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[img]https://i.imgur.com/GjazZAE.png[/img][hr][@BlueSky44][@Kirah][@Nallore][@Natsu][hr][hr][h3][color=84B4E2][b]EARTH 257 - 7:10 AM Nov. 14th, 2021 - the Iron[/b][/color][/h3][/center][hr][color=84B4E2][b][i]Stolen Ship[/i][/b][/color]

	Bonnie's stomach had gradually begun to calm down, allowing her to focus on Raynor's admission of what he had done in this world. She noted that he left out concrete details, leaving it up to them to imagine the extent of what he had done there. Because of this, it wasn't surprising to her that no one voiced opposition to continuing to work with him - that everyone seemed fine with it, willing to forgive and forget. But despite being a good Catholic girl, Bonnie didn't necessarily believe in redemption. Or at least, not in [i]Raynor's[/i] redemption. 

	But they needed him. They were in a strange world they couldn't navigate. For now, Bonnie decided to go along with things - to work with the God of Lies. But once they had a way to get home, that was when she'd voice her objections to him continuing to be a part of their team. Besides, they had more pressing concerns - that being that everyone seemed convince that Celestine had been assimilated or something along those lines. Niah (and Niah's leg) seemed terrified. [color=f6989d]"Flynn, could you destroy the body?"[/color] Bonnie asked. Fire ought to do the trick. 

	Amelia didn't know what to focus on - two incredibly interesting but disturbing things were happening at once. One, Raynor had confessed to having a dark and mysterious past, one that seemed to have involved probably killing a lot of innocent people. She didn't know what Ragnarok really involved or whatever, but it sounded like Norse god stuff, and not really something that the Iron was responsible for. But on the other hand, apparently Celestine was going to be guest starring in Star Trek, as she turned into some sort of creepy cyborg thing? Or would have continued turning into it, if she hadn't been killed by Folly's blade. 

	[color=FFB795]"Oh boy, there's a lot to unpack here. Ray-Ray, we obviously can't forgive you for what you did, but the past is the past and I'm sure you're a smashing dad and husband and you've saved the world, so you're all good by me - just maybe try not to relapse and go evil again? We love a redemption arc, but we don't gotta see it again,"[/color] Amelia rambled. [color=FFB795]"And the Borg? How the hell did that happen to Celestine? She was, like, totally normal when we got here - or do you think she maybe got infected a while ago? How long does the infection take to spread? Days, hours, minutes?"[/color]

	[color=d86615]"I don't need your approval or forgiveness,"[/color] Raynor muttered, deeply unhappy with everything going on. At least it seemed like people thought that the Iron had been the ones to kill his parents - that probably made him look a little better in their eyes than the truth would have (not that he had lied, people had just made an assumption). 

	Of course, Folly wasn't interested in Raynor's brooding - even if she had giggled ever so slightly at him being called Ray-Ray, something he had clearly not enjoyed. "Are you going to tell them all about the Phalanx or should I?" Folly asked Darcy. 

	Darcy was looking incredibly pale. "The what? I-I've never heard of that," she lied. 

	Folly rolled her eyes. "Typical flatscan behavior. Ugh. Your friend was being transformed into a part of the Phalanx, an extra-dimensional hive-mind made out of techno-organic machinery. The machine gods that Stark worships, that hunt mutants for sport."

	[color=d86615]"What?"[/color] Raynor asked, lifting his head up, clearly surprised. That wasn't right. There hadn't been any machine gods back when he had been here - the Iron had been advanced for a Midgardian society, but nothing too crazy. Raynor hadn't even heard the word Phalanx before, it wasn't something that even Asgardians knew about. [color=d86615]"What do you mean? How.... Just what the hell?"[/color]

	"Go on, tell them," Folly said to Darcy.

	Darcy grumbled. She really didn't want to. She didn't want to talk about this. "I don't officially know any of this, but I saw a file that I was definitely not cleared to have access for once, explaining that the cloning facilities weren't a viable solution to the sterilization problem in the Iron - thanks again for that, Raynor. Buuut Stark was inspired by old myths of gods and humans having kids, so... He made a kid with the Phalanx. A living artificial intelligence - a Generative Uniform Intelligent Network. Buuuut problem was, some of the Phalanx got into all of Stark's AIs, and it seems like it spreads... like through your friend, who had a computer mind...."
	
	[color=f6989d]"Jesus,"[/color] Bonnie cursed.