Ch. 1-2 Escape to Sherman
Earth: Sherman High Courtyard
Back on Earth, a new day has dawned on a two storied, brick building. Sherman High School. One of the county's best and well-funded educational institutes. Offering a variety of sports activities, such as football, swimming, track, and soccer, as well as academics, it was considered to be one of the town's top schools. Many different youths of various origins were congregating on the entrance to said building either on foot, by bus, or car, while some hung back to enjoy the company of their peers. Still several students that passed through the courtyard defiantly took notice of the odd pair of newcomers that were standing in the middle of the area. Especially, the brightly dressed blonde girl.
"Perhaps we should have picked something a little less conspicuous?" Octus suggested in his new form. His charge's attire seems to be attracting more attention than they originally intended.
"You're the one that said Earthling take a lot of pride in their appearance." Ilana reminded the robot as she moved to stand in front of him to show off her new look. She had taken the time to study the televised Earth stories for inspiration and believed she found a style that suited her perfectly. "This is very hot.
Upon learning of the amount of pride the Earthlings took in their appearance, Ilana choose a bright attire consisting of bright orange knee high boots, green striped thigh high socks, a dark pink and yellow dress that ended with a neon green skirt with a dark pink underskirt for modesty, and a dark violet choker. A light pink sweater with white pom-poms at the end of the sleeves and a medium blue tote bag completed the look.
"I believe the term is hip." The robot informed.
He too was in disguise, projecting the appearance of a fairly large Caucasian male. His human persona sported black framed, rectangular glasses, a well pressed, white, collared shirt with breast pockets, and long, plan brown pants and shoes. As visually opposite of the more colorfully dressed royal as one could get.
"Um, Octus?" The new form her protector has taken was certainly humanoid in appearance, but certain aspects of the robot's build still shown through to be recognizable, at least enough to her. Such as the rectangular shape of his body and his overall size.
"I have used my holo-matrix to project my human disguise, Newton." The rather tall 'boy' explained in an oddly nasally voice.
"Newton?" Ilana asked, somewhat confused over the strange name.
"He was one of this planet's finest minds." The robot explained simply.
"And… what's wrong with your voice?" She couldn't help but ask. It was almost as it this new form was muffling it to a point that came across as if he was speaking through his nose. If he actually had one that is.
"What's wrong with my voice?" The robot inquired curiously.
"Well, it's…" It was then that she caught herself and chose to leave it be. "Never mind." After all, who was she to judge one's preference? "Octus, sorry, Newton, you mentioned fashion is the key to defining the Earthling's social classes?"
"Precisely." Seeing that an example was needed, he drew her attention towards a semi-uniformed group of large males whom seemed to be engaging in a bit of rough housing. "Take that sect over there, they are known as the Sportos, Helmet-heads, or Jocks. It is slang derived from male apparatus support." He then pointed out a mixed group that were clustered together either reading, or testing some kind of toy automobile. "That is a member of the Nerd, Dork, or Geek sect. Ironically, they are the most intelligent, or the weakest physically." Soon enough, a trio of girls, also uniformed in dress, walked into their line of vision. "Ah, a school spirit leader, or Cheerleader. They seem to control the school social hierarchy. Be warn, they are the most dangerous people here." A fairly large group coming from the direction of where the busses dropped off students from farther away. "There are numerous other sects. Each can be divided into a variety of sub-classifications.
"Fascinating." It was oddly similar to how the distant rural tribes of Galaluna tended to identify each other. "We really should find a way to unite these people as one."
"That is highly improbable." Unlike the community driven society that their kingdom encourages and nurtures, the society in this region of the Earth tends to be driven by individual gain. It would be fairly difficult to change such a mindset. "I have taken the liberty of enrolling us in their computer systems." The disguised automaton stated as a bell rang from somewhere nearby. "You are under the name Ilana Lunis. We are categorized as cousins." He added as he began to make his way into the crowd.
That had her pausing. "What?"
"The second bell signifies the start of class." The retreating robot called back as he continued on his way. "Try not to be late."
Newton's Math Class
It didn't take long for Newton to find his first class. An Earth Mathamatics class. While the teacher introduce him to whom will be his peers for the year, the robot in disguise decided to gather information on his instructor. "Okay, Newton, you can take a seat at the back over there."
According to the local social media, this teacher had a reputation for writing complex equations on the chalkboard for the students to try and figure out. Perhaps now would be a good time to establish his chosen classification. "The answer to your equation is Y equals three minus X." The new student stated as he made his way towards a vacant chair at the far end of the class.
