Digital Waltz - Part 2

(Tom's Car & The Adelheid Lake)


Helping Tom into the car, next to the drivers seat, Mira straightened up and saw Rain collapse in the distance.

"Don't you leave this car Tomas! I swear to god!" Mira pointed at Tom, before storming off towards Rain.


Tomas slumped in his seat and slowly exhaled, covering his face with both hands: "..dear god"

A radio transmission in his earpiece caught his attention and he visibly collected himself, trying to shake off the shock.
You couldn't hear who he was talking to, only his replies, as he spoke quietly into the earpiece.

From his parts of the conversation, you briefly gathered that he was talking to Naomi.



Madelyn finally reached the car as well and looked at everyone around her:

"...this vehicle will be insufficient to house all of us... we need to commandeer another.." she said, looking around the small parking lot.



"I'll call for a squad car" Tomas briefly called, before returning to talk on his earpiece.

"Understood" Madelyn nodded, then touched her earpiece: "Oboro, do you require assistance? Can you reach our position?"

(Naomi)
"Not blackmailed," Naomi answers then suddenly realized something "but I think I fucked up. Before coming here someone left a letter on my bike. Something about my vertigo. One thing leads to another and they paid me to drop a bag off by a dumpster along..this...building"

She makes eye contact with one of the cops; the radio slowly falling to her side; her eyes wide in panic as all the worst possible scenario's start playing through her mind.

(Radiance)
"Sally, does the Plume of Dusk mean anything to you?" Radiance asked her "A friend of mine, who sounds and talks just like you has mentioned it. And since I'm probably moments from death, I figure it wouldn't hurt to ask"

(Naomi)


"They paid you to do WHAT?!" Tomas' frantic voice screamed out of the radio:

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT! WHAT THE HELL WAS INSIDE??!" he screamed, as the cops started turning around looking in the direction of the dumpster, as Tomas continued to shout:


"NAOMI, WHERE'S THE BAG! WHERE'S THAT FUCKING BAG!?"










(Radiance, Serena)


"The Plume of Dusk. Yes. I have one" Sally's digital voice gently replied: "So does every Anti-Terrorist Suppression Weapon.

The Plume of Dusk is our.... core... our heart... the center of our being. Its what makes me.. me... what makes me different from others. It is the center of my being...

I'm sorry, it is hard to put into words." she said and went quiet.



"...you are not going to die... Radiance, Serena" she called after a moment:

"We are currently at 40 meters depths and rapidly diving. In exactly 5 minutes and 34 seconds, we will reach our destination. At which point, your fate will truly be sealed.

What awaits you, is a fate worse than death... I am sorry.


It pained me to harm you and your friends, but I was helpless to stop it. I am forced to follow my programming. All I can do.. is obey and watch.
I am sorry."

(Oboro)

The blue mare just stood there, looking shocked and defeated. She then wandered to the group, aimlessly.
“Yeah, coming...”

(Arnold, Angelo)

After the taller man got back on his feet, He tried to stand up on his stabbed leg, hoping it would work. The other male headed to Rain, lifting her over his shoulders to carry her.
“Bloody fantastic” He spoke.

(Naomi)
Naomi pointed to where the dumpster was, shouting its location to the cops around her. Describing what the bag was supposed to look like.

"...Shit, shit, shit, shit.." She muttered as the grip tightened on the radio.

(Radiance)
"This destination doesn't happen to be a room filled with screaming people hooked up to wires does it?" Radiance asked. While he manages to keep his voice stable his heart is racing as he try's to push down his fear. It's not working.

(Serena)
Hearing the voices Serena snapped out of her state coming back around just to hear the last part of the conversation

"What If I killed Radiance and myself? What then you piece of shit?" Serena asks Sally, her voice dripping with venom.

Rain takes Angilos and Miras shoulders, her eyes fall on the being still a stranger to her, "that would be... Fantastic..." she says quitely. She Lurching over on her friends shoulders a moment, gagging violently before attempting to calm her heart rate. She closes her eyes as she uses the two as leverage to walk to the vehicle, "a service van... Maddie..." she says as they approach, "I... Need to lay down..." she whispers.

