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Post by Vo Kshaa on Mar 5, 2017 13:44:43 GMT
Vo was still walking towards his room when he Misty hurrying by towards the fortified section Belle was occupying not so long ago. Wondering what it was about, Vo turned to follow her before he could think on how it might appear to onlookers. When he came through the door he found Misty watching at Shakespeare's cage with her eyes widely open in surprise.
"I did see him almost dead just hours before!" She exclaimed, "But now look at him!"
Vo crouched next to the cage and put his hand through its door. He let the little squibbit take a smell of his hand and then slowly stroked the pet with his finger from the back of its head along its spine. Shakespeare let Vo pet him calmly and then it quickly performed a series of short jumps along his arm towards his shoulder, then jumped in his head, played with Vo's spiky hair for a while then jumped down on another shoulder and then Vo quickly tilted his head right before Shakespeare's sharp teeth clicked next to his ear. Vo giggled, carefully taking the squibbit by the back of its neck off his shoulder and placing it into his other hand. Shakespeare didn't object it and led Vo pet it again.
Vo got long used to this little trait of Belle's pet. It took long time for the squibbit to accept Vo as another family member, although it still tried to bite Vo from time to time. Vo learned its habits by heart and most of the time he was able to avoid Shakespeare's teeth. When he wasn't, Vo took it more like a joke than as a sign of aggression and Shirra merely sighed in his head when she had to start healing another puncture wound.
"He looks absolutely alive and active," Vo said as he put the squibbit back to its cage, happy that the incident have opened another bit of his memory for him and hoping there will be more of them to come. "Thanks a lot for your care Misty. I'll look after him from now on and I'll tell Belle the good news." With that said he took the cage, put a bag with the food on top of it and turned around for the exit. His smile faded for a moment when he saw the compact he gifted Belle at the Moon Mission left on the table. But he smiled again as he looked at Shakespeare thinking the compact is not a big deal especially when Belle has the goggles he made for her which she could use to look at herself and take a selfie if she wanted.
"Shakespeare is well and active," Vo wrote in the message he was going to send to Belle's hailer, "I'll take care of him from now on. Unless you want him to be brought to you of course which I'll gladly do for you too." Vo thought for a moment and scheduled the message to be sent in the morning — after all, Belle could be tired from the busy relocation day so she might be sleeping already and he didn't want to wake her up with the message that wasn't urgent, thinking she'd be much more happy to see it in the morning.
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Post by Wolfram von Eschen on Mar 6, 2017 6:14:12 GMT
"Where we were left?" asked Wolfram von Eschen. "Ah so! The second door which marks the beginning of the second segment. Code will be simple: "Same penose!" It's an easy nag a ram. Maybe a bit too human culture related, but Herr Batman has spent lot of with humans, so his knowledge about the human culture is huge. It should be easy task for him. If you wonder what penose means, then it is not a penis like nose as someone might think, you naughty boy! It's a Dutch word for Netherland's criminal organisations. At least it was used then Netherlands still existed." "What's a nag a ram?" asked Brody. "Think about it, my boy," said Wolfram. "It's not very complicated...just like the this little nag a ram - "Same penose!" - isn't. Even you are able to find the right letter combination if you try hard enough. As for you, our joy and the laughter, and I don't mean you, Broderick but this sweet young lady here...You have very important task to do as was told earlier, Fräulein Jameson. You must pull the break if things get out of control. I am a bit slow for that..." "Wolfram is slow as an old turtle," said Broderick Smyth plainly. "Khem," coughed Wolfram. "One must here the truth, coming out from teenager's disrespectful mouth! But I can provide you with an alternative truth, Icarus! Don't fly higher than you wings can carry you. In plain and simple language it means - don't push your luck, kiddo! When you are done with the nag a ram then you can impress us with the next segment of the labyrinth and creatures, you have chosen to inhibit it." "One more question," said Brody. "What's the Dutch?" "O tempora, o mores!" moaned old man. "Your "Playboy" education hasn't obviously paid off yet, although I invested a small fortune into those magazines that you might learn something from them. Dutch were native people of Netherlands. The great late Sylvia Kristel was a Dutch and she starred in "Emmanuelle" and posed for "Playboy" quite a few times, thus leaving significant erotic footprint to the path of human culture. Sylvia, Sylvia, Sylvia. Oh those were times..." The old man smiled at distant memories about his teenage years when he had a chance to peek into the adult world and gain his first experience... |
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Post by Atticus Batman on Mar 6, 2017 13:06:23 GMT
I had been talking to Count Casannuendo for several hours, was now on my fourth bottle of rum and it was getting late with my conversation partner starting to lose steam. Fortunately for him, he received a short message on his hailer from Wolfram informing him that they were ready for me to arrive and start my therapy session. So I grumbled goodnight, took another huge swig of my Rum and then put my helm back on. After securing it, I stood up using my cane for balance as I did so. Then I made my way back to my home bunker.
When I entered, the babies were already asleep in their cribs, and Misty was quietly reading a book. So I placed all of my weapons and armor in their appropriate secured lockers. Then I said goodnight to Misty, as I walked through the seating area and headed for the stairs leading to the basement and my holo-room. When I got down there, Wolfram greeted me and told me they were ready to start. So he pointed to my holo-room. Upon entering it, I saw that Wolfram had the first room set up to resemble my seating area complete with my secure weapons and armor closets, obviously to give my subconscious a familiar starting point. So I asked him if they were also filled with holographic representations of the gear that my real ones had and he assured me that they were. After hearing that, I walked over to the couch and laid down on it, with my cane on the floor next to it. As I was trying to get comfortable, Wolfram closed and secured the holo-room's door from outside, with it disappearing to look like part of the wall.
