Nov 9, 2023 23:12:07 GMT -5
Post by ABAS on Nov 9, 2023 23:12:07 GMT -5
Thread PL: [21,290 Base] - [106,480 Larval Form]
Super Heavy Weights Active! Effective Power Level: 26,620
Training Dummy Active!
One Pre-Workout used!
Deep within the Blacksite’s Citadel, a dark room stood quiet. Unlike most rooms within the base, there were no screens here. No data readouts and no weaponry. In fact, the only features that differed from the cool black metal of the walls were the recessed doorway and a long table with ten dark chairs surrounding it.
The stillness was broken by the sound of the room’s entrance sliding open, revealing a human male and female. The two were dressed professionally, but in such a way that seemed to only enhance their anonymity rather than give any sort of individual expression. They looked like they had walked straight out of a stock photo, with just as much visible personality.
The two seemed to be arguing about something, the woman pointing at a data pad and hissing something under her breath and the man raised his hands in the universal gesture of “don’t blame me for this”. Once they entered the quiet room, however, both went strangely silent. Instead of continuing their debate, both went immediately to sit down in predetermined seats. The room quieted once more for a few moments before the flashing started.
One by one, holograms winked into existence, projected in such a way that they appeared to be sitting down in each chair. Unlike the man and woman, their features were shadowed, concealed. But then again, it was meant to be that way.
The man to the right of the table turned a blank “face” towards the man and woman. “Six. Nine. It is good to see you are well. How is the Project progressing? Have we run into any abnormalities?” The man’s voice was an orator’s: smooth and measured.
Nine stood, keying a command on her tablet. “Quite a few this cycle actually. Before I get into the current status of the project, I would first like to go over three significant events that happened to it in the last month. You should all have received basic reports on each situation, but I would like to talk about the bigger picture.”
Above the table, a holographic image of Zaks appeared, the fearsome Sayian queen sketched in blues and grays.
“The Project came with me to retrieve the wreckage of Supply Barge 227. Given the reports of rogue RRA personnel shooting the barge down, as well as moving into take the cargo, I thought it best to use the Project for some muscle.” Nine explained, looking out over the Council. “When we arrived, we found that Senator Brian Twomey had contracted with the Sayian Queen to help him retrieve the ship. Queen Zaks was…upset by being duped, and the ki output she displayed was nearly lethal.”
Nine keyed a command, showing a recording of ABAS moving in front of her, throwing up a hasty ki barrier. The room erupted with murmurs and the rustling of paper as they all watched ABAS face down the Sayian Queen’s fury.
“The Project displayed both a level of power, as well as control over said power that had not been displayed previously. While he ultimately failed in his efforts to protect me, the mere fact he could stand up to Zaks for a time speaks for itself.” Nine explained, freezing the recording. IT had stopped on an image of ABAS staring up at the Sayian Queen, trying his best to bargain for all of their lives. “The Project’s growing intelligence is also on display here. I don’t think I could have made a better case for us if we tried.”
“Concerning. The Project was never supposed to show this much self.”
“We’ve been over this Seven. If we want the ABAS series to do its job, we need it to be Autonomous. Not some kind of dumbass Android.”
“But that runs the risk of it running rogu-”
Six stood, clearing his throat to be heard over the arguing members.
“If you’ll excuse me you esteemed members of the Council of Nine, we have other business to get to.” Six said, his voice just on the edge of outright insult. “Next up, we have Nine and ABAS’s meeting with the Sayian Athren. This one is the one that worries me.”
The images of ABAS and Zaks were replaced by several long-range snapshots of Nine, Athren, and ABAS, standing together in the middle of a small clearing. Unlike the previous recordings, these were not holograms, but mere pictures taken from an elevated angle.
“While we weren’t able to get any direct audio recordings of this due to not wanting to tip our hand to the ol’ Sayian, what Nine tells us of this encounter is…concerning. Athren’s rejection of ABAS is bad in its own right: he was perhaps the best trainer we could hope for ABAS. But what I find most worrying is the psychological aspect.”
At the head of the table, the shadowy figure steepled its fingers.
“Explain yourself Six. While the disappointment of rejection would certainly be a blow, the Project shouldn’t have enough pettiness in him to be that impacted by the experience."
Six scratched at his scalp, seemingly collecting his thoughts. Eventually, he keyed a command on his own tablet, replacing the still images with a number of graphs and tables. “It’s just a theory sir. I happened to take a look at ABAS’s blood work when he got back to base, and I noticed that his epinephrine and norepinephrine levels were off the charts. Even after live combat, we don’t tend to get those kinds of readings from ABAS. That means he either felt an incredible amount of threat from Athren despite never fighting or-”
“Or that chemical release was triggered from something else. Anger perhaps?”
“Precisely sir. Combine that with Nine’s reports on Athren’s disregard and mistrust of ABAS, and we start to get quite the concerning picture. ABAS might have just faced prejudice for the first time in its life from someone he is technically charged with protecting.”
The room was silent for several moments as the Council thought. One tapped a slender finger on the “surface” of the table. “How are the Project’s psych evals?” They said finally, looking at Six and Nine. The two looked at each other for several seconds, before Nine sighed and spread her hands.
“In a word: controversial. Project ABAS has displayed obsessive-compulsive tendencies towards fighting and training ever since he returned from his field excursion. It’s my opinion that this can just be chalked up to being challenged by Athren and Zaks’ strength. Add on top his genetic tendencies towards battle, and this behavior is nothing strange. Heck, it’s a good thing the Project is so focused on getting stronger!”
One’s eyes flicked to Six. “And your opinion?”
“Something’s off sir. I agree with what Nine said to a point. Such behavior isn’t exactly shocking when you consider all of that. However, you start to draw some concerning conclusions if you marry the psychological aspect I mentioned with this overtraining. ABAS has never once pushed himself nearly this hard before, to the exclusion of all his other desires and wants. We haven’t had a library break in weeks. This feels to me less obsessive and more of an obsession over…something.”
One’s shadowed face nodded. “A point Mr. Six. Still, without any evidence to the contrary, I will have to agree with Ms. Nine. Keep after your theories, tell me if you get further…hunches.” They looked to the side at something unseen. “Aside from all that, how is the Project progressing numerically?”
Nine coughed, “Well it’s…”
“Insane. What the fuck happened to it?”
“It can’t be that extreme?”
“Not that extreme my ass! Do you know how heavy those new weights are? You could drop a house on ABAS and it wouldn’t weigh half as much! And yet not only can he move, his readings are actually stronger than they were a few weeks ago without the weights!”
ABAS frowned, looking over at the viewing window overseeing the testing ground.
“Sound.”
In response to the command, the hushed conversation was silenced like someone shutting a faucet. The bio-android gave himself a once over, checking the readouts on his new armor. The armor was part containment suit, part training weights, and part combat suit. The suit was constructed of an experimental ultra-dense alloy that both provided a measure of protection and weighed ABAS down severely. The bio-android had requested its construction shortly after he recovered from his “fight” with Liari. After all, there had to be something to this weight-training thing right? If so many of his fellow fighters included it as part of their training regimen?
Of course, the Blacksite hadn’t been entirely traditional in their interpretation. Aside from the weight, the suit also fed him a steady stream of technical information and Blacksite communications by etching them directly on his corneas. It was perhaps the most useful leash ABAS had had the pleasure of wearing.
ABAS frowned, shaking the thought from his head. If he had time to wax philosophical, he had time to train.
“Begin assessment.”
A speaker crackled from somewhere above him.
“Uh, Madam Nine said that the system shouldn’t be pushed more than twice a d-“
“Begin. Assessment.”
A klaxon sounded, then the room erupted in motion. Three androids dropped from recessed ports in the ceiling, landing in a formation around ABAS. Panels on the walls and floor opened up, revealing lasers of every possible shape and size. For a moment, stillness returned.
“Level 9 assessment. Begin.”
ABAS exploded into motion. His leg lashed forward in a brutal roundhouse at an angle that likely would have snapped a normal human’s femur like a wishbone. The leading android seemed to be wise to ABAS’s particular brand of tricks however, slipping the kick and returning fire with a barrage of blows! The other two androids didn’t still either, opening up on the bio-android with their own respective styles.
