"NDS: Book 12—Neon: Chapter 83: Under Siege"

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This will probably be a chapter full of descriptions and actions. I mean, a lot of it will be laying down the pavement for the setting that is Neon City, because if I don't do it right, we'll be in trouble. I mean, all of Book 12 does take place here aside from last chapter, so I must do it right. Plus, the enemies need to be done just as well, because you will be seeing them a lot, and I want you to recall how they look without just going, oh right, what was that one like? See, I never decided on how Dynamo would look, so you guys got a crappy description of him. Thinking about what I said about Dynamo, he probably looks like a Guntank from Mobile Suit Gundam, but with a trademark Zaku type mono-eye camera. In fact, all the robots I have are made with a Zaku type head, so just sort of imagine that whenever I mention robots. As for the bodies though, you will just have to imagine a Megaman.exe mecha combined with Gundam mechas. That's the best basic description I have for them. When there is an A-Type Drone, think protoman.exe with a Char's Zaku II head, and when I say B-Type, imagine a Megaman.exe with buster cannon with a Zaku I head. That's all I can say.

Oh, and I know I used the chapter title of "Under Siege" before, but hey, this is a different book, so I can! Don't contest me.

And you're right, two e's is a man. I had it wrong at the beginning of last chapter in my AN note, but right when Jet said it. It's as confusing as read(reed) and read (red).

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Gray clouds covered the sky on a basic Filgaian day. Cold winds blowing from Blue Crane cooled the area as Emilia in warm clothing, and Jet, with a jacket and dual scarves, made their way down a cold and strangely vacant city street. The street was paved with asphalt and there was a sidewalk along the sides of the road. It was clearly advanced on Filgaia where all other towns had no such thing. At the most was a dirt street. Neon City was also with electricity in every home thanks to the large tower-like building that stuck out in the heart of the city. That was the Hawthorne Research and Development Center, as well as the base of operations for the city. It is where the city began after all. It was hard to believe that a city of such size was built in under three years at the most. Also, a town with only forty people should not have forty-three buildings that are each three-stories high in concentric squares around the Hawthorne building. The gray metal of each of the buildings with a blue-hued glass window made the city feel even colder to Jet and Emilia. They had only started walking through the town, heading from the docks where they found Virginia's empty sandcraft.

There was one building that was higher than the Hawthorne building, that seemed to be thirty floors off the ground, and that building was the Concord Medical Center. It was the tallest, at forty floors, because it is also what founded the whole city. The city had been made after a scientist successfully made himself a replacement leg made of metal, that acted exactly as a normal leg would. That scientist disappeared, but his work was taken on by another who soon came into league with the Ark of Destiny in the recent years. Like any large organization, they took what could have been used as a breakthrough for people who lost appendages, and instead made them into weapons. Wire-guided fists, gattling cannon arms, and other hidden weapons. All leading to the creation of Dynamo.

Emilia stopped her calm walk as Jet scanned the city streets. His breath came to be visible, "No one's here?"

"Yeah." She replied coming to the same conclusion. "I don't like a city that has less people in it then a town." She hugged herself tight as a balmy wind blew past. "Where is everyone?"

"We could ask them, but I don't think they like us." Jet noted as three shadows in the distance rapidly approached them. "I don't think they're friends of ours."

The three shapes came to a stop. There were two automatons that resembles one another that held a blood red 'A' label on their right shoulders. Their right shoulders, that were lacking the label and armor, was a dark gray ball joint. Slim black metal arms followed down to hidden elbow joints and onto red gauntlets, with one being armored, and the other having a pointed shape at the end with a jewel. They stood on sturdy legs, but there was vernier in each, which would explain their fast approach. They were petite, and almost human, but with their light blue mono-eye cameras, they were obviously not. Beside those two drones stood one with a large left shoulder pad that said 'B' upon it. His body was a lot like the others, but heavier and with more armor plating. Not only that, they were a mix of dark blue, green, and black, as opposed to the two with A's that were red and black only with some gray. What was noticeably different about the B unit was that he had a backpack with vernier and a large gattling cannon mounted over it's right shoulder. On it's left arm was a built in Howitzer with shells.