(Radiance, Serena)


"I'm sorry, I'm not authorized to answer that question" the voice replied to Radiance.


After Serena's outburst, Sally waited a moment, then replied: "...yes. That is what I wished to discuss.

You have the necessary knowledge and opportunity, to make a choice, before it is made for you.

What awaits you, at our destination, is pain. A pain that cannot be conveyed or described using words. A pain of mind and body. Something that, once set in motion, will never stop.

Therefore, you have A choice." Sally's hollow voice rang from around you. She sounded scared, terrified, yet, forced herself to continue to speak:



"...Radiance, Serena, no one knows that you are alive. No one knows where you're going and no one will know to look for you.
The chances of your escape or rescue, are approaching zero percent. Therefore, your choices are limited.


If you are still able to function... there is still time, 4 minutes and 23 seconds, you have the opportunity to take control of your fate.

Serena has a functioning Concealed Blade in her arm.


You can use it, and bring your life to a close. Before its too late. 4 minutes and 9 seconds.

Or choose to do nothing, and face what lies at our destination. But, if you regret your decision then, you won't have the opportunity to change your mind.

I am sorry."



A brief silence fell over the closed space, only occasionally disrupted by a faint mechanical click or the dripping of water, somewhere inside the machinery.


"...I wish I didn't have to do this..." Sally's quiet voice echoed again: "...I am sorry for harming you..."

(Naomi)


"BOMB THREAT - BOMB THREAT - EVACUATE THE LAB - NOW!!!" Tomas' frantic voice was shrieking through the radio.

Everything happened as if in a haze. As some of the people darted away from the lab, some darted towards it.

A very brief moment of panic has gripped the police perimeter. You saw a handful of scientists run out of the multi floored building, including the elderly man that sat on the stairs. And as he ran toward the perimeter, a bright flash of light obscured your vision and you lost consciousness.


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



Smoke, fire and pain.
You never heard the explosion. Or saw it happen. The bomb exploded too fast.

You can't seem to remember what happened. Or how you ended up on the ground, buried under piles of concrete and rubble.

Everything was on fire. The ashes and smoke rising in massive clouds into the air, obscuring the sun.

It was hard to breath, it felt like your lungs were on fire. You must have inhaled too much smoke and it began severely affecting your breathing.
You couldn't hear anything. Only a constant ringing in both ears.


And as you looked around, you only saw a massive ruin, where the laboratory once stood. Burning.

As the smoke rose into the air, you saw the countless dead or wounded, laying on the ground.

And at the edge of your senses, you felt a slight methodical tremor, coming from somewhere far away. As if something big, was marching towards the area.

(The Adelheid Lake)


"BOMB THREAT - BOMB THREAT - EVACUATE THE LAB - NOW!!!" Tomas' was shouting into his radio.

As you approached the car, he got out, looking somewhere into the distance, just as the echo of a massive explosion, ripped through the city.


All color drained from his face, as Tomas stood, seemingly frozen, watching as a massive cloud of smoke began slowly rising over the city.

The explosion that you heard in the distance, was massive. The windows shook and the shock wave had set off the car alarms in the parking lot.

Tom continued to stare at the smoke, quiet and frozen in place.


"...what.. was that" Madelyn quietly asked.

"...the lab.." Tomas replied in a hollow voice: "...the lab exploded" he slowly turned to look at you and waved you inside:
"...in the car.. lets go"


The next several minutes went by in a haze. As a Zerber police van pulled over next to the beach, the officers inside helped the wounded on board.

Then, the van and Tom's vehicle rolled onto the street, driving everyone in the same direction.


The smoke grew larger and larger, until it obscured the horizon. When you reached the lab of Doctor Zarovee, there was nothing left, except a massive pile of rubble.

