Future-Shock: On the edge of paradise. (Red and Nova)

by **Humanity** December 1st 2015, 10:29 pm

A murderer. A killer. A savior. Perhaps a word you would never have associated with Lucius Alba, however one thing was quite certain. He was chosen to see this world for himself. Honored with the privilege to see how exactly his actions influenced this world. How they did the word "Savior" truly did fit. But the question is, why does he hold such a title? Was he a savior by chance, or perhaps was he a savior out of obligation to a mistake he had made? Regardless, Lucius would arrive in the future, and he would not be alone.

Nova, named "The girl of tomorrow" would be joining him. But what would she be in a world where her tomorrow was over a week ago? When her technology and her powers were no longer the cutting edge? What would she do when her creators were but dust and memories in the history books? She would have been labeled defective, or below optimal for her kind. She may be a relic of the past, but she was a chosen champion. Perhaps it was in Nova...in a relic such as her that the future would learn a valuable lesson. Perhaps in her experience here she would be the one to forge the future in a better way... perhaps....

The world was dying around them. Botanical life didn't have enough water to survive, though they were still fighting. Still trying. Evolution at it's finest. Lightning flashed as Lucius and Nova emerged from the celestial light, immediately immersed in the world around them, standing beside a body of green colored water. A disgusting and revolting smell swept the area, seemingly to be from the water. The land around them was cracked soil and scattered areas of struggling plant life. The climate of this land seemed to be warm, but ironically nearby there were small red berries and nearby trees such as Acer Palmatum. Where were they? Why did the water smell so rancid; and what happened to this world? Most important of all...

Why were they here?

(Welcome to The Future. Any questions feel free to contact me on Skype (Zell Atterrius. The Fallout Cosplay) or PM me. I can answer whatever questions you may have. I will be posting a world narration after each round. Go ahead and feel free to explore.)

by **Red** December 2nd 2015, 12:06 am

The light fadded, a smell filling Lucius' lungs along with a cold breeze. His boots were firmly dug into the ash and dirt, and he realized he was in full gear. Seemed that was brought along on this little trip. But where he was, he had no idea. He looked around, seeing a barren wasteland, except a few patches of half dead plants. The humidity combined with the smell that managed to get through his masks filter somehow made the whole experience a lot worse. And that wasn't including the fact he was just brought here by a lightning bolt. He was confused, a rare feeling for the man. He had to figure out what was going on. But even In such an uncertain situation, he kept his cool like always. He would eventually find out who or what did this.

"Hector....." Was all Lucius said, hoping the AI would simply answer the obvious questions.

"Scanning and running some tests now, I was disconnected from my body and no longer have any influence over any piece of technology outside Cora Zen and your equipment, searching for any satalites or cell towers to connect to." The AI responded, seeming to be as clueless as Lucius was.

"Use whatever you need to to figure out where we are. Get back to me as soon as possible" Lucius said as he slowly and curiously walked around. At this point, he was probably triggering a few security measures of a certain someone, but he didn't know that, and said persons response wasn't known yet. A few minutes would pass and Hector spoke up.

"........scanning complete. We are in Belarus, four hundred meters from the entrance to the Sanctuary........ However, the land seems to have changed vastly, as you can see. So, I ran more planetary scans using satalites I wasn't locked out of, mostly of limited functionality. The earths orbit has slightly changed, but it's a big change to happen instantly. It would have to have happened over decades. Not only that, this land is ever so slightly off from what it was before the lightning, my theory is continental drift. I'm calculating an estimation of the situation now." With that the estimation flashed on Lucius' HUD, it was so crazy Lucius knew why Hector did this rather then just tell him.

"Time travel? Are you sure? It makes sense considering the changed landscape.....but I didn't believe it possible." Lucius said in amazement, still looking around. He was slowly drifting toward the entrance of his faciltiy, or at least what remained of it. Better to go to a familiar place, that would likely confirm if they really had gone to the future.

"I'm almost certain, but I will investigate further and get back to you with any new information." The AI said before returning to his work. Lucius just kept walking, taking in the sights as he did, expecting to run upon an abandoned facility entrance, or perhaps something more....

by **Nova** December 3rd 2015, 4:35 am

There's a great void here, bigger than the bleak, indifferent sky. When Nova's feet touch hardpan, she's momentarily en garde. Not because of the flash of light and crack of thunder, or the fact that her surroundings have transformed into a blasted landscape with the rapidity of an afterthought. No, it's that void, that great, fearful silence, felt within the span between her world and this one. As if some cosmic remote pointed in Earth's direction and pressed mute.

The jarring shift in environment smacks into Nova's sensors like a bullet train bearing down on a doe. She glances about, appraising the drastic changes in scenery. The fetid air is distilled through her nostrils, breaking down the changes in atmosphere. The stench doesn't bother her, but its sheer repugnance is a curiosity in a place full of them. The flora emerging from what passes for soil is the botanical equivalent of a hospice ward. None of it is native to New York. There's water, dead and still, and a shade of green unassociated with anything healthy.

And then there's the void, a vast emptiness rivalled only by the withered landscape. There's no other way to describe losing connectivity to her manufacturer. To her father. She continues scanning for any kind of signal in increasingly widening swaths, a very human chill running down her tensile spine each time her pulses come back empty.

Nova takes in her surroundings, irises rapidly quivering as she magnifies, analyzes, and categorizes all she can. The bits and pieces of information she receives from this paints a disturbing picture. She's making her way towards the water when she looks skyward, attempting celestial navigation. What she sees there stops her in her tracks. Few might notice it, but to an AI that thinks exclusively in numerical values, the detail may as well be painted in neon.

This sky is not her sky. It's a doppelganger, and it's off by a measure of declinations she doesn't want to consider but has no choice.

That she could be transported instantaneously from one place to another is well within the realm of possibility. That she could be shunted through time, up til now, remained an unproven theory--or perhaps within the realm of magic, something she's hardly an expert on. Whatever the case, by the time she latches onto a disinterested spy satellite and gives it a tilt, the implications are clear.

Her father is most certainly gone. She does not like what this realization does to her heart, the way it drops her to a knee. She doesn't know if Caen Corporation still exists. There is a high probability that the world would have undergone vast changes over such a long period of time. Which meant that much of the technology she's used to--such as networking and telephony infrastructure--may not exist in a form that she's compatible with. In case of catastrophic failure, she might not be able to upload, and there may be no other models present. Which means that if her body was destroyed or ceased to function here, she could die. Permanently. The concept of mortality is completely alien to her, which is fortunate, because the last thing she needs to discover right now is despair.

But hope is something she has in spades, a present from her creator gift-wrapped in her code, and right now she's hoping that when she gets to the bottom of all this, whatever person or device that brought her here can perform the mathematically impossible task of sending her back in time.

A sudden glut of radio signals catches her attention. She spots a collection of them, in the distance, trawling out in long wavy strands. They expand upward, reaching beyond the sky, seeking the satellites there, just like her. And they're moving. They're not even that far.

