Note: I don't own any of the characters mentioned, just my own OC. Credit for the GrimmFall Universe goes to Lord Maximus. :3 Enjoy! :)
(A scene of chaos is shown at the famous Navy Pier in Chicago as creatures bearing black skin and white bone plates attack the civilians, but then a youth decides to intervene in the fight, only to get injured severely.)
Start Period - Fullmetal Alchemist OST
(The boy is shown in a hospital, lying on a bed as the camera pans in on the flashing light before it fades to blackness.)
Title: GrimmFall: Dragon's Rising
At last we're here at the half way point (A pair of violet optics flash online as the screen pans out to show a dark blue colored mecha with a pair of draconic wings on the back as he stands atop a building in a city surrounded by mountains.)
In the heart of our endless journey (The mecha flares his wings and takes flight as he draws out a sword from his shield, charging at an imposing black Grimm with large wings and scars across its body.)
At last, while everything still is calm (As the two collide a flash of light is shown to reveal a young woman with brown hair and blue eyes looking at the camera, a rapier in her left hand as she holds a Dust canister in her right.)
Take a deep breath (She swings her sword, only for it to extend into a whip as it swirls with wind around it, curtesy of the wind Dust in the chamber.)
We both have just began to grasp it (The wind engulfs the screen only to vanish as fire surrounds a sword, the camera panning out to show a redheaded woman with a fiery sword in her grasp.)
But it's slipped out of our hands (The woman slashes with her sword as the camera follows the shockwave before it hits a wasp-like Grimm, incinerating it before the camera is engulfed in flames.)
And we will learn from those fragile mistakes (The flames vanish as the camera moves up and out of them, showing a city under siege.)
'til nothing stands in our way (The city defenses struggle to keep the Grimm Horde at bay, only to be aided by two more figures, one of them leaping into the air and firing a Dust-laced rocket from a rocket launcher at the closest Grimm.)
An unbreakable bond will forever link our hearts (The two figures land, one of them being a man wearing a trench coat and behind him appears a buxom woman in shadow as beside him stands a woman with a hammer in one hand, her gaze locked onto the sky above them.)
There's no spell, no hell, that will undo us (The camera pivots to show the two from the side and then from the front, only this time they stand beside the mecha and other two women as they stand in front of a large metallic structure.)
We have made it here at last (The fortress is shown in all its glory, cybernetic organisms lurking around it and several of them aim at the camera as two sinister green optics appear behind the scene, flaring brightly.)
In this never ending dance (The light envelops the camera only for it to vanish as the scene shows a woman with blonde hair and a man with a slightly darker shade of blonde hair standing in front of the mountain city, the others landing beside them.)
And we'll live through us the period of time (The group lunges at the screen, weapons drawn as more Grimm attack.)
GRIMMFALL: DRAGON'S RISING
Opening Files: Cybernetic Organisms
The very idea of cybernetic organisms - otherwise known as cyborgs - has been a fascination since the day they were conceived in the minds of children and science-fiction writers through the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. But many have claimed it to be nothing than mere fantasy or a pipe dream. To others, the idea has been met with disgust, and in some cases, fascination and awe. As technology has advanced, so too have the chances of real cyborgs coming into existence. But there is an issue with this: those that are half machine, and half organic, may be faced with discrimination.
But not all cyborgs can be classified as such. In the case of Dracon, he is not half machine and half man. He is a Gundam, which is on a far different level above a mere cyborg. His human mind has basically been transformed into software, but retains the ability to feel emotions. That makes his mental capabilities far greater than those of a cybernetic organism, which may lose their ability to think creatively and to feel emotions as their bodies are more integrated with their new hardware and processing units.
Cyborgs generally tend to run rampant if they start to acquire more logic than humanity. During the fighting against the Grimm in recent years, there have been numerous Hunters who have lost limbs or body parts to the Grimm Horde. So they often have to get cybernetic prosthetics which are connected directly into the brain. However, as a downside, these wounded warriors often have a processing unit installed in their brain as well to store data on how the limb functions and moves. This was an idea that was pioneered by Dr. Torenov Y. Minovsky and a colleague, Dr. James T. Ionesco. Minovsky initially proposed not inserting physical hardware into the brain, but turning the very mind itself into data to store inside a central processor within a combat frame, thereby taking out the human body from the equation, but allowing the human subject to retain their humanity instead of losing it.