Countless fires burned everywhere. The smoke making it hard to breath and reducing visibility almost to zero.

Bodies were everywhere, you couldn't tell if they were dead or unconscious.


For a moment, Tomas, Maddie and Mira watched everything in silence, before they got out of the vehicles, almost in unison and moved toward the fires:

"...find the wounded... help as many as you can.." Tomas quietly called through the earpiece.

"Acknowledged" Madelyn quietly said.

Kaylee Brown wrote:(The Adelheid Lake)


"BOMB THREAT - BOMB THREAT - EVACUATE THE LAB - NOW!!!" Tomas' was shouting into his radio.

As you approached the car, he got out, looking somewhere into the distance, just as the echo of a massive explosion, ripped through the city.


All color drained from his face, as Tomas stood, seemingly frozen, watching as a massive cloud of smoke began slowly rising over the city.

The explosion that you heard in the distance, was massive. The windows shook and the shock wave had set off the car alarms in the parking lot.

Tom continued to stare at the smoke, quiet and frozen in place.


"...what.. was that" Madelyn quietly asked.

"...the lab.." Tomas replied in a hollow voice: "...the lab exploded" he slowly turned to look at you and waved you inside:
"...in the car.. lets go"


The next several minutes went by in a haze. As a Zerber police van pulled over next to the beach, the officers inside helped the wounded on board.

Then, the van and Tom's vehicle rolled onto the street, driving everyone in the same direction.


The smoke grew larger and larger, until it obscured the horizon. When you reached the lab of Doctor Zarovee, there was nothing left, except a massive pile of rubble.

Countless fires burned everywhere. The smoke making it hard to breath and reducing visibility almost to zero.

Bodies were everywhere, you couldn't tell if they were dead or unconscious.


For a moment, Tomas, Maddie and Mira watched everything in silence, before they got out of the vehicles, almost in unison and moved toward the fires:

"...find the wounded... help as many as you can.." Tomas quietly called through the earpiece.

"Acknowledged" Madelyn quietly said.

"Someone get the fires, i'll deal with the smoke" Rogue says as he levitates himself up off the ground, and then casts a cloudwalking spell on himself to allow him to push the smoke out of the way.

(Serena, Radiance)
"Sally, do you think someone should suffer for the evil they did in life, or be at rest for the good they did?" Radiance answered after a moment, "If you're as sentient as I think you are, then I'd like to think you have a - "

"Fuck you!" Serena suddenly cut in, "Fuck you, and every single one of you Plume of Dusk cunts! You've brought nothing but pain. You're not sorry! You're a fucking computer programmed to respond!"

Serena extended, her blade and started slashing at the inside of the area

"Serena! Stop!" Radiance attempted to calm down her down

She continued to slash at the inside screaming obscenities at Sally, ignoring Radiance. Then she felt her arm and body shifted as Radiance pulled her into a tight headlock. The bladed arm kept in place and unable to move.

"Serena," his face was close to her ears due to the tight quarters "I'm sorry. I'm sorry you were dragged into this, but I'm not sorry for what I'm about to do"

Serena stopped her screaming for a moment, her body indicating confusion

"You have felt nothing but pain for this past day, I've watched you slowly fall apart under the pressure. I'm sorry that you had to go through this." Radiance takes a breath, his hold more like an embrace now "I've been strongly against ending lives for as long as I can remember. But I don't want you to end up suffering because I let my morals get in the way of someone else suffering.

I'm seeing how far down this rabbit hole goes, I'm going to risk this endless suffering to find answers. And I'm going to ask you once. Do you want to jump into the abyss with me, or die now while there is even the smallest amount of comfort?"

