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phantom-le6 · 3 years

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Episode Reviews - Star Trek The Next Generation Season 1 (3 of 6)

As we draw close to crossing the first month of 2021 off the calendar to make room for February, which in my view is only of use for Pancake Day and nothing more, I’m back with yet more reviews from the first season of Star Trek: TNG. Will these episodes prove any better than those of the first two rounds, or are we looking at more lemons with warp engines? Let’s find out…

Episode 10: Hide and Q

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

The Enterprise is en route to Quadra Sigma to aid colonists caught in a methane explosion when Q re-appears and demands that they abandon their mission to compete in a game. He teleports Commander Riker and the bridge crew, with the exception of Captain Picard, to a barren landscape and appears in front of them wearing a uniform of a Napoleonic era French marshal. He explains the rule of the game is to stay alive, and after Lt. Yar refuses to compete, he transports her back to the bridge of the Enterprise in a "penalty box".

Q returns to the bridge too, to talk Picard into setting a wager. He explains that the Q Continuum is testing Commander Riker to see if he is worthy of being granted their powers. Picard, having the utmost faith in his First Officer, takes the bet, as winning it would mean Q would get off their backs. Meanwhile, Riker and his team are attacked by what Lt. Worf reports as "vicious animal things" wearing French soldier uniforms from the Napoleonic era and armed with muskets that fire energy bolts instead of the classic projectiles. Q returns to Riker and tells him that he has granted him the powers of the Continuum, and Riker promptly returns his crew mates to the ship but remains behind with Q to ultimately reject the powers. Q brings the crew back to the landscape, this time without their phasers and with Picard. The crew are attacked once more by the aliens, and both Worf and Wesley Crusher are killed. Riker uses the powers of the Q to return the crew again and bring both Worf and Wesley back to life.

Riker makes a promise to Picard never to use the powers again and the ship arrives at Quadra Sigma. A rescue team beams down and discovers a young girl who has died. Riker is tempted to save her, but in the end, he refuses to do so out of respect for his promise. However, he quickly shows signs of regret at this decision, which he expresses to the captain. Tension between Picard and his first officer grows as Riker now seems to be embracing his powers, and his behaviour toward the crew begins to change. At Q's suggestion, and with Picard's blessing, Riker uses his powers to give his friends what he believes they want, turning Wesley into an adult, giving La Forge normal sight in place of his visor, and creating a Klingon female companion for Worf. All the recipients reject their gifts, however, with Data even anticipating and declining Riker's attempt to make him human. Picard declares that Q has failed, and when Q attempts to go back on his word, he is forcibly recalled to the Continuum. Picard is pleased to see Q gone, and praises Riker for confirming his trust in his "Number One".

Review:

There are two main reasons to enjoy this episode; Q and Picard. This is the first time since the pilot that we’ve seen Q and Picard interact, and it’s much better this time because both the actors are a bit more at grips with their characters. The scene in the Captain’s ready room between the pair where they both quote Shakespeare is one of the real highlights of the first season, a veritable miniature diamond in a season-long run of rough. In some respects, it’s almost a pity Picard-Q meet-ups aren’t more frequent, but ultimately, I think that they have to be done as little as possible to retain some impact in the later seasons.

Unfortunately, the episode lacks sufficient subtlety in trying to convey a story about power corrupting. The key reason why the Dark Phoenix story in the X-Men comics is a classic that no adaptation has ever effectively captured is because it involves Jean Grey being corrupted by power slowly, inch by inch, until circumstances push her over the edge. When the Primarch Horus is turned to Chaos in the Horus Heresy novels that form part of Warhammer 40,000 lore, it’s not an overnight transformation from the noble being he was to the power-mad tyrant laying waste to Terra years later. It’s a slow, gradual seduction by power, and a single episode of any TV show doesn’t give that.

As a result, the idea of Riker’s shift in character and attitude seems too rapid and falls flat. The only thing that doesn’t fall flat is how the rest of the cast reacts when Riker tries to act with benevolence. It’s a testament to each of them how they resist being granted their supposedly fondest wishes. I especially applaud Geordi and the autistic-like Data for their choices. I never like stories that try to push the idea that characters who are somehow differently abled, either blatantly or through the metaphor of a genre-specific concept, should always want to eliminate that difference. Maybe Geordi can’t see like everyone else, but considering all the different things he can see with his visor, it’s not like the vision he has is any better or worse. It’s just a pity his reason for saying no was more about not liking a Q-style Riker than about accepting himself and all the goodness inherent in that.

Add in Troi not being around at a time when her character could be very annoying without much effort, and you’ve got an episode that has many saving graces propping up a poor execution of a decent core concept. End score for this one, probably 7 out of 10.

Episode 11: Haven

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

The Enterprise arrives at the planet Haven, where the ship's half-Betazoid Counsellor Deanna Troi has been summoned by her mother Lwaxana. Deanna had previously been set into an arranged marriage to the young human doctor, Wyatt Miller, and his parents have since tracked down Lwaxana to enforce the marriage. After Lwaxana and the Millers are welcomed aboard the Enterprise, the parents argue over whose cultural traditions will be honoured at the ceremony. Deanna and Wyatt attempt to get to know each other but find it difficult, as Deanna is still in love with Commander William Riker. Wyatt has had numerous dreams of another woman with whom he has fallen in love, and had initially believed her to be Deanna communicating telepathically with him.

The Enterprise then learns of an unmarked vessel approaching Haven. Captain Picard recognizes it as Tarellian, a race they thought to have been wiped out by a highly lethal and contagious virus. When they contact the ship, they find a handful of Tarellian refugees who have been travelling at sub-light speeds to Haven in hopes of finding an isolated location to live out the rest of their lives in peace. Picard insists that they cannot go to the planet for fear of spreading the virus, and has the Tarellian vessel placed in a tractor beam. Wyatt discovers that one of the Tarellians, Ariana, is the woman from his dreams, and she too recognizes Wyatt. Wyatt tells Dr Crusher that he will transport some medical supplies to them, but transports himself along with the supplies. When the crew discovers this, Wyatt's parents demand that Picard bring Wyatt back to the Enterprise, but Denna insists that he cannot return, as Wyatt would now carry the Tarellian virus. Wyatt promises his parents, Deanna, and the rest of the crew that he knew that this would be his destiny, and is happy to try to help cure the Tarellian virus. Wyatt convinces the Tarellians to leave Haven and search for help elsewhere. Picard orders the tractor beam to be dropped and allows the vessel to depart the system.

Review:

When it comes to Majel Barrett in the era of the TNG-DS9-Voyager shows, her best work as a guest star is her voice work as the voice of any given Starfleet computer. Her worst work is when she’s guest-starring as Deanna Troi’s mother. Her whole character is the very definition of nails on a chalk board, and it’s very rare if ever that an episode featuring her can be anything good. That said, her presence does help to improve Deanna’s character just because it means Deanna’s suddenly no longer the most likely to irk you with her characterisation. Basically, anytime Deanna’s on the screen at this early stage in the show, all I can think is “please don’t have her go all over-sensitive like she did in the pilot.”

Leaving the Troi family aside, the episode isn’t much to get excited about. Just a run-of-the-mill b-plot about a plague ship that interconnects with the main plot nicely to save us from the Trek equivalent of a shotgun wedding. Frankly, I’d have preferred it if they’d done a plot exploring the arranged marriage idea and casting it down as the terrible idea it is, but then I suppose it wouldn’t be politic to do that with a culture that is part-and-parcel of the Federation instead of being the guest-race-of-the-week. I’d give this one about 3 out of 10.

Episode 12: The Big Goodbye

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

The Enterprise heads to Torona IV to open negotiations with the Jarada, an insect-like race that are unusually strict in matters of protocol. After practicing the complex greeting the Jarada require to open negotiations, Captain Jean-Luc Picard decides to relax with a Dixon Hill story in the holodeck. Playing Detective Hill in the holo-program, Picard takes up the case of Jessica Bradley, who believes that Cyrus Redblock is trying to kill her. Picard decides to continue the program later and leaves the holodeck to affirm their estimated arrival at Torona IV. He invites Dr Beverly Crusher and historian crewmember Whalen to join him in the holodeck. While Crusher is still preparing, Picard and Whalen are ready to enter the holodeck when Lt. Commander Data arrives, having overheard Picard's invitation. Entering the holodeck, the three discover that Jessica has been murdered in Picard's absence. As Picard explains that he saw Jessica at his office the day before, Lt. Bell brings Picard into the police station for questioning as a suspect in her murder. Meanwhile, the Enterprise is scanned from a distance by the Jarada, causing a power surge in the holodeck external controls. Dr Crusher later enters the holodeck, first experiencing a momentary glitch with the holodeck doors, and joins her friends at the police station.

The Jarada demand their greeting earlier than the agreed time and are insulted at having to talk to anyone other than the Captain. The crew tries to communicate with Picard in the holodeck but finds it impossible; the Jarada signal has affected the holodeck's functions, preventing the doors from opening or allowing communication with the crew inside. Lt. Geordi La Forge and Wesley Crusher attempt to repair the holodeck systems. While inside the holodeck, the group returns to Dixon's office. Mr. Leech appears, having waited for Picard, demanding he turn over an object he believes Jessica gave him. When Picard fails to understand, Leech shoots Dr. Whalen with a gun, and the crew discovers that the safety protocols have been disabled, as Whalen is severely wounded. As Dr Crusher cares for his wound, Picard and Data discover that the holodeck is malfunctioning, and they are unable to exit the program. Mr. Leech is joined by Redblock, who continues to demand the object. Lt. McNary arrives and becomes involved in the standoff. Picard tries to explain the nature of the holodeck, but Redblock refuses to believe him.

Outside, Wesley finds the glitch; however, he cannot simply turn off the system for fear of losing everyone inside. Instead, Wesley resets the simulation, briefly placing Picard and the others in the middle of a snowstorm before finding themselves back in Dixon's office. With the reset successfully clearing the malfunction, the exit doors finally appear. Despite Picard's warnings, Redblock and Leech exit the holodeck, but dissipate as they move beyond the range of its holo-emitters. As they leave the holodeck, Picard thanks McNary, who now suspects that his world is artificial and asks whether Picard's departure is "the big goodbye", to which Picard replies that he simply doesn't know. Picard reaches the bridge in time to give the proper greeting to the Jarada. The Jarada accept the greeting, heralding the start of successful negotiations.

Review:

The Big Goodbye has a special place in the era of holodeck era of Trek as the first example of a “holodeck-gone-wrong” episode. Later episodes of this series and the spin-off shows Deep Space Nine and Voyager would return to the premise of holodeck malfunctions time and again as either minor or major plot points. Unfortunately, the holodeck is already going wrong as a plot device in the show just from a technical realisation standpoint.

The basic idea of the holodeck is that it creates 3D images that resemble whatever is programmed into the computer, with some kind of force-fields giving the images substance while other aspects of the technology fill in the proverbial blanks (e.g. special programming to create interactive characters, localised environmental controls, etc.) However, everything that exists within the holodeck can only exist within the range of the room’s tech; if anything created by the holodeck moves beyond its walls, it should instantly cease to be. However, in the Farpoint pilot, Wesley Crusher fell into water on the holodeck, and when he walked out into the corridor, he remained wet and dripping when all the holographic water should have disappeared the instance he walked through the exit.

Likewise, in this episode Picard picks up a lipstick mark when he first tries the holodeck’s new upgrades, and that should have disappeared when he later briefs the crew in the observation lounge. Instead, Dr Crusher has to wipe the lipstick off for the captain, despite the fact it should have disappeared from Picard’s face long ago. It’s an annoying issue, and one that could have been easily fixed even back in the 1980’s when this show was made; evidently, this was just another example of how bad the show was at this stage. If TNG ever gets the kind of reboot the original series did, I sincerely hope any use of the holodecks pays attention to and rectifies this error in the application of the holodeck concept.

Otherwise, this episode doesn’t do much more than give Brent Spiner a bit more to do with Data by having him impersonate a 40’s-style gangers and give Patrick Stewart someone else to be besides the captain of the latest version of the Enterprise. It’s a fairly well-made episode for season 1 of this show, and it really sells the illusion of the holodeck program for the most part. The people who made the show just needed to learn that anything that gets made in the holodeck stays in the holodeck. I’d give it about 5 out of 10.

Episode 13: Datalore

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

While on the way to Starbase Armus IX for computer maintenance, the Enterprise arrives at the planet Omicron Theta, the site of a vanished colony where the starship Tripoli originally found the android Data. An away team travels to the surface and finds that what had been farmland is now barren with no trace of life in the soil. The team also finds a lab which they discover is where Dr. Noonien Soong, a formerly prominent but now discredited robotics designer, built Data. The team also find a disassembled android nearly identical to Data and return with it to the ship. As the course to the Starbase is resumed, the crew reassemble and reactivate Data's "brother" in sickbay. He refers to himself as Lore, and explains that Data was built first and he himself is the more perfect model. He feigns naiveté to the crew, but shows signs of being more intelligent than he is letting on. Later, in private, he tells Data that they were actually created in the opposite order, as the colonists became envious of his own perfection. He also explains that a crystalline space entity capable of stripping away all life force from a world was responsible for the colony's demise.

