A for Android
[u]Chapter 1: Introduction to destruction[u]
Date: 1.11.2006
Location: Paragon City, the Crash Site
The two week long evernight was hanging on the desolate landscape of destruction like an oppressing shroud. The lack of daylight gracefully hid the deep scars of a desperate war that had been fought four years ago but also helped to press the strangling feel of anxiety better home. The Sword of Truth let her gaze travel around noting each building and passage. Just like the last time.
There was a gigantic burden hanging over her that seeped all joy from her life. Not even the best things in her life had the power to return the happiness to her bleak existence. She knew the answer was somewhere out there, inside one building or another. One structure housed the records used in Creys most malevolent plot so far. Revenant Heroes.
There was a quiet huff of air from behind her. She did not have to turn around. A voice spoke. Hey love. Then Coile walked around his wife and gave her a quick but passionate kiss on her lips. Her response was halfhearted but sincere to the extent that it could. Which was not terribly much. Hello Andre., she said keeping her senses open. There was no quarry in sight. Did you manage to locate any concentrations of Crey personnel?
Coile eyed his wife worriedly. The brown, auburn hair, the visor over her eyes, the blue and white Silent Tempest uniform and the cape, they were all as they should. Still there was something missing. The playful taunts, the soft smiles, the burning love, they were all gone. No, not gone, not completely. There had just died down to faint embers compared to what they had been a lifetime ago. He pointed to west. That way. On a few rooftops, and some ground operations.
They had been teammates for almost six months. In love they had been about as long, living companions three weeks less. Lovers they had been for three months. It didnt make much sense, not even with an explanation over a glass of beer.
During that time they had learned to mesh together, to anticipate and react with the correct response even before the first action was taken. Usually this meant Sword trying to undo the havoc that Coile so casually and recklessly created almost whenever he entered combat. It also meant that they could fly in tandem effortlessly and effectively.
Coile generated a flight field. It was an extension of himself, or so he tried to explain it. He could fly himself and also make a few people nearby cancel the gravitys hold. It stretched between him and his companions even if they drifted apart for quite a long way before threatening to break.
The flight field encompassed Sword of Truth and her feet detached from the ground. It had used to make her giggle. Now it garnered a weak smile only. One more fire that had gone out.
The standard formation was Sword taking point and Coile keeping up with her pace. Meanwhile they scanned the area visually searching for whatever it was that they were after at the time. This time it was Crey personnel. Paragon Protectors. And Revenant Protectors.
One group of cryotank suited men they spotted and dealt with but none of them seemed to be aware of the installation that they were looking for. It had been the same every time they had been around the crash site zone. No one knew nothing. Not even the formidable Paragon Protectors, the few that were afterwards conscious enough to talk. So far they had stayed their distance from the gatherings that had Revenant Protectors among them. That would have to change soon. It was becoming obvious that they were the only way forward.
As different as their backgrounds were a few things they shared nonetheless. One of them was a firm and relentless hate of the Rikti. Both had had a traumatizing encounter with those alien invaders and were hell bent of ridding the world of their foul presence. Now they were at the very heart of Rikti activity on Earth, the shimmering form of the long since downed Rikti mothership gloating at them across the zone. There was an impenetrable force field around the ship.
The long excruciating months on the streets of the hero capital of the world tended to imprint a few lessons on the defenders of the truth and protectors of the innocents. Always remember what your job is. Dont get sidetracked. Focus on the task at hand. If you got derailed the assignment that you had accepted as your responsibility could fail. Only a pulsating laser transmitter guarded by the Rikti was enough to draw Coile and Sword in, but even so only for a moment, until utter destruction was complete. There were no Rikti survivors. The hunt for Crey was resumed.
Nadia spotted it first. It was a tall building with a helicopter pad on the roof. It was in fact the same building that they had seen on their previous visit three weeks ago but one that they had not dared to charge headlong because of the sizeable amount of guards. Instead they had diverted their investigation to elsewhere but as was evident now, for no results.
This building was no mere staging area. It served some more sinister purpose, at least if judged by the number of Protectors and armourclad men in their tank suits. The lights on the helipad were on.
Hanging in mid-air the Sword of Truth draw her blade. Ready?
Coile kept his flight field steady. Yeh.
They plunged into the midst of enemy soldiers from the skies like two avenging demons of righteous fury.. The initial surprise momentum carried for a time and many guards never saw what hit them but it did not take too long for the Crey operatives to pull the remainder of their forces together and launch a counteroffensive.
