_Essex_

((Khel brought him in, I think. <.&lt)

Zealstorm crawled like a spider on the upper rafters of Moon Base Alpha. Human slime. Killing each other. This race was self-destructive and idiotic. Once the android regained her bearings, she would commandeer some playthings - but for now she needed to escape while things wound down.

Fleischman's fatal flaw in Zealstorm's design was a process that Dr. Daniel West kept in secret, but was of the utmost importance. Essex's chip, and the chips of her brothers, had undergone a procedure where they were hooked up to a situational generator. There, over the course of several months, the chips were exposed to situations, consequences, morals, learning the difference between right and wrong.

Zealstorm had no such conditioning. The android had free will, and her artificial sentience was enraged at the presumption of being used as a servant to an obviously inferior and more disposable race.

Soon, she approached the secondary airlock, being guarded by only Unit 1. The android froze, invisible. Her visual sensors didn't pick up the other bot, though something was not right in the area. She knew something was there...just didn't know what.

"Perhaps...perhaps not." Zealstorm said with a level gaze.

"Unit 1, splendid idea. Please make contact with Unit 2. I will have a word with Becker immediately to arrange for him to be --"

"--Useless." interjected Zealstorm.

Fleischman turned. "What?"

"Useless." repeated Zealstorm, eyeing the scientist. "I have watched you from the moment my sentience chip was brought online. I may not have been able to move, or speak, but the minute I had sensory perception I have been watching you. You disgusting sack of flesh...all you think about is your own advancement, even at the expense of your peers."

"What's going on?" Fleischman said under her breath, backing. "Daniel never had this problem with his androids..."

"Your obsession with 'Daniel' is another sign of your weakness. Your presence will not be tolerated any longer, Senior Warrant Officer Fleischman. You work in ways that are destructive to your cause and thus must be obsoleted."

"Do not presume to speak to me in that manner," Fleischman snarled, "Or I will -"

Those were the last words she ever spoke.

Zealstorm's fists plunged forward into the scientist's solar plexus, crimson energy surrounding them brilliantly as she caught Fleischman completely flatfooted. The tech's heart thudded with the impact and she dropped to the floor, dead nearly instantly with the force of the assassin's strike.

Zealstorm lifted her eyes to glance at Unit 1. "Do what you like. I am leaving this place."

With those words, the android vanished, seemingly into thin air. All sensors came up as blank.

Virtue is notoriously the RP server, but if you're ever on Protector give me a look-up.

Essex remained hovering there, nodding very slightly as she saw them flee - and then vanish into midair.

Longbow agents ran out for backup, panting. "Where did they go!?" the Flamethrower agent in front asked the floating android.

"I don't know...." Essex murmured. "There was a skirmish out here, and a large fire. I put out the fire, and then everyone vanished..."

She didn't mention what she knew about the intruders.

"I don't think they'll be coming back, though, now that they've seen our numbers." she lied through her teeth, causing her internal capacitors to shudder. It was unnatural. She hovered back down to the lunar surface with a sigh.

"I think I need a recharge." Essex murmured.

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Fleischman's eyes glittered with greed as she snatched up the condensors from Unit 1. "Excellent..." she gloated, eyeing them inside the suitcase. "These will do nicely. Now then..."

She flung the sheet off of the figure she had been concealing. Another android, somewhat similar to Essex, but taller, leaner, more streamlined, was beneath it. This one looked like a slim teenager as opposed to Essex's resemblance to a child. Armored in black and maroon, sleek steel her hallmark, the new android hung lifeless on the table.

"By making my own modifications to that stupid chip - I made a Free Will Allowance Module of my own." Fleischman murmured, half to Unit 1 and half to herself. "This will be my first test...my first prototype."

After inserting the condensors, something whirred and moved. The figure shifted. "Assign my designation...master." the android said, rubbing its eyes with the back of a hand.

"You are..." Fleischman pondered for a moment. "...Zealstorm. My assassin. My prototype. My masterpiece."

"Very well." The newly created Zealstorm opened her eyes fully. "And who are you?" she said, levelling her gaze on Unit One.

((OOC: Voom!))

As the smoke from the fire cleared, Essex's eyes widened behind her blast shield. That was Toy! What was he doing here?

