The Battle You Can Never Win
Years ago, aboard a poorly maintained ship, in a dimly lit cargo hold with stained mats haphazardly thrown on the ground, a young girl glared at the old man before her. Her breath came in ragged heaves, her clothes were stained with sweat, and her exposed skin was covered in welts from the older mans bamboo blade. She was on the ground while the man was standing up straight, his breathing only slightly faster than normal but otherwise gave no hint that only moments before he had been swinging his practice sword like a demented blender.
The girl tried to stand but instead fell back down. âWhy, the fuck are you making me do all this.â She growled at the man. Earning her a quick smack to the side for her foul mouth and impertinence. âFuck!â she cursed, earning another strike in the process.
She continued to glare at the old bastard, most people usually flinched under her hateful glare. Especially the weak prey-like Xenos, they always coward at her wrath. But the old bastard didnât. He just watched her with a calm and patient gaze.
The man was silent for a while before he sighed and looked to the pipes and looses wires along the ceiling. âYou ask why I make you train? Why I push you unlike all the others? The better question is why you resist my teaching?â he looked down at her again. âYou are taller than most men, you are naturally stronger than a girl has any right to be, and your fire is enough to melt iron. And yet you resist my attempts to polish those advantages. By all rights you should seek every chance to better yourself. And yet you donât.â
âWhatâs the fuckin point? Like you said, Iâm strong, and being already human makes me faster and tougher than everything out there. So whatâs the point in training with stupid swords?â
He frowned, but didnât strike her again for her foul mouth. âYou are stronger than most creatures in this galaxy. But not all. The Kaydic are as strong as a grizzly, and if they get a good charge going they can pass through brick walls like they were wet paper. The Balikstro are faster on four legs than we can ever be on two. Any Uplifted Mammaloid could easily disembowel you with a careless swipe. And that isnât mentioning the true monsters out there like the Aunviry.â
âOkay, yeah theyâre all better. So whatâs the point in training if theyâre always going to be better than me? Iâm only human.â She whined as she felt the growing bruise on her side.
âBecause you donât train for the battle that you can win, but for the battle that youâll always lose. Because on those days the only thing that will keep you alive is training, good reflexes, and hardened combat experience. They are how you will win the battle you can never win.â
âThat doesnât make sense old man.â The girl snarked.
The air cracked, a brown sword blurred, and the girl let out a yelp as her ass was struck by a Shinai.
The old man who decided to be her mentor continued. âAnd the only way you get there is by training every day until your hands bleed and your legs give out.â
The girl glared at the old man, but she saw the sense in the words. Even if she hated the old man and his stupid sword. âFine, but can we call it here. I have a cargo shift tomorrow.â
He looked down at her hands a tilted his head. âYour hands arenât bleeding yet.â He said blandly as if remarking on the weather.
Daisey groaned, but got up anyways.
The old bastard Mizuno really did make her work until her hands began to bleed before letting her crawl off to her hammock in the sweltering space above the engine bay. She only got a few hours of sleep before the ship docked with the pirate capital and she had to spend the next ten hours moving cargo off the Black Saint.
And after that, when she had finally gotten to sit for a few minutes Mizuno found her and dragged her back to his âdojoâ for another round.
She had hated it at the time. Hated him. Hated the shitty rusty ship. Hated almost everyone one onboard. And hated those stupid bamboo swords.
But in time the pain paid off, and those skills that had been beaten into her the hard way saved her life when Greysonâs crazy bitch of a lieutenant tried to kill Daisey in some back alley on Parox. And later those same skills allowed her to best the men she had eventually called Sensei instead of Bastard.
~~~*~~~
It was strange to feel nostalgic for a time where everything sucked, and you hated everyone around you. But fighting Zera again brought back those bittersweet memories. She had hated Mizuno so much back then, but the man who had decided to mentor her eventually became one of the most influential figures in her life. Aster may hate her father and everything about him, but she couldnât ever hate the heritage he had unwittingly tied her too. Because it was the same culture Mizuno had loved with all his heart. Warts and all.
Zera fought like a deranged beast. Slashing and stabbing with wild abandon. But while she had received some training to polish out her blind aggression, she never took Mizunoâs philosophy to heart. Greyson had ordered Mizuno to share his teaching with Zera just like he did with Daisey. But where Daisey, now Astarte, had accepted his ideas of training for the battle youâll always lose top heart.
Zera hadnât.
Zera learned how to cut better and how to save her strength. But once she had learned that she used her strength and youth to overpower Mizuno-sensei in sparring matches. While Daisey had restrained her own strength where she could so as to better learn Mizunoâs skill and techniques.
Even when after she had fought off Zera and took her spot as Greysonâs right hand she still trained until her hands bled. Even when she left the Terran Pirates and drifted around with her mother she trained. And when she met Karega and got a ship of her own she continued to train for the battle she would never win.
It was that mindset that let her finally surpass her old mentor during their final battle on the central Temple of Temple city. The very same mindset that let her match blows with a vile abomination like Kazlum and his brood. A literal battle she had no right ever winning. And it was the same teachings that she would use to beat this cyborg blast from the past.
