Room 177 (Gear)

[MKR]

"Surely you feel it, don't you? Looking by the state of pain that gave you. You cannot explain why you so adore what's her name? Lianne? Lauren?" Iso shrugged at his own recollection "Whatever her name may be, I figure the reason you give her such adoration is as foreign to you as Orphan's will itself."
He looked down at the defeated man from his chair, the group behind Clint now moving to surround both like a gladiatorial arena. A perfect circle where he was surrounded by things beyond his understanding.

"You pursue truth yes? Such was your proud declaration after all. Filled to the brim with human spirit. I know the truth of this matter, why Orphan, why you buckled beneath Britannia our 'mutual' employers if you would. Why your beliefs that went deeper than ideals kneel in front of a nation. I figure you've asked yourself the why of it, perhaps even rationalized it for some reason be it to gain entry to the world stage or hide behind something grand while you amassed energy for Orphan."

"But if your people went into the night sky today, and landed on some faraway planet in five thousand years. They would found a Britannian colony."
He leaned forwards, a smile on his face as he held the information he had over the man suffering.

"Tell me- truth seeker? Do you want to know? Or is ignorance the bliss you want?" it was like a vulture hovering over a half dead corpse, left to starve in the desert heat, mauled by a pack of hyenas. Death was inevitable, and it was merely waiting for the moment it could enjoy its meal uninterrupted. The wall of humanoids around them closed in, casting their shadow over Clint as the circle grew smaller and smaller.

 

[Nemesis]

"But if your people went into the night sky today, and landed on some faraway planet in five thousand years. They would found a Britannian colony."

In that moment, Clint's face contorted into an expression of such pure agony, that the greatest artists of the age would have given their good arms merely to capture its silhouette. It was as if Iso was peering into his mind itself. Saying the words he himself would have spoken - could have spoken, but why? Why couldn't he speak them? It was true. All of it, every word, like a knife being plunged into his flesh.

There was a time he did not love Britannia. Then, he had awoken to its glory one fine day, and never looked back. It seemed so obvious to him in retrospect. So easy to embrace. In fact, he'd chided himself for his immaturity, choosing the path of willful, egoistic separation from its loving breast. He strove to be an ideal Britannian citizen. They all did.

They all did.

...

And ever since that day, he'd seen how those on the boats distanced themselves. How Wolfgang, even Dr. Crane, his long-time research partner, now looked at him with strange new, fearful eyes. They would see in time, he told himself. The whole world would know of Britannia's glory. To plant the flag of Britannia on another planet would be an honor - no, a privilege. And yet...

Didn't these thoughts contradict what he had just told Iso, in a moment of frantic terror?

"...but Britannia... Britannia would never..." He mumbled pitifully, as if the words were dragged from somewhere strange deep within him. His head hurt. It was pounding violently, though as a result of the abuse it had suffered before, and his fingers pressed against his temples in a vain effort to keep the throbbing under control.

What had happened to him?

"I want... to know. I am... a seeker of the truth. But..."

 

[MKR]

Iso leaned back in his chair, watching the Doctor squirm under his, or rather another's gaze. Loyalty, it was bought, earnt and most successfully made. The Reclaimers would never be the same lest they were wiped out to the man, Orphan's halls tainted with the mind of those behind the curtains. He motioned to one of the mannequins to the side, it stepped forwards and pulled Clint upwards, harshly yet calmly.
"But 'All Hail Britannia'?" He remarked, the man he brought here now coated in the dust from the floor as Iso himself rose from his seat. "Those are the words you want to embody aren't they? Even moreso than Orphan's desires."

"A rallying cry for the masses." Like a conductor he rose his arms up, around them. A cacophony of the same voice. Iso's voice, yelled the declaration of national pride as the man himself, silent in the cheering stopped in front of Clint, held aloft by one of the cheering duplicates. "That princess could request you to off yourselves one by one and you'd do it with a smile on your faces. Because she talked to you. She, the embodiment of Britannia come to deliver you from the error of your ways would grant you the courtesy of doing something, some repentance for you for the wrongs before."

Never before had it been such a dichotomy such a conflict within one, not that he'd seen but that was fixable.
"You'd rather, or perhaps you wish, I would tell you there's no tricks its all as it was meant to be, half of that is true but there was a trick. Because that devotion you feel. It can be improved." His eyes shone, like twin birds cast in his pupils as he gazed down. Yet it was the voice that carried that message "Instead of Orphan or Britannia you should have but one target of your devotion. Me."

