Samurai Luca

[GamerKale]

All of the Aesir warriors, with the exclusion of the three gods, were dead. The blow knocked Briggs to the ground. Is talking this much and being so conceited in the face of overwhelming forces a common trait for gods? I'm glad I'm not one. She looked back towards the fort. A woman stood upon the battlements with Setanta at her side, her left side was covered by the cape. With the hood and the distance Briggs couldn't see her face, but there was only one face it could be this far South. Briggs stood up and her armor reverted to normal. "This battle is finished. You should leave with your kin and never return." She sheathed her blade and started back to the fortress. All of the clones(with the exclusion of Nu-13, Briggs, and a handful of engineers working damage control on the cannons), Zephyrs, and Hawks had already returned to the base, or were at least out of sight and on their way back. The Guardians that weren't piles of wreckage in the snow were marching back for repairs and maintenance; Briggs jumped on top of one.

[Zorolo]

Thor rested his hammer on his shoulder and laughed. "WEll, the battle is over for now, but the reality is that true combat does not remain finished," Thor stated to himself as he started walking away. Loki cackled maliciously as he vanished into a swarm of crows that flew high into the sky and seemed to scattered outwards at her statement.

Elsewhere, Odin and Nu exchanged blows one last time before Odin floated backwards. "Your forces are withdrawing, as are my sons. Let us put this battle aside for now. Our dead deserve a proper sending , and I'm sure your kin require aid with something," the old man said with a smile as he vanished in a prism of light.

Zorlo wrapped an arm around Nephilim and smiled. "We haven't much time, my friends, we must be going. Grab everything that isn't ABSOLUTELY essential," the green haired man stated with a smile.

Luca looked at him and sighed. "Never make it easy, huh Z?" he asked as he looked at the other girls and smiled. "Hey, ladies, do you have anything that needs packing? WE need to get out of here posthaste it seems, unless we wanna die or something," the man said as he crossed his arms and chuckled slightly.

[nekoryuuha]

Nu-13 Dashed backward from the final clash with Odin and watched without comment as he and the other Aesir Gods retreated. Her blades separated back into the eight blades that comprised them as she turned to survey the battle field before looking to the cloaked woman and Setanta, slightly surprised to have Setanta's IFF code register him as Maximus. Was that right...? But she chose not to question it as she simply recorded the sighting of Maximus and saved it. She'd send it to Jess later as part of her report. For now, her blades spread like wings as she lifted up and flew off like a Hawk toward the base, intending to rendezvous with Briggs to finalize all details of the battle and other knowledge pertaining to this encounter before making her report and seeking any new orders.

[GamerKale]

Briggs waved for Nu-13 to follow her as she hopped to the ground. They went to the war room to see about her unexpected guests. The woman was seated I'm General's chair with Setanta at her side and her hood was down now. Her hair was the same silver as the other clones, and asides from an eyepatch and some scars her face was the same too. Although the more you looked at it the stranger it seemed. It was definitely the same but it was also definitely different.

Briggs broke the silence first, "Who the Hel are you?" "You seem like clever girls. I'm sure you can figure it out. Here's a hint, my friends call me Jess." Setanta interjected, "I'm not sure you have any friends, with the exclusion of myself, left Jess." She turned her head to look at the android, "Thanks Max. You wake a girl up and the first thing you tell her is that all of her friends are either dead or hate her. I bet you got awards for your bedside manner." Maximus shrugged and Jess glared at him for a moment before she couldn't help but smile and laugh, she turned back to Briggs, "Go ahead, run the tests. We're not about to have a comical dinner with megaphones, so sit closer sword girl." "Nu-13." Supplied Maximus. "Nu-13? That's a terrible name. What should I call you by? And don't say Nu-13." Two medic clones hurried in and examined Jess, despite the helmets it was easy to tell they were confused by something when they applied their stethoscopes, they also moved the cape aside revealing the lack of a left arm.

[nekoryuuha]

"..." Nu was taken aback slightly by this clone. She was fairly different from most other clones, even more so then her and her sister were. Her sisters... Though it couldn't be seen, her eyes widened a bit as an old memory came to her mind. "Um... Once, my sisters heard a name. She was said to the one that made it possible for us to be created. Her name was 'Aelina'... is that name acceptable..?" Nu asked hesitantly.

Nephilim smiled as she vanished off down another tunnel to collect her own things and check the tunnels as Aelina finished up 'packing' up Zorlo's lab. They would need to move soon, she felt.

[GamerKale]

The medics said something to Briggs on their way out and she sat down on the opposite end of the table. "Ok, Jess, what are you?" Jess nodded, "That's a fine name. The way you speak reminds me of her a bit too." She looked at Briggs, "Now we're getting to the real questions. Aelina, what do you think I am? Also would you say you're a dog person or a cat person?" She drummed her fingers on the edge of the table in a four beat sequence, starting with the pinky and going up to the pointer. Briggs seemed to be tapping her foot in time with the drumming fingers. Setanta didn't think it was a good name, having multiple people with the same name was just confusing, but he wasn't going to argue about it. He chose his name, at least his new one, there was no reason anybody else shouldn't pick whatever name they wanted.