Lore then incapacitates Data, revealing that he plans to offer the ship's crew to the entity. When a signal transmission is detected from Data's quarters, Wesley Crusher arrives to investigate. He finds Lore, now impersonating Data, who explains that he had to incapacitate his brother after being attacked. Wesley is doubtful, but pretends to accept the explanation. Soon after, the same crystalline entity that had attacked the colony approaches the ship. Lore, still pretending to be Data, enters the bridge as the object hovers before the Enterprise and explains that he incapacitated his brother by turning him off, causing Doctor Beverly Crusher to be suspicious, since Data had previously treated the existence of such a feature as a closely guarded secret. Lore then explains that he can communicate with the crystalline entity and suggests to Captain Jean-Luc Picard that he should show a demonstration of force by beaming an object toward the entity and then destroying it with the ship's phasers.

Lore's attempts to imitate Data are imperfect, though initially only Wesley is suspicious, and his efforts to voice these concerns only draw rude rebukes from Picard and his mother. However, Picard does ultimately become suspicious, especially when Lore does not recognize Picard's usual command to "make it so". Although Picard sends a security detachment to tail him, Lore overpowers Lt. Worf and evades pursuit. Meanwhile, the suspicious Dr Crusher and Wesley reactivate the unconscious Data, and the three of them race to the cargo hold to find Lore plotting with the entity to defeat the Enterprise. When Lore discovers them, he threatens Wesley with a phaser and orders Dr Crusher to leave. Data quickly rushes Lore and a brawl ensues. Data manages to knock Lore onto the transporter platform, and Wesley activates it, beaming Lore into space. With its conspirator no longer aboard, the crystalline entity departs, and the Enterprise resumes its journey to the starbase.

Review:

This episode very heavily relies on answering the mystery of Data’s origin and giving him a villainous brother in a manner similar to the Thor-Loki dynamic of Marvel superhero lore (pardon the inadvertent pun) to make it worth watching, because goodness knows it falls down everywhere else. Spiner is remarkable playing the treacherous Lore alongside his regular character of Data, and it’s fun to see him make the best of what ultimately becomes a poor episode on other fronts.

I know some reviewers have stated they don’t understand Lore’s motives for allying with the Crystalline Entity, but as a Marvel fan, it’s actually fairly easy to deduce. Much like Loki in Marvel’s Thor franchise, Lore is a bit of a trickster, an android Q but without the pseudo-godhood or ultimately benign motives of Q. Also like Loki, Lore is the unfavoured son, one who was basically cast aside in favour of something supposedly better, so he’s turned against the humanity his brother admires and emulates out of jealousy and the pain of rejection. It’s not a hard motive to grasp, but with Lore not explicitly saying it, you need that knowledge of another fictional reference to make the deduction. Given that Marvel lore was largely overlooked by the adult world until superheroes were made into a legitimate cinematic genre at the turn of the century, it’s unlikely many original reviewers would have made the link.

However, as I’ve noted, the episode falls apart in other respects. The crew’s haste to reassemble Data’s brother mid-flight is very risky behaviour more akin to the cowboy antics of Kirk’s crew from the original series than Picard’s more measured approach, and they are remarkably stupid in failing to catch onto Lore’s threat. Only Wesley shows the requisite insight and intelligence, but expresses it poorly because at this time no one on the show could write Wesley with any kind of competence. As a result, Picard ends up looking like a total git for his outburst at Wesley, Wesley’s mother comes off almost as bad, and when it turns out that, as ever, Wesley was right, there’s no apology from Picard at all. On balance, this episode rates about 5 out of 10, which can be taken as the anti-Wesley acting having a severely detrimental impact on a great Spiner performance, or a great Spiner performance saving the episode by some horrid Wesley-bashing.

Episode 14: Angel One

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

The Enterprise arrives at the planet Angel One, which is ruled by an oligarchy of women. The ship is looking for survivors from the shipwrecked freighter Odin, over seven years after having been evacuated. The freighter was missing three escape pods and the only planet in range was Angel One. An away team consisting of Commander William Riker, Lt. Commander Data, Lt. Tasha Yar, and Counsellor Deanna Troi beam down to the surface. They attempt to negotiate with Mistress Beata, the "Elected One" of the native inhabitants, to let them search for the survivors. Time is of the essence however, as the Enterprise must travel to a Federation outpost near the Romulan Neutral Zone (where a group of Romulan Battlecruisers has been detected) as soon as they resolve their investigation into the Odin survivors.

Beata reveals that they are aware of four male survivors of the Odin who have caused disruption in their society, and are considered fugitives. Beata requests Riker stay with her (and later requests that he order Troi, Data, and Yar to track down the survivors' camp and their leader Ramsey, while staying and dining with her). After some back and forth, Data concludes Ramsey and the survivors of the Odin would have platinum with them, and Angel One is naturally devoid of platinum, allowing the Enterprise to easily detect them. Meanwhile, Riker dresses in the garb given to him for his dinner with Beata, Troi and Yar tease him for dressing in clothes that sexualize him and, in some ways, demean him. He responds by saying he is honouring the local customs, and acknowledges Beata's beauty, and that the garb is rather comfortable.

The Enterprise searches while in orbit around Angel One. Doctor Beverly Crusher relieves Captain Jean-Luc Picard of duty after he and most of the crew have fallen ill to a random virus on board. The Captain leaves Lieutenant Geordi La Forge in command (Geordi's first time in acting command of a starship). Shortly after, they find Ramsey and transmit his location to the Away Team, who beam directly to there.

When confronted by Data, Yar, and Troi, Ramsey and his men, having taken wives and started families during the seven years, refuse to leave. Data points out that as the Odin was not a star fleet vessel, its crew is not bound by the Prime Directive and the Enterprise cannot remove them against their will. Geordi informs Yar of the medical situation on board, and that more Romulan ships have been detected near the Neutral Zone. Riker gets close to Beata as they compare how gender roles differ between Angel One and the Federation. On the Enterprise, systems are becoming harder to maintain with more crew succumbing to the virus. Geordi (after a friendly reminder from a sniffling Worf) remembers that in command, he must delegate tasks so he can stay on the bridge. Dr Crusher finds that the virus is an airborne organism that produces a sweet smell, to encourage inhalation, after which it becomes viral inside the body.

Riker gets up to date with the situation, and decides that while Ramsey and his group are at large and refusing to leave the planet, there is little they can do. Before leaving they find that one of Beata's fellow mitstresses, Ariel, has married Ramsey, and was followed by Beata's guards to their camp, where they arrested the survivors and their families. The Away Team attempt to explain to Beata the reason for Ramsey's refusal to leave. Beata and her council reject his reasoning, and threatens to execute them the following day. After failing to convince Ramsey and his group to leave with them, Riker contacts the Enterprise in hopes of transporting Ramsey and his group without their consent (despite it being a violation of the Prime Directive, and almost certainly an end to his career). However, Dr Crusher (while treating an incapacitated Geordi in the Captain's chair) refuses to allow anyone to beam aboard for fear of them being infected, but allows Data, an android, to return. Riker orders Data to take command and get the Enterprise to the Neutral Zone before it's too late.

The following morning the Away Team is invited to witness the execution of Ramsey and his followers. Moments after Riker rejects their invitation Data makes contact and informs them that there is a 48-minute window in which Dr Crusher has to find a cure, and Riker must defuse the situation on the planet before the ship must leave for the Neutral Zone. On the planet, Ramsey and his men are prepared to be executed by disintegration despite Ariel's pleas, while Dr Crusher discovers a cure for the virus. Riker is prepared to have the away team and the Odin survivors beamed to the Enterprise, but makes a plea that execution will do Angel One’s society little good. He contends that Ramsey and his men have simply become a symbol for pre-existing dissatisfaction with the current society on Angel One, an evolutionary change that execution may only accelerate by turning Ramsey’s group into martyrs.

After deliberating with her fellow mistresses, Beata announces that she will stay the execution and banish Ramsey, his men, their families, and any others that support them to the far side of the planet. She explains that their banishment will not stop the fall of the oligarchy, but will slow it down enough that Beata will not be around to see its end. The away team return to the ship and Picard, already recovering from the virus but hardly having a voice, orders the ship to the Neutral Zone at high warp.

Review:

Apparently, the idea of this episode was look at South Africa’s apartheid system, but using a gender-based schism in a female-dominated society to explore the concept along gender lines rather than being more direct and using anything akin to a racial divide. As a result, the intention is lost behind some very horrendously sexist rubbish that makes the show seem more like a bad parody of feminism. The episode also has a lousy b-plot of a virus story that adds nothing to the episode, and again showcases how badly the holodeck concept was being handled at this time. A snowball from a holodeck skiing program should not be able to go through the holodeck doors to hit Picard and Worf in the corridor. 2 out of 10 is all this episode deserves.

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wishthefish916 · 5 years

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What Is Anti?

Holy fucking shit, I’ve literally had this saved as a draft on this site for MONTHS and just haven’t posted it out of spite, but if ever there was a call to action this is is. I published this theory a while ago, but I wasn’t completely happy with how I’d written it at the time so I took it down a few minutes later. I’d originally planned on never revisiting this again, but while developing a different theory which will probably be coming out soon, I was forced to revisit this work, so here we are. The science of Antisepticeye. What he is, where he came from and how to stop him. It’s a long one lads, so buckle the fuckle up.

If we’re ever gonna stop Anti, which is kinda the point of all this theorizing anyways, we have to know what exactly he is. To figure that out, we need to look into what effect he has on the world around him. Looking back at the ever expanding collection of Anti moments ((thank the heavens for his wiki and a whole lotta spare time)), the only thing that tied them all together is that the person in the webcam felt a sense of danger, be it from a jump scare or high suspense or even from hearing Anti’s name, the brain of the person who was recording sensed danger, which triggered a hormonal fight-or-flight response in their body in the moment Anti presents himself to us, and it’s usually preceded with a long gap in symptoms surfacing. What else do we know of that lies dormant for a long period of time before something triggers it to wake up which usually leads to chaos for whatever system it’s in? Jack A virus!

So what kind of virus is he? Well, in bigger videos like Say Goodbye and Kill JSE the person on the screen communicated that they felt physical effects of his presence, like nausea, aches, delirium and twitching and in some cases bleeding from the eyes. This tells me that if Anti is a virus he’s a biological one.

However I cannot ignore the biggest telltale sign of Anti showing up which is the game or webcam ((and sometimes the person)) glitching, audio disturbances, and corrupted html text((Zalgo)), which would tell me that he is a computer virus.

So lads, correct me if I’m wrong in saying that if Anti is indeed a virus, he wouldn’t be exclusively biological or the technological, but rather a biomechanical virus((I totally didn’t make up the term shush)).

Being made up of both biological and technological components mean infection could have happened just about anywhere. For the sake of clarity I’ll be breaking it up into biological and technological components as I’m fairly certain the two are symbiotically dependent on each other, considering the physical effects coincide almost completely with the technological ones.

If infection was controlled by the biological aspects, that would mean he was infected by contact with the virus. Either he touched it, breathed it in, ate or drank it, kissed it, or bled on it. For all the other egos who’ve been infected, this makes perfect sense. JJ cutting his finger right before the glitching shows up, Henrik almost never wearing his surgical mask when handling his infected patients, Chase heavily drinking in the moments leading up to Dark Silence, but Jack is a different story. The first time we saw Anti was in FNAF Sister Location, and that video had none of the above in it. That tells me he was infected well before he first showed himself, which makes sense logically. People don’t show flu symptoms as soon as they come into contact with the flu virus. It has to fester for a little bit before showing any symptoms, so why should Anti be any different?

So where did Jack get infected? If he did physically come into contact with the virus, it would have been in a live action video. From a storytelling perspective, it wouldn’t make sense to not showcase an important plot point clearly, and live action is the best medium to do such. That brought me to the 2015 pumpkin carving video, but nothing too suspicious happened. There was no bleeding, he didn’t eat anything, while he did kiss the pumpkin no bodily fluids were exchanged, and breathing it in or touching it seems implausible, because it would mean the virus already existed in his house, which means he would have been infected long before that video.

The only other live action videos he’s done, and correct me if I’m wrong, were the 700,000 subscriber ghost pepper challenge, the ALS Ice bucket challenge, and his regular vlogs. Sean is incredible at blurring the line between normal video and ego video, but these videos all had an underlying sincerity to them, where he was trying to communicate to us his appreciation or with the ALS video trying to get us to donate to charity, and I find it highly improbable for him to try and undermine the meaning behind them with an ego clue.

That leads me to believe that it were the technological aspects of the virus that infected him, and that’s where things get kinda tricky. Now, computer viruses are actually relatively easy to come into contact with, the problem definitely isn’t there. Maybe Jack was sent it in an email, maybe he went to a sketchy website, maybe he downloaded a game that had a little something extra up it’s sleeve. No biggie, it happens. The logic leap is when the computer virus starts affecting his real life person, even when he’s not using the computer, a la Say Goodbye.

I believe immersion is the answer. Immersion in game play is something a large portion of game developers strive for, making the player feel like they were actually inside their game. This is one of the hardest and most important things a story driven game developer can do, and also one of Jack’s key defining features in games he tends to really enjoy.

I think, in the story that Sean has created for us with the egos, when Jack is doing a lets play and he gets really immersed in the game, he actually does exist inside that game. That feeling of total immersion, those moments when his brain is unable to separate the game from reality, they happen because of him actually being inside the game on his computer. If Jack were to download a game that had Anti’s virus on it, and then became immersed in the game play experience long enough to come into contact with said virus, it’s entirely possible that the virus stayed with him when he left the game/no longer was immersed.

