Build

The spikes from his arm lengthened more, a rip appeared across his face exposing a multitude of jagged spikes in the place of teeth. "Allies?" Was all he said as he took a step toward them.

I don't remember who said it but it went something like this "Only crazy people say they're sane."

Looks like me and Aegis are in the same boat. Just agree, nod, and at the first chance you get. . . . AS!

Dax turned to Dusan and Dennis as they both appeared, "Allies?" was the only word he said as the crystals spikes that had grown out of his arms lengthened and became lethal on their own.

I've seen plenty of crazy [censored] in my life. My thoughts at the time usually run along the lines of "Screw it let someone smarter figure it out" and continue doing what I gotta do. Going on wreck calls with the fire department when you're 6 is usually one of those things that psychiatrist's believe lead up to insanity. But hey look at me I'm perfectly sane.
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Even though I'm usually told I was born in the wrong century.

Build smacked his lips as he dipped another jalapeno into his bucket of ice cream. He had been running computer simulations the entire time he had been eating, he had even made his nanotech run a full body diagnostic the results of wich turned out that he had a small planet in his stomach.

He yawned stretching his right hand up to block his mouth. His wrist panel beeped and flipped open. Shaakti was on the other end and got a good view of Build's esophogus.

"That's so gross. Did you really eat all of that crap? Why am I even asking, of course you did. Have you found anything conclusive about the ooze yet?" She asked suppressing a shudder at the mixtures of food Build had eaten.

"Not yet. I felt a presence leave the base. . . .did you let Kaega out of his cage?" Build asked

"You should know as well as the rest of us, nobody keeps Kaega in a cage. Yes, he left earlier. He said he was going to help Jonas with his little Poe problem. . . .the Dark World help that guy if he pisses Kaega off." Shaakti said suppressing a laugh at the idea of Poe fighting Kaega.

"Yeah I see your point. I hope Jonas remembers his manners when dealing with that psycho." Build said refering to Kaega

"You're one to talk about somebody being a psycho with the crap you eat. Get back to work, I'll check on you later." Shaakti said as she terminated the transmission.

"Looks like I gotta get back to work." Build said lazily rubbing his stomach.

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"Hello little Darkling," said a voice that sounded like boulders cracking.

Jonas turned around, shock visable on his face. He saw the thin, yet heavily muscled swordsman, leaning against a building as if he didn't have a care in the world. Jonas quickly bowed to Kaega, "I am sorry First Rook. I didn't realize you had decided to join in the coming battle."

Kaega gave a crooked smile, contorting the scars on his face, "I couldn't pass up the oportunity to soak my blade in the blood of Husk.," He looked around at the others, namely Power Breaker, and gave a little laugh, "Jonas, I didn't realize you traveled in such company. This is the esteemed Power Breaker, It is an honor to fight along side a warrior of your calibur."

Jonas turned to the others and whispered under his breath, "Show respect to him if nothing else, this man has fought in more battles than many of us know existed. Breaker, don't take his praise lightly. When he says something like that he not only means it, he expects it returned in kind."

((NOOOOO! Me wantsa fight!))

Dax looked around as the clockwork seemed to flow away in smoke. Battle no more. Residual impressions of the automaton's power is interfering with the harmonic resonance of my being. Must be careful unless injury will befall my comrades. He looked around for atleast one of the other metas.

?? No allies? Releasing power restrictions. There was a crackle in the air around him as the energy he always kept stored was released in a glowing sheild of multi-colored brilliance.

((Considering that I have the directional sense of a falling brick, I'm just going to go to the one in the west))

Dax stood atop a forgotten steel girder that was sticking straightt up out of the ground watching the clockwork attack the base. Well I don't see any of the other task force members. Time to go Bishop. Dax said as he reached toward his left breast. The crystals that made up his breast shifted in to a black Bishop symbol. As his hand slid over it the normal energy in the air around him intensified. His normally smooth green crystal body became ragged as as spikes erupted from his body giving him the look of a living weapon (and truly that is what he was).

Even his demeanor had changed, his normal joking, womanizing, and casual bitchyness had changed. All of that was gone, and in it's place was a casual cool. As if he didn't even find destruction fun. He fell head first off the girder toward the nearest group of clockwork exploding into hundreds of crystal spikes. The spikes impaled dozens of the clockwork minions, and quickly reassembled into Dax's humanoid form as he started to move through and around the automaton's raining blows that peirced, broke, and cracked their frail bodies.

((. . . .anybody else have a bad feeling? I mean it kinda feels like Diov is about to pull something really bad outa his arsenal. Any body else thinking this will be an all out war?))

Kaega floated in the lotus position. His body was in the dimension spanding DWC base, but his mind was without. It searched the spaces between worlds, between dimensions, between ideas. Thoughts? Bloodlust? BATTLE?

