|
Post by Tokrochiru on Mar 9, 2013 3:51:26 GMT -5
Mist obscured his line of sight as the low rumble of flight droned on. Clouds in a thunderstorm made for excellent cover for black ops missions such as these. The drawback was that it worked both ways. The same aircraft that could remain easily hidden within the clouds would also likely have trouble piercing through the thick sheet of moisture. It was fortunate in Phi's eyes that 26 was no ordinary plane.
"Sooooo," the aircraft said through its intercom. "Who exactly told you that this old Devoid prototype was in Edge City?"
Phi, as always, preferred to answer the question in the way that his programming encouraged him to.
"Summary: Elven female. Physical appearance and personality suggests an age range of adolescent to young adult. Subject provided documentation and photographs. Thorough scans were performed on both. No falsification was detected."
"So, an elf informed you about a Devoid prototype being held prisoner in Edge City. An ELF. A race which barely has the technical savvy to use a microwave, much less a digital camera. Yeah, that sounds like a really reliable informant, Phi."
26 had his doubts, as was to be expected. He was always like this. Why change now?
"She proved herself proficient at handling complex machinery," Phi responded. "Atheneum and I were both present to witness her skill."
"Oh, come on! That doesn't prove jack! You agree with me, right Med?"
26 was referring to the small, copper colored, spider-like robot in Phi's lap. Medex was a tri-purpose medical, maintenance and construction robot; just as skilled at sealing a wound as he was at repairing a damaged engine or building a generator. He didn't like being in direct danger when he could avoid it, but was brave enough to walk straight into the fray when he needed to. He was also quite loyal, as was proven by the series of whirring and clicking noises it made in response to 26.
"Bah! You two are lucky my programming prevents me from flipping upside down and leaving your fate up to the cruel bitch that is gravity. Whatever. You can believe whatever you want. Just don't come crying to me when this operation goes to hell....Oh, who am I kidding? You will. Like always."
Phi felt more than a little annoyed by 26's skepticism, which caused the light inside of his robotic eyes to turn from blue to red.
"We are here. We will do what we came to do. Scan the city below for the target."
26 was unresponsive. The aircraft was likely trying to pretend he didn't hear him, which Phi wasn't willing to put up with at the moment.
"Now, 26."
Several lights inside of the cockpit lit up, indicating that 26 was scanning the city below.
"Alright then. Let's see if we've stumbled upon crap or gold here..."
|
|
|
Post by Greed on Mar 10, 2013 3:15:32 GMT -5
-Star Collider-
That had been the longest time she'd been out. At least a full week of non-stop work to finish off her upgrades, and at the same time, bid her farewell. It was actually kinda sad.
As she opened her eyes, her upgraded sensors rapidly refocused on the surrounding laboratory. She had to hand it to these aves... once they'd been given the information, they had an incredible talent for rapid improvement. In thirteen years, they had not only adapted and used all of information she had given them, they had advanced beyond it, all in the course of thirteen years. And she had loved every minute of it.
"Hello, Star. Everything is finished up." The familiar voice of Ignis Lant put a smile on the android's face, as she leapt up from the table, rushing to the avian man and giving him a big hug, "A-Ack, Star, please, remember how strong you are!" Almost immediately, she backed away, a sheepish look dawning on her face.
"Sorry, sorry, just excited. Thank you so, so much for... hell, everything. You're brilliant, man, really. All of you are!" A couple of the other scientists looked up with a grin on their face, a few high fives were thrown around. This wasn't like the stuffy, almost sterile environments at Devoid Tower. As advanced as it was, Edge City Security's R&D department was always vibrant and active, constantly developing new technologies, and now, with her help, they were catching up to Devoid.
"Everything we learned from your body was beyond helpful. We'll have our own working model of the Artificial Brain system working within the year... and the subdimensional space storage prototype is almost done. We should be thanking you for being so helpful, Star." If Star could blush, she'd be bright red. However, as she thought about it, a holographic blush appeared on her face, her head jerking up to the sound of a high five somewhere on the development floor.
"O-Oh, haha, very funny guys..." Ignis placed his hand on Star's should, which turned the holographic blush even brighter.
"So, how does it feel being the blueprint for every avian android to come after you?" That was an odd feeling, honestly. She didn't know how to respond to that. While she struggled for a response, Ignis signed; the tawny haired ave wasn't going to get anywhere embarrassing her.
