Machines in the Dark

[nemo]

This forgotten place had not lost the buzz activity. The old generators long ago shut off, destroyed in the fires of a final struggle for the fate of Gotham's flesh and blood citizens, but not everything had been lost - not everything had been destroyed. Something... something had taken residence.

Some of the horrifying creatures it had once produced had returned home - such was instinct, such was their directives, irresistible urges, but they had found no solace there - they didn't grow in number, they didn't do... anything. Once they went back to that place underneath the bridge, that one final entrance left unmolested, they went into the dark... and disappeared.

In recent days, that bridge has become something of an urban legend - a horror story, a terrifying thing, an unknown avoided by even the insane. The umbrella creatures weren't the only things that went into that black place - gangs looking for a hideout, hobos looking for a place to sleep, all... disappeared into the black, never to be heard or seen again. People started avoiding that out-of-the-way bridge, calling it a bad omen - a dangerous place, and marked as such by the graffiti on the walls, made only in the daytime. For dares, teenagers stand in the doorway of the bridge and stare into the musty black - a stairway leading down, machines running, all in absolute black, but sometimes... they come back from that pale faced, like they'd seen a ghost, something about a child singing... softly, somewhere in the deep darkness.

There are less pleasant stories... ones of pale ghosts and hellish dogs moving in and out at night...

There are machines in the dark - something has taken residence in there... but what? The maw of the abyss opens wide.

[megaman]

A lone van on a mostly empty road, it's dull red paint job coated in grime and dirt, it's muffler spewing forth a noxious cloud of smog as it slowly coasted to a stop and the side door slid open and a single foot landed on the pavement. It's blue armored toes feeling the ground briefly before bringing the other out to meet the world after what seemed like an eternity on board the heavily armored lad within looked upon his destination with fresh eyes. He looked down the hill that would take him under the bridge and his eyes narrowed speculatively. In the end, a new world but the old job. He was still a digger even in this world but this time without the professor, or Data, or Roll. He thought about her often. He knew how upset she would be that he had not been able to return yet... or the fact he wasn't wearing his helmet. Whenever he tried to leave without it she would shout at him and tell he he couldn't afford head injuries. He wouldn't survive if he got dumber. But... The techs wanted to analyze something of his world and that was the only thing he felt safe leaving off. Besides... he skull was metal.

"Hey kid..."

Megaman looked over his shoulder, the streetlamps casting their glow upon his hints of bright blue armor underneath a overly large tattered rain coat that a odd man in black and blue had given him... he still wondered what those blue flames had been about... but the coat helped keep him under wraps... it seems armor wasn't something most people walked around in in this world, taking off the helmet revealing his spiky brown hair had helped but without the coat people looked at him funny... funnier at least... but with it he could walk the streets to his destination leaving his driver behind. The same driver who smiled at him now and gave him a thumbs up.

"Give em hell kid."

Megaman grinned at the man and returned the gesture, his bionic thumb up as the beaten up van creaked off to wait at a safe distance and communicate with him as best they could as long as they could. They had given him a digital map of what they knew of the place and the radios they had could not penetrate far underground and sadly they were not set up to receive or transmit using the equipment like Roll had so he would have to improvise... alot... he began to second guess leaving his helmet behind... but this was not time to turn back. It was time to walk down the hill, put one foot in front of the other... slip on a piece of gravel, trip... roll down the hill, and bash...

Megaman slowly stood up wobbling slightly more then he had moments ago, the rock his head had impacted had fared worse as the crack in it's surface indicated. The radio in his head crackled queries on his condition and he answered as politely as he could at the moment... which was more or less coherent. Shaking it off he stood before the opening, his eyes automatically adjusting to the dark but still there was a feeling of unease, he would be on his own on a mission... once he got down a bit there would be no backup, no advice... only himself. His smile on his face faded a bit and he swallowed loudly, the gulp echoing in the room beyond. Reaching up he placed his hand upon the rain coat and with a flash of light it vanished leaving only a robot in blue armor who was created to destroy a world and armed with a left arm that was also a cannon that had the scientists of this world scratching their heads... Megaman tried to take comfort in this and failed but moved ahead anyways. He had a job to do.