As swiftly as they appeared the twin birds vanished, the young man waiting for the recoil of the ability to conclude. It was going to be interesting how that tug of war would be reacting to this change in status quo but unless he misunderstood those antibody reactions, everything aught to work.
"That should alleviate the pain, and that though different, was the source for your little issue. A Geass, let it be our little secret."

 

[Nemesis]

A trick?

Almost as soon as the word had been spoken, he opened his mouth to push back against this man who dared to slur Britannia, and then-

A glint of light in those eyes. Like birds, soaring over an endless sea... and the words died in his throat. Dr. Gustav Clint's hands fell limply at his side... and, for the first time in such a long time, felt the veil lift from his mind. As though he had passed outside of a world of fog and mirrors - and held shining truth, brilliant and radiant, like the warmth of the sun, in his hands once more. He blinked, slowly, and shook his head. What had that been, just now?

"...Geass?" He groaned, finally, as he rubbed his face.

"Orphan... Orphan would never permit such a thing... unless..."

Unless-

...

That woman!

All of a sudden, Clint turned white as a sheet as a horrifying realization gripped him, a stifled gasp escaping his throat like the puncturing of a balloon - one as paralyzing as the experience he had just undergone, as the pieces of the puzzle finally clicked into place. Why, of all times, that shade should resurface now. What it meant.

He had to do something. He had to save them. The Reclaimers - the only friends, the only family he had ever known - they were all in terrible danger! But he knew also, deep down, that he was not a fighter. He was no savior. What good could a weak man such as he, who couldn't even win a battle of words, do for them now? But he swore, at that moment - he would do whatever it took.

Britannia... would pay for what it had done.

"...Iso." He said, finally.

"If it will free my comrades... I will do... whatever it is you ask."

There was the distinct sense he was signing his name in blood on some damning contract. That he has wading into a world that he did not fully understand. But he would do it - not for himself, no. He had been prepared to die only minutes earlier, and felt his own weakness with his own two hands. He needed to become stronger. To be able to make his ideals a reality, and grasp the truth with his own two hands.

And perhaps this was the beginning of that journey.

 

[MKR]

"My my, full of vim and vigor all of a sudden." Iso commented, waving the identical cronie holding Clint away, letting the man stand on his own two feet again as his prior? captor sat back down again. "But Doctor, when it comes to the leverage I can see what you have is very little. I already have a man on the inside now, if what you offer... Interests me, then we have a subject of discussion. Because if you want to make a distant dream reality, there can be no better to beg with." He smiled, genuinely for once at that mention. Whatever thoughts hid behind him unreachable and illegible, whatever methods he had, this boast seemed back by utter, undeniable confidence in what he could perform.

"So by all means. Elaborate." The good doctor would be doing whatever he asked either way but something plagued him now, something different and he would know what. This was more than revenge versus Britannia. "And when you say free." The mannequins closed in further, no longer in a circle but now an oval shape, leaving only the space between the two empty of their presence as they loomed over the pair, no way out that wasn't covered in several layers of guards.
"What do you mean?"

 

[Nemesis]

"I am only a man. The only thing I can offer is my mind."

Clint rubbed his temples once more, trying to ignore the circle of bodies around them. A little personal space as he tried to think might have been nice, as he grasped for words to describe the unfamiliar, the fantastic, and the beyond imagination.

"This trick... This Geass, you mentioned. I can only imagine it to be a kind of magic, a kind of... mass hypnosis, if you will. One that bound us to Britannia in the first place." He hazarded;

"You asked me about the Antibody Reaction, the factor that binds Orphan to those it accepts. It's a cellular transformation, triggered by witnessing the birth of an Antibody. The stronger the reaction, the more protective of Orphan the individual becomes, as a series of complex chemical changes occur in the brain and body - the creation of a "warrior class", as it were.

Orphan itself is highly sensitive to the moods and thoughts of its occupants... and it has rejected those whose loyalties lie elsewhere before. However, there had been no rejection of the Britannians since their arrival... Not a single one. How I managed to overlook this critical fact... I can only wonder, but..."

Clint lapsed into thoughtful, fretful silence, his mind racing. Perhaps he was merely glad to have something else to focus his thoughts on, an objective to ponder, such that it overpowered his terror. He was, after all, for all his flaws, a driven individual.

