A.I. Rising: Genesis Chapter 7
Author's Note: Hey all! So sorry for not updating the past few weeks. Life sucks sometimes. (-_-) But I'm back now and ready to write again! There will be three more chapters to this story then it'll be finished! Okay Plot Bunnies, let's get to work! *Plot bunnies cheer*
Disclaimer: Knight Rider belongs to the Late Glen A Larson. Any OC's are mine.
Year: 2005 Date: March 18th
The year seemed to fly by fast for the Avalon Knights. The new A.I.'s have finished their training and are now waiting for their new drivers. KROW couldn't wait to meet his driver and take down the bad guys. He's always so impatient when he wants something. ZEUS, ARIA, and KIRA were eager to meet their future drivers either. For KIRA it'll take getting used to another human in her cabin besides Nikita and Alexis. But she hoped that she'll get along with them. Nikita also hired two new recruits to be her professional hackers. Cody Matthews and Taylor Goodwin. Both graduated from UCLA with high honors in everything electronic. But their best talent was hacking into various networks. Though illegal, Nikita promised them they wouldn't get in hot water if they could use their special talents for good. Naturally, the two men agreed and became the Knight's professional hackers.
Nikita and Alexis have been busy though. Trying to track down the BlackHawk members was getting them nowhere. Plus it's been almost a year since they've heard from Maverick. Alexis was worried but felt anger towards the man she cared about. He made no attempt to contact them at all. The poor girl felt betrayed by the very man she loved and now she hated him. Nikita couldn't care less what happened to Maverick, but seeing her friend heartbroken like that a few months back made her wish she had KIRA run him over. She was going to find the rest of the BlackHawk members one way or another.
In the meantime though, she located her potential drivers thanks to her Uncle Harry. He pulled some strings and got the ex-cons to meet Nikita at the Police Station. Harry was surprised himself that the Judge allowed Nikita to let them "work off" their debt to society, as long as they don't break any laws or act on their own accord.
Right now Nikita and Alexis were in her Uncle's office at the Police station waiting for their new drivers. Alexis was petting REX who was in her lap purring at the touch. The only reason the drone's there with them was to convince their future drivers that the A.I's were a reality. And REX wanted to explore the office. The woman yawned as she looked at the time. Alexis was getting tired.
"Man... It's only 3:00? They should've been here by now."
"They'll be here soon." She said. "Maybe the traffic held them up or something."
"Well I'm tired! I should've taken a nap..." Alexis got up and laid down on the couch yawning again. REX climbed up her stomach and rested his head on her chest. "Then take a naps. REX will wake you up when they arrive."
"Might as well." She grabbed a pillow off the couch and threw it at Nikita's head. "I'm taking a nap."
Nikita rolled her eyes and picked up the pillow, throwing it back at her. "Alright then." Alexis closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. REX watched her face for a few seconds and nuzzled his face in between her breasts, purring lightly as he sucked on his claw-like thumb. Nikita smiled and shook her head when her com-link beeped once. "What's up KRIA?"
"Mr. Harry just called me Mama. He's on his way with the con-artists."
"Okay KIRA. And they're not con-artists, just ex-cons that did stupid crap who will soon work for me."
KIRA giggled over the com-link. "I know. I just wanted to say that."
Nikita chuckled a little. "Did he say what time he'll arrive?"
"In 20 minutes."
She sighed. They'll have to wait a little longer than anticipated for them. "Great... What are we going to do for 20 minutes?" The computer next to her beeped as a game of chess popped up. "How about some Chess to pass the time?"
"Eh, Alright. And what did I tell you about hacking into Police Computers?"
KIRA snickered over the com-link. "What they don't know won't hurt them."
"True dat." Nikita and KIRA played their game of Chess. They were evenly matched, Nikita winning 3 games and KIRA winning 4. KIRA loved strategy games and Chess was her number 1 favorite. They were in the middle of their next game when Harry Avalon walked in along with 4 other people. "Hey Nikita! Sorry we're late." Nikita smiled at her uncle and hugged him when he walked over to her. "Hey Uncle Harry. It's alright. Me and KIRA were playing chess on your computer. I hope you don't mind." She got up and let him sit down in his chair. "Oh it's fine dear. Well, here are the people you asked for."
Nikita looked up and smiled at them. One of them, a man fresh out of high school smirked at her. He was 6"7, had light tanned skin and jet-black hair. His eyes were a golden-brown color and he had a scar across his right cheek. He also had a tattoo of the Chinese character for 'Courage' on his left arm. He wore a black T-shirt and blue jeans along with spiked wristbands on both his wrists. It didn't look like he'd be the type of person to deal in illegal weaponry. The way he was looking at her made her think that he's the type of person that flirted with pretty women.
The other one, a younger male, looked to be about the same age but only was 5"8 in height. He had silver spiky hair which she assumed was dyed and had bright blue eyes. He wore a yellow shirt with the phrase "YOLO" on them with white baggy pants. A chain was hanging on one of the pockets. The shoes he wore were the same as his shirt. His arms were behind his neck as he looked relaxed, even though they were in a Police Station.