Kaega's mind followed the thoughts while his body let out one word hissed through hollow breath, "Husssssk." His mind snapped back to his body rattling his teeth. He reached around and picked up his sword, his hand gripping the hilt, the spiked hand guard gleaming with a pale silver light in the solid darkness of the room. He stood and the silver light seemed to move like molten fire down from the hilt casting an eerie radiance up from the serated blade.

He smiled in the darkness, his teeth had been filed to points long ago, the light from his blade sent flitting embers of silver light across his scarred and battered face. He reached out with his mind toward someone he had come to consider a sister. "Shaakti. Who are our agents that are in the field now?" His thoughts floated out into the aether toward their intended location.

The sweetly resounding thoughts came back to him "So you have already felt the bloodlust in the air? I believe the agent you want is Jonas. He had a run in with Husk Lord Poe."

Kaega smiled even larger "Poe? Yes I know which lord you speak of. I believe Jonas will need some help. I think I shall go to battle."

Shaakti laughed a little over the aether "Yes I believe you will go to battle. How long has it been since you have quenched the thirst of your blade, a few hundred years?"

He grimly chuckled "That and then some. So where is my little Darkin?

Shaakti went back to business [i]"He is currently in St. Martial."

Thank you Shaakti, and our agreement is still in affect.

You mean the one we had that said if you were written out I could have all your stuff?

Yeah that one Kaega said as he opened the door to his room and stepped into St. Martial.

((You wouldn't want Shift to try to catch the puppy. . . .unless you want puppy pancakes or somethin. That and he's not really a dog person.))

((Bluesiders, BAH! Over rated. j/k. Comeon I'm sure there are a few out in the wings that want to join in. . .WE NEED CAT GURLS!))

If Dax had a mouth he would be grinning so broad it would look like his face would break. As soon as they are out of sight I can go Bishop without harming anyone. From what Hobo Ned just said I can get to work and start enjoying myself in another few seconds

Dax turned and began to run across the ground toward the explosions. . . . .laughing like a loon the entire time

((Briggs is still in there, and the guy who's arm is around her. Can't remember his name.))

((Thank you, thank you! It is my goal in life to give everyone I meet at least one mental scar.))

((He really shouldn't have said that, it's like giving the inmates the keys to the asylum, a book of matches, a lot of gasoline, a donkey, and some ice cubes. There's just no way this can end well.))

Build looked at the readout on the screen. WTF!?

He fipped open his wrist panel, "Shaakti. . . .Morin tricked me into drinking that crap you sent down and you're gonna be a momy. . .I'm pregnant."

The voice on the other end of the line paused for a second, "Are you sure it's mine? OK look, maybe you can try eating something. You know see if something will screw with it. What do you want to eat?"

He thought about it for a minute, "Fruit salad. . .poptarts. . .waffles. . .maybe a jug of jalapenos. . . and some blue berry cream pie ice cream."

Shaakti was given pause for a few seconds, "Maybe you really are pregnant."

Build laughed a little into the com line, "Na that's just what I eat normally. . .all at once."

Shaakti chuckled into the line, "And here I was thinking having a schizo, a living crystal, and a guy who can warp reality were the odd balls of our group."

"Wow I'm in the prescence of a living cliche." Dax said motioning toward the heavily accented scientist.

Dax yawned loudly, "So you're finally saying that I can cut loose? I'm not gonna get billed for any collateral damage? And I can finally go Bishop without anyone taking pot shots at me for causing a little meyhem? Goody, Goody, Goody!"

Soon as they say yes I activate the symbol and then that little boomer gets to see what balls to the wall really means. Dax thought as the symbol for the bishop from a chess set appeared on his left breast.

Build coughed, hacked, and retched. What the hell, I figured it would atleast turn me into something else. Or make my muscles three times bigger or somethin, instead it feels like I've eaten an extra grande burrito.

Build stretched, pulling a cramp that had developed in his side loose. He suddenly got an idea. What if I were to fire the lazer at my stomach. Considering that the paradoxs haven't affected me, maybe my normal logic field that keeps the world going honky dory nulifies the paradox field of the ooze. That or the lazer will do something like amplify the paradox and kill me. Oh well! He said as he stepped into the path of the lazer and initiated the firing sequence. His stomach lurched when the beam made contact with him.

"Now let's see if this works."


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Jonas looked around at Inky, "Yo Sprout. You gonna give the big bad Husker a spike in the eye for me?" He asked

He looked back at Breaker, "So we gonna go off on our own and and wait for the rest of them to come rushing in like the cavalry or are we gonna wait and go in force. Considering it is Poe, he may not comeout if he sees we have an army. Then again he may pull out the big guns or somethin."

"Grammit all oo 'ell," Build said around a mouth full of turkey sandwich.

"I'll give you ten bucks to drink it." Morin said from over his shoulder.

"Yoo tink I going to do dat dum azz?" Build said almost coking on a peice of bread.

Morin looked worried for a second, then grabbed a cup and handed it to Build, "Hurry man get that crap down before you start turning blue, no way am I giving you mouth to mouth!"

