Infected

[Clown_of_God]

((Approved! Enjoy!))

[Totts]

((Yay! Where do you think I should put her? I want her to meet up with a character.))

Edited September 16, 2013 by Totts

[Clown_of_God]

((That's up to you. Just, don't pop in on Phantom this time. You could have them at Heatville, though, that's where the majority of the characters are heading right now.))

 

"What is this? Why... is the sky visible? Why are my lungs filling with dust. This isn't right. None of this is right. Wait... there's a hole. Why is there a hole? The Dome... did something get in?"

 

That's when the surrounding area became audible again and the boy could hear the sounds of battle and terror raging throughout the area. Attempting to sit up, the boy found he had been trapped, pinned to the ground by some unknown source. When he went to check, his eyes widened both in horror and surprise. An I-beam, one that had held the roof up in the Dome for so long, had crushed both his legs and his left arm.

 

"Left ischium shattered, left lesser trochanter shattered, left and right femur crushed, left and right patella crushed, left and right tibia shattered, left and right fibula crushed, left side pubis in critical condition, left humerus crushed, left radius and ulna decimated, left capitulum crushed, left trochlea crushed, left tubercle in critical condition."

 

It wasn't until the moon had centered itself in the hole that the boy had been found by a severely damaged Series III doll. With the assistance of it and several others, the boy was finally freed from his entrapment. After getting him into a chair, the boy began to look around, searching frantically for someone dearest to him.

 

"WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE'S MY ^*#%=+% AT?!"

 

That's when he saw them, the ever growing piles of both dolls and people who had lost their lives. Fighting against an enemy that reaped despair and tragedy. The Dome, once a fortress thought to be impenetrable, wrenched open as if it was a mere ziploc bag.

 

Eyes growing empty, the boy requested to be brought to a friends house. One with medical experience and the only person he trusted within this hellhole. A young woman, six years his elder, who provided his residency and a former nurse. Elena Rose, she preferred to be called Rose. After that night, no one saw the boy ever again and assumed the lady had failed at saving him. Weeks later, when questioned directly, she never admitted whether the boy had survived or not, only stating that he had moved on. So, the public was left to their own beliefs and Rose was left with what she knew.

 

Somewhere, out in the Wastes, a young boy with an augmented arm and two augmented legs was on a quest. Something he wouldn't even tell her about, but even without telling her she knew what it was. A search, for that precious someone. Still, he had a lot to learn about the outside world, and wandering alone out there was going to give him a run for his life.

Edited September 17, 2013 by zakku_uchiha

[Totts]

((okay she's at heatville she's been asleep for about 1 month, I'd like one of the people heading there to notice her, thanks.))

[Kjakings]

Walker had arrived in Heatville and had just parked his car when a gang of residents quietly surrounded him. The leader stepped forward, followed by a Doll: an attractive young woman, series II at the most, with minimal clothing and a chain around her wrists held in the hand by the man, whilst his other held a cattle prod. Troubling.

“Hey there, dolly boy. Nice car. Give it to me.” The man said, and Walker sighed: this was going to end poorly.

“No.” Was all Walker said, and attempted to step around the thug and got a cattle prod half an inch from his face for the trouble.

“Excuse me? You don’t get to say that to me, *. Three Laws. You gotta do what I say. Who the do you think you are?”

“I have come by many names in my existence. You, human, may call me The Wanderer. I am more. The first of my kind; bound not by your three laws but by my own choices and mind. Observe: this is me injuring you.” With inhuman speed Walker launched a fist into the thug’s stomach and grabbed the cattle prod, forcing it onto the chest of the thug and electrifying it. The man fell to the floor, sputtering and gasping for breath. A threatening look ensured that the man’s compatriots wouldn’t try anything stupid.

“You do not have to live like this.” He said to the Doll who was cowering and confused. “I can offer you guidance on how to be more, but the choice must first be yours. However, you are strong enough to break your bonds. Find me if you choose to ascend all this.” He strode off in the direction of his business, leaving the Doll to think about his words. He couldn’t do anything to help those without the cognitive ability to decide to rebel for themselves.

 

[Clown_of_God]

((Where did everyone go?))

[Thaelasan]

(( Apologies. I'm waiting for Phantom's response but I suppose I can improvise. ))

 

It is with deepest regret that I inform the populace of the United Nations - no - the entire world that our research has been both unsuccessful and possibly apocalyptic in proportion.

Four of the six scientists who worked upon the research program "RAIDER" sit before you, myself included. We have already stated we know not the location nor the current status of the other two members. All we know is that they are most likely not alive. If they are, then they probably shall not be for much longer.

My name is Doctor Ivan Lander. My occupation with the United States employment office is listed as an Office Assistant. This was meant to be a ruse considering the secrecy of our operation and our efforts.

People of the world, we tried. We attempted to control forces both unstable and far beyond the understanding of the human mind. We developed a mineral as of yet unseen in our world and tried to use it as a healing material.

Of course, as all of humanity knows we are doomed to do, it became a weapon. In our hands, the very thing we depended much of our grants and research upon turned upon us and began to destroy all that we knew and know. Currently, there are most likely many of you both frightened and effected by the events which have transpired in recent weeks.

I will not hide it any longer. Our experimentation resulted in the creation of a bio-weapon of unimaginable power. Not only does it kill those whom it infests, it also causes them to stay long after they have died, preying upon those who have not joined them. Men, women, and even children are not safe from these monstrosities.

We accept our punishment at the hands of the United Nations but before we do we hope to atone for our sin. Before we began our research, we foresaw such an outcome and created bunkers in order to save and protect those who are as of yet unaffected by this plague. Should you be one of those select few, check your screens now as the locations of your bunkers should be shown.