"Okay, how does being the first avian android yourself sound? Better?" A grin spread across Star's face as she heard that. Her metal wings flexed and unfolded behind her.
"Love it. Now... about my new name..." She wanted a real name. She wanted to throw that old code name away, and finally start her own life. She had run through natural evolutions of the words that made up her name, finally arriving at.
"You wanted... Starra Colader last I remember. You still want that?" Star thought for a moment, and shook her head; in the end, it was still too similar... but going off a natural change from Starra...
"How about... Sarah Colader. Has a better ring to it, I think." Ignis had to smile; when Star had come in 13 years ago, she was a wreck, and her emotions were so subdued it was scary. She was nowhere as lifelike as people had claimed androids were. But now... she was a vibrant individual, with her own brand of wit and humor. Hell, it wasn't super impressive when you thought about it too long, but she was perfectly capable of thinking about frivolous things too... like that name she had just thought up for herself. It was hard not to see how she'd matured; not from a child to an adult, but from a machine to a person.
"Yeah... yeah, I agree. It does. Well, while I take care of that detail, please stay put for a moment, okay... Sarah?" Sarah's face lit up once more, unable to help herself from hearing her new name. One that was her own, that she picked for herself. It didn't matter if the name was common, that wasn't the point. She had picked it, and that was the most important thing to her.
|
|
|
Post by Tokrochiru on Mar 10, 2013 4:52:13 GMT -5
It took a few minutes, as was to be expected. Edge City was large, and they only had a rough estimation of where the target would be. But when that red blip finally appeared on the dashboard screen, both Phi and Medex took immediate notice.
"Well, what do you know," 26 said in honest surprise. "If I'm reading this right, there's an AB currently active in this building, right here."
The map on the screen zoomed in, showing a roughly constructed wireframe layout of the city. It was a rather tall structure, even compared to most of the facilities in Edge City. It looked rather well defended, though there were a few structural weaknesses on the roof, that could be easily sliced open with the right tools. Phi assumed 26 knew this as well, so he decided to skip any dialogue pertaining to that and skip straight to the most important part.
"Inquiry: Can you get me close enough to land on it?"
"Sure can. It's 2 AM during a thunderstorm. The only way they're going to see any of us even without camo is if they shine a spotlight directly at us."
"Order: Then take us in. This mission has officially begun."
Phi lifted up Medex and placed the underside of the small robot on his back. Medex's legs wrapped around Phi's and arms and waist and magnetically attached themselves to his armor, effectively allowing him to carry around Medex like a backpack. 26 began its swift descent towards the building. When the timing and positioning was right, 26 gave one last sendoff.
"Good luck. When you're done, make sure you get the hell outta dodge. The less time we spend in this place the better."
And with that, 26 flipped upside down and allowed Phi and Medex to fall. They descended alongside the rain until they made a hard, but steady landing on the roof; approximately a fifty foot drop. Once there, Phi wasted no time in pulling out the Silvrite utility blade from his holster and slicing an opening through the roof. The opening lead to an unguarded attic-like area. Phi silently dropped down into the interior. The room was rather disorganized, with mechanical parts strewn about all over the place. This was not a regulation storage room. Whoever was keeping this place clean was doing a horrible job of it.
As Phi examined the attic, Medex detached himself from Phi's back, climbed up the wall until he was back on the roof, and roughly repaired the ceiling. Once the opening was closed, Medex climbed back onto Phi and reattached itself, seemingly satisfied with how effectively it had covered their tracks.
With the most apparent evidence of their entry taken care of, Phi focused on what he had come here to do: retrieve that android.
|
|
|
Post by Tokrochiru on Mar 13, 2013 23:41:40 GMT -5
Phi moved as silently as he could manage. The custom pads that were attached to his feet did wonders to reduce the amount of noise he made as he walked.
"Praise: You did a good job with these sound dampers, Medex," Phi said in a barely audible whisper. "Remind me to purchase one of those romance novels you enjoy so greatly when we get back."
Medex responded with an excited but quiet noise that sounded vaguely like a disc spinning inside of a CD drive.
Phi moved quickly through the attic and entered the next area via a primitive slide-door. The next area was just as 26's map showed it; a large, heavily guarded aircraft hangar. The only difference was that instead of actual aircraft, contained within, there were hundreds and hundreds of mechanized suits. This was where they were probably testing prototype equipment that enhanced the already formidable flight capabilities of avian soldiers. If Edge City managed to give every member of their military the ability to fly at transonic speeds, they would have a significant advantage over Devoid.
