[IC] Odox 3030: Attack of the Cyborgs

[YourSecretWeapon]

Reporters were everywhere. Every single television channel wanted to be first in broadcasting the Freedom Fighters' opinion on the latest news. It was a good thing that Kjolmar had gotten used to the flashes of the cameras by now or he'd be afraid he'd get blind. Then again, did one ever really get used to them? The rather bulky reporter in the front decided to take his chances. "Coura, Channel 3. Mister Delacroix, what is the official stance of the Freedom Fighters on the Cyborg project in Frisk." Kjolmar moved his mouth a little closer to the microphones before answering. "The Freedom Fighters disapprove any form of Carrier repression, in particular aggressive methods such as the Cyborg project of President Steel. We are thankful that the people of Skylora also judge Steel's actions. We are trying to find a peaceful solution to this problem. Unfortunately, Steel is unwilling to accept negotiations with us." The crowd started to mutter and loudly expressed their concern. "However," Kjolmar continued, "Steel has agreed to dialogue with our very own President Dawnmist and we hope she can convince him to see the error of his ways and shut down the Cyborg project." The same bulky reporter from earlier decided to go for the question that was probably burning on everyone's lips. "And what if negotiations lead to nothing and the slavery continues?" The crowd got amazingly silent all of a sudden, all curious what Kjolmar would answer to this question. He swallowed before replying, trying to think of the best possible answer considering the circumstances. "I strongly believe in the power of words and reason and thus I hope we will come to some sort of agreement. If diplomacy fails, we will eventually have to resort to other measures." Nice and vague but everyone knew there was a context of battle hidden in those words.

A tall blonde woman raised her hand in order to ask a question. "Labasse, Channel 7. Rumor has it that the Carrier rebels known as the Rising Underground already have plans to invade Frisk. Do the Freedom Fighters support this initiative?" Kjolmar frowned, despite having expected that question. "The Freedom Fighters and the Rising Underground are two separate organizations, thus I can not speak for them or their ideas. I can only tell you that the Freedom Fighters will try every single diplomatic procedure before taking drastic measures. As for as the Rising Underground is concerned, we have a meeting planned with their leader to exchange thoughts on this matter. Thank you for your time." Kjolmar had decided to wrap it up and left the stage while President Dawnmist took his place in order to prevent the reporters from following Kjolmar. "Thank you, mister Delacroix. Dear Skylorans, we ask of you to report any sign of Cyborg activity in Skylora-..."

A few hours later, Kjolmar had changed into a more casual outfit and made his way to 'Club Medusa', a nightclub known for its many Carrier clients. A shirt and tie would not exactly blend in there and drawing attention to himself was far from what he wanted in such a shady place. He had plenty of that out there in the daylight world. Kjolmar walked past the long waiting line and as expected, someone in the line commented on it. "Hey, feeling better than the rest of us, humanlover?" Kjolmar wasn't particularly concerned about the man's frustration on getting ahead in line but he knew the insult was referring to the fact that he was considered a traitor to his own kind. The guard at the door motioned for Kjolmar to enter at the side entrance. The man in the waiting line spat in his direction. "We'll see how you feel about special treatment when they betray you!"

Inside, Kjolmar shook off the nasty comment and quickly made his way towards the guard outside the door leading to the manager's office. "I am here to see Nubius." The guard didn't seem to move a single inch. "Mr Nubius is busy. Please make yourself comfortable in the club and I will come get you when he is ready." Kjolmar knew better than arguing with goons, nothing would change their mind anyway. "Thank you." he said calmly and moved to the bar. "Gin Tonic, please."

A few drinks later, Kjolmar had moved on to the dancefloor. He had this mysterious air around him, much darker than his bright appearance during interviews. On the tones of an electro remix of a salsa beat, his dance moves could be considered rather dirty. Luckily, Club Medusa never allowed humans in and thus risk for exposure was minimal. Sometimes he felt a bit afraid that one of the Carriers would expose his darker side to the humans but even Rising Underground Carriers didn't risk damaging the reputation of a Freedom Fighter. Despite their differences, they all wanted Odox to be a better place for Carriers.