"There are some things we need to verify first before we jump to conclusions, but... If your dream requires Orphan intact, or those within it, you'll need my help. There are delicate threads at play which require specialized information and handling, more than I can impart to you through words alone."

 

[MKR]

"In laymen's terms you could call it such yes as I do not particularly feel like explaining the fine details." Iso replied, wishing Clint would get on with it. "Glad to hear my rough assessment of the Reaction was accurate, that it was a more direct change then some others of the same ilk, and not nearly as parasitical as the Invaders." That was a boon, to finally have an answer to that question. "With all due respect Doctor Clint, I have ample dreams. We will get to those eventually but if you have aught of import to say on why I should at all interfere with Britannia's set up for Orphan then I'd ask you to elaborate why." He was beginning to look bored by the plight, he had an interest in Orphan yes but it was nothing that couldn't be replaced by other factors.

"You were so eager to share your theories for Orphan's behavior with the utmost confidence before. For both our sakes, continue." He was offering his mind, and Iso was after all here for exactly that but still even after the Geass it lingered on Orphan's wellbeing, or perhaps more likely those within. Regardless it was a mild annoyance to him. Willful ignorance, one of humanity's prime qualities. That is what he guessed concealed the truth from Clint prior. Otherwise it was induced ignorance, the conflict now cleared.

At the end of the day it didn't matter and he didn't care either.
He gestured to the duplicate behind him.
"In the meanwhile, give the new doctor Clint a cleaning."

 

[Nemesis]

"Do you recall what I mentioned earlier? Orphan is observing us. It is like a child, almost - It acts on instinct. When it feels threatened, I believe it draws the organic energy of the planet towards itself as a protective measure. Of course, this has terrible consequences for the outside world - tsunamis, thunderstorms, earthquakes - all manner of natural disasters unfold."

Clint, evidently seeing Iso's narrowing patience, hurried along as best as he could, trying not to trip over his own words as he tried to impress upon the man the importance of what was happening. He rooted through his notes, rapidly.

"It's possible Orphan, under considerable stress, is relying on an X-factor of sorts - an injected, unique, but not dissimilar organism that offers it a different perspective, on whether or not it should take the planet's energy or not. Like... looking to a parent for comfort and guidance in uncertainty."

The good doctor held up a piece of paper. On it was a white antibody, hunched and cowled, with tentacles extending from its shoulders, shearing apart a Mobile Suit underwater. It was wholly different from any Gran Cher Iso had likely seen before, hulking and brutish - if the rank and file were the "worker" ants, then this one was certainly the "warrior".

"There was an incident not long before the Britannians arrived... a League-owned laboratory in the Colonies was destroyed, apparently in a fire. But, my understanding is that they had been experimenting on Plates there. Enhancing them. It wasn't long after that, we encountered this - the Baronz, and its pilot, a woman calling herself Baron Corvo."

He wasn't quite fully ready to believe who he expected to be behind that mask - but that chemical cocktail. He'd only ever seen it a handful of times in his life. Anyone taking that medication should have died long ago from the side effects. How many years had he spent wondering if he could have done more, instead of walking away when he did?

"I'd like to visit that lab, in order to confirm my suspicions... but I believe the Baron was "summoned" by Orphan, as a form of immune response to the Geass. If I'm right, and Corvo is communing directly with Orphan... It's possible all of the Earth may be robbed of its organic energy after all, including all of those residing within it. I don't need to tell you what kind of retaliation that would invite from the likes of the League, who are already suspicious of our existence. Countless billions would die, along with Orphan itself!"

 

[MKR]

"Ah yes, I heard about that incident. I thought the report stated that the intruder was slain and another was repelled?" Iso mused to himself as he looked over the different Antibody, an eyebrow raised at the notion of a new strand of the... species... appearing. It appeared his interest had been caught once more. "So, currently you would say it is on the course to cause an event comparable to that of Yellowstone if not worse? How... Interesting."

He rose from his seat, it was dragged away behind him as the crowd around them began to give more breathing room.
"Very well, we." His hand gestured to both of them "Will be taking a look at this matter, but you are not going out like that." Iso pointed behind the Doctor, on the table. Now standing out from its environ there was a set of non dusty clothing. The same garments as those worn by the masses around them. "After all Doctor Clint is in a meeting right now and should not be seen outside the UN." The hordes made a clear path for the Doctor to get himself dressed for the occasion yet beyond that showed little movement.

