Exceptional work, as always. One tiny nitpick though...
[ QUOTE ]
Good Clockwork King
You keep doing work like that, and we might have to make room for you in the Vindicators
Just ease up on Penny and
[/ QUOTE ]
The same Clockwork King who kidnaps engineers, kills pedestrians for getting in his way or for wearing watches, vandalizes public property over the entire city...
Yeah. Then again, this is written from Malaise's view, so perhaps his opinion is different than the norm.
The only people I'm aware that the Clockwork King has killed are the Police Officers who came to arrest him and the one that interfered with his Clockworks' theft of some copper.
There's even a mission early on where you find out that his Clockwork stole a handicapped man's trophy and disassembled his wheelchair but did not actually harm him.
On the other hand, he did cause one of the heroes in Skyway to lose his leg in combat-- think it's Jake Montoya.
But in general, CK is one of the less violent villains in Paragon.
My COX Fanfiction:
Blue's Assembled Story Links
On the one hand, the Grinch reference was really cute. On the other hand it made me stop reading immediately to post this. I s that good or bad? Hmmm...
*Edit* Good stuff Maynard. Mother Mayhem is genuinely creepy. I like the idea the characterization of Malaise. He's conflicted without being emo.
Alright. Okay. I think Ive calmed down, now.
A little drawing, a little nap, some dinner
Then more drawing, a shower, throwing up in the toilet and a good eight hours of fitful sleep did my body good. Well, not exactly good, but at least Im not panicking like I was yesterday.
Instead, Im planning. I know what I have to do and where I should be looking. Its not exactly a simple accomplishment to go into Antimatters laboratory and steal another interdimensional doohickey, but thats what Ive got to do. Fortunately, Ive got the fact that everybody thinks Im their Malaise working for me. For now, Ill have to maintain that role
Oh crap
I sense the entourage of Mother Mayhems orderlies before they knock on my door. She wants to work on some patients. I already know she intends to drive some more people insane
I guess you cant have a world of evil people without someone to victimize
I answer the door and the orderlies, led by one Doctor Vasilikos, greet me rather cordially. Vasilikos is a bit strange to look at since he isnt the hulking, stitched-together monstrosity most people know as Doctor Vahzilok, but hes still got the crazed look in his eyes. I can already feel him dissecting me in his mind. Funny thing is, I can see it, too, and its not pretty.
So I send him an image of my flesh reaching up and grabbing him. As terrified as he is of disease, the idea of unclean flesh reaching past his sterilized gloves is a bit disconcerting and he stumbles back a bit. He doesnt get angry, though. He takes it like a joke!
Ha! Good one, Malaise, he chortles in a thickly Slavic accent, Ill have to remember that
Maybe come up with new medical equipment, too! In a world where people can do many things, it would be best to prepare for such weird moments, yes?
Just remember to stop fantasizing about filleting me like a fish, I hiss back, Otherwise, Ill be forced to drown you in a cesspit every time you close your eyes.
Vasilikos eyes go wide. Stammering an apology and nodding rapidly, he turns and the entourage leads me down the halls of the Asylum. At first, things are fine. Everythings normal and I feel like these orderlies could have easily been replaced by Longbow soldiers. That all changes when we descend into the lower floors, though. I dont mean the first and second floors of this place, theyre actual legitimate medical facilities (which surprises me, I didnt think Tyrant or his cronies would supply medical aid; of course, most of those patients were probably loyal soldiers). The basement levels, however, are riddled with terrified, miserable and increasingly unstable or outright insane individuals.
Most are just like the civilians back home. I used to hold the people there in contempt when I was obsessed with my own vices. After Shalice helped me, I barely gave them any notice. After my failure
Well, I havent given anybody much notice
Maybe thats why Id failed to begin with. Everybody calls Statesman a jerk because he doesnt seem to really talk to people, more at them. He doesnt see people, he looks through them
I was doing the same
To everybody
Willfully. I thought I was the only important person in the world and everything fell apart when one thing went wrong in my life.
Ive got to stop beating myself up over this. Yeah, I should feel bad about what happened and my responsibility for it, and I should recognize my role in the ordeal, but if I dont learn to move on
Ill just be another thug with a grudge, no matter which side Im on.
But whatever Im going to do, I cant do it right now
No matter how much I want to.
I can hear the various individuals my counterpart and his demented mentor have tormented over the years screaming, whimpering, howling and making other noises to signify their dementia. Some are laughing, others are crying. Some arent making any sound or displaying any emotion at all, they just stand in front of the door and stare out the eye-slit at me and the entourage as we walk past.
I can hear their thoughts, though. I can see the things going on inside their heads. Malaise, my counterpart, has torn open the door that locks away their fears and they spend every waking day drowning in the things that set their teeth to chatter and their spines to tremble. They all want to just curl up into balls in the corners of their concrete rooms so they can sleep and make the scary things go away, but my counterpart and Mayhem keep having the orderlies drag them back out for more torment.
I wish I could reach inside the minds of all these people and put back the door that locks away the scary things and seal it shut, but that would blow my cover. Mayhem would know I wasnt her Malaise in an instant and I would join the ranks of the unjustly damned.
In the deepest levels of the Asylum, Vasilikos brings me to Mayhem and her latest project. It reminds me of the same setup Shalice told me about, the young woman strapped to the surgical bed, only the operation light shining on her while the rest of the room is dark. Shes looking around, terrified. I can sense her thoughts about her last moments of freedom, how she was just scavenging for food when the Rampagers found her. Then they had their fun with her before turning her over to the Asylum after my counterpart sensed her psychic potential (and he must have really enjoyed the extra dose of nightmare fuel the sick bastards had heaped upon her, the sick [censored]). Now
I see her look to me and shes filled with equal parts fear and hate. I know Im not the one she hates, but I look like him
Technically, physically, I am him, but I come from a different place, I live a different life
Im not the monster she thinks I am, but she doesnt know that, so she continues to fear and hate me.
I dont blame her.
Oh, Malaise, Mother Mayhem purrs as she leans forward, bracing herself on the operation bed, Ive been aching to see you work your magic on this one
Her mind is so specially primed
I cant wait to see what wonderful dreams youll bring out of her!
I can sense shes getting aroused by all of this nonsense. Frankly, I can feel the bile rising to my throat again. Whats more, I know I cant torment this poor woman. Even when I was a criminal I never did anything so willfully depraved, and Im not about to start now.
I feel something in me click or shift or change somehow, but I dont have time to think about it.
Instead, I approach the operation table and grasp the poor girls face. I run my hand across her forehead and drum my fingers on her temple. Im stalling as I consider the frantic plan that has crossed my mind and work out the nuances of it. Theres so much I dont know about the situation, so much that Ill have to react to as it happens and I cant plan for it. What happens if Mayhem realizes Im lying about the weird mental block? What if Vasilikos gives in to his own insanity and tries to murder me while I work and take my place as Mayhems student? What if
Gosh I dont know
I start making the illusion just as I start to sense that theres a certain impatience radiating from Mother Mayhem. I pull the visions of Marauders men finding the girl from her mind and unveil them for all the world to see. Theyve kicked her into the base of a tree and now theyre all looming over her, sneering and jeering. Theyve got wicked plans in mind, and everybody knows what they plan.
A flood of impassioned approval comes from Mayhem, but I sense something else from Vasilikos. Im radiating these images to everybody in the room, save one, and the girl is looking up at me, terrified and somewhat confused. Shes wondering why Mayhem is practically swooning with physical rapture and why Im sweating as I try to wrap illusions around illusions and force-feed them to the people that expect me to wreak horror on her poor soul.
Ive got to make Mayhem think Im enjoying this, so thats another image I have to make up and show her. I have to make her think the woman is being tormented, so thats another image
I have to account for every little detail. My only fortune at the moment is that the monster driving Auroras body is so distracted by this horrible thing Ive created by burning the poor girls nightmare fuel.
I finished the nightmare. I turned the Rampagers bestial and showed them ravaging the poor girl from multiple angles to the audience in the room. Vasilikos cleared his throat a little as he saw the images play out in their perverse glory. Mayhem visibly shuddered with pleasure as the monstrous art reached its climactic finish and the image of the girl I was tormenting screamed out in fear and pain. Then I shut the whole painting down, save one image of a passed out girl overlayed on the real one. She was still looking up at me, wondering what the Hell was going on and why I had my hand clamped over her mouth.
Shes seen nothing. She has no idea why Mayhem is so happy and Im so terrified.
That was amazing, Mayhem moaned weakly, she was breathless from exhausting herself while I painted, Im going to have to retire to my room for a while
To sleep
She sauntered to the door and stopped before opening it. Turning to me, she dropped her voice to a husky drawl and asked if I would like to join her.
As much as I would relish the opportunity, I rasped, partly because of my act, and partly because I was hoarse from the strain of deceiving her, I must say that I am phenomenally inspired at the moment, and simply cannot let the vision go to waste!
She purred at that, expecting something grand from me. Still, she didnt press the issue and left without saying another word as she was so lost in her bliss. I shook my head ruefully when I was certain she was gone and turned to Vasilikos.
How long have you been a part of the Resistance? I asked coldly, dropping the illusions and removing my hand from the confused womans mouth.
What? Vasilikos asked, his hand instinctively reaching for a customized scalpel he kept that was more like a butchers knife, Whatever do you mean, Malaise?
I mean I could sense what you were feeling when I showed you those illusions. I take it the Malaise you know never cared to feel what others around him were, so he never noticed when you started making plans to rehabilitate his victims.
He glared at me, and his eyes no longer reflected madness. Instead, a gamut of emotions, ranging from confusion to hope, played across his eyes and he stepped closer to me. His hand pulled away from the large-bladed scalpel and he reached for the light switch on the wall. Flicking it on, he looked closer to me and removed his surgical mask.
Youre
Youre not him? he asked, No
Youre not. Your posture, your demeanor
Youve been exerting yourself fiercely to make others believe you are, but
Who are you?
Im Malaise, I admitted, Just not your Malaise. Can you trust them?
He turned to his orderlies, then back to me and nodded.
Lets find somewhere thats safe to talk, he rasped, Mister Flenser, Madame Stitch, get this woman to rehabilitation. I and Cortex will accompany our new
Ally of sorts
to the Bronze Way safehouse.
Shell still need help, Vahzilok, I explain, Just not as much as youve helped these people
I can see it now, in this brighter light. The orderlies are stitched together shamblers, the more powerful ones. We call them Eidolons back home. Cortex, indeed, is one of the most powerful, and even has psychic powers. It probably helps Vasilikos to hide from Mayhems senses.
----------
They lost much to Mayhem and my Malaise, Vasilikos murmurs as he takes a seat in one of the rotting couches with a blanket thrown over it, And I worked so hard to save them
The strain was too great for them, but
I promised them they would be free
I couldnt let them die like that, tormented by what you-he and Mother Mayhem had done. I brought them back so they may take revenge someday.
