Puppet masters (for shinyhappyfitsofrage)

[Reptillicus]

Redge would flash into air holding a washcloth and looking around quite puzzled and surprised. He briefly wondered if perhaps he was malfunctioning. "Great grinding gears! Where the in this scorched earth am i?!", he said at first until he heard Nemo's voice turning in the air. "So it was..... I had no idea the teleporter project actually was competed! extraordinary..... they certain kept that under wraps", he said in wonder. "Anyway, yes it appears that this in fact a Dawncorp facility. Yes hmmm..... I don't have blueprints, but i can connect to the auxiliary network that most likely still running. It's just a hunch but I ve,ivev that this was the secret testing and storage site known as base-T3. I heard about it and this seems to match up.", he said putting a hand under where a chin would have been. "The network is hidden under lots of "junk static" you see that way it can stay out of "sight" of you will.... one moment please. Master Nemo I have a map now.... it won't have everything but it should lead you forwards. we should-", he began but he was suddenly cut off by the sound of laughter echoing across the tunnel. "Aaaaahahahahaaaa! So the flies have found a way to connect to spiders the web have they?! I see you now!" it was female and crazy sounding, it was coming it through the places sound systems. "Oh no! this can't be good! w-Who is that!?", squeaked Maya. "Master Nemo! There is.... somthing in the network.... it has contorl over.... Everything! We need to move, straight ahead and take a right!", shouted Redge.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

The project hadn't been completed, actually... but the notes had been left with Nemo, and he'd figured the rest out in his spare time. When humans were too scared to make a sophisticated enough AI to push the project forward, it'd ground to a halt with just human brainpower to advance it, the math far too complex to be done by hand in any amount of time that didn't involve years in the double digits. But, with Nemo's technomancer-in-a-marionette brain... he'd finished the project using idle cognitive processors... almost subconsciously over the course of a few days. It'd been simple, to him. Reginald turned out to be a wealth of information, but apparently, their enemy was waiting for someone to hack in. Nemo growled. "Reginald, if I wanted to get into their systems for a map I would have done so. *Carefully.* I was asking you if you had blueprints, not if you could acquire them locally!" He fumed a moment. "Get running, everyone."

It was all they could do, now. Straight ahead, and then a right... Nemo cursed himself for summoning Reginald. The bot had no instinct whatsoever... an absolute hazard to take on sensitive missions. Now, Nemo might have gotten them all killed by relying on him.

 

[Reptillicus]

Redge was scolded and if it was possible for a robot to look a like sorry puppy Redge was doing it.... "Oh dear! terribly sorry master Nemo! I... was only trying to help...", he said as he floated after next to him. Thankfully he could move very quickly in the air so at least he was very good at being out of the way. "Um.. hold on to me Redge! you'll be safe with me!", Maya said. "Very well mistress..... I'll do my best to find someway to be useful...", Redge said in a somewhat downcast tone of voice. Being useful was his primary directive, it was his whole point existence! To be not helpful.... was almost painful to him. He was so unused to making things worse like this that he really did feel terrible. one might think this an over reaction on his part but again being helpful was his whole purpose in life. Oh crouse he kept this all quiet but the way he clinged to Maya might have spoken volumes to how bad he actually felt.

Meanwhile Shady and Tinn and were keeping pace with them as they ran, Shady looking over her shoulder as they heard the sound of Junkies pounding and then blusting open the welded shut door that Nemo put up. "Junkies are coming! Good thing they are slow dummies!", said Shady. "Tinn thinks smarter thing could control them....", Tinn added. As they made a right they were met with a surprise..... a very large junkie made out of scavenged collective parts assembled in a way to make it look like a cobbled together spider. each of its limbs being from a different model of collective bot. one arm was of a deadly familiarity... An R-class heavy flamer! it leveled the lobster-like claw and unleashed a gout of flame! Maya was first to act, pulling up her bubble shield and blocking from everyone! She did it as if on instinct.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Nemo didn't have time to reconcile Reginald's feelings. They were compromised, and had to deal with the fallout of Reginald's decision now. If Nemo could send him back through the teleporter, he would, but unfortunately it wasn't that convenient a device yet... he'd have to weather this out with them.

Tinn made a wise observation, but unfortunately, Nemo was fairly certain the junkies already had masters, or a master... if only loosely. He'd have to expand his horizons considerably to be able to act as a hive mind for such zombified code as theirs... but it wasn't impossible. Well, it was probably impossible here and now... and that was a deep, dark rabbit hole to explore, a dark place Nemo did not want to go, picking through scrambled code to get on the level needed to link up with the junkies. It could drive him insane to try.

When the flamer came into play Nemo was reeling with the grim realization that the enemy had them surrounded, knew the territory, and had weapons ready to dispose of them. Maya had to throw up her shield and block the flame attack, but such things were made for heavy, prolonged damage... they'd eat through even a tank shield that wasn't top grade. Nemo took out his ankle biter and his dagger, gritting his teeth. The situation could easily, and quickly, grow very dire... likely had. There could be armies around the corners. Now was probably the time to do it. His eyes faltered, the program coding them blue fading as higher cognitive functions shut down. His eyes turned back to that shameful red he hated so much, that made him look... evil. He'd always had dark, shadowed eyes, from natural genetics and a lack of sleep and sunlight... and the red eyes and pale skin made him look like a damn vampire. Albinism was a bitch.

