Infected

[Thaelasan]

Alan sighed.

"You're right. My human instincts got the best of me again. I thought for sure I had a more rigid control over them long ago." he gritted his teeth, turning. "But I am worried about this slightly. Even if we have the strongest Dolls imaginable, we can't afford to waste time with petty infected when we're after the beast himself. We also have to watch out for the Omega. We could beat him, but it would cost us a hell of a lot of time."

He looked out the window curiously.

[Clown_of_God]

"I just hope we land soon."

 

Phantom's teeth were gritted and scraping against each other, his muscles were tense and he could feel a cold sweat coming on. TINA took notice of this and walked over to him. Kneeling down, she looked into the mask, placing a hand on his head in a comforting manner.

 

"Your gonna let this get to you when you've faced against Behemoths and scoured the land alone for years? That doesn't sound too befitting of a Phantom."

 

Looking at TINA, Phantom relaxed and laid his head on her shoulder. She was right, freaking out over something so minuscule as being thousands of feet in the air seemed redundant when there were colossal monsters on the ground that were more of a threat to his life. Taking a few deep breaths, Phantom calmed himself and sat back up, looking at the others in the plane and then out the window.

 

"Prepare for a rough landing..."

 

------

 

MINA smiled at the passengers within the plane before she flipped onto the top of the plane, allowing everyone to see the giant beast that everyone feared. A beast that had no comparison and left the land razed in its path. There was no definite shape to the creature, but there was one thing certain about it. A single eye glared at the plane, which had now adjusted its position by taking a 45 degree dip.

 

Rushing to the controls, Phantom tried to adjust the angle of the plane, but nothing was working. So etching else had taken control of the flight. Looking at TINA, she nodded and began scanning the planes control systems only to find nothing was wrong. Looking at Phantom, she shook her head and he mentally cursed.

 

"Master has waited a long time to see you again, Big Brother. Last time he saw you was at the Dome, before you became all robotic. Isn't it great? A big family reunion, right where it all started!"

 

MINA's voice was projected through the speakers aboard the aircraft and as Phantom watched out the window he could only imagine the times before the Infection. Suddenly, the plane jolted and everyone was slammed into the ground, rattled about like ants in a can and dust sprayed into the air. Phantom's world went black as he laid there and visions of his family played through his mind.

 

When he came to and the dust had begun to settle, he saw that the plane had been grounded and the Omega was nowhere in sight. Only MINA standing next to a cloaked figure, smiling coyly like she always did, but now with a different meaning behind it. Doing a quick scan, Phantom was relieved to see the plane was still intact, just needed a few minor repairs, but nothing that would clip its wings for good.

 

"Isn't this great, Master? Everyone is finally here! When will we be able to play?"

 

"Soon. Let them recover for a moment, get their bearings, then we'll have a nice little chat before we start our game. Is the food ready?"

 

"Yep! It's all on the table, just like you wanted. I also made sure to get fresh water and that fancy wine you said the doctors like."

 

"Good. I'm sure some of our extra guests would serve as a reasonable meal to satiate my own hunger."

 

MINA looked at the cloaked figure beside her, smiling as she saw the fangs growing within his maw. Still, the self-control he had over himself astounded her. It was probably the mechanical augments within his mind that prevented Type X from completely washing away his humanity. Still, when he got hungry, even she got nervous to be around him, in a strangely arousing way.

[Thaelasan]

It happened within what seemed to be eternity. His heart seemed to stop as everything slowed down around him. A female doll... MINA?.. she moved outside of the ship as a large monstrosity that could only be the Omega type. The plane's angle was unsafe. He needed to act.

He turned, but agonizingly slowly. Why was he so slow? Phantom was already running across from the back of the ship, his legs moving once a minute. Colors and sounds blurred in his vision.

Was this fear? Was this utter helplessness at work?

He reached a slow moving hand to his forehead. Through his fingers, he could see, right before they crashed..

Fiona was reaching out to him, calling something. His name? He reached for her.

Black.

Sheer black.

 

---

 

Dad, when I grow up, I want to help people.

That's a commendable trade. I'm sure you'll be able to do it!

But Dad.. I want to be a doctor.

...

Is this because of your mother?

Yes.

Your mother isn't sick because of you. You shouldn't blame yourself.

I don't.

Then why?

Because I know I can make her better. I also know I want to make other people better.

I believe in you. I don't think you'd ever do anything to make me disappointed. Just do what you think is right.

Dad?

Just do what you believe is truly the just cause of action. Never do anything you'd regret. If you kill a man, you know damn well if that man was worthy of losing his life. Never be afraid to make a decision that could make something better - that could save a life.

I think I understand.

Good. This world is full of choices. There are two kinds of men - those with the ability to make a choice, and those who make them. This world changes based on those choices. Sometimes, it takes a lot of inner strength to make certain choices. I think you have that sort of strength.

Really?...

Yes, really. You only have to act.

 

---

 

Act.

Act.

ACT.

He smelled copper. What the hell was that noise in the background? Was that smoke? Were they still on the plane?

He remembered something... It began to rush back into him. Fiona grabbing his hand as Phantom and Randall released the cargo drop. The Omega had slammed the plane around again, causing all of them to lose their grip.

All he remembered was falling out of the plane with Fiona..

FIONA?

He turned, desperate. He had to act. No time to think. He struggled to move He couldn't stand up.

As he began to understand his surroundings, he realized he was pinned by something. Fiona? No. He wasn't that lucky. Blood was pouring out of a wound on his chest. How deep was it? It didn't feel deep, just large. He needed to stop the bleeding.

One of the plane's wings had broken and landed on him. He could see that now. The sharp edge of the wing was coated in blood. If it had fallen any closer to the ground, he would have been cut in half.

He grabbed the side of the wing facing him and attempted to push it off. The large piece of metal shuddered from the force but stayed upon him. Fear gripped him as he realized he was basically trapped prey.

No. Not this time. Not this time. He grabbed the place wing again with both hands and placed all of his force into it.

The wing shuddered and slid from his body into the desert sand. He painfully stood to his feet, coughing.

"Fiona?" he stated, covering his mouth with his hand. "Randall? Fiona?"

He turned, looking around. He had landed away from the group, as far as he could tell. Pieces of the plane were strewn about carelessly. The Omega was gone.

He checked his watch for the coordinates of his location. It had been shattered at landing but was still slightly operational. They were only a few degrees from their true location.

He heard a groan from nearby, from underneath another large piece of metal. Without hesitation, he ran to it and lifted it up.

"Randall?" he asked, confused.

"What the hell are you doing man? There's sand everywhere. Put the shelter back up before we get torn by the wind!" he demanded, coughing. "Is Fiona back yet?"

"Fiona?" Alan asked, confused. "Wait, you were already awake?"

"Yeah.. we were both awake. We saw you but realized if we tried anythin' we'd probably make it worse. She went to go find the others. She said that if you had trouble getting that wing off I was supposed to help. You were fine."

"I see. Thank you." Alan pulled the shelter back up with Randall's help. He then sat down slowly, exhausted.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the sand blow across the desert. It was the howl of isolation.

"You need to bandage that." Randall commented after a time, pointing at Alan's chest. The blood from the wound had begun to coagulate but still fresh blood poured from the wound.

"I do feel a bit lightheaded." Alan chuckled weakly. He removed his lab coat and both undershirts and then looked down at his chest.

His previous assumption had been correct. When he had landed, the broken wing had been flying beside him as it had descended. When they met, the wind blew them together, slicing his chest just before hitting the ribs. He could tell one rib had been hit, however, but not seriously enough to break it.

"A miracle." he mused, tearing his undermost shirt into strips. He wished he'd brought some form of sterilization.

"You should clean it first, ya know." Randall said.

"I wish I could. I didn't bring any medical supplies on the plane, which was most likely a stupid idea." Alan admitted.

"But I did." Randall shrugged. "That's what Fiona ran off to find. She wanted to find the food, medical supplies, and hopefully the other members of our group. I don't know how far away we landed."

"What happened after we fell off?" Alan asked while he sat there, applying pressure to the wound.

"Well, Phantom looked out the window and yelled something about 'It's her! That means he's close'! Then he looked out the back and saw you fall and grabbed his own parachute. He then jumped out with TINA, yelling at me to do the same.

Course I wasn't gonna sit there and die. I grabbed one of them and jumped out as well, hoping to catch you on the way down. It was amazing what you did."

"What?" Alan asked, confused.

"You and Fiona had grabbed one of the broken wings and used it as a parachute. Risky, but the only way you'd have survived such a terminal fall. I couldn't reach you in time, so I followed you on the way down. Then a wind hit us and we all got separated. Of course I tried to call out names but nothin' happened."

"Sorry I took so long to wake up."

"You've only been out bout... an hour maybe." Randall stated gruffly, checking his own watch.

"Well now that I'm awake, you and I shouldn't just sit here and wait for Fiona to return. We need to find the others." Alan stated, starting to stand.