She sets off running towards their source, seeking answers, broadcasting her question:

Is there anybody out there?

by **Red** December 8th 2015, 1:10 am

The sith lord looking supervillain dictator walked along the barren wastelands, his robes billowing in the occasional gust of wind. The dryness of the land combined with said wind created a faint fog, which made the already unpleasant land even worse. Lucius didn't even recognize this place despite previously walking every inch of it. Perhaps this truly was the future, and if it was, well, it was not the one he had invisioned.

He didn't know the rules of time travel, quantum physics had so many theories on the subject that nothing was concrete. He could meet himself, or he could be the only him allowed in a time stream. He could be in an alternate reality right now, just one of many possible futures and therefor not even mattering. So many possibilities, and so few answers to the questions that were building up as he took each step toward his former facility. What a mess.

Then, he caught a signal. Faint, but there. It was nearby too, and eventually it got close enough a message could be heard. Someone else was here. Lucius changed course and started moving toward this signal, answering the question as he did.

"Yes, i am here. This is Lucius Alba....Prime Minister of the country of Belarus. Or at least, former Prime Minister. Please identify yourself." Lucius said, throwing his name out there, if only to see if it meant anything in this timeline, or to see if this person had come from the past as he had. Either way, thry would soon come face to face.

(Nova, considering her outreach, should know Lucius' name and a general idea of who he is.)

by **Nova** December 8th 2015, 11:47 am

Lucius Alba.

As she moves rapidly towards the signal, a memory unfolds in the time between nanoseconds. In that moment, she is not here and it is not now.

It's the wee hours of the morning and she is in a lab located beneath Caen corporate headquarters. Her father, Dr. Caen, is there of course (when was he not?), standing amongst his team of specialists. Strewn about the workstations are the shattered pieces of what used to be her body, decimated after the incident with the Guardian in London. She is in an identical replacement, but In the wake of this performance, her father has ordered a laundry list of tweaks and improvements. At the moment, nobody is working on these. He and his night crew are gathered round the trid, watching the news, and the general atmosphere is one of anxiety. They are watching a former Eastern bloc country transform into a metahuman state in what might be the most efficient coup d'état in history. She studies her father even as he watches the trid, noting his tense expression, his mouth growing tighter and smaller until she thinks it might disappear altogether.

Lucius Alba.

She hears that name, again and again, though this is far from the first time he's made news. Her father has made mention of him before, usually with little good to say. Even so, they were colleagues of a sort, working in parallel scientific fields. Even when decrying him as terrorist, Dr. Caen always spoke of Alba in a tone of grudging respect, the way an aging silver medalist might speak of the guy who bested him and won gold. What she'd found on the extranet mostly echoed her father's negative sentiments. It was easy to find an opinion on Alba, much harder to find concrete information on the man himself. Which perhaps was why she, and by extension her father, never considered him capable of walking into a country and walking out with ownership papers. Not by himself, at least.

Abruptly, the trid is paused as stock footage of Alba's suit is shown. Dr. Caen sets the remote down as his team turns towards him, questioning.

'Gentlemen, I fear we have thought too small,' her Maker says with a calmness that doesn't suit his demeanor. He removes his glasses, cleaning them with his sleeve, and it's one of the rare times he looks his age. 'We've been bandying about a solution against the metahuman threat. But as you can see, we've been made fools of. It's just been demonstrated, on no uncertain terms, that this world is their plaything.'

There's silence from the techs. At length, one speaks up. Lance. 'Sir, we did a presentation for the Pres… former President of Belarus. He declined our services. This isn't on us.'

'It wouldn't have mattered.' Dr. Caen extends an arm towards the twisted bits of scrap that was formerly her body. 'In the end, it only took but one superpowered individual to defeat Nova, using naught but his hands and small arms. Now we're facing what could soon become a country full of them.'

'So what's the play?' Lance again.

Dr. Caen sets his glasses back on his nose. 'We go tougher. Faster. Stronger. We build something that can defeat a Necrodium. Or a Vexus. Or that.' He points to Alba's masked visage, frozen on the screen. 'And we do it now. Today. Before the rest of them follow his example, and realize how easy it would be to go from oppressed to oppressor.'

And she's back, midstride, leaving jagged footprints in the lifeless dirt. She's running faster than a tricked-out Mustang in a body that doubles as an armory and she's on her way to meet her adversary, now only a few hundred meters away. If this were a different time and place, now would be the perfect opportunity to do humankind a favor and see what that armored suit of his had to say about her railgun.

But that moment and place has passed, lost in time, just like her. Now comes the mystery of how Lucius Alba--whether it be him, someone masquerading as him, or an entire different version of him altogether--figures into her sudden arrival in this dying world.

'It's good to hear from you, Mr. former Prime Minister. My name is Nova.' The voice transmitted over the frequency is all roses and rainbows. 'I just arrived here from Manhattan a few minutes ago, and no offense to your beautiful country or its scenery, but I'd really like to be getting back. I was hoping you might know of a way?'

She spots him, an intimidating figure clad in robes and metal, and slows as she makes her approach. She's calm and relaxed, playing it Bogart, as if she weren't strolling up to what could possibly be one of the most dangerous men in the world.

Spoiler:

by **Red** December 9th 2015, 11:16 pm

Nova? That name rang a few bells in Lucius' head. Mostly because when creating Hector he did some pretty extensive research on all AI technology currently available. She was quite the achivement really, but if she rivaled Hector remained to be seen as he didn't have such intricate details on her. Regardless, she was here for one reason or another, whether she was the one from his time or another version entirely.

Knowing what Lucius knew of Caen Corp suggested this thing could be hostile, especially considering her encounter with his old enemy Jeisen. But he ended up tearing her apart, so she couldn't be THAT dangerous. But Lucius wasn't going to underestimate her, no, doing so so long after that incident and disregarding the possibility of improvements to her design was the action of a fool.

"Don't give me false kindness, we both know what your purpose is. So cut the tone. We also both know the situation, unless i overestimated your design. Please tell me you have a better idea of how we got here then I." Lucius said, seconds after catching sight of the android. He was ready for anything, but he retained his casual and confident posture, almost briskly walking toward her. Whatever the AI decided to do was entirely up to her, they didn't have to be enemies here, but if they became so....Lucius had the home field.

"You're even more impressive in person, dear." Lucius said once he got into speaking range. He wasn't buttering her up or anything, but as a scientist he truly appreciated the technology he was scanning. Wasn't exactly his style, but it was nice none the less.

At this point it was a pretty sure thing the residence of the new Sanctuary were very much aware of the two walking above them. What they would do about it though was unknown. Hostile action wasn't likely really, but Nova and Lucius would likely make contact of some sort with this timelines people soon enough.