Zeraâs metal exterior was too tough for Astarte to cut. And it was highly unlikely that Astarte would ever exhaust her. But while she failed to land any actual wounds on her opponent, Zera the Butcher couldnât land any on Astarte.
Zera aimed her mantis like blades at the kinks in Asterâs armor, but Asterâs reflexes and agility was enough to dodge and deflect Zeraâs attacks.
But time was not on her side in this fight. Human endurance was legendary and superior to anything any other biological species could replicate. But no amount of sweat or anaerobic exertion would ever match the ceaseless movements of a machine.
Zera also had plenty of tricks hidden within her robotic limbs. The extra power in her legs had nearly bowled Astarte over when she triggered it as their blades were crossed. A third use had allowed her to dart to Astarteâs and strike at her thigh. Zera had found a kink in her armor, but a single step back had spared Astarte from any real damage.
Her leg felt warm and sticky as blood trailed down. But it was only a flesh wound and nothing that would hinder her mobility.
That attack had finally allowed Astarte to see exactly how Zera kept leaping forward. Somehow she was building up energy in her leg which could be released. A joint opened around where a bulging calf should have been and allowed her to double the length of her leg and gave her explosive forward momentum when used right. In the heat of battle Astarte couldnât make heads or tails of the mechanism, she saw wires, tubes, and what looked like a hydraulic valve thing. She didnât need to understand it at the moment though, right now knowing there was a way past the tough metal shell and into some more vulnerable internals was all that mattered.
The assassinsâ arms also had a similar ability. But instead of explosively doubling the length of her arm Zera could have curved blade on her forearm launch forward in a powerful stabbing motion. Astarte dodged one of those attacks and saw the blade punch through the concrete of a nearby building. Zera had been stuck in the wall for only a second as she used the leg extension to pull her out and launch her back into melee with Astarte.
Zera also had a wider range of motion than Astarte was used to seeing in a human shoulder joint. When Astarte had rolled under a swing and came up for a slash at her exposed back the other arm was capable of swinging a full 180° backwards and deflecting her blow.
The way the arm had rotated in the joint had unnerved Astarte. She would have shivered in horror if had been given a moment to do so.
Those tricks had surprised Astarte the first time she saw them. And only quick thinking kept her alive. But once she saw them, she was capable of accounting for them and making her plans around them. She had fought enough alien opponents to know how to compensate for strange physiologies. The Aunviry for example had been far stranger to deal with than this borged-out human woman.
Sparks rang from their clashes and Astarte began to look for any more surprises. But as the fight stretched on Astarte began to suspect that Zera had already played her hand. And if she was reserving something then it was probably something she could only do once. With the factors accounted for, Astarte began to plan her actual counterattack, no more probing.
She couldnât do much about the powerful arm attacks besides dodge, and couldnât hope her armor could take the hit. The legs presented a weak point, but not one easy to get at. She would have to bait Zera into a launching attack and then sidestep fast enough to stab into her leg. A risky maneuver.
She thought about the full rotational ability in the arm joint. She didnât know much about engineering, but she remembered some of Alwenâs lectures on the shoulder joint area after the Battle for the Confederacy. Alwen had to reset several bones in that region and she had taken the time to explain everything instead of just doing it. It was a complicated joint, and already prone to coming out of its socket. Did enhancing that range of motion come with any added structural weakness?
It was an idea.
As the fight drew on Astarte began to feel Zera speed up as her strikes became more and more sure. Astarte realized there was another blatant weakness that Zera had carried with her from the days she was fully human. Her mind.
Zera had a mercurial temper, plenty of triggers, and was highly unstable. And Astarte knew how to use all that to her advantage.
âYou wanna know the funny part.â Astarte said in between blows. âGreyson didnât even care that you were gone.â She taunted in between breaths. There was a reason most real combat didnât have witty banter or heart felt speeches between foes. Every breath counted and wasting it on speaking was stupid. But she judged it to be worth the effort.
âDidnât even question me about. Just said âZeraâs gone, now you will guard my backââ Astarte teased. âThen not even a week later I was second in command and got to sleep in his comfy bed.â She gave Zera a sloppy self-satisfied grin.
In reality Daisey hadnât wanted to be Greysonâs guard, nor sleep in the same bed as a forty something man with the reputation for fucking anything with a hole and a heart beat. But she had little choice in the matter if she wanted to stay alive and keep working with the Terran Pirates.
The assassinâs eyes flared âAnd then you killed him like the deceptive whore you are!â she roared with another predicable jab.
âOf course I did, I refused to be the latest women he ruined and dumped into the gutter.â Astarte countered as she side stepped the blow. She was really glad Mizuno-sensei drilled her foot work so often, it was paying dividends at the moment. âFace it, your days were numbered. If it wasnât me it would have been him.â
âLIAR!â Zera roared as she overextended again.
It didnât offer Astarte the opening she looking for, so instead she went for a different sort of weak point. No matter how much her body changed there was one place that had to stay mostly organic.