Death would probably have been preferable for them, I counter as I look about the safehouse.
I know. I have commited a great sin in this, and while they have forgiven me, I have not. I will live with the horror of what I have done for the rest of my life. My one hope is that I will be able to help overthrow the monsters tormenting this city and the world. Then I will lay my companions to the rest they deserve and try to forget this ordeal.
You never will. Believe me, I know. The terrible things youve done will haunt you for the rest of your life.
I know. But still
We will do what we can.
We did give him permission beforehand, Cortex adds, his voice unsettlingly hollow as he speaks, Even with the nightmares plaguing our minds, we remember giving the Good Doctor permission to make us tools of vengeance against you and your Queen.
My counterpart, I correct the shambler, not me.
You look the same to me.
You look like a monster who tried to poison the water past the city dam where Im from. I wouldnt let the appearances go deceiving you. Besides, Cortex, you can read my mind and know Im telling the truth.
It could be another of your illusions, another of your lies, the shambler isnt giving me much credit, though thats probably prudent in this world, This could be a huge game to you!
Enough, Core, Vahzilok-er
Vasilikos shouts, Malaise has never ignored an opportunity to lay with his queen and play with her pet! The girl we recovered was undamaged from his nightmare visage, though those Rampagers had already done quite enough.
Youll still be a long time helping her, I interrupt, then, piqued, I inquire Her pet?
Mother Mayhems pet. From the days when her body used to be a heroine. I believe it was the heroines husband.
Calvin Scott? Hes still alive in this world?
It's something I'll have to see for myself.
Its a bit much for me to take in, so I let it go for the moment. If what Vasilikos is saying is true, however, it makes the twisted psychic queen of this world even more revolting. She's tormenting the husband of the woman whose body she stole.
You cant have a world full of monsters without victims
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
I just have to say this.
Dr. Vahzilok and Dr. Vasilikos are both awesome.
This story is awesome.
Awesome + Awesome = ************************* -ERROR- -SHUTTING DOWN- 
Damn, this is good stuff, Mr. G. You can think of things I haven't even begun to consider.
Well done, sir!
My COX Fanfiction:
Blue's Assembled Story Links
I tend to think of Prateorian World the way I think of Star Trek's mirror universe. Tyrant is pretty much Statesman with a goatee. (Yeah, I know he doesn't technically wear one.)
This story is making me rethink that a bit. In fact, Mother Mayhem pretty much creeps me right out. I don't think I'll be seeing either her or Malaise quite the same way any more.
((With the recent announcement about "Going Rogue" and the implication that it seems to involve the Praetorians rather heavily, I'm kind of worried as to what will become of my story's "viability." Especially considering what Malaise has to say right now
))
Before I left, Vasilikos- excuse me
Doctor Vasilikos informed me of the resistance. So far, there were a few major groups posing a real threat to Tyrants rule. Unfortunately, they werent necessarily too keen on working together
There was the Carnival of Light, the alternate version of the Carnival of Shadows that was apparently an army of average people who were massively improved by their connection to Vanessa DaVore, as opposed to having their minds and souls stripped away by the connection. I almost wanted to meet her an maybe get some insight on the sort of person Vanessa would normally have become if it werent for the corrupting power the Prime version had encountered, but there wasnt much I could gain from such an encounter rather than a satisfaction of my curiosity.
There was the Global Defense Consul, or as I would know it, the Council. They were led by Paolo Tirelli, a man I would otherwise call the Center. He was assisted by, surprisingly, a consortium of Kheldians that were led by two agents known as Crescendo and Arakhn, as well as the inventors, Gauth (which seemed to be a word that blended Goth and Gaul, though I dont see what that has to do with the term vandal) and Commander Burkholder. Finally, there was the scientist, Doctor Orlok, or Nosferatu back home.
The stories went on like this. Apparently, the only groups that seemed to be the same as I knew them were the Rikti, Nemesis Army and the Freakshow. The rest were almost saccharine-sweet or twisted about or turned on their heads. Heck, even Tub Ci led the Gangs, an amalgam of the Hellions, Skulls, Outcasts, Warriors and Tsoo. He, along with Odysseus, Frostfire, and the Petrovic brothers, leads the street sweeping initiative, combating all the up-and-coming super-powered villains that had pledged loyalty to the Praetorians. Unfortunately, they dont seem to be too effective.
In the meantime, they still had Nemesis trying to manipulate all of them, and when I asked about the Rogue Isles, Vasilikos could only look at me with a blank stare. It was a lot to take in. Without input, I figured that the anti-Arachnos, and even the anti Malta Group, was probably laying really low to avoid getting smashed to bits by Tyrants forces. It was a smart plan, apparently, because the public ones werent faring too well. Vasilikos, as it turned out, had only a few zombies in his employ. They were powerful, to be sure, but they werent what was needed to turn back the tide. None of them were. They could only really slow Tyrants forces.
Toward the end of the explanation, I realized that half of what Vasilikos was saying was as much wishful thinking as anything else. He wasnt really certain of anything, but he did know something about Prime Earth through his work with Malaise and Mother Mayhem. Hed seen the gangs of somewhat-super-powered street toughs battling Tyrant and Marauders forces. Hed seen a few soldiers flitting this way and that out of sight from the Praetorians and had heard rumors about whom they worked for.
In the end, I couldnt be certain I had any support.
As I made my way back to the Asylum, I pondered what I was dealing with. On second glance, Steel Canyon actually wasnt that bad off, though it was still extremely damaged. People still went about their daily business, but where people on Prime Earth were usually blissfully unaware, these people had a sensation of fear that wafted from their minds. Most ignored the super-powered oppression until it busted down the door and invaded their lives. They all knew, buried somewhere in the backs of their minds, that their illusion of things will get better wasnt going to come true.
It was a depressing state. It reminded me of the times I was commissioned to help Longbow provide security for goodwill organizations. I got to see all kinds of starving people in dire straits. They would be diseased, emaciated, or simply exhausted from trying to work land that refused to grow crops. When they were lucky enough to provide for themselves, then the local warlords would come in and take whatever food they could (and probably murder, torture or worse the people); by the time they arrived, we would be long-gone.
It was sort of the same thing happening here. The people couldnt count on anything we did to help their condition
And we werent really making any concerted effort, to be honest. A few random heroes made excursions into this place, but other than that, we let Tyrant do his own thing. We put Reichsman on ice, but for whatever reason, we didnt do the same to this guy.
A pair of children saw me approaching and their eyes grew wide with terror. They knew my outfit. They knew who I was. They huddled into a corner as I walked past, I could feel their thoughts as they begged whatever gods were above that I wouldnt take notice of them. I thought it was strange that there was still that form of faith in this world. I would have thought any notion of benevolent deities would have been ground out long ago.
I couldnt do anything for the children except to walk on by, so thats what I did. With any luck, theyd wind up gaining super powers and grow up to topple the Praetorians, but that was about as likely as a snowball lasting more than a second in Hell.
It gave me something to ponder as I reached my chambers in the Asylum. If I want to do what Im about to do, Im going to have to change outfits. I cant simply go about thinking that my authority is going to protect me, especially not with resistance groups searching for any weakness in the Praetorian armor. Since most of the forces were either Anitmatter and Neurons robots or Marauders bandit-like warmongers, they would probably turn to groups that didnt have such massive support and pick from there. That pretty much only left Battle Maiden in the free and clear, since she had a whole planet of (somewhat) loyal warriors to come to her aid.
People like me, though, we were perceived as weak and were probably watched like hawks. If my near-encounter with Doctor Vasilikos is any indicator, Im likely to be shot if I go about alone like that again.
Well, it shouldnt be too difficult to find something else to wear. I mean, if the Rampagers can do it, so can I. Ill probably wind up confusing a few people when I do, too.
I set myself to my easel and looked at the page Id drawn so far. It was a depiction of the Babbage, or at least parts of it. I had a few reasons for this. One, I could explain to Mayhem that I was trying to work through the mental block by painting the thing plaguing my dreams. Considering her work with psychology, I would assume shed understand that. The other thing, however, is that Im working my plan and my escape route through this. Im weaving streets and buildings into the gear design of Babbage
The process helps me to plan and figure where Ill wind up. There are still elements Im missing, such as Antimatters laboratory. Hed brought that dimensional transporter here, so I need to find my way to his lab and figure out how Im going to get a hold of another one. Then I need to figure out how to program it to get me home.
Of course, this whole plan relies heavily on one issue: Calvin Scott.
I dont know why, but when Vasilikos mentioned him, I felt a twitch in my mind. It was like an opportunity had been provided, though I dont quite know what for. I also dont know when I made the decision, but I was biding my time for when I was certain Mayhem wouldnt be around, possibly during the meeting with Tyrant that Antimatter had mentioned. Then I would get a look at the work my evil twin had wrought and see what I could do.
Its odd. I have a number of reasons as to why I should hate Calvin. Well, not really reasons, theyre more like excuses if I were to be honest with myself. Hell, I used to be a petty and vindictive man, sometimes I still am. So Im a little surprised that, when I learned what the Praetorian Calvin is being tormented here, my first thought was that I had to help him.
I feel a chill go through my spine. Mayhem is coming down the hall to my chambers. I reinforced the mental blocks, just the way Shalice had taught me, and prepared for another nerve-wracking encounter.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
I know what you mean, Mr. G. I have a feeling that Domi is going to wind up being knocked right out of canon-- I can't imagine for a second that they're going to let Domi's relationship with Tyrant stay as it is-- but we'll just have to wait and see what we get.
And this is a good chapter as usual. Poor Mal.
My COX Fanfiction:
Blue's Assembled Story Links
Very interesting, Grey. I'd never really thought about the Praetorians before...
City of Heroes taught me that when the world is burning, you don't just stand by and watch, you grab a fire extinguisher and do whatever you can to stop it-even if it's not much at all. Sign the petition to keep City of Heroes alive HERE.
@MissKyo, Leader of the Teamsters coalition on Protector
It was a few days before I could get a chance to see for myself the damage done to Praetorian Calvin. Goatee Psyche had
Damn Valkyrie and that old sci-fi show marathon
Well, Mother Mayhem had been called to a meeting in Tyrants chambers. It was probably to discuss Antimatters new dimension-hopping device and my role in its test. I hoped my story worked to cover me when they told him, but I had a bad feeling that a squad would be sent shortly to bring me before him and his entourage.
I dont like being in Statesmans presence, I dont even want to imagine what its like to be in his. Statesman always feels cold and calculating
And sad
Its a strange sensation. Its like he never really feels like hes himself. If Tyrant is the opposite mindset and hes done all this
It makes my mind boggle as to how disturbing such a mind could be.