Eventually I did fall asleep and after I had been out for around an hour, the 3 concerned individuals watching from the other room, saw me sit straight up. Then I swung my feet off the couch and placed them on the floor. Next I stood up and walked instinctively to my 'armor locker' which I opened. Upon removing my holographic Death garb, i put it on. Once it was all secured, I opened my weapons locker and removed my Amakune blade and extra-life pistol. Once those where in place, I walked predatorily to the door leading out of my home. However it didn't open when I entered my codes. So I entered every code that I could sub-consciously remember but none worked. That made my wild and instinctive side angry that I was caged, so I punched the 'door' several times with no luck, before I finally noticed the Two almost identical pictures and it's accompanying note:
Two pictures are here,
Almost looking the same,
But yet they differ about.
Right number of differences
Tapped in here,
Will open the door and let you out.
I scratched my head subconsciously as I tried to make sense of the pictures and the corresponding note. Eventually I saw some differences, as if through a thick haze.
There was a cloud over the sun in one picture, but not the other. Then after another several minutes, I spotted the missing bird in air, followed immediately by the creature on the hill. Moving my gaze down, I saw one fish in one and two in the other. However I didn't see any other differences, so I punched the number of differences I discovered, 4, into the code pad. I entered my guess in the code pad, but it beeped incorrectly at me. I tried again with the same results. So I started staring at the pictures again, and eventually the haze cleared more as I was forced to focus and think more.
Then after another several long minutes, I managed to notice the flower, and rocks. Then after another couple passes of the image, I noticed the tree, the lava and the bushes.
So I tried the code pad again. This time entering 9, into the pad.
However my next attempt was also wrong. So I punched the pad, then went back to staring at the pictures. As I did, I looked much closer at every little thing in the picture.
I FINALLY noticed that the big fish had a dorsal fin and a visible pelvic fin in the first picture, and only the dorsal fin was visible in the second picture. So I tried entering a third number into the code pad, this one being 10.
Upon entering the correct number, the pad beeped with the right answer and the door opened. As I stepped through, with the door sealing shut behind me, I found myself in a brick and stone labyrinth of some sort with several angry creatures trying to attack me. I instinctively drew my Amakune and started hacking my way through them, striking them down quickly like the angry apex predator on the prowl that I was, as I worked my way through this section of the labyrinth towards whatever obstacle lay past these creatures. |
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Post by Wolfram von Eschen on Mar 6, 2017 19:30:36 GMT
""Same penose" states the sign. Rearrange those letters, Be that kind And you will handle the matter For this time." declared Wolfram von Eschen, adding: "I know that I am far from being as good as Goethe with my verses, but you, my boy, are not exactly Schiller either. And this time I don't speak about "Playboy" models but two great German writers who actually became friends. Just add those verses so he can insert correct answer and open the door. Why I bother to use verses anyway? Just to give more work to the mind of Herr Batman. I could just give orders like "Eat my shorts!" instead. But that also means less interaction between Herr Batman's two states of mind. Now it takes some additional effort to understand my little experiments in poetry. And now you can show us what creatures are going to surprise him. I see..." And Wolfram von Eschen whistled at the sight.  ![]() "What's the thing with teenagers and vampires?" asked Wolfram, observing how beautiful vampire women moved seductively in labyrinth wearing nothing but revealing nightgowns. "At least you have learned SOMETHING from reading your "Playboys" But I have to admit that I like the idea...from the psychiatric point of view. New part of the labyrinth offers Herr Batman totally different situation than previous and his mind has to adapt it. More mind work, you see. And if we add another riddle at the end of this segment, then..." "This time it's about simple math. Solve these riddles to open your path! Just enter result of the third one. If it's correct then you are done." 1. Fill in the missing number X in the following pattern: 1,4,9,X,25,36 2. What comes next in the sequence: 1,2,4,8,16,32,64,x 3. X+x=? |
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Post by Atticus Batman on Mar 7, 2017 13:10:11 GMT
After I had finished therapeutically hacking my way through the monsters and made it to yet another door, I saw yet another dacking sign and code pad.
"Same penose" states the sign.
Rearrange those letters,
Be that kind
And you will handle the matter
For this time."
I tapped my sword blade against the sign as I read "Same penose", out loud a couple of times. Then I muttered, "I know that word...." Then the lenses in my helm flickered blue, which Wolfram definitely noticed through the camera he was looking through for it was a significant observation, as it meant I was starting to actually consciously focus and not just sub-consciously go through the motions.
Then I said a little louder, "....Using a crime organization in a riddle, directed at a criminal and hunter of criminals?! Clever ____ perhaps criminal organizations is a clue in itself, but how? Doesn't matter, this seems easy enough...."
As I was reading the sign, talking to myself, and trying to figure it out, some of my pain came back now that I was once-again somewhat conscious. However as I was focusing on the problem before me, I was able to ignore the pain.
After a few more seconds of looking at it, I said, "Got it! _____ OPEN SESAME!"
So I entered the new phrase. However it didn't work. So I thought for a few more seconds and finally remembered that the story that I remembered the phrase from, Thousand and one nights, was originally written in French, by the writer: Antoine Galland. So perhaps it needed to be used in the way it would be read if translated from French to English. That would be: Sesame, Open! So I tried that and the door opened right up.
Shortly after entering the next area, the door once again sealed behind me. Then as I started slowly but steadily walking through the halls, ignoring the minor pains I now felt, I saw several pale-skinned and fanged scantily clad women. However as my sub-conscious was still mostly in control, it didn't notice anything odd about them, and therefor didn't consider them a threat in any way. So I started to just walk between the women as I headed towards the other end of this new corridor.
Unfortunately as I walked through the group of women, they screeched and lunged at me. I instinctively started fighting them off with my sword. However there were so many that they managed to overwhelm me and knock me to the ground. As I hit the ground and they piled on me, trying to get my armor off, I instinctively thought that I needed to repel them. That thought alone, caused me to sub-consciously focus my Grid energies. Then the room flashed blue as I channeled them through myself like an electric bug zapper.
