"causing issues needlessly"
[3 Weeks & 2 Days before Jake, Rachel, and Cassie received the morphing power]
It was a town that had been pillaged of the town itself, as Nartec are renowned for doing.
A white jeep drove down a road that was as wide as a highway, but entirely abandoned save for its lonesome self, snaking around a hillside, the road had a heavy amount of shade from the trees, leaving a lot of acorns and walnuts to be crushed by any passing car, but this vehicle was unusual, for normally, this road was driven by bigger vehicles coming in groups of 6 at minimum. The dominance of the trees were unquestioned on these hillsides, soon enough, the jeep passed a sign indicating that a town was coming up, but the classic green metal plate with white lettering naming the town and population of it was a lie.
There was nothing left there, a few minutes after the sign, the car rolled into the town, it was abandoned, buildings were mauled, entire walls, roofs, and floors were ripped off, even entire houses were stripped to their foundations, street lights stuck up from their places like tree stumps, sawed off, power poles were stripped entirely of their cords. Gas stations had been removed of their pumps, the grocery stores robbed not just of food but the very shelves their products rested on, the scraps from vehicles abandoned on the street and cannibalized had been shoveled to the trenches that were once sidewalks, even the underground infrastructure had been ripped from their holdings in the earth, not even the septic tanks had been spared.
All of the roads, too, were cannibalized until they were a sparse scattering of rocks between the ruined buildings, but one specific path had been repaved, and that was the one taking the jeep to its destination. Nature was in the process fo reclaiming this land, grass grew tall everwhere, small trees grew, surrounded by saplings, and a scant few animals watched the car or fled upon its approach. The jeep drove through the ruins for a few minutes before it was back in the wilds, but this time instead of a forest it was a plain, interrupted only by the road that the jeep travelled on. The jeep began passing by more signs, this time they were warnings in red, printed with white or black letters.
RESTRICTED AREA NO TRESPASSING!
THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA ALL INTRUDERS WILL BE FIRED ON WITH LETHAL FORCE!
Many other signs dotted the surroundings, with equally varied warnings and threats, in time the plains gave way to a guard-post, with a giant two layered wall stretching as far as the eye could see in both directions. The first wall's panels were made from metal bars wrapped entirely in barbed wire, meanwhile the second wall was composed of a wall designed to be walked on by guards with towers rising above every few seconds, the area between the first and second walls were entirely devoid of plant life, and at the tops of the towers are automated turrets designed to shoot the first unapproved thing that got within the forbidden range.
The jeep slowed down until it reached the gate, every armed personell at the site had their guns trained on the vehicle at all times. When the car stopped a guard walked up to the car's window as it finished rolling down to the point that the driver's ace was visible.
"Identify yourself, and state your business!" The Guard demanded, holding a flashlight device to the driver, who turned to face him.
"Supreme Commander Amin Torelli," the man stated simply.
The guard blinked in surprise as a red light scanned Torelli, recognition washing over him, he turned the light over to the side of it that had a color light, it was green. The guard raised his hand to the others at the post, thumbs up.
Torelli rolled the window up as the gate opened, the bars of the giant grate rolling up, while at the same time a concrete drawbridge, great enough to carry the load of something eight times the size of the largest semi trucks, lowered until it rested over the barren earth between the two walls. A third gate, the one for the actual second wall, lowered into the ground. The white jeep rolled past the wall through the gatehouse, the place closing back up when Torelli's car passed them and continued on the road. The entire road was paved and made to be raised several feet above the barren wasteland that surrounding it and the destination of the facility, not a single shrub, tree, dip, or blade of grass could be seen anywhere within the walls, the earth had been salted to the point that not even fungus had any hope of life here.
Littering that giant dustbowl were the multitude of traps, mines, underground sensors, automated turret nests, surrounded by traps that spew acid, white phospherous, mustard gas, and substances with more heinous effects, anti-air towers able to shoot down even extraterrestrial craft. Yet half of these defenses were aimed inward.
This wasteland stretched for seemingly forever, much more driving later, something rose from the soil blown by the wind, small at first, but it grew in size as Torelli drove closer.
In time Torelli finally arrived at his destination, a building that was the shape of a giant seven story concrete hexagon, the outer walls of which were braced with alien materials, and perched over the roofs were nests where soldiers and automated defenses alike could fire on anyone approaching from without...and within.
He finally reached a checkpoint where the guards checked his car before letting him pass left into the road surrounding the facility and entering the parking garage, he rolled up one of the ramps, past the designated area for the vehicles transporting cargo.
When he parked in the executive sector of the place he was greeted by a line of six guards that all saluted him, each one of them wore mechanized armor made from diamond shaped metal and ivory scales covering a mesh that looked a mix between metal and a rainbow looking crystal. As he opened the door and climbed out of his jeep Torelli's entourage saluted him.
"Supreme Commander, sir!" The mechanized infantry, known as D0gbones, greeted, the bio-mechanical suits much bulkier than any human could be, and the alien materials far more stubborn.
"At ease," Amin said with a smirk. "Escort me to The Director."
"Yes sir!" The men said, turning, the plates of their suits almost silent as they escorted their guest out of the parking garage and into one of the lobbies that served as one of the few entrances. Past the heavy metal door was a place that wouldn't look out of place in a hospital, but only at a passing glance. Giant metal panels were clinging to the sea foam green colored drywall in seemingly random places, the ceiling had metal bars with turrets underneath, constantly scanning for enemies.
The other end of the lobby, past the rows of chairs, was the clerk in charge of playing gatekeeper to this place, who sat safely behind the invisible wall at her desk, able to veto the entrance of anybody she wished. But she stood at attention and proudly saluted the entrance of Torelli and his bodyguards before sitting back down at her seat and proceeding to push a few buttons, causing the next door to begin opening right when Torelli and his escort entered the room. The mechanical metal wall made a series of clanking and hissing sounds when their locking mechanisms unlatched, a few seconds later, the giant alien metal plate began to lower, its toothed top edge fully receded into the floor by the time they reached the next room.
Once the last of the D0gbones went inside, the door began closing behind them. This next room was just a purely white box that was so colorless it hurt to look at it, there was nothing inside of it that they would've been able to pick out, not even the doors. Torelli reached into his coat pocket and whipped out his pair of sunglasses, and just as he put them on his face an alarm blared out, and a red light began flashing in the room.
"SECURITY FILTRATION PROTOCOL COMMENCING. STAND STILL AND APPLY EYE PROTECTION," The pre-recorded voice belonging to the defense system commanded.
The mech-warriors and their supreme commander stood as still as possible while a loud beeping noise emanated, once the third beep sounded off, a blinding light bathed the entire room, drowning everything in there in a blood red display to ensure that only a select few species would ever be able to enter the facility.
