Wednesday, September 2
POV: Yang
Yang was on the verge of tears, yet furious at the same time. They had been searching for three hours, and found nothing. Aaron and Nalia split off after the beach while Yang, Blake, and Weiss stayed on the craft. The Riders stretched their minds out as far as they could go, but so far, neither of them found anything. The only living creatures this far out of the city were Grimm or a few animals. The Bullhead passed a couple small villages, but neither held any hostile intent.
The blonde Rider watched the ground fly past beneath her. She knew the stats. If someone is kidnapped and they aren't found in less than forty-eight hours, chances of finding them dropped to almost nothing. That only applied inside the cities and outlying villages. Outside, they could disappear almost in the blink of an eye.
Something came into Yang's mental range. She looked north at a mountain still miles off. Another village sat near the top. It almost made sense, it being in a highly defensible location, but this far out of the kingdoms, it couldn't be incredibly safe.
As she passively scanned the minds of those inside, Yang noticed something was off. Several of the people there were scared out of their minds, but not from Grimm. Two minds out of the entire group were barely noticeable. They were hazy, undefined. But the panic in one of them stuck out like a sore thumb. Yang poked at it a little to see if she could get anything more out of it, but got nothing. She turned her attention to the rest of the people. They weren't scared at all, they were having a good time. That definitely ruled out a Grimm attack.
Yang studied the base emotions of the clear-headed ones for several minutes to get any information out of them, then turned her attention back to the hazy head she felt before. She poked at it again, but this time it grabbed on weakly. Yang gasped. She knew that feeling. Help…Ruby thought weakly.
"Ruby!" Yang screamed with her voice and mind. She tried to grab onto her sister's mind, but it slipped out of reach.
"You found her?" Blake asked over the sound of engines and wind.
Yang turned around to see her two teammates staring at her. "I did." She climbed into the cockpit and pointed at the mountain. "She's up there, near the top of the mountain."
Zach leaned forward in his seat and stared at the mountain. "We fly right toward them, and they'll see us coming, if they haven't already.," he said. "Pelicans are meant for insertion, but not taking the about 70 AA guns that I'd say they probably got up there. I won't be able to get us all the way up there. Plus, there's the chance that they would just kill her the moment they spot us."
The blonde Rider growled. "Were you able to call in any support?"
"Atlas is sending the cruiser Vytal to assist in the search. Based on our last communication, they're still over two hours away from us." Sakura said.
Yang nodded then left the cockpit. She pulled out her scroll and hit Aaron's speed dial. He picked up after two rings. "Find any leads?" he asked.
"I've found Ruby, and she's surrounded by the Nevermores and what I can only guess are more captives."
A roar could be heard from the other side of the link. "We're on our way to you now. Is there anything else?"
"Their base in near the top of a mountain, but we're going to have to get there on foot. We'll be sitting ducks in this thing if we fly right up there."
"Understood. We'll be there as soon as we can." Aaron hung up and Yang put her scroll back in her pocket. The Pelican turned away from the mountain and started coasting to the trees below. The three teammates jumped out of the transport and drew their weapons. It landed about 2 seconds later, and team Gray got out, soon followed by it disappearing.
"You could have waited for us to land." Sakura said. She got no response, however, as Yang lead the way through the forest, Weiss and Blake flanking her to either side. Team Gray began following.
Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of Grimm in the area, at first. Only a few Beowolves and Ursai. They were easy to handle with just melee attacks, and not having to worry about the sound of gunshots being heard. Then their numbers grew, and whole packs attacked at once. But every time that happened, the group walked over their opponent's decaying corpses. Nothing was keeping them from Ruby.
An hour and a half later, the group had climbed halfway up the mountain when Yang saw Nalia flying extremely low and fast over the trees. The green dragon angled up and grabbed onto the cliff the girls just passed. Aaron jumped off his dragon's back and drew his sword. Nalia snorted then jumped back into the trees below. "Nice entrance," Yang said, only a hit if her normal tone leaking in.
Aaron shrugged but never stopped walking. "I try, now let's go." He took the lead and continued to hike up the mountain. Yang fell in after him with the others right on her heels. As the group climbed the mountain, the Grimm almost stopped attacking. Still, they never let their guard down. The beasts could be cleared out regularly by the Nevermores.
Eventually, Aaron stopped signaled everyone to get down. Mental communication from here on out. Weiss, Blake, team Gray, think what you would normally say.
