If you make me do any of those things, I will come through the internet and punch you in the face.

-Magnus

"The Stick has sentimental value. It's like an enormous, hideous teddy bear we can kill things with." -rikalous

Hans walked out, wiping away the blue liquid trickling freely from his eye, he glanced at Magnus. Well, whenever he was questioning his sanity, looking at Magnus made him feel better.

"What are you talkng about?"

edited 9th Jun '13 9:44:53 PM by TroyandHawk

Good to be back

Nolan looked to Celeste replying "Of course. Follow me to my office."

Nolan then took Celeste over to his office, closing the doors and blinds.

"So what do you need to tell me?" Nolan asked curiously.

I'm on Youtube Reviewing Things Cause I can.

The writter said:

-"Ooooh, yeah! Real scary! Look out folks, we've got a badass over here!"

And then, the writer heard a noise coming from behind. He thought: "Oh, snap!" before locking himself in closet with a little flash-light... And then it dawned on him!

-"Oh, bollocks! Now I'm in the goddamn closet! And I'll have to get out of it some day!! AAAAAAARGH! I hate myself for falling on your tricks! DAMN YOU MAAAAAGNUUUUUUUUS!!!!"

---

Celeste folded her jumpsuit's left sleeve, and revealed her wrist-computer to Nolan. Then she said:

-"This device has a digital-jamming function. When I activate it, it turns everything in a 50 meter radius into a 'Dead Zone', interfering with every other electronic equipment, and blocking every communication signal. Inside of this field, not even GeneSys' scout satellites nor the most advanced spy equipment can work; nothing can go in, nor out. I don't want this conversation to ever leave this room, but I'm asking for your permission to before activating this function."

And so, she waited for his answer, her right index hovering over the device's controls.

edited 9th Jun '13 10:11:36 PM by VPhantom

"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!"

Fascinated and confused, Nolan replied "Alright go ahead. This must be very important."

I'm on Youtube Reviewing Things Cause I can.

-"Very well..."

She said before activating the 'Dead Zone Field'. It didn't produced any dramatic effect, only a little beep, but Nolan noticed the jamming was in effect, because his cellphone screen was saturated in static. Even the analog clock in his office stopped completely, something extremely unusual for a "Digital" Jamming Device. After that, she reached out for a hidden pocket in her jumpsuit, extracting an envelop with a wax seal resembling the GeneSys logo.

-"I must inform you than I'm already aware of the contents of this letter; it has been approved the GeneSys Academy, and by S.E.V.E.R. Council themselves, and written by Dr. Igor Reitman's own hand."

Celeste handed over the envelop to Nolan, he quickly broke the seal, and started reading the document inside of it. It was an special power granted to Celeste under the combined authority of GeneSys and S.E.V.E.R. The details to it where highly technical, and it contemplated a myriad of loop-holes and possible conflicts, but the key dispositions stated in it where the next ones:

-Celeste still works for the GeneSys' organization, therefor, she will only respond to them during any issue related to the chain of command.
-Under that pretense, she has absolute authority to refuse obeying a direct order dictated by S.E.R.V.E. or S.E.V.E.R.
-S.E.R.V.E. and S.E.V.E.R. also lack any authority to punish her if her actions go against their organization goals.
-Any tampering with her belongings, an invasion to her privacy, or even unauthorized surgery or genetic and cybernetic alterations is strictly forbidden.
-For any special cases or inquiries about her mission, it'll be necessary to contact Dr. Igor Reitman personally.

And at the very end of the letter, it contained a clause that dictated it had to be destroyed after having been read. Celeste looked with consternation, as Nolan put down the letter, having finished reading it. Then she spoke:

-"I know it sounds extremely dangerous. In fact, as you might be aware, this is your chance to turn down this imposition and send me back to GeneSys. I don't want to be load nor an inconvenience for any of you, and I'm sure Dr. Reitman will understand if you refuse these terms... However, I guarantee you that if you accept them, I won't ever do anything to go against S.E.R.V.E.'s mission. I've come here, not because the imposition bestowed it upon me, I'm here I want to help with your mission! My work is to fight against the Eldritchian, but my true mission is protecting those who can't protect themselves. And I won't ever let that mission fail."

In her eyes, Celeste showed a spark of determination and conviction that she hadn't displayed since she arrived to Echo City. The sincerity in her words was unquestionable, but what will be Nolan's answer to this unorthodox conditions?

edited 9th Jun '13 10:53:42 PM by VPhantom

"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!"

Although put off by the specifics of the letter, Nolan smiled at Celeste's reply.

"I think you'll do fine here Celeste. It's no secret SERVE and SEVER don't have the best idea of things in the long term but I want you to remember that if there's anyone here you can trust the most it will be me and most of your team. So whenever you have any problems just come to me and I'll take care of it." Nolan stated nicely to Celeste, admiring her confidence and idealism.

I'm on Youtube Reviewing Things Cause I can.

Celeste was pleasantly surprised by Commander Briggs reaction. She was already prepared to face rejection and initiate the long trip back her home base, but the Commander welcomed her with open arms. She was already aware of his great mind, his combat prowess, and his legendary determination, but she never expected him would be so affable and understanding. Indeed he was the gold standard other pilots strive for. Then she addressed back to him, with a hint of joy and hope:

-"Commander Briggs, I make you a promise: I'll do my best to never disappoint you! I know it sounds arrogant to state such a bold claim, but I never break a promise!"

