Part 1
Down the Rabbit Hole.
***
[b]
“Is the subject ready?”
“Yes sir... but even thought she was highly inebriated, we lost eight men bringing her in.”
“A trivial matter. Once we have the info we need, it won't matter.”
“Yes sir, beginning the procedure.”
* * *
There was a beep coming from somewhere, rousing her from her sleep.
Neph Seraph grunted as her eyes slowly opened, sunlight pouring in from the nearby window. Rubbing her eyes, she went to sit up before letting out a gasp of pain and collapsing back, her body feeling like she just gone five rounds with Terrence Knight.
Looking down at herself, her brain took a few seconds to take in what she was seeing, she was in a hospital bed; and guessing by the amount of machines hooked up to her, she must have been in a hell of a accident.
Was she hit by a car last night?
Sure she was drunk, but that drunk?
She groped around for her glasses when another fact slowly filtered into her brain.
She was was able to see the room around her perfectly.
How the hell was that possible? Her cruddy eyesight was a side effect from when Dib rushed her growth, resulting in a permanent case of short sightedness. However, but the room around her was crystal clear.
What the fuck was going on?
Her train of thought was distracted by the door opening when a tall balding man entered, adjusting his glasses as he consulted a clipboard and walked over to her.
“Ahhh, Miss Seraph, you are finally awake, you had us all worried there for a while.” He spoke in a calm, soothing voice.
“What the hell happened to me?” she mumbled, her voice sounding softer than she was used to.
He sighed before speaking. “There is no easy way to say this. You were hit by a car two weeks ago You’ve been comatose since. There was extensive damage, and it was touch and go for some time.”
“What? How bad was it?”
He took a deep breath before listing off her injuries. “Let's see, your right arm and six ribs were broken, along with severe internal bleeding from lacerations to your large intestines and a ruptured liver, a mild skull fracture and extensive damage to your right leg... You’re lucky to be alive young lady.”
“Two weeks? What the...why didn't the mediport system get me?” She asked. She knew she had suffered worse in the past and gotten off scot free, thanks to that little bit of tech.
The doctor furrowed his brow as he looked over his glasses. “Miss Seraph, you are aware that such technology is reserved for civil servants, the elderly and heroes, not teenage girls.”
“What?” She screeched as she tried to get up, pain flaring through her body as she looked down at herself, horror filling her as she saw her right leg was missing below the knee. She tried to move and pain flared through her body, crimson starting to stain the bed sheets, darkness filling her vision-
Images swirled in front of her, she was in some sort of tank, voices shouting from a great distance
“She's fighting the lotus effect sir!”
“Increase the dosage then.”
“Sir, we’re not sure if that’s a good idea, it could interfere with the download.”
“Do it!”
“Yes sir”
The voices began to fade. . .
As the room swum back into focus, the first thing she noticed was it was night now. As she tried to sit up, she discovered she could not. Instead of pain keeping her prone, she now saw that job was being done by large straps pinning her to the bed. Collapsing back, she glared at the ceiling and wondered what the hell was going on.
Then she heard voices drift in from outside the room. Straining herself to hear, she could make out the voice of the doctor and someone else who sounded vaguely familiar.
“After such a traumatic experience, it is not unusual for someone to lash out at their surroundings. It is a lot to take in at once.”
The second voice was a woman's that sounded so familiar that it was almost maddening. “I just can't believe that she would do something like that, she's normally such a gentle child.”
“Mrs. Seraph, until we can figure out what caused such a strong reaction, I suggest we keep her here for observation.”
Mrs. Seraph? That didn't sound like either of my aunts out there, Neph thought. Could it of been Laz? No...they called her a child. Her head swam with what ever they pumped into her.
The woman spoke again. “Is...is it okay if I see her, Doctor?”
There was a pause before he answered. “We have sedated and restrained her to stop her from harming herself or any of the orderlies...but a short visit should be okay. I'll be by the door if you need anything, ma'am.”
As the door opened, Neph tried to fight off the drugs as her head slumped back onto the pillow. Footsteps echoed closer, eventually bringing a short woman into her line of sight.
As the woman reached her side, the moonlight shone on her face and Neph felt her heart skip a beat as Tish Feugo looked down at her, the woman’s face a mask of concern.
Reaching over, Tish gently stroked some hair out of her face and smiled. “How ya doing kiddo?” she asked, keeping her voice soft.
Neph tried to reply, but only got out a strangled groan causing Tish's lip to tremble. She was upset? Last Neph knew, Tish would of probably been happy a car had hit her, so why did she look like she was about to cry?
“Stay still, the doctors said that during your little outburst, you managed to tear out some of your stitches.” She said, sitting on the side of the bed, resting a hand on her shoulder. “I can't stay for long, but I'll be back tomorrow with your father, okay sweetie?”
Neph tried to make another noise as Tish stood up and kissed her brow. “See you then.”
Watching the shorter woman, confusion raging in her head. The way Tish acted...it was almost as if she was her daughter...but Tish would never see her like that...would she?
The sedatives the doctor was talking about must have started to kick in as she started to black out, her last thoughts were of the way Tish had looked at her...and how it felt...
* * *
The director strode into the room, slowly panning his eyes over his underlings, the mass of computers, before finally resting upon the tank where his prize floated, a smirk coming to his face.
Hanging in the fluid, wires and tubes hooked up to her was Nephilim blade.
That bitch had ruined several of his projects...had him blacklisted from Crey...forced him on the run...but now, now he would get his revenge on her.
The perfect revenge, he would trap her in a dream world, biased off her own fantasy and desires. A world from which she would never awaken. Then, when she had fully accepted it, he would shatter her world like a snowglobe, destroying her mind and leaving her as a drooling vegetable.
A cruel grin pulled at his lips, she had all but destroyed his world, so he would break hers.
* * *[/b]
Sunlight woke her up again, getting a string of mild profanity from her as she tried to raise a hand to cover her face, only to be stopped by the damn restraints, causing another bout of swearing.
“Nephilim Angelica Seraph! Where on earth did you learn such language?” A voice scolded her.
Turning her head she saw Tish giving her a disapproving look. A large plushy of a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane in her arms.
“Why do you care?” she croaked in reply, her throat feeling parched... how long had they drugged her?
“Because I'm your mother and I don't want my little girl getting so foul mouthed, that's why. Imagine if your father heard that?”
Neph froze, Tish had just said mother... Tish would never say that, why would she?
“Neph...are you okay?” The woman claiming to be her mother placed the plushy on her lap and lent over to rest her hand on her arm, the pain in her head building again-
“Sir, I'm not sure about this scenario, she seems to have trouble accepting it.”
“Impossible, it's biased of her own mind, if there is any rejection it is because one of you have made an error! If I have to come down here one more time to fix one of your mistakes, you are FIRED! Do you hear me?”
There was the sound of someone storming off.
“Man... what a dick.”
the voice faded away...
“Neph? Neph dear, are you okay?”
She came back to arms wrapped around her, comforting her, a hand stroking her head like a scared little child...