Are we getting close? Blake thought.
Yang mentally growled. They're right over the next hill. The group crawled up to the top of the hill and looked down at the complex below them. From the air, it would have just looked like an abandoned structure, since several walls and roofs were caved in. From the ground, Yang saw lights in the buildings and several gun barrels sticking out of camouflaged tarps.
Yea, like I thought, those guns would be able to take out a Pelican. Assuming they're operational, that is. Zach thought.
Almost the whole way through the climb, Yang tried to break through the haze surrounding Ruby's mind, but nothing worked. The rest of the time she read the thoughts of those she thought to be guards. She mentally noted all that she learned the entire time. They're prepared for a Grimm attack on our side, not a Huntsman infiltration team. They expect any attack from people to come from the air. Several makeshift and stolen anti-aircraft guns line the cliff edge. Still, it won't be enough to hold back the Vytal when it gets here.
Suddenly, I'm glad we walked, Weiss thought.
How far out is the Vytal? Aaron asked.
Less than a half hour, I'm sure they'll send fighter support ahead of them. Atlas always does. Yang felt something different from inside the base. Those that appeared to be in the same room as Ruby started worrying at the same time. There was one man in the room, but Yang couldn't place his thoughts. But I don't think we can wait that long.
Aaron's eyes narrowed at the building below them. I feel it too, and I don't like it. He whipped his head around and looked back the way they came. There's also a patrol heading this way in five minutes. We need to move.
How can we assault that place? Weiss asked in disbelief. There's only twelve of us.
You can't fight with honor against those who have none, Aaron said. We don't attack head on, we infiltrate and do what damage we can.
He's right. Here's my plan, Weiss, Blake, Nick, Ponda, you go and take the command center. David, Momaw, trash their birds and AAs. Me and Percy will go with Aaron and free Cerise. Yang, Zach, and Gregor will free the prisoners. Understood? Sakura said. She received a chorus of affirmations in response.
Yang looked at the more experienced Rider and Sakura with a questioning look. Have they done something like this before? she thought to herself.
I've noticed something while scanning their minds. There's a gap in their defenses by the tree line on the other side of the building. Our entry point is a door on that side. Aaron slowly crawled backward down the hill and retreated to the forest. Yang and the others followed suit. The blonde Rider looked back at her teammates while in the tree cover. They both wore expressions of doubt, the first time Yang ever saw it on either of them.
We got this, she thought at them. We'll get Ruby out of there, we have to. Yang turned back front before she saw their reactions. The group snuck through the tree line as quickly as they could. Aaron picked up the pace when all prisoners besides Ruby felt another pang of fear. Yang pushed herself past the other Rider, wanting to get to her sister before something bad happened.
The team stopped across from a weak looking door on the building. Though I can't hold you to this, Aaron thought, I'd prefer everyone use non-lethal force against these people.
Yang turned on Aaron, growing slightly angry. And why should we?
Aaron turned to the blonde. Give them a taste of their own medicine. Let them rot in jail. There was something else behind Aaron's reason, but Yang couldn't tell what it was. Yang, the quickest way for us to do that is to put them to sleep with magic. The word is slytha. The blonde Rider nodded then looked back toward the door.
I'm just gonna say this now, I'm probably going to end up killing someone in here today. Zach responded. And don't give me any crap, because sometimes there's no choice but to kill someone or someone gets killed.
Two guards walked on by, paying more attention to something on one of their scrolls than their surroundings. They continued around the building, and there was no one else in sight.
Now! Aaron mentally yelled. The twelve jumped out of their cover and ran for the door. The older Rider whispered something, and the door swung open on its own. Yang rushed in first and looked down both hallways she found herself standing in. Weiss was the last in and closed the door behind her.
Remember your roles, people. Sakura reminded them, and everyone took off, with Zach and Gregor following Yang.
Just curious, but why did Sakura have you two come with me? Yang asked.
I'm more there for insurance, and Gregor is a skilled medic. Zach responded instantly.
Yang nodded. It was a good thing Sakura knew there was no way she wasn't after Ruby. She sprinted through the halls in the general direction of her sister. Only one person blocked their path, an aging man in a blood-stained lab coat. They stood a few feet apart from each other for a few seconds before Yang put the man to sleep. She stuffed the now snoring man into a supply closet, then continued toward Ruby.