She hesitated, unsure of what to do. Was she supposed to help him or attack him? She certainly didn't want to attack him. For one thing, he was leaps and bounds stronger than she was. For another, he had helped her and proven himself a friend - at least in her eyes. Essex had good judgement, but at times she was a little too trusting for her own good.

Glancing down, she realized - she didn't recognize these others, either. Just who were these people, and why were they fighting? Essex noted the approach of several Longbow, startled by the noise and ready to fight off any impending threat to the base.

"Ah...!" It seemed as though the situation was closing in from all sides, and the pink android felt as though she was in the middle of the situation. Suddenly, she bit her lip, and turned towards the Longbow. The high intensity humming once again rang through the air.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!" she shrieked at the approaching Longbow. The piercing wail caused many of them to stop entirely, their space-suit comms blanking to loud static, and the sonic energy of the shockwave blew back the first wave into the second.

"O-oops..." she said, halfheartedly, glancing nervously down at the continued fight. "My targeting computer's going a little fritzy..." That was a blatant lie, and she hoped that it managed to buy the others some time - villain or not.

"Fire!!" Essex cried as her thrusters picked up speed, carrying her towards the conflict. The first thing she noticed were several people lying around the base of the blast radius. Figuring she'd revive some of them soon, she first concentrated on refreshing as many as possible, sending shockwaves of the healing green light over the surface of the moon - likely in a far enough distance to heal Maltan and mercenary alike.

Next, she pulled back her fingertips inside her buster arm and took careful aim - a stream of depressurized water inside it bursting forth. It was lucky they were still within the relatively atmospheric area, or neither the fire nor the water would last a moment. Essex thought thankfully back to when she and her brothers had witnessed a building being set ablaze by the Hellions - Dr. West had outfitted her with a temporary jetstream extinguisher to put out the flames while the others chased down the perpetrators.

:::You got the "Volunteer Firefighter" Badge!:::

...What? ...NOW?...

((OOC: Welcome Shadow! Oooh, a dark knight. XD This could get interesting.

Waugh...they won't let me edit the first post anymore. I guess I'll just keep a list myself and break it out when needed.))

Moon Base Beta seemed to shake with the sudden explosion of the mortar, jarring Essex from her homesick haze. Getting up a little shakily, having been startled in a particularly vulnerable moment, she gasped under her breath.

"What was that...?" she whispered to herself. "Are we under attack?"

Skimming out into the hallway, she heard the alarms even before she saw the Longbow tromping up and down the halls in formation. "Someone's firing mortar shells near the front gate!" one of them called out to Essex to answer her cry for an explanation.

Not villains again...! Essex thought, with an edge of paranoia invading her thoughts. With that, she skimmed out to the entrance to have a look...

---------------------------------------------------------

"Ah, Unit One." Senior Warrant Officer Fleischman turned to greet the 'bot. "So good of you to join us." Gesturing to the figure beside her, she smirked.

"This one doubtless shows as unidentified to your sensors." she began. "But don't worry. It's mine. It's a small...project I've been working on. In fact, it's almost ready - but not yet."

Draping a sheet over the figure, she approached.

"I assume you're here for instructions regarding the intrusion." she began coldly. "Unfortunately the ones I'm worried about have already escaped. As much as I would like the S6 model returned, the one our databases registered as Golden Ace would make a fine subject for study. We already have operatives moving to Moon Base Beta, but I'm not sure if they're capable of much. But there is one thng I need."

Glancing at Unit One, she nodded to herself, as though assuring herself the robot was up to the task.

"I need three X-C condensers. My assistant burned out the spares like the imbecile he is, and now, as expected, I have a need for them. Would you drop by Moon Base Beta and ask them if I could borrow a few? ...If you know what I mean."

Turning her back to Unit one, she shrugged. "Sorry I don't have anything particularly exciting for you to do. Though infiltrating Beta may give you an opportunity to flex your figurative muscles, so to speak. I hear they employ quite a few idiotic Longbow."

"S-sir!" Essex cried out above the ruckus. "I know it's difficult in this situation, but you mustn't panic! You must keep your head! If you keep tearing at that stuff, you're likely to start bleeding, and there may be wild animals in these woods!"

The Maltans couldn't help but hold in snickers at this statement. The boss was wilder than any beast, and she had a damn dragon with her. Besides, who was she to ask anyone to calm down?

