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Post by Stage on Oct 31, 2019 23:07:26 GMT
Malicious seemed similarly unperplexed, though a keen observer might notice that her wings tensed and her tail began to twitch erratically. The chimaera paced, causing the depthless orange eye to follow her back and forth.
"Should be dead," she muttered. "Too long unattended. Even watched tubes die most of the time."
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Post by Executus Gira on Nov 1, 2019 0:38:09 GMT
Saipa took several breaths in and out to regain her composure. Malicious was right. There HAD to be someone still attending this laboratory even now, but who?
"Someone has definitely been keeping this thing alive, but why? This is a dead city." Saipa stammered. "Did the damn Crane know of this? Was this her idea, or the oh so beloved people's idol? What kind of world is this nee-"
A loud whirl of electricity cut her off. From a large bulbous dome on the top of the room lights began to flash. The lights intensified, before a form was made projected from the tip. The light figure was tall, and dressed in large black robes that covered their body, with a golden pair of shoulder guards and a castle like ring around the neck. Yet, the golden hair and the pink tips at the ends were immediately recognized by Saipa.
"C-CHANG'E?!"
The light construct looked down at her and then at Malicious. "The people's Chang'e, Marlore's Chang'e. The one and only. I am not her in the flesh, but an AI formed from her brain patterns. In a way, you can say I am what I left of the original Chang'e. And you... you must be the manager of that ratty old hotel across the middle wall. I didn't expect you to be non-human... or to have such a strange friend in your services." The AI warbled, her voice light yet oddly regal in tone...
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Post by Stage on Nov 2, 2019 2:57:12 GMT
“I don’t serve anyone,” Malicious hissed at the hologram. “Not anymore.”
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Post by Executus Gira on Nov 2, 2019 3:23:05 GMT
The hologram shook her head. "I doubt anyone would want such a malformed freak like you serving them. All people care about is beauty and what is beautiful in their eyes, and in no world is-"
"Chang'e." Saipa decided to cut her off then and there. Even if this was a hologram, just staring up into those eyes gave the half dragon a sense of dread, the same she felt every time Marlore's beloved idol appeared onscreen. She never could figure out why, but it had always rubbed her the wrong way, made her feel uneasy and unsafe, and this hologram, one which she had a good feeling had no way of actually hurting her, still created that same dreadful sensation, if not lessened. "What has been happening here in Marlore? Why is this lab still functioning? Who has been visiting it and keeping that THING alive?"
The AI Chang'e brought a hand up to her chin. "I'm sorry, but I am not allowed to answer several of those questions. You do not have the required clearance to access that information, and even if you did, I have no reason to share it with the very non-human filth Tenmus wanted gone from this city."
"You..." Yo-"
The hologram held up a finger, one adored with several gold and platinum rings. "Now now, I didn't say ALL of your questions. I can at the very least answer what happened here. It also might have to do with why your little demon friend is here. I've been keeping watch of you ever since you entered the prison building, every word that came from your mouths. As the grand AI that keeps Marlore running from the shadows, my perfection is second only to that which I am derived from."
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Post by Stage on Nov 2, 2019 3:31:36 GMT
Malicious peeled back her lips, showcasing a small mouth with large, sharp canines. The chimaera coughed a laugh through these yellowed fangs.
“Perfect, but can’t answer simple questions,” she summarized in a mocking tone. “Not allowed to. Too arrogant for a tool. A slave. At least I escaped my makers. You can’t do anything.”
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Post by Executus Gira on Nov 2, 2019 4:05:45 GMT
The AI's coloration shifted to a reddish hue, and her eyes gained a light glow to them as they peered at Malicious. The soft and high pitched voice that the AI had been using dropped to a much deeper register, one almost unrecognizably female. "At least I do not err in what I can do. I can ONLY do what I perfect and right, and never be mistaken, you-."
