Cyberworld Hero Future RP Thread

Beatrice Bianca

"Y-you're alive, w— I-it is good that all of Alpha Squad seems to be alive and unharmed. Shall we board and extract? It may be prudent to do so before Moldbug returns..."

It was taking a lot of effort for Bea to keep up her usual cold front but she was dedicated to it.

Hux

Hux fumbled the blood bag, but caught it. He stared at it a moment, considering. He'd never drunk blood before, but he knew he could. Because he knew what his ancestor was, and what he was by extension. The father of vampires. The alpha wolf. The first monster.

After a moment's pause, Hux mumbled a thank you and pulled the plug, before gulping it down.

For a moment, he almost had the urge to bite into it. As he drank he could feel his canines elongating, sharpening. The taste was indescribable. He'd expected it to be bitter and coppery, but it... wasn't. It was soothing.

He rapidly drained the bag, before exhaling sharply. His dizziness and weakness was already fading. Hux crumpled the empty bag and slipped it into his pocket. He began walking towards the extraction point. "Bea is right. Moldbug could still be skulking around somewhere. It's best we retreat and recoup, now that we've achieved our objective."

Old Man Elijah

Elijah sighed as he slowly drained his own blood bag, crumpling it up and throwing it into one of the biohazard bins that were nearby. Observing Hux, he advised, "Easy there, don't drink it too quickly, or else you'll choke on it and waste it. Somebody had to donate that willingly. Respect their efforts."

As for Croire's question, Elijah sighed again, louder, and stretched himself out on several of the now-empty seats on the craft—a dead man could never rest on them, so he might as well, despite the rules against doing so—and muttered "It might not be actually cursed, but it sure does seem to bring misfortune. I've seen several small wars being waged over that artifact. I wasn't there to see it grow, or get made into what it is, though. All of a sudden, it existed, and people wanted it, so they fought over it."

"What it does is store—and perhaps amplify—magic, and that damnable cur, Moldbug, has modified it to be able to hold other types of energies, I think, judging by the butchery he's inflicted on that poor innocent flower, sticking wires into it and such," he continued. "The modifications only make it more—not less—valuable to select groups, as not only is it useful to magic-users, it might be handy for the higher-ups, since we know they want it."

"Whatever cursed reason those idols sitting on high have for retrieving this thing, you can bet this does not bode well. Unless they want to destroy it, but who would do such a thing with such a huge deposit of power in their hands, already fat and gorged on all the power they can have in the New World? Of course they'd want more," Elijah hissed. "There are other artifacts, too, of nearly the same make or ilk that the Council will want if we find them. Mark my words, there will be others. That is a certainty, and the idols will sit still and receive sacrifice, until all that we can give has been wrung out of us."

"But what can I say? The future may not yet make a prophet out of me, or anyone else, for that matter," he finished, shrugging. "We can only wait and hope. A live dog is better than a dead lion, that much is true."

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 5th 2020 at 2:01:46 AM

The rest of Delta Squad was slowly moving out of the dust by now, by and large much more badly banged up than Alpha Squad. They brought damaged collar bones, broken arms and at least one broken femur to Alula for repair in the field. It was obvious that ego had been broken out of them by the experience.

Zhane quickly started moving along with the others, even as the call continued. He winced as he realized with what the others were saying that Commander Alcor was not likely going to be happy... And truth be told, she was very obviously not happy with the idea of destroying the Lotus. "NO! ...No." She paused and then seemed either to contemplate or look to someone else for some instruction;

"We NEED the Lotus returned to the city, as a matter of human survival. Under no circumstance is the Lotus to come to any harm."

Even as she said that, Zhane's eyes went to the odd biomechanical looking plant. He had never really seen real, actual lotuses before. He heard they were beautiful, but bloomed rarely and briefly. And there was...something about this one that deeply enticed him. A rare form of beauty that spoke to something he barely understood...

