Rael

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#9
"I am not in your way, Ashley. I told you last time... Don't punish others for his mistakes." But it seemed as if it did reach Ashley, somewhere. The Capra moved aside, giving the woman a clear shot at the bridge.




"We can recover the sphere after she's dead. Or if we can knock it loose you can add her to your growing collection. I'm sure the Capra and Goryu are more than capable of extracting it." Though if the Goryu could get caught up in one of the experimental blasts... that would be optimal.

"Perhaps some sort of device to control the next subject... like we did with Cuddles. Of course if we could implant one in their brain that would be more optimal." Yes, a puppet like subject would be much better. Perhaps he should dust off the old experiments... It worked well for Minerva after all. He couldn't fathom why the girl hid her restored body so much. She should be proud to show off her strength and resilience to survive those surgeries in suboptimal conditions. "Good employees are easier to make than find, I'm afraid."

Vertalis' lips drew down into a frown, "Dylan, I know you're not trying to shoot down my child but- For goodness sake Minerva move!" Vertalis gripped the edge of his seat, watching with worry as the main battery fired.





The Capra dropped away from the battery fire. Ashley was on her own to dodge that. She wasn't NEAR skilled enough to help her friend out of that particular predicament. And she had her own problem now. Dylan had just tried to shoot her. Hot anger bubbled up, how odd a feeling. It was rare enough that it was alien to her. Normally, there was only cold rage with a calculated and precise plan to enact revenge. This time... She didn't have time to plan.

The Capra landed on the ground, blasting away at the cloud of nanites around Cuddles as the beast did it's best to clear them on it's own. The goat horned mech turned to glance at Ashley's companion who had dropped it. "I recommend you clear that off. Now." Her voice burned with cold anger, the Capra's glare turned back to the ship. "Congratulations Dylan," The emotionlessness was different, the stillness of ice masking the presence of a dangerous predator lurking below the water, waiting to burst forth. "You've made me quite upset. Crew, you are presented with two options. You can surrender and turn Dylan over to Ashley for his retribution with a guarantee you live... Or you can continue to fire that battery at her and face a certain death on board that ship. All she wants is Dylan, that's all she's ever wanted. And all the times I've stopped her was to save your lives. Should you decline the offer to resolve this in a way you do not die... It's not only Ashley and her two friends you'll be dealing with."
 

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#10
Roman smirked, even as the 'tail' wrapped itself around his weapon. This foe could take a punch or two, that was good. Snarky commentary to boot as well ah that improved his day even if they held onto his A5M sword, or as the engineer had called it 'Shishou'. Apparently some super fancy gigantic sword. Seemed to him it was more of a collectors item than anything, but it must've been great for someone's resume. For him however, he just let go of the sword to not lose the arm holding it. Man he really had a thing for getting one sword disarmed against women when he fought them for the first time.
"Really the animal theme was not my first choice bu-"

At that time, he could hear the Resolution charge its cannon, a hasty glance upwards. The Goryu's tail engaging in motion.
"MINERVA!" Roman exclaimed as the light came after, genuine worry in his voice. The tail pulled something loose from the machine's back, the Toy Scorpion's pilot could see the collar of the Goryu fall down impacting in the dirt behind it as the tail aimed itself at the cannon.
No that wouldn't be enough not from this distance against something that big. The tail relaxed as the Goryu took a step backwards.

With both hands now free it took the collar which looked like a crown on a stick in them, purple lightning crackling from the 'crown'. The blade within not yet reaching out allowing the Goryu to carry it with one hand. A sharp inhale through the nose. Minerva was okay at least.
"We can continue this in a moment, could you hold onto that for me." The Goryu nodded towards the blade its enemy had stolen from it moments prior while Minerva did her announcement. The previously jovial voice now gaining a cold tone to it.

It was a shame the Goryu couldn't fly because if it could Roman would be doing a repeat of what he did when he first met the Resolution, taking out that damn cannon with this sword. He was still going to do it, but now it was notably harder. "To add onto what she said, for those of you over at the cannon I'm sure this thing is familiar to you." The Goryu waved the 'crown' around for a moment. "I'm going to recommend you all walk away from that area before I get there again. That... ottalkivayushchiy thing." For a second he slipped into his native language.

A glance to his side, to the Chaos Capra.
"I'm going to go destroy that stupid war crime real quick." The Goryu leapt upwards, the claw of the free hand digging into the hull of the Resolution to hold on, slowly climbing upwards.
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
0
16
Somewhere in the UK
#11

This was it. This was what it was going to feel like when he died. But even if things were going to hell Dylan still had a few more cards to play. He took a second to compose himself, breaking down the problems one by one. First - Minerva.

