"With recent happenings, especially the increasing number of violent encounters within the Ursus Empire., most entities have imposed various restrictions on the Reunion Movement. Many Terran States have placed it on various blacklists, with many sympathizers of the Movement having been arrested under various anti-terrorism laws.
...and yet, for all the problems with the Reunion Movement, I believe this is only the beginning. The Ursus Empire may have the largest share of issues with the Infected, the ever-increasing population of Infected by virtue of the steady uptick in Originum industrialization means that the 'problem' of Oripathy will remain. With discrimination against the Infected a historical and ongoing precedent, the societal issues as regard to such will only continue to escalate."
- A report regarding the Reunion Movement
==| Chapter 3 - 7 |==
"So, Maxwell...that's your name, right? Mind explaining why you are with us, all the way here in the depths of Leithanien?"
The wood-ish smell of the tavern wafted through the air, mixing with the warm like glow of the incandescent bulbs to create a homely feel. For the traveller, it was a welcome thing to be, after long periods of journeying and moving…
"Research. I'm here to learn more…"
His words caused a stir.
"Research? Oooooh. So, you are one of those fancy Victorian or Columbian scientists, snooping around these wilds? Wouldn't it be easier to stay cooped in those labs?"
"Even further, actually. Let's just say…I came from Paradise itself. And Paradise...doesn't offer everything."
"Now that sounds like a story. Barman! One tankard of mead for this fellow, on m…"
The light of the tavern swirled into a whirlpool of thought, plunging him into darkness-
The Doctor gasped awake.
Soulworker hovered him, Light flowing from his open shell while the Ghost shined a torch on him. Groaning, the Doctor tried to push himself up - find himself grabbing hold of a piece of bent metal.
"What happened?" The Doctor asked, looking around. The place they were in was nearly completely dark, save a few dim lights that shined from the sides. He looked up - and felt a sense of vertigo, seeing only the faint glimpse of a light far upwards from an obscured ceiling. "And where are we?
"One of the foundational buttresses of the City section near the bottom of the reactor hall." Soulworker replied, reforming his shell while keeping his light on. "They...managed to blow up the reactor. You got caught in the middle of the explosion."
"I...dammit." The Doctor groaned, simply sitting up. "I...suppose I messed up, then. I suppose Lungmen isn't happy?"
"Sorry, I lost contact with the upper areas when I went down to fish out your body." Soulworker replied. "Last thing I heard, the enemy leader managed to escape, managing to pul his squad into the deeper parts of the superstructure."
"Wait, doesn't that -" The Doctor looked about in confusion- "mean they could be all around us?"
"I suppose yes," the Ghost replied, "but given that they should be trying to be running away, we are most likely safe here. I've already planted a rescue beacon, so...someone should be coming for you soon."
The Doctor stared at him. "Soulworker, you don't plant a distress beacon in enemy territory."
"Perhaps you would like to stay down here forever, then?" the Ghost replied, bristling.
The Doctor sighed, taking a better stock of his surroundings. In this seemingly endless enclosure, he could pick up bits and pieces of fresh debris - broken steel girding, exposed pieces of rubble - in the gloom. In between, stood several tall and wide pillars - structural supports for the higher levels, each marked with a faded number.
"Where's the rest of the squad?" The Doctor finally asked, remembering. "Did they-"
"They managed to get away in time. I think. Oh right-" Soulworker 'grabbed' something, dumping it in front of the Doctor. "Your bag. The tablet and multimeter's broken from the fall, but the Originum is still in there, so-"
"Thanks." The Doctor grabbed it, opening it. "Closure's going to kill me, I guess."
"Good thing you are a Guardian, then."
Ignoring his broken electronics, the Doctor fished out a water canteen from the bag, feeling suddenly thirsty. For a few moments, the only sound in the cavernous hall was his gulping, while Soulworker merely hovered side to side, scanning things at random.
"Hey." the Doctor began, as he capped his bottle. "Soulworker, um…"
"Yes?"
"You know, what is your past?" The Doctor asked.
"Why would you ask? Like I said, I'm just another overly-curious Ghost wandering the Earth." Soulworker replied. "Nothing more, nothing less."