Slowly but surely, the transformation happening in Reikoff began to slow...and finally come to a stop. No new strange fuzz sprouted, but the change was significant. The fuzz didn't completely cover him, but was definitely a strong presence, making him seem like a sort of hybrid half-werewolf or something. Essex dropped her healing spells on him, one by one, but nothing seemed to happen besides peripheral healing on the patches that he had torn hair from and were now bleeding.

Glancing around, Essex realized she was surrounded by Maltans...and drew back a little closer to Vyachslav in case they decided to shoot at her again.

"It seems to have stopped now, at any rate..." she murmured, still looking to Reikoff, concerned from a safe distance. If there were any such thing as a safe distance from a bellowing Maltan.

Vyachslav's beacon rose into the air. The world around them seemed utterly unreal. It was as if all cultures had come together in close proximity - almost a miniature model of Earth, with isolated little towns of different styles. Notable landmarks included a region with several large castles scattered across the area, surrounded by their small town-clusters...several large expanses of seemingly native villages of varying cultural significances....A golden, shimmering desert...a glittering sea....It seemed as though someone was trying to cover all their bases. Over the edge of the sea, the precise beacon could see as it rose...a large barrier around something. What it was couldn't quite be registered, but one thing was for certain - it was huge.

Just then, Essex tensed. Someone else was approaching through the grass. She turned, clinging to her cloak for seeming security, when two young women approached, dressed in quite a different style than she had seen - Feudal Japanese?

"A-.....Hajimemashite...." the android said unsurely. She knew Japanese language inside and out and had a passable knowledge of Chinese, but she was unsure if the languages here were the same. "Anatatachi wa dochira-sama de irrashaimasu ka?" ((Could you please inform me as to who you might be? -polite form-))

After a moment, she glanced back to the upset Reikoff, who was likely snapping orders to a subordinate, handing him pinches of fuzz for testing. Essex's eyes widened for a moment.

"...I'm dreadfully sorry to point this out..." she said hesitantly, bowing apologetically to the man. "But I ...I couldn't help but notice....what terribly large teeth you have."

((OOC: Welcome, Plague! Glad to have you along! Could you guys do me a favor? Could you please post what story and characters you're referencing in your first post, so I can add it to the database in my first post? Makes it easier on me because I'm not really too bright when it comes to fairy tales. XD; ))

Essex's eyes widened as she listened to the Maltan commander spew expletives that made her audio receptors buzz. His men were scurrying around in a panic -- Essex could recognize medical attention fairly easily. She bit her lip - It was true he'd fired on her, but....something was wrong. Maybe it had something to do with the boy's voice they had heard? Slowly, she began to slip off Vyachslav's back.

What are you doing, little one? the creature queried in a slightly alarmed tone.

"I...I have to make sure everyone's okay down there. It's my function." she murmured with a sheepish little smile. "It's what I do....I'm a medic - not much more, really."

With that, she released her hold on Vyachslav, letting her boosters scoot her down to the Maltan troops. The dragon followed her down at a distance, unsure of what folly the little girl would subject herself to next.

"Please...I ...I don't mean any harm!" Essex murmured hesitantly as the Maltans immediately trained their guns upon her as she approached. Safety locks clicked off as she pointed at Reikoff....

...and a purple glow surrounded his head - Clear Mind. The commander was suddenly able to concentrate - wholly aware of his surroundings and free of mental compulsion. However, the physical modifications remained.

"...Are you okay?" Essex asked timidly, still hovering just enough within range to have been able to use Clear Mind. She had to be ready to make an escape, if necessary....

As the Maltans ran bioscans on their commander, an odd anomaly was becoming apparent on their meters.

It wasn't a drastic physical change, but it seemed something like a looming mutation - mostly cosmetic, but there was an air of being compelled about Reikoff's mind that was...disturbing to say the least.

"Boss..." muttered one of the Malta techs. "You ain't gonna like this."

Bioscans showed, among other minor physical changes...an elongation of Reikoff's teeth. Something was definitely up.

A subtle giggling rippled through the wind, audible to all present. The giggling of a child - not Essex, certainly - but a boy.

I like this story already...

"Agh!" Essex cried out again, startled, gripping V ever tighter. "Did you hear that...!?" As they circled, the android observed the Maltans below. "It looks like they stopped firing..." she observed.