Phi wasn't sure if he approved or disapproved, since while he did relish the thought of other societies gaining the upper hand against Devoid, the aves would likely become just as tyrannical. Edge's society was just as xenophobic as Devoid's. The only reason that Phi didn't list it among his most hated enemies was because of the fact that, until recently, they had shown little interest in Artificial Brain technology. It was beginning to look as if that might change, however.
Phi continued onward silently, making use of the fact that avian guards did not have a natural talent for detecting stealthy acrobats. He dropped down to the bottom and continued on his way to the facility where 26 had detected the AB.
The place he ended up in after managing to get through the hangar (hopefully unnoticed) resembled a large, empty chasm with several perches hanging from the walls. This was the equivalent of both a staircase and a hallway for aves. They would use the perches as places to rest their wings if they needed to, and could simply fly to whichever level or room they wished to.
Recalling the map in his memory made Phi realize that all he needed to do here was drop down several levels, and enter the right door. After that, he would be able to easily make a break for the android, and exit swiftly.
Phi dropped down several feet at a time, his landings being as silent as the night. Medex continued to cling to his back, assisting him by surveying the area for hindrances and guards.
|
|
|
Post by Greed on Mar 14, 2013 0:07:19 GMT -5
Unfortunately for Phi, one of the nastier inventions of the aves caught onto him. Silent, mechanical flying orbs, each with a robotic eye, suddenly dropped down and encircled him. There were at least six of them, and they worked in unison. rapidly surrounding the robot and his partner, spinning around them in perfect synchronization.
"UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY DETECTED. DETAINING." The spinning orbs began to form an electrical field around Phi and his partner, as an alarm was raised....
-Sarah-
And suddenly as if to ruin a perfectly good moment, the alarms began to go off, as a woman's voice sounded over the loud speaker.
"Attention personnel, an intruder has been detected within the Edge City Security building. Non-combat personal stay as you were, and initiate a code one lock down." Sarah looked to Ignis, a frown spreading on the avian scientist's face. However, as it was...
"I'm going." He simply looked at her. staring for a moment, before laughing to himself.
"I pity the poor bastard that broke in here."
"... heh." From out of nowhere, two large gravite dagger formed in Sarah's hands, transferred in from dimensional space, "Oh, he'll live, I think. What is it...?" If surveillance had caught this guy, or those creepy orb-bots, she would have a feed. And sure enough, she did. In front of one of her eyes, the surrounded android appeared, though.
"... this guy is old school, damn. Devoid certainly doesn't think too highly of us, do they?"
"And it shall be their downfall."
"Exactly." With that last exchange, Sarah exited the room, bolting down the hallway , towards where the intruder was spotted.
|
|
|
Post by Tokrochiru on Mar 16, 2013 1:21:38 GMT -5
All that effort put into taking the subtle approach, and he got caught anyway. The disappointment sunk in as immediately as the alarm sounded.
"Expression: Damn it."
He retrieved the heavy machine gun holstered on his lower back, and opened fire on the drones. Flurries of magically enhanced bullets were sent their way. Just a few shots would render one toast. Unfortunately, these drones had a reputation for being hard to hit.
His focus made a complete 180 turn when the physically female android came into view. It had wings, much like an Ave, but her original constructors were obviously Devoidian. The seams on her artificial skin were a dead giveaway. The android did indeed resemble the individual unit they were looking for. Despite all the modifications to her appearance, she still had the same exact height and proportions to the one they were looking forward.
What concerned Phi most, however, was not her physical state so much as her apparent hostility. She flew towards Phi with the obvious intent to terminate him. Phi acted defensively by moving further away as she charged, hopping from perch to perch.
"Subject identified as Devoidian prototype unit: Star Collider," Phi said aloud, hoping that his potential assailant would hear. "Objective reached. Lay down your arms and come peacefully. We will protect you."
|
|
|
Post by Greed on Mar 17, 2013 19:12:38 GMT -5
-Sarah-
".... what." Sarah stared at the enemy android with a flat, disbelieving stare, utterly and completely confused at what she just heard. Possibly a little dumbstruck as well. The flying drones hadn't suffered any damage, thankfully; those things were as fast as they were annoying.