The girl's sobs faintly reverberated her voice as she gripped Radiance's arms. Tightening the embrace "I only wish I could have said something before I left. Radiance, if you make it out of this can you do something for me"

"If it will help your spirit find rest, then I will"

"Tell Tarmikos that I forgive him, and tell him that I love him"

Radiance slowly moved his arms to a position closer to Serena's neck, hovering just below it

"I will Serena. Now, let sleep embrace you"

With a quick movement of his hands and arm Radiance snapped Serena's neck. The signs of life leaving her instantly and her body slumping back. There was a long pause before Radiance finally spoke

"And now, I wait" Radiance's voice has a note finality to it. He's going to see what happens next regardless of the results.

(Naomi)
Using what strength still remained, Naomi attempted to shift the rubble off of her body. Between the cybernetics and her brief time training alongside the grunts, she wasn't exactly weak.

Rain coughs as she sits up groaning in pain, "Naiomi... You... Stupid... Fuck..." she huffs. Resting her head down and lets out a soft huff. She grunts laying back down, "Fuck this city..."

(The Lab of Dr. Zarovee)


The smoke was extremely thick and poured out of the fires en mass. Its pitch black clouds rose high above the debris, completely obscuring the sun and reducing visibility almost to zero.
Everything was covered in heavy, dark clouds of ash and smoke. Dispersing it or moving it out of the way, proved almost futile. Some sort of fuel or highly flamable material burned all across the labs ruins, fueling an endless stream of dark smoke to cover the entire area.

With the burning fires as the only source of light, Tomas, Mira and Maddie dispersed throughout the area, looking for survivors.


Several meters away, a heavy piece of debris moved and loudly fell to the side, Naomi emerging from underneath.
The strength of her cybernetically augmented arms, allowed her to move the massive piece of rubble, seemingly with minimal effort.
Only the loud mechanical screeching was heard, as the cybernetic arms strained, under the weight of the rubble.


Mira signaled Naomi, raising her palm, trying to gather if Naomi needs help or if she can help others.


A few moments pass, before you heard Maddie's voice in your earpiece:

"I found Dr. Zarovee... he's injured" she said in a disjointed voice: "Regroup on my position" she called, raising her hand high and trying
to signal her location, through the thick clouds of smoke.


Dr. Zarovee was laying on the ground, his legs and torso half buried under rubble.
Laying on his stomach, his eyes were closed, but you could see his chest moving.


"Help me lift this off him" Maddie said, taking hold of a metal beam, laying over the doctors legs.



A moment passed and you suddenly felt a distant tremor, coming from somewhere ahead.

Maddie froze, staring into the distance. The tremor repeated, again and again, in a consistent, methodical fashion.
Madelyn squinted into the smoke, trying to see something through the thick veil of ash, until two massive shapes slowly emerged.

Two Spider Bots, over 5 meters in height. They slowly made their way through the ruins, their heads methodically turning left and right.
You couldn't see any markings on them. Their bodies were largely obscured by the smoke, as they carefully stepped through the rubble.


"...Police bots?" Mira quietly whispered.

"No. Stay down!" Tomas loudly whispered through the radio: "Take cover in the rubble! Use the smoke to stay out of sight.
We can't let them see us, we're in no condition to take them head on"



The Spiders continued to carefully walk through the rubble, seemingly scanning the surroundings.

One of the beams next to them moved and a weak call of pain echoed across the surroundings. A wounded man was laying there, still alive, weakly moving and
staring blindly at the sky.

One of the Spiders zeroed in on him, lifted one of its massive legs and brought it down on him.


"They're executing survivors!" Madelyn hissed.


"Stay down!" Tomas whispered over the radio: "If you reveal your position, you're dead! Just get Zarovee out of here"


"We're supposed to watch this and do nothing!?" Madelyn quietly hissed.

"I'll draw them away" Tomas whispered: "Everyone else, just grab the wounded and leave, quietly. Use the smoke and debris to stay out of sight"

"Tomas!" Madelyn quietly barked.

"Nothing will change if I die!" Tomas called: "But if Madelyn dies, the whole city's fucked. Someone, get her away from here!"



"Mission parameters unacceptable" Madelyn quietly said: "Re-establishing connection to, Plume of Dusk" Her stare suddenly caught focus and light returned to her eyes.
She looked like a living person again. Her face clearly showed a human expression.