"NO UNAPPROVED LIFEFORMS DETECTED. YOU MAY PROCEED. THANK YOU FOR COMPLYING," The automated voice said as the white wall on the other side of the room began opening up. The enterouge walked through the door into another lobby, almost exactly like the one they had gone through, but with barricades standing between them anbd the entrance to a hallway, this room had more armed guards, all of whom stood at attention and saluted as they walked past the raised barricades.
"Supreme Commander, sir!" The shortest one, a red-head, said, pointing in a specific direction. "The Director has been informed of your visit, they're waiting for you, I'll guide you right to-"
"That's not necessary," Torelli said curtly, raising an arm to motion to the D0gbones. "These men know the way, and do not need your assistance."
"O-okay, sir," the read-head lieutenant said, one of the mech-warriors brushing him aside as they walked past.
Solemnly, the group walked to the next hallway where a few orderlies and security personell were going about their business, stopping to salute the Supreme Commander as he passed. They walked for a good few minutes on top of the shale floor and white walls, moving past the automated turrets and lazers on the corners of the rooms, the electrobarriers, and ensnarement fields until they reached one of the elevators, one of the D0gbones reached forward with his mechanical hand, extending a finger seemingly made of fluid crystal covered in ivory and steel scales and pressed a button toc all an elevator, Torelli grimaced ever so slightly in disgust at the sight of the appendage.
The wait wasn't long, soon enough a set of doors opened and a gaggle of scientists and an engineer wearing yellow and orange hauling a stack of boxes on a large industrial platform truck. They blinked at the sight of the tall imposing men encased in taller and far more intimidating machinery of alien origin and the one they surrounded, they departed from the elevator with haste and the seven entered, pushing a button to take the group up.
After a short ride where the men's insides felt wonky, the door opened and they returned to the halls of the 7th floor, turning right, Torelli noted the long greenish oily stain dragging across the floor for a good distance of the way to their next stop with narrowed eyes. He turned forward in time to see the next point just as he was passed by two engineers hauling giant crates of ammunition, including RPG rounds, and supplies to maintain the defenses.
The checkpoint was manned by hard-eyed men, including two more clad in D0gbone Suits, standing watch. Off to the right was a hallway covered in defense systems, a gate to the inner facility, lining the walls was a scanning system that peered into everything that went past it, and in charge of it all was a steely eyed woman with short auburn hair tucked into a beret burgundy beret that said 'ET Rot In Pieces.'
"Good to see you, Supreme Commander," the woman clipped, stepping aside to give access, motioning to a pair of lines that ran parallel to eachother, extending past the defenses. Torelli reached into his chest pocket and pulled out his security card; Clearance Level: Black, and allowed the woman to scan it. "If you would all please walk single file here-"
"If you would excuse me," Torelli said. "I don't have time for all the formalities, in case you couldn't tell by my presence, this is an urgent visit. Clear my passage."
"Bu-"
"Are you about to gripe at protocols and procedures at the man in charge of this entire organization?" Torelli said in a deadly low tone.
"N-no sir," the lady said, turning to her console and pressing a few buttons on it, causing the defence and scanning systems to beep, at which the seven began moving again, still surrounding their leader. "You are cleared to pass, Supreme Commander."
The men stomped their way through the security, passing through the layers of blinking automated turrets and advanced scanners until they reached another hallway, the floors, walls, and cielings of which were made from concrete enhanced with alien fortification materials to give it extra strength. The far side of the wall away from where Torelli and the D0gbone escort entered this new hallway through was not concrete, but advanced metals used in extraterrestrial fortifications, and if you peeked out of the windows you could see the inside of the hexagonal building ring, the ground was just as barren on the outside as it was the inside, there was a single path, a plexiglass tube with metal rings inserted for structural stability, slightly off from center this plexiglass tube encased over a metal grated path was what looked like a small ooblong house, white, covered in a healthy layer of dirt, and Torelli and his entourage are heading right to it.
More and more walking occured until the group encountered yet another elevator, this one leading down again to the first floor, this inner section was much more alive with activity, scientists, doctors, engineers, and armed personell crowded the hallways when he left the elevator and turned right. There were all sorts of doors labeled with names that betrayed their varying levels of importance, Torelli read them all as he passed them by.
D0gbone Suit Training
Weapon's Testing and Integration
Reversion Correction Center
Neural Link Adjustment
Proving Grounds
Suit Brain Inhibition Training
Special Tools and Assets
Torelli, after a ceertain distance looked to the right, the door he intended to enter through.
Exotic Materials and D0gbone Manufacturing
And right underneath those words:
Access Prohibited to all Clearance Levels below White
Torelli turned to the right and opened the door, reaching yet another checkpoint, and after passing through the armed security checkpoint and another filtration protocol, he walked inside the plexiglass tunnel. The rest of the facility outside loomed far above him ominously, eight stories of black alien metal, bristling with extraterrestrial and native weapons alike left the little desolate garden inside cloaked in shadows. Inside the field were countless little black mounds marking the locations of the weapons aimed at the narrow plexiglass tunnel at all times.
After a tenuous short walk to the little ooblong house, the D0gbone soldiers opened the door and walked into the place, they moved single file towards a large set of doors, which opened to reveal yet another elevator.
Seriously? How many more security measures is this going to take?
The party all walked inside after having the room being scanned for unapproved lifeforms, the elevator dropped, taking them deep below ground. Eventually the elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal an entire row of two dozen ETCS soldiers in D0gbone Mechanical Suits, and in front of them was a woman wearing a labcoat, her red hair noticably gray, her face starting to wrinkle.
"Supreme Commander Torelli!" She greeted with a salute. "It is an honor, and surprise to see you here, for what purpose do you owe me this visit?"
"Director May," Their organization's highest ranking member returnbed the greeting cordially. "I see you've made great strides in your progress, but have you noticed any whispers from your sensor systems?"
"No, sir, why do you ask?"
"The Animorphs are back," Torelli said simply, visibly causing a wave of dismay in a few of the older D0gbone wearers, survivors of combating that particular scourge themselves.
Director May's attitude quickly soured, "Oh no. Tell me everything."
"We'll continue this talk later, for now, I will be in the restrooms," Torelli turned to the ETCS personell who escorted him throughout the entire base at this point. "You are dismissed."
The six men nodded, smiling widely as they dispersed with the rest of the two dozen strong welcoming party.
"I'll be waiting in the executive lounge," The Director said as Torelli walked away.
Torelli turned another right, this facility was far whiter, far cleaner than the others, he moved past the lunch hall, the armory, and a window to a giant room filled with rows upon rows of giant test tubes big enough to hold bears, resting next to beds. Most of the test tubes were occupied, but for the ones that weren't, there were unknown creatures, obscurred by distance, restrained to them, motionless, with men in labcoats standing over them, oeprating on the sedated creatures with large machines.