Suddenly, the guard from earlier came to get Kjolmar. "Mr Nubius is ready to see you now. Please don't comment on his appearance, he gets a bit sensitive about that." Kjolmar nodded and went through the door. As soon as it got shut behind him, he could barely hear the music anymore. Before him sat a person with darkblue fur instead of skin. His ears seemed to be much bigger than those of humans. On the upper side of his arms were sets of spikes. "Ah, Mr Delacroix, please have a seat. As you know, I am willing to discuss the Cyborg problem with you. As spokesperson of the Rising Underground, I wish to express my desire to work together with the Freedom Fighters in order to solve this.. inconvenience." Kjolmar carefully chose his words, he felt as if he was dealing with some sort of mafia boss. "Well, negotiations have started and-" But Nubius laughed right through Kjolmar's sentence. "Ahahaha, yes, negotiations. Do you honestly believe Steel is considering conversation? The man has build an army of Cyborgs for the sole purpose of eliminating Carriers. If we want to stop him, it will have to be by force. Spare me your useless attempts to convince me otherwise, Mr Delacroix, because we will go to Frisk with or without the aid of the Freedom Fighters." Kjolmar sighed deeply. "Look Nubius, if our negotiations fail, we will join you in Frisk. But until then, please give diplomacy a chance. We have reached so much rights here in Skylora because of it. If Carriers are shown to use hostile actions, it could have drastic consequences for Skylora too. Nubius clearly seemed to care little about such a thing but decided to give Kjolmar the benefit of the doubt. "You have till the end of the week to make progress. If Steel still hunts down Carriers like wild animals by then, the talking will be over." Kjolmar stood up and shook Nubius hand. "Thank you for understanding."

[TheWanderingWraith]

Meanwhile, a much less-known Carrier was at the Freedom Fighter's headquarters. Dark-eyed and silent, Nobody was idly playing with a ball of electricity stolen from a nearby outlet. Despite her slender size and delicate frame, Nobody was capable of controlling a city's worth of electricity at once. She could even steal the static from clothes and hair and weaponize it in seconds. She didn't make public appearences, though she had been caught on camera battling Cyborgs with a terrifying ease.

She was waiting for Kjolmar to return, thinking of discussing a way to protect or hide Carriers, whether by teaching them to fight or having them stay with someone who could. Nobody was already capable of protecting herself, and was often depicted by the media, due to them not having a clear picture of her, as an anti-hero of sorts. She had never attacked any human or carrier, but eliminated cyborgs with deadly force. This alone made her a strange presence among the Freedom Fighters.

Nobody had always been referred to as Nobody. She had never said her name, Bianca, to anyone. She'd offered her help, wanted no compensation, and generally did her own thing anyways. She was almost a vigilante, and if Steel got to her, she could be almost a martyr. Of course, making a Martyr is a deadly move, because Martyrs can never be silenced.

[YourSecretWeapon]

When Kjolmar returned to the Freedom Fighters Base, he wasn't very surprised that Nobody was still up at such a late hour. He couldn't always understand her but he trusted her and that was more than enough. Dozens of times had he insisted to call her by her real name but Nobody didn't bend one bit. "Evening." he said calmly upon entering as to not startle her. His gaze turned towards the ball of electricity that prevented the room from being dark, seeing the other lights weren't on, but didn't comment on it. In Odox, there was nothing weird at all about a girl playing with a ball of electricity. Kjolmar took a seat next to her. "Dawnmist has asked me to accompany her to Frisk first thing in the morning. She's going there to talk to Steel face-to-face and wants me to be there too." Kjolmar closed his eyes for a moment, shivering at the thought of all those guards who had to go with them. Safety of the President was a top priority of course.