Well, to be fair, he and his forces didnt do all this. The Rikti attacked the Praetorians when they attacked us, too. Im unclear as to the why; the United Nations reports indicated that the Rikti were looking for super-powered individuals, and the Praetorians fit the bill as well as we did, but they must have made an initial strike and pulled their forces to deal with the more concerted efforts on Prime Earth (my Prime Earth). A little reading over here indicates that only a few heroes (actual heroes, though the history books here decry them as lunatics, maniacs and fools; indeed, it goes on like this even before the Rikti War; perhaps this is part of why the meta humans here try to control things with an iron fist, they feel theyve earned it after generations of scorn and ridicule) tried to fight back, and Tyrant pulled the other forces back with a stand down or Ill kill you myself order. It worked
The Rikti turned their full attention to my homeworld and left this place in dire straits. They probably intended to come back later and finish the job if not for the intervention of Omega Team
I should take a note to come back to these thoughts and dwell on them further. We isolated the Rikti from our dimension, but did we also contain ourselves with the Praetorians, Axis Amerika and a host of dimensions that all seek to do us harm? The Shadow Shard is right next to us, too, Rularuu is practically battering our gates (as best as a god who seems torn asunder across his own dimension can anyway), and with the recent peace negotiations with the Traditionalist Rikti, and some talks actually opening up with some factions within the Restructurists, have we cut off the one ally we could turn to if everything goes swirling down the toilet?
I dont have time to dwell on that now. I have to deal with the matter at hand. Well, I dont have to, but Im excruciatingly curious as to the condition of Calvin Scott over here.
When I enter Mayhems chambers, I shudder involuntarily. Theres a psychic residue here that simply feels grimy. A lot of it is focused on the (surprisingly well-made) bed, a four-post affair with a sheer curtain. By the shades of the gray, I assume its red and pink, but I cant be certain. The rest of the room has wallpaper covering the Asylums gray walls, and the paper has a peculiar floral pattern on it. Normally, Id have expected skulls or something, but I suppose that even these lunatics still see themselves as the good guy.
A whimper at my side causes me to almost jump out of my skin. Its Calvin, sitting in a simple, armless wooden chair next to the door. A dresser sits next to him, adorned with disturbing, lurid items, and for a moment I feel bile rising to my throat again. Choking it down, I turn my attention to the man whos restrai-huh. Apparently hes not restrained.
He doesnt need to be.
Im standing right in front of Calvin, but he cant see me. His eyes, wide open with tears streaming down his cheeks because he doesnt blink, are darting this way and that, up and down. Hes shaking lightly in his chair as he goes through some horrible torment the likes of which I dont want to imagine, but I have to see
I reach out tentatively to his head and brush his mind.
----------
Im standing outside of a house in one of the suburbs of Atlas Park. Im not sure which one, but I guess it doesnt really matter. All of these neighborhoods look the same to me.
The sky is a greenish haze, and I realize that Im seeing in color again. This isnt new to me. Ive often been able to see color in other peoples minds or by using their minds to interpret what was needed. The problem was that there needed to be some kind of connection, like when I pulled that image of Black Scorpion out of that jerks mind to find out why Arachnos forces were attacking Talos Island. If there isnt one, the interpretation is even more garbled than my own brains, and I wind up with horribly stretched out or otherwise disfigured images or illusions.
In any case, in Calvins mind, the Rikti are attacking. Theyve bombed and blasted most of the towns and his wife, Aurora, has ignored Tyrants order. Whats more, shes actually doing some good at confusing the minds of the assaulting forces. Rikti ships are actually firing at each other and some heroes look like theyre getting ready to help her. In the distance, there is a bright explosion and a shock rips through my mind. Mayhems down, I know it. For whatever reason, she was in the sky, either to convince the Rikti to turn away from this world or to placate them by killing Aurora.
Instead, she wound up blasted dead. Aurora seems distracted for a moment, but then she grabs the sides of her head. One of the Rikti ships, the one she had confused to fire on its allies, crashes to the East
Eastgate, the Hollows
A massive plume of dust and fire erupts from the other side of Atlas Park as Aurora crashes to the ground. Whatever shock went through her must have had a feedback effect on the Rikti she was linked with
They died, and the ship plummeted without control.
However, Aurora was beyond caring. She was standing again and looking about her surroundings. She turned to me, but since I was an observer and this wasnt a re-enactment, but a memory, she simply walked through me on her way to her house. Apparently, the Rikti were forgotten now, as not only did she calmly and casually walk back into the building, the entire exterior world, ships, buildings and all, started to disappear.
Not wanting to be privy to a dark space in Calvins memory (thats what happens when somebody doesnt know something, the knowledge is dark because nothings there), I decided to follow her. What I found was a demented scene.
Calvin, clutching a bundle to his chest with one arm and clutching a knife with his free hand, pleaded with Aurora to stop whatever madness she was willing on him. Calvin didnt seem to have a good self image, as the person I saw before me was exceptionally thin and frail while Aurora was
Well
She seemed to be a lot larger muscularly than she should have been. Heck, just moments ago, she looked the way I remembered Prime Earth Aurora.
The knife, I realized suddenly, was not being held in a menacing manner toward Scotts attacker. Instead, shaking, Calvin was bringing it closer to the bundle he clutched in his arm. I blinked and realized it was a baby. Their baby.
Calvin and Aurora had a child here!
Suddenly, I understood the scene. Mayhem had dived into Auroras mind, possibly intentionally slaughtered the Rikti crew she was connected to, and turned to slaughtering the poor heroines family. What was worse, she was forcing Calvin to do it himself, and she did it in a way so that he couldnt consciously resist, but he knew full well what was going on. The knife came to the whimpering childs head and the world faded to white.
When the light cleared and images came back into focus, I was once again standing in the Scott familys living room. Calvin was playing with their
By the clothes, I could only assume it was their daughter. Normally, parents didnt put infant boys in bright pink, but then, some families didnt care. I always took the Scotts to show at least some concern in such affairs, so I made my assumption.
Aurora walked in and gave Calvin a light kiss on the cheek and I realized that this had to be before the Rikti attacks. I understood the torture, suddenly. He was being forced to see how everything went wrong, over and over and over again
But something felt odd about all of this. There was an urgency to it
Some parts were done sloppily.
Normally, when engaging in this form of psychic torture, the psion implements a less static reality. The suburban scene is a classic, though images of Heaven or exotic locales, such as space ships or idyllic forests, are used as well. The idea is that the subject explores the environment and gets comfortable in it. Later, the suburb is raided by terrorists or burglars break into the home, Heaven turns into Hell, the Space Ship is sucked into a Black Hole and the forest burns. Its the destruction of the comfort that makes the torture work. Once the subject is driven to the brink of despair, the whole process starts over again with the victim waking up and thinking they had just suffered a nightmare.
It reminds me of that movie where the guy has to relive the same day over and over again, but these things can stretch the length of time across days, weeks and the strongest psychics can make people relive whole lifetimes.
This, however, is just one moment of time, frozen in place. Calvin has to re-enact the scene the exact same way every time. Its like a recording. Nothing changes. Whats worse, its like a dream. The clock has no hands, the calendar has no words or numbers. Only a few books on the shelf have their names on their spines, and thats because theyd caught Calvins fancy that day.
This might not even be the day the Rikti attacked. It could be a mish-mash of different memories. Heck, I know I never saw Aurora with that afro hairstyle. Ope, it just turned straight. Yep. Definitely sloppy.
Which leads me to realize the purpose of this cycle: They meant for this to accomplish something. Mayhem and my opposite wanted Scott to break, but this was such a poor implementation, hes just stuck. If he broke, hed reveal what they want to know, but what would they want to know?
I thought about it a moment. What would Mayhem and Malaise want to know from Scott?
The illusion loop starts over just as Calvin gets the blade to their daughters head
Ah
I see, now.
When the loop comes back around, I brace myself and reach for the edges of the memory. Standing outside the memory, like theyre on a wall before me, Im able to manipulate the little world. Its like tearing at a painting, or more accurately, a poster. Normally, the analogy would imply that Im about to cause irreparable damage, but what Im doing will actually fix whats already been done to Calvins mind.
Maybe
It should, anyway
If this were one of the more elaborate illusions Id described earlier, Aurora would probably have suddenly turned to assault me, as she would be the Guardian of the dream. However, shes locked into her motions as they were remembered, and shes still menacing Calvin when I find the seam where the world fades to white and starts all over again. Dragging my finger across it, I start to tear at the memory. With a keening sound and a bright flash, the whole illusion unravels.
Auroras form returns to normal as Calvin brings the blade to their childs head. Its not quite touching her, and hes fighting with every ounce of will when Aurora suddenly shrieks and Calvin throws the blade away when he regains control. Auroras shouting No! I wont let you! and thrashing about wildly. Calvin is inching away from her and cuddling the child, but he looks terrified. I dont blame him, hes way out of his league here and it has to be the first time a problem like this has occurred.
However, his fears are ill-founded as Aurora suddenly throws herself through the window and flies off into the night. I watch her as Calvin does, and thats when it hits me
----------
Calvin hits me and I fall to the floor. My brain is reeling, both from psychic feedback and the fact that he caught my cheek in just such a way that I think some of my blood vessels were popped on the point of my cheek bone.
Breaking him free of the loop has freed him from the chair, and when he looks at me, he only sees the man who put him there. Hes screaming obscenities at me as he straddles me, pinning my arms under his knees and starts to choke me. His face is twisted with rage and hate, and to be honest, I cant blame him. Hes suffered horribly in these past five years, and mine is the face of one of his tormentors.
However, Ive learned how to defend myself in ways outside just using my damaged brain to screw with other peoples. As much as I hate to admit it, Libbys right, and I run the risk of causing serious harm if I just invade peoples heads and mess around. So
Wriggling, I work to free my arms as quickly as possible. I'm able to get my right arm out from under his knee first and work with that. I snake it over Calvins left and under his right. Bracing my hand with my left hand as I barely get its attached limb free with how my body's twisting, I lever my right arm back in front of my face and it simply pops Calvins grip off my throat. Hes still got a hand on there, and its uncomfortable, but I can breathe again. Besides, Im not done yet. Now that hes confused, I hammer my fists against his face and he reels back. I punch him in the diaphragm and he rolls off of me, coughing and spluttering as he briefly loses his breath.
Picking myself off the floor, I glower at him. For a brief moment, I consider kicking him, but that would be too much. It wouldnt be right, and, frankly, its a sign of the old me coming back. For a moment, I chastise myself for the thought, but its nice to know I could resist the urge.
You
he gasps weakly, You took everything from me
Everything
But her
I know what you mean, I rasp, my throat still sore from his throttling, But youre talking to the wrong guy.
