_Essex_

Fleischman laughed a little at Toy's query.

"I see you have things well under control. I suppose I would expect no less from one of our chosen mercenaries." Scowling a bit, she looked down at Essex. "Her personality? Complex and humanlike though it is, it is the personality of a coward and will not be tolerated. However, I do have the module here." Reaching into the front pocket of her coat, she produced the small chip she had removed from the android earlier.

"This, Sir..." she said, regarding the chip with a gleam in her eye, "...is a certain model of Free Will Allowance Module, only made by one research laboratory in the American southwest. It seems that this model of android are fitted with one of these and allowed to form their own personality via experience. Additionally...and what I am particularly interested in...."

Fleischman's voice lowered slightly as she rested her gaze on the stone-still Essex once again.

"...The integration of artificial DNA, making a true fusion between technology and organics. See her face, for example? That is a form of synthetic skin generated from the artificial DNA, and maintained in the same fashion as actual, organic skin. Similar to that."

Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to Toy. "But your question. It's a little funny, really. One of our minor officers saw this one streaking across the sky as quickly as she could go not three hours ago...when suddenly she seemed to run out of power. Apparently, she plummetted into an outcropping and had barely begun to repair herself when the officer snuck up and clocked her. She went down, he brought her to me, and, as the Americans say...."

With a grin, she shrugged lightly.

"Now you know, the rest of the story."

As she was addressed by Toy, Essex got to her feet and stood, seemingly alert. Her eyes didn't dilate as the mastermind waved a hand before her eyes. Really, as she regarded him, she seemed to look straight past him.

"I am undamaged." she said in a neutral tone. "I am not returning to Moon Base Beta. I am to remain here under command of Senior Warrant Officer Fleischman." The reploid's voice held none of the feminine-seeming concern or apprehension it had had so strongly earlier. Essex's words were not tempered with any sort of happiness or disappointment, she just...said them. Continuing to regard Toy, she spoke again.

"You are Toy Dispenser. Beginning at interaction iteration n+1 subject is to be regarded as enemy. Initiating battle sequencing."

With that, Essex dropped into an offensive stance, fists clenching at the end of her busters. Her visor glimmered with targeting marks and dropdown screens that faintly glowed through to the outside. It was odd - she was far weaker than Toy, and it was easy to tell as such...but the apprehension and fear from before seemed to be gone. A harsh, metallic ringing was slowly becoming audible as the little android's lips parted, readying an attack, when --

"Stop! Stand down!!"

The quick clip of boots was heard as Officer Fleischman herself sprinted down the hallway. "Stand down!! Idiot!"

"Command processed." Essex obligingly relaxed her stance and the high pitched ringing slowly faded. Fleischman finally arrived, panting, in front of Essex and Toy, and angrily glowered down at Essex. "What were you thinking?!" she hissed, backhanding the small robot with a resounding slap. Turning back to Toy, she tried to regain some composure, resting a hand on her hip.

"I apologize for the misunderstanding, Sir. Apparently there are still a few loose ends in her code. I will not tolerate a super-powered battle in the entrance of our base. Please rest assured that it will not happen again." She finished her statement with another sharp glare down at Essex, who just stared forward mutely.

((Hey Blasterbobo - Sorry for getting a touch bent out of shape earlier. I did a little reading in other threads and I think I understand how the contact system works now. <.< Slowly I'll get the CoH RP system into my thick head. :P

Sorry 'gain. D: ))

((My understanding is that it's an open RP based on the theoretical mission setting. <.< I could be wrong though. It's been known to happen. XD;

And it doesn't look like anyone's going to be bothering Toy. << ))

Essex stood silently by the side of the Warrant Officer.

"...Incorrect modification." she barely breathed.

"...What?" Fleischman turned slightly, with a dangerous glare in the reploid's direction.

"Incorrect modification..." Essex repeated. "Current insertion of code module does not compile. Running that sequence will result in multiple parse errors and a stack overflow. Please modify your code with a single semicolon in the following location."

"Are you telling me how to do my job?" Fleischman snapped back at Essex. "Keep your mouth shut. You aren't here to nitpick my programming."

"Understood." Essex intoned. "Issue command?"