The young woman next to him was looking around the room with curiosity. She was 5"6 with long brown hair that was braided and had green eyes. She had a petite build but muscles could be seen underneath the clothes she wore. She wore a Pink blouse with blue jeans and had on sneakers. She seemed curious about the toy robot that was lying on Alexis's stomach.
The last one had a curvy build and was the same height as Nikita, about 5"7. She had light brown eyes and had black hair with streaks of blue in it. She wore a blue T-Shirt with the words "Sky's Da Limit" on it and wore black shorts that showed off her long curvy legs. She also wore pink flip-flops that showed off her painted toenails. By the way she had her hand on her hips, she looked bored.
The taller male walked up to her and held her hand, grinning at her as he spoke. He had a Mexican accent that sounded like it was mixed with French. "Hola sexy chica. What's a fine girl like you doing here?"
Nikita chuckled a little as she shook his hand. "You must be Ivan Lopez. My name is Nikita Avalon and I asked my Uncle here to bring you all here."
"Why exactly are we here?" The one with the black hair with blue streaks asked.
"Well," Nikita began. "The reason I asked for you all to be here was to give you four an offer you can't refuse." She noticed that their attention was on her so she continued. "Since I was little I dreamed to live in a world where crime wouldn't be so rampant and war was a thing of the past. Me and my friend here, through trial and error, have come up with a way to stop people who think they are above the law." Nikita looked over at Alexis who was still sleeping and resisted the urge to sigh. "Excuse me a second." She walked over and gently shook her awake. "Alexis wake up. They're here." The blond haired girl woke up and yawned loudly, making Harry stifle a laugh at how she looked.
"Uh? Wha? They here yet?"
"I told you they're here. Look presentable!"
"Alright, alright..." Alexis yawned again and stood up, holding the sleeping REX in her arms. The group of four looked at her as she waved lazily at them. "Yo. I'm Alexis Barnes and I'm a part of what Nikita said you're all going to be doing soon."
"That still doesn't explain why we're here." The same girl spoke up again, looking a bit irritated at being here.
"Don't worry; I'm getting to that Skyler." Said Nikita.
The woman was mildly surprised that this stranger knew her name. Before she could ask, Nikita beat her to it. "In case you're wondering, yes I went through your past records and know all of your names, and the crimes you all committed."
"Soo... You a cop?" asked the silver-haired one.
"No. I'm not Max. Like I said before, my name is Nikita Avalon and I'm here to make an offer you can't refuse. How would you like it if I said I can make your criminal records disappear?"
That got everyone's attention. All of them had a history of criminal offences and would love it if their records were erased. "You can do that?" The woman with the braided hair asked. "My record will disappear?" Nikita nodded. "That's right Jasmine. All of your past misdeeds will disappear IF you all agree to work for me." Ivan folded his arms and stared at her. "How do we know if you're telling the truth chica?" Nikita smirked at that. "I am. You work for me, and I delete your records. But; If you do anything that can be called a criminal act you four will be automatically sent to jail. And I don't want that to happen." The four looked at each other then at the two women in front of them. Once their probation was over they'll be put on trial and none of them want that. So they agreed. Alexis grinned and Nikita smiled. "Good. Besides I promised the Judge that I'd keep an eye on all of you."
"Okay then. So what are we working for?" Skyler asked.
"I'll show you." Nikita put her hand on the drone's head and gently nudged it. "Wake up REX. Come on, up and at them." REX opened his optics and made a yawning sound as he flapped his wings. The group was shocked when he saw them and started flying around them, making chirping and twittering sounds.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Ivan ducked when the drone dove past him and hovered in front of Jasmine, who gently petted it and giggled when it purred. "Aw! It's so cute!"
"Go on, introduce yourself." Said Nikita.
The drone chirped and spoke in a child's voice with a hint of electronic buzz to it. "I am the Robotic Electron Xenomorph! But you all can call me REX! I'm a special spy drone that can do all kinds of stuffs!" REX tilted his head and scanned them. Then he turned to look at Nikita. "Are these the new drivers you talked about Mama?"
She nodded and Alexis spoke up at this point. "Me and Nikita worked together to create this little cutie you see here. He's the very first A.I: Artificial Intelligence." She saw their shocked faces and snickered. "By the way, there's 4 more where that came from. You'll meet them soon enough. Hehe."
The silver-haired man, known as Max Steele, gently petted REX's head and laughed when he nuzzled it. "Yo man! This is so cool! A freaking A.I!"
"It looks like a dragon." Skyler said. REX hovered over to her and a blue light came out of his optics, scanning her. "Um, what's it doing?"
"Don't worry, he's just scanning you and storing the data." Said Nikita. When REX was done scanning he chirped and poked her arm. "You have lots of strong muscles! Your body is really healthy. Do you work out?" Skyler smiled and petted him some more. "Yeah, I do. I've always been athletic."
