S1-195
Aftermath
5:19 PM
11/23/3273
Planet Vez-2 - Suburban Cul-de-sac
Aran-Johnson residence
Music
Chibi-Robo: Plug Into Adventure - Night Play
Coming back home from the successful conclusion of the IMC's Shadowkeep operation, Michael, Samus, and Cayde thought it best to unwind. Michael was relieved that Jenny didn't take part in that mission.
Upon opening the door, Michael saw something... startling. His daughter and Glitch Frisk were on the couch, faces mere inches from each other! The two immediately scooted away from each other as the door opened, but Michael already saw what was going on.
And yet he wasn't in the mood to deal with it right now. Although Michael had introduced Jenny to Glitch Frisk shortly after Cayde's meeting with him, he didn't expect... that. He would need to have a word with the both of them at some point in the near future. But maybe the Pilot would go a little easy on Glitch Frisk, seeing as he wasn't the one leaning toward the other.
Heading upstairs to lay on the bed for a while, Michael couldn't help but notice something. Rocco hadn't made a sound since the Darkness possessed him inside that Pyramid. The Pilot tried to call up his Ghost the usual way, but Rocco failed to show up. But something else caught his attention. Had someone left the bathroom sink running?
Michael got up and left the master bedroom, heading down to the bathroom. He opened the door, seeing that the light was on, but there was nobody there... until he saw Rocco drenching himself in faucet water from the sink, apparently feeling utterly violated.
Music
Destiny 2 - Journey
"Rocco...!" Michael was more worried than ever about his Ghost... his best friend.
The Ghost had ejected his shell, dropping the pieces on the floor, and was soaking his spherical core in steaming water. But Rocco was still shivering. "{The... I... That...}"
Michael carefully grasped Rocco in his left hand, getting his attention. "It's OK, old friend. I'm here." Emotion bled from his voice as he held his Ghost in a comforting embrace.
"{It...}" Rocco was all torn up inside. Being possessed by the Darkness had done a number on his psyche. "{It was horrible... It was worse... than you could ever imagine...}" He was the first Ghost... to cry. It was not a happy occurrence in any sense of the word.
"You're OK, Rocco. You're OK."
"{It felt... like a cold wave, swallowing me up. I couldn't move or speak. I could only listen as this... voice... came out of me.}" Nothing... NOTHING... could have prepared a Ghost for an experience like... that. "{...you do not want to feel what I felt...}"
Thoughts growing more erratic with worry, Michael came up with something that might help. "Rocco, why don't you take the rest of the year off?"
The Ghost in his hand stopped quaking and slowly looked at him. "{What...?}"
"You obviously need time to... recover. As of now, I'd like you to just... explore the rest of the Frontier without me or something."
"{But... what about-}"
"Ah ah ah." Michael stopped him right there with a wag of his finger. "Vacation. No 'if's and/or 'but's about it. First thing when you wake up in the morning, you are going on a Frontier-wide vacation until New Year's."
Michael could sense his Ghost calming down. And after a moment of silence, he spoke. "{Thank you...}"
Music
Chibi-Robo: Plug Into Adventure - Night Play
Re-affixing the dropped shell to his Ghost, Michael followed Rocco out of the bathroom. Rocco floated up to the master bedroom, deciding it best to turn in early for the day. But he'd likely have nightmares.
8:31 PM
11/23/3273
After a couple of movies to relax from the mission, Michael, Samus, and Cayde got ready for dinner. Not really in the mood to make something, Michael and Samus ordered delivery from Hotheads, but Cayde offered to go pick it up. Michael then decided to wait a bit longer on the order so Petra could have something.
Speaking of whom, Petra Venj knocked on the door. And when Cayde came back, dinner was served.
Michael and Samus definitely liked whoever originally came up with the idea of coating a soft tortilla with queso and wrapping it around a hard taco shell. It was quite the delicacy. They chuckled at the thought of the Cryptarchy having the mother of all field days with a complete record of the entirety of the Golden Age and centuries of knowledge and history... all in pristine condition... stored in the IMC's database. All the questions they've had of humanity's past... had been answered.
11:38 PM
11/23/3273
"I'm not sure exactly. But this world is ours now. It's what we make of it." The movie ended with water droplets on the screen itself coming into focus, blurring everything else... and there were little green things floating around aimlessly within the droplets, before it all faded to black.
"Petra, it was nice of you to visit. But it's getting late. Although Michael and I looked forward to the next time you come around." Samus then glanced at the Sim-Exo. "And I think Cayde does a little more."
