Mysterious New Member Chapter 12
Diana steeled herself as she parked in the upper garage. Stepping out of the Camaro, she took a deep breath and let it out; she needed to calm her nerves and reign in her temper in case the first person she bumped into was Tezz. She grabbed her luggage and strode to the elevator.
Sage looked up from her screens at the sight of Diana approaching. She was unsure how to react to the girl who was likely still upset.
“Hey... Sage,” Diana greeted with an awkward wave. She’d just finished putting away her stuff and was not expecting to run into the alien so soon. Her presence did nothing to soothe her already fragile nerves. “Where is everybody?”
“AJ and Zoom are in the game room. The others are on a mission. I had picked up an emergency signal from Zemerik warning us about my brother’s plans. He claimed Krytus was searching for some sort of item that would grant him access to unspeakable power. With it, he could conquer the multi-verse. There are not many objects I can think of that would allow Krytus to do such damage, but those that I can...” She observed the girl’s reaction. “I am certain you understand the importance of this.”
Diana suppressed a shudder as she nodded. “I understand,” she said through the dryness of her throat. “When do you think they’ll be back?”
“They have only been gone for twelve minutes. Unless Zemerik’s information turns out to be false, I suspect they will be gone quite a while.”
“Considering all the things this Zemerik guy has done, I’m sure that if the info was false then it was nothing more than a set up.”
Sage frowned at the bitterness behind her words. “Perhaps. I will be checking in with them regularly and will inform you if anything goes wrong.”
“Right.” Diana avoided making eye contact, instead opting to take in the surroundings. Whiplash remained exactly where she’d left it prior to bolting, seemingly untouched. The sight of the car they’d given her in good faith made her stomach tighten. She was going to leave when the Sentient spoke again.
“I understand that you have no reason to tell me,” Sage began, “and I am not trying to force you either. However, it is very important to us all that we know how you got ahold of technology from my people.” She saw Diana’s face turn into a small grimace and tried another approach. Dropping to her feet, she took a couple of steps closer but still kept some distance between them. She was all too aware of Diana’s discomfort around her. “You said your father gave you that car, correct?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” she said, wishing she had the ability to teleport. “It’s old, loud, and smells like cheap cigarettes no matter how much I clean it. My dad left it to me. He isn’t dead,” she added when she realized how that sounded. “Look, all I ever knew about the thing was that it meant a lot to him, ok? I didn’t know anything about the components or aliens or whatever. I knew he redesigned the interior and that was it. It’s always just been a normal car to me.” She folded her arms and willed herself to meet the alien’s eyes.
“I understand,” Sage said with a gentle tone. Sensing it was time to change the subject, she suggested Diana go and hang with AJ and Zoom while she awaited the others’ return.
“I think I will,” the teen said as she turned and took even strides away.
Sage watched her go, wondering what her father could have possibly done and who he could have met to get such advanced technology.
Diana found the game room and heard the shouting before she even reached the door. It slid open just in time for her to see Zoom leap off the couch, fists raised in victory.
“Yes!” he shouted, landing just next to the coffee table as he did a little dance.
“Aw, I was so close to beating you,” AJ cried, though it was clear he wasn’t all that upset.
“So close and yet so far,” Zoom said, calming down enough to catch Diana standing awkwardly in the doorway. “Oh… Hey.”
“Hey,” she replied with a nod.
“You came back!” AJ went over and pulled her to the couch like she hadn’t bailed on them the night before. “Zoom and I were playing Mech Destroyer. Wanna join?”
“Sure.” She took the controller he offered as Zoom sat on the other end of the couch, AJ between them. Not that she minded the distance. It was clear the scout didn’t have much trust in her and she couldn’t say the feeling wasn’t mutual.
It was about time she did something to change that.
“So,” she began, cycling through the various options of killer robots, “you guys seem pretty chill about the others being away on a mission.”
“Aw, they’ll be fine,” AJ said with a shrug. “They’ve dealt with worse.”
“And we’re on standby if anything goes wrong,” came Zoom, choosing a lightweight mech with laser canons and grenades.
Diana selected the equivalent of a walking tank. Though it was likely nothing more than an offhand comment, she couldn’t help but feel it was some sort of dig. Something aimed at her distrust, however deserved it may have been.
The battle started and Zoom had the clear advantage, already knowing the controls by heart. He took several distance shots and, when it was clear she had no idea what she was doing, he began rocketing past her while taking potshots as a joke. His mech wasn’t doing a ton of damage, but if he kept up he could easily whittle down her health.
