The rest of my trip back home happened in silence - I was too embarrassed to speak, and I think Melissa was too. Besides, I was too busy processing what my ROB had shown me to be bothered with conversation. On the one hand, the vision had made me somewhat angrier at my ROB - how could she take me from everything I had known and loved, especially since she had dealt with the exact same thing?! - but at the same time, I felt somewhat more comfortable around her, for roughly the same reasons that I had gotten angrier at her. Additionally, what had seen helped me understand something about Melissa, namely, why she had been so affected by that transport full of innocents being blown up so many months ago. Surely a being of her age would be used to being faced with situations where they could not help others? Now, though, it all made sense - she had once been in one of those situations, except that she was the one who had been in danger. Every time she was faced with a situation like this, she couldn't help but feel that she was once again in that battle, facing a foe she could not defeat, against whom death was certain.
There was a chance that I was wrong about this, but it was small, and I paid no mind to it. Not when this explanation was the reasonable one.
Her remarks prior to my admittance of companionship toward her also explained why she wanted to travel with me in the first place - she was lonely, and just wanted to have someone to talk to. As for why she didn't talk at first...she couldn't find a good topic to start on?
Ugh, enough thinking there, just let the rest of the ride happen!
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When I finally returned home, I found Rory and the rest of my children passed out around a movie screen, and much to my surprise, they had huddled on top of one another, forming what I could only describe as a cuddle-pile.
To say it was adorable was an understatement. Even Melissa seemed to think so, given that all she did upon seeing the pile was smile and try to cover the kids with blankets without burying any of them.
Checking the rest of my tower's systems and camera networks revealed that all non-nocturnal staff and machinery had shut down, as was expected. I was getting ready to turn in for the night, but there was one last thing I wanted to do.
"You want to look at the vision the artifacts will provide for you, correct?"
Having a mind reading ROB was kinda annoying at times.
"Yes."
"Then I'll make my leave now - I assume that you will want to have some privacy to watch this, no?"
"Actually, could you stay? I want you to watch this with me."
"...What?"
"You've helped me a lot so far with these artifacts, I think you deserve to see what they have to show me. Plus you shared one of your secrets with me, I might as well share something with you."
"Good point. Well then, let's see it."
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It didn't take long to reach the artifact center - teleporter powers were awesome - and the assembly of the complete artifact from the three smaller ones obtained from the Gal Civ universe had just completed when I had arrived home. All that remained was to actually watch what it had to show me.
"I know you want to see this, but how are we supposed to both watch it? I mean, I know you modified your eye's and possess scanners in them at the nanoscale so that you can scan anything you look, but how am I supposed to see this? Through my powers? Or...oh"
Careful training with the Ethereals had taught me how to share mental input with others, both to and from the intended target. It took some time, and had initially given me a few nasty head aches, but it had worked - I had mastered the art of the mind merge, as Melissa had just found out.
"Yeah, that works. Now lets get to it!"
Smiling, I focused my eyes on the Artifact, began the scanning process, and merely sighed as the Darkness overcame me and my ROB.
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Surprisingly, this vision did not start out with anything, well, visual. Instead, it started with a voice.
You have seen who our foes are, what they are capable of. Yet you know nothing yet of where they come from. Witness this now, and prepare, for we know not how long until the storm approaches, and you confront them.
"What was that?" questioned Melissa.
"Guess its just some advice as what we are about to see."
The minute I said that, things finally cleared up, and I got the chance to see.
At first, all was calm. Then something huge promptly went flying through me and Melissa. We both reacted in surprise for a moment before remembering that we were not really here, just observing what I was assumed was a memory.
Turning our attention back toward the flying object, I watched several of the small, organic entities that the artifacts warned me of began to attack the object that had been sent flying, which soon righted itself, revealing that it... was the Mobile Armor Hashmal?!
...Yep, it was. Also, the organic beings were wrecking the Hashmal and its plumas like they were nothing - wait, something just killed them all and saved the Mobile Armor. Must be another Mobile Armor - isthatGundamBARBATOS?! AND IT'S HELPING HASMAL BACK UP?!
...Yes, it was. The Mobile Amor and Post Disaster era Gundam stared at each other for one moment, before charging off into the distance. The memory followed them, leading to a...very interesting sight.
