Re: The Adbot's Revenge!
(Most of this first part is just to state what the forum is like, in terms of structure.)
Once Grave reached a satisfying height, he began to observe the area, looking for anything weird - strange objects or figures, traces of landing... Anything.
Nothing… utterly nothing. In fact, absofucking
lutely nothing. Just the forum, and everything that entails… the perimeter, broken in parts from earlier but being repaired as he watched, the News and Announcements area, responsible for the forum’s TV, radio and else wise communication buildings. There was the Hentai district, and all
that entailed, the rather large area dedicated to the founding father of the community, LineMarvel – as well as the jail, military base, and also technically Control, the big building in the centre of the forum, though most considered it in a district of its own. The area didn’t seem to get all that many non-military visitors, though it also had the best park of the city, and Grave could see children playing in it.
There was, of course, the Forum’s Development section, housing both the researchers and their research, and above which Grave was currently hovering, the strangely, or perhaps aptly named Everything Else housing area, generally considered to be poorer than the populations in the other areas, especially being located not too far from the trashcan, the forum’s dump, and the Archive, a great library and store of records… As well as that, Grave spots the Blank Page industrial district, the RolePlay section, containing the school, observatory, university, mage academy, museum and strangely the gaming centre, as well as a large amount of undeveloped land suitable for new enterprises… and lastly, the Play By Post shopping/housing/gaming area, where the wealthier residents tended to live, which also had a significant amount of land waiting to be developed, making the area look more scenic.
But, in the end, there was nothing that rave could pick out of the ordinary. It certainly didn’t help that he’d only glimpsed a Lurker for a second before being blinded, nor that the population of the forum was pretty damn diverse in appearance, especially in the everything Else District (though less so in the PBP area and the LineMarvel monument, where people tended to be human only…). Still, there was nothing. Utterly, nothing. Not a footprint, not a speck of dust, not a drop of spiritual essence.
Nothing.
(It seems everyone has forgotten that the stuff with Burrito is happening
two hours after the Lurkers left the building… does anyone mind if I just write in some filler?)
The squad and prisoners return unharmed, none of them have anything interesting to report – just the things the squad already knows, that there were people in suits and wearing the Lurker symbol. The scientist is understandably pissed at the loss of her prototype and naturally blames the military for its loss… which you can’t really argue with, as she’s technically correct… thankfully she spends her time arguing with the rookie squad that came in first and doesn’t really bother the ones who rescued her. (Even though, again, you technically didn’t…)
Everyone goes back to talk with Aika. Pale tells him about Host, and after providing a description of the reptile, Aika explains that Host is the one who came to talk to him on the second forum, when the Lurkers were making peace the first time. Which means that somehow, he, at least, had escaped from certain death… which means that the other Lurkers might have as well... including Adom himself. Strangely, though, Aika remembers him as being a confusing, unstable and zealous individual, but not particularly
smart… he also recalls red highlights and a horrible voice that hurt his ears to listen to.
Copper heals and gets a meal. Grave finds no one even remotely Lurker-like. Shrike… does something Shrike-y. Same with Pale. …Except she does something Pale-y. Obviously.
(Assuming this isn’t too OOC for Aika to act…) Aika and Siphon have a Talk. A Talk about how Siphon should technically be booted from active duty for a few weeks… or months… which then turns to a talk about Trust and Duty and Honor… the basic gist of which is that Siphon has been brilliant to now and Aika doesn’t expect that to stop anytime soon, virus or no. As he put it himself, “I know you. You’d sooner tear out your own heart than let it move your body to attack those you care for.” Aika doesn’t believe that the forum’s medical abilities could do anything about the virus, but he offers their services to aid Siphon anyway, in the off chance that it will do something good – the first part of which are numerous samples. Granted, this is entirely off all records and away from the eye of pretty much utterly everyone but the relevant scientists and Aika himself. It’s pretty hard to ignore the irony of a president breaking his own laws…
(Now you’ve caught up to the time of Burrito, Oni and Host. Also, everybody probably has gotten a radio by now.)