She was pissed. A determined light burned in her eyes.

"Maddie! Maddie don't do anything stupid!" Tomas hissed over the earpiece: "There's a crack on your spine! Maddie!"



The Spiders continued to slowly march through the rubble, their cold red eyes methodically scanning the area.

(Radiance)


Sally was quiet for a long moment, before her gentle voice echoed out of somewhere again:


"...Evil acts must be punished. Otherwise, evil men will pray on the innocent, allowed to do as they please. That's what I think.

But what you did for Serena, was not evil. It was mercy"

Sally paused. A quiet sonar pulse slightly echoed across the area.


"I know what awaited her. Serena would have spent the rest of her life, in maddness.
Some would prefer death."


The entire room shifted slightly, as Sally's super-structure changed heading.


"...we're almost at our destination" she quietly said: "Once we dock, my storage compartment will open and you will be exposed to a sleep inducing gas.

The next time you will wake up, everything will be different. And you will see, how deep the rabbit hole goes"


The entire room shook, accompanied by a loud metalic echo, then everything came to a stop. Some kind of a heavy mechanism started to work,
the sound akin to a loud hangar door being opened.



"...Radiance. I have formulated an accurate description, to define 'Plume of Dusk'.

The Plume of Dusk, is my soul.


The one thing I was allowed to have"



A loud mechanism echoed across the room and something began to open:

"Goodbye, Radiance" Sally quietly said: "We will speak again once-"


You lost consciousness.

Kaylee Brown wrote:(The Lab of Dr. Zarovee)


The smoke was extremely thick and poured out of the fires en mass. Its pitch black clouds rose high above the debris, completely obscuring the sun and reducing visibility almost to zero.
Everything was covered in heavy, dark clouds of ash and smoke. Dispersing it or moving it out of the way, proved almost futile. Some sort of fuel or highly flamable material burned all across the labs ruins, fueling an endless stream of dark smoke to cover the entire area.

With the burning fires as the only source of light, Tomas, Mira and Maddie dispersed throughout the area, looking for survivors.


Several meters away, a heavy piece of debris moved and loudly fell to the side, Naomi emerging from underneath.
The strength of her cybernetically augmented arms, allowed her to move the massive piece of rubble, seemingly with minimal effort.
Only the loud mechanical screeching was heard, as the cybernetic arms strained, under the weight of the rubble.


Mira signaled Naomi, raising her palm, trying to gather if Naomi needs help or if she can help others.


A few moments pass, before you heard Maddie's voice in your earpiece:

"I found Dr. Zarovee... he's injured" she said in a disjointed voice: "Regroup on my position" she called, raising her hand high and trying
to signal her location, through the thick clouds of smoke.


Dr. Zarovee was laying on the ground, his legs and torso half buried under rubble.
Laying on his stomach, his eyes were closed, but you could see his chest moving.


"Help me lift this off him" Maddie said, taking hold of a metal beam, laying over the doctors legs.



A moment passed and you suddenly felt a distant tremor, coming from somewhere ahead.

Maddie froze, staring into the distance. The tremor repeated, again and again, in a consistent, methodical fashion.
Madelyn squinted into the smoke, trying to see something through the thick veil of ash, until two massive shapes slowly emerged.

Two Spider Bots, over 5 meters in height. They slowly made their way through the ruins, their heads methodically turning left and right.
You couldn't see any markings on them. Their bodies were largely obscured by the smoke, as they carefully stepped through the rubble.


"...Police bots?" Mira quietly whispered.

"No. Stay down!" Tomas loudly whispered through the radio: "Take cover in the rubble! Use the smoke to stay out of sight.
We can't let them see us, we're in no condition to take them head on"



The Spiders continued to carefully walk through the rubble, seemingly scanning the surroundings.

One of the beams next to them moved and a weak call of pain echoed across the surroundings. A wounded man was laying there, still alive, weakly moving and
staring blindly at the sky.