The pain in his chest returned in a flare. He grabbed it, almost in tears, and sat back down, wincing.

"You're not going anywhere like that. You'd be useless." Randall cocked his head. "What would Phantom say if he saw you like that, eh? Remember, he ain't gonna carry yer ass."

"I know that!" Alan snapped, the pain still stabbing his flesh. "Dammit! I feel completely vulnerable!"

"Hey, I'm here for you. Our guns survived the fall." Randall said, tossing Alan his rifle. "Like you said. Miracle."

"We can use them to signal for help if nothing else. I doubt there are any infected worth killing in this area. It seems picked clean." Alan mused, looking out upon the sand with a slight bit of interest. "Strange. I haven't seen such sheer desolation since the collapse of Sector 1. But this is even worse."

"True." Randall agreed, popping his knuckles. "This is where good men die."

"Huh?" Alan turned, curious.

Randall crossed his arms and laid back, closing his eyes.

"This isn't a battleground, Alan. You can tell from the state of things. This is a place where no one fought back. This is a place where hell rose on Earth and men for nothin'. This was a genocide, pure an' simple. My daddy told me about places like this. They're bad omens. Just bein' in 'em makes you that much closer to hell. This is where spirits sing their songs of sadness. Dirges, you can call em, I guess. This is where people cry but don't make anythin' less dry. The sand, the people, the air.. it's devoid of life. All of it. I don't wanna be here longer than I have to be. If you'll excuse me, I'm prayin'."

"Throw in an extra one for me." Alan said forlornly, turning back to the sands. "I think we need God on our side for this too."

Outside of the makeshift shelter, the wind howled and blew across the sands, unforgiving.

 

---

 

A few minutes later, Fiona returned across the sands. At first, she had been a dot in the distance and Alan had assumed she was a mirage. Then, as she came closer, he saw her holding boxes of supplies in both hands.

As soon as she ran up, she placed the boxes down and ran to him, hugging him tightly.

"Oh good grief, Alan." she said, crying. "Do you know how worried I was? What would I say to people about my zombie-slaying husband then? Oh he died from falling out of a plane? That's not heroic!"

"I'm happy that I didn't disappoint you." Alan chuckled softly. He brushed her hair with his fingers and looked out back upon the sand.

"What did you find?" he finally asked, after a moment.

She pulled back, rubbing her eyes.

"There was a good amount left, enough for you to mend your wound -" she motioned to his chest, worried. "- and some food for roughly a week and a half of survival if it's divided between the three of us equally. The portion size would be medium. All in all, a good cache."

Randall groaned from nearby, his stomach roaring.

"You said food and the little man immediately started up again." Randall moaned, patting his stomach. "He's a fighter."

"Go ahead and eat what you want for now. I doubt we'll be out here a week and a half." Alan said. "Call it a hunch."

"Suit yerself." Randall stood, walking over to the food crates. He took a seat, making selections. "God I remember old preservatives my mom used to make for the family. I'd never say anythin' bad about my mom's cookin' - she was DAMN good - but these are just so much more convenient."

Alan grabbed a suture and some other supplies from the medical crate and sat down to set to work. The numbing/sanitizing gel he rubbed on the wound burned for but a moment before his chest went completely numb in the surrounding area.

As he worked on sealing up the hole, Fiona used her body and arms to shield the wound from the sands, holding one of Alan's shirts over it.

"Did you find any sign of them?" Alan asked after a while. Fiona nodded.

"They're within 3/4 of a mile of here but they're on a lower area." she said soothingly, watching him work. "I couldn't get close. That other robot * MINA was there with some cloaked man. I tried to analyze him for a match in my database but his face isn't recognizable. It did worry me though."

"What?" Alan asked, looking up.

"He's infected, Alan, at a serious level." Fiona stated, staring him in the eyes. "The readings show about three fourths of his body is filled with mutations and viral cancerous tissue. For him to even be standing is insane. He's as mutated as a behemoth but somehow his body is staying at a humanoid size. It's incredibly uncomfortable."

"Are you sure?" Alan finally asked, concerned.

"Yes. That man is no man. He was even SPEAKING." she said in breathless tones, gripping her fingers tightly. "He was talking like a normal person! He was just standing there. MINA called him.. Master."

"Then that means..." Alan's eyes widened.

"If Phantom is right about his brother, then we're about to be in a very bad situation." Fiona finally said, in simplistic terms. "Not only would he have the skills Phantom himself has, but he's also infected to hell? This just seems unfair!" she whined dramatically.

"It will be fine. There are only two of them, right? Or is the Omega there?"

"The Omega suddenly vanished after the plane crash. I don't know where he is." Fiona said, sighing. "There's nothing on him in sight. No scans pick him up. Nothing."

"Strange. Something that large shouldn't just ... poof."

"I thought the same thing. Then again, we don't know ANYTHING about it."

A very dreadful idea suddenly struck Alan and his face turned grave.

"You said that he was as infected as a behemoth, correct?"

"Yes... if not moreso." Fiona said, confused and worried.

"It hasn't been seen before.. but what if... Omega and the Master are one and the same?"

The air was silent for a moment. Even the wind seemed to stop.

Randall coughed and life returned to the world.

"That can't possibly-" Randall began.

"We don't know anything about the Omega. It would make sense. How he disappeared after creating the Divide. How he knew that the Dome would be weak and without security and why MINA was able to follow him around freely. And also, didn't the infected follow the Omega around like a pack of dogs rather than attack it? It's because they serve him!"

Randall grunted and Fiona gasped.

"It.. it makes sense." Randall admitted, rubbing his grizzled chin. "All of it fits together. If he had the ability to grow into the Omega, it would make sense he could control and dominate the other infected as he saw fit. Humans would see him as a humanoid. Hell, he could even walk among them, see the weaknesses of their cities. The infected would sense how strong he was just like wolves find an alpha male. This is worryin'."

"Well, it means that if we kill him, we solve two problems." Alan shrugged.

"I like that attitude." Fiona grinned. "But we don't know what he's capable of."

"Has that stopped us before?"

"No."

"Then let's take our rifles and go find out what the good Master wants of us."

Edited January 27, 2014 by Thaelasan

[Clown_of_God]

"MINA, would you mind gathering up our guests? They must be terribly hungry after such a journey."

 

"I presume you're speaking about the doctors? If you'd been more careful, they wouldn't have gotten thrown about like they did."

 

Master didn't say a word, rather he shuffled her off and made his way over to where Phantom and TINA were hulled up. Phantom coughed and groaned, holding his side as he sat up a look of scourn overcame him when he saw the man before him. TINA took a defensive position between them, only for Phantom to pull her aside.

 

"I'd assume if he had any intention of doing us harm, he would've done so already. Isn't that right, Damien?"

 

"Erik, you flatter me. I went through all this trouble to bring us together and this is how you greet me? I'm insulted."

 

------

 

MINA stood atop the wing Alan had been under just moments ago, watching as the trio packed their belongings. Giggling, she performed a half-skip half-teleport motion until she was just outside their makeshift 'shelter.'

 

"Hey, boys and lady. You are hereby cordially invited to attend a little feast put together by Master and myself. It involves some steak, mashed potatoes, sweet peas, a salad with your choice of dressing and desert. If you just grab my hand, I can provide transportation services to our dinner. I'm sure you're just brimming with questions for Master at this point. Like, what sort of monster are you? How can survive being infected? What is your goal? What do you want with us? So on and so forth."

 

[Kjakings]

Walker lurched out of some rubble a few feet behind Phantom just as MINA apparated away.

“That may not have been turbulence.” He mused, stepping up to right behind Phantom. “I have a good shot, and I have your back. Say the word and I can put one between his eyes. Based on his size there’s no significant mutation, so a .45 ripping his brain in half should do it.” He whispered, hand hovering near his revolver.

 

[Thaelasan]

(( this time I'm actually not depressed that no one attempted to make a text wall to match mine. In the few short sentences you had, you still managed to get across a very important point.

in my case, I had an hour to spend before class, it was 7:35 in the morning when I started, and I went through two classes and a cup of coffee before I finished.

I could have continued but I didn't want you guys to feel obligated to match to it. I know how busy you are. ))

 

Alan grimaced as MINA appeared on the wing. She was wearing the same sardonic smile she had worn back in the Dome, a smile which dared you to attempt to attack her. It told you of the fate in store if you tried.

He waved his gun at her dismissively, frowning. Randall and Fiona were both staring at her, ready for whatever came.

"I'm not accepting help from a mad Doll." Alan stated firmly, standing to his feet. He had replaced his clothing, but dried blood was still apparent on shirt underneath.

"It's not for any poetic reason, I assure you." he said, adjusting his weapon. "It's simply because you're a lunatic, and so is your Master. If I meet with him, it will be on my own feet."

He motioned to Randall and Fiona, who stood, still staring at MINA darkly.

