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[Beefsweat]

The distant din of thumps and cracks occludes my fluid, intravenous dreams and pulls me back to waking life. The lids of my eyes are heavy and sticky, they take effort to open. I am again greeted by the stale hum of fluorescent lights - this time my eyes adjust perfectly. I can feel them worming and twisting in my skull, adjusting contrast and proper exposure.

What the hell is this_

Suddenly everything inside my body is rippling and convulsing. I look down at my legs - wait, my legs are okay_ - the skin around my thighs bounces and ripples, then tightens to a muscular sheen. Suddenly my stomach is in knots. Oh god, I'm gonna -

A watery broth of pearl-white fluid flicked with streaks of red spews out of me. Uncontrollably. My stomach heaves and heaves and heaves until nothing is left but my gagging, gasping heaves. After a few moments I catch my breath. What the fuzz just came out of me!_ I look down to my thighs again, and notice the note still crumpled in my fist.

"You're gonna do a lot of vomiting when you wake up. You can thank artificial blood and half a planet of nanites for that. There's a bucket next to the table."

I look down at the mess I've made on the floor. Oops.

I heave again. And again. And again.

Well now that I've puked on the entire floor, I should try to get up.  

Edited by Beefsweat, February 23 2013 - 07:51 PM.

[SilentJacket]

<notice: AI-13 identified>
<packet received>
<sending response>

AI-13, this is station AI CS-14A, as per section 198-16-4C you are not authorized in this facility, please remove yourself in [001] minutes, or your chassis will be terminated, and your data contained for analysis

I am aware of the intruders, Class [2] Drones have been dispatched, and you are advised to stay out of the line of fire

we wouldn't want to hurt your shiny frame now, would we_

sustained damage to Class [1] experimental mechs will be added to your list of infractions
locate nearest technician to verify data stability

<packet sent>

Edited by SilentJacket, February 23 2013 - 08:06 PM.

[Pirits]

Oh cool he's responded! Well that's no fun he's gonna shoot me for trying to keep a lost facility safe_ Well he has Sentium forces and Prosk to go through...

Either way my designers have received the data and I've been updated over there, they say that the facility is slowing down my update rate so I may forget the last bit of the skirmish that may kill me...

Well I'd best tell this facility AI that I'll be on my way, wonder if I should tell him I'll self-destruct by means of thermite explosives if damage is sufficient. A small explosive surrounded by thermite makes for quite the carcass remover.

Send message to: AI CS-14A: I'll leave as soon as possible. Violent force is unnecessary, unless it's against Sentium/Prosk forces.

Looks like I'll have to dash past the Prosk and injured Sentium forces, thankfully my cloak is relativity good for this along with the speed modifications...

Edited by Pirits, February 23 2013 - 08:09 PM.

[Beefsweat]

I am doing everything I can to keep my knees from buckling, but I'm standing now. It took a few tries but I think I've got it this time. Whoever took me in here and did this to me left me a hollowed-out battle rifle stock as a makeshift crutch. He even made sure to tape a piece of paper to it with the word "CRUCH" scrawled in huge letters across it. It's not pretty, or comfortable, but I am standing, and I am... sort of walking! With each step I can feel my bones rattling. Fusing. I liken it to a beetle hardening its exoskeleton after a fresh molting. I take a few breaths, and some part of me wants to put down the crutch.

Already_
Yeah, put it down.

My legs feel... great. I feel like jumping!

What_ How can that be_ The last thing I remember is pulling my crippled frame out of that fuzzy metal casket and bleeding all over the ground... and the sun, the beautiful sun...

I take big, deep, beautiful breaths. The air is not clean but I can feel the hardened frame inside me, the slow, highly efficient WHUMPs of a young, muscular heart. I am deeply invigorated by my newfound energy, despite my prominent nausea. I take a brisk walk to take in my surroundings - I think this place might be underground. It looks like a bunker, or maybe even an old laboratory of some kind. There are many sinks and outlets for high-powered machines, but of course all that's here now is a hell of a lot of dust, a few old cots and a dingy table piled with notebooks and small tools. Where I awoke there is a large sectioned door - whoa, this is an old door, it still has a manual crank - but I can't seem to pry it open.

Wait... where's... whoever wrote these notes_

Bassy booms rattle the place, shaking old dust loose - the all too familiar sounds of war, of weapons, of death-dealing machines. In the distance, a deep, distorted klaxon.