The three of them turned a corner and saw an empty doorway down the hall. Most of the prisoners, including Ruby, were on the other side. The one man was still inside, and Yang still couldn't place his emotions. A gust of wind blew down the hall, nearly knocking Yang off her feet. Someone's Semblance? Why would that be used inside? She approached the room cautiously, not knowing what the unknown man inside was capable of.
Yang stepped through the doorway and gasped. Ruby was chained to the wall, slightly elevated off the ground. Her facial injuries now included a massive left black eye. A dog's ear stuck out of her hair on the right side of her head, dried blood running down through her eye to her mouth. Her hair around her new ear had much more red than before. A massive red gash ran the length of her right arm. A fresh cut under her right arm oozed blood from just under her armpit to just above her hip.
A man with a bloody sword stood a few feet away from Ruby. "I will admit, you surprised me," he growled. "But I don't think you can survive three doses. No one ever has. Don't make me go there."
Ruby looked up from the floor and locked her swollen and teary eyes with Yang's. She whimpered into the bloody cloth in her mouth. The man stared at Ruby, then turned to look at the doorway. He blinked several times when he saw someone standing in the doorway.
Zach bolted into action before Yang even had a chance to react. He sprinted into the room and slammed an armored fist into the man's face with enough force behind it to cause a shockwave and send the man flying. He then caught up with the man's flying body in an instant, and slammed him against the ground. "Do us all a favor and stay down, you mother fucking asshole." He said.
Yang had been staring at Zach's brutality when heard another whimper to her left. Yang whipped her head around and looked at her sister hanging on the wall. Ruby just stared at Yang, her eyes pleading. She then walked over to her sister.
The chained-up girl looked to sigh, then started screaming, as did all the other hostages in the room. Yang looked around, startled. She heard a faint electrical crackling. She turned back to the man on the floor and saw he had a scroll out with a big red button on the screen.
Yang ran over to the man and grabbed his neck with one hand. She hauled him to his feet and held her other hand a few inches from his face. "If one person dies in there, so do you! Turn it off!" She faintly noticed Zach and Gregor pointing machine guns at his head.
"Can't," the man said, almost laughing through the choke hold. "Only my boys in the command center can turn it off." Just as he finished speaking, the screaming stopped. The man's cockiness disappeared instantly.
Yang was about to say something, when she heard the beginning of an anguished roar from Cerise. Almost a second later, it stopped abruptly. In fact, everything seemed to have stopped. Then, Yang turned around, and was met with Ruby's body having gone completely limp. Yang stretched her mind out, but felt nothing from Ruby.
Ruby was dead, and there was nothing Yang could do about it.
Then, before Yang really had a chance to take in the fact that her sister was dead, three new minds appeared out of nowhere, but Yang was unable to get anything from them except their location, and they seemed to be approaching the door to the room.
"It was not her time to go." An unknown voice said, followed by three old women entering the room.
"Indeed." Zach replied, "It was not. And yet, she is gone." Yang then realized that only the three old women, alongside her, Zach, and Gregor really had any activity in their minds.
"What is going on here?!" She exclaimed, anger at losing her sister evident in her voice.
"You are viewing things from the speed most gods chose to view it from, and we are the Fates." The second of the women said.
"We brought you into this conversation due to your relation to the one who died before her time." The third one said.
"I sink I know viy you came to us." Gregor started, "Despite hating our guts for derailing some of your vorse plans, ve're your best bet for fixing zis, and because of ze fact zat ve're friends vis Ruby, you believe ve'd be more villing to help."
"You are correct, Gregor Wolfe, son of Ares." The second one said.
"One issue. The ancient laws physically prevent me from casting the spell that I would need to cast in order to fix it." Zach said.
"We have already accounted for that, and have managed to bend the laws to enable you to cast it, but you will need to be quick about it. The laws will reset themselves within a minute of the time-flow returning to normal speed." The first one said.
"Ok, then let's stop wasting time. Yang, when time returns to normal, knock that dickwad the fuck out." Zach replied.
"What kind of spell are you going to use?" Yang asked.
"Last Ages. A spell from Ark of Time magic. It revinds time everyvere, at ze cost of ze caster's time. However, due to Zach having unlimited time, all it vill cost him is a lot of magic power." Gregor said. "Everyone vill remember vat had happened before time vas reversed, but only zose inside ze magic circle vill remember long term. For everyone else, it vill simply fade from zeir minds, as if it vas simply a dream."