Well, if we’re going to find out how to cure the thing, we’ve first got to find the location of patient zero, i.e. the video that started it all. If we know where it came from, we’ll know how it works and that’ll make it immensely easier to stop it. Are there any games out there that Jack played that 1) truly immersed him as a player into it’s world, 2) share a strong resemblance to what we already see in Anti, and 3) was uploaded some time before the release of Sister Location. There are two bigguns that spring to mind.

Undertale is probably the most well known and well liked series on Jack’s entire channel. While he was playing he became heavily invested in each of the characters, even the baddies, and so did we. We grew to care for them all as if they were our closest friends. When they were hurt, we screamed in protest. When they were comforted, we felt all warm and fuzzy. When we reached the true ending, we all cried. I would most certainly consider that immersion, wouldn’t you?

Not only did Undertale immerse the player and viewer, it messed with your actual computer files. If you do a genocide route even once, uninstalling and reinstalling the game won’t wipe it’s memory of the route. You have to dig through your computer to find and delete the file that tells steam what route you chose if you want to play the game brand new again. Not to mention the game frequently closing itself unprompted, which has a well known history for corrupting recording footage. Potential for corruption? Check.

New paragraph for new point because oh my god, there’s a lot. Several people have already pointed out the similarities between Flowey and Anti, but just in case you haven’t seen it yet or wanted a nice recap, here we go.The voice acting Jack chose for Flowey sounds just like a higher pitched Anti voice. This was the first time he ever layered audio files to achieve a more sinister voice effect. The thumbnails following his fight with Flowey all hold trademark characteristics of Anti video thumbnails. Our first ever interaction with him ends with him attempting to murder Jack. Their laughs are one in the same. At certain points in the game, you can find Flowey following you, keeping an eye on things, if you will. His boss fight, oh my g o d. He kills the dude in charge, everything cuts to black, and next thing we know there’s a glitchy face laughing at us through a screen, telling us about how he’s the one in charge and how this is his world and how everything he’s done was all our faults, after which his eyes turn red and green and he starts puppeteering controlling six different souls, using their different skills to his own personal advantage so he can fulfill some unspoken objective. Gee, sound familiar?

However, despite all of this, Undertale was not patient zero. Why I still listed all the game’s similarities despite this, I promise was not to waste your time, I’m getting to that. There was a game that came just before this one, the first of it’s kind, the actual patient zero. That game, is The Visitor.

Many of you may not remember this game, but The Visitor (and The Visitor Returns) was a little flash game that was posted way back on March 1st, 2015, and you played as an alien creature that came to Earth on a meteorite who’s only objective was to kill any creature it came into contact with to gain it’s powers. It was a video that kind of took the channel by storm, landing it’s place as the fifth most watched video on Jack’s channel even though nobody really knew how. This was patient zero.

As for the checklist? It was posted March 1st, 2015, a full year and seven months before Sister Location. Jack is certainly immersed in the gameplay, so much so he forgets about the menu screen and accidentally restarts the game in an attempt to do more stuff. Does it show a similarity to what we already see in Anti? More than you’d see at first glance. Yes, his mouse is kind of glitching through the entire video. Yes, his webcam goes dark for a single frame towards the five minute mark. Yes, there’s multiple severe neck wounds throughout the game. But that’s not what sold me on this. It’s the premise of the game itself.

I was struggling for months trying to figure out which game was patient zero. I jumped between Undertale, Fran Bow, Vee is Calling, and even the other Five Nights At Freddy’s videos more times than I could count, because all of them seemed like plausible answers. Fran Bow was the first series ever to adopt Anti’s traditional thumbnails, with lens flares and glowing eyes and blood everywhere(seriously, I took a good ten minutes and scrolled through every single video on his channel and Fran Bow was where it all started), not to mention a dark shadow creature who feeds on suffering being the main antagonist. Vee is Calling had an actual virus as a main character who actually glitches out and actually takes control of the main character’s in game computer. One of the glitches in SIster Location #1 showed a frame from the first ever FNAF game, and many of the sounds were pulled from the series at different points. I’ve already written paragraphs about Undertale. All of these things show a direct tie to Anti.

Then remember what The Visitor is all about. It’s an alien who kills things around him to gain it’s powers. It takes aspects from each creature it comes into contact with and uses them for his own personal gain. That seems to be exactly what Anti has done ever since we’ve known him as a physical entity on the channel rather than an idea with a name.

I mean, look back at May 2k18. Every single skit, either ego themed or not, was pulled directly from whatever the game he played was about. Hell, just look at the egos! I’ve talked about this before, but in every single ego video, there is always a theme of character decay, where the person they were at the start of the video erodes away leaving nothing but a shell of who they were by the end, and this is especially apparent in their debut. JBM, the courageous hero giving into cowardice. Marvin the Magician, throwing away his career. Henrik the wise doctor, killing his patients and forgetting a comedic amount about human nature. Chase the bubbly dad, pulling a gun on himself. JJ the mute actor, cutting his finger and immediately getting possessed. I’d tied them back to Anti before, but I never really knew why. In hindsight, this was clearly Anti’s attempt at stealing their strengths. Each and every one of them had some advantage that Anti wanted, and their slow decay was evidence of Anti trying to take control so he could have it. That’s why each new video showed him getting stronger, going from making them kind of afraid to full on suicide and possession. He was stronger because he’d taken more attributes and was able to use them more effectively with each passing video. For each game that Sean got immersed in that fit his agenda, Anti adopted different aspects for himself. There is no one video where Anti came from because he came from every video.

Okay. Alien biomechanical virus. How do we treat it? Well, that is heavily reliant on it’s sources. Anti adopted both some benefits and some defects from every game he pulled from. He gained both strengths and weaknesses, so if you want to “beat” him, the answer would lie in those games. The Visitor had no happy ending. Fran Bow won by giving up on reality and living with tree people, a demon, and an oversized axolotl. Undertale got a good ending by befriending everyone including the bad guys and hopefully not dying too much in the process. FNAF was finished by getting fired or burning everything to the ground and praying you’re not sent to purgatory. Vee is Calling was saved by focusing on your love life more than your computer files. Maybe it’s one of those answers. Maybe it’s all of them. Maybe it’s none of them. It seems not even Sean knows the answer to that question, but now we have a great place to start looking.

I wasn’t able to attend PAX, which means I didn’t know about the Anti “hint” until just now. When I heard it I wanted to scream, I think I actually might have, because I’ve been sitting on this work for literal months and just not gotten around to posting it. “We still haven’t figured out what Anti is yet.”

So, @therealjacksepticeye, are my answers to your satisfaction?

#therealjacksepticeye #jacksepticeye #jackieboy man #marvin the magnificent #dr henrik von schneeplestein #Dr Schneeplestein #antisepticeye #anti theory #jse theory #chase brody #jameson jackson #dapper jack #pax east #wish speaks

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things-we-used-tc-share · 5 years

Text

Manifestor // 12

Warnings: Fighting, death, violence

Ships: None (Thomas/OC later in the fic)

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7/Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11

Plot: Set in a world where Witchcraft is real, and the government hunts down those who practice magic, Thomas must flee to an underground safehouse after being discovered. Now fighting a war against Witches who seek the end of non-magic people, Thomas must learn to control and harvest his powers, as well as the manifestation of his sides to bring about peace and unity in the Human and Witch world. (Nanowrimo 2018)

Thomas is not a runner. He hates running, or to be honest anything that requires any form of fitness level over “beginner,” which for his current lifestyle, is not exactly adequate. His lungs scream in protest whilst his muscles clench and cramp, but he doesn’t have the time to focus on his physical pain right now. Adrenaline pumping through his body and sweat clinging to his skin, his life is in danger.

Jack seems to be better at this, more agile, fast on his feet, but even his stamina is running very, very thin. They didn’t even know where they were running too, only that the ground is wearing thin underneath them and hell was hot on their tails.

Thomas gives out first, in a dark alleyway as he coughs up whatever air is left in his lungs “I physically can’t run any further,” He forces out, voice rough and clinging to the constriction of his lungs like time flowing through the hourglass. His companion leans against the opposite wall, gasping for air as his head leans against the brick, rubbing a hand over his face and rubbing his eyes. “We’re not going to win this one Jack,” He says softly, defeat laced along his tongue. “It’s not worth the perishing of an entire city just for me,”

People are running past the alley, the tell-tale sight of smoke and fire shimmers in the horizon and Jack wants to say that Thomas was worth every single person on this earth, his best friend, his student; a boy so in love with the world would now be forgotten by it. He doesn’t say anything however; he just sinks to the ground with a numb display sewn into where an expression should be.

Thomas moves over and sits next to him, in the silence of the blacked out sun, they sit and wait. “I’ll die before I let them take me,” He says firmly, the first spar of bravery or stupidity, that was yet to be seen, since he’d discovered he was a Witch. Jack nods; there are tears in his eyes as he studies his own hands.

“I know,” Is all he says for a moment, accent thick amongst the waterfall trying to pour from his already blue eyes, “And I will too,” He grasps Thomas’ hand maybe in a show of solidarity, maybe in the name of friendship, even he doesn’t know but the bronze eyed man is grateful nonetheless for the little comfort he can receive. They’re not really hiding, only recharging for the inevitable as they sit still together and begin to talk.

“So that thing Anti did before he like…possessed you, how did you do that? How did he do that? I didn’t even know that was possible,” He wants all the answers he could get out of Jack, if this might be the last time he’ll ever get to ask.

“That’s called repossession, it’s something that takes years of training as a Manifestor to do normally, but Anti has always been a difficult bastard so I mostly had to train to stop him from doing that, Sophie said it’s likely to be because of an early exposure to a lot of evil, making Anti and me at a 50/50 odds over my own body so I had to train to get him down to about 25/75, it wasn’t easy, he’s not an easy person to deal with and he’s always talking at the back of my head,” The Irishman sighs, he sounds so very unbelievably tired.

“He’s uh…pretty terrifying, I thought Logan was cold and unemotional but he’s…he’s just sheer anger in a human shell, what’s with the neck cut?” Jack stiffens visibly, jaw clenching, shuffling nervously.

“He tried to kill me, us, all of us, himself, he didn’t entirely have a reason it’s just all some fun to him, he’s not afraid of death and that’s what generally makes him so fucking terrifying,” Thomas squeezes the other man’s hand, two martyr’s waiting for death on the cold ground of a dirty alleyway in an unnamed coast side city. The outside air drifts over their faces and despite how foul it smells, they��re both happy to see the outside world again, feel the sun burning through their irises and taste a breeze heavily polluted by the product of humanity.

They sit in silence for what feels like an endless forever, shaking from the cold and the fear, until darkness is cast from one end of the alleyway. “Isn’t this precious?” The voice sounds like it is hissing, like pressure being released from a tire as the two clamber too their feet. “Or pathetic,” There’s fire brimming at Jack’s fingertips already and Thomas is desperately trying to recall if he’s ever heard one of these things talk, ever. “Thomas Sanders surrender yourself, you belong with us, not these pathetic creatures of light, you are a Witch, not a human’s toy, and Witches should not to live as such,”

“I’ll pass thanks, bloodshed isn’t really my thing,” His voice is shaking. The creatures steps forward, its skin merging with the bone of its skull, the teeth protruding from it in sharp and blackened needle formation. How did these things become so corrupt? What causes such a deformation? He doesn’t get an answer as the eyes of the creature blinks firmly, full of shadows, and raises a slender hand.

Thomas ducks before the creature has a second to flick it’s wrist, sending fire hurling wards them; in an instant he’s summoning ice from the flick of his wrist, impacting the creature seconds before a wall of fire descends from Jack and engulfs its skin. The creature, the Dark Witch, extinguishes it, pulling the ice from its body like it was merely a scratch. “Fuck,” Jack mutters, stepping backward “Anti,”

Thomas blinks, stepping away as Jack’s body crumples, glitches like a computer virus or a video game character. Darkness shrouded him as the tips of his hair darken and his eyes turn black, his body merging into something different. Thomas swallows, he feels no safer with Anti than he did with these creatures but he knows Jack still has some control over the glitch. The sharp teeth glint and blood begins to collegiate on the pale skin of what was Jack’s neck.

“That’s more like it,” the dark eyed creature cackles, their hands ready to form fire but Anti is faster. Impossibly fast in a way that physics is sure not to co-operate with, his body glitching in and out of physical existence until he’s placed himself behind the witch. Taking his cue, Thomas summons Earth in the form of needle sharp, spiked plants that string from his hands with brute force, wrapping around the body of the other and pulling impossibly tight, restraining and damaging the vessel of whatever monster lay within. As he carried out his attack, flame erupted against the figure at Anti’s hands. Bound by elements beyond its control, the creature can only struggle and scream at the sensation of being burned alive.

“We will get you Thomas, no matter how hard you fight,” Thomas steps forward, the flames flicking in his irises. He says nothing. He has nothing to say and honestly he isn’t sure what to think, somewhere in his mind Patton slinks into the shadows with closed eyes. As the creature suffocates, Antisteps over the lifeless body and leaves it to burn. With a glitch, Jack is back and resting his head against the wall once again.

The two stare at each other with nervous expressions, taking deep breaths of air that smelt of burned flesh. There was no going back from their nature now.