Diana figured out how to aim and shoot—thanks to AJ’s guidance—and when Zoom attempted to make another drive-by, she unloaded heavy ordinance onto him. After a couple successful hits, they were equally damaged. Now that she knew what she was doing, the battle could really begin.
Their virtual competition went on for a little over an hour before Sage announced the arrival of the team. Pity. Diana had just started getting into her zone. The three of them headed down to the Hub to see how it went.
“What did you guys find out?” asked Zoom as he strode over to them.
Agura was the first to respond. “We checked everywhere. All we found were some busted up Zurk. It looked like the Reds’ and Zemerik’s armies were thrown into a blender.”
“And it was suspiciously devoid of any robot dictators,” Stanford added as he hopped out of Reverb.
Sage floated into the conversation. “Did you find the device Zemerik was speaking of?”
“That’s just it; we didn’t find anything except the remains of Sark. I checked every way I know how.” Agura was both perplexed and agitated that her tracking skills were unable to locate a single trail leading to anything. Aside from the obvious carnage, she could find nothing unusual.
“I also scanned the area with my sensors,” came Tezz. “As did Sherman and Spinner, and Stanford with his sonar.”
“And you discovered nothing?”
“Sorry, Sage,” Vert said, not missing her distress. “Whatever Zemerik was talking about, we couldn’t find it. Either he nabbed it and fought off the Reds long enough to escape or…”
“Or the Reds have it,” Spinner finished with a shudder.
“What’s this mystery item anyway?” Diana asked, tired of being left in the dark. She recalled Sage’s vague mention prior. “Do you guys even know what you were supposed to be looking for?” An ‘item’ could be a lot of things. A weapon, a key, a giant robot. She looked to the Sentient for an answer.
Sage thought about it. After several moments, she spoke. “As I stated to Diana before, there are not many items I can think of that would allow Krytus to take over the multi-verse with such ease. However, there are a few.”
“Such as?” Agura encouraged.
“A temporal device able to manipulate the fabric of time. A crystal similar to that of the double-helix but with far more devastating effects. An inter-dimensional portal generator, able to open portals to both existing places as well as having the ability to create new planes of existence.”
Spinner blanched. “Is this in increasing level of horror or are you just going by random order?”
Sage glanced at him. What she was about to say next would do nothing to ease his fears. “If you are wondering why devices such as these even exist… They are how my people crafted the Battle Zones.”
Everyone either gasped or made a similar sound of shock.
Tezz’s brain went into overdrive and he was first to break the stunned silence. “So the Sentients… created tools that allowed them to rearrange the very fabric of the space-time continuum?”
“That is correct.”
“I… There is one thing I don’t understand.”
“That’s certainly a first,” came Stanford. The sarcasm made a great shield to hide how freaked out he was feeling.
Tezz shot him a glare before turning back to Sage. “Why is it that the Sentients made such amazing devices, only for the war to break out and cause them to be lost? Why not have them destroyed?”
“Yeah, I’m actually with Tezz on this one,” said Agura. The way she looked as she said it made it seem like it left a bad taste in her mouth. “If these things were so powerful, how is it they still exist when they’re no longer needed? If it were me, I’d be worried about them falling into the wrong hands. Especially when it comes to Krytus and his Reds.”
Sage shook her head, quieting any further comments. “These devices—and many others—were in fact destroyed. Krytus obtaining them would be impossible. He would have to rebuild them. That is what worries me.”
“You mean Krytus has the blueprints to these things just lying around in his head?” Vert asked, disbelieving. There was no way the Red wouldn’t have used them by now, unless he didn’t know they were there. He wondered if perhaps they were buried deep in his subconscious, like the entirety of the Blue Sentient minds in Sage.
He didn’t have to wonder long.
“Allow me to explain,” Sage began, pausing as if taking a deep breath. “Before the war between the Reds and Blues, creating the multi-verse had been a joint effort. Numerous groups were put together to realize the vision of the Battle Zones. Much complex equipment was needed, and not a single one of us was able to create it all alone.
“We needed dozens of minds working together to successfully create it. The end result was a sort of factory, designed to build all of the equipment necessary. The multi-verse was completed long before the war broke out, though there were tensions even then. In order to keep the balance of our carefully constructed worlds, we dismantled the equipment and the factory was shut down. That way, nothing could ever fall into the wrong hands.”
“So what could Zemerik possibly know about it?” Vert questioned, not liking the feeling he was getting.
“It is possible that Zemerik found long-lost data logs detailing the factory’s existence. That, or he knows the factory’s location. Krytus himself may even know. If either is the case, we must take precautions.”
“I think you mean we have to go beat up a tin can and a bunch of angry Red-heads,” Spinner said.