Torelli eventually found the barracks restroom, so conveniently labeled, and entered. The place was thankfully deserted, he walked a bit a ways and entered the last closed stall. After locking himself in he unbottoned his pants, took off his underwear, then his socks and shoes, then his shirt and everything else he was wearing, put his shirt in his mouth, hung all of his clothes over the top of the stall he was in, and turned stiff.
"AAAAAAAAAAEAAAAEAAAAAaUUUUUUGHHHHHH," he screamed into his gag, muffling the sound of his voice as he tipped over and fell face-first into the stall door. A sound like paper being shaken, but wetter, emanated as a second pair of limbs, a second waist, and a second head with orange eyes emerged from Torelli's back and stepped out from behind his host.
"Took us long enough!" Warlike griped, his bare skin covered in opaque and gel-like fluids that smelled horrible and left his black hair looking somewhat ridiculous. Meanwhile, Torelli was on the ground, gasping from pure agony, on all fours.
He started twitching and Torelli's body shortened slightly, but grew much thinner and denser, his hair grew longer, darker, and curlier, his skin turned into a shade of chocolate brown, and Lotr rose to his own two feet.
"Crayak's dahk-hahted laukhter!" Lotr cursed with a voice that sounded staticky, still shaking and gasping from the phantom pain of the body he just morphed out of. "Ha cu' ya mazters endure dat merciless...no, gogless augony of you stowing away inside their backs, and bursting out whenever a fight came around?!"
"They have more back than either of us. Real question here is how did you bypass their DNA biofilters? And why did you alert them to us being active?" Warlike questioned, reaching over him to unlatch the door, and upon doing so stepping over his partner with his completely bare legs out of the stall into the room. The claws on the front and back ends of his feet scraped tiny nicks into the solid linoleum ground as he walked his tilting, lumbering stride. Lotr stumbled on after him, his back covered in the foul gel that Warlike emits whenever detaching from someone.
"It was your presence that hid me," Lotr explained, following Warlike, slightly stiffer than normal. "Your DNA was overriding my own original code. They don't know any better to watch out for your specific signature...and the other thing really couldn't be helped, ETCS High Command already realized our presence five days ago."
"Be thankful you kept your word about finding the showers," Warlike commented as he entered one of the stalls with the showerhead overhead, separated from eachother by concrete barriers. Warlike found the handle operating the water and grabbed it with his long, thick, and bent stony fingers, marked with turqoise tattoos.
SNAP!
"Hgh, defective," Warlike growled as he dropped the metal handle he accidentally snapped off from the shower.
Clangclangclang.
"Warlike?" Lotr said as he entered the stall next to him and observed the kind of interface used to control the water. "You don't pull those handles, you twist them."
The escaped alien prisoner chuffed and moved to the next stall, but just as Lotr grabbed the handle to his shower to turn on the water...
Creak SNAP!
Warlike spat and hissed in frustration as he threw the second shower handle he broke away.
"Have you tried twisting the other way?" Lotr said, a smile on his face as he turned on his shower. "And not so hard?"
Warlike entered his third stall and this time activated the shower without a problem. When the hot water poured down he shuddered in relief, having forgotten how good getting a shower felt. He combed his fingers through his hair, raking off the skin of his scalp with his claws, making sure to thoroughly clean his long, narrow, and pointed ears. He growled in discontentment before speaking up.
"We took down Torelli without any effort, that freak deserves infinitely worse than what we gave him."
((Yes,)) Lotr said. ((That he does.))
((Then why didn't finish him while we had the chance?)) Warlike said. ((Leaving such a betrayer alive is begging for him to come at us with everything he has. Especially those D0gbones...those things just gave me every wrong feeling I didn't know I could have.))
((Wouldn't have made any difference,)) Lotr explained, rubbing down his legs. ((Even if we had vaporized him it still wouldn't have worked.))
((Oh, come on,)) Warlike said, sanitizing hands reaching to his waist. ((You're not one of those who believe that myth that ETCS has the power to return from death, are you?))
Before Lotr replied a loud slopping sound emanated coming from Warlike's stall for a good few seconds longer than he would've liked to have heard, he grimaced in disgust briefly before resuming the conversation.
((What I'm saying is that immortality is for certain approved peoples, bought at a bargain. No need to sort through the problems caused by replacing the perfect person for their role if that candidate never really leaves.))
Warlike's eyes widened, he knew liars when he heard them, and he could taste fools by the inflections of their tone, and Lotr had already proven himself neither. And though he hasn't known him for that long, Warlike knew Lotr was a man of thoughtful intelligience, and honest words, and he knew deep in his bones to dismiss the words of such a rare person as him is an invitation to disaster.
((How is this possible?)) Warlike simply asked.
((After we get what we're here for,)) Lotr explained. ((I'll explain. Once we split up, you'll go to the security room and shut down their warning systems and automated defenses, I'll relay the locations of our targets when I hear of them.))
Lotr held his palm out in front of him, and the red tattoos on it began to glow as a spherical object the size of a baseball began to ooze from his skin.
((For the purposes of not losing your way, or being jumped by a D0gbone, take this Diggy,)) Lotr threw the spherical metal object to Warlike, and his hand shot out to grab it. The metal orb shook in Warlike's hand before it snapped open into the shape of a little crustacean shaped robot that grasped onto and crawled up Warlike's arm.
((Invisibility?)) Warlike asked.
((Yes, it will guide you to the intended destination. Until the security has been taken down, avoid contact at all costs, especially with the D0gbones.))
((My gun will shred them like everything else that's ever tried to fight me!))
((No,)) Lotr firmly asserted. ((I've seen what those things, and the men entrusted with operating them, are capable of. If you challenge them, they can withstand your Torthon Rake long enough to return fire, and are fast enough to close the distance. They will not hesitate, they will not question, they will not show mercy.))
((I've tanked shots before.))
((Warlike, don't be a fool! You have no armor, you don't wear anything except...avoid direct confrontation, reach the security room, disable the defenses, and regroup with me so that we can begin in earnest.))
Lotr left the barracks bathrooms just as a D0gbone soldier entered, nonethewiser as to their Supreme Commander's replacement. Despite Lotr never having been in this facility his entire life he knew the layout of the base. He navigated through the halls until he reached the executive lounge, a few more people were enjoying the lavish accomodations when he encountered the Director again sitting in right where she said she would be.
"Director, how fares Project: D0gbone?" Torelli asked.
May smiled and got up from the loveseat, and Torelli followed her out of the door, entering the pure white halls where the scientists, they were deeper into the underground facility.