However...
Ionesco took a different approach to what Minovsky was proposing.
He theorized that to properly combat the Grimm, humanity had to transcend their current physical mental limits.
He wished to have the human race become cyborgs.
Minovsky was horrified at his colleague's suggestion and thereby cut all ties with the man, taking with him his research notes on the revolutionary Minovsky nuclear fusion reactor. Ionesco was infuriated by this and retreated from society for the next twenty years, becoming something of a recluse in the Darklands. He was never heard from again until several students at a nearby Hunter academy went missing.
It was then that Minovsky got an ultimatum from his former colleague: surrender or be terminated. The scientist's worst fears had come true.
The scientist feared for his life. So when a group of shadowy figures approached, he was forced to run. However, as he was fleeing through the woods near the Darklands, he was rescued by a group of armed guards who happened to be working for the Vist Foundation. The Foundation was currently in the middle of an excavation of a meteorite close by, and upon seeing the face of the world's most renowned nuclear physicist, they put aside all doubt and rushed to aide the man. The guards happened to be Hunters as well, which was what allowed Minovsky to survive the attack. The attackers turned out to be half human and half machine, something which horrified the personnel at the site. Dr. Cardias Vist, who happened to be at the site to analyze the metal of the meteorite, learned of the feud between him and Ionesco, and offered him employment at his company, which happened to manufacture robotic limbs and weapons for Huntsmen and Huntresses alike.
The physicist took up the job and with the assistance of the Foundation, laid the groundwork for Project: GUNDAM.
But it was not to last. Dr. Minovsky was attacked at his lab several years after the project was underway, and the security forces present wound up engaging the ex-researcher Ionesco in a fierce firefight. But Ionesco was no longer completely human. And he had mustered an army of five thousand soldiers to do his bidding: soldiers he had enhanced with cybernetics into proper cyborgs. And each one was connected to him. The fight lasted three weeks, destroying the lab and wounding Minovsky severely. The old scientist was able to complete his last work, though, and handed off the plans for an ultra compact nuclear fusion reactor to Dr. Vist. The security forces were able to finish off the majority of the cyborgs wielded by Dr. Ionesco, only for him to retreat back into the Darklands.
He has never been seen since.
Dr. Minovsky lived through his wounds, but he has now been confined to a wheelchair. Yet this does little to stop his ever brilliant mind.
Close File
"Man and machine are two different things. But sometimes people often wonder if technology will allow for a fusion between them. That is both wondrous and disturbing on many levels. For one thing, what would constitute a human at that point?" TOM lectured as he closed up the Cybernetic Organisms file. "Would a human be one that is all flesh and blood, or mostly flesh and blood? Would they be even able to consider themselves as such? Or would they start to see themselves as only machines and no flesh and blood, regardless if they have organic parts or not? That is an ethical question that has spawned numerous nightmares of debates." He stood up from his seat on the bridge and gestured to his frame. "Or is being human the capacity to feel emotions? That is up for you to decide. Even cybernetic organisms can have feelings too."
I was worried.
The base we were in was completely alien in its origins and functions.
But it was shelter, and that was enough reason for us to stay here.
And yet... there was a small sense of dread surfacing the longer we stayed here. Were any of the original inhabitants still present here? Or were they all dead or offline?
I gulped audibly as I looked around the old command center.
I had to admit, this was something that was even more impressive than I expected. True some of the ruins that recent archaeological expeditions uncovered were old, but these ruins predated those by a large margin! And the tech inside was still functional to boot! This was truly a piece of alien engineering.
But as to whether or not anything still lived here was what prevented us from celebrating the biggest archaeological find in world history. I swept my gaze over the different consoles and slowly approached the next one.
My fingertips ran over the keys and the voice from before echoed over the base speakers again. "Input detected. Switching language settings to default."
The keys - which had only moments before been dark - flickered and the alien symbols covering them vanished, to be replaced with good old American English. I gaped in shock before the screens began to show the same change taking place.
At least now we could read it.
"Holy crap...!" Tina breathed as she looked at one of the consoles' screens. The one she was currently at was showing a map of the base, and most of it was pure red, indicating either damage or disuse. I approached the console and joined her.
"This is incredible..." I whispered.
Tina nodded, turning to look at me.
"Just how long has this place been here?" she asked.
