Infected

[Thaelasan]

Alan had considered that possibility in his subconscious, of course, somewhere along the lines.

Yet, due to his naïve nature, he hadn't considered it truly. In fact, it had been one of the first he had hoped was completely erroneous.

Damien's tone, however, finally sealed the letter of death - they were lab rats, not assistants. They would run in his maze until they proved themselves or failed and were left to die. In either case, he was the one who got the most out of it all.

"Very well, I suppose-" he began, but suddenly was cut off with Phantom's outburst and violent reactions. Surprised, all three of the members of Alan's group stood from their seats, Alan and Fiona immediately taking defensive stances while Randall was still fiddling with his gun.

"Damned thing is stuck-" he cursed, just before the world was turned upside down.

For but a nanosecond in the span of existence, Alan felt completely weightless and separate from the world. Every fear, bit of pain, happiness, anger, depression, joy, laughter... they were gone, replaced by a special void which was... was it him? Or was he in it?

He seemed to be going in a direction. What direction?

Fiona?

 

----

 

He coughed. He had landed, HARD, AGAIN, for the second time that day. This time, however, he felt he wasn't alone. To his left was Phantom, currently already on his feet. To his right was Randall.

Randall was out cold. Alan immediately remembered how each of them had been standing when they had been transported. Randall had been leaning on his gun, fidgeting with it. When he had teleported, he must have fallen on it, knocking himself unconscious.

Goddammit!

He leapt to his feet almost immediately, grabbing Randall around the waist and shaking him while staring at Damien angrily. The man was kicking his brother around like a ragdoll, spouting in his face with sardonic pleasure and anger. But, that was anger.

Damien could no longer keep up his façade. Suddenly, Alan had a very dangerous, but very plausible idea. Damien had a limit on his willpower. Sooner or later, he would lose his mind. The Omega was strong, yes, but only truly powerful because of its intelligence.

If Damien were to truly go insane... But how?

More Caldium? Perhaps. More anger? Yes. But how? The only person who could anger him was Phantom, and the man could barely speak.

But Alan couldn't just sit back and watch the man get pounded into the sand, even if he knew that Erik would want him to flee. Erik was the hero here, but Alan was going to support him. He had already said that once.

"Wake up, you dumb old ***!" Alan cursed, surprisingly, slapping Randall. "This is no time for napping!"

"Eh?" Randall coughed, shocked. "What's 'appenin'."

"What do you think?!" Alan grabbed Randall's face and forced him to look. He then turned him back to him.

"Wait, where's..." Randall began, concerned.

Alan suddenly became VERY frightened.

"Fiona...?" he said weakly. Where was she? Had Damien already... No... NO. NOT AGAIN. NEVER. NEVER AGAIN.

He stood to his feet, his entire body shaking. This was his goddamn limit. He was tired of the bull**** games, the lies, the cheats, and that ****ING SMIRK. OH how he wanted to rip the lips off of that sick prick!

He knew what he could do to help Phantom, even if it cost him his life. For some reason, it felt like this is what he needed to do.

Caldium. There were two ways this could go. If he used it wrong, Damien would only get stronger. But he had more faith in his abilities than that. If he used it right, Damien would become unstable. Without the willpower and strength to hold his form any longer, he'd become the Omega, but without intelligence. Then, it'd just be a matter of taking the titan down.

But first..

How long had it been since Damien's last meal? The blood couldn't have done much, not in the long term. Based on the level of instability, he would require a large amount of human meat each day in order to sustain his grasp on his corrupted form. Based on how angry he was getting now, it was beginning to show.

This was only a theory, of course, but Alan, as Damien had said, liked to think he was good at making theories.

His mind was racing now, his eyes furious. The man had insulted them, brought them here to play with them, and was now beating his own brother like a dog, but then he had the GALL to mess with Alan's wife? All things notwithstanding, in Alan's mind, that was the only ultimatum, the true reason for what he was about to do.

He grabbed Randall's gun, which was already prepared to fire, and changed the weapon into its blade form. It'd been a while since he used it, but he hadn't lost his touch. However, he knew based on the level of Caldium that it wouldn't last long.

If he could decapitate Damien, glorious, but he doubted it. Hurting him was all he needed to do. He had to force the virus to defend itself. He had to rile the beast.

HE, Alan, had to make the lion bite back. With a prayer to whatever god was listening, he ran forward, until he was mere feet from Damien.

"I'm still standing." he said with rage, blade grasped in his hand. "The hero needs to get his breath back, so I'm tagging in. I trust that's not going to be an issue, ....MASTER?"

The last word held every bit of venom that Alan could ever have mustered and it even sickened him a little bit. Yet, Damien had done something that Alan could never let anyone do to him, the final thing that he had sworn would never happen again.

He had taken Fiona away from him, from Alan's perspective, and regardless of how she was, she was in danger.

Now was the time to act.

[Clown_of_God]

While Phantom laid in the sand, his lungs repairing as quickly as they could, Damien turned to look at Alan. Noble as he was in trying to take a stand against a foe he had no idea of what he was capable of made Damien chuckle.

 

"When's the last time you ever seen the Omega get hit by a weapon? Doctor, you have much to learn and there's still a chance to join my cause. Otherwise..."

 

A series of tendrils began extruding from Damien's back, giving a very similar appearance to Doc Oct from the Spider-Man series. At first, they were roughly two inches in diameter and barely reached above his head, but they began to shrink in diameter and grow in length until they were as thin as a dime and roughly ten feet long.

 

"Caldium resonates in the blade. I assume your goal was to, essentially, give me a shot and hope the imbalance would cause me to lose reign over my dominance. A spectacular theory, Doctor, but I'll tell you this bit of information you might find discouraging. Caldium merely allows my potential to grow and the more I acquire the stronger this body gets."