Harry, who watched as the group talked and introduced themselves to REX. He was surprised at how quickly they got along with the little drone. His niece was giving them a second chance to change their life and they got it. He smiled at that thought. REX liked the new people. He was sitting on Skyler's shoulder growling playfully and nipping at her fingers. Harry walked over to Nikita and put his hand on her shoulder. "I have a feeling we'll be working together in the near future." He smiled at her and she grinned at him. "I'll be looking forward to that Uncle."
"Hey uh, Nikita is it?" asked Max.
She looked at him. "Yes Max?"
"What's the name of the place we're all working at?"
"Avalon Industries. And you all are my new Knights." She saw all of them stare at her at the name. Alexis smirked seeing their expressions. "Knights? Like the Knights of medieval days?" Jasmine asked. Nikita nodded. "Yup. You're all the Avalon Knights."
….
The new recruits were beyond amazed. They never imagined a place like this existed. As soon as they left the Police station a van transported them to this secret place. When they got out they couldn't believe what they saw: The inside of the building was huge, with a large TV screen that showed a map of the entire city. Two smaller screens were next to it showing what looked like advanced Calculus. There were 4 engineers working on something in a separate room and two people at the main computer typing away at whatever they were doing. Nikita turned around to look at them and couldn't help snickering at their faces. Alexis was trying her best not to laugh and REX wasn't paying any attention as he nibbled on his tail. After a minute of stunned silence, Skyler was the first to speak.
"Holy mother of God, this is amazing! You own all this?!"
"Yup. Only took me a year to get it like this." Nikita showed them most of the headquarters and was pleased at how they were taking it. "So, like what you see so far?"
Ivan was staring at the two female workers grinning at them. "Si senorita. I'm looking forward to working close with those sexy ladies over there." He waved at Gina and Maria, who looked at him and chuckled. "Get your head out of the gutter mang." Max was laughing at him. "You'll scare them off."
"Those two know Karate so don't come crying to me if they whoop you." Ivan stared at Nikita and smirked at her. Before he could say anything though, she beat him to it. "Don't say what's on your mind because I do not want to know."
The rest of the group laughed at that comment as the man shrugged. Jasmine saw REX and picked him up, making him giggle at how she began to gently rub his antennae-like ears. "I already love it here!" said Jasmine. "Nikita is there any more A.I's like this little cutie here?"
"Yup. Follow me everyone." The small group followed Nikita and Alexis to the hanger where they were sitting. REX liked the attention Jasmine was giving him.
"REX is cute!"
She smiled and kissed his little head. "You sure are cutie!"
"It's amazing how human-like he is. I still can't believe it." Skyler touched his wings and noticed him shuddering. "Careful please! REX's wings are sensitive."
"Whoops, sorry little guy." Skyler laughed when the drone nuzzled her hand. "Ish okay! Now you knows."
(If they think REX is amazing, just wait until they meet the A.I's.) Nikita thought. Soon she brought them to the hanger where the cars were sitting. Their jaws dropped when they saw them for the first time. The fleet of cars was shiny and amazing to see. A purple and black-striped Chevrolet Camaro ZR1, A blue and red-striped Shelby GT500 Cobra Mustang, A Black Dodge Challenger R/T with green decals and a grey Dodge Charger R/T with black zig-zag decals sat in their own hangers. Max ran up to the Challenger and swooned over it.
"Hot damn this car kicks ass! Hey! Are we gonna drive these?! If so I call this one!" Jasmine huffed as she walked over and put REX on the hood. "Hey! What makes you think you can just pick first? What if I want this car, huh?" Max laughed at her. "I still called it." Skyler was looking at the Mustang and gently touched it. She could've sworn she felt it shudder under her touch. "I wouldn't mind taking this one. It's a Sky blue color and has red stripes like my hair." Ivan looked at the Camaro and the Charger and put his finger on his chin. Both cars looked nice but which one should he pick? "I like the Charger, but the Camaro looks better..."
"No need to pick which one's you're gonna get. I already assigned you all to your respective partners."
Everyone turned to stare at Alexis as she sat in a chair at the corner of the hanger. "What? You all thought we were gonna let you pick out your partners? Me and Nikki decided on who's going with who."
"W-wait, the cars are A.I's too?" Skyler asked.
Nikita nodded and spoke up. "Okay everyone. Meet your partners." Different colored lights lit up on the A.I's and the sound of engines was heard when they started up. REX flapped his wings and flew over to Alexis, landing in her lap and watched as they slowly drove up a few inches. Nikita walked over to the Camaro and put her hand on its hood.
"Skyler Yeager. This is the Knight Intelligence Roving Automation. KIRA for short. She'll be your partner."
KIRA giggled and drove up a little more, gently tapping Skyler's legs with her grill. "Hi Skyler! I'm glad to have you as a partner for justice!" Skyler just stood there, amazed that this car just spoke to her. She flinched a little when KIRA spoke again. "What's the matter Sky? Cat got your tongue?" She stuttered and placed her hand on her hood. "W-wow... Mind officially blown."