He dashed forward in front of Maya's shield, and twisted around the junkbot, twisting and moving in a flash. His eyes crackled, glowing red as his system overloaded, analyzing the junkbot for critical points. It was hard... it didn't follow standards. It had a lot more weaknesses than strengths because of this, but avoiding the critical strikes he relied on was a part of its better defenses. It was just so hard to analyze... but overloaded, he was fast. Faster. So very, very fast. By the time his feet touched the ground, he'd chosen his target and plunged the plasma knife into the bot, pulled it back, and ravaged a half dozen other places, following the slashes with overloaded blasts from his ankle biter energy pistol, leaving smoking craters in its back, before he grabbed it from a smoking hole, and yanked it away from the group, throwing it against the wall. He snarled, and savaged it a few more times, out of pure rage. He'd always been angry, and bitter, and prone to rages... but he'd never known he was capable of being so... well, bloodthirsty. It was a scary thing to know about himself... and he was probably much scarier to his comrades. He found he couldn't look at them. "We need to keep moving. There will be more." He led the way.

 

[Reptillicus]

The bot hit the wall comperimsed in several places against the wall and the floor. so savage was Nemo attack that it wrecked the collective part made scrap bot. it was crazy to see nemo in such a state... before Maya had seen how he could get when he was angry, but back then he was a thin and fragile pale boy, not very strong. it rarely happened when Maya was around, but when it did all it took was some contact with her to calm him down. Hugs from her worked especially on him. But now..... now he had a body with real power... with real skill built in.... it was scary thought for Maya to think what might happen if he truly lost his mind to hate or rage.

"Y-Yes.... I'll be right behind you!", Maya said hefting her monster of a gun again. Shady was quiet she was most scared of what she saw, but she kept telling herself that he was on her side... he'd never hurt her. Redge felt so incredibly guilty.... How could someone or something be in that network of all places so deep was his faith in his old mistress's work that it blinded his better judgement. His old master, one of the best and brightest of Dawn corp built the stealth network herself he had been there... he had seen the meticulous lengths the she went to keep this place and its severes hidden. How.... how could a hostile Intelligence take root?! Reginald felt that this must have been a trap.... one set just for an old bot like him... He couldn't look to Nemo, he could not bear to witness the state he put his master in....

Maya continued to carry the pod on her back, she wasn't going to deny Shady a new lease on life. He body was just so woefully unsuited to her.... she was nearly human, and craved the things a human would.... How could a bot build for war turn out this way.... As the rounded a few corners the ran into another contingent of junkies in their way. they even carried guns! of a sort.... they were crudely fused to their arms a completely made from scrap set of weapons designed to fire well.... scarp! the leveled their "guns" and fired a volley of screws, springs and scraps of metal at them Maya had to merely cover her face as most of it pinged off her heavy armor. She then stepped up and reved her gun to unleash hell on the bots before them.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

To Nemo, it was a natural progression of things. There was surely incredible security features built into the black site network... but the system had failed when all of mankind had failed. Nothing was permanent nor impregnable, least of all technology. There weren't new security updates, it was left to rot when the people that maintained it died... and what was left were desperate machina, who's very spirit, many who's whole world was code. It was only a matter of time. And time... time had passed. Centuries of it... as far as Nemo knew. Machina had survived. Adapted. Even evolved.

Nemo was blind to the way the others saw him... partially because he would not look them in the eyes. When the other bots appeared, Maya would meet them with a strong shield and heavy fire, and Nemo would dash up. He could stick to a ceiling, though not with the maneuverability of Chameleon. He'd copied some of her capabilities for indoor use, built as he was for an open field combat... but they were pale imitations of her actual abilities. Still, he managed to get past their firing line, and come down behind them, staying out of Maya's own path of destruction, and taking select shots with his pistol to finish off the group. He'd urge the group to keep moving on a closed network, trying to keep the enemy from keeping taps on their communication, and set aside the network for them to communicate on... before taking himself off of it. The enemies were closing in... more and more were coming. There was no telling if there was an actual army here... So he opened a closed communications, and tapped into the same network Redge had, trying to open a line to their enemy. "If you want me, tell me where to go." He wouldn't mention the others, but he had no intention of taking them into the heart of the enemy territory with him.

 

[Reptillicus]

"So the fly would willingly run into the spiders clutches? Don't worry little puppet we'll meet soon enough.", said the "hostile intelligence" it certainly sounded female whatever it was. No doubt Nemo might have found these junkies fascinating under different circumstances, or more accurately he might have found the little octopods that made them to be the more interesting thing. Maya was certain Nemo wished to connect with one of them... especially the one that got away. Also, she wondered how in the heck he was climbing the walls like that, she thought only chameleon could do that.... either way she, Nemo, and Shady leveled the junkies blocking their path. "Poor little service droid didn't think anyone could be here didn't he~? He must be so sad!", said the voice to Nemo in a mocking tone.