"That sounds like...a dodge."
Soulworker stopped moving. "Funny thing, to come from the likes of you."
"I, look," the Doctor replied, "I don't even remember my own past-"
"Exactly." Soulworker cut him off. "I don't need to know your past, and vice versa. We are Guardian and Ghost. I am your partner, and to this end I will go through with you thick and thin, all the way."
With Soulworker's words the conversation was brought to a halt. In the gloom, both of them stared at each other, saying nothing.
"...sorry." Soulworker relented. "I'm...just really touchy at times with that sort of conversation. I didn't mean…"
"Its…fine." Somehow, the Doctor felt a certain ease, a touch of familiarity with the Ghost's outburst, like something he had experienced once -
And it disappeared, as quickly as it came. Like before, he mentally clawed at those feelings, but they slipped past his grasp, like sand pouring through the gaps of one's fingers, leaving only him and his own frustration.
"Gah."
"What is it?"
Soulworker hovered over to the Doctor, who was now knocking the side of his head with a gloved fist.
"Its...look, for a good chunk of today, I've been having all these small...flashes, glimpses, of what I guess might be my memories? But," the Doctor hissed, "Every time I try to recall more things, all I feel...all I feel is, nothing. And when...when I chased off the bastard from executing A6, I...I felt so angry, so full of rage...even though I don't...know why. Ace said so many things about me...but I...am I that person?"
Soulworker moved a little closer. "It's...not uncommon for Lightbearers to feel all of that, because all of them, pretty much, don't remember who or what they were. There's only one that did so - and that's the Voice of Rasputin, but even she only figured that out because her name was all across so many Golden Age era logs. You though…well, you are certainly a special case, being so prominent that so many people know who you are, with so many of these people still alive. I...well, sympathise."
"Thank you. Hmm." The Doctor looked at Soulworker, noticing his appearence again. "Wait."
"Huh? Oh-what!"
Gently but quickly, the Doctor plucked Soulworker from the air, bringing the Ghost close to his face.
"Hoi! Let go!"
Ignoring his protests and struggles, the Doctor turned him over and around, examining the Ghost. On closer inspection, the Ghost's shell was a dark jade green, with white flowing lines etched in a careful symmetry across its many component tetrahedrons - but more curious, was the state of it. The shell was schuffed, dented or chipped - but the most prominent feature was just how worn out it looked - the paint fading, the surface rough, dull and old-looking.
As if it had been left to neglect.
Finally, Soulworker slipped out of the Doctor's large gloved hands, disappearing and reappearing a distance away.
"Just what was that?!" the Ghost demanded, angrily.
"You don't look in good shape." the Doctor merely stated. "Do you, like, not repair yourself?"
"I can operate perfectly fine like this, thank you."
"Still, not doing proper maintenance on your parts...heh you seem a lot more neglectful than I thought."
"I chose it to be this way, ok?"
"Why?" The Doctor pushed on, curious. "It's strange to leave your gear, much less your equipment, in such a state of disrepair."
"It's…." Soulworker looked away. "...it's a memorial."
To whom? The question sprang in the Doctor's mind, but before he could say it, he stopped, noticing his partner's discomfort. "I see." he relented, also looking the other way.
Silence reigned again in the cold darkness, with only the ambient noises of the great mobile megastructure - its vibrations, and the many devices buried in its metal body - giving any sort of noise to the world.
It didn't hold for long. The emptiness of the place planted yet another question in the Doctor's head.
"Soulworker." He called out.
"What is it?"
"So tell me, what do you think of Rhodes Island?"
"Just...another organization, I suppose." Soulworker replied
"Just another?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Soulworker hovered over to him again - albeit staying out of arm's reach. "Here's a question; how long do you think I have...lived?"
"I...probably a lot longer than me, if the legends of the Guardians are true." The Doctor replied.
"More than you can imagine." Soulworker replied. "There are so many people, so many groups, so many entities that have fought over Earth - or Terra - to improve its lot. Rhodes...fights for a specific cause, but when viewed in the grand lens of history, they aren't much different from the many factions I've seen over my lifetime."