"But that is the fate you would save the Reclaimers from then? Being devoured by the being they genetically are tied to? If so then I find your deal acceptable," That would be possible, though it may not be in the way Doctor Clint may desire it to be. Ah but there was no reason to tell him that now. "And in return you will do whatever I ask, whenever I do so." He paced forward, heading towards the table as a hand was offered to the Doctor. Afterward he too would be waiting for the clothing to be donned by the non-combatant. Iso's gaze ventured to the side, Clint's chair had been repurposed as seating for the second Clint. Still unconscious but now being readied for public display as the dust and grime were removed, the wounds around his nails as well were amended.

"I take from this that the implication is that Corvo would direct Orphan to act this way as well at the slightest provocation?"
This Baron Corvo, he wondered, if they were what Clint theorized them to be, an immune system for the immune system. Would it be difficult to compromise them or would Orphan beckon another layer of defense.

 

[Nemesis]

"That may sound strange to you - that I would be willing to pay any price for them."

Clint seemed to breath a sigh of relief as he returned Iso's handshake, wearily. True to his word, he would follow this man to the last, if it would preserve those he had failed by allowing the Britannians to worm their way into their heart. He shook his head without resistance, and went to change his clothes, talking all the while.

"But, the Reclaimers are the closest thing to family I have in this world. As for the Baron..."

He trailed off, as if lapsing back into the depths of memory. Charts, graphs, fruitless nights examining microbes under a microscope, trying every possible treatment known to man. Every day, nothing but bad news, unable to do anything but watch as it progressed slowly, unrelentingly. He thought again of how she'd introduced herself... and shivered.

"...I believe she may have been a patient of mine, once. A long time ago. She developed a rare, terminal condition in deep space... one I couldn't treat. Someone who should be long dead."

He pulled on the last of the uniform... and took a deep breath. He was resigned to his fate, now, whatever it may be.

"If I'm correct... she's not someone who I would consider "stable". Certainly not who I'd leave the fate of the world to. Why Orphan gravitated to her, of all people... There are still too many questions. I need to know more."

 

[MKR]

"Please, sentimentality is not foreign to me. I've met ample who would do and have done the same in the position you find yourself in." Iso dismissed the remark aimed at him with nonchalance, instead he left the man be to get dressed. "A dead woman." A scarcity but not an impossibility, but the theorizing was left to Clint for the time being as with his new clothes on Iso looked the man over. "This way." He ordered. Leading Clint away from the view over the city and to the other end of the room, a different balcony looking out over yet more city, but considerably less.

Laying in wait below, was a machine unlike any Clint likely had seen before. It was pearly white in coloration yet almost seemed to breathe in and out. Its chest had been ripped out and replaced by parts and pieces that clearly didn't belong and from this vantage point Clint could almost see the remains of what seemed to be blood and viscera baked into the parts that were around the new cockpit block.

"That is for you to figure out Gustav." Iso's tone became casual, as if talking to a coworker, or rather a manager talking to the new guy on the company floor that he was pretending to not look down upon. But still, it was an office job that paid well so there was no choice but to accept the banal dismissal. The unknown machine's monstrous face rose above the balcony as its chest opened itself, revealing an extremely modern cockpit lodged inside with a second seat behind.

"The seat in the back is yours, unless you know how to operate this machine better." Regardless Iso stepped onto the bridge made between cockpit and ledge gazing down into the massive fall below, and without waiting for a response seated himself in front. "Now this patient of yours, what was she afflicted with exactly and how could she possible survive."

His new superior began fiddling with the controls in front of him, the beast flexing its artificial musculature as its eyes glowed a vibrant blue.

 

[Nemesis]

At the quip about sentimentality, Clint raised his eyebrow skeptically, but held his tongue as he followed Iso out. The view of the city was breathtaking, and the monstrous form below even moreso. The Doctor could only gawk at the blood caking the cockpit's exterior, prodding it in disbelief with a finger as his new "Boss" gave him his orders. His eyes scaled up the beast's chest... and then went back to Iso, as if unsure if it was some kind of joke.

"Is there, uh... a manual? Some... documentation I could read?" He said, miserably as he climbed slowly in behind Iso. He'd never piloted anything like this before in his life - he was, for all intents and purposes, not much of a fighter, and he prodded the controls with a special sort of gingerly reluctance. The day just kept getting stranger and stranger.