ABAS was immediately forced on the defensive, parrying and slipping through their attacks to the best of his ability. While he gave as good as he got, the random laser blasts from the turrets complicated things. They streaked. through the air in every direction and forced him to twist in unnatural ways to avoid them. Despite his MASSIVE Zenkai from the battle with Liari, despite his substantial increase in fighting skill via copying the styles of various masters, it was all he could do to keep up!
In that empty void of sheer mental and physical exertion, ABAS felt his thoughts stabilize for a breath. The anger, the fear and the existential dread that haunted his every waking moment. All of that faded to nothing in that place between moments. Unfortunately, that left his mind empty to think.
Why didn’t I tell them about Liari? It’s not like it would be that hard for them to surmise what happened if they happen to look into it.
Slip the first android's punch. Grab it by the arm and toss it into the second one and use the movement to duck a laser.
It doesn’t make sense. It is completely illogical to keep secrets like this. If they discover I’ve been hiding something this huge, it could prove legitimately dangerous.
And that was the crux of the matter ABAS realized. Before meeting Athren, before meeting Liari he had had the luxury of seeing the world in blacks and whites. His life was so simple then. All he had to do was train hard so that he could kill Liari and protect Earth. He would accomplish his task and then…….something. He had simply never thought of what would happen after his duty was done. After all, what was the point of trying for free will when his every action was controlled? When all of his needs were being met?
The bio-android fired off a salvo of whip-like jabs at an incoming android, rocking it back with the sheer velocity of his strikes. Dents began to appear in its armor as it struggled to escape from ABAS’s powerful blows. With a final shout, ABAS worked in a brutal chopping right, taking the android’s head clean off. He stared down the two remaining androids, running at them before a barrage of lasers forced him to evade.
But now I can see the world as it truly is! The Blacksite controlled my decisions by controlling my data. That much was proven by Liari’s actions, and Athren’s prejudice. I didn’t think I was threatened because they never gave me a reason to calculate that I was! Now though, I can see it is not as simple as my benefits outweighing the risks. Standards are inherently illogical, so much so that their emotions might push them to terminate me for something as simple as where my cells came from!
Unfamiliar rage shot through his veins like cold ice. ABAS’s ki EXPLODED forth, causing the entire training room to quake and tremble. Before, it would have been a sign of ABAS losing control. However, after meeting and “fighting” Liari, his ki was no longer entirely out of his control.
This is MY energy. MY birthright! I WILL be the strongest being to ever walk this Earth! If my purpose is to be the ultimate warrior, then THAT is what I will become! The Blacksite and those like them won’t be able to cloud my senses with their lies anymore!
ABAS spread his arms wide, marshaling his ki reserves and allowing them to envelop his body. However, instead of focusing every scrap of his ki into his body, he pushed it downward like it was some physical thing. He rose into the air, far above the Androids bound hopelessly to the ground.
I was not born for nothing! If I must justify my existence with strength, then so be it!
With a final warbling roar, ABAS’ energy exploded in all directions, reducing the training room to burning cinders. ABAS floated in the precise center of the room, watching as fire suppressant systems kicked on, dousing the flames with waves of foam. The twisted and crippled bodies of the androids twitched a few times, then moved no more. ABAS coldly watched them die, then turned away.
I must hide this from them. My weights give me a good method to hide just how much I gained from my battle with Liari. I need countermeasures against them, cards to hold close to my chest in case they try the unthinkable. That[\b] is why I lie to them. ABAS thought, his mind settling into a grim sort of resolve.
“Project Designation A.B.A.S. Report to Briefing Room 5.”
“Come on ABAS, was it really necessary to destroy the whole training room to win? Those things don’t come cheap you know.”
“I was built to win by whatever means necessary. That mean was necessary.”
“Don’t you get smart with m-“
“Six, please for the love of Kami stop arguing with the Project. It apologized for the cost and promised it wouldn’t happen again. What do you want to do, ground the thing?”
Nine glared at them both, slamming a fist down on the lectern. Six scratched the back of his neck. ABAS stood stock-still.
“Didn't think so. Let’s actually get to the task at hand no?”
With a keystroke, an entire wall of the conference room lit up, depicting a news channel reporting on several men and women being dragged out of an ornate building.
“After the confrontation with Senator Brian Twomey, KWTF personnel managed to excise the rest of his idiotic little cabal both from the RRA as well as Earth’s government. Now that we know what to look out for, they will never rise to power again. However, we did manage to trace some final communications the Senator made to a remote Arctic base far off the beaten path. These satellite images were taken 3 hours ago."
The screen changed, now depicting an aerial shot of a snowy fortress covered with guards and turrets.
“I’ll be honest with you Project ABAS. We have no idea what the situation is on the ground. But if this base is important. We still have no idea how Brian acquired the weapons and intel to take down our supply barge. There is simply no logical way for this kind of base to be built up without our knowledge. Therefore, you’ll be going in fast and hard. You are ordered to kill anyone and anything that stands in your way and secure the base for our retrieval teams to pick up the pieces. Any questions? Your ship will leave at 0900 hours.”
ABAS shook his head. “If you’ll excuse me Madame Nine, I think I have a better way to get there.”
ABAS’s aura faded to nothing as he paused in midair, surveying the base from above. It hasn’t changed much in the time it has taken him to fly here. Guards still moved to and fro, turrets still surveyed the base’s approach for any sign of an intruder. In fact, ABAS was pretty sure the only reason he wasn’t being shot at already was because his profile was too small to pick up on with conventional detection methods.
Can't use the Bio-Bomber for this. It’s too wide-scale and the Blacksite needs some pieces to pick up after I’m done. That means….
ABAS flared his aura once more, charging up for a few moments before unleashing a MASSIVE barrage of lime-green ki blasts that rained down on the base. The soldiers present were caught completely off guard as the soldiers' wave of projectiles damn near flattened the entire base. Buildings were blasted into rubble. Combat mechs and railguns were melted into slag. Soon, the outer defenses came more to resemble the surface of the Moon then they did a full-blown military installation.
ABAS surveyed his work with grim satisfaction, before dropping from the sky and landing hard a couple hundred feet from the main entrance. The armored bio-android strode through the results of his work. ABAS wasn’t much of a do-good as made obvious by his method of entry. However, he felt he at least owed it to the men and women whom he had vaporized to witness the results of his action firsthand.
“That should be enough for the retrieval teams. Now, for the hard part.”
ABAS stopped in front of a massive steel door leading into the actual base proper. If he had to guess, it was probably most commonly used to ship in bigger containers, weapons, things like that. ABAS raised a gauntleted hand, tracking a particular set of tracks that ended at the massive door. AB2 model if I don’t miss my guess. Most commonly used train for….isotope shipments? Strange. ABAS thought, delving deep into his mental library for an answer. Why would the RRA need something radioactive? There were countless other power-generation methods that weren’t nearly as messy, let alone as expensive. ABAS shelved the thought for later. There were more important things to deal with at the moment.
The bio-android clenched his right fist, drew it back, and punched the steel door at full force! The door caved in like it had been struck by the fist of a giant, then flew across the room until it SMASHED against the far wall. ABAS, accompanied by the wails of alarms and the creaks of groaning metal, simply strode into the room.
“Breach! Breach! We have an unknown cutting into Sector Four! We need backup!”
ABAS raised his head, spotting several teams of humans with guns sprinting across a catwalk. It was all very stirring: team leaders calling out orders, the soldiers leveling weapons at him. A part of his mind absently noted their make and model, but largely he was too annoyed to care. Why did these humans insist on throwing themselves at him like lemmings? It was a simple waste of energy on his part, and an unparalleled act of illogical behavior on theirs.
“Get OUT of my way.”
ABAS said, flicking his wrist and generating a wave of ki that blasted out from where he stood. Unlike when he alpha-striked the soldiers outside, this ki only knocked them out. Sure, it led to a bunch of broken bones and permanent injuries, but they still lived. He had to ensure some RRA personnel survived this event after all.
“Now then. Directions”.
With a burst of speed, ABAS all but vanished from human perception, reappearing behind one of the few remaining soldiers. His hand clamped down like a vice on the poor Lieutenant’s skull, pulling him up to eye level.