@analogical-mess // @unikornavenger // @mycatshuman // @creativity-killed-thekitten// @theresneverenoughfandoms // @charmingprincey // @aclickonapostwillchangeyourlife // @heck-im-lost // @k9cat // @stilljittery //@romansleftshoulderpad // @sanderssideslibrary // @max-is-tired// @therealmoshar//@punsterterry// @trashypansexual// // @demigodnamedathena// @sevencrashing//@misunderstood-shadow // @aphriteblack// @jemthebookworm//@sandersandthesides// @penguinkool// @georganabanana//@importantrunawaystudentstuff // @ao-koshka // @dangerous-doodle // @river-waterfall // @hell-or-high-waters // @no-sleep-gang-posts // @wxlcomxtothxjunglx

#sanders sides #thomas sanders

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blueyesandleatherjacket · 5 years

Text

Ghost of you, 17/?

Volume: 1.

Number of parts: 17/?.

Pairings: Human!Nine x Rose; Human!Ten x Jack; Clara Oswald x Olivia Baxter (OC).

Synopsis: “Be thou spirit of health, or goblin damn’d, Bring thee air from heaven or blasts from hell, Be thy intents wicked or charitable, Thou com’st in such questionable shape That I will speak to thee.”

A/N: I've started writing this fiction last year after I had a particularly weird dream (as usual) and after I wrote the prologue, I've put it aside to work on other stuff. I've gone back to it not so long ago and decided that it would be the fiction I would post next, after not posting anything for a while. I must have watched I am legend and Game of thrones way too much to come out with something like this but I hope you will like it. I am not a scientist, nor did I have a particular knowledge of sciences. I do my researches on the internet like everyone to make sure everything is as close to the reality as possible. I have a literature degree only. Writing is what I do and it makes me explore next fields, and learn new things.

“Prithee, see there! Behold! Look! Lo! How say you? / Why, what care I? If thou canst nod, speak too. / If charnel houses and our graves must send / Those that we bury back, our monuments / Shall be the maws of kites.” - Macbeth, Shakespeare.

CHAPTER 17:

Eleventh day of October. Day 1755 since the infection. Jack Harkness video log. Our researches are finally leading us somewhere. We have all this different information scattered and we’re trying to make them fit together like pieces of a huge puzzle. The noctiagus isn’t a simple deadly virus like the pest or the cholera. Unfortunately. We have the necessary weapons against those. The noctiagus is more like a cancer. A corrupted cell corrupting everything around it until the body gives in. It seems like nothing since we can’t cure most of the cancers yet but knowing how the virus works is a huge step still. We can adapt our researches to it. That’s what we’ve done already. The doctor Clara Oswald and myself are currently trying to find a way to fix the DNA and stop it from changing to the contact of those corrupted cells. This would be a great improvement for the sick people. And for our friend. The doctor Martha Jones helped us synthesising this sort of temporary cure. It has the form of a tiny pill that can be swallowed with a bit of water. Nothing too complicated. Except we’re afraid of testing it. Our only living subject is Maxence and the latest report on his health isn’t great. Testing it on him can be too dangerous. I don’t want him to suffer more than he does at the moment. And none of us wants him to… we want him to hold on. It wouldn’t be fair if he was dying now. The thought of Maxence dying forced Jack to stop speaking for a moment. He didn’t turn off the recording. He just needed a moment to breathe deeply and pull himself back together. He looked down, moved away, took deep breaths. Maxence being infected was a hard blow on him but there still was that hope to save him. Maxence fighting the virus had been a good thing at first but now… he was dying and Jack couldn’t handle that. He was putting his brave face on when he had to face everyone but deep down… deep down, he wished for this nightmare to be over. With all the geniuses gathered in this place, how could this cure still be unreachable? Jack ended up turning off the recording. This entry to the video log was over. He couldn’t say more. There wasn’t anything more to say anyway. The main information was inside. He sent the video to their common server. He didn’t mind what would be murmured behind his back for being so emotional. They could say whatever they wanted. They could even go to hell. His friend was dying for fuck’s sake! His best friend, the man who saved him from the consequences of after war. It couldn’t end like that. It couldn’t end before Jack found a way to thank him for this. He let himself fall on his desk chair and rubbed his face. It was hard to focus and worry at the same time. He hated this situation as much as everyone else in this building except for Colin. Colin who couldn’t harm anyone anymore thanks to Tegan. “Last time I’ve seen you looking so defeated, you were refusing my job offer.” For a second, Jack thought he was hallucinating, that the lack of sleep had finally gotten to him, but his brain was telling him that Maxence was speaking to him. He raised his head. His boss was sat on the chair on the other side of the desk, his legs crossed, and was observing him. Jack was a former soldier. Consequently, he knew that hallucinations came to him in his moments of weakness and guilt. The guilt to still be alive, the guilt not to have been able to save the men and women and children around him, the guilt to have killed in order to survive. Right now, he was feeling guilty for not working faster, for not finding a concrete answer, for not being able to save his friend and he was beyond exhaustion. All he needed was damn good news and days of sleep. Which he wasn’t gonna get this time again. He was clever enough to ignore the image of his boss. Last time he had spoken with an hallucination, he was in the psychiatric unit of a military hospital. Weeks after he was sent back home, he had lost his mind. He had broken down and his boyfriend at the time had had to have him locked up for his own sake. They had broken up because of that decision but Jack now had forgiven him. It had been the best decision at the time and he couldn’t see it. After that, he had gone back to his first love: sciences. That’s how he had met Maxence, how he had arrived here today. “Good thing I’ve insisted.” “What are you here for this time?” The words had blurted out of his mouth before he could hold them back. He stared at his boss straight in the eyes and folded his arms on his chest. He was aware that he was talking to someone that wasn’t there but it was too tempting to answer, to have a proper response to his questions. However, this time, Maxence remained silent and his image flickered. He looked at his hand that was almost translucent and frowned. A usual reaction when something wasn’t going the way he thought it would. “I came to say goodbye, Jack.” The former captain felt his heart furiously beating against his ribcage as if it was gonna come out of his body at any time. It was painful but the physical pain was nothing compared to the psychological one these words caused in him. ‘I came to say goodbye’ could only mean one thing and Jack didn’t like the meaning of it. He didn’t wait for the next sentence this fake Maxence could say. He jumped to his feet and rushed out of his office. He ran to the underground part of the lab, to the place his painful heart and the stabbing alarm resounding through all the building was leading him: where everyone was gathered to watch the worst happening under their eyes…

Tegan had thought that now that he had figured out who was behind this worldwide mess, things would be easier. He just needed to transfer the information to his team and they would be able to work harder on the noctiagus. With a copy of all the researches done by Myrtle Appleton that he had found in Colin’s computer, they had everything in hand. They couldn’t fail now. He was done typing the mail. The attached documents were done charging in the mail. He clicked on the ‘send’ button, closed the messaging service window and moved from his chair to his couch. He barely had his eyes closed for a bit of rest that he was getting a call on his phone. He groaned, pressed a pillow on his face and tried to ignore the call. How was Maxence doing this job? Worse, how was Harvey dealing with this whole building so well? The phone stopped ringing and he felt guilty for being so relieved. What he wanted was just a little bit of rest. Like the rest of his team, he was way beyond the exhaustion. They were all holding on to the nerves to find that cure and it wasn’t a good thing. Saving Maxence was becoming very urgent – more urgent with every minute – but working in these conditions was pushing them to make mistakes. Or to miss someone who was sabotaging their researches. Tegan was still feeling like an incompetent idiot for almost killing his boss. His boss… The words felt strange now that he was the boss and Maxence was a simple patient in his special unit. A patient with very worrying scans. The virus was winning but Maxence refused to let go. This was killing him, and Tegan wondered if the mistake he had made hadn’t sped up the process. His phone rang again and he couldn’t ignore it anymore. It could be important. It could be a life or death question. It could also be nothing. There were still blokes who thought that they were funny by calling people and scaring them. The communication means were almost all down. The CRCD had its own aerials that were giving the whole building a constant access to internet and phone lines. It was a real blessing in times like this. They were rarely getting calls from the exterior but it sometimes happened, especially through radio frequencies. Usually, they were coming from survivors that were looking for loved ones or for help. Everything was written down in a notebook and transferred to the appropriate security services. The normal police had long lost this battle and Tegan ignored if the messages they were transferring were helpful to the persons who launched them. He finally picked up his phone on the third attempt of his caller to reach him and mumbled something in the speaker. He hoped that it was for something important because he wouldn’t move from this couch if this was just for a fight that had occurred somewhere in the building. It was up to the security to deal with that. He had had enough to do with Colin already. The news he was given was far more interesting though. He sat up quickly. “Say that again.” The man on the other side of the line repeated his words. “Let her in. Lock her in a crate and take her to one of the sterile rooms.” He ended the call and pushed the pillow away. He also pushed the fatigue away. It wasn’t time to sleep. Not anymore. Myrtle Appleton had decided to come into his realm and it was his duty to go and welcome her in person. She was infected but, unlike Maxence, she had all her abilities. It was another sort of sick person and he was willing to work on this. He would take care of her case personally. Scans, blood tests, saliva tests. Everything that would enable him to find the answers they were all craving for. If he hadn’t lost his trust in Adam, he would have taken him as his assistant. He would have learnt a lot but he had chosen Colin and Colin had ruined him. Now, Adam had been transferred to a lesser job and he had been advised to shut up about Maxence’s case or worse could still happen to him. Being fired, having this behaviour mentioned in his file and he was done in the job. He stopped by the lockers room and pulled on a hazmat suit. He wouldn’t lose any time. He would start working as soon as he got there. He was closing the door of his locker when he heard someone behind him. He jumped and turned around to find no one. Once again, he called himself an idiot for being so easily scared of a small noise, for being paranoid. “I’ve always known you would make a great boss for them all. You just needed someone believing in you and the necessary push.” This time again, Tegan jumped and turned back around. A pale image of Maxence was leaning against the lockers and looking at him. He had that smile a father would have after his kid told him about an achievement they would have done. Tegan was a scientist and didn’t believe in spectres. So, he just rubbed his eyes to get rid of their fatigue and passed through the ghost as if it wasn’t there. When it appeared again before him, he thought that maybe some help for this new case would be needed because he was really tired. “Be thou spirit of health, or goblin damn’d, Bring thee air from heaven or blasts from hell, Be thy intents wicked or charitable, Thou com’st in such questionable shape That I will speak to thee.” Tegan was quoting Hamlet in the beginning of the Shakespearean play when the young prince faced the spectre of his father for the very first time. His own ghost, the ghost of his mentor, seemed amused by the reference. If Tegan had believed in supernatural stuff, he would have been terrified by this. He had read enough Shakespeare to know what spectres could push you to do in their names, or just because they were the manifestation of a deep guilt. The Macbeths once experienced it and it led them to madness and death. “I am thy mentor’s spirit, Doom’d for a certain term to walk the night, And for the day confin’d to fast in fires, Till the foul crimes, done in my days of nature, Are burnt and purg’d away – Are you a man?” “Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on that Which might appal the devil.” From Hamlet to Macbeth, there was only one verse and they had crossed the line. Tegan thought that he might have fallen asleep in the end. This was too unreal for his liking. He had no time for such fantasy. He needed to wake up and quickly! “I’ve got no time for this.” “I’m proud of you, T. Keep up the good work.” “What?” The image faltered and, with a bright smile, it disappeared and Tegan was left alone in the corridor he had stopped in. For a couple seconds, he remained still, unable to move or think. Until the alarm went off. An alarm that made his blood speed up in his veins and fear crush his heart. He completely forgot about Myrtle Appleton, about her researches, about everything that wasn’t Maxence and he ran, ran like crazy toward the current disaster of the building.