Emilia stared at them coolly. Backing away slowly and making Jet do the same. "I don't think these are the Neon citizens."

It was then that the B-type robot attack with it's howitzer, aiming at Jet who outran the bullets and ran up a wall partially in order to flip and run the other direction, letting the robot shatter the glass wall with bullets. Jet huffed as the robot halted it's fire and slowly turned with sounds of motion towards them. "So…robots then?"

"More like drone." Emilia commented.

"I don't think they'll be any problem for us." Jet and Emilia both drew their blades and charged at the B-Type Drone and slashed at it's sides. With a grin showing victory they turned back to watch the drone die, but watch instead as it slowly turned towards them with only knicks and scratches to each of it's sides.

"What sort of metal is he made of?" Emilia questioned.

"Okay…Plan B." Jet squeaked out.

"Right." Emilia grasped her blade tightly, as did Jet, and they quickly put them in their sheathes and ran away down main street like sissies. As they dart away and flee the B Drone fires after as the A's chase, proving how dumb they are without a human mind as they run right into the path of the drone's bullets and they explode to shards as the two Drifters continue. Noticing along the way that many more eye cameras turned on in the shadows and shone blue. Emilia looks to Jet, "Have you been making any new attacks over the last two years?"

"The only thing I've been doing is swinging a hammer!" He retorted. "If I had known I was going to get in a fight again, I would have." He sighed realizing that if his Raven's Wing failed, his ARM would as well. "Anyway, I'm a carpenter, not a Drifter."

"Well, I'm not so ill-prepared." Emilia remarked as she drew back her right fist and started turning it fast at the wrist. A swirl of wind picked up. "Gale Fist!" She flung her right fist forward releasing a swirling air form of her Astral Punch, and sent the drones ahead of their path flying to the sides and through the glass window fronts of buildings. It wasn't enough to do any real damage, but it got them out of their way as they headed for Hawthorne. More come to replace those drones though.

"I can handle these. Positive Cannon, Fire!" The blast clears their path as they pass by the downed drones. Just as he grins out of victory, two A-Type Drones fling out of the alleyways as their right forearms burst and form blades of a thermal energy like a beam sword. As they swing them for Jet, Emilia draws her shinobi-zue sword and blocks each of the attacks. With a grunt the young woman pushes the two back and away from she and Jet. "Lion' Rage Punch!" Jet hits one of the drones right on the chest, splintering the armor and sending the machine down.

"It's best if we get off main street." Emilia grunted as she thrust her blade right through the damaged hole Jet made. As oil spurted outward the two darted into a side alley in hopes to limit their encounters with the drones.

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Within the tower that is Hawthorne, the air vents provided excellent cover to hide within, as well as travel through undetected. It was for that reason that Virginia crawled through them, followed by Pike, who really had little combat experience. They had fled and hid in the sewers to out-maneuver the drones, and then found this path into the building a day ago. It was now three days though since they left Valhalla anyway.

Pike huffed as sweat ran down his brow. It was actually warm in the vents since they were running warm air through them. It made his shirt and thermal seem pointless. "We've been crawling and hiding for days. We should be at the center by now, right?" He moaned a bit out of frustration.

"Right." Virginia determinedly replied. "We should be in Hawthorne, and if we can make it to the control room here, we can probably shut off the city and those drones."

"Easier said then done, of course…"

Virginia grimaced, and then froze as she realized she had been wearing a short skirt, and no underwear. She slowly turned to Pike. A twitch and glare in her eye. "You…haven't been watching me close have you?"

He shook his head defiantly with a red blush. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She quickly punched him and threw him ahead of her. "Get crawling. The sooner we're out of here the better."

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On the street just next to the main road, was the Concord Medical Center. It was the tallest building, and was adjacent of the Hawthorne tower. From atop the Concord building you could see all of Neon City, and that was why Clive took a firm step at the front of the glass doors to the building.