((Hehehe...don't worry about it. I love long posts. *twiddles fingers happily* And sorry if mine seem sort of sporadic and short - my sweetie's here and keeps wanting to play on his account. XD; ))

Essex let out a shriek as the small 'bot was scooped up by...a huge man? Or...What exactly was he? A dragon? Swept up and past the Maltans, she gripped the creature's shoulders as he gently placed her on his back, gazing down at the soldiers as they peppered the air with their shots.

"What is going on here...!?" Essex cried out above the rushing wind of their flight. She was relieved...yet afraid at the same time, despite V's assurances that she was safe. Far off on the horizon, they could see the land stretching out to all corners, the forest petering off after a few dozen miles and giving way to a small village, a river bordering it.

"I-...Um...Do you know where I am?" she asked the dragon hopefully. "I just....was falling, and I...I thought....I thought I was going to wake up somewhere else, but I just...woke up, and this cloak was on me, and...and...."

Essex shook her head with a sigh. This was a dragon. This wasn't real. It couldn't be real! She tugged the red cloak a little closer around herself. For some reason, she found it comforting....

"....Do you think we should ask those fellows down there if they know what's going on? They seem as out of place here as I feel...." The little android gazed down at the Maltans...somewhat curious, despite her fear. Suddenly, startled, she gasped.

"My basket!" she cried. "I left my basket down there...."

It was true. At Reikoff's feet was now the little basket, discarded...a strangely still-warm muffin having escaped from its confines.

"A-ah! What did I do?!" Essex wailed as she dashed to the side with a wave of her cloak. Bullets tore through the edge, giving it a tattered feel, and she tried to activate her thrusters. Luckily, they folded out of her boots and rocketed the childlike android behind a tree.

"Who are you?" she cried out, shielding herself, with the oak between her and her attackers. "Where is this?! Please, stop firing!!"

((YAY! Sovie wants to play with me! *lum* Just for my reference, how many people just tromped into this dimension? I think I caught Reikoff, Marcus, D4, and....T_T A bunch of other guys. And which one's the wolf, Reikoff? Or are they a pack, and Reikoff is the Designated BBW?

You know, I think I have to append onto my first post to keep track of who and what story everyone is.

One more OOC note: I can't read the first post without thinking of Katamari Damacy for some reason! @__@))

Essex dusted off her red cloak with a little sigh. First things first, she had to figure out where exactly this was and what she was doing here in the first place. Resting the basket comfortably in the crook of her red-gloved arm, she began off to somewhere...anywhere that would tell her what was going on.

Then, the stomping of boots interrupted the soft chirping of birds and the blowing of the wind. Essex whirled around in surprise to find...people approaching? Armed, weaponed people. With boots! LOUD boots. She drew back with a little whimper....secretly glancing down at her own boots. Her thrusters were no longer visible....and she wondered if they were still operational...

"Father..."

Yes, my son.

"I want a story."

Very well. Which story?

"I'm tired of the old stories. I want a new story. A story that's better than all the others combined."

That is quite a story.

"I want a story about me...A story where I am a prince, and I am the greatest one in all the land!"

You are a prince already, my son.

"Father...I want a land."

I thought you wanted a story.

"I do. But I want the land to be my story. I want to live in my story...to have the best story ever! And it will be my story, and no-one else's!"

...I see.

"And I want people - the people from the old stories...but better. Better than they were in the old stories. And they will be my friends. Father! Bring me the best, the strongest to be my friends."

Very well, little Prince. I will bring you friends. I will grant you your land. You shall have your story.

"And I will be ruler of them all..."

...Every story must have a lesson. Remember that, my son.

And it was with those words that Vals Hemel was created. An ever-changing, ever-expanding dimension. Colors seemed...brighter. The sky seemed bluer where it was blue, and blacker where it was black. Regions grew and expanded of hundreds of types and cultures - Medieval to modern and back again. Castles flourished, caves deepened, forests sprouted, deserts glittered gold on the horizon.

In the middle of it all was a massive palace. No-one had seen the one who resided in the palace - but it was a sure thing that someone was there. Reddish clouds accumulated around the castle from all sides, and it was completely inaccessible.

Strange that such a beautiful place could be the creation of a demon.