It was impossible to say whether it was because they thought a man could do more damage than a woman or because Coile seemed to be an easier target but nonetheless the Crey agents concentrated their heavier hitters on the mutant youngster who kept blasting his energy bolts around. The warrior woman with katana they left to contest her might against two Paragon Protectors.
Coile could stand his ground against even Revenant Protectors one at a time but he had always been vulnerable when under attack from multiple sources at once. He took the blows as well as gave them but eventually the opposition proved to be too much. All that it took was one hit from behind to the back of his head and he dropped on his face like a sack full of plutonium bricks.
From the corner of her eye Sword of Truth saw Coile falling and not getting up. She froze where she stood and whispered, horrified. Andre. There was no reply. The stupor lasted for a few seconds until she shook herself free from her concerns. There were still enemies around moving into positions. Even if the strain that fighting exerted on her body was now far greater than it had used to the precise worl of her finely tuned reflexes lacked none of their sharp response time. With the signature resolve that she was known for among those she had fought alongside she finished taking out the rest of the enemy units on the roof. In the end she stood victorious over the fallen evildoers for a second. Then she simply collapsed. Muscle tone vanished within a brief span of time and slid down the katana skittering away.
When she came to the evernight was still gazing down at her from the above. Maybe it had been just for a second or two? Or ten? She rolled quickly up, looking around in a terrified manner. Andre! His body wasnt moving and in the illumination of the piercingly bright blinking lights it was so hard to be certain if there was the faint vibration of breathing there. Or not. All facades of superheroine dropped Nadia pushed herself up and staggered to her man. Then the fatigue took over again and the rest of the light left her world.
The armed men that arrived the scene found the woman lying next to the man her arm flung over him protectively. The leader motioned to his men. Take them in.
Depending on how you plan to structure your whole story :
- for an introduction, I believe you can let elements still in the dark as you are going to define them later.
"Riktis" for example are identified as aliens but we know nothing more. I think it's ok as we don't see any in this piece of story.
However, "cryotank suited men" is an actual sight. The average reader, not playing CoH, will probabaly think "what are cryotank suited men, how do they look ? Why CRYOtank ?"
Who the guards are can probably be left for later development.
But "cryotank suited men" is a sight.
But, again, if it's only a introduction, baiting the reader, it's ok.
Just don't forget who your target audience will be.
- the setting is vague. "desolate landscape of destruction" could be a WW1 no man's land here. We don't know where we are.
"crash site zone" is implying a crash. But what crashed ?
"the shimmering form of the long since downed Rikti mothership" ?
I just feel it is unclear.
- now
[ QUOTE ]
Only a pulsating laser transmitter guarded by the Rikti was enough to draw Coile and Sword in, but even so only for a moment, until utter destruction was complete. There were no Rikti survivors
[/ QUOTE ]
is useless.
Because it doesn't bring anything in the story. That's why it is just mentionned.
If fighting the Riktis helps to understand something about the setting, about the characters, expand it to a scene.
There comes again the abscence of description.
If our two heroes are fighting Riktis, I can expected a description, even a short one. Something that move the "Riktis" from a name mentionned to real (even background) characters.
Maybe can you merge that event, only mentionned, into the setting description to add flavour ? Maybe dropping the reference to a fight unless you have something to say to the reader ?
***
Comments after only one reading.First impressions.
[ QUOTE ]
Except one thing. I accepted a dare and will include one masturbation scene.
[/ QUOTE ]
Bang goes my reputation! Stupid dares 
. Keep it up, just a few more thousand words! You can do it!
*gets out pom-poms and starts cheering*
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Except one thing. I accepted a dare and will include one masturbation scene.
[/ QUOTE ]
Bang goes my reputation! Stupid dares . Keep it up, just a few more thousand words! You can do it!
*gets out pom-poms and starts cheering*
[/ QUOTE ]
I strongly recommend he does NOT post that in the forums... Unless he WANTS Bridger to ban him, of course.... Remember, kiddies play here.
@FloatingFatMan
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Yep, anything approaching sex will get ban hammered quicker than Gary Glitter.
How I understand it is he accepted the dare and will include it in his novel.
Not that he is going to post it on the boards.
But if I'm wrong, yes, better to forget about posting it here.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Except one thing. I accepted a dare and will include one masturbation scene.