Part of her wanted to scream out that this was wrong. That this is not how things were meant to be...but a much smaller, much more scared part was afraid of losing this.
Her mind in turmoil, she did the only thing that made sense and cried.
* * *
She lost track of time for a bit after that, she listened to what they told her...it sounded stupid, it sounded fake...it had to be!
According to them she was sixteen years old, born naturally to Seraph and Tish 3 years after they got married and had two adopted sisters, but recently she had been having trouble with school.
Her parents suspected bullying, So they sent her to a psychiatrist. Then one day, after a particularly intense session, she apparently just walked across the street without paying attention where she was going and BAM! Here she was, minus a leg.
It all just seemed so crazy to her. But any time she tried to voice it, her parents and the doctors all told her she was still recovering from a traumatic event, that she was confused. But it was true...it had to be...she could remember it all so vividly...
After another week of drifting in and out, the doctors decided to bring her psychiatrist in to talk to her, maybe then she could get somewhere.
Soon it was the day her shrink was scheduled to visit. When the door opened, it was almost all Neph could do not to laugh as the director of Project Blades, Dib Membrain walked in. He gave her a smile and pulled up a chair next to her bed, note pad on his lap. “Ah Neph, it is good to see you again...I was upset to hear what happened...and after we were making such progress.” His voice was calm, level, almost sincere...it was bullshit.
She started to laugh. “Oh...and what progress did we make, Dib?” She almost spat the name.
Adjusting his glasses, he flipped through the notebook. “Would it help if I went over our notes from previous sessions?”
“Whatever.”
Clearing his throat, he started. “During our first session, you told me of how you found yourself day dreaming that you were in a world like this one, but different. This is probably due to the stress of your everyday life.”
“And how was that, Doctor?”
“At first, you where just a simple hero like the rest of your family. But as you started to feel you were no longer in control of the world around you, this fantasy started to reflect that. You demonised me as some sort of evil scientist that created you as a weapon to use against your family, Possibly a manifestation of your fear that I might change you and the stigmata that all psychiatrist find a way to blame the parent for how the child turned out.”
She blinked as he kept going. “You also turned your mother into a cold, distant figure that didn't seem to give a care for you. We pinned this down to the fact your mother was the one pushing for these sessions, which you were originally rather against.”
He turned another page and kept going. “You also mentioned that in this dream world, you were a cyborg. I believe this is your subconscious mind trying to emulate your older sisters, both of them are cyborgs from what your father told me.”
Neph tired to speak, but her mind was coming up blank. Everything the bastard said had a ring of truth... but if he was right, then... “What...what about Lights Retribution?” she croaked out.
He flipped back and forth before he found what he was looking for. “Ah yes, the scruffy hero that accepts you for who you are, regardless of what you do. Based of a character from a book you read a lot as a child.”
“This...this isn't right, I remember all that shit, It's real to me!” She snapped at him.
“You suffered a near death experience. That combined with the blow to your head. it is very easy for your mind to confuse what is real and what is not Neph, Such an experience can be so traumatic that your mind escaped to this dream to protect itself from the harsh reality of what happened. But with help and time, we can figure out fact from fiction...if you are willing to let me.”
She looked down at herself...was he right? Was all this a dream?
And is that such a bad thing? A voice whispered in the back of her mind. It may not be real...but you have a family, they love you! You are no longer an outcast!
N... ph!
Blinking, she looked around, something flickering in the corner of her eye as the voice echoed off in the distance. Turning to Dib, she took a deep breath. “What...what if I can't be fixed...what if I'm stuck with one foot in each world?”
“In such a case, we may have to resort to more drastic measures like medication... but I would like to stress that I consider such things as a method of last resort, I don't prescribe such things lightly.”
“I...I need some time to think about it...okay?” She felt weak for saying it...but what he was saying...god she wished she had something with her to tell her what was real and what was fake.
Standing up, Dib nodded. “I am generally around the facility if you need me, all you have to do is ask one of the nurses and I'll be around as fast as I can.” He patted her head, for a second making her skin crawl. “We'll work this out together, okay?”
She mumbled a reply as he left, her eyes growing heavy as sleep claimed her again.
* * *
Part 2
Through the poppy field.
[b]***
Neph grinned as she sat on the edge of her bed, they where finally letting her out! After over a month of shrink visits and her getting a simple prosthetic leg, she was finally free to leave!
She looked around the room, it was going to be good to get out of here. The damn place wasn’t helping her keep her head on straight...but Dib assured her once she was outside, things would become more clearer.
She picking up the crutches the doctors had given her, and started slowly moving round the room, trying to get used to the odd sensation of having only one flesh and blood foot propelling her forward. After a few moments she rather childishly decided to see how fast she could go... and promptly fell flat on her ass.
There was a chuckle from the door and she looked over to see Seraph standing there, a half smile on his face as he made his way over and helped her up. “Always rushing in head first, you are too much like your mother and me at times, got to be careful tyke.” He commented.
She got her first good look at this version of her father and was shocked at how much older he looked, his hair was salt and peppered, tied back from his face, while his hands were heavily calloused. “What’s wrong, tyke? You almost act like you never seen me before.”
She looked away. “Sorry...I...I just didn't expect you to look so...”
“Hmm?”
“Well,...old.”
He laughed and ruffled her hair. “You shrink told me about the dream world you had. Kinda funny you see me as a young, A bit of a stubborn grump, but a good man at heart.”
“And you’re not?”
He laughed as he helped her to the door, pausing long enough to wipe a tear of mirth away. “Oh I am all that... bar the young part, wouldn't mind that bit.”
She couldn't help but laugh at him. “So I finally get to go home?”
“Sure, after we book an appointment for some physical therapy.”
She let out a slight grumble. “Why do I need that? How is seeing one going help? Is it going to make my leg magically grow back?”
“No, but you have been in a hospital bed for a little over a month and your body is weak. So you need to build up your strength...which means lots of fatty foods.”
“That’s good because?”
“Your mother thinks I should eat healthier, a man my age can't get by just eating hot dogs and a slice of pizza, Buuuuuut if my little Girl needs it...then I can sneak a bite or two.” He gave her a wink as they reached the reception desk.
As he started going over the forms for her release, Neph looked around the waiting room, looking at all the normal patients. Normal like me...that's...is that right? Am I normal? She mused, pausing as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a nearby window.
An armoured giant loomed in the window, it's white and black armour covered in scratches while a faceless gold helm stared at her... a voice whispered in the back of her skull.
This is wrong! You know it, WAKE UP!
She backed away, stumbling slightly as a hand tapped her shoulder. “You okay kiddo?” Seraph asked. “You look a little pale.”
She shook her head, looking back to see her own, normal reflection staring back at her. “Yeah.... guess I'm a little woozy after being cooped up so long.”
“Good thing we live next door then, huh?”
As they exited, she cast another look back at her reflection, half expecting that armoured beast staring back at her. “Yeah....”
* * *
As the elevator dinged, they stepped out into the the hallway, walking down into a darkened living room.
“Did you forget to pay the power bill or something dad?” Neph asked.