[nemo]

The darkness was anything but silent as Megaman stepped inside. There was a humid, living sort of darkness, the air moving and vibrating a little, the sounds of machinery humming coming to his ears from deep, deep within the absolute black... and a smell. Not an organic smell, but sort of a wet, warm smell, like a mix between blood... and cinnamon? Yes... it had a very distinctly... cinnamon-like quality that might have been comforting. But here, it was just another strange scent in a strange place.

Immediately in front of Megaman was a safety rail, yellow and paint-chipped, that connected with the wall on the right, and moved in right angles around a staircase leading down - it wasn't possible to see down into the stairwell from this angle, but happily, the stories of pale monsters and a singing voice were greatly exaggerated. Just the same... something was unusual here. It felt... hushed. Not like there was nothing to make noise... but like whatever was there, and there was certainly SOMETHING there... was holding its breath, trying to be quiet.

[arachnidsGrip]

Now that she was done preventing a little mess for one of the weirdest groups she had ever set her eyes on, it was time to check in on the timeline of a robotic blue boy who had a blacked out past. Almost as though his past was blasting into existence and she had to leave it at that. He was getting himself into an interesting scenario...one that involved TREASURE and LEVELING UP! Having a fang filled grin at her memories of her Flarp adventures as a pirate...it was far too long she had a treasure hunt! Admittedly...she couldn't be there herself since she was stuck in a completely different planet....however she could have a hand in it by interacting and guiding this boy around! In fact, there was even a boss fight to send him to! Everyone knows that those are full of spoils to claim!

Hmmm....but first to give him a username for the Trollian chat log....Megaman seemed like the obvious choice...but...he had a cool looking arm cannon from some of the clips she saw in the Trollian view port...AHA! Typing a name in neglecting her typing quirk so that it would register properly, Vriska dubbed him ``blueBomber`` which was a lot more fun of a name in her opinion! ANYWAY! It was time to manipulate this boy into doing her bidding without the use of ANY powers! This was just going to be easy since he seemed and into being adventurous anyway! Plus, it looked like the area he was going into could use someone like her helping him out, it was perfect! Typing away at her computer, the blue robot boy would find himself receiving her messages in his head.

arachnidsGrip [AG] began trolling blueBomber [BB]

AG: 8lue8om8er!!!!!!!! I am here to help you find treasure!
AG: I 8elieve we'll be a gr8 team and you can 8et I'm a pro at finding treasure and 8eating things up.
AG: So I'll 8e the 8est coach you can ask for! (::::
AG: You don't even need to 8e scared 8ecause I will 8e here with you sharing my luck and I have a 8unch of it!!!!!!!! (;:::
AG: 8ut you'll have to 8ecareful even with all of my help.
AG: In fact, head over to that yellow rail and 8e on guard, 8lue8om8er! And 8e as quiet as possi8le........I've 8een on camp8gns like this and there's usually something lurking in the dark.

[/font]

Honestly, it was incredibly exciting to be on a treasure hunt all over again, even if it wasn't her directly and rather just kinda trying to help this blue kid. Hands down, this had to be the best and most delightfully productive way to kill time until she had to wake that blue and pink haired girl up! Hopefully this strange robotic boy who burst into this universe...or...time frame...it was hard to tell with the way he had a blackout past....but anyway she hoped he'd be willing to listen to her! Besides if he did this would be fun...and a nice little break from all that `doomed timeline` stuff she had sitting on her plate. Sure it had its benefits but....at the same time it was a little stressful. Not like she'd pour her feelings into a chat window about it but it was a responsibility she felt needed to be taken care of by someone competent like herself.
[/size][/blockquote]

(Wuz requested to have Vriska be a coach in Megaman's purdeh little head so hope ya don't mind <3 !!!)

