Quantum Urbs: A City of lies, a city of Secrets (Fantasy/Romance/Action) *Open*

Started by Dunnuck, June 26, 2010, 07:37:38 PM

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Starlequin

Luke laid on the bed, his arms folded behind his head, legs crossed casually as he reviewed the information being fed to him. Nirvana had awoken him hours ago, when the initial reports of violence had started coming in. Video images, news broadcasts from dozens of different networks, reports from operatives working in the field, all of it streamed through Nirvana's satellites into Luke's glasses. The picture that was forming was far from pleasant. Military and mercenary armies were clashing throughout the city, and hundreds of thousands of civilians were trapped in the line of fire.

At first, Luke couldn't believe the government was stupid enough to launch an attack on its own citizenry. But as more information became available, he began to see the wisdom of their actions. If there really were shadow alliances in place with ArmsTech, then this had almost certainly been planned months, perhaps years ago. The government must have realized that their partners were withholding all the good toys for themselves, and ArmsTech must have known that their partners would never accept such deprivation. And now, like two children fighting over the last slice of cake, they were going to destroy the whole house.

Of course, the key to the whole thing would be the children. Luke realized that the young ones would have very little in the way of raw power, and absolutely zero training or experience. But for whoever could capture the most, those problems could be easily remedied. Whoever controlled the children would have a brand new army of elementals at their disposal, and could wipe out their opposition permanently.

As Luke reviewed the incoming reports, Nirvana broke in on his thoughts. 'So.' 'Yeah. So.' 'How are we going to respond to this?' 'An excellent question. At this point, the smart thing to do would be to sit things out and let them kill each other. If necessary we can step in and finish the survivors.' 'I see....Luke?' 'Yes?' 'Are we going to be smart about this?' '....I'll let you know.'

Luke rose from the bed and walked back toward the kitchen. He withdrew a juice box from the fridge and punched the straw through the tin circle. ''Ana, can you give me locations on the others?' 'Affirmative.' Luke's shades lit up with a transparent overview of the mansion, and satellite X-ray and infrared imaging showed him his new housemates. 'Plus one...but it's very weak...' He slurped on his juice and quickly followed the trail to a small clinic deep in the mansion.

He arrived just as the fourth reading expired. Luke stood in the doorway of the small operating room, watching silently as Alice and Ureha spoke. Behind them, he could see the form of a young child lying on a raised bed. His body was obviously mangled, and badly burned. One arm was simply gone. The scent of blood and death hung in the air, thick and cold and coppery. He thought for an instant that he could have been saved, but Nirvana confirmed what he'd already begun to suspect. The boy's injuries had been so severe, even at full capacity Luke's medichines probably couldn't have repaired the damage. Nirvana recorded the boy's face; every line, every curve was stored in a composite sketch and saved in a data file, transmitted back to the Command Center's mainframe. When things settled down, perhaps Luke would notify the child's family, arrange a proper burial. Or perhaps the family was dead already. Either way, 'Ana knew, Luke would see to things.

Luke realized the others had yet to realize he was in their midst, and he slipped in behind them. He stood over the child and wiped a drop of blood from his forehead. He felt Ureha and Alice both register his presence, and as they turned to him he gently closed the boy's sightless, staring eyes. Eyes that had seen more than a child had a right to.

'Well, I think we can forget worrying about Ureha's mental state. At this rate he won't have time to destroy the city; ArmsTech and the government will beat him to it.' 'So, does this mean we're taking the girl?' 'Affirmative. But not yet. First I want to watch Ureha a little longer, see how he reacts to this. If we can get a handle on what he's thinking, it may help improve our strategy.'

Finally, Luke turned toward the others. He barely glanced at Alice, his full attention reserved for Ureha. He lifted his juice box to his lips and slurped loudly before speaking.

"Well, Ureha. It looks like your four days are up."
You live for the fight when it's all that you've got.

Dunnuck

"My four days expired last night." He told Luke, shoving his way past him. He had spoke more to himself than Luke; As far as Gabriel was concerned, Luke had no idea of Gabriel's condition. He returned back to the clinic promptly, a handgun at his side, a sword on his back, and a satchel over his shoulder, almost the size of a duffle bag. "Where do you think you're going?" Alice asked. "I'm going to help those people." He responded, shoveling medical supplies into his bag. "Gabriel, don't be foolish." Alice warned. Gabriel ignored, beginning to head out of the clinic. "You can't help everyone, Gabriel!" Alice shouted, a second voice mixing in Gabriel's head as more memories rushed to him.


Wyrd

Joren staggerd as he felt the explosion from the intercepted missle that was on it's way to the building. Joren Stopped the spar with one of the Elementals and went to Cornneilus. "What the hell was th-" Joren was cut off by an explosion and the instant loss of power. "This better not be another damn training excersise, thunder boy!"
Ragtime Dandies!

Gwindolyn

Gwin was forgotten in the moments that Alice and the boy appeared.  Which might have been good for her.  Suddenly a splitting headache resounded in her head as her heart pushed her to things she had forgotten she could do.  Her mind reached out to the boy.  She gently stroked his mind.  She wiped away what he had seen.  She wiped away the family dying in pieces as their body part were torn asunder and whipped around in the hurricane of hell going on outside.   She stroked the mind some more and replaced them with memories of sunshine and puppy dogs.  Delving deeper into the child's mind, she blocks the pain the child feels as he calms into a sleep he will not wake from.  She holds his mind softly until he passes.

She slumps to the ground as memories upon memories rush through the crack in the dam she created.  As her mental walls fall down, she loses control of all the mental work she had done - such as wiping clean memories.  Her memories flood her in a merciless assault.  As do Gabriel's.  In fending off the emotions that are the swords of such memories, she let's Gabriel's memories loose to find their original home - Gabriel's mind.  All others who had their memories stolen by her found their realities shattered for the truth of what was.