I shrugged. "No clue..." I murmured.
I finally looked at the schematics of the base again, and this time my optics roamed over it. "But one thing I do now. Whoever or whatever was here is no longer present. This base is so old I doubt anyone still exists here."
I touched a few keys, and the screen shifted to show the lower levels of the base. They were in the same condition as the upper levels, but there was also a part that was flashing a purplish red. I guessed it had to be the reactor. Too bad the security cameras were all down.
A few taps later and I finally gave up at reactivating them. There was no way we could do so. The reactor was starting to run out of juice.
"Well, may as well explore a bit more and see what we can find," I remarked. "At least in terms of survival and weaponry."
Tina nodded and we both left the command center.
The base was huge. That much I had gotten from the maps, but as we started to explore it, it soon became clear just how large it was. There were all kinds of corridors and side passages that led into areas that were sealed off, etc. I tried my best to make a mental map, but it was just damn near impossible, so I gave up and resorted to making marks on the walls with my beam tonfas.
I had to admit, I was getting creeped out in this place. The further we ventured underground, the more sinister the place became. Roots were now starting to barely poke through the walls, from what I could see. A shudder raced through my frame as I gripped my beam magnum in my hands. As we wandered though, it soon became clear that this was not just any military base.
From what I had seen, and what we were encountering, it was a military base of the utmost importance. The only reason I could think of was it was some kind of top secret research facility. To further confirm my theory, we came across what appeared to be an old research lab. The only problem? The doors were locked. I did some fiddling around with the wiring of the keypad, and a few minutes later the door hissed open.
And we stumbled right into a setting fit for a horror film.
The lab seemed like something right out of a sci-fi horror flick, with the usual Tesla coils and some old computer bits. But what really threw me for a loop was not the presence of men or women being dissected here, but the very presence of Grimm that were actually preserved in some kind of fluid. My optics actually did widen at the sight of the Grimm. There were many different types, ranging from Creeps to Ursa Grimm. There was even a type that I wasn't familiar with, as it resembled more of a beetle with its bony blade scythes and carapace.
My optics roamed over the collection, and I had to admit, I was impressed. The fact that these ancient alien lifeforms had managed to preserve the Grimm was a miracle in its own right, and from the data pads littering the place, it became clear that they had also been researching them for some reason.
Tina was in shock as she slowly approached one of the containers, pressing a hand to the glass. "Holy crap..." she breathed. "What the hell is this place?"
I made a noise akin to a snort. "Beats me. But it seems like whoever built this place was studying the Grimm. And their preservation efforts are far ahead of what we can do... which isn't much," I remarked. I joined her and folded my arms across my chest. "To be honest, it's both impressive and chilling at once."
"But why do this? Why research the Grimm? What was their motive?" Tina asked as she turned to look at me.
"I have no idea," I admitted. "But maybe if we do some more searching, we'll find the answers."
She nodded and pulled her hand away from the chamber. The two of us started looking around the lab for any reason for this preservation and research of Grimm. True we were doing our own research in this day and age, but we still didn't have enough knowledge. And if this place was any indicator, then maybe whoever - or whatever - had lived here knew more than we did.
At least that's what we hoped.
What we found amidst the files was that there was information all right. Information on exactly how they came into existence, how they functioned, and even information on the Fallen, of all things. Most of it was corrupted data, but the fact that such things existed was a serious boon for us. As I knelt and picked up one of the data pads, my optics flashed in realization as I looked at it.
If we could get this back to GrimmFall... then maybe they could piece this data back together and we could figure out how to best combat the Fallen based on this data!
Tina and I had just hit the motherlode of all information.
"Tina..." I looked to her as she finished stowing a data pad in her backpack. "Do you realize what we stumbled on?"
She turned to look at me. "Aside from this data mine?" A smirk was on her face. "We hit the jackpot."
"Not just that," I added, holding up the data pad with information on the Fallen. "We hit the data motherlode for information on the Fallen!"
Her eyes widened. "What? Are you..." She trailed off for a moment before she shook her head. "Are you serious!?" she blurted. "Are you friggin' serious?!"
I nodded. "I am. True most of the data is corrupted and in an alien language, but it's there! It's there, Tina! All the information we needed... it's right here!" My vocalizer was filled with excitement. "And that means if we can piece this together... we'll have an edge against the Fallen!"
