25XX:
Three hundred years have gone by, civilizations resulting from the dissolution of Neo-Arcadia and the Golden Age of Reploids have come and gone, leaving many of the Earth's cities intact with an equal human-to-reploid population, but at peace at last. Deserts still cover much of the area surrounding the resurrected city of Neo-Arcadia, and most of the ancient ruins of the first incarnation of the city still remain buried in the sand, yet to be discovered.
Part IX: C'mon, People, As If You Can't Tell What's Gonna Happen Next...
"Blitz! Over here! I think I found something!"
"What is it, Echo? What did you find?"
"I dunno, but it's big!"
Blitz walked over to where his partner was. The two reploid scavengers had been assigned to search this region of the desert, part of Arcadia's new founded effort to restore the city to its former glory. Twin robots, Blitz and Echo were part of a new generation of reploids containing an anti-Maverick chip that would deactivate any viral activity that may lead to aberrant behavior. Several new technologies also made their physical stamina, long-range sensor ability, and weapons potency greater than past robots.
"Now where is it?" Blitz asked, staring at the dirt.
"Right there," Echo replied, pointing her foot at a particular area in the sand. Blitz bent down and brushed some topsoil away. He felt metal underneath.
"Well, there's something there alright," he said. "But how can we get to it? It looks solid."
"Maybe we should find an entrance or something. Scans and maps keep showing a building here."
"Okay. Where's the map?"
Showing her brother the map, Echo looked back at the horizon. This was going to be a long day.
Several miles from Blitz and Echo's positions, a team of scientists were examining a strange vial of energy. The purple cloud of plasma was swirling around in the capsule, occasionally reforming into some sort of face and then dissipating once more. It was quite unusual.
The first scientist, a female reploid named Porter, picked up the case and ran a molecular scan on it. It didn't seem to be viral. A second robot took the container from Porter.
"Why'd you do that?" she responded, taken aback by the apparent rudeness of her fellow scientist.
"It's not safe to examine something this weird like that," he answered, placing the vial on a nearby piece of concrete sticking up out of the sand. "We should find something to house it in and take it back to the lab."
"Fine, you can, but I'll stay here and take more soil samples."
The other scientists put the small capsule in a containment vacuum seal and carried it back with them to the laboratory. Porter just sat down on the concrete slab and rested. She'd been working all day.
"Alright, let's crack this thing and see what it is," he exclaimed. After taking the case from Porter, he had carried it back with him and now was going to examine more thoroughly what this purple cloud was.
Breaking the vacuum seal on the canister, purple smoke began pouring out from the capsule. The cloud inside was gone. Instantly, the scientist felt light-headed.
Collapsing on the ground, the scientist laid in stasis for a few seconds, followed by a different air surrounding him.
Getting up, he looked in a mirror.
"Well, it's not exactly a strong body, but it'll do. Until I find a better one."
With a spark, the purple in the scientist's eyes dissipated, but the infection was just starting to take effect.
"Anything else, Echo?" Blitz asked, arms folded. He was in the middle of being pelted by sand from his sister's constant digging.
"I don't get it," she replied. "The map says a building should be here."
"Maybe you're holding it wrong."
Echo held the map out in front of her. It wasn't upside-down.
"If I am looking at it wrong, it could take months to figure out where that building is. Wherever it is, I'm beginning to pick up signals from it, like a transistor frequency or something."
Blitz used a scanner to find the radio frequencies. He pointed farther into the ruins of ancient Arcadia. "There's one transistor signal. It's coming from that way."
Echo perked up again. "Maybe we were just looking for the wrong thing all along. Anyway, to figure out what is sending it is gonna take a long time, so we better get cracking."
Walking past her brother, she slapped him with the map.
I hate it when she's so impetuous.
Two months later...