All else escapes her attention at this moment.
I've become a truck driver.  This means my connection and time are not scheduled.  I cannot guarantee a post every night, and sometimes I can do multiple posts in a single time span.  For those of you who can handle time gaps between posts, I am welcoming new stories.  I want to write in the threads.  I want an audience for my writing and our story.

I am Gwindolyn            
Pressing Gwindolyn's buttons

Dunnuck

Gwin rushed into the room, tending to the child. She then falls to the ground, adding to Gabriel's confusion. His vision begins to blur, the line between present and past becoming nonexistant. His memories rush back into him dangerously, and his eyes begin to turn black. Both AIs become aware of his brain activity, which was dangerous for him. Too many things happening at once, along with his past being revealed to him. Gabriel was remembering everything. And so was Gwin.

Years Forgotten...

"Brother, what are we going to do without mom?" Isaac asked.
"The only thing there is to do...." Gabriel responded.

"Do you acknowledge your willing participation in the ArmsTech Experimentation titled 'The Beyond Elements Program'?"
"I do..."

"Leave my brother out of this!"
"Gabriel! Don't let them take me!" Isaac shouted.
"This wasn't part of the deal..."
"Neither was lying about having a sibling."

"Hi, I'm Alice."

"My name is Gwin. Nice to meet you."

"Hey there, little guy. You watching over my sister while she is here?" Joren asked him

"Leave me alone." Isaac said coldly.

"I just...teleported."

"Sell Ureha to the government. That will keep them off our backs."

"My name is Jayden. I will be your partner. The purpose of the Agents is to track down rouge Elementals..."

"We need you to go undercover. Experiment Number 45, also known as Gwin, needs to trust you completely. She was part of the same experimental program you were in. She advanced beyond belief."
"You want me to make her love me?"
"Yes. She won't be able to read your mind efficiently because of the experiments."
"I will do it. What about Saipher's device?"
"Your research will aid to it. We assure you that you will have your mother back."
"What about Isaac?"
"We won't mess with him."

"Gabriel! Im glad you could come. We were hoping you would join us at the dojo!" Alice greeted.

"Alice can teleport. My brother can use fire. He is very skilled with it. Gwin has psychic abilities. It's amazing. She could read my mind and tell me what I wanted to eat!"

"The shifts are..."

"Yeah, there are a lot of trainees here."

"What?"

"You want me to kill her!?"

"No! I love her!"

"Everyone get out of here!"

"Alice!"

"It's...my fault..."
"Gabriel..." Alice pleaded.
"They're dead...because of me."

"I can't go on in this world..."

"Why am I forced to live!?"

"DAMN IT!"

"Gwin...I...I didn't mean it."

"What happened to everyone?"

"What do you mean we are the only ones that remember?"

"Gwin...why can't we just forget?" Gabriel asked in tears. "Maybe we can..." Gwin responded, touching Gabriel's head.

The only way to make sure this doesn't happen again...the only way to destroy ArmsTech and stabilize the government lays in my brain. Gwin, you won't know of this information. You won't know you have it, even if you remember everything later. You cannot remember what you never knew. It's going to be up to you. I already used you once. And I am stricken with grief knowing I must use you a second time. Forgive me.

Present Day

Gabriel looked upon Gwin, the look in her eyes telling him that she remembered. Along with his memories of all the events that built up to this, he remembered his brother's message. But right now, he didn't care. He had betrayed everyone. The dojo was empty because of him; he tricked Gwin into loving him. But he had fallen in love with her, which was not part of the mission. He was an Agent. He was Jayden's partner. He was undercover in the dojo. But he grew to care about all the people. And when the time came, he couldn't execute his orders...execute Gwin. Although he had his memory, not all were organized. The cards were on the table; now the enemy had to show their hand and they had to see how the game would play out.

Gabriel looked to Gwin. At the same time, Jenny scanned Gabriel's memories. Scanned his thoughts. "Gabriel, don't-!" jenny shouted out loud for all to hear, just before Gabriel did a 180 and bolted out of the clinic. He ran out of the dojo, stopping briefly. "Gabe...I don't know what to say. I don't know what you should do." She said to him, completely baffled. "Get the car." Gabriel whispered painfully. "Gabe..." "Get the car, Jenny."

After a few seconds, the car strolled up. It had been installed under the driveway of the dojo, and was deployed promptly. He stepped in, and gripped the steering wheel.

ArmsTech...the Government...they made everyone else's lives cater to them. They didn't care who they ruined; the war started today was proof of that. They both needed to be wiped from Quantum Urbs.

Gabriel could remember everything. All the pain, all the love, all the betrayal...all the training. Lightening struck to the left of the vehicle, leaving a black scar on the earth.

Gwindolyn

Gwin looks up to Gabriel.  The hurt and betrayal fresh on her face as the day he told her so many years before.  Her pain wells up in her like a scream flowing to all minds near her.  She looks at the small boy she just melted her world to cradle into death with a soft hand.  She opens her mind, her heart, gathering her pain and anger.  She sends out a mental wave to all minds within her mental reach - and considering she held memories of dozens of people to maintain her own memory loss for at least four years, she has some power.  Her one clear, focused message is a command.  "STOP THEM!"  The feeling and emotions carried with it directs the message towards the government and Armstech.  She feeds the strength of her call, of her command with the pain and anger she has for all involved.  Gabriel.  The mere name sending surges of energy to her power.