[megaman]

On sight with the rail Megaman listened for a moment, trying to hear something, anything that might be a indication of what was inside. Hearing nothing he held out his left hand as in preparation and... jumped ten feet into the air as a bing sound reverberated in his skull. Landing he placed his hand where his heart should be and patted it a few times to cool his circuits. A perfectly dramatic moment ruined by... someone named arachnidsGrip. As he red the text that appeared in his vision he wracked his memory and couldn't remember anyone by that name... anything close. it was a fairly memorable name... as for her calling him blueBomber.... it was a cool name... really cool. But... It wasn't his name. Reaching up to his ear with his right hand he touched his index and middle fingers to his ears and accessed the program she was communicating to him with. It wasn't hard to use all in all talking was more complicated then this.

BB: Hello? Um my name isn't blueBomber... though that is a very very cool name... I mean I am blue, and I blow things up sometimes, and have used bombs. But I am called Megaman, Megaman Volnutt.
BB: How are you talking to me? I mean I didn't know I could talk like this.. and I am me.
BB: Are you my new watcher? Jill said they were working on pairing me up with someone for that.

Heeding the strangers advice Megaman slowly moved forward as he retracted his left hand into his forearm revealing a large caliber cannon barrel. It's cavernous barrel capable of firing balls of pure destructive energy. Apparently his new friends found it very interesting, that and his lack of a need to reload. There had been two attempts to recreate it... they were currently rebuilding the weapon labs after the test firing of the second attempt. The upper management had sent memos that there would be no more attempts to recreate 'crazy tech from crazy alternate worlds'.

Megaman didn't charge his weapon rather figured he would rely on rapid fire over sheer destructive force for the moment. A large building ball of yellow energy wasn't that stealthy. Moving one foot in front of the other he made his way to the stairs and the railing as instructed, and tried as best he could to ignore the ominous soft creaking of the weakened concrete steps. Keeping his eyes peeled in every direction Megaman slowly made his way down the stairs as far as they went.

BB: I feel you are a bit optimistic by the way. My experience in ruins is that there is ALWAYS something lurking in the dark.

Truth be told Megaman was really glad this person was there. It was nice to have someone watching his back. Till they lost signal as he was warned they probably would.

[nemo]

The first flight of stairs led down into the abyss, and as soon as that entryway floor was passed by his head, the sounds of the place proper rose to meet his ears - mostly, it was the sound of machines somewhere echoing up the flights of stairs leading down into the under-earth... but there was something else - something... almost like whispering in the dark, just at the very furthest edge of perception.

The first flight led to another, and another deeper into the dark. Four such floors down later, with only floodwater leading lower, the sound of running water in pipes became audible - perhaps the source of the whispers? The machines running in the dark were a gentle hum all around him by that point. Their direction was indiscernable... but the door wasn't locked, either. Just the same...

Something watched him in the dark from the flooded stairwell's bottommost dry step, glistening with water. On approach, the thing scurried up the steps that were far too tall for it, grunting and pulling itself along, looking something like a very small white frilled lizard, white as snow. It had big, wide eyes and a kind of curiosity about it as mottled black spots crawled across its form. Tiny little forelimbs, strong legs - this thing was probably a runner... and it just stood at the top of that flight, silently watching Megaman with keen interest, moving his head to follow the blue bomber.

The door wasn't locked... but in the blackest black, something roused... something big.

[arachnidsGrip]

Clicking through the timelines, she had the guy who reminded her A LOT of the sea dwelling trolls but didn't quite have the fins holding onto a pink and blue haired human grub along with a dragon. Geeze....Earth was a lot weirder than she thought it would be to be honest. Then again something was off about this place she opted to troll the citizens of...there was a strange timeline where there were no monsters but it wasn't the alpha timeline. Probably just an off-shoot timeline which she didn't bother with for long since she had to focus on the alpha timeline and prevent the incredibly terrible ones branching off of it from happening. Right now they were still running...it was getting close to where she'd have to intervene again but what was this? A little message alert from blueBomber? Better go check what it's all about!

With a quick little click, the young troll who had a bunch of stolen luck read through the message and had his present timeline opened up in a view port so she could keep an eye on him as well. Dungeons had the NASTIEST little habits of making things pop up out of no where to attack! There was a peculiar lizard watching him and she had the strongest feeling that thing knew more about what was going on than that stupid look on its face. It probably did considering it was there MUCH longer than the blue armored boy. So he wanted her to call him Megaman Volnutt? Well that was alright she supposed, but that didn't mean he was going to have that as his screen name! Hah! And he was confused on how they were communicating like this right now!