Cirrus looked out over the restored center of Neo-Arcadia. After the Reploid Extermination was stopped, the damage from Zero's attacks against the government's agents had to be repaired, but the remaining reploids didn't have the resources needed until recently. Humans were only starting to trust the robots again, and slowly began to move back to Neo-Arcadia from the desert camps they had set up over 250 years ago. Of course, as irony would have it, the moment the humans started returning was when the Maverick virus manifested itself once more, igniting a new chapter of the Irregular Wars that ended four hundred years ago. A new Reploid Police Force was established, and attempted to fight off the Mavericks, but the opposition was very great. Cirrus didn't know how long it would take, but since he was the leader of the Forces, it was his responsibility.
"Sir, there's a Maverick uprising in Sector Z," Porter said, looking down at the radar screen. After the Mavericks resurrected themselves, the scientist had been appointed the new Hunters' head of research, and was reassigned to the base of operations.
"Sector Z? That's in the middle of the ruins. Why would they attack there?"
"Sir, there's an expedition there, trying to excavate the old city."
"That's right. What's our status?"
Porter looked to the radar again. "All of our main anti-Maverick forces are preoccupied elsewhere. The 17th is still available, though."
"Good. Assemble them quickly. I'll head them out personally."
"Do you think it's that serious?"
Cirrus looked at Porter tersely. "Anytime Mavericks attack, it's serious."
"Alright, sir," she replied, punching the intercom button. "17th unit, please assemble in launch bay 2. I repeat, 17th unit, please assemble in launch bay 2. Immediately."
Echo and Blitz looked around once more. There had been an awful explosion a few minutes ago, and they realized Mavericks were closing in on them. Four times this mission had been delayed because of attacks, and since both of them were part of the new class of Hunters, they had to respond to the calls. This time, however, they were too close to give up so quickly. Echo was determined to uncover the source of that transistor signal that started up two months ago, and Blitz was just desperate because he didn't want to be dragged along on Echo's wild goose chases anymore.
"The signal is coming from over there," Echo said, pointing to a nearby slab of concrete. It appeared to be covering an old elevator shaft, but in the shadows of the skyscrapers left standing after the desertion of the original Arcadia following the end of the Irregular Wars, she could barely make it out properly.
"Alright," Blitz said, aiming his arm cannon at the slab. Charging the blaster, electricity began surrounding him. The sky darkened, storms brewing up. He'd been given his name for a reason, but the weather altering effects that occurred whenever he charged up where not in the designs. Damage that he'd sustained during construction had forced him to fuse his weather control system with the arm cannon, which had not only resulted in the adverse effect of causing storms, but had substantially increased his already impressive weapons arsenal.
"Hurry, Blitz. With all this energy flying around, the Mavericks'll be sure to find us!"
Firing the arm cannon, a bolt of pure electrified plasma erupted from Blitz, charring the street below and blasting the slab to bits. Sure enough, there was an elevator shaft beneath the concrete. Unfortunately, however, Echo was right-the Mavericks had found them. Echo started for the shaft.
"Stop right there," the one in front said, aiming his twin laser cannons at her. She stopped, turning around to be greeted by the face of Enigma, the former leader of the Police Force. He'd succumbed to the virus early on, and had been experimenting with different weapons arrays since.
Blitz turned around. Enigma was flanked by two other former Hunters. The storm was continuing to brew above them all, so he didn't have to worry about the consequences now. He secretly began charging his arm cannon.
"C'mon, guys, you don't wanna do this," Blitz pleaded, making sure to keep his arm behind him.
Enigma laughed. "Are you kidding, Blitz? Of course we do. Our mission is to find something that our master wants. And you're standing in the way."
"Your master? What the heck are you talking about?"
"You are so unenlightened, Blitz. This is a wonderful existence. Reploids have the power to rule the humans. We are the stronger species, and they were made to serve us."
Blitz realized his cannon was finished charging. The electricity swirling around the area was immense, accompanied by a howling wind that made them have to shout to hear each other.
Quickly spinning his arm cannon out in front, he sprayed a single flash of plasma into the Mavericks.
"Echo, get in the shaft! I'll follow you!"
Echo took off running and leapt into the hole in the ground. The Mavericks were so busy reeling from Blitz's surprise attack they didn't notice when he jumped in as well, sealing the passage behind them with debris.