“Where is your command center? Don’t even try to lie to me.”
ABAS emerged in a large room, only a few “blocks” away from the base’s command center. That, in itself, clued him in that something wasn’t right. The base had been a rat nest so far: full of cramped hallways and small rooms. The fact that this particular one was so large meant that either the base wasn’t organized at all, or….
They needed a good space for an ambush
ABAS pivoted on his heel, just barely managing to parry a right hook aimed at his jaw. He then blocked two more punches before a brutal flying knee hit him in the back of the skull, sending him crashing into the far wall of the room.
“Enemy Assailant detected. Automated Sentinel Units responding.”
The toneless voice echoed throughout the room, seemingly emanating from everywhere at once. ABAS spat purple blood onto the pristine floor, extricating himself from the crumpled metal even as his skull knitted itself back together.
Automated Sentinels? I remember reading about previous generations of the Project, but I didn’t think any of them made it out of the trial stages! He thought, eyeing his “predecessors”.
[Estimated PL: 20,000 each]
They were brutish-looking things, covered in heavy armor and sporting a variety of mechanical weaponry. Their hands ended in claws and shoulder-mounted cannons arose from their shoulders. Strangely, they didn’t seem to give off any sort of ki aura despite their immense power.
ABAS didn’t have a lot of time to contemplate that mystery though, as the androids leapt at him again! Android #1 came in hard and fast, launching a brutal combination of punches directly at ABAS’s midsection. #2 didn’t join his comrade, however, and instead opted to circle around behind him and attempt to unload all of his weaponry into ABAS’s unprotected back!
But ABAS simply wasn’t there.
He parried a few punches from #1, then backflipped away, causing #2’s blasts to slam directly into #1! He then took advantage of the movement to land a brutal bicycle kick on #2’s crown. The android slammed into the floor just a few inches from where #1 was picking itself out of a crater. The two androids looked up at ABAS hovering in midair.
“Sturdy. Let’s try a different tack!”
A swarm of ki blasts erupted from ABAS’s hand, raining down on the hapless androids. They did their best to duck and dodge, but it was hopeless. Not only was the sheer amount of blasts overwhelming, but ABAS’s right eye was glowing. With the precision of the Cerelians, there was no hope of dodging fully.
Within moments, the Androids were covered in burns and dents. ABAS has even managed to hit something critical in #2’s internals, causing smoke to pour out from within the bot! However, it was clear that the Automated Sentinels weren’t out of the game yet. Blue light poured from their single eyes, bathing the entire room in an eerie glow.
“Threat Level: Maximum. Safety interlocks removed. Overclocking reactors!”
[Androids' PL: 21,000]
ABAS barely had time to raise his guard before #1’s metal fist smashed into his gut causing spittle to fly from his mouth as he flew backwards. #2 didn’t give him a moment’s pause either, canceling his momentum with a spin kick that nearly shattered his right arm!
The battle continued for several minutes, with ABAS clearly on the losing side. With his speed and power vastly reduced by the weights, it was all he could do to keep up with the barrage of strikes leveled at him. The androids not only were strong and worked perfectly in synch, but their fighting skill was also nothing to scoff at. Where ABAS’s fighting style was an eclectic mix of the various fighting techniques he had observed, the androids were more focused, and more controlled. They seemed to favor quick, targeted strikes, focusing on joint areas and other critical zones. While it was a little odd to see an Android fighting that way, ABAS couldn’t deny its effectiveness.
In fact, when ABAS opened his right eye to begin copying the style, he found it to be quite….comfortable. All of the other styles he had tried never felt quite right, but this mysterious style felt almost familiar to his very cells. His interest sparked, ABAS began dragging the fight out for as long as possible, wanting to learn as much about this fighting style as he could! By relying on his regenerative abilities to heal from the immense damage he was suffering, he was able to stick it out for much longer than any normal fighter. And of course, thanks to his Sayian genetics, ABAS continued to grow in power throughout the entire fight! It was a vicious cycle and one that ultimately spelled the androids’ doom.
After an hour straight of fighting, ABAS had grown so much that the fight was no longer as one-sided. While the Android’s teamwork continued to keep him on the defensive, ABAS was no longer forced to rely on hit-and-runs to inflict damage. His hands became a blur as he parried and blocked each of them with only a single limb! He still had to be wary of surprise attacks of course (the androids were chock-full of hidden weapons), but he was feeling much more confident. With a final yell, ABAS landed a powerful roundhouse to the sternum of #1, sending it flying!
In the few seconds that bought him, ABAS parried a few more desperate hits from #2, then cracked open its guard with a brutal set of palm strikes. His hand twisted and morphed then, shifting into a long blade of chitin that he used to brutally impale the android chin to crown. The light in the android’s “eye” flickered a few times, before ultimately dimming as #2 fell to the ground.
“One down, one to go” He muttered to himself, turning to see where #1 went. And it was a good thing that he looked because #1 was currently burning towards him at full speed, making to grapple ABAS in a full nelson. The bio-android scoffed, moving to dodge the clumsy grab, only for him to feel a heavy weight fasten around his ankles. #2, somehow still not dead, had grabbed ABAS’ ankles, holding him in place for a few precious moments.
Before he could react, ABAS was restrained by #1, even as both androids began to glow with a reddish light. He may not have been AS familiar with androids as he was more biological species, but even he could detect the ozone in the air heralding a self-destruct. ABAS calculated silently for few seconds, then sighed deeply.
“Well….this isn’t id-”
BOOOOM
With a final heave, ABAS forced the massive concrete slab off of him, allowing him to crawl out from under the rubble. The giant room had been practically destroyed by the explosion, with half it caved in and the other half not very far from following suit. ABAS himself would likely have died if he possessed standard biological anatomy. His left arm had been completely vaporized, along with both of his legs below the knees. While his weighted suit had protected his torso and head from the worst of the blast, the sheer heat and force had still left his body burnt in broken in the aftermath.
ABAS groaned loudly as his natural regeneration began to kick in, causing the sounds of cracking and splintering bone to emanate throughout the room. Within a few heartbeats, he had recovered enough to stand, although it would take some time to heal properly without wasting the majority of his precious ki reserves.
I must have lost half of my remaining power in that blast. Combined with the energy it took to survive it, and heal from my injuries, I’d put my reserves at about 10% capacity. ABAS thought, flexing his arm. Without ki, my natural regeneration will take a few hours to heal me, but I can’t wait that long. Now that the androids are down, they could be purging their databases right now! I need to get moving as soon as possible!
Failure was not an option for the bio-android. Not only did his pride and programming refuse to even allow him to acknowledge the possibility of defeat, but he had too much riding on this mission now. Aside from satisfying the demands of the Blacksite, he NEEDED to satisfy his curiosity. The strange discrepancies in the base’s construction, the strangely familiar fighting style of the Androids. It all made ABAS BURN with curiosity, and that was a sensation he simply couldn't stand! My injuries don’t matter. It is extremely unlikely that they have anything left capable of matching up to me. I’ll just blow through to the command center and kill the rest of the guards. Simple.
With a hiss of pain, ABAS limped out of the room, making his way down the corridor toward the center of this place: the command center. On his way, a few squads of soldiers attempted to stop him, but even a wounded ABAS wasn’t something they could handle. In fact, absorbing the biomass of the lower-ranking soldiers actually helped his condition a bit. It wasn’t a full recovery (standard humans were so weak their energy was but an appetizer if not in large amounts), but it took his condition from critical, to merely annoying.
“Quite the hungry little beastie aren’t ya?”
ABAS had just withdrawn his tail from the neck of the latest guard when a teasing voice echoed down the hallway. He turned, spotting a human astride a giant combat mech lumbering down the hallway towards him.
[Estimated Power Level: 9,000]
”We saw how you disposed of the Terrible Twins. Then again, I don’t know what the higher ups expected. You should never send a bot to do a MAN’s work." The human snickered, dragging a massive chain-axe across the floor, leaving a large gash in the steel. ABAS released his grip on the soldier, causing him to crumple bonelessly to the floor.
”Your statement is illogical. You are astride a VR-221 combat mech right now. Such a suit carries enough onboard computers to be completely autonomous. Therefore, your presence is no different from sending another android to face me.”
