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winning the space race wooo
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LokiLeo789
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 Outskirts of Frixion Prime — Crashed Ship @Dark Light @Antarctic Termite @LPRKN @JaceBeleren @Styxx Acheron @HeroicSociopath |
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She said that, but she was still coughing profusely from the smoke. It was true that she had been through worse, but that didn't make it all go away. If anything, the gunfire from all sides, the lack of vision, reminded her all too well.
"You idiot!! They followed you here!!"
"I...no— I— I was sure that—"
"Ugh...!" Being yanked around with one hand, and trying to drag Melvin across the cement with the other, was getting to be just a bit more trouble than it was worth. Reluctantly, she dropped the drone's corpse, picking up her pace to match that of Giggles. "That guy said he can run the ship, right!?" She shouted over the noise, "I am all out of witty quips right now. I've hit my quota for the day. I just want to be off this fucking planet."
GiA does a ton of really awesome biotechy/mecha type stuff. I was going to link to his Pixiv account, actually, but there's some NSFWish stuff in there so ehhh
(Also, that second picture in her finished design is a broken link =x)
I'm all for having the two of them meet, though!
(Also, that second picture in her finished design is a broken link =x)
I'm all for having the two of them meet, though!
Hehe~ She probably won't appear as an enemy right away (I wouldn't want to hold up the prologue anyhoozle), but I wanted to make a nemesis to represent the bad guys that SIGINT pissed off in a less faceless fashion.
「？？？」 might also appear someday...
「？？？」 might also appear someday...
Nəzarət trial 38, day 13
Of the twenty test subjects created, nineteen have perished.
The remaining subject requires an additional day for the artificial aging process to reach the required minimum progress.
CAT scans show that physical brain damage has already occurred. However, the subject remains alive and may be functional.
My team will monitor this single subject closely. I am transferring shifts to Observation Team 3, but will resume work tomorrow morning with an additional report.
Nəzarət trial 38, day 14
Subject remains living. However, brain damage has progressed yet further, in multiple areas.
The artificial aging process should become haltable in the afternoon. Damage to the subject is rapidly progressing, so we will eject it at the earliest opportunity.
See additional docket #117 for detailed physical analysis notes.
Nəzarət trial 38, day 14
After five hours, the subject has been extracted from holding, and has become conscious for the first time.
We have confirmed that the device is still functioning. However, the subject is completely non-responsive.
Higher brain functions have been confirmed as present, but we are unable to communicate with it in any way.
I will submit these results to [REDACTED] and suggest that the trial be ended as a 'partial success'.
Nəzarət trial 38, day 15
[REDACTED] has personally suggested that we continue the trial in a new context.
The subject has received surgery in order to realign the device. However, very little of the brain damage was reparable.
We will attempt to mentally resuscitate it using the knowledge and memories of one of the captives.
[REDACTED] has personally selected whose memories the subject will receive.
He stated that the choice may provide 'interesting results' for a before-now unmentioned third segment of the trial.
We are attempting the mental takeover process tonight. I will update when the process is complete.
See attached docket #180 for preparation materials.
Nəzarət trial 38, day 15
Trial partially successful. The target has become responsive.
We have tested the effectiveness of the mental download by asking her questions in regards to what she should now know and not know.
However, the aforementioned damage to the temporal lobe (detailed in attached docket #94) seems to have prevented her from fully accepting that girl's memories.
Thankfully, skill and language centers have been properly developed by the download process, so she can at least speak and perform tasks.
She does, however, exhibit some of that girl's other traits, including an inexplicable fascination with knives.
This is is beginning to worry the other team members, especially the one who got stabbed this afternoon.
A full psychological examination will begin tomorrow. These logs will be transferred to the mental health examination team.
Nəzarət Neural Implant Device
Trial Number 38
Day 17, Late Afternoon
This girl is a piece of work. There was only so much I could glean in a day and a half of examination, but this is what I have so far. Having also examined the girl whose mind was fused with hers, I can confirm a large number of shared traits. The test subject seems to have very little malicious intent in any of her actions. But because of the damage to her frontal lobe that's in one of those attached documents, she doesn't actually recognize any of her actions as malicious.