"So its...all nothing new to you?"
"I suppose you could say that. Even helping the Infected isn't exactly unique, for you are fighting another organization that claims to be doing the same, after all." Soulworker made a sigh - or as close as a Ghost could make one.
"I take that to mean you don't have any attachments to Rhodes, then?"
"Obviously."
"Then…" The Doctor shifted uncomfortably on his pile of rubble. "...why did you revive me? I know the whole Guardian/Ghost relationship is something with a lot of mysticism, but-"
"Didn't we discuss this already?" Soulworker rolled his singular eye. "Well, first off, you fit right into the bill of a Guardian, and second, you ch-"
"Not me, you. Why did you choose...to intervene on my behalf?"
Soulworker stopped mid-sentence, and the both of them stared silently at each other for the next few moments.
"Why indeed…" Soulworker murmured-
crack-crack-crack
The both of them froze. A shuffling - the sound of boots moving against ground - could be heard, echoing ominously across the gloom. Quickly, the Doctor sprang to his feet, and Soulworker's torch swept across the entirety of the hall, as the Ghost attempted to find the source of the sound.
Soon, both their gazes settled upon an nearby entrance, a pipe like hole that was slowly filling with light.
"Is it the search party?" The Doctor whispered.
"I don't...wait, I'm sending a ping." Soulworker replied, just as quiet.
The light in the tunnel stopped moving.
"Biosigns stopped moving, and…" Soulworker tone grew worried. "They aren't responding to the ping."
The light in the tunnel began to shake.
"You might want that Originium shard." Soulworker advised. "Now."
Quickly, the Doctor's hand plunged into his bag, feeling for the test tube -
- when someone sprang out.
The Doctor saw an all-too-familiar gas mask, hands holding a large-barreled -
"GET DOWN!"
At Soulworker's warning, the Doctor dived to the side - just as the weapon popped. Quickly, the Doctor ran for a nearby piece of rubble, hands over his head -
BOOM
The entire lit up in a flash, and the Doctor felt chunks of something rain down and hit his arms and body - thankfully protected by his massive coat.
Reacting quickly, the Doctor rummaged through his bag again, his hand finally closing around the familiar circular shape of the vial -
She-Shuck
The sound of a rotating loader was accompanied by a beam of light settling on his position.
"Move!"
Wasting no time, the Doctor pushed himself off the ground into a clumsy, adrenaline fueled dash. Behind him, the weapon popped again, followed by the loud explosion of the contact-fuzed grenade.
The force of the explosion hit him again, sending him tumbling into a crumpled heap, the vial dropping out of his hand. Spitting, he picked it up, looking around in the gloom, but the smoke and dim light made it impossible to see anything.
She-Shuck
The grenade launcher's loading mechanism sounded another warning. The Doctor scrambled to his feet, stumbling -
But the hostile light reached him first.
puut
The weapon fired again, and with no cover nearby, he made a dash of faith and leapt.
BANG
His ears popped as he hit the ground, right before a concussive force slammed him down harder. Before he could move, hot sharp knives raked his back, eliciting a scream from him.
"I'm coming!"
He could barely hear Soulworker shout, under the ringing of ears and the sheer pain in his body. Images flashed through his mind - faceless torturers, shards of originum stabbed into him -
After what seemed like an eternity, the Ghost reappeared, eye beaming with Light, and he gasped from the sudden reinvigoration.
"Maxwell! Listen-" the Ghost shouted, trying to get his attention. "MAXWELL!"
The last image - something forcefully injected into his arm - disappeared, returning the Doctor to full clarity. "Y-yes?"
"Listen-" the Ghost spoke hurriedly, looking back and forth between him and an approaching person - "-charge your hand with Arc Light, and throw it at someone. I'll find you a target!"
"Wait-"
"Trust me!" Soulworker cut him off, before disappearing.
Clutching the Originum vial in his right hand, the Doctor followed the Ghost's instructions, focusing on his hand. A static sensation spread down his other arm, right as unstable blue lightning began to crackle over his hand. Suddenly, a white blueish sphere exploded into life, its semi-solid shape barely staying stable within the confines of his hand.
