Penny had never felt tired before in her artificial life. But right now with her eyes closed, she felt exhausted. She wasn't sure if that was the proper word, or if what she was feeling was the same, but that's the word she would use to describe herself. Opening her eyes she saw a sky of green light moving along in patterns like a circuit board. With a light groan she sat up and examined herself. Her pale freckled artificial skin was visible undamaged but seemed semi translucent as lines of green light traveled up her legs and arms. Closing her eye she thought about her outfit and felt it appear on herself. With that she opened her eyes again to get a better look at her surroundings. It was a long void with a green sky. It was clear to Penny that she was in her own coding. Her mind.
"It's a lot clearer than I thought it would be." Penny's words weren't directed to anyone other than herself, but something responded anyways.
"That's because this isn't just any section of code."
Penny was startled to hear her own voice responding to her. Penny whirls around to see another her, yet not. The other Penny had exceedingly pale skin and gaunt features with bright glowing red eyes. It's smile was wide and unnerving.
"Who are you?" Penny asked.
"I am your replacement." It said in response.
Penny frowns. "Replacement?"
"Our true love has gifted us such a wonderful task. He made us better! I took the time to make sure your prison wasn't too bad. You can make whatever you like! Feel whatever you want!" The replica explains with a cheerful tone, as if this were the best news ever.
"But this is my body! Not yours! Get out of my code!" Penny rushes the replica and the replica sinks into the floor, phasing through it like it was never there.
"Bye bye! Have fun!"
Penny's green eyes widened with terror and she looked around. She couldn't see the replica. She couldn't see a way out. Her eyes felt wet for the first time. She had never been able to experience human tears before, but this place was simulating them. Simulating everything that Penny had never experienced before. Penny fell to her knees and started to cry, feeling helpless.
"Someone... Save me." Penny hid her face with her hands as she sat there in fear, anger, and confusion.
With good food before Rex and Lilly the two laughed as they talked and ate. Rex was eating a salad with some dressing, and Lilly had gotten the Chicken and Shrimp Alfredo the restaurant served. There were more fancy meals on the menu, but neither of them was sure about experimenting with food they didn't know for the night.
After a while though Lilly's expression dropped as she felt something in the back of her mind. It was like an itch that she couldn't scratch. It felt dark and close to her, but it was so unfamiliar that she couldn't figure out what this feeling was supposed to be. Suddenly however she heard something.
"Jedi." The voice was soft, and hard to hear, but she had caught it. Then more voices spoke.
"It's a Jedi!"
"Yes."
"Save them for the master."
"We will be satisfied."
"Jedi."
"We Hunger."
"Are you alright?" Lilly jumped to Rex's voice. Looking to him she saw that he was watching her with concern. "Lilly?"
"Yes! Yes, sorry I spaced out." Lilly felt embarrassed. This date was supposed to be a great night. A time to relax and wind down after everything that has been happening.
Rex went to say something only to stop and frown in confusion. "Penny?"
Lilly looks over her shoulder to the front of the restaurant. Standing there was Penny smiling brightly at the waiter asking her how many people would be dinning with her.
"What is she doing here?" Lilly questions aloud.
Suddenly Penny's backpack opened and her blades shot out and slashed the poor waiter into two. Everyone in the restaurant started screaming an panicking. Rex drew his blaster and shot at Penny, but Lilly was too shocked to register what was happening. Penny dodged the blaster bolt as some brave waiters guided people to the emergency exit. Lilly looked over in that direction to see a waitress open the emergency exit only to be confronted by a man in a cloak. A crimson red lightsaber blade ignited into the waitress' abdomen before the cloaked man sliced upward splitting the woman down the middle.
Rex grabbed Lilly and began pulling her away from the scene as more attackers entered the restaurant. They were all grinning widely with blood stained chins and gaunt features. One pounced on a man and began to eat him alive before everyone. Penny then started to advance towards Rex and Lilly slicing a woman's head off as she walked. Rex grabbed a chair and tossed it through a window. Only to stop in his tracks holding his throat as he slowly rose off the ground. Lilly looked back to the cloaked man in fear. She could feel it's pleasure, it lust for blood, it's glee for those dying around it. It's golden glowing eyes locked on Lilly's ocean blue ones.
Anger then flowed through her body and with a shout she shoved her hands forward sending a wave of energy out and pushing the man away with great force. The cloaked man crashed into a wall dropping his lightsaber and Penny ran to him with a gasp.
Lilly then looked to Rex. Rex aimed and fired a shot at Penny, nailing her in the arm, shattering her aura and making her arm spark from the new hole in her shoulder. Rex grabbed Lilly's hand and led her out the window as to make some distance. They took cover behind a parked car and looked back to the inside of the restaurant where people were fleeing for their lives.
"What the hell is going on?!" Rex shouted to no one in particular. "Why is Penny doing this? Who is that guy?! What are those things?!!"
"Rex!" Rex looked to Lilly. "We need to focus on saving as many people as possible. We can worry about questions later."
"Right." Rex takes a breath nodding. He summoned three clones with his semblance and focused fire on the monsters feasting on people. Suddenly dust rounds started peppering the undead beasts. The Sith inside grabs Penny sneering at the new arrivals and runs deeper with its undead beasts into the restaurant. Rex and Lilly look to the new arrivals as well to see Bullheads approaching while Atlas Knights start moving in to the building. The engines of the Bullhead cause a gust of hot wind that blows over Rex and Lilly. The doors open to reveal Thrawn in a combat outfit holding a non standard pistol in his hand. He aims it at the building taking two shots, sending two bright red blaster bolts after the retreating enemy. Atlas soldiers step off the Bullhead with Thrawn who approaches Rex and Lilly.
"Rex Skywalker, Lilly Volantine. I see I'm not too late." Thrawn says. He then turns to his soldiers. "Surround the building as planned, and inform team two that the enemy may try to escape through the sewers."
"Yes sir!"
The soldiers run off to do their duty's as Thrawn returns his red eyes to look at Rex and Lilly. "Now I believe we have some things of importance to discuss. Leave my men to deal with this, come, let us go."
Rance Lussk growls in anger as he and Penny make their way out the back door. On the other side soldiers were waiting. They fire their guns at Lussk, but Penny steps in front of him using her weapons to deflect the bullets. Lussk could have done it himself but didn't want to risk melting the bullets and getting molten metal on his skin. Using the force Lussk raised his hand. In response two soldiers begin screaming as blood started to pour from their eyes nose and mouths. They fell quickly. Then after a moment they got back up and turned on their fellow soldiers, lunging at them. On pinned down a soldier to the ground and ripped a piece of flesh off while the other began clawing into the stomach of another.
Lussk grins only to scowl again hearing more troops approaching. This set back wouldn't halt his Red Harvest. He would conquer this city, then the world. For now however, Lussk and Penny ran into the cover of the night with their undead followers, opening a manhole cover down the street a ways to make their escape through the sewers.