He looked up and fixed his glasses, with an oddly placed scowl on his face. He was not one to scowl often. "To…return here after so long?" He questioned. "The last time I was here was…when I made myself this right leg." Clive ran his gloved hands along the lower right leg he had, which was in fact, a metal appendage. One that could be used like a real leg, as well as having the same shape as one. It was that moment that an A-type Drone attacked him, but he simply kicked at it's body with his right leg, shattering the torso of the drone and sending it to the ground to leak oil. He stared at it as it's mono-eye flickered off. "They must be using a weaker alloy than my leg to save on cost." He commented, before pushing aside the sliding glass doors to enter the building.

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Within the middle levels of the Hawthorne Research and Development building, Virginia and Pike with a few new bumps on his head walked the dim metal halls. All of it strangely reminded Virginia of an old ruin or something. The whole structure was made of metal or glass, and it made it all seem dull and cold to her. The dim fluorescent lighting did not help either. Many of the lights failed to come on, or on fully, so it was only near-dark halls at some parts.

Virginia shivered. "This place is…so cold. Only metal and glass, no nature at all." She remarked. "Even a sandcraft with the same elements feels warmer."

"This is definitely a harsh contrast to your new home." Pike remarked. "I never thought such a place like Valhalla existed, but I guess, when Jet's involved, myths and legends seem to become real. Based on the stories he's always told me."

As they came to the next corner a man stumbled out into the hall where Virginia and Pike caught him. "Samu!" Virginia remarked. It was the family friend she had come all this way to see in the first place. A wave of relief took her when she knew at least he was still alive.

"Vir…Virginia Maxwell…" The older man softly said as his sable hair covered his face as it hung over it. His collared shirt was blue, but Pike noticed the spots it was torn and holding the color of blood.

"He's hurt, hurry, bring him over here." Pike remarked as he went to a nearby door and Virginia helped Samu inside. Pike begins to look over the man's injuries, but the older man pushes the inspecting hands away.

"Forget it." Samu spoke. "The Class B drones shot me. I'll die soon enough out of blood loss."

"No!" Virginia vehemently shouted. "I can save you. I know I can." She said almost out of delusion.

"Virginia!" Pike shouted as he pulled her away from touching Samu.

"No, Pike, I know we can save him." She fought as he tried to calm her down.

"He's suffered two shots, and one of which may have entered his lung. Even if you try, you can't heal that lung." He explained. "He's right…he will die soon enough."

Sakura begins to leak salty tears, before smacking Pike and sending him aside. "I…I can…I can save him." She was not going to watch another person die and not be able to stop it. If she could do something. She didn't have the water rune, so using a healing arcana was out of the question.

Pike rebounded from Virginia's attack, which shocked him more than hurt him. Samu however called out to her before he could, "Listen!" the older man said, "While I…still live, I want to finish what I must do. And first, I should tell you…about Neon City." He said with a shallow breath.

"I'm all ears, if that means anything." Pike responded as he sat down besides Samu.

Samu nodded. "Neon was once…just this building. I was not here when it was first made, but I know of that this was not part of the Ark of Destiny, and was instead just two people who were trying to learn how to create replacements for lost limbs. They had only a small workshop, and it was there that they decided that if they could make an arm of metal and wires that could read brain waves, they would have what they needed." Samu weakly explained. "It was Clive Winslet who developed the first prototype, but soon after, he disappeared, leaving his partner in betrayal. That partner continued his work, and the Ark recently picked him up, and they developed the Concord building across the way to work on the replacement limb project, but the Ark soon became more involved in making them weapons instead. Amputating arms of soldiers and trying them out with ones they didn't even want. Seeing the success, Neon grew more and more over the last few years, as the scientists soon dabbled in robots as well." He paused as he breathed in. "I feel so ashamed to have helped them do such a thing…the science of it all…filled the scientists with avarice, I'm afraid. And in the end…our own creations turned on us, and killed all human life in the city, leaving few to survive. One of which, is me, but…I am now, the last…"

"I see…I can't believe such a large thing has been going on without anyone knowing about it." Pike responded as Samu rested up some of his strength. He had little time left, and the worst was coming up. "How could a place so large only pop up within the last few years?"

"It is only in the last years that the drones were developed. We had used them initially following our failure with Dynamo to build up the city. That is why it was so quickly put up…but the…partner of Winslett is the one…who has become their leader now."