“Okay, hold on a minute,” Diana demanded. She stepped up and waved away anyone else’s comments. “Let me get this straight: your people made a bunch of universe-destroying technology to go landscaping, worried about any unnecessary damage in the future, and so you shut everything down? Instead of—oh, I don’t know—using that equipment to destroy the whole damn factory? And now two of the big bads know about it, and are one hundred percent going to try and use it to take over everything! What kind of logic is that?”
“Diana, calm down.” Agura stepped over and placed a hand on her shoulder, only for it to get shaken off.
“Right. Yeah. Let’s just go finish playing video games you guys. I’m sure they’ll get tired of being evil eventually.” She was still too high-strung for this. She wasn’t ready for another mission. She still hadn’t recovered from the shock of her last fight with the Reds. Hearing this after just coming back was beyond overwhelming.
“Hey,” Vert snapped. He leveled a firm glare at her when she flicked her gaze to him. “I know this is a lot for you to handle, but do you think you could cool it a little? We’re trying to figure things out here, not have a whining competition.”
Diana held his gaze for several seconds longer before tearing it away, jaw clenching. The meaning was crystal clear: he knew she wasn’t preprepared for any of this and shouldn’t even be in the conversation right now. She expected some hostility after everything, but not like this.
The others stood in tense silence, no one knowing what could be said to better the situation.
Sage stared at Vert a long while, having never seen this side of him. Nothing in any of her countless interactions with him told her how to handle this. So she acted like it hadn’t happened. “There is… some good news in all of this,” she offered. To their curious gazes, sans Diana, she said, “Due to the fragile nature of what we were doing, no one being was given full access to any aspect of the factory. Numerous safety protocols were put into place that would disallow someone to so much as access the entire mainframe. Even I do not know the full scope of the systems.”
“So how much do you think Krytus knows?” Sherman asked. “Do you think it’s enough for him to do any damage?”
“No. It is my understanding that there is no way to get into the mainframe or even build a piece of equipment without multiple passes from other members of the effort. Members who, as you may have guessed, are no longer able to give access.”
“So what’s our next move?” Vert wanted to start planning this operation as soon as possible. If they were lucky, they’d be able to put a stop to the whole thing relatively quickly.
“We will have to find the location of the factory.”
“You mean, you don’t know?”
“No, Sherman, I do not recall. Part of the safety procedure was to wipe the memories of any members, lest they go rogue in the future. I understand the factory’s purpose, but I do not know its exact location. I only have a few pieces of data that would be considered useful. It is likely the same for Krytus.”
Vert sighed. This was turning into a stressful week for him. “Well, all we can do is follow any leads we find. Let’s do what we do best team! Let’s go save the multi-verse!”
Diana didn’t join in on the cheer, instead slinking away to go to her room. She needed to lie down.
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about
general:
a lore blog! you can ask questions or just leave me to post rambles once in a while.
this blog mainly centers on the realm, an afterlife ruled by no god but rather by parliament of old men, just like the base plane. that's earth, if you don't know.
the blog mainly centers on the realmian magic system and worldbuilding of the realm itself.
you can also ask me or the characters themselves about certain things!
characters:
3DO, they/them, photomancer. leader of tri-eye ltd. a former agent of the eliminating mind control group (emc), 3DO has long suppressed their emotions to harden their resilience and never learned to gain it back. while they definitely care about their crew, it takes them a while to open up about anything at all. (made me realize my own genderqueerness. good for them)
Bepis, she/they, umbramancer. the second recruited by 3DO (under dire circumstances, they say), she's the team's mental magic specialist. she's cautious, always scaling up a threat and figuring out how to approach, hesitant to ever let anything but her feet fall on the ground. despite this, she's humorous and sarcastic in demeanor. (also my persona mwah mwah)
ARCHIVIST, he/him, anomaly. taken in as a precaution for his own safety by bepis (against 3DO's advice), he's a bit naïve to realmian workings. he's very eager to learn, but he quickly freaks out if something close to his past gets near. he's great with quick getaways and learns fast. (if you're not here from the bf5 fandom none of his backstory is gonna make sense and for that im sorry)
more to come ...?
important posts:
01. what's the realm?
02. what's magic?
about the mod:
bepis or any derivatives, yes character!bepis is my persona that's why i named her that way, don't get weird about it. she/they mostly. i think a lot about my ocs and oc world, i've been putting it together in my head for 2-3 years, so im finally getting a space to talk about it!
asking guidelines:
you can ask me personally or ask the characters themselves for an in-universe response!
just don't be weird about it? if i don't respond i'm either not checking tumblr, not getting notifs, or ignoring you. that or tumblr ate the ask which seems to be common?
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