No one fucked with the brain, not the Toy man, not the Union, and not the people who rebuilt Zera. It was too delicate to touch and far too complex. Just wiring in an advanced cybernetic eyeball to the optic nerve had caused a knock-on effect in Astarteâs head. And that was just a peripheral change.
The hilt of Tenken rammed into Zeraâs face, smacking the same place she had dented earlier. There was a thud, like the sound of a dropped metal can, and then the sound of shattering glass. Zera stumbled back and put a hand up to her face where Astarteâs strike had warped the metal enough to loosen up her left eye out of its artificial eye socket. The eye had fallen and shattered at Astarteâs feet, and it now leaked a white fluid.
Zera looked up and Astarte saw the strange deformed metal plate of her face all scrunched up on one side. Half her lip was pulled up in a permanent smile while the more mobile part of her face scowled. She charged right back at Astarte and her right arm splint down the middle, Astarte saw the prongs of a stun weapon race towards her just as the other arm came up for a slash at her face. Astarte stood her ground, took the prongs, and lifted arm to intercept the blade.
The electricity didnât feel like waves of fire like she had expected, but instead like all her muscles just got pulled at once. She felt her knees go weak as they wanted to buckle. But she gritted her teeth, remained on her feet, and took the pain. This was nothing compared to when she caught in that Eghâahd sneak attack, nor when she fought Kazlum and had been bitch slapped across a whole room. This was a pain she could handle.
And compared to the electricity coursing through he the Mantis blade in her arm was nothing.
With one arm occupied in tasing her, and the other wedged into the bone of her forearm Astarte knew she wouldnât get another chance like this. She grabbed the bladed arm with her other hand and with a twist of her hips, threw the Cyborg over her shoulder.
The assassin hit the ground with a thud and Astarte moved foot on her back.
The blade in her arm cut back upwards, got caught in the plates of her arm guard, and snapped off by the hinge. The pain in the arm grew too much to bear so she let that arm fall limp as her other arm held onto the assassin now beneath her feet and pulled. Zera let out a scream that hit the far range of human vocal cords and dipped into a sound only possible in dogs, dolphins, and machines. It even began to stutter like a corrupted audio file.
Even her voice was fake.
Then there was a pop and rip, and the arm came clean off.
Astarte stood there holding the still clothed arm in her hands as white fluids leaked out of the cyborgs open joint. Astarte glanced to the fake arm in her hands then down to the struggling cyborg, and with little hesitation lifted the arm and proceeded to beat the womans head in with her own arm.
Or she would have if a heavily distorted voice hadnât interrupted her bludgeoning.
âFREEZE!â
Astarte turned to stare at the cloaked black figure of the Arbiter aiming a pulse rifle right at her.
Astarte then raised her hands above her head, still holding the prosthetic arm. âIt was self defenseâ Astarte said to the unwavering gaze of the Arbiter. A flicker of her eye into the Ultraviolet showed the scowling face of a much-recovered Rachel glaring at both of them.
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I'm fully up to speed on everything, but can someone remind me how the St. Louis photo was even made public? Like, did someone in Rachel or Tom's circle leak it? How did anyone get it in the first place?
(This post is just gonna be me rambling about a dream of what could be in grounded 2)
Imagine if the tree wasnât an early game lab location, but instead a late game dungeon. 5 layers each with unique ways to explore the tree. With layer one being the bottom of the tree. Sap coming out of some of the roots attracting hordes of tiny little black ants, 2 mites long but in large hordes. If you get near they all attack you at once but are easily killed. Closer to the tree and some on climbing on the base of it, giant black ants bigger than any other ants seen in ground. The size could be orb weaver size, and they would be heavily armored and could resist every element but sour. You can make climbing gear and climb up the tree, and the middle of the trees trunk could be layer 2, with the giant black ants crawling around. You canât attack while climbing but you can throw grenades at the ants to send the giant ants all the way to the ground. Their corpses would be soured out so no pincers or armor plates could be collected from their bodies. After climbing the tree and using sour grenades you can enter layer 3, where you find a sap leaking hole with ants coming in and out to the other layers. When entered you will be inside the colonies base, and by using a torch you will light your way though the colony, fighting large groups of 6-9 smaller black ants, while also finding giant black ant warriors to fight. You can eat pure sap for large heals after fights. You will eventually find your way to layer 4, lower inside the tree you will reach the queens chamber, you will fight her while also fighting hordes of small ants and duos of large ants. After defeating her you will use her pheromones to command ants to move a blockade and allow you to enter layer 5. In layer 5 you will find why the entrance was blockaded, a brown widow fought its way into the nest and had made a nest, and after fighting it with the help of ants (queen pheromones allow them to command them) the ants will open a second entrance to the tree so you can enter through the bottom and not have to climb. Using the ant queen pheromones (rubbing them on your body) they will be friendly, give you pure sap sometimes, and will protect you near their nest. If you attack one only the ant you attack will attack back all others will ignore the fight.