"Their leader?" Virginia wondered. She was confused as to why Clive had never mentioned such a huge thing to her and the Gang, but she supposed he was allowed his secrets.

"Ken!" Clive shouted as he calmly walked out onto the rooftop of the Concord Medical Building, where a strong cold wind blew. It was there that on the far end away from the Winslett man, stood another person, covered by a black cloak. "So, you still live?"

"That is Ken Ninomara to you!" The cloaked man's voice shouted back. "You may not act so friendly to me."

"You were once my partner, it's hard to forget you and your beliefs." Clive noted. "I should have killed you."

"You have always tried to shed the sin of your creation, but you have it always on your right leg."

"You're right." Clive replied. "I can't shake my sin away."

Ken chuckled. "Let me inform you on why I have summoned you here."

"Summoned?" Clive questioned. "I know why you contacted me. Because of the sin that I carry in the form of a right leg. For taking our research and leaving you with nothing, but it looks like you remembered too much of it anyway. For living the life that you were not as privileged to live."

"Hmm…so you don't forget things so easily. I was worried you would." Ken joked. "The truth is that I hate you, Winslett. You betrayed me so long ago…and now you are my only reason for continued living. I lived just to see you now. Ha!" The man balked as his gray hand touched the hood of his cloak. "To see what your sin caused me!" He threw the cloak aside revealing his dark brown hair, but also the mask that covered his forehead and eyes and the vulcans that seated on his cheeks. The coolant pipes that ran from the back of his head to his mouth. His body that was much like the drones, but colored a dark green, with a black circular item mounted to his chest, that was actually a hidden laser weapon. His armored shoulder pad with hidden mini-missile, and the black upper arms, with balled elbow joints, that connected with the dark green and brown gauntlet left arm that had a point at the wrist and a gray metallic hand. His legs ran black from his torso to his knee joints. His lower legs were brown and green, with vernier built into them before going on to his dark green feet. Mounted onto his back was a dual gattling cannon and vernier. His right arm was similar to his left, but lacking the shoulder pad, as well as having equipped to his lower arm portion, a large fist, that was almost as wide as his hips. It was studded at the end and armor plated, looking heavy and able to punch through two walls of metal.

"Just as I thought you would be…a cyborg."

"Yes, I am the ultimate human weapon. The Ark was very pleased, or they were, until they decided to disband my projects and abort it…and you can imagine that I had a problem with that. So I took the controls and killed off any of the human disease that remained in Neon with the drones."

Clive smugly grinned. "You were always so simple-minded."

"Simple-minded?" Ken barked. "How wrong you are…"

"So, what's the plan Ninomara?" Clive asked as if joking. It was as if he was only toying with Ken, but he was acting serious as well. "Kill me, and then destroy the Ark of Destiny with your drone army?"

"Close." Ken chimed. "Obviously, I have since evolved to a superior form. Nothing can reasonably stop me now, so…you could say that my 'sin' has made me a guardian. A god…and if that is so, then I must rid this planet of the human sin." Ken remarked. Even though he seemed to have no mouth to show a grin, his voice carried it. The only thing that Clive could see on Ken's face was his nose. The eyes having since become optic camera that are covered by a glazed screen built into the mask he wore. "Think about it…there are at least well over a thousand people in the world, and all of them share traits with those who hold greed in their hearts. People who did this to me, because, I did not want such a transformation. You at least had no leg, and were given one, but I had a body once, but…that didn't stop them from placing a machine where my flesh and blood were."

Clive ran his hand over his face and through his hair with another mocking laugh. "How cliched!" He erupted. "Well, I know it's pointless to talk you out of it…so…" Clive draws his ARM and fired it as Ken moves out of the bullets path.