"I'll be back before nightfall tomorrow but considering the seriousness of the situation, I'd say that every day counts. A Carrier called Nubius is in charge of the Rising Underground now and I have reason to believe that he would follow me to Frisk and endanger the entire mission. Thus, a distraction is desperately needed." He paused for a moment. "Which brings me to my question: Could you distract Nubius tomorrow to prevent him from finding out about my travel? The reason I ask this of you in particular is that such a mission is not without risk and you are the most capable Freedom Fighter I can think of." Kjolmar moved his hand through his hair from front to back, as if it would make him think more clearly. "You will find Nubius at Club Medusa and you'll recognize him by his blue fur and spiked arms. Careful though, this guy has mafia written all over him. During the day, the nightclub is closed but there is some sort of trade market active in the building. Mostly Carriers but it's also open to humans, unlike at night. This brings a second problem to bay: there could be undercover reporters trying to get the latest scoop." Kjolmar showed Nobody two pictures, one of a bulky man and one of a tall blonde woman. "Mr Coura from Channel 3 and Mrs Labassa from Channel 7. Avoid talking to them at all cost."

Then Kjolmar reached for something in his pocket and gave it to Nobody. It was some sort of jewel-like necklace. "This is a Taliscom. I have one on me as well. You can use it to communicate with me. If I don't hear from you every four hours, I will send someone. The same goes for me, not a word for more than four hours means I'm in trouble." After handing the pictures and the Taliscom to Nobody, Kjolmar looked her in the eyes before leaving. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow. I am going to get some sleep while I still can. It's your call, but I suggest you do the same. Goodnight, Nobody." He really didn't like calling her that way.

[TheWanderingWraith]

Nobody said nothing, understanding the gravity of the situation. "No one has seen the full extent of what I can do. Nubius will not make it to Frisk. I guarantee you. You will not have to worry about reporters, because I will not be talking to anyone aside from him. I will also be on guard in case Steel attempts an attack with his cyborgs. I don't know if he'll dip that low. If he does, I will eradicate him myself and damn his cyborgs to a quick death along with him. Before you contradict me, I will make sure that it doesn't reflect on the Freedom Fighters. I will be the only one taking the fall for the death of Steel, if it comes down to it. After all, I am Nobody," she said, putting on the necklace and tucking it under her shirt.

At that, Nobody let the electricity back into the socket, which lit up the room like it should be. Pulling her collar back into place, Nobody left the room, and exited out through the back way, like she always did. She never let herself be spotted with anyone from the Freedom Fighters nor the Rising Underground. Her records were nonexistent, having been born on the street to a homeless mother, she had no birth certificate. The only reason she was brought into the light at all was because of her being a Carrier. Even then, Bianca was just another being affected by the virus. In the eyes of Skylora, Bianca was truly nobody. She used her anonymity to her advantage, and her name was lost in time.

[YourSecretWeapon]

The next morning, Kjolmar had left the FF base early in the morning. When he was on the presidential plane, he realized how far Frisk actually was from Skylora. Perhaps that was a good thing in such dark times, it made it more difficult for Steel to intervene in Skylora. Kjolmar wasn't allowed to sit next to Dawnmist. No one was. She wanted to switch between resting her eyes and getting some paperwork done while her guards were the only ones that could get near her. Luckily the plane was rather big so Kjolmar had the opportunity to walk around in it. Every now and then he decided to stretch his legs. When he crossed eyes with a guard, he wasn't sure on how to act. At first, he had said "Hi, how are you?" but after the complete absence of a reaction, he had gone from talking through smiling and nodding to just completely ignoring them.

To kill time, Kjolmar had read a local newspaper of Frisk, which had been on board to catch up with the latest news there. It was devastating to see how there was not a single word about the Cyborgs in Friskian media. Talking about covering up government operations. Kjolmar couldn't help but wonder if Dawnmist would do the same back in Skylora. Then again, she was nothing like that dictator Steel. Kjolmar put the newspaper away and walked to the back of the plane. They hadn't agreed on a starting hour to start counting for those every four hours so he took out his Taliscom to contact Nobody. Upon touching it, it started to glow. "You there, N?" The way the Taliscoms worked was that only the one carrying it could feel the communication, so it wouldn't expose itself to bystanders. "If you can hear me, and don't worry, only you can, but you are not able to reply... just subtly touch the Taliscom and I'll know everything is fine. But if you are clear to talk, it would be better to take it out because you'll be able to see my face projected live in the center of the Taliscom." A wonderful device.

