Infected

[Clown_of_God]

Ignis stared at Camilla for a moment and nodded lightly, stepping off so they wouldn't draw any further attention from nearby infected. Dealing with them wasn't a terrible issue, but it'd be a bit more troublesome to have to simultaneously eliminate a large group while also protecting an injured individual. Of course, Aqua was scouting ahead and keeping a lookout for any possible trouble, but a single infected could turn into a swarm without much warning.

 

"Once you reach the Dome, there should be some medical personnel who could equip you with special devices that would allow your freedom of movement once again. If you wish, I can leave you a list of individuals to seek out who might attend to your specific needs."

 

"Are you patronizing her again? You should really just let her relax and try to make sense of this entire situation. For all you know, she could be having a mental breakdown, having just been left behind by her own family as fodder... ah!"

 

Ignis shook his head disapprovingly, turning his gaze up towards where his female doll companion was currently standing. Aqua had a guilty smile and was scratching at the back of her head, but Ignis knew she had deliberately mentioned the possibility just to nag at him. That was how she had always acted towards him since they had been paired together.

 

"Don't mind her, she has a tendency to spout negligent remarks purely to annoy me. Just as I tend to ignore most of her babbling. I'm certain your family just didn't realize you had fallen so far behind and are probably worried sick about you. Since the sun is beginning to set, we'll probably have to make do with the nearest shelter, however, instead of making it all the way towards the first bunker. Do you wish to continue on or shall we stop for the evening?"

 

"I say we take a break, since we've been at this for most the day now and still we have yet to retrieve the necessary resources we were asked to collect."

 

"I wasn't asking you, my question was directed at the young lady, but I do have to agree. We've been out here since before sunrise, resting would probably be the best option. Of course, if she wishes to carry on until we reach the bunker, that's her decision."

 

Aqua tilted her head to the side and placed the palm of her hand against her forehead. Sighing, the female doll turned her attention to the young girl and then pointed down the street to where a wall of buildings created a T-intersection.

 

"Safehouse is roughly a thirty minute walk down this road and then another fifteen minutes to the left for us to reach the nearest shelter before night hits. If you wish to go towards the bunker, even if we pick up our pace to an appropriate speed, we still wouldn't be able to arrive until the sun is far below the horizon. Roughly..."

 

"It's an additional five miles, but travel at night is much more dangerous than during the day. Still, with Aqua's help, we'll be able to make there just fine. So, with all that in mind, what is your opinion?"

 

------

 

Erik looked at the man, Crane, with a stern gaze and the motioned in Eris's direction. Without the slightest bit of hesitation or formality, Erik jumped right to the point he wished to discuss with Eris' current commander.

 

"What the hell is inside of her? Actually, no, I'm not even gonna feign like I don't know. More like, why the hell is such a thing inside one of my creations?"

 

By this point, Erik had drawn some attention due in part to his tone and just how sudden he had released his outburst. In no shape or form had he withheld, but at least he refrained from mentioning what it was that he had seen within his doll. Glancing at Eris and then around the room, Erik sighed heavily and began walking away, pausing and motioning to be followed. It was mainly to get out of earshot from most of the crowd, but so many eyes being focused on him had never been comfortable.

 

"I want all the information in regards to this preposterous little scenario and why it was even considered. Regardless of the situation we're in, this is inhumane."

Edited August 20, 2015 by zakku_uchiha

[Thaelasan]

At Erik's outburst, Crane's body went rigid. How could he have discovered THAT? The whole reason it was inside of Eris' body was to prevent people from seeing it. How could this young man have spotted something like it within her flesh?

Fury grew within Crane along the confusion as he followed the boy, but he had no idea why he did. He was a commander for Godssake. Just because a sixteen year old BOY had just called out something like that did not mean he was obligated to follow him. He stopped short of following the boy the rest of the way, frowning angrily. At least now they were out of earshot of most people, having walked to a nearby storage area.

"I can't believe this." Crane said, placing his hand on his face. "I just followed an arrogant sixteen year old boy into a storage room. And also, as a civilian, you have no access to that information, and if you reveal it, you will be shot for treason. Do you understand me?