Then, she turned off the 'Dead Zone Field', making everything return back to normal, including the analog clock. Clearing up her throat, she prepared to say one last thing:

-"Now, if you excuse me. I'd like to request permission to retire to my quarters. It has been a long trip, and an even longer day to me... It'd be greatly appreciated if I could rest a bit right now."

Nolan didn't said a word, but he agreed with a nod and a smile on his face. After that, Celeste just turned back and closed the door behind herself. However, some instants after that, someone came up knocking to the door. Nolan reached for it to see who it was...

-"Erh, Commander Briggs? Do you have any idea of where my quarters are? I-I-I just noticed I have no idea about their location.", Celeste said with her face all red due to embarrassment.

edited 10th Jun '13 6:27:04 AM by VPhantom

"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!"

Nolan smirked at Celeste's question replying "Oh I'll take you there, trust me."

Nolan leads Celeste to the pilots' quarters and shows her to her room.

As Nolan leaves to let Celeste relax, he walks to the cafeteria and picks up Dan and Summer taking thme to his room for a talk.

As Dan walked in he asked "Did you know notice that some of the power was out for a couple of minutes?"

"Yes but it's taken care of. Moving on, today you two got up to a lot of trouble. Who's idea was it to even have your genetics checked out at the lab?" Nolan asked.

"It was Samson's. He however left us alone to deal with it while he went and did business." Summer answered.

"Hmm moving on. I made some calls and got you guys out of a trouble for breaking into your parents' office. No doubt that Destiny is very suspicious and annoyed now. What did you two collect from there anyway?"

"All the files we could get about our parents' experiment: Us. I had to remove everything off my USB to just fit it all in." Dan noted.

"Well you guys need to avoid things like these in the future. We have enough problems with Hans and the Eldritchians." Nolan noted.

"Well I thought I covered up all the cameras when we snuck into the office...wait what about Hans?" Dan asked.

"Oh right. This is complicated but I'll try and explain" Nolan stated before recapping Hans' whole problem to Dan and Summer.

"Wow that is seriously messed up." Summer remarked.

"Yes but we're trying to take care of it." Nolan replied as he added "Anyways that's pretty much it for now. You two can go back to your homes or quarters. Your choice, just don't take a look at your parents' files until tomorrow."

"Ok we'll make sure of it." Summer replied as she and Dan left.

edited 9th Jun '13 11:50:01 PM by JRPictures

I'm on Youtube Reviewing Things Cause I can.

Hans wandered into the room, looking at Nolan.

"We need to talk."

Good to be back

"Yes Hans. What is it?" Nolan asked, closing the door behind them.

I'm on Youtube Reviewing Things Cause I can.

"...I'm losing my personality. I keep thinking of myself as Gustav, I'm forgetting how to speak german, but I'm gaining the ability to speak Polish, My eye is leaking this strange crap. And I'm starting to feel homicidal at you for ordering the modifications to Reise."

Hans was clearly, clearly terrified out of his mind.

Good to be back

"Ok Hans I need you to take it easy. This is all very weird but you are your own man. Whatever is happening to you, you can't let it bring you down. We're doing everything we can to solve this problem and I need you to keep on. Can you do that?" Nolan replied, concerned even more.

I'm on Youtube Reviewing Things Cause I can.

Hans nodded, before his eye flashed, he scowled at Nolan.

"Leave Reise as it is now! Understood?"

Good to be back

"...Hans? What was that?" Nolan asked, wondering why this is happening.

I'm on Youtube Reviewing Things Cause I can.

Shuffling a bit uncomfortably under the older woman's stare, a girl about fifteen-to-sixteen with white hair and golden eyes looked up to her. Wearing a white lab coat while the woman was dressed casually as if within her home, the younger one spoke "Um, N-n-olan called earlier ma'am. He was under the impression the two caused trouble. S-s-should I inform him otherwise?" The woman waved her hand dismissively, she spoke "No Mimi, let the spy think he's right. I can't understand why Gerald keeps wasting him time with that thing, but its fun to let him have his notions. Though, there's a bigger issue at hand here."

Gulping, the girl replies nervously and slightly afraid "The unauthorized experiments? They seem nice enough-" "But they were completely uninterested in your casual admittance to not being me or any of the facts you listed about your kind. Do you know why?" Shrinking under her gaze, the girl spoke "N-n-noo..." Standing up, the older woman answered "Because they didn't care. Do you know why?" Shrinking even further as the woman began approaching, she let out a trembling "N-n-noo..." Smile lightly growing, she answers "Because it wasn't important to them. Do you know why it wasn't important to them?" Looking up at the woman fearfully as she stood over her, letting out a soft cry the woman answered "It didn't matter to them. They were only interested in leaving with the data they copied. You were a hindrance to them, and would of wasted their precious time indulging you."