"What?" The teacher looked up at the board in absolute shock. "Impossible…" This was one of the world's famous unsolvable equations. The fact that the new kid figured it out at a glance earned him a whole mess of stares.
Ilana's Geography Class
Having picked up her official student planner, and studying the map of the school provided inside, Ilana was able to find her first class. A geography class that would no doubt teach exactly how big this region really is which ought to be very useful during their stay on this planet. When her teacher introduced her to her fellow students and asked if she liked to say a few things about herself, she eagerly accepted. It was the perfect opportunity to engage her new peers and share her world's most sacred credo.
"The heart, body, and mind join as one." The princess began before moving into a graceful, sweeping of a bow at the hips. "Salutations, friends. I am honored to be here in this fine institution, where I know our friendship will blossom, and the bonds of social segregation will give way to unite us as one."
The entire room was taken a gasped at the bizarre greeting. Nearly everyone there bore and expression of confusion, bafflement, amusement, and just flat out incredulous. Many had recognized the new girl from the courtyard from her outrageous outfit and had already to figured she was the out going type, but this? First the bright, eye catching kaleidoscope way she was dressed and now this hippie, flower-child talk? Whatever they had been expecting of the new girl, it certainly wasn't this.
Someone coughed just loud enough to be heard.
The lack of enthusiasm left Ilana confused, disappointed, and if not a little self-conscious. As the teacher awkwardly thanked her for such a positive introduction and instructed her to have a seat, she could see how poorly her message was received. She could hear muffled snickers and bemused stares as if she had done something very foolish as she took her seat. This was certainly not the reaction she had been hoping for.
Newton's Class
Meanwhile, Newton hadn't moved nor made a sound since he sat down and oddly enough it drew attention. The Earthlings just didn't know what to make of him at all. He's ramrod straight posture stood out among the students that either slouched or were leaning in their seats one way or another. His unblinking, seemingly hyper-focus stare was rather unnerving to many who sat up front. The fact that he managed to solve what was supposed to be an unsolvable problem at a glance made it clear that he was scary smart. Not just that, but he tended to answer every question prompted by the teacher if no one else raised their hand.
Two boys up front were whispering to each other about the latest addition to the class. "Dude, that new kid, such a doofus."
Unbeknownst to his classmates, Newton saw and heard everything. The robot in disguise narrowed his eyes in at lacking a definition for the word used to describe him. He had selected to emulate the physical appearance of a member the 'nerd' sect of the high school's hierarchy in order to account for his higher intelligence, and since most tend to be intimidated by higher IQs it would thus allow him to be left alone by the majority of the student body. However, he had no example for this 'doofus' sect.
"Further study will be needed.
Space: Rift Gate
High above the Earth's atmosphere, beyond its designated orbit, the Rift Gate tore opened in a glow of white. The mysterious hole in space was soon spewing fire like a flamethrower. The element, as if guided by some unknown force, swirled downward towards the unsuspecting planet.
Madula's creature had made it to its destination.
The hunt begins.
Earth: US Army Tank
Ever since that night of the Metal Men attack, the military had been patrolling the forests for signs of the aliens. They had brought out the canine unit in the hopes of getting a sent, but without a sample of what these things smelled like, it was a bust. They tried using UV lights and inferred, and gotten zilch. Whatever these things were, they just didn't have a feasible way of tracking them down. Although there was a chance that they have been long gone by now, there was no reason to believe they had entered the nearby city. From what his troops reported the sheer size of these things were hard to miss. And, truth be told, civilians scare easy, so they would have heard about it by now. Currently, the general was riding a tank, patrolling through a more open area when their satellite picked up something.
"Sir, I have an unidentified boogey entering Earth's atmosphere." The soldier reported as he began tracking the trajectory of the UFO.
Steel didn't need to be told what it was. "More aliens." Looks like those rogues that got away decided to call for reinforcements after all. "Lock course for interception. Mobilize the infinity." And since he found out about it first, it gave him the chance to one up those high and mighty Galactic Guardians. "Let's get'em before them G3 boys." He'll show that Solomon that no one beats the good ol' U.S. of A's military.