Hes not listening, though. Hes lost in his misery while simultaneously reveling in his freedom. I know the feeling. The heroes who beat me after I went mad had no idea why I was so happy when theyd finally knocked sense into me. Simultaneously lamenting the damage done, the time lost, but also loving the fact that it was over
Well, its not over yet, but Ill wait a few minutes before I tell him that.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
O.o
Grey, you have a very interesting insight into how peoples' brains work.
It's a gift.
City of Heroes taught me that when the world is burning, you don't just stand by and watch, you grab a fire extinguisher and do whatever you can to stop it-even if it's not much at all. Sign the petition to keep City of Heroes alive HERE.
@MissKyo, Leader of the Teamsters coalition on Protector
He actually believes me when I calmly explain to him that Im from an alternate Earth. He doesnt quite understand it, but he says that while they were torturing him, he memorized Malaises mannerisms, and apparently I dont twitch as much. I didnt even realize I twitched at all.
Apparently, that was the point. I guess Ill have to attribute the lack of a nervous tick to the mental block if it gets called out.
Calvin doesnt understand why I cant just let him go. Frankly, Im having trouble understanding it myself. I could let him go and let Mayhem assume hed escaped, but then shed probably start pushing to fix my nonexistent mental block so I can put him back in that state when (not if) they recapture him. Then theres the possibility, this is actually more probable, that shed realize that Im not her Malaise.
When I explain that he runs a good chance of getting captured again, and that theyd probably follow him to his daughter first, he agrees. Thats the big issue at the moment, Calvin and Auroras daughter. If it werent for her, I could gather Calvin up, wreck Antimatters laboratory, and hop back home.
I blink as I realize how over-simplified that plan is. Ill be waltzing into a world of pain if I dont hash out something better. Time for that later, though
Maybe you can find Cheryl and make sure shes safe, Calvin suddenly says.
You trust me that much? For a moment, Im flabbergasted. Its the first time anybodys just simply trusted me without trepidation. Indeed, I feel bright, gleaming hope radiating from him.
It feels weird. Its pleasant, but weird.
Well, you come from a world where youre a hero, right? he looks up at me, You cant be as bad as that other guy
I could be. I was. Ive been there. Ive done that. If Id had more time, more experience, Id have done worse, far worse than what I just rescued Scott from.
But
I like to think hes right. Im not that guy. Not anymore. Its been a couple years, now, and Ive been doing pretty well. Ive been away from my meds for a couple days now (in truth, Id already been taking them sparingly), and I feel fine.
I should start talking to Shalice again when I get back. I think I should get into a more structured therapy and not a never-ending battery of psychiatrists
But Ill deal with that later
Now. I have to focus on now, and that means I have to
Okay
I finally say, I came here to find out what the Praetorians are planning. They ported the Malaise you know to my world, probably in an attempt to get him to overpower me and take my place among the Vindicators.
Who? Calvin asks, clearly boggled. The Praetorians hes used to have their groups as small armies with one central leader: Battle Maidens warrior hordes, Infernals demons, Malaise and Mother Mayhems lunatics or, the most numerous, Marauders thugs. Apparently, the idea of powerful meta humans working together for a common purpose never occurred to him.
The group I work with
Good people. They
Theyve helped me be a hero. Theyre pretty high up in the circles, too, so if Evil Me got in there, hed have been in a position to cause a lot of damage.
I see
Well, I need to find out what these guys are doing, sabotage it if I can, and try to find a way out of here at the same time
Calvin looks at me and I sigh. I know what hes thinking. What about me? is written plainly on his face.
Now theres you
I level my gaze on him, Calvin, back in my world, wound up causing me to be broken from my link with Sister Psyche, the good version of Mother Mayhem. This caused a massive psychic backlash that thrust me back into the darkest depths of my mind and I
I was poised to do some terrible things. Your opposite on my world took a lot from me
The respect and trust of my peers, my freedom
He looks at me, worry creasing his face.
Which is why Im going to help you.
Confusion radiates from him. I sense something else, too, and its not here. Its a presence approaching, but its still miles off. Mayhems coming back, so I need to wrap this up.
Look
We all have trials in our lives. Call them what you will, tests of character for instance, and I think this is a big one for me. Im going to try to help you and your daughter get out of this Hell. I have to. But for now
I need to put you back in the dark place I found you.
Fear radiates from him this time. He doesnt want to go back. I dont want to send him there again, but I cant let him act as if her were locked in a trance of pain.
Look
Itll have to be the same as what you were going through before, but
I can add something
Call it a flavor or a fragrance
Itll be a slight sense of hope in that place of darkness
Id rather the old vision, Scott muttered, At least then, if you didnt come back, I wouldnt wind up tormented with the thought that the nightmare would soon be over for all eternity
Good point, I murmur, Well
If thats what you desire
I promise you, Calvin, itll be over soon. I dont place my word on a lot of things, but this is one of them. I wont forsake you.
Alright.
Before I do this, though
As trite and horrid it is to ask this, even when you dont have any reason to trust me
But I need to know where your daughter was before you were captured.
He glares at me.
Calvin
Im a little better at pulling information from people than my counterpart, but itll hurt you. Badly. I dont want to do that. Just
Look, I dont want to threaten you, I dont want to argue with you, but if theres anything you can tell me about where to look
Theres nothing you can give me to guarantee I can trust you, he says darkly, Why should I?
I just gave you my word, Cal. Thats
Thats my last bit of honor
The last thing Ive got to give. If I dont fulfill this promise for you
Ive got no reason to call myself a hero.
Its scary how true that is
Calvin looks at me a moment. Finally, he nods and leans back in his chair and clasps his hands to his knees, just the way I found him.
Lets get this over with, he says and I approach him, forming the nightmare loop in my mind as I do so. I wait with my hand just next to his forehead and he takes a couple deep breaths. When he looks up at me, he mutters a name before I press my fingers to his skin and shunt him back into his scary prison.
----------
My dear Malaise, Mother Mayhem almost sings as she enters my chambers, I sensed-Oh! What is this?
Its the monstrosity I ran into in that other world, I reply with a slightly feverish inflection, Its been plaguing my dreams
I was thinking
Maybe if I painted it
I could quell the visions and maybe break through this mental block.
Interesting
She almost yawned. Im a little bothered by that. I might be putting too much effort into
Ah, screw this
My dear, I turn away from the painting, rise and reach out to her face, My love
You dont understand
Being walled off from your mind is more than I can bear
I miss being able to concert my visions with you as we form and shape the minds of our patients. I miss being able to rest within the dark mire of your mind to ease the sorrow of my own
I cant go though explaining myself to her. She doesnt care. Shes evil, self-absorbed and increasingly impatient. I have to make my explanation about her or else this isnt going to work.
That means sacrificing my sensibilities in regards to how personal I get with her. She and Malaise have a close, perverse relationship. While my affections were known (and shot down) by Shalice, Mayhem seems to have either twisted her Malaise into being enamored with her, or she returned his affection (or reciprocated his lust, whichever makes more sense; it makes my head hurt to think about it). So long as I dont wind up in bed with her, I think I can
Mayhem swooned as I finished conveying how much I miss massaging my ego with her mind. Damn it
Theres innuendo in that somewhere
I know it
I wish brain bleach did exist. Then I could forget this next part.
Before I could react, she closed the distance between us and kissed me. It was passionate, aggressive, and more than a little thrilling. As much as Id ever wanted to do this with Shalice, though, I did not enjoy this. It had the ugly stain of Youre mine, and you know it! smeared all over it. She ground herself against me, and I had to will myself to keep from vomiting. This is so wrong it hurts, and Im losing my concentration on my mental block. I push her back and gasp for breath, and she presses her fingernail to her lower lip.
Want to go to my room and have some fun in front of my husband again?
She wraps her arms around my neck and gazes into my eyes. I suddenly have a vision of Tyrant glaring down at her and the rest of the Praetorian entourage, demanding answers for why progress into invading Prime Earth is at a standstill. Theres an image of Antimatter blaming the latest setback on me
Which is right
In both a technical and practical sense.
Heh.
Im sorry, my dear, I whisper as I untangle her arms from around me, But Im just inspired right now
I simply must finish this painting as soon as possible
Then
Then we can be together
Oh
she sighs disappointedly, You tease me so much
It will all be over soon, Mother-dear, I intone with all the romantic inflection I can muster.
Hey! Im French. Were known for this sort of thing!
Amazingly, it works
I think
She pouts a little and nods. Its odd to think that even an evil monster like her could feel
Affection? Its lust, I know that much, however
There are the building blocks of a stronger desire in there
Theyre smashed to bits under the force of an atomic blast of pure evil, but its there, deep down, she genuinely wants Malaise to love her.
When shes gone I race to the bathroom and empty my stomach again. I cant take too much more of this. I have to plot my course and get the Hell out of here.
Ive got a lot of Steel Canyon worked into the painting now. Now I need to plot the major points of my egress and determine the best course to get from here to Antimatters laboratory. From there, I should either be able to utilize the devices he made to escape. I get the feeling hes one to feel confident in his abilities
Plus, the damn thing technically did work, so he would certainly make more.
So I guess my plan looks something like this: Find Eve Dorn, shes the one whom Calvin last left his daughter with. Rescue the girl, Cheryl, rescue her father, get to Antimatters lab, set some bombs (surprisingly, finding those should be the easiest part of the plan), port back home and let the latest scheme to assault my home and the people I care the most about get blown sky high.
Clutching the toilet bowl, I chuckle a little. Ive made a good plan for myself. Itll be interesting to see how it goes wrong.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
You know, it's a good thing that Mal's not needing his medication right now...
My COX Fanfiction:
Blue's Assembled Story Links
Its not as hard as I expected to get some civilian clothes. In this case, I went for something of an explorers outfit: cargo pants, a hoodie, some tough-looking combat boots
The clerk had a feeling I was more than just the unassuming-looking Asylum orderly, but was wise not to ask any questions. After changing, I dropped the orderly outfit in a dumpster and made my way west.
Im not sure what they call Independence Port on this side of the dimension, but the place looks
Shelled.
Some spots look flattened.
I guess Atlas, or whatever he called himself here, tried to bring the port down with his bare hands. Theres a sign advertising See the Colossal Skeleton! and its pointing people to the south. Guess that answers what happened
I can hear the sounds of near-constant combat, like out of old movies where the claustrophobic battle scenes are awash in the sounds of metal striking metal. I can hear men and women shouting, but its all angry and confident.
Again, the city looks like the barest minimum to keep things running has been done to maintain the city. Construction equipment still sits in mid-job, rusting as they hold up girders or piles of dirt. A see a few ghosts flitting here and there, a couple shadows move of their own accord. One gets too close to one the denizens that calls this mockery of Independence Port home, and winds up cleaved in half.