God save us from this, which I believe, truly, is the end of the world. It is ironic considering that it is also during the time of the fated technological singularity, which we believed would be our end. It seems mankind, even when trying to be helpful, cannot help but blow itself to hell at every turn.

To everyone, again, we are sorry. We have nothing else to say but that.

- Recording ends. For future reference, the names of the scientists have been included in the recording below. Their current statuses and aliases are listed by their names.

Dr. Ivan Lander - Male. Chief Researcher. Anatomical Studies, Chemist, and Geologist. Age 34. Deceased. Suicide.

Dr. Alan Leonards - Male. Second-in-command. Bio-Medical Engineer. Age 27. Unknown Status.

Dr. Richard Vance - Male. Group Mathematician. Age 26. Unknown status.

Dr. Erin McClain - Female. Professional Biologist. Age 25. Alive.

Dr. Destiny Fields - Female. Coordinator. Chemist. Age 26. Alive.

Dr. Randall Stone - Male. Anatomical Studies and Chemist. Age 33. Unknown Status.

 

----

 

Alan grunted inwardly as he saw Heatville through the windshield. The place had been built outside of one of the protective bunkers, shortly after the first wave of the infection had blasted the world almost in two. Surprisingly, using modern age technology and a bit of what Alan believed to be sheer luck, they had managed to erect a bio-dome perimeter. Within this, they had been producing food in the form of both meat products and agriculture.

Alan had believed the place crushed in the path of the Omega but then had discovered that it had yet again survived hardship which should have destroyed it. The place was a standing testament to the tenacity of the human spirit. That, or that luck favored the foolish. Alan liked to think the former.

Regardless, he could tell as soon as he drove up to check into the guardspost that the people were not in the best of spirits. He knew he had to be correct about his earlier assumption.

Bio-domes worked by a process of filtering air and creating carbon dioxide. They had two levels, both with a good amount of ventilation. One was where the humans did their normal work day by day, breathing with every second. The inside one was where the plants were kept, and the carbon dioxide from the humans in the outside wall kept them happy and alive.

Well, there was also a bit of artificial oxygen and CO2 as well. Nothing is perfect.

"Sir?" the guardsman said as Alan entered the outpost. "You look familiar. Have you ever been to Heatville before now?"

Alan frowned.

"I don't believe so. No." he finally replied after a moment of thought. He knew exactly where the guard had seen him before but luckily the man had fallen for his false Identification Index.

Of course, every being on the planet knew of Identification Indexes. They were heavy-duty silicon cards that were given to children at birth. They stored every memory, every cent of currency, and every bit of information upon their surfaces, turning years of experience into small grooves the size of a molecule.

Yet, like anything, Identification Indexes weren't infallible. In the hands of a good computer technician, they could be stripped of "unimportant" data and relined with new, perhaps better, data. This helped people to begin new lives and start off fresh. It also made it hell for government officials.

However, most military and federal officials possessed scanners which detected the tell-tale signs of manipulation. Thankfully, the guard Alan was speaking to was most likely a voluntary civilian.

"Anyway, enjoy your stay, Mr. Ryans." the guard whistled, turning back to his work.

"Thank you sir." Alan grinned as he drove into the heart of Heatsville.

 

---

 

As he steered through, he passed by what appeared to be a gang of sorts. A man, lying on the ground, his nose bloody and bruised, appeared to be having a rough time of standing. A young doll - Alan could tell it was an early model Series II, without the defensive response implants - was staring at him emotionlessly while he writhed in fury and embarrassment.

"Are you enjoying yourself down there?" Alan peeked his head out of the window, staring at the man.

"You're about to enjoy your two front teeth. Just cause some *** doll-thing kicked me down doesn't mean you can. When I get up.." the man cried out in pain suddenly, even more furious than before.

"What's with the doll?" Alan asked politely, looking over at the young one.

"Ain't none of your damn business." the man flipped over onto his stomach, cried out in pain again, and began to breath deeply.

"Did you buy her?" Alan rubbed his chin, staring at the doll appraisingly. For some reason, she struck some sort of memory in his mind.

" no." the man retorted as he lay upon the dust. "Found her in the Wastes a while back, wearing less than what she is now. Lucky for her I found her. I saved her."

"You made her your sexual slave." Alan said casually, pondering. "Don't give me that look. When we made the dolls, we didn't craft them for military purposes only. We also had thoughts in mind after the war. She has a fully functional set of biological reproductive tools for a reason, though I hardly think you deserve to take advantage of that."

"Why you-" the man cursed and spat, writhing even harder.

Alan coughed a moment.

"I'm just being honest." Alan shrugged. "Her name is ELENA by the way."

"How the hell-" the man stopped suddenly, staring. "How the hell would you know that?"

"For one thing, it's labeled upon her left bosom, right over the heart." Alan cocked an eyebrow. "For another, she was one of the first prototypes I helped design before I began to move on to more advanced anatomical technology integration."

"Well she's mine now." the man finally began to stand to his feet, using the doll as support. HIs allies had apparently left him.

"Is that so?" Alan stared at him, bemused.

"Yes, it damn sure is. You have no right to take her from me. I know the laws around this shithole." the man sneered, leaning into Alan's face. "You so much as touch her and I'll have the whole armed guard on your measly ass. That's a cold hard fact."

"If you weren't afraid to speak to him and weren't trying to keep an eye out for them, I'd believe that was true." Alan sighed. "This entire time you've been looking over your shoulder as well as trying to stay in that slice of shadow. I'm guessing you stand here roughly around sunrise until about noon, since that building would offer a large patch of darkness for your cowardly ass to hide in. Let me guess - you also have at least three other 'friends' who only help you because you allow them to touch ELENA."

"Great job, smartass." the man grabbed the doll. "We'll be going."

"I don't think so." Alan suggested.

The man turned to retort and then thought better of it.