[/ QUOTE ]
Bang goes my reputation! Stupid dares . Keep it up, just a few more thousand words! You can do it!
*gets out pom-poms and starts cheering*
[/ QUOTE ]
I strongly recommend he does NOT post that in the forums... Unless he WANTS Bridger to ban him, of course.... Remember, kiddies play here.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask that material of such an adult nature be hosted elsewhere - you're welcome to post a link to it, as long as a suitable (ie, large and bold and obvious) warning is given.
Thanks.
I'll omit that bit from the stuff posted here. No worries. The story will be posted elsewhere too, especially as I will probably expand already written parts that I can no longer edit here.
Tho, is even a link allowed? I quickly browsed through some rules I've read ages ago and now had only a flimsy recollection of:
Please do not post links to any work that other board users may find offensive, or that otherwise violates the usual Message Board Rules And Guidelines. Adult material should be clearly identified as such.
Adult material would be clearly identified, so it's cool, but it's also forbidden to post links to works that might offend and this topic came up because of the offensive nature, so it might not be cool after all.
As I really don't know what aspects of the lives of the characters I will be including in the story, I may end up having also other questionable excerpts. I think I'll post the next two or three chapters which each open up a certain timeline and then keep updating the story elsewhere. Safer for all (especially me) and less grey hair for mods.
And Stase, no worries. I wouldn't have accepted the dare if I already didn't know where I'd be using the scene. It fits the story and I feel should be included, but without the dare I wouldn't have had the courage to write it in. Now I do. And I hope to address also a few other aspects more in detail for better impact, now that thoughts are re-ordering in my brain.
Nothing's worse than a chicken-expletive author, except radio hosts who snigger childishly at their own juvenile puns. Zarquon dammit, I'll write what I want (tho publish in a manner that gets no one in trouble) and not be scared of responses from the most important reader - me. I've already shotgunned the internal editor. Now it's time to frag the internal reader and let go. Even if it means writing just one daring scene but by Zarquon I'll stretch to my literary limits for it.
Why be in NaNoWriMo if I wouldn't?
Oh, and Faeryfire, keep coming up with the feedback. I'll go through it on December and think "what the hell was I thinking when writing this pile of dodo droppings?"
Cool bananas, now back to World War II.
[ QUOTE ]
As I really don't know what aspects of the lives of the characters I will be including in the story, I may end up having also other questionable excerpts.
[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Warning: This novel can contain adult themes including but not limited to violence, abuse, erotica, sex, murder, bad will, gore, brutality and otherwise disturbing matters.
[/ QUOTE ]
You seem to know a bit of what would and what would not be "questionable excerpts".
I know that I, for one, don't like reading about most in that list.
As such, I've stopped reading stories on these boards all together: too many like to put in things I would rather avoid
@ShadowGhost & @Ghostie
The Grav Mistress, Mistress of Gravity
If you have nothing useful to say, you have two choices: Say something useless or stay quiet.
This is a nice piece from the first day of Coile and Coila in Paragon City and this one I felt like posting. It's bright and sunny except for the obnoxious youngster.
[u]Chapter 5 Take me down to the Paragon City[u]
The last days of spring were slowly yielding to the demands of summer even on the state of Rhode Island. Sun was high up as the cab pulled to the curb and two youngsters got out. Their new lives were full of promise of great things and grand destinies.
Coila stretched even if the ride from the airport had not been that long and smiled happily. This was her dream coming true. Finally she could use her abilities to help others. Finally she could make a difference. On her she had the uniform their father had made for her. The colours were purple and black. The fabric was a leather based alloy that was designed to withstand wear and tear. On her chest she bore their adopted emblem, a letter A with a ring around it.
It stood for android.
She just had to laugh, she was that happy. Were here! Isnt this great, Coile?
Behind her her elder brother had climbed out too and narrowed his eyes taking a few moments to get used to the sun. Yeh. Just great. Bloody great. A voice spoke from the taxi. Mind the language, young master. Coile sighted and said, Sorry mom. For once Coila was too preoccupied to let a chance to rib at her brother to slip past.
ND-3 paid the cab fare and got out too. She towered behind the children reaching a height well over two meters and scanned the surroundings. There was notable Skulls activity taking place but it was not the time yet. She called the incidents in with her internal communications systems and ushered the children forward. That is the city hall, young masters. You must register there first and gain your superhero licenses. Then you are set. Go do that now and I will take our luggage to the Atlas Hotel.