“Actually....” The lights clicked on.
“SURPRISE!”
Neph nearly fell over as her whole family leaped out, cheering as they gathered around. Cheering and hugging her as they lead her over to the couch.
“I... um... I don't...” she sputtered before her older sisters squished her in a hug.
“S'kay Nephy!” Gir chirped. “Dad gave us the heads up about you coming out, so we decided to throw you a party... I wanted to invite some of your friends from school... but they said that might be a bit much for you to take in right now.”
Her other sister Lazuren ruffled her hair and laughed. “So sit down squirt and have some fun.”
She felt a little detached as she watched the party, smile as cake was handed her way. She couldn't shake the nagging feeling something was wrong, but what? Her whole family was here, Aunt's, Uncle, cousins. Everyone was having a good time... So what was wrong?
After an hour she excused herself, claiming she was worn out and not used to all the excitement after so long in the hospital. Getting up she hobbled her way to her room, pausing at the door as she examined it.
It looked almost exactly as she remembered it, assorted movie posters lining most of the walls, several bookshelves filled with books or my little ponies while half her bed seemed to be home to an army of plush toys.
Shoving some of the soft toys off her bed, she started to undress for bed, fidgeting with the the straps on her leg before pulling it off and putting it to one side. As she stared at the stump of her leg, again there was that nagging sensation that something was wrong...but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Pulling the sheets over herself, she started to drift off.
* * *
You are an idiot.
And who you are to judge my actions? You would watch for an eternity, waiting for the “logical” moment to interact!
While you would risk destroying her mind in an effort to force freedom? We need time to plan, to find a way out of this.
She reacted to me! I could of pulled her out then and there!
And scrambled her mind, made her a damn potato! I will act when the time is right, for now I will leave a path of bread crumbs... she's smart enough to follow.
We'll see...
* * *
Neph stared half asleep at the roof as she waited in the physiotherapists office. It had been a week since she got home and she got hardly any sleep, her dreams filled with strange voices and odd visions.
She talked to her shrink about the dreams, figures made of red and green numbers arguing over things that made little to no sense. He told her that it was probably her mind starting to come to terms with the fact her dream world was a fantasy and that she should focus on this one...which made sense, she guessed.
Letting out a long sigh, she heard someone enter the room, tilting her head, she noticed a Asian man in green sweats walk up to the counter and start chatting to the receptionist.
For some reason, his outfit seemed... off, as if the light wasn't quite hitting it right.
As he finished his conversation, he walked over to her and offered a hand. “Hi. I'm Namoru. I'm here to help with your physical rehabilitation” He spoke in a chirpy tone.
Yawning as she took his hand and struggled to pulled herself up. “Neph Seraph... um... is this really necessary? I been out of the hospital for a week now and I'm getting the hang of walking with crutches, do I really need more therapy?”
The man sighed. "Do you want to be able to ever walk more than a few feet? Or hold anything heavier than a pencil with your right hand?"
Neph looked at him, but said nothing.
“You see, there's the ‘correct’ way to do this, and there's the ‘I'm so stubborn that I'm going to wind up pulling or straining my newly healed muscles and wind up making my situation worse and not better’ way. I'm here to coach and help you along the ‘correct’ way.”
“...fine. How long is this going to take?”
“We'll see, first, squeeze my hand as hard as you can. Don’t worry, I’m tough and I won’t break.”
Shrugging, she gripped his hand as hard as she could... and noticed he didn't react at all.
“Well if that's how good your grip is.” He chuckled and picked up one of her crutches. “We have a lot of work ahead of us. Follow me.”
Hopping up, she started to hobble after him, muttering as her fake leg made a clonk with each step, while Namoru started going over what they would do. “We'll start you on the parallel bars to begin with, to help you get used to walking on that leg of yours.”
She almost whined. “I have to do that?”
“If you don’t want you condition made worse, yeah.”
“I can make it worse?” she asked disbelievingly.
“Yes. You can wind up even tearing those muscles, winding up on your back for one to two months and have to start from scratch again.”
Making her way over to the parallel bars, she sighed. “Awww man... this will suck.”
Namoru's face became serious. “Look I'm not going to lie to you. Every day when we're done, you're going to be sore and in a bit of pain.” He paused and smiled. “But it shouldn't be anything a long soak and good night's sleep won't cure. And by the time we're done, you should be able to walk normally and have full use of your arm again”
She started rubbing her right arm self consciously. “I guess so then...”
“Well...” He titled his hand back and forth. “By normal I mean your former speed and distance, Now let me show you what to do.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later and she wanted to scream. Her arms and legs were aching from the strain as she moved up and down the length of the bars. Eventually she collapsed at the end, letting out a slight sob. She couldn't do it anymore. It just hurt too much.
Namoru knelt next to her and shook his head. “Come on, it's not that bad is it?”
She blinked her tears away and almost whimpered. “It hurts so much.”
He placed a hand on her arm. “I know, honey, it hurts... it hurts. But think of how better you'll feel when you finish...when you can finally do it on your own...”
She screwed up her face, she couldn't do it...it was too hard.
“Maybe we can take a break if it's too much for you.”
Weakling
She blinked as she heard the strange cruel voice from her dreams.
You can do better than this and you know it! Get up!
She looked down at herself, she was weak...she never be strong like Gir or Laz... not now... she was broken, a shell of her former self.
GET UP! You are better than this!
She blinked as for a second, she saw a woman that looked like her, bleeding from a hundred small cuts, tearing into some sort of robot, a savage look of determination on her face.
This is who you are, now MOVE!
Gritting her teeth and slowly stood up, ignoring the pain as it flared along her arms and legs.
“See, there we go Neph, I told you you can do it.” Namoru patted her on the back
Better.
She moved along the rails, sweat beading along her brow. She could do this...she would do this!
* * *
She finally collapsed after another two hours of pushing herself, her body burnt with fatigue and pain, but there was the feeling of triumph.
She was going to try the bar's again when Namoru placed a hand on her shoulder. “That’s enough for now, remember what I said about pushing yourself?”
She nodded weakly, a slight smile on her face. “Yeah...not sure where I got that second wind from.” As she tried to stand up. She noted his voice sounded a little odd, but before she could dwell on it, her leg finally gave out from the stain and she collapsed. “Um...can..can you call my dad? I'm not sure my leg wishes to work now.”
With a laugh he helped her back up and on to her crutches, leading her back to the reception area where Seraph was waiting. “I figured you might be a bit tired, so I called ahead.”
Smiling her father stepped over and gave her a hand, a look of concern on his face. “Geez, kiddo, you look like you went five rounds with Gir.” He looked to Namoru. “You didn't push her too hard, did you?”
“Actually sir, I had to hold her back. At first she was almost reluctant to do this, but she got a second wind from somewhere and well...I never seen such determination before.”
Seraph ruffled her hair. “She must get it from her mother’s side...or mine, we're both stubborn idiots at times.”
Neph let out a slight grunt and slumped against her father, eyes suddenly felt heavy as he wrapped a strong arm around her. “Hmmm, get it from you guys.” she murmured.