Not a huge surprise! Well she would tell him about that little venture soon enough...and that Jill person...was he talking about Jill Valentine? That woman certainly lived an adventurous life...but she had no interest in treasure! It was SO not her style but that woman had a HUGE role in the bigger scheme of things later. The levels she was gonna reach in this big game was going to be insane if the alpha timeline stayed on that path...but it staying on there depended solely on one person, really. ANYWAY she had to focus on being this guy's `watcher` which sounded like a weird title but hey, even she thought that title was fitting for this predicament. Optimistic? Maybe he was right...then again she tried to be a little more positive about certain things that happened in the past but now wasn't time to have a two wheeled peddle device ride down that memory lane thing!

It was time to make him get treasure and help him gain the levels he needed to meet so he could become a great hero! His help was going to be important if the alpha timeline kept on the path it was heading toward.



AG: So that is your name after all, huh? Pretty cool, I thought I was hearing things since most human gru8s have dull names like Suzy or Sam.
AG: I guess I'll call you Megaman, 8ut I'm not changing your tag 8ecause it IS cool just like your arm cannon. (:::: For now, you can call me Mindfang.
AG: Haha I didn't expect you to figure out how I'm trolling you, Megaman! In fact 8ecause you're so cool and I'm awesome enough to see it, I'll tell you! Sollux fixed up our Trollian clients to let us troll your strange human devices.
AG: Seeing how you're a ro8ot, it was easy to send you my messages. We can talk a8out that after this adventure though, ok? I want to make you one of the 8est good guy humans! (::::
AG: As for Jill, I think you mean Jill Valentine. That female you met when you first showed up. I wasn't sent 8y her, in fact, I'm way 8etter than who she planned on sending as your watcher!
AG: I'm going to make you one of the 8est, you'll see!
AG: Anyway! You have work to do, 8lue8om8er!
AG: ........
AG: I mean Megaman!
AG: Do you see that door up ahead? It's open so you don't have to make a whole lot of noise to 8last it open with your cool arm cannon.
AG: When you get there, open it up carefully and quietly. There is something HUGE 8ack there. May8e not as 8ig as my lusus custodian, 8ut definitely 8ig in human gru8 terms.
AG: I know you can take it on, Megaman! 8e careful and most importantly quiet so you get the edge advantage!
AG: If we get cut off, I'll contact you again as soon as possi8le or you can 8e the one to contact me. Alr8?
AG: (::::

[/font]

On her end, she was glancing to the blue boy's connection which was steadily going into a dead zone so it was best to keep him assured she would be back for him. Thankfully, she could still keep an eye on the view port and give him tips as soon as it was made possible! Though...she did send a whole lot more messages than she originally planned....oh well! Everything was still going in the right direction so far!
[/blockquote][/size]

[megaman]

Megaman was confused by a lot of what Mindfang told him. Alot of it didn't make sense, a lot of it were words he didn't know. And the whole human-grub thing was just... odd. He figured maybe she was foreign... from another country or something. That might explain her weird typing. He decided not to point it out. It might be... correctly politically in... or whatever it was called. Besides she seemed nice and if she was nice she had to mean the best for him. Smiling a bit at feeling better Megaman walked down the steps and looked at the odd Lizard. It didn't seem hostile but it seemed to be trying to block his path. Megaman didn't want to step on it.

When he stepped left it stepped left to block him, when he stepped right it stepped right. Right, left right left left. Megaman seized on it's brief confusion and stepped past it ignoring it's screech of indignity as he reached for the door, pushing gently rather then blasting it open and rolling inside firing at anything that moves like some fellow diggers had want to do Megaman looked inside and saw... a deep dark foreboding hallway that seemed to stretch into the very heart of darkness. He frowned briefly before keeping moving forward, He could see the door at the very end of the hallway barely in the dark he just had to keep moving is all. He strolled confidently believing in his firepower, his armor, and his new friend.