The power of her call pulls her off the ground.  She levitates a few feet in the air as her eyes are closed, head down and arms crossed at her chest with her fists at her shoulders.  All of her being is focused on this message, this call.
I've become a truck driver.  This means my connection and time are not scheduled.  I cannot guarantee a post every night, and sometimes I can do multiple posts in a single time span.  For those of you who can handle time gaps between posts, I am welcoming new stories.  I want to write in the threads.  I want an audience for my writing and our story.

I am Gwindolyn            
Pressing Gwindolyn's buttons

Starlequin

Luke let himself be shoved aside as Gabriel stormed out of the clinic, Alice following close on his heels. He sipped casually on his juice box and was debating on following them when Ureha returned minutes later, heavily armed and hauling an almost empty duffel.

"...don't be foolish!" Alice was shouting, obviously desperate to make him see reason as he shoved medical supplies into the bag. "You can't help everyone!" But it was clear she wasn't getting through to him. He worked silently as she pleaded with him, his face a frozen mask of rage and determination. Luke was about to step forward and try to slow him when he abruptly went rigid, his eyes turning black as sin. Nirvana alerted him to the sudden abnormalities in Gwin's and Ureha's brainwaves as Gwin slumped to the floor.

'What's happening, 'Ana?' 'Luke...I think Gwin's powers just reactivated. If I'm reading these scans correctly...Luke, she may have just become the most powerful pyschic in the world.' 'And now she's in a warzone. Just great. Is she unconscious?' 'Not quite; I think her memories just broke through their barriers. Her real ones, all at once. She seems to be in shock.' 'Can she still access her abilities in her current state?'

Their conversation was interrupted as a massive wave of psychic energy erupted from Gwin's mind. Nirvana only barely managed to erect Luke's mental defenses in time to shield him from the attack, but the pressure on his thoughts was unbelievable. He worried about Alice, but neither he nor Nirvana could spare the attention to check on her. Hopefully, she could withstand the assault on her own. Luke was almost thrown back as Gwin's power catapulted her into the air.

'...Luke, it looks like she can't access anything but her abilities in her present state.' 'Dammit. What about Ureha? Safe to presume he's suffering similar symptoms.' 'Affirmative, however it looks like Jenny is managing to keep his brain from overheating. Gwin doesn't have an A.I., Luke; if she doesn't get control of herself soon, she'll literally think herself to death.' 'Alright, can you gain access? I know her neural connections won't be nearly stable enough, but-' 'I'm already transmitting. I'm going to remain here in the neural nest, but I'm sending a compressed copy of myself into her implants. We should be able to work together and get her back under control.'

Luke returned and stood beside Gwin as Gabriel stormed out of the mansion. 'Should we keep eyes on Ureha as well?' 'Negative. Let him go; if it becomes necessary, he won't be hard to find. We'll just look for the biggest disaster area and he'll be at the center of it.'

He bowed his head and closed his eyes, as if in prayer, and Nirvana went to work.

~Gwin's Mind~

Gwin's thoughts were in turmoil. Memories slammed together, shards and fragments crashing back into place like artillery fire on a battlefield. She was remembering everything that had been done to her, and it was doing exactly what Luke had warned her about. It was burying her.

Nirvana stretched out through the girl's mind, tracing through her unfamiliar implants and learning her unique neural circuitry. The entire process took less than a second, but to Nirvana's heightened awareness it seemed to last an eternity. When at last she felt confident enough to operate inside the girl's mind without causing more harm than good, she reached out a thought strand and probed through the girl's tortured mind. She didn't have to search long before she found what she was looking for: Gwin's scarred and battered mental core.

'Gwin...Gwin? It's me, Nirvana. I'm here to help you, Gwin, but you have to listen to me. You are stronger than this, Gwin. You can control your mind, and I'm going to help you. Alright? But you're going to have to try. Can you do that for me, Gwin?'

'...what...help!...no...no, please, stop...!...it hurts...Isaac, Alice...Joren, why...Gabriel...GABRIEL!!...wait...no, I...please!...'Ana...'Ana, are...?...why...?...my thoughts, my...my mind, it's burning!...help...'Ana...Gabriel...!'

Nirvana pulled back for a moment and transmitted to Luke. 'Luke, her thoughts are completely jumbled. It's exactly what we were afraid of; she's almost completely catatonic. I'm going to have to literally do her thinking for her to get her back.' 'You've done it before, 'Ana. If anyone can handle this, it's you. I have faith in you.'

'Ana returned her attention to guiding her copy through the girl's twisted psychic landscape. For the next several minutes, Nirvana took full control of Gwin's mind, directing and siphoning her thoughts into more manageable constructs. She focused on containing the most damaging memories, building blocks into Gwin's synapses to keep them from doing any more harm. Her intention was not to lock them away again, but rather to allow Gwin to access them in a more stable and orderly manner. Once the worst thoughts were quarantined, she focused on happier thoughts and slowly provided the same controlled access. As she worked, the girl slowly began to return to herself.

'I...who are you...Nirvana? Is that...you? Why...what are you...in my head...?' 'It's me, Gwin. I'm here to help you regain control of your thoughts. Are you feeling better?' 'I...yes, I think...I think I am better...I feel, more in control...but, how did you...?' 'I overlaid a compressed copy of myself into your implants. It doesn't have my full level of functionality, but it should be enough to help you monitor and regulate your mental activity and rebuild the parts of your mind that were tampered with. When this is over you can decide to get an A.I. of your own or not, but for now just think of me as a cast on an injured limb. Oh, and...your head may feel a little crowded. That's normal, and it will pass. So don't worry about it.'

Nirvana broke off the connection with her copy and Luke caught Gwin as she fell to her feet. She looked around with wide eyes as she experienced the sensations of Nirvana 'Lite' settling into her implants. She turned to Luke, temporarilly forgetting Alice's presence. "So, this is what it's like having an A.I.? It feels..." she broke off, as she realized she had absolutely nothing to compare it to. "It's weird." Luke laughed quietly and nodded, while Nirvana beamed over a job well done. "It does take some getting used to. How are you feeling?"