Three hundred years have gone by, civilizations resulting from the dissolution of Neo-Arcadia and the Golden Age of Reploids have come and gone, leaving many of the Earth's cities intact with an equal human-to-reploid population, but at peace at last. Deserts still cover much of the area surrounding the resurrected city of Neo-Arcadia, and most of the ancient ruins of the first incarnation of the city still remain buried in the sand, yet to be discovered.
Part IX: C'mon, People, As If You Can't Tell What's Gonna Happen Next...
"Blitz! Over here! I think I found something!"
"What is it, Echo? What did you find?"
"I dunno, but it's big!"
Blitz walked over to where his partner was. The two reploid scavengers had been assigned to search this region of the desert, part of Arcadia's new founded effort to restore the city to its former glory. Twin robots, Blitz and Echo were part of a new generation of reploids containing an anti-Maverick chip that would deactivate any viral activity that may lead to aberrant behavior. Several new technologies also made their physical stamina, long-range sensor ability, and weapons potency greater than past robots.
"Now where is it?" Blitz asked, staring at the dirt.
"Right there," Echo replied, pointing her foot at a particular area in the sand. Blitz bent down and brushed some topsoil away. He felt metal underneath.
"Well, there's something there alright," he said. "But how can we get to it? It looks solid."
"Maybe we should find an entrance or something. Scans and maps keep showing a building here."
"Okay. Where's the map?"
Showing her brother the map, Echo looked back at the horizon. This was going to be a long day.
Several miles from Blitz and Echo's positions, a team of scientists were examining a strange vial of energy. The purple cloud of plasma was swirling around in the capsule, occasionally reforming into some sort of face and then dissipating once more. It was quite unusual.
The first scientist, a female reploid named Porter, picked up the case and ran a molecular scan on it. It didn't seem to be viral. A second robot took the container from Porter.
"Why'd you do that?" she responded, taken aback by the apparent rudeness of her fellow scientist.
"It's not safe to examine something this weird like that," he answered, placing the vial on a nearby piece of concrete sticking up out of the sand. "We should find something to house it in and take it back to the lab."
"Fine, you can, but I'll stay here and take more soil samples."
The other scientists put the small capsule in a containment vacuum seal and carried it back with them to the laboratory. Porter just sat down on the concrete slab and rested. She'd been working all day.
"Alright, let's crack this thing and see what it is," he exclaimed. After taking the case from Porter, he had carried it back with him and now was going to examine more thoroughly what this purple cloud was.
Breaking the vacuum seal on the canister, purple smoke began pouring out from the capsule. The cloud inside was gone. Instantly, the scientist felt light-headed.
Collapsing on the ground, the scientist laid in stasis for a few seconds, followed by a different air surrounding him.
Getting up, he looked in a mirror.
"Well, it's not exactly a strong body, but it'll do. Until I find a better one."
With a spark, the purple in the scientist's eyes dissipated, but the infection was just starting to take effect.
"Anything else, Echo?" Blitz asked, arms folded. He was in the middle of being pelted by sand from his sister's constant digging.
"I don't get it," she replied. "The map says a building should be here."
"Maybe you're holding it wrong."
Echo held the map out in front of her. It wasn't upside-down.
"If I am looking at it wrong, it could take months to figure out where that building is. Wherever it is, I'm beginning to pick up signals from it, like a transistor frequency or something."
Blitz used a scanner to find the radio frequencies. He pointed farther into the ruins of ancient Arcadia. "There's one transistor signal. It's coming from that way."
Echo perked up again. "Maybe we were just looking for the wrong thing all along. Anyway, to figure out what is sending it is gonna take a long time, so we better get cracking."
Walking past her brother, she slapped him with the map.
I hate it when she's so impetuous.
Two months later...