At first, she was in disbelief. But then, slowly but surely, a small smile began to creep across her face. "That...That's... This is just what we've been looking for!" she exclaimed. "Maybe now we can figure out how exactly the Fallen are formed!"
I nodded happily. "You betcha!"
Of course, that was only the tip of what we were about to uncover.
Regardless, our spirits were much higher after that discovery. So we decided to keep hunting for more information that could be of use to us. We left the research lab and continued to make our way down into the depths of the base. Not even the eerie atmosphere could dampen our spirits now.
We finally stopped as we came to a large intersection of hallways, or more like a hub of sorts. I groaned to myself. "Oh, great. Now which way?"
The two of us stood there, gazing at each one, and in front of several of these hallways lay rusting hunks of metal and debris. I backed away from one of them nervously as some of the components looked like they had faces on them...
Wait...
Faces?!
I yelped and leapt as far back as I could, startling Tina as a result. She whirled around, her rapier flying into her hand and a Dust vial spinning into place within its chamber. I had my hand on my chest at that point, my reactor whirring loudly beneath my chest armor in my terror and shock. "Geez, Joseph! You scared me!" she gasped.
"Sorry..." I muttered in a raspy tone. "I just didn't..." I gulped before I shook my helm.
I finally turned back to the pile of metal and studied it carefully. From what I could see, there were five faces visible, and no doubt many others buried underneath the metal pile. A further examination revealed them to be limbs and bodies, torsos and heads, all rusted and decaying right in front of us. I slowly inched closer to one of them and reached out a metallic fingertip. I gave the head closest to me a poke before pulling my hand back rather quickly.
The face was as still as death itself. I gulped again as I looked around.
Now that we were closer to the piles of scrap, I could see that they were made up of the bodies and frames of small, human-sized robots. And each one appeared to have a secondary mode as well. On top of that, some of them had a faded, rusting red logo that I recognized as being the same one on the monitor we had seen. And the rest had the greenish colored M on them as well. For some reason, I wondered if there had been a war or infighting, or if something else had happened, like a plague of some kind or whatever. The mere thought of that one vanished as quickly as it came; I was no longer human, so why did I have to worry about a plague?
Still, the very presence of all these dead robots was enough to give me the willies.
Tina slowly shone her flashlight down one of the other corridors, and frowned a bit. "Hey, Joseph..." Her tone caught my audio and I turned to look at her.
"Yeah?" I asked. "What is it?"
"Check this out." Tina knelt close to something dripping onto the floor, and I joined her.
My optics flashed in surprise as I recognized the color. "That's the same kind of fluid those Grimm were preserved in!" I breathed.
She nodded. "Yes. Which means that we're close to something big."
I got the idea and looked down the corridor. The darkened length only made me shiver and Tina stood up. I got to my own feet and we both began to wander down the corridor. It was entirely dark down here, with no light, save for my helm- and shoulder-mounted lights and Tina's flashlight. It was creepy.
We kept walking for about an hour before we came upon two huge doors, both of them mostly rusted through, I-beams halfway collapsed through the ceiling and a few dozen wires hanging loosely across the doorway. Some of them even still sparked faintly. My optics dimmed a shade at that. "Dammit. Looks like we can't go any further," I muttered.
"Maybe... or maybe not," Tina mused as she looked at where two I-beams lay at an angle. The gap in between them wasn't very large, but if I kept my wings folded against my back, then it was possible for even me to slip through. Tina made her way over to the hole and stuck her upper body through. For a moment, it looked as if she had gotten stuck, and I moved to try and assist her, but then she wriggled and squirmed until her long legs disappeared into the blackness beyond. I shivered at the comparison to a dark void. I slowly clambered up after and poked my own head through.
I could barely see her lean body as she wandered around in the darkness, her location only revealed by the glow of her flashlight. I grunted as I stuck my arm through the gap, twisting and wriggling my frame as best I could. My shoulders were barely able to squeeze through - I had forgotten to deactivate my psychoframe - the gap due to how close the beams were to me, but I managed. I kept my wings pinned tight against my back and I managed to turn around so I could use my strength to haul the rest of my frame through. It was a tight fit, but I got through.
I finally got to my feet and looked around, my optics taking in the dark chamber in awe.