Gwin's eyes harden at his question, and her smile fades away as her memories surge through her once again, this time completely under her control. Luke looked again to Alice, who stood nearby with tears threatening to spill from her exotic eyes. He backed away from Gwin and motioned Alice to join them.

"Maybe you two need to talk..."
You live for the fight when it's all that you've got.

Dunnuck

Alice fell to the floor, holding her head. She let out a piercing scream, realizing that Gwin now had her abilities back. She was shaken, the pain moving from her head to her entire body. Luckily, she had been around these powers before. She was able to recover, but was greeted y Gwin's glare.

Alice backed away from Gwin, her pink and black eyes filled with tears. "Gwin..." She cried. Alice had brought everyone together again to have their minds altered and memories erased. She worked with ArmsTech that one time. "I only did it to help; Gabriel was suicidal! He tried to kill himself because of what he did." She said, referring to Gabriel being a government spy, and how his information led to the death of nearly every student at the dojo. "He never got a chance to explain himself to you, Gwin. He ran. He was too ashamed, and scared. He was ordered to KILL you, Gwin. But he didn't do it!" She explained, still cowering from Gwin. "Do you know what they did to Gabriel? After the attack on the dojo, and after you escaped, they got him. They tortured him. Tried to get your location out of him. He fought to keep you secret...safe. He was being kept at the Agency HQ. He broke out, and fought his way through. He destroyed any information regarding us. It was an impossible attack. He escaped. I found him half dead just outside of Nihin Urbs. Thats when I decided to help ArmsTech wipe your memories. They promised they wouldn't hurt us...any of us. But they lied. They took me away, and when I asked where you all were, they said you were dead."

Dunnuck

"Get away from us!" One of the men shouted, sheltering his injured daughter. "I am here to help you." Gabriel said to them, having stepped out of the car. "Just leave us alone! We have had enough elementals ruining our lives! Just go!" He shouted. Gabriel had used fire to scare off a few battling ArmsTech and Government troops. The man had cowered, with his daughter, in fear.

Fear controlled these people. Gabriel climbed back in his vehicle and continued driving. Nihon Urbs wasn't touched as much by the war yet, though the effects were definitely there.

'Stop them!' Gwin's voice commanded to Gabriel. Gabriel was suddenly isolated within his own mind, thinking about Gwin. His betrayal. The death he caused. ArmsTech....

"You don't have to tell me twice." Gabriel growled, his car disappearing. He and his vehicle were both teleported to Arcadia, the whisp of magical residue sweeping away in the wind. It was night in Arcadia, as expected. But everything was so bright.

Fractured buildings lay in waste, and fires raged without control. There were bodies in the streets, and cars aflame. There were bodies on the sidewalks, which had been inhumanely shoved to the side. "This is not a drill." A generic and heartless voice spoke from an intercom. "Everyone is to remain inside and only open up for Federal Agents." It ordered. "If anyone is seen outside without proper clearance, orders are to shoot to kill. This is to preserve your safety. I repeat; this is to preserve your safety."

Smoke rises from the buildings, making the sky a mass of smog. Gabriel swerved between debris which lay in the streets, and looked out of his window for any survivors. The government had left this area by the looks of it. Gabriel stopped the car and stepped out, reaching in for the satchel filled with supplies. He walked down the street, looking for people to help.

These people's lives were taken from them today. Regardless if they are still alive.

Explosions could be heard in the distance, as well as an ambient scream that occasionally rose from the city. Gabriel headed into an apartment complex, needing to maneuver past the collapsed entrance. Gabriel could hear scattered screams inside, and he carefully followed the noise. Bullet holes scarred the walls, as well as black stains from fire. The front desk was splattered with blood, but a body wasn't in sight. The lights stuttered, threatening to go off. He made his way up the broken stairwell with caution, glancing up to try and locate the source of the cries.

He found himself in a room that was exposed to the world; the wall had been blown down into the streets. A woman was crying, and moaning in pain. She was pinned underneath a piece of the broken building, the bottom half of her body and her right arm crushed. Gabriel did all he could to stop himself from passing out, or even letting out a scream. Somehow, she was alive. Spotting Gabriel, she pleaded for him to come. "Please, my baby. Please save my baby." She cried, her blond hair soaked with her own blood. Her skin was pale, indicating that death was coming. "Where is your baby?" Gabriel asked, coming down to a knee, tears almost in his eyes. "In the other room...down the hall...the door on the left." She said weakly. "It hurts so bad..." Gabriel heard her murmur as he went down the hall. The hall was thick with smoke, and Gabriel approached the door. He went to open it and fire rushed out at him, the entire room engulfed. No way the baby was alive.

Gabriel returned to her, kneeling. "Wha-wha-what happened?" She stammered. "Is she ok?" She asked. "Yeah. She is fine. I'm going to get her out of here, ok?" Gabriel lied. "Oh thank god." What god? "I'm so glad she is ok..." The woman continued. Gabriel stood up, looking down at her. "Help me out of here, please. I want to see her." Gabriel drew his sword. "What...what are you doing?" Be at rest. Be at ease. I send you to the afterlife. She screamed 'no' just before Gabriel thrust the sword down and into the woman's heart, putting her out of her misery.

Gabriel fell to his knees, leaning against the sword with both hands on it. He let out a piercing scream and ripped the sword from the corpse. He raised the blade to sheath it, catching sight of the blood. And his reflection.

What am I? Who am I? Am I still Gabriel? Or am I a freak? All this because of people like me.

Cornelius...