Nikita chuckled and walked over to the Mustang, she noticed it was shaking a little and gently petted it to calm it down. "Shh, it's alright dear." She looked up at Ivan. "Ivan Lopez. This is the Aerial Intelligence Roving Automation. ARIA for short. She'll be your new partner but be careful, she's a... little timid."
Ivan slowly walked over to the Mustang and grinned, placing his hand on top of her hood. He felt it shudder at his touch and was surprised when she spoke in a soft voice. "U-um... N-nice to meet you, Ivan. I-I hope... we can be...uh, good partners..." He kept grinning and petted ARIA in a loving manner. "I can't believe you're my partner. A sexy Mustang with a sexy voice. I love it." ARIA's hood turned beet red. When Ivan saw this he started laughing. "Aw, so cute. She's blushing." Nikita rolled her eyes and tapped his arm. "Remember, she's skittish so don't do anything to upset her."
Next, she walked over to the Challenger and looked at Max. "You have a good eye Max Steele, because this one will be your partner. Meet the Kaiser Reformatic One Wrecker. KROW for short." Max jumped up and down, excited to know that the Challenger will be his partner. "This is too cool! I love it! Nice to meet you KROW!" KROW revved his engine as he spoke. "Nice to meet ya too Max! Together we'll tear up the roads and kick some ass!" Both of them whooped in excitedness, making Nikita and Alexis laugh.
Lastly, she walked over to the Charger and looked Jasmine in the eye. "And Jasmine Durant, this will be your partner. Meet the Zeblulon Electronic Universal System. ZEUS for short." The charger drove up a little and spoke in a British accent. "Hello Miss Jasmine Durant. I am called ZEUS and I do hope we'll get along well." Jasmine smiled and ran her hand over his hood, making his engine purr with delight. "Pleasure to meet you ZEUS. I look forward to working with you." He focused his scanners on her and whistled. "My, I say the Gods themselves blessed me with such a beautiful lady to be my driver. How stunning..." Jasmine felt her face heat up and laughed. "Such a gentleman you are."
"And a pervert! Yo Jasmine, watch out or else he'll try to peek at you naked!" KROW yelled. ZEUS huffed and turned a little so he could face him. "I assure you KROW I will not violate a lady's privacy. Unless they want me to." He said with a hint of naughtiness in his voice. KIRA and KROW groaned at that as Jasmine tried not to blush. Max was laughing his head off and Skyler shook her head. "He sounds like someone here we all know."
"Was that aimed at me?" Asked Ivan.
"Maybe." Skyler grinned when she saw him roll his eyes and mutter something in Spanish.
"ZEUS just keep your scanners to yourself." Said KIRA. "We don't need you acting like a old whore around us girls."
"I beg your pardon?!" ZEUS focused his scanner on KIRA. "How dare you sister to accuse moi, of acting like that?!"
KROW made a snorting sound. "Dude, just the other day you tried to zoom in on Alexis's breasts when she wasn't looking."
"Oh come of it KROW!" KROW laughed at his brother's irritation towards him. The new drivers couldn't believe how human-like they acted. It was amazing to see. Ivan chuckled a little and accidently touched a senor on ARIA's hood, making her squeak and lurch forward in surprise, almost knocking Ivan to the floor "Whoa! You alright there?"
"Umm, y-yes... Just be careful with some of... of my sensors..."
KIRA turned a little to face her sister. She was a little overprotective and didn't like the fact a man was partnered up with her. "Hey Ivan! You better not do anything to ARIA you hear me?!"
"Why you say that senorita? You don't trust me or something?" he asked.
"No I don't. Men are messy and stuff. Mama! Can't you switch ZEUS's driver with ARIA's?" KROW opened and shut his right door in agreement. "I second that notion."
"I disagree with that notion!" yelled ZEUS.
"Quiet ZEUS! No one asked you!"
"No, I won't switch them KIRA. Everyone here is paired up for a reason." Nikita sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Her A.I's acted like children sometimes. REX chirped and spoke up at this point. "ZEUS why do you like girls so much? REX can't understand it. I like girls but how you're acting is making REX confused."
"Ah! Well, would you like for me to tell you all about the Birds and the Bees then?"
Alexis busted up laughing as REX tilted his head. "What does Birds and Bees got to do with it? Birds eat Bees don't they?"
ZEUS chuckled in a sly way. "Well... Not in the way you're thinking of young one."
"ZEUS I swear to the human's God, don't corrupt his little processor." said KROW. "He doesn't need to know that yet!"
"He's only curious is he not? I wish to educate him on the pleasures of women."
"Do that and he'll end up like you." KIRA dryly said.
The new drivers were laughing at this point. Max was on top of KROW's hood with tears coming out his eyes. "Damn KIRA! You something else! Haha!" ARIA sighed and focused her scanner on Jasmine. "Miss Jasmine if my brother behaves lewdly towards you just let me know. Sometimes his CPU is muddled with garbage."
Jasmine smiled at the Mustang. "Hehe, Sure, I'll let you know."