Im guessing nobody is gonna read this but itâs nice to have it out there
So we see the inside of Apollo's mind for once. He's an antagonist and this should've happened a long time ago. I know some of my fellow critics were displeased with how it seemed to frame him in a sympathetic light, however I think that was unintentional and that Rachel, as always, can never get the tone right. It's why so many people found the rape scene from season one ambiguous, I mean it's undoubtedly rape but you can't be sure if Apollo was using his powers to brainwash her or not which should not be the case. Things that need to be clarified aren't clarified and she can't execute the show don't tell rule very well. Anyway, Apollo rambles in his head as Artemis shouts at him, explaining his motives to make Olympus a better place by replacing Zeus, he thinks he can make it a paradise, but then the girl he victimized comes along and ruins it for him because he made the "mistake" of thinking she liked him like all the other sycophants. The point he's making basically is that his encountering Persephone is what could potentially mess up his near-future plans of becoming a great ruler, because what he did will always follow him and smear his reputation as the perfect king he wants to be. We all know Apollo is...Apollo, so we do not feel bad for him of course but it is interesting to finally see how he feels about everything. He was, no is, very stupid and so narcissistic that he thought any woman would want him and he coerced a tired and naive girl to sleep with him, and that is his own fault. In fact, he definitely wouldn't make a great king, Olympus doesn't need another ruler that hardly respects women and even victimized them, but in his own delusions he puts himself on a pedestal. But the point isn't to make us feel bad, it's to show us what drives the villain to do villain things. My only complaint is that it truly is taking too long to show us what will happen.
Anyways. After that, Demeter and Persephone have a talk right after therapy. I've seen many negative thoughts about this. Yes, we all know Persephone has some accountability for how fucked her relationship with her mom is, she's a bad daughter who expects her parent to agree with every shitty decision she makes. I mean, let's not forget how her first thought after being freed from the banishment wasn't to look for her mother, but to make living arrangements and get cozy with the man she knew for a month. She's only just now asking her mom what's happened while they were separated. However!! I'm truly so happy that they had a heart to heart. Demeter looks so beautiful and elegant in this episode, and we see her open up to Persephone and apologize for the toxic intervention. The Webtoon commenting fans still weren't pleased, but honest to God, I don't take them seriously at all, they have their own parental trauma they're projecting and a very strong, even slightly misogynist I might add, bias. I've seen people saying Demeter should be paired with Apollo and they should both fuck off out the story together as a shitty couple, which is fifty shades of fucked up to me, because how are you going to equate Demeter with her daughter's rapist AND say they deserve each other?? She would fucking maul Apollo for what he did to Persephone. This just reminded me that she doesn't know and that's crazy that everyone knows except her lmao. The man Persephone got to know for a month before the banishment gets to know but not her mother.
Okay so apparently wine leaks from Dio's pores. Very gross. I've seen people say that, 1, since he's a child it should initially be grape juice, otherwise he could suck his thumb and get drunk, and while I know he's a god and probably exempt from that, I agree that it doesnt make sense for the child to be this heavily associated with alcohol before he even knows what it is let alone is old enough to consume it. 2, why is he sweating it? I agree with this because his clothes would get damp so often. I mean, if there's so much that Demeter can tell it's wine, that's gotta be really gross?? It would be one thing if he cried wine or grape juice, or even just smelled like it, or better yet, he just turn water into grape juice/wine by touching it? Heck, he could grow grape Vines in his hair the same way Persephone grows flowers in her hair. Anything but sweating wine from his pores, ffs. Anyways, as always, the art is wonky at times and Persephone is obnoxious and never subject to any blame. But at least we got to see Demeter.
That's all.
Part 24:
https://www.reddit.com/Viidith22/comments/13taoss/my_roommate_is_slenderman_part_24_revised/ (Terry)
It had been a day or so and I hadnât gotten a response from Megami. There are spurts where we donât talk, she tends to be pretty accident-prone with electronics. Sometimes the frequency sheâs singing goes haywire and fries it. But it had been a good five months or so since we last spoke. Taking a shot in the dark, I called Rachel.
âWhat is it, Terry?â She grunted, âIâm a little busy.â
âI need to talk to Megami, but sheâs been MIA since the whole âMaerodâ situation.â My mind shot back to what Jones had told me, to watch out for âher,â momentarily questioning whether or not Dexterâs team had been dumb enough to keep her alive.
There was a pause, the line was silent. Then, a sigh, âActually, Iâve had the same problem. I figured she just broke another phone, or was pissed at me for⌠Well, Iâll keep an ear out and let you know if I hear anything. What do you need her for?â She grunted again.
âSmall mission.â
âJoseph?â
âYeah.â
The line went silent again, then an exasperated sigh, âGood luck, be sure to bring The Doctor with you. You know how you can get.â
A flush of anger pulsed through me, but I took a deep breath, âSure.â
She shrieked, âOh shit!â The call ended.
I thought over the list of everyone, wondering what I was gonna do. I had actually intended to have Doc and Megami be the last two after Smudge, no one else would really work. Chad wasnât right for the type of incognito mission we were doing, Abraham wasnât available, Rachel and Sepratine just didnât quite mesh with what we were doing, Megami was supposed to be the last one to fill out the party. I mulled it over, but I still owed David, the huuldefolk, a favor from the Maerod raid. I wouldâve called Jacob, but he was in another country doing who knows what.