Looking up, the Doctor spotted a dark, armoured figure - just as a light hit it, shining from Soulworker's eye.
Quickly, he flung the sphere, just before Soulworker disappeared into thin air again. The target, distracted by the Ghost, didn't have time to react to the gleaming sphere that hit him.
A cloud of smoke burst to life around him - right before multiple bolts of lightning materialised to strike him and the ground around.
He barely had time to scream before the overwhelming Arc energy blew him into his constitutent atoms.
A loud cry came from his comrades, and their torches swung left and right, looking for the Doctor. Not bothering to wait, he got up, breaking into a run.
"Here!"
Soulworker's shell flashed at another corner of the hall, behind a pile of more rubble. Jumping across it, the Doctor dived into the makeshift cover.
"Thank you-" the Doctor began.
"Don't thank me." Soulworker replied. "Storm Grenades are a bog standard Stormcaller trick, you would have learnt them...eventually. But you will probably not be able to make another for awhile...especially seeing how you just made the most inefficient Storm Grenade this side of the century."
"Oh." The Doctor flexed his fingers - and sure enough, no power manifested in response to his attempts.
Meanwhile, the beams of the enemy torches danced around, their bearers splitting about in search.
"By the Traveller, these Reunion punks are a crazed bunch." Soulworker commented. "How do they have time to chase us down? Shouldn't they be trying to flee the city already?!"
The Doctor, meanwhile, pondered for a moment. Seems like they just happened to run into us. That's said, if they made the effort to come all the way down here, that means, there's probably a reason why...
"It doesn't actually matter, Soulworker." The Doctor spoke. "We still have to take them down, anyways."
"What!?"
"They know about me." The Doctor grimly answered. "Not to mention the intel they gained on Lungmen and Rhodes…we have to deny them that knowledge."
He looked at Soulworker, with an grim expression that brooked no argument. "How many of them are there?"
"Oh, for…" Soulworker's shell spun as he conducted a scan. "Five biosigns. They are all spread out across the hall...look, you have no weapons, no training, and you just drained most of your Light in an overcharged grenade. I'm pretty sure you can see your chances aren't great."
"I can't die, so-"
"Hey! Reviving you isn't as easy as you think!" It took all his patience for Soulworker to not burst out in irritation. "If you go down, I have to find a right place to revive you, and not to mention how repairing and reviving your body would take time!"
"Well, we don't have much options." The Doctor deadpanned back.
"Still-"
"Wait."
Sure enough, while the beams of light were still aimed in his general direction, the Reunion fighters seemed to be trying to retreat, all too hastily.
Dropping the vial of originum in his pocket, the Doctor got to his arms, quickly crawling across the ground and away from the gazes of the torches, trying to get close to the nearest target.
"Really-"
"See if you can boost that beacon, because we definitely need more people down here fast. Otherwise...I'm going in first."
Marshalling his superhuman strength, the Doctor pushed off the ground, legs pounding forward, before launching himself at his target. Immedaitely they noticed him, and beams or light all began to illuminate him-
He crashed against an armoured shieldbearer. As the man yelled in surprise, the Doctor clambered messily around his shielded guard, going around to thrust an arm into his stomach.
From it, Arc energy smited the man, causing him to scream as weak lightning crawled across the man. After holding it there for a few seconds, the Doctor released him, allowing the man to fall down, paralyzed, while grabbing and ripping the shield out of his grasp. Quickly, he jumped over the incapicated shieldbearer, ducking behind one of the support pillars -
-just as he heard the loud puut of another grenade launched. On instinct, he raised the shield in the firer's general direction -
BANG
Light and smoke washed over him - but the shock simply bounced over the hard metal shield, held in place by his Light-enhanced strength. The shield groaned with the impact, but held.
Immediately, he jumped out, running madly towards another target. Jumping over a pile of rubble, he threw a wild punch -
- only for his arm to be caught by the other man. Undaunted, the Doctor, threw his shield away, bringing his other arm for a desperate swing, but the other man caught it anyway. Yelling, both men grappled madly, the Reunion lineman barely keeping the Doctor in check. Eyes filled with panic, the other man swung his leg, kicking the Doctor in the crotch.