Walking back to her seat, the girl slowly looked to her. Smile on her face, the woman spoke "In fact, look at everything we know of them once they came to SERVE. The main thing you need to consider is, how did they become pilots?" Waiting an answer from the girl, she slowly rose to her feet and spoke "B-b-because their parents left them mechas." Smiling as if with pride, the woman continued "Exactly. They never asked to be pilots, and despite what's happened they still pilot. Do you know why? Because they're obedient dogs. Its the main reason I hate dogs in fact. They're too loyal and have no real desires of their own. What have we observed of these dogs?"

Interrupted before she could speak, the woman continued "Nearly nothing, actually. What does the male do when the female has been punished? Why, waste its time helping her instead of becoming a better creature. All it did was hurt itself. Then, did they offer to pilot Devil Zeus to help ensure the Eldritichian didn't do anything? No, because that's not their concern. Unless told by their master to do something, they're likely to do nothing or waste their time with frivolous behaviors. So, Mimi, why does someone keep a dog around when they have wolves?"

Rubbing her hand and looking down, she answers "Because the dog obeys its master." The woman clapping her hands, she continues "Excellent. There is a purpose behind those things being pilots in the first place, let alone the pilots of custom mecha. Whatever their masters' plans, it can't be sane. They're more machine than life, thus they need to be watched. Mimi, I'll be sending you and your pet to watch them. Any objections?"

Looking carefully about the room, she answers "None ma'am, w-w-ill it be as pilots?" Looking at the girl with her fingers to her now motionless lips, she spoke simply "In due time, though focus on the Turing girl. Should her powers flare up, she'll be a danger to everyone." Lightly bowing her head in understanding, the girl turned to leave before the woman stopped her "Remember, take everything they do with a grain of salt. They could of been programmed." Nodding in acknowledge the girl left, and the woman stretched out her limbs thinking "Dogs are such boring creatures, but useful."

---

Dropping Alissa off at her room, she gave a little wave goodbye to Samson. Lightly smiling in return, he closed the door for her. Beginning to walk away Samson pulled out his phone to check for messages from the last two calls. Playing the only voice-mail, Samson's eye began to twitch. The words danced on his ears for a couple minutes outwardly, and suddenly hurled the phone as he yelled in anger "Friends don't leave each other behind Dan!" His single-focus was broken when he heard a scream and the distinctive sound of materialization. Properly looking where he threw his phone a young man of roughly equivalent age had caught the phone while standing right in front of someone. Lowering his arm and his mouth forming into a snarl, Samson spoke "I'm sorry about that. Today had been rather stressful and my friend apparently left without me. You know how it is with-" Samson shouted as he ducked, hearing his phone shatter loudly into the wall behind him.

Turning back to look at it horrified, Samson looked at the young man. Identifying the tag around his neck, Samson spoke quietly "You're a Generation Three aren't you?" Growling as his answer, Samson spoke "Of course you don't speak... Look, I'm sorry for nearly hitting them with my phone. Did you really need to destroy it?" Teleporting before Samson literally in the blink of an eye, the man's head tilted with an audible snap as his snarling slowly became an open jaw for biting. "Conner, stop!" The man apparently named Conner closed his mouth as he looked back, and Samson realized the person was a young teenaged girl with white hair. Conner licking his lips before teleporting to the girl's side, she rubbed her hand nervously as she spoke "I-I-I'm sorry he destroyed your phone, I'll get you a new one."

Waving dismissively, Samson replied "Its alright, I didn't want to look at it anyways. Though I'm sorry for throwing it at you in the first place, my outburst was... Immature. Well if your Fae doesn't mind, I'll just head back to Echo City. I have a sister and father to keep in line." Beginning to walk away Conner teleported in front of him again, growling before pointing in the girl's direction. Shrinking under his gaze, she began mumbling which caused Conner to growl in her direction. Straightening up because of the growl, the girl began twiddling her fingers as she spoke "Um, you wouldn't be Samson Long, would you?" Casually answering yes, the girl spoke softly "Well, um, t-t-tell Gerald Mimi said hi." With that the girl ran off in the other direction before Samson could ask about her, and Conner vanished to who-knows where. Sighing, Samson began his trek to the car to ulimately return "home."

---

Looking at Alex quizzically, Faith responded "No, I like to savor my food not shove it down my throat. I'm insulted you think I would eat fast on purpose, or is this a fun variant of food service itself? It sounds kind of fun chasing my food, but its weird when my sweat gets mixed with it. Though seriously, don't you know anywhere we could go? I have a fondness for streak, but I've always wanted to try ramen oh and I hope there's a sweet shop I've always wanted to try Willy Wonka candy that does exist right oh and then there's" An endless stream of questions and items would then be listed, ranging from cake to if crabapples are a mix of crab and apples to somehow getting to hypothetical situations of food combinations and if saving a store means free stuff. In all, the happiness and friendliness this girl was emitting would result in cries of blasphemy to those working at the base for less than eight years and vague fear in those who worked for more than eight. Either way, all would claim the poor man was likely hated by God or whatever higher powers for the sole fact Faith had marked him as "friend".

edited 10th Jun '13 7:40:54 AM by Kkutwar

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."

Magnus, having somehow lost track of time, had been leaning against the wall while browsing the internet in his visor.

Agghh... Not again... he thought.

"The Stick has sentimental value. It's like an enormous, hideous teddy bear we can kill things with." -rikalous

Hans was obviously now angry.

"Leave Reise Alone. It's fine. I'll be okay with it as it is."