"Corvo had a previously unseen kind of viral infection. I was told there was an encounter with some kind of space-faring beasts that tore her wing of Valkyries apart, and she was the sole survivor. Alien bacteria that attacked the nervous system. By the time I got a look, it had traveled into her spine... I did some consultations, ran a great many tests... and in the end, I couldn't bear to deliver the bad news to her myself. The bacteria would travel up to her brain, and she would be dead in less than a month's time.

I removed myself from the care team, and looked for opportunities elsewhere. I never knew what happened... I ran away, like a coward."

Clint fell into a somber silence, reflecting on his private shame. Who could have blamed him then, for paling at the sight of the figure that had emerged from the Baronz?

 

[MKR]

The cockpit block closed, leaving both men with only one another for company as around them the environment surrounding both was visible ahead. The machine moved upwards and detached from the building. Inside the masses of duplicates were about, the other Clint still visible but swiftly fading from sight as the interior became hidden from the naked eye.
"There is one, check your terminal." Was the simple remark from Iso, and lo and behold there was a section labeled as a manual. In the meanwhile the machine began holding its arms together. Aether coursing through the machine as Iso observed his screen, if Clint peeked over the contents visible were simple in visual yet complex in function. It was a similar display to what he had seen in Orphan, the layout of channels that the Gran Chers traversed oh so swiftly. Yet there was a massive difference, it went up. Into the stars above.

"And you have no clue what caused this infection?" Came the question as bit by bit the trajectory locked on. A creature from space, not many of those in the immediate vicinity some years ago, a Beta or Invader perhaps? "There, I suggest holding on."
In an instant the machine vanished, travelling through the energies that comprised all things living in an instant, a path carved through the vast, Aether filled, void of space to bring them to their destination in no time flat. But there was nothing to attune to there making the arrival at destination.... Sickening. For Clint it would feel like he had downed twenty glasses in an instant, gone in a dryer for twenty five minutes and then just to top it off got knocked over the head with a frying pan. But outside there were stars and a destroyed facility in the distance.

The other man, seemed used to the situation.
"Lets see if the League decided to defend some ruins." Iso mused as he began a scan of the area, considering that Clint would be unable to for a while.

 

[Nemesis]

As they took off, Clint gratefully started leafing through the provided manual in intrigued silence. Curiosity and desperation had overtaken terror, congealing into a rubbery form of Stockholm Syndrome that bounced around the inside of his skull. He opened his mouth to question - but immediately regretted it, letting out a series of yells and short screams as he was dragged through the warp, which left him clutching the back of Iso's seat for dear life, trying desperately not to retch.

He blinked. Space! They were now in Space...!

"...Incredible." He managed to murmur;

"That was like a Vital Jump, but..."

The reality of the situation hit him hard. They were driving an unidentified machine into an area the League were very likely still conducting cleanup. It wasn't impossible that they would have disposed of most of the illicit material by now... but his only hope was the League's hatred of destroying anything it had invested in. If there was even a small trace left, he could at least confirm his suspicions. He looked out at the Colony, thoughtfully, asking Iso:

"I don't suppose there's a way for you to get us in there without a fight? If we alert the to our presence, the League might purge whatever they've recovered in order to prevent it falling into the wrong hands."

---

Dr. Clint's worry, however, was unnecessary. The Weapon's magic scrying would reveal the area in question surprisingly barren, and the local BFF garrisons, keeping their distance. They moved into the Colony with no resistance the damage from the lab explosion visible even from the outside, as well as high above in the false sky of the interior. As they descended, something rose up to meet them.

"There!"

Smoke. Fire.

Around the laboratory were the charred, blackened forms of several BFF-colored Normals, as well as a pair of smoldering craters that indicated there had been two more prior, totaling five - a not insubstantial set of guards for what amounted to a low-security cleanup mission. Clint peered down at the devastation, anxiously. He'd always tried his best to stay off the battlefields for exactly this purpose - his nerves were far from made of steel. If anything, they were comparable to sheets of uncooked pasta - brittle, and under sufficient heat, pliable.

But he was good at one thing: observing. Something caught his eye, just barely - and he cried out a warning.

"Look out!"

Just... barely visible, some things were darting towards them from below - their form was impossible to make out, but the speed they traveled at, as well as their small size, made them difficult to track by the naked eye. Almost as soon as Clint had yelled, a series of lasers burst into being, punching out from all directions, sixteen total, a barrage of fire that threatened to cage them in...