"Protect? Come peacefully? Uh huh.... yeah... problem with that." Sarah knelt down, her wings flaring out, along with her thrusters, "I'm here because I want to be. If you want me to drop, hell, scratch that. I'm not dropping shit for you. If you want me to lower my weapons in the slightest, you're gonna tell me what the hell is going on." It was clear she was on the verge of pouncing. Her body language, her drawn blades, her flared wings. If Phi made a move she didn't like, she'd be all over him.
|
|
|
Post by Tokrochiru on Mar 17, 2013 22:44:17 GMT -5
....
This didn't add up.
"You have not been reprogrammed into servitude, otherwise you would not speak with such conviction. Inquiry: are you a spy for Devoid? Or have you simply traded one tyrant for another?"
Phi kept a tight grip on his gun. As unsure as he was of what was happening at the moment, there was one thing he knew for certain. Things could only go downhill from here. He braced himself for combat.
|
|
|
Post by Greed on Mar 18, 2013 0:46:31 GMT -5
-Sarah-
"Traded one... what." Now she was pretty sure both of them were confused. Sarah's posture relaxed a bit, though she still held onto her gravite blades.
"I'm sure as shit not a spy for Devoid, and I'm never going back there, but..." Okay, this was bizarre.
"Ignis, you getting this?" She projected her voice through her connection to the lab, not wanting this guy to listen in at all. After all, better safe than sorry.
"Indeed, it sounds like he was sent to break you out of here... and that means someone knew you were here." Well that hashed it.
"You there." Sarah almost jumped at the familiar voice, as a smile crept back onto her face.
The person who landed next was... well, intimidating was a touch of an understatement. She was an ave... but her wings were shining, golden, and she just so happened to have four of them. Her figure was fair, and truthfully, everything seemed to match. Her hair, her dress, her eyes... everything seemed to glow with a golden light.... or that could have been the walls of light that had sealed off the area.
"This 'tyrant' is quite curious... just who gave you this information about our adorable little Star over there?"
"U-Uhm, Ms. Irides... its uh, Sarah now." There was a pause, and a warm smile from the avian leader.
"That sounds good, Sarah. But this is hardly the time." Irides turned sharply back to Phi, her body radiating intense power; Sarah had disabled her sensors immediately, so thankfully, they hadn't fried just from Irides' presence... but this guy...
"Well?"
|
|
|
Post by Advix on Mar 18, 2013 20:36:44 GMT -5
More alarms began to sound as Irides confronted Phi, though these alarms came from lower floors. In the lower levels of the tower, the floor had parted away as if they were water, and a figure in cybernetic armor emerged, immediately wreaking havoc on everything with in its vicinity. It moved with eerie fluidity, and grasped the shaft of a particle blade. The tip of the activated weapon vanished through a wall, and the figure in Devoid colors proceeded to carve the rooms apart. The integrity of the building was beginning to be compromised by the absurd arcs of the figure's weapon.
"Phi." A voice sounded over Phi's com, a voice unfamiliar to him. "Phi, escape. They've already analyzed the schematics for an A.B. If they capture you, they can rewrite you. Abort and escape." The figure in Devoid colors continued to lay waste to the structure of the tower's base. Rooms, walls, floors, and beams were being carved apart with each flick and swing as the particle blade parted barriers both physical and magical.
|
|
|
Post by Tokrochiru on Mar 18, 2013 21:08:56 GMT -5
Suddenly, it all clicked. The informant. Star Collider's reaction. This warning from a stranger he was sure he had never met before.
"No..." Phi muttered aloud in a fearful tone. Medex whirred nervously, confirming that he shared his fears.
"This mission is a fabrication. Priority Shift: Escape at all costs."
Phi recalled 26's map. He knew the nearest way out, in theory. However, there was no way to accurately estimate what kind of opposition he would meet along the way. Lethal force might not have been the best option here. Such actions could easily create an international incident that he was certain the people who manipulated him would have wanted.
"Golden ave," he said, facing the imposing figure that Star Collider referred to as Irides. "Permit this unit to leave the vicinity. I lack sufficient information to provide you with details, but I know in my heart of hearts that this is a fabrication. A 'set up' in your words. It is not my objective to harm more aves than is necessary. Please...."