"I take offence to that dear." ZEUS said in a dry voice. He wasn't offended, but what can you do? He's a womanizer. REX shook his head and made a sighing sound. "ZEUS acts weird sometimes... REX dun get it." Alexis chuckled and shook her head also. "I don't get it either REX. I think something went wrong when I programmed him."
Max looked at her wide-eyed. "What? You programmed them all?"
"Yup. I programmed their personalities and mannerisms. Plus I programmed them to learn about their surroundings. Their current state is the result of them learning. I did the same thing to REX too."
"I got a question." Jasmine raised her hand and spoke up. "I remember years ago a girl made headline news for being the youngest to have a high I.Q or something. Was that you Alexis?"
Alexis smirked. "I wish but no. That honor belongs to Nikki. My I.Q is only ten points lower than hers." Everyone stared at Nikita as she sighed. "Yes, I was the little girl that made headlines that day. If you're wondering my I.Q is 300."
"Holy shit..." Ivan stared at Nikita and suddenly felt stupid. He could only think about how gorgeous she was, he didn't think about how much of a genius she was. The others were just as shocked. They were working for the smartest person in America and didn't even know it. Nikita clapped her hands to get their attention. "Alright, you're probably wondering why you're paired up with your vehicles. It's because on some assignments, you'll get into some trouble and your A.I's are there to help you out anyway they can. You can give them orders to carry out pacific tasks. But there's one thing they cannot do even if you ask them to do it."
"And what would that be?" asked Skyler.
"They cannot take a human life. They're programmed to protect you any way they can but their primary function is the preservation of human life... to an extent."
The group looked at each other wondering what she meant by that until KIRA spoke up. "What Mama means is that if you are in mortal danger from another human and we can't come up with a logical conclusion to save you and your attacker, by all means we destroy whatever's threatening your life." She then spoke quietly but loud enough for them to hear. "Even if it's another human."
"Hopefully, it won't have to come to that." ZEUS said.
"I thought the Law's of Robotics apply to you all." Said Max. "It doesn't?"
"They do apply Max. I tweaked the rules a little to make sure you all are safe on your missions. If you're worried about them harming a human in order to make sure you're safe, just tell them and they won't do anything." She heard them all sigh in relief. She began to tell them what their other functions are and answered their questions on what they can and can't do. She also told them about their mechanics/engineers and about the Hackers she hired to help them. It was around nighttime at 7:00 when Nikita finished explaining to them everything they needed to know and went to talk to the Hackers. But before she did, she turned around and crossed her arms. She glared at them and spoke in a serious tone.
"I want all of you to remember this: Your partners have feelings just like any other living creature on earth. They're not just machines for you to order around, they have a soul like us. I want you all to treat them with respect and love while you're here. Got it?"
Everyone answered yes and she left the hanger, with REX following. Alexis got up and showed them their rooms. They each had a room prepared for them and had access to the Gym, Rec room, and Kitchen. There's even a Health room where medicinal supplies are kept, just in case. Alexis looked at them and saw that they were excited. Who wouldn't be? After a year they won't be on probation anymore and their criminal records will be erased. Only if they behave will that come to pass. Ivan walked up to her and smiled at her.
"So Alexis, when will our first mission be starting?"
"That I don't know. Nikki will let us know soon."
"Hmm... Okay then. Hey sexy how about we," He began to gently touch her arm with one finger as he got closer to her. ", go to my room and get to know each other better?" Alexis had a small smile on her face and gently pushed his hand away. "Sorry, but no. I recently broke up with someone." She sighed sadly. "A bad breakup... I'm not in the mood to date anyone at the moment." Ivan saw her expression and frowned a bit. "Oh, sorry. I didn't know. Uh, it was that bad huh?" Alexis nodded. "Yeah. L-listen I gotta go. But if you or the others have any more questions feel free to ask." She turned and walked away, heading to her own room. Ivan sighed and felt something hit his arm. He turned and saw Max grinning at him. "Real smooth there Lopez." He rolled his eyes and walked to his room, saying something in Spanish Max couldn't understand. The other man only shrugged and went to the Rec room.
Alexis saw Nikita and REX working on some com-links with Steve Perry and Gina Becker. They were in different colors that matched the color scheme of the cars. "Those look nice. When are you going to finish them?"
"By tomorrow. The com-link I have is being upgraded so Skyler can use it."
"Hm. Okay." She watched them for a bit as her mind wandered. The Avalon Knights finally managed to become a reality. Everything her and Nikita did led up to this point. But, she couldn't help this nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen soon. With the BlackHawk members going AWOL along with Maverick, they need to keep their guard up. Maverick mentioned once that he wanted to create his own robot, but for what purpose he didn't say. Nikita had a reason for creating REX, KIRA, ARIA, KROW, and ZEUS. So what was his reason for creating this machine called S.H.A.D.O.W? What was Maverick trying to accomplish? All Alexis knew is that she wanted answers. And when she found him those questions will be answered. She sighed lightly. She missed him so much. Even though she found out what Maverick was doing behind their back, she still loved him. And she hated him. Hated him for what he's done to her. Her thoughts were interrupted when REX called to her and poked her arm.