So through the monitors and viewing window they, my watchers, saw me flash with blue electricity and zap everyone of the pale women touching me. As they screeched in pain and jumped to their feet and stepped back, I managed to grab one and focus my electrical energies through her. Within seconds she burst into flames and then disintegrated.
 
As the others scrambled back momentarily, I jumped to my feet with sword in hand, and started moving quickly as I drew my pistol and took several shots. however my bullets didn't seem to do more than piss them off. So I quickly re-holstered the pistol. Then as one of the vampire women lunged at me I spun around and cleanly sliced off her head, which caused her to also catch flames and disintegrate. So perhaps I did stand a chance. I just needed to find a better vantage point than the small section of hall I was entering for it didn't leave much maneuverability for a sword user.
As I rounded a corner, I entered a large open area. Just what a sword user needed. Especially since the vampire women behind me were catching up and there were several more further in this big open room. So I braced myself for the inevitable attack, and realizing my Grid electrical energies were able to vaporize one of them and burn the skin of several others just moments ago, I focused my energies again. This time using them to electrify my Amakune. Then as I glanced around the room quickly, I noticed what looked like several ammo crates in a small alcove. Just then several of the vampires attacked, and I fought them off. The ones I beheaded disintegrating, all those avoiding a beheading blow but still getting hit were burnt badly wherever my blade touched, and the ones I missed completely just getting more angry as they continued coming. However as I kept fighting off the waves of vampire ladies, I found myself near that alcove. So I pushed another vampire off me, and followed through with a beheading swing, then I stabbed another lunging at me, in the heart with my electrically-charged sword which caused him to burst into flames as well. As he did so, I glanced down and noticed the ammo box I was now near was labeled, "Incendiary". Thinking that if my electrical attacks caused them to fry, this ammo would do so more efficiently, I knelt down and quickly made sure the ammo was the correct type for my pistol. Next I quickly drew my pistol and ejected the clip from it and slammed a clip of incendiary ammo into it, without releasing my sword.
Once the pistol was reloaded, I shot several of the vampires closest to me, and especially the ones currently advancing on me, and sure enough they burst into flames and disintegrated, screaming in pain as they did so. So I quickly discharged the electrical energy from my sword and sheathed it. Then I grabbed several clips of the incendiary ammo and swiftly secured them to my armor as I continued to shoot several more vampire women. Once I had as much as I thought I could safely grab at the moment, I combat rolled away from the alcove. Then I jumped to my feet and started offensively working my way through the big room and down the next corridor toward whatever puzzle and threat lies in wait.
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Post by Wolfram von Eschen on Mar 7, 2017 13:33:26 GMT
"Well done!" said Wolfram von Eschen and rubbed his hands while he observed Atticu's actions. "He found a solution! By the way, Broderick. It was quite an effort to find more or less decent anagram for "Sesame, Open!" All I got from other sources were nine letter words like "posseman" or "possemen". Nine letters when there is ten altogether! So I am not sure whom I stole this idea. At moment I consider it to be one of my own." "How the hell do you know so much about riddles anyway?" asked Broderick Smythe. "Try living in a long lasting solitude like an old Gollum and you find riddles very entertaining, just like he did," replied Wolfram. "They were only way to maintain sanity and keep my mind functional when I spent my days, drinking. Sometimes Volodja stepped by during his travels and we played riddle games with him. Now these riddles became useful once again. There is no such thing as a useless piece of knowledge indeed. It allowed me to create a relevantly decent anagram in the way it catches Herr Batman's attention. Now to the final test - the ultimate boss fight. Well...sort of a boss fight." "I was planning to add a sphinx to ask riddled questions," said Brody. "No, no and no!" refused Wolfram. "This is a labyrinth and we should use a Minotaur instead. And instead of one door, make three. We are going to present the Monty Hall problem to Herr Batman." Brody's fingers tapped on keyboard while following Wolfram's instructions and soon there was a TV studio with three doors and a host with a bull head on the shoulders of a beige squared suit. "Ladies and gentlemen!" announced bull headed game host. "It's your favourite game again, hosted by Monty Minotaur. Today's contestant is one and only Mister Aticcus Batman. Applause!" Sounds of clapping hands were loud and plentiful. "Behind one door is a way out of the labyrinth. Behind the other two doors are...goats. Does Mister Batman has courage to open the door to find his way our of the labyrinth? It's goat our out! Chances are two against one! Pick a door now!"  |
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Post by Belle Starr on Mar 7, 2017 14:04:22 GMT
  Belle Starr woke up at first daylight, yawning and stretching her lean muscular arms before swinging her shapely legs out of bed. She grabbed her vision googles off the nightstand, then put them on carefully adjusting them to the morning light before standing up still a bit wobbly not yet used to the virtual vision. She sashayed to the small bathroom in her trailer, brushing her teeth and her short cut blonde hair before going to the closet for her first big decision of the day: What to wear? Glancing at her Fritz the Cat clock, Belle had some time before meeting with Law Keeper Cooper for her job interview at the Iron Demons Ranch. She wasn't nervous as to the interview, for she knew Coop for some time and was close friends with his boss, Ara Shondu. Belle also had skills and EGO abilities that both had found very useful for jobs they needed doing in the past. So Belle had no doubt she would get the job, but did want to change her public image. Her red, white, and blue Liberty Trooper armor had defined her when she was younger but now she was a young woman at the ripe old age of twenty-three and truly believed she needed a new image particularly considering the changes she had gone through of late. Not only had Belle discovered that her genes were spliced with those of the monstrous Volge, but she had undergone an underground ritual with them where they had as she understood it declared her their Queen. She still did not know what that meant, only that it had effect with the Volge not only in Paradise but elsewhere in the world and that it gave her great powers that she didn't have control of such as the mind control powers that she had exercised through her eyes to dire effect although not on purpose. It was the misuse of those powers that forced her to put out her own eyes rather than making people do things which they didn't want to do, and even taking away her true love's memories which he was only now almost a month later slowly regaining. She felt it was better to be blind than to be a monster although that same love, Vo Kshaa, had made the googles that gave her back her sight albeit virtually. One thing that Belle had learned as a VBI Associate was the