((Great post, loved it. I look forward to seeing how this plays out.))

by **Zell** December 10th 2015, 12:09 am

There were noises in the distance, what sounds like motors growling, and what sounds like the whistle and hiss of jets within the air. To look above and around one would see nothing, one would detect nothing out of the ordinary, however there was in fact a crescendo of noises not far away.

by **Nova** December 10th 2015, 6:15 pm

'You like?' The smile she offers is cordial, if not perfunctory. 'I'm hoping to be deployed in greater numbers to a few more cities worldwide. Might make it to Warsaw or Kiev, you never know.'

Nova feels him probing her, checking her capabilities. She quietly does the same to his armor, and comes to realize why her father holds him in such high regard as a fellow scientist. It's every bit the technological marvel she is, and that's just what she can glean from a surface scan. The signals it puts out are visible, but sport a dynamic encryption, hinting at an onboard intelligence. Any hacking attempt would be immediately detected. As for its physical capabilities, hyper directional movement is her forte; in this wide open landscape, he's got her at a respectable disadvantage… but not enough that he'd go unscathed. Like two opposing nuclear superpowers, they're at a stalemate. Mutually assured destruction! Their relationship is off to a great start.

It truly is him, the Alba from her timeline. Fascinating. On the one hand, based on what he's saying, he's just as out of sorts as she is. That raises exponentially more questions than it answers; so much for him possessing the means to get home. On the other, she has been granted an unprecedented opportunity to gather information on an enigmatic figure.

'As for how we got here… my findings show that we're either in a future timeline, a parallel Earth, or both,' she continues. 'Considering that in our timeline, temporal and intradimensional displacement is still within the realm of scientific theory, I'm thinking some form of magic is what brought us here. And I doubt us arriving so close to each other is other is coincidence. So unless you've a spellbook stashed in there somewhere, our best bet in getting home is to pool our--'

She's interrupted by a great clamor in the distance. What sounds like an armada of air and land vehicles. The din increases in amplitude, yet she's not picking up anything in their vicinity. Alarming. She starts scanning the area in different spectrums, magnifying her vision to scope the horizon.

'Friends of yours, I hope?' She doesn't sound particularly hopeful.

by **Red** December 15th 2015, 3:07 am

An army of these things was an interesting prospect, one Lucius had considered before. However, he wasn't looking for a world patrolled by robots. No, he wanted to improve the world for humanity. He wanted to use technology alongside genetic research to forge a better world, not make a real life Skynet. Anyway, the findings of the android were nothing he didn't already know, so he just sighed in irritation. A mention of pooling of resources was mentioned, but Lucius doubted even with their advanced technology they could make some kind of time machine, or anything that would really assist in bringing them home.

But before he could even comment on it, Lucius heard the sound of aircraft and ground vehicles, unmistakable. He started to mule over his scanners to pick anything up that would help to find out if these things were hostile or not, but considering the whole future timeline thing and the probable use of advanced stealth systems, he would probably have to wait until he saw them with his own eyes.

"I sure hope they still are." Lucius said with a faint chuckle as he started walking at a steady pace toward the sounds, might as well meet them as they would catch them eventually. He started to wonder if his people still controlled this land, or a version of them. But at this point any contact was welcome, he needed the info to figure out what was going on.

by **Humanity** December 15th 2015, 11:51 pm

They began their trek towards the noise previously heard in hopes of finding the allies or perhaps versions of allies that Lucius had accumulated previously. Though the closer they got to this noise, the more apparent it was that the lands that Lucius once owned were no longer the same. The city itself was finally visible and from it the light seemed to shine and glare off occasionally, giving glimpses of a floating construct over where there had once been an imperial palace. Now there was now only ruins and the loud noise from up above. There, above the palace was a ship, or a construct of some kind. The likes of this were perfectly impossible for their time period, this was the work that a Sci-fi world would have in their Sci-fi. The large construct appeared to be some form of vertical tower that levitated over the ruins and connected into the ground by a pale golden-yellow light. Looking over the construct it appeared to look like some form of horrifically mis-shapen pine-cone, the way several jagged edges stuck out from all directions, as if it were an inverted flower bud with razor blades for petals poking out of the sides.

Whatever this yellow light was, it was quite obviously connected to the circular opening at the tip of this "inverted bud" and it was obviously connected directly to the concept that this "thing" was floating so high in the air. The closer they approached the more the device began to flicker on and off, suddenly appearing before their very eyes and then vanishing. Perhaps it was a camouflage effect of some kind, or a stealth generator. Of course the closer they came, the sooner they'd come to realize just why this device was so far advanced beyond anything in their timeline. The sooner they came close to this device there was an immediate stillness that came across not only their mind, but to the advanced android's programming, immediately rendering all noise into white noise. From there forward there were obvious little "whispers" and subtle changes to the area around them. Whatever this thing was, it was a rather strange device, and it's function still remained unknown.

by **Nova** December 17th 2015, 1:43 pm

When the source of the racket comes into view, Nova turns to her armored companion. 'Not sure what kind of infrastructure you set up as prime minister,' she says, regarding the massive floating ~~contraption~~ ~~vessel~~ object with naked wonder, 'but I'm guessing it didn't include that.'

Her search for answers has brought her to the precipice of what was once a city, now a crumbling, ruined shade of itself. Cement and twisted rebar reach for the sky in crooked talons, the death throes of what was once an architectural marvel. The clamor rises in fervor as she nears the city limits, seemingly generated from the misshapen ~~structure~~ ~~machine~~ thing hovering ominously over the ruins like an apocalyptic sword of Damocles. It's a blossom of broken angles and barbed edges, like a 3d print of a Picasso painting, and even with all the abundance of computing power at her disposal, she has trouble making sense of the thing.

But driven by an imperative to strive for knowledge and perfection, sense is what she seeks. That, and the vital need to advance her parent company's interests, even in this strange timeline. So upon observing the anomalous airborne tower, a trigger is enacted, a line of code not much longer than this sentence. A mathematical bit of reasoning that, if translated to human thoughts, would look something like this:

My God, the fabbing power this thing must require to stay aloft! The mechanics of it all! If Caen Corporation could reverse engineer a tenth of this technology, the resulting patents would propel the company to exponential heights. She is her father's daughter, after all.

The golden light emanating from the lower tip of the structure falls into the city, but is obscured by what few structures remain standing. In order to reach it, she'd have to pick her way through the rubble-filled streets--an increasingly forbidding prospect, given the eerie stillness of the area. There's something about this fractured city that doesn't sit well with her. The rising sound of static clinging to her sensors, for one. And the fact that they still haven't seen anyone yet. By the time she breaches the city limits and first observes the tower vanish, the static has become full-blown interference, impeding her sensors with white noise.

She momentarily pauses to observe the floating anomaly strobing in and out of existence, and when she discovers that it vanishes across every spectrum she has access to, curiosity gives way to caution. There's something else riding on top of the interference, but it's an elusive thing, an indecipherable ghost. A gibbering sound to her left catches her attention, but when she looks there's nothing there. Another from behind spins her around, her hand reflexively clutching the Siren at her back, and she thinks she catches a shimmer--a touch of heat radiation, perhaps--but when she replays the moment in her memory, all is clear.