"Alexis?"
She looked at the drone and smiled a little. "Yeah?"
REX scanned her and chirped questionly. "You okay? You zoned out in space."
Alexis chuckled and petted him. "I'm alright. Just thinking is all."
"Oh. What are you thinking about?"
"Just... things I shouldn't dwell on. It's nothing."
REX purred at her petting him and scanned her again. If he could frown he would've. He noticed her body was fatigued and in need of rest. "Alexis, your energy levels are lower than normal. You should get some sleep."
Alexis yawned when he said that. And she did feel more tired than normal. A good night's sleep is what she needed. "You're right, I need some sleep." She looked over at Nikita helping the engineers with the com-links and yawned again. "Hey guys, I'm going to bed. I'm tired as hell here." Nikita glanced at the clock and raised an eyebrow. "It's only 7:00pm. You feeling alright?" Alexis waved her off and headed towards her room. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just sleepy is all. G'night!"
"Night Alexis."
"Eat sweets in dreams Alexis!"
Alexis smiled at REX and corrected him. "You mean sweet dreams REX."
"Yeah! Sweet Dreams is eating sweets in dreams. Hehe!"
"You silly bot." She left the room and headed to her own room for some much needed sleep. Nikita watched her leave and couldn't help but wonder why her friend was so tired all of the sudden. Alexis is tough but still. (I hope she's alright.) She kept on working and hoped she'll feel better in the morning.
...
April 21st, 2005
It's only been a month since the new drivers met their A.I companions. Nikita had all of them go through special training to get them used to them. So far they've done a great job with their partners. Skyler and KIRA got along like they were sisters. KIRA was amazed that Skyler knew how to use Parkour and was showing off to her. Skyler once said that KIRA's drifting was like parkour in a way, since the A.I knew how to drift in ways normal cars couldn't. Those two were perfect for each other. Max and KROW were the wild pranksters of the team. Those two were reckless in their training often breaking something and claiming it was an accident, or blaming it on each other. ARIA for a while was very shy of Ivan. She would sometimes hide from him and didn't speak to him unless he spoke to her. But she slowly came out of her shell thanks to some coaching from him. They now work together and help each other out, even though she's still shy when talking to him. Jasmine had to set some boundaries with ZEUS. The A.I was getting a little touchy-feely with her. He'd sometimes hit her rear with his door or say lewd comments whenever she was in his cabin. After politely threatening him to remove some of his assets (among other things) he stopped and joked that he was kidding. ZEUS has his moments, but he treats his driver with respect and is a little overprotective of her. Not that Jasmine minds it. She thinks it's nice to have a strong mech like him protecting her.
Today was the team's day off from training and were hanging out with their A.I friends. Nikita and Alexis left the base to get some supplies from General Bardock. Alexis bought a car she and Nikita can use since KIRA was with Skyler. While there they learned from him that he still hasn't seen or heard from Maverick. His mother and younger sister were worried about him and wondered where he was. As they left Alexis hit the steering wheel out of frustration.
"UGH! THIS PISSES ME OFF! WHO THE HELL DOES MAVERICK THINK HE IS LEAVING LIKE THAT AND NOT CALLING OR EVEN TEXTING ME?! FUCKING PRICK!"
Nikita put her hand on her arm to calm her. She was upset too but didn't show it. "Don't worry Alexis, General Bardock is doing everything he can to find him. Once we do we'll get answers out of him."
Alexis sighed and kept driving down the road. She was getting a headache from all of this. "Yeah.. you're right. I hope that we can-" Before she could finish, a black sports car rear ended them roughly, causing them to swerve and almost crash into a parked truck. Alexis hit the brakes preventing the crash and looked around. "Oh shit! Nikki you alright?!" Nikita groaned and nodded, holding her head. She hit it on the window when the other car rear-ended them. "Yeah, I'm okay. Damn that hurt." She saw that her friend was alright but when she looked out the window behind her, she saw something that made her blood run hot in anger. In the black car was a man about 18-20 years of age, had black hair with a faint goatee, and wearing a shirt with Shadow the Hedgehog on it. What stood him out was his eyes; they were bright green and filled with wickedness. Alexis wondered what she was looking at and turned around. She gasped when she saw him.
"M-Maverick?"
He grinned as he rolled down his window. "Long time no see my little Manx. And nice to see you again Nikita."
Nikita glared at him as Alexis yelled at him. "Where the fuck have you been Maverick?! Do you realize how much pain you caused your parents and me?!"
Maverick glanced around and noticed a few people gather, curious if they were alright. He frowned and motioned for them to follow him. He sped off and Alexis hit the gas, speeding off after him. Nikita looked at her and saw anger in her eyes. "Where is he leading us to?"
"I don't know Nikki, but if he thinks he can just show up only to take off again he's got another thing coming!"