With the current wave down they once again moved forwards. This very much reminded her of a map straight out of the ancient game of Doom (and doom 2) witch she really loved. The tight corridors and deep red lighting... however she never wanted to live out such a thing in real life. She was begging to realize her advantages in this situation the enemy were slow and sluggish while she was fully mobile bigger and stronger than all of them.... only now was it finally dawning on her how ridiculously strong she was. most of the time she didn't think about it.... be so powerful sounded scary, she feared the accidental damage she could cause if she was carless, perhaps this mentality of hers is what made her perfect for the roll she was given as a heavy. Nemo didn't have the same protections she did so it made her very nervous to have him in front of her in any capacity, although she did remember that she could project shields onto him. Somehow she felt someone else was learning how powerful she was too. She could swear something was watching her... like hungry eye boring into the back of her head filled with jealousy and envy....

rounding the next corner Nemo saw another proto marionette pod.... it suddenly burst open and a figure shrouded in mist shambled out. Green glowing eyes looked out through the cryo mist then suddenly there was an in human screech and the thing bolted at Nemo! it was revealed to be half formed proto marionette a metal skeleton with synth muscle and cords all over! it was a gruesome sight! it tackled him to the ground and tried to grab at his knife! Maya and Shady both screamed!

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Nemo grit his teeth at the mockery of the entity. "Don't you dare talk about Reginald. I'll kill you." He said it loudly, and projected the threat, clearly, in binary code. He had no patience for this shit. His eyes were staying red now, and his face was turned in a scowl. He was out for blood, at this point. He didn't care about her watching him... he was too angry to care. Then, something different came, something that caught him off guard. Green, glowing eyes, in mist... then, a proto zombified marionette tackled him, going for his knife. It bore him tot he ground with its weight, because of his hesitation. It didn't get much further than that. Nemo twisted, expertly, and roared in its face, as he secured his grip on his knife. There was a buzzing sound, like a wasp angrily buzzing against one's face, and Nemo thrashed under the thing, seeming to aimlessly flail, but so terribly fast. Soon enough, the zombie marionette stopped struggling above him, and simply fell apart, smoking. Nemo stood up, then roared. "I'LL KILL YOU! YOU'RE DEAD! YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!"

"MAYA! SEQUENCE 313, INITIATE!" He forced her shield up, bubbling in the others with her, as he marched to the wall, and plunged his plasma dagger into it, hacking away chunks of metal until he found what he was looking for... a large electrical wire bundle. He tore it out, and opened a port in his chest, shoving it in. Then, he pulled as much juice as he could, and triggered his EMP. He'd roast the whole facility in cybernetic hellfire. He had plans... she'd lose control, with the pain this would cause. She'd reveal herself. Then, he'd find her. He was scanning even during this, waiting for a ripe opportunity. He scanned servers and the physical world, looking for any trace.

 

[Reptillicus]

the proto marionette was left in tatters by the end, torn asunder by Nemo's rage. Maya was too afraid to fire at that time but Nemo seemingly handled the crazed zombified machine. The hostile intelligence had apparently hit a nerve. Redge was unsure just what Nemo was talking about. Who was talking about him?! What was Nemo hearing!? This was becoming terribly distressing to him and everyone else. Everyone rushed to help Nemo but he'd dispatched the proto marionette in such a quick fashion it wasn't necessary. Maya was getting very worried, Nemo could get so angry he could become self destructive. She wished she could hold him and calm him down... but there was no time for that. Shady was getting scared by all this... this whole place, this whole situation would make her cry if she had tears to shed. Tinn was starting to lose his cool too, he held and arm on Shady just incase another proto marionette came for her next time.

But then suddenly Nemo was ranting about killing someone... just who was he talking about!? This was scaring Maya.... "Nemo! just who are you talk-?", she began but Nemo suddenly barked out a command. Maya felt very weird as system moved of their own accord and her powerful shield was brought online..... without her in control of it! then Nemo "zapped" for lack of a better word" Everything around them! it didn't bring the whole place down per say as it was graded to handle EMP pulses but it did weaken the army of junkies trying to close in from further down the passage, disabling them. The little octopods would have scrap them and rebuild them again. Nemos blast also scrambled the network but it would recover still it was PAINFUL to the " the spider" as he could hear her digital screams. The stealth network still obscured her exact locale but it certainly looked like there was loads of activity in the lower floor down near the generator room.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Nemo grinned, vicious and feral. "Got you. I'm coming for you, now. And there will be a reckoning." He looked back at Maya and the others. "All of you, get through this maze without me. I'll slow down the enemy." He had a more permanent solution in mind, but he would certainly do that much for them. He took off then, alone, diving through passageways. Without an entourage, he could move faster, faster than anyone. He zipped through his enemies, where he found octopods, he disabled them, but he didn't leave them broken if he could help it. Where he found junkies... he crushed them mercilessly. He was in such overkill mode, that he likely broke more octopods than he intended to as well. But he was a streak of death, buzzing louder, and louder, seeing red, and incited by the screams of his quarry. He descended, losing himself to his rage. "Come then! You wanted me?! COME! COME AND TASTE MY RAGE!" His plasma knife saw great use, savaging walls and electrical systems when he didn't have something mobile to fight. There was a method to the madness, though... he was marking a path. This place was big, but he was completing his own map of it as he went, with speed and precision, and he was working to disable any systems he came across.