Coila danced around for the joy of life alone. Coile stood grumpily and nodded. Come on, sis. Lets go get this hero gig of yours started. Then he added with clumsy sarcasm. I can hardly wait. His sister was simply too happy to succumb to the eternal arguments this time. I dont much like the name hero. Im here just to help people. And so are you., she added. Coile sighed and looked at the sunny city that stretched around them. Im here just to watch your back, sis. Nothing more. I promised father that Id keep you safe from harm.
This was stock dialogue from her brother and Coila knew it. It was words that had been spoken ages ago and then only repeated without any thought given if the situation had changed since then. She was confident that he would come around yet, all he needed was time. A few heroic feats under his belt, to see that he was making a difference. A kickstart was what he needed, or rather a kick in the [censored]. The major feat had been to get there. Now that they had arrived only the sky was limit.
The official procedure did not take long. They filled in some questionnaires, gave a demonstration of their powers, signed some forms and were given their license cards. Coila had perhaps never felt more proud. Coile looked at his card for a moment and tucked it into his pocket. The official behind the desk made one last remark about the similarities between their costumes and wished both good luck in the upcoming fights for freedom and justice. Coila curtsied and practically ran out not being able to wait to get their first case. Her brother just flung his arm in a very liberally interpreted farewell greeting and slumped after the younger sibling.
ND-3 was waiting for them. Well children, are you ready for your new responsibilities? She tilted her head in a precise manner and altered her facial configuration to resemble a smile. Yeh, sure Nadia., said Coile and patted the pocket in which he had put his license. All revved up and good to go.
Coila looked around clearly looking for something and allowed her expression darken with disappointment. Kitia will arrive only tomorrow. Coile scoffed loudly. Good riddance for all I care! ND-3 assumed a stern stance and looked firmly down at the obnoxious young master. Andre! Apologize to your sister this instant. Kitia is her special friend, and also your friend even if you still try to deny it. I will not have her talked about it that manner, is that clear? Coile let out a mumble that bore a fleeting resemblance to sorry and ND-3 knew better than to expect more without some real effort.
Now, I will go in and settle my own affair with D.A.T.A. I think I spotted young Ms. Liberty under the Atlas statue. Go talk to her, she should be friendly to newcomers. Coile cut in. Atlas statue. Where are we supposed to find that? Weve never been here before. ND-3 pointed almost directly up. That large representation of a globe rests on the back of that man. That man is Atlas and he and the globe comprise a whole that has been named the Atlas statue. She resumed her instructions. Then go to G.I.F.T. to see where you are needed. Remember, you are now operating under the Citizen Crime Fighting Act and both me and your father fully expect you to behave with diligence, decency and goodness of your heart.
Coilas eyes had lit up with an uncanny spark at the mention of Ms. Liberty and she was literally bouncing when she stood in her excitement to meet such a prominent hero. Then she darted away with a lightness in skip that was characteristic to youths who were ready to take on the life headlong. Coile smiled a little. All this hullabaloo was rubbing off onto him, slightly. Sure Nadia, see you in the evening the latest. Then he went after his sister. Someone had to watch her back.
Now that I have 10k words achieved and six chapters done I feel confident enough to post a link to the entire and ever growing work that is my NaNoWriMo novel.
However, before you dash off to take a peek, two things.
1) It is posted on Silent Tempest forum. Before you read anything else, please do read the forum rules. The reason is that despite some forum sections being unaccessible to the general public the content still can't be guaranteed to be for everyone. This is especially important to note in case you browse anything else on the forum. In order to read the novel you do not need to register. Please only register if you intend to mingle with us (Tempest & other screwballs) in-game too.
2) As a large part of the novel remains unwritten I can't say what will and will not be in there and in how much graphic detail. Safest bet is to treat the work as "mature content" and not read it if you anticipate you might be offended.
Summa summarum: Please read the rules, consider if you really want to read the novel.
Ready? Done?
Go for it: A for Android - the novel
This chapter got some good feedback (whereas feedback about some other chapters made it obvious that a completely new intro is needed, so I'll do a Chapter 0...) so I'll post this. Continues the first day in Paragon City.
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[u]Chapter 7 Catch a wave[u]
The beach was seething with people. Every single one of them with superpowers. Coila had trouble believing her eyes. All of them were heroes, notable people of Paragon City, each doing their part helping out others. Now she stood among them, was in fact one of them. The laminated card in her belt radiated the power to change the world.