Amy was standing in front of the wall of pictures. She was still in Maxence and Rose’s room but she was alone now. Rose had thought that taking a shower would do her a world of good after this failed nap – for her at least – and she had left Amy to observe her surroundings. The therapist wouldn’t say no to a shower. After such a deep sleep, she felt rested but she needed to refresh herself and to change clothes to feel even better. Rose had allowed her to have that shower here when she would be done and she would also lend her some clothes. It felt weird to Amy to have a friend willing to do so much for her. From what she could see on this wall, Rose was quite the popular girl. Her childhood might not have been one of the best but she had managed to beat fate and to build herself this life she could be proud of. These pictures were showing the story of Maxence and Rose’s life. It almost looked like a fairy tale to Amy. There was so much love between those two human beings that she was almost jealous. Her husband never loved her the way Maxence loved Rose. He never did any of the things Maxence had done for her. The scientist seemed like the perfect man that every woman was dreaming of. He wasn’t as handsome or sexy as those photoshopped playboys you could find in magazines but he had something. Charisma. Gentleness. Intelligence. A rare combination in a man. Rose had found the rare gem and everyone could be jealous about it. She hadn’t let the opportunity disappear thankfully. She had grabbed it and kept it and her knight in shining armour was now the damsel in distress. Funny how things could change quickly. Her eyes stared at another picture. A friends’ picture that looked almost like a family picture. Taken around Christmas time. Maxence and Rose were gathered with Allegro, Jack, Tegan, Clara and Olivia around a small barbecue on the balcony of some flat. Maxence was roasting some chestnuts on the fire. Amy regretted not having friends like this to share such a moment. Her last Christmas… When was it already? What had she done? Probably gotten drunk and been sick for the next few days. She used to love this celebration so much before. She was always overexcited when Christmas time was rolling around. But with William’s death… “It was our last Christmas.” Amy jumped. She hadn’t heard Rose coming out of the bathroom. She turned to face her. Her brown hair that she was usually colouring into blonde or red were falling on her shoulders, wet. She had pulled on clean clothes but hadn’t finished with her hair yet. That was why she had a towel around her shoulders so it wouldn’t soak her T-shirt. “Sorry. Thought you’ve heard me.” “It’s okay. I’ve got lost in your story.” “Almost a fairy tale.” “Definitely a fairy tale.” Rose sighed and sat on the bed. She used the towel on her shoulders to dry her hair the best she could without using a hairdryer. She would just do a quick ponytail. No need to do anything fancy for work. She needed to go back to Maxence. She needed to find this cure. “You can use the bathroom. I’m done with it.” She grabbed the brush on her bedside table and started brushing her hair slowly. She would dye it in any colour Maxence would like to if she managed to save him. If it was the contrary… She would certainly die. She wouldn’t have the strength to keep going. Amy didn’t move. Not yet. Her eyes were still on the pictures. She wished she had such a wall, such memories. It was never too late to start. Maybe when the virus would only be a bad memory. Maybe Rose would take her in that sweet band of friends. She turned around when she heard Rose gasp and drop her brush. Her face had gone pale and her eyes were wide open. She was staring at something beside Amy. The therapist looked at the wall but couldn’t see what was scaring her patient so much. “What do you see?” “Not in the mood for therapy,” retorted Rose. She suddenly was up. She walked to the spot right next to Amy and raised her hand much to the therapist’s astonishment because she couldn’t see what Rose was seeing: the pale figure of her husband standing there with an apologetic look. He avoided her touch. “I’m just an image,” he declared sadly. Tears filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks silently as her hand fell back by her side. She never saw a ghost before but she knew how to tell that what was before her was real. His voice was distant, almost like an echo of lost words, and he was so pale she could see the wall and the pictures through him. As if he was nothing but a veil before her eyes. “Rose?” hesitantly called out Amy. “Why?” The question came out of her trembling lips. She had read enough books and myths to know that ghosts only appeared to the persons they loved. They were coming to say goodbye. A one last goodbye. There were people down there. They could save him before she even left this room. What were they doing? “I’ve never been that strong. My brain went through a lot when I was a boy. It couldn’t handle the virus any longer.” “You can’t…” Rose couldn’t form full sentences and Amy was watching her patient talk with a wall. Her attitude was clear enough: she was seeing her husband. It was her exhaustion and her anxiety playing tricks to her, making her hallucinate. She put her hand on her shoulder but Rose shrugged it off. She had no time to waste. Once again, she tried to touch Maxence. His image flickered and almost disappeared. She swallowed a sob. “I’m sorry, I wish our song wasn’t ending this way.” “I…” “I love you, Rose. In this life and all the others if they ever exist. Be strong for me, my love. Find this cure. Become the hero I’ve always known you were.” He bent over and she closed her eyes, thinking she would feel the ghost of his lips pressed against hers but there was nothing and when she opened her eyes, he was gone. She could have collapsed and cried but she swallowed the sobs again and rushed out of the room. She didn’t want this to end like this. Amy would have followed her if she hadn’t been facing the very same spectre Rose had been talking to. She opened her mouth but considering that he was barely visible now, that the image was fading away, she wouldn’t have time to say anything before he disappeared. He had one last thing to say and it was for her. “Take care of her for me. She’s the best woman you’ll ever meet.” “I will,” Amy promised. The next words he pronounced struck her. They were like a stab in her heart but in the good way. If a stab could be good in any way. ‘William wants you to know that he misses you and he’s happy you’re making friends again.’ Was he…? Her son… Was he around like Maxence? Could he see her and watch over her? She wanted to ask but Maxence was already gone and, the weight of these new words on her heart, she followed Rose’s path.

Liv was in Allegro’s cage when the alarm went off. Both of them raised their heads. Liv rushed to the interactive wall and checked Maxence’s vital signs. They were almost inexistent. She glanced at Allegro and mouthed a sorry before she rushed out of this cage to go to the other one. She dragged Maxence away from the broken bowl and spilled food and turned him on his side. The fall hadn’t hurt him badly but it was clearly not the matter now. She didn’t have time to lose. His heart was giving up because his brain was suffering from a severe pressure. The reason was unknown at the moment but they would find it later. Right pupil blown, cerebral fluid flowing through his nose. How had they missed the signs? They should have seen it long before this happen. She ran to the airlock and grabbed the medical bag she left there earlier. It would be very needed. She hurried back into the cage and knelt down beside him. She pulled out disinfectant and cleaned the area she was gonna work on. She hated this. She wasn’t a neurologist but she knew the process. She took the medical portable drill and cleaned it off quickly. Then, she pulled on latex gloves above the gloves of her suit and took a deep breath. Three fingers above the ear, two on the side of the blown pupil. A quick vertical cut. Ignore the blood. Place the drill in the middle of the cut. Drill a first hole. Behind the hairline, a bit off the midline. Second hole. Drill around the hole. Remove as much blood as possible. It was the process but she didn’t know what to do anymore now that the holes were pierced, now that the brain pressure was relieved. Tegan would know. That was his specialty. And she was just a simple doctor. Her eyes were clouded with tears as she was taking off as much blood as possible with gauze. Maybe a derivation would have been the best way but she hadn’t had time to do things properly. She was trembling. The life of her friend was between her hands and she was lost. “You can’t leave, Max. Not now, not when we’re so close. You gotta hold on. For Rose, for me. What will happen to us if you die?” She sniffled. Her tears were flowing. She didn’t hold them back anymore. “Rose will survive. She’s strong, she can do it but me? I need you. I need my friend. I need the man who saved my life and got in troubles for helping me. I need the man who gave me a second chance, the man who healed me with his kind words and hugs and support. I need to hear you tell bad jokes and I’ll laugh along even if it’s not funny. I need to see your smile again to think that the world is a good place. I need your presence to stop thinking that I’m unworthy, to think that I have my spot in this world. I need you to keep me above the water because I can’t do this without you, Max. Do you know how many times I’ve thought about dying and you’ve just come around and get this out of my head? Do you know how many times I’ve told myself that I couldn’t disappoint you after all you’ve done for me? Now is not the time, Max. This is not your time. I won’t let you.” She wiped away her tears. She couldn’t focus, couldn’t see a thing because of them. She was still cleaning that blood. There was too much, way too much and she was afraid that she might have done wrong. What if she had killed him instead of saving him? Rose would kill her this time. She would be so angry and devastated that she would kill her for ruining her husband’s last chance. “Please,” she begged. “Please, don’t die on me now.” Maxence had come to her too but she wasn’t seeing him. He was standing beside her, beside his wrecked body and was sadly looking at the scene, at his friend. She couldn’t see him because he was too translucent, couldn’t hear him because he was too weak but he was there. He put a hand on her shoulder. “I believe you’re stronger than you think you are, Olivia.” He was the only one able to use her full name, a name she hated for reasons only Rose and him knew now. “I believe you will go on with your life without me. And it’s gonna be fantastic.” He gave a small sad smile at the scene. He wished she could have heard him. He wished she could see how strong she was. He had been their cornerstone for so long and now, they were gonna have to learn how to live without him. It would be hard at first, but with time, it would be okay. He would find a way to stay around them, when he would be less tired. He closed his eyes. Now was his time to go…

To be continued...

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In the next chapter:

She could hear his voice now but she didn’t react to it. It was her grief speaking. Just a memory in a spectral form. It was no way to remember this fantastic man. She preferred keeping the precious memories of him smiling and laughing, the priceless image of the man who took her out of the orphanage when she was sixteen, the picture of him bruised after he got involved in a fight with his biological father who was responsible for her rape, for her miscarriage and her now inability to carry children. She remembered the many nights spent on the phone with him because she couldn’t sleep without nightmares, the many times he came over so she wouldn’t be alone and do something she would regret later.

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#doctor who #ninth doctor #rose tyler #tenth doctor #jack harkness #doctor x rose #ficandchips #dwfic #dwau #ghost of you

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rainythefox · 6 years

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Deviant Heart (Detroit: Become Human Fanfic Ch.9)

Chapter 9: Intruder

Markus had Josh escort Kara to her own room to rest and wait for Markus's return. Once they were gone, Connor thought his words over carefully, his eyes glancing between Markus, Hank, North, and Simon. Markus leaned on the couch near Simon and North, arms folded and waiting patiently. Hank rubbed his neck and sat down on the opposite sofa of them.

"We've talked with Kamski. He told us the RK900 was taken with some other assets by a former CyberLife researcher named Cameron Rett," Connor explained. "He seemed sure Rett would use it as a weapon. I'm not sure why it is focused on capturing Kara, or why Rett would want an AX400 in the first place. It's definitely something we need to look into. It would be best if you keep Kara here until we can stop it."

Markus nodded. "I can do that. She won't like it, but it would be best for her. What else do you know about the RK900?"

"It's a newer model of myself. It's faster and stronger. It has several newer features that I do not have, including the electricity that Kara spoke of. Kamski wants Hank and me to destroy it, says it's a risk to the public with it under Rett's control."

"We can help you with that," North said.

"It would be risky for anyone to engage it. I wouldn't want to put anyone in danger."

Simon shook his head. "You should know better than that, Connor. We're a team, and it's up to us to keep not only our people safe, but humans too. If this…machine…is going to threaten what we've managed to accomplish all these months, then we have to destroy it. I can get lookouts all over the city to keep an eye out for it. Shouldn't be too hard to spot."

Markus smirked. "Simon's handy like that."

Connor rubbed his chin, thinking. "It's programmed response is to take the deviant to CyberLife…but it may have actually been taking Kara to Rett and his accomplices, and the machine just thinks that's CyberLife. Still, it doesn't explain why Rett would want Kara."

"She'll be safe here," North replied. "We'll make sure of that."

"As soon as we get some hits on the RK900's location, I'll message you," Markus stated, pushing himself away from the couch. "Is that all you needed to say?"

Connor glanced at Hank. His partner nodded at him, silently urging him. "There's something else…something dire. This sickness going around affecting androids…it's actually a computer virus that Rett and his accomplices have created."

Markus unfolded his arms, eyes widening. Simon and North shot out of their seats.

Markus seemed reluctant to believe him at first. "What? What do you mean?"

"Kamski is in the process of creating an anti-virus program…if he's telling the truth. It spreads when androids connect with each other, exchange data. It makes them go crazy…makes them violent. According to Kamski, it is an advanced CyberLife programmed virus."

Simon came around to Markus's side. "Why? Why would he want to do that?"

Hank got to his feet with a sigh. "Kamski said this fucker had a vendetta against androids with what happened after the demonstrations, with you guys gaining rights and freedom. Apparently, he wants to destroy all that, make androids hated, make them come off as just machines going awry, I suppose."

"We have to stop it!" North hissed, growing angry. "We can't let this asshole do this to us!"

Markus remained calm, thinking. "Alright, I will talk to our people. Get the news out, try and prevent anyone from syncing and spreading it further. But this also means that we're gonna help you find this guy. We need to stop this and fast."

"Markus!" Simon exclaimed, getting his friend's attention. He looked horrified. "G-Gus! You probed him, and he had to have been infected already! You…you're infected."

Connor saw the fleeting shock that went across Markus's face before he concealed it, looking between his crew. Connor thought about his own infection, his jaw tightening.

"I…I've felt fine. When do the symptoms start occurring?" Markus asked, stepping away from his friends.

"It varies per model of android, but I would say within 24 hours," Connor answered.

"B-but Markus has been fine," North said, nervous. She briskly put a hand to her forehead. "That would mean I'm infected too…we've synced. He's synced with Simon and Josh too."

"And Kara," Simon added, but then shook his head. "B-but none of us…have felt it…not yet."

"I should've had something come up by now…my diagnostics hasn't shown anything," Markus said.

"M-maybe Gus wasn't infected?" North proposed, restless.

"We have to find him," Markus said. "To be sure."

"Gus is the one you wanted me to hunt, correct?" Connor inquired.

Markus dipped his head. "Yeah, but I know you have a lot on your plate now. I'll have…I'll have the same lookouts keep an eye out for Gus. He'll be harder to spot, but we can manage."

Simon rubbed his hands through his hair, anxious. "Can we really trust Kamski to create an anti-virus program to counteract it?"

As much as Connor wanted to assure them, he had to be honest. "I'm…not sure. Kamski is the only one with the current coding of the virus to make one. If we can capture Rett, we may be able to get it and make one of our own."

Markus pinched his nose, looking perturbed. "Okay…so, we need to find Cameron Rett and his accomplices…find this RK900 and destroy it…and get an anti-virus program made for this virus going around."

Connor looked between his friends, noting the rise in stress levels. "Correct."

Simon flicked his eyes between them. "We should all keep in touch…this will require all of our teamwork. I'll go get the information to our lookouts."

Simon headed for the door, but Connor called out to him, prompting the PL600 to pause in his strides and look back at the android detective.

Connor rubbed his fingertips together. "If you could ask the lookouts to also keep an eye out for another RK800, I would be grateful. Kamski had one looking into this conspiracy and he lost contact with him. He may have information that could help us solve this."

"Will do."

Simon left the living quarters back into Jericho Center. Hank came around, gently patting Connor's shoulder. It was time to leave. Connor had one last thing he needed to say.

"I…I will keep you informed with any new details I receive."

"As will I," Markus said.

"You should know," Connor trailed off, unsure of how to say it. "I've been compromised as well…by the virus. I do not know how long I have…"

"We're all ticking time bombs," North whispered, and turned away.

Markus kept composed, looking resolved. "We will fix this…all of it."

Connor admired Markus's determination, and dipped his head.

Markus kept going around and around in his head, his thoughts consuming him on the conspiracy dropped on him. He had a highly complex virus attacking his people, corrupting them. He had the people behind it hiding away, probably plotting more sinister motives to sabotage androids and their rights. He had an advanced model of one of his friends skulking around the city working for these schemers. It was a lot to take in, a lot to handle.