[Haseo{Terror of Death}]

Rose examined Luca, obviously sizing him up in her head. “He seems strong, can’t deny that. Not that strength matters so much anymore.” She moved her hand and then the other, not fully realizing that she was capable of movement in both her arms. Maya simply smiled and did not say a thing, clearly excited for Rose’s reaction. “Wait a minute…” Rose said, staring at her hands, “Maya…where’s that thing? The blue one?”

G-Zero wandered off to another part of the base, sniffing around for what smelled like food. It was hungry and instinct took over.

“Wait! At least tell me what did I-” The explosion blasted the two into trees, which were now set aflame. “Eagle? Eagle?” Ethan noticed he had been separated from Eagle as Mother lifted him to his feet and fought off the fire. “Crap. She’s either still mad or in trouble.”

[Zorolo]

Luca looked at the women and smiled. "That answers that question," he said. "I"m sure we'll find it on the way," Luca stated with a smile. "Let's get going."

Zorlo continued to follow the creature 'Go', trying to figure out what it was up to. It seemed to be stalking something. Was this creature hungry? Was it hunting for something? Zorlo paused as he scratched his cheek and pondered for a moment the fact he had been distracted when he saw the creature walk off. "Go, are you hungry?" Zorlo asked, quirking his eye at the creature. "If so, I know where you can get food."

[GamerKale]

"No guesses? Fine, Briggs. Theorize." Gneral removed her helmet and clearly she was unhappy with getting orders from this clone. "You're a clone who-" "Bzzzz, wrong. I'm no clone. Although, my origins are not terribly dissimilar." "You're lying." "You know I'm not." "True. A clone would not have injuries as you do. Spare limbs are easy to get and there is no risk of rejection, so there would be no reason not get a new arm and eye. Your DNA is similar to a clone's, but it's more altered than even my own. You're talking with Max as an old friend and you've been talking about your friends all being either dead or hating you. Which would suggest you have outlived them either because you age slowly or have been in-. The project that's been eating ZPMs. But if you're the original, then the one who has been running Bell Engineering is a clone, the first clone." Jess flashed a smile. "Correct." "I need to tend to the troops." She put her helmet back on and left the room. "So, what will you do, Aelina?"

[nekoryuuha]

((Sorry! Between Rusty Hearts & Dark Souls, I've kinda forgotten you were waiting on me. My apologizes.))

"I... Don't know..." she replied back as her emotions and the stresses they sometimes (Like right now) applied themselves to her. "I was ordered to help protect this base before reporting back... but the one I was to report to isn't the original. Yet you have little need of a report to a battle you witnessed. Even more so... The purpose of me and my sisters was to protect the original as her bodyguards. They were killed because of that. And yet... the purpose of our existence was effectively a lie. Their deaths were for a lie..." Though it was impossible to tell by facial reaction thanks to the large visor Nu wore, the tears that started running from under the visor told that she was crying. "So... Where does that leave me...?"


"And that's done," Aelina said as she walked back out and Nephilim returned. "It's finished. The Lab is packed up," Aelina told her as she handed the woman a small, glowing cube. "Where's Zorlo?"

"Probably following that thing that Maya & Rose brought back," Nephilim replied before looking to the others. "Rose, how are you feeling now?"

[GamerKale]

((No worries.))
Jess walked over to Aelina and put her arm around her. "There there. Just let it out. Let it all out. Have yourself a good cry." Jess kissed Aelina on the cheek. "It will be okay. You are among those who love you." She squeezed her and then moved the visor up and kissed Aelina on the forehead. "I love you my daughter." She pressed her lips to Nu's forehead again. "You can self determinate now. Welcome to the first day of your life." Declared Setanta.

[nekoryuuha]

Her Visor digitized itself and Nu's light red eyes widened slightly at the kiss as the Order-Control Program within her armor systems fell apart and deleted. It felt as though heavy shackles and chains she'd never realized were there suddenly unlocked and fell off all at once. It made her momentarily light-headed, though it passed rather quickly. "The first day of.... My life...?" It was a bit of a daunting thought, but it was overshadowed by something a bit more pressing. The full force of her emotions came forward, no longer forcibly repressed her Murakumo. The Sorrow of losing her 'sisters' hit her... and this time, there was nothing to hinder it. Tears streamed down her face and Nu simply caught hold of Jess and sobbed of the first time in her life.

[Haseo{Terror of Death}]

((School’s working me over well.))

Go stared at Zorlo, unsure, and quite possibly unable to respond. Rather Go turned and continued on the quest for food, using its nose as a guide, it continued until it reached the food stores. The creature’s hand suddenly cackled with electricity as it punched a hole into its first meal.