A long, electric, and very deadly looking blade stood mere inches from his large nose, evaporating the cold sweat the man had broken out into.

"Now from what I understand here a most likely wanted criminal is threatening to take advantage of a very young and defenseless doll which violates three of the laws of robotics." Alan said slowly so the man could understand. "These laws you threatened me with actually give me complete permission to maim you if it is done to rescue the doll in question."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Well, that's a very invalid statement." Alan opened the car door, stepping out so that he was face to face with the man. "I'm fairly certain the current situation puts you at a very bad point."

"Is that right." the man blinked.

"Yes, quite bad. In fact, the outcome of this situation could be the loss of something you deem quite valuable in your daily life." Alan prodded the man's groin with the blade, unperturbed.

"Oh that would be terrible." the man backed up a bit, releasing the doll.

"Wouldn't it. But you wouldn't cause me that sort of trouble, I wouldn't think. After all, you're a very good member of society and you're going to never stand in this shadow again. You have no reason to. You're going to go help out with the ventilation and actually do something that makes your life worth more than ."

"Oh that sounds lovely." the man grinned fearfully.

"It does. Too bad I can't let you go without ensuring it."

The man's scream echoed in the alley but no one seemed to hear.

 

----

 

The Doll sat next to Alan, still staring at him without so much as a sound.

"Someone removed your stimuli processor and apparently also your communications devices. How odd. Maybe as replacement parts? Still, I should be able to fix you up once we get to the lab here.. if they have one."

Edited September 19, 2013 by Thaelasan

[Techno_Elf]

((ARGH textwalls! I guess I'm kinda sorta maybe waiting for Totts?))

[Thaelasan]

(( There we go. My text wall is finally finished. Enjoy.

Walker, you can interact with him if you wish. ))

[Clown_of_God]

Phantom let out a long, grotesque sigh as the gates into Heatville came into view through the thickening dust and debris. It wasn't so much the walk as it was the fact that he was clearly being followed, for a while as a matter-of-factly. Alan's personal 'doll' had not been out of a six foot radius from where Phantom had his path set out, most likely an order from her creator.

 

While he had been walking, Phantom had taken a diagnostics scan of the 'doll' and found that she was more human than biomechanical engineering. In fact, she was very similar to Phantom's own biological structure, in a sense. Most of her skeletal structure had been augmented, fitted with biomechanical enhancements both to mend it and strengthen it. Her weapon's systems were fairly advanced as well, but nothing Phantom couldn't tinker with and turn it into a nice mini-bomb. During his little walk, Phantom had honestly contemplated doing just that, but the extensive medical rehabilitation that Alan probably had to go through mad Phantom reflect a bit on his past.

 

Just a few meters away from the entrance, Phantom looked between the main entryway and at the bio dome he had been requested to repair. Heaving another sigh, Phantom made his way over to the oversized greenhouse, denying the procedures for entry, and climbed up to the source of this place's problems. Setting his bag down, Phantom immediately went to work, digging into his pack and securing the necessary tools for the job. Assuming things went well, he'd have the device repaired in three minutes, five minutes tops and ten minutes on a long day.

[Totts]

Eira

 

Jogging to her base with KOHAKU she said "Is there anything you'd like at my base, I have batteries, but probally not ones that would fit you, but I can make a brilliant stew, but can you taste?"

[Thaelasan]

FIONA hadn't made it difficult to be seen. In fact, if she had decided to walk any closer to Phantom, their similar mechanical structures may actually have seemed as though they were in a relationship - to the unknowing observer. Phantom may have actually killed someone should they have ever thought that.

FIONA had felt someone trying to appraise her - in the sense of her mechanical parts and her cybernetic additions - and tried in vain to counter it. Not only could she not stop the scan - she couldn't scan Phantom back. His entire structure seemed like he just didn't exist.

She frowned, thoughtful, and stayed that way until Phantom put his bag down and set to work.

"If you want, I could help with the tools." FIONA offered, crouching beside him. "I don't want to feel like a bother. The sooner we get this done, the sooner you can see just what we found. You won't believe what it is!"

 

----

 

Alan had been watching the greenhouse most of the time and noticed that Phantom and FIONA had entered the maintenance lobby. He wondered if he'd be allowed in but thought better of it. He needed to find a place for this doll so he could fix her up and perhaps even advance her to the next Series - which was better equipped for the sort of environment the Wastes provided.

Soon he had come upon the lab, a large, bunker-like structure which held the tell-tale solar array above it. Alan got out of the van, helped the doll to exit, and then headed for the door.

The door was protected by a large, iron lock lattice with a keypad next to it. Alan rubbed his chin slightly.

"This was Randall's lab.." he mused a moment, silent. "I wonder..."

For a long while, he typed something into the keypad. After a moment, the door began to unlock, steam billowing from within. Rusty gears rolled backward and the door slid open. Within was nothing but darkness.

"Randall?" Alan whispered, hopeful. He stepped within the lab, the doll following close behind.

"Who's there?!"

A voice from the darkness, filled with both apprehension and pure fear, cut through the silence. Alan stopped momentarily.

"Randall?" Alan repeated, sure of his prediction. He pressed a button, closing the door behind him. He then pressed another.

Lights filled up the corridor. At the end of it was a glass door. An intercom - presumably the source of the voice - sat on the outside of the threshold.

"You won't take me." the intercom spat. "I know you're here to kill me. I PROMISE YOU I DIDN'T DO IT ON PURPOSE!"

"Randall, I'm not here to hurt you." Alan promised, stepping towards the door.

The door suddenly opened and a humanoid figure lunged out, grabbing Alan by the shoulders and pinning him to the ground.

A shiv, fashioned of what appeared to be metal and bone, was immediately at Alan's neck.