The man snarled, “Shut it cockroach. I don’t want to hear any more of your pathetic squealing. It’s time for me, Major John Anderson, to finish you off once and for all. This is for all of the people you killed!”
Jets burst to life across the back of the combat mech, sending Anderson careening towards ABAS at full speed, axe held high! ABAS just shook his head. He took to the air, gaining just enough altitude to attempt to push off the top of the mech and neatly dodge the bull-rush.
A foolish last resistance. Such a telegraphed attack would never hit any-
Already damaged from his earlier battle, ABAS’s right arm couldn’t take it anymore. Normally, it would have had enough strength to resist the sheer force of Anderson’s suit, but it hadn’t had time to heal properly. His forearm snapped like a wishbone, causing ABAS’ manuever to completely whiff as he fought for balance.
Unfortunately, Anderson didn’t give him time to recover, smashing into ABAS and plowing him straight through the steel wall and into the next room. Unlike the previous, this was no wide-open meeting hall, but rather a warehouse: full of boxes of every possible shape and size.
Anderson stalked over to ABAS’s wounded form. ”Wow, the higher-ups really overpaid for those overgrown calculators if this is all it took to zero your scrawny ass.” The man laughed, raising his chain-axe to cleave ABAS in twain. However, the bio-android wasn’t out of the fight, and unleashed a massive ki-blast at point-blank range. It was a desperate, hasty thing, but it still carried more than enough force to carry the mech most of the way across the room and through the opposite wall!
The combat continued like that for several minutes, nearly destroying most of the base in the process. There was no skill or technique in this sort of encounter, it was just punch and kick and tear through walls like they were naught but paper mache. Honestly, ABAS was almost impressed that Anderson was keeping up so well. Sure, if he was fresh, ABAS knew he would have destroyed the little runt. No matter how sturdily this mech was constructed or how well it was built, there was no possible way it could stand up to him. Then again, he would also instantly win this if he just removed his containment suit. Even injured, his true power would be enough to incinerate a hundred Andersons in an instant.
No. No there’s no need for it to come to that. There is no way this human can make me access my full strength. It makes much more logical sense to keep my weights ON I might as well get some good training out of this whole mess.!
“You are skilled Mr. Anderson. But I can’t permit this to go on any longer. I run the risk of loosing critical information if this continues, and that isn’t something I can allow.” ABAS said firmly, transforming both of his arms into giant chitin blades that hummed with ki. For his part, Anderson just sneered, flames bursting from the exhaust ports on his mech as he overclocked the reactor. With the mech’s free hand, he scooped up a twisted spike of metal off the floor, shattered by their earlier conflict. “My words exactly runt. We worked too damn hard to build this all up only for a little bug to ruin it all. I’ve had my fun. Now it’s time to die!”
The two warriors sprinted forward at each other, before exchanging a flurry of slices and cuts with their respective weaponry! Sparks and bits of metal shot out in every direction as ABAS and Anderson swung faster and faster, eventually moving so fast that only their own boosted perceptions could ever hope to track their movements! ABAS grimaced as he felt his arms crack and break under the strain, only to be healed moments later and break again. The pain was immense, but the bio-android refused to show weakness I can’t lose here. NOT TO A HUMAN LIKE HIM! For a moment, the two warriors seemed even, Then, the inevitable happened.
Anderson’s weaponry, while sturdy was only mortal metal. ABAS’ blades, however, were borne of his own flesh and had the flickering remains of his ki flowing through them. With one final burst of power, ABAS shattered Anderson’s weaponry, and then launched so many slashes that he almost lost count of his own attacks! Anderson and his mech, both were reduced to mincemeat, collapsing under their own weight into a pile of flesh and metal.
Panting heavily, ABAS fell backward, leaning against a wall as he struggled to catch his breath. “Just…as..I…thought. No…regular human can ever…*gasp*….match my power.”
Technicians and toadies scattered as the entrance to the RRA command center simply exploded. ABAS limped in, covered in blood and worse. He glanced around the room, spotting a semi-important-looking person and snatching him as he tried to run. He held the tech by the collar, suspending him a foot or so off the ground.
”You will grant me access to your central mainframe, or you will die.” He hissed, tossing the man to the ground in front of his workstation. Almost as an afterthought, ABAS flickered around the room, knocking out everyone except for his chosen.
The technician swallowed, keying in his login and pulling up the database on the main screen. “W-what do you want to know sir.” ABAS crossed his arms, ”Look up any information you can find on the mechanical Automated Sentinel Series. Focus on their fighting techniques, but I’ll take any information you can find.”[\b]
It took the technician a moment to pull up the information with how badly his hands were shaking, but eventually, he managed it. It seemed as if the combat data for the ASs had been gathered by one Master Shen of the Crane School. The rogue RRA had apparently paid the man an exorbitant amount to consult for them from time to time, only for him to scoff at their best efforts and put in the bare minimum on his own part. Whoever was leading this little faction had marked him down to be eliminated as soon as possible, but it seemed that whatever assassins they sent had been handily defeated, and whenever they sent someone stronger, the man vanished like smoke.
Interesting. This Master Shen seems to be a martial artist of no small skill. I wonder if I can get him to train me? If those androids were anything to judge by, his fighting style should be perfect for my purposes. ABAS thought, tapping a finger on his left bicep. ”And the rest of the data? Why do I only see information about the Android’s fighting style? He asked coldly.
The technician dry-swallowed, ”D-data on the Automated Sentinels seems to have been wiped as soon as you entered the base Mr. Bug s-sir. I don’t have the c-clearance to revoke such an order. I think the o-only person here that could have done it was Major A-anderson.” He explained, clearly terrified of ABAS.
ABAS simply shook his head.” Inconvenient. It simply doesn’t make sense that mechanical Automated Sentinels exist! From what I know, they were all destroyed due to power regulation issues before they ever got the chance to be deployed! The few ones that did survive were mostly scrapped when I was born. Maybe your people managed to pull them out of the recyclers or something?”He questioned, his eyes burning a hole in the screen. The whole situation gave him feelings of unease. If more Automated Sentinels existed, that meant he was, in some sense, replaceable. Replaceable means disposable, and that only heightened the possible threat of the Blacksite. ABAS grimaced, “Damn, I hate an unsatisfied curiosity!”
”C-can I go now Mr. Bug sir?” The technician said, cringing as ABAS’s dark eyes turned towards him once again. ”Hmmm? Oh, you’re still here. No, no you can’t I can’t risk loose ends at this time.” ABAS said casually, spearing the poor human in the neck with his stinger and neatly extracting the entirety of his life force. He then placed a spindly hand on the corpse’s back, vaporizing it with a light flex of his ki. It wouldn’t do for the Blacksite to be aware of such extraneous thoughts. It wouldn’t do at all.
ABAS limped over to the console, brushing the ash and soot off of its cool metal surface. He retrieved a small data jack from a hidden panel in his suit and inserted it into the computer bank. Within the span of a few seconds, the program had cracked the base’s firewalls open like an eggshell and began broadcasting the all-clear to Blacksite retrieval teams. With any luck, they would be here in the span of minutes.
ABAS sighed deeply, hooking a foot around a command chair and collapsing into it. He couldn’t fully lower his guard of course, but he had been through so many battles today that the slightest break felt almost heavenly.
I performed optimally today. However, it is also true that I would have likely died without Liari’s teachings. Without the ability to precisely regulate my ki, that human would have killed me. ABAS scowled, not only did the idea of dying to a human feel abhorrent to him, but relying on the teachings of his mortal enemy felt..odd. By all rights, he should be filled with burning rage at the mere thought of the small Majin. However, after their battle, and hearing her furious words over her he Blacksite’s treatment of him, his feelings were no longer so simple.
Whenever I am around her, she drives emotional responses out of me that I didn’t think was possible. The cold rage of a killing fury, and the colder fear of losing myself to the programming. Confusion and….gratitude over her belief in my potential, my abilities. Most of all, her assertions that I have no purpose. That there was no reason for me being born! I…I can’t take the confusion anymore. Such stimuli are too distracting, I need to regain my edge!
He glanced at the digitized symbol of the Crane School, still cast against the command center wall. I need to become strong. Stronger than any human, fictional or not. Strong enough to protect myself. Strong enough to kill that Majin! If a path to power is open for me, I must seize it!