Michael finally got up, helping his wife up onto her feet like the gentleman he is. Cayde did the same, but with Petra. "Michael, Samus, Cayde, I'm also looking forward to our next meeting. It was... nice."
8:59 AM
11/24/3273
Music
none
That morning, Michael and Samus were still asleep in their bed, with their Ghosts also sleeping on their own miniature beds, made by Jenny in her childhood. They were all content with sleeping in, until...
Music
Prey - Mind Games
A song had woken them up. It was coming from downstairs.
"And now it's time to beat the miiind gaaame. And now it's time to beat the miiind gaaame." A light thumping was heard between the lyrics. "And now it's time to beat the miiind gaaame. And now it's time to beat the-"
Music
none
The music abruptly stopped.
"Does Cayde have an alarm clock or something?" Samus wondered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Michael tilted his head from side-to-side, causing his neck to release some faint popping sounds, popping the gas bubbles in the synovial fluid between his vertebral disks. "That's news to me."
Music
Chibi-Robo: Plug Into Adventure - Broad Daylight
In little time, the married couple was dressed and ready to make breakfast. They headed downstairs, finding a groggy Cayde sleepily getting up off the couch. "Good morning, you two."
"Morning, bro." Michael replied. He then realized what he just said. "Uh-... Morning, Cayde. Sorry."
Cayde chuckled as Samus smirked and rolled her eyes. "So I'm... what? your talking robot brother?"
Samus joined in. "I'd say so."
"Well... I AM the handsome one." That got the trio laughing.
"{Then there's the talking robot father.}"
Michael turned to Sundance. "Despite him basically adopting me when I was only 5 days old in the ruins of colony G21 on Troy, I've actually never called Spyglass my father."
"It might slip one day." Samus stated. "Like how you just now slipped and called Cayde your brother."
"Not like I have a problem with it. Being in a family is a... nice feeling. Cayde Johnson, at your service."
Joking aside, everyone settled on toasted BLTs for breakfast, but Michael did something different with the mix: replacing the mayo with ranch.
9:21 AM
11/24/3273
Planet Vez-2 - IMC HQ
Black Armory
Music
Destiny 2 - The Black Armory
As Cayde decided to head to the luxurious Haven beach resort, Michael and Samus decided to visit the IMC HQ, checking in on the Meyrin couple first.
"Hard to believe that a sample of my human DNA was still in that facility. How long has that dry blood been in that corner of Niobe Labs?" Ada-1 wondered.
Hayden-10 responded. "I don't know. But maybe if we find a sample of my DNA... Who knows?"
"Using our genetic information put together... to create a new living being? An artificial birth? Is that really something you'd want? Would it even be allowed? We'd be... tampering with creation on a whole new level."
It was then that Michael and Samus made themselves known. "Hayden, Ada, are you suggesting the use of an artificial womb to spawn yourselves a baby?" Samus asked, holding in some laughter.
"You're not even married yet." Michael added.
"I... You're right." Ada-1 nodded. "Ajax."
The Black Armory curator's Ghost appeared. "{Yes?}" He had himself a Black Armory Ghost shell.
"What say we forge some rings?"
Michael and Samus stood in surprise with wide eyes.
"{But the Black Armory isn't open today. We're still running on Dr. Hammond's day-to-day schedule. You agreed on it.}"
Hayden-10 chuckled. "I'm fine with waiting. We have all the time in the Frontier."
"Well, I guess so..." Ada-1 then turned back to Michael and Samus. "One heck of a mission we had on Earth's moon yesterday. I saw Spyglass's report. I hope Rocco's doing better."
"I gave him the rest of the year off." Michael shrugged. "He should be sunbathing on Zaiter or something."
"{Should be more than enough time for psychological recovery.}" Ada-1's Ghost, Ajax, noted. "{I think you two should go see Mark and Ana. They said that the Shadow's been making some upgrades to Rasputin's neural network. Some sort of paracausal resistance.}"
9:47 AM
11/24/3273
Planet Frozic - Clovis Bray Hellas Basin facility
BrayTech Futurescape
Music
Super Mario Galaxy - Ice Mountain
Touching down on planet Frozic, Michael and Samus exited the Dropship and proceeded to the main building, and they saw all the changes on the way. All the snow all over the ground had been cleared out. There were interconnected tubes and domes of thick glass protecting the place from the harsh conditions. Frames and MRVNs were performing maintenance duties around the place. A few IMC research teams had settled in. Pilots and Spectres were patrolling the area, along with the occasional Stalker. The IMC really did a good job on the entire facility.