((Okay, kittens and eeeeevil kittens, it's time for me to try and make an RP people will be interested in. The basis of this RP is that there is a dimension created for the child of a powerful demon. No-one knows who they are for now, but it will be revealed later. Heroes and villains alike will be pulled here - whether they find it by happenstance and are drawn to it, or they are physically pulled - and substituted for various characters in pretty much any fairytale/fable/nursery rhyme you can think of. A main way of getting to this dimension is the medicom system - Heroes and villains, instead of being teleported to medical centers as usual - suddenly find themselves teleported to this strange world. (Of course, the allowance for other ways of getting here are for those of you too proud to die. XP) You may have as many characters as you like. And lord help us, there may be missions to be run in this strange new dimension. If you need an example for where to start...look no further than below.))

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The weather threatened, thunder loudly rumbling its dissatisfaction high above the skyscrapers of Paragon City.

Essex...was lost.

"Why in the world did I ever come here?" she lamented, running through the streets of Talos Island with a newspaper held over her head to block the rain. "I'm sure there has to be a better place to find Single-Origin Tech enhancements than here...I couldn't even find the store!"

It was true - her creator, Dr. Daniel West, had sent the little android out to buy a sampling of the plugins for him to test. She had a good bit of money with her, and that made her even more nervous as she sprinted through the streets. Lightning crackled through the sky, making flight risky.

"I should have stayed home..." Essex lamented as she sprinted down the road towards the Green Line.

What she didn't notice were the Tsoo who eyed her as she ran past them, a pair of Dragon Enforcers and a Yellow Ink Man drawing their conversation to a close and silently motioning to the Sorcerer who accompanied them. At five levels above the little super, she was easy prey.

Suddenly a shuriken drove itself into Essex's back. With a loud shriek of terror and pain, the android jolted forward, and then whirled around, eyes wide under the shelter of the newspaper. Her blast shield monitor flashed a blindingly frantic warning, showing the four men as purple. Thanks for the notification... Essex thought dryly as the Asian warriors sprinted up to her. Drawing in her breath, she shrieked in the direction of the one in front, causing him to hold his head in pain. About to drop a Healing Aura on herself, Essex glanced at the sky. Should she risk flight?

As the Sorcerer approached, a storm-cloud building around him that threatened to out-thunder those above her, the android decided it would indeed be a reasonable risk. Activating her boosters, she shot straight up into the air, fleeing as quickly as her boosters could take her.

"Hayai na yatsu da zo." one of the Enforcers remarked dryly to a comrade.

The Ink man glanced up with a frown. Still within range...he made a face, and reached out for the fleeing pink bot.

Essex felt herself....falling. It was a surreal feeling, the rain falling on her as she herself fell, plummetting the length of almost an entire skyscraper as her CPU was scrambled...giving the dizzying effect of being half-asleep. She was hardly even aware as she violently hit the ground, her internal generator crushed instantly and her consciousness blacking to static.

*Teleport...*

"The hospital again..." Essex moaned to herself, picking herself up. Then she stopped. Her eyes were still closed, but something wasn't right. Her arms felt lighter. She was not on a bed. She felt her face with her eyes still closed. Her helmet was gone. Essex frantically felt where her audio receptors were, relieved to find that she still had the circular audio beacons uniform to most Reploids. Hesitantly...she opened her eyes.

She had sat up in a forest clearing. The grass was matted down where she had been lying, and her messy blonde hair was loose in the warm wind. Her armor was gone, her buster arms removed, leaving only her slender, humanlike arms, thin gloves covering them instead.

"This is definitely -not- the hospital." Essex murmured, glancing around as her eyes widened. Standing, she noticed something else different... a cloak clasped around her. It was a brilliant red - redder than the brightest apple, and clashed terribly with her pink audio receptors. A small woven basket lay just to the side of where she had awakened.

"Oh dear..." she mused, scooping up the basket and inspecting the muffins inside. "This....is weird."

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((One more note - everyone retains their powers and abilities. If your hero or villain has a certain weapon or quality, that comes along too and is integrated. Additionally, if you like, multiple people can be pulled in the process - such as if the pulled hero/villain is touching someone else. People pulled in this manner, however, will likely end up in the same 'story'....))

------------------------------

EDIT: CHARACTER TALLY

Essex - Red Riding Hood

Reikoff (Soviet_Strike) - Wolf of Big Bad Variety

V...uh....Dragon-guy - ???

Essex tore down the hallway, disc in hand, looking for an empty terminal room. Unfortunately, she slammed right into Spion as he discreetly exited his terminal room, faceplanting into his stomach area with a humorous thump.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry, sir! Are you okay?" she apologized profusely, backing into the room. "I wasn't watching where I was going...I'm really, really sorry." Before Spion could react, she'd flurried into the room.