She asked for a knife during the examination, and I gave her one. She then proceeded to stab the shit out of me. In the follow-up conversation, she stated that we were playing a game (I agreed to no such game), and didn't understand why she would be asked to apologize for that action. I don't think she consciously understands that she hurt me to begin with. She attempted to stab me again in order to demonstrate, but I removed the knife at that time.
I don't think we can release this girl into the outside world.
Nəzarət Neural Implant Device
Trial Number 38
Day 17, Night
[REDACTED] has suggested that we release the girl into the outside world.
Gonna talk more about him with it in the morning.
Nəzarət Neural Implant Device
Trial Number 38
Day 18, Morning
So, what [REDACTED] has been planning all along, apparently, is using the girl as an assassination operative.
I pointed out that armed mercenary squads would be way more efficient than sending out an eight year old girl, but what [REDACTED] has in mind is apparently more of a continued trial of the neural implant's abilities rather than a solitary effort to eliminate the intended target. Thus, the girl's efforts will be supplemented with our existing mercenary contracts.
I don't know exactly what features of the Nəzarət he's planning on testing with this, but I'd probably vanish suddenly if I were to record my hypotheses here, so I'll refrain from further comment.
Nəzarət Neural Implant Device
Trial Number 38
Day 20, Afternoon
The subject seems to have latched onto [REDACTED], calling him 'papa' and spending an inordinate amount of time with him. Notably, she has thus far refrained from stabbing him. I'm not quite sure what to make of this. I recall that the original detainee was close to her father in the logs, so it's possible that the subject is trying to make use of her downloaded sentimentalities by projecting them onto other people.
In any case, [REDACTED] has decided on a task. The job that Subject 38-12 will be given is, "Kill Anastasiya Aleksandrovna Levin".
Some of [REDACTED]'s choices over the past few days are beginning to make a bit more sense, now. I think he's going for a two birds, one stone approach with these tests. That also explains why he chose the detainee he did for the mental resuscitation.
My professional opinion is that this is all going to go up in smoke. He's introducing too many variables for this to be a real test of anything. We'll definitely have to repeat the individual facets of this trial in the future.
In the meantime, though, even if the data from this trial is statistically unviable, it may be interesting to see what happens.
I askəd if I could writə in papa's notəbook. Hə said it was okay! But hə also said that it was supər-important stuff about mə, so I should writə about mysəlf.
Um. My namə is Mary! I'm əight, and I likə swəəts and cartoons.
I don't rəməmbər rəally anything from bəforə thəy took mə out of thə sləəpy tubə. Thəy said it was bəcausə my brain got all məssəd up, so all of my məmory fəll out. But papa says I'və bəən hərə for əight yəars, so it has to bə truə.
I was rəally əxcitəd about writing stuff but I dunno what to writə now. I'm gonna draw a giraffə.
Oh! Thərə's soməthing I forgot.
I gət to kill soməonə!
It's soməonə that I know. I think. I fəəl likə I know hər? Likə, from bəforə all of my məmoriəs wənt away in thə sləəpy tubə. Somətiməs I gət bits and piəcəs of hər.
It fəəls likə shə rəally carəd about mə bəforə, so I'm looking forward to playing with hər again.
Papa says I shouldn't draw giraffəs in his sciəncə notəbooks, so I gotta givə it back now.
Səə you soon, Anna!
Faceclaim credit to GiA
Typhoid Mary
Subject 38-12
Title ——— NeoCortex© Private Operative
Height ——— 130 cm
Weight ——— 23 kg
Age ——— Three weeks, appears 8yrs
Species ——— Homunculus
Home Planet ——— Frixion
Height ——— 130 cm
Weight ——— 23 kg
Age ——— Three weeks, appears 8yrs
Species ——— Homunculus
Home Planet ——— Frixion
Tier ② ——— Local
While her combat abilities are exceptional, her free will is highly compromised. Her target is decided on by 「？？？」, and she carries out actions against that individual until the condition of their death is met. In that sense, her primary sphere of influence is limited to Anastasiya and anyone who chooses to protect her.