The Freakshow is still very much active on this side of the fence, and the rules of opposing behavior dont seem to apply to them. Theyre still nihilistic, self-obsessed blowhards, and they still get their kicks from spreading abject chaos. Theyre probably the cause of the fighting Ive been hearing.
A pair look at me, and they look like theyre about to do something when I send them a thought that the guy next to them looks like an Antimatter Robot. They dont take the time to consider that the robots blue is a bit too dark or that the robots standing where their friend just was, or that their friend is nowhere to be found. They just gave a whoop and started swinging, quickly reducing each other to twitching, sparking piles of flesh and limbs. They were still alive, though. That Excelsior is some nasty stuff.
Yeah, I know it is. I tried it once, apparently, when I was all insane again. The doctors said that it probably contributed to further instability. Of course, considering the fact that even Freaks are rehabilitating lately, perhaps that was just speculation. Maybe they just blame their debased behavior on the drug, like an excuse.
In any case, I leave the two goons lying on the ground. When my illusions wore off, I could hear them cackling about how they should have known and that thisll make a great joke for Bile. The sounds of metal scraping on pavement and concrete, accompanied by pained grunts, indicate that theyre dragging their bodies away.
I downloaded some information before leaving the Asylum, information on Eve Van Dorn. Before the Rikti attacked, she was last known living somewhere to the south. I recognized the address as being an apartment building not too far north of Icon
But I already expect to find scorched rubble.
Im not too far off. A lot of the buildings have been converted into Freakshow Shanty Fortresses, those bizarre constructs that make it look like children with scrap metal and blow torches tried to make steroid-infused versions of their paintball forts. Theyve destroyed countless vehicles, wrecked plenty of apartments, torn down factory sections and ripped up the pavement. A gathering of about twenty of the cybernetic lunatics waits at the entrance to the fortress, apparently just having an average conversation.
I steer clear of them. Eves apartment building is down the street, and Im surprised to find that for being so close, possibly even within, Freakshow territory, the buildings around here are largely untouched. Theyre still damaged from Atlas pummeling, the Rikti War, and whatever else, but the Freaks dont come here for spare parts.
I pass a couple children huddled in the alley. Theyre wondering where their next meal will come from. I dont know what to do for them, so I move on, but not without a heavy heart.
The building I come to isnt much different from the others. Brick, scorch marks on the walls, some graffiti declaring this neighborhood belongs to this gang or that
The Freakshow one seems worn with age, which is odd, considering the fact its right on the door.
Once inside (odd, the front door isnt locked; seems dangerous for a world like this), Im assaulted by the smell of
Flowers? Its like potpourri, and strong.
Really strong.
I take a few steps and
Its getting hard to think
My vision blurs
Shaking my head, everything gets clear for a moment. That was weird. Like falling into my dark place again, but
But
Im getting dizzy
What the Hell is going on?
Zzz-Uhngk! What!? Huh? Who is that?
Zzz
Zzzz
----------
Wake up! she shouts and my eyes snap open. Shes staring down at me, her face scrunched into a scowl that indicates that Im not with a friend. Strange, since Ive still got a weird friendly vibe emanating from somewhere. The room also smells heavily of flowers, but its not like that overpowering stuff that overtook me earlier.
Unless, of course, it wasnt the aroma that put me under
Thinking back, it seems I might have been imagining such a strong smell
Like it was seeping through my mind.
Who are you? the brunette shrieks (I think shes a brunette, anyway, everythings gray again; she could be a dark red head), What are you doing here?
I told you! a young voice chirps from somewhere I cant see, I seem to be tied down, Daddy sent him!
My job has become both easier and more difficult at the same time. Is this what its like for Manticore when hes investigating? I dont like this everythings out of control feeling. Im the one whos supposed to have everybody else on lockdown, not be under lockdown
Wait
Im always
Nevermind.
Wait, wait, wait, Im able to gurgle out, Woah
Dizzy
Who
Who are you?
Im asking the questions, bucko! the woman snarls, leans close and presses a metal hand to my neck, pressing me into what feels like a couch, Who are you and what are you doing here!?
Im
Im Jean-Pierre, I reply, not sure if answering with my callsign would cause her distress, Im looking for Cheryl Scott. I was told to look for Eve Van Dorn
The name and this woman suddenly cause something to click in my head. See, she looks familiar
Purple shirt, black pants
Metal arm
A large metal arm. Her hair is short and spiked and
Clamor? I ask as she looks to the other person in the room, someone Im suspecting is Cheryl.
Is he telling the truth?
Yes! the extremely young girl answers with a confidence that is extremely inappropriate for her age, she cant be any older than four or five, I told you! Daddy was out of the Scary Place because of him!
Youre Eve, arent you? I ask, And shes Cheryl
----------
Im having trouble believing all of this, Eve says darkly as she rotates a cup of coffee in her hands on the table between us, Other dimensions? Its crazy.
As you may have guessed, I've told her my story. We're now in the late afternoon hours and my voice is hoarse.
Youre honestly telling me youve never heard of us?
Emperor Cole claimed to have an alternate version of himself captive under his palace, she admits, I thought it was just more propaganda and lies. He could have just dressed someone up like an American flag, you know
But youre saying that was real?
And the heroes who rescued him, I reply, Thats how we roll where Im from. We look out for each other.
Cheryl giggles. Shes a cute little girl, she has her mothers eyes. Apparently, she also has her mothers psychic powers, she was the one whod bored through my brain with the potpourri smell. She said, as Eve untied me from the steel cables Id been wrapped in, that shed been keeping an eye on her father for these past couple years. Somehow, she was much more knowledgeable about the world than she looked, probably because of her psychic connections since being in the womb. Because of this, she was smarter and more understanding than a child her age should be.
She knew I was coming and who I was. She knew much of my story before I even told it. I dont know why she giggled when I said that we take care of our own in my world, but it probably had something to do with my incident. Still, she kept quiet and I guess Eve just assumed it was a joke of comparisons. Sometimes children found juxtapositions funny.
What? I like the word. Juxtaposition. It sounds funny, even if it is just putting things next to each other for comparison.
Well, regardless, Im running low on time, I bring us back to the point, I promised Calvin I would get him and his daughter out of this world
Eve gazes at me. I dont need to read her mind to know what shes thinking. Shes spent the last four years harboring this girl and surviving in the Praetorian-dominated world, keeping her safe for a man and woman she barely knew, one of which she knew would never be coming back. How did she expect to be rewarded?
At first, she had a surrogate daughter. That was apparently enough, then
Heck, with Cheryls help, she was able to get away from the Freakshow. Now, however, the responsibility was being taken off her hands. Now, she had nothing to do and nothing to protect her from the Praetorians and Freakshow.
I cant take you with me, I whisper, Im sorry
I dont even know if I can take them.
You can try, Eves voice cracked a little, Please? Its so terrible here
I know. Believe me, I know. I wish I could help you
She glared at me, then went back to sipping her coffee. Cheryl was petting her wrist. I dont know what was going on between them, but theyd probably established a psionic dialogue long before Id met them.
I would, Eve
I would. I know better than most how everybody needs a chance
Its just
You never know when that chance is
She looks to me and sighs. Shaking her head, she stands up and walks away and theres nothing more to say.
She doesnt like it, Cheryl says in that high-pitched tone all children that age have, But she understands.
Do I need to worry about her trying to kill me, now?
No! is the girls mortified cry, Why would you think that!?
On my world, shes a criminal and a super-powered terrorist named Clamor. She tried to collapse a large portion of the city by devastating its understructure with special bombs.
Well, thats not my Aunt Eve.
Technically, shes not her aunt, either, but thats an argument for another day.
Alright
Well
You believe me
You know Im telling the truth, right?
Cheryl nods.
Do you want to leave this place? I ask, If you dont
I could bring your father back to you
Daddy wants to leave. He knows we have to leave. Hes so sad right now
So scared
Alright, then, I stop her before she gets really upset, Well work something out. I need you to stay here, out of sight from Mayhem and the Freaks. I still need to work out where Im going and how Im getting there
But well be gone within the week.
Cool! she chirps and gives me a hug, Ill see you in a couple days, then.
She sounds so sure that it will be exactly two days. I also get a weird feeling that Im being watched. Its not that feeling like youre doing something wrong
Its like somebody is looking over my shoulder
----------
I leave the apartment and look around. The people here are worried about me and how I just wandered into their neighborhood. Worse yet, I walked into the very place that houses their protectors, and I walked out like nothing happened. Somebodys bound to check on Eve and Cheryl, and theyre bound to be surprised to find that everythings fine.
For now.
I have no idea what will happen when I take Cheryl out of this environment. Shes obviously the one keeping the monsters at bay. Eve fights the ones that get through (hence the robot arm), like Neuron and Antimatters robots. But with the little girls psychic influence removed
What would happen?
I cant dwell on it
Thinking about it, I realize that shes still in danger if I dont take her out of here. It wont be long before someone high-ranking or in the Tyrants inner circle notices this somewhat pristine scene and decides to bomb it from orbit.
If I could, I would take them all out of here
I cant. I can only do so much good
And it hurts to know that it will never be enough.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
Oh well done ... you're making me feel bad for Praetorian Clamor now ...
My COX Fanfiction:
Blue's Assembled Story Links
[ QUOTE ]
And it hurts to know that it will never be enough.
[/ QUOTE ]
I guess he IS getting to know how Manticore feels.
((I hate chapters like this. They're so dry and unentertaining, but it's necessary stuff. It's the "C" and "D" on the way between Points "A" and "F" (with "B" being an initial conflict and "E" being a final conflict). I'm glad to have this bit out of the way, though...))
Despite the decrepit state of things in much of Praetorian Earth, there seems to be enough of an infrastructure to support a working Internet of sorts. Im able to run a quick check of the area and find a map to a Steel Canyon lab which supports Antimatters interdimensional experiments. Maybe Ill be able to find more devices like the one theyd sent with my counterpart and get myself, Calvin and Cheryl out of here.
Maybe I can rob a whole bunch and get more than just us away from here
There are a few articles I run across as I look for directions. Its all pretty weird, considering what Ive heard about the Praetorians. It was one thing as I walked about and looked at this city, but what Im seeing in these articles
Public works, reconstruction, economic goals
Its all contrary to a group of people who have spent their known lives (well, as far as weve known them) grinding the people beneath them underfoot.
Atlas Parks reconstruction is almost complete? I whisper aloud.
Yes, Demetrios says behind me, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin, It was a surprising move from Emperor Cole
Apparently he initiated the project after losing your Emperor
Statesman, I correct him a little more angrily than I probably should have, Hes not a king by any form of logic
What are you doing here? How did you get in my chambers?
As Chief Orderly, I have a key to every room in the building. I can come and go as I please
As a spy for whatever resistance effort there is against Cole, I guess that comes in handy.