Build roughly turned the cup up and drained the contents in a single gulp, wondering why it seemingly had no flavor yet having every flavor in the human vocabulary(and some that weren't).

"Here's the ten spot," Morin said as he hurriedly walked out the door.

After about ten seconds what he had drank hit Build like a ton of bricks. "MORRRRRRINNNNN!"

Morin chuckled darkly as he walked back down the hallway Teach you to interupt my sleep.

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Jonas followed Breaker into the elevator. He memorized every thing Breaker said about Poe and Husk. Well that answers a few questions, but raises many more. I now have a few more names of Husk agents. Shaakti will wanna know.

"Actually I've been wondering about the bad blood between you and Poe. You cut him off on the freeway or somethin," Marcus slipped in between Jonas's barriers to ask the question.

[ QUOTE ]
I am a hero... can't talk pirate...

[/ QUOTE ]

Keelhall the landlubbin hero! Arr make him walk the plank or swab the poop deck!

Mantid be winnin the sea ya scurvey bilge rats

"Damnit!" Build shouted loudly as he began furiously typing in commands. "Friggin paradoxes I knew something was completely wrong with that stuff!"

He opened a panel on he arm and a quick series of runes began to run through it. "Shaakti here. What do you need Build." The sweet voice said

"Shaakti, we got problems. The crap is a living paradox. I haven't seen any thing like this since I beat Bossman highscore at Tetris. It turned the container into a coffee cup! I got no idea what sugar jar Jonas stuck his finger into but there is no way this stuff can end well." Build said as he set up another series of safe guards around the ooze.

"What can I say? You've gotta deal and find out what you know. Boss Man wants anything you can get on these guys." Shaakti said in that ver sweetly deceiving way of hers.

"Yeah alright fine. I'm gonna need the anti paradox generator though. Tell Morin to bring it, quick like." Build said as he closed the panel.

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Morin was walking down the long cooridor that led to Build's lab with a device in his arms that looked like a modified coffee maker. "Build, I was [expletive] sleeping! What the hell do you need with this thing anyway? I was using this piece of [fecal] matter for a doorstop." The tall, muscular black man said with a look of anger on his face.

Build jumped up from his seat, ran to the door, and roughly jerked the device out of Morin's hands. "Gimme a sec, and maybe I can explain," He said as he stuck the coffee cup into the loading bay of the device. The device made a beep and began to make a noise like coffee brewing.

"Jesus Cripes Build, that thing really is a coffee maker!" Morin said as Build made a shushing motion with his hand

"In a few minutes we should know what this stuff is. . . .if this hunkajunk works." Build said with apprehension

The flourescent lights fickered and came to life as Build walked into his lab. He took a sip of the sports drink he had in his left hand as he sat at his desk, in front of his computer. He tapped in a few quick commands and brought up an online game. He felt a tingle at the back of his mind as his nanites registered an unknown substance in his lab.

He spun in his rolling orthopedic computer chair and brought up one of his bulky mechanical arms in a classic firing position as one of his beam cannons clicked into place and began charging. Great I leave to work out for the first time in a week and Shaakti leaves me a present. He said as he glared at the titanium and glass container, which held a dark viscous liquid.

He stood and walked over to the counter top and pulled a yellow sticky note off the front of the container: Jonas sent this. Said it's Husk Lord Poe's blood. Examine and analyze.

Ok. . . .so now they want me to do blood work, what the hell do I look like? A lab tech? He thought as he picked up the container and placed it into a spectral analyzer and blasted it with a lazer that would record and decipher any anomalies in the blood. He then opened the container and induced the same type of nanites that wandered his body into the black, oozelike blood, all while being protected by a texra glass sheild: I mean who wants to catch something a Husk Lord has?

He sat back in his chair and watched the stream of data begin running across the multitude of monitors. He sat forward with a look of shock on his face What the hell!? It usually only takes a few seconds to analyze unknown materials. This says it'll take minutes! What kinda crap has Jonas gotten us into now?

Great the Council, well at least I'll get to smash humans now. Dax thought as he turned back to the group.

For secrecy's sake, and not wanting to make Karl do anything stupid, the crystals in Dax's chest reorganized themselves to reflect the sunlight and spell out words: Something isn't kosher with this bloke. I say we take him with us, and at the first sign of any mumbo-jumbo crap we give him to Ghoul.

"Hey guys, the HUD in my goggles says there are too more human power signals. We may have some help coming." Shift said as a stone gargoyle appeared infront of him and was immediately launched at the golem. Crap I forgot to bring blues, and my power is waning. Well. . . it's gonna hurt when that golem gets free. I am an agro magnet after all.

"Alright I guess it's settled then, Hobo Ned gets the lead.," Dax looked down at the prone form of Karl.

"So how 'bout it Morty? You gonna be a good little corpse stealer and tell us what we wanna know? Or is daddy gonna haveta get out the belt?" Dax said with barely concealed mirth.