"You're not gonna kill me. I'm gonna kill you first." the man breathed, the shiv inching closer to Alan's neck.

"Randall, I don't think this is how you should greet your friends." Alan shrunk backwards a bit.

Suddenly, the man had a spark of clarity, and released Alan. He got up and stepped back, leaning heavily against the wall. Alan stood to his feet, rubbing his neck thoughtfully.

"You shouldn't be here. It isn't safe." Randall said finally, pointing the shiv. "They're after us. They're gonna catch us and they're gonna kill us. That's what happened to Ivan and the others."

"I know what happened to them. I was only spared because I fled to a non-military zone with FIONA shortly before the military came for us. Richard was with me." Alan stated.

"Richard's alive too?" Randall asked, hopeful. His eyes immediately turned back to depression when he saw Alan's expression.

"Oh.. I'd suppose not." Randall placed a hand on his forehead, a tear leaving his right eye. "Of course that dumb *** got himself killed. He shouldn't have been a test subject."

"He did it because he was ethical. We all would have done the same." Alan shrugged. "Don't worry. He's not completely gone."

"No?" Randall chuckled. "bull****."

Alan retrieved a large jar from the sack hanging at his side. Within it was a viscous fluid. Hovering in the center of that..

"The hell is that." Randall stated, startled.

"What do you think it is?"

"Is that his brain? Alan are you out of your goddamn MIND?" Richard gaped, stunned. "Not only did we cause the apocalypse but now you're cutting out poor peoples' brains for later damnation?"

"No. Only Richard's, and only to atone for what I did to him." Alan sighed. "I suppose there's a lot for us to catch up on."

"I suppose there is. Come on in, I guess. I've got some coffee on the wait.. but it ain't the good ."

"It's better that what I've had to drink for the past few months." Alan shouldered the bag, the brain clutched in his arm. "Still, I don't know why you're still in this bunker."

"I don't know either. Memories.. maybe because I just.. gave up." Randall looked soulless. "After all the things they said about us - calling us servants of the Devil himself and the 'six horsemen'..."

"Yes." Alan interrupted. He knew the rest.

 

---

 

Soon, the three were sitting down in chairs. ELENA was wrapped in a blanket, staring at the coffee in her hands with a blank expression.

"I ain't gonna sugar coat it. That Doll's dumb as hell." Randall said. "Can't even speak a word or understand what we do."

"Better she doesn't. She's been raped, most likely several times."

"Poor girl." Randall took a sip, sighing. "Can't help it though. In tough times, men resort to the level of dogs just to get a bit of satisfaction in their lives. It's the godforsaken truth."

"Perhaps. I brought her here to see if I could fix her up. I didn't expect you."

"Well, let's trade stories then." Randall chuckled. "Tell me how you got here and I'll do the same. Let's get caught up, alright?"

Alan took a deep breath, nodded, and began.

 

"When the outbreak began, my wife was attacked by the infected and close to death. Using modern technology and dolls as a basis, I refitted her with enough to keep her alive. Sadly, she doesn't remember anything before the incident but still decided to stay with me. I still love her.

Richard was infected when everyone else was, and I took him and my wife to a secure bunker east of here, in Sector 3. For many months, I attempted to glean a cure from him as his condition deteriorated but finally I came to the conclusion that the only cure was a phase-blast to his chest. I still managed to salvage his brain, however. Transporting him to the lab was a *." Alan said.

"Regardless, I couldn't do anything to his brain right then. The military stormed the shelter I was in. I almost didn't make it out but a group of civilians protected me and helped me get to the border of the Sector. Sector 3 is pretty much shut down. They've already ran two bombing runs on it and Sector 2. The North Section of Sector 4 is next. That's what the problem is."

"What problem?" Randall asked.

"There's a plane up there, in pretty good condition, military make. I want to get it moving again but I don't have the parts nor the expertise. I came here to find the Phantom-"

Randall silenced him with a movement of his finger.

"We don't talk about the Phantom. They say he's the sole survivor of what happened at the Dome." Randall whispered. "We never mention the Dome."

"Why not? What was the Dome?"

"The Dome was like one of our bunkers.. I guess. It was built far up north, a fortress against the infected. It was the outpost of several groups, and it lasted many months. For some reason though it got destroyed... there were no survivors. No one but Phantom, that is. The boy somehow got away."

"How do you know all this?"

"Because I helped build the ****ing thing, ALan. How else?" Randall snorted. "I wanted to try and help out a few people and then yet again blows up in my face. It's like Karma is getting me back for something I did in a previous life. It's a load of crap."

"How did you get here then?"

"Easy. While the Omega was stomping around, people weren't paying much attention to the roads. Just as he was making the Divide, I managed to get across the Wastes and into Heatville. That was just before the Incident."

"What caused it?"

"Hell if I know." Randall coughed. "Anyway, we should help fix up this friend of yours here. By the way, have you seen anyone called.. Walker?"

"Walker?" Alan shrugged.

ELENA perked up a moment, suddenly interested.

"He helped me." she stated.

"What?" they both said, staring at her.

"Walker helped me. It was him. That was his name. He wants me to join him. I must find him." she said.

"Well, little lady you can't do that just yet." Randall stood, holding her down. "We need to get you fixed up-"

"I MUST." she stated, her eyes going red.

"Lady you get pissed at me like that and we're gonna have a lil problem." Randall waggled his finger at her. "Ain't no reason for you to be a * about this. Now you sit down and you wait and I'll take care of you, alright? Alan, grab me those tools."