 

As he spoke, the tips of his tendrils formed into sharp points, his eyes grew dark red and his maw began to salivate at an uncontrolled rate. Indeed, Damien was hungry, but that's what made him dangerous. Phantom began to understand as he watched Damien shift his appearance. An Omega, a being so large you could see it from nearly a mile away, yet it resided in the average man sized body. It's destructive capabilities and size all condensed...

Condensed. Damien's abilities were condensed while maintaining his human figure. In other words, the bullet deflection, the extreme pressure surrounding Damien, his strength, everything the Omega was capable of was in a pressured state. Simply, Damien was even more dangerous in human form than he was in Omega.

 

"Do you feel it yet, Doctor? The weight on your shoulders? The increased rate of your heart? The quickening of your blood flow? Are you scared? There's no reason not to be. After all, I've been restraining myself for quite sometime and all this pressure just wants to explode."

 

((I'll get a post in with the doll group later. Going to bed now.))

[Thaelasan]

(( I like that you didn't just knock Alan away or something like that. Thank you. ))

 

Alan grimaced. He had considered THAT as well, earlier on. It was a flip of a coin whether the body would grow in strength or not.

But Damien had confirmed it, yet again.

"That was part of it, yes." Alan admitted. "But the main part of it is quite the opposite. I trust you don't underestimate me THAT much."

He hoped his training early in life would help him now. What was Erik thinking about? He looked to be considering something VERY important. Alan knew that look by now.

God he wished he could read his mind. Now, his adrenaline was taking over. His thoughts were in perfect clarity.

"Where's Fiona?" Alan asked gruffly. "For that matter, where are the others?!"

[Clown_of_God]

Damien smirked and his tendrils shot out, pinning Alan to the ground through the loose portions of his clothing. Phantom, with some effort, was finally able to stand again, his mask removed from his face due to the broken lenses.

 

"A kinetic field surrounds your body, that's how you're able to displace a bullets trajectory. That's why military grade rockets never seemed to touch you. It's the reason so many people believe you're an invincible foe."

 

Without even looking back, Damien removed one of the tendrils holding Alan to the ground. Raising it up to his lips as if to ponder something before making a shushing expression.

 

"Erik, it's rude to interrupt a conversation. I was just about to answer Doctor Alan's question as to where his wife might be."

 

Another cloud of dust and debris shot up into the air and Damien motioned with his hand in the direction it came from.

 

"They're over there, probably enjoying themselves to the fullest. Tell me, what do you think is more dangerous; An Omega, who is only remaining in a neutral position to temporarily immobilize his attackers or a pair of the world's most advanced pieces of machinery brawling it out like a set of gladiators?"

 

"Why are you doing this?"

 

Damien finally turned to look at him and smiled at what he saw. A hero is what the Doctor had called him, a hero who was exhausted and drenched in sweat. The scar running across his right eye, the mechanical limbs, why even the feral orange hue in his left eye was far from from a befitting description of a hero.

 

"Is it the scar or the signs of being infected the reason you where the mask? Oh? Did the Doctor not catch that part? Erik, here, infected himself after he lost Tina. Not the doll, but the girl he loved so dearly. It was his method of suicide, not being able to pull the trigger on himself. Of course, his body completely rejected it and the only sign that he ever attempted such a thing is that orange left eye of his. Erik's just a concoction of everything, isn't he? Man, machine, beast."

 

Phantom groaned and forced himself to move until he was charging at Damien. Unfortunately, his form was sloppy and the field around Damien made most of his attempted attacks slide to the side. A burst of energy shot out of Damien and Phantom skipped across the ground like a pebble on a lake. Still, Phantom got back up and attempted his attack again, the end result unchanged besides the varied counter strikes Damien gave.

[Thaelasan]

Now that was something Alan had never considered.

"Impossible." he whispered from his position on the earth. He, the theorist, had never considered that Phantom would have injected him with the infection. That was actually surprising, and also very depressing. Yet, he had rejected the infection. That was miraculous... in fact...

Could his blood be used for some sort of cure? No matter. He had to worry first about his current position.

He had expected a massive amount of pain when he saw Damien shoot the tendrils at him.

Instead, they had simply pinned him into the sand, forcing him to the ground. He could have made a terrible joke here about a certain fetish but he wasn't about to go that far, nor was he in the mood. He did, however, consider how he was going to get out of this without getting himself into more danger.

But Fiona was in even MORE danger. MINA knew TINA and Fiona were high-profile targets. If either one of them died, their owners would be crushed. At least, Alan would be. He'd have nothing else to fight for if she wasn't at his side.

He ripped the clothes from his arm as he pulled the blade up. He wondered if the kinetic field stretched out this far.

He slashed at the tentacles pinning him to the ground, hoping it didn't. The field would have to be condensed around its owner, and Damien seemed distracted.

But Alan didn't underestimate the man's abilities.

[Clown_of_God]

Damien flinched as the remaining tendrils holding Alan down were severed and the man was temporarily freed from his grasp. No matter. He was probably desperate to get to his wife and frankly Damien didn't really care at this point. More than likely, MINA was having her time with the Series III.

 

"Isn't it funny, Erik, that not only are you supposed to be a hero, but now your blood might save humanity from this terrible disease? When he gets back, if he comes back, you should tell the good Doctor the truth. How the infection evolved, went airborne, and is now residing in everyone. All it needs is a catalyst to spark its growth. What if the good Doctor accidentally cut himself with that Caldium blade? Hmm?"