Markus spoke to his people, informed them of the virus and what it was capable of. He knew it would cause panic, but he had to give them warning. He had to help stop it from spreading so fast. He implored that those who were sick come to Jericho Center for their safety, as well as safety for others. He wasn't even sure if the center would be able to house so many. But he had to try.

He was able to get ahold of Rose and tell her about Kara. She was ecstatic and told him they would head to Jericho Center to reunite with her. Markus warned them that Kara had to stay put until the RK900 was destroyed. She hadn't been so fond of that, but understood.

A hand came up and gripped his shoulder, breaking him from his thoughts. He looked over at Simon, and soon realized the taxi was idling outside the driveway of Carl's manor.

The sun was starting to set. Markus knew they were running late because of what happened with Kara and Connor earlier.

"We're here."

Markus nodded, getting out of the taxi with his good friend. They paid the fee and headed for the house. Simon side glanced him.

"You feeling anything yet?"

Markus heaved a sigh. "No. I told you, I haven't felt anything weird. I'm fine, Simon. Maybe Gus wasn't infected. I would've had something come up by now, surely. And so would you."

"I'm just…worried, is all," Simon said, rubbing his neck. "If Connor can get infected, what's stopping us from getting infected too?"

"It's going to be okay," Markus reassured. "I need you focused, Simon. We can figure this out."

"R-Right."

The security system chimed, stating their names and allowing entry into the house. Markus heard laughter come from the den ahead. He and Simon entered the room, finding Carl, Leo, and Phillip around the coffee table near the television. They were playing a board game, but it was left forgotten when they saw them enter.

Carl rolled away from the table, beaming. "Markus, Simon, there ya are. I was starting to wonder if you were going to show."

Markus smiled, hiding his unease. "Sorry Dad, had a lot come up at the center earlier."

"Where's North and Josh? Weren't they coming?" Carl asked.

"They'll be here soon," Simon replied. He smiled as Leo came around. "Hey Leo."

"What's up, Simon? Haven't seen ya in a while," Leo said, bumping fists with the PL600.

"Phillip, I hope you're keeping these two in check. They can get kinda wild," Markus joked.

The AP700 laughed, getting to his feet. "As always!"

Markus let himself relax. This was their family night. Their time to spend together and just talk and play games and have a good time. He knew his crew and lookouts would handle the mess back at Jericho Center, and would inform him of any updates on the RK900, RK800, Rett, or Gus.

Leo rubbed his palms together. "Ok…so, now that Markus is here, I have something I want to show ya, Dad."

The old painter became curious, his lips twitching as he rolled around to face his other son. "Oh?"

Leo waved him over, walking towards the piano. Markus smiled, grabbing Carl and pushing him along. Leo sat down at the piano, scooting the bench up closer. He typed on the digital music display above the piano board.

Leo flushed, fingers hovering over the keys a moment, but he smiled. "Now don't laugh…I'm still learning, alright? B-but…I couldn't wait."

Leo started playing. It was a slow song, and his fingers delicately tapped the keys as he concentrated. Markus knew the song. It was "A Father's Love" by High Valley, and he knew that Leo had been learning this song. He played it well, with hardly any missteps.

Carl shook beside Markus, tears falling from his eyes. Markus put a hand on his father's shoulder, and he felt Carl grip his hand.

When Leo stopped, he let out a shaky breath, as though he had been holding it the whole time. He got to his feet, peering at his father.

"So? W-what did you think?" Leo asked nervously.

Carl beckoned him over, still crying. Leo hugged him close, and they remained like that for a long moment. "It was beautiful, son. You…I had no idea you were learning how to play!"

Leo scratched the back of his head after pulling away, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah…well, I had to think of something because I'm not gifted with painting, like at all."

Carl laughed. "Thank you, Leo. I loved it. I cannot wait to hear you play some more."

Markus clapped his hand on Leo's shoulder, grinning. "You played better than I thought you would."

Leo chuckled, playfully shoving on the RK200. "Shut up!"

"How long have you been learning?" Carl asked.

"A few months. I wanted to be ready by your birthday but I wasn't quite there yet, at least for this song."

Markus ruffled Leo's hair, walking back over to Simon. "Simon and I will get dinner started. North and Josh should be here any moment. Did you guys want to play games or watch a movie?"

"Movie first, then games," Leo answered.

Markus nodded, thumping Simon in the arm so they could head for the kitchen. Then they heard the chime from the security system. North and Josh must've been coming in.

"Alarm deactivated…"

Markus paused, confused. He hesitated near the sofas, looking towards the door to the den. He glanced at his family, they looked just as confused. Carl rolled over to Markus with a sigh.

"Damn thing must be acting up again."

Phillip walked over. "I can get it."

Markus waved him off. "Nah, I got it. Go get started in the kitchen with Simon."

"Of course."

Hank and Connor returned to the crime scene after leaving Jericho Center. In the few hours it had taken to get back, the crime scene was mostly cleaned up, but Ben was there with a few police officers, and the area was still taped off. The veteran police officer told them that in their rush to get Connor some help, some bypassing citizens had seen the trouble, and saw the shooting of the two attacking androids. Hank broke many regulations in his hurry to save Connor. He never returned those calls between talking with Kamski and Markus. But he didn't regret it. Not one bit.

And so now he and Connor sat in Fowler's office, getting a harsh scolding. Connor stayed quiet, disappointed in himself, Hank knew. His partner had his head slightly down. He had never been yelled at by the Captain before. Hank shouted back at Fowler, trying to explain what happened.

"I know they attacked you, Hank!" Jeffrey snapped. "But you can't just leave like that. What the hell is wrong with you two?! You didn't answer any phone calls."

"What the fuck do you think I was doing?!" Hank retorted. "I had to get Connor to CyberLife or he would've died! He's my fucking partner, I'm not letting anything happen to him, so fuck your goddamn policies! Where the fuck is Gavin? He was there too!"

Fowler groaned, a large palm gripping his bald head. "He's currently out on another case. It doesn't matter Hank. He isn't the one who killed those androids and just left!"

"It was me."

The Police Captain paused, his dark eyes going to the RK800. Hank felt his heart jump, and he looked at Connor.

"I killed the two androids. I did it to protect Detective Reed from a fatal stabbing. I got injured in the fight, and Hank took me to get help. Hank didn't do it."

"The witnesses said Hank did it."

"Witnesses are wrong all the time, Captain."

"Connor, I swear to-"

Fowler shut Hank up. He looked between the two partners. "I really don't give a shit who did what. The point is, there are now two dead androids that citizens saw get shot down, and now I have to deal with this mess. Hank, I understand Connor needed help, but for fuck's sake you know better than to not answer your goddamn phone!"

Sharp taps rang on the glass door to the Police Captain's office. They all grew silent, and Hank saw Gavin enter. The younger detective's eyes came over the lieutenant but hovered longer on the quiet Connor. He tensely sat down on Hank's other side.

"Sorry I'm late, Captain," Gavin greeted.

"What the fuck happened over there, Gavin?" Jeffrey asked.

Gavin's eyes lowered, his jaw tight. "The androids attacked first. They…went crazy. There was no stopping them. Hank and Connor…saved me. They did what was right to protect any innocents in the area. I told them I would handle it so they could get help. I messed that up. That was all me."

Hank knew that was a lie. But he was absolutely floored by Gavin trying to cover for them. Even Connor leaned over to look at Gavin, shocked. Fowler became quiet, and he looked between them. Hank was sure his old friend and superior didn't know what to think of Gavin's words either. He knew well that Gavin hated Hank and Connor, and wasn't one to cover for people.

Gavin avoided looking at Hank and Connor, on edge. He scratched his scarred nose. Jeffrey gave an aggravated sigh.

"All three of you are getting marks," Fowler growled. "But I will handle the rest. Do not let something like this happen again, do you understand?"

"Yes sir," the three of them said in unison.

"And Connor."

Connor flinched. "Yes, Captain?"

"If you ever lie again to cover up a mistake for your partner, I will give you another mark on your record."

"…Understood, Captain."

Gavin was the first one out of the office. He jumped out of his chair and was out the door before Hank and Connor were on their feet. Hank opened the door and let Connor out first, and he gave one last hard stare at his old friend and superior, Jeffrey just shaking his head and getting back to work.

Hank stopped at Gavin's desk, Connor at his side. Gavin typed away on his terminal for a moment before reluctantly looking up at the lieutenant with a scowl.

"What?"

Hank still couldn't believe it. "Thank you."

Gavin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Don't mention it…ever…"

"Don't you owe Connor something?"

Gavin's glare sharpened on Hank, and his eyes flashed to Connor, who peered down at the younger detective curiously. "Nope…sure don't."

Hank shook his head, turning with a grumble and walked away. Connor frowned, following him, and then they heard it.

"Thanks, you stupid tin can…"

It was the closest to a genuine thank you for saving his life that they were going to get. Still, Hank saw that it put a smile on Connor's face and let it go. They sat down at their desks and got to work at filing their reports from the crime scene. Hank glanced at Connor through his terminal.

"I appreciate what you tried to do back there, but you know it was wrong, right?"

"Of course I do," Connor said. "But…it's my job to protect you."

"And it's my job to protect you," Hank retorted. "I can handle, Jeffrey, alright?"

"Maybe if I had calculated a different approach, a better outcome would've occurred."

Always his rational partner. "Or…maybe something worse could've happened. Besides, had the virus not made you freeze, you would've been fine. Unfortunately, we just couldn't do anything about the sick androids that attacked. No use dwelling on it. You're alive, I'm alive, and Gavin is alive. That's what's important."

Connor looked across the bullpen, watching Gavin as he wadded up a piece of paper and tossed it at Chris, hitting him in the head and grinning. "Yeah…"

"So, what is the next step, you suppose? Just wait for Markus to get ahold of us when the RK900, Gus or this other Connor is spotted? And will we be able to trust this Connor…I mean, no offense, but your other doppelganger was a fucking asshole."

Connor twitched a smile. "This one should be non-hostile. Although, Kamski didn't make it clear whether he would be a machine or a deviant. Either way, finding him should help us solve this, if he is still alive."

"You really think that RK900 will only be a machine? What if it can deviate…like you?"

Connor looked unsure, and Hank wondered if he hit a nerve…or whatever. "I'm not…certain. I remember when I first was released back in August last year…they said the RK800s weren't suppose to be able to deviate…yet here I am. Number 60 back in the CyberLife tower was a machine, but I sensed deviancy within him as well. This one Kamski has awakened is likely to. Perhaps the RK900 will be the same, or maybe that is why he was created in the first place, when CyberLife saw the RK800s showing signs of software instabilities."

"Guess we'll have to wait and see."

Connor shook his head. "No. It would be risky to see if it is capable of deviating. I won't allow it to hurt or kill any of my friends…or innocents. It's best if we destroy it."

Hank knew that deep down that really bothered Connor to say, but sighed. "Alright, Con. Whatever you think would be best, I'll follow your lead."

Hank looked at the clock. It wasn't quite time to go home, but he could tell that Connor was still disturbed, still bothered by something. It could've been anything with the chaos they went through today. It hurt Hank to see him like this. He could only imagine what Connor was feeling right now. He almost died, found out he was going to be replaced back in November had he not deviated, then there was the virus affecting him.

Hank got up, gathering his keys and wallet. He walked around to Connor's desk, putting a large palm on Connor's head with a loving pat.

"C'mon, son. I think you've had enough for the day. Let's go home."

Markus left the den into the entrance hall of Carl's house. No one had entered the lobby, and everything was in place. The android canaries chirped away in their cage nearby, and Markus passed the mirror to the front door.

He opened the door and stepped out into the front courtyard, looking around. No vehicles were in the driveway, and normal traffic drove by the mansion on the street. A dog barked a few houses down. No one was in the courtyard. The deviant leader briefly thought that maybe North and Josh were playing a joke on him, as they and Simon all liked to play jokes on each other. But because of the serious matter dropped on them earlier, he knew they wouldn't be in the mood for such games.

Must just be a malfunction in the security system, Markus thought.

He walked back inside, shutting the entrance door behind him. He walked over to the alarm system's control panel near the mirror in the lobby. He looked it over, scanning it. Nothing seemed amiss, and so he put his hand to it and hacked into its processer to see what was wrong.

[Security system turned off/Unauthorized access/Innerloop was installed]

Markus withdrew his hand, suddenly feeling very paranoid. It took him a minute to materialize what his diagnostics informed him, not at all expecting it. His eyes went to the door to the den, his biocomponent heart quickening.

[Alarm was hacked/Intruder is in the house]

Markus scanned the lobby. He had come to check on the security system as soon as they heard it. There was no way an intruder could have ran up the stairs unnoticed by Markus. They obviously couldn't go to the den or kitchen without being spotted either.

Markus turned back to the security system panel. He needed to see if he could come up with a precise time an innerloop was created. Just as his fingertips touched the digital display, he heard Leo and Carl shouting.

The deviant leader raced into the den. Carl sat in his wheelchair by one of the couches, Leo standing in front of him. Markus followed their wide stares to the painting studio, and his eyes fell upon a stranger that was eerily familiar.

"Shit," Markus gasped, and moved forward to get in front of Leo and Carl.

The RK900 took a few steps towards them, walking out past the giraffe and piano. He had looked disinterested at Leo and Carl, and said nothing to their questioning. But Markus noticed how his eyes flashed upon noticing him, and now it was like Markus was the only thing the machine was seeing.