G3 HQ: Mother Bird
Ten hours. Only ten hours ago the Earth had made contact with aliens. Within those ten hours he had the ship they came in brought to their headquarters to be examined and study by every means at their disposal. Its exact dimensions were recorded down to the milliliter, its weight down to the last ounce, and they even managed to actually get inside for a fully detailed report of its internal structure and design. It was beautiful. A true marvel of engineering. The metal alloy was unlike anything they could identify on Earth. The closest equivalent they could find was Tungsten steel, but this seemed to have a much lighter density. It was highly resilient and refined to the point that very little could leave a mark on it. It certainly accounted for the fact that it somehow retained its pristine appearances even after entering the planet's atmosphere and crash landing out in the rugged woods. And it did, in fact, crashed, which means that the pilot either lost control, or there was a malfunction with the landing gear. There wasn't any external damaged to be found on the control consol, which would suggest nothing internal caused it, but then again with the casing being as strong as it is there really was no telling.
The consol itself was comprised of mostly buttons and levers that weren't marked. Suggesting that either one needed to already know how to fly it, or the placement and function of all the components were as common knowledge as getting behind the wheel of a car. Could they be looking as what passes for simple day-to-day transportation? Although possible, somehow Solomon doubted it since it could clearly travel threw space and there wasn't much reason, at least to his knowledge, to frequently venture out into the open cosmos. Especially since there didn't seem to be any form of supplies or even weapons to be found. Could these aliens have transcended the need to feed? Have they evolved beyond combat? Or are they, themselves, living weapons and don't require physical means to fight with?
So many questions swirled in his mind and so very few answers to them. If only their agent had managed to capture even one of them before the army arrived. But, alas, he couldn't. At least he was able to get a clear visual of the one he engaged and gave a detailed description for their analysts to construct. From what he was told, the head of the golden being did, indeed, bared a striking design to an Egyptian Neme, much like the ones worn by pharaohs back in ancient times. Does that mean it symbolized positions of power as well? Or at the very least indicate some level of importance with their culture? He'll have to wait for a full digital reconstruction to be sure, but it looks like he may very well be sending a team out to Egypt after all.
Though as distracted as he was with the possibilities of this theory, it wasn't enough for him not to notice one of his agents running up to him. "Sir, an unidentified object has just entered the Earth's atmosphere."
Another UFO. Another chance at first contact with aliens. "Assemble Team Delta." And just to make sure the military didn't try to move in to shoot anything on sight this time. "Activate the Magnus Protocol." This time he was going to make sure they were coming back with an alien.
Sherman High School
With some tightly controlled calm, Ilana managed to figure out how to utilize her locker combination. The rest of the morning hadn't gone any better, unfortunately. It seemed that no matter what she tried, the other students were just put off by her. She just couldn't understand how her warm, welcoming nature could be rejected so thoroughly. Back home her open and approachable demeanor was rather popular among her people because it showed that she didn't allow titles to get in the way of forming genuine connections. Yet for reasons she couldn't understand, this seemed to have the exact opposite effect on the people of this planet.
""Salutations!" A pair of boys called out mockingly as they passed by while she was putting her books away.
The princess could only scowl in irritation before half slamming the locker shut. Only to gasp at finding a familiar large figure standing just next to her. "Oh. Hi, Newton." He must have sought her out shortly after the last class ended. In all honesty, she was glad to see a friendly face. "How was your day?"
"Apparently, to the Earthlings, I am a "doofus"?" The robot reported.
This news only served to disappoint the princess even further. "So am I." It would seem she wasn't the only one struggling to fit in.
"So it is a good thing?"
The question only caused her to deflate all the more. "I don't think so." Ilana just didn't understand what went wrong. Back home anyone would be happy to meet someone so open and welcoming. Did she not convey that properly through her clothes?
Ilana just didn't understand what went wrong. Back home anyone would be happy to meet someone so open and welcoming. Did she not convey that properly through her clothes? Couldn't the colors she chosen have some kind of negative cultural meaning she neglected to study up on? After a short while her robot companion stated that it was the scheduled time to eat and suggested that she may feel better after a meal. The two soon made their way towards the school cafeteria for their scheduled mealtime. Since Octus hacked into the school's systems in order to enroll the two of them, he also made it so they could acquire free meals. It should help with their basic necessities until they could secure a more appropriate dwelling. The layout was a simple set up with a long line that led to the serving stations where food trays could be picked up.
However when they tried to find a place to sit down a sudden rumbling sound erupted out of nowhere. It was strong enough to shake the very foundation of the school. Fearing a possible seismic tremor, many student panicked and ran for safety. Some desperately tried to keep their balance and their trays secure. Others ducked and covered their heads for protection. Throughout all of this, many still caught sight of what appeared to be a huge meteorite, passing by the window as it fell and eventually crashed some distance away. However, there was something very unnatural about the meteorite. Something familiar. Something dangerous.