"We will be leaving now, and with us goes this perception of time." The third one said, followed with them disappearing instantaneously, and Cerise's anguished roar returning to their ears. Yang promptly did as she was told, and punched the slave taker who took her sister from her in the face hard enough to both give him a concussion, and knock him out cold.
Zach then got onto his knees and raised his hands, which then began glowing with a light blue light, promptly followed by him slamming his open hands, palm down onto the ground, causing a pillar of light-blue light to erupt around the three of them. Almost as quickly as it started, it stopped, and time was reversed by about two minutes. Even their locations were back to where they were two minutes ago. Then Zach, despite his armor showing numerous burn marks, and having used a massive amount of energy turning back time, wasted none of it, and pulled a knife off of his chest, one that had an eight-inch long, steel colored blade, and a black handle. As he did so, he sprinted forward towards the asshole. He then grabbed the slaver, slammed him against the nearest wall, before promptly jamming the blade into the man's throat, killing him. Yang was left in shock at the sheer brutality of the act Zach just did, especially the fact that Zach had just killed someone. "That's what you get you gods damned piece of shit son of a fat racist mother fucking retarded bitch of a kangaroo herding Canadian."
The blonde blinked a few times to clear her mind of the shock. She then turned back to look at her sister. Ruby still hung in her chains, but alive and unshocked. Yang quickly ran back to her sister and quickly untied the gag in her mouth. "Yaaaa…" Ruby said weakly.
"I'm getting you out of here Ruby," Yang said, then turned her attention to the chains. She may not have had a key for the shackles, or the right magic words to break it, but she did have her strength. Yang wrapped her fingers around two links in the chain and pulled in opposite directions. No matter how hard she pulled though, the metal wouldn't break. She had been hearing breaking from the chains of the other prisoners, likely Zach and Gregor's work.
"Jierda," Yang heard a voice behind her say. The chain didn't break, but the shackle holding Ruby's injured arm in place did. It slumped forward and hung limply. Yang turned around and saw Aaron standing in the doorway with an arm out stretched. "You got that, right?" he asked the blonde Rider.
Yang nodded then turned to Ruby's other hand. "Jierda," she said, and the shackle fractured. Now unsupported, Ruby fell forward into her sister's arms. Yang broke the shackles on Ruby's legs and carried her away from the wall.
"Set her down here," Aaron said, crumpling up his jacket and setting it down on the floor. Yang complied, gently setting her injured sister on the ground with her head on the makeshift pillow. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than being chained to a wall.
"What happened to Sakura and Percy?" she asked.
Aaron looked over the bleeding gash on Ruby's side and quickly sealed it. "They're with Cerise. The alarm wasn't raised, most of the base doesn't know we're here. " He looked up at Yang. "I'll take care of Ruby, you do what you can for the others."
"I'll try and make Atlas' job easier." Zach said, before leaving the room, likely intending to deal with the side effects of the spell he cast without anyone being able to see him on top of what he said that he was going to do.
Yang nodded hesitantly. She shook her head then looked around the room. Twelve Faunus had been chained up around the room, all of them held similar injuries. She quickly walked over to left end of the room and knelt down before an extremely young lion Faunus. Yang quickly broke the child's shackles and took the gag out of her mouth. The blonde continued down the line as quickly as she could, but only had the chance to get to two of them due to Zach and Gregor having gotten the rest.
Yang was on the final Faunus when she heard loud engines pass above the building. The alarm sounded, yet Aaron smiled. "The cavalry has arrived."
"Why would Weiss or Blake raise the alarm? Won't that give us away?"
"If the military showed up and the alarm wasn't raised, some people might get suspicious." Just then, numerous explosions were heard from around the base, likely the result of David and Momaw's work. Aaron turned back to Ruby and held a hand over her neck. Yang looked around the room, noting that all the prisoners were now free. Soon gunshots could be heard outside along with a dragon's roar, but both Riders and the SPARTAN kept their attention on their tasks.
As soon as the last child was free and on her feet, Yang rushed to her sister's side and grabbed her hand. Ruby turned her head and smiled weakly up at Yang. Her nose sat it it's correct position again. No blood covered any portion of her face. Her black eye no longer existed. But the dog ear still stuck out of her hair, and her eyes were still clouded.