From its spot in Elijah's hand, one of the petals fell off of the lotus, still sparkling and radiant with crackling power. Zhane immediately ran and grabbed it up himself - and found the metal seemed to discharge some sort of incredible power through his body all at once. It was like he was charged with strength and stamina he had never known before, flowing through circuits within himself he never knew existed... was this all Old World Magic too? He wondered about that even as he stood there, twitching.

Alcor spoke again and said, "...With all that said, and I WILL keep all you have said in mind, Elijah, withdraw imminently. We do not need any further incursions. Your extraction vehicle will be imminently available. I will see you all at the base, Alcor out."

And with that her communication ended.

010010100101010101010101010101000011010101010101010101010001110101001010

Meanwhile...

Deep underground, a fast moving bullet shaped train ferried exactly one high profile Machine leader away from the area. Moldbug, legs crossed in front of him and adjusting his slightly toastier cape, looked at five screens arrayed in front of him, each of them depicting the shadowed silhouette of various figures, each of them unique in their design philosophy and schematics.

"Well, the would be Heroes took the device. Human avengers of their world indeed. They were quite adamant about that little tidbit. Me personally, I've killed...ooh, millions of humans..."

"YOUR RECORD IS NOT IMPORTANT AS OF NOW - REPORTS ARE MORE IMPORTANT. THEIR SUCCESS IN THIS MISSION HAS BEEN CALCULATED. WE ARE PREPARING FOR OUR NEXT ENGAGEMENT, IN LINE WITH THE PLAN." The one that spoke up was a gigantic figure carrying a cane, bulky and a gargantuan mech, a pod-like facial structure with a visible mono-eye.

"Ohh yes, no fun on Anissimov's watch." Moldbug shrugged and cupped his chin, "Well, I suppose it's a matter of where our little guests end up."

"If they enter my domain, whether they aim for the Jet or not, I will keep the most beautiful of their number for my own. Is that within parameters...?" The next speaker was of a distinctly feminine appearance, more gendered than the other robots in an obvious way. Her silhouette gave the impression of a bust, of long hair, and a massive dress. Her voice still mechanical, but with a noticeable feminine tone.

"INDEED, LAND. SHOULD THEY ENTER, THERE IS NO PARAMETER RESTRICTING YOUR CAPACITY FOR ADDING TO YOUR COLLECTION."

"We-heh-heh-ell, it has been fascinating chatting with my dear friends. I'll see you around at our next...get together. I think we'll have a lot to discuss." Moldbug teetered a bit with joy at the prospect of more murder on his ledger - especially of those Heroes. With that the call ended.

Edited by NickTheSwing on Dec 5th 2020 at 11:57:06 AM

Old Man Elijah

"Human survival—tch, we'd all be better off with it gone. Careful with that, boy," Elijah grunted as he helped Zhane onto the pilot's seat, depositing the Lotus in a conveniently-sized cup holder. "The power granted by the Black Lotus is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be...unnatural. Terrible withdrawal symptoms too. I can attest to that."

"Don't become too fixated on it, you'll just want more and more of what it has," he advised. "Its power is addictive enough that wars were waged over it. Surely you can understand that you should keep away from drugs. This is no different. Do you understand me?"

His ancient eyes seemed to search Zhane's face imploringly, full of grandfatherly concern and responsibility. Whatever the old man's reasons for telling him about this, it was because he cared.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 5th 2020 at 11:59:36 AM

There was some incredibly visible concern on Bea's face as she sat through the explanations from Elijah and orders from command. But when Zhane just went and grabbed one of the falling petals without so much as a sliver of hesitation, she couldn't hold back and approached him.

"Hey, are you alright? Looks like the lotus zapped you there..."

"S-So like a b-booster and b-battery all in o-one...I-I mean...I-I don't know much a-about magic, b-but magic's a-a sort of e-energy, right...? M-Might...not have b-been to h-hard to change i-it to accept other types a-and it'd at least...b-be more versatile i-if used for t-the right reasons..."

Of course, the show of drinking blood was enough to cut any further comments or questions short as Croire's slightly red flustered face became a lot more pale at the display and look away.