 

((Most of this is said after Alan gets out of earshot. Simply, it's just the two brothers conversing.))

 

------

 

TINA grunted as she deflected yet another attack, meant to bring harm to an opponent who had been outclassed. She had been dancing around FIONA, in an effort to protect her from MINA's onslaught, but the damage was adding up and the repairs couldn't keep up with the attacks. Not to say FIONA wasn't assisting in her own manner, but if TINA couldn't prevent MINA from landing a strong hit she didn't know what would happen.

 

Suddenly, TINA flipped around FIONA and threw a punch, which came into contact with MINA's fist. Dust and rocks shot out from around them due to the sudden compression of the air, a sign that neither of them was holding back. Both TINA and MINA were 'bleeding' at this point, MINA was showing signs that she was beginning to run out of energy. Both of them stared at each other, huffing in air as best they could to help keep their cores cool.

 

"This has been intriguing. Three against one and I've still got you all on your toes. Shame really, I would've thought it would be a bit more challenging to take on three advanced units."

 

MINA smiled and flashed out of sight, putting TINA on the defensive once again. However, instead of repeating the onslaught of attacks, MINA appeared in the distance on the top of a sand dune. She appeared to be looking at something, her face reflecting a sense of displeasure as she watched whatever was going on. TINA hoped it was Phantom winning his fight against Damien, assuming they were even fighting in the first place.

[Thaelasan]

Alan grabbed Randall's arm and began to run to where Fiona and the others were supposedly battling, but then he turned, grunting.

"Randall, tell me what I'm supposed to do!" he demanded, surprising the man. "Do I trust my wife's abilities and help Phantom, or do I leave him to die like I'm a coward and save her? Would that be selfish?"

"Baah." Randall commented, after regaining his composure. He'd never seen Alan this desperate. In fact, it frightened him.

"Just do what comes naturally, buddy." Randall shrugged, pulling free of Alan's grasp. "Me, I'm gonna do what I've always done - crazy . If it don't work, try somethin' else."

"But I can't be that free-willed!" Alan cried out, turning back in the direction of Fiona. "Gah! I have too much to worry about!"

"Well then, let's compromise." Randall grinned, grabbing Alan and hurling him towards Fiona and the others as hard as he could. He then shot the ground, causing the sand to send Alan tumbling down into the crater where the others were fighting.

Alan could only cry out "THANK YOU!" before he disappeared into the combat.

"Yer welcome!" Randall responded, turning back to Damien. He then pulled the gun's discharger, making it fire shots that were strong, but slow, and depleted great amounts of power.

"Well, I can't shoot him... but I know what I CAN do." Randall grinned, aiming.

He fired into the distance, directly at where MINA was just about to appear.

Randall wasn't stupid. He knew MINA cared about her master, and from what he had seen, he knew she would use the most opportune area to survey from, teleporting to the highest location.

"Surprise, *." he whispered to the air.

 

(( MINA has had a habit of teleporting to the highest areas around at certain times. Based on what's happening, he's assuming that she'd sense something was wrong from her radar. If that was the case, he's going on 1 to a hundred chance that she's going to try and see what's happening to him.

Course, he could have just missed entirely or fired too soon. ))

 

-----

 

Fiona had known from the start that this was a bad situation. She knew her implants were nothing as sophisticated as MINA's base design. One hit and half of her implants and body would shatter underneath the superior doll's fist.

So, she had relied on TINA, no matter how much it shamed her or depressed her. Dolls knew what had to be done regardless of how it felt. Ethics were a factor in their decisions but they weren't Isaac Asimov's toys. If someone had to die, they would kill them. If one important man could be saved if hundreds died, they would weigh the outcome.

So, against her pride, she allowed TINA to help her. The doll had done this quite heroically, keeping MINA from landing any terrible hits. Fiona had been assisting as best should could, defending against MINA's onslaught with every movement and energy burst she could muster.

Her own battery was nothing to theirs. She had already lost one battery units charge. Two more, and she'd be out until she could recharge her body. She'd be alive but she wouldn't be able to move.

It had happened once. It was the most frightening experience. It was almost paralysis. Indeed, it could be considered such. Yet, it was worse. Your body desperately wanted to move but didn't have the energy to do it.

Thankfully, Alan had used the Caldium from his gun to save her life, giving her excess charge so that she could find a suitable place to fill the rest of the units to the brim.

But they didn't have something like that here.

As MINA teleported away, Fiona fell to the ground, exhausted.

"It's no use, TINA." she commented sadly, breathing. "I'm already at fifty percent. Just use me as a shield if you have to. You're the only one who can kill her."

She turned to TINA, furious.

"But when you do beat her, if you can, don't just kill that *." she fumed. "You break her arms and her legs and you do them as slowly as possible."

She coughed.

"Look at me, acting like this. You're probably feeling even worse. If you need to, take some of my charge. I can't use it here." she held out her arm, a bunch of wires extending. "I don't mind. I don't know if it's possible for you to actually use it though. I don't know what energy units fuel you."

Just as she was about to speak further, Alan landed a few feet from her, gasping.

"FIONA!" he yelled, quickly getting to his feet. "You're safe! Christ you had me worried sick!"

"Alan?!" she turned, surprised. "You're supposed to be helping Phantom!"

 

(( will add more later ))

[Clown_of_God]

TINA had appreciated the offer, but now was not the time to determine a sacrifice. No. There would be no sacrifice. Grabbing the wires, TINA connected them to her unit and began sending a charge directly to Fiona's depleted battery units. Once they were full, she disconnected and focused on restoring what damage she could while MINA was away.