"A year and two months ago, the last of the testing for the standard models had been hammered out, and we begun production in earnest. Two months ago the first of them have been completed, we have thirty D0gbone Mechanical Armor Suits that are combat ready, at the end of April fifteen more will be completed, by the time September rolls around the first platoon of D0gbone soldiers will be ready to deploy!"
Torelli pursed his lips at this information as they passed a pair of windows, the one to the left was that same chamber he passed on his way tot he bathrooms, the one to his left was the exotic material's manufacturing part of the facility, where a good dozen of the creatures in the pale gray test tubes were strapped into a collection of gigantic chairs.
"Even May is too soon," Torelli replied.
And nowhere in the future will ever be late enough for these abominations to be sent out, Lotr said to himself.
"At what rate can you hasten production of suits?" Torelli asked.
"We've already begun. By the end of next year, the rate of suit production will have doubled, and it will double again by the end of the next millennium, and at that point so would the fabrication of exotic materials! Are you expecting the Animorphs to attack this base?"
"They could literally attack anytime, from anywhere," Torelli clarified, his tone dead certain. "And considering that this facility is where one of the only assets we have strong enough to reliably counter them are produced, if they ever find out about this place, then we'd in trouble. The suits may be combat ready, but how many of the operators are experienced using them?"
May smiled.
"D0gbones have an innate aversion to being occupied by human pilots, only a few operators have become proficient enough in using them to be viable on the field. Rest assured, SC, those individuals ar-"
A loud beeping noise emanated throughout the halls, Torelli looked up in dismay as the alarm light flashed red.
"Oh no."
"Intruder alert!" The pre-recorded female voice, that of Director May herself curtly declared.
If Warlike got himself caught.
"An unapproved extraterrestrial lifeform has been detected in the Green Security Zone!"
Lotr internally breathed a sigh of relief, but grew more frustrated at the same time. The defense systems integrated into the hallways they were walking on were now online...ready to destroy all unapproved alien presences.
((Warlike, what are you trying to do?!))
((Lotr, I've taken over the security,)) Warlike reported. ((No casaulties on either side. I've commandeered the head guard there, I can control the doors, and the hijack the defenses for the entire place up to the walls for a good few seconds, just get as many of them out this nest as you can before I seal ourselves in.))
"They've come for our assets!" Torelli declared, turning to the Director, his features given even more urgency by the flashing red light of the alarm. "Put the entire facility on high alert, and send the half of the D0gbone Infantry here to counter the threat. Where are the eggs? Take me there."
((Warlike, if you have access to the cameras, take over the defenses when the fifteen mechs make it to a biofilter,)) Lotr said.
((Understood.))
"-and then down that flight of stairs. Right this way!" The Director began running off in a specific direction, armed guards and scientists were running everywhere, prepared to withstand an attack. Not knowing that she was leading one of her greatest enemies to her most coveted possessions. They took a left, a right, they passed another chamber, a room the size of a football field, only this one was entirely filled up by a colossal machine enhanced with alien technologies. A thorium reactor, one that was running at all times, generating a constant stream of energy that was capable of fueling the entire energy needs of New York State for ten years, yet all of its power was reserved solely for the processes that went underway every minute in the heart of the D0gbone Factory. The duo passed two rows of doors, the labels to which confirmed that these were exactly the ones Lotr was on the lookout for:
D0gbone 1st Stage Metamorphosis
He could see them, the text on the letters, there were a total of four, six, eight, no, ten whole whopping chambers where the abominable suits were created. Just as they rounded another turn right and walked down the stairwell, it happened, The turrets clinging to the walls and cielings went limp, the blinking lights on the walls turned dark, and all of a sudden screams and gunfire rang out from the nearby halls. Torelli stopped a good second before The Director did, allowing her to walk a few steps ahead.
May put a finger to he rearpiece, "What's going on?"
Her demands would not be answered, for ETCS' defenses had been turned on themselves, and the people in charge of the comms had perished instantly.
Lotr, disguised as Torelli, knew what had happened, Warlike had de-activated the defenses in order to spare him...right before turning them to betrayal.
((Half of the D0gbones in this pit are gone,)) Warlike reported. ((You better get to the eggs quick, I'm on my way to the holding chambers!))
"AAAAIH!" The Director screamed as she was stabbed in the heart by a pale orange sword.
Lotr scowled and held his arm out straight, his fingers formed a long and angular blade that resembled a wing in shape, the rest of his hand splayed out to form a sort of crossguard. He bent his arm and just as quickly as he rammed the blade in between her ribs, Lotr yanked his sword out with all his might and kicked May down the stairs, the tumble down the steps broke her face before flipping on her back at the next stairwell.
Enjoy the fruits of betrayal, Lotr reflected as he stepped over The Director's prone form and continued walking down the stairwell, wordlessly twitching in pain as his sword's venom coursed through her veins.
"H...elp...M...e..." The words left May's bloodied lips as a whisper, Lotr, disguised as Torelli, didn't react to her suffering, he swung his sword-hand to the side as he moved past, flicking all of the blood off onto the sea foam green wall before returning his hand to normal. The pattern of Lotr's pale orange-ish blade turned into a tattoo on his fingers before disappearing from The Director's sight for the final time.
Lotr made sure to hurry to his destination, and once he reached the bottom of the stairs he broke into a sprint, his legs moving as fast as humanly possible. At the end of the hallway he was running down towards was another hall that he was about to intersect, a wider and far darker floor meant to transport the things he was here for.
Warlike hurried, prompting the body of the security chief he so subtly hitched a ride in to hurry to his destination. It was always so absurd how despite not even directly controlling them, humans never even realized that the thoughts suggesting their bodies to move weren't their own. Warlike flew down his own set of stairs and found himself in the same exact hallway that Lotr was approaching, but only a few steps past that last flight of stairs, they caught on.
"All ETCS Forces in the Black Security Zone," a voice blared over the speakers, the comms experts had finally been replaced. "An Animorph assault has been launched inside the base! Security Chief Roland Gains is compromised! All armed personell, search and destroy!"
Unfortunately, a decent group of armed guards were sprinting right next to Warlike's marionette security chief, they skid to a stop and readied their weapons. They alerted the rest of the facility to his location on their comms right as the last of the alarm was raised.
Warlike ejected his weapons from the palms of his hand.
"Open fire! Time to earn your pay!" The leader of the squad that Warlike rushed ordered, raising his own rifle.
"Eah HA HA HA HA HA!" Warlike laughed with a voice not his own as he leapt to the side with inhuman strength, grabbing his Digger Rod and shiv in twin vice grips. The body-snatcher leveled his rod business end toward the humans and activated it. The swirling metal drones blasted out, whistling and shrieking as the tentacles they used to dig spun through the air.