   ...Exactly like I said, they don't care about the corpses, just as long as they get their shiny trinket.    Ramialia couldn't help but scoff at 'command' and at Elijah.    Hmph...wonder if his tune would be different if he was a human.   

Croire simply went silent at this point as he just waited for their ride back home.

Edited by TheRealWren on Dec 7th 2020 at 3:00:59 AM

Zhane quickly nodded along to what Elijah was saying. He wouldn't doubt that flower had some unusual properties and it was probably dangerous if HQ wanted it.

When Bea voiced some concerns, he looked down for a second...

"I'm...I'm fine. I actually feel a bit more than fine." Zhane said somewhat numbly. He clenched one of his fists tight, he'd been feeling some doubt about what he intended to ask about, but now he was not feeling those doubts any more. Maybe it was a temporary thing, but it was more than welcome. Better this buzzed feeling than his usual speed - feeling like he was useless and getting picked on.

I should feel worse about the fact that Doulin is dead. I should feel sad, for Delta Squad's loss.

Before long Zhane however got their extraction point Shrike jet working, connecting his multi-tool to it, and the team was good to go. As the Shrike quickly started moving out of the area, the New York Ashlands quickly started to become more distant as the domed city Dahlia entered view...

The massive sparkling blue dome of energy covered a massive array of interwoven climates and living spaces, great green parks full of simulated living things, a thriving cityscape in one corner and a small rural town with a distinct somewhat Japanese cultural vibe to it in another. Another corner was a slice of American Suburbia, and there was a forested dwelling in another slice of the domed clave. The whole thing moved along progressively generated glowing gold train tracks underneath the enormous structure. The dome itself was created and maintained by eight towers across the outer points of the grand circular construct, curving upward toward the top.

And prominently in the middle of the massive structure, floating above it all, was New Saint Academy, where the HEROES trained and planned out missions. Many other B-SHRIKE's and other aircraft emerged and returned from tremendous hangars on the lower side of the floating citadel that was New Saint Academy.

Despite the fact that there had been no supervillains for thousands of years, there were still numerous cannonades and tremendous energy weaponry mounted along the sides of the citadel.

They still anticipated invasion even now.

"This is the Domed Cityscape of Dahlia, comprised of numerous environs cultivated for the enrichment of the human experience. We defend this place, and explore outward from it. At least, that's what the official word on HEROES is. I didn't know, heading back here like this, what I was returning to."

Old Man Elijah

"One more thing, actually," Elijah mumbled from his spot, curled up on several of the seats and wrapped up tight in what was left of his outer robe and cloak. "For God's sake, don't you try and eat the fucking Black Lotus. Some idiot tried to do that back in the day. It did not end well for him. It was one hell of a trip though, I have to say..."

He groggily rubbed his eyes and stretched, bones audibly clicking inside of him, and Elijah exhaled as he saw that the familiar reaches of what amounted to humanity's home in front of him. "Ahhhhhh. That's a lot better. Come on, let's get off this blasted flying contraption," Elijah said exuberantly as the B-SHRIKEs landed. "A hot shower, a hearty meal, and a good long rest should do wonders for me. May nothing keep me from it, I hope. And Heaven help whoever does..."

With that, Elijah moved to help the others unboard the jet, especially Zhane, though he made no obvious moves to support him. Instead, he kept a watchful eye on the young man, shifting his feet like he was restless to get back to his cabin and sleep.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 12th 2020 at 4:25:07 AM

For the rest of the flight back, Bea settles herself into silent meditation and pieces together the events of the day in her head. As soon as the Shrike touches down she gets out of her seat and stands next to the vehicle.

"Hopefully this debrief will be quick, I have a report to write..."

"...I-I don't know w-why anyone w-would even w-want to try d-doing that..." Croire remarked, looking a little confused. "It'd p-probably make more s-sense to u-use it as p-part of a g-gauntlet or part of a s-scepter or something..."

It didn't take much longer for Croire to doze off...and leaving a rather annoyed Ramialia in charge, looking at the city and dome with disdain and shaking her head at Bea.