For once Coile was quiet. The grandness of the occasion did not escape him. Whether or not he liked it he was now a part of this and something about his life had irrevocably changed. They both had their purple and black uniforms on, both sporting their homage to their father, the anarchy A. Of course the meaning was different.
ND-3 stood behind them and assessed the potential danger level. Even if Talos Island where the beach was presumably was a rough neighbourhood for up-and-coming heroes the children were reasonably safe. Go on and meet new friends. You will need them. Stay out of trouble and above all, have fun. She looked directly at Coile as she said out of trouble.
The young man waved his hand dismissingly. Sure mom, dont I always? Besides, its a damn beach party. What could happen? ND-3 rose to her full height which left most assembling people in shadow. Mind the language, young master. Coila nudged her brother with an elbow but not too hard. She was still too overwhelmed to really instill abuse even if there was a good excuse. Sorry mom., said Coile.
Coila kept glancing around as she spoke, Hey Coile, did you see that? Then she again darted away and Coile ran after her waving his hand to their mom. ND-3 shook her head attempting to simulate a life-like movement and angles. Kids. Thats what you still are, both of you. If she had been capable of emotions she would have felt sadness over the childhood that had now come to an end. She knew it, Zirgei knew it. The two younglings running around the beach would come to know it soon enough. She just wished it would not hurt too much.
The beach was a classic golden and white one with fine sands and salty sea breeze ruffling the hairs. It never occurred to the siblings that their full armour suits were out of place. They were themselves so out of place that their attires changed nothing. Finally they stopped to just stand and look around. They knew no one. For Coila this was one of the rare occasions that she had left their home farm in years. Coile being a year older had had more time and freedom to move about but his experiences were worth of only a very little. He had never been particularly good with people.
Hey! Who are you?, said a perky voice right behind them. Coile swung around his heart racing. Dont DO that! There was no one. I am Pyranha! Coila turned around too and saw a short girl standing right next to Coile. She was wearing bright red two piece bikinis, just as red as her spikey hair was. Hello shortie., she said. A lifetime of ribbing at a clod of a brother had cemented a certain kind of mindset on her and she needed to consciously break away from it. Otherwise her instincts were to offer miniscule insults.
The girl who had introduced herself as Pyranha looked up at the two people who seemed to be lost in every possible way. Sure, she wasnt very familiar with the city either so far but these guys looked to her like they had never crossed a street before. She dismissed the impolite behaviour and tried again. Are you new to the city? It was screaming obvious that they were. She hoped that she had never been that dazed herself, their bewilderment was so blatant that it was borderlining funny.
Yeh, so what if we are? Coile crossed his arms defiantly. Sheesh! Chill out! Pyranha began to wonder if it was really worth it to talk to these two. She smiled as she spotted the emblems. Hey! Anarchy, yay! Coila shook her head. No no, it is to honour our father and stands for android.
Pyranha took a step back and looked at the siblings evaluating them anew. They appeared to be twenty or so, maybe a little under. Both had a plate on their faces, on the right side with a hole for the eye. One would have expected more precision from constructs. These two just seemed to be so erratic that she had to ask, Are you androids then? Coile scoffed.
Of course we arent, dont be daft! Do I look like my mom, huh? Pyranha didnt quite know what to actually answer. A huge, hulking female robot appeared next to them. Oh look, you have made a friend already. She tilted her head down to the short girl who had to almost lean backwards to see the robots face. I am ND-3 but you can call me Nadia like the kids do. How do you do? Pyranha blinked and waved. It looked like Nadias head was somewhere up in the stratosphere. Hi! My name is Pyranha.
Somewhere nearby Coile muttered, She is not my friend. If anyone heard him they declined to comment.
Now I must tend to some things that your father has asked of me., said ND-3. I will see you two in the morning, the latest. Be well. She moved her hand in an arc, turned around and accelerated to a good running speed almost instantaneously. Coila bellowed after her. We will, mom
It took a moment for Pyranha to digest this. So, your mother is a robot, but you are not androids? How did she give birth to you? Just as Coile was about to blurt out something snippy his sister cut in. She is of course not our biological mother. But she raised us from since we were babies. She kept a thoughtful pause. We never knew our real mother. If she existed, that is.