Immediately four ETCS personell in the back were eviscerated by the drones, some of the guards in the middle were distracted, but a couple opened fire. Warlike charged through the hail of bullets, the lead slugs perforating his torso. He body checked one guard, knocking him to the ground and thrusting at the man to his left with his knife, he shrieked and fell to the ground, clutching his chest as purple crystal burst out of them. The digger drones jumped up at the remaining members of the squad as Warlike whacked them in the head with his staff and it was all over.
CLANK-SHZEEEew! CLANK-SHZEEEew! CLANK-SHZEEEew!
Warlike heard the sound in the distance and smiled, he turned to his right, almost behind, and saw two D0gbone Infantry jump into view from the other hallway, skidding to a stop on the grey industrial floor, the large mechanical arms extended and narrowed into long cannons.
"Surrender, Animorph!" One of the tall imposing mech-men demanded in a cold voice enhanced by a soulless loudspeaker isntalled into his helmet. The mechanical eyes placed all over the body of the suit glared at Warlike with a hostile energy that made him want to squirm. "And your death will be made as swift and painless as possible."
"Oh," Warlike smiled widely in an effort to hide his dismay at the firepower he knows his opponent's weaponry possesses. He lowered his Digger Rod, allowing the drones to return to his staff, Warlike promptly absorbed the weapon back into his arm and hid his shiv behind his thick fingers, raising his arms.
"Am I supposed to do that?" Warlike wryly questioned.
"Men!" Torelli's voiced called out from the hall where the D0gbones emerged, Warlike grimaced in disgust. "There's another Animorph, approaching from the stairs! They're attacking The Director!"
"On my way," the D0gbone closest to the other hallway replied, breaking into a run back the way he came. Leaving only one to point his heavy weapons at Warlike and power them on.
A short humming noise emanated from the D0gbone mech for an instant before Warlike leapt away to the side into the neighboring hall, leaving the giant ball of alien energy to brutalize the remains of his latest victims. Warlike regarded the charred leftovers of the defeated guards with eyes wide open at the sight of the bodies forms being turned to glass after the ball of energy passed. He felt the energy of that thing scorch his commandeered arm, making him hiss.
Lotr was right, these things are dangerous. I'm going to have to get crafty!
Warlike looked behind himself and found a door, the sign on it reading D0gbone 1st Stage Metamorphosis, Loading Entrance.
Right there where I want it, but I am cornered with...
CLANK-SHZEEEew. CLANK-SHZEEEew.
"Don't bother trying to run, freak!" The D0gbone's voice echoed through the halls as he very audibly walked over to where Warlike had fled. Warlike snapped his head back. "You're just prolonging the inevitable!"
Warlike heard the steps, the soldier was going slow, his predator's mind realized that he was attempting to intimidate him into making a mistake, which meant he had some time even if that time was only half a minute. Warlike shot out his arm and got his Digger Rod back out, he thrust it into the ground and the drones dug into the floor right where his foot was standing very loudly, he allowed all of them to burrow into the floor, carefully directing them all to avoid his foot, except for one he directed to cling to crawl up his pant leg, before he used his morphing power to have the baseball sized drone vanish within his body.
"Now is there really a point in continuing to fight?" Warlike proposed. "Why not accept a surrender?"
"I do. So surrender and die! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" The D0gbone said this promise in a tone of stone cold certainty and followed it with cruel barking laughter, the flashing red lights and blaring of the alarm added to the feel. "That aside, I have X-ray vision, so I can see what you're planning. Don't bother hiding it!"
"Isn't it obvious?" Warlike pointed out, backing away fromt the ruined piles of glass, the shadow of the gigantic mech suit rising. "You have me on the ropes, who knows how many priceless, unique Pemalite relics are on my possession, beyond the ones that high command knows? Torelli and the Director wouldn't be happy if you destroyed them, would they?"
The D0gbone Mech stopped, the human encased inside was considering his words!
"So it would be more in your interest to take me prisoner," Warlike continued, a smile forming in his mind, even if the words that left his mouth wanted to make him throw up. "Even after surrendering what I have, I'm experienced at operating said relics, and can teach you to do the same just as proficiently."
Warlike was lowering the butt of his Digger Rod to the ruined floor all the while.
"Alright, before I accept this offer, unload all of your weapons from your body and throw them over to the other hall where I can see them," The D0gbone commanded.
Warike did as instructed, he threw his shiv over to the bodies, he stretched out his arm and began to slowly absorb his Digger rod back into his body.
"Hey! I said to purge your weapons!"
"Those drones I released can only be controlled when the Digger Rod is touching my skin," Warlike explained, slightly frantic at the accusation. "Those things I put in the wall are inert, now! That's all I have!"
"Then put your hands in the air, and come over here where I can see you, slowly. And don't you dare even think of going for that knife!"
Warlike's hands were raised to the sky, he even made them tremble for good measure as he slowly walked over to the hallway where he so narrowly avoided death. What was taking Lotr so long! These mechs were truly problematic.
In time, the assaulter of the base appeared from out of the wall and stopped...he didn't hear the human power up his weapons, good. Warlike continued his slow march, the D0gbone was there just fifteen feet away.
"Keep at it, slow and steady," The Human reassured, the featureless thick face transmitting all the expression he needed.
Just a few short steps later, Warlike was within arm distance of the D0gbone, and from there he got his first look at it. The outer coating was made of what looked like geometrically shaped metallic bricks, visible past these thick aberrantly shaped armor plates was a metallic-crystal looking mesh that appeared to move organically, the joints however were what looked the most like organic lifeforms. One of the mech's massive long guns pointed at Warlike morphed back intoa hand, the long barrel splitting apart and shortening, the pieces breaking apart into a multitude of tiny portions and each one flipping backwards like the individual boxes of a rubix cube but moving independent of eachother. The individual pieces softened and shrunk as they changed, and they kept morphing until they turned into a human hand, disturbingly close in appearance to the real thing, it was made of metal, yet the tiny flaws, wrinkles, the places where the bones were visible under the skin, even fingernails were on-point, it looked exactly like a human appendage except for the fact that it was made of a metal that caused it to appear discolored, and it looked like it was less solid than a human hand at the same time.
Warlike grimaced at the appearance of the D0gbone mech, all of a sudden the robot arm shot forward and put his palm to Warlike's chest, before it could react Warlike felt a force ram straight into his chest, he staggered back, dazed, and fell down on his stolen body's rear end.
CLANK-SHZEEEew. CLANK-SHZEEEew.
The mech walked over and loomed tall over the shapeshifter, he kept looking at his suit for details...
"If you are being honest about surrendering, then if you want to live, tell me how many Animorphs are attacking the facility."
Warlike knew that he didn't have any leverage, he needs to find the enemy suit's weakness!
"T-two, just two," Warlike responded honestly, stunned. His eyes still scanning the mech warrior's armor.
"How did you infiltrate the base?" The D0gbone asked.