'Ah.' Her face sours and she taps her ear, like one might when trying to clear it of water after exiting a pool. 'Are you catching this interference too?' she asks Alba, but whatever's in the air seems to swallow her words. Instead, she confers to him via radio transmission.

When she turns back towards the floating device, her eyes zero in on a two-story tenement, sheared roughly down the middle, a mound of bricks piled beneath a gaping wound exposing the second story. She catalogs everything she sees, and by her count, there were 406 bricks littered about the foundation from where she stands. Except now, there's exactly half that number, and no matter how many times she checks her recordings, it comes back to 203. She consults Alba via radio once more.

'Whatever that thing is… I believe it's putting out some kind of signal as a defensive measure. Not very kind to my optics and aurals, but could be that it just doesn't like nonorganics.' She cranes her neck to face him, observing him carefully. 'What about you? Are you noticing anything… odd? Well, odder than...' she makes a sweeping gesture around them.

Above and ahead of her looms the structure, at once ~~there~~ not there.

by **Red** December 19th 2015, 4:21 pm

"No, no it didn't....." Lucius said as he looked down at the city below. Minsk, Lucius recognized it....sort of. He knew it was the city only because according to Hector they were near the Sanctuary, and the capitol was the city he had built it under. But it was horribly disfigured, ruined. All he had worked for in the last few months flashed before his eyes. Was it all for nothing? Maybe, but right now he didn't have time to think about his legacy, that would come after he found some sign of who now owned the city.

The thing that would catch his eyes for the most part was obviously the massive construct. It looked as if it were nothing but light, and its shape only brought up questions of its function rather then answered them. What was clear however, was that this was something far beyond his time. Something perhaps he couldn't even comprehend. He stood stoic as ever, glaring at the ruined city and its yellow cone as the light reflected off his optics. What was going on?

Once the android started moving, so did Lucius. Keeping his steady walk and going no faster. He wasn't one to run or even sort of jog, how could you keep such good posture if you were doing that? Each step brought questions to his head as his boots crackled with the gravel and dirt.

Where are my children?

Am i dead?

Did i create this world?

Did i fail to bring all that i promised?

He got closer, and his complete despair for this time increased as he did. Even if this was not his own future, it was horrible how any verison of him could fail so masterfully. How did this happen? He had envisioned a better world by this time, instead it was thirty times worse. But to the matter at hand. He started scanning the construct, but of course it started to flicker and he couldn't get a lock on it. Oh well, he doubted it would do any good either way. So they would just continue on, searching.

Eventually Lucius' mind was.....scrambled? Perhaps that wasn't the word. It was more like he was drawing a blank, he couldn't even think to put his feet in front of him, yet he could speak to himself in his head just fine. What....was going on? Soon he heard whispers, looming and moving. White noise, radio interference. At one point he beileved someone to be behind him, mustering up his willpower to unsheathe Cora Zen and whip around to perhaps strike anyone there, yet there was no one.

"Agreed. Could possibly be a radiation of some kind, or perhaps a metahuman ability. I don't believe it to be purely technological in nature as it seems to be effecting us both. But whatever it is, it's extremely dangerous. I could never properly defend myself like this." Lucius said over his radio to the android as he re-sheathed his weapon. He didn't care that he just told a potentially hostile android he wasn't at %100 capacity. She could try at any time, he didn't care. Might as well test their little alliance sooner rather then later.

Perhaps this wasn't just a 'defensive' measure. Lucius could see it being used to kill anyone foolish enough to approach the place. But then again, maybe everything was not as he thought it was. It was the future and this tech was too advanced to understand after all.

by **Humanity** December 19th 2015, 10:16 pm

Their questions and wonder of the strange contraption would soon be answered, but not before Lucius sheathed his sword and the observation of the site was allowed to sink into the Androids processes. While Lucius began to enact his own thoughts and plans the whispers reached the android, sinking in and growing like a tumor as it waited. Soon enough a temporary modification would be made to the ring before the white noise turned to radio static in the automaton's mind. The next thing to be heard was breathing. Slow, shallow breathing in an eerie and methodical manner. Given the intellectual capacitu of the given robotic, it would likely be able to observe the fact it's own invisibility generated effects seemed to somehow syncronize with the breathes, every inhale allowing the brief disapperance before a raspy and weak exhale hisses revealing the construct.