BB: Gotta say Mindfang I am glad you are there. I mean Digging in ruins is nice, I mean it is nice to be back at it but it is nice to have someone watching my back again.
BB: I know I can take out probably anything down here but... it gets kinda lonely doing it by yourself I was always with someone watching over my shoulder. Someone to talk to.
BB: Someone to argue with. It made it fun. But all of this has been so serious... so... wrong. Walking dead bodies. Mutated animals.
BB: Have you ever shot a zombie in the face with a arm cannon? The results are.... colorful.
BB: I am glad I am not organic. I might have thrown up if I had a stomach.

Slowly reaching for the door at the end of the pitch black hallway with his right hand Megaman eased the door open.

BB: Well partner. Let's see what is behind door number two.

[nemo]

As MEgaman strode down the hall, the little lizard thing protested most emphatically, chewing on his leg, pushing at his feet with its heat, jumping up and down on his feet, all quite harmlessly, eventually resigning itself to scurrying up and clinging to his head, gripping tuftfulls of his hair in little claws and hammering, squeaking, pleading with him not to come down the hallway. How many others had ignored it? The little quickling could only hope.

As he reached the door though, the little creature visibly sighed and jumped down, scurrying through the gap with a reproachful rearward glare before dissapearing inside.

The walls glistened with a scentless, strange clear goo, and the pipes ran from the spaces near the door with a white... stuff, growing in faintly pulsating veins, down a few feet past the part where they met the wall. The sound of machinery was loud now, a dull roar constantly audible from the other side of that door.

As Megaman opened the door, there was something immediately on the other side. Something big - it was four-legged, and yet its head was level with megaman's own. It looked vaugely canine, but big, lamplike yellow eyes with non-doglike slits to see through, spines lining its form into the darkness, and sizzling drool dripping from hellish, daggerlike fangs cleanly separated it from the canine family. The blackness behind it was absolute... and this thing wasn't so much looking hungry... as really, really fucking angry.

With a gurgling rumble, the monstrosity forced the door open and rushed Megaman, claws coming to bear and fangs all at once, aiming to disembowel, rend, and behead all at once. Metal or not, this thing might well have the strength to do just that to the blue bomber if it got ahold of him.

[arachnidsGrip]

Stupid offshoot timeline! What a waste of time! She didn't care if offshoot people died! It was all about the alpha timeline and making it successful! Thankfully, the universe didn't troll her let alone wast her precious time with this one. That punk even hit magetier in this one and she was going to be sure to manipulate him and the others that she had to in order to build up useful and hopefully competent heroes. For now, most of her time would be invested in the 8lue iron she had to check on at this very moment.

Looks like he even sent her messages! ...and looking at the view port, going back a bit to see what she missed, the lizard was being a pest! STUPID THING! Why didn't he just step on it and have survival of the fittest?! Oh well....switching it back to the present, she rolled her eyes at the futile attempt that lizard tried to make. Stupid thing, she didn't have the time to manipulate the boy away from danger, she was going to make him go against the boss and gain some levels! Smirking in a devilish way at the lizard giving up while the blue robotic boy strode along, she took this time to respond.



AG: Don't worry, Megaman! I'm going to 8e r8 here helping you as long as we're connected.
AG: Then I'll 8e making sure nothing 8ad happens to you when we do lose contact.
AG: So don't worry! I'm a cool alien! The coolest one there is!
AG: I wish I could tell you that it's going to get 8etter soon, 8ut it's not. There's going to 8e more of those things from 8efore and they WILL get worse.
AG: I don't want to sound like a huge 8itch 8ut you'll have to get used to it. I know it's not fun killing things 8ecause you have no choice........
AG: ........or 8ecause your 8itch of a sp8der mom lusus makes you do it and then all your friends h8 you for it........
AG: Point is, you don't have a choice. 8ut at least you have me to help you through it all, Megaman!
AG: Mindfang, your cool alien partner!
AG: (::::
AG: OH F8CK!!!!!!!!
AG: ROLL TO THE S8DE NOW!!!!!!!!