In terms of being able to exert influence outside of that sphere — she is able to decide on her own course of action to an extent, as long as she doesn't draw attention to 「？？？」 or jeopardize their respective positions. Due to her mental programming, however, any such actions will inevitably draw her closer to her target, even if only marginally. She simply doesn't have a high degree of interest in harming anyone else.
Were she capable of acting independently, her influence level would rise in accordance to the full potential of her abilities.
Neural Implant “Nəzarət” [Unlocked] ④
A prototype, brain-mounted device developed in secret by NeoCortex©. In order to expedite release of the product, human testing guidelines were illegally side-stepped by making use of in-vitro, artificially-aged genetic clones, 'homunculi', as mass-produced test subjects. Mary is one of such subjects who survived multiple trials, though not without significant damage to her psyche.
Its power source is the brain's bio-electricity, and it is commanded mentally. The project's codename was Mnemonic, but the true name of the device is "Nəzarət".
- Interface ——— The ability to operate an electronic device without using physical medium, such as, keyboards, monitors, etc. However, the only devices that can be accessed are those which allow unauthorized access (e.g. personal devices), and those which are specially constructed to be operated via Interface.
- Superior Encryption ——— The Nəzarət is a quantum computer armed with unpublished encryption algorithms, protecting it from unauthorized access from even highly skilled crackers. Only 「？？？」 has complete control of the device, with Mary having only partial control.
- Sensory Modification ——— As the Nəzarət's interface is purely neural, it can augment the senses of the person it is installed into, overlaying images in their vision, acting as a phone that bypasses their own ears, and even enabling or disabling the body's senses entirely.
Notably, Mary's sense of pain is completely disabled, though her sense of touch is otherwise fully functional. In addition, her vision of humans will outline veins and arteries with a visual overlay, for targeting purposes, when using a «Sharbat» knife. - Biological Process Regulation ——— In addition to modifying senses, the Nəzarət can control biological process indirectly via its connection to the subject's brain. Mary's heart rate and blood pressure are kept at elevated levels in order to increase the effectiveness of her «Pharmaceuticals», and other vitals are carefully controlled to counteract their side-effects, allowing her to be more receptive to the drugs' positive effects while evading many of the negative ones. The effectiveness of poisons and toxins are also reduced.
This ability normally has a limiter associated with it, allowing it to be turned on and off. However, 「？？？」 has removed Mary's ability to modify its settings in any way. - Mental Fortification ——— An extension of the above. The Nəzarət can detect abnormalities in brain function and neurologically correct for them. Forms of mental interference, such as suggestion and hypnosis, don't operate at full strength. The exception is the device's own «Suggestion», which is enacted by the device itself.
- Neural Acceleration ——— The [Unlocked] feature of the Nəzarət. Mary's thought process is highly accelerated, augmenting general brain function as long as the device is active. This does not make Mary smarter, however, it does sharply increase her reflexes and multitasking ability. She suffers no penalties for fighting multiple opponents at once, and in combination with «Adrenal Booster», her heightened awareness allows her to deflect bullets with her knives.
- Dietary Requirement ——— Due to Mary's heightened brain functions, her brain requires far more energy to run than a normal human's would. This takes the form of a marked increase in her required intake of glucose. If she doesn't have access to extremely high amounts of sugar in her diet, her metabolism will enter an unsustainable state of ketosis within 24 hours, and death by starvation will occur within three days.
Normally, she would be able to simply turn the neural implant off in order to avoid this, but 「？？？」 has disabled her ability to do so. - Suggestion ——— When Mary is given a task by 「？？？」, the Nəzarət literally programs it into her brain function, with an experimental function to hypnotize those with the neural implant installed, dependent on an external trigger image. Currently, her programmed task is "Kill Anastasiya Aleksandrovna Levin". The Suggestion is always active in the back of Mary's mind, subconsciously pushing her towards the target even if she acts without purpose. If that target enters her field of vision, the trigger image activates, and the Suggestion takes over completely, leaving Mary unable to do anything except follow through.