Fumbling around in his pocket for... what looked awfully like a cigarette lighter for a man that never smoked. Dylan cracked it open with a flick of his wrist, flipping a second cap off to reveal a softly flashing green button. It only took him a second to press it once he'd found it, grinning to himself even as the warning sirens blared away. They'd had some worries about Minerva, but the disappointment he held over the woman's betrayal was outweighted by his enjoyment at getting to use a new device. This one was a lot cleaner than the last sabotage device, cutting power to everything except the flight systems - and slowly spooling those down so the machine didn't simply slam into the ground. Significant advancements had been made in the field of shutting down rebellious machines, and once more he was at the forefront!

"All power has been cut to the Capra, Vertalis. I don't need to try when I have a killswitch pre-prepared. You can pick up your daughter once we're done, but she's not piloting that machine again."

Second - Crew revolt. Dylan grabbed the microphone for the PA system, attempting to head off the presumed crew revolt. He knew they didn't like him, but whether or not they feared him enough was the real question.

"Attention all crew! To deter any rebellious thoughts, I've disabled the escape pods. If I go down, you're all going with me."

For once he was turning up the malovence in his voice. It was technically a bluff, but it just.. felt like something he'd do. Something people would imagine him doing, even if the thought hadn't occured to him until this moment. Perhaps something to set up after this was over.



"Aww, did they shoot your girlfriend?"

The Shaurus that had been fighting Roman backed off, keeping a tight grip on his blade as they turned to face the Resolution. It seemed to be contemplating attacking regardless before taking flight, keeping a safe distrance from the climbing mobile weapon. Respecting his decision and turning to watch her commanding officer at work instead. Ashley was a slightly terrifying enigma at the best of times, but watching her work had a beauty all of its own.

"Have fun, Italy. I'll give you your time, but you're not getting the sword back~"

Minerva's attacks made some progess at clearing out the nanomachine cloud, the second Shaurus ignoring her at first - but seemingly taking the threat on board and backing up. They'd keep their gun trained on the Capra regardless of its response, not taking any chance around her or the ADAMON.

"Can't. Whole point of this is keeping that monster from killing us all - unless you've got a better suggestion?"



An Ares seemed set to take the blast head-on, but the suit moved skyward a split second before the Resolution's main gun fired.

A split second too slow. A metallic shriek escaped the machine as the lower legs of the mobile weapon were incinerated, leaving the remainder of the machine hanging drunkenly in mid-air off the protruding stinger. Ashley didn't sound angry any more when she spoke up. Instead she was almost.. relieved?

"Hey, Dylan..."

That woman.. Minerva's words seemed to have had some effect on the crew. The point defence guns fell silent one by one, crew apparently abandoning their posts in the face of imminent death - or the threat of it. Those few that still fired went skyward, An Ares making a token effort to dodge them as she prepared the final blow. Small drips of red dropping onto the spinning blade, turning it from green to a sickening red.

"Let's do an experiment."

The blade extended in a flash, tearing a hole in the bridge but seemingly stopping afterwards. A small red pill swiftly followed the opening, shattering once it was inside and coating Dylan's command chair in a red mist that seemed to abruptly stop. It refused to spread farther, pulsing aggressively to deter anyone from daring to touch the sphere of venom.

No. That wasn't real. None of this was real.

This was Dylan's laboratory. His place of peace. Home away from home. He wasn't quite sure how he'd gotten here.. probably just forgot to sleep properly again. Not that it mattered. There was always a reason to be here. Some project to finish, some new idea to develop. Like a safe and reliable way to shut off the escape pods. Once again his mind span to life, suggestions and curiosities being pushed to the forefront and discarded just as rapidly.

One day he'd have the time to make all of them a reality. For now he simply had to settle for the effective ones. Biometric systems linked into battleships, something he could show off alongside the personal usa-

THESEHANDS2.png

A giant metal hand tore through the wall, riping apart the false reality almost as soon as it had been created. Seizing him, dragging him outside to face-

1628003574473.png

Dylan's last scream was cut short with the crunching of bone, the life quite literally crushed out of him. Once Ashley was sure he was dead she tossed him aside, refusing to pay the corpse any more attention than she had to. He didn't deserve it. He'd never deserved it.

It wasn't over.

But it was a fitting beginning.
 