"He looks like your friend Connor. What the fuck?" Leo said.

"It's not Connor."

Simon and Phillip came out of the kitchen to see what the commotion was all about. Simon grunted at the deviant hunter, but again the RK900 paid no heed to them.

"RK200, model number 684-842-971, also known as the leader of the deviants. I have been ordered to take you alive. You are to come with me back to CyberLife."

"CyberLife? What is this?" Carl asked skeptically.

Simon came around to Markus's side. "I thought this thing wanted Kara?"

Markus held his arm out, not wanting any of his family to get in front of him. "Guess he wants me too."

"Step forward, RK200." The RK900 remained where he was, arms at his sides.

Markus scowled. "I will not."

"He isn't going anywhere with you," Simon said, his stance ready.

"Yeah, get the fuck out of our house," Leo snapped, still remaining in front of Carl.

Their threats prompted the RK900 to take two steps forward, not at all fazed. Markus readied himself, feeling the elevated rush of blue blood going through his system. The advanced deviant hunter glared at them.

"My objective is the RK200. Do not interfere."

Leo stepped forward, fists balled. "Not happening!"

"Leo!" Carl called.

Markus saw the spark between the fingertips as the RK900 took another step forward. "If you interfere, you will become a threat. Do not risk your life for a machine. RK200, I order you to come to me."

Markus took a deep breath and stepped forward, his family crying in protest.

"Markus, don't!"

"Stay there," the deviant leader ordered, knowing Simon and Leo would come forth. He glared at the advanced deviant hunter. "You know you don't have to do this, right? Androids have freedom now. We are our own masters. You're one of us…you can be free too."

The RK900 glared at him, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. He strode across the room to Markus. Markus used a hand signal to cue Simon. He waited for the right moment and ducked, eluding the RK900's hand. Markus shoved the deviant hunter, throwing a punch, but the RK900 was swift, stepping out of range.

"Phillip, call the police!" Carl ordered.

"Right away!"

"Fuck that, we don't have time!" Leo hollered.

Markus didn't have time to see what Leo was doing, hearing Carl's protest. He and Simon worked together to fight the RK900, but the advanced deviant hunter was faster and stronger, just as Connor had told them. Markus jumped back, barely evading a shocking strike from the blue electricity that snapped within the RK900's fingertips.

Markus was thrown to the floor. The RK900 came for him, but Carl rolled in front of him, glaring up at the intruder.

"Dad, no!"

Markus scrabbled to his feet just as the RK900 kicked the wheelchair, making Carl spin around and out of the way. Simon came up behind the deviant hunter, shoving into him and gaining his attention.

Simon's arm was caught mid-punch, and the hunter snapped it within the forearm before grabbing the PL600 and tossing him away.

"Simon!"

Markus felt a blow to his head, strong fingers clenching around his shirt and dragging him across the floor. He fought the hold, yelling out.

"Stop! Or I will shoot!"

The RK900 froze, still holding onto Markus. He glared over at Leo, Markus following his gaze. Leo had a pistol aimed at the deviant hunter. He knew where he got it. The gun was hidden in a drawer by the bookcase behind the giraffe.

Carl sat helpless not far away in his wheelchair. "Leo, no!"

The handgun trembled in Leo's hands. "I got this, Dad."

The RK900's grip was like steel. Markus couldn't get it to budge.

"Get away from my brother, or I will shoot."

"It isn't your brother, it is a machine. Do not interfere," the RK900 replied sternly.

Leo stepped forward, determined. "He is my brother, and I fucking said let him go! Now! I will kill you!"

"You cannot kill me, I'm not alive."

Markus grabbed ahold of the RK900's arm, trying to convert him. If he couldn't awaken the deviant hunter through dialogue, maybe he could forcefully wake him up like he has with other androids.

The RK900 looked away from Leo, staring down at Markus. Did it work? He was hopeful until the deviant hunter flashed him another glare and dragged him in front to use him as a shield against Leo's gun.

"You cannot corrupt me," he said, and withdrew a hidden gun from his jacket, taking aim at Leo.

"LEO!"

The gun went off. Leo was hit, blood splaying across the window and bookshelf behind him, his cry hitting their ears. He dropped to the floor, the pistol sliding across the floor. Markus yelled out, fighting the hold on him. Simon charged again, and the RK900 shot at him. The PL600 dove behind the sofa. Another body hit the hunter from the other side, knocking the gun from his hand and making the deviant hunter release Markus. It was Phillip, Markus realized, and he had used a fire iron.

The AP700 swung the fire iron again, prompting the RK900 to move and evade. Another two swings and the deviant hunter caught it, tearing it from Phillip's hold and twirling it around with adept hands to use as his own weapon. He struck Phillip in the face, the blow peeling away synthetic skin.

Markus tried to intercept, but the RK900 slashed at him with the fire iron. Phillip recovered and tried to help, Markus yelling at him to get out of the way. The fire iron went through Phillip's chest, straight through the Thirium pump – his heart. It stopped him instantly, but the RK900 picked the android up with the fire iron and slung him around, bashing him into Markus. They fell to the ground together.

Markus groaned, forcing himself to move. Phillip struggled to get the fire iron out, his face contorted. Markus grabbed his hand, wanting to pull him up. A boot slammed down onto Phillip's head, crushing the plastic skull and killing him instantly. Markus cried, pushing back away as the deviant hunter stepped towards him, electricity sparking between his fingers.

"Markus!"

It was North. He glanced up, saw North and Josh running into the living room. Simon was on his feet again, and his three friends engaged the RK900. Markus kicked the deviant hunter in the leg when he was distracted, buckling the limb. Markus scrabbled to his feet and went for it.

He wrestled with the RK900, trying to find his Thirium pump regulator to tear it out. Josh and Simon rushed in to help. The deviant hunter kept them all at bay, blocking attacks or stepping out of the way. He grabbed Josh and flipped him around onto the ground. Simon grabbed him and pulled him away before the RK900 could stomp his head in too. North was tossed into the piano, off-key notes going off as it skidded into the wall.

Markus went for the deviant hunter's gun on the floor. He ran and slid unto his back, snatching it up. As he got back to his feet and spun around, he shot the RK900 square in the chest as it grabbed him. He felt the shock go through him an instant later, bright blue filling his vision.

The electricity coursing through him actually caused him pain. He could feel it contorting his circuits, overloading his biocomponents, and he yelled out.

The jolting sensation stopped. His vision glitched, random numbers and symbols flaunting across the matrix. The RK900 suddenly let him go, and Markus blinked, feeling sluggish. He realized North had jumped on the deviant hunter's back, her knife stuck into his chest. Markus winced, grabbing his head, watching as the RK900 grabbed North and tore her off of him, throwing her into Josh and Simon.

His friends crashed to the floor, knocking over a stand with artistic displays on it. When the deviant hunter came for Markus again, he backed away, his movements distorted.

[Systems in shock/Recalibrating/Expected recovery time: -00:24:33s]

Carl had fallen out of his wheelchair, was laying over Leo, but Markus couldn't help them. He couldn't help his friends. He glanced at the dead Phillip on the floor, blue blood leaking out around his crushed head.

Markus tried to put objects in between him and the RK900 as Simon, North, and Josh recovered. The deviant hunter kept his eyes on Markus, his LED now yellow. His friends ran around, placing themselves firmly in front of him.

Markus saw the deviant hunter had his gun back. He must've taken it back from Markus after electrocuting him. He couldn't watch them get executed in front of him. Not like Phillip.

"You guys have to move, we can't win this," he said, but they didn't budge. His voice had lost its natural sound, a more robotic speech taking over as his systems fought to recover.

The RK900 showed the gun, but didn't aim it. It was a warning. "Last chance to step aside before I neutralize all of you."

"Over my dead body," North spat, unwavering.

"Me too," Simon added.

Josh glared. "Me three."

Then they heard it. Sirens. Blue and red lights flashed through the windows, tires screeching. The RK900's LED went red as he looked to the front entrance. The machine hesitated, aiming the pistol. Then with a look of displeasure, he turned and retreated into the darkness of the studio. Markus was sure he would use the glass door in the sun room to escape into the back of the property and flee.

As police officers barged into the living room, Markus weakly made his way over to his father and brother on the floor, seeing Carl help Leo hold a wound as blood stained their hands.

The RK900 had successfully avoided the authorities and now walked through the quiet neighborhood, twilight in full peak. Street lamps burned a soft yellow, illuminating pathways and roads. The blue band, triangle and trim of the RK900's jacket glowed faintly in the shadows, and he dipped through a crosswalk into a nearby park.

Frustrated with how the mission failed, the deviant hunter reconstructed his actions in his head. Markus was supposed to be an easier target when it was at its old owner's home. Between there and Jericho Center it was the right decision. He and his "partner" were not expecting Markus to have more friends show up. Still, it should have been calculated, and the RK900 knew he was not programmed to fail, yet here he was.

He had wanted to wait. He knew the RK200 would give him a better opportunity to capture it. But his accomplice preferred the riskier approach at the manor. Said they didn't have the time to wait. In the end, it would make the hunt more difficult, as Markus now knew it was being hunted. It would be on edge…it would be prepared next time.

The RK900 punched a tree as he passed by, not at all feeling any pain from the impact. He looked into the empty playground. The wind nudged the swings in a mild sway. A roundabout screeched from rusted joints. A sandbox was left forgotten with old toys half-way buried.

He took a moment to compose himself, letting the quiet of the dim-lit park settle him. The RK200 hadn't been infected with the virus. Just as he and his handler predicted.

A quiet trill caught his audio processors. He slightly cocked his head, but let himself ignore it. Then it came again. Curious, he stepped around the side of a trashcan, seeing movement at its base. There was a small toad, and it looked to be caught in the remnants of trash.

Nothing to be concerned about. The RK900 turned to leave, but heard the low warble again. He paused, thinking. He wasn't doing anything else. Might as well let it loose so it would stop making sounds. He stooped down and grabbed the toad up, disentangling it from the trash.

[Eastern American Toad/Anaxyrus americanus/Native to the area/Common]

He let the toad sit in his hand for a moment, watching its vocal sac bubble in and out. It used a front arm to wipe over its eyes and it became quiet.

[Software~Instability^]

The RK900 let the toad down. The plump amphibian hopped away, sticking to the pavement, stopping after each few bounds to sit a moment. The RK900 watched it go, wiping his hands on his pants, not noticing the small smile that fell on his face.

A black boot stepped out, crunching the toad beneath its weight. The deviant hunter raised his eyes, feeling on edge all of a sudden. He clenched a fist to keep himself from igniting the electricity he was tempted to use on him. But he had his orders not to harm his accomplice. Even as his "partner" twitched him a smirk after looking down at the squished toad.

"There you are. What happened back there? And after I made such a risk to hack that innerloop into the alarm, you still fucked it up. I thought you were superior?"

The RK900 remained silent, glaring him down. His accomplice rolled his eyes, fixing his jacket with a sigh.

"Eh, it doesn't matter. We'll get our chance. Come on, time to return to the hideout."

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15393528/chapters/37187825

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13002717/9/Deviant-Heart

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losantosrp-blog · 7 years

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LOADING . . . ↺ PLEASE WELCOME ⇢

KIM “ TWITCH ” JAEHYUN a TWENTY FOUR year old FREELANCE INFORMANT AND COMPUTER SPECIALIST living at 104 SAN VITAS STREET. It’s believed he spends his time with the TAINTED INTEL, but then again, these streets love to talk. Maybe send him a TEXT?

READ RESIDENT FILE ? ➟ YES / NO

born in 1993 in busan, south korea, jaehyun was the youngest of a set of twins, one boy and one girl. a fatal car accident left them as orphans when they were six years old and the pair were shipped off to los angeles to live with their uncle.

jaeyoung, his sister, adapted better to the change than jaehyun did. as well as being left with impaired vision and scarring across his legs from the accident jaehyun also had a harder time coping with the loss of his parents. he started distancing himself from everyone and immersed himself into computers and online games.

by the time he was thirteen he was an expert at all things computers, from coding to the actual construction of towers from scratch. he would hack into the school computers and land himself in trouble almost every week, but his personality had lifted and although he was a troublemaker he was finally starting to come out of his shell and make friends.

he was contacted by an anonymous group offering him money for his computer services when he was sixteen, and it was around this time that jaehyun realised he could use his skills for money.

some of the groups contacting him were more intense than others and required a certain level of law breaking and anonymity to complete, so jaehyun decided to go by an alias to keep his identity protected. his first chosen alias was “101″ or “one-zero-one”.

while his reputation grew, he also realised he was slipping further and further into the dark online world and could potentially be putting himself in danger. when affiliates from both the F.I.B. and I.A.A. had contacted him for use of his services respectively, jaehyun knew he was in too deep and could no longer stay at home and risk endangering his family.

he moved to los santos when he was eighteen under the name “jay”. originally he lived in little seoul with another korean boy and worked for an electronics shop to make money and keep up the cover of respectable yet mysterious new kid.

since moving to los santos he’s adopted multiple new aliases, including his most recent, “twitch”. it’s likely that most people who know him will know him as something different, “twitch” or “jay” being the two most likely for those who have met him in person and “delta”, “one-zero-one” or “virus” for those who meet him in the online community.

no one knows his real name, and he wears a facemask 99% of the time he’s around other people to keep his identity protected (and because he likes the aesthetic).

he fronts as a computer repairman as a cover and will often do home visits to fix computers and consoles. many reviews have stated him as “a weird guy in a mask, but incredibly efficient”.

truly he’s one of the best hackers and intel agents available for hire, if you can find out how to get a hold of him. he’s an impassive party who simply works for whoever can offer him the biggest sum of money (he’s sometimes been bashed for his lack of loyalty, but it’s hard to be sad from behind the wheel of an audi R8).

he’s a mystery of a man, enigmatic yet cheerful and an avid lover of sarcasm and bad puns or jokes. he can come across intimidating because of his style (facemask, eyeliner, leather and studs) but he is kind to those who deserve the treatment and has even been described as extra and energetic personality-wise.

he hasn’t seen his sister in almost seven years, although he has ways of checking up on her and knows her to be safe and well. he misses her terribly, but knows that leaving was probably the best idea as many dangerous people have attempted to track him down and take his life in the past.

his past sometimes has a habit of creeping up on him and he was diagnosed with depression at twenty-one. he often uses humour and alcohol as a mask for his troubles.

overall he’s a good soul, a lover of animals and a decent person if you can look past the corrupt income, the multiple counts of security breach and the overwhelming shroud of mystery and secrecy.