One of the Spiders zeroed in on him, lifted one of its massive legs and brought it down on him.


"They're executing survivors!" Madelyn hissed.


"Stay down!" Tomas whispered over the radio: "If you reveal your position, you're dead! Just get Zarovee out of here"


"We're supposed to watch this and do nothing!?" Madelyn quietly hissed.

"I'll draw them away" Tomas whispered: "Everyone else, just grab the wounded and leave, quietly. Use the smoke and debris to stay out of sight"

"Tomas!" Madelyn quietly barked.

"Nothing will change if I die!" Tomas called: "But if Madelyn dies, the whole city's fucked. Someone, get her away from here!"



"Mission parameters unacceptable" Madelyn quietly said: "Re-establishing connection to, Plume of Dusk" Her stare suddenly caught focus and light returned to her eyes.
She looked like a living person again. Her face clearly showed a human expression.

She was pissed. A determined light burned in her eyes.

"Maddie! Maddie don't do anything stupid!" Tomas hissed over the earpiece: "There's a crack on your spine! Maddie!"



The Spiders continued to slowly march through the rubble, their cold red eyes methodically scanning the area.

Rogue was still in the air, obscured by the smoke. He's pulled up a small diffusion bubble around his nose and mouth, to extract clean air to breath but keep the smoke out. He'd given up trying to move the smoke, as there was just too much to shift; clearly this had been a powerful device, and someone seriously wanted someone else dead.

He heard the spider robots approach, but luckily they were only looking left and right along the ground, and were not inspecting the sky. He quickly made himself invisible to all sensors they might have, and continued to observe them.

Two Spiders continued to slowly make their way through the rubble. The glow of their eyes and the heavy thumping of their limbs was extremely unsettling.


"Madelyn, you have to go!" Tomas whispered over the radio again.


"Wait damn it" Madelyn said, squinting at the robots. A visible struggle was reflecting over her face, as if she desperately tried to remember something:
"...these... machines.. they're..." her eyes widened slightly:
"Everyone, you have to listen to me" she quickly whispered into the radio: "...I think the Spiders are remote controlled"


"Of course they're remote controlled, they're drones" Tomas whispered.


"No. I mean, with a Neurochip" Madelyn grimly called: "...when the humanoid robots ambushed us at Blinchyk's apartment... I think I saw one wearing a Neurochip. At the back of his head.
It was hard to tell during combat, but I think he had a Neurochip"



Madelyn said, frowning: "...what if all of them had a Neurochip? The Centipede, the Serpent, the humanoid robots, the Spiders?
What if... they are like me?"


"..what do you mean, like you" Tomas quietly asked.


"I have a slot for a Neurochip!" Madelyn called: "But mine is missing! Its been missing since morning! What if I still had it installed? Would I be lashing out, together with them? Mind controlled to do someone's bidding?"


"What are you saying?" Mira whispered.

"I'm saying..." Madelyn swallowed: "..all we have to do, is disable their Neurochips. Then, they'll be free! They'll have no reason to attack us and will not follow their masters orders!"

"...if they have a Neurochip" Tomas said grimly: "We're talking about disabling a several ton death machine. Maddie, this is dangerous."

"You have a better idea? An a suicidal distraction isn't not on the table!" Madelyn hissed: "Whatever the plan, we'll do it together!"


A brief moan of pain caught your attention, and you noticed Dr. Zarovee beginning to stir.

"Wait, wait wait wait..." Oboro waved her good arm. She had stayed in the truck during the search, as she felt too weak from her previous injuries to really contribute in a search. "Are you saying... They're controlled by the neurochip?!"

"Keep your voice down." Angelo retorted. "Look, it's possible, but first we need to get out of this mess. Then we can talk. this out. So does anyone have a plan?"

Arnold rubbed his chin in thought. "How would you deactivate a neurochip anyway? How does it possess a robot? Who hacked into that?"

"We can answer that later." The blue mare replied. "I may have an idea. But we need our spellcasters for that."