Total Word Count: 7075
Super Heavy Weights Active! Effective Power Level: 26,620
Training Dummy Active!
One Pre-Workout used!
Deep within the Blacksite’s Citadel, a dark room stood quiet. Unlike most rooms within the base, there were no screens here. No data readouts and no weaponry. In fact, the only features that differed from the cool black metal of the walls were the recessed doorway and a long table with ten dark chairs surrounding it.
The stillness was broken by the sound of the room’s entrance sliding open, revealing a human male and female. The two were dressed professionally, but in such a way that seemed to only enhance their anonymity rather than give any sort of individual expression. They looked like they had walked straight out of a stock photo, with just as much visible personality.
The two seemed to be arguing about something, the woman pointing at a data pad and hissing something under her breath and the man raised his hands in the universal gesture of “don’t blame me for this”. Once they entered the quiet room, however, both went strangely silent. Instead of continuing their debate, both went immediately to sit down in predetermined seats. The room quieted once more for a few moments before the flashing started.
One by one, holograms winked into existence, projected in such a way that they appeared to be sitting down in each chair. Unlike the man and woman, their features were shadowed, concealed. But then again, it was meant to be that way.
The man to the right of the table turned a blank “face” towards the man and woman. “Six. Nine. It is good to see you are well. How is the Project progressing? Have we run into any abnormalities?” The man’s voice was an orator’s: smooth and measured.
Nine stood, keying a command on her tablet. “Quite a few this cycle actually. Before I get into the current status of the project, I would first like to go over three significant events that happened to it in the last month. You should all have received basic reports on each situation, but I would like to talk about the bigger picture.”
Above the table, a holographic image of Zaks appeared, the fearsome Sayian queen sketched in blues and grays.
“The Project came with me to retrieve the wreckage of Supply Barge 227. Given the reports of rogue RRA personnel shooting the barge down, as well as moving into take the cargo, I thought it best to use the Project for some muscle.” Nine explained, looking out over the Council. “When we arrived, we found that Senator Brian Twomey had contracted with the Sayian Queen to help him retrieve the ship. Queen Zaks was…upset by being duped, and the ki output she displayed was nearly lethal.”
Nine keyed a command, showing a recording of ABAS moving in front of her, throwing up a hasty ki barrier. The room erupted with murmurs and the rustling of paper as they all watched ABAS face down the Sayian Queen’s fury.
“The Project displayed both a level of power, as well as control over said power that had not been displayed previously. While he ultimately failed in his efforts to protect me, the mere fact he could stand up to Zaks for a time speaks for itself.” Nine explained, freezing the recording. IT had stopped on an image of ABAS staring up at the Sayian Queen, trying his best to bargain for all of their lives. “The Project’s growing intelligence is also on display here. I don’t think I could have made a better case for us if we tried.”
“Concerning. The Project was never supposed to show this much self.”
“We’ve been over this Seven. If we want the ABAS series to do its job, we need it to be Autonomous. Not some kind of dumbass Android.”
“But that runs the risk of it running rogu-”
Six stood, clearing his throat to be heard over the arguing members.
“If you’ll excuse me you esteemed members of the Council of Nine, we have other business to get to.” Six said, his voice just on the edge of outright insult. “Next up, we have Nine and ABAS’s meeting with the Sayian Athren. This one is the one that worries me.”
The images of ABAS and Zaks were replaced by several long-range snapshots of Nine, Athren, and ABAS, standing together in the middle of a small clearing. Unlike the previous recordings, these were not holograms, but mere pictures taken from an elevated angle.
“While we weren’t able to get any direct audio recordings of this due to not wanting to tip our hand to the ol’ Sayian, what Nine tells us of this encounter is…concerning. Athren’s rejection of ABAS is bad in its own right: he was perhaps the best trainer we could hope for ABAS. But what I find most worrying is the psychological aspect.”
At the head of the table, the shadowy figure steepled its fingers.
“Explain yourself Six. While the disappointment of rejection would certainly be a blow, the Project shouldn’t have enough pettiness in him to be that impacted by the experience."
Six scratched at his scalp, seemingly collecting his thoughts. Eventually, he keyed a command on his own tablet, replacing the still images with a number of graphs and tables. “It’s just a theory sir. I happened to take a look at ABAS’s blood work when he got back to base, and I noticed that his epinephrine and norepinephrine levels were off the charts. Even after live combat, we don’t tend to get those kinds of readings from ABAS. That means he either felt an incredible amount of threat from Athren despite never fighting or-”
“Or that chemical release was triggered from something else. Anger perhaps?”
“Precisely sir. Combine that with Nine’s reports on Athren’s disregard and mistrust of ABAS, and we start to get quite the concerning picture. ABAS might have just faced prejudice for the first time in its life from someone he is technically charged with protecting.”
The room was silent for several moments as the Council thought. One tapped a slender finger on the “surface” of the table. “How are the Project’s psych evals?” They said finally, looking at Six and Nine. The two looked at each other for several seconds, before Nine sighed and spread her hands.
“In a word: controversial. Project ABAS has displayed obsessive-compulsive tendencies towards fighting and training ever since he returned from his field excursion. It’s my opinion that this can just be chalked up to being challenged by Athren and Zaks’ strength. Add on top his genetic tendencies towards battle, and this behavior is nothing strange. Heck, it’s a good thing the Project is so focused on getting stronger!”
One’s eyes flicked to Six. “And your opinion?”
“Something’s off sir. I agree with what Nine said to a point. Such behavior isn’t exactly shocking when you consider all of that. However, you start to draw some concerning conclusions if you marry the psychological aspect I mentioned with this overtraining. ABAS has never once pushed himself nearly this hard before, to the exclusion of all his other desires and wants. We haven’t had a library break in weeks. This feels to me less obsessive and more of an obsession over…something.”
One’s shadowed face nodded. “A point Mr. Six. Still, without any evidence to the contrary, I will have to agree with Ms. Nine. Keep after your theories, tell me if you get further…hunches.” They looked to the side at something unseen. “Aside from all that, how is the Project progressing numerically?”
Nine coughed, “Well it’s…”
“Insane. What the fuck happened to it?”
“It can’t be that extreme?”
“Not that extreme my ass! Do you know how heavy those new weights are? You could drop a house on ABAS and it wouldn’t weigh half as much! And yet not only can he move, his readings are actually stronger than they were a few weeks ago without the weights!”
ABAS frowned, looking over at the viewing window overseeing the testing ground.
“Sound.”
In response to the command, the hushed conversation was silenced like someone shutting a faucet. The bio-android gave himself a once over, checking the readouts on his new armor. The armor was part containment suit, part training weights, and part combat suit. The suit was constructed of an experimental ultra-dense alloy that both provided a measure of protection and weighed ABAS down severely. The bio-android had requested its construction shortly after he recovered from his “fight” with Liari. After all, there had to be something to this weight-training thing right? If so many of his fellow fighters included it as part of their training regimen?
Of course, the Blacksite hadn’t been entirely traditional in their interpretation. Aside from the weight, the suit also fed him a steady stream of technical information and Blacksite communications by etching them directly on his corneas. It was perhaps the most useful leash ABAS had had the pleasure of wearing.
ABAS frowned, shaking the thought from his head. If he had time to wax philosophical, he had time to train.
“Begin assessment.”
A speaker crackled from somewhere above him.
“Uh, Madam Nine said that the system shouldn’t be pushed more than twice a d-“
“Begin. Assessment.”
A klaxon sounded, then the room erupted in motion. Three androids dropped from recessed ports in the ceiling, landing in a formation around ABAS. Panels on the walls and floor opened up, revealing lasers of every possible shape and size. For a moment, stillness returned.
“Level 9 assessment. Begin.”
ABAS exploded into motion. His leg lashed forward in a brutal roundhouse at an angle that likely would have snapped a normal human’s femur like a wishbone. The leading android seemed to be wise to ABAS’s particular brand of tricks however, slipping the kick and returning fire with a barrage of blows! The other two androids didn’t still either, opening up on the bio-android with their own respective styles.