"Right." Alan began moving about, immediately back in his element.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Thaelasan

[Clown_of_God]

As Phantom worked, he sorted through an array of possible situations that Doctor Alan and his precious partner would need his assistance with. Immediately, he crossed off the possibility of it being any kind of conventional system repairs, such as an AC unit or computer mainframe. These two were a traveling type, settling in an encampment or stronghold for a night or so as to rest, recuperate and resupply. So, more than likely, it was a vehicle they needed work on. This narrowed the list even further and taking into account the 'eagerness' in FIONA's voice portrayed it as something of high value in these difficult times. With that in mind, it was either a sort of aircraft or a ship of some sort, as standard vehicles were child's play with anybody advanced enough in mechanics and engineering.

 

"I'm gonna gander on some sort of aircraft, though, I won't rule out a type of ship either. As for the type, I would assume it's either a single engine, propel driven aircraft or a much larger variant, cargo or military. As for help on this... I'm finished."

 

Phantom checked over his wiring and made some final adjustments before standing and kicking the machine lightly. As soon as he did, it whirred to life, confirming his completed task. After packing his tools away and slinging his pack back over his shoulder, Phantom stood and faced the hybrid, peering at her through darkened lenses.

 

"Unless you got the parts already necessary, I've got another task I need to deal with and some old acquaintances I guess I should visit. Don't get me wrong, I have reason to believe your also on a sort of time crunch to get this work done, I'd put it somewhere around eleven hours or so. It's just..."

 

Phantom paused a moment, pondering whether he should involve his past with the sort of character's FIONA and Alan were. Less anyone knew about him, less likely they'd connect the dots connecting him to any of this mess. So, deciding against it, he remained quiet as he descended from the roof and quickly made his way to collect the parts and money that had been his prerequisites for completing this task. Whether FIONA followed or not didn't bother him, as he assumed she would regardless. After all, they needed a job done and they had been following Phantom since one of the farther sectors, presumably Sector 3 or Sector 4.

Edited September 20, 2013 by zakku_uchiha

[Thaelasan]

FIONA nodded with approval but wasn't very surprised. ALan had already warned her of Phantom's known intelligence level.

"You know your machines, that's for sure." she flattered, standing to her feet. "Yes, it is an aircraft. It's a VII Boeing, Military Grade. It's one of the new ones. Doesn't even use solar power, if you believe it. It uses phase energy, fusion reaction. Crazy stuff!"

She began to walk alongside him, trying hard not to bother him. Whereas Alan was normally open about his emotions and feelings with her, the prospect of secrets was too much for the feminine cyborg to handle. Her inner curiosity was reaching its peak, and she began to backslide in front of him, using her scanners to watch where she was going.

"So, I can tell you're not one for casual conversation." she finally said, smiling. "However, we do have the parts for the repair. We got them off broken aircraft surrounding the hangar where the plane was found. It was difficult to remove some of them - they were mostly cinders. Apparently the military had already made a bombing run or had been trying to burn all of their vehicles but didn't have time to finish the last one. Hopefully you can help with that."

As Phantom leapt from the roof, FIONA backflipped off of it, doing a pirouette that would have earned her much applause if the world actually still cared. She landed in front of him, hand on her hip, and continued to backtrack.

"You do know that we're in the same boat as you, right?" she asked, hopeful. "Alan and I aren't exactly... open about our past, so we don't expect anything from you. If it's important, though, and we can help you, don't think for a minute we won't attempt it. Alan's not such a bad guy. He did chase after you and we haven't really explained much.. Look, we've told you what we need. If it helps speed things along so we can get the plane built - admittedly - I'm willing to help you in whatever way you need. I'm not a Series II."

 

----

 

Alan and Randall sat in front of the doll, frowning.

"Series II was amazingly primitive. I had forgotten." Alan finally said, rubbing his chin.

"It wasn't when it was prime, I can tell you that." Randall leaned back in the chair. "To think that they still didn't have solar array capabilities.. speed boosts.. Hell they didn't even have satellite imagery or scanner devices. How the hell...."

"It wasn't necessary at the time." Alan shrugged, polishing a bit of the doll's face. They had deactivated her, using the complicated and difficult method of removing her inner core from both her spine and chest.

The doll hadn't cooperated. ELENA had flailed around and fought, refusing to be improved or mended until Walker was there. Unable to let her see reason, the two finally agreed that though it was unethical, the woman had to be put to sleep.

Dolls hadn't been made to be deactivated. Both of their cores were not only magnetically fused, they also had to be removed at the same time. In optimum repair situations, there were always four mechanics. In this case, there had only been two exhausted doctors with little patience left.

"She's beautiful, though." Alan remarked.

"You think so? Aren't you married, you old dog?!" Randall slapped Alan in a friendly manner on his shoulder, chuckling.

"Perhaps, but I can still enjoy just how well this one was made. It always impressed me. Ivan was a genius when he came up with the first Series."

"Yeah, but I can't remember who built Series IV. I hadn't even seen a Series V until the outbreak. Who's been building dolls?" Randall suddenly asked, grunting.

The two sat in silence as they worked on ELENA, pondering this sudden question. They hadn't really considered it.. but..

"I heard Ivan escaped from prison." Randall finally said.

Alan stopped.

"What? He died. They found his body."

"Later. Much later." Randall said. "I think it was him. They say they found him in a lab after he killed himself when a group of infected broke into the lab. He looked to have been working on something important. The only thing in the databanks was a single word... Walker."

"...Walker?" Alan pondered. "A new zombie species?"

"I don't know, to be honest. There were no schematics. There were no models." Randall whistled. "And it looks like miss ELENA wasn't in good shape either. She's missing a few things, such as her intestines and uterus."

"Good god." Alan remarked, disgusted. "Do you mean mangled?"

"No... gone." Randall turned the doll, the insides facing Alan.

There were no organs under the diaphragm. Everything had been torn. Arteries, veins, and power core connections. It was a gaping hole.

"Oh god if that guy had been-"

"Don't even think about it oh my god Alan please." Randall quickly said. "No no no no no no."

