Hey-o, another chapter of Altered. I'm...currently slacking on the sixth chapter of this and I fear I might have to break the weekly updates for this story. :S Rest assured that I am trying to motivate my lazy self to continue writing said chapter to try and keep up the quota.
Sadly, still no reviews. :(
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Unknown location
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"Reports from around the world say that people are showing signs of what is believed to be superpowers. These didn't start showing up until after the cosmic meteor shower the night before, where several of the meteors rained down onto the planet."
The television shone in a rather run-down bar, some people looking at it while others were still drinking, conversing or other tasks. Most of them dismissed the report as rubbish, thinking that such a thing was impossible, even when video feed was presented. Of those shown was a duo that manipulated fire and electricity against someone who wielded ice, another with a large red robot deflecting bullets from a flying armed madman, and various others.
"Tch, look at all that nonsense. Media'll pump out anything these days." one person scoffed, taking a small swig from his glass.
One person who was taking a swig slowly lowered his glass. "Actually, it's all pretty much true."
"Oh? And that makes fairies real then." the other person mocked, laughing after and earning a few more laughs.
The second man stopped just before he could take another sip, slowly lowering his glass back onto the counter, looking to the mocker.
"Best pick your words wisely. Sometimes, the ones who have been altered could be sitting next to you."
"And what's that supposed to mean? That you're some kind of Twinkle Toes?" the drunk man stood up, glaring at the other.
A sigh came from the second man, standing up and showing he was dressed rather casually, though it was rather difficult to tell due to the low lighting of the bar.
"Well, ain't you looking like you're expecting someone fancy." the drunk mocked, standing tall to try and intimidate.
The suited man only stared, looking up at the giant's face with a bored look.
"Is that supposed to scare me? If it is, I think you need to sober up a bit." he suggested, reaching to his glass and started to take another swig. "Also, you look tough, but I can tell that you're a bit of a lightweight with the alcohol."
That struck a nerve in the brute, who growled as veins popped on him.
"What did you say punk?!" he threatened, fists clenching up.
"I said you need to lay off the beer." the suited man answered, setting his glass down as his empty hand flexed a bit.
That set the brute off, who let out an angered yell and threw a punch at the smaller man. Said person didn't flinch at the cry, but sidestepped with almost impossible speed.
"Never try and fight someone you don't know." he stated, thrusting an open hand to the brute's face.
He latched on as his hand started to glow, the brute starting to scream out as smoke slowly rose from him. Shortly after, he burst into flames, though said fire were a ghostly violet, the brute thrashing around as the suited man let go, watching the giant burn as everyone else watched with horror. Half a minute of the man screaming slowly dying down, he started to fall to his knees, only to turn to ashes when he did, the flames fading as the ashes drifted to the floor.
"Flames of a spiritual plane." the man said, slowly circling the smoldering pile of ashes. "Hottest kind in existence, but no heat is felt when not in contact." He soon stopped as he looked to the rest of the patrons, the flames on his hand going out while reaching to a pocket, making the others tense on what he was going to do next. He pulled out a simple wallet, opening it up and fished out a twenty, setting it on the bar.
"Keep the change." he simply said, putting the wallet back before walking out of the bar.
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Unit diagnostics report:
Arms – Left arm: 79.3%. Right arm: 87.6%.
Legs – Left leg: 100%. Right leg: 100%.
Torso: 99.4%.
Head: 99.8%.
Memory storage condition: Stable, 92.4%.
Energy core: Stable.
…
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Hydraulic leak inflicted: 2H:18M:39S ago. Status: Repaired; replacement fluid needed.
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Energy level: 100%.
Initiating unit activation…
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"He-hey…! I think he's waking up!"
"He is? Quick, go get the others!"
"Get the cameras ready, as well as a signal back to the station."
"Right!"
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Aleron's PoV:
I groaned as I started to come to again, seeing that I was face-down in the ground. Slowly, I pushed myself up, seeing I was still the hulking robot that I remembered being as. My head was swimming a bit as I lifted a clawed hand to it, holding my head a bit. It was a bit odd, having hands my size which easily made my head feel…tiny, compared to them.
"You alright?" I heard someone ask, making me jolt a bit.
I looked over and saw that it was Lucas, standing close by with hands in his pockets, in which I relaxed a bit.
"Yeah, I'm fine…" I answered, though I wasn't entirely sure about it.
"You sure?" he asked.
A small chuckle slipped from me. "Positive."
I was able to see a small smile creep on his face, making me smile as well. It was only until then that I realized I was still outside, though it was probably around noon or one pm. Not only that, but there was a spot of red-colored grass, making me remember something as I jumped to my feet.
"Where's Axton…?!" I quickly asked, looking around for him.
"Al, relax. The police called for some paramedics and carted him away while you were both out. After they're done, he's going to jail for what he did." Lucas explained, looking up at me as I returned the look, relaxing greatly and letting out a sigh.
"That's good…" I muttered, lifting my right hand up, seeing the blood on the claws. "Still, I can't believe I did all that…"
"Same here, but you pretty much had a reason to slice that psycho's arm off."
A shudder went through me. "Please don't remind me…"
"Gotcha. Oh, and hope you're not camera-shy." Lucas stated, a small chuckle coming from him.
"Um, why?" I asked in nervousness.
"Cause a news crew arrived a few minutes before you woke up. Get ready for an interview."
"In…interview…?" I barely squeaked out, a wave of nervousness flowing over me.
"Yeah. They already got photos of you, Axton, and the damage you two did."