 

"You two get out of here while you can. Not to be rude, but having to defend you is hindering my overall effectiveness. So, go while Mina is-"

 

Suddenly, there was a rather loud crunching sound, like when two cars collided and TINA looked to the source to see MINA falling back and tumbling down the dune. Even then, TINA motioned for Alan and FIONA to leave while she went to go investigate.

 

------

 

It had come in slow and her sensors had picked it up long before it reached her, but MINA remained in her spot as she watched Phantom and her Master. Then it hit, a slug of Caldium, square in her chest. When the world started to turn over itself, she knew it had done a number on her even before the warnings and emergency notifications began blaring in her internal systems. Memories began to rage through her mind. Not the ones of her and Master, but of Mina Night and her family. All together and having fun. Sure, Damien was a bit of a jerk and Erik hardly paid any attention to her, but the time they spent together was... well, memorable.

 

Laying there, she watched as the dust flew through the air and the clouds rolled by, even as TINA came to stand over her. Self-repairs were already in progress and her combat ability was reduced by twenty percent, but the urge no longer came to her. A casual smile crept across her face and she began to giggle.

 

"How foolish of me. I could've evaded this mess entirely, but here I am, all busted up and ready for you to finish the job. I do ask a favor, though, if it's not too much trouble? Tell Big Brother I said I'm sorry. I've done a lot of bad things and I know he's probably gonna be really mad at me."

 

TINA stood there a moment, looking into MINA's eyes for a moment, looking for any signs that she was bluffing. Just trying to get TINA to let down her guard so she could attack, but the damage across her chest, despite it getting repaired was significant. Even some of the internal systems had been damaged, but her core was still intact and this kind of damage wasn't as lethal as one might think. Still...

 

"Why the sudden change or is this just more of your trickery?"

 

((I'll either add more or post again with more.))

Edited February 11, 2014 by zakku_uchiha

[Thaelasan]

(( Not to be rude but that was sick as hell. ))

 

Randall grinned when the shot connected, though it seemed.. off to him. She should have been able to dodge that..

Regardless, he hefted the gun back up, nodding.

"I haven't lost it." he smiled.

 

---

 

Fiona stared at where TINA ran off to, still surprised the woman had done such a selfless act in this time. She wasn't just a doll... was she? Impossible. Series III dolls couldn't have done that. They would have taken her charge without question.

TINA... Series IV dolls in general... they must have been closer to humans than anyone believed.

"Are you alright?" Alan asked, sheathing his blade.

"Yes. I'm quite capable of taking care of myself, dear." she said, attempting to stand. "Just... just a bit tired after that. Don't worry. TINA saved me."

"I see... we'll have to thank her properly then after this but for now we need to get back to the others."

"Where's Randall?" Fiona asked, curious.

"Well, er..." Alan scratched the back of his head. "He basically kicked me down here because he could tell I wanted to be with you more than I wanted to be with Phantom and the others. Selfish, I know, but I haven't been through as much with them as I have with you."

"Awww..." Fiona grinned, patting his head lightly. "Still as naïve as ever. We don't have time for pleasantries, dear. We need to get back to kicking ass."

"Of course." Alan grabbed his sword, standing back to his feet. "Can you get us back to the top of the dune?"

"Please tell me you didn't just ask that question." Fiona rolled her eyes, her feet beginning to energize. "I've climbed buildings taller than that pile of garbage."

"Well then." Alan grabbed her hand, preparing. "Let's go about it, then!"

The two fired up the dune as quickly as possible.

[Clown_of_God]

((I'm taking it you liked my little post. MINA, the supposed invincible doll, struck down as memories of her past begin to overwhelm her. *shrugs* Maybe it was TINA recharging FIONA.

 

Anyway, I'll post later. Gotta finish getting ready for work.))

[Clown_of_God]

"I don't know, but I do know Master needs to be stopped. Big Bro needs your help and here I've been distracting you. I can't say it hasn't been fun, though, I finally got a chance to play at my fullest and it wasn't the least bit disappointing."

 

"I won't hold back if you attack us."

 

"I know you won't, I wouldn't expect you to."

 

For once, TINA felt she could trust MINA and smiled at her before dashing off to go assist Phantom in his own battle. Unfortunately, as she reached the top of the dune to see what was going on, tears began to swell in her eyes as rage built in her chest.

 

Damien had his tendrils wrapped around Phantom's neck and was slamming him around like a rag doll. A blood covered face and the silvery hue of his nanite blood was pooled in various areas around Damien. Finally, the menace tossed him into the sand and dirt, laughing maniacally as he observed the combination of the nanite blood and the real blood covering his hands.

 

Laying there, Phantom could only look at the sky, his body growing numb and what feeling he had left slowly diminishing. Damien was too strong for him. Not even a single attack landed. Maybe he wasn't the hero, maybe Alan had been wrong and the only thing he was capable of doing was postpone humanities destruction. As things were beginning to look grim and Damien came to stand over him, Phantom could only watch as a mechanical hand ripped through Damien's torso. At the same time, somebody began dragging him away. Doing his best to look around, Phantom saw it was TINA pulling him away and MINA had managed to land a critical attack on the unsuspecting Damien, but why?

 

Shortly after, however, MINA was smacked away like she was just a mere insect crawling on Damien's skin. Rage filled his eyes as he began to storm his way towards TINA and Phantom. TINA took the defensive and stepped out to try and haul this progress, but she too was swatted away. Physically grabbing his neck, Damien raised Phantom into the air and began to squeeze, but something was off about him. Something Phantom was about to use to his advantage. A blade extended from Phantom's mechanical hand and he looked at Damien with a sad smile.