"Oh no…" It couldn't be. It just couldn't be! They had fled the castle so fast and none had known about her father's secret project. "Did they really followed us here?"
"I'm afraid so." Newton confirmed, recognizing the energy the supposed meteorite was giving out.
Crash Site
A helicopter flies on the scene to find that acres and acres of forest were on fire. The sheer size was unlike anything anyone had seen before. It came on so suddenly and spread so quickly that first responders found themselves with a category four fire right as they drove up. All citizens in the area were urged, ordered even, to evacuate immediately for there was no telling how fast the flames would reach the nearby populated town. Firefighters were attacking the inferno with everything they had: water blasting out of their hoses, fire breaks being dug and made as fast as humanly possible, water, sand, foam being dropped from by aerial support as quickly as could be managed.
"This is Brick Jackson reporting live." The news reporter stated to all viewers watching as firefighters prepped even more equipment for the fire burning in the distance. "Only moments ago an apparent meteor slammed down here on the outskirts of this quiet, suburban town." He soon spotted the firefighter chief and managed to catch his shoulder in order to question him. "Joining me now is fire chief, Tom O'Malley." Yet before he could utter another word, the fire sudden sprang to life. "What the heck is that?!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: medium; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"The flames shot upward, several stories high, before morphing into a bipedal, almost humanoid, form. The heighten forest fire suddenly let out a most animalistic roar as the helicopter flew in for a closer look. It was alive! It soon fully developed its bipedal body and began walking forward. Toward the suburban town! Burning everything to cinders with every single step it took!
Elsewhere
"Somewhere beyond the chaos General Steel's tank had been tracking down the UFO towards the crash site, but has yet to arrive. Staying tuned to the local news had been the only way to get up to the minute information on the potential alien threat. At first it had appeared to be a false alarm what with nothing more than a fire to come out of it. His people could assist with the evacuation if nothing else. And then the fire stood up, roared, and started walking of all things!
"What the…" He had no idea what it was. Where it came from. The only thing the military general did know, was that it was heading straight for a populated city. Without another thought, he barked at his communication officer. "Call in a air strike!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldier obeyed. Wither or not something like that would even be effected was a mystery, but Steel wasn't going to just sit back and allow his planet to be sucker punched like this.
Sherman High School
The live stream was being broadcast on every television in the area. Including the schools. Soon enough the whole cafeteria of Sherman High was gathering around the television set to see what was unfolding. em"I can't believe what I'm seeing!" /emThe reporter half shouted. His voice laced with fear as he realized exactly where the creature was "Whatever it is, it is huge and it's heading for the city."
Unfortunately, the princess in disguise recognized exactly what it was. "A Mutraddi Mega-Beast." The very sight of the creature threw her back into the horrible invasion of her homeworld. It was all happening again. "We have to do something."
"I'm afraid not." Octus stated while taking in the same image as she was. The appearance of the monster served to indicate that the enemy has taken over their planet and was now in control of the Rift Gate. "We're in hiding."
"Look at that!" A student yelled as the creature could be seen stomping down on a building as it literally walked into the city.
"I know what my father built you to do…" Ilana acknowledged her guardian, but implored with her eyes. "But that thing is here because of me." Surely he had to understand the injustice of the situation they've brought to this world. "These people are gonna suffer because of me!"
"I understand, but we have to remain hidden." There was still the possibility that this attack served more as a way of scouting for them. To see if they would react and give away their position. "If we attack, the Mutraddi will know we're here. They'll send more beasts, more soldiers. They won't stop. The risk is too great." As unfortunate as it was, to do otherwise would only bring further harm in the long run. "We should let the Earth defend itself."
The sound of another unforgiving step caught on the television screen and the sound of frighten gasps echoing among the student body has her turning towards the horror on screen. These people had no idea what they were seeing. Couldn't possibly begin to understand what was even happening. They didn't have the efficient means to defend themselves no matter how hard they tried. Just like her own people didn't when the enemy came to their doorstep.
She turned towards her guardian with a determined look. "I'm sorry. I can't let this happen." With that she immediately turned and ran.
"Princess!" Newton cried out as he gave chase, only to be cut off from a wave of scared students suddenly pouring into the cafeteria before he could catch her. "Ilana!"