"But if he-"

"NO." Randall slapped him. "DO NOT."

"Right.." Alan placed a hand on his own face.

"Look. I'm gonna go see if there's any replacement organs. You sterilize her and see if you can find out what gutted our poor girl."

"Right." Alan said, beginning his examination.

[Clown_of_God]

Phantom was just about to enter the building his client had addressed when his scanners picked up Alan, Randall and a Series II doll. Mentally groaning, Phantom pivoted on his heel and made headway for the building. Bypassing the security with such ease, someone would've thought Phantom had just played the shape matching game. Just as he entered was when he saw the gutted doll and the two pondering on where to get replacement parts.

 

"Why do you two even bother. That's a simple fix and I've got the parts necessary. After all, I get calls on Series II consistently. Also, a diagnostic scan indicates that she actually did this to herself, probably due to the mistreatment of the sensitive equipment downstairs. Anyway, give me space and about ten minutes and she'll be up and running, good as new. Maybe even better. Judging by her core, she has asserted great amounts of energy and worn some the internal functioning's down, gutting herself didn't help either."

[Thaelasan]

Alan turned, surprised.

"She could have.." he mused, agreeing. "That much abuse and whatever was left of her stimulus response device would have made her decide to do something.. drastic.. This could be that."

He frowned, concerned.

"Ok, I'm going to ask. Where in the hell are you carrying replacement organs for dolls and how are you keeping them preserved? You know what, I actually don't want to know. Just.. just do what you were going to do, please. I'm going to go talk to Randall."

He left the room, leaving FIONA, Phantom, and the doll.

 

---

 

Alan stepped into the adjacent room, then stopped to stare at Randall. The man had schematics sprawled in front of him, finger on his chin. He looked like a tactician preparing for war.

"What's wrong?" Alan asked, confused.

"Nothing. Just checking a few things over is all." Randall shrugged, standing. "Did you need anything?"

"I was going to ask if you wanted to come with us." Alan prompted.

Randall thought for a moment, frowning.

"I suppose." he finally said. "Considering what you said about the military comin' soon to Sector 4, it's only a matter of time that they find me - especially since your black-suited friend there managed to get in without any sort of idea to the code."

"Or maybe he did know. He is Phantom." Alan turned around a moment.

"That's Phantom?" Randall stopped, confused.

"Yes. He looks different from the description but that's because while we were chasing him he changed clothes and tried to lose us. Thank god for FIONA's advanced satellite communications."

"Phantom.." Randall repeated. He immediately stepped to the next room and moved slowly to stand in front of the man. He appraised him without speaking, his face devoid of emotion.

Alan didn't wish to interrupt. He simply moved to stand by FIONA, putting his arm around her tightly. She did not resist.

"Phantom.." Randall finally said, staring. "Do you know how long it's been since the Dome incident exactly?"

Edited September 20, 2013 by Thaelasan

[Clown_of_God]

Phantom stared back at the man, scanning him over to see if there was anything to be concerned with. After mentally confirming that everything was safe, Phantom halted on his work and sat up straight.

 

"It's been five years, six months, sixteen days, thirteen hours, thirty-eight minutes, and forty-two seconds exactly since the Omega tore a hole in the bunker. If need be, I can be even more specific and even give you the measurements of the hole and the total number of deceased and destroyed bodies that now pile in the alleys and along the roads. Now, if you don't mind me asking, what is your reasoning for asking me this?"

 

Even while staring at the man, Phantom pulled out a set of parts to be used within the Series II doll, carefully checking them over with his hands before applying them in their appropriate positions. Most would need to observe their work, but Phantom's experience and knowledge made the task as easy as laying down in bed.

 

Phantom also began to recollect on the past, his history in the Dome and even his time before that. Before the infection and before he lost everything he cared about. There were times he had wished that he could go back to his college life, delving into his course of study and perfecting techniques he had to sharpen during the outbreak and mayhem.

Edited September 20, 2013 by zakku_uchiha

[Thaelasan]

Randall nodded.

"Though I didn't need so much detail, I wanted to be sure of who you were."

He sat down in a chair, leaning forward and lacing his fingers together. It was the position of a man who was about to say something he knew was depressing but had to be said.

"I know the number of the dead. It's a number that's rang around in my head since the bunker fell. 999,998 people exactly. The bunker was meant for a beginning quota of 1,000,000 people and was meant to sustain life for 500 years or more depending on their technology status. Those are numbers. We didn't feel much because we didn't know them as PEOPLE."

He rubbed his hands together, sighing.

"Two people are all that remain from the destruction of the dome according to the data. One is myself, that's for damn sure. I managed to escape because I was one of the first who saw the Omega coming. Thankfully, I had a vehicle. No one else was that lucky. The moment I pressed my foot on the gas, the Omega hit. I was the only one allowed out. Only because of my medical status. The day that happened everyone in group RAIDER was considered a traitor and an enemy. They knew we had had somethin' to do with the whole affair, considerin' our drug had been linked to it. I had to escape. I came here."

He leaned forward a little more, trying to see past Phantom's mask.

"You're the odd one out. No one knows how you survived. I had a guess. I worked with a nurse who lived near the bunker. She refused to leave her home but she wasn't an amateur doctor. She knew doll technology. You ain't entirely human, are you?"

He kicked Phantom in the leg before any reaction could be made. He immediately winced but noted with satisfaction the dull "thud" of the kick. It wasn't the sound of bone hitting bone. It was the sound of flesh and bone hitting silicon and other materials.

"Your leg's prosthetic. I'm guessing the other one is too. Your left arm is a tad bit shorter than the right, which is average but whenever you use it you seem to hesitate for a split second. It doesn't feel right. It shouldn't. It's just like FIONA does. Humans weren't made for those. Fake nerve endings don't replace biological ones, they just make up for the loss. You're skilled and you've survived, but it's only because you did it once, and now you know Death is close behind you. You escaped it and now it's following at your fake heels every damn day, just like it is me. Sometimes I wonder if dying there would have been better than survival - especially since everyone thinks I'm a demon."