 

"I wish none of this had happened. I wish we could've stayed a happy family. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about the past, but there is something I can do about the future. Damien, brother, I did love you. I'll never forget the great times we had together and I'll miss you terribly, but it's time to say goodbye."

 

Phantom's watched as tears trickled down Damien's face, even though it was still induced by rage, Phantom knew Damien had heard him. Despite his position, Phantom saw Damien opening himself up, willing to accept the fate he had been given. With one last thrust, Phantom ended Damien's reign. Damien's body crumpled to the ground and Phantom didn't have the strength to catch himself. So, he lay there, head-to-head with his brother, staring at the sky.

 

"Rest peacefully."

 

((It's not quite over yet, but the big boss is out of the picture.))

[Thaelasan]

Alan and Fiona reached the sand dune just in time to see the latter half of the events. The death of Damien, especially, stuck out in their minds.

"Impressive." Alan finally breathed. Randall sat nearby, gun sitting in his lap nonchalantly. He turned to them as they walked up and he grinned.

"Yeah. I hit the robot *." he said, still smiling. "It was weird. Thought for sure she could dodge it. Still, it was great."

Alan nodded, turning back to Phantom. He considered walking up to try and help but he didn't wish to bother him.

The man had thoughts to consider. Still..

 

He walked up, leaving Randall and Fiona behind. This was something he hoped he could do himself.

"You know... Phantom." he said after a moment, coughing. "We could.. bury him. It's not necessary for me to do any tests now. I doubt that he gave any of his special mutation to anyone else. If you want, we can give him a proper funeral. Even though he was a monster, he was still your brother."

[Kjakings]

"Burn it." Walker coughed, stumbling down the ridge to join the humans. The fight with MINA had left him pretty bad; one arm was completely useless and he was limping, plus at one point he had gained a steel spike through his abdomen. "Burn it, then dump the remains in a vat of acid, then put the vat at the bottom of the kola ****ing borehole, then set off a small caldium explosion next to it. We just struck a fantastic blow for humanity and Dolls, and I'm sure as hell not going through this again in five years or so when somebody finds him. No ups, no chances for it to come back. We do this right."

 

((I have been lurking, it's just I never felt the need to post more than pointless one-liners because this is the climax of a story arch where Walker's nothing more than a supporting character, and trying to keep up with the huge posts practically fighting over the spotlight seemed exhausting.))

[Thaelasan]

(( The hell Kja?

Walker's a VERY important character. Are you serious? If you feel that way just because of my text walls, then I'm sorry.

In my opinion, each of our three main chosen protagonists represent three parts of humanity.

Dr. Alan represents humanity's strive for betterment, and his group is a group of true survivors. He represents survival and glory.

Phantom represents humanity's strive for atonement, and revenge, and his pair is a pair of twin souls seeking repentance for wrongs against them in the past. He represents vengeance and justice.

Walker represents true scientific achievement, humanity's strive for becoming less human. He's the representation of the greatest creation of mankind, pure artificial intelligence. He gives us the robot's point of view in any situation, a man machine who desires anarchy against a world who uses robots like himself and unlike himself as servants. He desires equal rights and freedom.

Walker is no less important than anyone else. I think I told you this before, Kja. You're a badass. We want you to post. Make us proud.

With love,

Thaelasan. ))

 

"Burn him? Are you cer-"

He turned to look at Walker and his eyes widened. He coughed a moment to clear his thoughts, blinking.

"Well, er... hello." he finally said, surprised. "I was so engrossed in saving Fiona that I didn't see you down there."

He turned to Fiona, curious.

"Where was he?" he asked.

Fiona sighed.

"Well, when we landed, Walker used his own body to cushion my fall and TINA's, saving us precious energy output to regenerate our limbs. Thanks to him, MINA's surprise attack didn't get us as badly. It could have been worse." she said, smiling at Walker. "But MINA didn't like that at all, so she took this long-ass piece of metal from the wreckage and pinned him to the ground before we could do anything, making it where he couldn't help us. That's what that huge explosion you heard was. She impaled the hell out of him. It hurt to watch."

She patted Walker's shoulder commandingly.

"Sorry I couldn't do to stop it." she admitted. "Like I said, I'm not like you or TINA. I don't have the physical capabilities to fight against dolls stronger than a series III - or at least ones that have the abilities MINA and TINA have. That reminds me, I need to tell you about those scenario checks I ran later. Did you get the same results I did?"

Before she could continue, Alan pointed back at Phantom so Walker could see.

"That man makes the final choice. I think we can all agree on that." he said, turning back to Walker. "Burning the body, throwing it in holes, breaking it,... anything like that is up to him. It's his goddamn brother after all."

Randall walked up soon after, rubbing his back where he had apparently tried to take a nap while Alan talked to Phantom.

"Man I finally get a chance to sleep after all that bull**** and you guys start yapping like a bunch of stray dogs." he grimaced, returning to his countryside roots in his speech. He looked at Walker, his eyes a little bit more open now.

"Wow. You look like , mate." he commented, yawning. "You gonna be ok? That's one big hole you got in your gut."

[Kjakings]

((I'm well aware that in the greater story Walker's quite an important character, but this arch is about the origins of the Infection, Damien and Phantom, plus the backstory of the Dolls and Alan/Randall. Walker doesn't have much to contribute in this area, in the same way that in Rebellion Walker takes a more prominent role and Alan and Randall are a bit less important. The undulation doesn't make anyone less important overall, but every character gets their time in the spotlight. I have a feeling when we get to the West Coast storyline it'll change again - whereas in Rebellion it's Walker and his group plus Phantom/Soul that gain prominence, when we get to West Coast it'll more likely be Walker and Alan/Randall, with them gaining a bigger role due to the DollStealer (his name escapes me) being big there, and he wronged Alan/Randall a bit more than Phantom where it was less personal and more like professional discourtesy.))