Vasilikos looks about nervously. I have to assure him that nobody can hear our thoughts outside my chamber.
Have you found what you are looking for? he finally asks once his fears at being discovered are allayed.
I think so, I reply, indicating the facility in one of the other browser windows on the computer screen, You know anything about this place?
Oh, thats a recent building. Antimatter hired a lot of people for it
Many in the resistance never expected to see them again, but were amazed when they came back out
Probably hired meta humans exclusively
From what Im seeing in these articles, the Praetorians seem to be trying to set up their world as a haven for super-powered individuals. Its not the first time Ive seen this sort of idea, but it is the first time Ive seen a determined and thought-out effort for it.
The question, I suppose, is how theyll treat the people who dont have powers. Chimera probably stands out as what an exemplary human can achieve, but from what I read on the dossier about the guy, he doesnt have half or even a quarter of the personality Manticore does
And since Manticore doesnt have personality (heh-heh-heh), that means theres only a few paths for normal humans to take, all of which have to be of use to those with power, and none really allow for any individuality or life.
I wouldnt be surprised to find the normal people being used as slaves in Emperor Coles utopia.
Well, I continue, I guess thats a dead end. Antimatters more likely to use his robots to build the new portal stuff, keep any future invasion plans a secret from the general populace. I guess I have to keep looking.
You could probably find what youre looking for more easily in there, Demetrios suggests, Im sure they have information on all of Antimatters facilities.
I hadnt thought of that
Good idea
I gasp and Vasilikos seems surprised I would admit it, Thanks.
----------
It takes me a little while to determine the best approach. Of course, since Im a major player in the Praetorian echelons, Im able to walk right into the building. That is, if Im wearing my costume.
Instead, I opt for the incognito approach, with the same outfit Id used to make my way through Independence Port (or whatever its called), and carefully watch the individuals as they go in and out of the building. I notice a lot of multi-colored skinned people, and I dont mean brown and peach tones. Blue, red, pink
Its a veritable fruit drink mix walking in and out of the building, with only a few normal-toned people. Well, Im pretty sure thats what Im seeing
All gray, remember? Still, there are certain shadow behaviors colors make that normal skin tones dont. I bet those few normies had to pass some pretty stringent tests to get this job.
I find someone on their way out and decide its time to copy them and make my way into the building. Im not like that movie monster, the machine that can change its form to certain individuals and kills them to avoid complications. I dont need to do that. I can change my appearance, cloud peoples heads to think Ive been a different individual the whole time, even though I was someone else for most of the meeting.
It sounds more complicated than it really is. Of course, once the person has a chance to think about it later, theyll notice the glaring alteration to their memory. One of my previous victims explained it to me as I saw you in my memory, only your outfit and hair kept changing.
Its not the sort of illusion I should engage in often. I risk driving a lot of people insane, though I probably just give them whanging headaches for the most part.
Well, I fashion up a lab outfit, make my skin tone bluish (maybe) and head in. Everybody acts like I belong at first, and when I get close enough to a security badge, I form up one for myself and make it look like one of the higher-ranked ones. Its not so high that it will make me seem like a big shot, nor is it so low that I wont be able to fake my way past most doors
At one point, I have to get through a door to get into the labs. I sweep a credit card through the reader a couple times and ask the security guard why its not working. He apologizes, and says the readers have been a bit wonky all day (they havent, I just made him think that), and he sweeps his own card through the reader to let me through. Its so funny it hurts not to laugh.
Once inside the labs, I find a computer and start looking up information. There are actually five facilities in Steel Canyon, alone, but this is the first fully-functional one. One, however, has no requisitioned human or meta human involvement. It seems Antimatter is utilizing his robots only, so Ill check there for more interdimensional devices first.
As a back-up plan, I try locating any information involving Portal Corporation. What I find is something called Gateway Industries, a Collaborative Venture of Antimatter and Neurodyne Incorporated. Some equipment from their facilities in Peregrine Island was requisitioned for the place Im about to check, so I guess its as good a place as any to check out.
Now, however, I need to locate someone useful to get me past the robots in this facility. I have doubts I can fool Antimatter into letting me take Calvin and Cheryl on another attempt. I mean, I could work up some weird claptrap about messing with Auroras head, but what would be the final goal?
Oh crap!
How is Aurora going to deal with this!? She never had the opportunity to have a child back home
And she and Calvin are still happily married!
Oh man, I didnt think this through
But
Cheryls a powerful psychic
I simply cant leave her here
And Calvin here is going through madness the likes of which nobody deserves.
I guess Ill have to deal with it when I get home. For now, its back to the drawing board
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
I wake after what feels like an eternity. I'm just tired.
Babbage looks pretty nightmarish, now. The real one actually has more round curves, not these horrid jagged points I've given him. Each part is symbolic of the steps I need to take to get out of here, the linework in the legs and feet representing streets and buildings I need to take, the gears in the torso are stylized to have the faces of the people I'm trying to help. The hands look like the sorts of people who'll be about to stop me. I won't be dressed in the Malaise outfit, so the minions of the Praetorians, likely Battle Maiden's, will be trying to have "fun" with me. Finally, the head looked kind of like Antimatter. I have to figure out a way to get through him to get out of here.
How am I supposed to outwit the smartest man on this planet?
Wait...
I think of Positron as the smartest man in my world, too? Huh. I never realized that... I used to think Aeon had a lot going for him, but...
When did I start thinking Keyes was the brain of the world?
A mystery for another time, I suppose. I've got work to do.
----------
I make my way back to Independence Port. There's a strange feeling in the air, and I know it well. It's hard to describe that sensation of "something's about to happen," but this is it. It's as if everything is topsy-turvy, even though the outward appearance is exactly as it should be. It's like it's about to rain, but there isn't a cloud in the sky. It's like a volcano is about to erupt, but the ground doesn't quake or make a sound. It's cold, even though it's eighty degrees, or it's hot despite sub-zero temperatures.
People are walking about the damaged city zone with a look of trepidation. Today, I can't hear the sounds of combat as I did before. The Freaks and Battle Maiden's warriors are lying low for some reason. I see some of Antimatter's machines clomping past, but they're ignoring everything but their assignment.
I go to Cheryl and Cla-Eve's neighborhood, flitting from alley to alley, wall to wall. When I pass the Freakshow Fortress, there are no guards. There's a heavy sound of grinding, however. They're doing something in there, and it's big.
I have to get Eve and Cheryl out of here now. The timetable's been ramped up by something I hadn't even considered, and this whole city block is about to get rocked with violence. I make a mad dash for their apartment building, a sense of panic increasing with each step.
It's not me. Cheryl's alerting the locals to escape into the sewers. This neighborhood isn't safe anymore.
"It's about time you got here!" Eve shouts as I storm in.
They're already packed and ready to go. Eve has a backpack slung over her shoulder. No matter what happens, she's going to try to get out of this Hell-hole. I don't blame her, and I hope she makes it.
"They're coming!" Cheryl shouts, "We have to go!"
I can feel it, now. Red rage is creeping into my brain. Monstrous thoughts of the horrible things Battle Maiden's warriors are going to do to everyone who gets in their...
Mon Dieu...
"We have to get out of here, now!" I shout, grabbing them and pulling them as roughly as I can into the hall.
Eve yanks free of my grasp and almost strikes me with her metal hand. Her arm isn't the same twisted, jagged hunk of metal it is back home, but it could hurt me badly. Fortunately, she realizes this, too, and thinks better on it.
"What's wrong?" she asks sourly.
"Someone bad," Cheryl explains, "Very bad... Scary..."
We run outside together. The streets are still empty. They won't be for long. The sounds coming from the Freakshow fortress have ended.
Why didn't we notice that? I don't have an eidetic memory, I can't run back through what I've seen and heard. They could have ended at any time I started sprinting for Eve's apartment. We have to get moving.
"One second..." Cheryl says before we leave.
"I must go now, my friends," I can hear her voice in my mind as clearly as I ever could Shalice, "Take care of yourselves. I trust you'll find a new champion to take care of you..."
"That's not likely," I say grimly, then mentally kick myself as I realize now isn't the time for pessimism.
"Yes it is," Cheryl says sweetly, "There's a submarine waiting in the harbor full of the soldiers of a man named Stefan Richter... He's had his agents in communication with me for a few months now, and they're ready to get these people out of here..."
"But they'll have to wait until after the battle!" Clamor pulled us into an alley then pointed, "Look!"
They were marching down the street. They looked ridiculous in this modern setting, these soldiers in medieval armor. No suit looked quite the same from another, and the warriors each wielded personalized weapons in various states of repair and cleanliness.
As they reached the neighborhood's street, I felt a wave of confusion radiate from the soldiers. All but one wondered why they had never noticed this neighborhood before. The single one without a doubt stepped forward, her soldiers parting as easily as if she were marching through water.
"Step lively, my warriors!" Battle Maiden shouted, her voice shrill and hoarse, "I'll hear not your fears of witchcraft and sorcery, or you'll find my sword in your bellies! I will slaughter these Freaks alone if I have to!"
"You'll have a rough time of it, babe!" a wild voice shouts from the other end of the street like it came from a loud speaker.
No... It can't be...
I look and see the Freaks shambling out of their fortress. There's no formation to their approach, they're just a bloodthirsty mob. They're always a bloodthirsty mob.
Even in Opposite Land...
In the center of their mass, holding a microphone in his one human hand that seemed to be connected to the two Noise Tanks flanking him (those megaphones mounted on their bodies always look ridiculous, but that doesn't make them any less effective), was Dreck. He had a familiar, smug look on his face. He'd come for a good fight, and he was glad Battle Maiden had decided to show. I could feel confidence radiating from him, and it seemed to be affecting his troops, too.
He was still an Excelsior-infused, over-muscled, haphazardly cybered up monstrosity, but now he had the presence of leadership. He wasn't just an alpha male of a pack, he'd given these lunatics something to believe in, even if it was still just nothing. They were so certain of themselves at this moment, they fully believe they're going to murder each and every one of these Praetorian soldiers and hang their corpses up as a warning to the rest of Tyrant's armies.
"This is all you've brought, Dreck?" Battle Maiden screams so loudly, she doesn't need the loudspeakers for him to hear.
"This is all I need," the words coming from the Noise Tanks rattles the windows of the buildings and causes the armored soldiers to flinch, "Don't worry, Battle Maiden. Punkadelic and Devastation are only here for effect. I don't need them to take you down, you roided up [dog]!"
Battle Maiden doesn't say anything initially. She just stares at him in shock. She can't believe the audacity of this "sniveling worm." She can't believe she's even entertaining today's battle, but she was ordered, by Antimatter who was ordered by Tyrant, to set an example of these malcontents.