"If you'll excuse us, we're late to meet with him. I hope you haven't hurt Phantom or the others yet, for I'm sure they were your first appointment." he grunted, pushing past her nonchalantly. He knew if she was going to kill them, she would have done it long ago when he was pinned under the wing. He called her bluff, stepping across the sand without any sort of hesitation.

You could feel it in the air. It was almost tangible, the tension and apprehension. This was surely a major battle but certainly not the last. Alan doubted it would be this simple to find the Master of the Infected unless he wanted to be found. But for what purpose?

As he walked along, he mused over the facts they knew so far.

1. Dr. Leonards hadn't created the dolls. That was a damn fact. However, he did work using their technology and created a suitable amount of low leveled Dolls for cheap that could defend moderate outposts. Although hundreds of them would fall to TINA should she wish it, they could still stop a horde well enough.

2. The Infected were not crazed nor were they sane. They followed a hive mind, not unlike insects. No matter the species, they seemed to follow power. If that was the case, their Master would have to be of a great strength. Was his previous theory close? Was it accurate? Was it wrong? He hoped he had least discovered something of import.

3. MINA and TINA were related somehow, if just by their names. Both were skilled and efficient. Alan had seen them both firsthand. They weren't simple dolls. Fiona, in fact, had commented that she wished she had the energy output and defensive and offensive power they had. She was only a step below them but in a fair fight she would be destroyed. Alan shuddered suddenly at the thought of his wife on the ground, broken again, and he couldn't save her.

 

He paused for a moment and turned back to look at her. She was staring at him as well. It was as if she thought the same thing.

Her face, curved perfectly to him, yet noble. Her features, elegant, yet robotic. Her body, beautiful, yet marred. She was neither perfect nor imperfect, but she was his, and he was hers. If one of them was to die, Alan would rather it be him, but he also knew she felt the same.

Randall, however, was rubbing his chin. Was he thinking about something important? If Alan knew Randall, he knew the man was probably reconsidering MINA's offer.

Alan didn't know it, or couldn't have known it, but he was completely correct. That food sounded heavenly.

In any case, Alan resumed his ponderings. They were getting closer to the edge of the crater where the majority of the crash had occurred. They were near the Divide, Alan assumed, because the wind was beginning to pick up here. They finally reached the edge, and Alan looked down.

There was Phantom, staring ahead at the cloaked figure Alan could only assume was the Master. ***.

Besides Phantom was TINA, and Alan couldn't help but grin. They were sitting in the same position Alan knew so well, for he and Fiona had been that way many times before.

Both of them wished to be in harm's way. Neither of them would allow the other to stand before them, yet neither of them wanted the other harmed. By sitting beside each other, they showed their intent to attack the enemy threatening them at once, two sides.

The Master most likely saw this as well. Alan was right. He wasn't going to kill them,... at least not Phantom. What did he want with THEM, as in HIS group. Alan's party?

He mentally cursed, pondering yet again. He could only come up with two plausible theories at the top of his head.

1. He was as infected as Fiona said, and desired human flesh just as much as those sick little freaks did. If so, they were in serious danger.

2. He wished to speak to the Doctors and give them information. Perhaps he considered them as strong as Phantom?

Theory two was immediately blown up as if in an atomic explosion. As if. Alan may try his hardest but he hadn't done anything spectacular like Phantom, nor was he as trained or skilled in machinery. He was good with his mind and tactical skills and good with healing. Yet, he was more human than Phantom was. He had considered augmenting himself with Doll limbs several times but laughed when he realized he couldn't bring himself to remove his own limbs.

Deep in his heart, like any human, he felt they were a part of him. To replace them was almost impossible. So he'd been working on implants. As of yet, he hadn't made much progress. Every time he came close, the Infected found his hideout.

 

He jumped into the Crater, sliding down the wall. Fiona and Randall followed behind, Randall letting out a "YAAAAAHOOOO!!" before he slid in front of Alan, faster than the man.

The three of them came to a stop about 20 meters from the action, each of them standing in a fittingly epic matter - if anyone had bothered to care about such trivial affairs. Randall did, so he made more of an effort to look badass. Basically, it just made him look worse. Alan groaned.

"We heard your invitation. It was so polite." Alan gritted his teeth at the Master, frowning. "You know, if you'd wanted us to land the plane, you could have just asked."

He wouldn't call the Master Omega yet.. would he? He didn't want to look like a fool, but at the same time, it was always nice when you were right.

"Are you the Omega Infected class?" he finally said, taking a risk. "Or something close to it? You're not human, of that I'm certain."

[Clown_of_God]

Master looked at Alan, his face cracking into a sinister smile as he raised his arms until they were shoulder height and shrugged. MINA flicked beside him and eyed the doll behind Phantom, smiling coyly as she always did before dropping to the ground and kicking her legs out.

 

"You are quite the perspective one, aren't you, Doctor Alan? Of course, as a scientist, one is always looking for answers, which is exactly why dolls go above and beyond the science of mankind. I have to commend you, little brother, you did a fine act playing God and creating these unique beings. So, to answer your question doctor, yes, I am indeed the monstrosity that devastated most of this land. Indeed, my mind is interlaced with all those other insects that scoure the land. Last, but certainly not least, I do crave the flesh of my own kind and have grown a keen fondness to the cries of terror that they yell."

 

Phantom grunted and stood, holding his side which brought a mock pity look across his brothers face. TINA was sincerely concerned and immediately began scanning the area to determine the root cause behind his pain. Of course, Phantom knew it was a couple broken ribs and a few strained muscles, nothing he hadn't dealt with before.

 

"You can't call yourself a human anymore. Whatever it is you are, it's definitely a monster in its own right and you can't call yourself my brother."

 

"Aww, Erik, no need for the harsh words. I figured we were on even terms and could probably lump in Fiona as well. You're a mechanical monster that everyone knows as the Phantom, a mere boy that has roamed the Wastes for years alone and surviving. Fiona's a mechanical beast in her own right, human turned infected and then restored using your technology. Which is exactly why I've brought you all here. Now, come, come, let us eat and discuss these matters more civilly. Please put your weapons to either side of the doorway when you enter, a hostile environment will only make the food taste bland."

 

"You better eat it all, too. It's Erik's favorite dish and I worked hard preparing it."

 

Phantom looked to TINA, a look of worry was in her eyes as she was uncertain this food was something safe for anyone to consume. Still, there wasn't much they could use to retort with. Sighing, Phantom followed where Damien and MINA were heading, only to freeze at the top of the mound that was overlooking a giant structure that hadn't been here years before.

 

It was a circular shaped complex that had taken up half of where the city used to reside and an initial scan showed the majority of the complex was underground. Everything that was visible was made entirely of glass and suddenly it dawned on Phantom. It was solar powered.

 

"What is this place?"

 

"You don't recognize it?"

 

"I've renovated our old lab, isn't it amazing? Some areas are still incomplete, but the research center is complete and the holding cells finished just the other day. Our dining area I had specially made just the other day for this very occasion and you know how I am when you suddenly dime out after I've worked so hard."

 

"You never liked it when I ordered pizza the same day you cooked something and you always nagged me when I went to my friends house for the night when you had put together a family bonding event."

 

"Exactly. So, I expect you to take this moment of reprieve and trust that nothing will happen. Why, I'll even allow you to do a deep scan of the dishes before you eat just so you know nothing is poisoned or laced with any kind of drug. Not that I could infect you anyway, considering more of your interns are biomechanical. Bet no one knew that, not even your most precious piece right next to you. Yeah, that incident took more than just you arm and legs. It ruptured most of your veins and arteries, destroyed that stomach and your lungs couldn't handle all the stress. Why, Erik, you might as well be a phantom."

 

Phantom grimaced and glanced at everyone's faces. TINA looked a bit disappointed, but she accepted what he had to do in order to survive. Still, why had he hidden it from everyone especially her? It wouldn't have changed how they thought about him, or was it another matter that he didn't want to talk about? Maybe he'd tell them when he was ready.

 

"At least I didn't become an infected monstrosity. Why I have more respect for a Behemoth over you. They're not near as ugly looking."

 

What he had thought to be an insult actually brought this grotesque laughter that lasted a few minutes before dying away. Suddenly, Damien was mere centimeters from Phantom and a sickening, clawed hand brushed along his arm for a moment before knicking him at the end.

 

"Oh, my poor little brother. If you weren't infected yourself, that little cut would've brought about an unbearable pain. Like I said, I'm not the only monster here."

Edited January 28, 2014 by zakku_uchiha

[Thaelasan]

He didn't hear much of the rest of the conversation. For once, Alan wasn't happy to be right.

The Omega, in its full state, was larger than anything any man had even seen before, even taller than three or four Behemoths. The original theory had been it was a mistake, a man who had gone completely cancerous and grown flesh on his body, devouring infected in order to grow.

Both theories could be correct.