ABAS was immediately forced on the defensive, parrying and slipping through their attacks to the best of his ability. While he gave as good as he got, the random laser blasts from the turrets complicated things. They streaked. through the air in every direction and forced him to twist in unnatural ways to avoid them. Despite his MASSIVE Zenkai from the battle with Liari, despite his substantial increase in fighting skill via copying the styles of various masters, it was all he could do to keep up!
In that empty void of sheer mental and physical exertion, ABAS felt his thoughts stabilize for a breath. The anger, the fear and the existential dread that haunted his every waking moment. All of that faded to nothing in that place between moments. Unfortunately, that left his mind empty to think.
Why didn’t I tell them about Liari? It’s not like it would be that hard for them to surmise what happened if they happen to look into it.
Slip the first android's punch. Grab it by the arm and toss it into the second one and use the movement to duck a laser.
It doesn’t make sense. It is completely illogical to keep secrets like this. If they discover I’ve been hiding something this huge, it could prove legitimately dangerous.
And that was the crux of the matter ABAS realized. Before meeting Athren, before meeting Liari he had had the luxury of seeing the world in blacks and whites. His life was so simple then. All he had to do was train hard so that he could kill Liari and protect Earth. He would accomplish his task and then…….something. He had simply never thought of what would happen after his duty was done. After all, what was the point of trying for free will when his every action was controlled? When all of his needs were being met?
The bio-android fired off a salvo of whip-like jabs at an incoming android, rocking it back with the sheer velocity of his strikes. Dents began to appear in its armor as it struggled to escape from ABAS’s powerful blows. With a final shout, ABAS worked in a brutal chopping right, taking the android’s head clean off. He stared down the two remaining androids, running at them before a barrage of lasers forced him to evade.
But now I can see the world as it truly is! The Blacksite controlled my decisions by controlling my data. That much was proven by Liari’s actions, and Athren’s prejudice. I didn’t think I was threatened because they never gave me a reason to calculate that I was! Now though, I can see it is not as simple as my benefits outweighing the risks. Standards are inherently illogical, so much so that their emotions might push them to terminate me for something as simple as where my cells came from!
Unfamiliar rage shot through his veins like cold ice. ABAS’s ki EXPLODED forth, causing the entire training room to quake and tremble. Before, it would have been a sign of ABAS losing control. However, after meeting and “fighting” Liari, his ki was no longer entirely out of his control.
This is MY energy. MY birthright! I WILL be the strongest being to ever walk this Earth! If my purpose is to be the ultimate warrior, then THAT is what I will become! The Blacksite and those like them won’t be able to cloud my senses with their lies anymore!
ABAS spread his arms wide, marshaling his ki reserves and allowing them to envelop his body. However, instead of focusing every scrap of his ki into his body, he pushed it downward like it was some physical thing. He rose into the air, far above the Androids bound hopelessly to the ground.
I was not born for nothing! If I must justify my existence with strength, then so be it!
With a final warbling roar, ABAS’ energy exploded in all directions, reducing the training room to burning cinders. ABAS floated in the precise center of the room, watching as fire suppressant systems kicked on, dousing the flames with waves of foam. The twisted and crippled bodies of the androids twitched a few times, then moved no more. ABAS coldly watched them die, then turned away.
I must hide this from them. My weights give me a good method to hide just how much I gained from my battle with Liari. I need countermeasures against them, cards to hold close to my chest in case they try the unthinkable. That[\b] is why I lie to them. ABAS thought, his mind settling into a grim sort of resolve.
“Project Designation A.B.A.S. Report to Briefing Room 5.”
“Come on ABAS, was it really necessary to destroy the whole training room to win? Those things don’t come cheap you know.”
“I was built to win by whatever means necessary. That mean was necessary.”
“Don’t you get smart with m-“
“Six, please for the love of Kami stop arguing with the Project. It apologized for the cost and promised it wouldn’t happen again. What do you want to do, ground the thing?”
Nine glared at them both, slamming a fist down on the lectern. Six scratched the back of his neck. ABAS stood stock-still.
“Didn't think so. Let’s actually get to the task at hand no?”
With a keystroke, an entire wall of the conference room lit up, depicting a news channel reporting on several men and women being dragged out of an ornate building.
“After the confrontation with Senator Brian Twomey, KWTF personnel managed to excise the rest of his idiotic little cabal both from the RRA as well as Earth’s government. Now that we know what to look out for, they will never rise to power again. However, we did manage to trace some final communications the Senator made to a remote Arctic base far off the beaten path. These satellite images were taken 3 hours ago."
The screen changed, now depicting an aerial shot of a snowy fortress covered with guards and turrets.
“I’ll be honest with you Project ABAS. We have no idea what the situation is on the ground. But if this base is important. We still have no idea how Brian acquired the weapons and intel to take down our supply barge. There is simply no logical way for this kind of base to be built up without our knowledge. Therefore, you’ll be going in fast and hard. You are ordered to kill anyone and anything that stands in your way and secure the base for our retrieval teams to pick up the pieces. Any questions? Your ship will leave at 0900 hours.”
ABAS shook his head. “If you’ll excuse me Madame Nine, I think I have a better way to get there.”
ABAS’s aura faded to nothing as he paused in midair, surveying the base from above. It hasn’t changed much in the time it has taken him to fly here. Guards still moved to and fro, turrets still surveyed the base’s approach for any sign of an intruder. In fact, ABAS was pretty sure the only reason he wasn’t being shot at already was because his profile was too small to pick up on with conventional detection methods.
Can't use the Bio-Bomber for this. It’s too wide-scale and the Blacksite needs some pieces to pick up after I’m done. That means….
ABAS flared his aura once more, charging up for a few moments before unleashing a MASSIVE barrage of lime-green ki blasts that rained down on the base. The soldiers present were caught completely off guard as the soldiers' wave of projectiles damn near flattened the entire base. Buildings were blasted into rubble. Combat mechs and railguns were melted into slag. Soon, the outer defenses came more to resemble the surface of the Moon then they did a full-blown military installation.
ABAS surveyed his work with grim satisfaction, before dropping from the sky and landing hard a couple hundred feet from the main entrance. The armored bio-android strode through the results of his work. ABAS wasn’t much of a do-good as made obvious by his method of entry. However, he felt he at least owed it to the men and women whom he had vaporized to witness the results of his action firsthand.
“That should be enough for the retrieval teams. Now, for the hard part.”
ABAS stopped in front of a massive steel door leading into the actual base proper. If he had to guess, it was probably most commonly used to ship in bigger containers, weapons, things like that. ABAS raised a gauntleted hand, tracking a particular set of tracks that ended at the massive door. AB2 model if I don’t miss my guess. Most commonly used train for….isotope shipments? Strange. ABAS thought, delving deep into his mental library for an answer. Why would the RRA need something radioactive? There were countless other power-generation methods that weren’t nearly as messy, let alone as expensive. ABAS shelved the thought for later. There were more important things to deal with at the moment.
The bio-android clenched his right fist, drew it back, and punched the steel door at full force! The door caved in like it had been struck by the fist of a giant, then flew across the room until it SMASHED against the far wall. ABAS, accompanied by the wails of alarms and the creaks of groaning metal, simply strode into the room.
“Breach! Breach! We have an unknown cutting into Sector Four! We need backup!”
ABAS raised his head, spotting several teams of humans with guns sprinting across a catwalk. It was all very stirring: team leaders calling out orders, the soldiers leveling weapons at him. A part of his mind absently noted their make and model, but largely he was too annoyed to care. Why did these humans insist on throwing themselves at him like lemmings? It was a simple waste of energy on his part, and an unparalleled act of illogical behavior on theirs.
“Get OUT of my way.”
ABAS said, flicking his wrist and generating a wave of ki that blasted out from where he stood. Unlike when he alpha-striked the soldiers outside, this ki only knocked them out. Sure, it led to a bunch of broken bones and permanent injuries, but they still lived. He had to ensure some RRA personnel survived this event after all.
“Now then. Directions”.
With a burst of speed, ABAS all but vanished from human perception, reappearing behind one of the few remaining soldiers. His hand clamped down like a vice on the poor Lieutenant’s skull, pulling him up to eye level.
“Where is your command center? Don’t even try to lie to me.”