Now Coile inserted his two cents worth. Of course we have a mother! She must have died right after you were born and dad just never showed us a picture of her. He was very annoyed by this subject. Coila remained quiet. There was not much use discussing this again, at least not when he was in that sort of mood. We are not androids, robots or grown in tanks! We had a mother! In a much quiet voice he repeated, We had a mother.
The afternoon lost its shining sun into the flames of dusk and finally twilight claimed the beach. Some people left while some new came by despite the slight chill of the night air having already claimed the sandy scenery.
Coila was a staring at the sea gloomily arms crossed and back bent forward although she should not have been feeling cold. Her brother was idling a few paces behind her as if standing guard. It was perhaps morbid curiosity more than any form of compassion that urged Pyranha to approach them once more. Silently she glided next to the grouchiest guy she had met in a while and nodded towards the brooding girl. Whats with her?
For a moment it seemed like there was a better chance of getting an answer from a solid stonewall but then Coile said, albeit a little distantly, She is missing her girlfriend. Which is stupid since they saw this morning and Kitia is coming here tomorrow. It was no shock to Pyranha, first because here she had already met her fair share of girls who fancied girls and secondly her best friend Claire was like that. The next part however caught her off guard. She used to be my girlfriend.
Pyranha turned to look at the boy. Excuse me? Whether he had meant his sisters girlfriend or his sister it was positively bent nonetheless. What kind of hicks were they anyway? Now Coile was staring at the sea too. She was my girl when we were younger. Then she left me and became an item with Coila.
All Pyranha could do was shake her head slowly. There had to be some inbreeding involved, or some other kinkiness. Then she said aloud the thought that had just come to her mind. These two had bugged her all evening long and the chance for a little payback was just too tempting to be allowed to pass.
So, youre saying that you suck so much that your girlfriend left you, swore off all men for all eternity and became a lesbian? The innocent tilt of her head was just to add insult to injury. It worked wonderfully. Even in the darkening night Coiles face reddened to a point where he could have stood beside a firetruck without anyone noticing. No! I mean, she did, yes, but, uh
He was desperately looking for anything to say, be it a snappy comeback or a plausible explanation, or even a mercifully acceptable excuse. All he could manage was, Maybe she was always like that.
This time Pyranha just rolled her eyes and kept her mouth shut despite the wicked urge to voice her opinion of that theory which went along the lines Yes, she was always a lesbian and thats why she decided to start her career with a guy as striking as you., but that would probably have led to some shouting and the calmness of the evening was too delicious to let a jerky guy disrupt it. Instead she patted his arm once. Sorry to hear that.
The final rays or what remained of the daylight yielded to the demands of the stars. It was finally time to head back to the hotel. There been girls with cat-like features, secretive beings with hoods, robots far more advanced than their mother, masks and capes, introductions and even more discussion and Coile got a phone number from a girl. Despite the small sized redhead girl being rather miffed about their behaviour by the end of the day it was still not a bad first day for two fresh arrivals to the Hero capital of the world.
[u]Chapter 24 - Nighttime blues[u]
"I have located them." The message sounded from a speaker. Zirgei was sat in a largy comfy chair a whiskey glass in hand and followed the events on a big, wall-sized screen. It was dark but various arrays of light enhancers, infrared sensors and laser beams highlighting tactically important details painted a painfully clear picture.
Andre, Andrea and Kitia were all alive. That was the most important thing. They were weak, in shock, suffering from mild hypothermia and there were evidence of injuries but the situation was far from life threatening. Zirgei followed the realtime medical scan data rolling on the screen to ascertain that the children were not in peril.
Other feeds were relaying other news. Motorcycle tracks nearby, four inbound, three outbound. Analysis showed that the bikes had been there all day, well before the children had come to the lake. The flying scoutbots shot their lasers and send feedback to be analyzed. The tracks lead down the road.
There was also a body in the water. It had been dead for a few hours and despite floating in the lake the cause was not drowning. The preliminary results suggested a massive trauma to torso that had collapsed both lungs, snapped the spine and burst internal organs in the stomach. The corpse was being dragged back to the shore.
ND-1 was wearing a two meter high exo-skeleton that was optimized towards defensive measures including heavy assortment of firepower. The bulky frame turned stiffly and applied warm blankets around the kids who were responding to stimulati now. When ND-unit had observed them they had just sat there, huddled together and unmoving.