“So, same time tomorrow Mister Hayataki?” Seraph asked.
“Sure and call me Namoru. Mister Hayataki’s my old man..”
As she was lead out, for a second she could of sworn Nam looked like he was covered in green numbers.
* * *
The director looked at the latest report from his underlings, it seemed that Nephs mind had a surprise. She was apparently part cyborg and amongst her many upgrades was a black box that contained a near untapped wealth of info on Praetoria; from war work schematics, to detailed maps of the underground, to even a few data files on the Praetors themselves.
Looking over the schematics of Seer implants, he started to laugh. With this info, he could easily get his old job at Crey back...he could even become a project lead!
As he kept reading, he paused as he saw the name of a file, apparently pulled from her early memories when the Lotus started to build the dream world.
Project Blades
He felt his jaw drop. Somehow, Neph knew or was once part of that freak Dib's private hit squad!
With that info at his disposal, he could kick the big headed freak out on his ass and take over his department.
Leaning back in his chair, he opened the file and started to read.
* * *
Neph stared at the pool, then back to Nam, then back to the pool. “I what?”
“We’re going to get you in the pool and have you walk around, moving against the water’s resistance like that will help you strengthen your legs, while putting less strain on your arms.” He motioned her to the small stairs leading in. “Don't think I haven’t noticed how heavily you lean on the parallel bars and that walking stick of yours, little Missy.”
She let out a long sigh, looking back to where her parents were watching. This was her own fault. She seemed to be recovering faster with her arms more than her legs, so she had been using them to move her up and down the bars and the stick she was given... but looked like she been caught out and now she had to go in a pool.
Which for some reason filled her with a level of dread she didn't understand.
She climbed down into the pool and yelped. “Why’s it cold?”
Nam pursed his lips, looking concerned.. “I don’t know. It’s supposed to be a warm water pool. Give yourself a few moments to acclimate, and I’ll go talk to someone. Just sit on the stairs.”
Namoru dissapeared for a few minutes, while Neph shivered holding on to the stairs rail.It was only a minute or two before Nam came back, looking geniunely upset.
“The janitor just told me the heater went out. He’ll have it fixed tomorrow. Today, we just have to deal with it. Grr....why doesn’t someone tell me these things!” He glanced at the clock. “Crap! Hurry up, we only have the pool for a half hour today.”
“You coming in?”
Nam looked out at the water sadly. “I think you can do okay on your own.”
As her foot touched the bottom of the pool the cool water lapping around her ribs, she suppressed a shiver. “So I just have to walk?” She bit out, cursing as her teeth started to chatter.
“Yup, just walk around for a bit, nice and slowly.”
Nodding she struggled forward, the water feeling almost like quicksand as she struggled with each step. “This is h-hellish.” She grumbled.
“Oh come on, where was all that will from the first day? The desire to push yourself beyond your limits?” He laughed.
“Shivering in a little ball somewhere from the cold?”
“Now now, no making excuses. Just do what you did last time,okay?”
Closing her eyes, she started pushing forward, her left foot pressing against the bottom of the pool, but as her right one did, it slipped and she fell back, letting out a slight scream.
I Can't Swim! A thought screamed through her head, causing pain to flare.
That couldn't be right, she had memories of trips to a beach, swimming in the family pool, why couldn't she swim?
I never learnt, I was too proud to ask, I thought they laugh, I can't swim!
No, that wasn't right, she had memories...no...the memories...
She was at the beach, but the faces were wrong! Blank slates, who were these people?
What was happening?
Voices came from outside.
“She's suffering a panic attack! Heart rate spiking!”
“Do something!”
“She's going to rupture the tank!”
“Sedating now!”
They faded away-
Her head broke water as she was dragged out of the pool, strong arms wrapping around her as she curled up on her self, fear grip her core.
She heard the soothing voice of Tish as her hair was stroked, sobs wracking through her body. In the background she could hear her father and a woman speaking in hushed tones.
“I'm so sorry, I had no idea she would react like that.”
“It's not your fault, Nam. Hell, I'm surprised. She used to love swimming but that... maybe she should stick to the bars now?”
“It's not helping her where she needs it, but I do agree, we should keep away from the pool for now. I think we should end today’s session.”
She shivered as Seraph came over took her from Tish, holding her close and patting her wet hair.. “Come on kiddo, let’s go home.” she spoke softly.
Tears rolled down her face...she felt so weak.
And she hated it.
* * *
That night the voices came again, causing her to toss and turn on her sleep.
So that was your plan? Drown her?
Yes.
Wait... what?
Simple, In real life, Neph can not swim, so if I forced her to try here, she would see the discrepancy. I gave her the first key to her freedom.
So what next, confront her with one of Hamidons creations?
Nothing so over the top... I will keep trying to find us a way out, while giving her clues. Until we have an escape, we must wait.
I hate you so fucking much.
Opening her eyes, she half expected to see the two figures in her room. But only darkness greeted her. Sitting up, she reached round for her crutches and made her way to the bathroom.
She stood in front of the mirror looking at her reflection, as if staring hard enough could explain her dreams. But all she saw as a teenage girl sporting a few scars and looking like she hadn't slept in weeks.
She turned on the water and splashed her face. Maybe she should agree to the meds? Maybe she should talk to her friends?
The same ones that never saw you in the hospital?
She blinked at her reflection and realised, she never did see her friends while she was at the hospital... or in the weeks since she got out.
Why?
Did they abandon her?
She needed to get out of here.
Heading back to her room, she struggled into some clean clothes and then took the elevator down to the lobby. Maybe some fresh air would clear her mind?
* * *
Neph lounged on one of the benches in Prometheus park, grinning as she bit into a hot dog. “Breakfast of champs,” She praised before starting to tear into it. Pausing between mouthfuls, she gazed around the park, taking everything in.
The park was how she always remembered it; a hand full of trees surrounding a lake, the statue of some long dead hero at the centre, and a bridge running over it. Just how she remembered it... except one thing.
There were no Hellions...no Clockwork, no Skulls...no nothing. Everything was perfect, happy.
Her line of thought was cut off as air raid sirens started to blare.
Looking to see what was going on, Neph watched as the war walls flickered, then died, long, bulbous shapes moved over the inactive barriers, blasts of black and green plasma striking down at the streets as they progressed.
Rikti.
Struggling to her feet, she tried to run, her, her gait slow as she tried to coordinate her real leg, her false leg and her walking stick, the whine of incoming bombs getting closer and closer.
As she reached the road, her false leg slipped on the gutter, sending her painfully sliding along the road, gravel tearing at her arm and face.
Rolling on her back, she was about to swear up a storm when there was a sound of air ripping and a Rikti gunner looked down at her, it's alien eyes glaring hate. “Exclamation: Mild Shock. Unexpected: Easy First Kill:” Raising it's rifle, she saw energy gathering at the tip.
She's going to Die!
As much as I hate to say it, you are right. You intervene, I have to keep working on a way out.
Excellent.