It was late into the day, and Cornelius and Joren were both still under fire. "We have to get out of here." Cornelius told Joren. Most of the guards in their area had died, and it was just them two left. "We are going to need to work together. First things first: you need to be more powerful. It will be a painful and difficult process, but I think you can do it." Cornelius stated. "Remember: this is for revenge. Gabriel killed your wife and son. Now you need to kill him. I will give you your powers, but do not think of betraying me. Know that I am far stronger than you. My breakthrough happened years ago."

Cornelius jumped, sending electricity into one of the Agency troops. At least these people were not actually agents. He then shocked the gun of another soldier, causing bullets to shoot out in random directions as the guns exploded. "Ok. Field training. You need to get more creative with your powers. Use your enemies, and whatever they have, against themselves."

Gwindolyn

The first thing Gwin does is start to sort the memories.  Real.  Real.  Not Real.   His.  Hers.  Real.  Movie she saw years ago.  Real.  The new copy of ‘Ana helping her sort things and making things make more sense.  She stops suddenly and asks the AI “Can you take any form?”  “yes”  “Take a male form, please.  You can be called Jake.”  She just finds it easier to not think of the AI as Luke’s AI, even if it is.  Nirvana reforms its image and voice to reflect a male image, but not Gabe’s.  “Is this better?”  “Yes, Jake, thank you.”
As Jake helps her find her way through the memories to the moment, Gwin begins to take control.  By the time she can see Alice, Gwin is in control of herself again.  She stares at Alice until Alice can see her.  Her ability to read Alice’s mind tells her the memories are as she sees them.  She also sees that Alice’s memories are not perfectly as she experienced them either.  Alice has been tampered with as well.  She says nothing as the true memories are either deeply hidden or hidden in another’s mind as Gabriel’s memories were hidden in her mind.  “Alice, you did what you thought best.  You were too young for such decisions.”
She looks to Luke.  “Thank you.”  A simple thought question broke through ‘Ana’s shields “Will you be helping or hiding?”
Her mind shoots to Gabriel’s.  Love or hate, they were tied.  She can see his sight almost as if it were Jake playing it for her.  She finds Gabriel’s mind and she begins to make her presence known to him.  “It is past.  The pain of us is past.  We have love anew.  Let us know that. “  She hears his thoughts, his pain and sense of being lost in a moment.  “You are beautiful.  You are mine.  I am yours.  Come back to me.  Let’s do this together.  Come back.”
I've become a truck driver.  This means my connection and time are not scheduled.  I cannot guarantee a post every night, and sometimes I can do multiple posts in a single time span.  For those of you who can handle time gaps between posts, I am welcoming new stories.  I want to write in the threads.  I want an audience for my writing and our story.

I am Gwindolyn            
Pressing Gwindolyn's buttons

Wyrd

All Joren could do was nod his head at Cornelius' instructions. "Watch and learn!" As he yelled this, Joren reached out his hands in the direction of on coming troops, his eye's glowed white and the the're guns froze in the're hands rendering them unusable. Joren quickly capitalized by making the ice on the guns spread through out the're bodies and turning them into frozen statues. Joren's hand morphed into a sword of ice, he ran at the statues and swiftly sliced them to pieces. As Joren finished with those troops, three more came from another direction. Joren quickly put both of his hands on the wall and sent ice to fill up the hallway, then he made another wall of ice between Joren and Cornelius and the troops, Then with deep concentration, Joren drastically lowered the temperature on the other side of the wall until the movement from the troops on the other side slowly stopped. Joren then turned to Cornelius. "See? I can be creative."           
Ragtime Dandies!

Dunnuck

'Gwin...Thank you.' He answered back mentally, sheathing his sword after he cleaned it. I cannot come back, though. Not yet. I have to help these people. Then, I am off to ArmsTech Headquarters. Go with Luke for now. I promise I will see you again. I promise it will be soon. I promise I won't die. I won't leave you alone again.

He makes his way back down the stairs, entering his car and going to help more people in need.

Cornelius...

"Impressive. Now, combine your attacks with mine. You take the lead. Lets see what you can come up with." He told Joren

Wyrd

"It's about damn time." Joren said with a grin as he saw more troops heading for them. Joren stomped his foot to the ground, and a flash of cold turned the ground to slick ice. The troops tried to stop from lisping to the ground. but to no such luck. as the hit the cold floor, Joren melted the ice so that the troops would be soaked with water.  Cornelius then fired a bolt of electricity at the water covered floor in the troops direction and killed them easily. "Nice! Now I think we need to get the fuck out of hear before more pigs come!"
Ragtime Dandies!

Dunnuck

"We can't." Cornelius said. "We are trapped in here. The best we can do is head to the server room and gather some vital data. We can't fight our way out because there are so many of them. We need to negotiate. We have to fight our way there. Then we are going to need to split up. One of us in the server room, the other in the beacon room." He explained.

Wyrd

Joren was puzzled for a minute, but then agreed. "Okay. But what do we need to do in the beacon room? Plus, that area is crawling with agency pigs. is it really worth the risk?"
Ragtime Dandies!

Dunnuck

"Is it worth the risk? Its either we do it or die. The beacon's purpose has always been to distribute information. We are going to hack it, alter it's functions, and be sure to have leverage against the government to barter our freedom. We hold plenty of aces in our hand. They are, however, trying to burn the cards. Follow me." He said, running out of cover and putting up a shield of electricity.

Starlequin

'OK. It's official. Put Alice on the *People We Don't Trust* list. How are things looking outside?' 'About as bad as we expected. The local violence hasn't reached the levels it has in several of the other districts, but that won't last long. The entire city is under martial law; curfews are already being enforced.'