Finally, she levels her gaze on Dreck and I feel a chill in my spine. She raises her sword arm and screams. The battle is joined after that. The two armies rush for each other, crossbow bolts and circular saw blades hurtling through the air to draw blood faster. I do a quick general calculation and don't like what I realize.
"Move!" I hiss and we start moving away from the battle.
The two groups meet just outside our alley and we can hear the sounds of ringing metal and screaming people. I chance a look over my shoulder as we rush and can see some of the combatants spilling into the alley. It's only a matter of time, now.
A clanging sound draws near and a circular saw blade bounces off the walls over our heads. Bits of brick and mortar spill onto our heads and the blade draws sparks as it strikes a fire escape. Cheryl lets out a little whimper and Eve hisses.
We break from the alley and find that war has spilled onto the streets. Freaks and warriors are everywhere, and each army is tearing the other apart. Cheryl presses herself into Eve's belly so she can't see the carnage. The cybernetic woman looks to me for help, but I'm too busy trying to plot our escape. The fewer groups we engage, the better it will be for us.
We take as near the same route I'd taken to get here to escape. Unfortunately, a fight between Tanks and Champions of War has collapsed some walls into one of the alleys. The industrial way is blocked, too, for the battle has broken open the sewage pipes, spilling green filth into the streets.
I guide them up the road, throwing illusions about when necessary to keep the attention of the battling armies strictly on each other. Clamor cradles Cheryl's head to her belly as we hobble along, she's as afraid of the war as the young girl but knows she can't show it. Me, I'm too busy trying to plot and plan our way out of here to be afraid...
Oh crap...
I'm gonna die!
A Champion of Battle runs up to me. I must have missed him in my sudden panic and he realized I was a nice soft target. He's a real warrior, this one, as he's completely unafraid to cut down a defenseless-!
The man is hacked down by a massive scythe. I recognize the green body the scythe is attached to. Bile looks down at me and my terrified charges, his one human eye narrowed darkly.
"Where are you going?" he rasps.
I almost speak, but he raises his scythe blade to my neck and I stop. His focus is on Eve.
"Clamor?" he clarifies.
"A better place," she replies, "And if you try to stop me, Ralph, I'll rip your arm off and stick it where the sun doesn't shine."
Ralph!?
"This one... You know he's with them, right? His DNA has him listed as-!"
"He's not that Malaise," Eve interrupted him, "He's... Different."
"Ralph" turns to me again and looks more intently. I don't know what it is he sees, but the scythe lowers after he finishes his "scan" and nods.
Well, it doesn't exactly lower. I hear a click inside it and he spins around, hurling another circular saw blade at the Champions of Mourning who are charging us. The blade bounces among the warriors and they drop with fewer limbs than they had before.
"Very well," Bile mutters as he scans the rest of the battle, "I will miss you. I've missed you for a while, Eve."
"I can't stay here, living like this," Clamor replies, her voice cracking, "I'm sorry..."
"You might have a place in his world. I will pray for you."
And with that, he walked off. Yes, the Freakshow here were certainly a strange lot. I never thought any of them could feel affection, much less love. As I feel the depression radiating from Bile as he methodically hacks and slashes into the warriors trying to kill him, I realize I may have misjudged these cybernetic madmen.
"Mal!" Clamor shouts and I'm brought back into the present.
"Right!" I shout and pull them off the road.
We hug building walls and crawl by the bases of fences to avoid stray fire. The fighting is fizzling out as we near the tunnel entrance to Steel Canyon. I can see why when we get to the train station.
Antimatter's robots are cutting down anybody who gets too near. With a shudder, I notice that many of the dead are the local civilians who tried to flee the fighting. A few among them are the combatants themselves who had just moved too close to the emotionless machines. That's not why I shudder, however.
This is Antimatter's contribution to the "improvement" projects. They're going to level each and every one of these city zones, rebuild them anew, make them unrecognizable to what we know already. This includes slaughtering anybody who gets in the way, anybody who might happen to be living in those cities.
It's terrifying. It's inhuman. It's evil.
It's wrong.
I'm trying to figure out how to get through this when Eve jumps up and charges the machines. I shout for her to get down, but it's too late. The robots turn to her and their visors glow. A moment later, green beams of energy are lancing into her, but she continues to rush them.
She smashes the head off the first one as she reaches it. The next, she rips its arm off and uses it like a club to smash a third and fourth. She then takes a robot by the leg, lifts it over her head and brings it down on a sixth. More beams strike her, but she seems not to notice. She rips pieces of the robots she's smashed off the bodies and hurls them into her assailants. Robot after robot drops to the ground, motionless.
After ten minutes of battle, Eve collapses to the ground, exhausted and injured. The robots are smashed, what few left are getting attacked by random Freakshow warriors. Cheryl and I rush to our champion to see if she's alright.
"I'm dying," she gasps as we reach her.
No... NO! It's not supposed to be like this!
"We could have found another way!" I shout, "Eve! Why'd you just rush them?"
"I just... I just knew..." she's having trouble focusing on me, the world is getting blurry for her, "It's what... What I had to do..."
"Aunt Eve?" Cheryl whispers.
"No, Eve! Stay with me! I'll get you to Vasilikos! He'll put you back together!"
I hate finding out I'm not as strong as I should be. I know a few passive defense tricks to get out of some grapples and holds, but when it comes to situations that require strength, I'm useless. I can't lift Eve, her cybernetics just make her too heavy.
"Let me go," she whispers weakly, "I'm fine... I'm going to a better place..."
"Wait!" I shout, "The Excelsior! It'll bring you back!"
"My feeder's long-gone..."
She reaches her human hand to Cheryl and strokes the girls' face. I can sense from her that the hand feels cold.
"Goodbye, little dove... You... You made my life worth living... You gave me something to believe in..."
"Aunt Eve..." the young girl was near tears, "I'll miss you."
She understands what's going on. I guess she got used to death fast in this world, no matter who tried to shelter her from it.
"Malaise..." Eve says to me, "You make sure... Make sure... She... Doesn't take my... Road out of here..."
I can only nod. Eve's eyes are closing, but she suddenly jerks to sit upright. Her arm is thrown over my shoulder and I hear another metallic click. Instead of a circular saw blade, a metal spike is launched from her arm and plunges into the Champion of War who was sneaking up on us. He's thrown backwards and impaled on the pavement as Eve slumps in my arms.
It feels like an eternity before Cheryl is tugging at me, but I know it's only been half a second. I can't believe it came to this. I can't believe I already failed.
I was doing everything right.
"Jean-Pierre," the girl whimpers, "We need to go!"
I start to gently lay Eve on the pavement. A crossbow bolt spikes into the street next to us as I cross her arms over her chest.
"Well, isn't this touching," a gruff-sounding man grunts as he stomps up behind us, "You crying for your hero, normie?"
"You think you're warriors," I hiss through gritted teeth, tears streaming down my face, "You're just cowards... These metal-grafted monsters are greater warriors than you ever will be... They at least fight other warriors!"
I stand and turn. I feel... Different. I feel righteous. I feel right. I feel like I know exactly what to do.
The Champion of War is reloading his crossbow casually. He doesn't know the danger he's in.
"You're just a weak piece of flesh," he growls, "In a moment, I'm gonna have my boys here have their way with you. Then they're gonna have their way with your friend on the ground, there. I'm gonna be having fun with the little girl."
"You sick monsters!" I shout, my vision tinting red despite the fact everything is gray, "You're not even human! Whatever shred of humanity was left in you is gone! You don't deserve to live anymore!"
Lightning flashes around Cheryl and me. The girl is hugging my hip and looking fearfully at these sick bastards. The soldiers look nervously to each other, then to their leader as he nods knowingly.
"So you've got some power," he chuckles, obviously unimpressed, "Big deal. I've cut down plenty of supernaturals."
"You haven't faced true warriors," I reply evenly, my voice wasn't cracked from crying anymore, "You haven't faced..."
I snap my fingers and they burst from the ground. I've never summoned that many illusions at once before... I don't think anybody has. Something feels weird about them, too. Something substantial.
"...Cimerorans."
They're the spitting image of the warriors in the strange land the Midnighters unveiled to the meta human populace of Paragon City and the Etoile Isles, save that they have no color. They look as if they're carved from granite. I haven't been to Cimerora, but I've seen captured images and have read many reports from heroes on the battle prowess of the soldiers. My illusory army is a mix of traitors and loyalists, blending elements of the uniform discipline of Imperious' forces and the savage ferocity of Romulus'.
I made twenty of them. More than enough to cut down this rabble.
Some of the Champions drop their weapons in shock. The leader fires a bolt into their midst, still aimed at me. I can't do anything to stop it.
One of the Traitors I created swings his shield up and the bolt smashes a hole through and tumbles to the street, clattering uselessly on the pavement. These illusions are solid.
And they're lethal.
With a wordless roar, they rush Battle Maiden's forces and carve them to bits. I turn Cheryl away from the slaughter. I can hardly believe what just happened. As soon as the last of the Champions are dead, the Cimerorans disappear without a word. It's unsettling, but it makes sense, I guess.
Bile is standing in the street now. He's staring at Eve. His rage is barely restrained.
"I'm sorry," I gasp, suddenly realizing I feel very tired, "She... She saved us..."
"You couldn't do that before?" the green-clad Freak barks, "You couldn't summon an army to save the day before she got herself killed!?"
"I didn't know!" I shout back, "I didn't know how, I didn't know I could do that, and I didn't know what to do before she jumped the machines and destroyed each and every one, avenging all of these people around us and clearing the way for this little girl to escape! That's what this is about, Bile! This girl needs to escape and I need to save her! It's why I'm here!"
He glares at me. I know what he's thinking.
"I won't stop you. But I won't help you, either."
"Fine then," I reply and guide Cheryl away, "You might still be able to save her, Bile. If you have any spare Excelsior."
We walk away and I can hear the Freak behind us. He was working to bring Eve back. I didn't know what to hope for. On the one hand, she deserved the peace she'd fought for. On the other, I felt like she needed to fight more. This world needed people like her in it. The Freaks here needed her.
Unfortunately, the most I could do was leave the issue to fate. Cheryl and I had to escape. I needed rest. I didn't want to spend anymore time in this world. I wanted to storm into Antimatter's factory, steal another interdimensional transporter and get the Hell back home.
But I was exhausted. Summoning those tangible soldiers took a lot out of me. I was barely able to walk as it was. Only the grip of the little girl's hand as Cheryl dragged me down the tunnel to Steel Canyon kept me awake. I needed to be at my best to help her.
"Soon," I thought dreamily to her, "Soon you'll be free... And we'll find a way to honor Eve for what she did for you."
"I know," Cheryl replied, "Come on, Jean! I need you to keep moving!"