 

[MKR]

"A vital jump is a pale imitation of that." Iso added as Clint was recovering from the teleportation, "The side effect is only due to the lack of Aetherites in this place." Immediately he set to channel his magicks through the machine, its new generator taking well to the input and broadening the effect of it immensely. No signs of life it seemed, that caused a frown to instantly appear on his brow.
"The fight, I reckon preceded us." He was proven right shortly after as the otherwordly machine passed by the Normals. The League, coveting for Earth enough to simulate it even in facilities like this were caught unawares by something. Clint's cry caused him to react.

"Protect!"

Bursting out from the machine was a reflective surface, the lasers striking it before being devoured by it. This however would not last- instead the machine widened its arms. "Ice Bolt Onslaught!" He declared in response, the ward fading and winds of winter shooting out in all directions to coat the environ. Invisibility would be no use against an attack that cared not about direction and simply hit everywhere. A swift wave of cold followed by a freeze that continued to assault the environment around them, layers of ice already building on available ledges.

"I don't think we need to worry about the League currently." He would have firm words with someone about not having at all heard about this yet. That was inevitable. Gustav's keen eye however had not gone unnoticed and would immediately be put to use "Use the more mundane equipment to find the source. These things come from somewhere and are sent by someone." This was not a suggestion it was a direct order. Iso's own senses would do much the same in a more magical way, searching for hotspots of energy and tracing the Aether lines back from the invisible but hopefully frozen weaponry.

His questions would wait for now.

 

[Nemesis]

They didn't have to wait long. Icy winds ripped at the Weapon's surroundings, wrapping the assaulting remotes in frozen cages, causing them to drop limply in the air, smashing into the ground below. Clint worked surprisingly quickly considering his unfamiliarity with the system, pinpointing the location of the signals. They were small, remote weapons, meaning they were ill suited for long range deployment. The originator had to be nearby-

Sure enough, the Weapon's sensors beeped an affirmation.

"It's there, straight ahead!"

Out of the cloud bank, something descended slowly. It lacked legs, in the traditional sense - there was only a single point, as though its lower limbs had been fused into a single fin-like structure pointing back, its body lithe, smooth, and curved. Glowing, crystalline blue structures across the AC-like machine's body cast its otherwise rust-red features in a strange glow, as a pointed head without a face studied them.

"..."​

"A-and below!"

To the Doctor's horror, a second machine emerged from the ruin below. The upper body was similar, but the lower was an entirely different story - four large, thruster laden appendages that let it clamber over the rubble as quickly and easily as if it weren't there at all. The Quad-Leg Pulverizer tilted its head up, registering their presence, as if it were exchanging silent words with its companion.

And then, as one, they struck.

The four menacing plasma cannons on the back of the Quad leg opened fire in a dizzying airburst, sending volleys of blue thunder up into the heavens aimed to bring the offending Weapon down to its level. Meanwhile, the Hover-Leg Pulverizer was already scattering more of its Orbit Cannons, about it, the weapons silently fading as their cloaking devices engaged - but not attacking just yet, as they began to position themselves. Instead, the two were treated to a pair of flashing, blade-like blasts from the machine's sword-like forearms, two crescent waves arcing murderously directly toward their position, curved so slightly as to prevent easy escape from its sibling.

 

[MKR]

Though Clint could not peer into the mind of the man in front of him, it was clear that something had upset him considerably about this situation. Iso handled the controls swiftly, "Shoulder weapons, get it ready." He directed the man behind, League cronies he had been ready for, this he was reacting to and his reaction speed, like the machine they were in currently, was surprisingly fast. In a burst the machine lunged forwards, the aerial combat machine closing the distance with the drone spawning assailant first with what was ramming speed.

In its hand a blade of light appeared as Iso once more declared "Soletta, arise!" a long sword appeared in the Diamond Weapon's hand now truly manifest in this realm as it swept against the crescent waves, cutting one away as the other struck the machine beneath shaking it and the cockpit as it cut into the plating over the shoulder. Yet the white machine was undeterred as with high velocity it engaged a forward lunge, bearing its weight against the Hover-Leg in a combination shoulder slam and blade thrust. What did AI want with this facility, whatever reason they had to attack it it was a recent occurrence with the yet smoking machines. Further frustration came from the simple matter that humans were simple creatures, and the processes that churned the movements of these monstrosities out with careful coding were foreign.