T͔̜̻̩͇̠̫̫̗̼̜̠̎̾̎̏̀ͦͧ̃̌̋̅ͬͣͨ͐ͦ̍h̟̞̖͈ͮ͋̌̿̆ͪ̿͆̑͑̚e͉̣̰̜̦̣̗̘ͦͩ͊̒͒̎̈̐ͣ͛ͫ͐͊̽ͅř̘̺̪̖̖͚͓̣̰̰̳̗̏̍̃͗ͣ̑̇̆ͪͨ̒͗̾͐̎͊̃e͖̪̟̤̫̩͎̥̺̞͚͎̐ͤ͂̏͋̂ͨ̄ ̥̳̳̠͖̾ͨ͑̾͛̏͊̔ͫͩ͑̔̓ͫ͐ͅa̼̤͉̘̝͈̳͚̭̮̲̰̟̜̮͓͚̝̒̀͗̆̂͛͛̽ͤ͂ͮ̚r̺͖͇͇͖̣͍̥̞̼̹̩̰͑ͬ̿̓̂ͪ͊ͦ̾̾̅̽̽ͮ͆͌ͦ͒̄ͅḙ̮͙̝̰͖̮͇͌͐ͭͮͬͥ̿͒ ͖̫͍̞͇͕̀̀͗ͥ͋t͙̹̜͕̗̹̻̟̩̜̳̩̥͙͔̮̯ͦ̋̌̒ͯ̇ͮ͆̀̒ͣ̂͌ͯ̇̽͐ͪ̀h̰̦̫͇̗͑̔̊͗̽͐ͩͦ͂̈́̉̐ͬͥͧͧ͗ͅi̖͔͈̳͍̩̤̹̗̤͂̃ͬͤͯͧ̔̐͑̈́̆͗ͤ͒̇n̙̩̺̣̼͈̩ͥͯͣ̓͒̇̎͋g͖͇̟̼͙̬͍̬̥͉̜̮̱ͧ̈͐̿͆͂̿ͫ͆̓͒̇ͣ̏s̱͙͔͎̙̞̠͓̘̗̪̤͗̍̍͗͌̽̑̚ ̲̝̖͖͕͕̖̯͉͎͍͓̮̲͔̰͎̳̃͗̋͌̈̍͆͌̃͋͌̚̚ͅt̩̺̖̜̎͑ͨͭ̄ͣ̈́h̼̼̠̮̭̼̤̤͉̺̞̩̻̫̠̃͛̎̏̈́͒́͒ͨ̈ͮͩ̐ͅa͎̖̙̳̯̬̜̹͚̖̬̠̼̠̫͖̖̮̼͋͆̃ͯ̇t̼͚̳̬̰͓̪̖͇̂ͦ̿̎̈ͅ ̣͇͇̘͓̝̣̺̣̲̘͖̰̲̖̖̿ͤ̽ͤ̌͗ͩ̃ͪ͛w̪̬̣̤̯͔̝͔͖̯͔͙͈̪̉̋̃̅͆͊͐͌͊͊ͅe̮̞̞̹̮̬̻̪͛ͯ͆̓ͫ͗̽ͣ̀ͬ̄ ̥̙̗̤̞̆̿͛̑̊͗̈́ͣ͂ͫ̂a͖̠̙̖͍̜͎͓̘̝̺̳͚ͫ̏̊̈ͮͭ̋̎̊̊ͫ̾ͅͅr̝͕̹̩͉̼̯̙̹͇̝̈̒̎̾̒e͚̝̰̯͕͉̬̩̫̹̫̻̗̺̲̞̘̿̒͛̇ͨ̂̆̎ͅ.̤̠͙̮͉͖̹̠̗̙̱̖̀̽ͮ̋ͅͅ ͖͇͇̝̖̱̣̻̗̩͉͙͚̘͔̞͈͇ͧ͊̿̈̇ͮ̃̽͂̊̆͂̿̆ͫ͆ͪ̚ͅṰ̯̘̯͍̮̣̠͔͉̟͍̰͗͒̾͋̊̔ͨ̚ͅh̘͙͚̱̟͓̗̜͓̻̟̭͓̺̳̘ͪ̌ͪ̒̀̐̚e̫͍͔͔̾̋͑̓ͤ̐̍ͩͨͭ̿̄̽ͩr̰̝̩͍̻̠̺̝̲̳͎͇͈̰̝̪͊͌̾ͤͪ̈̆̀ͪ͛ͅe͉̪͇͙͉̥̖͇̳͔̙̮̪̥̱̝ͬ̊ͨ͗ͅ ̲͉̰͍̹̼̪͌̐̋̋̏̔̾̿̊̏̾̈́͆̑́̑̿a̖̜͉͚͙̖͎̘̮̮̰̻̬̮͋ͫ̑́͋͋ͤ́̓ͅȑ̖̲͙̟͈ͥͥͬ͗̇ͥ͂͛́̓ͣͨe̬̥͓̰̙̪̞̦̓̈́̓ͭ̒̇ͫ̇̂̀̇͒͛ͅ ̗̮̯͔̘̦̥͔̗̅̾̀ͮͫ͌̂ͮ̍̃͂͐̚t̪̫̮̬̥͇͖̥͖̼͙̗͉͎̫̓ͨ͛͛̄ͮ̎̈̎ͅͅh͎̱̝͕̮͔̻͉̺̜̜̙͍̦͉͕̪̉͆͐̋ͣͬ͛ͤi̪̼͉̼̮̞̘̤̍͗ͧ̈́͒ͬͦ̿͑n͈̙̥̠̝̗͖͈̖̰̦̲͇ͯ̓̈́̿͐̐ͅͅg̞͓̼̭͔͇̘͓͖̟̳̥̗͙̝ͪͯͯ̋ͯ̈ͤͮͤͫ̀̋ͭ͛s̤̺̰̳ͪ͂ͣ̂̊̿ͣ͋̽͆ͧ̽̑ͣͯ̅̉̑ ̟̙̦͔͎̭̗̻̞̒͛̐̊̂͊ͤ͒ͫ̚w̥̟̮̦̘̭͖̤̱͚̑̓̀̓ͭͭͤ̓̋͗è̤̝̺̦̥̘̞̮͇͉̟̼͐͌ͬͬ̏̄ͭͣ̔̾̌͐͆̍ ͚̙̤̖̝̰ͨ̀ͧͨ̉͋ạ̮̻̲̺͖̠̥̣̮͖̙̟͈̼͍ͯ͌ͭ͒͆̍̃ͥ̉̚r̖͇͎̩̻͎͖̦̯͌̇̌ͣͬ̽̃͊ͤͦ̾ͥ̍̉ͨ̍ͪͥe̬͚̤̫͌ͫ̀̌ͬ̀ͯ̍͛̔ͥ̉̚ ̟̟̜͇̹̳͎̅̒̓ͩͥ͋̈́̑̓ͤͭ͑ñ͔̲͉͈̳͓̍ͪ̇ͧ̅ͭͬ̀̍̄̂̏ͨ̋o̪̼͚̙̲͐̉ͣͣ̊̓͐ͬ̔t͕̳̼̫̫̦̜͎̪̝̖̙͉̲̝̪̰ͭ̀͌̂̔̅̔.͎͔̯̰̘͕͖̤̰̘̲̻̥̤̤͂ͩ̇͑ͥ́̔̐̆͒̈́̚̚