Alan knew it from Erik. The boy would do anything to survive - that means Damien, or the Master, would do anything in order to suit his goals. He wouldn't have been surprised to discover the man infected himself with a mutated strain of the virus and then maybe even injected liquid Caldium to enhance the mutation.

Though he did make sure to listen to what was going on and kept himself alert, he kept eyeing MINA and the Master apprehensively. For once in a long time, he felt a hidden fear gripping his chest.

He hated it. It made him seem vulnerable. He was sure the Master - and perhaps even MINA - could sense his nervous tension. Yet he couldn't help it. Everyone he had met as a survivor - Walker, Phantom, TINA, Randall.. Fiona - they were all in one place. If this was a trap, all of them would be in danger.

Yet, they had followed Phantom out here regardless.

He was about to enter another train of thought when the Master mentioned Phantom's organs, in a way. Alan shrugged this one off pretty easily - the man was still a man, just as he had argued. Though Damien wanted to cause Erik psychological pain for sheer satisfaction, everyone knew the truth - Erik was still human because he wasn't Damien, because he wasn't willing to throw away everything he cared about for the sake of destroying hundreds in a bid for power.

Cities. Domes. Bunkers. People. The Omega carried the souls and sins of a thousand hundred men, women, and children upon its horrible body. The Master was a sick monstrosity. Instead of fear, fury began to swell within Alan. The very being which had crushed the Dome, broken countless survival outposts and towns, slain hundreds without cause, and broken communication between sectors stood before him, smiling and prancing about as if he was in complete control of the world.

If it wasn't for the group right here, he probably would have been. Alan wondered why he didn't just kill them. Was it simply for theatrics? Did he have a heart for drama and poetics?

Alan felt even more furious. Yet, if he showed it, the Master would probably just laugh at him for acting like a hero.

Bide your time, Alan. Phantom must be even more furious. You could even sense the poison in his words. For once, Phantom was showing sheer emotion - and it wasn't anything good. It was the venom of a snake biting back at the one who had stomped on its tail.

In a way, it was accurate. It made sense why the Omega had struck the Dome first, to kill or wound the only person who could ever pose a true threat to him - his own brother. Yet by doing so, he had been the Joker to Batman, the creator of his own protagonist. Due to his rage and vengeful spirit, Phantom had become a survivalist of untold amount, unable to forgive or forget.

Alan couldn't help but feel a slight bit honored he had survived long enough to assist in this climactic moment. The strongest and most talent men and women for miles around were grouped together here, in a war between two sides, the living and the dead. They were ambassadors for their own groups. Negotiations were impossible.

This was war. Now it was only a matter of when the first shot was fired.

Fiona laid a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. He knew why. Her scanners had picked up his increased heart rate and sweat production from earlier. He cursed himself for showing it, especially to either MINA or the Master.

And Phantom. For some reason, Alan felt obligated to live up to this boy's expectations. He was a critical boy - now a man - whose allies were ones who had earned his absolute trust. Alan felt that was a very large deal. He had allowed them to accompany him to the end of his story, or perhaps the very beginning, even though they were surely weaker than him.

Was it so someone could carry on his story if he failed? Heh, that's funny. If he died, no one else would escape, and he knew it. Therefore, it meant he had brought them simply because he could, or because he wished to.

Or, maybe he just did it because they wished to come. Alan had no idea what was going on behind the mask.

 

When Alan saw the bunker, he cursed. For some reason, it seemed familiar, even though he knew for a fact he'd never been here before. Undaunted, he moved to stand directly adjacent to Phantom, leading his own squad into this unknown territory.

After the Master had struck at Phantom, holding his face, Alan turned to them both, unconcerned.

"Is that any way for a host to treat his honored guests?" Alan said, unwavering. "You bring us out here to this hot-ass desert and then offer no medical treatment for poor Phantom's wounds? Why, I thought he was your brother? If this is the way you treat family, no wonder the two of you don't get along."

His outburst surprised Randall and Fiona, who prepared for the worst. Alan continued, without hesitation.

"It surprises me, in fact, that you two are from the same blood. I may not have known you as long, good Master Damien, but I do know that you're very different from Phantom here in multiple ways. I could even list them, should you obligate me to do so as you see fit. I also know that currently every doll here is calculating the odds of a fight between us in multiple situations without being told to. Isn't that odd?" he asked, grinning. "So, instead of petty combat between two brothers after a delightful meal, ending in some sort of climactic change in everything we know, for good or ill, and making this more like some sort of B-class Action movie from the 90s, I propose a different way of solving our conflict."

He stepped forward towards MINA. Fiona reached out to try to stop him but Randall held her back.

"Let 'im do it. I wanna see." Randall commented under his breath.

He tapped Mina's chest without feeling the slightest bit of embarrassment and grinned, placing an arm around her without concern for his own well-being.

"MINA here is an A-class doll, correct? Highest series you have? Greatest asset to this conflict you could possibly hope for? Willing to die for the cause? Crazy as the man from Silence of the Lambs but as endearing and loving as a puppy." he was sounding insane himself now, a smile crossing his face.

"But look. We have an A-class doll of our own. Dear TINA." he said, gesturing to her but treating her a bit more decently. "I'd guess that you, MINA, and dearest TINA really don't get along. Then that's perfect!"

He released MINA (if she hadn't already released herself. He wasn't paying attention.) and bowed to the Master Damien, smirking.

"If you would, I have a very good idea as to how to solve this conflict in a very fair and precise manner. We all know that if we were to simply 'duke it out', we'd never gain any ground for days. Your powers and MINA's are quite formidable but we sadly, in this story, are the heroes. But even if that's not true.. We do have quite a few talented soldiers with us, including your brother. Sooner or later, the tides would turn in favor of one side or the other, and people would die for nothing at all. So, here's my little idea."

He held out his hands.

"Tonight, at this dinner, I'm going to play a very difficult game - something only a Doll of TINA and MINA's calibers could possibly ever solve. TINA will represent Phantom, and MINA will represent you, of course. If you win, Phantom will inject himself with the same strain of virus you possess, which I know you still probably know how to make, and will proceed to assist you in the destruction of the world. Blah blah blah."

He turned, flipping on his heel.

"HOWEVER, should Phantom win, you will agree to undergo a series of tests in which I tear every bit of Omega out of you until you are nothing more than a man again, if you can even call yourself that after what you've done." he commented, holstering his gun.

He held up a finger before the Master could retort, smiling.

"If you're wondering if the game could perhaps be biased, it won't. It will be a simple, civil, and ENGLISH way of solving things."

He turned.

"We can think about it over dinner, of course, and if it does indeed come to blows then there's nothing for it. Still, I'd like to think you, Master Damien, don't actually wish to kill your brother. He'd be much more useful helping you claim this wretched world, correct?"

[Clown_of_God]

"Worry not, doctor, I had no intentions of fighting today. If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done so long ago and I have had a multitude of opportunities to remove you from this planet. For example, two years ago in Sector 3, that little shack you used as a hideaway until the military found you. Who do you think slowed their efforts?"

 

Damien shrugged nonchalantly, as if he was excusing any kind of gratitude that more than likely wasn't going to be given. At the same time, Phantom was slightly puzzled and unsure of what to think of Alan's recent display. MINA might be crazed and one of the antagonists of this story, but she was still modeled after his younger sister. Sighing, Phantom looked Damien in the eye for a moment before witnessing as he proofed away in a cloud of dark smoke, returning to where he had been standing moments prior.

 

"You speak of mistreatment, yet here you are poking at the flesh of our younger sister right before our eyes. Brothers bicker, it's what we do. Besides, he'll be fine, Erik's always been a tough nut to crack."

[Thaelasan]

(( for the record, Alan didn't touch her perversely. I realized I had said it wrong.

Think about it like when you pat a man on the shoulder from the front. In a way, he was touching her chest, but it was supposed to be like "Look here, this person, this one."

Not "POKING THE BREAST WITHOUT MERCY."

Alan wouldn't do that even if he did go insane. ))

 

Alan grunted.

"Perhaps. I'm not surprised that you've had us in your pocket this whole time." he admitted, shrugging. "After all, with the amount of power you possess, it wouldn't be hard."

[Clown_of_God]

((Patted her shoulder or something of that nature would've prevented the confusion. XP I'll get a post in soon. About to start dinner shift. Geez, this chow hall detail is ridiculous.))

[Clown_of_God]

"Master, if we don't go soon, the food will get cold."

 

"Indeed. I grow tired of this idle chit-chat. Let us move on to the dinner table and discuss more important matters and the reason I have brough you all here today. Of course, if you wish to leave, I am not stopping you from doing so. Nor will I stop the infected that reside just outside my perimeter, they don't like to get too close."

 

Damien smirked, the line of fangs within his maw gleaming in the light. Phantom looked at the others for a moment, his gaze locking onto theirs through the mask for just a brief moment before he returned his attention to Damien and MINA. TINA kept close to Phantom, in case anything out of the blue occurred she'd be there to retort.

