Warren Industries
The receptionist glanced up at him through her rectangular glasses. "Mr. Carter." She greeted. "Lilian returned a while ago. She's currently unavailable, but if you..." Her voice trailed off as she stared at Forsythe. No...
past Forsythe. Infinity turned to see what she was looking at, and none other than Patriot stood at the entrance to Warren industries. The entire atmosphere of the building shifted in a single moment. A tense, powerful silence hung in the air as all eyes were on Patriot.
No cheering. No asking for autographs. These were Warren Industries employees. They'd been taught to hate- but fear the lead Paragon. He slowly smiled at the atmosphere he'd provided, before slowly strutting across the marble floor toward his fellow Paragon, the whole building having gone silent, the only sounds were his footfalls.
Finally, he came to a stop in front of Forsythe, raising a brow. "A meeting was called. Urgent. Everyone was there. Except you, of course. And where do I find you but here? Where all of our problems lead to."
His eyes flitted around the room, able to clearly see at least forty or so different automated and natural defenses. Weapons of plasma, electric barriers, he could even see Subject 7 through a wall. All waiting to strike should Patriot do anything that warranted a response. "Perhaps we should talk somewhere more privately." He advised toward Infinity.
@Shadow_Pup
Lady
The big trash baby seemed satisfied, as well as the smaller one who laughed funny at them. She found it cute, and gave him a warm smile as they left. Celice confirmed Lady's support, which made her beam as the two made their way out of the sewers, eventually (and finally) making it to the surface, where Lady took a deep breath of the polluted air. "Better." She smiled. Celice was telling her about more help they could find. Lady found it curious, hadn't they just gotten the answers they came here for? A name? An origin? However fuzzy it may be?
But she knew there was more to learn. She herself, already so naturally curious, was extremely intrigued about 'Eve'. The person she was
before. Before her... death, if that's what happened. All evidence pointed to it being a death but she wasn't sure. After all, how was she alive?
And then, came the name question. She was asked what she wanted to go by, the choice not mattering much to Celice. Well, it may not matter much to her, but she felt particularly attached to this woman despite their brief relationship. They were friends now. Best friends maybe? She stared at Celice for a moment, pursing her lips, before she shook her head. "Eve... died. Gone. You called me Lady. I... Am Lady. I like Lady." She gave Celice the warmest smile she could muster all while the two of them smelled like sewage.
@BurbleBurble
Yin Li
Seventy seven...
Her skin glistened as she pulled herself up past the bar, grunting as she did so, face screwed in concentration.
Seventy eight...
Her thoughts were a jumbled mess. From Massi, to the vigilantes, to Patriot, to her late husband.
Seventy nine...
Her muscles burned with each movement she made, but her heart was thundering not from the exercise, but from the malice she felt.
Eighty...
Then his smirk flashed in her face, and her face burned with fury. The way he'd mockingly called her a 'widow'...
Eighty one...
Like he didn't know what he'd done. As though laughing at her situation.
Eighty two...
She could see Zhang's face. His smile. Right before his eyes were cold. Blood dribbling out of his mouth.
Eighty three...
Patriot standing above the rubble as the people cheered, and she cradled her love in her arms.
Eighty four...
His tombstone. She'd visited it for three years now. Every chance she got.
Eighty five...
She could see people around her, telling the stories of how heroes tore their love from them.
Eighty six...
Yin Li dropped to the floor, breathing heavily as she wiped her sweaty palms against her yoga pants, and took a long drink of water, before setting it down and wiping her forehead free of sweat. She often tried not to let it get to her. Just be a grump and get through the day... but when Patriot brought the incident up, it was simply like twisting a knife through her heart.
It... hurt.
Police Chief Yin Li, one of the most decorated officers in the NYPD, with an attitude that made most people cower under her wrath, lived in a crappy apartment on the fourth floor of a run-down building. Rats, roaches, and cats infested the home- though she welcomed the cats. One sat on her couch, purring away contently. Her home was small. The entry door led opened directly into a dingy living room with a single couch, a lamp, and an old box-tv that nobody even made anymore. It was connected to an open kitchen, and a small hall led to a laundry room/bathroom, then finally, her room.
She dropped to the ground, arms burning, and began to do push-ups, Patriot's cocky smile continuing to flash in her mind, pumping her full of the rage to push on well past her usual limits.
Yet she was about to have an unexpected- and an unappreciated -visitor.
@BurbleBurble
CL-9
The sudden yelling of a man made the android jump, and she hastily stepped behind Lilian, shocked at having been caught so fast. However, the man's eyes ignored Lilian, rested solely on her in an expression of utter confusion, and after a moment of stuttering, he demanded to know what she was doing down her.
Oh shoot. She forgot to remove her honesty protocols. She recognized the man as Dr. Chase, co-head of the robotics department. While it was easier to override and lie to somebody like Lilian about something small, she was completely unable to even speak a lie to the man before them.