public relations was always important and having a dynamic first impression was a necessity for a people's hero, so Belle looked through her closet until she spotted just the outfit for her new image, that of the CODA Knight, saying with a grin, "There you are! It will go perfectly with my visor! Maybe I should now call myself Knight Starr!" Belle showered than put on a subtle amount of make-up before donning her gear, which not only included her urban camouflage fatigue slacks, silver light armor breast plate, and her Tachyon Regenerator IV EX Shield, but also her Carving Knife charge blade, VBI SMG-EEC and Order pistol all with toxic nano's, all OJs as the Ark Hunters liked to call their rarity. Belle grabbed a hard roll from her small dining table as she rushed out the door of the little blue trailer behind the Crater bar, only stopping to lock the door and re-engage its traps. Leaping into her white Challenger, she tore out of the Crater's parking lot with a squeal of tires and and a huge dust cloud. Deep in thought about all she had gone through in the Protectors' last mission as she drove, Belle was surprised to find that she had driven to the Bug N' Chug instead of the Iron Demons' Ranch where she had her appointment. Still she had found herself drawn to park her car, exit and slowly climb her way up the bluff above the Bug N' Chug, seeing the single tree there with a small cairn made of piled stones at the tree's base. More surprisingly, Belle saw facing his left side her true love Vo Kshaa there on his knees staring intently at the crude Christian cross carved into the key above the cairn. Running up to him in slow motion, she gently placed a delicate manicured hand on his shoulder to get his attention. Vo steadily turned her head to face her with an awful cracking of bones, revealing that the upper right side of his head was gone, his exposed brain squirming with maggots and his right cyan eye dangling from an empty eye hole. Belle screamed as his body crumpled first to bone and tattered cloth and then to ash. She screamed and screamed, unable to stop as terrified she watched the cloud of ash drift towards the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean beyond. Belle tossed and turned in her bed, gently moaning until the small Volge Ark Trooper sitting cross-legged at the foot of her bed stood up and moved to the bed's head. Once there, he took one clawed forefinger and touched the middle of her forehead drawing a single drop of her blood. Belle uttered a low moan then went back into a deep dreamless sleep. He put the bloodied talon to his lips, tasting her blood, then went back to his former position watching her sleep from the foot of the bed only to be gone when she actually awakened in the morning.  |
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Post by Taffer on Mar 7, 2017 18:43:07 GMT
"It's all fine that you finally got the guy talk," Cooper said quietly to Taffer who was sitting on the front bumper of his Titan, "But we still yet to find out what was all that zombie thing about. Now the story he told have only added to the mystery." "There are questions you don't find answers for in a single day," Taffer replied as he watched last rays of setting sun disappearing, "It's getting dark fast and it's definitely not the best idea to travel around mutant-infested parts of San Fran at night." "Now that's unusual to hear from you that it's more dangerous at night!" Cooper noted with sarcasm in his voice. "It's unusual to hear from me that I care for others rather than myself, isn't it?", Taffer said as he started to clean headlights of his truck, more to keep himself busy when he was talking about something he was still somewhat not familiar with. "You see, if it was just me, then you're right, I'd sneak to examine the place right away, thinking it's even better that it happens to be at night. But the thing is, I've seen not more than you today. What we have seen was Frank who we met on a road and who looked like he was running as fast as he could. We don't know where he came from and for how long he had been running. He's our only clue to where his transformation or time travel could have happened. I suppose he'd have trouble recognizing the place he was running from even during the day not to speak of pitch black. Besides, it'll be indeed safer for him during the day even with us protecting him. So I think we better steal a page from his book and get some good sleep so we could continue our search in the early morning. He chose to have a sleep in the back of my truck as he feels safer there which is understandable. I can take a nap in the cabin. I guess it means you'll need to seek shelter at Overpass. Not that it will be a problem for such a well-known person as you." "That's probably the only thing I can let you steal, thief," Cooper said in an adamant tone. "Besides, don't you think it's the only problem I have to pay attention for? I have an appointment in the morning I'd rather not miss." "Then, you can just take a ride to Bug'n'Chug. I'm sure your precious Cerberus is already in working order. If you don't have time to join us in the morning, I'll inform you on what we manage to find." "Unless you decide to keep it to yourself. I've just remembered I don't trust people like you." "Then, it's in your best interests to be here in the morning. Besides, I think you're trying to create a problem where there isn't one. You see that unlike you, I happen to have my home settled around here. It means all this business with zombies or mist clouds or time travelers affects me more than anyone else at the other side of the Bridge. I simply don't want strange things to happen on my lawn and I hope it's understandable. That's why I'm interested in people with links like you to help me deal with these when needed. Is that kind of motivation enough for you to believe I'm not going to keep you in the dark?" "Well, except you're doing just that with your babble," Cooper raised his eyes at the sky which turned darker and darker each minute, "I'd better find my ride then." "Don't you think you're looking too far ahead?" Taffer said with a smile as he handed the keys to the Lawkeeper. "Farthest box under the bridge. If you don't find a Challenger there then… consider it a theft report." "Why do I think there's a trick to it?" Cooper muttered as he followed to the trailer Taffer pointed to. Meanwhile Taffer giggled as he climbed into the Titan's cabin at the thought on what Cooper's face would be when he found what kind of Dodge Challenger Taffer readied for him. It was a pink one with a white stripe and a slogan carved into its side. The slogan read, "Riding off into sunset with one last shot." When Taffer found this roller somewhere in the wasteland, he thought it was a rather dumb way of its previous owner to commit a suicide. But, after some thorough examination, he had to admit it was a rather clever way to fake one.  |
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Post by Volodja Uljanov on Mar 7, 2017 19:40:50 GMT
Count Giacomo Girolamo Casannuendo was alone. His sophisticated conversation partner - Atticus Batman - was in firm hands of Casannuendo's friend and fellow nobleman, Wolfram von Eschen, who tried to rehabilitate him. He didn't wanted to disturb Erika Widowmaker who had a rough day behind. Another friend of the tiny Count - Volodja Uljanov - with whom he could talk about...lot of things, avoided people right now, so it seemed inappropriate disturb him and Sandy Bell. Everybody were on their own, closing themselves into their own dens. What could Casannuendo do to repel lonelyness?