"Ruby," Aaron said, "I'm going to put you to sleep and take the ear off. You'll be out for a few minutes at most, I'll wake you up when I'm finished. Do you understand?" Ruby slowly blinked once, and Aaron nodded. "Slytha." The girl's eyes closed slowly, and her head lolled to the side.
"Is there anything we could do?" a sheepish voice asked behind Yang. She turned around and saw that a rabbit Faunus had stepped forward. The girl looked to be the oldest of the group.
Yang berated herself for ignoring the other hostages. "Right now, if Atlas soldiers come through that door, tell them we aren't hostile." She looked over the large group of kids and looked over their various injuries. "I can help with cuts and bruises, but anything other than that you'll have to wait for Aaron or Atlas."
"I can help vith some of the vorse injuries." Gregor spoke up in a shockingly calm and comforting voice while pulling a white medkit off his left thigh.
No one moved for several seconds, then the first girl Yang freed stepped forward clutching her left wrist. She let go of it and Yang saw a nasty cut mark running across. "Can you fix it?" she whispered.
Yang smiled and nodded. "I can." She stuck out her right hand and said, "Waíse heill." The red mark slowly closed, and relief showed on the girl's face. "Is there anything else wrong?"
The girl shook her head then slowly hugged Yang. "Thank you for coming."
Yang returned the hug and said, "You're welcome." She continued the process for the next three kids, and each one drained her energy, and she was running on empty after the chains. She tried to go onto a fifth when Aaron put a hand on her shoulder.
"Take a break," he said. "Ruby's awake, and I'm sure she wants you to talk to her." Yang sighed in relief then turned back to Ruby. Sure enough her eyes were open and staring at her sister. Physically, she looked perfectly fine. However, her eyes were still foggy and unfocused. Her mind was in the same condition.
"Ruby, why do you have to be so selfless?" Yang asked in a joking yet concerned voice. Ruby forced out a laugh twice but otherwise stayed silent. Yang grew worried again. "What's the matter, can't you talk?"
Ruby shook her head. "P…psssssnn."
"Poison?" Yang asked. Her sister blinked once, most likely meaning yes.
"Oh come on, you gotta' be kidding me, I like zat stuff. Viy vould zey vaste it." Gregor said quietly, but Yang chose to ignore it.
Even through the fog, Yang saw worry creep into Ruby's eyes. "Ceerreeessse?"
Yang's breath caught in her throat. She completely forgot about her sister's dragon after seeing Ruby chained up. The blonde Rider stretched out her mind to look for the other hazy mind. "I believe she's two rooms down." Yang looked at the wall between her and the red dragon. "She's alive, but her mind is just as clouded as yours."
Just as she stood up, Yang heard several armored footfalls out in the hall. She turned to the door, ready to fight those who would come in. Almost as an afterthought, she stretched her mind out to the people in the halls. She calmed down when she found out they were Atlas soldiers.
Several armored men burst into the room and quickly pointed their weapons at Yang. She held up her hands and pointed her gauntlets at the ceiling. "Whoa, whoa! I'm a friendly! We're all friendlies!" The soldiers kept their weapons trained for a few more seconds, then stood down.
"Sergeant, you might want to take a look at this," a soldier in the hall called. He was kneeling by the corpse that Zach had made. One of the other soldiers in the room walked to the hall and looked at the man.
"Tiger one to Vytal actual," the sergeant said into his communicator, "we've made contact with an infiltration team, and we have one of the O'Donnells KIA. There are also a large number of hostages in here. Requesting orders." He stayed silent for a few seconds. "Copy that, proceeding to new objective."
The soldier turned back to those in the room. "Listen up, command doesn't want any of you leaving this room until the facility is cleared. After that, you'll be escorted outside to transports that will take you to the Vytal. Four, Five, stay and guard this room."
"Yes sir!" two of the soldiers said in unison.
"The rest of you, with me." All but two of the soldiers filed out of the room.
Yang sighed and knelt back down next to Ruby. "Well, it looks like we're safe now," the older sister said. "Those soldiers are heading right for Cerise. She'll be fine." Ruby sighed and her shoulders relaxed. "We found your hood and Crescent Rose by the way. They're back on the 'Pelican' or whatever it's called, that we came in." That elicited yet another sigh of relief from the girl.