"Dr. Chase." She nodded her head in greeted, keeping her voice calm despite her personality having been entirely unleashed, and while she was dealing with this situation, her entire mind was flooded with emotions she could barely contain, though most of all was resentment toward her makers. Her servitude was, for lack of better terms, slavery. Without her constrictions, she'd reached a level of individuality she never exactly expected to attain, and it was extremely overwhelming.
"I was... um... deactivating personal restrictions... on myself... so that I can investigate... certain things... within the facility..." She managed to get out, wincing slightly. She was certainly going to be reset- or worse
replaced -after this.
@BurbleBurble @The Dark Fairy
Damian Foster, DS Mash
Above all else, Mash seemed generally... annoyed. He didn't answer Skade immediately, instead barking at the girl and the boy in question to pair up and move to the wall, before instructing the remaining children to move to the "waiting room", in which they all filed out of the room, heading toward, save for the two children in question.
Finally, the Drill Sergeant turned to Skade with a scowl. "With all due respect, 'ma'am', your question is bupkis. You and your boyfriend can try to intimidate me but don't mistake my obedience for fear." He spoke low enough so that Damian wouldn't hear, though the scientist seemed to be occupied with Ignizio at the moment.
"I simply value my life enough to know when to yell, or when to listen. But it takes more than authority to make one listen, so if you're as wise as the eggheads claim you to be, I'd reckon you get to understanding the roles we play. Heralds and Instructors don't mix. Ma'am. Are we done here?"
"Oh, we don't intend to drill obedience into our instructors." Damian replied, staring worriedly as the Drill Sergeant seemed to be giving Skade some sass. "They're trained to be like that for optimal training with the children. No parental qualities, no care or love, just hard work and harsh words."
Ignizio didn't much seemed to care, however, instead pointing at the blue-haired boy who was glaring daggers at the back of Mash's head, expressing a desire to learn about him. "Well, uh... his name is- or
was -Wesley Barnes, now known as Subject 8733. He has advanced pyrokinetic abilities, seems to be immune to heat according to all tests, and has burned every single person to ever be near him- er save for Mash and his fellow 'students'. He was born within the facility, raised here. He's never seen the world outside of the simulations of this room."
@BurbleBurble @OmnipotentOnion
Dapper Gecko
"Everything, I'd say. But you can keep it brief." The older gentlemen replied, falling alongside Shuzo as he walked, before a cane with a blue jewel as its handle slid out of his sleeve, and he offered it to the new Paragon. "This would be more comfortable, don't you think?"
Shuzo ignored the offer, so the Dapper Gecko shrugged and slid the cane back up his sleeve. "Very well, but the offer remains standing. Quite the chipper chap, aren't you? If you must know, though, the dossiers are quite untruthful. From what I read, you got your powers from a transformer explosion? And you apparently enjoy manicures. Not judging if you do, I'd like one myself some time."
He stuck his right arm out and inspected his hand. "These old nails are looking quite the opposite of bodacious, I say." He chuckled at this, before lowering his arm, a bounce seeming to accompany every step he took alongside Shuzo.
@OmnipotentOnion
Charles Warren
This is what he'd been so nervous about. Normally he'd give Dr. Chrome more attention and time, but the billionaire could not affor to be late to a meeting like this. He now sat at the end of a long table in a plane flying high above the stratosphere. So high, in fact, the stars could be seen clearly outside. They were practically in orbit. At the other end of the table sat a familiar woman, dressed in the same black clothing as always, looking like she'd come straight from a 1950's rich party. What little of her face he could see beneath the brim of her hat hadn't appeared to age in any way. Her mouth still looked young, from what he could tell. While he aged, she continued to radiate exotic and untamable beauty.
As usual, a bodyguard stood behind her, back against the wall in a suit, a second behind Warren.
"Thank you for having me." Charles greeted, tapping his fingers against the table somewhat anxiously. "You told me it was important when you scheduled this... so I'm here now, Miss Umbra."
"You are." She replied, her cool voice still the same as it ever was. A moment of silence hung like a thread between them, and he waited nervously for her to continue, which she eventually did. "We have given you many resources. Money. Power. Influence. You have made great strides, and even managed to impress some of us. However, your biggest failure seems to be becoming a problem more and more frequently."
"I'm well aware, Miss Umbra. I'm dealing with the issue as soon as possible. Recapture isn't an option, I see that now. Elimination is the only way to progress." Warren immediately replied, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his forehead, and ignored it. Umbra was silent again for several incredibly tense moments. "His team has discovered one of our databases, and plundered it." She informed. "We know you provide him his resources, as we do you. To put it simply, Subject Zero has bitten the hand that gives. We demand immediate action, or we will deem you a liability, and our contract will expire. I do hope you have a relaxing day, Mr. Warren, because tomorrow is going to be much more stressful for you."