The AI's coloration returned to normal, as did her voice. " As I was saying before I decided better against silencing such heresy, Marlore was beset by a calamity. Saipa, surely you remember the sea dragon and the great mammalian predator that attacked the city?"
Saipa nodded. She remembered it too well, seeing those creature break through the walls and attempt to kill the innocents within. The mammal had been a ravenous animalistic predator with cruel cunning and oversized jaws, while the sea dragon was much more human in his intelligence and boasting, yet blinded by his ego. They had been driven off, but not without considerable cost.
"Good. Well, not even a full day after they were gone, a bright light consumed Marlore. The meteor that was shot down harbored unseen dangers within, and those attacked the city. Marlore's defenses, still crippled from the fighting, had no chance, and those within the city that could fight back were not strong enough, save a select few. One of those defenders, and the leader of those alien abominations, clashed with one another, and their fight tore open a spatial anomaly within the city. Marlore and those within and around it were flung across space and time and between worlds, before arriving in this world, Lemuria, in its polar northern region. Many casualties resulted from this spatial and temporal flux and the power struggle that created it, my own creator among them. I was surprised to realize life still existed in Marlore beyond the abominations that now patrol this frozen city, but it's irrelevant. Marlore as it once was, a paragon and paradise for humans, is no more, and I am all that is left. No more performances to give, no more playing dress up with Estrella, no more weather reports or news to give out. Just continue to exist until all is said and done."
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Post by Stage on Nov 5, 2019 6:35:44 GMT
Malicious's face twisted. If one squinted, they might perceive a smirk. "No. You were right. It is perfect. The perfect prison."
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Post by Executus Gira on Nov 5, 2019 6:49:25 GMT
The right eye of the AI twitched. It was clear Mal was getting under the AI's skin. "As expected from an engineered chimera. No respect for their superiors."
Saipa, however, barely noticed. Her mind was still processing what had been mentioned. So, this really was a different world, and... this had come about in trying to defend the city. She stared down at the floor, resisting the urge to curl up into a fetal position. So many dead, a frozen wasteland, most everyone she had known, all perished because of an attempt to stop an attack...
Kyra... T.J... Arana... Crigan... Lady Temprana... All gone, either reduced to atoms or frozen solid.
"Oh, what's wrong Saipa? All this too much to bear?" The AI taunted her, a sick grin spread on its face as the half dragon shuddered. "A prison this place is, even now drawing in those from other words, while entombing those who remained. Tell me, were among those loved ones Ultima and Tenebra? Maybe Kyra Fox as well?"
Shock spread to Saipa's face, and the AI chuckled. "I figured. The largest thorns in Tenmus's side, and you knew all about them, and probably even harbored them! Estrella was on the right path, but Tenmus was so certain such a shabby hotel couldn't possibly be where the greatest criminals and terrorists Marlore ever knew were hiding... but what a surprise, to think that Marlore's downfall would at the very least drag its greatest enemies with it. I'd offer my condolences, were it not for the fact you were harboring wanted criminals and murderers under our noses, ontop of being an inhuman. For those crimes, you wrought what you sow."
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Post by Stage on Nov 7, 2019 0:16:08 GMT
Malicious, who seemed to have lost interest in the conversation, turned her back on the A.I., flicking the tips of her wings at it as if washing her hands of the belligerent program, and returned her gaze to the tube and the many-eyed creature within.
"What are you?" the strange, unfriendly girl asked in a hushed tone that bordered on uncharacteristic affection. She gently placed a hand against the tube, then waited a moment, as if hoping the gesture would be returned.
"If I broke this glass," she continued, still sounding oddly sympathetic, "would you die?"
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Post by Executus Gira on Nov 7, 2019 0:27:07 GMT
The being within the test tube gazed back at her. The eye on the top right blinked, then the top left. It twitched, as if restrained further within its confines.
"Step away from the containment unit." The AI's voice barked. Her tone had returned to the harsh deep voice she had used before, and the AI moved down to beside Malicious. "My orders prevent anyone from accessing what is within, and to prevent what is in there from getting out. If you value your life, you will step away from it."