Hitura Rael

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 29, 2018
326
1
18
36
Northeast Ohio
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#12
"I'm glad you have that thing." Vertalis growled, standing and tapping away on his pad to take control of cuddles, "I don't know what's gotten into that girl- but with her out of the way we at least don't have to worry about her turning the Capra and Cuddles on us. The worrisome part..." he lowered his voice, directing his words to Dylan alone, "-is the crew."




"Don't point that at me or Cuddles, I'm about to be taken out of the game. Cuddles will likely be ordered to guard me-" Her com cut off, blackness filled the cabin. The Capra stood still and listless. Minerva's hands shook on the controls, her breaths coming in quick ragged bursts. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine... I am inside the cockpit of the Capra I am not-"

Minerva choked back an involuntary sob, squeezing her eyes tightly before releasing the controls to pull her knees to her chest and clamp her hands over her ears. She flinched at the dulled sounds of combat outside the metalic tomb. She whimpered, curled as tightly as she could manage in the pilot chair. Her mental mantra died, defeated by flashes of memory. Darkness surrounded her, the rumble of thousands of tons of steel and stone shifting around her, the cold lifeless form thrown over her to protect her, the molten metal and steel far in the distance; like a hellfire threatening to devour and consume-




Vertalis stared at the crew as the gun batteries went wild and stopped. Loyalty... would not get him far today. No- it would likely get him killed. Vertalis had his daughter to think about... and well, blood is thicker than water. He stepped back, away from Dylan, glancing down at the tablet in hand to execute orders to Cuddles now that he was in control. The DAMON shuddered, rumbling lowly as it shifted, ignoring the Nanites firing away at it to move into position near the Capra to protect her, just as Minerva predicted. It released another roar, shaking the battlefield with it's hellcry.

Vertalis had no time to issue any further orders to the beast. The Scorpion made it's move. He hurriedly scurried away from the chair Dylan was in, just in time to be out of the way of the red mist. He didn't dare rush to the man's rescue. That was a death sentence. And so it was- Dylan was ripped from the bridge and executed by the very monster he had made. Vertalis swallowed and glanced about the control room. Where was Katri when they needed her? Someone had to take charge.

"All hands, cease fire! Someone get power restored to the Capra! Canon crew, retreat before the Goryu gets there, I doubt he's joking!"
 

MKR

Moderator
Staff member
Aug 19, 2018
626
3
18
#13
And joking he was not, the crunch of metal as the hilt crushed into the chassis of the Resolution. The scraping of claws audible inside the hallways of the Resolution as metal was shredded for this ascent. Bit by bit climbing further and further and when it reached its destination, the Crown it had on its back was moved back, power coursing through it as suddenly metal streamed upwards and outwards. The black extending, a familiar visage for some here.


It was heavier than he was used to Roman acknowledged, granted this machine was a bit less well suited for that kind of weapon so the solution needed to be quick. Fortunately he knew just how to fix this. Quickly he smashed the weapon into the cannon, sparks flying out. With a push he embedded the sword into the frame. Where it was now firmly lodged, one would need quite some weight to move it. And well, one handy way to amplify weight. The Goryu pushed itself off of the frame, hanging in the air. The sword levelling to be fully horizontal as the tail of the dragonlike machine acted as counterbalance and then. Gravity. A single shock inside the cockpit as the first short plunge happened. But that was just the beginning, next would be the main way down.

"One, two, three!" Like an ape hanging from a branch Roman moved up and down and with the third, dislodged the weapon from its current resting position, the downwards cleave continuing, the draconic machine hanging at the end of it and moving down with the blade, a clear path carved down the hull of the Resolution as the man moved back down it much much quicker than he had moved up, the sword gradually losing its 90 degree angle as the weight on its one end began to scew it towards that side. And at the end, it released. The Goryu taking the weapon in two hands during this last freefall.

With a loud thud and plenty of dust bellowing upwards, the half concealed visage of the Humachine walking out of it, the warcrime he so hated and half of the hull of the ship now cut in two.
The Zankantou was placed on the machine's shoulder, its free hand reaching forward as if waiting to receive something.
"Yeah I think I'll be having my sword back now. I'm sure you're okay with that right?" To hammer in the point the giant sword was turned to have its blade look at the two machines.

"Thanks for holding onto it for me, really appreciate it."
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
0
16
Somewhere in the UK
#14
The Shaurus was seemingly unintimidated by the destruction Roman had wreaked upon the ship, twisting the stolen blade around in the claw's grasp to test the balance. It seemed unsteady at best, but any attempts by the pilot to test their stolen weapon were interrupted by Ashley barking an order.

"Give the italian back his sword. He's done us a favour."