- Killswitch ——— At any time, 「？？？」 can release the limiter on the Nəzarət's electromagnetic signaller, pushing it to a level where the radiation becomes harmful to the brain. If this occurs, the device will literally microwave Mary's skull from the inside, killing her and destroying itself.
This function is intended to be activated if she attempts to betray 「？？？」, or if she meets her end by any other means, to prevent the Nəzarət from being salvaged from her corpse.
Augmented Blades ③
Mary's armaments are all knives, with grips custom-made to the size of her hands, and capabilities engineered to counteract her body's numerous drawbacks. While she isn't very dangerous when limited to conventional weaponry, her Augmented Blades handily close the gap and then some. Because her Augmented Blades require «Interface» to activate, they can only be effectively used by someone with a Neural Implant.
- M38 ThermicBrand MoRe High-Energy Blade “Caramel” ——— A straight-blade, clip point knife measuring 76 centimeters in length, including the hilt and crossguard. It weighs 1.8 kg. Due to Mary's small size, the knife is essentially a sword for her. It is sheathed on her back underneath her hoodie, with hilt visible at the back of her neck when the hood is down.
When disabled, it acts as a regular Bowie knife. When activated via «Interface», a battery-powered microengine in the hilt causes the blade to vibrate at an extremely high frequency, supervenously heating it to a temperature of 2200oC, three-hundred degrees beneath the alloy's melting point. Activation takes roughly two seconds, and is accompanied by a high-pitched whining sound, along with the white-hot glowing of the blade's metal. The air around it gives of a distinctively wavy 'mirage' effect while heated.
Once the blade is activated, the high-frequency vibrations in combination with the incredibly high temperature make it a terrifying cutting instrument, capable of slashing through dense material, and melting its way through materials that are normally heat-resistant. The high-energy blade can also clash with energy-based or energy-enhanced weapons without being damaged. As Mary cannot apply a strong force to the blade, the blade's properties supply the force necessary to perforate materials.
The 'MoRe' in its name refers to its material, an alloy of Molybdenum and Rhenium. Molybdenum is a refractory metal which possesses the extremely high melting point and low thermal expansion coefficient necessary for the heating mechanic to work successfully without destroying the weapon. Rhenium is alloyed to increase its ductility, at the cost of a lower melting point, ensuring that the blade doesn't shatter from the high-frequency vibration.
After deactivation, the crossguard's heat sink is expelled via a spring-loaded mechanism, and must be reloaded with a new one before the blade can be safely reactivated. - M25 ThermicBrand MoRe High-Energy Blade “Confiture de Lait” ——— A smaller version of the M38 “Caramel”, a second clip-point knife with a length of 30 cm, including the handle. It weighs 0.6 kg. It's sheathed at her hip, underneath her hoodie.
When disabled, it acts as a regular combat knife. Like the M38 “Caramel”, however, it can be activated to heat itself in the same fashion. The only significant difference between the two blades is their length and weight.
Mary's fighting style is that of a duelist. She holds the M38 “Caramel” in her dominant hand, and the M25 “Confiture de Lait” in her off-hand as a parrying knife, similar to a rapier and main gauche. Her «Neural Acceleration» allows her to optimize both offense and defense in this way. - NJecht Hyder Ballistic Chemical Blade “Sharbat” ——— An lightweight aluminum ballistic knife that can slash or be ejected when commanded via «Interface». Due to her weak musculature, Mary can't throw knives effectively, thus the necessity for a compressed air propulsion mechanism for ranged attacks. The blade is 10 cm long (15 cm including the hilt) and weighs 0.2 kg, with a maximum range of 5 meters when fired.
A small vial containing a toxin is loaded into the blade, which can then be transferred via injury. In order to successfully transfer a toxin, the blade must penetrate the skin by at least 0.5 cm, and must hit a vein or artery. If the blade is blocked by armor or clothing, the toxin has no effect. Thin materials such as cotton can be pierced if the blade is fired, but if Mary is slashing with the knife, it must target bare skin. Anything tougher than leather will prevent the transfer completely.