Cirrus looked out over the restored center of Neo-Arcadia. After the Reploid Extermination was stopped, the damage from Zero's attacks against the government's agents had to be repaired, but the remaining reploids didn't have the resources needed until recently. Humans were only starting to trust the robots again, and slowly began to move back to Neo-Arcadia from the desert camps they had set up over 250 years ago. Of course, as irony would have it, the moment the humans started returning was when the Maverick virus manifested itself once more, igniting a new chapter of the Irregular Wars that ended four hundred years ago. A new Reploid Police Force was established, and attempted to fight off the Mavericks, but the opposition was very great. Cirrus didn't know how long it would take, but since he was the leader of the Forces, it was his responsibility.
"Sir, there's a Maverick uprising in Sector Z," Porter said, looking down at the radar screen. After the Mavericks resurrected themselves, the scientist had been appointed the new Hunters' head of research, and was reassigned to the base of operations.
"Sector Z? That's in the middle of the ruins. Why would they attack there?"
"Sir, there's an expedition there, trying to excavate the old city."
"That's right. What's our status?"
Porter looked to the radar again. "All of our main anti-Maverick forces are preoccupied elsewhere. The 17th is still available, though."
"Good. Assemble them quickly. I'll head them out personally."
"Do you think it's that serious?"
Cirrus looked at Porter tersely. "Anytime Mavericks attack, it's serious."
"Alright, sir," she replied, punching the intercom button. "17th unit, please assemble in launch bay 2. I repeat, 17th unit, please assemble in launch bay 2. Immediately."
Echo and Blitz looked around once more. There had been an awful explosion a few minutes ago, and they realized Mavericks were closing in on them. Four times this mission had been delayed because of attacks, and since both of them were part of the new class of Hunters, they had to respond to the calls. This time, however, they were too close to give up so quickly. Echo was determined to uncover the source of that transistor signal that started up two months ago, and Blitz was just desperate because he didn't want to be dragged along on Echo's wild goose chases anymore.
"The signal is coming from over there," Echo said, pointing to a nearby slab of concrete. It appeared to be covering an old elevator shaft, but in the shadows of the skyscrapers left standing after the desertion of the original Arcadia following the end of the Irregular Wars, she could barely make it out properly.
"Alright," Blitz said, aiming his arm cannon at the slab. Charging the blaster, electricity began surrounding him. The sky darkened, storms brewing up. He'd been given his name for a reason, but the weather altering effects that occurred whenever he charged up where not in the designs. Damage that he'd sustained during construction had forced him to fuse his weather control system with the arm cannon, which had not only resulted in the adverse effect of causing storms, but had substantially increased his already impressive weapons arsenal.
"Hurry, Blitz. With all this energy flying around, the Mavericks'll be sure to find us!"
Firing the arm cannon, a bolt of pure electrified plasma erupted from Blitz, charring the street below and blasting the slab to bits. Sure enough, there was an elevator shaft beneath the concrete. Unfortunately, however, Echo was right-the Mavericks had found them. Echo started for the shaft.
"Stop right there," the one in front said, aiming his twin laser cannons at her. She stopped, turning around to be greeted by the face of Enigma, the former leader of the Police Force. He'd succumbed to the virus early on, and had been experimenting with different weapons arrays since.
Blitz turned around. Enigma was flanked by two other former Hunters. The storm was continuing to brew above them all, so he didn't have to worry about the consequences now. He secretly began charging his arm cannon.
"C'mon, guys, you don't wanna do this," Blitz pleaded, making sure to keep his arm behind him.
Enigma laughed. "Are you kidding, Blitz? Of course we do. Our mission is to find something that our master wants. And you're standing in the way."
"Your master? What the heck are you talking about?"
"You are so unenlightened, Blitz. This is a wonderful existence. Reploids have the power to rule the humans. We are the stronger species, and they were made to serve us."
Blitz realized his cannon was finished charging. The electricity swirling around the area was immense, accompanied by a howling wind that made them have to shout to hear each other.
Quickly spinning his arm cannon out in front, he sprayed a single flash of plasma into the Mavericks.
"Echo, get in the shaft! I'll follow you!"
Echo took off running and leapt into the hole in the ground. The Mavericks were so busy reeling from Blitz's surprise attack they didn't notice when he jumped in as well, sealing the passage behind them with debris.