Edited February 17, 2014 by Kjakings

[Thaelasan]

(( I love this idea.

Alan and Randall finding out that maybe that doctor didn't die, or maybe they just THINK it's him.

 

You are a literary genius for sensing things but remember this isn't a book, Walker, this a roleplay. You're not forced to play a smaller role. Walker did have a big part in this arch. He's representative of mankind's achievements. He would despise Damien for corrupting MINA (one reason why he wants him crushed)

During Rebellion, Alan and Randall still play a prominent role in that they have engineering and material research expertise, as well as Fiona and Alan's children, and Randall's infatuation with Lexi, which you can allow or not allow as you think Lexi would act. You're good at playing them.

I don't play my characters as supporting character unless the topic owner specifically requests it. It's just not as fun. Make your character live.

But I mean, you're good at roleplaying too, so do what comes naturally. ))

[Clown_of_God]

Several months had passed since the "final battle" with the Omega, Damien, had transpired and as much as Phantom wished to rest for a few days there was still a lot of work that had to be done. Unfortunately, things had actually grown more difficult since Damien's fall as the network that had kept the infected in check was now in disarray. Alpha's seemed to pay no heed to the human populace, but their aimless wandering still brought trouble of its own. Behemoth's were put under the scope, however, as shortly after the network crashed they went into a rage. Defense grids needed to be established and the least Phantom could do for the older series of Dolls would be some much needed upgrades.

 

"I wonder sometimes if ending the Omega's reign was the right choice... it's bringing on a lot more work and stress than I had originally anticipated."

 

"I know it's not necessarily a positive perspective, but since Damien passed the infected don't seem to be as focused on you as they once were. At least that gives you a bit more room to breath, does it not?"

 

"It means I have to meet deadlines even sooner than before. Before, at least there was a focal point for them to go after... now, it's just aimless destruction and chaos and I really have to aid the weaker colonies so they can have some form of defense."

 

TINA let out a heavy sigh and pushed on Phantom's shoulder, causing him to look back at her. Puffed cheeks and arms crossed over her chest, Phantom knew that look and set his tools down so his full attention was now on her.

 

"Yes?"

 

"I don't need you returning to your roots, becoming the Phantom of this world again. Not with what we have coming to us."

 

Leaning back, Phantom stared into TINA's eyes before looking up into the sky outside of the Dome, watching as the clouds passed slowly overhead. TINA took a seat next to him, leaning against him and laying her head on his shoulder.

 

"Have you picked a name?"

 

"I had considered Hope, but it doesn't truly suit the situation... humanity doesn't need hope, they need something more. Something deeper than that."

 

"And what would that be?"

 

"Soul..."

 

TINA tilted her head so she could look at Phantom, the stern look in his gaze as he continued to watch the clouds. Smiling, she nudged him slightly and scooted closer, shifting her own gaze out into the Dome and watching all the people as they cooperated with one another. Doing their own part in making repairs and building up, adding more than before so that they could accommodate even more people and Dolls alike.

 

"I'll meet you back at Rose's as I'm sure you have more work to take care of. Plus, I need to pass on the news that we have picked a name for our daughter."

 

"I'll be back in time for dinner, I promise."

 

As TINA stood, dusting herself off, she merely shook her head with a smirk on her face and waved. Phantom watched as she descended the stairway and then turned his head to the left, lifting one hand in the air in a half-shrug.

 

"I'm sure her sensors already picked up your presence. If you wish to talk, I recommend we setup some kind of date, unless you wish to talk with Randall, Alan and FIONA as well."

 

"I don't plan on being here for very long. Just wanted to let you know that..."

 

MINA trailed off, raising a hand to her mouth to which she bit down on the edge of her finger. Phantom tilted his head to the side in confusion for a moment and let out a sigh, deciding it was time to stand up anyway.

 

"Nevermind... I just want to congratulate you on your child. Soul is a wonderful name and I hope one day I get to meet her."

 

"You know, I'm certain if you show that you're willing to put in the effort to apologize and help everyone... that you can stay here with us."

 

"No... this isn't about everyone forgiving me. This is about me forgiving myself... as well as finding myself. I... do plan on trying to help people, though... I just need some time to figure out who I really am."

 

"You're MINA, my little sister and sister-in-law to TINA, but I understand what you really mean."

 

"No... I'm not her... I'll never be her, not with everything I've done. Besides, Mina... she's..."

 

MINA trailed off again, looking down and away as if she was now trying to avoid something. Phantom was growing curious, especially with the mention of his little sister. Looking out towards the Dome, he checked to make sure they still had time to talk and then refocused on MINA.

 

"What... are you not saying? I know she's gone, it's part of the reason I built you, as selfish as that may seem. Regardless, I know you can't be exactly like her, but you share a lot of her qualities and I couldn't be happier."

 

"You're wrong... Mina... Mina Knight, your real little sister... she's not gone. Erik... Big Bro... Mina Knight is still alive."

 

". . . huh?"

[Thaelasan]

Alan sat at the counter, taking another drink of whiskey. A bar in the DOME? Originally, a thought unheard of. But since the changes after Damien's fall, it was a reality.

A lab of his own. People flocking here to survive. His science helping to revolutionize the world. His wife safe. And his friend seeking love of his own. Truly, he should have been happy.

But something still seemed off. He had been sketching formulas on a napkin in the bar, but his pen wiggled now.

Ugh. He knew it. He was drunk. He shouldn't have taken those shots. He slumped forward, sighing.