 

"Are you sure we can trust them? This could very well be a trap that was carefully prepared to our specific abilities."

 

"It's just dinner and a discussion. If anything, we dolls can have a little fun while the men congregate. Besides, I've got a great game idea that I really wanna try out, but none of the humans had the skills necessary to participate properly."

 

((I'll add more in my next post. So, feel free to post something.))

[Thaelasan]

Alan shrugged nonchalantly. He was really enjoying this now. For some reason, standing on the precipice of death..

IT WAS THRILLING. Exciting! Instead of fear, he was now completely and utterly engrossed in whatever was going on around him. His mind was running a mile a minute, sort of like a Doll's when considering RNGs (Random Number Generators.)

He now had a bit more information to work with when dealing with this... Master. The man was sardonic, of course, but he had a much larger plan in store for all of them.

Just what was it? Alan needed more information to go on, and Damien knew it. He was giving them little threads of information to entice them, drawing them together and forcing them to deal with his eccentricities.

For a moment, he slowed so he could look at the sky.

If there is a God, he must be watching this intensely. he mused softly to himself.

He stepped forward, Fiona at his right, Randall slightly behind him to his left.

"'Ey. Do we have any connection out here or entertainment? Hell, reruns would be nice. I had an old TV set back in the lab, you know. It wasn't easy to get that to work." he said, frowning. "I hope yer only planned entertainment wasn't yer own pretty face, Master-man."

Alan chuckled inwardly.

[Kjakings]

Walker turned his head and gave MINA his most baleful stare.

"I could eat. I have fully functioning taste buds, and besides, I'd very much like to keep your Master," a small sneer turned the word as though it were the greatest insult Walker could muster, "within my line of sight, as it were. Seeing as I am a Series IV Doll, or rather the Series IV Doll, all of me is a weapon. So I don't feel like leaving my guns outside." He said, blanking her and stepping forward with the humans. Ghost of Phantom's past or not, he had seen the slaughter at the Dome and would very much like to spend some time doing a live dissection of her frame and abilities, all in the name of science of course.

[Thaelasan]

(( Kja. Alan didn't even go that far. ))

[Clown_of_God]

((Sorry I haven't responded. Been having a stupid busy week.))

[Clown_of_God]

"Oh? A Series IV, huh? Not only that, but you claim to be THE Series IV doll. Well, that's fine and dandy and all, but I feel like my core alone is enough to short out your circuits. Fry them actually, but then what fun would that be?"

 

Mina had teleported directly behind Walker, running a finger over his armor as she spoke her last few words. Letting the heat of her breath intertwine with sparks of electricity as it brushed against the back of Walker's neck. However, before he could physically respond to her mockery and act rashly to her actions, she resumed her spot next to her Master's side and stuck out her tongue.

 

"Such hostility. If you seek entertainment, link your mind with mine and I will show you an entertaining foundation upon the hundreds of thousands of minds that I have to track on a consistent basis. Television is an irrelevant obstacle and your mockery of my generosity is rather displeasing. Doctor Alan, please control your partner lest he wishes to become my main entree. Lastly, Sir Walker, I understand your mistrust of me, but I will not allow you to enter my sanctuary. Even MINA will remain outside while we converse on the subject matter."

 

Phantom looked at TINA for a moment, an insecure feeling twisting in his gut, but knowing his brother and the way he was prior to this madness. If Walker forced his way inside, not only would Damien cease to inform them of anything, but there was a chance he would act rashly and violently. Damien was never one to be peaceful about his work. With how he was now, Phantom was willing to bet that Damien was actually restraining himself and had been for a while.

 

"Brother, I understand and respect your decision for a hostile free environment, but the dolls need to eat and recharge as well. If anything happens, I'll take full responsibility and adhere to whatever commands you give. In return, I only ask that you would allow them to leave safely."

 

Damien seemed to take a moment a put so e thought into it. Suddenly he began to chuckle, his sharp teeth gleaming in the light of the setting sun.

 

"Oh, how noble of you, Erik, but I have need of all of you. Hence why I brought you all here alive. Were it just you I need, Doctor Alan, Mr. Randall and FIONA would've been eradicated shortly after they left Sector 1. You know, before it collapsed? TINA, I could've used her as a bargaining chip to bring you here after I failed to secure you at the Dome. Back when everything, besides that right eye of yours, was still human tissue. Still, seeing as how you are my guests, I will allow everyone to enter, but if anything happens you will bear witness as I consume everyone right in front of you. Tearing whatever hope you had left to shreds as you lose everyone that was so dear to you once again. Alright! Let's have some steak."

 

Phantom shivered at the thought of losing everyone again and to the monster that was his brother. Everything Damien did was psychological warfare. He knew that were it anything else that eradicated those precious to Phantom that he would still manage to get back on his feet. However, the simple fact that they shared the same blood and were tied together, Phantom would be overburdened by grief and responsibility of his brother's actions. Simply, Phantom would become a mindless husk.

 

"I will not let him separate us again and I'm sure the others wouldn't go down without a fight either. So, remember, you are not alone and you will never be alone again. We are here for you and we have chosen to fight alongside you. Don't let him get in your head. That monster is no longer your brother and has no say of what you can and can't do."

 

TINA interlaced her fingers with Phantom's and he felt at ease, as if nothing else mattered anymore. Taking a few deep breaths, Phantom continued into the building with Damien, TINA at his side and the others following behind him.

 

"Let's begin this discussion, I'm tired of waiting."

 

"My thoughts exactly."

[Thaelasan]

Alan grimaced. He hated being spoken of as if he couldn't even have put up a decent fight. He would have been damn sure to remove one of the MASTER'S eyes before he died, if it had been that way.

If this had been Steins;Gate, Alan wondered if he would have moved timelines like that. What timeline were they in currently? Was it a good one?

Okabe, how I wish I could have been as insane as you were.

He walked down the path, following the Master without much pause. FIONA grabbed his hand firmly, suddenly, her eyes wide.

"I just thought about what would happen if you died." she whispered fearfully. "I'd have to live with Randall."

"Oh god no." Alan laughed, patting her hand.

"What's wrong with living with me?!" Randall grunted, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm a good cook, I'll have you know. I can clean like no other man can. I got skills in the woods."

"I see." Alan rubbed his chin.

The three continued to follow the rest of the group into the sanctuary, each of them anticipating what could be in store.

[Clown_of_God]

As the group came into the dining area, Phantom was surprised to see the intricate set-up before him. A table that could easily sit twenty or more people, like the ones described in stories of old where kings feasted after a glorious victory, sat centered in the unusually large room. Not only were the plates already set, but nameplates designated each persons specific spot at the table. Damien sat at the head of the table, not that it came as a surprise, but MINA's placement in correspondence was unusual. Instead of at his side, MINA sat at the opposite end of the table, as if she were the opposing ruler who was challenging the King for his spot. Phantom and TINA sat in the center of the table along the far side, closest to the wall, while Alan and his group sat at the quarter section of the table on the close side and the closest to Damien. Lastly, Walker sat at the third quarter section on the close side and closest to MINA.

 

Steaming food was payed out on a conveyer line in the center of the table and each person had their own personal drink already poured into their cups. Phantom speculated that MINA had done some research prior to this 'feast' as to determine what each person favored. He could smell the wine, the tea, the coffee, the blood. Only Damien's place at the table was void of any silverware or dishes, with the exception of his own glass that was filled with the thick red substance that must have come from one of the missing bodies of Phantom's crew.

 

"Well, go ahead and sit and fill your plates. You must be famished by now and I worked really hard not only preparing this meal, but finding unspoiled resources to make it with. Did you know the West Coast has a wall extending from the Southern Peninsula allll the way to that frigid wasteland in the North? It's well over a hundred meters tall and it's pretty solid too? Even Mikeal would have a hard time making a dent in it and he's probably our strongest Alpha-class."

 

So, the West Coast was free of infection or was she implying that it had been free until her arrival there?

 

"Master told me to just grab what was needed and leave, so I couldn't play with any of the fancy people over there. Oh! Do you know who I saw, though? He's still ripping off your work and the quality is not near as good, but I must say the improvements he's made since three years ago is quite astounding. Most of the defensive line is made up of 'Series VI' dolls. Ain't that funny? Series VI and the best improvements he's made is their durability. Aegithium is the name of the material he uses and it seems quite durable. They aren't terribly strong, but a Buckler, a Digger's maw, even a Titan didn't mangle the thing like his previous models. So, what do you think of that, Big Brother?"

 

Phantom was silent for a moment, processing the information MINA had just shared. So, that man was alive and still ripping off his work even now. Not that it mattered. After all, Erik Night, the creator of the dolls, was deceased. Crushed under the rubble of the Dome during the Omega's attack, during Damien's supposed retrieval mission that had left hundreds dead and even more injured. What intrigued Phantom the most was this Aegithium, an experimental alloy that Erik was helping develop. Its very name was a play on Aegis, the shield of the Greek god Zeus and goddess Athena. Originally, it was meant replace the armor plating used in the military, but the project was dropped halfway through when Type X began production.