(Don’t be pullin’ no foe-yay on me for this…)
So he wants to rule this planet instead of destroy it? An admirable goal... And his laugh… I can respect a man with a laugh like that.
Host remains silent for most of the conversation, too occupied with trying to figure out more about what’s going on, rather uncharacteristically having trouble wrapping his head around everything happening. Then again, he has just had a world destroyer dumped on his lap, then turn into a world owner, and his diplomatic partner Burrito suddenly became worth far more than just being the commander of a ULMF squad… When Burrito tells him to back away, he does so, wary of getting between two people seemingly about to fight. It isn’t long, however, before he gets a hold on what he believes is happening, and adds a comment.
"You may destroy the planet. But if I don't stop this war, the planet's doomed anyway. So how 'bout you help me stop those giant things flying around up there, and then we can talk about saving the world from you."
“He’s not kidding, Lord. We’re on a rather time sensitive mission of peace between our two peoples, and failing that would cause, at the very least, a large part of your new domain to be destroyed… if not the entire planet. The planet this unique individual happens to be
on at the moment.”
"If possible, I'd like to warn my friends of what may be happening. I'll get on the radio and see." he says, reaching for his radio and turning it on "This is Captain Burrito, can anyone hear me out there? I need a pick up and a sit-rep." he says, checking to make sure it wasn't damaged
“Burrito
ooo…” Host complains, shaking his head. “We gave you that radio on the condition that you wouldn’t use it till after we were in the forum, or we’d have to kill you… just because there’s no one to enforce that anymore doesn’t mean you should do so.” He sighs. “This diplomatic mission keeps getting more and more unlikely to succeed by the second.”
Thankfully Host can’t hear what’s being said through the radio, as he would have snatched it and began shouting obscenities through it at Grave for using ‘corpses’ where he should have used ‘corpse’. When the hive appears and begins blasting the area, there really wasn’t much he could do. They were obviously the targets – there simply wasn’t anyone else out here that the hive could be going for. The batteries aimed with mechanical accuracy at the trio, and Host simply lay down and closed his eyes. The world destroyer could probably deal with it, but probably not before they were incinerated… and there was nothing he could do to help. The batteries fired, and Oni went up in smoke. Then they re-aimed at the remaining two and continued firing. The shots rained down. And missed. And
missed. And
missed. And
missed… and then the hive had a huge hole through it and Oni had come back. After that it really didn’t fire too much anymore. Then he came down some distance away, but not so far that Host, still lying down, couldn’t hear him.
"It's a shame you and your planet have to die now. Too bad that pathetic weakling won't be able to find his 'peace'. Such a fucking horrid goal to aim for anyway."
“I resent that,” he said quietly, going completely unheard compared to Oni and the crashing hive, preparing once again to make peace with existence, noting briefly his annoyance that the universe seemed unable to make up its mind as to whether he was doomed or not. And then his fate changed again, and Oni turned from cool armour guy back to cool fedora guy.
Siphon arrived, but by this point the group had moved far enough away from Host that he really couldn’t tell all that much.
"HOST! YOU BIG PUSSY! GET OUT HERE!"
So we’re alive? We ‘won’? Host thought to himself, also noting that the falling continent had stopped falling, though he could still hear his ears ringing… after all those SOG’s he been subjected to for testing, though, it wasn’t comparatively all that bad. The shockwave was new, though.
He pushed himself up with an arm. He fell over as his arm really didn’t seem to want to support his weight. He took a look at the defiant limb, and noted that it was charred like a chicken that'd been left in an active oven for an hour. Looks like one of those shots hadn’t quite missed him after all… the fact that he didn’t feel any pain – even when he was trying to – probably wasn’t a good sign… Host picked pushed himself up with the other arm instead. “Yes, sir! Coming, sir!” seeing the stranger with the two others was unexpected, but things really hadn’t been going anything like he had expected recently.
Must be loosing my touch… Despite one arm being charred through (not that that’s easy to notice thanks to the black scales) and not moving fully, Host looks genuinely happy. …It’s actually a little creepy.
“My apologies, I didn’t realise we had another guest. Just laying there while you waited was most inhospitable of me. You are…?”