[TheWanderingWraith]

Nobody simply tapped it. She was on the way to see Nubius, and simply the way she carried herself as she walked kept most from really noticing her. She didn't really say anything, not feeling the need to at this moment in time. She wasn't going to beat around the bush with Nubius. She didn't bother with that. It wasn't how she worked. She made it to the tavern with ease, pushing her hair back from her face with one hand as she entered. Of course, being female got her a few looks as she entered, but then again, didn't it always?

At once, her dark eyes were scanning for Nubius, looking for the blue fur and arm spikes. Her brow furrowed lightly as she did so, one hand on her hip. She hadn't met the reporters yet, and wasn't about to tell them anything, or let them eavesdrop. She was also keeping an eye on them as well. Her electrical powers prevented pictures from being taken, hence making her anonymous and unallied in the eyes of the public. However, she was only with Kjolmar because she wanted the cyborg threat gone, the Friskian carriers freed, and didn't want to attack the normal humans like Nubius did. Once the cyborg threat was over, Nobody would disappear again.

[YourSecretWeapon]

Negotiations with Steel took longer than expected (with a short break every four hours, during which Kjolmar contacted Nobody) and were barely fruitful. The man had a heart as cold as ice but tried to sell his ideas as they were positive for society. Safety, a cure to the virus, that were his views on this. By any means necessary, of course. It angered Kjolmar deeply because despite being born in a Skylora society that somewhat accepted them already, the generation before him had to fight hard to not be treated like sick animals. And here in Frisk it seems like not that much had changed. Kjolmar didn't believe in the cure either because he didn't see himself and the other Carriers as "ill". Steel however announced that there had already cases of Carriers being cured. What he didn't say out loud was how the other 99% of them were still being experimented on and even tortured. The worst part of it was that the Friskians saw Steel as some kind of hero that wanted to restore balance in their region. Their minds were poisoned with hatred.

Dawnmist proposed a treaty that said not a single Cyborg was allowed on Skyloran grounds. The problem was that there already were Cyborgs in a place called Midizi, a large city that officially laid in Skyloran territory (near the Frisk border) but had mostly Friskian inhabitants. Thus the people there was disgusted by Carriers, just like they were in Frisk. Steel refused to retreat his Cyborgs from Midizi as he felt that it were his people living there and he wanted them to feel safe. His Cyborgs were not active there yet but they were patrolling the border with Frisk, ready to hunt at Steel's command. This frightened Dawnmist with the idea that if Steel could do what he wanted on Midizi, what would stop him from going further into Skylora?

The negotiations hadn't gone well at all but Dawnmist was needed in her own region and they had to fly back to Skylora. Steel was not open for reason at all. Yet he wasn't a brute in diplomacy, he had been very calm and seemed to be convinced he was doing the right thing for his people. Kjolmar felt powerless. Just outside the presidential building, he took out his Taliscom. "Please tell me things went better there than they did here?" he asked Nobody.

[TheWanderingWraith]

Nobody sighed. "Nubius will take action once he knows that negotiations failed. He is waiting, and sticking to the agreement. I have to leave now. I need to go back on my patrols. Not a damn cyborg is going to touch this city while I'm still breathing. You should consider making that a thing. Cyborg patrols. Except in Midizi, cyborgs are not allowed. You may also want to stage an evacuation for Midizi Carriers. I'm sure Nubius may agree to help us with these things. If we keep him busy, it may distract him from his quarrel with humans," replied Nobody. She was gone, and now wandering the streets and back alleys. Anywhere where a cyborg could be.

"The people of Skylora are our only defense. If they were like Friskians, we would all be dead. We have to show them that while Carriers can stand up for themselves, they have no intention of harming humans. However, if Cyborgs are considered people as well, in spite of them being made solely for killing and abducting Carriers, then pin that blame on me. No one but me will really know who I am," she stated flatly.