Good to be back

Jon and Summer arrived back at their separate homes next door but hardly talked. They had a long and stressful day and just wanted to relax.

Both jumped into their beds. Dan was reading a comic book produced by SERVE about the mechs, laughing at the obvious bias and unrealistic parts while Summer lied in her bed with her phone reading her messages as she realised one thing, she and Dan spent too much time together.

---

Alex looked confusingly at Faith disturbed by her idea of chasing her food and even more confused at her listing all this stuff off. He then states "I think I saw a restaurant with nice steak a block from here. Let's try there *checks watch* I think we have time before your dad can get you."

Alex and Faith then walked towards the restaurant as Alex wondered I didn't sign up to SERVE to take care of a messed up pilot. God I hope Vaughn and the others are having a better time.

---

Vaughn continued looking through Reise's specifics as it saw an unknown power source hidden within it.

"What the hell is that?" Vaughn excalimed as he looked further and scanned it.

"It's...it's eldritchian!" Vaughn stated as he called up Nolan with the message "Sir I was taking a closer look at Reise's specifics. You need to see this now."

---

Nolan looked towards Hans, scared and confused. He replies "Ok Hans. Promise you'll take it easy."

As Nolan lets Hans leave, his phone rings from Vaughn.

"*picks up* Yes What?! I'll be right there."

Nolan then runs towards Vaughn's office in a rush.

"What is it Vaughn?" Nolan asked as he jumped right into the chair next to Vaughn.

"I've been scanning Reise more closely for any extra details and look at the power source here.*points* This mech is being powered by an artifact of Eldritchian origin. It's like we're in this weird anime and this is a major twist." Vaughn explained.

"This is not the time to make jokes. We need Sarah and Simon to take a look at the source now." Nolan replied as called Sarah and Simon on their walkie talkies.

"Yeah boss?" Sarah replied.

"I need you guys at some later time to check out Reise's power source." Nolan stated.

"Why? Is there something also messed up with that too?" Simon asked sarcastically.

"Not exactly but it's of Eldritchian origin and we need to see it." Nolan explained.

"Oh boy." Sarah replied "You just had to open your mouth didn't you Simon?"

"Hey I didn't know about that!" Simon replied.

"Stop bickering and when you can take a look at the source. Alright?" Nolan ordered.

"Yes sir." Sarah replied giving Simon an annoyed look.

Simon looks at Sarah confused replying "What?"

edited 10th Jun '13 10:21:30 PM by JRPictures

I'm on Youtube Reviewing Things Cause I can.

Having stopped petting the kitten Gerald continued into the base, hiding it closer to his body so others wouldn't see its full details. Though its mewing would occasionally attract attention, most of the people left now were security or those who had nothing better to do. Walking past the standard mecha hanger as he headed to his office, Gerald stopped as he noticed Riese was missing while several new additions have been made. Continuing to his office-bedroom, Gerald sent the mutant kitten down. Its eye looking the place over in curiosity, it gracefully walked to the closed closest. Opening it to pull a bag of cat food out of the way, Gerald looked around as the kitten bat at the bag trying to get the food. Not having dealt with a cat, let alone a kitten in a while the bag was the only thing for it. Gerald decided to set aside a bowl of water and a plate with a few pieces of the cat food mainly as an experiment. Looking at the kitten enjoying itself Gerald exited the room and closed it before calling Nolan "I've just returned from the city, and noticed Riese is gone. Did something happen to it while I was away? If so, why was I not informed earlier?"

---

Sneezing and jiggling her nose as if deducing something, her yell startled her roommate awake. Sobbing, the younger woman looked at her senior crying. Hand lightly dragging its way down her face, she spoke "Miss Winters, I take it someone laughed 'meanly' at your work?" Turning back to the younger woman, Melissa Winter wiped her face before speaking "I don't know what I did wrong! Did I focus too much on the mecha? Oh god I focused too much on the mecha didn't I!?" This is what she hated about Melissa, hell its what most people hate about her. Whenever she sneezes she thinks someone insulted or didn't like her work, and Erica really didn't know how a meaningless comic book could bring her to such tears. Clutching her hands onto Melissa's shoulders, Erica spoke "It was probably just one of us, I'm sure they didn't mean anything offensive by their laughing. Now, if you excuse me I have sleep to catch up on before I'm stuck standing like a statue for another month or two." With that the younger woman went to bed, and Melissa glanced back to her. I hope Nolan is dealing with Hans okay. He didn't get to go to the city as far as I'm aware... Though, I need to get to work. Ah, how did I become PR Director anyways?

---

Though quiet for hardly a minute, Faith spoke "You do know about the world right? Its really not much, though are crabapples at all related to crabs or apples? I don't understand calling something a thing they're not, like a demonic green fish a Blue Angel. Hey, why didn't you answer me anyways?"

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."

WARNING! The next post is quite lengthy, and it doesn't have a drastic impact in the story's main plot. If you already hate Celeste, and/or feel aversion for WAFF stories, you can skip it without feeling remorse. But, if you decide to stick around, at least I hope you kinda enjoy it... Despite it being quite cloying. It's mostly a little story I felt like writing because... Well, despite being a bitter and unpleasant cynic, I have a soft spot for sweet stuff.