The blue BMX they had tried to keep up with the sportscar. Maverick made a sharp turn down a old abandoned building, almost hitting some pedstrians along the way. Alexis followed and drove deeper into the building, determined to catch him. The girls saw him stop inside a parking lot and get out. They stopped and got out also. Nikita and Alexis stared at him as he stared back. He sighed as he stepped closer to them. "Look, I know what you're thinking but-"
"Save it Maverick." said Nikita. "Not only have you betrayed our trust in you, but you stole and made a copy of the PRISM data and put your own father in the hospital! Your family is worried and scared for you. Not only that..." She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked at Alexis who was trying not to tear up. Nikita stepped aside as her friend walked up to him, tears in her eyes. "Maverick, when you left you not only left your friends and family behind, but..." She placed her hand on her stomach. "You also left your only child with me."
Maverick glanced at her stomach then looked her in the eye. He didn't show it, but he was shocked that she was pregnant to begin with. Although she didn't look all that happy about it. "Alright. You said you had a baby, where is it?" Alexis stomped up and backhanded him across the face, making him stumble on top the hood of his car. "You bastard! You act like you don't even care! If you wanna know I had a fucking miscarrage and lost the baby!" Maverick rubbed his face and saw her crying as she said this and sighed. He got up off his car and attempted to wipe her tears away, but she shook her head and stepped away from him. Maverick frowned a little as he tried to step closer to Alexis, but she only yelled at him.
"Don't touch me! I fell into depression over what you did to me... You have no idea how much pain I felt over losing my first child, and you... YOU'RE JUST AN ASSHOLE!"
Nikita watched them and had her guard up, ready to knock her former friend out just in case he hurt her. Maverick for once had a look of sadness on his face. He just learned that he almost became a father, he assumed the reason she lost the baby was because of him. "Listen Alexis..." He gently caressed her arm in a soothing way only to have her slap it away. He looked at her face and sighed again. "I'm sorry about everything that happened, I'm even sorry about causing you to have a miscarrage, but everything I did was for a reason and you two wouldn't understand."
"Try us." Nikita put her arm around a sobbing Alexis and glared at Maverick. "Tell us why you did the things you did. We deserve answers." Of course she and Alexis knew the answer, hell she had KIRA hack into their systems before they disappeared. She wanted to hear it from him. Maverick closed his eyes for a moment and opened them up again, a look of seriousness in them. "The reason I did those things, stealing and copying the PRISM data, defecting with the BlackHawk team, and of course disappearing without telling everyone is because of a goal I have."
"What goal?" Nikita asked.
"To create a new Goverment under my rule. Me and the members of BlackHawk have been talking and we all decided that with the way the Goverment deals in things, we'd just ebolish it and take over."
Nikita and Alexis were shocked to say the least. He was insane! Taking over the main Goverment and ruling as leader? Why would he do such a thing? Alexis slowly shook her head. "Are you insane Maverick? Why would you want to control the main goverment? For what purpose?"
Maverick smirked. "I'm in a good mood, so I'll tell ya." He crossed his arms and leaned back against his car. "As the leader of BlackHawk, we don't like how the damn president is working things. He's too damn soft and not bold enough. I mean come on, the current war between America and Afganistan is dragging on and will keep dragging on for years if something doesn't happen soon. So, first off I'm disbanding the Athena Millitary, then after that I will create an army of A.I's to destroy America's enemies. We'll be so powerful that the President won't do a damn thing."
"An army of A.I's? I knew it, you are planning on revolting against the military!" Yelled Alexis.
"That plan of yours isn't going to work, Maverick." Nikita said. "Your father is still the General of the Military so he won't let you disband it. And how are you going to create the A.I's anyways? The current data for PRISM that you have is just a copy, it isn't as powerful enough to create an army."
"That's why I need you Nikita Avalon." Maverick's smirk grew into a grin as he spoke. "I know you hidden the PRISM data and I want it. I can't create my army without it."
Nikita balled her hands into fists. No way was she handing over the PRISM program to him. It took her 4 months to create it and she wasn't about to just hand it over. PRISM is a dangerous program that when modded correctly, could be turned into a virus and wipe out everything technologocal in seconds. It's bad enough he made a crude copy of it. Alexis stared at Maverick, something troubled her when he said those words. "What did you mean you needed Nikita? As smart as you are I'm sure you don't need her."
"Oh but I do Alexis. I'm not smart enough to use the program efficant enough and the scientists I hired can't create a true copy, which is why Nikita here will be helping us make our country better for everyone."
"Like hell I will! No fucking way am I helping you or your dumb-ass BlackHawk team!" Nikita glared at him. Oh how she wanted to just punch his face in at the moment. One thing was troubling her though. "Maverick. What did you do with the copy of PRISM?"
"Well..." He looked at both girls in front of him. He had a hunch they already knew about his plans but didn't care if they did. "My scientists managed to somewhat stablize the PRISM copy and we put it in 3 A.I's. Of course I think you two already knew that." He chuckled a little and noticed the way they were staring at him. Alexis groaned and put her hands on her hips. "Just answer the damn question." He laughed at her mean expression towards him. She still had that personallty he liked. "Still feisty as ever. My scientists put the data copy in XLR8 and Hydra; two fully funcioning A.I's that are perfect in every way."