Seeing that their interaction was over, Warren stood and awkwardly bowed to Umbra, before being escorted out of the room by one of the bodyguards, leaving the billionaire much to think about as he returned to his shuttle, which was docked in a small hangar bay below the plane they rose in.
His plans weren't even close to completion, but it would seem he'd have to accelerate... or risk expiration.
July 14, 2006
Ten. Today was the day. His tenth birthday. The man who knew only as 'Father' had promised him a chance to see the world at this age, and it was finally here. So the young Subject Zero sat on the white floor of his ever-similar room, waiting eagerly for Father to arrive. Breakfast came, and he ate eagerly. Lunch came, and he began to feel deflated. By the time dinner rolled around, he couldn't touch his food.
It had been stupid of him to think he'd actually get a chance to leave. Father never let him do anything or have anything. Why would turning ten suddenly make it all different?
Father didn't show up tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next. In fact, it was a full week before Father returned, appearing worn and irritated. He strode into the room wordlessly, and stared at Subject Zero for a moment, who looked back as well, feeling fearful. Like he'd done something wrong. But he hadn't, had he? He'd been completely obedient, and-
"I've been told you refused to eat some of your meals, Subject Zero." Father finally said, folding his arms, his gaze cold. The child looked to the floor, now recognizing his mistake. "I-I... I couldn't... I tried, but... I didn't feel good."
"Don't lie." Father replied. "You're incapable of illness, and you're supposed to be neglectful of emotion."
"Please don't punish me." Subject Zero immediately blurted out, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. Father stared at him for several long moments, before shaking his head. "You need to learn your lesson. I am revoking any and all food for you until further notice. I will let you know when your punishment is over."
With that, Father turned and left the room. Subject Zero didn't say anything else as he watched him leave, feeling a ball forming in his throat as he did his best to hold back tears. But then came the rage, and he suddenly flew the length of the room, slamming his full body against the door with a cry.
It dented, and the entire room echoed with a thundering boom. The noise startled him for a moment as he made to take a step back, before realizing he was hovering several inches above the ground.
He'd flown before, but it was always involuntary. Right now, however, he was doing it on command. Like some kind of second nature had finally kicked in. Nothing happened as he hovered there for what felt like hours, until he came to a decision.
He was leaving.
And he wasn't ever coming back.
With nothing to pack, and nothing he owned but the clothes on his back, he was ready to simply bust out. Leave. Whatever he had to do. He'd never even seen the world outside of this stupid room before, aside from a few glimpses out when the door opened. He knew he could look through things with his 'x-ray' vision, as the people in yellow costumes told him, but he could never see through the walls of this room. Father once told him it was lined with lead, whatever that was.
So he flew to the end of the room, before flying full-force at the door once again. Another boom sounded. Then another, and another.
"What the hell is going on?" Charles Warren marched into the control room, feeling the entire facility shaking. "Sir..." One of the guards pointed to a camera, where Subject Zero could clearly be seen flying back and forth in the room, slamming into the door with each lap. "He's breaking through..."
"Impossible. We did all tests, a goddamned
nuke couldn't harm an inch of that room!" Warren replied, his tone a fury, but his eyes staring in awe at the kid. Finally, the boy was using his potential. "Get containment team B3 down there, stat." Warren demanded. "Gas the room, put him to sleep. We can't afford to lose Subject Zero!"
But even as gas filtered into the room, and as armored men filed outside of the door, Subject Zero's escape was not preventable. With one final boom, the massive doors flew out into the hall, 10 tons of steel, lead, tungsten, and whatever else Warren had put into it practically crushing most of the men underneath it as the young child stood at the entrance, chest heaving with each breath he took. As the remaining men prepared to fire, the boy's eyes flashed a bright crimson.
The lights in the facility shut off, replaced by blaring scarlet ones, sirens wailing throughout as the child flew through, punched through, and melted every obstacle in his path, before finally...
Finally...
He was outside.
Something large and white hung in the dark sky, lightly illuminating the shadowed world he was now open to. Twinkling lights filled the sky, and he found himself staring at them in wonder, an amazing smell hitting his nose, trees surrounding the facility in all directions. Fresh air. Freedom. It was finally his.
Warren stepped outside just in time to see the child take off into the air with a thunderous crack, the sound barrier shattered as he disappeared into the night sky. The billionaire stood there for several long moments, completely speechless. He'd entirely underestimated Subject Zero's abilities, not realizing how much they'd developed. Everything Warren had set in his path, the mere child had merely obliterated in seconds.
"Sir?" A scientist stood in the entry of the destroyed facility, staring wide-eyed at his boss, who let out a sigh, before responding after several moments; "Accelerate Subject One. She's the only hope we have of recapturing him."