[YourSecretWeapon]

It was when Nobody hinted that Kjolmar should also go on Cyborg patrols, that he answered rather defensive. "I must say I disagree, N. As badly as the situation is right now, I believe Steel won't let his Cyborgs go further than Midizi. Not yet anyway. Even he knows that the rest of Odox won't put up with that. His strategy is more subtle: step by step." But hearing Nobody's motivation behind Operation Midizi (like he called it in his head) made a lot of sense to Kjolmar. "While I am uncertain if an evacuation would be the right decision at this moment, you make an excellent point, it would keep Nubius distracted. We just have to try to postpone that strategy till the very last minute." There was a short silence on Kjolmar's side. "When I am back, you and I need to be around Nubius for a few days, try to get him to trust us. I think he'll trust you sooner than he'll trust me, he'll very much like your willingness to take down some Cyborgs. The closer we get to him, the faster we can print the distraction in his mind should he decide to take action. We only have a few days left."

On the plane back to Skylora, Kjolmar walked up to president Dawnmist. "Madam President, a word please?" Kjolmar explained to her what he and Nobody (without mentioning her 'name') were going to try with Operation Midizi. Dawnmist wasn't a big fan of the plan but she could see how they had to think about the safety of the people by keeping Nubius distracted. "There is just one problem, Mr Delacroix.", Dawnmist said with a heavy voice. "The people of Midizi have a Friskian attitude. You will not just be up against Cyborgs but against human beings as well. I trust you will keep any overpowered Carrier at bay? The last thing we need is Skylora being accused of terrorism." Kjolmar nodded in confidence. "I will take care of it." He knew he was making promises that would be hard to keep. How reliable would Nobody be when it came to such situations?

Back home at the Freedom Fighter base, Kjolmar went to see Nobody. "Tonight we'll pay Club Medusa a visit in order to get close to Nubius. Meanwhile we'll have to think of a way for you not to be associated with the Freedom Fighters when things go wrong. Not that I ashamed to have you, on the contrary, but you surely understand that the reputation the Freedom Fighters have build must remain untouched?" Kjolmar scouted Nobody's facial expression for her reaction.

[TheWanderingWraith]

"Oh, that's easy. Most just know me as a mysterious vigilante with powerful electric abilities that can take down a hoard of cyborgs. You forget that I don't have a birth certificate. I can't really do anything, but I technically don't exist as well. The press has no idea who I am, I mess with their cameras and equipment all the time, they're clueless. There's no connection between the face standing next to you as one of the Freedom Fighters, and the person that electrifies cyborgs," she said flatly. Nobody didn't seem to really care about the fact she technically didn't exist. She pushed her hair out of her face, dark eyes like stones. "Besides, I've made it a point to not harm any humans, Skyloran or Friskian. That's a known fact about that mysterious vigilante."

[YourSecretWeapon]

While making their way through the sewers, there was mainly silence between Kjolmar and Nobody. Kjolmar wasn't sure what she would do if things went wrong, he surely didn't approve of massive destruction - even if the goal was to take out Cyborgs. When they got close to Club Medusa, he said "This is where we temporarily split up. We both arrive separately." He took a deep breath but instantly regretted it. The sewers didn't smell that bad but some clean fresh air was far to be found. "Remember our primary goal: gain Nubius' trust and keep him distracted. Only suggest an evacuation of Midizi if he decides to invade Frisk."

After splitting up, Kjolmar decided to take the side entrance to the club. Once inside, he didn't see Nubius anywhere and there were no guards in front of his office. Who he did see were Coura and Labassa, the reporters. Humans in Club Medusa after dark? An extremely rare sight. Then again, as long as no one figures out they are human, they shouldn't get in too much trouble. Kjolmar didn't want to be seen by them, however. If the spokesperson of the Freedom Fighters would get associated with the Rising Underground, it could endanger the splendid reputation they had worked for. Kjolmar grabbed a masquerade mask and put it on to keep his identity hidden. He then scouted for Nobody but didn't see her. And where was Nubius?

[TheWanderingWraith]

Nobody didn't seem bothered at all by... well... anything. The dark-eyed living wraith was drifting about aimlessly, her intent eyes scanning the crowd for Nubius as well. She noticed Coura and Labassa, but didn't pay them any mind. They didn't know her. No one really did. Her steps were silent and well-placed as she moved about without touching another body. She knew she was getting some inappropriate stares, but females in general tended to get inappropriate stares. Everything about her screamed 'I'm not interested', and the way she walked and looked was confident enough to keep most at bay.