Right in front of us was a huge object that pulsed with a dim red light. The way wires and piping snaked out of it indicated that this was none other than the main reactor for this alien base. Yet the way the energy seethed in its middle was anything but friendly. I shivered and gulped.
"Hey, Joseph!" Tina's voice called out to me from the blackness and I gasped. I scrambled down the pile of debris and rubble until I reached the floor and ran in the direction of her voice. I used my sensors to home in on her Aura signature, which was a godsend in this case. I finally approached her location, spotting the glow of her light.
"Tina!" I called. "What's wrong?"
"I..." I heard her gulp. "I think you have to see this..."
I came over to her location and stood right beside her, only to gasp in surprise, shock, disgust, and horror all at once.
And I had good reason, too. Because we were both staring at what appeared to be a dead robot, but fused with the base itself. Or rather, more like parts had been melded into the limbs to the point they weren't even limbs anymore. My frame shuddered against my will and I gulped. But what really threw me for a loop was the fact that this robot was still online. And still functional.
"Sweet Glob..." I whispered, my optics widening in shock. "What...what is this...?"
The robot in front of us seemed to hear our words because the head slowly lifted itself, and the optics pulsed with the same red light as in the reactor's core, but much brighter. The mouth didn't move, and around us the voice from before resonated, and then I realized with dread that this mech was the source of that voice.
"So... you have finally come," he said through the base speakers. "I was aware you were hunting around for me."
"N-Not really..." I squeaked.
A chuckle came from around us. "No need to worry. I was observing you from the moment you arrived here. It's not that often I have visitors." The mech's mouth curved upward in a smirk, something that fascinated me, but I ignored it. "Actually, truthfully, you two are the first visitors to this place in five hundred years. No one, aside from the one known as Sammael, has been here since those days."
"Wait... Sammael... you know of him?" Tina asked.
The mech nodded his head. "Yes. He is the one who led the last attack on our base." Then his optics seemed to narrow. "He is the one who we have been striving to find a way to defeat, as he is a threat to all of you in this world. I assume you saw the research lab?"
"Yes. We found all kinds of data pertaining to Grimm and the Fallen," I said. "But it's been corrupted."
"We did that on purpose to keep others from discovering what we have learned," the mech explained. "But we did not expect it to be so completely corrupted as to be unsalvageable even by our technological standards." A sigh came from the speakers. "Regardless, our efforts have not proven to be in vain if you found it."
"Just who are you, anyway?" Tina asked. "And how long have you been here? What is your purpose for being here?"
"A tale like that will take eons to tell," the mech remarked. "But for your sake, I shall try to condense it into what little time I have left. First off, to answer your inquiry as to who I am, my name was Orion Prima. I was the commander of this base during its operation. And as you have surmised, I am an alien robot. More specifically, a robotic alien from another planet. A planet millions of light years from your own, one that was inhabited by others of my kind."
Tina's eyes went wide and my optics flashed in surprise. A whole civilization of alien robots from another planet?! What else in this world lay undiscovered?
"The group I was a part of... the Autobots, short for autonomous robots... they were one of two factions involved in a fierce civil war that raged for millions of stellar cycles. The other faction was known as the Decepticons, and they sought to conquer others who couldn't fight back," Orion said seriously. His tone seemed to take on a sadness that I was familiar with, and I felt a pang of sympathy in my reactor at that. I discreetly clenched a fist over my chest as he continued. "The leaders of both sides wanted to find a means to end the fighting, which had devolved into a war of attrition. Neither side could outdo the other. At least until another kind of robotic organism was found to have arrived on my home planet of Cybertron: the Minicons."
"Minicons?" Tina cocked an eyebrow.
Orion nodded. "Yes. The Minicons were not just allies, but they were also tools. By combining with them through a process known as Powerlinking, we Autobots and Decepticons alike could become stronger. It seemed like the war would never end. At least until a ceasefire was called." His optics dimmed a bit. "That ceasefire came after a fierce battle in which one of the thirteen ancient Cybertronians, the first Thirteen Primes, came to us to inform us of a disturbance in the time stream. Vector Prime, the Keeper of Space and Time, was not one to take lightly, as his words carried great weight, even amongst the Decepticon leadership."
I was stunned. A Cybertronian of such power... If that were the case... then maybe...
However, Orion's words cut into my thoughts, interrupting my musings.