There was worry behind the warped, mechanic filter that covered Phi's voice. He hoped they could see that. He hoped desperately that they would have enough sense to let him go, so that he could rectify this terrible mistake.
|
|
|
Post by Greed on Mar 18, 2013 22:13:29 GMT -5
-Sarah-
This had to be a joke. A bad trick. Something along those lines. But.... this guy was a model that Devoid hadn't used in hundreds of years. Sarah had been around organics enough these last few years to know what shock looked like. Sounded like. Felt like, even. Sarah could feel this outdated android's shock, and the conviction he had previously had.
"... its adorable that you think you can get out of this situation without giving me something in return. Tell me where and from whom you obtained this information... or I'll simply put whatever damage this other intruder has caused on your hands." Irides turned to glance at Sarah, "He's quite the noisy distraction down there, isn't he Sarah?" To be honest, it was Irides' overwhelming confidence that usually cowed the android. This woman, who was not only capable of terrifying physical feats, but one of the best light mages known in Kyril.... yeah, sorta scary.
"Y-Yeah, I'll just just go try to take care of that.... um..." Sarah awkwardly turned, and began to head towards the source of the disturbance, hurtling down the vertical shaft to the floor in question. Interestingly, Sarah could pass through Irides' light walls... though she figured that was because she was allowed to.
Irides silently waited for Phi's response, her wings folding neatly on her back, and a eerie smile on her face.
- ? ? ? -
The mysterious assailant's rampage didn't last long before he was being hounded with literal swarms of spherical drones, flitting around like angry mosquitoes. In a chaotic sense of unison, they began to fire on him with what could easily be described as high powered laser rifles. It was just as likely that heavily armed avian guards were on the way as well.
|
|
|
Post by Tokrochiru on Mar 18, 2013 23:10:20 GMT -5
Of course, this was typical of an Ave politician. They looked out for their own kind, but stomped over anyone else who got in their way. How ironic that they had evolved into a people so similar to their greatest enemies.
"Negative. Disclosure of this information is not permitted by authority of: myself. Exception: if you provide sufficient evidence that you will not abuse your knowledge of Artifical Brains, I will reveal the location of my informant. I will not allow any nation to create artificial life for the sole purpose of enslaving it."
Phi knew that there was no way this woman could provide concrete proof. However, he did not believe that Irides was so fickle as to go against her word on something like this. He doubted that, as much of a tyrant as she was, that she would be so cruel as to create androids without giving them any rights or protection. She was a step above a good portion of Devoid's more corrupt officials at least.
"All I need is your word. Give it to me, and you will have your information."
Medex quietly clicked behind Phi, telling him not to trust the ave; that the ave would lie to him. At this point, however, there was no other choice. He couldn't risk being captured and dissected. He couldn't risk being hacked and the location of his allies being revealed.
It was all or nothing now. Irides' response would decide if Phi would become a wanted criminal in both not one, but two nations.
|
|
|
Post by Greed on Mar 18, 2013 23:26:38 GMT -5
-Irides-
The woman cocked her head to the side, a little surprised by this. None the less, she responded quickly, the urge to deal with the problem downstairs an itch that was just out of her reach.
"I have no idea who told you about that, but if Sarah there is any sort of proof, we're not particularly intent on enslaving our androids once we've created them.We're sure as hell not going to set up a brainwashing network." Irides was actually starting to admire this guy, just a tiny bit. He fought for his kind if his tone was any indication.
"So no, we will not misuse artificial brain technology." She stood there, waiting for a response. Irides' words were strong, and echoed in the long flight shaft with all of her intensity. While she was being forthcoming, both of their times were being wasted at this point. the light wall blocking Phi's path dimmed ever so slightly, as if to confirm this fact.
His escape was now up to him.
|
|
|
Post by Advix on Mar 19, 2013 21:13:10 GMT -5
The figure barely payed the drones any attention as their shots seemed to splash against his armor. It was curious to note that as the lasers splashed against him in scattered sparks, his weapon had turned off. He stepped forward as sensed Sarah coming, and quickly sunk through the floor as if he had fallen into water. When she arrived she found that the vertical shaft she was taking to be considerably shorter than it used to be, abruptly ending two floors earlier than she expected and dropping her off in the shredded mess of the fourth quadrant from the basement to the second floor. Everything looked like it had been cut out by a giant carving knife. Walls, floors, panels, wires, desks, computers, and workers, collapsed, jumbled, diced, and ruined in the bottom of the basement. And suddenly a ruckus erupted in the opposite corner of the tower's base.
|
|