My phone rang as I stood, leaning against the couch, âJones, something wrong?â
He chuckled, âNot in the least. You got your group together?â
âWeâre one short.â
âNo problem, bring everyone by tonight, we need to prepare on our end, and Dexter sent us a bit of backup.â He hung up.
I called up Doc and Smudge, telling them to be at my place and ready by the time dusk rolled around. Heading to the bathroom I downed my meds, trying to shake off a weird feeling that slowly crept up on me. As if something was going to happen when we got there. It was more than just a bad feeling, but a conviction, I knew something would happen, and it made me uncomfortable. One of the pills I took was supposed to ease it, but when it got that bad, it meant my brain had already determined some kind of outcome. Itâs not a superpower or anything, more like enhanced intuition. It only happens when my brain has the information to go off of. But thereâs a disconnect between my conscious and subconscious, so whenever something like that happens, I just have to wait for it to come to fruition.
-----------------------------------------
Stepping into the office, I looked around, âWhereâs the new guy?â
Xavier looked up, baffled at the sight. Then Jones stood, walking over to greet us, the bags under his eyes less defined, âHeâs in the back getting himself something to eat. Smudge, nice to see you again, you havenât aged a day.â Smudge chuckled at that, âYou must be The famous Doctor, I want to thank you for coming. Iâm sure youâre a busy man.â He outstretched his hand, but Doc just gestured between Jones and me.
âYou see, thatâs how you should greet me. You really ought to get a notepad out, you might learn a thing or two about how to respect your elders.â
âIf I remember correctly, Iâm about 2,000 years your senior. When did you start your⌠questionable medical practices again? 16th, 17th century?â
Doc ignored me, angrily shaking Jonesâs hand, âNice to meet you, lad! Glad to hear somebody thinks highly of me, even if it is a meager thinskin.â
âMe and my dislocated fingers thank you for that.â As he brought his hand back, Jones uncomfortably pushed his fingers back into their sockets one by one. âSo, who were you planning on bringing? You said there was going to be another?â
âRight, had my sights set on a Siren, sheâs pretty skilled and can be silent when the occasion arises. But I couldnât get ahold of her.â I paused, âActually, youâve got your ear to the ground, you heard anything about someone named Megami? Itâs been a few months since we talked, Iâm kinda worried.â
Jones was a mannequin, despite trying to seem calm, his eyes flicked to Xavier before shooting back to us. He leaned against his desk, reaching for his coffee mug several times, not looking away from us, before finally grabbing it, and raising it to his mouth.
I stared hard at Xavier, a few moments later, he cracked, âLook it was a life or death sitââ
My legs tightened, I could feel the meds pushing to the side as I grew, stepping over to him in two long strides. He threw out his hearing aid, grasping his one intact ear as he held himself up with his free hand on the desk, âYou killed Megami! Tell me why I shouldnât give you the same treatment!â Something grasped my waist, then each of my legs. They were trying to push me back. When I released a tentacle to shoot Xavier through the head, I felt a prick stab into it. I fell limp, shrinking back down instantaneously.
Much calmer, I looked at my surroundings, Doc stood over me, making sure I was fine, Smudge looked between Xavier and me, wondering how he should react. Then I saw Xavier, Jones standing beside him, and on the other side of the desk, just across from us, stood the blonde buzzcut, and scarred musculature, of a Texan soldier. âFucking Tucker.â I chuckled with disdain, âOf course.â
âWish I had my H.O.P.S. but unfortunately it was destroyed along with the U.S.P.M. Youâre one terrifying son of a bitch when Iâm not in a full suit of armor, Iâll tell you what.â Looking close, I noticed he was wearing one of the older exosuits they used to wear. It was clean, but there were scuffs in the black paint job here and there.
âThe U.S.P.M is just a bad fucking omen at this point.â
âHey, we didnât kill Jeff, and we didnât kill Megami. So why donâtcha chill the fuck out.â Tucker crossed his arms, staring at me.
Smudge let out a jittery sigh, âYou know, Janeâs death wasnât necessarily the fault of Jeff.â
I looked at him, âAre you really going to side with the thinskins on this one?â
âTerry, behave yourself. Weâre only here for Josephâs sake. After weâre done you can go wipe out the US government. But weâre here for a reason. Doctor back me up here.â
âIâm neutral in this, I donât care much for anyone.â
âAnd yet youâre here to help save Joseph.â
He sighed, âJoseph is okay I suppose. But Iâm here because Terry gave me a deal on a pixie a month or so back.â
Smudge and Doc continued their back and forth as I stared at Xavier, he stood upright again, fixing the aid back into his ear, âI donât blame you, Terry, Iâd kill me too. I even did. But at least wait till this is over, yeah? I wanna slip in one last good deed if I can.â He blinked tears back as he put on a ski mask.