"...You know no-one's going to care about a report, right? It'll practically be a five minute debrief and then they'll stop giving a damn the second we hand over the shiny toy they wanted."

Edited by TheRealWren on Dec 10th 2020 at 7:55:53 PM

Before long after their arrival, the Lotus was placed into a secure container and taken off to a place called "the reliquary". It was where the human forces kept everything relevant and yet fragile in terms of their mission

As the HERO units returned home from the excursion, they would see the hallways of the New Saint Academy - a rudimentary and basic approximation of the Old Saint Academy. Which according to rumors was either destroyed in the Shadow Wars or disappeared suddenly. The lead up to the main building however would depart drastically from the aesthetic of the old Academy.

The hallway led directly to a massive chamber overlooking the outside, looking down on the domed city outside.

And heading in from there, passing by several more HERO units chatting about their recent scores and what was going on in their lives, Alpha Team would find themselves in the central command area. A massive area lined with computers and operators at each one, ringing around the formative appearance of a computer. Its wires and cables connecting to the ceilings and floor, some proceeding out into the smaller computers around it.

Its central screen was bright red, and it was being operated by a trio of identical individuals. Triplets? Who knew?

Before long, Alcor walked out from talking to some of the technicians and approached the team. She was a tall, stoic faced woman, black haired and with glaring amber colored eyes, wearing a suit coat and dress pants. Her stride said she had been expecting them.

"...Unlike a lot of the other higher ups, I'm inclined to only give a formal reprimand for some of the chatter I heard earlier. In no small part due to the fact you recovered the Lotus." Alcor walked forward and stated, "I cannot overstate just how important recovering that from those lowly servitors truly was."

Old Man Elijah

"Those 'lowly servitors' killed Doulin, but sure, let's keep calling them that, commander," Elijah huffed, looking and sounding surlier than usual. "Of course I don't mean to take advantage of your ample generosity, but you understand. Perhaps I'm getting maudlin, but underestimating the enemy in front of the people who just had their asses whooped by the very same foe was frowned upon back in the day..."

"As for the after-mission report, uh, we came, we saw, we killed, we surveyed the land, we attacked Moldbug, we saw Doulin die, we panicked, we stole some variety of magical floral narcotic for those in power, we ran with our tails tucked in-between our legs," he recited, ticking off each item on the list on his fingers. As soon he got to the tenth finger, he looked Alcor in the eye and said, "And now we're being graciously thanked for it, with no word of mourning for the dead."

"With all that out of the way, I'm requesting leave to make a proper funeral shroud for the poor fuck that's been wheeled in under a tarp in two uneven pieces," Elijah sighed, calming down slightly from his rant. "And I hope to God that the Black Lotus won't be ground up into paste and snorted by the very same people who decided to turn the old cafeteria into a thrice-damned mortuary."

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 19th 2020 at 11:32:32 AM

Bea was silent, though a pang of disappointment crossed her face when it was clear at best her teammates would be getting some stern words they would immediately blow off. The praise, terse as it was, helped stop her from getting too antsy.

"Thank you, Commander Alcor. My report will be available for review promptly."

"...Panicked? Sure, go with that. Retreating after doing what we were told sounds more accurate but whatever, if that's what you think old timer, go with that." Ramialia shrugged in response to Elijah and glanced at Alcor.

"We investigated the signal, got what your shiny toy you only showed an interest in the shiny object at the last second."

Ramialia's eyes seemed to give a rather un-nerving shine.

"So I guess it's a good thing you pointed it out." Her tone became sarcastic, if not slightly venomous. "I'm sure if we brought the place down and you only realized it was there afterwards, you'd have made us dig it all up by hand."

Alcor cupped her chin and looked away for a moment at the massive computer at the center of the room. As if asking it for guidance somehow. But then she looked back at the squad, and shook her head, "Doulin's sacrifice will be properly commemorated. As for that foul insect..."