((Warlike, what's your status, over?)) Lotr asked, concerned. ((I took out that D0gbone and got all of the eggs in that chamber he was protecting.))
((I'm still dealing with that other one, go get the other objective.))
((Do you require assistance?)) Lotr asked.
((I'd appreciate it, but get the goods,)) Warlike insisted. ((I have the situation handled, you're running out of time!))
"I...I hitched a ride on ETCS entering this place," Warlike answered honestly, he didn't know if these abominations came with lie detectors, but it was safer to assume they did. He needs to buy time, he still hasn't found it!
"How did you bypass our scanners, then?" The soldier asked, aiming his massive weapon at Warlike's head.
"I tricked the scanners..." Warlike drawled. Where was it?
"How did you trick the scanners?"
"My DNA has been altered...into a form that your scanners wouldn't know to look for..." Wait, there! Right in the belly, there's a thin line in between the black plate, that must be where the suit split apart to let the human get in!
"Then demorph!" The D0gbone demanded, metallic face thursting down violently. "Demorph so that we can ensure this doesn't happen again!"
"Oh, I can," Warlike said, realizing that he wouldn't dare fire his weapon and vaporize him, not if he doesn't actually know how many relics he actually has. "But don't you want to know who my partner is, first?"
"WHO?!" The D0gbone demanded, Warlike smiled.
"Torelli," Warlike whispered.
The metallic headand upper body of the D0gbone mech shot up in surprise, a gasp of surprise emanated from inside the suit, and the soldier inside cursed.
He reached down with his arm and grabbed Warlike's midsection right below the bottom of his ribcage and deployed a clamp on his body.
"Aaaaah!" Warlike cried as the D0gbone's clamp snapped onto him, an electrical current was sent out into his midsection and he was immobilized.
CLANK-SHZEEEew! CLANK-SHZEEEew!
The D0gbone turned around and reported to the comms.
Well, that did the trick, Warlike thought as he began the process of ejecting from the security chief's now paralyzed body.
"Specialist Allan to Control, Supreme Commander Torelli has been compromised. He's the 2nd Animorph, the first one has been captured and restrained, there are only two attackers-"
Thankfully The D0gbone wasn't able to hear the sound of the security chief's clothes ripping, and even more thankfully Warlike was able to separate himself from the human body in only a few seconds. He squirmed out from under the security chief's heavily tazed form, covered in that slick foul smelling gel, the fact that he was clad in almost nothing made slipping away easier. Warlike sprung up and got onto all fours, he wiped his hands on the part of the security chief's pants that wasn't soiled with slime, got on all fours, and began a dead sprint across the hall.
Accelerating far faster than any human could, Warlike's quadrupedal stride catapulted him to the D0gbone mech, who was already over by the hallway that Lotr vanished into with Allan's partner. Warlike's thick stony fingers slamming into the ground carried him so fast that the human didn't have time to react, he turned and brought his arm mounted gun to bear!
Warlike jumped up in the air and pounced on the mech with a roar!
"HURGHAAAAAAUUH!" Warlike cried as he slammed right on the D0gbone's face.
He lifted his clawed foot to gain traction on his enemy and climbed over his head, the vice like hand grabbed at Warlike, managing to catch the edge of his foot, but the gel made sure that he slipped from the soldier's grasp.
"Get off of me, animal!" Allan's amplified voice spat!
Warlike sent a command to the digger drone in his leg, it emerged just as he grabbed onto the D0gbone's shoulders, his feet hanging below the waist. Allan's mechanical upper body began spinning in an effort to throw his enemy off, the drone had latched on and was already crawling to the D0gbone's weak spot. As the spinning accelerated Warlike continued to hang on, he didn't need to wait for long in order for the drone to begin its attack.
A grinding sound jarring to everyone's ears could be heard, prompting Allan to stop spinning.
"Huh? No! No no NO!" He cried in horror, grabbing at the drone with his mech's hand, but it was too late. There was nothing Allan could do to stop the machine from drilling into the chink in his armor to get to the juicy human inside. Warlike let go of the mech's shoulders, slightly dazed but coherent.
"AAAAAAH!" The human soldier cried in pain as the D0gbone stopped moving.
Warlike shot his hand out and purged his Digger Rod from his arm, with which he took control of the drone, directing its movements and recalling the other Diggers he left behind back to him.
"Oh no! Aaah!" Allan's cries then devolved into a string of curses and indecipherable babbling as the Digger started moving up.
In a short time the human's cries stopped, and Warlike stood up. He must work quickly, now!
CLANK-SHZEEEew!
The mech turned around to face Warlike, he flinched reflexively and sent another command to the Digger, and smiled as the mech's outer shell began to split apart, opening like a metallic/crystal oyster. A seam formed in the metal and ivory outer plating of the torso carapace, the seam turned into a ridge, and continued to deepen until the line ran down to the crystaline layer of the suit next. The crystal layer began in turn splitting apart along that divide, the divide further deepened until the D0gbone's torso pried open, revealing a bloodied human being in a specially made black and brown skintight interface suit, his limbs wrapped up in all manner of cords and cables.
He was unconscious, but still breathing, exactly as planned, the red trench the Digger carved on its way to implant itself into the D0gbone's control node at the very top of the suit was also convenient. But now more than ever, Warlike needed to work quickly!
He extended his Digger rod and recalled the drones back to it, disconnecting from the mech-suit, once all of the little machines were back inside the staff, Warlike put it back inside his arm and leaned forward at the unconscious human bleeding to death. The animalistic creature kept leaning forward until he was touching his face against the humans.
But he still kept leaning forward.
This was enough to ause the human to wake up and begin screaming for a second time, his cries were lost as Warlike's flesh merged with his own, not just his face, his body made contact with the human's where the digger gored the truly unfortunate soldier and began pushing into him. Warlike's head and upper torso disappeared into the parts where the human's suit was ripped open by the Digger, followed by the rest of his body, and when the feet finally disappeared with a sickening slurp Specialist Allan's body had fully recovered. Warlike's human eyes snapped open and took in his surroundings for the second time that day, he smirked as he reconnected with the D0gbone Mech.
What in Crayak's undercarriage hairs? Warlike noticed with great shock, his smile disappearing. This thing actually has a brain of its own!
It was resistant to his command, he could sense within it a desire for independence, this faint desire was unexpected, but fine. Warlike however, was far more disturbed by the D0gbone's overpowering desire to obey...
((Lotr,)) Warlike said as he ordered the D0gbone's torso closed again, sealing him inside, the human he took over was unconscious again. He moved down the hallway, surprisingly fast, X-ray vision, thermal, DNA signiture detection, he could see it all as he made his way back to that door he saw, D0gbone 1st Stage Metamorphosis, Loading Entrance. ((I overcame the D0gbone, what's your progress on the objective?))