Important (Story Relevant) Note: These events happen during the day after Celeste's first night at the base. Take that into consideration to avoid chronological conflicts.

---

A wake-up alarm sounds inside a comfy room where a delicate looking girl lays asleep, covered head to toe in several blankets. The girl lazily reaches out for the annoying device, swiftly turning it off before starting to wake up.

-"Good morning Celeste... It's time to start a brand new day... What kind of memories will we create today?"

"Celeste's (Half) Day Off"

The first think the girl does after disposing her drowsiness is to type some commands on a small computer device meant to be carried around her wrist. A custom decal with the words "Pip-Boy" is imprinted on a side of the machine. An holographic display with the word "SENTINEL" appears in front of her, before transmuting itself into a three-dimensional map of planet Earth. In in, almost half a dozen of bright marks appear around it. Lost in though, the girl looks at them with sadness...

-"Eldritchians... Every day, even more of them appear to attack us... If I were stronger, Bastion-Sigma wouldn't have been hurt so bad... I would have been able to go and help them stopping at least a couple of them... Now, I can only hope for my friends back at GeneSys, and the good men and women of S.E.R.V.E. to combat them for me... I pray for their safety and success..."

The girl turned off the device, and stood up, still wrapped in a blanket and started doing her usual morning routine... Just mundane tasks that almost everybody does every morning, like brushing her teeth and taking a shower. When the time came up for her to dress herself up, she stood up at the side of her bed, looking at the garments she laid on it: A dusty jumpsuit covered in GeneSys' logos, a sweaty t-shirt, a sweatier pair of socks, and a set of underwear. The girl thought to herself...

-"So that's it... Not a lot of options... Celeste, how could have you been so careless! You were so distracted studying the mission details, supervising the air-craft's preparation, making sure every last detail was in order... And you forgot to pack extra clothes! Because of my carelessness I had to sleep without any clothes on... I know there's nothing to be ashamed of... But it just doesn't feel right! What if there was a fire and I had to rush outside with whatever I had at hand to preserve my modesty... There's no way I could ever deal with that kind of embarrassment..."

The girl quickly got dressed up with everything in her limited wardrobe, fixed her long hair into a braid, and started pondering for a few minutes.

-"I'll have to solve this situation... It cannot go around the base looking and smelling like a vagabond, it would be extremely rude for my comrades. I want to give them a good impression, they're such nice people after all!"

The girl stood up, and exclaimed out loud for herself while pointing forward with her right index finger:

-"It's been decided! Operation 'Getting Need Clothes for Celeste' starts now", then she turned back to her inner monologue, "That's the lamest code-name for an operation I've ever heard! Dang... I wish Captain Kiske was here, he's always so good to name things... He's the one that came up with Bastion-Sigma's name after all!"

After sighing in disappointment due to her sub-par naming skills, the girl put on her boots, secured her mini-computer around her left wrist, equipped a backpack and ran off her room towards the base's garage. She rushed past several staff members who looked at her in an inquisitive way due to the logos in her jumpsuit. GeneSys and S.E.R.V.E. have never been in the best terms with each other... That's a polite way to describe it; yet another incentive to discard the dirty suit and obtain something less threatening and more pleasant to the eyes. The girl arrived to a spot in the garage were a little blue car was parked.

-"Let's see... Hmmmm...", the girl verified the number on the electronic key-chain she was carrying, "#2191... Yeah, it's definitely this one."

The girl threw her backpack on the passenger seat, started up the engine and began her little trip. She waved at the guards who were by the entrance, and they waved back with a smile on their faces. Despite its humble design, the little car was quite fast and responsive, it would take her only a few minutes to reach the city. In the mean time, she was thinking to herself.

-"Commander Briggs is so nice. Lending me a car just like that is something the GeneSys staff doesn't do, you usually have fill up a little hill of paperwork and wait for two months for their approval... And that's if you're lucky. Therefor, I was quite surprised when Dr. Reitman told me I would have an undisclosed amount of funds during this mission. He said: 'You can even buy another mech with all that money... But don't do it, because it wouldn't be as good as anything we have here at GeneSys'; he he he he, that was kind funny... Commander Briggs and Dr. Reitman... Both of them have such high expectations on me... I hope to not disappoint them..."

Having arrived to the city, the girl activated the little-car's on-board computer, and with a series of quick commands she accessed the information about all the stores where she could find any clothes for her. She has never been extremely picky, anything comfortable and practical would be fine for her. But thinking about it, she suddenly realized this was the first time she was buying clothes all by herself... Usually she had someone along to help her pick up something nice, because she has never been too good with fashion.

-"I hope to do it fine... Dang! I wish Becky were with me right now, she always chooses nice clothes for me... She says I'm pretty, that is always a joy for her to see me wearing things other than the GeneSys' suits and uniforms."

She arrived to the closest store in the map, parked the little-car, and went inside the place. Very few people were shopping in it at the moment, it made sense, because it was rather early in the morning. Celeste went through all the aisles and corridors, picking up whatever she felt could be useful for her. Various t-shirts, several pants, a couple of sweaters, lots of socks, enough underwear to change it every day without fail... Oh! And a couple of pajamas to avoid embarrassing situations! Lots of functional, serviceable clothing...