She paused for a moment near the middle of the room, making a full sweep in her field of vision, and then turning slowly as she continued her scan. Being stared at by Nobody was unnerving, seeing as she didn't blink when she stared. From the time she'd entered, the Carrier hadn't said a single word, Of course, Nobody was a Carrier of few words, not feeling the need to make small talk or idle chitchat for no reason. Her dark brow furrowed slightly as she continued looking.

[YourSecretWeapon]

The disguised Kjolmar made his way to the bartender. "What can I get you?" the three-eyed boy asked him. Physical mutations were anything but rare at Club Medusa. "Actually, I am looking for Nubius." he replied with a certain confidence. The bartender blinked all three of his eyes at the same time. "I would be more happy to chitchat if you bought something to drink. I make my living out of these fees." Kjolmar threw some money on the counter, way too much for a single drink. "A Cosmopolitan. And keep the change." The bartender quickly put the money away before it drew too much attention. While he prepared the drink, he spilled the beans on Nubius. "It's not because you don't see him that he's not around. Why don't you try having a closer look to the left of the stage."

The 'tender gave him his drink and then turned to other thirsty customers. It was clear that he wouldn't get more information out of this boy than he just did. With the Cosmopolitan in his hand, he started walking towards the stage. As Nobody passed him, he made eye contact with her. Mask or no mask, she'd recognize his voice. "I wouldn't bother tipping the bartender if I were you, it took him ages to get me my drink." he joked as if they didn't know each other. She'd know what he meant.

At the left of the stage he saw two people discussing something that, from a distance, appeared to be a sensitive topic. A third person was standing near them as if he was in some sort of trance. Kjolmar figured it out rather quickly. The third person had the ability to alter the appearance of others and he was performing his trick on those two. Nubius no doubt, but who was the other? Kjolmar decided to find out and pretended to accidentally bump in to the third person, breaking the trick. All of a sudden he gasped at the sight of Nubius and no one less than president Dawnmist. "Madam President. I.. I'm sorry. I didn't know-" Luckily the third person quickly restored his ability and disguised Nibius and Dawnmist once again.

[TheWanderingWraith]

Nobody followed Kjolmar with a short nod, and her brow furrowed deeper at seeing Dawnmist. "It's pretty damn easy to tell when someone's casting a spell, y'know?" she said to Dawnmist and Nubius. Her dark eyes scanned the two of them. No doubt they had seen her with Kjolmar on multiple occasions, she was actually almost his security escort, with her powerful attacks and inability to be electrocuted by any means. She folded her arms, having little to no tolerance for obvious flaws, especially for her own. As quiet as Nobody usually was, she seemed to only recognize Kjolmar's authority, having pointed out flaws right to the faces of authority figures higher than him. She had even once executed a potential assassin right in front of Dawnmist by electrocuting his gun. (This assassin was acting as part of a small terrorist group unassociated with Frisk, the Freedom Fighters, or Rising Underground.)

The Carrier continued her disapproving stare at the three, seeming to have electricity in her very eyes. Her slender frame seemed to be much taller and wider than it really was. She was excellent at doing things like that. She then looked at Kjolmar with a 'that was rather rash' look.

[YourSecretWeapon]

Seeing Dawnmist negotiating with Nubius had taken him off guard but he couldn't let himself stay in that position for too long. With Nobody at his side, Kjolmar quickly restored his confidence. "Ma'm." he started, without mentioning her exact title -you'd never know who could be eavesdropping- "I must admit that I feel disappointed that you came here without consulting me. I thought we agreed that as the Spokesperson of the Freedom Fighters -the largest professional organization of Carrier rights-, I would do all communication with groups like the Rising Underground if it should be needed." It was a bold move, speaking to a President like that, but considering how serious things have gotten, Dawnmist seemed to understand. "My apologies, mr. Delacroix, it was a last minute decision to come to Club Medusa. I called your headquarters but they said you weren't there."