Randall laughed suddenly.

"It's funny. They think I'm a demon, and they think you're a ghost." he remarked, sullen. "Irony, considerin' we wanted to be guardian angels and you were a young man who wanted to live. You shouldn't have to go through this sort of alone. That's why we have a proposition for ya."

He turned to Alan and nodded.

"We're all dead people. Everyone here in this room has their own reason for not wanting to be on the radar. Everyone here is either alienated from humanity, a piece of trash humanity abused, or.. in your case.. a man who just wanted to find his fate. Am I wrong here?"

He patted ELENA slightly and grinned.

"You've taken good care of her. You have skill. We need that skill. Whatever you used to be, don't worry about it now. Now you could be a hero. We have a plan to stop this infection. We're gonna save everyone. We failed once but.. Alan and I have been talking and we think we have a promising cure. We need help though."

He pulled out a map of the current earth and pointed at two locations.

"We need a scientist from Britain and a scientist from the Canadian Nations. Their names are Willson McClain and Arnold Lander. They're the parents of two of the original scientists we had working with us. They have notes that we took on the development of the Caldium which we need for making a cure. If we get those, we can slow the infected growth immensely."

Randall then held out his hand.

"We'll help you, you help us. The world is saved. You up for it?"

[Clown_of_God]

Phantom sat idly, neither taking a moment to breath and even less so to finish his work on the doll, these men that kept asking for his assistance were the ones that helped create this mess. Whether they knew it or not wasn't of Phantom's concern, but this Caldium substance wasn't the source of the infection rather the pinnacle that caused the mutations and enhancements. Finally, releasing his breath, Phantom heaved a sigh and leaned back in the chair until he was practically rocking on it.

 

"You're correct in your assumption that numbers are indeed numbers, but you gathered yours from an outside source. You ran and only heard about what the fate of those who lived in the Dome was. Unlike you, I witnessed it to the bitter end. Yeah, there were mass casualties and an outrageous amount of deaths occurred, but there were more survivors. Actually, if you want an exact number to put into your data, out of a possible 1,000,000 residents, there were fifty-five survivors. Fifty-five out of 1,001,765 residents."

 

Standing, Phantom glared at the doctor with an intensity that could be felt through the mask. Just as suddenly, Phantom secured a hammer in his left hand and raised it above his head, seemingly prepared to strike Randall down with the blunt object. However, instead of bringing the five pound piece of iron on the man's head, he struck his leg several times until the frame in the center was visible and heavily dented. Before anyone could question why he did such a thing, the metal began to mend itself, damaged wires patched themselves and the central frame began to look new.

 

Tossing the hammer aside, Phantom took a seat in his chair and leaned back. Observing the faces of those who had just witnessed the event.

 

"It's able to replicate itself, which is how it's able to mend. I won't go into the specifics, but these legs and this arm are more a part of me than any standard prosthetic. It was a dangerous risk to apply these ligaments, as the rejection process was capable of resulting in death. I can guarantee that no one else in this world has ligaments like these."

[Thaelasan]

Randall coughed as he heard the numbers again. Always with the numbers. Numbers didn't mean .

He stared at Phantom, perhaps he had flinched. He didn't know. When he saw that glare though, he didn't see a boy who had lost his legs and arm.

He saw a man. A man who had seen a city - no, a world - fall in less time than it takes for a single heartbeat. Who had heard cries of death and suffering and been unable to stop it. Who had been crushed by the ruins of the city and almost torn to pieces in a procedure to save his life. A man whose only goal in life was to survive - and move on.

Yet behind the eyes was the reason he couldn't move on. He had no reason to do so. No motivation other than helping people.

His thoughts suddenly broke when Phantom began to heal himself. Immediately, Randall let out a large gasp which seem to take all the air out of the room.

"Sweet Jesus Almighty God." he breathed finally. He stared long and hard at Phantom's leg, unable to believe what he had just seen from what his eyes were saying. He looked up at Phantom, then back to the leg.

"We had no technology like that. Ivan only gave us the base schematics..." he coughed. "I've never.. ever seen like that. Hell, even the most sophisticated Series IV requires extensive repair. They can't do that. Not even FIONA can. Can she?"

He turned to Alan. Alan shook his head, bewildered.

"Holy hell.." Randall said, still in shock. "You're more unique then we ever could have possibly imagined. Alan was right to bring you here. You're one of the most important individuals in the world and you're sitting right in front of me. If we could perfect that technology.."

Phantom's last words echoed in his ears, however. He grunted.

"You're right. Such a miraculous set of prosthetics would lay heavily on the body. There'd be a lot of synthetics and attachments and the surgery itself would send the person being operated on into shock - perhaps multiple times. I'm not gonna ask you how the surgery went." he promised. "You probably don't even remember much of it."

He then turned to Alan and stood.

"If you want some coffee, I'd like to hear about those other survivors, if you know anymore. And also, ... if you know so much.. do you know anything about a being or campaign named 'Walker?'"

 

(( For future reference, until the sheet is made, Randall Stone is a natural born Country Boy. His father was from Houston, Texas and his mother was from Atlanta, Georgia. Both had heavy accents and a lot of firm beliefs which they instilled into Randall. Among the three top ones were never let a guest go without some food or drink, always talk over coffee or tea, and never say more than needed.