It wasn't his name, but it was close enough for an identifier. Maybe he'd been a colleague - Another figure from DEI lost in the fog of her old memories. Whatever he'd been before, right now he was an ally.

Ashley's frustration was still simmering gently beneath the surface. She'd gotten her revenge, but it wasn't enough. It leaked into her voice, lending what was meant to be a command a much more threatening tone. A little too harsh.. but perhaps payback for the remark about her memory before. 'Swiss cheese' was putting it lightly, but for once her memory of that slight had lingered long enough for her to retaliate. It was enough to elicit a flinch from the Sharus and its pilot - and that reaction was enough to draw out a rare smile.

It felt good.

"So much for battlefield salvage. Kill you next time, I guess?"

Roman's Katana was pitched at him hilt-first by the Shaurus in a lazy arc. It pulled back immediately afterwards, relying on the thrusters to keep a safe distance from the technically ground-locked Goryu. Once it was at a sufficiently safe distance the other machine nodded its head towards the Ares, lowering its gun for the time being.

"Guessing that means we're done. You doing okay, boss?"

"It's done. I'll replace the legs when we get home. It's not like they mattered."

She left it at that, flicking a switch to reactivate the thrusters. Holding herself up with just the Scorpion's natural power was probably revealing more than Ashley would like. In fact.. when had she learned to do that? Her instincts felt sharper than they had been before coming here, too. Perhaps finally getting that weight off her chest had been useful. Although.. what was to stop someone else from picking up the pieces of Dylan's 'research'?

One last thing to fix before she left. This time Ashley spoke over an open broadcast, the speakers echoing it for those without access to comms.

"Burn everything that man created. If I find out you've been continuing his work, I'll come back. And kill everyone involved."
 

Hitura Rael

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 29, 2018
326
1
18
36
Northeast Ohio
www.worldanvil.com
#15
"Brace for impact!" Vertalis anchored himself in his seat just in time for the first blow to the Resolution. He rode the turbulence out, grimacing at each new pained screech of metal. He was one of the lucky few to be prepared for it, he couldn't imagine how bad it had to be in the halls or down monitoring the canon. He could only hope they all made it out fine.

The tumalt finally died back, the rocking gentle in comparison with Roman's dismount. He eased in his chair, heart pounding in his ears. He addressed Roman with an unmistakable dad voice, "I would appreciate it if next time you were to use your words instead of throwing a tantrum." He would have to take a page from Dylan's notes and add a kill switch to that boy. "Retrieve the Capra and return to the ship, Roman. Even if power is restored you're the only one in the position to get her inside."

Vertalis turned to the crew, "I want a damage report, confirmation we recorded the Scorpion's combat data, and get the power restored to Capra. Prepare to retreat as soon as deployed units are safely docked. I want you, you, you, and you to check on the crew throughout the ship. Not everyone got a warning."

It felt wrong to be issuing the orders. That was Dylan's job, though he was bad at it. A tyrant at it even. But he would have had other priorities in this case. The crew had to come first, they were the life blood of the Resolution and without them she would not move. Yes, compassion and care was needed here, but most of all... caution. Vertalis returned his attention to Ashley and her crew. He issued the order to retreat to Cuddles without looking at his terminal, it was easy enough, basic commands programmed in to key combinations he knew by muscle memory. "No one is to touch Dylan's room, affects, or research. He installed a kill switch on Capra without anyone's knowledge, who knows what other safeguards he has. We'll deal with it once we're safely back at base."

Cuddles bellowed a low pitched groaning roar before turning to make it's way back to the Resolution at a slow meandering pace.
 

MKR

Moderator
Staff member
Aug 19, 2018
626
3
18
#16
"Appreciated." Roman answered as his hand caught the blade, the massive threat upon his shoulder melting back into nothing as he returned the blade to its place as a collar decor. Waiting for the next unsuspecting massive battleship to cleave in part.
"And good luck with that, do try to not die before then."

The so called Italian rolled his eyes at the request from behind him.
"Careful now, with that tone and your request that I carry your daughter a man might get ideas." A grin formed on his face, cruel in nature yet completely hidden from the one it was aimed at. That statement must be torture for the father of a 'loving daughter' "But sure, I'll retrieve her." Gently the Humachine picked up the Capra as he spoke.

He wondered how she was faring inside, the sudden jolt of movement wouldn't likely be pleasant but it was better then being pierced by weaponry. Also a mental note was made about the boobytrap installed on the Capra and as such to never allow Vertalis near his machine. That man he estimated would skip from the electrical discharge straight to a bouncing betty under his chair and write it up as an accident.