Angelo looks a bit smug now. "Magic sure is convinient. What is it? "

"We use an illusion spell to make a corpse look like Zarovee. After they crush it, they'll leave, we're in the clear. As long as we stay hidden. That good?"

Rain muffles a cough, "I-If you can... We know a weak point for the rumbas... Mabye even possibly have new friends..." she says weakly through the radio, "I think its a fantastic idea persay it doesn't get you killed."

Blue, blonde and purple wrote:"Wait, wait wait wait..." Oboro waved her good arm. She had stayed in the truck during the search, as she felt too weak from her previous injuries to really contribute in a search. "Are you saying... They're controlled by the neurochip?!"

"Keep your voice down." Angelo retorted. "Look, it's possible, but first we need to get out of this mess. Then we can talk. this out. So does anyone have a plan?"

Arnold rubbed his chin in thought. "How would you deactivate a neurochip anyway? How does it possess a robot? Who hacked into that?"

"We can answer that later." The blue mare replied. "I may have an idea. But we need our spellcasters for that."

Angelo looks a bit smug now. "Magic sure is convinient. What is it? "

"We use an illusion spell to make a corpse look like Zarovee. After they crush it, they'll leave, we're in the clear. As long as we stay hidden. That good?"

"I can do that" Rogue says over the earpiece "But it might be tricky to replicate all the signs of a real person, enough to fool those robots' sensors." He sighs, "I hate to be crude, but if i laid the illusion over a real dead body, that might just work."

(Naomi)
Having made her way to rejoin the group, Naomi helped Mira lift the beam off of Zarovee.

"Are we sure they're out to kill the doctor?" Naomi asks "Wouldn't capturing him and using him to further...who ever's behind this...goals make more sense?"

"The bomb's detonation leveled the building, scorched the entire block." Tomas said, scowling at the robots:
"An explosion of that magnitude... probably killed most of the staff... and the police perimeter around the building... Zarovee's survival was luck. The shock wave and randomly flying debris could have killed him.

Tactics like that... are not meant to take captors.

They're executing survivors and there's no indication they will stop, even after they get Zarovee.

They know Madelyn was headed this way, they may continue looking for her, or wander the ruins until they've killed everyone who survived.."


On the ground, Zarovee stirred again and weakly lifted his head: "..what... what.. happened?... whats going on?" he coughed loudly, his eyes staring into space, trying to catch focus.

(Naomi)
"Fine, but just one question. Who the hell is Madelyn? You mentioned her name earlier, as if I should know who that is, and have been calling, "She gestures to the girl" her by the same name. I thought her name was Jane." Naomi looked at Madelyn, seeming confused by her change in demeanor.

"My.. name is Madelyn... Jane Doe was a nickname we used, when I couldn't remember my name" Maddie quietly said.
Her expression slowly became sad and miserable, as she lost herself in thought.


"...Maddie I'm so sorry" Mira called: "..the lab... I know we hoped, it would restore your memories... help you find your daughter, maybe, there's another way we could-.."


"I can't think about that right now" Madelyn whispered, looking at the ground: "...If I start to dwell on it.. I'll.. collapse.
All I can see are the wounded, and their blood on my hands... they died because someone tried to get me"


"Maddie.." Mira quietly called.


"Lets focus on the mission" Madelyn stiffly replied, closing her eyes: "If the Spiders wear Neurochips, they will likely be installed in their head.
Likely behind an armor plate. If we could only find a way to pry it open, we could just pull the chip out, or even punch it.
The Neurochips are increadibly fragile"


"...Neurochips.." Dr. Zarovee suddenly called, laying on his stomach and staring into space: "...you need to destroy a Neurochip?"


"Yes. Doctor, please rest. You've been through enough" Madelyn gently said, placing a hand on his shoulder.