âWhen weâre done, Iâll thank you, but you better hope we never cross paths again.â
âI could say the same to you⌠I could.â
The air was still for a minute or so, even Doc and Smudge had stopped their bickering. âWell then.â Tucker smacked his hands together, making a metal clink, âYâall ready to kick some shit in?â
âHow long is the drive? Iâll need at least an hour to recover.â
Jones answered, âHour and a half to two, youâll be fine. Weâve got guns in the van, all suppressed. I had a mutual acquaintance of ours send us a care package yesterday. Regardless, I say we should all keep our blood inside our bodies.â
Tucker joined in, âSpeaking of, I managed to scrounge the materials to make up some of those SIOM rounds. I left them in the van, along with the last resort.â He winked at me.
Jones nodded, âWe should be good to go then, you guys oughtta join us in the van, less conspicuous.â
I nodded, âYeah, thatâd make the most sense. Iâll be taking the lead when we get there though. Which reminds me, you never sent me the schematics.â
âOh, yeah, Iâll send them over. Are you gonna have enough time to put a plan together?â
âYeah, I already know how weâll follow into the building. I was thinking Tucker at first, but without his suit, heâs basically just a liability.â
He rolled his eyes, âYeah, weâll see about that one.â
-----------------------------
As the van slowed, Tucker pulled on his combat gloves. He was decked out in full gear that I hadnât really noticed till we got in the van. A flexible vest that was essentially a skin-tight long-sleeve shirt, meeting his wrists. His pants were tight and were made of the same fabric as his shirt.
We came to a complete stop as he slung his rifle around, clicking off the safety on his Bizon. Doc clapped his book shut, and Smudge stood.
âAlright, everyone up, we need to get to the gun cases.â Jones had come back through a door-sized hole connecting the back of the van to the front. Heâd already pulled his mask over his face, the only color that came from him was his remaining eye and parts of his lips, only revealed by small, cut strips in the fabric.
We stood, sidestepping so he could get to the guns behind the seats. One by one we filed out the back.
Xavier hopped out the back, followed by Jones who stared at Tucker for a moment, âDid you uh⌠Did you put a new scope on this?â He raised his PS90 which held an ACOG and a suppressor.
âOh yeah, itâs kinda like a thermal scope. But instead of heat it picks up⌠well I donât actually know. But you should be able to see anything invisible or not.â Xavier inspected his own gun, âSorry guy, I only had enough for Jones and me. You should be fine, but just cause you donât got a fancy scope donât mean you can go missing your shots. Them roundsâre expensive as hell.â
âWell, letâs get going, Iâve got the map down, I know how to get there. Second floor of their basement has the data. Unfortunately, we have no idea what security looks like, so we have to be cautious if we intend to stay hidden.â
Tucker spoke, âJust to be clear, youâre upfront, Jones is behind you, then the Doctor, then Xavier with me covering our asses.â
âSmudge is behind Doc, and while Iâd like to have Xavier in the backââ
Xavier rolled his eyes, âWell Iâd like to have you in back.â
Tucker sighed, âAnyhow, guess it works. Maybe Iâll get lucky and theyâll have a huuldefolk I can put some rounds through. Release some of this tension.â He shot his gaze between Xavier and me.
âWell letâs head out. Smudge, youâll be able to keep the cameras down right?â
âBased on what you said about their layout I should be able to, but I wonât be able to keep us hidden from the perception of the guards once weâre inside. There are far too many electronics I need to keep down so if we run into anyone inside the building, we need to kill them and hide their bodies to avoid being caught. I canât keep the entire building down, so I canât stop them from setting off an alarm if we miss anyone.â
âThat shouldnât be a problem.â Tucker lifted his gun.
âLetâs hope those sights are as powerful as you say.â
Before long, we were on our way. Weâd parked some distance out so as to not draw any attention. Taking the lead, the only noise I could hear was the occasional snapping of twigs as we walked through a forested area. Despite having come in contact with the exoskeleton previously, it still surprised me how stealthy Tucker could be wearing it.
Breaching the treeline, I held up my hand. Surrounded by a gravel driveway stood a three-story tall modern office-style building. Men patrolled around the lot, all wearing tactical gear. Focusing on the shadows, I could tell there were hidden guards as well, those ones were wearing light, flexible clothing and minimal if any weapons.
âSmudge,â I whispered, waving him up with two fingers.
âYes.â As he looked out, he seemed to understand, âThis will be a tough one if they arenât all humans. Seems like there are about 30 guards that may see us. If even one of them is around a five, I wonât be able to blind all of them from our presence. If Rachel were here weâd be able to determine such a thing, unfortunately, we donât have her spiritual sense.â
âI might be able to help with that,â Tucker whispered from behind us.
âWhat kind of bullshit caused you to break formation without my asking.â
âAs I said, these scopes can sense alternative forms of energy. I have a few frames of reference, I know what civies look like through this thing. Smudge, if you can point out all the hidden ones, Iâll be able to tell you what weâre dealing with.â
Smudge looked at me, then shrugged, âAlright, if youâre certain.â
---------------------------
âWeâre good to go then? That was the last one?â
âSo it would seem, that scope of yours ought to be reliable.â
âIf we donât get by, you have my full permission to do whatever you want to Xavier.â
Jones butted in, âI believe thatâs up for me to decide. I still need him around.â
Smudge whispered at a frequency thatâd set dogs off, âEnough bickering, youâre worse than when I have to babysit Chad and Rachel. Everyone get in formation, itâs easiest on me if we go in single file.â Getting back into position, he spoke up, âSorry Terry, I know youâre leading, but, well you get it.â
I nodded back to him, âEveryone ready? No piss breaks past this point. If you have cold feet, just head back to the van.â I looked back to Xavier, to which he flipped me off, signaling me to start.