I have no obligation to give you any further details, especially since you're acting high and mighty. This isn't the time for this sort of bull****. You may have invented the dolls and been a prodigy, but that was before this. Now you're another civilian who is under my protection. Is that clear, Mr. Knight? Is it?"

He paused for a long while. Eris stared at him, obviously shocked. She moved backward from the two, hands crossed over her lap, frowning. Crane's face began to relax as he sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Look, it's not something I really wanted either. But I'm not allowed to discuss the specifics of any of this, not even to you. All I'm allowed to tell you was that it was necessary when we did it, and now I'm questioning it too. But it's not my place to question orders. If I can tell you more, I will when I'm told I can. But for now, you need to... well... trust me. That's all you can do. Eris, let's get back to helping the civilians."

He began to walk off, heading back out into the crowd.

[BabyRodent]

Camilla listened to the Dolls' words with consideration, but then realized that she had to think quick unless they were like the fallen body. On one hand, she could go to this Dome location and have the chance to run for the first time in 5 years. On the other hand, she could go to a bunker and have a chance to be reunited with her family. Then again, she didn't mind the small banter between Ignis and Aqua since it reminded her much of how she and her older brother acted back then.

 

Brother... she thought to herself with a hint of melancholy when she remembered him.

 

"Take me to the Dome, please." She answered to the Dolls with a nod, just wanting to get this done and over with now.

Edited August 28, 2015 by BabyRodent

[Clown_of_God]

"For starters, I'm seventeen now. Anyway, my concern neither falls for the device itself or its general purpose,but the fact that you're just letting it bounce around inside of her like a soda in a backpack. One, that's inhumane and two, you're putting thousands of lives at risk right now or were you even aware?"

 

By this point, Erik had secured a small table, one that had certainly seen better days in the past, and began laying out various tools across its surface. All the while, staring at the back of the man who knew nothing but protocol and following commands. Shifting his gaze towards Eris, the young boy scanned her body and stopped within her abdominal region, looking at the device sitting within and analyzing its current condition.

 

"I don't know when it was last serviced, Master Knight, but the device is beginning to show premature stages of instability. It needs to be secured after a thorough check is provided to ensure the chemicals haven't began mixing together. Depending on the status, this world could potentially lose over three thousand lives within the next ten minutes."

 

Erik mentally nodded as the message was relayed through his analytical engine, having been processed as text data and then relayed appropriately so he could process a reply. Looking back to Crane now, Erik's eyes narrowed as he stood and motioned for Eris to sit.

 

"I understand you're just doing your job, but you must understand that every doll that's out there, either fighting or assisting other people, is like one of my children. I built them to prove that a machine could live and reproduce alongside that which they represent, but why am I not surprised that your command wanted to use them as walking death traps so they could save their own hides? If you must know, the only dolls that I built specifically for intensified conditions are the security models used within the facility. Simply, this doll and her partner, along with the others of the security teams, are VERY special to me and you abuse what I gave you.

 

Let me ask you something, Mr. Crane, what do you see when you look at Eris? I bet you never really took notice to it before and frankly, it surprised me when I first met her after she was finished, but there is something uncanny about her and rather... familiar, don't you think? Dolls are all unique, from their appearance to their personality, and to get some of that... we had to borrow samples. So, to take things further, Eris here is a very high concern of mine and I will not let you jeopardize her safety."

[Thaelasan]

Crane grunted, but said nothing, his arms crossed.

"I don't think you quite understand what you're dealing with here." he began, frowning. "This is highly classified information. The fact that you even know there is a device within her is a terrible infraction of knowledge... But..."

He sighed, rubbing his nose in exasperation.

"No. I cannot allow you to tamper with this Doll, Dr. Knight." he finally demanded, placing a hand on Eris' shoulder. "Although you are a notable civilian, you are still a civilian, and that means you are not privy to military-protected information. Unless you can prove to me there is a need for you to tamper with this Doll in any way, shape, or form, this conversation is bordering on illegal." Crane commented, pushing Eris backward a bit but keeping her steady.

"For the record, however, I don't want to hurt this doll at all." he added. "The hope is that it is unnecessary."