"As I was saying, Vector Prime's words carried great weight, so any and all of us Cybertronians heeded them with great caution and respect. But this time, his warning was dire. He told the leadership of both sides a grim tale of war, suffering, and unimaginable chaos. He informed us that it was from a source that originated at the beginning of the very universe's creation, but then he informed us of a great calamity that forever changed the time stream. A great evil appeared and altered this... Primordial Darkness... giving birth to the creatures you now know as Grimm," Orion continued. "So both sides agreed to a ceasefire and decided to send a team down to this world to investigate this calamity. However..."
We both waited for him to continue.
"However..." He seemed to become weaker for a moment before he let out a shuddering gasp. "However, upon arrival, it soon became clear just how much things were changing. Grimm were everywhere, and the primitive inhabitants of this world were struggling to merely survive."
My optics widened as I realized the implications. "Hold on... You... You were there?!" I blurted in shock. "You were there during the Forgotten Age?!"
Orion's lips curled upward into a smirk. "Yes... But not much else survives from that era of history aside from ruins, including these." Then his face became serious once more. "And alas... once I pass on, there will be no record of the era left. So in effect, I am a living relic of that long forgotten age. But my time is short, so I cannot tell you much about it."
Both Tina and I looked at one another in realization and nodded. "Continue then," Tina said softly.
Orion nodded. "As you wish. My ship and I arrived at this very site where we set up a colony. It wasn't very big at first, and it turned out that our defenses were at first no match for the Grimm. They didn't kill us, but they did wound us and force us to use up precious resources healing ourselves until more arrived from across the stars to assist us. We began studying this world and its inhabitants, but not for sinister or malicious intent like so many others intended to do. One of those that we fought against were the Gems of Homeworld, a very militaristic and arrogant race when it comes to dealing with, in their words, 'measly organics'." His optics seemed to pulse a deeper red at the thought of them.
"We refused to take part in the war, because by the time it broke out, we had been here for hundreds of thousands of stellar cycles. We had seen many civilizations rise and fall, but not all were the same. One of these races was akin to our own kind, but they were forced to abandon this world for a new one. We helped them prepare a new type of spacebridge that they then destroyed, but not before they gifted us with the knowledge of how to preserve Grimm we had captured and wounded in battle. This allowed us to study their physiology, and therefore learn more about how their bodies worked, as well as the substance that they were made up of." Orion sighed. "But... it was only much later that we learned of the Fallen, and the Fallen known as Sammael learned of us."
"That would explain the bodies..." I murmured, recalling the dead bots.
"Yes. His attack came seven hundred stellar cycles ago. He found out about our efforts to curtail the Grimm, and launched an attack on us. But he was smart. He found out about how we were keeping the base operational and cut off our energon supply. That sealed our fate. We had only enough energon to last for two hundred stellar cycles on strict rationing, and that, combined with the constant attacks on this place, forced us to abandon our positions and move inward. But infighting also took its toll. Only myself and a few others remained alive. So to keep the base going for as long as possible, we elected to use one of us as a proxy. I elected to be that proxy, so that this base could remain online as long as possible." Orion's words seemed to be heavy as I realized what he had just done. He had basically consigned himself to be a prisoner here eternally, or at least until someone else came along so he could pass on this information to them.
"The procedure lasted several of your stellar cycles. By the time it was done, only I was left. My compatriots and friends had died, leaving me alone as the sole survivor of this outpost." The mech paused before continuing his tale. "Thankfully Sammael thought we all had perished. He did not expect me to continue to function. But it was only a matter of time before he found me anyway. And yet... it seems like fate had a hand to play in all of this..." He chuckled weakly. "Or perhaps not... Who knows how fate works?"
"So... you were waiting for someone to come so you could give them this data... and tell us this whole story?" I asked.
Orion's optics flickered dimly. "Yes. And so you can understand just how to combat the Grimm and Fallen more effectively. In the coming war, you will need... all... the weapons... you... can... get..."
His voice began to fade in and out, and we both realized what this meant. Orion was dying.
"You... must go... now. This base... will soon... lose power... Once I die... you will be trapped here... forever... So... go... now...!" Orion gasped out.
Both of us looked at one another, then turned and ran for it.
We both made it out of the base and in the nick of time. The entire entrance began to shudder as the doors started to close. I shot a glance back over my shoulder and shuddered at the thought of what could've happened had we not made it out in time.