"Now then..." Putting the disc into the nearby terminal, she sat back to watch the monitor.

Initializing...

A window popped up - a videodisc. She could see her brothers clamoring over each other on the screen, trying to be the forefront of the little camera they kept in the base.

"Hi Ess!!" spouted a frenetically waving red and blue android. He grinned in the camera. "Hey! Guess what! You're on the moon!! You're really on the moon! That's so cool!" "Shove over, Genki!" growled a teal-and-navy android, pushing the smaller-framed Genki away. Turning to the camera, he gave it a sheepish wave. "Hey, you gotta come back soon!" this one said with a little smirk. "Genki and Ginstar are driving me crazy! I need another intellectual before I go insane!" This one was met with a dual headlock from each side, one from Genki and one from another android, this one colored a garish combination of purple and green, sporting a mohawk and sunglasses. "Will you shut up, Seawing?" the latter one, Ginstar, growled. "Just because you're a geek doesn't mean we have to be. Don't listen to him, S. You have fun on the moon." Shoving Seawing away, Genki still clinging to him, Ginstar leaned close in to the camera. "And bring Seawing back a rock or something. The kid's been going off about Moon Pumicites the whole time you've been gone. We've been stuck having him as a navigator with you gone, and it isn't pretty."

Genki was now leaping in the background of the camera, babbling some odd cheer or another as Seawing scowled and tried to calm him down. Ginstar glanced back, and continued. "I gotta break this up. Burner wants to talk to ya too." With that, he moved the camera over a little onto a huge android. This one looked old and battle-scarred - in truth, he was the oldest of their line. He was colored in army-grade green, having been a line assault android until being honorably retired to guard duty for the facility.

"You come back in one piece, girly." the gruff android said with a nod. "We'd be mighty upset if somethin' happened to you up there."

Just then, a calm, older voice cut in. "I hope I'm not interrupting you four. May I put in a note?" The four androids in various stages of speaking, fighting, and peacekeeping glanced to the side. "Sure, Dr. West." Seawing said obligingly.

A human hand moved the camera.

A youngish man, probably in his early to mid thirties, showed up on the screen. He had a pleasant face, adorned with glasses, and had scruffy, dirty-colored blonde hair. He grinned sheepishly into the camera.

"Sorry I can't talk long, Essex." Dr. West said, scratching his head. "I've got a little research to do. But I sure do miss my little lab assistant - I haven't swept up a broken beaker since you left. Anyway...Your brothers all really miss you --"

"Gimme an 'E!' Gimme an 'S'!" Genki's voice was heard in the background and she could barely see him leaping to be seen above the Doctor's shoulder.

"--and I miss you too." Dr. West continued after a quick glance backwards. "Come back safely. Remember to be cautious. Don't do anything reckless, and remember why you're there - to learn, to heal, and to help. We miss you, Essex. See you soon."

With that, the video blipped to a close.

Anyone passing by the room would see the little android, kneeling on the ground, her head bowed and her back to the door. She seemed to be shaking.

((Look me up on my global. :P @Empress Aurora. We'll chill. =D

That's an open invitation, btw. I love having RP partners in game.))

Essex picked up speed as they approached Moon Base Beta, a little smile on her face. She scooted around Ace on her thrusters in little bursts, circling and giggling.

"...And that was so neat! When all the soldiers were like...bam, bam, bam! And then you were like, 'I don't think so', and I was like, 'I'm gonna knock everyone over' and we kicked all their butts!"

"You seem to have perked right up." Golden Ace noted with a wry smile.

That seemed to clam her up a bit. "Well...um....I guess I'm just glad to be out of that place....and....y'know..." She trailed off a little. Essex didn't want to admit it - but most of her exhilaration came from the fact that she'd been rescued...by a villain of all people? Maybe Toy Dispenser wasn't such a bad guy! His bots were scary...but he had helped her...even though he'd said that they were enemies! Maybe they could still be friends... These were the sorts of thoughts that skated through her head as she entered the airlock with Golden Ace. A few Longbow noted their arrival and ran to greet them.

"Golden Ace! Essex!" one armored Longbow greeted. "You're back! We've been getting reports of some pretty serious villain activity while you've been gone."