"So I can still beat you in somethin', huh?" Randall asked, clinking his glass to Alan's empty one. "Good."

"So now what? You're gonna say we made... a bet or something?" Alan muttered, breathing out.

"Nothing that mean. I'm going to say we should take you home before yer wife beats ME." Randall replied, putting one of Alan's arms around his back. "Come on. Up up."

"Ugh..." Alan said, feeling nauseous. "Fine... fine."

 

Outside, the DOME's lights were like stars. With the renovations completed and the defense protocols active, the wall seemed now like a giant sky, rather than a ceiling. But the lights all blurred in Alan's vision. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

The two got into Alan's car, and Randall was off, driving straight as an arrow. Never let it be said he couldn't hold his liquor. Alan, however, began to pass out in the passenger seat, his breathing slowing.

For some reason, he felt like something important was happening... but he couldn't think of what.

All he could think was that tonight would pass.

Maybe... like any other night.

 

How wrong he was.

[Clown_of_God]

While Phantom was processing what exactly he had just heard, MINA looked off into the distance. A pair of lights were heading in their direction and after a quick scan she knew it was time for her to depart. Just as Phantom looked up, MINA smiled and waved before vanishing. That caused another array of questions to run through his mind, because even he knew... that smile was empty. By this point, the roar of an engine drew his attention. Only one vehicle operated within the Dome and there was only one road that would pass the area he was in.

 

Descending the stairway, Phantom came upon a curb of a one lane road. A pair of lights were now visible in the distance, so they should now be close enough to see him as well. Holding up a hand, as if gesturing for a ride, Phantom figured he'd pass on the information he had just learned of to his companions. Of course, he had hoped MINA would have given him a little more information, but he would acquire the details at a later time.

 

I doubt they'd be interested in assisting me... considering the situation isn't as prevalent as with my brother. Still... I'd feel a bit more comfortable knowing my family would be safe while I'm away. Now, I'll just tell them what... I... eh? Alan looks inebriated... like very much so.

 

Pulling down his mask, Phantom began to ponder if now was even the appropriate time to tell them such information or to even make such a request. Maybe it'd be better to ask them in the morning. Still, Randall seemed fine and he was certain the older man would pass on the information at an appropriate time. Yet, a part of Phantom believed one of them wouldn't wake up in the morning and alcohol poisoning was the least of his worries.

[Thaelasan]

Alan awoke slightly from his drunken slumber as Randall pulled over. The lights from the streetlamps overhead were blurred in his vision.

"I'm... I'm sorry honey... I had a good... time..." he muttered, reaching out of the car as though to reach for his wife..

Only to fall out of the car on the ground, a heavy thump accompanying the noise. Randall stood over him, disappointed.

"...Just... just sit there, buddy." Randall scratched the back of his head. He turned back to Phantom, concerned.

"What's up, friend? Not normal for you to wave us down. And who was with you a second ago?" he asked. Unless he'd been wrong, he was certain he had seen a figure...

Alan, however, shook his head and tried to clear his mind. He grabbed the side of the car, pulling himself up to his full height with a bit of hesitation.

"...Ph... Phantom? Erik?" he mumbled, moving around the car by putting his hands on it. He tried to collect himself and stared at Erik.

Memories emerged in his mind as his foggy brain began to understand what was going on.

"Anyone... got a coffee...? Ish this important...? I'm shure it is..."

[Clown_of_God]

"I have some tomato juice, if that will suffice? As for why I waved you down, well... it might not be of any concern to the two of you. Frankly, I'm kind of second guessing myself at the moment."

 

Phantom scratched at the back of his head and shifted his mask slightly. Was it even alright to try and involve them again? After what they had just been through, surely they would just want to relax with their family. Still... he wouldn't get an answer without asking.

 

"Mina is alive..."

 

He finally stated, heaving a drawn out sigh as the information passed through his lips. It occurred to him that there might be a misunderstanding, considering his doll sister was also MINA.

 

"Mina Knight, my biological younger sister, that is to say. Right now, I don't have much information regarding the matter. However, I know the two of you have done so much for me already and it'd be selfish of me to ask for anything more, but I'd like the both of you to listen to said request... will you help me find my sister?"

[Thaelasan]

The news slightly sobered Alan up, his eyes widened a bit, even though to him it wasn't as large of a deal as it probably was to Erik.

 

Sure, he'd been there when they'd analyzed Mina's specs following Damien's fall. She'd willingly allowed them to try and find out what had made her tick. But unfortunately, most information was encrypted, and her BRAIN? That was a mess of itself. Her codes were erratic. Only her frame was able to be read, and that was made of a strange material Erik could only refer to as Aegis. Aegithium? Alan couldn't really recall.

 

But the material could ward off most damage easily. And it healed quickly. And yes, he meant HEALED. The material seemed unwilling to break or bust. If it was near another part of itself, it would mold and rebind. It was far too strong.

And the tensile strength was insane.

 

But now, he says that the TRUE Mina was still alive? He leaned against the car for support, then breathed a sigh.

"...If... if that's true.." Alan mumbled, trying not to slur his words. "Can... can we wait out the night? Is that possible? I know ...I'm going to regret this in the morning.."

He rubbed his face with his hand.

"But ...But yes, I would love to assist you... Fiona's been restless recently, especially following her new upgrades that I gave her. She's been dying to assist in the war effort... but I really don't want to send her back out there, after what happened. At least, not alone..."

He shook for a moment.

"Yes, give me the night... to recuperate. We'll speak in the morning, if you can wait that long... Yes... please.." he muttered. He stumbled back to the car seat, trying to get back in. "I can't.."

His world tumbled, and he fainted in the seat. Randall crossed his arms, shaking his head.