[Clown_of_God]

"Diz?"

 

"I'm already on it. Getting the documents signed annnddd... done. Sending the files to your mobile device now."

 

"Thank you, Diz. Now, where was I? Oh yes, the device and all these legal documents you require. Got them, legally, mind you. If you don't believe me, contact Colonel Jameson using the frequency I set your device on. If nothing else, I'll get to work on extracting the device and building a more suitable mount. More like jury rigging one out of what I got, but still safer and more secure than its current state."

 

Looking over his tools for a moment and then opening his bag, Erik began to pull out various pieces of machines he had secured. As well as a few of the smaller parts used in dolls, he proceeded to disassemble some of them until he had the parts he considered necessary. Shifting his attention to Eris, and then glancing at Crane, Erik sighed before mentally scrolling through a list of commands.

 

"Based purely on your actions, however, I doubt you'll comply and allow me to do what needs to be done. So, Eris, my child, I need you to perform sequence Whiskey Wun - Tree - Niner - Fife - Niner --break-- Lima Fife - Seben - Fife - Fife - Wun. Once all systems are cleared, I need a report on all data regarding structural integrity. Inform me of all foreign objects and their position. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, please let me know."

[Thaelasan]

Crane cursed under his breath. He didn't have to check anything with anyone. The moment that the boy had been authorized to deal with this doll, a transmission had been sent to his radio, a soft beep that went throughout the room, which Crane knew to mean "Authority Granted." It had been part of the mission process, a way to secretly inform the other Squad members that another person had become privy to the information of Project Revelation, and that the squad members could find out who it was on their personal data devices.

But he doubted it wasn't Erik. Strongly doubted. Rubbing his face, he waved his hand dismissively.

"Since you're obviously certain, and neither of us want this place to go up in smoke, fine. Fine. I can't stop you now anyway." Crane grimaced. "But this whole situation stinks. I was there when the .... device was locked into place. It looked up to standards to me."

As Erik began to speak, Eris was already beginning to immobilize. Unable to stop herself from complying with his coded demand, she reverted back to almost factory actions. Crane actually felt a ping of sympathy. What if humans could be shut down like that?

 

[Clown_of_God]

It had been a few days since the events within the last bunker had transpired. After enough support had been sent, the group had been moved to the next bunker closest to the Dome, but the number of infected was continuing to rise and made large scale movements difficult. So, there had been a discussion as to whether or not they should begin transporting smaller groups after night had fallen. Erik had remained silent throughout most of the ordeal, after dealing with the device that had been inside of Eris. Tina had done her best to support Alan and Fiona, but it seemed like she was being more of a crutch than an aid. So, she too had nestled up into the corner with Erik, sitting silently while he sorted through whatever thoughts were streaming through his mind.

 

"Maybe I should search for my sister. It'd be better than just idly sitting around, wondering if we'll even make it to the Dome to begin with. Hell, I'll have some closure if I see her walking around as one of those things... those monsters out there."

 

"Erik, think about it, she might be at the Dome. How would you feel if we left, only to find out she was there and we couldn't get there?"

 

"At least I would know she's safe. Safer than out here anyway."

 

"You've been beating yourself up a lot lately, Erik... why?"

 

"Cause all of this is my fault! If I hadn't developed that stupid theory, this wouldn't have happened, but I got caught up in childish fantasy."

[BabyRodent]

((What is the Dome going to be like?))

[Kjakings]

((... *quietly sidles in, as my sixth sense for iterations of this RP demands* You guys seem kinda slow in here, which really is right up my alley. And this variant of the classic RP (seriously how many years?) does too. So when would it be appropriate to institute prototype Series IV Walker?))

[Clown_of_God]

((@BabyRodent: So, there have been a few variants of the Dome, but the base concept has remained the same. A large shelter that undergoes continuous modification to better house refugees. What's it gonna be like at this moment? An underground, fortified rail docking station (you know, that place they store train engines and what not) converted to house an abundant amount of people through the use age of its tunnels. Above ground? It looks like a dome.