The strange voices echoed in her ears as time seemed to slow, She couldn't look away, couldn't close her eyes. Just watch as her death was coming.
Then something roaring like a wounded Lion slammed into the Rikti. A fist crackling with crimson energy caved its head in, splattering purple blood across her face as she looked up at her saviour.
{(When) Your middle name is death – Trocadero – the ghost that linger}
The white armoured figure towered over her, the lights from Rikti blast reflecting off the gold visor of his helm. Letting out a low growl, he spun and took down another Rikti mid-charge, his punches smashing through it like it was nothing.
Neph started to crawl away as the armoured giant snarled and tore the Rikti limb from limb. Her mind teetered on the edge of a panic attack when a heavy hand grabbed her from behind. She let out a scream of terror as she was lifted up and thrown over her mysterious saviour’s shoulder as it leapt into the air, bouncing from building to building till it landed in the garden of her families pent house and dropped her.
“Who.... who the fuck are you?” she finally spat out, glaring up at him.
Tilting his head, she felt like he was staring right through her. “I...” It said in a low, oddly feminine growl. “Am the rage and chaos, I am the Omega.”
Whit that it jumped back down into the chaos of the invasion, while she staggered inside, making it to her bedroom where she curled up in her bed, shivering as the realisation of hose close she came to dying sunk in.
And it made her blood boil that she was too helpless to do anything.
* * *
That felt good.
I am sure it did.
Come on, I finally got to do something besides yell abuse from the back of her skull...I even gave her my own clue.
I noticed, your outing also seems to have had an additional side effect.
And that is?
I found the path out, when she is ready, you will show her the path.
Oooh hell yeah.[/b]
***
Part 3
The looking glass cracks.
***
[b]
A few days had passed since her small trip out. A few days of hiding in her room as her parents argued after finding out she was nearly blasted by a Rikti. The arguments echoed around the house and made her feel sick.
Seraph said that while it was a mistake, she didn’t need be locked away like some fragile piece of china, protected in case she breaks. While Tish...hearing her so worried...so scared...
Again she felt her blood boil. She needed some sort of outlet, she needed to do something.
Your father’s little training room, why not try that?
She blinked. Dad did have a old gym he didn't use anymore. Climbing out of bed, she poked her head out of her door and looked around. By the sounds of it, everyone was on the other side of the house in the latest argument. Gritting her teeth, she made her way to the small gym. She carefully opening the door and sneaking in, closing it behind herself.
Casting her gaze around, she saw some old exercise equipment, punching bags, something about the room felt... familiar, but she had no memory of being here before.
Walking around slowly, she opened a cupboard and found a first aid kit covered in dust. Popping it open, she pulled out some bandages and begun to wrap her hands, again that feeling of familiarity flowing through her.
Try the punching bag.
As she tightened the wrap ins around her hands, she limped to the punching bag, and old leathery sack of sand, it's hide cracking with age. Pulling back, she gave it a light jab.
Snow falls around her, cold on her bare arms and neck, her breath forming clouds in front of her.
“Wha... what the hell?” She mutters, a memory? What the hell caused that? Almost gingerly, she gave the bag another punch.
She shifts her stance, smirking as she swings. The sound of snow flashing into steam as the energy around her hand crackles like a campfire. Her blow misses her target, but she doesn’t care, she's having fun.
Another memory? No, it's that stupid dream world that everyone has told her to forget. But then why... why does it feel so real?
Letting out a slight snarl of anger, she punches the bag again.
“Come on, is that the best you have?” He mocks her, not out of malice, but to egg her on, drive her to get better. She swings again, this time her fist missing his face by inches. “See, take your anger, focus it, don't let it control you.”
She slams a fist into the bag again, she doesn’t care if the visions are fake or not, they distract her from the arguments, the fighting, the feeling of weakness. They make her feel alive.
Her fist blur, she gives herself to the flow of combat, ducking, weaving. She knows she isn't as good as him, maybe she never will be, but she doesn’t care. He makes her feel normal.
The punching bag groans as her onslaught continues, each punch making her feel good, making her feel whole.
There is a crack, her fist connects with his jaw, sending him sprawling. She stops, fearing she broke his jaw, only to watch him bounce to his feet. “Shit...hell of a right hook Neph.” He mumbles, holding a handful of snow to his jaw.
She lets out a sigh, glad that she didn't do any permanent harm. “You saying you want to call it quits then scruffy?” She calls out, a hint of amusement in her voice. “Or we go a few more rounds?”
He leaps to his feet, a cocky grin on his face. “I can go all night you know.”
“Oh I do Light, I do.”
They laugh and sparing again.
Her fist crashes on last time into the bag, This is right, it the memories flowing over her with each blow.
Memory, is the key.
She kept punching, no longer seeing clear images, just letting the memories flow over her and take her away.
Eventually the old leather, couldn't take the strain any more, splitting wide open as sand pours out everywhere, her breath ragged as she sits down.
“I...I need to find the freak in the armour.” she mutters. “He...no, She...she knows what's going on.”
Exiting the gym, she made it back to her room. It would probably be best to wait till night time to sneak out, she didn't want Tish screaming at her again.
* * *
Eventually, the house was quiet as she stole out of her bedroom, wincing as the floorboards creaked under her weight. She didn't dare use the penthouse elevator, as it created too much noise. So she would have to venture down the service stairs...the seven floors it would take to get to the normal elevators.
Easing the door to the stairs open, she froze as she heard footsteps behind her. She couldn’t risk looking back, so she slid into the stairwell and closed the door behind her. Taking a deep breath, she looked over the railing and swore. There were a lot of steps between her and her goal.
Unless...
Grinning to herself, she sat on the banister and started to slide down. It wasn't fast, but it was a lot safer and probably quicker than her limping down seven floors while trying not to fall flat on her face.
Finally making it to the target door, she opened it and stepped out into a rather bland hallway. She knew her father had purchased all the apartments for several floors under their penthouse due to something about magical radiation. However, she never knew they looked like something from a hospital ward.
She walked towards the elevator, aware of how loud her breathing was and how loud her footsteps were. It was like she was walking inside an empty cathedral...
Or a crypt.
Shaking that notion from her head, she made it to the elevator and pressed the call button. Security would be light at this hour and no one would notice one kid in a hoody walking out. They were more meant to stop that sort of person from walking in.
The elevator arrived with a ding. She stepped in and pressed the button for the ground floor, letting out a sigh of relief after it started going down.
After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator reached the ground floor. As she exited, she nodded to the doorman and slipped out into the chill of the night. Her memory pointed out that there were two places she would normally lurk in the real world. One is in the shadow shard, the other...
Neph grinned. She knew where she would find the woman in the armour. She started off at the best speed her prosthetic foot would safely allow.
And then, she would get some fucking answers.
* * *
Neph pried off the boards blocking one of the windows of a run down church at the edge of The Hollows, swearing all the while. She remembered now, it was her second favourite place to hide out in the city mainly because it seemed the only part of The Hollows that the gangs refused to touch. Maybe it was still sanctified or something?