Mark-18's Monarch-class Titan, MF-8472, was standing right outside the building, her XO-16 held on her back by her right Acolyte Pod. MF-8472 didn't seem to be on any sort of high alert, giving the impression that there's nothing for her to do.
Michael and Samus entered the building, seeing more IMC security. And at the top of the stairs... were Mark-18 and Ana Bray. "If the Shadow really is programming some sort of anti-paracausality protection into Big Red's neural net, don't you think the Vex tech he commandeered showed him a possible future where the Darkness did something to Rasputin?"
"When you put it that way, it's as if he's conforming to the IMC's post-Collapse precautionary measures. And that means being ready for any possibility." Ana replied.
"Hey, Mark. Hey, Ana." Michael greeted, getting their attention. "I heard my other half was modifying Rasputin's neural network."
Before either of them could speak, Taken energy began to manifest nearby, forming a portal from which the Shadow walked out. "I've been pretty busy with Vex prediction engines lately. I only stopped due to Operation Shadowkeep." The Taken King stated.
"So what're the new neural net mods for?"
"Those prediction engines I got my hands on have shown me a future where Rasputin fires his weapons at one of the Pyramids, only for the attack to do nothing. This is followed by the Darkness remotely crashing his neural network into an irreversible cascade failure. In that future, Ana practically loses her mind trying to stuff what's left of the Warmind into a Frame. The modifications I made should shield Rasputin's neural network from any paracausal manipulation of any kind." The Shadow explained.
"Very impressive." Samus noted. "Are you planning on doing anything else with the Warmind?"
The Shadow nodded. "I'm thinking of adding a Light infusion point, enabling Mark to use his Light to imbue the Warmind cannons with paracausal power. Fighting fire with fire, so to speak. Or paracausal with paracausal."
"All this talk about paracausality is starting to mess with my head." Michael stated.
A chuckle escaped the Taken King. "Sorry."
"Michael, Samus, we're doing OK over here. No need to worry." Ana gave them a thumbs-up.
"And while Asher's onboard the Dreadnaught, waiting for my new cure to run its course-"
Michael interrupted the Shadow. "You managed to find a cure for Asher's Vex arm?!"
The Taken King nodded. "Yes. And I successfully extricated the Vex tech from his Ghost's shell. The Vex are quite interesting, even by my standards."
After saying their good-byes, Michael and Samus headed back out of the building, passing by MF-8472. "[It's always a pleasure, you two. Come back soon.]"
10:13 AM
11/24/3273
Planet Korj - Angel City District 10: Phoenix Central
Warlock Library
Music
none
Arriving at Phoenix Central, Michael and Samus decided to explore a bit more to see what the Aurora Units packed into the place. There was a gym for Golems, a shooting range for Hunters, and a library for Warlocks. They decided on the library first.
Of all the people to meet in the Warlock library, they were shocked to find a Golem. It was Tanner-21, and he was sitting by a fireplace while reading an old history book from before the Golden Age. For this Golem, it made sense; he was the intellect of a Warlock, the ingenuity of a Hunter, and the strength of a Golem all bundled up in a single form.
"Hey, Tanner." Michael greeted.
Tanner-21 looked up, closed his book, got out of the chair, and placed the book back where he got it. "Hi, Michael. Is Rocco still shook up about what happened yesterday?"
"He told him to take the rest of the year off." Samus stated, not even giving Michael a chance to speak.
"I see." The Exo nodded. "So you're confident in the abilities of your Titans to ensure your well-being?"
"Protocol 3." Michael put plainly.
There was no delay in the Exo's response or understanding. "Ah. Protect the Pilot. Rocco has nothing to worry about then."
"Now I know what you do in your spare time." Samus chuckled, noticing that none of the Warlocks had any sort of problem with Tanner-21's presence within the library.
He nodded. "Ikora vouched for me. Reading's just been one of my... hobbies. You probably wouldn't believe how much time I spend in here."
A strange beeping sound was suddenly heard, followed by Argon floating by. "{Coming through.}"
"I've noticed how Argon seemed to behave in a similar fashion to a certain video game NPC. The 'Kobold' 410 Engineering class Operator from Prey 2017." Tanner-21 was right. "As such, I've been working on something." He got up and grabbed something from behind another shelf. It looked as if he made a full-scale replica of the Engineering Operator from Prey, complete with two industrial manipulator claws on the underside, a utility arm on the front of the top, and six little pads divided evenly along the left and right side of the bottom. "I've outfitted it with a control interface designed for Ghosts, enabling full control of the appendages, the welding torch, and miniature anti-grav thrusters." He pulled back the black sphere on the front of the recreation, prompting his Ghost to eject his shell and allow the Exo to place his core into the interface within.