This weapon is used in conjunction with «Pharmaceuticals».
Pharmaceuticals ③
Drugs produced by a company owned by NeoCortex©, Hyder Pharmaceuticals. Beneficial drugs are stored in an unremovable metal bracelet around Mary's wrist, which can be operated via «Interface» to extend a small needle and inject a payload into the cephalic vein. Due to «Biological Process Regulation» artificially raising her blood pressure, thereby reducing the time required for the drug to circulate through her body, it only takes 10 seconds for a beneficial drug to take effect on Mary. In addition, it is only due to that regulation that the drugs work as they do — if another person attempted to take them, they would likely be poisoned or unaffected.
Alternatively, a negative chemical may be transferred to an enemy via a «Sharbat» knife. Against a human, it takes 25 seconds for a toxin to circulate through the blood stream and take effect. Toxins may or may not work on alien races, depending on their physiology. Mary keeps the vials on a band at her hip, on the other side from the “Confiture de Lait”. On a mission, she generally carries two of each — one already loaded, and one in reserve, for each chemical.
Mary cannot create her Pharmaceuticals on her own. They are supplied indirectly by Hyder Pharmaceuticals, and transferred to her by 「？？？」.
- Adrenal Booster ——— A beneficial drug transferred to Mary through the bracelet. It drastically increases her adrenaline output, artificially pushing her body past its physical limits. For as long as the drug remains in effect, Mary's strength, speed, and stamina are enhanced to varying degrees. In terms of strength, the benefits are sharply reduced due to her «Muscular Atrophy», though the stamina benefits are noticeable, allowing her to continue running and fighting without fatigue for the entire duration. Speed, however, is where the effects of the Adrenal Booster truly exhibit themselves. In addition to being able to dart around the battlefield at up to 40 kph, in combination with «Neural Acceleration», she can parry incoming bullet fire with her knives, having both the awareness to detect their individual trajectories, and the movement speed to successfully interpose her weapons.
While an adrenaline rush of this magnitude would normally only last a few minutes, her «Biological Process Regulation» can keep the drug in effect for a full hour. After it wears off, however, the combined fatigue of her actions will return all at once, potentially causing her to collapse on the spot. Medical attention may also be required with extended use, due to her weak constitution (See: «Genetic Disorders»). - ATP Enactor ——— A beneficial drug transferred to Mary through the bracelet. It has the effect of dramatically increasing the body's production of ATP, resulting in runaway cell reproduction akin to regeneration. Once injected, Mary will begin to rapidly heal from any wounds she may have, slashing wounds in ten seconds, puncture wounds and gunshot wounds in a minute, and burns or energy damage in roughly an hour.
Mary's hair grows out wildly while the enactor is in effect, to the point that a combatant would literally see it getting longer mid-battle. Her genetic code was altered such that she does not have fingernails or toenails for this reason. In addition, pushing her cells closer to the Hayflick limit effectively shortens her lifespan, and destabilizes her artificial body.
The more immediate side effect of increasing the body's production of ATP is that it also sharply increases its caloric needs. The drug can't be used on an empty stomach, and its effective duration depends on how much Mary has had to eat recently. After a full meal, it can stay in effect for as long as ten minutes, while if she's hungry, it would be shut down after just a few seconds. Mary will always be left hungry after use.
- Neurotoxin ——— An offensive toxin, transferred to enemies via the «Sharbat» knife. Her neurotoxin blocks signal transmission through the nervous system, causing the target to be slowed, their movements more rigid, and their sense of touch gradually go numb. After onset, the effects gradually increase over the course of roughly a minute before reaching their peak, after which they last for roughly an hour.
Side effects include chronic itching which can last for up to three days. - Glycolysis Inhibitor ——— An offensive toxin, transferred to enemies via the «Sharbat» knife. The Glycolysis Inhibitor interferes with the body's ability to produce ATP, resulting in lethargy and muscle weakness. Regeneration abilities possessed by the target may also be disabled. As the body must run through its existing stores of ATP before hitting a deficit, the toxin has a slightly longer onset, an extra five seconds, after which its abilities take effect in full. ATP production is inhibited for one hour, after which the effects can be lifted by eating a meal.