̘̻̼̟͉̥͓̲̜͕̘̼̙̥ͨ͊̈́ͭ̒ͅÍ͙̞̗̥͎̱̥̻̟̹̂ͯ̈́ͅ ̟̼̩̪͚̹̤͚̎ͥ̅͐ͧ͋̊̋͆ͧ̒k͙̤̹̗͚͎̖̯̻̪͎̱͉͎̻̲ͦ͂̍͐́ͮ͂ͣ̃̏̂͂ͦ͋̊ͣͩͅn̦͓̳͈̜̜͈͇̫̟ͤͧͩ͂̍͋͒̐̄̋ͧͥͮ͒͋̽͐̄̚ȯ͇͇͙̲̗͈͎̫͙̟̺̣͇̱͙̝̘̤́̍ͫ͊ͮ̒ͬͫ̄̐̋̄̉ẘ̝͔͍̮͎͙̱͈̐̈́̏̾͛ͯ͊̅̐ ̳̼̘̥̬͔̞̝͓̭̝̰̦͖̙̺̲̠ͨ̆̂̚ͅñ̟̪̤͇̬̼̹͇̫̠̋̊ͮͯ̐́́ͤ̾̍̍̄o͈̤̹̗͓̙̯̰͎̒́ͪ̉͊t͔͚̺̟͐͒̓͆ͧ̉ͯ̀̔̆ͮ͐͂͆ͩ͋̚ ̮̲̯͕̥̣̹͉̗̬̼͍̮̹ͮ́̂ͨ̂̐ͩ̂̚w͇̜͓̼̻̼͛͛ͣͩͥ͛̃h̖̗͚̟͎̮ͤ̈͊͗̔̅̆̅̊ͦ͛̈́̾͒͌̒̄̂ḁ͚̦̝̘̟̪̤͈͔͉͓͇͇̅ͤͣ̃̃ͦ͂̈́ͅͅͅt̳̬̘̳̞̠̤͖̼̩͕ͤͯ͋͛̆̄̂̌ͩ̿͛ͬ͊̐ͪ̂ ̰̘̖͈̙ͤ̾ͭẏ̬̞̫̪͖͚̰̜̙̘̥̯̤ͫͣͪ̂̓͐͂ͮ̚o̘̠̞̹͎͓͓̪͙͓͍͍̤̦̞̼̻͚̹̓͑̎ͩ̾̿ͯͧu̟̞̗̜̠̖̞̖̖̳̲̗͖̺͉͔̝͙̍ͮ͆͋ͯ̏̅̾́ͩ̄͌ͪ̾͊͛ͩͅ ̱̘͍̞͎̳͕̙̞̞̥̆ͪͨͤ́̊̿̓̾ͥ͐ͅā̹̱͚̘̣̈́͑̽̑ͨ̍ͭͨͭ̽ͅr̹̠̙̖̫̼̪̥͖͎͚͖̣̰̥̹̙̲̭̒̾́͊̒ͭ̎͌̐̄͋͌ͩ̾ͥͭ̉̚e͔̬̯̣̹̟͖̥͈ͩ͐̏͋ͮ̄̓́͗ͮ̄͊̈́̈́.̮̟̲̣̲̩͓̟̣̖͔͙̰̲̋͒̋̍͌ͫ̆̍̋̿͑ͣ
̩͈̤͇͓̖͖̙͍̩͇̖͕͈̿ͧ̂ͦͮͯ̊̀̌́͌ͫ͗̀ͫ́̋͛ͬͅB̬͉̪̬͓͍̻͈̪̟̼̥̹̤̪͊ͫ͆̿ͪ̊ͯͮ̂̓͌̒͒̂͛ͮͅu̘͙̮̓̾ͮͦt̻͚̳͚̮̮̳̘͇̠̩̤̬̣̬ͦ̾̓̏͛͊ͮ̽ͮ ̞̲͚͕͍̺̞̠̫̤͙͇̬̪ͨ̑̽̽̂̆̌͂̓̿ͧ͑̈́̃̓ͥ͑͋̌I̝̝̦̳̞̞̬̺͍̥̱͓̼͈͍̜̥͑ͥ̂̾ͫͬ̾ ͖̥͉̺̳̙̥̥̙̣͖̙͇̟̱͈̝̰̰͂ͥ̑̈̿̾̆k̻̯̠͚̗̻̗͓̪̯͈͂̑͋̈̄͐ͥͮͥ͐̀ͨ̊n̫̹̟͚͚̬͓͉͎̖͉̬̰̩͍͙̲̱͛͒͛͗̔̿́ͣ̐̄̃͊̏ŏ̻̠̝̳̱̬͔̥͎̳̤͚̻̰͔̼͗ͯ͆͗ͯ́ͬͩw͉̞̭̖͚̪̘̿̓̅͋̔ͪ̏͒̐ͭ̃̅ͧͣ̃ͤ͊ͅ ̪̲̟̰̖̙́ͩ̐̋ͯw͕̪̮̱͕̺̣͕̥̠̬͚̘̪͚̥̩̏̅̓̌͛̓h̩̙̱̮͎̱̜͙̠͔̖̜͙̘͋̇͋ͤͤͦ̉ͩ̇ͨ͊̇̑̐̚ͅa̦͉͉̣͚̩̼͇͆ͤ̍ͭͫ̓ͦ͌̆̃̍̄ͮͪ͂t̤̱̲̘̪̦̮̖͍̲̻̬͇̪̝̰̔ͥͬ̔͒̿̓̀͊̇̎ ͇͓̭̗̜͚̙͈̩͕ͤͨ̈́̃ͧ͗̚y̯̟̯̼͍͚̦̮̩͍͉̩̤̙̲̟ͫ̓́͗͗͐̉͒̎̿̓̽ͨ̑͆ͥ̅̔ō̗̖̺̳̌ͫ̋ͩ͌̾̈ͫu̫̟͇͓͇̮͓̮̼̝̤̙̙͕̝̳̺͚ͮ̓͊ͪ̋̎̂ͭͩ̆ ̦͍̯̗͔͛̌̂̀̎̅ͧ̋̇â͈̹͕͓̯̟͔̟̲͚̘̼̺͓̬͇̩͒͛̽̊ͣ͆́͌̓̋̑̍̅ͮ̔ͅr̖̠͓̺̺͍̖̬̤̾̑ͥͣ͋e̤̗͇̯̩͚̹̰̫̜͇̟̯̝̦̲̻̓̇̈̽̀ͨ̂ͣ̍̓ͤ̚ ̮͓͕̣ͭͭ̄ͫ̑̇ͅn̠̫̹̞̯̱͇͊̈ͦͩ̈̐ͦ̂̂̅̽̿̾ͣ̂̅̉̚̚o̖͙̞̲͍̮̙͍̪͕͓̖̜̜͋́ͫͧ̓ͮ͋̊̈̂̊̾t͍̼͔̤̜̩̰͍͖̎͊̌ͪ̓͂̏ͣ̈́̊ͧ͑̌ͪ͌͂̃ͅ.̮̯̟̜̯̅̓ͮ̎̆̔̀͐̑̂͑̅̌̈́́͋̚̚
̭͍̙̻̩̖̣̖͙̮͕̗̪̹̯̤̪̊̈̊̀̃̑̿̓ͤ̏ͥ͂̅̇ͧ́͛́͆Y̖̫̝̬͖̦̪͕͙̩̎̃̏̚o͔̙̜͖̦̘̣͍͉͔̭͙͔͉͛̽̈́ͥ̉ͦͣ̅̿ͫ̒̆ͩ͐ͣ̚ͅu̥̝͍̟̭͙͇̯̦ͩ̔́ͤͫͧͭ͊ͣ ͙̪͉̟͚̰̋̎̒͐ͨ̏̉͐̓̽̒̋͒̆͐a̝̻̗̯̱͍͍͕̞͕͇̪͚̽̈̽͐̾̈́ͫ̇̀ͫͩ͋̄͊͌̚ř̭͇͈̍̈́ͦ̏̌ͥ̓ͅͅë̦̰͎̠̣̺̰̳͇́͌ͤͨ̓͑̐̑̒̌ͯ̃̈̑̄̓ͅ ̟̼̩̗̟̬̤̝̻̙̙̞͚̠̝̹̥ͥ͋̀̂̓ͅn̠̮͖͓͐ͥͦͫͫ̍̚o̳̼̥̦̟̟̹̻͇̬̟̻͇̭̓̄̆͆̍̊͌ͣ̉̓ͨ͑̉̾ͫ͂̚t̝̺̜̳̰̯̼̽̾̉ͣ̅̎͌̏̈́ͬͦ͌̚̚ ͕̖̠̳͔̦̰̜̪̯̞͈̟̰̹͕͕̞̭ͥ̑͂̀͐͌ͫ̏̐t̖͈̣̤̣̖̦͔͕͙͑̽̒̂ͥͫͯ̒ͨ̌̚ͅh͈͍̦̜̜̤͖̥̼̼͎̪͍̗͓̬ͨͦ̓́̓̎̓̇̾̂̇ͅȇ̝͔̣̱̲͔͈͓͚͎̫̣͋̄ͯ̏̐ͧͩͫ̋̆͑ ̱͉̪͍͔͈̮̳͉̖͑̄̃͆̑͆̉̈͗̂ͪͬͪ̍ͤͮͣ̚ͅP̖̯͎̝̜̪̝̖̒̅̈ͯͪͦ̍̐̄ͩ̈́r̲͎͕̺̠̙̤̩̙͍̮͎̹̦̭ͯ̎̐̿͑̌͊͆̓̓ͩ̇̅̒ͩ̅ͦͫͧō͉̺̩̟̲̲͙̫̝͇̪̮̪̃ͬͤͥ͐̾͗̃̍ͯ̑̎ͥg̹̪̺̼̮͎̔͆̉ͦͮ̄ͩ̇̐ͧ͋̂͒̚ͅë͔̪̩͎͓͚̭̗̻́ͨ͂͐̈́̃ͦͩ͌n̲̭̼̲͙̬̓̉̀ͨͤ͛͋̂͒̂̿ͧ͑̅̄i̭̱͎͓̠̲̖̖͓͇̖̳͒̋ͬ͌ͬ͑̆̄ͥ͒ͤ̄͊́̄́͛̚ͅt̫͓͔͉͚͚̙̭̫͕͈̲͚̅̿ͧͧ̈́ͫ̚̚o͉̣̲̞̮̹̼̮͔̖̤̙̫͓̖ͦ̽ͤ̀̂͑̇ͥ̈͂͐̓͌̎̐̊̃͊̚r̘͉͉̤̳͈͈̻̖̭̼̬̣̆ͨͧ͆.̗͖͔̭̰ͮ͗̎̔̉͌͐͊͌̃ͨ.͉̜̜͓͚͚̤̠̯͖̗̠͕͆ͯ͒̏̃͛̒ͬ̔̈́͒̄̈́.͇̭̣̯̱͉̗̖̈́̾̈́̈ͣͤͦ
̫͓͔̗͖͕͕̟́̈̐̍͋͆I̞͔̫̙̖̜͇̹̙ͥ̄̓̿̾f͖̪͚̯̜̣͖̞̬̖̩̱̠̪̞̤̦̞̽ͯ̈̌ͥͣ͆̒̈́͂̾̚ ̲͇̲̘̜͈̱̤͚̮͚͎͉͍̫̯͓͑̈́ͮ̇͊̇̌ẏ̹̝̘̻̺̳̤̙͉̲͉̜̃̾̌̊̎ͧ̑͌̔ͪ̅̃ͪo͖̫̱̬̺̳͍͎̤̝̦͈̠̜̭̬͔͕͚͂̐ͥ͗̽̃ͨ̑̓͂͒͌ù͍̰̩̮̫͕͂̅ͪ͗͛̅͐̍̂̈ͣ̇͐̽̾ͤ̊ ͎̙̟̼͚̳̜̯̭̲̹͊ͥͣ̀̉̽͑ͥa̰͖͖̲͎̩̯͔͚̗̳͓̩͕͕̤̣̠͋͊͌̒̓͒͆r͙͙͇̥̺̯͙̱̝͈̟̯̥̻͋͑͊ͣ̓̌̓͊͂̈̔ͥͬ͐͒e̖̫͖̙̮̮̞̩̫̦͙̮̜̥̲̪̳ͭͬ̂ͫͯ̐̑ͣ ̻̹̼͕͇̠̟͈̪͓̱̹͈͖͚̭ͣ̓̈ͯͦͮ̉͊̽͌͐̐ͥͯ̔ͨͅn̺̙̬̺̘̳̳̺͇̩̦̘̟̥̗ͤ̍̋̌ͫ̌̂ͯͮo̬̝͓̦̤͎̮͕̩̩̦͐̋̽̃͋͌ͦ͗ͨͭͪͮ̆̌ͣ̿̈̚t̩͖̘̻̻͚ͦ͑ͮ̿͒̀ͣͪ̃ͪ͊̋ͅ ̮̫̺̮͕̑̓ͥ̽ͅo̜̭̹̭̠͎͙̲ͬ͑̓̿͗ͤ̓̆f͓̩͇̬̣͍͎̥͎̘̲̞͂̏͌ͫͦ͑̏ͪ̓̚ ̺̹̥͙̖̭̺̖̝͍̩̞̺̗̦͇̪̓̑́͒̈ͨ̉͊̋̽ͫͅt̹͚͇̦̱̄̒̈̈́̈h̳͔̫̜͚̞̞̺̹̹͊ͤ̏̊ͨ̓̋ͩ̏̈́ͧ̽͗̀ͦ̃e̤̪̘̺̙̬̥̰͔̻͈̥̐̆̂ͦ͑̓̿̈́ͅ ͈̪͚̺̹̙̲̊͒͗̓̄̆̚M̩͉̜̪̣̯̦̖̝̻̗̙̫̘̋͋ͪ̓̏̚ͅa͎̗͓̰̦͙̲̗͈͎̜͈̠ͨ̿̒ͩ̓ͯͭ̈́̒͛͌̃̽ͤ̚c͖̹̤̈́̿̉ͤͯh̹̥̝̝͕̥̱͈̺̞̐̌̃̀͑̏ͥ̏̔ͪͤͅi̩̤͚͖͚̜̘͍̠͙͂ͯ̏̄̐ͮ͂̉̔ͣ̄̊͗͒̈́ͨ͊̋́n̻̫̩̘͉ͦ͆ͥ̉͐̍̂̓̐͒͛̅̉ͪ̎̃̔ͧ̄a̪͚̠̰̎͐̈́̒ͦ͋̍̅͗ͤͦ̃̄̌ͤ̚ ̻̥͓̣͍̥͚͚̹̱̯̳͎̬̜ͣ̌̊̀͗͊t̩͙̖̲̫̝͙̬̲̱̟̭͓̓̄̐̓̏̋̿ḥ̜̯͔̳̣͔̭̥͓͔̼̟͉ͦ͑͊ͩ̓̿̀̋̂ͪ̉̊͐́͊e̹̹̯͓̺͋̍ͩ͆̒̽̅̔ͭ̓̊̓͑̓̑̐͂ͧn͎̬̝͍̯͊̄̋̂ ͙͖̱̺͉̙̘ͭ͆̓̔͌͂͛̚y͖͍̙̣̆̾̈̊͛́ͤͣ̏ͬ͛ͥ̅̎͗̚ͅo̪̹̗̦̩͈̮̲͖̤̗̿̓̾̓̒ͣͣ͒͂ͦ̾ͬͤͧ̆̍ũ̙̦̤̝̩͙͉͍̫͎͉̲ͭ͐ͩ͗͑ͭ̽͒͆ ͉̹̤͍̫̯͖͈͌ͭ̃̋ͦͫͮ̾ͬͨ́ͫ̉͆͒̚̚à͎̹̤̦̝̺̙͔̲̥͖̖̬̞̒ͤ̑ͫr͍̹͖͕̳͓͖̬̤̤͖̳̱̾́͆e̟̱̺̭̱͖̮͈͓̤̤̙̹ͫ͐̋̆̈́ͭ̎̇͛̾͑̃̉ͅ ͕͚̜͎̺̠̤͖̤̼̬̜̭̫̥̝ͨ̆̌c̼̬̲̳͉̺̬͓̮͈͍͔̾̒̄̇ͧ́ͥͤ̓̐͂͐ͫ͊ͅͅo͙̮͉̗̞̻̤̠̥͖͗̊̐ͦ͐̊ͤ̓̾͌ṃ̩̖̠̺̦̞̳͑̑ͣ͊͂̾͊ͥ̎͌͒̒̆p̩̩͕̭̺̬̭̱͈͙͓̅̈ͩ̑̔̍͛̂͑̏͛ͦ̿̆̍̍ͧ̚ͅr̩̻̤͖̩̟͊̍̈̇ͬ̾̎͂̒ͥ͗ͯ̋̿̀͛ͥo̫̜̭̺̻̘͖̖͎̮̪̩̽͒̒̌ͥ̿̾͛̒̓̃ͫ̀m̤͍͙̝̖̝̦̝͕͈̣̙̃̈ͮ̚i̯͙̙͗ͧͯ̊̿s̫͎͉̬̬̼̳̟̦̭͎̜ͪ̍̈̃̅ͣ͑̑e̲͚͕̜̺̱̰̗̪͋ͬ́̊̄ͭͮd̫̫̞̖̣̫̱̳̼͔̜̞̙͑̈́ͦ̉̊͗̃͋ͅ.ͧͣ̌