"Tch." Annoyed with the android, Fleischman waved a hand behind her dismissively. "Go and wait for orders somewhere. Away from me. I'll get to you in a minute."

Essex nodded once, and wandered off, eyes blank...staring at her settings. Fifth Column soldiers were everywhere, some of them walking casually, others in quick lock-step formation. The small, pink android was rather out of place, but that didn't register as anything more than a mental note of visual nonconformity. Settling near the entrance of the base, Essex knelt quietly in a corner to observe.

((It's all good! Don't mind me, I just get fussy about plotlines. :3 Yes, I'm one of those. FEAR ME!))

Fleischman continued working on Essex, unaware that anything had happened to Unit 1, until a troop of fellows pounded down the door leading to her laboratory.

"This had better be good," she muttered, turning with a malevolent glare.

"Uh...Senior Warrant Officer Fleischman, SIR!....or....MA'AM!....or...." the suddenly nervous private in the back began unsurely.

"Get on with it!" Fleischman snarled. "What do you want?"

"You're needed up top for programming. The Unit 1 module has some Council corruption in his databases, and we need that new model you've got to go out on the infiltration squad. Orders from First Lieutenant Eichmann..."

"What!?" Fleischman bellowed, backhanding a small beaker off her lab table with a soft crash in her rage. "No! It's not ready yet! I still have research to do!! I cannot be interrupted!"

...Thirty minutes and a threatened court marshal later....

Senior Warrant Officer Fleischman grumbled as she slowly helped the other techs work out some of the kinks in Unit 1's code. Her mind wasn't really in her work, it was more in the 'swearing in German at the superior officer' mode.

Essex stood dully at her side, still with that blank stare. Her helmet had been replaced, so only a little of her blonde hair stuck out at the nape of her neck. She just waited, dutiful, for her new commanders to finish their work.

[ QUOTE ]
Now you ....
*OMG LONG*
.... Lord Recluse: Good.

[/ QUOTE ]

....*R...O...F....L....*.....

YOU WIN.

Lord Recluse forgives Droids.

*BACK ON TOPIC!*

CM: So...Lord Recluse. Truth or Dare?
LR: Uh...Hrm...Uh.... Truth!
CM: Okay...Do you have a crush on anyone, and if you do, who is it? *Giggle, giggle!*
LR: I-I.... <__<....Uh....
CM: You agreed! It's a Truth, you have to tell us!
LR: ....I...Uh..... *sigh* ....Okay... It's ...Justin Timberlake. *Covers eyes* He's just so dreamy, and the way he looks in those posters...I just...
GW: <.< *angst*

((Hm...I didn't know it was okay to take charge of other people's NPCs. I'll have to read over the rules again. No matter.

And is it just me, or are there a ton of robots on the moon? XD It makes sense, if you think about it....))

As Unit 1 glanced over to Essex, she seemed...doll-like. A blank, resolute, and opaque stare was all that greeted the other android, and it was even unsure whether she was looking at him or past him.

Soon,the information finished loading into Unit 1, and Fleischman regarded the new addition with a small frown.

"I suppose you'll do. Not nearly as durable as I'd hoped for another member of the squad, but you seem able to do a bit of significant damage. Regardless." Turning back towards Essex, she frowned. "I will assign model S6 to accompany you in time. There is still some conditioning that must be done in order to rend her effective for service - and I have studies to undertake."

Eyeing over the would-be blaster as the information flew across the base intranet, Fleischman frowned a bit. This one was a former cape also, it seemed; and his arrival seemed a bit...suspiciously timed. Still, he had the trust of the Kommandant, so far be it from her authority to act on her doubts.

"Now then..." she began once Unit 1 was ready. "Why don't you go get acquainted with the landscape? The information is all loaded in your system. However, I should warn you - despite the fact that we have competent patrols and mercenaries out there, it seems that Moon Base Beta is beginning to enlist help from Freedom Corps vigilantes and so-called 'heroes'. So stay on your guard. And be sure to depressurize before leaving the base."

With that, she turned back to her work, typing into one of her research consoles, stone-faced.

Droids - Maybe you should ask a mod to move it, then. There's nothing the rest of us can do.

Regardless, it'd been abandoned for weeks before being bumped to the top.