Side effects include drowsiness and increased appetite.
Homunculus Body Ⓞ
Mary was artificially created in a test tube as a genetic clone, and then artificially aged to her present appearance. This results in multiple complications, mentally and physically, when compared to a normal human. These not only interfere with her ability to live a normal life, but even prevent her from carrying out her intended tasks at times.
- Brain Damage ——— Having originally been created to measure this exact phenomenon, Mary has irreparable brain damage caused by growth of the brain with a Neural Implant installed. The shift in cranial structure, especially at younger years, interferes with the very carefully placed points at which the implant communicates with the biological brain. The machine could be repaired, but the brain could not.
In particular, she has damage to the temporal lobe and medial temporal lobe, interfering with her long term memory, as well as damage to the left frontal lobe, impairing her capacities for compassion and judgement. This leaves Mary partially amnesiac, without an effective moral compass, and extremely reckless in her decision making.
Mirror writing has also been observed, likely due to damage in other areas. - Muscular Atrophy ——— A side-effect of the artificial aging process employed by 「？？？」 in her creation, and the reason that she appears so young — attempting to age her body any further would have resulted in the complete collapse of her biological structure. Tissues and physiological structures can be grown in a tube, but muscles must be worked out in order to preserve themselves. A body being artificially grown is essentially sedentary, and as a result, muscular development does not occur. Her force output is laughable, and she can't lift more than 5 kg without extreme effort.
If «Adrenal Booster» is in effect, her physical strength is temporarily raised to somewhat more normal levels, though still nothing notable in this regard. - Childlike ——— Not only is she incredibly small, at a physical age of eight years old, but her lack of mental development compounds with her frontal lobe damage to result in astoundingly poor judgement, even at very simplistic junctions. Mary often fails to realize the gravity of the tasks that she's employed on, is unable to properly prioritize different goals, and is very, very easily distracted.
On one occasion, she abandoned a mission entirely because an ice cream truck drove by. - Genetic Disorders ——— Her entire genetic structure was artificially derived from a single gamete, as opposed to a zygote. As half of her genes were essentially made from scratch, she suffers from a number of otherwise uncommon genetic disorders. While this allowed 「？？？」 greater control in specific aspects of her genetics, such as the removal of her fingernails and toenails to avoid a side-effect of her «ATP Enactor», it also resulted in albinism, anemia, and cystic fibrosis. «Biological Process Regulation» counteracts the worst of these effects and allows her to physically function, though she's still prone to fainting and fits of productive coughs.
Her hair is naturally white, though she dyes it black regularly. Her eyes, however, remain an off-putting red, and she gives the appearance of a sickly person at a glance due to her skin pallor.
Gear ① ②
Various bits of gear Mary commonly has or uses.
- Hoodie ——— While it appears to be a normal, black track hoodie, it does offer some minor protection. It sports fireproof treatment to insulate her from the ambient heat of her own ThermicBrands, as well as a light layer of kevlar that can prevent damage from small caliber bullets (up to .22). However, it is engineered primarily for mobility, and doesn't quite qualify as armor.
- Heat Sinks ——— Used to reload her ThermicBrands after use. She keeps them attached to an anklet on her left leg.
- Black Card ——— A credit card which ties back directly to a NeoCortex© operated bank account, allowing her to take care of any work expenses that may come up during a job. Mostly used to purchase candy and sugar cubes.
- Butterfly Knife ——— A normal balisong which Mary spins as a toy. It's something of a compulsion for her in times of boredom or stress, as it reminds her of █̡̢̢͘͟▄͏͜͏͘͟▄̢́͞█̸͢▄̛͟͞█̵̴̢͟҉.
I had a drəam.
In thə drəam I was...anothər girl. A girl who wasn't mə.
I think I got bit by a snakə...