It wasn't long before she found a side door leading outside between the school and gymnasium. She shoved her way out and, after taking a moment to see if anyone had followed her, quickly ran towards end of the alley. Before reaching daylight she activated her armor and soon took off into the sky and towards the city.
Motherbird
Meanwhile Solomon was also gripping with difficult decisions. Humans, as a species, have a history of going into hysteria when confronted face to face with the unknown. In many cases their first instinct is to fear what they don't understand, and then destroy what they fear. G3 was designed to be the mediator between Earth and Alien as well as its first line of defense should the encounter be hostile. This thing being caught live on camera was clearly not of this world and didn't care if the occupants saw it or not. Its sheer size and immense heat alone was enough to cause maximum amounts of damage in its very wake. Secrecy is what allowed them to conduct their investigations without causing mass panic and gave them an edge in case the Earth was eventually contacted. If they were to engage it, then G3 would be exposing themselves to the world flat out. And while people may appreciate having protection, they don't necessarily like knowing how their being protected. So far it didn't seem to be outright purposely attacking, but then again, considering that it seemed to be a living flame, it didn't need to hostile to be a threat. It was almost as if it were searching for something…
"Sir, reports say that there are still civilians within the city limits." An agent reported as they crunched through incoming data almost as soon as it popped up on the screen. "The creature seems to be attacking indiscriminately."
And so it begins. It would seem that they were about to see exactly how well their defenses hold against an alien threat. "Deploy the Magnus." The size difference will prove problematic, but they had very little options right now. "Have him buy as much time as possible."
Sherman City
Meanwhile the air strike Steel had ordered had been bombarding the flaming beast with their heavy payload relentlessly. Each and every single missile was capable of leveling a city block easily, and each and every shot was a confirmed direct hit. Yet the creature stood unbothered by the peppering. In fact, it didn't even looked like it acknowledged it was even being attacked. The surface of its body was too hot and exploded the armed missiles as soon as it touch it, but the force wasn't enough to bother it even a little.
"No effect." The lead pilot reported as he tried to maneuver around and over the monster, trying to find something, emanything/em that looked like a weak spot. "Repeat. Missiles seem to have no effect." Suddenly the beast swung and fiery arm out and swatted the plane like a fly, causing it to explode on contact.
It was at this moment, Ilana, in her Cronus armor, made an appearance. She came in low to the ground and from behind only to pull up and unleash her laser on the beast. It cut into its body, but left little to no damage. It did, however, garter its attention. It turned and caught sight of something tiny and golden flying in a u-turn. As it gazed upon the royal Galalunian mech suite, it heard the voice of its master.
"My pet, seek and destroy our enemy."
Its target acquired, the monster roared and tried to stomp on the golden mech. It's foot easily destroying the city section without effort. Again Ilana shot her laser up the leg of the beast in the hope of doing it damage, again to no avail. Instead the Megabeast wrapped an arm around a skyscraper and effortlessly topples the top half down on top of her. Trapping her in the rubble. As the smoke and dust cleared the creature found its target pinned like a bug. Now that she couldn't fly way, it could carry out its master's will. It soon crouched down and reached for the shiny thing to incinerate it. Ilana was trapped. She couldn't move and the monster was right on top of her. Bracing herself, Ilana waited for what could certainly be a finishing blow…
A flash of purple suddenly appeared between her and the flaming limb as it was sliced through and made to dissipate without the main body to fuel it. "What?"
The Magnus. They were attacking the Megabeast. With their sword unleashed, the rouge guard slashed and hacked at the limb with enough force to actually push it back. The mechanized warrior pressed on its attack, effectively distracting the beast and stopping it from going any further. The princess was in awe of the pilot's mastery over the armor. It was as if both man and machine were one. Surely… Surely they had to be part of her father's guard. There was no other way.
"Hello." The sudden appearance of her guardian obstructing her view brought the princess back to reality.
"Octus!" Without needing to be prompted, the robot began to dig his charge out of the pile of rubble. One only knew how long the Magus could keep the beast at bay.
City Limits
As General Steel and his tanks rolled up, they could see the alien monster towering over most buildings. It was bigger than they first thought. Bigger than anything they had ever seen before. All the more reason the general brought out their biggest guns. "Sir, we're tracking two more bogeys in the fray." A soldier behind his chair to the left reported as he prepared to give the order.
"Civvies?" The surrounding area should have been evacuated by now.