Luke leaned against the wall, out of the way as he observed Gwin's confrontation with Alice. His juice box lay empty on a nearby table. 'Have you received any progress reports from Roberts on the safe house?' 'Affirmative. He set up a standard B-class shelter approximately 70 miles southeast of our present location. All the usual cloaks and traps.' 'Excellent. We won't overstay our welcome, just long enough to pick up a few supplies and throw anyone who gets too curious off our trail.'

Gwin turned to him and offered an uncertain smile. "Thank you," she said. 'So, will you be helping, or hiding?' she then asked, transmitting the question directly from her implants to his. Luke cocked an eyebrow in surprise; it wasn't often that a patient learned to operate with an A.I. so quickly. Then again, he figured, these kids probably wouldn't know 'normal' if it leapt up and bit them in the ass. He shrugged with a smile. 'Haven't decided yet. Depends on who wins,' he shot back.

As she turned her focus to Gabriel's mind, Luke consulted with 'Ana. 'Now, what about the girl? Did you-' 'Affirmative. Her compressed A.I., which she named 'Jake', by the way, is still slaved to my command. It's also built enough connections throughout her brain to suppress her abilities if necessary. She'll retain full control of her powers, but she won't be able to use them against us.' 'Perfect. And her memories? Is, ah, 'Jake' managing to record enough data to transmit back to us?' 'He is, but for now it's being stored in a secured folder and he still lacks the ability to transmit or receive from a server or satellite. I did say his functionality was severly handicapped.' 'That's fine. We won't bother with reading her memories for now, anyway. It won't hurt to leave her her privacy. But if it should become necessary, we won't hesitate to collect the information.' 'Affirmative.'

~Quantum Urbs, Medellin District~

The first thing Etriun noticed was that he was strapped to a very large table.

The second thing Etriun noticed was that several of his internal components were no longer internal.

The third thing Etriun noticed was that the first and second things had a 97% chance of being related.

His sensors detected a pair of hands tinkering around with his propulsion systems, and he switched to his 'authoritative' vocalizer.

"Warning! You are in danger of violating this unit's warranty! Article 14 of Operating Protocol, 'No Unauthorized Repairs"! Cease and desist immediately!" The drone considered his situation a little further and spoke again. "Correction! Replace my extracted components and THEN cease and desist immediately!" The hands continued working, and one of the primary intake valves was removed. "Um. Please?"

The hands withdrew, and Etriun giggled silently. 'Wow, I can't believe that actually worked! Wait til I tell the others, they'll flip! Hey, I wonder if I can ask him to please provoke me!' The Cherubim was about to vocalize his new request when his frontal cameras registered movement. A young man, about 12 or 13, stared into his port-side cam and waved awkwardly.

"Um, hello. I didn't know this thing was piloted. It just crashed through the apartment window upstairs. I thought it was broken, I didn't know anyone would mind if I took a look inside. I'm sorry; I'll put it back together!"

Etriun settled in peacefully while the youth quite expertly reassembled him. The kid whistled while he worked, a nameless, random melody, and before long Etriun was calculating predictive harmonies and humming along with him. Within less than an hour, the drone was rebuilt as good as new. The boy unstrapped him from the table and he swivelled around in the air, his hoverjets once again in working order. "Your assistance is appreciated. Please identify yourself. Are you designated Noncombatant?"

"Um. What? Uh, no, I mean, yes, I'm a not-combatant!" "Understood. What is your name, Noncombatant? This unit is named Cherubim Etriun." "M-me? I'm Cody. Cody Tolk--er, Benson. Cody Benson." Etriun performed an extra slow barrell roll three feet off the table and spun in the air. "Pleased to meetcha!"
You live for the fight when it's all that you've got.

Gwindolyn

As Jake helped Gwin rebuild her mind, Gwin gained more and more control.  Gwin was never much into computers, but she was very much exploring her own mind.  She poked into everything, testing and tasting what was there.  It wouldn't take her too long until she came across anything hidden by Jake.  She had enough knowledge of Luke to know not to trust him fully.  She would have a look at Jake's stuff sooner or later.  But she's still busy finding herself, let alone doing a 'security sweep' on her 'Nirvana Lite'.

He shrugged with a smile. 'Haven't decided yet. Depends on who wins,' he shot back.  She turns her attention to him again "No one wins in moments like this.  As far as I can tell, we have a three sided or more war going on.  We all lose no matter what.  Choose your side so I know what to do with you."  Her words sounded like an offer and a threat in one breath.  They were stated flatly, non-chalantly, as if she had no care if he joined her to fight for the children or the government to kill or take her. 

She speaks to Gabriel once more "You are stronger with me.  Don't leave me out of this fight."

She begins to explore any minds within her reach.  Children she would direct to the dojo.  "Alice, children are coming.  Prepare."  She will direct the less capable of fighting and more nurturing parents to the dojo to help.  "Some help is coming too.  You will need all the food in the house and then some.  Prepare medical supplies.  Some are hurt."  She then begins to explore her more militant options.  She hunts for those capable, any operatives of Luke's, the government or Armstech that she can thwart and control.  She doesn't attempt to look into Luke's mind yet.  She wants him to decide himself.  She starts building an army of those she can control easily.  Members of all three sides slip out of ranks.  She grins as she starts to view her troops.
I've become a truck driver.  This means my connection and time are not scheduled.  I cannot guarantee a post every night, and sometimes I can do multiple posts in a single time span.  For those of you who can handle time gaps between posts, I am welcoming new stories.  I want to write in the threads.  I want an audience for my writing and our story.

I am Gwindolyn            
Pressing Gwindolyn's buttons

Starlequin

"Oh no, kitten. 'We' won't 'all' lose. I can guarantee you that much," Luke said, hands shoved back in his pockets. Alice nodded anxiously as Gwin issued her commands and ran out of the room to gather supplies.