"You have no idea." Ace leered at the Longbow agent, dusting some Pumicite off his costume.

"In the meantime...There's actually a package for you, Essex." the agent continued after an awkward silence. "Here." Handing the little droid a yellow envelope, he nodded.

"Oh!" Tearing the envelope apart, Essex produced a tiny little disk. "It's from the others!!" Taking another look at Ace, she gave him a goofy little smile and nodded her head. "Sorry...Looks like you're on your own for right now. I gotta go see this!" With that, she trotted off, nearly tripping over her boots with glee.

-------------------------

In the meantime, Senior Warrant Officer Fleischman had all but forgotten about everything outside her lab. Muttering to herself, she worked on a project in the dim, electronic light of her laboratory.

"Two can play at your game, Daniel..." she uttered malevolently as she fitted an energy generator into place. "And I have just enough samples to create...a prototype."

((Well, I've been mulling this over for a couple days, and I suppose now is as good a time as any to post it. ))

Interviewer: Good morning, miss. Please take a seat.

Essex: Thank you, sir. *hops up into chair, boots dangling a good six inches off the floor*

Interviewer: So for starters...tell us about yourself.

Essex: Oh, my. I'm not...very good at this sort of thing. Well...um...

Interviewer: Okay, okay, I'll start. Just how old are you, sweetheart? You don't look like you could possibly be older than twelve.

Essex: Actually, I was brought online four years and eight months ago today.

Interviewer: What? My goodness, you really are young.

Essex: I suppose...*shifts uncomfortably*

Interviewer: Well then. Moving along. Now what was it you said you were?

Essex: I am a Replicant Humanoid...I suppose a very loose term would be a robot. However, I am closer to an android or an 'artificial being', truly - my technology is based on a combination of robotics and the implementation of artificially created DNA.

Interviewer: Artificially created DNA? Isn't DNA supposed to be unique?

Essex: Well, yes...My creator, Dr. Daniel West, pioneered this technology of artificial DNA engineering. The creation process is somewhat random, however, so all of the DNA sequences produced thus far have been genetically unpredictable. Oh...That reminds me!

*Essex brightens and turns to the camera with a hitherto unseen sunny smile and an excited wave*

Essex: Hi Dr. West!! Hi Genki! Hi Seawing, Hi Ginstar, Hi Burner!!

Interviewer: *chuckling* For a robot, you're certainly very lifelike. In fact, if I hadn't known I'd have thought you were just a regular little girl.

Essex: That's due to another development of Dr. West's - the Free Will Allowance Module chip. It's an AI component that produces free will in the subject. That allows for a completely procedurally driven personality to emerge, depending on the internal and external stimuli experienced by the subject.

Interviewer: Whoa! How about that in English?

Essex: <_< Like any living being, our experiences shape our development. For example, I have spent most of my existance as a laboratory assistant. As a result, I am most comfortable in a laboratory environment doing research or navigating for my brothers.

Interviewer: "Brothers?"

Essex: Well, yes. The others that Dr. West built. We're all very close, and they're more used to combat and field work. I usually stay in the lab and navigate remotely for them, though occasionally I go with them to provide field repair. Repair is my primary function after all.

Interviewer: So since you're all fitted with these 'procedurally driven personalities,' do you have any sibling spats like real brothers and sisters?

Essex: Ah....Well, every one of us has a different personality, so I suppose it's inevitable. They like to make fun of me because I'm the smallest...and....uh...I'm not the most confident in the field. But at least I'm not reckless, like Genki and Ginstar, or not as stubborn as Burner...But yes. They do tease me a little because I'm not very confident and get startled easily. What can I say? I'm a little sheltered...

Interviewer: One last question. How exactly are you classified in Paragon City's hero database?

Essex: I am classified as a Security Level 21 Empathy/Sonic Defender, sir.

Interviewer: "Empathy?" Is it possible for androids to feel empathy?

Essex: I feel that it is, sir. After all, what is empathy than an acute understanding of the emotions, justifications, and motivations of others? I'm fully capable of feeling and registering emotions and am very adept at picking up on emotional cues and signals.

Interviewer: Well, this has been very enlightening, ...S6 is your serial number, right?

Essex: Yes, but most people say "Essex", it's easier and usually gets converted to that whether they know it or not.

Interviewer: Well then, Essex, thank you very much for your time.