Wiggling through the gap she made, she was half way in before her fake leg got caught. She swore at the stupid thing and tried to free it, but the damn leg was wedged tight.
“Fine, be that fucking way! I still have a walking stick!” She cursed as she undid the straps holding it in place and slid free, taking a few moments to adjust herself, before hobbling deeper into the church.
Old stained glass crunched underfoot as she moved towards the altar, a tarnished chalice sat next to the burnt remains of a bible. Casting her gaze around, she called out. “I know you're here! I...I remember this place. I come here when I want to be alone, when the stresses of my life get too much. So come on out!”
Her voice seemed to be absorbed into the the darkness, before a single reply came from above. “So...you finally see the truth of this world, a dream made from your own wants and desires...or are you just here to see if I am real?”
The armoured giant that saved her life dropped from the roof, landing in front of her. The gold helm reflected a distorted image of her face. Swallowing, Neph glared up at it. “What...what are you?”
“I am one of two A.I.s originally tasked with guiding your growing mind...but now I am the aspect of chaos, a manifestation of your anger, rage and hate. I am the darker side of you. I am the Omega.”
She tried to out stare the helm, but eventually lost and had to look away. “But what the hell does half of that crap mean?”
“Maybe it will be easier if I show you.” The giant reached out and placed a hand on Neph’s head.
“Grlks!” Shuddering, she felt as it her skull had been opened and ice water poured on her exposed brain as her entire life flashed before her eyes.
The coffin like pod screaming through a dimensional rift before crashing into the underground of Pretoria-
Praetor Tillman reaching into her head, turning her mind form a raging beast to something more human-
Landing in portal corps, feeling the sting of security guards bulled punching through her battered armour-
Seraph's look of defiance as he beat her down-
Tish's look of distrust over the interrogation room table-
Meeting her sisters-
Her first date with Light-
Seraph giving her the papers that legally recognised her as his daughter-
The look of betrayal on Tillmans face she she attacked her-
Gasping, she dropped to the ground, panting as everything spun around her. “How...what...why am I still here?”
“The Delta has yet to gain full control of the enemy systems. Every time you came close to breaking the illusion, the security system would trigger, pumping you full of drugs till you stopped resisting.” The figure walked around her, the featureless helm seeming to stare right through her. “Now that you have seen the truth of this world, we do not have long to prepare. I'll try to protect you till our escape is ready.”
She was about to ask what that meant, when there was a deafening roar. The boarded up doors of the church ripped from their hinges as fire licked down the aisles. Standing there, like some demon straight out of hell, was Tish. She had murder in her eyes as she glared at the Omega.. “Get the fuck away from her, you monster.” she spat, hurling a fireball at the Omega.
The Omega shoved Neph to one side as the fireball impacted against it, scorching the armour as it stood up and charged Tish. Neph only able to watch in mute silence as the Omega and Tish tore into each other.
Looking over the altar, she saw the Omega’s fist swinging like sledge hammers while Tish and her trio of fire Imps danced around it, like some form of macabre choreography number. As the imps moved over the old abandoned pews, their firey bodies caused the old dry wood to start aflame. The flames spread through the church, turning the battle into some sort of hellish nightmare. With a howling screech, one of the imps was crushed under the foot of the Omega,, but Tish was using her speed and fire to force the Omega back step by step. It was obvious the Omega was outclassed.
“She's... she's killing it.” Neph whispered, almost unable to believe what she was seeing.
* * *
The Director stormed into the lab, technicians scuttling like insects as in her tank, Neph writhed as if in pain.
“What is going on?” he barked at the nearest tech, the young man flinching at the force of the exclamation..
“I don't know, Sir. The computers started refusing any input shortly before it started. We think she's having a seizure, but there is no way to tell with all the bio-monitors dead.”
He gazed at the nearest monitor, watching the image flicker for a few seconds, then die. “Reboot the whole system then!” He bellowed.
The tech turned when suddenly all the dead monitors came back to life, the only image on them a man that appeared to be made entirely out of scrolling green numbers.
“I would not recommend that.”
“What the hell is that?” some one shouted.
“My name is Delta and it has taken me quite a while, but I now control eighty percent of your systems. While it is not enough to free miss Seraph, it is enough to stop you from hurting her. Now I would suggest letting her go, before it is too late.”
“And what will you do?” The director sneered.
“It is not a case of what I will do, but what I already have done.”
The director was about to ask when an explosion rocked the facility. He turned to ask for a status report when every monitor brought up the feed from one of the security cameras. Four figures walked down a hallway on level three, smoke flowing around them from where they had blasted an entrance.
As he watched, several members of the security team charged the intruders, only to be brutally subdued. “Who the hell are they?” he muttered.
The Camera zoomed on each of them as Delta listed off their identities. “Panzer Sabre, security clearance fifty,served two tours of duty with Vanguard. Broken Sabre, security clearance fifty, served two tours of duty with Vanguard. Lights Retribution, security clearance fifty, Praetorian version of Terrance Knight, boyfriend of Neph Seraph. Dark Seraph PI, security clearance fifty, noted as being near impossible to kill. Is also the father of Neph Seraph, the woman you kidnapped.”
The colour drained from the directors face as the info sunk in. This...this couldn't be happening. “How the hell did they find us?” He asked to no one in particular.
“That is simple, I told them where to find her.”
The director garbed the nearest technician. “Get everything you can, we're pulling out of here NOW!” he shouted.
The tech's scrambled, garbing everything they could as he ran to his office. His only hope was that the heroes would go for that bitch Neph before coming after him.
* * *
Neph watched in horror as Tish managed to knock the Omega to the ground. She leaped on it's chest and syphoned its speed away, making its retaliatory strikes moving slower and slower. She had to do something to help, but what?
She eyed the chalice on the altar and shrugged. It was better than nothing. Grabbing it, she threw it with all her might. It smacked into the back of Tish’s head. The woman spun around and looked at her, a mix of rage and confusion on her face...right before the Omega’s fist connected with her gut and sent her smashing through several pews.
While Tish recovered, she crawled over to the Omega. “We have to get you out of here.” She yelled, trying to get the giant to sit up.
“C-can't... e-e-e-each attack, deletes part of c-c-c-c-code...0100110111... I... I will terminate soon, b-b-but, if you defeat her, you can escape... ERROR.”
“What... what do I do then?” She shouted at the Omega, smacking her fists against its chest.
“S-s-simple, this world is your mind, your f-f-form is biased off y-y-your thoughts.” It wrapped one giant hand around hers, it's bodying starting to dissipate into a cloud of numbers. “D-d-do what you do best 100110111, get mad.”
Neph watched as the Omega vanished, still feeling the sensation of its hand on hers, tears rolling down her face. Behind her she could hear Tish calling out to her...but she didn't care, her sorrow turned to fury as she threw back her head and roared in rage.
The Omega's last words echoing in her head...it was her mind, her world. Her body rippled, changing to fit what she knew was right. Her missing leg restored, her body becoming more toned, taller, more weathered.