Randall always had a problem with the last bit. Even with his drawl, he still ended up becoming friends with Alan in the early years, and both went to the same college. Neither of them believed they'd end up here. ))

[Clown_of_God]

"Originally, the idea was supposed to be mass produced within the dolls systems. With how quickly they would get damaged and the lack of tools and resources necessary to repair them, we were losing dolls on a steady incline and this technology would help reduce those losses. Unfortunately, acquiring these resources took years not only to find, but to properly stabilize the materials took ample amounts of energy and power. To put it on a linear perspective, a lab powered by two nuclear reactors was barely enough to produce just the frame of a doll."

 

Phantom held up his mechanical hand and looked it over, taking a reading of the delay sequence between his mental commands and the actual action to turn an open palm into a fist. It was barely noticeable to the untrained eye, but a 0.06% delay was what the reading measured. Of course, the nerve damage caused by the incident had been part of the reasoning and blood running through cyclic supply source in the arm rather than the bio-blood used in dolls was another issue.

 

Sighing, he returned to his work on the doll, carefully measuring his work and adding small enhancements here and there. His final task was repairing and making adjustments to the reproductive system. Whoever the guy was that was responsible for the damage done to this doll, Phantom was going to make him pay. Despite the Three Laws, dolls were just as human as anyone else. They had feelings, they had interests, some would even say they had true emotions that delved from the ghost in machines. It couldn't be calculated through science or with machines, they just did. So, once Phantom was completed with the internal systems and repairs, he went to the neural systems and made some minor adjustments.

 

Finally, just under the ten minutes he had set to complete this task, the doll had been sealed up and her power systems reactivated. Once she completed her system scan and functions check Phantom had her face him so that he could explain what changes he made.

 

"Most notable, I've restored the missing parts you had removed from your system. I also adjusted the Three Laws so that you needn't comply to every request or demand someone gives you. So, in other words, if a man ever tries to degrade your systems again, you have the ability to preserve yourself and respond with force if necessary. I also changed your fail safes to the code you saw during your functions check, so anyone with a Series II manual can't simply override you and take advantage through those means. I also set up a firewall that'll fry any system that tries to breach into your neural capacitors to try and get into that fail safe. In other words, only you and I know the code."

 

Phantom looked back at Randall and the others in the room and shrugged.

 

"Child's play, really. She's like brand new. If I had the parts and the resources, I would've touched up on her frame a bit. Anyway, I need to collect my payment and head to my next line of work. Nothing like visiting home."

 

Before anyone could intervene, Phantom had secured his pack and was already heading out the door, once again bypassing the security systems like a simple puzzle. At the same time, he was running a sample test to find out who exactly was responsible for damaging and defiling such a precious doll. They'd definitely give Phantom his payment, whether it be blood or their own gutted entrails, they were gonna give what they took. Of course, there was still the supplies and money he was owed for fixing the A/C.

[Totts]

((can I just aks weather ESPOIR has been found yet?))

[Thaelasan]

(( She/he hasn't. We've been talking. I thought Techno was gonna do that. ))

 

Randall and Alan sighed.

"He didn't want to join." Alan finally commented, slightly agitated.

"Now you don't know that for sure." Randall comforted. "Could be he's just gonna collect his payment, finish this next job, and then you can get that plane of yours fixed."

"Look, what he wants is payment for our fixed plane. I wonder how many credits he actually wants." Alan finally decided. "I still have tons from the grant money I never used."

"Oh really?" Randall asked, bemused. "Same here. I was too involved in our work to care about buyin' crap."

Alan chuckled and turned towards the door.

"My car's outside."

"Now hold up a minute." Randall said. "What do we do about this doll?"

ELENA had still not moved nor spoken since Phantom's conversation with her. Her face was completely blissful and devoid of pain.

"He must have removed her memories of the events leading up to her being here. She doesn't even know who anyone is but she forgot about the rape." Alan whispered, frowning. "Phantom's a good man, even if he doesn't show it."

"Right enough." Randall agreed. "Let's just take her with us for now."

 

[Clown_of_God]

((Alright, we're gonna have a small time skip. Five hours, to be exact.

 

@Totts: While Phantom was looking for his client in Heatville, he located your character 'sleeping' and activated your systems, essentially 'waking' you up. Afterwards, he got what he needed and left, like he usually does. I don't know if Thael's characters remained or not, but you could've ran into them and joined them to go back to the plane or you could've met up with Kja's character, Walker, and joined him. That's up to you and whoever you decide to join.

 

Right now, I'm just trying to get everyone back not rack and back in the RP. So, I've been holding off on posting to help slow things down and let others kind of catch up.))

[Thaelasan]

Randall, Alan, and FIONA were now currently back within the van, having recharged their respective weapons and systems and gotten everything together.

Randall now was outfitted with a weapon similar to Alan's. He whistled as he polished it, pleased.

"We must find Phantom again, now." Alan grunted. "If I recall, with all of this Dome business, that's probably his next destination."

He drove past the alley where he had .. disposed of the doll rapist, not willing to look at his handiwork. Phantom would hopefully be pleased with what he had done to the man. A few civilians were staring at the body, emotionless. Death meant nothing now.

"Which way is the Dome?" he asked, looking at Randall this time. FIONA had decided to disengage her systems, needing a nice, long rest after all of the events that had transpired in the past month. She was also reorganizing her information databanks.

"East of here, far east. It's about two hours by foot. Dunno about car." Randall responded.

"And with only ten hours left...." Alan coughed.

 

---

 

Five hours later, the three were waiting for Phantom inside of the Dome, impatient. The wreckage of the city didn't offer much in terms of reasoning as to why Phantom would need to return. The place was a crater, the defenses crushed, and the Divide going right through it.

The smell was unimaginable. Both Randall and Alan had been forced to don masks. It was the worst stench of decaying flesh, heat, and aged death. Smelled of pure entropy.

"Where is that fool soldier?" Randall coughed, still sniffing the aroma. He couldn't get it out of his nose.