Is that a Cruiser_ A Battleship_

Edited by Beefsweat, February 23 2013 - 08:15 PM.

[SilentJacket]

<packet received>

<sending response>

further damage sustained by you to this facility will result in the purging of your data for recompilation

I have this situation under control, and you are to remove yourself in [000.41] minutes

Come on, let the big boys play

<packet sent>


<combat analysis>

-(1 of 1) Sentium battleship [terminated]
-(12 of 16) Sentium combat shells [terminated]
-(0 of 4) Prosk combat shells [active]

<drone contact in [000.80] minutes>

[The_Eldritch_Abomination]

The gang moved passed the doors and into several more tunnels. Except that, instead of being dusty and abandoned, these ones were seemingly intact, and had lighting. His and his own team's excitements were rising. What new discovery could they have possibly stumbled upon-

Then the transmission came in.

The entire gang sighed simultaneously with disappointment. They had risked their lives, only to get information on several subjects they already had data on, and had gotten themselves trapped.

Eldritch felt a crippling sense of self-deprecation. He was the commanding officer, and this whole operation was botched. He might as well have just called the mission FUBAR from the moment he was downed in the desert. As they rounded a corner, Eldritch boosted- either out of anger, by accident or merely because he didn't know what to do-

And smashed into the L5 Boot.

Edited by The_Eldritch_Abomination, March 04 2013 - 09:47 PM.

[Ryuronin]

They really need to get rid of the limit on likes per day... I want to like all of this :/

[Pirits]

"Commander!"

Of all times, I got a 'friendly' Crion AI trying to kill me and the one guy I really need to boost past decides to T-bone me. Today is just so great like a nubcake.

"Is something wrong_" Was the best line I could come up with as I walked toward the way we once came. "The only way out was the way in sir. Unless you know something of secret research facility floor plans we aren't getting out of here." I tried sounding sarcastic, something humans did from time to time. "You put quite the dent into my machine, know how hard it is to get clearance to use a EOC on an infiltrator_ Few pilots live that long." I haden't either, I died a few times in the process. Someone called me out on having the same name and designation as a guy he saw get blasted by a Prosk battleship that was headed for the friendly base as he was trying to take out an enemy unit. Perhaps I'm just a ghost coming back from the past to haunt you.

And that AI was probably worked into the facility, and if this were the case he knows where we are, what we're saying, and how our mechs look. He's the biggest problem here, not the Prosk or Sentium forces...

[The_Eldritch_Abomination]

Ryuronin, on February 23 2013 - 08:36 PM, said:

They really need to get rid of the limit on likes per day... I want to like all of this :/

OFF TOPIC: I agree.

[Beefsweat]

Get this door open. Come on, come on! GGGGHHHHHHHHGGGGGYYYYEEERRRRRRRR~

Despite even my loudest grunts and shouts of effort, I cannot turn the crank on this fuzzy door.

So what, I'm alive, but locked in a bunker now_ COME ON!

Another attempt, another grunt, another failure. "God damn you, please just OPEN THE FUZZ UP!"

Something repeats my own voice back at me, albeit distorted and tinny. It cuts me off. "OPEN" The crank handle gives way and turns automatically. I immediately let go in surprise and take a few steps back, listening to gears clunk and pistons hiss as the heavily used door folded into the walls. "Why a voice-activated door with a manual crank_" I think aloud to myself. Rows of tube lights flicker and fade into reality, bleaching everything in a ghostly white and blue glow. Yellow stripes and squares and lines painted the floor, rows of girders and collapsing stairs running up to platforms all forming individual boxes around the new, gigantic room.

Oh wow... this is a hangar...

My Hiefram lays in a torn-up heap in a corner of the hanger. The sight of it makes my heart ache - but how could I come to care so much about such a thing_ I remember an earlier time, a Prosk time, piloting a fresh, sparkling green MOBI - the crisp crackle of intercom speakers, dashing with ease and record numbers through the L-Class maneuverability eval course, all of the hours I spent washing it, maintaining it, soaring and dashing and boosting in it, and killing in it.

I shake this errant nostalgia from my head. I had focused for so long on my Hiefram that I hadn't even taken a look around the rest of the place. Save for a few toolcrates here and there, the hanger was utterly empty - wait a minute.

I feel a grin split across my face, almost involuntarily. Nothing has made me smile like this in a long time.