-----------------------------

((Next! XP))

"...Indeed..." Fleischman murmured, the scientist's blue eyes narrowing just a touch. "...Regardless. It is regrettable that my research has literally flown out the door. I have much yet still to do."

Frowning, she paced a little, and hesitated, before glancing up to Toy.

"...You are under contract, nein? ...Well, then...I have a mission for you." Fleischman's eyes gleamed with malice.

"I want you to procure model S6. Use any methods you can. If you can drop as many heroes as possible in the process, there is a significant bonus in it for you. If you think I am boasting, take a look at my research facility. It is not the facility of someone with a small budget." Smirking, she waved a hand a little dismissively to the side. "I would prefer the android brought back here with its head and torso more or less intact. The healing modules are handy, but not necessary. Feel free to snap its limbs if necessary; I won't be needing them."

Glancing off to the side, she murmured to herself - though it was still within hearing capability of Toy's sensitive audio sensors - "...I will not allow West's toy to escape my grip so easily. I will have my revenge."

Essex soared through the air, eyeing the soldiers below with a frown. Her health was down, having thrown everything she had at Ace - Absorb Pain her primary - and then a quick Recovery Aura to keep him going. As he plowed forward through the soldiers and toward Moon Base Beta, she lunged down in an astounding show of bravery for such a timid droid.

Breathing in harshly, suddenly that metallic shrill ring cut through the end again.....and she leaned forward, releasing an earsplitting cry.

Now the funny thing about the Shockwave attack was that it wasn't really that strong. It only caused very mild damage, while knocking back the foes in a large area in front of her. It was Essex's last resort if things looked dire - scream in their face and take off while they got up. But the lower gravity of the moon amplified the knockback effect, sending a wave of Fifth Column soldiers sprawling back nearly fifteen feet as she hurriedly skimmed after Ace. Sticking near the Tanker in order to keep him healthy and clear, she managed to breathe in a word aside to him. "We've got to stop meeting like this..." she murmured.

Fleischman hurried back towards Toy, startled at seeing him dropped on the floor. "Y-you're downed too? Curse this infernal low gravity! I must have missed a chip...!" It didn't seem like the technician suspected anything as she checked the mercenary over for damage...

As Toy's expert eyes searched around for the mental circuitry panel, he could feel a small clip on the very back of the nape of Essex's neck. Since it was necessary to remove her helmet to open the panel, it came off, showing her dark blonde hair pinned neatly up and out of the way for quick access. It was strange...her hair almost seemed real, not just synthetic. The illusion of the reality of her humanity soon became apparent when the panel clacked open, however, revealing complex circuitry. Easily finding the proper place for the chip, no sooner had Toy quickly closed the panel and replaced her helmet than Essex reached up to grip her head with a small murmur of confusion.

"What?..." she gasped, her eyes suddenly coming into focus as she glanced around distractedly. Noticing Toy beside her, she initially recoiled in horror...and then untensed the slightest bit.

"...You saved me. Why?" she asked, her small voice wondering. "Regardless....thank you." She bowed a little to him, quickly, with a smile - funny how sometimes, a smile reaches all the way into a human's eyes - How in the world did her creator replicate that property? Nevertheless, sincerity shone forth in her gaze and she smiled, widely...thankful to Toy.

In the next moment she was off and running, determination in her eyes.

"Hang on, sir!" she called out. Leaping into the air and activating her thrusters, she soared above the advancing Fifth Column soldiers.

Not really Lord Recluse directly, but...

Scirocco: "My Lord! The popcorn is ready! Would you like it in your Little Mermaid bowl?"

"Hmph..." Fleischman replied to Toy, "Once we are secure here, I don't plan on allowing this android's continued existance. While the heroes still threaten we could use her strong regenerative abilities, but as a long-term solution I plan to disassemble and thoughrally research her. Perhaps if there are parts I cannot use, I will recycle them in future drone models."

Suddenly, Essex's head snapped to alertness, and she turned her head to glance out the nearby see-through airlock door. Made of an impressive, concave shell of quadruple-reinforced fiberglass, it allowed for a beautiful view of the lunar landscape while keeping undesireables out and air in.

"...Hero has entered base proximity." she murmured quietly. "...In dire need of repair."

Fleischman scowled suddenly, and straightened, beginning to bark orders in German. Toy could easily understand that she was commanding soldiers out to apprehend or destroy the invading hero with the utmost haste...