Pain exploded between the Doctor's legs, the light doing nothing to numb it, and he let go, reeling. Quickly, the Reunion lineman grabbed his weapon again, swinging the blunt instrument at him. The vicious blow sent the Doctor flying, causing him to land haphazardly on the ground.
The Doctor tried to get up, only for his opponent to pin him to the ground. Before he could respond, a knife flashed in his enemy's hand, and -
"GAAK-"
Another man gasped from the other side of the room, causing his opponent to flinch. Taking advantage, the Doctor punched up, before using his strength to tip the man off him. As the man yelled in shock, the Doctor raised a Light-charged arm, bringing it down to shock his opponent into unconsciousness.
"Doctor!" A familiar shout could be heard, followed by a grunt.
Ace! Getting a grip, the Doctor scrambled to his feet. "I'm here! Where's-"
"Doc! Get away from here!" The man shouted between grunts. "Saria and the rest are coming down, so -"
From his distance, the Doctor spotted two other shadows rushing towards his subordinate. "Ace, watch out!"
The man didn't need much warning, tackling the others with trained finesse. As the Doctor began to run towards him, Ace quickly kneecapped one man with his hammer and knocked out the other with a swift reverse swipe -
The Reunion Leader followed up his own men's attacks by swinging a large knife in an overhead slice. Undaunted, Ace simply blocked with his shield, before making a return swerve, grazing his enemy with the hammer's edge and forcing him back.
Undaunted, Ace stepped forth, attacking hard. The Reunion leader retreated back, fumbling with his left, before quickly stabbing forth with his knife.
Ace caught it full in the shield - but at the same time, his opponent lobbed forth an object at his feet.
"Watch ou-"
The Doctor yelled in surprise, but the Reunion leader quickly jumped back, pressing something.
BOOM
Ace disappeared in an explosion. The Doctor stopped, shocked, while debris and what not fell on him. Meanwhile, Reunion leader continued scrambling away, legs pounding against the ground-
"-GAAK-"
And the next thing the Doctor knew, he was upon his enemy, lifting him into the air with a single hand. Without hesitation, the Doctor hurled him at the nearest pillar, causing the Reunion leader to bounce off it and land with a loud crack.
While his enemy groaned on the ground, he ran over to the smoke cloud, shouting, "Ace? Ace!"
But no trace of him could be found. Soulworker reappeared, activating his torch - only to deactivate it immediately.
"By the Traveller…" Soulworker hissed.
"Nothing…?" The Doctor asked, a cold feeling entering his stomach.
"...nothing." Soulworker replied. "Just...his gear."
The Doctor blinked.
"When I say we need you, Doctor, we truly mean it. For a brighter future, if I may. And trust me, all of us, we will do whatever it takes to bring it."
The Doctor closed his eyes, a growing sensation of emptiness growing within his chest. Without a word, he turned on his heel and walked back towards the Reunion leader. The man here had taken off his gas mask, spitting and coughing.
Without hesitation, the Doctor grabbed him by his collar again, dragging him up to see his face.
Soulworker turned on his torch, revealing a white-haired, slightly jaundiced Ursus youth, with a large number of small crystal growths poking out of his face and blood leaking from his mouth. Noticing the man's features', the Doctor paused.
"Misha?" Soulworker began, confused.
The youth spat again, rolling his eyes to stare at them both. "So, Rhodes has a twice-cursed Lightbearer. How much did Rhodes pay you to murder some innocents, eh?."
"I have no time for your nonsense." The Doctor started, his voice dangerously quiet. "Answer my questions, or I will make you."
"Screw off." the enemy leader answered back.
"Maxwell. Maxwell Maxwell Maxwell." Tied up, blindfolded and gagged, he heard someone speak to him.
As yet another faint vision hit him, the Doctor clenched his fist. Lightning gathered, before striking his captive across his whole body, causing him to grunt and shake.