'Luke, I'm receiving reports from several operatives in the field indicating possible compromise. The transmissions are highly erratic. From what I can gather, many of the Saints have fallen victim to some form of psychic attack or conscription.' 'Hm. Sounds like our girl at work. It's probably safe to assume she's not solely attacking our people; more likely she's going after anyone out there that knows how to fight. That'll include ArmsTech and Government agents. Nirvana, can we interrupt her broadcast? Jam her somehow, or at least free the Saints? If she wants to go to war that's fine with me, but I don't want to give this little bitch any more firepower than she's already got and I'll be damned if I'm going to let her get my people killed.' 'I'll try.....Luke, it's no good. Her powers have grown geometrically since she gained control of them. To be honest, I don't even know if I can still use Jake to shut her down now without killing her. At this point, the only thing I can promise is that her abilities still won't work on us. She can't affect software, and your mind is beyond anything she could handle.' 'Fine. She wants to play with the big kids, she can damn well accept the consequences, and to hell with Marcos.'

Luke angrily pushed off the wall and moved in front of Gwin. His hand shot out of his pocket and he grabbed her beneath her chin, forcing her to look at him. His smile was gone now, and his eyes were harder than steel. "Very funny, princess. You want to build an army? Go for it. But take your little puppet strings off of my people, or there will be consequences." Gwin simply smiled coldly, well on her way to becoming drunk with her newly-returned power. Her amusement at finally seeing Luke's cage rattled distracted her from noticing Nirvana assuming control over Jake's processes.

"And what, exactly, are you going to do about it, Luke? What is the big, bad Luke Saipher going to do to me if I don't obey?" She asked sweetly, her sarcasm practically dripping from her saccharine smile.

Luke pulled her a little closer and stared into her eyes. "I'm going to cut my losses and kill you." With a mental snap of his fingers, Nirvana took full control of Gwin's implants. It was the simplest thing in the world to suppress her involuntary processes.

He released his grip on Gwin's throat and she fell to the floor, limp as a dishrag. Her eyes widened in terror as Nirvana temporarily shut down the girl's muscular response systems, leaving her limbs as responsive as wet noodles. Next she took command of Gwin's respiratory functions and restricted her breathing, and the kid started to gasp like a beached fish. She looked up in horror at Luke as he stood over her, cold and unfeeling.

"Now do as you're told, Gwin. Let my people out of your control, or we'll shut down your heart next. I told Marcos I'd bring you home alive, and that's still what I'd prefer to do. But at this point, I don't have any problem taking your corpse home for him to bury, either. You have 30 seconds to release them, little girl. Starting now. And if you so much as think about attacking me, or hurting them, I will end you here and now." Even in the throes of panicked asphyxiation, she could tell he meant it.

"Clock's ticking, princess."
You live for the fight when it's all that you've got.

Dunnuck

"You are stronger with me.  Don't leave me out of this fight."

Gabriel appeared between the two, magical residue radiating off of him. The room rattled and shook at the close quarters teleportation. He stood, facing Luke. "He heart stops and Nirvana dies, Luke." Gabriel warned. Electricity smacked the ground in the room with a fountain-like effect, and a stream lingered in the back of Luke's head. "I'm skilled enough to destroy the AI and leave you intact." He warned. The electricity lingered like a snake ready to pounce on it's prey. "I suggest we all calm down." He looked back to Gwin, becoming angry. "First, you release your grip on her. If you don't want your people to die, I suggest you get them extracted. You have enough secrets within you for us not to trust you." He approached Luke, almost butting heads with him.

"We are after ArmsTech. What's going on out there right now is more important than you, me, Gwin, and Marcos. It's more important than your money. It's more important than your operatives out there. What would you expect when planning behind our backs?" He asked.

Starlequin

Luke grinned wickedly as Gabriel manifested before him, arcs of electricity whirling inches from his skin in preparation to strike him down. His smokey eyes met Ureha's flickering blues as he spoke silently with Nirvana.

''Ana, can he actually do that?' Nirvana remained silent. She knew the answer, but she knew if she told him he would only push things further. She could have transferred out of Luke's mind back to the safety of her mainframe, but Gabriel could still destroy his implants. They would in effect be cut off from each other. New implants would never be prepared in time; his consciousness would be completely scattered, and she would lose him. And Nirvana simply couldn't bare that.

'Nirvana, can he do it or not?' 'Yes, Luke. I'm afraid he can.' '...Damn. Options?' 'Ureha does have a point. We should concentrate on getting our agents out of heavy conflict zones. I'm already getting communications from some of the Saints; it looks like Gwin is releasing them from her control. I'm broadcasting a Level-1 Priority Alert to all operatives to abandon their current assignments and retreat to the nearest A-Class safe houses.'

At the news of the Saints' safety, Luke softened his grin and lifted his hands in his typical 'all right, Sheriff, ya got me' manner and Nirvana released her hold on Gwin's nervous system. As she spluttered for breath and rose to her feet, Luke hooked his thumbs through his belt loops and shrugged.

"Have it your way, Loverboy. There, see? I can play nice." Then his grin hardened again, and he faced Gabriel head-on. "But there's something you should keep in mind. Next time, you'll be a lot better off aiming at me instead of Nirvana. Because kid, you really, really don't want to see what I'm like without her holding me back."
You live for the fight when it's all that you've got.

Dunnuck

"Try it." Gabriel challenged coldly. "I could cause your body to shut down with a single bolt. Think about it like this: the hospital trying to restart a heart thats already beating. I can also cause sll your muscles to tense with an electrical signal and make you SHIT yourself, Luke, just for the added effect." He said, eyes still locked with Luke's. "I fight for something more than money. And the cause alone is enough for me to kill you. I'm fighting for Gwin. I'm fighting for the people. I'm fighting for my fucking life.