"So they did…" a mutter came from me, now a bit afraid of being interviewed.
"Are you Aleron?" I heard a new voice cut in, an arrow pointing me in the direction of it and soon seeing the source.
Standing close by was a woman dressed casually, oak-brown hair reaching her shoulders. She had her hands folded in front of her down below her waist.
"Uh, yeah?" I answered, turning to face her and looked down at her.
"I kind of overheard what you and your brother were talking about. I can tell that you're nervous about the upcoming interview." she stated to me, in which I nodded.
"Yeah…nervous cause of not only going to be on TV, but also because of how I'll be presented." I answered in return.
"Don't worry, the group I'm with make sure that only the truth about you is shown." she reassured, though I was doubtful, folding my arms – or at least tried to since they were so bulky.
"That's what all of them say, right before they end up editing it and making a lot of good stuff seem criminal."
"Huh? No, we never do any of that pointless audio manipulation. Most news crews may have given us a bad image, but there are always the few honorable ones. As proof, you can view the footage before it airs to show we haven't altered it." the news-lady offered.
"Hmm…" I muttered, wondering if she was telling the truth. On one side, people would be aware of me and pretty much won't be as afraid when they see me. On the other, it could possibly have my enemies, such as Axton, know who I am and possibly my family. It was right then that I had to come up with an alias, some kind of name that could keep my real one safe. "Yeah, though…I don't exactly feel safe with saying my name on national television. Gonna have to go under a different name…"
"I understand. Much like in books, revealing a person's real name can be dangerous. Don't worry, you have a bit to decide before the recording starts." she answered, doing a small bow before walking away.
I watched her walk away, turning my attention to Lucas. "Well, any ideas?" was the question that came from me.
A shrug was his answer, prompting me to to let out a sigh. I closed my eyes, my arms still folded as I tried to think of an alias. Though, as if to answer my question, the display shown various bits of info, though it displayed my body and conditions of it, as well as something else.
Unit name: G4un7137-Annihilator
'Huh? Haven't noticed that before, but…hmm…' I thought to myself, soon deciding on my name and reopened my eyes.
"Got something?" Lucas asked.
"Yeah. According to the – I guess – built-in computer, my 'unit name' is Gee Four U En Seven One Three Seven Annihilator. My new name happens to be it." I answered him.
"What? Annihilator?"
"No no, too overused. It's Gauntlet." I stated after, looking to see that the news-lady was returning.
"Aleron? We're ready now and waiting for you."
"Alright, and it's Gauntlet now, at least to the public it is." I replied, looking and seeing the news van that was prepared for my interview. While we walked, I stopped as I realized something, looking to my right hand. "Oh, forgot about the blood…"
"Well, think you can wash it off quickly?" I heard her ask.
"Yeah. Guess the pool will be useful after all. Just a sec." I answered, running back to the backyard, dipping my hand in and saw the blood come off surprisingly easy, fading in the water. Pulling my hand out, I shook the water off before returning back to the news crew, seeing them getting the filming equipment ready.
"We're live in five…four…" the cameraman counted down.
'Welp, here goes…' I thought to myself, hearing the countdown finish.
"Hello viewers, I am Patrica Monroe, Channel Five news daily." Patrica, as I now knew, started. "I'm standing in what was a supposedly peaceful suburban area. However, due to the events of earlier today, that peace was shattered as two altered humans, one 'Commander Axton' – the attacker – and another who was transformed by last nights meteors, going only by the name 'Gauntlet'. Photos and a video from several witnesses were shown earlier today, showing the brutal battle that occurred between the two as they fought, with Gauntlet showing great concern for those caught in the crossfire, while Axton didn't show any signs of regard to them. Currently, I am standing next to the hulking mechanized hero, Gauntlet himself, who allowed himself to be interviewed."
She turned to me, the camera following her and no doubt zooming out to show my size compared to her.
"Mister Gauntlet, can you tell us and the viewers on what or how you become like such?" she asked, holding the microphone up to me.
'Yeah, this is gonna be a long interview…' I thought to myself, then answered her question.
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Thirty minutes later…
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"Thank you Gauntlet for answering our questions." Patrica thanked, lowering the mic again and turning to the camera. "That's all the time we have viewers. Stay tuned for tomorrow, the fate of the crippled soldier Axton will be judged. I'm Patrica Monroe, signing off."
"And we're clear." the cameraman announced, in which I let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Sounded like you were very nervous there." Patrica smiled, looking at me.
"Yeah. If I was my original self, I would have been sweating bullets nonstop." I answered, chuckling a bit.
"That you would have. Anyway, thank you for your time, and I'm sure that when it gets a broadcast, everyone won't be scared." she explained, walking to the van.
"Yeah, that's definitely a plus."
"That it is. Anyway, we'll be heading back to the station. Once again, thank you for the interview, and I personally hope to see you again."
Nodding a bit, I watched the crew pack up, the engine of the van starting before driving off, waving a bit as goodbye to them as they soon turned out of sight. Personally, I was wondering on how my life would be since I became like such. I know that robots don't exactly need to eat or drink, which is a bit of a good thing – minus I can't have my favorite foods – but when human needs are gone, there are always others to replace them. I let out a sigh, looking back to the house as I walked to it, knowing I couldn't fit in without damaging a good portion of it now, just wondering on what to do for who knows how long.
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And thus another chapter ends. The start was originally to hint to those who will use their abilities for misdeeds. Kudos if you managed to get the reference to a few of my characters as well. :P