((I got three of them, but they got smart to me, I lost them but the jig is up. We need to rendezvous and get out of here, they're closing in!))
((Come to me, I'm at the same spot,)) Warlike said as he converted the gun that was his right arm to a far more familiar design, the metal remolded itself to Warlike's demand: a torthon rake. ((I'm going to break through a door and take one.))
((Warlike, they're too heavily guarded!)) Lotr exclaimed. ((The defense turrets will shred you to bits! What did I sa-))
((Yes, yes I did know what you say,)) Warlike pointed out, his tone light. ((And as of now, you no longer have any right to complain about me being unarmored!))
Lotr was speechless as Warlike made his way to the door, the door's security gave way to the human's bio-signiture, causing the locks to disable. Warlike pushed the heavy industrial door open and entered the room with ease.
((You. Didn't...)) Lotr said in disbelief.
The room was a surprisingly tall one, most of it was taken up by a massive machine that was the size of a large barn, its working were intricate and complex, and it rested on a squant cylindrical structure, above the machine however was an observation deck. Surrounding the room were multitudes of turrets, one of the people in that control room pointed to Warlike as he entered. Warlike raised the D0gbone's massive cannon at the observation deck, the scientists inside only had a few seconds to realize what was going to happen before Warlike opened fire.
((Because I did!)) Warlike triumphantly confirmed to Lotr as he unleashed death on the humans he hyperfocused on.
Twutwutwutwutwutwutwutwutwu!
"HAA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Warlike cackled as the observation deck was turned into a multitude of explosions. Glass, metal, fire, and charred flesh flew out of the destroyed observation deck down into the rest of the room.
ETCS defenses in the room took very quick notice of the betrayal, the automated guns took aim at Warlike. He levelled his torthon rake at the guns on the walls, the targetting systems made it so that Warlike didn't need to aim manually this time. The bolts of energy all flew out into the weapons hanging onto the wall, each destroyed in only a few shots, the turret's weapons were devastating, but the armor that Warlike had commandeered was so far beyond the lasers that they could only put superficial marks on the armor plating. Warlike spun around and began moving, taking aim at the rest of the turrets, making sure to eliminate the remaining guns.
Company had arrived after the automated guns went extinct however, sprinting out of the control room, two D0gbones ran out of the annihilated control room, jumping in the air and both of them landing on either side of the squat, massive cylindrical structure that stood between them and their target with a thunderous impact noise, leaving impact craters on the floor.
"Allan? Where's the enemy?" The D0gbone to the right of the cylindrical container underneath the machine asked.
A torthon rake was raised at the enemy mech.
Twutwutwutwutwutwutwutwutwu!
Another human soldier cried out as the alien energy penetrated him, causing him to collapse to the ground as smoking wreckage. The remaining D0gbone jumped into action, it shout out a purple lazer that hit Warlike's mech suit in its leg, slicing it in half at the thigh. Warlike grimaced at the pain signals his suit sent to him, he'd recognize that purple energy anywhere; Caster Beam. As he collapsed to the ground, he caught himself with his free hand, aimed his torthon rake and opened fire.
Twutwutwutwutwutwu!
The alien energy perforated the D0gbone's armed mounted weapon before he could fire again, the Caster Beam was disabled, but out of the other arm a rocket flew. Warlike reactivated his forcefield barely in time to tank the explosive, his shield was heavily damaged.
"That perfidy you pulled won't work this time, monster," The D0gbone spat as he reloaded his rocket. The giant Caster Beam that Warlike damaged had partially turned into a metallic fluid, reshaping, repairing the damage. "You should've stayed in your grave."
Grimacing from behind his mask, Warlike realized that his host was beginning to wake up.
((Lotr,)) Warlike reported. ((I'm engaged with another D0gbone, I don't know how much longer I can keep fighting, get here quick!))
Coincidentally the D0gbone that Warlike was facing lurched forward, crying in pain. Warlike aimed Allan's arm at his opponent, but found the body beginning to resist his commands to kill his comrades.
What is this?
The arm that its reforming Caster Beam was mounted on suddenly fell off in a flash of orange before he could recover, the mech spun around to put his attacker down, swinging his remaining arm, Lotr jumped up and kicked from his enemy's arm, both of his hands were orange swords, making him resemble a strange angel as he leapt far above the mech.
Warlike finally convinced Allan's fingers to pull the trigger.
Twutwutwutwutwutwutwutwutwu!
The D0gbone tanked a brutal assault on its back, attepting to turn around and fire his rocket launcher before inevitably succumbing to the persecution and falling to the ground in smoke and fire. Warlike felt a jump from his suit, he looked down to see that a cable had extended from his stump of a leg and reconnected with his severed mechanical foot, he stood back up, however the reattached limb had lost most of its dexterity. Its underlying connective filaments were damaged.
((Alright, this is the last one before we get out of here,)) Lotr exclaimed, walking toward the squat cylinder below the colossal machine. Warlike noticed three backpacks hanging from his shoulders easily enough. The machine very audibly charged with energy before a bunch of lights flashed on and it began emitting this loud buzzing sound as it did its work.
Lotr sprinted up with his wing swords and started cutting, Warlike meanwhile turned his torthon rake into a gigantic blade, he thrusted and started carving open a hole with Lotr. Allan's resistance had intensified and his arm twitched the whole way through. Shortly afterward Warlike turned his giant blade into an arm and pulled enough of the giant piece of cylinder out to make an entrance. The two walked over and Warlike for the first time could see the contents.
At the base of the column was something unmistakable, a D0gbone suit, not as big as the completed one Warlike had commandeered, the upper torso and head were missing as well. But even more unmistakable was the robot that was strapped to the pillar above the suit, although at this point it was fused with as well, what looked like metal and crystal leaked off of the robot's body and ran down the column and into the mech, the robot's metal turning into the crystal mesh, outer plating, and inner fuselage that the D0gbone was comprised of.
Warlike's eyes were wide as Moons underneath his stolen mech-suit's face as Lotr continued to the pillar without missing a beat. He jumped up onto the incomplete mech and began cutting the gray and ivory robot free, being careful to avoid cutting the sack that contained what was left of the android's digested body, but Warlike knew that canid-like head anywhere...
"The Chee," Warlike whispered in Allan's voice, trembling partly from the human soldier' staunch struggle for autonomy, and his own emotion, shock turning into horrified understanding, and then outrage. "ETCS create D0gbone armor by cannibalizing The Chee!"
Lotr simply reverted his swords back into his hands, his true chocolate colroed hands, which he put forward in an attempt to pry the Chee free from the pillar.