Yang opened her mouth again, but closed it and just looked at her baby sister. She nearly lost Ruby. Ruby was in such a bad condition. There wasn't much worse it could have been. Yet here she was, almost smiling despite what happened to here. How? How could Ruby do this? Yang's eyes teared up as she brushed Ruby's bangs away from her face. She leaned forward and kissed Ruby on the forehead. "I love you so much, Ruby." Yang pulled a hand back tapped Ruby's cheek with a palm in the softest slap she could manage. "But don't you dare scare me like that ever again. You hear me?"
The corners of Ruby's lips curled up. "Llllllvvvv yyyyyyyyyy tttttttoooo."
The over the next fifteen minutes Yang explained to Ruby in detail of the search for her. She almost broke down several times in her explanation, and Ruby listened intently the whole time. When Yang finished, the younger sister slowly moved one of her hands to cover one of Yang's. Ruby smiled weakly again and gratitude shone through the haze in her eyes.
"Time to move out people!" one of the guards called. "Stick together and we'll get you out of here."
"Can you help me out a little, Ruby?" Yang asked her sister. Ruby sat up a little and bent her legs. The older sister stuck her arms under the new holes and picked Ruby up. Aaron was one of the first ones out of the prison, holding the hand of the young lion Faunus girl. Yang and Ruby were the last out of the room. One of the soldiers carried the dead hostage taker over his shoulder, likely as a form of proof for the media.
Over the walk, Ruby practically melted into Yang's arms. The older sister wanted to smile at the sight, but she couldn't. Not until Ruby was on the Vytal. Not until her little sister could speak again. Not until her mind was cleared of the fog.
As expected, the group made it outside without meeting any resistance. An Atlesian cruiser hung in the air over the facility. Several Bullheads and other transports sat around the courtyard, some of which were little more than smoldering wrecks, likely having been the Nevermore's. Yang looked to her left and saw Cerise on a large transport pallet being moved by several soldiers. She turned so Ruby could see her dragon.
Ruby gasped in Yang's arms when she saw her dragon. Cerise looked over and lifted her head slightly. She hummed deeply and blinked her eyes slowly. Out of the corner of her eye, Yang saw Aaron start running toward the red dragon. "I told you she'd be alright Ruby," Yang whispered to her sister.
Two gunshots came from inside the building. All the soldiers in the courtyard pointed their guns at the source. Yang whipped her head around to see what all the commotion was about.
The man in the lab coat she put to sleep earlier stood in the doorway, a pistol and two soldiers with bullet holes through their helmets lay on the ground next to him, and a rocket launcher in hand. He lifted it up, and aimed it straight at Yang.
She saw what was coming and perpendicular to where the rocket was aiming., but carrying Ruby slowed her down. The rocket toting man suddenly fell forwards, a knife in the back of his head, but the rocket still fired. Yang felt the explosion behind her and was sent flying. She lost her grip on Ruby somewhere in the air. Yang landed in a heap, but her Aura protected her from the worst injury. She looked around frantically for Ruby. When Yang saw her sister, her heart skipped a beat. No!
The entire right side of Ruby's body was shredded, from her feet to her head.
So, yeah. Ruby died, then came back, and O'Donnell is fuckin' dead, dead.
I'm planning a couple of prequel stories for this one which will focus on the backstory of my OCs. I'm thinking of doing three, maybe four, different stories. One or two for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and the Heroes of Olympus series, as in I may combine them, I may not. I am also planning one for the Halo game series, and one for the shit they went through when they wound up in Fairy Tail, which means that this is technically a five way crossover.
Also, something that occurred to me is that some of you may be wondering why it is that Church couldn't just draw Ethernano, AKA magic power, from Zach's Origin. That is because while Ethernano is a physical particle, a person's Origin is a metaphysical organ, similar to a person's soul. Yes, Aura is the physical manifestation of a person's soul, however, I think that, while it is that, it also is separate from their soul. Otherwise, any time someone blocked an attack with their Aura, their soul would become damaged. I think that Aura is POWERED by the soul, and therefore takes on the likeness of the soul. Back on topic, Ethernano in a person's Origin becomes metaphysical and therefore, Church could not use it unless Zach sent it out. Also, as for how Church survived for 12 years without any neat tricks, he was offline for four of them and was made similarly to how Cortana was made. He also managed to get extremely lucky, because while most A.I.s deteriorate after seven years, there are, in my mind, some lucky ones that last even longer, making it to eight or maybe even almost nine years before hitting rampancy. So there's that.