"You think - *hack* - that's anything?" The youth jeered. "I suffered worse, you worthless walking corp-"
"Maxwell, wait-" Soulworker started-
Arc Energy crackled all over the person a second time, glowing in intensity before shutting off again, before the Doctor dropped him on the ground.. The youth gagged and spat on the ground - only to look back up with a murderous defiance.
A singsong voice spoke to him, "I hope you do realize you are dealing with desperate people - people at the end of their tether with nothing left to lose. The mentality ingrained in them makes them so rabid that they are impossible to reason with. They won't bend to you, no matter how much pressure, how much force you apply to them."
"Are you done?" The Doctor asked, his voice disturbingly still.
The youth spat again. "I'm Skullshatterer, a Reunion Captain, and this I swear, you will not get anything out of me! Electrocute me, burn me, but I will remain silent - for I serve the Infected, while you are mere sellouts to our murderers!" He sneered. "You can live like a dog, but I will die righteous."
The Doctor twitched, as the memory returned.
While he shook in his chair, the voice continued, "But they do have a weakness. One, last, 'Achilles Heel', as those Lightbearers say. Their fellow madmen, their so-called comrades in thick and thin."
"Very well then."
The Doctor suddenly stood up, turning around, scanning the area behind him. Before long, he walked off, walking towards a not-yet-dead person on the ground.
He was biting, trying to free himself of his gag, to no avail. "So, Maxwell, you poor little fool, allow me to demonstrate..."
The injured person - who the Doctor recognized as the one Ace had kneecapped - was groaning on the ground, mask off to catch more breath. Without hesitation, the Doctor reached down, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him across the rubble ridden floor. Even though the man cried out in pain, the Doctor ignored him.
"Maxwell." Soulworker reappeared in front of him. "Look, I know that you've just lost-"
"We are simply preparing for the next battle." The Doctor replied, his voice level and professional - but its tone unrecognizable. Soulworker flinched, feeling a chill in its very difference. "Besides, given they know...they are as good as dead."
"...I'm going to bring in your honor guard one by one, and if you want them to continue unharmed, you will answer my questions as accurately as possible. Now, I know how much you cherish these people, so shall we make things easier for all parties involved with your cooperation? Everyone would appreciate it." The gag was removed from his mouth, but the blindfold remained on.
"This isn't the end of Reunion's engagement with Lungmen - or us." The Doctor continued, his voice turning bitter. "So, at the very least - we need to learn more about them, if we are to not fail again."
"Maxwell…"
The Doctor walked on, his captive making weak protests as his body was pulled roughly along the rubbled-ridden ground. Skullshatterer spotted him again - but this time, his eyes widened.
"...Anton?" the young Reunion leader whispered, before whipping his head at the Doctor. "What the fuck do you think you are doing?" he growled, albeit too weak to fight.
"If you have the energy to talk, you have the energy to answer my questions." The Doctor's voice turned cold and emotionless once again, pulling his captive up in front of him and presenting him to Skullshatterer. "You can hold your tongue, however - at the cost of your f-"
"You bitch!" Skullshatterer hurled another insult, squirming on the ground as his broken body failed to muster the strength for an attack. "You will go to hell for this!"
"Answer me; what was your objective for this attack?" The Doctor continued.
"You…" Skullshatterer's face contorted, shock and rage twisting his features.
"5. 4. 3. 2 -"
"It was to sabotage Lungmen!" The youth screamed, just before the Doctor finished his countdown. "We were to sabotage the shield generators, and retrieve our agents from Lungmen!"
"For what purpose?" The Doctor continued.
Skullshatterer didn't reply immediately, instead trying to clamp his mouth shut.
Meanwhile, the man in the Doctor's hand seem to have become lucid. "Skull...shatterer…" he whispered. "Do...n't…"
The Doctor paused, looking at his captive - just as an image of Ace flashed in his vision. His grip hardened, and he continued. "5. 4. 3…"
Under Soulworker's glowing light, uncontrollable tears seemed to bead on the youth's dirtied cheeks, even as his face remained contorted with rage.
"2...1…"
Soulworker looked away, just as the air filled with ozone and light.