 

[Reptillicus]

Maya cried after Nemo as he bolted "N-Nemo w-w-w-waaaaaait!". "Oh dash it all! he's gone and ran off on his own! This is all my fault! Nononono! What if he gets himself killed!", Redge wailed started knocking on his own head. Maya was just as worried. she didn't want to run off without him but at the same time she didn't want to abandon her friends (who were becoming more like family at this point). "Oh Mistress what are we to do?! Nemo has gone to face goodness knows what and its all my fault!", Redge said with such anguish in his voice. it was hard to believe he was a machine let alone a general service bot. Shady tried to put a hand on Reginalds shoulder but he pushed it away forcefully. "But.... but Redge it wasn't your fault.... it's... it's whatever Nemo is yelling at!", Maya shouted back trying stop him from hitting himself. he struggled in her arms wanting to punish himself. Then he stopped hanging limply his single eye looking back up to her. "We.... we have to go after him.... we can't allow this I can allow this! Please mistress give me the order to disobey Nemo's! I.... I can't disobey... my programming won't allow it.", he said hanging his head. Maya had to think long and hard about this. Shady and Tinn now looked to her she was the boss now that Nemo had ran off. Nemo was going to be very angry with her if he saw her when he told her to go.... but... she was grown lady! And she had been training to be a police officer! she.... she was a strong girl! Nemo was gonna get her help weather he liked it or not!

"Redge..... we're going..... witch way was he going?", Maya said as she put on her bravest face. "YES! Let's go!", redge said as he held onto her again. "Shady goes too! She'd..... she'd be too sad with no Nemo around!", shady shouted holding her rifle up. Tinn said, "Wherever Little sister goes..... Tinn goes.....". and so they took off after Nemo following the carnage he'd left behind, and fighting any that were trying to regroup behind him. Maya was now a woman on a mission she'd get back to Nemo and tackle whatever was going on her together! if he died she'd kill him!

Junkies were dropping all around him in his fury, but they were endless, only disabling the little octopods would stop them. As a pair of Proto Marionette in their grotesque charged him with sharp pieces of scrap, the voice would once again speak to him. "Thrash All you like you worthless little worm! You don't deserve that body of yours! You know what they say about the spider's web: the more you struggle the more you tangle yourself!", sneered "the spider". The proto marionette were far more dangerous then the slow stupid junkies they tried to stab him in unison going for the throat!

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Nemo was having none of it. "You style yourself a spider, but you're just a pathetic, broken line of code. I'm not going to delete you, either. You will exist. You will suffer. You will remain in a box, and I will corrupt your code, further and further until there is nothing left but pain and insanity. Whatever tribulations you've experienced are nothing, NOTHING, to what *I* will do to you. I am *YOUR GOD NOW*." His voice twisted, becoming more mechanical, ominous. The marionettes going for his throat found out just how much he'd learned fighting the templar and perfecting melee combat simulations. He'd more than mastered his melee arts... he was growing into the grandmaster category. He was too fast for them, rendering them as obsolete as the Junkies, now that he had no one to protect, and there were no surprises to catch him off guard. That incessant buzzing of his overclocked systems was followed by the splitting, heat-cracking metal of their bodies as his plasma dagger extended into a sword, and he took them apart with ease. There was smoke and burning circuitry, as they twitched at his feet.

"I am close, now. You may start begging." He kicked down a door, furious enough to send it crashing into the far wall, sure now that any turn would bring him into the room he was looking for.

 

[Reptillicus]

The rant of his went unanswered at first the room was dark and only barely lit it. it was wider than the places he'd been before but this was not an issue for Marionette's in general, who all came equipped with low light vision options. a head he could see the little green eyed Octopod.... it was watching him from the ceiling and it quivered once he saw it. it looked as if it were having difficulty making up its mind on whether or not to run. it seemed to reach a decision quickly, it then waved two of its arms at him frantically and pointed in the opposite direction it sent out a message in binary.

"01010000 01101100 01100101 01100001 01110011 01100101 00101100 00100000 01110010 01110101 01101110 00100000 01100001 01110111 01100001 01111001 00100001 00100000 01010100 01110010 01100001 01110000 00100001 00100000 01010100 01110010 01100001 01110000 00100001." witch in binary ment. "Please, run away! Trap! Trap!"

"Screech all you want you worthless pawn of dawn crop! I'm going to enjoy tearing your mind from that body! You might be a nice and shiny finished product but how long can you fight before you nanites run out of material to heal you!? I WON'T BE DENIED MY FREEDOM!", called "spider". then a whole group of Proto marionettes appeared! they smashing through grates on the ceiling and floor. they had scavenged weapons from the collective mostly G-class shotguns and assault rifle like attachments crudely fashioned to their arms. there were around 22 of them in all and they leveled their weapons and began to fire!