 

"It's both a stab in the chest, knowing that man still lives and claims my work, but it's also fascinating at his own progression with what little research of mine he obtained. Aegithium was theorized to be 'Man's greatest alloy.' A joke we used during its development. However, using some of the research I obtained during that time period led me to developing the material I used for your frames and my limbs. Still, with these Series VI models you speak of, humanity probably has a much better chance against the infected than we ever did."

 

"Is that so?"

 

"Alright, now that we are here, please sit and enjoy your food. Also, I'd like to begin our discussion with my first point. Erik, Alan, Randall as the representatives and unmarked leaders of humanity within our section of the world, I propose a truce between what remains of humanity and the infected under my control. Leading to my next point and the main reason I brought you all here, I want to create more beings like myself. Erik, you've been playing god since before this infection began. That eye, those limbs, the dolls that roam this world, even the augments in my brain are all your doing. The reason I am still human is because of these augments. Why, your theory and the doctors hard work in the actual development process is what made the Omega. So, when it all boils down, you three are my creators as well."

[Thaelasan]

Alan had sat in silence, absorbing all of the information with a hunger. Randall sat to his left - FIONA to his right, nearer to MINA. Alan suspected MINA actually had some sort of hidden desire to be nearer to those of her own kind but it could have easily been reversed placement.

Aegithium, huh? His inner desire for research began to grow again. He hadn't felt this sort of avarice for knowledge for about two years now. A strange metal alloy? Used for durability? What was its tensile strength? What was its melting point and freezing point? How light was it in solid form? Liquid? Viscosity? Density?

God the variables he wanted the answers to.

As the conversation went on, Alan's brain's gears began to revolve smoothly. A wall? He'd heard rumors of it - a wall built within a week, just before the infection broke out. It had apparently been solely based on a cultist prophet's prediction of a great apocalypse. Somehow, the crazed man had been correct.

But a man still alive there creating VI dolls? Hold on a moment.

He rubbed his forehead casually but in reality he was trying hard to smooth out the complicated thoughts running through his mind. Dr. Leonards was dead. He had to be. It couldn't be him they were talking about, correct?

He groaned, leaning back in his chair. He had noticed something about Phantom and the Master's patterns of speech. Damien seemed very sure of himself but not just because of his abilities. From how they communicated, Alan could tell that Damien didn't desire any sort of conflict with his brother. As he had suspected, Damien wanted his brother to work with him again to achieve some sort of greater goal. For some reason, Alan didn't believe it to be World Domination.

For a moment, Alan saw himself in Damien, a man with a hunger for seeing just how much a human being can be advanced upon - just how much God could be played before he took his cards back home. A man with an intellect of extraordinary capability. He had to admit - Damien was intelligent. If it wasn't for his sardonic personality and unethical methods of experimentation, he probably could have aided in creating the drug which Alan had attempted to make before the outbreak.

Alan thought about that for a moment. What IF Damien - and perhaps even Phantom - in another timeline had been researchers helping with the development of the immortality serum? He considered the scenario for a while, musing while everyone else continued to converse. They probably would have succeeded, making the outbreak never occur and changing the course of history forever.

He'd already decided the cause of the outbreak - his immortality serum had been a catalyst for a normal virus present in a majority of the people who had taken it. It seemed to only occur when in human bodies, and Alan had decided this was because a human body is a natural incubator for a large amount of virus - even when the virus isn't doing anything at all.

Combined with body heat and a radioactive chemical, the virus in a good amount of people mutated into a quickly reproducing cancerous monstrosity. Yet it had no hive mind.

The immortality serum was probably a base for Damien's research, which made Alan slightly forlorn. His own work, used to create the Omega. His suspicions were confirmed by Damien himself when the man sat down and began to speak.

Alan waited for him to finish. He then took a sip of his coffee and mused over the information before he began to talk himself.

"Now that I'm a bit settled.." he stated, placing the cup back down. "Let us have an actual intellectual conversation. By the way, this coffee is almost sinful. I would like to know the coffee beans used and whatnot later on, if that's not a problem."

He coughed a moment, then leaned forward with his fingers crossed, hands on the table in front of him - his natural declarative pose. It was one he had learned from his father. It exhibited to others that he was about to discuss something important and something which carried weight.

"For one thing, I have a request - I wish to know more about this Aegithium, if we are to work together at all." he explained. "After all, my expertise lies solely in Caldium, which seems to be a conflicting material. Aegithium must be some sort of ductile and powerful alloy while Caldium is normally a brittle but chemically strong material. Caldium could also be classified as a nonmetal but it contains properties of a metal.

For another thing, Dr. Leonards. I'm assuming he's who you were talking about. If that's the case, I would be more than happy to take his life myself." Alan stated coldly.

"Thirdly, whether we join with you or not, I will admit it is one of my top priorities to get a sample of both your Omega mutation serum and some of your DNA, if you would be so kind, Master Damien. In return, I will give you all information relative to Caldium that you don't know, if you haven't already researched it on your own. I will also be glad to have you observe my research in case you're worried I will attempt to construct an antidote. That won't be my goal. If it was, I would say it when I began." he said.

"My goal is simple - knowledge. Information. If your goal isn't to randomly kill and slaughter all of humanity, then your goal doesn't conflict with mine. As such, rather than being petty about what you've done, I'm actually intrigued in starting over. I've considered your intelligence level as well as Phantom's, and if we actually did attempt to research and create something as a group, we would most likely develop something incredibly beneficial to humanity. Your infected could also be used as troops to rebuild civilization, though that's just my inner desire for poetic justice speaking." he grinned.

"But I digress, that's truly my only desire, besides being near my wife and my pseudo-brother. As long as those conditions are met and people aren't harmed for no reason, I would be perfectly willing to assist you in whatever endeavors you undertake. Perhaps it's naïve but that's how I've always been. I'm a researcher - not a savior. I do, however, value human life and I despise when it is taken for no purpose other than to take it." he stated robustly.

"I can also tell the Omega serum hasn't yet been perfected. Oh, perhaps it has to your specifications but not according to efficiency. Regardless of how human your mind is and how good of a control you have over your body, you're still dangerously unstable. From what I've seen, you require human flesh or blood in order to continue to keep control of your form, to satiate the hunger of the monster within you. As such, the sheer amount of willpower you must be exerting in order to prevent yourself from killing us is one reason why I'm intrigued in your truce. Why would you want to expose yourself to such stimuli which could lead to you losing control?" he wondered, leaning forward slightly.

"Whatever the reason, it's not important. The true important thing here is deciding what you really want to do, if we help you, and your plan for doing it. Consider, for a moment, that we join you willingly and devote our minds and bodies to assisting you in your plans. What would your plan of action be, with your army of mindless zombies and your power of the Omega? World domination? More destruction for no known purpose? Or do you simply wish to have power so that no one can ever call you weak?" he tapped his fingers together, curious.

He then leaned even further forward, so that he was staring almost only at Damien, unabashed.

"I want to research MINA and TINA, and Aegithium, so that I can not only create new implants and advancements but so that Fiona can become stronger and more protected." he admitted, giving her a glance. "I may not be physically powerful but I've made up for that. I will defend her from whatever happens and I won't lose her again."

He leaned backward again, taking another drink from his mug so that he could have another moment to think.

"However, I am quite curious. Phantom never mentioned another unknown alloy. Such information could have been vital or beneficial to know early on so that we could have created some form of countermeasure, especially with his expertise. Oh! That reminds me."

He turned to MINA, rubbing his chin.

"Her teleportation." he finally said, turning back to Damien. "Considering her body weight and mass, the energy required to transmit her particles through space would most likely be too large to store in even the greatest energy units we've invented. I know that the Series V dolls have very high-powered energy units because of TINA and other research but even that wouldn't be enough for such frivolous teleportation. I also considered that she could be doing what Fiona does - using her energy to speed up her feet so that she can quickly get from one place to another, but that would still take a good amount of energy over time."

He grunted, pausing for thought.

"What I'm assuming, and correct me if I'm wrong - if you would - is that MINA doesn't have a power unit inside of her at all. She uses the energy from this Dome to power herself using wireless transmitting, which gives her access to an unlimited amount of power. This would also explain why her combat abilities are so advanced. Without a restraint on her power, she wouldn't have to worry about conserving it. This would give her the ability to experiment with new fighting methods."

He then stopped again, rubbing his chin in deep, pensive thought.

"Wait, that couldn't be possible. The energy could get lost in transit during her teleportation, making her lose particles whenever she moved from point A to point B. She'd lose an arm or leg and have to retrieve it somewhere along a linear vector. That wouldn't be efficient." he sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"But I refuse to believe that she can simply use solar power and a Series V energy unit alone to do something like that. If you've invented a new overly-capable energy unit for her, then you're far more intelligent than I gave you credit for, and that's saying quite a bit. We may not have began on equal terms but I respect equal minds, and I hope you consider me of a high intellect as well. After all, men with power should be appraised based on their mentality. Strength of the body is incomparable to strength of the mind. The mind is infinite, unending, and vast. If you consider me a worthy representative of humanity, then I hope I show that not every human is a fool with ambition."