"No, sir." All too soon the soldier recognized what his instruments were telling him. "That G3 robot and the gold one from the forest."
So G3's pet robot was already in the mist of things. Well that windup toy won't be getting the best of his troops again. "All units fire at will! Watch for the friendly but blow the rest to kingdom come!"
Sherman City
The Magnus swung his sword over and over, like a man possessed. This thing was huge. Bigger than anything he's had to face before. But he couldn't let up. Not for a moment. He managed to keep the monster's attention on him and got it to stand in one place. All he had to do was keep it up until reinforcements came in. And they were emcoming/em. He just had to hold on… Sudden his vision was filled with fire. He felt something slam into him with a force unlike anything before.
The Magnus crashed to and through the street as he skidded to a stop. As jarring as it was, it wasn't enough to knock him out. He pushed himself up to find the beast coming for him, yet before it could take advantage its upper hand, it found itself bombarded with an onslaught of missiles in the face. Yet instead of being hurt by this, it simply turned towards the disturbance, more curious than anything. All those watching these events unfolding could only marvel in pure dread as their military forces couldn't even harm the monster.
"Magnus to Mother Bird." The agent opened his com channel as he watched all that unfold, knowing that his people were keeping track of the entire attack. "The military is attempting to intervene, but their weapons are grossly ineffective." That thing was literally taking everything that was being thrown at it like it was nothing. They might as well be throwing popcorn at it! "Reinforcements are required."
His superior acknowledge over their shared encrypted communication "ETA minus ten."
An odd signal suddenly appeared on his sensors and had him turning. What he found was a rather familiar looking automaton digging through the wreckage. "That robot…!" It was the same thing he saw in the woods. The one that jumped him when he managed to capture its companion. Were they involved in all of this? What was it even doing here? Why was it digging in all that rubble…? It was then all other questions gave way to one. emWhere was the other one?/emRealizing what had happened and seeing what could only be a second chance at capture, the Magnus shot forward. Upon landing right by the smaller robot, his suspicious were proven right when he found the golden robot pinned down under a large beam. Without a second thought he lifted the beam and tossed it aside.
Yet before he could apprehend either of them, the monster, seeing its target and attacker together, unleashed a flaming blast from its mouth and engulfed them all in it unforgiving heat. "Aaargh!" Ilana screamed from its intensity.
The sound of the princess's voice crying out triggered something in her guardian. "Sym-Bionic defensive mode initiated." Within second the outer energy construct that made his body expand and grew like a balloon. "Octus unit magnify." Once the required size was achieved, a beam shot out from his large eye and shone over both the Cronus and Magnus armors. A second program was initiated.
"What's happening?!" A strained voice yelled out as he felt the sensation of being pulled off the ground and upward. Then thought nothing at all.
The two mechanoids were pulled inside the third. Octus's limbs stretched out and reformed resembling ports of some kind. The Magnus was made to t-posed, as it was pulled into the very center of the space between the ports. The ports attached themselves to the limbs of the Magnus and the armor pulled itself open. As the head tucked back, a small humanoid body was pulled out and up towards Octus's main core. The only thing distinguishable about the figure was a circle shape chest at the chest. The Cronus armor was also made to t-pose and was pulled right into the gasp made in the Magnus armor. It came down, plugged into the opening perfectly and its arms were extended and inserted into ports that had appeared that the shoulders of the Magnus armor. A small shield slid to cover the face of the Cronus armor and the chest region opened. The heart shape crest extended, formed four stabilizing beams to secure its position, before the head opened to allow another figure to be pulled from it confines and up towards the main core. Once free of its context, the heart grew well over five times its original size. Before long both suites were interfacing with each other, forming and growing parts that quickly formed a skeletal structure. The surrounding light construct that had formed Octus's body wrapped and warped around the skeleton, becoming a harden armor shell. Arms, legs, torso, and finally a head, where all three beings were made to float, unseen, and connected through an energy current.
US Military
The military must have fired some of their most powerful arsenals at the alien threat. Just about every missile shot was a confirmed direct hit onto the target. Yet there was no confirmation that the target itself had been destroyed. The assault had kicked up so much smoke that no one could see what was going on.
"Did we get it?" The general inquired as he watched the small screen in front of him as intensely as his troops. Then the wind shifted. Through the thick dark fumes gave way to a huge bipedal mechanoid. "What in tar-nation is that?" A design similar to that of an old Roman guard of old. The outer casting was see-through like glass, showing off the complex mechanical skeleton, but looking anything but frail.