Did it hurt? I think I was acting likə it hurt. But I don't fəəl pain, so I don't rəally know what that's likə.
Maybə if I could rəməmbər it bəttər, I could know what bəing hurt fəəls likə. But I can't.
Anyway...in thə drəam, I was on thə ground, and...
She was thərə.
Shə was yəlling at mə for somə rəason. But aftər that, shə pickəd mə up, and said shə was taking mə to a hospital.
"As long as we stick together..."
Shə had told mə soməthing likə that.
No, shə dəfinitəly said that. I don't rəməmbər much əlsə, but I dəfinitəly rəməmbər həaring that.
Shə said that wə'd stick togəthər.
So...why arən't wə togəthər...?
Why arə wə so far apart?
And...why do I rəməmbər hər...if thə girl I was in thə drəam was oldər than mə?
I think...
I think that...hər and I...actually might...not havə əvər mət əach othər.
But əvən if that's truə, I want to səə hər again.
Bəcausə...I still rəməmbər what it was likə, to bə həld and carriəd and lovəd.
If I kill you...can I səə morə of thəsə drəams?
Outskirts of Frixion Prime — Drawbridge @Dark Light @Antarctic Termite @LPRKN @JaceBeleren @Styxx Acheron @HeroicSociopath |
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A ship. A fucking ship! What the hell!? "Damn, okay, this kitchen is getting a liiittle hot for me." SIGINT admitted, looking around nervously. Government had gotten involved, there were other groups closing in, and everyone seemed to be shooting at each other. "I mean, I'm all for causing trouble, but come the fuck on."
The girl began making her way out of the back of the car — still lugging Melvin around, which slowed her down immensely — taking stock of the situation with shifty eyes. "Piloting...? Probably wouldn't be any better at it than you..." She admitted, "Don't these things come with autopilot or something? I've never seen a ship this close before..." SIGINT was starting to drool a bit more, thinking about what could be inside it. What kind of technology was required for a marvel of that size? She could understand it all in theory, of course, but seeing each individual part was something else entirely. She'd never had the chance in her life to study that kind of tech.
Outskirts of Frixion Prime — Drawbridge @Dark Light @Antarctic Termite @LPRKN @JaceBeleren @Styxx Acheron @HeroicSociopath |
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Well, that certainly didn't not count as heat.
"Now, then..." With the destroyed drone in her lap, SIGINT ran a finger across its sleek surface with a maniacal grin, just a bit of drool coming from the corner of her mouth. Her focus on Marco was gone, completely tunneled onto the device that she now shared the back seat of a car with. "This is your fault, you know, Melvin...you didn't wanna talk to me. See what happens when you ignore a girl's texts...?"
She could signal any device with her neural implant, but whether or not the device responded was another matter. Most civilian devices had ports open for diagnostics and maintenance, or were already part of known botnets. Something like a military drone, though, was a different matter. An autonomous device made for such a purpose would be inaccessible through such obvious channels. And if the machine didn't talk back, there wasn't much that SIGINT could do in terms of hacking.
But, what if she was the drone? Once she had a 'trusted' signature on her signal, it was a different story. In order to obtain the ability to interfere with this kind of device, she had to access the gun-toting machine physically, not wirelessly.
On her own, it would be impossible. But with Colin and Marco's combined help, that insurmountable condition had come well within her reach.
Fingering around where the skin of the drone had been peeled back, she eventually found the small transponder, still in workable condition, but lacking a power source. Licking her lips at the machine's insides, SIGINT reached to the back of her neck, and from under her hair, with a small click, pulled out a snake-like wire with a universal plug on the end. "Are you ready, Melvin?" Her glasses were tilted slightly, as she twirled the wire about with her fingers, before sliding it underneath the drone's covering. With little resistance, the plug entered the transponder's jack smoothly.
Once she was plugged into the drone, she gently ran a hand over it, lowering her head and resting her cheek on its aluminum-alloy surface. "Come on, Melvin...talk to me...you can't ignore me when we're like this, can you?" She cooed and pleaded to the disabled machine, "Teach me the language you use...I want to use it to talk to all of your friends, you know...?"