And to stay in the spirit of the thread:

LR: "Now, my minions, to the store! For I have run out of pink embroidery thread for my cross-stitch!"

Reactivation sequence in 5....4....3....2....

Essex's systems blinked back online with a soft hum. Blinking, she attempted to glance around - ...when it suddenly hit her. Her motion was restricted. After a brief moment of disorientation her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and a woman faded into view in front of her.

"Damn..." the woman cursed. "Why does that infernal Becker get all the effective help? This one practically fell into my lap and it's utterly useless. Using a noise generator for offense. Stupid Americans."

Essex listened quietly to her captor before speaking up, hesitantly. "Excuse me..."

"Ah...You're awake, sweetheart." The woman turned, with a little smirk. Folding her arms, she regarded the small robot strapped to a metal wall panel. "Comfortable? Welcome to Moon Base Alpha. I am Senior Warrant Officer Fleischman. And you, little cape...are the Replicant Humanoid Prototype sent here by that little research lab in Los Angeles. I remember reading about it in the technology journals. A combination of synthesized DNA and incredibly advanced robotics...But it's the DNA I'm interested in."

Leaning close, Fleischman grinned down at Essex. "If I can figure out how that fool, Dr. West, managed to engineer completely artificial human DNA, I could create an army of clones...genetically perfect warriors...endless resources. Then, if I could isolate the 'super' gene in another test subject...an army of super-soldiers could be ours, and you capes would stand no chance! Paragon would fall to the Fifth Column in a matter of weeks! Ahaahahahahahaha!!" Throwing her head back with a laugh of dark excitement, Fleischman flourished a triumphant grin.

"Then, I'll be hailed as a genius...I'll advance through the ranks..."

"Excuse me..." Essex interrupted, repeating herself. Trying to remain calm, she shifted a little. "...Um...I actually...wouldn't do anything of that sort if I were in your position, madame. I-I can be...quite formidable....um...."

"I'm sure you can, I'm sure you can." Fleischman sneered with a placating tone. "That reminds me...I must make a few adjustments to your AI if we are to be friends at all." With that, the scientist walked over to Essex, pulling the helmet from the android's head. Beneath the helmet was a mid-length, shag styled shock of darkish blonde hair that hung close about her face. Forcing Essex's head forward, Fleischman felt for a moment, before finding what she was looking for. A panel clacked open, and Essex began to squirm.

"No, please!!" she pleaded, struggling as much as her bonds would allow. "You mustn't alter anything in my mental circuitry, it's very sophisticated, and --"

Essex's voice broke off suddenly as her eyes stared off into nowhere, suddenly out of focus. Fleischman held a small chip in her hand, depositing it safely in the front pocket of her lab coat.

"Now we'll get along much better without that silly little free will allowance that West installed, brat."

"Yes." Essex murmured, her eyes far away.

I play. I'm on Protector and Virtue, and I've got a couple toons on Champion and Guardian. Look me up.

@Empress Aurora

Essex skimmed the surface of the moon, her mental circuits fluttering in panic. Villain...Villain...That was a villain...a supervillain...Accessing internal databases... Mentally, she scrolled through every villain in her mental research file...but she couldn't come across anyone by the name of Toy Dispenser. Her area of expertise was somewhat limited. However, she thought as she flew, the abilities she had seen him use - those were the abilities of a villain who had far surpassed her own capacity for strength.

The little android was still terrified, just wanting to get away as quickly as she could. It was almost as if she could hear that larger Combat Toy stomping after her...

WARNING: LOW POWER. WARNING: LOW POWER. POWERING DOWN.

"A-ah!" Startled, she checked her meters - she had overtaxed her system!! The boosters on her boots began to sputter, and before she knew it, Essex was in a downward spiral. Shielding herself protectively with her arms, she clattered off the side of a rock, sending her spiral out of sync and scraping up her armor, until finally, she spiralled down and impacted the surface of the moon with a sickening metallic crash.

The sensation of pain is a complicated one, to living creatures. However, at its basis it is nothing more than the body's response, notification and registry of physical damage.