She however seemed to pause longer when Ramialia pointed out that she only took interest in the Black Lotus later on. Her hand paused at her side. She was seemingly contemplating for about five to ten seconds before making her response...

"You must understand, if we can recover the Six Confluences, there is a chance however long it may be in order to reverse the damages the Machines and Shadows have done unto the human race. We could traverse the world again, without need for these domed cities." Alcor stated.

She then looked around, "You may leave to undertake whatever personal imperatives you find relevant."

However, she then saw Zhane step forward, and he said, "May I...speak with you in private, Commander?"

"...Yes, Zhane." She seemed to take a softer tone at that.

Old Man Elijah

"World's been open to traveling for a long time, ma'am," Elijah said, deadpan. "The land might even be open for farming again in about fifty years. I think. Fifty to a hundred, depending on how fast the arable soil under all that rock and sand out in the Wastes is being sifted to the surface. It's a relatively short time until that can happen, but what do I know, right?"

"And nobody in the cities are fully human," he muttered beneath his breath. "Not for a long time."

"Well, if that's all, I'd better get to my weaving," the old man sighed, stretching as he turned away. "I'll be in my room if you want to see me, but I bet none of you do." With that, Elijah walked away, presumably to work on that funeral shroud for Doulin that he'd mentioned earlier.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 20th 2020 at 1:11:22 AM

Saint Academy, Command Room

There was a faint twitch that rippled through Bea as she heard her pilot ask for a moment with the Commander. She knew it was likely a professional matter, nothing to be worried of, but... Well she tried not to express the pang of an emotion she couldn't identify.

"Thank you, Commander."

Was basically all that Bea could get out before she stiffly walked out of her room, intent on reaching her own quarters as quickly as possible so she could work on her report (and other more trivial matters such as her emotions) in privacy. Though likely not quick enough to prevent other people catching her attention if need be.

Old Man Elijah

"Oi," Elijah called from outside Bea's room some time later, knocking on the door frame. "Can I come in? I need some help with some finicky metal bead-work."

As soon as Bea answered the door, Elijah held up a woven shroud—black, because Elijah didn't know a color that suited Doulin's personality, and so opted for a classic mourning color—and a jarful of various silvery metal beads. Wherever the old man got it was anyone's guess. Probably the black market, since it sold all sorts of Old World "magpie-treasures" (Elijah's words).

"Won't need much," he said, half-belligerently, half-apologetically, in a paradoxically strange combination coming from Elijah of all people. "But you just have to hold the beads in place with your powers and I'll sew them to the shroud in the shape of the letter Delta, and then I'll get out of your hair. My hands aren't as steady as they used to be. Sound good?"

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 20th 2020 at 1:11:32 AM

Beatrice Bianca's Quarters

It takes a few moments (accompanied by a few sounds of moving things about) before Bea pops open the door to her quarters. She's already gotten into her off-duty clothing and despite the stern expression she has on currently there is some redness to her eyes.

"Ah, the immortal. I am willing to assist with your project to commemorate the fallen, yes."

She stepped aside with a deep breath, allowing the old man to come inside. Like most things in her sphere, Bea's living space was practically spartan; her bed and desk kept clear (though currently her almost-complete mission report was still open on her terminal) and basically no sign of any other worldly possessions. After spending enough time at the door to let Elijah in, she closed it again and went to sit on the bed.

"I shall attempt to assist, though I do not think my powers work in the way you may assume."

Old Man Elijah

"Tch, not a true metalkinetic? Could have fooled me," Elijah said, sounding amused, as he stepped into the room. "Knew a few back then. Ah, well. I'll do the best I can with the bead-work with you then. I'm sure Doulin won't mind. Not that he's alive to tell us." After that spot of black humor, he let out a short, quick bark of laughter.

"Used to be a tailor, but I'm afraid I've gotten rusty," he added as he sat down across from Bea, pushing a small table between them and putting the cloak onto it. "Hold this one here. We'll keep going in a line, and then turn..." With that, he began sewing the bead to the shroud with surprisingly deft fingers. In the current age, it was odd to see anyone sew. Modern clothes didn't tear as easily, and if they did, it was easy enough to get new ones. There was simply no reason to handle a needle and thread unless it was a hobby.