Behind it the blue thunder illuminated the back of the Weapon, still even if their inhuman thoughts could not be grasped the functions were clear. Artillery and assault, dispose of the one that would enforce attention first and then bring hell down upon the defenseless remainder.
"Now! Send all six into it!"

 

[Nemesis]

The Hover Leg observed as Diamond charged, swinging its magic blade back and forth, registering the damage it caused. What did it feel? What did it think? There seemed to be nothing behind that glowing mass of a head that it had, nothing resembling pity, or even hatred. A heartless functionary, fulfilling its purpose. The Diamond lunged, and the Pulverizer's shoulder flared, a burst of blue light that shunted it quickly away in a strafing motion - a quickboost, one of the staple maneuvers of a NEXT, sending it swinging to their left. It readied its own weapon, preparing to capitalize on the opening-

But was halted as the rays from the Weapon's shoulders burst into being, splattering against some form of a barrier, battering it back into the sky as it reoriented itself. As if in response, or to assist their command-unit in getting back under control, the cloud of remote guns opened fire, a screen of needle-like death. moving between the Weapon and its prey.

Below, the Quad leg, undeterred, adjusted its aim. Every volley was more accurate than the last - it was learning, changing, adapting in real time as it studied their movements. Determined not to allow the two interlopers to capitalize on their opening, it raised its two arms - and, uncharacteristically, the barrels split down the middle. Energy crackled along the twin points, the Pulverizer's constant low ambient hum rising to a roar that caused the ground beneath it to rumble, before sending two massive blasts of plasma into the skies - one that started between its sibling and the Weapon, before arcing back like an enormous sword, as if trying to tear the very skies asunder.

 

[MKR]

The Diamond Weapon slowly advanced on the damaged machine, a flurry of projectiles aimed at it in seeming hatred for all things living from all things metal yet that was needless romanticizing of matters. They had tricks of their sleeves that was for certain, but so did he. And they would never, never, have more than him. The free hand of the machine seemed to do a snapping motion as Iso declared.
"Reflect." Once more a mirror sheen appeared, but it was different. As the flurries of weapons and armaments struck the barrier there was a moment of eerie silence from it, the plasma blasts colliding in kaleidoscopic display. And then, returned.

The blasts from the remote guns, the plasma spheres, it was like the universe itself had struck the rewind key on the remote of life and time. They gravitated back from whence they came, as if the barrels they had come forth from were vacuums. In the front seat Iso inhaled and exhaled, the raw energies coursing through were more than this machine was meant to handle, the Diamond's overheating began to emerge, fortunately the winter wonderland around him helped to cool it back immediately but not without still being further along the heating than he'd like.

Out of this blinding ball of light came a horizontal swipe, aiming to decapitate the damaged Pulverizer in one swoop it would not see coming amidst the disco ball that was everything happening at once. "Get the... Frequency.." Iso labored with words for a moment "For those bits on my terminal." Gustav had tracked them and he was woefully tired of dealing with those things, should there be any left.

 

[Nemesis]

Bang.

To say the Pulverizers were unprepared for their own weapons to be returned at them would be a strong contender for greatest understatement of the century. The Hover-Leg's sensors practically burst with the assault of light and sound, and it began emergency evasive maneuvers as its bits were flattened, and chunks of plasma slashed into its body. Its ambient hum increased to a whine as its stabilizers fought to keep it afloat despite the massive, sudden damage it had sustained - but it was far from enough.

Bursting through the light, like a knight from legend, the Weapon's sword lashed out - and cut clean through the faux-AC's midsection. Its eye blinked for a moment longer, as if... communicating, silently, before both halves detonated spectacularly, showering the two with chunks of metal. As grisly as this fate may have seemed, its poor compatriot below fared far worse.

The colossal blast it had fired bounced back towards it in an almost comical fashion, the machine barely able to process what had occurred before being swallowed whole by the light. As the beam faded, the burnt, crackling remains lingered a moment more - again, as if it were thinking, processing, passing on this valuable information - before crumpling into a heap and bursting into flames. As quickly as they'd come, thanks to Iso's rapid ingenuity, the Pulverizers had been slain.

In the back, Dr. Clint slumped into his seat.

"What were those...? ACs...?" He wondered aloud, wiping the sweat from his brow. He couldn't believe he'd survived his first battle... and hoped, desperately, that this wouldn't become a regular thing.