"So your Ghost is essentially Prey's Engineering Operator?" Michael asked with a smirk.
Tanner-21 nodded. "Should be interesting to have an Engineering Operator at my side."
Argon, now fully connected to the hardware of the recreation, faced the two. "{Hello. Is there a system that needs my attention?}"
"All good here." Samus chuckled.
"{Moving.}" Operator Argon then floated away to make sure any and all systems in the library were in nominal condition.
"Always a pleasure, you two. When you go back to the Hangar, I'd like you to relay a message for me. Tell Amanda that I'll be coming over later this afternoon with her favorite Chocolate Ship Cookies."
They knew what was going on. Tanner-21 had a crush on Amanda Holiday.
11:21 AM
11/24/3273
Planet Vez-2 - Suburban Cul-de-sac
Aran-Johnson residence
Music
Chibi-Robo: Plug Into Adventure - Broad Daylight
After visiting Colony G22 on Troy, Michael and Samus decided to return home for lunch. Jenny had already headed out by the time they returned to the cul-de-sac.
Opening the door, Michael and Samus received a delightful greeting from their happy wolf pup. "Hey there, Myst."
"He's absolutely adorable." Samus chuckled, watching as Myst tried to excitedly climb up her left. She picked up the happy puppy, letting him lick her face. The tickling feeling of puppy kisses made her break out into a little laughing fit.
Michael looked into the puppy's piercing blue eyes. "Do you need to go outside?" Myst made a whining sound and squirmed in Samus's hands. "Let's go." Now on the ground, Myst followed Michael to the back door. Once outside, he started sniffing around the yard for a spot to do his business.
Without warning, Michael's PDA beeped, having received a notification. More news from the FNN.
Warlock Osiris requests IMC security team on Mercury
[IMC OFFICIAL STATEMENT]
Operation Shadowkeep concluded / Friendly Titan restored
[IMC OFFICIAL STATEMENT]
Dr. Hammond announces beginning of new research
Since Rocco had already started his vacation, Michael had no problem deciding which to read first.
[IMC OFFICIAL STATEMENT]
{+} Operation Shadowkeep concluded / Friendly Titan restored {+}
With the conclusion of the IMC's Shadowkeep Operation on Earth's moon, Lightless Guardian Eris Morn has devoted her research of the unidentifiable artifact recovered from within the Pyramid of the Darkness, transmitting her findings for the IMC to catalogue and study.
In other news: RD-1539, the Ronin-class Titan linked to ace Pilot Michael W Johnson which was destroyed in the Red War, was found to have been reincarnated as a paracausal apparition identified as a 'Nightmare'. IMC techs were able to extract his AI, repair it, and place it inside a brand new Datacore, now housed within a freshly constructed Ronin chassis.
"A grand moment that was."
The Ronin-class Titan was heard in his head, seeing as they were still close enough to each other to permit communication through their restored neural link. "[I agree. I've spent years in that oblivion. I'm never going back.]"
[IMC OFFICIAL STATEMENT]
{+} Dr. Hammond announces beginning of new research {+}
With the full integration of the Golden Age Clovis Bray Hellas Basin facility, formerly located on the planet Mars, into the IMC's network, Dr. Hammond has announced a brand new initiative to finish the Clovis Bray corporation's work on perfecting the Exo. The new Sim-Exo program will be in full swing once more information has been recovered following the inevitable discovery of the location of a facility known simply as the Deep Stone Crypt.
"Sim-Exo program, huh?" Michael shrugged. "I'll ask about it another time."
{+} Warlock Osiris requests IMC security team on Mercury {+}
Osiris, the warden of the Infinite Forest on Mercury, has put in a call for IMC Guardian-Pilots to help him protect a machine called the Sundial from Red Legion Psions attempting to rewrite the outcome of the Red War. The IMC Elites have been dispatched to heed the call.
"Sundial? Hm. I wonder what that is. Oh well." Putting away his PDA, Michael saw Myst rolling around in the grass, causing the Pilot to chuckle. "I'm sure nobody would mind me being off-duty for a while."
Quite a few things happening here.
Being possessed by the Darkness... isn't exactly the most pleasant experience. (Wow. Understatement of the millennium.)
Anyway, I'll see you all next time.