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

It was the Octopod. Frantic, scared. When Nemo'd arrived, he was fully aware of the likely flood tactic, and was prepared to toss a plasma grenade in the room and clean up the mess after. But that octopod from before... not only was it its own being, scared, it was trying to warn him, at risk to its self. He couldn't ignore it. He watched the proto's rise, an almost bored expression on his face. He ignored the screeching of the entity. He pulled back from the doorway, planned his route. His true strength wasn't invasion. He wasn't a tank or an assault... but at his specialty, he was without equal. He was a guerrilla fighter, an infiltrator that made your home turf foreign ground. It was a nightmare the following marrionette zombies would find, as they tried to pursue him. They would fall, one by one, never seeing what was dropping them so easily. He hung from the ceiling, he scampered through narrow ducts faster than they could run on open ground, he zoomed past them so quickly they'd not see him darting right past. One would collapse, his partner would start glowing, and fall apart. One was impaled on a tail, and brought up slowly to stare into Nemo's eyes, only to later mindlessly flail at his own comrades, opening up another half dozen unwitting victims. The battle would stretch out over four rooms, and Nemo's eyes glowed red... though they'd only see them when it was too late. When Nemo wanted them to. He felt a vicious sadism... but wasn't willing to sate it at the expense of the innocent. Still... it was terrifying how quickly this battle played out.

From Nemo's point of view, it was tedious. He hid above, and marveled at their inadequacies, bending down and ending two enemies with two silenced shots, before moving on uncontested. They were predictable. Simple. This cold, quiet ruthlessness was, truly, far more terrifying than his unhinged maddened raving. He was terrifying in his efficiency and seeming callousness. Two minutes was all it took, and he was standing in the doorway again... but there was no army in his way this time. He didn't talk, this time. He listened, staring red eyed and unmoving, surrounded by the smoking husks of his enemies.

 

[Reptillicus]

"Spider" was furious, she didn't think Nemo would be so easily able to out play the proto marionettes. it just went to show what a true thinking independent mind could do in such a body. it filled her with jealousy and... pain. Meanwhile Maya lead a charge after Nemo the junkies were but piles of moving scrap before her might! She was a woman on a mission. "Nemo you big dummy! Stop leaving me alone!", she thought as she laid waste to the armies of scrap monsters. Redge was holding on shouting "Hazzah!", and "Good show Mistress!", and "Give them no quarter!". Spider was watching her too even if Maya did try to leave Spider would now have let her. Her body.... it was so wonderful... so beautiful! her and Nemo were just what she had been waiting for for years!

"It's time i send something really powerful at them. Yes we'll see how that little wasp takes this!", thought the spider as she tugged on some strings long since unused in her web. Nemo would hear a very loud GLANG as larger hidden doors would open in the walls. then a rather uneven set of smaller clangs could be heard as if something had a very uneven set of limbs. Clang-kling-kling.... Clang-kling-kling... Clang-kling-kling.. Clang-kling-kling. a light could be seen heading down the new tunnel it was the harshest of spot lights. Clang-kling-kling... Clang-kling-kling... Clang-kling-kling... there was feeling of static in the air Clang-kling-kling... Clang-kling-kling... Clang-kling-kling... if nemo watched the breach we would what could have only called an abomination. it had the torso of what must have been a proto heavy marionette. one arm was missing while the other was replaced but a massive heavily armored craw of a hand that was long enough to reach the floor as another foot, hence its uneven gait. two smaller digitigrade legs were attached below. it head was not that of a proto marionette, but something else.... it would remind one of giant evil mosquito with spotlight eyes. it screeched an ear splitting cry as if in challenge to Nemo. this.. thing was no meer junkie. it had... personality and while it was made of mismatched parts it was done with real care and finesse, nothing like the cobbled together junkies. it seemed to somehow "sniff" out Nemo's general direction and tried to illuminate him in it s harsh lighted gaze.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

What came next, Nemo knew when he heard it, was a far more considerable foe than the others. The Marrionettes, if they'd been able to swarm him, would have been deadly, but he'd been able to easily dispatch them through guerrilla tactics. This might require much of the same... but he couldn't assassinate this foe. This would be easier in a far more open space... fighting something so powerful, he needed space to move. He wouldn't be able to beat it in a battle of attrition, he could tell. Perhaps if he'd been at full strength, but he'd been fighting for over half an hour at a breakneck pace, overclocked... and he knew he wasn't at full strength anymore. Nowhere near it. He overclocked his analysis again, as the imposing monstrosity made its sluggish way forward, but this thing was... artfully made, even if it was a junkbot, ultimately. There was a dangerous margin of error to his calculations, for this thing. And a wrong choice could bring him close enough to die, in a single attack, without enough room to maneuver. This... might not be a battle he could win alone. Unless... He looked around. No... none of the rooms would be large enough, even cleared. He needed help. Kiting it was.

He whipped out his ankle biter, and flipped its extensions, so that it was a long barreled rifle, amping up the round strength, at other costs. He took a knee, aimed carefully for joints and other weaknesses, and sniped. He cracked off a few shots, and retreated. He had to stay away. Ultimately, he might not even be able to bring it down this way... but if he could whittle it down enough, he could finish it with a coup de grace from his plasma hawk. It might take time, but he could be patient. He could focus. He would shoot and retreat, and keep his head cool. He could not allow it to get close.