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
Interesting. So you're assuming an urban renewal on the part of Tyrant to make the Praetorian world what we see in Going Rogue, looks like.
My COX Fanfiction:
Blue's Assembled Story Links
A demented, twisted urban renewal...
I'm not expecting Going Rogue's Praetorian Paragon to look that much like our own Paragon. We've already got evidence as to why in the Praetorian arcs in the 40-50 range. Praetorian Earth got devastated by the Rikti at the same time as Prime Earth (at least, that's what I'm assuming; the contacts that would be experts on the subject just say Praetorian Earth got attacked by the Rikti, too), and they never got around to fixing things. They sure did build some impressive armies out of the citizenry of their worlds, though!
The question is how do they get from the devastated maps we run through in the Praetorian arcs to the "Utopia" we've been shown in the preview? The logical assumption I would suppose is an urban renewal project. But how to fit that in with the diseased minds of the Praetorians? I figured an aggressive "cleansing" would be in order. I figure the Praetorians would employ a ruthless "If you're not with us, you're against us" mentality and slaughter everything that they came across before tearing their cities down and rebuilding them somewhat from scratch.
Mind you, I'm shooting from the hip here. I've got no clue what the Devs have in mind for their backstory. I hope it's better writing than what gave us the Praetorians in the first place, which is a rather rushed attempt at making "Goatee-wearing" Phalanxers and Vindicators (but some still fun missions... Save the Wolf ones and Diabolique; that girl needs to learn how to stand and fight, not race around the map like a lunatic because she got bit by a mosquito). It's a plot full of satisfying villains with an unsatisfying story... Which has been a complaint that's reared its ugly head again recently with the whole Reichsman incident, so I'm a little worried as to what opening to Going Rogue will be.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
As my vision clears and the lurching sensation in my gut fades (thank whatever gods are watching over me that I didnt lose my lunch ), I have one thought repeating over and over in my mind.
What the Hell was I thinking?
I wasnt thinking, really. I had a notion and I acted on it. Not my finest work, not by a long shot, and itll probably get me killed, but I dont have time to consider any of that. Instead, I have to focus on the dark, dank room Im in and the other people in it.
Youre back early, comes a stereo-like voice that reminds me of Positron.
I look over at him and realize its Antimatter. Hes glaring at me through that glowing visor of his; he has his arms folded over his chest like he expects me to do or say something.
I cant get a reading on his thoughts I couldnt get one from Positron, either. They keep their minds well-schooled.
However, the other individual in the room, the one who I shouldnt be able to read, is broadcasting a plethora of messages from her repeatedly-damaged mind. Briefly, I look over at Mother Mayhem and gasp a little as I realize its not the face of Shalice looking pensively at me, but of Aurora!
They expect me to say something.
You sent me into the midst of some crazy, rusty machines, you philistine!
I hope they had philistines in this world I hope its something my opposite would say
Did you find the other Malaise? Antimatter asks, I would have kept tracking him, but something got a hold of the transmitter Dominatrix planted out there and destroyed it
Good Clockwork King You keep doing work like that, and we might have to make room for you in the Vindicators Just ease up on Penny and
Back to the issue at hand. Im not out of here yet Maybe I should just press the Return button again and-
Looking at the device, I see the power cell is drained. I have to think of a lie and think it up quick.
You sent me to a blasted wasteland with a bunch of robots! They were messing with my mind! How was I supposed to find my goody-two-shoes double in a place like that!? What would a man of my caliber even be doing out there!?
Antimatter stares at me for a few seconds that feel like hours and I feel Mayhems mind brush against my own. However, my defenses are in place, and she shrinks back as if struck. Im going to have to fix that in a short while; if it looks like Im hiding my thoughts from her, shell realize Im not her Malaise. Perhaps I should create some fake thoughts
Ill have to check my notes. Perhaps the transporter didnt send you to the appropriate coordinates, then, the armored man (is he? I think hes an energy being still ) reaches for the device Im holding and I toss it to him like its a piece of junk, Watch it, you fool!
What do I care if it breaks, I snort, Its not like it worked anyway
You should teach your whelp some manners, Mother Mayhem. If it werent for my sensors registering his opposite in a position we could have captured him, I wouldnt have included your obviously inept protégé in this experiment.
Inept!? I shout with indignation that isnt entirely fake, Im not the one who made a broken toy!
Antimatters visor glows brightly and some green energy flashes at his armors fingertips. Im pushing a little too hard now. I need to tone it-! Hes melting the device in his hand
Look! See? I cant help myself and my mouth keeps running, Now itll never work right!
Anti-Keyes looks down and sees that hes destroyed his work. Better yet, hes molten any trace of DNA or fingerprints that could be on the metal, plastic and polymer. Also, in his embarrassment, his glowing has died down.
Raymond, Mayhem sighs as she wraps her arms around me from behind and rests her chin on my shoulder, Dont mind Malaises games, hes just trying to get into your head and under your skin. Perhaps its time you returned to your lab and got to work on improving this technology. If were to move on Tyrants plans, well need these devices to be in perfect condition to avoid any messy Accidents
I have an image float through my mind, from her, of some robots that look like the bigger Clockwork, only shiny and steel, melted into concrete columns. Apparently, Antimatter and his associate, Neuron, are having trouble repairing their portal technology since Manticore damaged their prior system.
Very well, Mother Mayhem, he grumbles as he turns to leave, Ill see you in Tyrants throne room in three days.
With that, he left me alone with my mentors opposite. I turned to look at her and realized that such an assertion of Mayhem wasnt exactly precise. In fact, Mayhem is certainly inferior to Psyche
Why cant I feel you? she asks breathlessly.
Theres a strange, warm sensation coming from her mind and I realize (with horror) it is affection. In fact, she was worried I might not come back. Its a little unsettling that she has affection for my counterpart.
I almost laugh as I realize the absurdity that she wasnt expecting me but him. My opposite is, hopefully, getting zapped to and interrogated in Ziggursky as we speak. However, I have to deal with the revulsion thats causing my bile duct to quake.
I I stammer as I try to think of a reason why I have my mental defenses on overdrive, The robots Strange, clattering rodents They They were messing with my mind in some way I dont know what I did to shut them out, but I cant make it turn off
I put enough panic into my voice to make her think Im being truthful. She stops brushing my mind and nods. Her embrace tightens briefly and she whispers into my ear.
Youll get better, baby. Well be together again shortly.
I need to be alone, so I try to come up with something that will get her to leave me. Since my opposite is still something of an artist, I consider using that
Please, my dear, I clasp her hand in mine and twist out of her embrace, pausing briefly to kiss the back of it before continuing, This whole ordeal It has inspired me. I must I must be alone, so I may engage in this great work It has been so long since Ive painted
Why paint it when you can etch it into the minds of our patients? she countered.
My dear, it has been so long
Using terms of endearment to converse with this woman is making my stomach turn worse than the dimensional jaunt.
I wish to practice the lesser art more It has a tendency to last longer and its always distorted and muddled up when its just in the minds of my audience
Considering the fact that was precisely the problem I had when I was an art thief who tormented the minds of my pursuers, I figured this would be a problem my Dark Mirror counterpart would run into as well. We could implant the vision we had, but the minds eye is always so unique to the individual The image we create could be retained for years, days, hours, minutes, seconds We could never know. Always, though, the vision would change and distort.
I still remember the Interpol officer who told me she didnt appreciate me pitting her against her mother in one of the visions I sent her. When I read her mind briefly (in a bit of a violation of my parole, but I insist I was trying to help!), I saw the vision she meant, but I remembered pitting her against a classic witch. I suppose she had issues with her mother, but its not my place to dwell on the subject. Im using this as an example of the sorts of things that can distort the visions I and my counterpart inflict on our foes.
I would like to see this last longer, I sigh in exasperation.
Very well, love, she leans in to kiss me, and I turn away just in time to feel it on my cheek (better that than my lips; Id have lost my lunch on the spot), Oh! Ill see you tomorrow, then. Weve got patients to work on!
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It takes me a while to find my room. I covered myself by telling anyone who asked that I felt like wandering around and getting a look at the lay of the land, let the desolate wreckage of the once-proud city inspire me
Well, it does inspire me It inspires me to want to help these people. There must be some kind of horrid malady afflicting the meta humans of this world and the related ones. Every city is leveled, every water is fouled and every resource is plundered. The planet is tearing itself apart now because Tyrant and his minions have no regard for anything more than instant gratification.
I catch the sunset on this blasted cityscape and I have to fight back a tear. Its madness and stupidity rolled into one that these lunatics could even begin to perceive themselves in the right. Surrounded by all of this entropy It makes sense that they would want to invade Prime Earth and strip it of its riches and resources, like Biblical locusts Interdimensional Biblical Locusts
Suddenly, I find myself liking the Rikti a little more. At least they felt threatened by us and were simply lashing out over a misunderstanding. They werent trying to make the rest of the multiverse as miserable as they were (not that the Rikti are miserable ). On the roof of the asylum, I stretch my mind out to get a feel of what this worlds Steel Canyon is like
What I find chills my spine.
When I finally reach my chambers, I take a moment to rest and settle my nerves. The world is patrolled by Marauders punks, Bobcats strays, and the robots of Antimatter and Neuron. What few people are left that arent part of the factions are either part of the tiny resistance cells or are just
Theyre just born victims.
I guess you cant really be evil unless you have a steady stream of people to abuse. Tyrants minions are carting in more people to torment from the rest of the world all hours of the day and night. This Paragon City is a fortified city state (which is giving it too much credit, considering the urban wreckage) thats still at war with the rest of the world. The difference between this place and the Rogue Isles back home, however, is that this place isnt waterlogged. It was a part of a larger nation, and now its a festering cancer thats destroying the rest of the world around it.
The rest of the world is mounting its resistances, but Tyrants got a stranglehold on this place that Recluse would envy. Recluse is still trying to assert his dominance, Tyrant has it. Hes got the armies of super-powered malcontents, hes got the superweapons I bet he even has this worlds Warburg.
This world is lost.
Its going to end, either from getting split in two by the meta humans abusing it or by incineration in nuclear fire. Its going to happen soon, too. I can feel it. It scares me.
Theyll come to Prime Earth Theyll think they can conquer us Itll be a whole new war, one I dont know if were ready to fight or win, but well have no choice
Its too much to think about right now and its terrifying me. I have to prepare my escape and I need to do it now. I still dont know what I was thinking I should have just found Positron and handed him the device Hed have figured it out. This spy stuff is beyond me.
Im an artist not a Not a
What the Hell am I even doing here if I dont think of myself as a hero? How do I look at myself?
I guess Ill just have to keep my eyes and ears open, pay attention, and try to find what I can about this place before I find my way out of here. I need to do some kind of good before I leave I need to do something
Otherwise, Im just ambling around this nightmare aimlessly
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.