Maybe...maybe he should go into the holo room and practice that sword technique, they were discussing about? His faithful rapier, called Nib was still somewhere near the Island of Elysium, but he could use holographic one...
Count turned on his heels and his short small feet carried him towards the holo room in psychiatric wing which temporarily was Casannuendo's bedroom before he was accommodated into more comfortable living space. Casannuendo learned how to use holo rooms thanks to his new friends, especially Wolfram von Eschen, who was attached to that technology and gladly taught Casannuendo as well. Since then Count Casannuendo not only used them often, but also enjoyed very much that artificial atmosphere which obeyed his will and changed according to his wishes...
His fingers on the console keyboard stopped suddenly at sudden thoughtlet. That sound his fingers created when he was tapping keys...That rhythm...It reminded him something, so...
Instead of fencing hall Casannuendo created a small comfortable chamber with the small piano. Casannuendo sat on the piano chair and placed his fingers carefully to the row of black and white keys. He always considered music as an essential part on the nobleman's life and learned to play few instruments himself. Now he tried to replay an old human minuet, he once heard. After several attempts he managed to restore it on his mind. His hands followed orders of his mind and fingers found correct keys. Soon the room was filled with delicate sounds when Count lost himself into the music...
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Post by Atticus Batman on Mar 8, 2017 13:21:01 GMT
As I reached the next door, I swerved to the side to avoid yet another vampy woman that jumped at me with her clawed fingers out ahead of her. Then as she fell past me, I put an incendiary bullet in her backside followed immediately by one to her head. As she screamed in agony and went up in fiery smoke, I looked back down the hall to make sure no others were coming.
Since it was clear at the moment, I looked at the next sign, and read it quietly.
"This time it's about simple math.
Solve these riddles to open your path!
Just enter result of the third one.
If it's correct then you are done."
1. Fill in the missing number X in the following pattern: 1,4,9,X,25,36
2. What comes next in the sequence: 1,2,4,8,16,32,64,x
3. X+x=?"
As I examined the math problem, my eyes once again flashed blue, this time a little brighter and longer, as I mentally moved further into conscious thought and action. Then I said out loud, "Hmmm math? You crazy old fart. I use math all the time when aligning just the right sniping shot or MacGyvering my gear in the field! So bring it on! .......1,4,9,X,25,36. Squares? So that would make it, 16. See simple. NEXT!-----
1,2,4,8,16,32,64,x..... Each number is a multiple of 2. So that would be..."
As I focus on mentally multiplying 64 with the correct number, my eyes flashed even brighter for a few seconds. Then they dulled slightly but kept the retinal visors of my helmet at a constant light blue glow. A few seconds later, I came up with the correct answer of: 128.
Then I looked at the next equation: X+x=? Obviously I had to multiply my two answers together. Getting 2048.
Once I got the final answer, I entered the number into the code pad and the door opened. Just then I heard screaming from behind me, and quickly turned and shot two more vampires. However there were several more just behind them. So I stepped back through the opened door. Then as I looked down the corridor, I had just come from, I saw the door close between me and the quick approaching vampires.
Just then I heard, "Ladies and gentlemen!" announced somebody behind me. "It's your favourite game again, hosted by Monty Minotaur. Today's contestant is one and only Mister Atticus Batman. Applause!" Sounds of clapping hands were loud and plentiful.
So I turned around and stepped forward, still in some minor pain, as I saw a TV studio with three doors and a host with a bull head on the shoulders of a beige squared suit. Just as I said,"And just what the dak is THIS shtako?!"
The apparent game show host continued with, "Behind one door is a way out of the labyrinth. Behind the other two doors are...goats. Does Mister Batman has courage to open the door to find his way our of the labyrinth? It's goat our out! Chances are two against one! Pick a door now!"
I growled somewhat confused, "What?!...You pick a daking door and let me out!"
The host said, "Sorry but that is not the game. If you want out, then YOU must pick the correct door. So as I said....Goat or out!"
I glared at him and said angrily, "Fine! Number 2!"
Monty Minotaur nodded and opened Door number 1, which had a goat behind it. Then said, "Would you like to switch?"
I snapped, "Fine, if it will shut all of you up! Now open the daking door!"
Monty nodded and opened door number 3 and the other goat was behind it. Seeing both goats, I grew angry and started to glow white, so brightly that the room was filled with the blinding white electrical flare up.
Outside of the holo-room Joy quickly hit the button to close the shutter over the viewing window so the white flare wouldn't hurt their eyes permanently. Then all three waited a few seconds before glancing at the monitor viewing the game show I was in. As they looked, the glow started dulling down. As it did, it darkened into a dark and angry blue. Once the now dark blue glow had lessened enough that they could clearly see everything in the room, they saw me angrily shoot both goats, to the audience's boos.