-"This would be the point were Alma tells me that I'm being boring... That I should try something with more personality, something fun... I don't know... I don't want to abuse Dr. Reitman's confidence by spending so much money on selfish purposes."

The girl was thinking to herself, when she suddenly had a flashback...

---

-"Wow, Alma! This dress is so pretty! I've never had one like this one! I love it! ...But, I can't buy it, it's too expensive."

-"What!? Are you kidding me? Why not?"

-"I have to send my money to my family, they need it more than me."

-"Oh, Celeste... You always worry too much... You earn a lot of money working for GeneSys, but you never spend any on your own benefit."

-"Of course I do! I use it to buy food, and supplies!"

-"OK, so you're using it to survive... But do you really want to live like that?"

-"Erh? What do you mean?"

-"Almost every day you risk your life fighting against those horrible creatures, every day you work hard to become an even better pilot, every day you do your best to be polite and helpful with everyone, but you never think about yourself! Life is too short Celeste, specially in this upside-down world were monsters materialize out of nothingness. If you don't start doing nice things for yourself, you'll reach point where you'll regret it! Please, indulge into a whim from time to time, buy a pretty dress, enjoy a good meal, watch a movie, buy a videogame console! Please, Celeste, start living already!"

The girl looked to her friend with a confused look and a slight hint of distress in her eyes.

-"I'm sorry... That sounded more harsh than I intended... But the point is: Enjoy life, Celeste!"

-"...OK, I'll buy it... On one condition!"

-"What is it?"

-"That you have to allow me to buy one for you!"

-"Celeste, you're a lost case... But, I guess that's why I like you."

---

-"Alma is right... Life is already too short as it is... I don't want to leave this world with regrets and unfulfilled dreams. I should live day by day to the fullest, and if I end up doing something selfish in the process, I'll just work 10 times harder to compensate for it! OK, I'll buy a couple of more things"

And so on, the girl went through the aisles with great joy in her heart, looking for nice things to bring back to her new home. She bought half a dozen hats, a couple of scarves for colders days, a couple of dresses, an assorted bunch of shoes, a leather jacket like those worn by the pilots from the old movies, some cute hairclips, a couple of music-discs and some movies, a mecha model-kit, a stuffed dog doll, and a lot of candy all for her! Heck, she even found a formal dress to wear in case S.E.R.V.E. ever threw a surprise gala, and a swimsuit to wear at the beach or the pool... If she ever got the chance to go to any of them.

The girl was ready to leave, when she saw something in a showcase that caught her attention: A white summer dress which looked absolutely charming due to its simplicity. She couldn't contain herself, she bought it in the blink of an eye, and started wearing it immediately. Of course, she traded her heavy steel-clad boots by a pair of cute sandals, and her backpack for a purse, because she would have looked ridiculous otherwise. Nonetheless, her wrist-computer still clashed against her new outfit, but she couldn't do too much about it; Dr. Reitman would get absolutely furious if she separated from it for more than a couple of minutes.

She had a lot of trouble carrying up all the things she bought back to the little car, and for a moment she thought that she wouldn't be able to fit all of them inside the vehicle, but she managed to organize them just fine. She was ready to return to the base, but then she thought...

-"Do I really want to return to the base already? This might be the perfect chance to see Echo-City with my own eyes... I don't know if I'll have another chance in the near future, if I waste this one... Who knows when will I comeback here... Or, Heaven forbid it, if I'll ever come back..."

The girl stepped outside the car, and after locking it down, she went outside through the parking lot, and into Echo-City's lively streets. There were many people going on their daily routines and activities, but despite its constant movement and imposing buildings, the city was surprisingly clean and calm, a stark contrast when compared to older dome-cities that Celeste has visited in the past. She roamed around without any clear direction, contemplating all the modern buildings and the advanced technology that made everything work. Had she been an engineer or an architect, she would have been so delighted right now, but as it stood, she was still having a great time just walking around without a clear destination.

After wandering around a bit, she found something that quickly grabbed her attention: An ice-cream parlor right across the street! Back at her home base, the cafeteria has an old ice-cream machine, but the sad truth it's that those ice-creams have never been all that great. Maybe this time she would be able to eat a proper ice-cream! She rushed to it, and after checking out the flavor list, she made her order:

-"Good day, sir! I want a cone of lemon, strawberry, pistachio, bubble gum, walnut and vanilla!"

-"Wha-? Are you sure miss? Isn't that cone too tall for you."

-"Of course not! There's no ice-cream capable of defeating me!"

-"O-Ok... If you say so..."

And so the ice-cream seller built the strange cone for the girl, and gave it to her with extreme caution. When she gave it the first lick, she knew it was the real deal! That was a true ice-cream! She ate it with so much joy and boldness, that some other costumers just couldn't help but to watch her intently as she devoured that ice-cream tower. With her face covered in ice-cream leftovers, she went back to the counter and said:

-"Can I have another one like that?! Please, please, please!"

-"W-WH-WHAT?! Sweet sassy molassey! You're really an ice-cream eating machine, miss!"

And so, she devoured the second ice-cream tower with the same delight as the first one. Having finished, she cleaned up her face with some paper tissues, and went on her way. That was the best ice-cream she had in such a long time! She decided to investigate later if it was possible for their ice-cream to be delivered to the base, because she would love to eat one of those cones every single day.