"What are you fighting for? You know, besides yourself? If you have ever loved someone in your life, you will know of what I speak. If you killed her, do you think anyone would be safe? Your operatives would of been safe...for now. You would be dead. I would track down your AI. Kill it. Track down your operatives. Kill them." His eyes were as cold as ice and serious. "We can continue this pissing contest or we can work together. No secrets. No safeguards. No hidden plans." He offered.

Starlequin

Luke rolled his eyes and grinned at Ureha's threats. 'Loves to hear himself talk, doesn't he?' 'I don't think this is idle chatter, Luke. I believe if anyone on the planet could actually manage to kill you, it's him. I know you need the stimulation, but maybe you should stop provoking him. There really is no telling what the two of you together could accomplish.' 'Come on, 'Ana. I already accomplished what I set out to do, and look where that got me. Besides, he's so...uptight!'

His eyes flashed for barely an instant at Ureha's mention of a past love, so quickly he doubted even Ureha could have caught it. And then again when he threatened Nirvana and the Saints. For just a second, he considered killing them both then and there. And he would have...but he knew, neither Annika nor Nirvana would have approved.

He felt a surge of pride from Nirvana's core as he allowed her to bring his impulses back under control. Luke fixed a new, playful smile on his face and leaned in close to Gabriel as he finished speaking. He giggled madly, then spun away beneath a sparking lance of electricity and threw himself into a plushly cushioned chair. He folded his legs under himself and smiled brightly at the others.

"Alright then, Hero. What do you have in mind?"

~The Digital Aether~

Nirvana waited in her nest, watching as the conflict unfolded. She had a great deal of influence on Luke's decisions, but in the end the final choice always belonged to him. Fortunately, she also possessed a great deal of faith in him, and she held little fear that things would spiral any further out of control. She knew Luke truly believed he couldn't function without her, and most of the time, she knew he was right. But there were moments every once in a great while, that she felt perhaps he was stronger than either of them realized.

It was just another reason she loved him.
You live for the fight when it's all that you've got.

Dunnuck

"What I have in mind is the ability for me to hear your thoughts. That, combined with my control over electricity, allows me to listen in on your conversations with your AI. So no, they are not idle threats." What Gabe didn't tell him was that he had to concentrate to do that. Picking up electrical signals, especially ones as small as the one between he and his AI, required a mind dedicated to to that purpose.

"We go to Marco. Then, from there, we hit ArmsTech. They are growing weaker by the second. They are probably held up in there. They won't have many supplies. They will be hungry, tired, and fatigued. We destroy the complex, something you will have to do. This will kill all the government that are currently there, which will make it easier to attack the government. But the government is the hard part. As you know, the President is in Caput (capital) Urbs. Before we can take on Caput, we have to rally the people. A lot of citizens will die. A lot of lives will be ruined. Children's minds scarred. But it is necessary." Gabriel had regained a part of him with the memories; the part that made him cold and calculating when needed. "Everyone will take up arms. Even women and children. But, to get the message out will require a large effort. Jenny and Nirvana can work to remote control blimps and vehicles broadcasting our message when it needs to be sent. We head to the MainFrame in Caput Urbs and hack it, allowing us to override TVs and megatrons everywhere. We can broadcast live.

"What I speak of is a full-scale rebellion. After we take down ArmsTech, we need to lay low for a while. Slowly gather people." He explained.

OOC: Don't worry, there will be a lot of time jumps.

Gwindolyn

Gwin slumps as she is released from Nirvana's control.  She stays low listening to the two finally having their pissing match out.  She knew her love and had confidence in him.  With all her memory regained she knew who he was fully and his skill.  Especially since she had access to all his REAL memories.  She took time with their distraction to wrestle with Jake.  No way was she going to allow him that ability over her again.  She calmly scours her brain for any hidden files, security options or control routines.  She severs his link to Nirvana main.  Her power grows as she gains control of herself.  She learns to reroute the energy brought on by different emotions and she learns to access emotions at whim by opening different memories.  That is like a virtual battery pack just waiting to kick start her abilities.  She thanks her habits of neatness and organization.  She cleans up her brain and makes it organized so that she can stand being in it. 

She reaches back out and gathers her soldiers minds to her.  She calls her army to a now abandoned building near them.  She makes a few stop for groceries and supplies from a now out of business store on the way.  Good soldiers are not nearly so good when starving or dying of thirst.  She does leave Luke's 'saints' out of it, but only because he is behaving himself now.  Not that Gabriel left him many choices, but....

Alice can be heard upstairs tending madly to the children and so on.  Gwindolyn takes a look at her mind for a stock of food in the house.  more might be needed.  Gwindolyn sends a few soldiers to gather more food and bring it back.  She gives Alice a heads-up for them to come to the door bearing food. 

She turns to Gabriel.  "I have been busy."  She gives him a view of her little 'army'  then a quick look at Alice upstairs.  She shows him her boys doing the grocery shopping.  She smiles "and I got my brain cleaned up."  She smiles sweetly to Luke,  "Thank you for revealing the work I needed to do.  I have done so."  She does not tell him quite what that means, but knows he's not stupid.  She looks back to Gabriel. "I will need my own AI on a permanent basis.  Jake is only temporary, a demo package, if you will.  Where can we get one that we trust?"  She does not look at Luke.
I've become a truck driver.  This means my connection and time are not scheduled.  I cannot guarantee a post every night, and sometimes I can do multiple posts in a single time span.  For those of you who can handle time gaps between posts, I am welcoming new stories.  I want to write in the threads.  I want an audience for my writing and our story.

I am Gwindolyn            
Pressing Gwindolyn's buttons