[/font]

DAMN! This thing was going to be worth SO many points! Looking at the connection bar, she glared at it a bit and noticed that it was gradually dropping. The viewport would work just fine...but not the trollian....



AG: I won't 8e a8le to send you messages for a while soon, Megaman.
AG: 8ut I'll 8e cheering you on anyway!
AG: I know you can 8eat this thing into su8mission!!!!!!!! [/font]

Megaman seemed like he would be okay on his own...but in a way she saw a bit of herself in him. Forced to deal with a task neither of them really want, but at least people didn't seem to hate him as much as her friends hated her. At least she was trying to make things right....they could give her some credit for all those efforts, couldn't they? Oh well....
[/blockquote][/size]

[megaman]

Megaman was confused by Mindfang's rant about her misfortune but his was sympathetic to it it sounded like she had had a hard time... a time where she could depend on few other then herself, had to do things to keep herself alive she wished she really wished she hadn't had to. The comments about being an alien confused him but maybe she was like him a dimensional traveler. A wanderer, a HOLY CRUD MONKEYS! Megaman almost screamed like a grandmother as the door revealed what was on the other side but while he was surprised there was nothing wrong with his reflexes. He rolled to the side as fast as he could, the momentum of his sudden movement hurling his heavy body out of the was as a pair of jaws the size of a sumo wrestler slammed shut on the empty air hard enough to shatter metal like glass. Megaman winced at the sound of crashing bone but did not stop he reached out and grabbed hold of a gray horn on top the creatures head. He could not go back, it might follow, it might hurt someone outside. His brain processed what his body already knew... that he had to kill this BOW here and now or someone would get hurt. Someone besides himself. His blue armored hand slammed shut on the horn and he yanked himself against the creatures superior body weight knowing full well he would lose.

Raising an arm cannon Megaman opened fire at point blank range as yellow balls of solidified burning hot energy slammed into the things face. The creature was a predator, a apex of it's line but to it's flaw and salvation it had a predator's reflexes and every predator has the same reaction to a sudden charge and bright light followed by pain. It recoiled pulling Megaman into the room, As soon as there was room Megaman jumped, his enhanced legs hurling him through the gap in the door. He kept firing as he went but he had quickly noticed that his blasts at first had torn into the creatures face, had ripped it open revealing teeth and bone each shut released a white oozing liquid and his blasts were just not doing as much damage. They dug less into the creature with each blast. It seemed to be adapting, learning to deal with his attacks. It was not becoming immune but... Megaman needed to be smarter to win this.

All this flashed through his head as her hurtled through the air and landed behind the monster his feet firmly planted on the ground, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration and... anger. These BOWs... they were a threat. A horrible threat. The machines and traps in the ruins of his world were only mostly a threat to diggers... sad stories occurred but they were self inflicted. They artificial monsters didn't care, didn't differentiate between attacker and civilian, innocent traveler or explorer... they killed without mercy and while the thought of ending the life of living being sickened Megaman to the core of his being. The thought of innocents dying because he was too weak... was unbearable. If he would protect them he would have to be willing to kill sometimes. He was getting used to that fact... and it terrified him.

He pushed that thought aside like many others and faced off against the beast as it slowly turned around. Clawed feet digging easily into the ground, drool and white liquid pouring out holes in it's jaws as it glared at him with eyes filled with hate, with rage. Megaman just held his arm cannon at his side and glared in return. His eyes determined, his resolve hardened. Any indecisiveness he might have felt had left and a cool anger had settled in. The creature charged, it's might legs ripping up the floor in an effort to get to Megaman as fast as it could, the better to tear, rip, rend, and maim the blue clad hero. Megaman held his ground, firing again and again at the bony crest atop the creatures skull but while skin ripped and burned the ivory liquid it held within it's veins seemed to save it from the worst of the damage as it got closer and closer.