Kjolmar's gaze went from Dawnmist to Nubius to Nobody and back to Nubius. "So, care to join the outcome of your little tea party, ma'm?" he asked Dawnmist while keeping his stare on Nubius. It was Nubius however who replied before Dawnmist could say anything. "The President and I have agreed to infiltrate Midizi. Surely you understand why and you won't even attempt to talk me out of it. We are doing this with or without the Freedom Fighters, Kjolmar, but it would be much more efficient if we had them on our side." Kjolmar threw Nobody a questionable look. Both the Rising Underground and the human troops were going there, the most logical thing would be to join them. But could Nubius be trusted? Kjolmar wanted Nobody's opinion. "I did hear they have excellent Dim Sum in Midizi this time of the year." Kjolmar joked to Nobody, while Nubius' smile widened.

"Excellent. I love Dim Sum." a voice stated from behind them, taking all of them off guard. It was Labassa, with Coura by her side. They seemed way too confident for a duo humans in Club Medusa, specially if they overheard everything and weren't afraid of Nubius. Something fishy was going on and Kjolmar fit the pieces of the puzzle when Coura's eyes crossed Nibius'. "Of course. You two aren't just reporters. You're Carriers." Dawnmist seemed the only one feeling a bit uncomfortable, being the only human in the group. A beeping sound came from Nibius' pager. "Ah, we can leave to Midizi right now." he said while turning to Dawnmist, who in turn nodded and said "My troops will arrive two days after you get there. Can you manage to stay out of trouble until then?" None of them answered the question. Kjolmar had a feeling those troops wouldn't just head into Midizi (there were no Cyborgs there after all) but they'd eventually target Frisk if needed.

[TheWanderingWraith]

Nobody also shared this feeling of apprehension. Her frown deepened slightly, looking at Nubius and Dawnmist. "If Steel takes this the wrong way, it could mean war. Midizi is an excellent place to eventually target Frisk. I'm flattered you're trying to protect Carriers, but I'm pretty sure at least one of you is plotting a war as well. I'm not against war, but at the same time, as narrow-minded and stupid as Friskians can be, they are still people. Civvies have a tendency of getting in the way."

Nobody was flat and blunt as usual, ignnoring the joke about Dim Sum. She personally didn't like it. She cast a withering look at the two reporters. Nobody didn't care whether someone was Carrier or human, if she did or didn't like someone, she did or didn't like someone. She refrained from mentioning how she had her own perosnal crusade against cyborgs, being a large part of the reason why they stayed in Frisk, for the most part. A few irritated sparks shot from her fingertips without her knowing, It was possible for Nobody to accidentally shoot sparks from happiness, too... however, that had yet to happen. These sparks were harmless if touched, and would simply cause a slight tingling in the area of contact.

[YourSecretWeapon]

There was an awkward silence on the plane. Kjolmar had placed himself strategically between Nubius and Nobody. A bit further, Coura and Labassa were keeping a low profile. Kjolmar still couldn't believe how not only turned out to be Carriers, but also high-ranked members of the Rising Underground. They were Nubius' most powerful warriors apparently, even though they didn't look like it. Kjolmar wondered what their abilities were but he didn't want to ask just yet, as they might get curious about him in return. Then there was Nubius who -apart from his blue skin, spiked arms and oversized ears- probably had a trick or two as well. And Nobody, well, it was pretty obvious to everyone that she mastered electricity.

When they were almost at their destination, the plane got hit by something and it it started to crash. Nubius ran to the cockpit but was back just as fast. "We have a problem. The pilot is dead and someone is firing at us." Kjolmar knew the chance was small that one of them knew how to land a plane and the fact they were under fire would prove to be more than just tricky. He acted out of instinct and jumped out of the plane, flying in mid-air. This revealed one of his abilities for the first time for Nibius, Coura and Labassa. Nobody had seen him fly before, of course.

Kjolmar tried to keep the plane balanced by all means: pushing up, pulling sidewards, etc. He created some sort of whirlwind that seemed to assist in landing the plane but a laser beam just missed Kjolmar, coming from the ground. The shooter was aiming for him and since it had one-shotted the pilot, that wasn't exactly something he wanted to be hit by. He gave the whirlwind an extra push so it would guide the plane down gently and flew back inside the plane. "I need some firepower to take out the shooter. Or well, electric power to be exact." he said to Nobody. The shooter was quite far but Kjolmar could easily carry Nobody closer through mid-air.