The girl continued her stroll, until she found another interesting view: A big and beautiful park right in the heart of the city. Having spent so much time inside of GeneSys HQ's cold, sterile and reinforced metal walls, or in scarred cities struck by the Eldritchian disaster, she had almost forgotten how grass looked like. She crouched down to touch it, it felt so fresh and comfortable, she wanted to get more of that sensation. She discarded her sandals and started to walk on it, and when she had done enough walking, she started running on it. She felt so free... so relaxed... so gleeful... It was the complete opposite of walking around in her cumbersome powered-armor.

She continued running until she had to stop to catch her breath, and she did so by letting herself go, falling on her back. As she laid back on the comfy grass, she took a moment to watch the sky... Because, as incredible a it sounded, the sky could be seen while inside Echo-City. It was reflection of the real thing, of course, but it looked so peaceful, so vast and so pure... Of all the things she had to do for GeneSys, flying any kind of air-craft, or even along with her good friend Bastion-Sigma, was the one thing she enjoyed the most. High above the ground, well beyond the clouds, she always felt so free that the weight of the world and her heavy-armor didn't mattered at all. In certain way, the sky almost felt like a second home to her... So infinite and full of promise. For an instant, she wished that if she was ever born again in this beautiful blue planet, she would like to return as a bird, so that she could ride the skies once again.

And now, under this steel sky, the soothing atmosphere started to make her so relaxed, that she gradually fell asleep... Unfortunately, her impromptu nap was interrupted when something unexpected hit her in the face. She got up due to the surprise, and started checking her nose to make sure it wasn't broken... It wasn't, but had a slight nosebleed. A little kid ran straight to her and said:

-"I'm so sorry, miss! Are you OK?"

-"It's only a bit of blood, but I'll be fine.", she said as she pulled a handkerchief from her purse to clean the blood.

-"I'm so sorry! I didn't knew you were there miss! I swear it wasn't intentional!"

-"Don't worry about it.", she said with a smile on her face," I know it was an accident... You just have to be more careful next time"

The girl looked in front of her to see a little black-haired boy, who was genuinely ashamed and worried about her. He was carrying a soccer ball between his hands. She addressed to him once again:

-"Why the long face, pal? I've already told you I'll be fine! I might not look too strong, but I guarantee you that I'm a tough girl!"

-"Wow! You're brave miss, I'd be crying right now if someone hit me like that.", the boy's sight then was attracted to the device in her left wrist, "Wow, miss! That machine in your arm looks so cool! What is it? Are you a super-hero? Like the Kamen Rider!?"

-"A super hero?", the girl face turned slightly red in embarrassment, "...Not, I'm no really a super hero... It's a bit complicated to explain.", the girl decided to chance the subject before it got more awkward to her, "Not to be rude pal, but: Are you sure you should be talking to me? After all, I'm a stranger... Didn't your parents ever warned you about strangers?"

-"They have, but I can tell you're a good person, miss!"

-"Are you sure? What If I'm really a super-villain disguised as a good person?"

-"My name is Oliver!", the kid exclaimed with boldness and energy

-"...And my name is Celeste. Nice to meet you, Oliver!"

-"See! Now we aren't strangers any more!"

Both started laughing after he said that.

-"Ha ha ha ha ha! I think you're right... That's a nice soccer ball, by way!"

-"Yes it is, miss! My papa bought it for me... But it's useless right now."

-"Useless? What do you mean?"

-"...I don't have anyone to play with it. My papa left do something important, and now I'm here alone waiting for him at the park... And I don't have any friends here because we're new in the city."

-"What a coincidence, Oliver! It turns out I'm also new in this city... Maybe could play together while we wait for your dad."

-"That's impossible! We can't play together!"

-"Erh? Why not?"

-"Because you don't have any shoes", he said as he pointed towards her bare feet.

-"Have you ever tried playing without shoes?"

-"Of course not! That'd be silly!"

-"In that case: How do you know it is impossible?"

-"Well, because... Erh..."

-"Come on, let's see if it's really impossible! I promise you I won't use the 100% of my skills, so that it will be a fair game."

And so, the girl stood up and started playing with the kid. The truth was, that she had never tried to play soccer before... She used to be a quite fragile girl when she was younger, so her mother never allowed her to play sports to stop her from getting hurt. She was never too interested in them any way, but now that she was playing with Oliver, she started to realize they were actually pretty fun. She managed to gain control of the soccer ball for a brief moment, and then she said this:

-"Hey Oliver! Check this out! I'm gonna show you one of my secret techniques", she said before winding up to kick the ball, "Sure Victory! Neo Tiger Shoot!"

However, her kick completely missed the ball, and she ended up falling on her back due to of her lack of balance. Oliver approached to her, laughing.

-"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! I told you miss, you can't play without shoes!"

-"Ha ha ha ha! I guess you were right! Next time I'll have to wear my magic shoes to stand a chance against you!"

-"You're so strange miss... But you're cool, too!"

A reassuring voice in the distance started calling the boy's name.

-"Hey, my papa is here! I gotta go, miss! It was good to play with you!"

-"The pleasure was all mine Oliver. Please be careful, and continue being a good boy!"