Truthfully, what we had experienced was nothing short of something out of an old horror flick. But at the same time, if the heaviness of the data pads in Tina's backpack was any indicator, it had been all too real.
We managed to leave the ruins behind, and we began venturing even deeper into the Darklands. If something like those ancient Cybertronian ruins existed, then surely there had to be others, right? Well, we were right on so many counts. But that is for later in this tale. Right now, we had to find our way back to modern civilization. But of course, we still didn't know why Jaxon sent us into the Darklands.
That was enough to raise red flags again.
I stopped. "Tina, hold on."
Tina stopped as well and looked back at me. "Hm? Something wrong, Joseph?"
I nodded. "Yeah. While we did find stuff that could be of use, we still don't know why Jaxon sent us here. It's... it's almost like-"
I was cut off as a loud screeching tore into her ears and my audio sensors.
My radar kicked into action, scanning all around us as the sound of wings buzzing filled the air. I looked around, my optics flashing as I gripped my beam magnum and removed it from my flight pack. "Oh, shit...!" I muttered. "We got Lancers!"
"These Grimm always get me pissed!" Tina muttered. "Especially given their projectile attacks!"
I nodded at that. "Tell me about it!" I grumbled. My least favorite memory of the Lancers happened at Laplace Community College and involved an attack while my team and I had been on a mission. The four of us - Danielle aka "Dan" Willis, Nick Mallory, me, and Rachel Coupe - encountered a large cluster of them while they attacked a nearby cargo plane, and we had no choice but to get involved. We were lucky, actually. Most of our attacks had missed the Grimm, and despite having a targeting system, my ranged attacks had done little to get their attention. At least until I went all out and used my Dracon funnels to get their attention.
I forced the memory files back into the depths of my processor as I gripped my weapon and Tina held her rapier at the ready.
The Lancers emerged from the depths of the trees, circling around us like so many flies to a rotting corpse. The imagery was actually fitting, given where we were. I gulped a bit and Tina tensed behind me. The Lancers dove down at us, their wings buzzing like so many drones. I tensed as the Grimm came in hard and fast. What I didn't expect, least of all anticipate, was the sudden coordination as they attempted to cut us off. I aimed my magnum and Tina held her rapier for an attack as she snapped it into its whip configuration.
The first Lancer launched its attack, using its stinger like a harpoon. I swiftly rolled to the side as the stinger embedded itself into the ground, firing off my magnum at the creature not even a second after that. My shot missed, but it did stir them to activity as a few more dove towards us, intent on ramming both of us hard. I spread my wings and kicked on my flight pack as Tina's Aura flared into action. We both scattered, with me getting airborne and Tina leaping aside with her enhanced agility. That saved our lives as a few more stingers embedded themselves where we had been a few seconds ago.
I spun around and deployed my fin funnels to try and attack them from afar while Tina spun the Dust chamber on her rapier whip to land on fire Dust. She snapped it and a blast of fire was sent right for one of the Lancers. I mentally ordered my fin funnels to fire at the same time, and the pinkish beams lanced out, striking three Lancers in the chest, abdomen and head. They vanished into smoke as the one Tina had scorched fell to the ground, dissipating into black fog as soon as it hit. I glanced back at her, only to gape as a Lancer lunged at her from behind!
I whirled around and kicked on my flight pack to full output, charging in and angling myself so my shield was in front of my frame. I slammed into that Lancer, and when I say, slammed, I slammed into that thing hard! The impact was so powerful that I swore I had broken one of the hydraulics in my arm because I heard a cracking sound. The force of the impact caused me to tumble out of the air and land on the ground, several of my fin funnels landing beside me as I lost focus on then. I glanced up, only to stare in shock at the large crack running down the Lancer's skull and armor plating. I quickly ran a self diagnostic and my frame flashed green with only a few minor dents and dings. No real damage to my internal systems.
I sighed with relief before Tina was right beside me, her face bright red at the sight of what I had done. "What were you thinking?!" she blurted, using her rapier whip to block another Lancer from impaling me in the chest.
"Sorry!" I grunted as I rolled over and got to my feet. "I wasn't thinking."
Still, seeing her expression was well worth the stupidity of the move, I later realized.
I finally aimed my magnum again and willed my fin funnels to reattach to my wings. I wasn't about to go losing those any time soon.