"....If it can't wait, I'll tell him in th' mornin'. What's up?"

[Clown_of_God]

"MINA was the one who provided the information. I'll be working on contacting her again to see if she's got a location. It might be a couple days, so you have time to prepare and make your final decision. Of course, should you decide to stay... I only ask that you watch after TINA. Our child is due soon and, aside from Rose, there's no one I trust more than the two of you and Fiona to take care of them."

 

Phantom turned his attention to Randall and then peered at the unconscious man in the passenger seat. Shaking his head, he looked back at the hole in the ceiling of the Dome and out into the night sky.

 

"Feel free to come by tomorrow once he's sobered up and we'll discuss the matter further. I've got to inform TINA that I'll be gone for a little while."

 

[Thaelasan]

"Alright. Come on pardner." Randall muttered, helping Alan into the chair. He also buckled his friend up. He then sat down in the driver's chair and closed the door, turning the radio back on as Phantom walked away.

"....Well... ain't this a load of nicety." Randall whispered, leaning forward on the steering wheel for a moment. "Welp, I was gettin' bored anyway."

He put the car back into drive and rode off into the direction of Alan's house...

 

 

----

 

Morning came, and Alan slumped from his bed as Fiona leaned over him, her hair in his face.

"....So you will be going to help him then, right?" she asked, hopeful.

"Why are you so.. happy about this?" Alan rubbed his neck. "Nothing good can come of it."

"Except leaving this DOME for something far more exciting.." Fiona sighed, rubbing his shoulders as he stood. "I've already prepared the weaponry and everything you'll need. It's in the car."

"...Ugh... Too efficient." Alan smiled.

"It's how you crafted me, I suppose." Fiona shrugged. "That, and my personality when I was alive. Being a Doll isn't much different, though it's a lot easier to move around."

"I'm happy you feel that way." he replied.

 

(( Will edit with more later. ))

Edited June 3, 2017 by Thaelasan

[Clown_of_God]

Erik had a less than pleasant night once he informed TINA of what he was planning to do. Of course, he completely understood the reasoning behind her anger and it'd be a lie to say he didn't contemplate canceling the search. When morning had come and he had time to actually think things through, a pit seemed to form in his stomach that made the decision extremely heavy.

 

"I know the birth of our child is an important event, one that no father should ever miss. Yet... knowing that my biological sister is out there still..."

 

"Then I'm coming with you. I will not..."

 

"No... I can not allow you to leave here. Not with our child developing and with the dangers out in the Wastes. If anything, ANYTHING were to happen to you or the child... I can't lose someone I cherish again..."

 

TINA looked into his eyes, the pain he had experienced years prior reflecting back at her. Placing a hand on her stomach, she stood and walked over to where Erik was sitting and took a spot on his lap.

 

"Do you know where she is?"

 

"Not at the moment."

 

"I take it Fiona, Randall and Alan will be going with you?"

 

"I asked them last night, but I haven't gotten a response from them yet."

 

"What are you going to do if you run into something Fiona can't handle?"

 

"Same thing I did the five years I wandered the Wastes alone... survive."

 

"And if you should die, I'll make sure the baby is raised and trained properly. So, you wished to ask me something?"

 

Neither TINA nor Erik seemed surprised at MINA's appearance, but TINA definitely seemed annoyed as she returned to her original seat and crossed her arms over her chest. MINA leaned against the frame that split the living room from the dining room, head tilted to the side as she looked between Erik and TINA before focusing on Erik.

 

"That I did and I wanted TINA to be present so she knew where I'd be going. You told me last night that my biological sister, Mina Knight, was still alive, but you failed to tell me where. Do you have that information?"

 

"Have you heard of the Western Wall?"

 

"That's the defense line they built to control the influx of people and infected. A border that runs from Washington state down to the peninsula in California."

 

"Just a few weeks ago, I picked up a scouting report through my feeds and codename "White Reaper" was a highly requested individual. So, I went to investigate."

 

Erik adjusted slightly in his seat, his gaze rather intense until MINA teleported behind him, leaning on his shoulders as she looked down at the dining table. Tracing a finger across the wood, she seemed to be replaying her travels across the continent until reaching a certain point that Erik could only assume was the Wall itself.

 

"I don't even know how they managed it with all the chaos, but this thing was ridiculously huge. Kind of surprised me a little, but I found out they use a tunnel system to get in. Needless to say, security wasn't an issue. Anyway, what I found on the other side was... well, it was nothing like what we see every day. Sure, I've seen foliage here and there that had remained untouched by the infected, but I wasn't expecting so much green."

 

"Forests? I heard the southern part of the continent still has forests."

 

"Not like this. Like, it reminded me of those old films where they had to deal with that giant gorilla or that island with all the dinosaurs. Also... the infected were... different."

 

"Different? How so?"

 

"Like giant bugs. Anyway, as I began to follow the transmissions, it led me to this heavily fortified bunker in Oregon. Big bro, White Reaper is your sister. She's a leading tactician for the Western Defense Force, as they call themselves."

 

"So, she's in Oregon? Would you send me the grid and a timeline?"

 

"Already did, she's supposed to be there for another three months. Based on some reports I managed to acquire, Washington has fallen to what they call... the Queen? I don't have much information regarding that, but from what I was able to gather... she sounds like a big problem."

 

"I'll..."

 

TINA had kicked Erik's leg to which he sighed and leaned back in his seat, forcing MINA to stand straight.

 

"Unless it impedes my retrieval... I don't plan on dealing with it. Not this time."

 

"I see. Well, I'll keep my feeds open so if I hear anything... I might come assist you, if you need it."