That having been said, Essex's mind reeled with pain. "U-ugh..." she murmured. "...Status report...One health unit remaining. Mayday...System has shorted. Resources low. Beginning regeneration sequence in --"

The strike of the butt of an assault rifle brought on a merciful end to the pain, the transition completed with a curtain of darkness...

There ought to be one in one of the PVP zones, too. Just sayin'. :P

"A..aah...!"

Essex's eyes widened again as the group seemed to turn on her, one of the robots looming over her menacingly as the others regarded her in anticipation with various offensive clicks and whirrs. Listening to the words of Toy, she unsurely took a step back.

"But...I...."

It was then that he levelled the laser at her head. Toy's words struck at her like a blow.

"Flee now, while you can, for the next time we meet it shall be as enemies."

For a moment, she looked up at Toy with an expression of childlike hurt and fear. Hadn't she just helped him? She was only fulfilling her function...And they were both androids. How were they so different? Why did people have to despise each other?

It was true that she wasn't a very experienced hero - but one dominant trait about her personality was that she hated seeing people hurt or in trouble. Inwardly, she wondered how that could make her an enemy to anyone...

Then, she was startled from her thoughts by the movement of Combat Toy. The diminutive Essex swallowed uneasily, backing even more as the huge henchman sneered down at her with a menacing taunt.

At that moment Toy turned and struck his henchman back with a movement that startled her greatly. Mind racing, she immediately leapt into the air and her thrusters blasted backward, firing her back through the caves. She fled, terrified, from the Mastermind and his robots, her armor scraping off walls as she took sharp turns through the narrow passageways at blinding speed. Finally, she shot out of the mouth of the cave, nearly colliding with Ace as she blew past him, back, away, anywhere that she could calm down...

It was her first encounter with a 'villain.' And it frightened her.

"Kommandant?"

Essex tilted her head to the side, regarding Toy with a puzzled look. "No...I am not affiliated with any Kommandant. I am the lead repair module for Repliforce Paragon - a citizen protection unit. I'm...not really keyed for combat...so my creator sent me here to do research. Once I got here, though, some of the technicians were having some problems with Moon Base Beta...they asked me to do some field observation and collect samples of any rogue plant seedlings. I've been unable to get close enough though...as I said, I am..."

At this, she reddened, and glanced down.

"...not very skilled at combat. Repair and research - I am good for very little else."

"I-I....ah..." In truth, Essex was quite speechless, her eyes wide behind her blast shield. She'd never really seen Pumicites before, though she'd heard of them on Earth. And she hadn't expected to see them on the moon. To be honest, this fellow was quite a bit stronger than she, and they'd managed to get a lucky shot on him - she wondered if she was in the right place. Her processor working to get her back up to speed on the situation, she dropped out of Hover mode and landed neatly on her feet - the crest on her helmet reaching roughly the middle of Toy's torso. With one last glance at his little troupe of robots, she offered a little bow in return to Toy.

"I am designated with serial identification S6...But...Most people call me Essex. Repair is my primary function, with an emphasis on both organic and inorganic support systems."

Tilting her head to the side, she looked up at the larger android, somewhat quizzically and curiously. "You said your name was...Toy Dispenser? How interesting. And your allies work well together." Essex allowed herself a little smile as she regarded Toy's subordinate robots, but then looked back up at him with sympathy.

"I apologize for the loss of your friends near the mouth of the cave," she murmured, with another little bow.

Suddenly, as Essex hung unsurely outside of the cave, she began to hear a commotion deep inside. The sound of rock striking a hard surface, a shockwave through the ground...there was something going on inside. The little robot shrunk away from the entrance, timidly.

W-what if there are aliens in there fighting?! she mused fearfully. I'll be scrap for sure! And nobody will find me!

At that thought, she was about to fly away, when she was struck by a realization - she had seen another hero fighting those plants earlier...what if someone needed her help? ...It was her function to help...Essex couldn't abandon her function. With a timid sigh, she slowly hovered into the cave, her left hand retreating into the thick protection of her robot arm, a beam of light extending from it instead.

What she saw inside was horrifying.

Men - or what had been men - lying smashed and torn to pieces inside by massive hands. Far too far gone for her healing abilities. Quickening her flight, she zoomed in. If she had had a true heart, it would have been pounding in her ears - if there were more innocents inside, they must be saved at all costs...!