I fired off a charge shot as Tina unleashed a powerful gust of wind from her rapier whip, the color of the wind Dust glimmering in the light of my helm- and shoulder-mounted lights. I had completely forgotten to turn them off, so it was a good thing I had them on. It at least allowed us to see the Lancers better. Otherwise we'd be fighting blind. Or rather, Tina would, as my sensors allowed me to see in a majority of environments, including pitch black darkness.
That was the very reason why I refused to shut them off, mostly because I didn't want Tina fighting blind in this darkness.
The Lancers kept up the attack, but together me and Tina were able to finish them off.
We both stood in the middle of that darkened clearing, panting heavily. My armor was scraped and nicked, but none of my internal components and systems had been damaged, so I was lucky. Tina had a few scrapes that oozed blood, but for the most part she was okay, too.
I sighed in relief as we finally lowered our weapons.
Tina looked at me out of the corner of her eye for a moment before she turned to face me. "Joseph...?"
I turned to face her. "Yeah?"
"What you did... while it was stupid, it was also very sweet," she said with a small smile. "Thank you."
I swore my vocalizer failed to function at that moment. Instead, all I managed to emit was a squeak of surprise as she approached and lightly patted my faceplate with one hand before she turned and started to walk away. For some reason, I found myself staring at her backside. (She had very nice legs, I had to admit.) But I tore myself away from those thoughts and followed after her. "Wait up!"
As we continued on, things began to get darker and darker. Now I knew why they called this place the Darklands. We finally came to a stop and decided to make camp for the night (at least according to my internal clock, which I was grateful to have at that point.) Tina set up the tent while I hunted around for firewood. There was much of it, and I had to admit, the very environment around us seemed to be more suited for a horror film than real life.
My entire frame was tense as I rejoined her at the campsite. She grabbed the firewood and after a bit of fiddling around and a quick crack of her rapier whip and some fire Dust, she had a bright fire burning. I sat down beside her as she slithered closer to me, wrapping her arms around her legs and shivering. "Sorry. It's just I prefer to have someone close to me if I'm in the Darklands or even close to them..." she murmured.
"It's okay. I understand how it is," I told her as I wrapped an arm around her protectively. I even furled my wings around us a bit.
She looked at me like I was nuts. "You're a bit bold," she murmured, a small smile crossing her face.
"Bold? How so?" I asked in genuine confusion.
She smirked a bit and inched closer, tracing a hand down my chest. "Aw, c'mon. Don't play dumb," she purred, sending a shudder through my frame with the tone of her voice. Was she... flirting with me?!
I blushed deeply at the implications and pulled away. "Sorry..." I muttered trying to cover up the cracking in my voice with a cough.
Tina smirked a bit and giggled before she turned her gaze back to the fire. "I guess I couldn't help myself," she muttered. "It's been hectic as of late, and with the fact we have no idea as to why we're even here... it's just been stressful."
"So flirting was your way of releasing it?" I asked her. "Because it sure seemed serious to me."
"I said I was sorry," Tina remarked. She looked at me with one of her blue eyes. "Plus, you're a nice guy, despite your imposing appearance." She smiled slightly. "And I like that about you. You've got a heart of gold, Joseph. Even if you refuse to admit it."
I blushed at that. "Um... thanks?" I squeaked.
She giggled. "Have to admit, this is quite ironic. A machine and a woman... who'd have thought it would be like this."
Memories of Orion came to my processor and I briefly found myself wondering if he had passed peacefully. My hand slowly drifted for the data pads in her backpack as it rested between us, but I stayed my hand and drew it back. I could only wonder if there was any reason for us being here. It was just... so weird to be here without any idea as to what we were doing here to begin with.
"Hey, Tina," I began. "Why do you think we were sent here?"
"Hm? Why?" She pursed her lips as she drew a bit closer to me. "Well... honestly, nothing comes to my mind. Why?"
"Because it's so strange to be here without any orders of any kind. No objective, no nothing. It's almost as if Jaxon has something to hide..." I mused. "Or is up to something. Because think about it. I mean... back during that fight, with the Nevermore and those Griffons? The City Guard should've had the advantage, and instead, he puts half-trained civilians on the line with them. Is he holding back for some reason? Or is there something more sinister going on?"
There was no answer.
Just the crackling of the flames answered me.