 

@Kja: So... this is like the start of the outbreak. At most, we have series II models and prototype models used on the security teams. It wasn't until the larger variants of infected started appearing that the later models began being developed. In relative terms? You'll probably be able to make an appearance just before the skip to the Dome's collapse is commenced.))

[Thaelasan]

(( Kja is alive? I thought for sure he was deceased or something. :Ic ))

 

 

Listen to me, you ingrate.

No.

I demand that you speak with me this instant.

I refuse.

You're being a child, Alan.

I'm being smart, Dante.

I WILL merge with you, and this body WILL belong to me. You're merely delaying the inevitable conclusion of this exhausting fracas.

You seem quite confident.

Because I am superior to you, Alan. You are as a rock in a path, a cracked stepping stone along a river. Merely an obstacle to a greater achievement.

I like to think of myself as more of a wall. A wall you will never get through.

You try my patience.

As do you mine.

 

He awoke slightly, holding the side of his head with his human hand, frowning. His right hand seemed so alien compared to the infected mass of tissue his left arm had become. He'd begun marking the spread of the tissue to check the rate of the disease.

"Still but a millimeter a day. Only a millimeter. Almost less than that.... It's going to be ok...." he assured himself, but deep within, the fear was rising like a turbulent storm.

He moved from the bed to the door, his throat feeling dry. He heard Fiona move slightly under the sheets behind him. He didn't need to wake her yet.

Some sort of headache medication would be nice too. He stepped out into the hallway, moving past a few people who also seemed to be early risers.

"Where'd you get that coffee?" Alan asked, confused.

"Oh. Down the hall. They actually got the machine to work, finally." the man grinned, taking a drink as though to prove something. "It's not bad."

"Thank you." Alan said, his mind still fuzzy from sleep. He hadn't been able to get really restful sleep in weeks. Every night was the same. He felt trapped in his own mind, forced to speak to the individual he had named Dante every night when he closed his eyes. The two of them were at opposite sides of a room, two minds in the same body. Dante was no mere infection, he was his own sentient being, a consciousness trapped inside another, and desperate to gain control. For as long as this infection continued to spread, Dante would also grow in power. Alan was sure of it.

At first, Dante had been but an apparition, a ghost, just a passing entity. Yet, as his infection had accelerated, Dante had taken on a more corporeal form within his mind. Controlling his arm was becoming more and more difficult. It felt like the limb was another being simply attached to him. Several times he'd considered removing it, and once had even tried, but the limb defended itself by using his own bones or impulses to stop the blades. And the pain...

There was no way to remove Dante. Not by Alan's hand anyway. And now he'd begun to rethink the whole thing. He wasn't going to let Dante win. But he also wasn't going to sit idly by and let this war continue.

He was going to win this mental conflict one way or another. And there was still that third voice that seemed to be speaking when they were, somewhere in there... Was there another mind?

He walked slowly into the communal area, where - sure enough - a crowd of people were gathered around the coffee machine like they had just discovered fire. The sound and smells of brewing the bean were strong. Alan began to rethink his simple cup of water.

"Oh! The Doctor is here?" one of the men said from the group, looking over at him. A few of the others, however, gave him wary glances, especially at his arm.

He'd covered it in bandages and tried to hide it from view but a lot of people had witnessed it when he had first appeared. It wasn't an easy thing to forget.

"Yes... Just here for a drink, of course. Same as any of you." Alan assured, trying to ease the tension in the room.

"You're still in control then?" another person whispered, afraid.

"Huh? Oh..." Alan looked down slightly, but then looked back up, confident.

"Yes. I believe I am still capable of thinking freely." he nodded. "And right now I'm thinking I want some coffee."

"Ah. Well then, the line's right there." a man chuckled. "It's not that long, I promise. You may be a famous doctor but getting to the coffee machine is something that makes all men equal."

Alan laughed hard, smirking slightly.

"Of course, I don't expect any different treatment."

Edited September 13, 2015 by Thaelasan

[BabyRodent]

((@zakku_uchiha Ah, okay. Did Camilla ever get to the Dome?))

[Clown_of_God]

((Forgive me. Work has been keeping me busy, but hopefully this week and the ones following will ease up. Hopefully.))