Upon seeing that, Wolfram had Brody digitally remove my weapons from the program. When my gun disappeared from my hand, I angrily looked around the room at the upset audience and, now fully conscious, I realized I must be in Wolfram's therapy program. However despite that knowledge, I was still quite angry at this game show host for pulling the old bait and switch on me.
So I swiftly walked towards Monty, like a jungle cat sizing up it's pray. Then I quickly snatched him up by his collar, lifting him slightly off his feet. Then I snapped very angrily, "Listen up Beef brain! You WILL open the last door. OR you WILL join those goats on the daking dinner table!"
Monty nodded in terrified agreement, as I dropped him to his feet. Then he hastily opened the last door and said, "Alright! There you go! Just get out of my labyrinth!"
Not paying him anymore attention, I stepped through the door and was once again in the holographic representation of my sitting room. So I walked, with some pain though not crippling pain this time, over to where I had set my cane by the couch before I had gone to sleep earlier, and retrieved it. Then I looked towards where I knew a camera to be and yelled, "Alright you OLD goat! Let me the dak out now!"
When the actual door appeared and opened, I stepped through it into the main room of my basement, with all my holographic gear disappearing, once again leaving me in my blue jumpsuit and now carrying my cane like I would a battle staff instead of using it as a cane.
As I walked towards the three, it was obvious I was still in minor pain. So Joy asked if she could examine me, saying, "Commander Batman, you are obviously still in pain. May I please give you a quick checkup?"
At first I just glared at her, then after a couple of seconds I said, "As you can see, the pain is NOT debilitating anymore, and my EGO is now telling me that she believes my current pain is mostly caused by using muscles that I had neglected for most of a month. So I don't see a reason why I would let a daking doctor or MEDIC touch me...however I suppose if it will make you and the fossil feel better and keep you from waking my sister earlier than needed....then go ahead."
Joy nodded and quickly started giving me a quick checkup before I could change my mind. Between what she could determine physically and what her EGO told her, with my EGO verifying it, they determined that most of the remaining pain was indeed from using my partially atrophied body. So she immediately filled me and Wolfram in on that, before adding, "...but there is still a portion of the remaining, albeit now minor, pain that I and our EGOs can not completely link to his atrophy."
I glared at her and then snapped, "I am back on my feet and not relying on the cane anymore. Not to mention that I deserve whatever remaining pain I may still have! So thank you for the update, but it is good enough! at least I can now actively take care of and play with my children...and IF my sister needs me to, then I can help out in the War Room. However I still am NOT sure I am ready to be the Commander again. Besides after all the harm I have done, can any of you three,...or the others that were under my Command at the time, honestly tell me that you really want me back as Commander?!"
Joy Jameson looked down at her feet for a couple seconds, as she gently bit her lip while thinking over my question. Then glancing at Brody and Wolfram, she looked back at me and answered with a resounding, "YES!...You may be a...uh...a...stubborn asshole at times but, YES!..." Then I noticed a slight flutter of her eyes and subtle flick of her hair as she turned toward Broderick Smythe and said sweetly to him, emphasizing his name in a flirtatious way, "Don't you agree, Brody?"
I watched the exchange, for the first time realizing that she was flirting with him, which I must have obviously missed earlier, unless this new circumstance had started after I was locked in my holo-training room. As I realized that and looked towards Wolfram, about to ask him just what the hell I was seeing and wondering if I was still actually in the holo-room, Joy gently grabbed Brody's hand as he numbly nodded at her in agreement. Then she said to Wolfram, "Wouldn't you agree Doctor Von Eschen? Surely you have heard just as many of the base personnel asking when our Commander Batman would be back in command as I have, if not more?!"
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Post by Wolfram von Eschen on Mar 8, 2017 19:06:15 GMT
"The Doctor says," begun Wolfram von Eschen. "That this nut house needs a tough nut in charge of it. Herr Batman, despite of his lately, hmmm...deviations, still seems to be the right leader material. We have hard times and in those times people need decent leadership. Enough said! Now we are going to our separate quarters to give this man some time with his children, since he is fully awake. I see that young Broderick is yawning already. An elderly gentleman, like me, doesn't need much night sleep any more, but young ones do. He has done first class job today and deserves his beauty sleep. As for me...I am going to celebrate Herr Batman's success...and ours and analyse the process till the morning comes. We can get description from the pat...Herr Batman's experience from his point of view in the morning as well. Until then...Fin ch'han dal vino!"
Finch' han del vino calda la testa,
Una gran festa fa' preparar.
Se trovi in piazza qualche ragazza,
Teco ancor quella cerca menar.
Senza alcun ordine la danza sia,
Chi 'l minuetto chi la follia,
Chi l' alemanna farai ballare.
Ed io frattanto dall' altro canto
Con questa e quella vo' amoreggiar.
Ah la mia lista doman mattina
D' una decina devi aumentare.
Wolfram von Eschen pushed Joy and Brody gently out from the bunker door and followed them, leaving Atticus Batman to spend more quality times with his children and also to think about what Joy, Brody and Wolfram himself said to him...
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Post by Atticus Batman on Mar 9, 2017 12:44:44 GMT
"The Doctor says," begun Wolfram von Eschen. "That this nut house needs a tough nut in charge of it. Herr Batman, despite of his lately, hmmm...deviations, still seems to be the right leader material. We have hard times and in those times people need decent leadership. Enough said! Now we are going to our separate quarters to give this man some time with his children, since he is fully awake. I see that young Broderick is yawning already. An elderly gentleman, like me, doesn't need much night sleep any more, but young ones do. He has done first class job today and deserves his beauty sleep. As for me...I am going to celebrate Herr Batman's success...and ours and analyse the process till the morning comes. We can get description from the pat...Herr Batman's experience from his point of view in the morning as well. Until then...Fin ch'han dal vino!"