When the cave opened out into the large chamber, Essex's breath caught in her throat. She was just in time to see a huge rock-creature pound someone over the head...Someone guarded by multiple small robots, like herself (though obviously inferior models to her sophisticated design, she didn't allow herself to think).

"No...!"

Zooming forward, Essex concentrated on the downed figure, green light exploding from her body as she lifted her hands in one of the strongest spells she knew - Revive.

"Please be all right...!!"

((OOC: Nah, I didn't think Toy had blasted his SOS...although it was his system she was detecting. Just the sudden presence of an unfamiliar frequency - like if you're listening to the radio and suddenly blip past a station when you're not expecting it. :P))

Essex hovered over the cratered ground, her signature worried look on her face. An incredibly lifelike robot created as a fusion between DNA and technology, she had a strong emotional presence, despite the artificiality of her being. In truth, she really was little more than a repair-bot, designed to keep the more battle-worthy models up and fighting. Really, though, she preferred to be a lab rat and stay with her creator, working with his computer system to navigate for the scouts.

That was really why she was on the moon - She was tired and frightened of battle and requested to be sent to the new Moon Base to research. Little did she know the chaos she would find, and that she would be roped into more heroic deeds.

Finally, her sensors picked up an odd anomaly in the area. As soon as it was there, it was gone, but it quite definitely had been there. Following the blip, Essex passed the decimated remains of what had formerly been plant matter...having been disposed of in quite a violent fashion. She shuddered involuntarily.

I-I hope...there aren't any...extraterrestrials...up here....

She had been safely tucked away during the Rikti invasion, thankfully...but when the other models in her line, her 'brothers', had heard she was going to the moon, they had teased her mercilessly. Essex had tried not to take their words to heart, but, being the naive sort, they placed in her the nagging fear of grotesque, Hollywood-like aliens rising from craters with tentacles and pincers flailing.

She shuddered again.

Picking up her speed so she skimmed across the ground like a dragonfly, the little pink robot finally stopped outside what looked like a large, natural cave....

"Uagh!"

Suddenly, the little robot glanced up, startled. Something had just ripped through her comm system - a harsh blaze of static that left her audio receptors ringing with the protest of feedback.

"I-I...." She trailed off for a moment, her eyes distant. Where was it coming from? Was someone on an unauthorized frequency? It was strange...Radio waves in space were much less coherent than ones on Earth - so any sort of activations were immediately picked up by the bot's receivers. Looking back to Ace with an apologetic little bow (/e sorry XP) she stammered, "I-I'm sorry. I got distracted. There's...something I'd like to investigate." With that, a pair of matter relocation thrusters on her boots gently levitated her into the air. "By the way..." she murmured, "My designation is S6. Most people call me...Essex."

With that, she drifted off, looking for the source of the static, eyes wide. She was still startled by the sudden blast on the frequency.

The robot smiled, seemingly relieved. "Oh, good!" she sighed. "I d-didn't want to bother you. Are you after the plant creatures?"

Glancing from side to side, she noticed the various detritus left by Ace's assault on the maverick wildlife.

"Dear me..." she mused. "I suppose that would be the case. Well...If you need any help...I'm not really capable of taking these on by myself." With a sheepish smile, she shrugged. "My primary function is healing and restoration, though I am able to peripherally defend myself using sonic reverberations...not very effective against flora."

((Please excuse if my participation is unwelcome...))

"A-ah! Look out!"

Suddenly, a smaller figure, strangely lacking a space-suit (with the exception of a face-visor), leapt towards Ace. There seemed to be an overabundance of pink in her uniform, and she was barely four feet tall, proportioned rather like a child. It was quite obvious that she was an artificial being, her lower arms shielded by huge robotic busters. Comm antennae bristled from her helmet and she hesitantly leapt, bit by bit, towards the Ice-Sword wielding hero.

"Do you require assistance?" the high voice repeated unsurely. Fists glowing with healing light, the little pink robot extended her fingertips towards Ace to envelop the hero in regenerative light.

"I apologize for the intrusion upon your business. I just...noticed that you were slightly injured. You are not severely damaged, I hope?"

The robot tilted her head, the large eyes in her human face childlike in their concern.