What have we here_

(edit: extra points to whoever knows what the mobi is )

Edited by Beefsweat, February 23 2013 - 08:45 PM.

[The_Eldritch_Abomination]

"Sorry 'bout that. I really need to get some of these controls  repaired." ​Eldritch replied nonchalantly. Truth was, his Cupcake was in near-perfect condition, after being transferred to The Outlands. He was simply so wrapped he forgot to check his mech's motion tracker.

"Prosk has not replied to that transmission I sent them earlier. If Sentium forces are still out there, how will we get past the-"


There was a loud, mechanical groaning sound, followed by a rush of air from underneath the Cupcake.

The section of tunnel Eldritch's mech was standing on had opened up beneath him, like the maw of some predatory animal.

He only managed to let out a surprised huh_ before falling down the newly-created shaft, which closed up after him, as if it had swallowed the Cupcake.

Edited by The_Eldritch_Abomination, May 04 2013 - 03:11 PM.

[The_Eldritch_Abomination]

Beefsweat, on February 23 2013 - 08:41 PM, said:

Get this door open. Come on, come on! GGGGHHHHHHHHGGGGGYYYYEEERRRRRRRR~

Despite even my loudest grunts and shouts of effort, I cannot turn the crank on this fuzzy door.

So what, I'm alive, but locked in a bunker now_ COME ON!

Another attempt, another grunt, another failure. "God damn you, please just OPEN THE FUZZ UP!"

Something repeats my own voice back at me, albeit distorted and tinny. It cuts me off. "OPEN" The crank handle gives way and turns automatically. I immediately let go in surprise and take a few steps back, listening to gears clunk and pistons hiss as the heavily used door folded into the walls. "Why a voice-activated door with a manual crank_" I think aloud to myself. Rows of tube lights flicker and fade into reality, bleaching everything in a ghostly white and blue glow. Yellow stripes and squares and lines painted the floor, rows of girders and collapsing stairs running up to platforms all forming individual boxes around the new, gigantic room.

Oh wow... this is a hangar...

My Hiefram lays in a torn-up heap in a corner of the hanger. The sight of it makes my heart ache - but how could I come to care so much about such a thing_ I remember an earlier time, a Prosk time, piloting a fresh, sparkling green MOBI - the crisp crackle of intercom speakers, dashing with ease and record numbers through the L-Class maneuverability eval course, all of the hours I spent washing it, maintaining it, soaring and dashing and boosting in it, and killing in it.

I shake this errant nostalgia from my head. I had focused for so long on my Hiefram that I hadn't even taken a look around the rest of the place. Save for a few toolcrates here and there, the hanger was utterly empty - wait a minute.

I feel a grin split across my face, almost involuntarily. Nothing has made me smile like this in a long time.

What have we here_

(edit: extra points to whoever knows what the mobi is )

Mobi: Chassis for the CBE 1 and 2 Bezerker, and Alpha 2 <DATA EXPUNGED>

[Beefsweat]

The_Eldritch_Abomination, on February 23 2013 - 08:47 PM, said:

Mobi: THE COOLEST Chassis for the CBE 1 and 2 Bezerker, and Alpha 2 <DATA EXPUNGED>

ftfy

[SilentJacket]

<leader rerouted>
<pending interrogation>

<alert to AI-13>

your timeframe has expired, you are not authorized to be in this facility, and thus have been marked for containment

surrender yourself to the nearest data port for extraction, or both you and your chassis will be terminated

<sending packet>

<combat analysis>

-(16 of 16) Sentium combat shells [terminated]
-(0 of 4) Prosk combat shells [active]

drone contact [imminent]

Edited by SilentJacket, February 23 2013 - 08:56 PM.

[Mackindale]

I fly down the elevator shaft and arrive at the bottom with a loud thud, leaving large footprints in the metal floor.. I look left and right, then follow the tunnel, the only way I can go. I see an intersection, and suddenly, from above, a large section of ceiling gives way, presenting an excellent target-  A large mecha plummets straight down in front of me. Had I been Sentium, it'd be destroyed in seconds, but my conversion gives me a brief moment to think. I open up my cockpit and wave my hands back and forth, yelling into the now silent tunnel. "OYE, YOU NEED HELP PROSK BUNNY_" I smile, hoping he won't kill me on sight.