One by one, the rest of the drones began to fall. One careened into a wall. Another took a sharp nosedive into the water. And after that, the remaining machines flying in the air simply fell down to the ground, tumbling across the concrete or making splashes in the canal.
After just a few seconds, drone support was gone.
Outskirts of Frixion Prime — Drawbridge @Dark Light @Antarctic Termite @LPRKN @JaceBeleren @Styxx Acheron @HeroicSociopath |
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The girl took Colin's hand, but with her other arm, was attempting to drag the damaged attack drone along with her. "Hey, help me pick this thing up!" She pleaded, "Heh, spilled it's guts out all nice and perfect-like! If I can dig into it, and find the transponder...!"
Also, she just wanted to study it for her own robotics, but better to let them think that wasn't the primary reason.
"S█gnal! ███ comin in fas██ can you ra█se that bridg█!?..."
"What...? Oh shit, you got real close real fast...!" SIGINT replied to...seemingly no one, from the perspective of Colin and Giggles. "This drawbridge is fuckin' grilled cheese, there's no way—"
'There's no way to raise it', is what she was about to say, about two and a half seconds before Anya raised it with some good old fashioned percussive maintenance, not to mention a heaping helping of gymnastics on the side. Hot damn, she had picked out a hell of a guardian angel.
"Well. Shit." Was all she could really say, still grabbing onto the husk of the destroyed drone as the ground underneath her rapidly became an incline. But it would take more than literally filling the air around her with lethal ballistic projectiles to convince her to let go of Melvin. That's the drone's name now. The drone is named Melvin.
SIGINT had put her hands up reluctantly (though, not reluctantly enough to wipe that stupid smile off her own face), when the man with the handheld and Doggo came into view. Even if her stealth suit had been functional at that point, it wouldn't have mattered. Thermo-optic camouflage doesn't stop you from being sniffed out, and she sure as hell wasn't outrunning the little guy either.
The hydroelectric dam, upstream, the source of the canal...it was part of the same water control system that she had broken into in order to control the drawbridge, but that didn't mean that it lacked its own protections. It was a major piece of city infrastructure, after all. She could do it, but there was no time frame. The "Keep Them Talking" plan had held out for just shy of long enough to hack into a pair of ocular implants (which were, admittedly, pretty sweet, now that SIGINT had their specs...damn that's a lot of input, though...) It just wasn't going to buy that kind of time.
The agent coming up the side, and the stealing of one of her assailant's eyes, made the best window she could have had in this situation. If she was lucky, she could turn tail and book it while the two groups fought.
...But, she hesitated.
The drawbridge, half-raised, creaked and groaned as if under the weight of her own uncertainty.
Which direction to run?
It's...strange.
Talking with someone just to buy time, and realizing that you treasured such a short exchange.
Having your plan foiled, not with a gun to your head, but with an open hand.
I guess I just...got used to people trying to shoot me all the time.
Or only talking to me because they needed a favor, or wanted some kind of leverage.
Heh...
Hey, that little argument we had, back there...
...Did you have fun...too...?
That moment of hesitation saved her life. Had she backed away immediately, those explosive rounds would have been a direct hit. Instead, they threw up dust and debris behind her, as she ran forward.
In a way, she wasted her chance. She had played her last card in a bid to escape, only to run right into the arms of her pursuers.
But, in another way...wasn't this a chance within itself?
"Not often I get outsmarted...! Normally, when I lose, it's because the other guy brought a gun. This is actually fun!" The girl called out to Colin, the battered soles of her stealth suit pounding against the groaning bridge. "Hell, if it's you or the drones, don't expect to pull my arm too haOHSHI—"
Speaking of drones, the girl ducked to the side as a spray of ballistics covered her shoulder. The bullets didn't penetrate her armor, but god damn did that shit hurt. "Motherfucking— I am so done with this bridge."
"St█tus update.█Got shot on th█ bridge again█"
"Gon██ try not st█nding still on █t this time██I'll let yo█ know how that goes█"
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