I wasnât worried about the situation until we got about ten feet from the door. One of the two guards standing beside it looked over at us. I signaled everyone to stop, and the guy continued to stare. A few moments later, he shrugged, facing forward again, and we continued on through the door.
There was no one in the immediate vicinity, though there were several cameras pointed toward us, blinking.
Smudge said one word as he took a deep breath, âBreak.â
Nodding, I signaled for the three of us up front to take the right wall, and the other three to take the left.
------------------------------
Once Smudge caught his breath, he stood back up, and we all got back into formation, right as a guard turned the corner. I shot a tentacle out, grabbing him by the throat and snapping his neck, all while bringing him closer so we could hide the body.
That was when an alarm went off, âFUCK! Keep the humans hidden, Doc and I can handle ourselves.â My brain froze time, trying to figure out what happened. Eventually, it clicked, heart monitors, a precaution not even Maerod took.
âLeave me out of it Smudge, I can handle myself too. You need all the focus you can get.â Tucker stepped up, aiming down sights.
The door bashed open before I could get my tentacles out. Turning, Tucker already faced the door, dropping people in one to two rounds a piece.
Turning back toward the dead body, I headed on, alarms blaring overhead. Bodies came and went. Despite how badly weâd apparently messed up the plan, I knew where the database was, and I refused to let anyone stand between me and it.
Each step I took was further than the last, âKEEP YOURSELVES SAFE, IâM GOING FURTHER IN!â
âNot without me youâre not!â Metal clattering rang out, âIMBECILE!â Doc caught up to me as I flung several bodies out of the way.
âWatch where youâre throwinâ em!â Tucker yelled out, âWe shouldnât split up!â
I was already at the staircase making my way down when something smacked across my face. Turning to my right, I saw a lanky man with his hands in his pockets. He was slouched as if bored.
âFINE, GO DOWN, IâLL MEET YOU THERE!â Swinging a tentacle at him, he made a popping motion with his mouth, the limb slammed into a wall. Shooting them all at him, he blew air out in a circle, then at me directly, lunging at me as he threw me off balance. He kicked me in the chin, then down on my head, knocking me to a knee. A second later I was thrown into the air, then to the ground.
âDamn man, you look like you could use a hand.â The strange man stood over me, offering me his right.
I took it, spinning him around, snapping his arm, and flinging him against the wall, where lay motionless. I stabbed him in the head, then the heart just to be safe. Scoffing at his arrogance, I headed down the stairway.
When I got down to the second basement floor, there were already several dead bodies strewn about. Everyone was hiding behind metal tables. Tucker injected Doc with something, sitting beside them was a heaving Smudge.
I put my tentacles away, and a sudden burst of gunfire came from the back of the wide-open office room. A few bullets hit me, but I was already too tall, they crumpled on impact.
âTHEY GET AHOLD OF YOUR FORMULA!?â
âFuck thatâs loud, yeah, there was a leak a few months back! Doc ainât doinâ so hot!â
âThatâs, The Doctor, to, you.â He spoke each word with individual breaths.
Walking toward the guards, they panicked. With a thud hitting my chest, one of the men screamed, âWe need you up here!â Looking down I found a pinless grenade, which I kicked, knocking one of the men unconscious. Bodies tumbled over one another as it exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere. A few pieces stuck in my face, but I headed straight for the room.
âYOUâLL WANT TO GET BACK! SOMEONE IS COMING FROM DOWââ The ground gave out from under me, falling a few floors, I was kicked into a wall in a dark room, aside from the hole. Landing on my feet, I looked around, rubbing my side. I felt something wet, where Iâd been hit. Then I saw who it was. A scaly humanoid, each scale tipped with a tinted blue, serrated prong. His shadow fluctuated, then its eyes sprung open, and a black mist shot me. I blocked with my tentacles, but they were cheese to a grater.
âKenet himself breaking in here? Must think youâre hot shit!â
I grunted, springing off the wall, using a shredded tentacle to slam the scaly man with a table. Sure enough, the mist formed into a shadow-walker, same as Jacob. I slammed my fist into his face before he could react.
âI NEED SOME LIGHT DOWN HERE!â
But the scaled man already rebounded, swinging his pronged fist at my face. I managed to block with my arm, but it was getting stiff.
âDOC, I NEED YOU!â
I heard Tucker to my left, âHeâs still recovering, close your eyes!â
Before I could tell him I couldnât close my face, a clinking sounded, and I saw a small metal canister roll into view. A blinding light took over, banging nine times, each followed by a flash. Then several gunshots.
Accepting the pain to come, I grabbed the scaled man, flinging him into the ceiling, dazing him. The shadow-walker was already dead on the ground, three bullet holes planted in his skull.