The robots deployed on the scene were very advanced and effective in their tasks. They differed from the standard stock that was seen around the farm any given day significantly. Zirgei had his own reasons for building sub-standard models for everyday use but he also appreciated that sometimes practicality came before design and he had an array of high end machinery at his disposal for special instances. Instances like this.
ND-1 had finished preparing the children for transit. Meanwhile the body and the remaining motorcycle were unceremonously picked up and flown away. Zirgei took all this in with mild interest. What drew his attention were the incoming energy diagrams. There were a lot of unprecedented spikes.
The source was each of the children.
Running the moustache between fingers Zirgei sat back. He was feeling old. Of Kitia's potential he had been certain for a number of months now. Now they had been realized.
The great flux of previously dormant forces were still clearly detectable after hours of the Event Zero. By the morning all indications of it would be gone and probably would not resurface. The first, uncontained release was special.
Trying to avoid other facts for the moment he focused on Kitia's readouts but his eyes kept returning to the same charts about Andrea and Andre. They were almost identical. He had expected as much. Seeing how they were of mostly the same material it was to be expected.
In his ears he heard the sentence that had been his companion for fourteen years now. "In time they will grow to power." In all the mysteriousness it had been more a premonition than a prediction. The vagueness of the statement had left many questions and the current situation answered in fact none of them yet.
This situation had been anticipated but still the very way that things had turned out had surprised him. It was all so sudden. So drastic. He kept returning to the autopsy scan. There was nothing natural in that death. His children would be blamed.
The dead boy had been a juvenile delinquent, a criminal and given the gang he belonged to possibly even a killer. Still this sort of death at the hands of a freak, even if the death was a result of justifiable defence, would cause an uproar. Public opinion would turn against the whole family instantly.
It would not matter what a court of justice would find in the end, the sentence would be in from the start and his children would be even more outcasts than they were now. They would be scarred mentally for life, forced to accept the pariah status, accept the stigma. Any constructive way to deploy the now awakened powers would be blocked, any benevolent course of action nullified.
He would not allow this to come pass. He would protect his children. No price too high. One of the scoutbots filed a report. The three other boys were hiding not too far away from the lake. Zirgei knew nothing was lost yet. It all came down to damage control.
ND-1 was on an imminent approach vector. The decisions had to be done immediately. How far would he go? What distance would he walk? This could be contained, this all could blow over but it required certain steps to be taken. It required deception, manipulation, twisiting the truth and most importantly it required premeditated murder of three lives.
Zirgei had always been a peaceful man. He could never be certain but he had deduced that his father had been in the Big One. The haunting behind the eyes had been evidence enough of foul deeds committed, no doubt brought on by unyielding circumstances. From a very young boy Zirgei had ran from those eyes and that fate.
Was this how it had happened? A necessary thing that damns a man for all eternity. If he now gave in, would the next time be easier? Where would it end?
ND-1 reported upon arriva. The time had run out. The decision had already been made and no alternative presented itself. "Take them to medical room.", he issued. Now was the last chance to stop. For the sake of his children he did not. "Apply sedatives. I want them all out of it for the rest of the night." The path had been chosen. "Then come here. I have a task for you."
A scoutbot was keeping an eye on the older boys who were talking quietly behind a large rock on a hill. It was a high vantage point to keep an eye on the surroundings. From the talk it was evident that hey were not saddened by the loss of a comrade. Their concern was that the dead boy had been their leader and also their contact within the gang they wanted to be a part of. The boys discussed how to present this in the best light, in a way that guaranteed them a membership. They also argued whether or not they should go back and assault the freak kids with deadly force.
ND-1 entered. "They are sleeping and will continue to do so until otherwise allowed." She was still wearing the combat frame and loomed over Zirgei. "What is it that you wish of me?"
Zirgei emptied his whiskey glass and set it solemnly on the small table next to him. "They must never learn what happened tonight. Their memories must be confused permanently." This was the first part of his plan. ND-1 lacked the necessary information and her deduction proceeded by elimination. "We don't know any telepathic allies capable of erasing a period of a few hours." A nod signaled confirmation.
"That's why we need to do it chemically. It probably will mess up the whole of today but perhaps it is for the best. With the right mix not too much of previous days should fall under effect." ND-1 turned to face the screen. "They no doubt were present and can share what they witnessed. What is to prevent that information from circling back?"
The answer was a quiet one, one resigned to the inevitable. "They won't talk." After a moment he was compelled to explain. "Because you will see that they won't."