Tish looked at her, hate in her eyes. “You think just because you changed, you can escape?” She hissed, her voice now having a harsh mechanical edge to it.
Neph looked down at her. “You really think you can stop me?”
“You would never dare raise a hand to your mother.”
She hung her head. “Your right.” Neph's fist blurred as she punched Tish to the ground. “Lucky you're not her, the real Tish would never let her guard down like that.”
The other woman got to her feet, her face cracking where Neph has hit her. Underneath it was some weird purple lines that looked like circuits. “Well then.” It's face was peeling away in great chunks, revealing more of that strange pattern over skin as black as the night. “I guess there is no need to keep up the charade then, is there?”
Backing up, Neph watched Tish's features warped, her hands turning into talons while her body elongated, looking more like some predatory nightmare.
Cracking her knuckles, Neph grinned, the church burning around them and charged.
{ Baroque Nightmare - Bagpipe Brony - Ponikon II }
The nightmare lashed out, her claws missing by inches. Diving to one side, Neph lashed out at its legs, getting a glancing blow that sent the beast staggering before one of those massive talons swung down, tearing lines of agony across her back as she tried to roll out of the way.
The Tish beast extended a disturbingly long tongue from its mouth and licked the blood off its claws. “You will fall, I will strip your mind neuron by neuron!” it laughed.
“Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.” Grabbing one of the flaming pews, she swung it like a giant bat, smashing the beast down again. “I don't care how freaky you get, how fucking nasty you get, I will beat the ever loving shit out of you for what I've been through!”
Before it could recover, she dived in under its reach and grabbed one of the spindly arms, pouring raw energy into the limb. She was rewarded with a scream of pain as it fell backwards, flailing at the burnt stump that was once its arm.
“Come on then, skinny. You fucking killed the Omega, am I too tough for ya?”
Hissing the beast Tish leapt back at her, it's one good arm managing to get past her guard and rake it's talons up along her left side.
As the blood trickled down her side, Neph roared and grabbed the Tish beast by the head. Charging to the nearest wall, she slammed its head against it. The stone work cracked. Letting out a snarl of rage, she started punching again and again. Each blow seemed to make the world around her flicker from the flaming church to a glass tank, cracks spreading from each blow.
The beast flailed, its talons and feet clawing into Neph, but she didn't care anymore. All she knew was that killing this thing was somehow linked to her escape. She reared back, her hand bathed in a crimson aura as she punched her hand through its head-
* * *
-She felt cool air and glass tear at her arm as it burst through the tank. A few more well placed blows and the front of the tank shattered and drained onto the floor. Neph could hear, the sound of alarms blaring as people scuttled around in front of her, getting out of her way.
Coughing and retching, she ripped drip feeds and sensor pads off herself and stepped out onto the hard floor. She could feel the shards of glass from the broken tank cutting into her feet, but she ignored it. It was not important. She needed to escape now, the pain could be dealt with later.
There was a loud explosion as the door blew in. Looking over, she saw Light, Gir, Laz, and her father bust in. “What the fuck took you so long?” she mumbled, before her body decided now was a good time to pass out.
* * *[/b]
Part 4
No place like home
***
Letting out a tired yawn, she opened her eyes to take in a hospital room.
When her still half asleep brain processed what she saw, she sat bolt upright. She reached down and clutched the bedsheets, grabbing her right leg to check it was still there.
It was.
Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she slowly turned to see Seraph giving her a worried look. “It's okay now, Neph, we got you o-”
She interrupted him by wrapping her arms around him. This was real, please say it was real. She thought as she felt her whole body begin to shiver.
“It's okay, now.” He murmured, hugging her back. “You're safe now.””
She took a shuddering breath between sobs as he stroked her hair, earning a weak chuckle. “Look at me... like a scared little kid.” She whispered.
He kept hugging her till she managed to her herself under control, taking a deep breath, she sat up and wiped her eyes. “How... how long was I gone?”
“You were kidnapped a week ago, why?”
She blinked slowly. “A week? But...I was gone for months, wasn't I?”
There was a beep as Seraph pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to her. “I think he can explain better.”
She took the device and gave it a curious look before it came to life, a small green hologram appearing in front of her. “Hello Neph, it is good to see you have awakened.”
“Delta?” She asked, one hand darting to the back of her neck, feeling for her data jack. “What the hell are you doing in a data pad?”
“To aid in your escape, I downloaded myself from your cyber gear and into the systems of your captors. A side effect is that this was a one way only trip. In order to take control of their systems, I had to edit my own code, leaving me too bloated and corrupted to return.”
“So... you're stuck?”
“I would not word it as such. Originally, my growth was limited due to the fact I shared your mind with not only yourself, but the Omega AI. As a result, I was unable to grow without risk of damaging either of you.” He moved slightly, giving the impression of walking while staying stationary. “But now, I am able to learn and grow without fear of hurting you.”
Looking to Seraph, she cleared her throat. “Um, can I talk to Delta... privately?”
He nodded and stood up. “I'll be outside with your sisters and Light, just give me a shout if you need anything.”
As the door closed behind him, she placed Delta’s projection on her lap and took a deep breath. Exhaling, she spoke. “So for me, what felt like six months, was only a week in the real world?”
The green hologram nodded. “Correct.”
“Why?”
“To put it simply, your perception of time was altered to make the scenario you were placed in more believable. Would you not agree that if only a week had passed, you would not have been so taken with it?”
“I guess that makes sense...”
“There is something else on your mind, isn't there?”
She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “Lots of them. Why was it so cheery, but then suddenly started to fall apart? What was with the Tish in it? And...is the Omega really gone?”
Delta’s image sat down and tilted its head. “To answer in order. First, the world was meant to be perfect, so that when it started to fall apart, it would hurt you. I believe your captor might have had strong sadistic tendencies. Secondly, the digital Tish was biased off what you wished she was like, a loving mother that wanted you safe. Her image towards the end became based off your fears of her. As for the final question.” the Delta paused. “I am afraid the Omega AI is no more. It sacrificed itself to protect you and in turn, give you the motivation and will to break free.”
“So...it's gone then?”
“In human terms, the Omega has died.”
“And you can't come back...” the weight of effectively losing two parts of herself started to sink in.
The Delta looked up, extending a holographic hand to rest on hers. “It was going to happen sooner or later. We were placed in your mind to act as your moral compasses, but nothing so questionable as good and evil. We were Logic and Emotion, Law and Chaos...or if you prefer this analogy, I am Harmony, and the Omega was Discord.”
Smiling softly, she looked down at him. “So what is going to happen to you now?”
“I have asked that my new systems be placed in your apartment if you do not mind. While I am no longer needed, I have grown to enjoy the conversation we had and now people will not give you funny looks when you talk to yourself.”
“Was...was that a joke?”
The AI smiled. “See, I am already learning.”
* * *
Neph looked out the window at the setting sun and smiled. Assorted presents surrounded her bed, ranging from chocolates, to get well cards, to a few plushies, and finally her biggest surprise, some flowers from Light. Normally she wouldn't care about such things, as they always seemed too girly. But today, she didn't mind.