[TheWanderingWraith]

Nobody was on her feet the second the plane jerked, and at first went to the cockpit to manipulate the controls and see if there was an auto-landing option. When Kjolmar called, the dark-haired carrier held onto the door with one hand, looking at where the laser beam had come from. Her dark eyes scanned to see where the beam had come from. At finding it, she called to Kjolmar. "If there's any amount of metal in that thing he's shooting, magnetic or not, I can hit it," she affirmed.

Her grip on the door tightened as she raised one hand, sparks flying from both her hand and the air around her. Any static electricity amplified slightly, causing a quick yet harmless static shock to anyone nearby. Touching the carrier would be a grave mistake right now, as she had electricity flooding her slender frame. Her hand went down, and seemed to hurl a bolt of sheer white lightning towards the ground. True to her word, if there was any metal in that laser-shooting machine, the bolt would strike dead-on. Seconds after the bolt left her hand, a monstrous roar of thunder shook the plane, causing Nobody to have to hurl herself backwards to avoid being thrown clear out of the plane. "God damn, I hate thunder," she snarled under her breath.

Nobody was actually a little misophonic, certain sounds causing irrational irritation in her. Thunder was one of them. She always wore earplugs during storms. Other noises that bothered her were practically any kind of grating noise, like a knife sharpener, or someone writing with chalk. She had never expressed this, but one might simply think she was somewhat afraid of storms... which wasn't true.

[YourSecretWeapon]

Nobody's shot seemed to have hit the shooter bad enough for him to seize his fire. While Kjolmar's whirlwind landed the plane, he wondered why no one of the Underground had taken action. Not that he trusted them, though. It could mean two things: either they didn't want to show their abilities or there was nothing they could do to help. When they got outside, Labassa sighed. "Where are we? A forest?" Kjolmar immediately snarled back. "I am sorry the emergency landing did not end up in front of an hotel, princess. If it weren't for Nobody and I, the three of you'd be dead. A little gratitude would not be misplaced."

Meanwhile Coura (the short bulky man) placed his hand on Nobody's shoulder. "Nice shot." he said. It was remarkable at how he didn't seem to have any effect from her electrical vibes. Perhaps he was resistant to it somehow?

Nubius had been awfully quiet since the crash but by now he had fitted the pieces of the puzzle together. "That beam came from a Cyborg. Trust me, I've seen a similar one from up close. Which means that there ARE Cyborgs in Midizi after all and they don't want any Carrier intruders interfering with their operation. So far for diplomacy."

Kjolmar cleared his throat. "You are easy to give up on diplomacy, Nubius. Even if there are Cyborgs here, we have to keep a low profile until the Skyloran troops arrive in two days. Right now, the best offense is a good defense. I agree we shouldn't be sitting ducks but can we just avoid confrontation for two more days? We'll have a much better chance with Dawnmist's army by our side." The way he said it you could tell that Kjolmar knew a war could not be avoided. Was he trying to win some time? Was he actually stalling?

[TheWanderingWraith]

Nobody ignored Labassa, although she did shoot the reporter a dark look. At feeling Coura's hand on her shoulder, she shuddered involuntarily. "Thanks," she replied shortly, moving away like a cur slinking from an attacker. She listened to Nubius, and nodded in agreement. She then listened to Kjolmar thoughtfully. "Kjolmar... we both know what's going to happen. It's been building up since Skylora accepted Carriers back into society. War's gonna bust out, and it's gonna be damn ugly. I can hold off those pathetic excuses for living beings, easy," she said a little too easily.

The dark-eyed carrier started to make a wide circle around the plane, her hands sparking, practically daring an attacker to show themselves. They would not be met with kindness, nor one of Nobody's 'lighter' attacks. She continued to make this same circle, a way of pacing. "We can't just sit here for two days in Friskian territory, Kjolmar. We either need to lead the charge or fall back and get our asses to safety," she stated as she passed by Kjolmar on her second lap.