ABAS emerged in a large room, only a few “blocks” away from the base’s command center. That, in itself, clued him in that something wasn’t right. The base had been a rat nest so far: full of cramped hallways and small rooms. The fact that this particular one was so large meant that either the base wasn’t organized at all, or….
They needed a good space for an ambush
ABAS pivoted on his heel, just barely managing to parry a right hook aimed at his jaw. He then blocked two more punches before a brutal flying knee hit him in the back of the skull, sending him crashing into the far wall of the room.
“Enemy Assailant detected. Automated Sentinel Units responding.”
The toneless voice echoed throughout the room, seemingly emanating from everywhere at once. ABAS spat purple blood onto the pristine floor, extricating himself from the crumpled metal even as his skull knitted itself back together.
Automated Sentinels? I remember reading about previous generations of the Project, but I didn’t think any of them made it out of the trial stages! He thought, eyeing his “predecessors”.
[Estimated PL: 20,000 each]
They were brutish-looking things, covered in heavy armor and sporting a variety of mechanical weaponry. Their hands ended in claws and shoulder-mounted cannons arose from their shoulders. Strangely, they didn’t seem to give off any sort of ki aura despite their immense power.
ABAS didn’t have a lot of time to contemplate that mystery though, as the androids leapt at him again! Android #1 came in hard and fast, launching a brutal combination of punches directly at ABAS’s midsection. #2 didn’t join his comrade, however, and instead opted to circle around behind him and attempt to unload all of his weaponry into ABAS’s unprotected back!
But ABAS simply wasn’t there.
He parried a few punches from #1, then backflipped away, causing #2’s blasts to slam directly into #1! He then took advantage of the movement to land a brutal bicycle kick on #2’s crown. The android slammed into the floor just a few inches from where #1 was picking itself out of a crater. The two androids looked up at ABAS hovering in midair.
“Sturdy. Let’s try a different tack!”
A swarm of ki blasts erupted from ABAS’s hand, raining down on the hapless androids. They did their best to duck and dodge, but it was hopeless. Not only was the sheer amount of blasts overwhelming, but ABAS’s right eye was glowing. With the precision of the Cerelians, there was no hope of dodging fully.
Within moments, the Androids were covered in burns and dents. ABAS has even managed to hit something critical in #2’s internals, causing smoke to pour out from within the bot! However, it was clear that the Automated Sentinels weren’t out of the game yet. Blue light poured from their single eyes, bathing the entire room in an eerie glow.
“Threat Level: Maximum. Safety interlocks removed. Overclocking reactors!”
[Androids' PL: 21,000]
ABAS barely had time to raise his guard before #1’s metal fist smashed into his gut causing spittle to fly from his mouth as he flew backwards. #2 didn’t give him a moment’s pause either, canceling his momentum with a spin kick that nearly shattered his right arm!
The battle continued for several minutes, with ABAS clearly on the losing side. With his speed and power vastly reduced by the weights, it was all he could do to keep up with the barrage of strikes leveled at him. The androids not only were strong and worked perfectly in synch, but their fighting skill was also nothing to scoff at. Where ABAS’s fighting style was an eclectic mix of the various fighting techniques he had observed, the androids were more focused, and more controlled. They seemed to favor quick, targeted strikes, focusing on joint areas and other critical zones. While it was a little odd to see an Android fighting that way, ABAS couldn’t deny its effectiveness.
In fact, when ABAS opened his right eye to begin copying the style, he found it to be quite….comfortable. All of the other styles he had tried never felt quite right, but this mysterious style felt almost familiar to his very cells. His interest sparked, ABAS began dragging the fight out for as long as possible, wanting to learn as much about this fighting style as he could! By relying on his regenerative abilities to heal from the immense damage he was suffering, he was able to stick it out for much longer than any normal fighter. And of course, thanks to his Sayian genetics, ABAS continued to grow in power throughout the entire fight! It was a vicious cycle and one that ultimately spelled the androids’ doom.
After an hour straight of fighting, ABAS had grown so much that the fight was no longer as one-sided. While the Android’s teamwork continued to keep him on the defensive, ABAS was no longer forced to rely on hit-and-runs to inflict damage. His hands became a blur as he parried and blocked each of them with only a single limb! He still had to be wary of surprise attacks of course (the androids were chock-full of hidden weapons), but he was feeling much more confident. With a final yell, ABAS landed a powerful roundhouse to the sternum of #1, sending it flying!
In the few seconds that bought him, ABAS parried a few more desperate hits from #2, then cracked open its guard with a brutal set of palm strikes. His hand twisted and morphed then, shifting into a long blade of chitin that he used to brutally impale the android chin to crown. The light in the android’s “eye” flickered a few times, before ultimately dimming as #2 fell to the ground.
“One down, one to go” He muttered to himself, turning to see where #1 went. And it was a good thing that he looked because #1 was currently burning towards him at full speed, making to grapple ABAS in a full nelson. The bio-android scoffed, moving to dodge the clumsy grab, only for him to feel a heavy weight fasten around his ankles. #2, somehow still not dead, had grabbed ABAS’ ankles, holding him in place for a few precious moments.
Before he could react, ABAS was restrained by #1, even as both androids began to glow with a reddish light. He may not have been AS familiar with androids as he was more biological species, but even he could detect the ozone in the air heralding a self-destruct. ABAS calculated silently for few seconds, then sighed deeply.
“Well….this isn’t id-”
BOOOOM
With a final heave, ABAS forced the massive concrete slab off of him, allowing him to crawl out from under the rubble. The giant room had been practically destroyed by the explosion, with half it caved in and the other half not very far from following suit. ABAS himself would likely have died if he possessed standard biological anatomy. His left arm had been completely vaporized, along with both of his legs below the knees. While his weighted suit had protected his torso and head from the worst of the blast, the sheer heat and force had still left his body burnt in broken in the aftermath.
ABAS groaned loudly as his natural regeneration began to kick in, causing the sounds of cracking and splintering bone to emanate throughout the room. Within a few heartbeats, he had recovered enough to stand, although it would take some time to heal properly without wasting the majority of his precious ki reserves.
I must have lost half of my remaining power in that blast. Combined with the energy it took to survive it, and heal from my injuries, I’d put my reserves at about 10% capacity. ABAS thought, flexing his arm. Without ki, my natural regeneration will take a few hours to heal me, but I can’t wait that long. Now that the androids are down, they could be purging their databases right now! I need to get moving as soon as possible!
Failure was not an option for the bio-android. Not only did his pride and programming refuse to even allow him to acknowledge the possibility of defeat, but he had too much riding on this mission now. Aside from satisfying the demands of the Blacksite, he NEEDED to satisfy his curiosity. The strange discrepancies in the base’s construction, the strangely familiar fighting style of the Androids. It all made ABAS BURN with curiosity, and that was a sensation he simply couldn't stand! My injuries don’t matter. It is extremely unlikely that they have anything left capable of matching up to me. I’ll just blow through to the command center and kill the rest of the guards. Simple.
With a hiss of pain, ABAS limped out of the room, making his way down the corridor toward the center of this place: the command center. On his way, a few squads of soldiers attempted to stop him, but even a wounded ABAS wasn’t something they could handle. In fact, absorbing the biomass of the lower-ranking soldiers actually helped his condition a bit. It wasn’t a full recovery (standard humans were so weak their energy was but an appetizer if not in large amounts), but it took his condition from critical, to merely annoying.
“Quite the hungry little beastie aren’t ya?”
ABAS had just withdrawn his tail from the neck of the latest guard when a teasing voice echoed down the hallway. He turned, spotting a human astride a giant combat mech lumbering down the hallway towards him.
[Estimated Power Level: 9,000]
”We saw how you disposed of the Terrible Twins. Then again, I don’t know what the higher ups expected. You should never send a bot to do a MAN’s work." The human snickered, dragging a massive chain-axe across the floor, leaving a large gash in the steel. ABAS released his grip on the soldier, causing him to crumple bonelessly to the floor.
”Your statement is illogical. You are astride a VR-221 combat mech right now. Such a suit carries enough onboard computers to be completely autonomous. Therefore, your presence is no different from sending another android to face me.”
The man snarled, “Shut it cockroach. I don’t want to hear any more of your pathetic squealing. It’s time for me, Major John Anderson, to finish you off once and for all. This is for all of the people you killed!”