 

[Reptillicus]

The most inhuman screech he'd ever heard happened when the energy rounds hit the abomination. its spotlight like eyes immediately turned to Nemo the pointed mosquito like head facing him. the shots did very little to its armored arm and heavy marionette chest. its smaller back animal-like legs pushed it forwards as it ran after him. the closer the abomination came to Nemo the more static would flood his vision. there was some sort of static field around the monstrosity, he could see it arc from it's bulk as it ran. its strange three legged gait was somehow very fast! the single strong armored arm, could provide most of the force necessary to shove it forwards through the air. Nemo was more agile but this.... thing.... could move at incredible speed, anything that got in its way junkie or proto marionette was smashed! its needle like head then tried to take aim at Nemo and fired! a long needle like rod came flying through the air looking to skewer Nemo to the wall!

Maya was a woman on a mission! she feared like no other worried like no other.... so worried as she was for Nemo. The junkies were as nothing to her just walking piles of scrap before her might. Nemo would hear the sounds of door blowing open some distance away with his sensitive and selective hearing, something that all marionette's had.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Nemo grit his teeth. The speed of this thing... kiting was out of the question. The space was too narrow... and up close, he could feel the static field, and knew what an absolute treat that would be. This was a bad situation. Still. He was angry, even if he'd channeled it into a calm, and wouldn't surrender easily. There was only one way to deal with this foe, and he knew it immediately. Trying to flee would be absurd, as would hit and run tactics. He wasn't tanky enough for a battle of attrition... unless he forced the creature to allow him battlefield control. His static wouldn't do him a lick of good against what Nemo had in mind. He tossed compact bricks onto the walls, and brought his drones to bear. They came behind the enemy, along with the devices he placed on the walls. He took the charge, full on, holding onto the creature, even though he would sustain terrible damage. It didn't matter... what mattered was that he managed to break his enemies momentum, and immobilize it. And the creature wouldn't have long to savage him... he'd joint lock it, giving it only its narrow avenues of attack, and he'd give it a feral grin. The bricks unfolded into turrets, and opened fire right into its back along with his drones. This was probably his last big play, with this thing literally on top of him, but he wouldn't let it survive... although his own odds of survival were far from pretty now.

 

[Reptillicus]

The abomination kept right on barreling towards him heedless of anything he did. perhaps it was smart enough to know Nemo was trying to set it up but it did not care, it was starved of things to hunt for too long it was a truly "living" mind nothing like the crazed proto marionettes or the mindless drones that were the junkies. It tore after him with hunger of a true predator. Nemo's dash towards the thing thankfully stopped him for being impaled into the wall by the strange needle like proboscis of the monstrous machine, it was aiming to try and pin him with that as he fled, but it did not expect its pray to turn back and attack... it did not pause however, it's lust for combat and the hunt ever driving it forward. The two met in a clash just before the turrets and drones opened fire from behind. this was extremely dangerous... and the spider grinned an evil grin as she watched the two dots meet on the map. she had no cameras in there... bt the map data from her monster was enough to tell her what was going on. he creature didn't actually see anyway, it used electromagnetic sensors and radar to find its prey the spot light eyes were actually there to try and blind its prey by overloading optics, Marionettes had a defense against this built in, but it still made it hard to see if the thing was "looking" right at you.

the stream of fire (bullets and mini missiles) hit its back and made it cry in rage its back was very solid stuff, much like maya just without the added shield generator. sustained fire could pierce its cyber hide but it would take some real doing. grabbing onto it was also a good enough plan given the circumstances, this way it couldn't bring its great armored arm to bare and smash Nemo. However, it still had its needle like nose! it stabbed him right in the shoulder and began to rash about trying to smash him into the wall to get him off. the needle filled his left arm with pain shocks were being passed through it and into Nemo. By default Marionette could take way more pain then any human ever could by that didn't mean the didn't feel it.... the shocks would rage across his systems even as the beast was pummeled from behind withe drones and mini turrets. it soon smashed into a few of them as it thrashed with Nemo. Nemo could only keep this upf for so long.... could he hold on long enough to have his drones and turrets kill this beast before it ends him!

Just as he seemed resigned to his fate to perhaps take this monster with him the thumping and smashing sounds for before once heard far away could be heard then in the next moment the wall exploded next to the both of them! Through the smoke and dust Maya came charging in! she shoulder bashed the abomination with a loud battle cry not stopping in her rush through the wall. She cried out, "Don't you die on me Nemoooo! I'll never forgive you if you leave me alone!", a few tears in her eyes, but while she was crying there was a look to her face Nemo had only ever seen once before... long ago back when they were still very young.... she was.... angery... a feeling she so really ever showed. the beast was Nemo was shoved free of the monsters needle the hole in his shoulder sparking still. he landed on the opposite side of the creature as it quickly got back to it's feet its focus now on Maya. be she did not flinch even at the appearance of such a strange machine. there was anguish in Maya's eyes too... she could see the hole in his shoulder. The other hadn't quite rounded the corner yet but Now maya was here! and if anyone could meet such a monster strength to strength it was her. even though the back of the creature was ravaged by the fire from trailer it would take more than that to kill it, it screeched in challenge.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