In response to the attack Ken let off rounds from his vulcan as Clive dodges the shots with his coat trailing behind. "You realize now that you will tire!" Ken's maniacal echoed voice remarked. "You will run out of ammo and stamina, but I will never succumb to such weaknesses." The shoulder pad on Ken's left shoulder erupted to the air with a trail of steam as Clive charged forward at his old partner. It was then that the shoulder pad ripped open with a squeal reminiscent of fireworks firing, and it was then that multiple mini-missiles fired down upon Clive and the roof. In defense Clive could only lunge and dive to the roof to miss the missiles and their subsequent explosions while Ken flew out of the area with his verniers and watched gleefully. Still, out of the smoke came Clive, no worse for wear. Ken simply let out an overjoyed laughter, happy knowing that he was still alive to torture, and he threw out his right Hammer Fist, that was guided by a nearly invisible wire. Clive dodged the fist as it bore into the roof, and prepared to fire at Ken, but the Hammer Fist ripped back out of the roof and hit Clive in the chest, sending what air he had out. As Clive fell to the roof, the fist returned to Ken's right elbow. Clive begins to pick himself up, and is met by gattling fire from Ken. Taking two minor hits to his chest, Clive goes on to dodge the other shots, or deflect them with his gun or right metal leg. Running forward during the moment immediately following the fire, Clive kicks Ken with his metal leg, but leaves his old partner barely fazed. "Pathetic." Ken remarked. "And to think that I was once weaker than you. Heh."

"You still are weak." Clive gritted. In response, Ken sent his Hammer Fist spinning into the rood, throwing Clive aside and near the ledge of the building. As Clive quickly moved to get up the Hammer Fist had already returned to Ken and fired again, flinging Clive to a roof of another building that was ten stories shorter than the last, and to the northeast of the Concord roof. Just as soon as he gets up, gattling fire from Ken sends the green haired father on the run, and jumping to the north building as the roof to the last one fell apart. Right after landing Clive fired out at Ken, but the shot just ricochets off the cyborg who is now in a hover-like flight after Clive. The circle panel on Ken's chest opens as his Chest Laser blows out the tops of the next two northern buildings, and Ken hovers over the first looking for the now missing Clive. With a yell Clive came falling through the air as he tackled Ken through the second building he destroyed with the Chest Laser, and onto the next roof. Clive is quickly thrown aside, and as the father moves to get a better postion, the brunette fires out his Hammer Fist that hits Clive into the glass window of the next window. That attack leaving him seconds before gravity would drop him twenty stories, but instead the Hammer Fist kept on it's assault, and shoved the human through the building entirely, causing Clive to land painfully on the next building with some glass stuck in his back. With his coat and shirt ripped Clive stood up as Ken was landing. "Humans…" Clive gasped as he spits some blood aside. "Humans are too strong to fall to you."

Ken chuckled. "We will just have to test that…between you and I."

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I had to leave out the one hilarious scene I liked about the original NDS in this chapter, because it goes against who Jet is. The original had Daisuke, who is prone to eating candy off the ground, stop right after firing his Positive Cannon, and pick up such a piece of candy. Roga, who would be in Emilia's position, runs back in anger to grab Daisuke's short ponytail as bullets fly past them, only to find air, since Daisuke cut off the ponytail between Book 11 and 12, leaving the two just standing there as more bullets past them by. I just like that scene, and I sort of feel sorry it could never take place here.

And, say, I have forgotten how to spell Clive's last name. Can someone tell me what it was spelt again? I know what it is, just can't spell it after not seeing it after so long.

And do you see how I said the fights would be different in Book 12? It's mainly because all of the enemies in Book 12 are drones or cyborgs, so only firearms and the like are being used. Books 14-15 will have the more traditional, human on human fights, which are easier.

The Hammer Fist, is actually my idea based off of a Heat-Gutsman megaman.exe figure my little brother got, so if you need to really know what it looks like, go find a picture of it. In fact, all of the robots are based off of the two figures, Heat-Guts Megaman.exe and protoman.exe that I got for my brother. With some mild inspiration from Gundam MS. I have only a picture I made of Ken Ninomara, and I wish I could just show it to you, and then not have to describe it, but, while I do have a scanner, I do not know where I could upload it to the internet, along with all my other conceptual designs. You could see Adven in 2-D glory if I could, as well as my fantastic concepts for the enemies of Malebolge, which had the best looking drawings of villains ever. I was on the ball that day. Sigh…

Next time, we will find the rest of our cast. It will be much shorter, being that this chapter was actually three parts of Book 12 put together, and the next one will only be one.