"I don't know whats happening.. but I know Neurochips." Zarovee quietly said, grimacing from the pain:
"...I've been.. working on something... ever since the Slavegear incident. It showed that.. Neurochips can be weaponized, turn people into puppets, soldiers.
I wanted to find a way to counter that, in the field.

A device, that could be used in harsh combat conditions, to remotely disable a Neurochip... and free the affected victim...


I.. have largely failed...

The device I constructed is ill effective. Too dangerous to use. It only works in close proximity to target, less than 1 meter away.
You basically have to stand right next to the victim and use the device. It will remotely disable the Neurochip.
But standing so close to someone who's mind controlled... it may not end well.

The device needs work... its ill effective in combat..."




"..wait wait, do you have a working prototype?" Mira asked, wide eyed.


"My coats pocket.." Zarovee quietly said: "If it survived the explosion...
I... carried one with me... a.. paranoid habit.. kept tinkering with one, every day"



"Maddie.." Tomas said in a worried whisper: "Those Spiders have jaws. They can chew through a truck. Getting so close to one, without getting spotted..."


"Tom, please, we have to stop this" Madelyn said, gesturing at the robots.


"...I know, but you're sitting this out" Tomas said frowning.

Madelyn emitted an angry, disapproving sound, frowning at him.

Kaylee Brown wrote:"My.. name is Madelyn... Jane Doe was a nickname we used, when I couldn't remember my name" Maddie quietly said.
Her expression slowly became sad and miserable, as she lost herself in thought.


"...Maddie I'm so sorry" Mira called: "..the lab... I know we hoped, it would restore your memories... help you find your daughter, maybe, there's another way we could-.."


"I can't think about that right now" Madelyn whispered, looking at the ground: "...If I start to dwell on it.. I'll.. collapse.
All I can see are the wounded, and their blood on my hands... they died because someone tried to get me"


"Maddie.." Mira quietly called.


"Lets focus on the mission" Madelyn stiffly replied, closing her eyes: "If the Spiders wear Neurochips, they will likely be installed in their head.
Likely behind an armor plate. If we could only find a way to pry it open, we could just pull the chip out, or even punch it.
The Neurochips are increadibly fragile"


"...Neurochips.." Dr. Zarovee suddenly called, laying on his stomach and staring into space: "...you need to destroy a Neurochip?"


"Yes. Doctor, please rest. You've been through enough" Madelyn gently said, placing a hand on his shoulder.




"I don't know whats happening.. but I know Neurochips." Zarovee quietly said, grimacing from the pain:
"...I've been.. working on something... ever since the Slavegear incident. It showed that.. Neurochips can be weaponized, turn people into puppets, soldiers.
I wanted to find a way to counter that, in the field.

A device, that could be used in harsh combat conditions, to remotely disable a Neurochip... and free the affected victim...


I.. have largely failed...

The device I constructed is ill effective. Too dangerous to use. It only works in close proximity to target, less than 1 meter away.
You basically have to stand right next to the victim and use the device. It will remotely disable the Neurochip.
But standing so close to someone who's mind controlled... it may not end well.

The device needs work... its ill effective in combat..."




"..wait wait, do you have a working prototype?" Mira asked, wide eyed.


"My coats pocket.." Zarovee quietly said: "If it survived the explosion...
I... carried one with me... a.. paranoid habit.. kept tinkering with one, every day"



"Maddie.." Tomas said in a worried whisper: "Those Spiders have jaws. They can chew through a truck. Getting so close to one, without getting spotted..."


"Tom, please, we have to stop this" Madelyn said, gesturing at the robots.


"...I know, but you're sitting this out" Tomas said frowning.

Madelyn emitted an angry, disapproving sound, frowning at him.

"In order to stay relevant in this conversation since my last proposed role was shot down, i have a suggestion" Rogue pipes up "The spider robots are methodically moving through the ruins, killing any living person they find with their limbs, which would mean the targets get within one metre of them before dying. If someone armed with the device were to pretend to be injured, the robots would move in for the kill, and they could use the device on them? If it fails, we can always pull them out before they get stomped on."