"Warlike, help me," Lotr said, clearly straining. Warlike moved forward and placed his giant mechanical hands forward and started squeezing the pillar, causing the sides of it to cave in before the Chee was snapped free from the Pillar, lotr held the Chee by the head, the rest of its body was the pinkish apricot gutsack dangling down.
((Do you still have that Diggy implanted into the security room's computer?))
((Yes.))
((Then set it to deactivate the security system one last time and get ready on my signal,)) Lotr pulled out a fourth backpack and placed the thoroughly digested Chee inside, zipping it up carefully as his skin started becoming luminous. ((Have it self-destruct immediately after its job is done.))
Warlike began making the preparations, but the signals just wouldn't come.
Get. Out. Of. My. Body! Allan shouted defiantly.
((That's going to have to wait,)) Warlike said, beginning to open his suit's carapace back up and leaning down until the hole to enter and exit the suit was facing the floor.
"What are you doing?" Lotr asked.
Allan's body began moving forward, lowering ever so slightly until the cables wrapped around his limbs began to uncurl themselves then refasten behind Allan's body. In just a few seconds the ETCS soldier landed face down on the hard metallic floor of the D0gbone creation chamber, he propped his arms against the floor as Warlike, his naked body slimed in a fresh coating of foal transparent gel began closing the suit. Allan pushed off from the ground, turning to face Warlike dead in the face as the suit, brown eyes met glowing orange in a stare of mutal hatred.
"So..." Allan said before coughing a few times, all of the skin on his body now bearing no sign of getting gutted by a Digger Drone. "That's what an Animorph looks like."
Animorph? I pass for an Animorph to these people, now? Warlike considered.
More ETCS reinforcements entered the room was Warlike's suit closed, once fully inserted he reached down and held the elite soldier by his neck, keeping him on the ground. He looked to his right and saw Lotr glowing, his body was changing, metal plates were growing from his skin, his legs were in awakward shape and his face was stretching in ways that shouldn't be possible, all in a few seconds, all the while he continued glowing orange as lights began popping up on his body like freckles. Warlike looked to the right and saw a plethora of guards, including six D0gbones, all aiming their weapons at him. Warlike twisted his arm, snapping Allan's neck before standing up and facing his enemies.
((Warlike,)) Lotr said as the glowing orange light began to consume the both of them. ((Shut the defenses down, now!))
An alien spaceship exploded from the ground, shooting from the inside of the forbidden hexagon of the D0gbone factory, the small alien jet sonic boomed before it even rose above the top of the facility, immediately turning westward toward the setting sun afterward. It zoomed across the wasteland, reaching the outer wall that the occupants had bypassed only seconds ago, once the alien craft was over the ruined town, explosions from the AA cannons began hounding Lotr. He dipped, rose, and twirled, making all sorts of aerial maneuvres as he raced over the hill that he drove down in that disguised jeep. In only a few seconds Lotr had carried everyone outside the range of ETCS' AA fire.
((Mission: Resounding success!)) Lotr declared as he turned invisible before turning northward.
The aftermath was quiet time, both were speechless, and very busy preparing their hideout to accomodate the rescued Chee. The cave's walls were made of stone and dirt, various examples of alien technology were strewn around, a screen for monitering the entrance, some weapon's the power cartidges of which had been rigged to provide light hung from wires dangling from the cieling as lanterns. And in a specific corner surrounding by boxes the D0gbone Mech that Warlike took was well hidden, the Chee had been laid down on makeshift beds made from pillowcases filled with plant matter.
"Careful," the female limbless one that was among the first Lotr rescued admonished Warlike as he placed the digested Chee's gutsack in a cardboard box Lotr had found. "Don't squeeze him or he'll pop!"
Warlike removed his thick hands from the unfortuante Chee's innards. He wanted to puke at the sight, instead he turned to the Chee that just spoke to him.
"Can this one can be saved?"
"Yes," The limbless Chee replied. "As long as his Core Seed remains untouched."
"What's your name, if you have one?" Warlike asked in an even voice.
"I am called Lonos," she replied, beyond the amputation of her limbs her outer shell was beyond beaten up. "I cannot thank you enough for rescuing us, we shall be eternally in your debt."
Warlike froze, and a scowl came over him.
"You owe me nothing," he said simply as he sat down in the cave, he looked over to where Lotr was, organizing the Chee eggs he rescued, placing them so gently inside boxes made from pallets. He rose as he applied the last of the top layer, wiping the sweat off of his brow after gently resting the last pallet on top of them.
"That's the last of them," he stated before turning to Warlike and tilting his head suddenly, Warlike followed.
"We will return" Lotr reassured the Chee as they went to a different chamber out of earshot.
"I knew ETCS was corrupt," Warlike said. "But...this?"
"You have barely scratched the precipice," Lotr explained, a dark expression on his dark face as he moved his black curly bangs out of his face. "Nothing should be put past their high command."
Warlike scoffed at himself for not realizing that, "Of course."
"Why did you eject that soldier?" Lotr asked. "He was a perfectly willing prisoner."
"Possession is easy, keeping control of the body is a far harder matter," Warlike explained. "I ambush my hosts or catch them when asleep when possible. But taking control of a person who's actively looking at me, or knows I'm there? They'll realize quickly that their body's actions aren't their own, and resist."
"Now, what did you mean by it not mattering that we kill ETCS' leadership?" Warlike asked befor elotr could respond.
"What it says on the tin," Lotr said, leaning against a stone pillar. "It also applies to any of them, wiping them out is a lot harder than one might think; We could slaughter them by the tens of thousands for decades straight non-stop and still not make a dent in their numbers."
"How can they replenish their numbers that quickly?" Warlike questioned, intimidated at the prospect of an enemy that would never die.
"It's not a matter of repleneshing their numbers, but so much a matter of getting them back," Lotr clarified, turning to Warlike, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The organization has something in their possession, a machine, one that allows them to store and then transfer consciousness and memories into inert bodies to revive the dead. All of those men and women we killed back there? In time they're going to be coming back. Even Torelli himself has been assassinated a few times."
Warlike's eyes widened as he realized the implication.
"The Director, the scientists and engineers, those D0gbone soldiers we killed, it was all for...nothing? The only damage we did was wreck their base, defeat three suits, and stole a fourth?"
"That wasn't all of the damage we did," Lotr explained. "We slowed their production of those things down significantly."
"But everyone would come back..."
"Not everyone," Lotr said. "Not if we act soon enough, that's why we rescued these Chee. Once we nurse them back to health, we'll strike against the source of ETCS' immortality itself. The Light Machine!"
And that's that, first chapter of the year! So, for a brief answer, yes, Lotr is black, it's not a part of his character, but I always intended for him to be black, and didn't point that out earlier because I'm revealing Lotr and Warlike's appearances gradually. But anyway, hope you had a Merry Christmas and a happy new year! Or whatever you guys celebrate.