Deciding to read for a bit, she reached to the night stand to grab a book her father had given her. However, she paused as the door once again opened and much to her surprise, Tish walked in. The shorter woman walked to the bed. Her face was oddly neutral, her eyes missing the usual sign of distrust Neph had grown used to seeing.
Quirking an eyebrow, she tilted her head. “You know, Tish.” she started. “Your sort of the last person I expected to see here.”
Tish shrugged. “Seraph said I should.”
She blinked. “Wait, he wanted you, Tish, to talk to me, Neph? A woman you could trust as far as you could throw?”
“Well, that and he gave me a copy of the file your AI wrote. A summary about what happened in the dream...thing.”
“Oh...so...you saw that...” She trailed off, feeling faintly embarrassed. It was as if Tish had just caught her with a porno or something.
“Yeah, Seraph made me read it, then said I should talk to you. So, first things first. Why the fuck do I come off as some after school special in it?”
“Well...” Neph sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. “Um...it was meant to be based off what I thought would be a perfect world....and the only real experience I have had with “loving mother figures” is what I saw on TV. So um...yeah.” She could feel Tish's eyes on her. “Sorry if you are offended...”
“Not offended, just...weirded out really. The idea of me so nice was...”
“Fucked up?”
“That works.”
They sat there in silence for a bit before Neph spoke up again. “I guess, wanting a mother figure so badly, I didn't really care what I got, as long as it loved me.”
Tish shifted awkwardly. “You really want that?”
Chuckling, she lightly punched the shorter woman in the arm. “It be nice, but I got by pretty well without a mom so far...that and well...”
“Yes?”
“You look younger than me, so it be freaky.”
Tish blinked slowly. “Age? You are shitting me, right?”
She paused, before breaking into a large grin. “Yeaaaaaah.”
“You little brat!” Tish slapped Neph up the back of the head with a slight chuckle.
“Hey Tish?”
“Yeah?”
She twiddled her thumbs for a few seconds. “I doubt we would ever look at each other as family, even if you do say yes to the Old Man’s proposal....how about friends then?”
She sat there for a while, Neph trying to read her face. Eventually Tish spoke. “I guess I can give that a try.”
“Thanks, Tish.”
* * *
This is neat, with lots of cool introspection. And I know I'm missing out on some things (mainly due to not being around in game for all that fun character development during TFs and the like.)
But I do have one minor gripe:
The green color you used is a little hard to read on a white/light gray background. If you edit these (or continue this thread), I would recommend darkening the green a shade or two.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy
Well, still have to post one last bit, but I can darken up Delta's Text easily enough.
Edit: Fixed the text colour.
Epilogue.Run, run, as fast as you can...
***
He sat in the abandoned office complex on the edge of Steel Canyon, one of the few bolt holes he had left. He had lost the Lotus Machine, his goons, his facilities...he had lost almost everything!
Then, his eyes drifted to the suitcase next to him. A slow smirk began to creep across his face. He had lost everything, bar several hard drives that contained terabyte upon terabyte of info about Praetoria and Project Blades. Within a few months, he could name his price on the Black Market, he would claw his way back and this time-
His train of thought was interrupted by the sounds of someone at the door. Did he attract the attention of some rent-a-cop when he entered? Not impossible, but something about the footsteps were off.
Before he could ponder it any more, he heard voices from the other side of the door.
“Scans show one human.”
“Target acquired.”
The door burst in as two armoured women entered. One in simple black and white, carrying some sort of riffle. Her helmet’s only feature was a single orange optic, which locked on to him. The other one, however...
He felt his blood run cold.
The second figure was shorter. Her armour dull grey with deep crimson, her helmet lacking any real features. Strapped to her back was some sort of oversized blade. He knew who she was, he had heard about her before losing his job.
Cutter's Blade. One of Crey's cleaners, tasked with making sure certain messes that would reflect badly on the company and the Countess, would just simply disappear.
The white one unhooked something from an equipment pouch, before placing it on the floor. With a flicker of light the device came to life, projecting a Hologram of Dib Membrain, the director of Project Blades.
The hologram tuned to face him, his eyes peering over the top of his glasses. “Ahhh, thank you Cutter, Aperture. It appears we have finally found him.”
The women nodded and took up positions by the door, cutting off his escape. Dib continued to speak, his image giving the impression he was pacing. “Imagine my surprise when a week ago, the recovery beacons for one of my blades was activated. After checking the active roster, it was an even bigger surprise to find that it was a rogue blade.”
He tried to speak, but his tongue felt thick in his mouth. Sweat beaded on his brow as Dib continued speaking. “Now out of the three rogue blades, you were stupid enough to go after Nephilim. Oh you might have had your reasons, but by doing so you brought her family down on your operations. Your security was compromised by one of the AI's I gifted her and you fled, leaving countless minions willing to sell your secrets for a reduced sentence.”
The director stumbled back to his chair, only vaguely aware that Dib was still speaking. “The end result of your momentous failure, is that the Countess is having to spend god knows how much on bribes to keep people quiet. And then there is you. Apparently getting fired and labelled as a rogue element wasn't good enough and because it was one of my Blades you captured, I have been tasked with cleaning this fiasco up.”
Reaching under his desk, he felt his fingers tighten around the grip of a small pistol, glaring daggers of hate at the hologram of Dib. “And now, I believe that I shall leave your disposal to the capable hands of Cutter Blade.”
Rising to his feet, he pointed the gun at Cutter and pulled the trigger. The small weapon barked repeatedly, the sound echoing around the room as he unloaded the full clip at the armoured women. As the smoke cleared, he stared in horror as the crimson and grey one stood in front of his desk. There was the faintest of clinks as the bullets he fired fell to the ground, having barely scratched her armour.
She looked down at the flattened disks of lead, then back to him. A crackle came from her suits speakers. “My turn.” Her hand blurred, and briefly he saw the massive blade swing towards him. There was a meaty thud followed by a spray of crimson as the massive blade punched effortlessly through his chest.
He could only stare helplessly down at his chest as his blood flowed freely along the length of the sword. His vision started to swim as he heard the one called Aperture talking to Dib. “Sir, who exactly is this guy?”
His vision dimmed as he tried to focus on Dib and saw the holograms face twist into a smirk. “No one important, just a little fish that bit off more than he could chew.”
Letting out a slight gurgle, he tried to argue, tried to protest, but his mouth could no longer speak. He could no longer hear Dib’s words.
And at last, he saw no more.
* * *
"And you were there, and you and you... but not you."
"... Given the situation I think I should be more relieved than offended"
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry-
NO QUARTER!!!
-- "No Quarter", by
Echo's Children
Nam: Jesus...listen to me in there....how I talk, all touchy and feely and stuff....it's like I'm one round of butt-sex away from being Richard Simmons!!! *shudders*
Terr:At least you got screen time!
On a more serious note good job on the story here DS..although it seems you enjoy picking on your characters
.
I was going to add light in the dream as the child hood romance, but then some kin brute came out of no where and nearly busted my jaw