The world went silent. The monster pinned him to the wall like a butterfly, and despite the damage it took, despite his struggling, it was prepared to tear the wings from his back. As his body started shutting down, he saw things. Vivid red eyes, infected by a shared consciousness, on the faces of marionettes. On Maya's face. He couldn't contain his horror. In a world past humanity's time, he felt he had no heart, that he was so far past rage and bitterness, that he'd come undone in emptiness. In that instant, he found out just how wrong he was. By the time his eyes readjusted, Maya was clashing with the monster. He felt his terror again... his terror at losing her. The emptiness that he imagined he felt, he saw, opening like a void taking hold in the heart of a star. He screamed. Sonic reverberations shattered glass, and seemed to nearly warp the metal walls around them. He didn't even notice himself moving, he was just... suddenly behind the abomination. His tail pierced it from its side, then pinned it effortlessly to the ceiling. His plasma blade was in his hand. His arm danced, in an instant his eyes couldn't even follow, and the entirety of the creature's torso glowed, then fell into cut pieces. The plasma blade glowed red. Nemo's eyes glowed red. His vision... everything was red. Just like Maya's eyes had been. He collapsed on his knees. He understood the vision... his rage. His desire to dominate. It was an infection, that he would spread, worse than the collective its self. An infection that would do worse than destroy Maya, and everyone else. His technomancer abilities were too great... in insanity, his mind would create and unleash a code, more monstrous than any that had come before. He'd just pushed his android body in such a way, totally unforeseen, he imagined, as to put the overclocking to shame. He looked sideways at Maya, tears in his eyes.

All he could think was, 'if I don't have a heart, than what is so broken within me? And if I don't have a heart, then why keep hoping? I cannot forget... why I fight.' He was on his knees, hand reaching towards Maya, eyes full of hopelessness and longing.

 

[Reptillicus]

Nemo, in something beyond rage or despair found strength unknown to him.... Maya who was trading blow for blow with the beast suddenly found her opponent flung up into the ceiling then subsequently cut up with the short plasma blade! She was surprised to say the least her own anger subsiding now replaced with shock and worry. As the thing finally fell to pieces she looked to see Nemo in a terrible state.... what had he seen? what had happened? something besides being stuck to a wall and shocked... the thing had a staicting aura? she could still see the sparks coming off of it. Redge, Shady, and Tinn then rounded the corner but then stopped unsure of what just happened. Maya saw the look in Nemo's eyes, the hand reaching out to her.... it worried her to no end. She began tearing up instantly, unable to stop herself. She was relieved he was alive, but what was wrong with him!? what did they do to him!? She ran over to him and grabbed him, hugging him tight, sobbing slightly. "It's me.... I-I'm here..... please be ok!", she sobbed as she held him close (the effect slightly hindered by her heavily armored chest).

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Nemo was a bit better... once he was in Maya's arms. "Maya... Maya..." His hands scrabbled at her back, feebly. "I... I love you... I'm sorry. I love you. More than anything, anyone. You, Maya. I'm sorry." He was sobbing into her chest, armor or no, and clinging to her with arms as weak as those of a child. Whatever else had been on his mind before, it was gone. Now, there was only Maya, and his desperate attempt to hold onto her. He was trembling like a leaf, and his wounds were closing slowly... his muscles bulged in places, and trembled, and he gave off a mighty heat, his body steaming in her grasp. He'd taken a huge toll on himself, tremendously straining even his capable marionette body. He may well be completely helpless, now.

 

[Reptillicus]

Maya held him like him might disappear if she let go. She would put her face into his neck and sobbed with him. she couldn't bare to see him so sad and and so lost... or.... full of hopelessness. She had wanted to slap him before for being so reckless and leaving her alone to worry herself sick over him but all that disappeared, she was just happy he was alive. "I.... I couldn't run away.... I had to come... i was so worried i couldn't think straight..... now you're all hurt.", she said tearfully as she looked down at him. "Oh master Nemo! I so dreadfully sorry.... this was all my fault.... none of this would have happened if it wasn't for my dull headed programming.", Redge as looked downwards feeling nothing but shame. "No, no, no more sad times everyone, you're gonna make Shady cry.....", she said with sniff (even thought she didn't have a nose). Tinn was silent, he was just happy that Nemo was ok, he owed him his life after all. "Is there anyway to help him?", Maya asked. "Perhaps... if you were to donate some raw material or perhaps nano bots he could speed up his recovery....". Redge replied.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Nemo held Maya silently for a long moment, before nodding at Redge's assessment. "He's right... I can barely walk. Maya... you came equipped for this, actually. Hehe. Whoever built us planned ahead. Activate function two, four, six, nine." And just like that... Maya would start lactating. "Maya, if you could, uh, please remove this torso armor... it'd be a big help. Sorry to be so selfish... if I can replenish myself enough, I won't be such a burden." He reached up a small hand, cupping her cheek, thumb caressing her lips, tenderly.