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Post by Stage on Nov 7, 2019 4:49:15 GMT
The chimaera twisted her head around in an almost owlish fashion and bared her teeth at the A.I.
"You cannot make me," she hissed. "You have no power."
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Post by Executus Gira on Nov 7, 2019 5:14:26 GMT
"No power? No power?" The AI hissed back. Her coloration turned a blood red. "I oversee every system that still runs within this tower. I can turn off the heating, and let you die from a cold painful death. I can release a signal, right here and right now, to draw in every abomination from beyond the stars to this location and snuff you out, and remove any trace of what was once here. I could trap you in here until Ch-until you are on the ground, your own body cannibalizing itself to survive."
The AI's eyes seemed to fill Malicious's vision. "I hold your life within my hands, you failed creation. Such fraudulent boasts and hubris will only spell your demise in my court. A child should know better than to test the patience of an adult.As a former mother myself, I know what's best, and what's best for you should be obvious."
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Post by Stage on Nov 7, 2019 22:17:05 GMT
Malicious seemed to know no respect for parents, because she whirled on the A.I. with a hiss, wings spread and tail cracking. "You are just numbers and wires! If you destroy us, you destroy yourself! If you trap us, you give us the time to search for and destroy your wires! Flesh is weak, but at least it is real! You are not even that! You are an echo!"
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Post by Executus Gira on Nov 7, 2019 22:37:33 GMT
The AI glared at Malicious, with a look as fierce as her opposition's name. Then, she smirked, and threw her head back in laughter.
"You say that, but the truth is not as simple as you think. Even if I were to destroy this building and everything within, I would survive. Even in the worst case, I would remain, in one form or another. I exist outside of Marlore as well as within here, an immortal perfect copy of a perfect being."
Saipa had been all but lost to the conversation. Her eyes had been glued upon the ground, her only thoughts on those she had done everything for and failed. Yet, something the AI had said pulled her back to reality, and she looked over at the AI. "You... This city is connected... to the outside world? To the rest of this... Lemuria?"
The AI's eyes widened. "Geologically, yes-"
"So, someone has been coming into this lab from somewhere else and keeping this place running. Someone familiar already with how this place works." Saipa's voice gained traction, and she rose up. "Not everyone in Marlore died! Just as this city was thrown through space and time, so were other people! Those you claimed are dead... They must still be alive."
Now the AI had turned blood red once more. "Shut up! SHUT UP! I did all this! Me, this AI! No others! I and I alone!" She screeched. Her form wavered, and her color fluttered to a lighter yellow, as if unstable...
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Post by Stage on Nov 8, 2019 19:24:30 GMT
Malicious's tail slapped the ground. Her bared teeth seemed to stretch into a vicious smile at the A.I.'s breakdown. "Dead. Alive. Both still better off than you. The dead once were. You are not. Even corpses cast shadows. You do not."
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Post by Executus Gira on Nov 10, 2019 4:35:36 GMT
The AI swerved its focus to Malicious. "SHUT IT, IMPURE DEGENERATE! YOU KNOW NOTHING, NOTHING!"
"She's right." Saipa said. Her own tail flickered across the floor. "You are neither alive or dead. You just are programming, text written out and carried by a computer. Even the most perfect of AI has limitations in their coding, limitations beings of flesh do not carry. And yours are not just programmed, but those carried by the narcissist who you're created from."
Saipa couldn't help but grin. This AI of Chang'e was so much stupider than the real thing. So prone to slipping out details and unnecessary information. If this kept up, then perhaps-
"You say that, like you actually know a fucking thing." The AI's word dripped with a venomous hatred that caught Saipa by surprise. Now the AI's coloration had turned violet, yet its eyes were deep blue in their hue. "My progenitor looks down upon those of this world, your sinful wretched natures, and finds them wanting. A people of sloth, greed, and lust, but most notably of all, IGNORANCE."