-"I'll be, miss! See ya later!"

The boy ran off to met his father. From the distance, the girl could see the father lifting the kid above his shoulders, both of them filled with sincere joy and kindness. This scene gave her a certain sensation of nostalgia for the past... And a sentiment of hope for the future. She stood up once again, and after removing most of the grass from her clothes, she started walking again. She tried to trace back her steps to find the place were she left her shoes, but she ran so fast and so much, that she couldn't find them any more.

-"Oh well... Hopefully they're in a better place right now."

She continued walking until she found a moderately sized tree, and high above among its branches, there was another thing that caught her eye.

-"Impossible! Could it really be one of those?"

The girl quickly started climbing the tree to retrieve that something. When she had it in her hands, she gently dropped down the tree and made a soft landing in the grass. She saw her finding with great delight and reminiscence:

-"Indeed it is! It's a yellow apple! Just like the ones grandpa always bought for me!", she took a great bite out of it, "It even tastes just like I remember them!"

The girl then started crying... But they weren't tears of sorrow. All the opposite! Those were tears of happiness brought to her by memories of some of the brightest moments of her life.

-"Grandpa... You were always so nice to me... Thank you... Thank you so much... I'll try my best to become as brave, wise and kind as you..."

After wiping off her tears, the girl sat down under the tree's shadow to finish her apple. Then, she laid back on the grass once again, and started to think about all the sensations, all of the emotions, all of the moments she experienced today. All those things and details that look so small and transient, and yet they come together to give meaning to our lives... Things like warm scarves, cold ice-creams, soft grass, blue skies, soccer balls and yellow apples.

The world was a beautiful place, and despite all the sorrow of the past and all the uncertainty of the future, she was grateful of having been born in this time, because she got the chance to walk the path of life along with so many wonderful people, all while experiencing so many amazing things. With her spirit renewed, and her heart at peace, the girl returned to her new home... Ready to face the harsh challenges and the bitter moments that were ahead.

edited 12th Jun '13 2:11:40 PM by VPhantom

"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!"

Alex replied to Faith "Look crabapples are a type of tree or shrub. As for the world, frankly I didn't sign up for SERVE to babysit a pilot. I'm a computer technician not an au pair. *checks watch* Besides It's getting late. I think we should go back to the base."

Alex the caught the train back to the base with Faith by his side, happy for the day to be over and for him to actually do the work he wants to.

---

Nolan heard his phone call and read the caller I.D. It was Gerald. "Oh boy" Nolan thought to himself as he prepared an explanantion. He then picked up his phone and replied "Reise is going under repairs at the moment to fix some damages that we missed the first time. This however requires removing parts of it to do so. So do not worry we have it handled."

The Next Day

Dan and Summer both woke up alright. Dan's sheets were ruffled as he got up but he, in an OCD fit cleaned his bed good and tidy. Afterwards he made some hot chocolate and went on the internet searching reviews on SERVE's comic which he read last night, unsurpisingly they were mostly negative.

"Poor Melissa, how did she become PR director?" Dan remarked to himself bored and hoping to pass the time until he could go to the SERVE Base.

Summer meanwhile, got out of bed instantly, had breakfast and looked inside her parents' bedroom. As she searched their various drawers and cupboards, nothing of interest was there. "Of course there isn't anything here. Still mum and dad must be hiding something in this house."

edited 11th Jun '13 4:22:59 PM by JRPictures

I'm on Youtube Reviewing Things Cause I can.

Gerald was, understandably, pissed. For the most part, he allowed Nolan and everyone else's antics. Withholding important information of mecha he has to work with, obliterating the only naturally produced child Eldritichian SERVE had ever seen, but the partial dismantling of a mecha was the last straw. Since the mecha in question was Riese, this couldn't end well.

Being the head mecha engineer it ultimately wasn't too hard to find where they were doing the work on Riese, and watched as they worked on "fixing" it. His eyes settling on Sarah, he began a rant boiling down to how insanely dangerous it is to tamper with a mecha you don't understand and that taking it apart to understand it is insanely stupid since you would likely be putting it back wrong. Then following that up with how this can be considered treason due to him not unauthorizing the dismantling and that he can at least fire her if she refused to follow her direct superior's command to stop messing with it. In the end, the problem was solved and Gerald made sure Riese wasn't tampered with again before it could actually be fixed.

(Potentially incomplete)

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."

"these are a lot heavier than I remember," Jack complained, lugging a crate across the room to his area. A stand was already set up holding a few parts of a suit of powered armor, the box he held was full of the rest of his armor, while a weapons rack next to the stand was already full. "No, they're really not, you're just tired still." Gdolkin looked up from reading, his armor already on his stand, weapons lining his rack. The two still carried their powered armor, even if they were mech pilots now, because one could never tell when they would need it. Perhaps mini eldritchians would invade the base? or a terrorist group? no one could ever be sure.

The flesh is weak!

Magnus had called up a holo-program for designing new things, and started on a large, pointy... thing. He started thinking out loud, albeit under his breath.

"Hmm... no, that's unbalanced... can't make it shoot lightning yet... why would I need a foam cannon?..."

"The Stick has sentimental value. It's like an enormous, hideous teddy bear we can kill things with." -rikalous