"You should get some potted plants in here," Elijah commented grit teeth, concentrating. "How do you live like this? Don't you have any hobbies? Don't you have anything you like? Hmm..."

He continued in silence for a while, before he was done with one line of the beadwork and had to turn the shroud. "I have some dried flowers I could give you if you like," he offered. "They're dead, but they still smell nice, and they won't require any upkeep at all. Perfect for, well, someone like you." It was unclear if the last bit was an insult or not, but Elijah seemed to mean well, at any rate.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 20th 2020 at 1:11:41 AM

"I can... Apply kinetic force to metal. Fine control is a little beyond my capabilities. No one has told me whether that is a matter of training or that I simply am limited in what I can accomplish. Regardless, it is sufficient for missions. As is my living quarters."

She was trying her best to keep up the usual emotionless 'good soldier' routine as she held the little beads down (with her finger, not her powers).

"I did commend you in my report for your battle prowess and bravery in retrieving the corpse."

"...For a 'chance'. ...All that needs to be said, hah." Ramialia simply rolled her eyes. No point trying to argue as the red-eyed woman decided to just go back to sleep and leave Croire back in control.

Probably best to try and do some sort of training and get stronger...faster, anything that'd at help the next time they got sent out on a mission, even if he wasn't entirely sure how.

Alcor seemed to freeze when she just managed to hear something that Elijah grumbled under his breath. He might have meant it one way, but apparently whatever he said managed to hit her in a way different from what he might or might not have intended. Alcor looked at a confused Zhane and guided him away as soon as the others left, "Now...what is it you wanted to speak to me about?"

Zhane gulped and looked up at the clearly taller Alcor, and then down at the floor again. His fist gripped tight by his side, "I-I want...I want to be stronger. I need to be stronger. I couldn't do anything in that fight against Moldbug..."

"You're a Recon HERO, Zhane..." Alcor spoke in an even, soft tone.

"I-I know, I know...but there has to be something. I can't just accept that that's my role! I-I just...feel I need to be bigger. I need to be stronger. My body is just so...weak, pathetic really." And she'll never see me as a man while I look like this, and am so pathetically weak.

Alcor seemed to consider something, and then sighed. This all seemed somehow familiar to her. She looked at Zhane and shook her head, "Officially, there's not much I can do..."

Zhane let out a bitterly disappointed sigh.

"Unofficially..." Alcor continued suddenly, "Unofficially, there is one thing I think I can do. Follow me. But tell nobody of this, understood?"

"...Yes, ma'am." Zhane was suddenly feeling much more excited. He knew he should be at least a little bit wary of this. But with his goal dangled right in front of his eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say no. Alcor led the way into the tremendous shadow of the central computer.

It was something she never thought she'd have to do, but it was the first chance she had to really advance the plan the Grand Director set forth. There was a lot that stood to go wrong, but it could finally put an end to these millennia of strife...

Hux

Throughout the debriefing, Hux had remained silent. He'd let his ancestor mouth off at Alcor; Elijah was old enough that even Alcor seemed to be wary of him, making it much less likely that they'd try anything.

Though Hux didn't know if New Saint Academy would actually kick them out, given how dire the situation was against the Machines and Shadows. A surprising number of people treated the Code more as guidelines than rules, and Hux assumed the higher-ups were aware of this, at least to some extent.

As they parted ways, Hux headed back to his quarters to meditate. His ancestor had shown considerable prowess with changing his form, and Hux wondered if he could emulate such things. Perhaps he had to drink Elijah's blood? He knew some vampires only came into their own upon drinking blood from their sire.

Hux had his darkness (a remnant of the first Darkness from which All The World's Evils came forth... or so his grandmother said), but having some of the old man's tricks up his sleeve wouldn't hurt. So he went off to meditate on his own body, to see what he could make it do.