Rose grinned and gave a thumbs-up with her now useable hand. “I feel good as new, almost too good in fact, but that’s whatever.” Maya nodded, she was almost ready to chase after ‘Go,’ but when she noticed Zorlo was gone, she couldn’t help but be certain it was safe. “You should thank Zorlo for fixing it.” Maya suggested, but Rose merely shrugged her shoulders, “He knows I’m grateful.”

[Zorolo]

"HMm..." Zorlo said as he watched Go dig into the food. "Hmm... very interesting indeed. It's just hungry," Zorlo said as he removed a pad and pen to write down a bit of his observation. "You can have some food if you're hungry," Zorlo said with a smile.

Luca laughed. "You'd be AMAZED at how untrue that is. Zorlo occasionally forgets people when he's doing things in favor of results... so if the result was you were healed, he'd be more concerned with that than the fact you're doing better," Luca stated with a chuckle. THese people were being very interesting in general, but now things were going to get more interesting, Luca could tell.

[nekoryuuha]

"True," Nephilim agreed as she pocketed the small cube that Aelina had handed her. "But I'm glad to see you're doing better now. Maybe we'll be able to find a way to stop it at some point," Nephilim added as Aelina walked off to find Zorlo and 'Go'.


Nu spent a bit of time literally crying on Jess' shoulder before it slowly tapered off into sniffles. She released her hold on Jess and floated back as she reached into her Personal Space to produce several tissues to wipe her face and blow her nose before incinerating them in a flash of energy. "M-my apologies... I've... never felt emotions so powerfully before..." Nu-13 replied as she checked over the emotional repressment systems. It wasn't so much that they were gone, but rather that they were no longer Automatic. She had to control it herself now. "So then, I can make my own orders now? I feel... aimless... almost. It's strange," she said as she looked down at her hands. She couldn't help but wonder if this is what it was like for a string puppet to suddenly gain free will.

[GamerKale]

"You have nothing to apologize for." Jess said with a smile. She sat back down next to Maximus. "You can, although people tend to call them decisions or choices most of the time." Briggs reentered the room saying, "We are prepared to continue defending you, Jess. Do you have any orders?" "And then there are people like Briggs here who do in fact ask for and follow orders." "There are some things that need doing before we can move. " "Like replacing your eye and arm?" " Jess looked down at her shoulder as if she'd forgotten all about the missing limb. "No, I don't think I will. Not right now at least. I'll be downstairs. Max, you know what to do." The android nodded and went to the power room with Briggs and began using the array to create new equipment for the Briggs soldiers. Jess returned through the portable hole and began typing on a holographic keypad on the inside of the black archway in the back of the room. Two of the ZPMs from the box were missing and the third was on the ground next to Jess.

[nekoryuuha]

"I-I see..." Nu replied as she watched Briggs and Maximus walk away and Jess reenter the black box room. So I can choose my own path now... she raised her hand and from within her Personal Space emerged a Murakumo Visor. It wasn't hers, but that of her sister, Mu-12. My Sisters... What should I do...? She stared at the rotating Visor for a moment before a smile crossed her lips. The answer was obvious, but first... Submerging the Visor back into her Space, she glided over through Portable hole into the Black Box chamber, stopping and few feet behind Jess. "I've decided. But before I go about that, I have a request of you, Jess. Me and my sisters were created to protect the 'original'. They died protecting a lie, but I'd like to honor them by protecting you at least for a while. Is that fine with you, Jess?"

[GamerKale]

Jess nodded, "I expected you would say something like that." She smiled over her shoulder at Nu. "Thank you for the offer my daughter. If you wish to protect me, I'll welcome the company." Guardian knows I've been lonely stuck in what should have been a complete temporal stasis. The machinery is all still in perfect working order and the condition of my body didn't seem to change for good or ill, and yet my nerves started firing at some point. Jess returned to her work, "You may stay with me as long as you like of course, so don't think I want you to leave, but was there something else you wished to discuss Amelia?"

[Zorolo]

Luca grabbed the arms of the two women and looked at Nephilim as he started to move. "Yes, we need to keep moving. I'm sure that Aelina will find Zorlo," he said, smiling as the running began again. Luca couldn't have begun to realize how much running that ZOrlo, Nephilim and Aelina had done, but he would know soon. This battle wouldn't be short.

"No sense in resisting," ZOrlo said as the anestetic needle he used to sedate Go allowed him to carry the creature, "I'll feed you when we arrive where we're going. FOr now, running is necessary. YOu may be odd, but I can't, in good conscience, let you die," the man said as he moved as if adjusting a pair of glasses as he burst forwards, the food attached to a sled that was attached to his demonic leg and being pulled along.

(Sorry I didn't post sooner. I was trying to stall for Haseo, but he's probably really busy, so I'll keep us moving.)