Sentium and Prosk are what give us life and sustenance, but they truly are only corporations. What allegiance does any man have to one in this world_ "Eh, you have radio codes for Prosk_ I'm on your side now, it looks like." I command my mech and service drone to melt off some of the slabs of metal ceiling and wait with my cockpit open for a reply.

Edited by Mackindale, February 23 2013 - 08:56 PM.

[The_Eldritch_Abomination]

SilentJacket, on February 23 2013 - 08:53 PM, said:

<leader rerouted>
<pending interrogation>

<alert to AI-13>

your timeframe has expired, you are not authorized to be in this facility, and thus have been marked for containment

surrender yourself to the nearest data port for extraction, or both you and your chassis will be terminated

<sending packet>

OFF TOPIC: By any chance, is 'AI 13' a reference towards Disney's trademark 'A113' easter egg_

[Pirits]

The_Eldritch_Abomination, on February 23 2013 - 08:56 PM, said:

SilentJacket, on February 23 2013 - 08:53 PM, said:

<leader rerouted>
<pending interrogation>

<alert to AI-13>

your timeframe has expired, you are not authorized to be in this facility, and thus have been marked for containment

surrender yourself to the nearest data port for extraction, or both you and your chassis will be terminated

<sending packet>

OFF TOPIC: By any chance, is 'AI 13' a reference towards Disney's trademark 'A113' easter egg_

No, sorry.

[Pirits]

New data packet on hold: Open. your timeframe has... bug off, I don't need to deal with this. Send message: 'Get off my case, I'm leaving, and you're not my commander in the slightest.'

Oh goody I don't have to deal with him, just get past the AI defenses. I boosted forward toward the way we once came in, and just before reaching the skirmish location I activate my cloak, past Dan and his crew and the smoldering remains of Sentium forces...

I get to the surface, a small life sign shows on the radar, perhaps of someone who wanted to stay in the hanger. I see the remains of a battleship that was shot down by Anti-aircraft fire, I'm not getting an air lift out of here without getting a great distance away. Hopefully the AI that was tasked with this location doesn't like chasing targets. Time to head *inputs random spinning commands into the mech and ends up facing north-north-east* not that way back toward Bazaar...

And here I am walking toward Bazaar calculating a good distance away from the anti-aircraft defenses at that facility.

[Beefsweat]

I go over every step in my head, as always.

Release both carriage latches...

The muscle memory comes back to me quickly.

Unhook the carriage and release the radiator pressure.

Now, I feel... faster. I feel more precise.

Okay, if I pull... this lever down, the bracket should release. Ah ha!

The wide, cylindrical power core of my decrepit Hiefram slides out of its bracket with a metallic squeal. Steam weakly hisses out from the radiator conducts behind it. Still got some juice, huh_ I take a walk across the hanger to my greet my newfound treasure. It stands at least ten meters above me with hulking, powerful digitigrade legs, rippled and... muscular... organic, even_ I reach for the nearest toolbox and grab a battery tester, touch the contacts to the testing points on the power core. Not much, but it should work. Maybe I can replace the alternator with the one from my Hiefram...

Edited by Beefsweat, February 23 2013 - 09:10 PM.

[The_Eldritch_Abomination]

Eldritch frowned. He realised that this was the pilot of the previously-destroyed Spree. One minute, he was trying to kill the Royal Guard and his team, and now he had simply switched factions, and was hoping for a handshake reply and a sit-down_

What nerve did this man have_

Right now, he didn't have any time to get angry. The facility was trying to kill him and his team, swallowing the lieutenant like a fat kid with a Cupcake and spitting him out some place else.

Grumbling, Eldritch replied. "Are there any Sentium forces left up there_"

The pilot of the other mech would of replied with some happy-go-lucky comment, probably orientated around his mech- had the floor beneath Eldritch not decide to suddenly open up like the one before him and swallow him in darkness as he plummeted to near-certain doom-

Eldritch, having fallen down a heap of deep shafts, so much that he could write a book about it, (perhaps he should call it Fallijng down shafts: my story_) boosted in short increments as to slow the velocity of the falling mech, and as he neared the bottom, he engaged the burn in 1 long sustained burst.

Landing with a quiet thud- graceful for a mech this size that usually produced loud CRUNCHES upon landing, the pilot took a look around.

And gawked.

"son of a-" Eldritch realised where he was.

Edited by The_Eldritch_Abomination, March 11 2013 - 01:35 AM.