Megaman moved again, his upper brain functions screaming the usual refrain of pleading for thought and studying rather then brute action maybe even a tactical retreat and were as usual ignored. They preceded to lock themselves in their room and listen to goth music because no one understood them. Megaman jumped to the rear over some large chugging machinery in the hopes that the creature would impact and harm itself or perhaps stun itself long enough for him to find a vital weakness to... no... it did not work and part of Megaman was mildly alarmed as it ripped through the metal gears and solid steel like it was candy corn, rather then going around it seemed more interested it ripping through anything that go in it's way. Megaman took a step back and discovered he had more issues then he thought as his feet sped out from underneath him. His body fell down on several hard and unyielding rods as he slammed hard down. Looking down he saw he had stepped on a stack of rebar bars, his impact scattering them so he was positioned atop them. It would be nigh impossible to gain purchase atop these metal bars. Megaman's eyes widened and then narrowed as his armor seemed to darken just a bit.

He slapped his hand down on the pile of bars and they glowed briefly before they collectively vanished, pulled into Megaman's inventory. His feet finding purchase he stood and watched as the monster advanced upon him. Each step deliberate. Megaman didn't fire, didn't move, just stop and gazed with anger at the monster that had forced him to fight. It roared as it advanced and then suddenly opened it's jaws on the immobile hero, to slam shut, to rend to... it's jaws stopped at their widest opening. Megaman's hand was upraised within it's mouth but that was not what was stopping it's jaws from closing. Rather a stack of rebar was in it's jaw, it's attempt to close had pierced it's lower and upper jaws with the metal rods. Megaman looked dispassionately at the white fluid oozing in it's mouth and raised his arm cannon as he lowed his other arm. Without a change of expression he opened fire, hot energy pouring down the creatures throat again and again without remorse. It gurgled, it shrieked in agony as it began to pull back but only pain awaited it... briefly. Megaman's foot shot out, kicked the lower jaw up, kicking it closed, the force shoving the rebar up into the head, into what must be the brain cavity, Megaman watched the creature fall down limp occasionally convulsing.

Walking up to the side of the head Megaman his armor seeming to darken farther put the cannon up to the creature's eye point blank and a yellow flash briefly illuminated his features. Turning around he sent a message as he surveyed the room and picked a direction walking in that direction.

BB: Problem solved.

[nemo]

The wreckage of the Rageling, as Megaman left it in a heap, began to tremble and quiver as the Blue Bomber went out of sight. Slowly, it congealed into a thick syrup, its features fading as it dissolved itself, becoming a mass of white slime, then clear slime, slowly soaking itself into the white veins that lined the wall in a corner.

A shame, really - that one was one of the oldest Ragelings... its little mind was shrouded again in its mother's embrace. A shame. Shame? It was a violent little thing, wasn't it? No, not the Rageling - the little switched-off consciousness was safe now, angry or not... but the Blue one! The queen stirred deep within her sanctuary as the errant mass was again added to her bulk. Almost thoughtfully, the massive organism stared in the direction it, perhaps she, knew the Blue one to be coming in from. Things began to happen - Ragelings were coming out of the walls, their masses coming to cloak their mother in their protection, and quicklings peeked their heads up from behind cables and down from the ceiling, some catlike, some lizardlike, all of them... growing perceptably pointier.

But one child was not interested. One among them disagreed with her queen. Amrita looked to the singular one - and insofar as was possible, she looked perplexed. But of course, this was why she MADE the Vixens - the human shape among the multitude of monsterous ones smiled brightly and pet her mother's flank, nodding.

"I think he can be reasoned with... I mean... he didn't attack the Quickling, Mother..." the soft voice came, from a mouth that had grown accustomed to the shape and with very human sentiment despite her wholly inhuman nature. Amrita was pleased with this child's insight, even if she didn't understand the words she spoke - the meaning was clear. Borrowing human expression, she nodded, but what came across the link defied words to express it.

Looking thoughtful, the Vixen's skin glistened, and color drained from 'flesh' and 'hair'. Definition faded as she walked toward the wall, and she became a puddle that soaked into it quite quickly - and she was gone from the Queen's chamber.

-------------------------------

Some distance away, in the depths of the complex, clear slime was coming from the wall some distance ahead of Megaman, around a bend. It congealed, and Lauren took her shape again, gasping out for air she didn't technically need as details formed themselves around her consciousness. Hunched over, shuddering, a woman, by degrees, took shape.