I responded with, "Good ideas. Dealing with your idea of therapy is definitely a good work out. So perhaps I should rest my sore bones and get a drink as well."
After we quietly went upstairs, Wolfram von Eschen pushed Joy and Brody gently out from the bunker door and followed them, leaving me to spend more quality times with my children and also to think about what Joy, Brody and Wolfram himself said to me.
Once they were gone, I re-secured the door. I glanced at the clock seeing that it is still technically night and therefor way to early to wake the twins for breakfast. Then I turned and looked at Misty asleep on the couch with her opened book on her and considered waking her to send her back to her quarters, however I decided to just let her sleep where she was instead of rudely kicking her out in the middle of the night after she willingly helped me out by watching the twins for me twice today. So I walked over to the closet and removed a blanket, then went back to the couch. I gently removed and closed Misty's book, setting it on the coffee table. Then I covered her with the blanket. Next I walked over to the cribs and gently kissed both my children's heads as I adjusted their blankets. After just watching them sleep for a little while, I walked into my kitchen and retrieved a bottle of my rum.
Then I re-entered the sitting area and quietly walked over to my big comfy chair and sat down. Once sitting, I reclined and put my feet up on my footstool. Next I opened my bottle and started sipping my rum to get my energy back, as I considered what Wolfram and Joy had said, while still wondering if I really could go back to commanding others to their deaths, after I had already caused the death of my wife, and personally killed my best friend's and his girlfriend's unborn child. However more importantly I still knew deep down that I will someday find a way to be with Lady again, because even though I agree that she must be dead if she hasn't come back, I still refuse to actually believe it, for I will NEVER give up on my faith in her.
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Post by Sandy Bell on Mar 9, 2017 13:05:06 GMT
Sandy Bell slept soundly in her quarters for the first time in almost a month. She had no dreams, but she did snore. She snored quite loudly. In fact she snore so loud that she woke herself up. When she did, she curled both hands into two tan fists and wiped the sleep out of her eyes before swinging her feet out of bed. She saw her lover, Volodja Uljanov asleep sitting up next to her bed and she smiled standing up and putting her blanket over his broad shoulder as he slept on. Sandy noticed that she was still dressed in her no longer crisp EMC uniform minus the boots who she assumed Volodja had taken off her before placing her in bed. Last she remembered she was in a car traveling back to Fortress Kshaa from near the Overpass, so she also assumed it must have been Volodja who carried her from the car when it arrived to her quarters and tucked her into their bed.
Sandy didn't worry that he didn't get into bed next to her. They and their relationship had gone through too much since its inception for her to think it was because of ill will or any hidden motivations. Sandy knew in her heart that the reason he didn't join her in bed although she wished he had was as simple as either not wanting to disturb her slumber or merely being so exhausted that he fell asleep as soon as he stopped moving - or a combination of both.
Sandy sat on the floor putting her boots on, then turned over balancing herself on her two hands and the toes of her feet as she did push-ups. She had fallen out of her morning exercise regime and feeling she was getting flabby although she was anything but thought to herself, "No time like the present to get back into shape." However after only twenty-five, she felt winded and rolled over sitting on the floor thinking, "Yep, real out of shape for sure."
Sandy could see Volodja was still sleeping and knew if she tried to move him he would wake up so instead opted to find food for her now growling stomach. She crept out of their quarters heading toward the base mess hall but suddenly found herself heading to the rooftop garden of Ralph the Cook instead because of a sudden hankering for a few of the wonderful ripe tomatoes that had miraculously sprouted up on what had been withering vines. Ralph had given her and Volodja "raiding" privileges in his rather large rooftop garden because they had helped a great deal in the last month in pruning and expanding it. This was more because of Volodja's apparent green thumb and extensive book knowledge on agriculture than her efforts, although she had done her fair share of weeding and fetching tools for the two men. Furthermore Ralph knew from their resident psychiatrist Wolfram von Eshen that tending the garden had been great therapy for both Volodja and Sandy after losing their unborn child and had encouraged them to do so whenever they felt the need to get away from their dark thoughts.
In the early hours of this morning Sandy's thoughts were not so much dark as hungry so when she went up to the rooftop garden this time it was not to get away from anything but to get towards the delicious fruit she knew was growing there. However, when she opened the door to the rooftop garden she was surprised to see that the garden was not only thriving but had now grown over the disheveled area where the zombug had dug to the surface less than ten hours ago. Furthermore, there was a strange mist over where the tomato vines grew, although not over any other part of the garden. Sandy shrugged, then reached into the mist to gather a few tomatoes, only to feel first a tingling sensation on her hand and then an electric shock that sent her sprawling onto her buttocks several feet from the mist. The mist itself seemed to collect itself into a small glowing cloud hovering two feet off the ground that first shivered then retreated behind one of the many greenhouses dotting the rooftop of Fortress Kshaa.
Sandy stood up slowly much more surprised than hurt then glanced a the hand she had stuck into the mist only to receive another surprise. She had received a rather nasty cut there while gardening the day before and although her EGO was well on the way to healing it, the wound still had looked pretty bad when she awoke earlier but now was completely healed. Sandy slowly approached to where the small cloud was... hiding. "Can there be any other word for it?" thought Sandy to herself as she began to put together several apparently random clues into a coherent conclusion.
Again, the glowing cloud appeared to be shivering but at least it didn't retreat any further, so Sandy stood still in front of it and asked seeking confirmation of an educated guess that brought her sudden hope, "Did you make the tomato plants healthy?"
The cloud stopped shivering, then hesitated as if contemplating its answer before moving up and down vertical to the ground like a giant head shaking in agreement.
Sandy's blue eyes grew big as she asked a second question, "Did you bring the zombug - the dead hellbug - back to life?"