Just like this, the machine made contact with Nova, speaking to it and it alone. Meanwhile, Lucius would be left to his own designs for the moment, allowed to do as needed while this enigmatic force watched them.

̺̬͖̲͚͙̹͕̬̗͎̰̟̙̙̖͔̥͇̚

by **Nova** December 20th 2015, 7:40 pm

He's right. If the weird, leaden atmosphere is affecting him as well, then whatever's energies they're strolling towards isn't merely electrical interference. Then what possibilities does that leave? He'd suggested radiation; perhaps, though if that's the case, it isn't any sort that she can detect. A metahuman? Also possible, and Nova rather hopes that's the case. An intelligent hand behind all this can be reasoned with, and carries the opportunity for answers. She doesn't want to mention the rising chance of it being a magical aura, some kind of dweomer. This is already uncharted territory, and if they're up against the volatile forces that reshape reality, they could be sailing off the ends of the earth at any moment.

He's just as on edge as she is. Alba's helmet covers his face, but Nova reads his body language well enough, notes his tone when he speaks of the ethereal hindrance afflicting them both. Buried beneath the domineering armor is a man, and as dangerous as he might've been in 202X, here he's just a stranger in a strange land, just like her. Perhaps worse off, even; he doesn't have the advantage of being programmed to always seek out the eye of the storm. She takes a moment to silently register his weapon before it's sheathed (with but a surface scan, she presumes her titanium frame would stand up to it about as well as a hypocrite's throat to a guillotine) before responding.

'Listen.' Nova offers Alba an optimistic smile. 'We're going to be okay. It's no accident that we've wound up here together. I know you're a little discombobulated, I am too, but we have nowhere else to go but forward. If something comes outta the woodwork, we'll face it together.'

She extends her arm, intending to lay a reassuring hand on his pauldroned shoulder, but it abruptly vanishes from the hand up. She jerks it back in utter shock as it reappears, then vanishes again, this time taking half her body with it.

Something's activating her camouflage, which means there's been an intrusion. Whatever it is, her security systems never detected it--or was merely set at nines without triggering an alert. The static consumes her, taking over her chassis with the same effort one puts in trodding on an ant. Nova feels rather than hears something dreadfully close to her CPU--perhaps within it--exhale, for lack of a better word. And when it inhales, she vanishes completely. The static reaches a crescendo, overloading her sensors, and for Nova, everything goes whiter than spilled grits in a blizzard.

Her body remains there, mannequinlike, her mouth frozen in a grimace, staring blankly in the general direction of the cone of light. She pulses in and out of view, her thermoptic camouflage field synchronizing with the golden structure's vanishings. But for Nova herself, the base AI, she remains functioning in a way, surrounded on all sides by a heavily breathing consciousness she can only barely comprehend. Its message comes in a surplus of information that she must scramble to piece together. To her fast-working processors, it takes an eternity.

'The Progenitor? The Machina?' She sends back what she can, unsure if it will be understood. This entity, whatever it is, is all-encompassing. In the face of it, her meager code--the result of thousands of manhours and millions of dollars--might as well be a mote of dust in a sandstorm. She feels like Icarus must have felt in the face of the sun, at the moment when he noticed hot wax running down his arms. Her query is direct.

'Who are you?'

by **Red** December 21st 2015, 12:28 am

Was he getting sympathy from a robot? Yes, yes he was. Not the first time of course, Hector had spoke to him in such a way before. But it still felt slightly odd, perhaps because of it's position in the Uncanny Valley. Either way, it helped him at least realize he was showing some weakness, and that simply wouldn't do.

"I'm fine. I've faced reality manipulators and a dark half of myself ripped from my body. This is just another puzzle for me to solve." Lucius said, about to move the androids hand from his shoulder. Not rudely, but in a way that showed something like that probably wouldn't help him. Lucius dealt with his inner problems alone, he didn't need anyone else.

But before he did, he saw it disappear, flicker, just as the cone had been. And that's when his own tech went crazy, his sensors screeched, his HUD fluttered and glitched, and his stealth generator turned on and off just as the androids was. He couldn't gain control of it, and from the looks of it Hector was just as lost. He was about to hard reset it, but thats when the malfunction stopped, and Hector heard a breathing.....a voice. It had flawlessly managed to deeply penetrate the coding of Lucius' on-board systems, bypassing Hector. No one had done so in such a perfect way since Guilty Spark.

Hector immediately transmitted the message to Lucius as soon as it was heard, and from the looks of it it wasn't intended for them. It only really gave Lucius more questions in the end.....but maybe they could send a message back? Lucius wasn't able to send his own voice through such a deep encryption, it would take forever to convert the recording. So it looked like Hector was going to be the messenger.

"Find out what you can and keep the line open so i can hear." Lucius ordered, hearing the android respond to the voice as well.

"We are not of this time, and know not what you speak of. I am Hector, the AI of Lucius Alba. Whoever is listening, i request proper audience." Hector said back to the mysterious voice. He may have been interrupting, but then again it was better to get to the point rather then just asking what the thing was. Meanwhile, Lucius had managed to stabilize his technology. It took shutting a few things down, but at least it all wasn't going crazy.

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