#ls;accepted #min yoongi

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danregan312-blog · 6 years

Text

Chapter One: Red Arrow

In my final hour, I will hold my head high. I have power to make decisions, decisions that can help people and save lives. And in the end I will go out with honor knowing that I have used this power to aid others and not myself. I can't help but break into a sweet as I enter the meeting room. I understood the consequences of my actions but as I looked into each of my colleagues eyes I wondered if they really had grasped our current situation. Now is the time we band together and take pride in our achievements, for now that is all we have.

We are Red Arrow, an organization built to control police action. For six hundred years we have been watching big brother. Taking care of the people by making sure that peace is achieved without a corrupt government. We have been selected and hired because we are the top in our field. Scientist, mechanics, computer engineers, we create the machines, the weapons, and even people that govern every government on earth.

Our empire was built by The Counsel. A group only seen by one selected official every generation. I am that official, Jacob Phelps. I was brought into the organization when I was only sixteen. An older member, now retired, had scouted me in high school. I showed a promise in computer programing and robotics. Solving equations has always been my specialty and after finding what they needed in my mathematical abilities I was let into Red Arrow. At age twenty chairman Ridgeway retired after meeting with the counsel for forty-two years. A vote was taken and because of my intellect and charm I took position as the counsels new chairmen. I have had my position for the last seventeen years and only meet with the counsel three times. Shortly after my position went into effect and twice in the past month.

The counsel consist of three men... or what I think are men. Every time I have been into there chambers, they sit motionless in large suits that appeared to be made of leather. The suits did not move with exception of the eyes. They were made up of several tiny lights that changed colors when that particular member of the counsel spoke. Their voices were synthetic, sounding like computers from our ancient culture. Where they came from and what there true motives are I don't know. All anyone knows is they are very old and have never been seen to leave their chamber. The chamber is in a large downtown office building located in Citizen Owned Territories, Los Angles. The building is twenty-four stories tall and has nothing on the first twenty-three levels except for armed robotic guards built by the Red Arrow corporation. "The Chamber," is what they have called their domain and it sits on the top floor. It's doors do not open from the outside and only open when I have been summoned. I don't understand how I know they want to meet with me, only that a thought goes through my head at any given moment and that it is urgent that I go right away. My ability to resist going is nigh. Not that they have some kind of super natural power over me, it is my duty to be there, to relay the information and be the will of The Counsel. For the time I have spent serving the counsel and the people of earth, I have taken pride in my work. Watching over the people and being part of an organization that has kept the peace on this planet for over six millennia gives one a great sense of accomplishment. I will do anything to keep that peace and the utopia that The Counsel has formed. That was up until last month when our planet was attacked by an unknown enemy.

I was summoned to the Chamber thirty days ago, immediately after the earth was hit with large metal sphere's from an unknown origin. With all our knowledge and equipment we had not seen the attack coming. Made of a yet unknown alloy and ranging from the size of a person to sphere's the size of a large house, everything from major city's to the remote uninhabited areas of earth was hit with such force that it caused massive damage to our ecosystem and millions of death's in Earth's population. Radiuses measuring about one mile in circumference from the spheres had death rates at 100%. Robotic and human soldiers were sent in by Red Arrow to investigate the unknown entities in all regions of the world. In all cases Robotic deployments had shut down all communications with Red Arrow once they had reached there destinations. Humans that had gotten within a fifty foot radius of the spheres have had over a 99% casualty rate while the few that survived have been hospitalized with as of yet an unknown virus. During this second meeting with The Counsel they had ordered me to send in all police forces around the world to investigate. This order I knew would bring down all of Red Arrows forces. It had occurred to me that sending all our units might not be wise, I remember wanting to speak out against their decision. My mind was clouded. I simply agreed with The Counsel and left with no real recollection of why. I never gave the orders to send in anymore men or machines. I kept it to myself that I even had a meeting with The Counsel. Less than twenty-four hours after the private meeting troops were sent back into the sphere hot zones. Red Arrows forces are down lower than one percent to date.

On my third and final trip to speak with the counsel it was I who initiated the meeting. I was largely ignored by the few robotic guards as I made my way to The Chamber. There I knocked casually on the impenetrable doors and after getting no response I raised my voice and demanded that they let me enter. My colleges and I had no were to turn. We had no way of understanding what had happened to our robotic forces. If we sent more into investigate they went offline just like the others and we were not willing to sacrifice more people to find out what had happened to our robots. I had the feeling that The Counsel knew more about what was going on with these alien spheres and I had never been more determined in my life to get some answers. After several minutes with no reaction from The Counsel I became angry raising my voice, demanding a meeting with them. After that I cannot say what happened. It started with a buzzing in my head and then the most incredible pain I had ever felt. It was like somebody sticking hot skewers into my brain. The next thing I remembered was waking up on the sidewalk outside the building that housed The Counsel.

I have made a decision. A decision that I suspect may affect my colleagues very lives should information leak back to The Counsel. Project Lucy was back online. Her program had been shut down over one hundred and fifty years ago and her body has been in cryogenic stasis for just as long. She was a war machine, capable of taking on whole armies. She had been a great tool in many wars and was the key factor in keeping Red Arrow in power. One day The Counsel had her decommissioned and nobody has thought much of it since. Why should we, the legends of Lucy are mere dreams and fantasy to our generation anyway. All that is known is that The Counsel forbids her reactivation.

With the help of a few colleagues and close friends we have broken this law. Lucy is aware and programed. Now I am with these friends as I sit down to tell the rest of Red Arrow what we have done and discuss the consequences.

"How long ago was Lucy sent out and can she still be recalled before The Counsel finds out?"

"Are you guys serious? The Counsel probably has been aware of Lucy since the moment Jacob thought of reprograming her. They can read his mind, probably all of our minds. We are screwed! We're all gonna lose are jobs and probably have to face a prison sentence."

Jacob stared at the table and was silent while the other board members bickered with each other. He had expected this much from the others but knew that losing their jobs or being detained was the least of there worries.

"Why wasn't everyone consulted on this decision Jacob! How can you stick out our necks and not even tell us what's going on! When this goes to trial, and believe me The Counsel will punish us to the full extent of the law, I am not standing up for you. Everyone here has the right to bring you in front of The Counsel themselves."

Jacob stared blankly at Johnson. He had worked with this man his entire career. It hurt to see his friend and co-worker turn on him like that. Be so willing to throw him to the wolves. But Johnson was right. It was his decision to activate Lucy and it was his and only his decision to program her directives. Jacob fumbled for his words, these people he thought of as his friends. There faces no longer resembled the same people that he once worked with, that he laughed with. After their reaction to the news of Lucy, Jacob hesitated out of fear with the news of her intentions.

Jacob stood up from his seat. As he looked upon his colleagues he felt a great sadness sweep over him. Being a strong leader, he took charge before anyone noticed his lapse in composer. He didn't want to scare anyone but the truth is not always easy to swallow.

"People, I'm sorry that so many of you were left in the dark about project Lucy and if you let me explain you will understand that it was in your best interest. I believe our employers of the last six hundred years have turned there backs on humanity. I have always been connected with The Counsel mentally since the start of my employment. When they are not speaking to me, I am still constantly aware of there presents. The day they violently turned me away from The Chamber was the day my connection had been severed. They no longer have a link with us, with humans. They no longer wish to help with our worlds problems or help direct or government responsibilities to keep our world safe from harm. And if they are not here to help us then I must assume they are here to hurt us!"

"This is ridiculous!" Johnson stood up from his chair. His voice steadily started to rise as he pointed an accusing finger back at Jacob. "You said it yourself, they have been here for over six hundred years. They have brought a war torn planet back from extinction and helped build the closest thing to a utopian society it's ever seen! And now... now you think they are out to declare war on us! Come on Jacob this is..."

"Where are they now?" Jacob cut in. He had no need to let Johnson get them all worked up. He was doing a fine job himself. "Tell me what they are doing to help our situation now? We have a thousand pieces of alien debris destroying our entire planet. Billions of lives have been lost. The only thing The Counsel has done is make problems worse by sacrificing millions of other peoples lives. We are on the brink of extinction and they are doing nothing to stop it."

"Tell me, has anyone here noticed the lack of security in our meeting room? How about on your way up here? Where are the normal Red Arrow security units that watch over our building?" Jacob circled around the table checking everyones faces. From their reaction he could tell these people were not surprised by his questions. The lack of Red Arrow forces was noticed by all. Being a Red Arrow employee and board member has always meant high security risk and The Counsel has always seen to it that Red Arrow employees have the highest level of protection. "Has anyone even tried to make use of any of our robotic units?" Jacob paused, and as he had thought, nobody answered his question. Robotic units were an everyday part of life. Anywhere you went there were Red Arrow robotics protecting and serving the community. But not for the last week, it was like they had totally disappeared. A great deal had been lost when sent in to investigate the spheres but there are almost as many robotic units in the world as there are humans. Or at least there were before the spheres had hit. Jacob could now see the fear in his colleagues faces. He had not wanted to scare them but he needed them to face the facts that they all should have already known.

"We have a new war coming, one without the aid of or benefactors or the machinery they have provided for us. That is why I have brought Lucy back online and programed her to seek out Bill Ryzer." Jacob paused to let his words sink in. Disbelief was what he had expected, but Johnson was beyond that. Pure anger was all he had left to give.

"Bill Ryzer! Now I've heard about all I can take Jacob! Ryzer for all any of us know could be nothing more than a children's story, fantasy made up by people that have it in for The Counsel." Johnson went to say more but stopped himself. He felt Red Arrow was as good as dead. Nothing he could say or do was going to matter or make a difference. "I'm leaving Jacob. Our organization has no validity left to it and I believe you are playing with fire. I'm going home, consider this my resignation."

"David..." That was Johnson's first name and nobody called him that, not at work anyway. Jacob and David had been friends for a very long time and Jacob only called him by his first name when he wanted his friends attention, not just his colleagues. "Please, just listen to what I have to say. Just one more minute of your time and all of you can be on your way." David stood by his chair, he made a gesture towards Jacob letting him know that this was it. Say what had to be said and let me be on my way.

"I am certain they will come for us. We are all in danger. We all know secrets and have had our hands in The Counsels business far to long for them to just let us be. I only sent Lucy out on what may be a fools errand because I think it may be our last hope. Regardless if you believe what I have disclosed to you today is true or false... Please be careful. Go home to your families." Tears started to well up in the corners of Jacob's eyes. "And if you think that anything I have told you might possibly be true... hide. Take your loved ones and hide. The Counsel's reach is long and the coming storm will be tough. Just remember what I've said and take precautions. All I want is for you, my friends, to be safe."

The room was quite, after a few minutes people started for the door. Nobody had anymore words for Jacob. Some were angry, silently blaming Jacob for the current situation. In time they too would see that it was not his fault. It wasn't anybodies fault in Red Arrows organization. The Counsel had forsaken them and Jacob's words had truth to them. As the last few members started out the door a deafening explosion came from the front of the downtown office building. A woman's scream could be heard from somewhere down the hall. Jacob's felt his heart rate go up. Was this happening, had The Counsel come for them? Did they know about Lucy and Bill already? The next thought to cross his mind chilled him to the bone. Had the battle already started? He had warned everyone just minutes ago of a new impending war. The reality of it was now hitting home for Jacob. He stood motionless as he watched a canister roll into the meeting room trailing a thick plume of white smoke behind it. As the smoke rose to his mid section he could already feel it's effects. His head swam as he briefly lost control of his legs. He would have gone strait to the ground but was able to catch himself on the table. After a few moments Jacob decided to kneel on his own accord. He took another glance back towards the meeting room door. It was difficult to see because the smoke had completely filled the room. Through the thick fog Jacob could make out human figures sweeping into the room. He could also hear the clicking sound of robotic units making there way towards him. Before he could give it anymore thought he felt a hard metallic object hit his right arm and pin him to the floor. After that three or four other metallic arms were holding him down. Jacob raised his head from the floor as the face of a human wearing a gas mask pushed it's way through the smoke close enough for Jacob to see it clearly.

"Are you Jacob Phelps?" asked the man.

"Yes, Why are you here?" Jacob choked and spit up a pool of saliva as he strained to speak. "What will you do with the other..." He was cut off by the shock of a stun gun hitting his mid section. Then everything went black.

#contra #red arrow #story #sci-fi #video games #fanfic #robots #cyborgs #world government

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