He leaned back in his chair again.

"Let's see, back to the topic of MINA..." he sipped his drink. "I'll pretend, for a moment, that you did indeed develop a stronger power unit. Perhaps this is part of the research you wish to work on with our help? Alright, then that makes sense.

However, if you didn't develop a stronger power unit, the other variable in this equation is the teleportation unit. My current hypothesis is that you developed it yourself, since I don't think TINA has it. If she does, I apologize for my ignorance. I wish that she had shown it to me before." he turned to her, sheepish.

"If that's the case, then you would have had to factor in the kinetic and thermal energy fluxes that occur when such a device is activated. It would have to first break down the user into molecules, rearrange them, and then transport them to a set location within its database based on coordinates. For a doll, it would be quite simple to quickly locate a location, put in its coordinates, and jump to it in a matter of a second, far faster than a normal human. This would explain why you're not using it yourself, as far as I can see. If you did, you'd need a power unit as well. Perhaps you're also working on developing one of those?

I'm also guessing the teleportation unit is integrated into her system and isn't a device you use by pressing a button by hand. If it was, I would have probably seen it by now. This would also assist in quick use of the device whenever necessary. This could also mean the device has a separate charge. My third theory is exactly that - that the device itself contains a battery unit separate from MINA's with a specific number of charges. MINA probably also has multiple power units rather than the average two, meaning they would recharge more quickly and be able to produce large amounts of energy at once. If that's the case, you would have had to worry about overcharge, so she probably-.."

His eyes brightened when things began to link together.

"Aegithium is an insulator, isn't it?" he turned to MINA, grinning. "It can handle large amounts of charge without heating to a melting point, the only alloy that could handle the power used in a teleportation device. That would explain why this Aegithium is so important - more MINAs could be invented, perhaps against the Infected. That's why you're trying to keep people from delving into your research. Teleporting dolls would be a great weapon against the undead hordes, wouldn't they?"

His mind was racing now. So many theories. He didn't want to be wrong but he couldn't help it. He needed answers.

"For another thing, you could make more MINAs yourself if you had the materials. You'd need a large amount of Aegithium, perhaps by using us to make it? Maybe you want to find a way to incorporate Caldium into them? Damien, I'm definitely interested in this research. Ignoring your crimes, this seems like a very large development in technology that surpasses even the atomic bomb. With this technology, we could even work on a path that lead to the creation of a time machine..."

He grinned, excited.

"The path of H.G. Wells, finally realized!" he clapped his hands together again, clutching them together tightly. "Ah, the thrilling invention of time transportation! But again, it's all just theory."

He sighed, taking another drink.

"Besides, it all depends on Phantom's cooperation and most of it depends on your actual objectives. I've been honest in my desires. I hope you're willing to be the same. After all, none of us have anything to gain from playing charades. The world's gone to hell and the people are crazy. Some of the only sane people are sitting here eating dinner in the middle of a wasteland. My life has probably already reached its limit of insanity. Let's not continue the games." he waved his hand dismissively. "If you want our help, then please, Master Damien, tell us exactly what it is you want, and if you can, answer the questions I've posed to you. In return, as I've said, I'll attempt to give you any information you don't already know."

Edited February 6, 2014 by Thaelasan

[Clown_of_God]

"Slow down, old man, I understand your probably very intrigued by my alterations to Erik's work, but there's limited credit as to what I can take. Indeed, I developed the transportation module you've more than likely seen MINA use on multiple occasions. I also reworked Erik's original core unit so the power output could handle what my transportation module requires. Well, when I say reworked, I mean I had to develop a whole new core unit. Erik's core had so many limiters emplaced that required a vocal security clearance that I couldn't access the remaining power from the core. I'm guessing it's the same with TINA, where her core is restricted from fully accessing untold amounts of energy, merely for safety reasons. Am I right?"

 

Phantom shrugged and looked at TINA, her face full of wonder and confusion. Not even she knew the amount of energy she could access if Phantom unlocked her core. Still, it was dangerous to unlock. Even now the amount of energy TINA outputs is enough to restore power to an entire apartment complex and that was just the excess. His development of the core was primarily for the mending capabilities of the metal his Series V had, alone the material would just be a dense alloy that could take exceedingly high amounts of stress. With the core, the inner workings of their frame was like mercury and it continuously flowed through the hollow cavity within the frame. So, when a section was damaged, the alloy would 'bleed' and mend the effected area.

 

"I'm guessing that's one of the reasons you require my aid. You wish for to unlock the restraints because, despite the strength of the core you developed, mine would be much more efficient."

 

"Oh, Erik, I give you too much credit sometimes. Precisely, even with my knowledge of your works, I was still unable to replicate the construction process of your core, so I built a modified variant using Caldium. As for Aegithium, you'll have to go to the West coast and ask the man yourself if you wish to research it more in depth."

 

Phantom grimaced at the thought of unlocking the core, but MINA was his creation and his sister. Caldium in her core, despite the efficiency of its explosive nature would eventually hinder her functioning's and processing abilities. Despite what things she had done, she was still his work and he didn't want to see her destroyed.

 

"You don't understand the dangerous energy outputs her core would be capable of. Its purpose was to be a failsafe, to eliminate all of the infected in the city if that time ever came. With two going off at the same time, there would be a power influx and a tremendous reaction that could clear the entire state. There are five limiters emplaced, each set with a different code as to prevent a voice replication device from unlocking the remaining limiters. Also, if the device were to fail with an unlock code after five attempts, the core would commence a contained purge and cease to function."

 

MINA looked defeated when Phantom informed them of a voice replication process and the results of failing. Damien had no intent, but MINA was gonna take it upon herself if Phantom refused to assist. When she looked at TINA, MINA noticed the scowl and knew that TINA knew she was up to something. Looking down, she began to fiddle with the peas on her plate with a fork.

 

"We'll discuss more of that topic on a later note. Anyway, Dr. Alan, you wish to know why I see you as a fitting candidate to represent humanity, correct? It's your knowledge on Caldium and that uncanny ability to theorize so many possible solutions in a short amount of time. As you just demonstrated with MINA's transportation unit. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but during the development of Type X, the drug that started this massacre, Caldium was the catalyst responsible for the destabilization of the neural network. This is essentially what led to the rampancy and rabid state of mind that those affected underwent, correct? Furthermore, because of this drug, the human body remains fully functional despite taking typically lethal wounds. Of course, with precision, if certain sections of the brain were destroyed or the medulla was severed then the infected would die. In response, this leads me to believe that Caldium reacts negatively to neural transitions and, in response, attacks the source of these signals. What do you say, Dr. Alan?"

[Thaelasan]

Alan had, admittedly, been taking a few deep breaths after the last "paragraph" of his speech. Although he had been taking drinks to hide this - since taking large, obvious breaths between each verse would have been embarrassing - his lungs still called to him to fill them. He coughed, after a moment, and cleared his mind.

"I apologize. It's because the very symbol of the enemy I've been facing for years is sitting in front of me now, and I actually have no true desire to attempt to end his life." he admitted, shrugging. "For one thing, you are not just a random fool with ambition, as I've said. For another, honestly this entire situation has been... fun."

The last word he said after much thought, turning to look at Randall and Fiona in turn.

"I feel terrible saying it but all these years of surviving have been alongside my wife, and recently Randall. I've had to shoot countless numbers of mindless abominations but the thrill of adrenaline and fear was... an adventure. From an economical standpoint, in the event we decided to get rid of the infected, we could always create a tournament where people shot them for points." he grinned, chuckling.

"Oh, please, I'm not sane either." he grunted. "No one would be after what we've been through. Sooner or later, it's life."

He leaned back in his seat, rubbing his chin again. The recent information he had just picked up changed a lot of things he had filed away in his mind. If one actually bothered to look, it was almost as if you could see mini-versions of the doctor scurrying about his mind moving the files around as quickly as possible.

"Alright, let's see if I can make this quick, unlike before." he smiled in a friendly manner. He leaned forward and grabbed a napkin and then grabbed a pen from his coat pocket.

"Before I begin, let me say, quite honestly, that I'm immensely flattered that you used my research and my element to develop something on that scale." he said sincerely, pleased. "However, I'm sure Phantom is also aware, the element is far too brittle in its solid state to be conductive. It's a catalyst, basically right up there with uranium and plutonium. To use it as some sort of conductor would be fine on a simple scale, I suppose, but to use it too frequently with great amounts of energy would make it grow too hot and eventually cause it to emit particles, in the worst case. Although unlike Uranium it's stable enough in its natural state to prevent a short half-life, if it's given too much energy I have no idea what it'd be capable of. Nothing at our labs could produce the outputs you two -" he gestured at Phantom and Damien respectively, " - have been able to achieve."