Jets burst to life across the back of the combat mech, sending Anderson careening towards ABAS at full speed, axe held high! ABAS just shook his head. He took to the air, gaining just enough altitude to attempt to push off the top of the mech and neatly dodge the bull-rush.
A foolish last resistance. Such a telegraphed attack would never hit any-
Already damaged from his earlier battle, ABAS’s right arm couldn’t take it anymore. Normally, it would have had enough strength to resist the sheer force of Anderson’s suit, but it hadn’t had time to heal properly. His forearm snapped like a wishbone, causing ABAS’ manuever to completely whiff as he fought for balance.
Unfortunately, Anderson didn’t give him time to recover, smashing into ABAS and plowing him straight through the steel wall and into the next room. Unlike the previous, this was no wide-open meeting hall, but rather a warehouse: full of boxes of every possible shape and size.
Anderson stalked over to ABAS’s wounded form. ”Wow, the higher-ups really overpaid for those overgrown calculators if this is all it took to zero your scrawny ass.” The man laughed, raising his chain-axe to cleave ABAS in twain. However, the bio-android wasn’t out of the fight, and unleashed a massive ki-blast at point-blank range. It was a desperate, hasty thing, but it still carried more than enough force to carry the mech most of the way across the room and through the opposite wall!
The combat continued like that for several minutes, nearly destroying most of the base in the process. There was no skill or technique in this sort of encounter, it was just punch and kick and tear through walls like they were naught but paper mache. Honestly, ABAS was almost impressed that Anderson was keeping up so well. Sure, if he was fresh, ABAS knew he would have destroyed the little runt. No matter how sturdily this mech was constructed or how well it was built, there was no possible way it could stand up to him. Then again, he would also instantly win this if he just removed his containment suit. Even injured, his true power would be enough to incinerate a hundred Andersons in an instant.
No. No there’s no need for it to come to that. There is no way this human can make me access my full strength. It makes much more logical sense to keep my weights ON I might as well get some good training out of this whole mess.!
“You are skilled Mr. Anderson. But I can’t permit this to go on any longer. I run the risk of loosing critical information if this continues, and that isn’t something I can allow.” ABAS said firmly, transforming both of his arms into giant chitin blades that hummed with ki. For his part, Anderson just sneered, flames bursting from the exhaust ports on his mech as he overclocked the reactor. With the mech’s free hand, he scooped up a twisted spike of metal off the floor, shattered by their earlier conflict. “My words exactly runt. We worked too damn hard to build this all up only for a little bug to ruin it all. I’ve had my fun. Now it’s time to die!”
The two warriors sprinted forward at each other, before exchanging a flurry of slices and cuts with their respective weaponry! Sparks and bits of metal shot out in every direction as ABAS and Anderson swung faster and faster, eventually moving so fast that only their own boosted perceptions could ever hope to track their movements! ABAS grimaced as he felt his arms crack and break under the strain, only to be healed moments later and break again. The pain was immense, but the bio-android refused to show weakness I can’t lose here. NOT TO A HUMAN LIKE HIM! For a moment, the two warriors seemed even, Then, the inevitable happened.
Anderson’s weaponry, while sturdy was only mortal metal. ABAS’ blades, however, were borne of his own flesh and had the flickering remains of his ki flowing through them. With one final burst of power, ABAS shattered Anderson’s weaponry, and then launched so many slashes that he almost lost count of his own attacks! Anderson and his mech, both were reduced to mincemeat, collapsing under their own weight into a pile of flesh and metal.
Panting heavily, ABAS fell backward, leaning against a wall as he struggled to catch his breath. “Just…as..I…thought. No…regular human can ever…*gasp*….match my power.”
Sometime later
Technicians and toadies scattered as the entrance to the RRA command center simply exploded. ABAS limped in, covered in blood and worse. He glanced around the room, spotting a semi-important-looking person and snatching him as he tried to run. He held the tech by the collar, suspending him a foot or so off the ground.
”You will grant me access to your central mainframe, or you will die.” He hissed, tossing the man to the ground in front of his workstation. Almost as an afterthought, ABAS flickered around the room, knocking out everyone except for his chosen.
The technician swallowed, keying in his login and pulling up the database on the main screen. “W-what do you want to know sir.” ABAS crossed his arms, ”Look up any information you can find on the mechanical Automated Sentinel Series. Focus on their fighting techniques, but I’ll take any information you can find.”[\b]
It took the technician a moment to pull up the information with how badly his hands were shaking, but eventually, he managed it. It seemed as if the combat data for the ASs had been gathered by one Master Shen of the Crane School. The rogue RRA had apparently paid the man an exorbitant amount to consult for them from time to time, only for him to scoff at their best efforts and put in the bare minimum on his own part. Whoever was leading this little faction had marked him down to be eliminated as soon as possible, but it seemed that whatever assassins they sent had been handily defeated, and whenever they sent someone stronger, the man vanished like smoke.
Interesting. This Master Shen seems to be a martial artist of no small skill. I wonder if I can get him to train me? If those androids were anything to judge by, his fighting style should be perfect for my purposes. ABAS thought, tapping a finger on his left bicep. ”And the rest of the data? Why do I only see information about the Android’s fighting style? He asked coldly.
The technician dry-swallowed, ”D-data on the Automated Sentinels seems to have been wiped as soon as you entered the base Mr. Bug s-sir. I don’t have the c-clearance to revoke such an order. I think the o-only person here that could have done it was Major A-anderson.” He explained, clearly terrified of ABAS.
ABAS simply shook his head.” Inconvenient. It simply doesn’t make sense that mechanical Automated Sentinels exist! From what I know, they were all destroyed due to power regulation issues before they ever got the chance to be deployed! The few ones that did survive were mostly scrapped when I was born. Maybe your people managed to pull them out of the recyclers or something?”He questioned, his eyes burning a hole in the screen. The whole situation gave him feelings of unease. If more Automated Sentinels existed, that meant he was, in some sense, replaceable. Replaceable means disposable, and that only heightened the possible threat of the Blacksite. ABAS grimaced, “Damn, I hate an unsatisfied curiosity!”
”C-can I go now Mr. Bug sir?” The technician said, cringing as ABAS’s dark eyes turned towards him once again. ”Hmmm? Oh, you’re still here. No, no you can’t I can’t risk loose ends at this time.” ABAS said casually, spearing the poor human in the neck with his stinger and neatly extracting the entirety of his life force. He then placed a spindly hand on the corpse’s back, vaporizing it with a light flex of his ki. It wouldn’t do for the Blacksite to be aware of such extraneous thoughts. It wouldn’t do at all.
ABAS limped over to the console, brushing the ash and soot off of its cool metal surface. He retrieved a small data jack from a hidden panel in his suit and inserted it into the computer bank. Within the span of a few seconds, the program had cracked the base’s firewalls open like an eggshell and began broadcasting the all-clear to Blacksite retrieval teams. With any luck, they would be here in the span of minutes.
ABAS sighed deeply, hooking a foot around a command chair and collapsing into it. He couldn’t fully lower his guard of course, but he had been through so many battles today that the slightest break felt almost heavenly.
I performed optimally today. However, it is also true that I would have likely died without Liari’s teachings. Without the ability to precisely regulate my ki, that human would have killed me. ABAS scowled, not only did the idea of dying to a human feel abhorrent to him, but relying on the teachings of his mortal enemy felt..odd. By all rights, he should be filled with burning rage at the mere thought of the small Majin. However, after their battle, and hearing her furious words over her he Blacksite’s treatment of him, his feelings were no longer so simple.
Whenever I am around her, she drives emotional responses out of me that I didn’t think was possible. The cold rage of a killing fury, and the colder fear of losing myself to the programming. Confusion and….gratitude over her belief in my potential, my abilities. Most of all, her assertions that I have no purpose. That there was no reason for me being born! I…I can’t take the confusion anymore. Such stimuli are too distracting, I need to regain my edge!
He glanced at the digitized symbol of the Crane School, still cast against the command center wall. I need to become strong. Stronger than any human, fictional or not. Strong enough to protect myself. Strong enough to kill that Majin! If a path to power is open for me, I must seize it!
Total Word Count: 7075