Before us was a battle, on one side was the organic things the artifacts had warned me of, on the other, well, it looked like the results of some epic crossover story: Forerunner War Sphinx were killing off the largest of the beasts, while back up by an army of what appeared to be...I think those were Vaulters? Backing of the War Sphinx were Warlord Titans, though surprisingly, I could also make out the form of the Attack and Colossus Titans assisted the mechanical giants. Red, Bronze, Blue, Green, and Black dragons flew across the battlefield, slaying as many of the creatures as they could find. All these beings and more did battle with the organic beings, and so far, this mighty army was winning.
In fact, they managed to reduce the army of monsters to a few stragglers, largest of which was a giant, slimy looking...beast...
I exchanged a glance with Melissa, whose eyes' had widened at the sight. IT took only a few expressions for us to hold our unspoken conversation: once the vision was over, I would ask her about the monster, but not now.
Said monster had just been knocked over by a Warlord Titan, supported by several battlemechs. Desperately, it tried to crawl away, only to be pinned by the titan, which readied to stomp on it. Suddenly, a barrage of ordinance slammed into the machine, toppling it. Turing my attention towards the source of the counter attack, I saw a line of tanks advancing -wereTHOSEANTS?!
...Yep, those were indeed Planetary Annihilation Ants. And they were not along: accompanying them were Doxes, Grenadiers, Bumblebees, Hummingbirds, Wyrms, Stitches, quite literally every Planetary Annihilation unit that I had seen that fought in Atmosphere and wasn't restricted to the ocean. As soon as he arrived, they began attacking the army of universes, as I had decided to call it, allowing the organic monstrosities to rally and turn the tide of the fight. Soon, the positions from early had bene reversed, with the Organic Entities, now backed up by the Progenitor machines, being the ones winning. This time, though, there was no back-up to turn the day - the Army of Universes merely created several portal and bugged out before they could be wiped out.
Only now did the vision fade once more to black, with the voice from earlier finally making a return.
Our enemies, your power - different tools, same masters. Two different garments carved from the same cloth. Be ready, for they will know how you fight.
Only then did the vision end.
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Once I awakened, I turned toward Melissa, who immediately began to speak.
"I don't have any idea why that thing looks so much like my slime demon?"
"...I believe you."
"Really?"
"I've learned the ability to pick up on the emotions of others while training my psychic powers, as well as tell whether they are lying. You are telling me what you believe to be the truth."
"Glad I don't have to convince you."
"You're not off the hook yet."
"Well, what else do you want to ask me?"
"Why was there a progenitor power generator in your memory?"
"...It's a long story. Fact is, my people have been living in the shadow of the Progenitors all our existence - there tech is where we get most of ours. Some old stories my parents told me even say that we're their chosen successors, destined to wield their might as our own. Others said that they made us, maybe as tools to fight in their wars. That might actually explain why my creations look so much like the Progenitor ones. Watch this."
Before I could respond, Melissa pulled up her sleeve and pointed at her arm. A moment later, a disgusting looking cyst of sort started to grow their, much to my shock, before it promptly fell off from her skin and burst open, revealing a weird, insect-like creature. Even with all the disgusting things I had seen up until that point, I was still disgusted by what I saw.
"Is that how you made the slime demon?"
"Yep, though the cyst actually ate other stuff and got huge before it turned into that thing."
"I see...so your saying that maybe your kind are creations of the Progenitors, perhaps weapons that outlived their wielders and decided to find their own place in the world."
"Possibly. I'm just guessing. Maybe Celm knows more about it - he's a lot older than me. Of course, he might not be inclined to give those secrets away so easily. Though, what I said would explain why he's so fanatically devoted to trying to get you to get all of the remaining Progenitor tech - if he's still loyal to our creators, assuming that that is what the Progenitors are, he might not want their legacy tarnished."
"I see. Well, I don't have anything else to say, so if you want to leave, feel free. Not that I could keep you from leaving if I wanted to, though."
"I know. Well, goodbye."
One bright flash of light later, and she was gone.
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Melissa wasn't completely wrong with what she had told - most of what she had said was right, but how her kind were related to the progenitors was just a little off from the truth.
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AN: Read, Review, and DISCUSS! This is Flameal15k, signing off!