He then turned to the napkin and began to sketch - quite artistically, if it had mattered - Caldium and what appeared to be some small biological creature.

"This is, of course, Caldium, and this is a virus. From what I understand, the virus used the instability of Caldium to power up its own evolution but Viruses always have a goal. In this case, unluckily for us... it was a virus that attacks the brain, which means that's where the source of the main tissue lies. In the event of a neural transition, in your terms, the infected tissue would be separated and the main corruption would be removed. The body wouldn't die, it would just have nothing left to keep it going." he explained, tapping the napkin.

"In short, the body of the infected are COMPLETELY dependent upon the virus fueling them... all except you."

Suddenly, his eyes lit up and his mouth went agape.

"That's why they follow you. The Virus sees your mental capacity and tells the other viruses to follow in kind.... Extraordinary."

[Clown_of_God]

"Doctor, is there a chance that you might be implying that the viruses themselves might have, for lack of a better term, ranking structure similar to that as a pride of lions or is that just me theorizing again? For example, my Alpha's and my Behemoth's, if I were to let the wander about free of my control, do you know what they would do? Absolutely nothing. During my own growth as the Omega, my control was very limited, but my mind was linked with all the others already. As I gained a sense of dominance over the monster within me is when I was able to grasp control over the bigger variants. Now that I think about it, maybe it's more like how ants all have various tasks. Walkers, Runners, Jumpers and the small lot like them are my worker ants. Then there's the Maulers, Tankers, and Diggers that act more as my warrior ants. Reapers and Hunters I have no real control over, but I have found that they are actually quite intelligent. Now, why would you think there would be so many different variants about, despite being induced with the same drug?"

 

While Damien conversed with Alan, MINA huffed and stood abruptly from her chair, making it obvious that she was bored. Storming out, she stopped abruptly to look at Damien and advise him of what she was doing.

 

"I'm going to play outside. Call me back when the game starts, if it starts, but your boring sciency conversation is stupid. You should hurry up and tell them what it is you're really after instead of evading the topic with this idle chit-chat."

 

With that, she vanished in a puff of sparks. Phantom was now interested in what MINA meant by 'what you're really after' and locked his gaze on Damien. TINA scooted closer to him and said he should probably at least eat, but his mind was elsewhere. Damien hadn't left that many clues, but something was fishy and he had definitely lured Alan into his grasp. Of course, Damien was aware of this and began to chuckle, sipping at his own cup before standing with his arms spread wide.

 

"With your help, not only can we rebuild this world, but we could repopulate it with a new species that is far superior to mankind. With Erik's technology, Alan's knowledge on Caldium and the experiences I have been through as the Omega, we can make a new race using the remaining human populace. We would be the gods and our rule would be absolute. What do you say?"

[Thaelasan]

"Exactly!" Alan exclaimed at Damien's first statement. "I didn't mean to infer a pride of lions. Even ants have a ranking structure based on females! Bees as well, the very essence of a hive mind. What I'm inferring is that you, as an individual, have either somehow gained dominance over the virus' hive mind, have BECOME the hive mind, or simply have gained their support. Whatever the case may be, all of their minds are somehow linked to yours, and it's the virus that tells them what to do. With Reapers and Hunters, however... I'll explain it thusly."

He thought for a moment before continuing.

"Think of the Infected as a small little control group demonstrating survival of the fittest. Because the humans that mutated were different, the variants they became were different. Who KNOWS just how many of them there were before they began fighting amongst each other? Before you became the Omega, I remember there being fierce territorial fighting amongst the unintelligent Infected, just as lizards or even humans are apt to do. The ones we see today are just as different as the animals you see in the wild - they're the ones whose abilities made them dominant over the others of their species, ensuring they killed the humans they tracked." he grimaced ominously. "You became a sort of... strange mutation. I still have no idea if it was the amount you injected or what you developed, but through either good research or force of will, you still have control over it. I can't fathom how."

When MINA stormed out, he wasn't surprised. In fact, he seemed to smirk. They were all as he had thought.

Then Damien finally made the broad statement that surprised Alan. He had been sure domination of the world wasn't Damien's main goal - it wouldn't be fitting for his kind of person. This couldn't be what MINA meant, right? But... it wasn't exactly domination anyway. It was repopulation, with a new species. He supposed that made sense... but still..

"IF.. IF that's truly your goal in all of this.." Alan said after a long moment, his tone truly serious. "IF the only thing you desire is to repopulate this broken world with a new race and place it underneath a suitable infrastructure, and IF that means that human life will also be considered sacred under this new rule, then I say I have no qualms against it. As I said, I'm a scientist, not a hero or a savior. I know my place in this story quite well."

He looked at Phantom with a small smile, winking.

"The true voice of decision here is Phantom. Though I may be intelligent and have people behind me, Phantom's word carries the most weight, wouldn't you agree? Here, it's more brother and brother working together, and I'd be more than happy to support it so long as it was an ethical bond. Perhaps you're different from the supposed movie villains and ACTUALLY desire betterment of our current situation?"

He crossed his arms appraisingly. Throughout all of this, both Fiona and Randall had remained silent, their faces changing with reactions but not uttering a single sound. They were allowing Alan to speak his mind and trust that he knew what he was doing. Hopefully, that would mean something to Damien and Phantom should they actually notice it happenstance.

"I'm serious." Alan shrugged. "Those are my conditions, if you truly want my assistance. A peaceful coalition, an advanced race, and a bright future after this bleak present. If that is truly all you're after, then you have my full cooperation in this matter. As I said, if you're honest, I'll be honest."

He took another sip of his drink thoughtfully.

"And if you're lying, God help us all." he said quietly.

[Clown_of_God]

"Human life would be sacred, it's his source of food. If he eradicated every last human, with the exception of our own group, he wouldn't be able to feed properly and would probably lose control. So, I have two theories: one, he has a group of dolls strictly meant for reproduction purposes and has created a 'human farm' within this facility, or, two, those who live on the West Coast are actually the ones he farms off of and everyone else will be eradicated. In other words, anyone within his realm is a guinea pig meant solely for the creation of this 'superior' race he has in mind."

 

Phantom never turned his gaze away from Damien, wishing to witness any falter in Damien's superior stance. Of course, Damien never gave Phantom the courtesy of viewing him in a defeated moment. Instead, he began to chuckle, progressing into a hysterical laugh like he had just heard a ridiculous joke. Sighing, Damien returned Phantom's gaze, his serrated teeth gleaming in the light as he flashed a wicked grin.

 

"You sure MINA didn't get her perceptive capabilities from you? Why, you hit both nails on the head with only one swing or more appropriately you nailed two birds with one stone. Ever since MINA discovered what they had done on the West Coast, I've had her retrieve the weaker beings off the street of which I now use to establish my 'farm' as you call it. Domination is a frivolous word and I don't think my objectives exactly match the conditions required for such a thing. Rather, this world will be the ash that the Phoenix ascends from after I have purged the insects from it."

 

"So, this treaty you proposed..."

 

"Was to bring in willing lab rats to complete my research. Erik, you could be the leader of this new world and the king of the human's I leave behind. All we have to do is-"

 

"No!"

 

Phantom stood and slammed his fist on the table, shattering the area and sending splinters flying about. Damien wasn't surprised, but he didn't look as ecstatic as he was just a few moments ago. MINA then returned to his side, her fists and legs covered with spattered blood and a grin stretching across her face.

 

"Is it play time?"

 

"Unless Erik has a change of mind and wishes to help, I believe it is play time."

 

"Well, Big Brother, will you join us and watch as the world changes?"

 

As soon as Phantom shook his head, declining the offer, TINA lurched from her seat just in time to block MINA's attack. Phantom pulled his hood up and pulled a pistol from his belt, not wasting any time from aiming to pulling the trigger only to watch reluctantly as the bullet shifted its trajectory and pinged off the wall.

 

"I would appreciate it if you didn't start fighting in the dining room! We're taking this outside."

 

Phantom didn't have time to react when all of a sudden the world whizzed past him and he found himself outside just moments later. Randall and Alan were nearby while FIONA, Walker, and TINA were probably with MINA somewhere else. As if to confirm this theory, a cloud of dirt, dust and debris sprockets into the air a good mile or two away. Suddenly, his sensor pinged and moments later he could feel himself floating for a moment before crashing through the sand.

 

"I gave you a chance, Erik, but you pulled a gun on me. Threatening your host could get you killed, you know? You should really be more courteous."

 

A second attack sent Phantom airborne once again and it left him gasping for air after he landed. If Damien was going to kill him, why not just transform into the Omega and get it over with or was he just being toyed with right now? If the air in his lungs ever returned, he would tell Alan to take the others and leave, but he felt like a sack. His body felt heavy and the world was starting to spin. All he could do was hope Alan wouldn't be rash and escape from here while there was still a chance.