The small cloud went up and down as before whereupon Sandy fell to her knees tears streaming from her eyes her tan arms stretched out imploring to the cloud, "Would you bring my baby back to life - PLEASE?"
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Post by Volodja Uljanov on Mar 9, 2017 19:50:09 GMT
Volodja Uljanov was in deep sleep so he could not hear neither Sandy's footsteps or the sound of closing cabin door. Even his usually sharp instincts were tired. That's why he didn't woke up right away but fidgeted restlessly on his seat at first. Then his eyes fluttered open and he looked instinctively their bed where he put Sandy to sleep. Now the bed was empty... Volodja was not panicking kind. Quite opposite -even in extreme situation he managed to remain calm enough to think rationally. But not panicking doesn't mean not being worried. And Volodja became really worried after leaping to his feet and finding that Sandy was not in their quarters any more. Volodja pulled the door open, not realizing that his other hand still clutched blanket, Sandy spread over his sleeping body to keep him warm. Volodja's mind provided him with possible places where he should look for her first. He excluded most of those places right away as irrelevant and decided to begin from the one and only place, except their quarters, where they felt safe lately - their, pardon, Ralph's secret garden. First he walked. Then he walked faster. Then he walked even faster and finally he begun to run along hallways and corridors of Fortress K'Shaa, blanket fluttering behind him like a cape, making him to look like a knight who is a bit late from a battle but does his best to reach there and fight along others.  Volodja reached out his hand tapped access code on console and dove into the garden as soon as the door slid open, stepping on the rake on his way but blocking the slamming haft with his free hand without paying any attention to his action because his eyes were looking for Sandy. Seeing her down on her knees made Volodja to rush forward even faster and...stumble. His knees gave up, he fell to them and slid on the Ralph's English grass as he was riding a sledge, stopping only when he reached by Sandy's side. "I...became...worried...when...I...didn't...saw...you...in..bed," panted Volodja. "Sorry...for...not...finding...you..sooner." |
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Post by Luuzuk Kshaa on Mar 9, 2017 21:26:13 GMT
When they finished eating, Lu led Constantine twins to the courtyard. She figured that if they wanted to know more about the ritual, they could begin with watching her making preparations for it. Once they were out of the main building, she made her way to the garage where she searched for suitable parts to make a campfire. Although she thought of using more modern means of drying leaves of Ditarra plant she gathered, she wasn't sure if it could make a difference, so she opted to make everything as close to the episode that carved into her memory as possible. So she found a sheet of metal with iron rods capable of supporting it above the fire and broke one of empty crates for firewood. Then she went out to the courtyard again where she made a campfire and put the leaves onto the metal sheet. Once she was satisfied with the construction she created, she sat next to the fire and invited Constantines to do the same. "Smells like some exotic tea! Atika noted when the vapor started to come out of the leaves. "You wouldn't want to taste this tea," Lu said, turning each leaf with a stick carefully, "These are leaves of the Ditarra plant and only those of which grow next to Grazbi are used. This symbiosis makes them highly hallucinogenic. Believe me, I know from the experience." When twins stared at her, she added, "I was a teenager that time and a curious one. When I spied of our leader performing this ritual and read the recipe, I've tried to make this 'tea' myself. Next thing I remember I woke up tied to the bed and a bunch of people who were very angry at me for what I had done. The only one who wasn't shouting at me was Dilaha Patigyekpu, our priestess, who said she was surprised I did almost everything right for the ritual. I was about to say it was not a big deal to mix a couple of ingredients in a right proportion and heat them to the right temperature especially for the one who deals with explosives on a daily basis but I decided that was not the most clever thing to say to the Priestess so I kept my opinion to myself. In fact it paid off immediately as she told me what I did wrong. I didn't clear my mind and concentrate on my experience because… well, because I haven't had any unusual experience at that time. Dilaha said it happens when you've been 'touched' like she said, and you have a brief feeling as if you're someone else. That's exactly how I felt today when I descended into the sinkhole where Batman's Dodge fell. Or at least I hope so." She went silent for a moment and then added, "There's one thing I'm concerned of though. Erika said she heard the scream too. As we both are going through almost the same steps of the Ritual, she might get lost on the visions too. That's why I'll ask you to stay alert and keep watching for us throughout the Ritual. I might be screaming and crying, but that's normal as I'm possibly going to live through someone’s not-so-pleasant episodes of someone else's life and maybe even through their death. What the Guide should do is to keep reassure me that I'm there to merely watch it and that I cannot change the past I'm going to relive. In case Erika falls into visions too, it will be up to you to help both of us." As she checked the leaves and found them to be ready for the next step, Lu rubbed them into powder and collected it into a cloth bag. "And now, let’s go get some sleep," she finally said, "It's late already and I'd rather come to the beginning of the Ritual well-rested and let Erika have her rest too."
When Lu woke up, it was still early in the morning. She didn't remember the dream she just saw or if she even saw any dreams, but she was absolutely sure of the decision she woke up with: Now. She quickly donned her usual nomadic garb and took the Pulverizer with her — mostly for the protective shield it had — and the hookah she "borrowed" the day before. "Now. Meet me at the holo room," Lu sent to Erika, Attila and Atika. As she reached the room, she asked Klimi, her EGO psyche, to program the room to look exactly like she remembered the one where she saw the Gyatu ritual.  When Erika came, she asked her to check if everything was set right for the ritual. After the corrections were made and Constantines arrived too, Lu put her weapons in the corner of the room, leaving only one throwing knife she was going to use and sat in the center of the room in front of Erika. After Erika said the prayer and drew the eye symbol on Lu's forehead with Sabdi powder they used the knife to spill a drop of their blood into the bowl with the powder. The bowl was placed into the hookah and when the smoke started to come out of it, Lu breathed in, concentrating on what she thought was the feeling of being someone else she felt the day before. |
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