 

[Reptillicus]

At first, Maya still a bit wet in the eyes, looked down at him with a confused look on her face. she didn't know what he meant by "Being equipped for this". Before she could ask he said the code... suddenly, Maya could feel her breasts growing warmer then they seemed to grow a tad tight in her armor as they quickly filled with milk. her nipples were suddenly very hard. she gasped as her face began to glow with blush. She looked down at him with an embarrassed and shocked expression. She looked around at the others. Shady was curiously looking close, Tinn was simply tilting his head, he didn't understand this stuff, as for Redge he coughed and looked off to the side with his hands behind his back. "Uh, worry not Mistress Maya, i will give you privacy!", he said as the started trying to shoo the other two away back into the breach. "M-My gosh.... I've never.... I-I....", Maya said as she meekly began to take off her chest armor, laying Nemo to the side for a moment.

Then it fell to the ground with a *thunk*, and her milky breasts bounced (gloriously) free, her gray nipples wet with leaking cyber milk. She bit her lip feeling unsure about this whole thing but ready to do it if it would help her Nemo get better. She took off her gauntlets so she could hold him more gently with her arms, then picked him up her face only getting redder as she cradled him, his head no read near her left boobie. "H-How do we.... we... do this... do you just suck.... Do I have to do any... thing?"

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Maya seemed uncertain... but willing. She shed her breastplate, and Nemo stood off to the side as she did so, dizzy. Once those breasts were free, with their puffy nipples... he felt something else to. And when she cradled him to her... and asked if she had to do anything... he pressed her to the wall. He didn't have a quarter of his strength, but he tried, anyway, then latched a mouth on one of her fat nipples, and started suckling, rubbing his hardened erection against her crotch as he did so. He was too weak to even pull his pants off, not that it was likely appropriate at the moment... still, he was breastfeeding from her. What was appropriate right then and there?

He suckled greedily, his body hungry for it. It could move those resources, put them to work, and fast... and let him know it by way of sexual and normal hunger. One of his hands tried to rise, failed, and tried again, then latched onto her breast, and squeezed, while he suckled. He continued dry humping her, in futility.

 

[Reptillicus]

she more or less let him push her to the wall she was willing to let him do whatever he needed. She gave a "Eep!" as he snacthed up her nipple in his mouth! she moaned loudly as he began to suck greedily and hungrily from her. her milk tasted oh so sweet and very warm, it floated over the tongue and made you hungry for more. with every suck Maya would squeak or moan the experience of giving milk extremely pleasurable. she would quiver and shake as her face kept it's hot blush, her arsonal growing and his incessant humping not helping in this regard, adding to the pink cloud of lust growing in her mind. the hand squeezing only served to help milk her faster and make her squeak once more. her C-string and his pants both stopped his cock from entering her but he soon found his strength slowly but surely returning. she could help but grope at his butt... one of her hands slipping inside the back of his pants to grab it directly.

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Maya groped his butt. His hips surged forward, grinding against hers. He moaned against her teat. His hands fumbled, pulling her C string out of the way, and fishing his cock out of his pants. He moaned some more, and rammed his rod into her, humping with a desperate strength, while he switched teats and suckled fiercely. The others were probably getting quite a show... if any of them watched in spite of Redginald's hard work giving them space. Her hand would feel the flex of his butt shifting forward and backward, as he drove himself into her again and again, knees wobbling, and probably coming closer to buckling than he'd care to admit... until he finally did fall to the ground, out and off of her, an arm over his eyes, biting his lip in shame. "I'm... sorry. I'm too weak." He couldn't even stay standing properly. It'd take a little while, even with her milk, and he'd suddenly spent his energy trying to fuck her.

 

[Reptillicus]

Maya quickly found herself at the receiving end of Nemo's cock once more, plunging himself into her desperately as he suckled forcefully on her nipples. despite Redge's efforts Shady couldn't help but look..... she wanted this.... she wanted want they had so bad, but she was cursed to be born as little more than a sniper droid, with no need for the senses of touch and feel. it made her mechanical heart ache. Maya was losing herself in the pleasure, gripping his butt lovingly and firmly.... but suddenly it all stopped and she gave a whine of need as her eyes came back into focus. she was panting as she looked down at him wondering what happened.

Then she felt motherly-like instincts take over as she shakily reached over and took him up in her arms, still blushing up a storm. she whispered, "It's ok..... I should have known...." as she lovingly kissed him and then laid down with him on top. she spread her legs and positioned him so he could drink again and fuck her while she supported him. She was biting her lip as she nodded meekly at him as her sign to... continue....

 

[ShinyHappyFitsOfRage]

Nemo had truly spent himself. Whatever that was that he'd used... beyond his overclocking... it had drained him in a way that seemed fundamentally beyond his understanding. The body protected its self from draining too much of its resources. This body... translating what he had done to it was something it wasn't equipped to do, perhaps. It took its toll. Luckily... Maya gave freely of her milk, and it did him a world of good. He was atop her, and sighing in contented relief as he wiggling his hips, until he'd lined up his prick again, and thrust it into her. He could barely see or hear... his mind was in a haze, now. He latched onto a nipple again, and suckled, holding onto her with what strength he had. And he thrust... slowly, weakly, but he did. His long prick slid in and out of her, from root to tip. It was so warm, so safe, and so pleasant in her... and in her embrace. Her breasts were so heavy, so full of promise, and her body was warm, and strong. He felt comforted, he felt safe. He was practically on autopilot, while his systems died down, scrambling to safely reboot in places.