"What about the third one?" Nikita asked.
"The third one? We used most of the copy on her and she was a little hard to control, but we broke her in and now she's the strongest A.I we have. I created her." He got up and tapped the hood. "And now you two are going to meet her. Hey, wake up my pet and Introduce yourself." The girls took a step back in shock as the sportscar; a Jet black Marussia B2 revved it's engine loudly and crept towards them, a purple scanner slowly moving back and forth in a threatening manner. A young woman's voice could be heard as it had an Russian accent.
"I am the Stealth Hyper Automated Drone Obliteration War-Machine. You may call me SHADOW." A light purple light came out of her scanner as she scanned them. Then she spoke in a rude tone. "Mr. Deunan this is the human that created that worthless Camaro? Humph, I expected better."
"The hell?" Nikita and Alexis couldn't believe it. A fully funtioning A.I. and Maverick created it. Alexis stomped up to the supercar and pointed at it. "Hey! Don't talk about KIRA like that! She isn't worthless you brat!" SHADOW laughed in a taunting way. "So her name's KIRA is it? Heh, even the name sounds stupid. I am by far the most superior machine to be created. That thing is nothing but scrap metal."
"WHAT?! YOU DUMB MOTHERFU-"
"That's enough Alexis..." Nikita walked up to them as Maverick laughed. She looked at him and tilted her head a little. "Why are you laughing?"
"I forgot to tell you, SHADOW has a bit of a... mean streak to her." He shrugged. "But hey, I think that's the best thing about her."
"Thank you Mr. Deunan." SHADOW chuckled when she saw Alexis's face. "Aw, you don't like me Alexis? Since you are Mr. Deunan's girlfriend I thought we could be friends."
"Like I'd be friends with you! HA! What a laugh. And I'm NOT his girlfriend." Alexis looked away and sighed. "Not anymore."
Maverick leaned against SHADOW and petted her roof, making her engine purr. "I knew you'd say that but don't worry. You'll still be my sexy little Manx."
Alexis glared at him and turned around, walking back towards her car. "It's over Maverick. And don't call me Manx anymore." She got in her car and started it, waiting for her friend to get in. Niktia stared at the A.I in front of her and put her hand on it's hood, only to yank it away when she felt a small shock. SHADOW's engine growled at the contact. "Only Mr. Deunan can touch me. You try that again and I'll do more than lightly shock you." Maverick grinned as Nikita frowned. She turned to look at him and huffed in irratation. "Wipe that damn grin off your face. SHADOW obviously doesn't care about what happens to humans! She's a danger to everyone around her!"
"And what's your point? I created her to be that way to accomplish my goal. Like I said, she's the strongest A.I BlackHawk has and the only one that has intelligence. XLR8 and Hydra are just drones compared to her." Maverick got in front of Nikita and stared her in the eye. "And if you and Alexis think you can stop me, think again. Now tell me where the rest of PRISM is." Nikita didn't answer for a few minutes as she glanced at the supercar and back at him. If a copy could create something like SHADOW then who knows what kind of A.I's the other two were like. "Never in a million years would I give you PRISM's location. Mark my words Maverick, the Avalon Knights will hunt you down." She turned around and walked toward the car where Alexis was waiting. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at him. "You may think that you can get away with what you've done, but not even your precious teammates will help you. Rest assured BlackHawk will go down in flames. That's a promise." She got in the car as Alexis drove off. Maverick watched them leave and kicked a rock. He didn't seem fazed by her threat towards him. Or that he didn't care. He chuckled darkly as SHADOW focused her scanner on him.
"Papa? You're going to let her leave?"
"Yeah. She won't do anything. I'm going to get her to use the PRISM program for us one way or another."
She opened her driver's side door for him. "She mentioned something about a Avalon Knights. Don't tell me more of those pathetic scraps are existing."
He patted her hood and got inside her cabin as she shut her door and started up her engine. "And if she did so what? You're stronger than KIRA and those other A.I's, you can take them down easily with no problem." SHADOW chuckled as they drove off and went down the street. "I sure can Papa. Hm, Are you upset?"
He looked at her voice moduator then back at the road. "About what?"
"Alexis Barnes told you that she lost her offspring. Which was your future child."
"Oh... Yeah I guess I am a little upset. But shit happens you know. She probably did something to cause it herself." He turned on the radio to a rock station and yawned. "Besides, I honestly didn't want a kid yet, we're going to be busy so I don't have time to look after a kid."
SHADOW processed this information. Her creator had a point, he didn't have time to make offspring and if he did it'll only hold him back. She looked at him with her optical scanner-orb and asked a question. "Papa? If we ever encounter those inferior A.I's, may I play with them?" Maverick laughed, getting her meaning on what she said. "Sure you can dear."
"Hehe... Those Avalon Bliad's will be the ones to go down in flames."
AN: Well... shits going down in here. xD Again sorry for not posting in a while. Writer's block can be a bitch. I had to look up some russian curse words and I hope this is correct. Bliad' means 'whore' in Russian. If it doens't let me know in reviews!