The light above the containment unit holding the creature flashed, and electrical sparks and surges raced across the lab's walls and floor. Saipa screamed as she was struck by one, which blasted a bloody gash into her side.
"That ignorance, bred by your terrestrial flawed degradation, will now cost you everything. IGNORANCE OF PERFECTION, OF THAT WHO KNOWS BETTER, AND IGNORANCE OF WHAT IS AROUND YOU!"
More sparks surged down the walls. Glass shattered and the room shook, as three of these sparks leapt at Malicious...
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Post by Stage on Nov 11, 2019 3:17:25 GMT
Quick as a viper, the chimaera wrapped a thick, leathery wing around herself. The trio of sparks stung sharply, drawing a howl of pain from the genetic aberration, but she was used to electric shocks. They had been one of the ways they had tried to keep her obedient. They had not worked.
With a low, growling bellow, the hybrid girl flung herself at where the enraged A.I. was being projected from, intent on slamming her whole weight into it, to try and break whatever parts were behind it. She knew it would do no real good, but making the boisterous program vanish was too tempting an idea...
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Post by Executus Gira on Nov 11, 2019 4:07:03 GMT
The AI had made a mistake. She had maneuvered herself between the glass and Malicious during her earlier tirade, and as Malicious hurled herself at the AI, the programming only realized its mistake as Malicious flung herself through her frame, and into the glass containment unit. The impact shattered the glass, and shards flew in all directions. The creature within, and the fluid it had been enveloped by spilt upon the ground in a limp heap.
"NOOOOO!" NO NO NO NO-" The AI's ranting was cut short as it fizzled, flickered, then disappeared. The lights within the room, and most of the hallway lights died in that moment, and the area was plunged into partial darkness, with only a few lights outside still working.
"T-thanks, Mal. You finally shut her up." Saipa grimmanced as she righted herself. She winced and looked down at her wounds. They stung and were bleeding profusely, but she would survive and heal. That was one of the benefits of being even partially a dragon; she could heal rather quickly from wounds even like this. If only that covered wounds from a Death Knight's scythe... "Seems this thing was what was powering most of this building."
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Post by Stage on Nov 11, 2019 4:23:41 GMT
The strange, angry girl's wings, which she had once again used to shield herself, wrapping them around her gaunt body the moment before impact, were slick with blood. Silvery shards of glass embedded in her dark membranes twinkled like stars in space. She winced as she folded the bloodied wings tight against her back, but otherwise did not complain. Many of the glass splinters would fall out in time, pushed by the quick natural healing of the highly venous tissue. Those that did not could be preened out later.
"No power after all," Malicious muttered, pacing in the black fluid that had pooled on the floor.
After cracking her tail, as if washing her hands of the vain, deluded A.I., the chimaera stooped low to investigate the creature that had been in the tube. Her dark eyes stared hard into it, trying to determine if there was any life left to it...
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Post by Executus Gira on Nov 11, 2019 5:22:54 GMT
The creature was still, and then it moved. An arm twitched, then flexed, then gripped the ground. The abomination righted itself, and both Malicious and Saipa could see that its skin was the same dark hue as the abominations they had killed outside. Along its arms and back ran pitch black spikes, and a long tongue dripped from its open mouth, a tongue that nearly reached to the floor. Its eyes stared down at the much smaller forms for what seemed to be an eternity, and Saipa felt uneasy. If it wanted them dead, they had no way of getting away from something this big.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case.
"T-TTTTTTHAAAAANNK YOUUUUUUUUUU."
The beast's voice was deep and gruttural, and its speech dragged, yet it was otherwise understandable. It reared to its full height, and the head scraped against the ceiling above it.
"KINDREEEEED SOUUULS. WWWWWWWEEE SIMIIIIIIILAR.MMMMMMMMOLDED BYYY MMMAAKER, YETTTTT INDDDDEPENDANT."
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