"It is against my programming to willingly take a life.", ND-1 pointed out.
"You are more than your programming. The evolving circuitry means that you can grow. Now it is time to step beyond what you were made to be."
A rarely present softer toned was applied. "Zirgei, we are not killers. Not you, not me. We never were."
He contained himself well. "It is our children. Their future is at stake. We must do this, Nadia."
"You have built these laws of robotics into me. I may be able to transcendent them, but only at a cost."
On the screen the boys still were arguing. Zirgei looked at them. "I know. I will map your memory matrix. ND-2 is all but ready, now. Just in time for this."
Aware of her own mortality in her now immortal existence ND-1 wanted to push the end forward just a few seconds more. "Will she be similarly restrained? Bound by the moral limitiations?" Zirgei nodded. ND-1 continued. "Some day they will leave the nest, and step into the world. If we now commit to this, they will need better protection than me and my successor can provide."
Zirgei knew ND-1 to speak the truth. "ND-3 will be ultimately free to execute her own will. I will design her so." This was satisfactory to the robot woman. "Make sure that ND-2 will care well for my children." Zirgei felt a strangling sensation inside his throat. "She will, love. She is essentially you."
There was a hint of sadness. As her time was drawing nigh ND-1 was surpssing her parameters, evolving to the top of the line that her current technology allowed. She knew that era of ND-2 had come. "She won't be me. She will be a faximile, a copy, but this is her age now. My time is over."
Neither spoke anything further as Zirgei took her downstairs, connected her to the imaging replicator and copied the memory matrix into soul storage databanks. Neither spoke as ND-1 left the laboratory for the one final time. Knowing what he would be witnessing Zirgei moved back to upstairs to his wall monitor.
The boys were still talking, now with increasingly agitated overtones. A whiskey bottle was next to Zirgei but he did not touch it. It would have been dishonouring to cloud this moment with intoxicating fumes.
Something blocked the stars as it flew towards the scoutbot. ND-1 landed next to the boys. There were screams and shouts as one by one they were knocked out. Very soon just silence remained. Four transbots arrived bringing the dead boy and his motorcycle. Everything was set.
The hill was a high one with one steep face. The top lead to it and a fall of almost straight twenty meters to rocks below. It would all look plausible, natural enough for the event to pass as a tragedy that struck careless youths from time to time. ND-1 took a bike and rolled it back and forth to create an illusion of tracks, braking, failing and falling. Setting the scene was an easy task.
The moment of truth had arrived. Zirgei could still order a cancellation. ND-1 could still rebel as she no longer was inhibited by her programming. The chance to step from the precipice flickered, and shimmered. And died away.
This really was about Andre and Andrea, and doing what was the best for them. Now, and later. The dead boy and his bike were flung over the edge and crashed at the stones below in the darkness. Next went the three other bikes. Even if she was not yet in violation of her core the impeding triple murder started to affect her. The movements became erratic and less precise. She knew she would have to act fast, or fail.
Zirgei watched as his creation by his command picked all three unconscious boys into her hold. The final moment. Now what he had built would ascent to the next level. Now he would find proof that his research was on the right track. With her final act ND-1 would give him hope that one day his own dream would be finally realized.
ND-2 felt her appendages starting to stiffen. Her inner core was trying to override the new her. The battle between the robotic origin colliding with the androic rebirth was shutting down circuits. She thought of her children. For them. Anything for them. She raised her arms and threw. As the doomed boys fell to their deaths ND-1 stared at the very last moment into the face.
She had sacrificed everything she had for her progeny. Now it was time for the next generation mother to take over. They all would need training, a new kind of care. As they ventured towards adulthood and new challenges they would have their mother by their side. It was a comforting thought.
It would just not be her. She felt an immense loss.
Zirgei gripped the chair's back hard. He knew this was just a transition and nothing was lost, just a shell. Still a piece of him died as the hulking frame came to a perfect rest.
And then, ND-1 was no more.
This thread is for my NaNoWriMo 2006 novel. It lacks all the polish but that's the point, actually. Read at your own risk.
Warning: This novel can contain adult themes including but not limited to violence, abuse, erotica, sex, murder, bad will, gore, brutality and otherwise disturbing matters. However I can't guarantee any of them. Except one thing. I accepted a dare and will include one masturbation scene.
Oh, and lots of angst + 'emocrap' ahead. That I can promise.