Dark, mahogany flesh spread over the pale, milky white of her mother, and with it, came definition. She had curly black hair to her shoulders, each strand, by preference, coiling up like springs that bound away from her eyes with a reddish bandanna. Bright brown eyes blinked in the darkness, her body taking its normal contours - she had a runner's build - sleek was a good word, but she did have perhaps a bit of weight to her, the kind of build you get after a couple children and much fuss to get back into shape. That was right... she smiled as bluejeans formed from the shapeless slime, and became dry. Her upper body soaked up beta slime, and formed a white tanktop, then a jean jacket... and because she liked it, a piratey smileyface motif with an eyepatch on the back - maybe a bit immature, but who would care? She finished her reshaping just as Megaman rounded the bend, the whole thing... having been completely silent.

Legs dangling, Lauren looked in megaman's direction, eyes glinting at him, perhaps with a bit of mischief to them, but not unkindly.

"Wotcher." she chimed "You're a bit young for a bandit, arn'cha?" she asked, with that hint of mischief sneaking its way into her voice - she was kidding with him, obviously. "Stop scowling... you look like you ate a puppy, mate" her voice was silken, with a streak of brit, perhaps aussie to it, giving it a cheerful bounce.

[arachnidsGrip]

The huge sp8der 8itch troll of Alternia couldn't help but grin at the sight before her very eyes...this was just too perfect! This guy was a prime candidate and boy oh boy was she all over the fact he could be put to good use! As a team...they could gain ALL THE LEVELS and he'd be an important puzzle piece to her big plan in rallying up competent heroes. Some of the potential candidates held promise, they did...but they had some issues that needed to be worked out. This blue bomber boy though? Very little and it'd be easy enough to make quick work to get him into challenging situations to aid in his progression and growth. Personality, not like there was a problem with it, and skill...he had to be ready for a war-like-scenario all around.

Someone with a big, gushy heart would screw that up badly. A proper hero needed balance and he had enough good traits to make him a prime candidate. Flipping her hair while smirking deviously at the screen...he was damn good at all this killing things sort of deal. Though....something caused her to be a bit confused. His armor...it was developing dark marks...? Hm...perhaps this was something to be concerned about. Now, she may not have known much at all...okay OKAY she didn't know JACK CRAP about his origins aside from whatever she could weasel out of him. HOWEVER....something about those marks didn't settle well with her.

Maybe it was a bit of a sixth sense going on that allowed her to feel like that was something worth keeping all eight pupils on...as though it had something to do with whatever he had as an equivalent to a human grub's heart. It wasn't much to go on but Vriska Serket felt being POSITIVE with him was the best route to go. The more brutal he got, the darker his armor seemed to get...light and dark...delving into this thought for a moment, she didn't want him to stumble backwards...so light...positive...is how she'd have to guide him. All while keeping up with the whole taking names and kicking ass...that wouldn't be hard for someone of her caliber! Once she got the message confirming that the problem was solved...something almost seemed colder. Even if it was just a mass of text...the spider troll picked up on it like a sharp arachnid. Time to put the plan in further motion before running out of time!



AG: Good work!!!!!!!!
AG: That's saying something, coming from a professional like me!
AG: (;:::
AG: You know you can trust me, right?
AG: 8esides, if I had other options for you, 8etter than attacking sh8t, that we'd 8e on a whole different adventure in here.
AG: In fact! We'll go on a 8etter adventure after this!!!!!!!!
AG: That sound good to you, Megaman??

arachnidsGrip [AG] ceased trolling blueBomber [BB]

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"........what the f8ck?!" SHE DIDN'T DISCONNECT IT! What the HELL?! The Trollian View Port even blanked out into static! DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT! Time to get this stupid piece of shit repaired. BUT FIRST....she took out her anger on a nearby Magic 8-Ball and slammed that piece of crap on her desk so it busted into a bunch of pieces before swiping the remains into the pile.
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{TEMP EXIT FOR VRISKA}