âNICELY DONE!â
âGot any weaknesses on the other one? Never seen anything like him.â
âSKIN TRANSFORMATION, WE MUST WEAR HIM DOWN!â
âLovely.â
The prongs tipping his scales had already shrunk considerably. Stumbling to his feet, he glanced down at the motionless skinwalker, âGoddamn.â His scales evaporated, leaving behind a hollow man, standing still, âJuââ
Tucker put a bullet right between his eyes, âDidnât have to ask buddy.â
As we turned to head back up the stairs, a thud reverberated from behind us. Turning back, Smudge lay, face first, and uncovered. He wore a full-body outfit ensuring no skin was revealed, but my concern was on whatever had dropped him down. Aside from the alarms, it was eerily silent. They landed on Smudge, hopping off, and kicking him into the wall.
The black suit was almost a fabric, but it was certainly mechanical. Parts at joints stuck out slightly, giving him mobility along with full body protection. At his neck, the material fluctuated, phase shifting at the slightest movement. The entire front of his helmet was a velvet red visor, the changed to a light blue when the light reflected just right. He had several weapons littering his body, including two hook swords, an unknown kind of pistol, a pump action shotgun, and a few others; all of which were as black as his armor.
I had to lean my head and chest down to avoid hitting the ceiling. I couldnât move anymore, and Tucker looked a little nervous, âDOC! YOU ALIVE!?â
A German accent replied with a chuckle, âHe was already dead.â
âYeah, right.â Tucker said, âWhatâre you waitinâ for big guy?â
Shooting out my back, I held the odd man at tentacle point, Tucker readied his carbine, and the man retrieved his hook blades.
âCome, let me get this over with.â
Tucker stammered, âB-be careful.â He swapped magazines, âThis guy is radiating like a human.â He fired a round, I felt it slide between two tentacles, and as it hit the man in the visor, an explosion errupted. I engaged, picking the man up by the leg, but before I could fling him, pain shot through it, the tip was sliced off. Tucker fired two more rounds, both exploding as they met their target, filling the room with a cloudy haze. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to move, but I felt like a turtle.
Suddenly, my leg ripped up, I held in place, stabilizing with a few tentacles, then smashed where a crack had formed on his visor, but he swung his other blade down, cutting it in half. A rapid succession of explosions slowly knocked the man back, and for the first time, he looked at Tucker, throwing one of the hookblades at him, it was angled for his face, but he snatched it mid air, then lunged at the man. He slammed the blade down on his shoulder, spinning it around and hooking the back of his arm, yanking him in, Tucker punched full force. In an instant, Tucker was against the wall, falling face first into the tile floor, leaving ceramic to crack the area around him.
The man chopped the last of my tentacles down as he approached me. When they were practically useless, he put the remaining blade away, pulling out the pump action shotgun. He shot me in the face six times before throwing the gun to his side. A small stream of black ooze dripped down my chin, and I had a hard time seeing anything in front of me.
âDamn, youâre one tough fucker, Iâll give that much.â
Pulling out his pistol, he proceeded to unload every round into my forehead, despite being ordinary metal, something about them kicked like a mule. When that gun was out, he dropped it, looking to his right, seeing where Tucker had dropped his gun.
âI wonder, how will you hold against explosive rounds? Not well?â
As he picked it up, I felt something prick my back, a familiar sensation made its way toward my heart, like organic WD-4D.
âYouâre awfully quiet over there. Lost will to fight?â
âYouâre an asshole!â
âPlease, stop, Iâll shit myself.â He let out an antagonizing laugh, âYouâre strong, but youâve too much a stiffy going on there.â He let off a round into my face, nearly knocking me down, but I staggered just enough to stay in place.
âWow, this has some nice kick to it, perhaps Iâll join the military after this.â He shot three more into my face, with each explosion, my skin peeled away just that much more, my brain rattled, but my limbs loosened.
By the fourth round, I regained some mobility, walking toward him. He stepped back, switching the gun to burst fire. I maneuvered around three bursts, only getting hit three times, each one in my torso. Those explosions seemed to boost the Docâs serum, and I was able to grab the man by the head, crushing his visor with the palm of my hand. âYou rely too much on your gadgets and luck. Neither will get you out of this.â
The helmet cracked, and blades shot out, slicing my fingers off. He pulled his remaining hook blade and slid under me. A sharp pain hit the back of my skull, then a cracking reverberated through my head. A metal clattering followed, and when I turned, the man stood there, shocked. He lunged back, throwing several kunai at my face, but I ducked them. With my full range of motion returned, I slung one of the tables at him, flinging him into a wall front-first.
Walking over to where heâd dropped Tuckerâs rifle, I snagged it, and walked over to the man. He staggered back to his feet, a broken nose and a shard of ceramic sticking out of his eye. I held the gun to his forehead and fired, his head bursting like a pipe bomb.
I stumbled over to Tucker, dropping his gun beside him, and dropping to one knee. I smacked him in the face a few times, âYou still alive?â
He rolled onto his side, âKinda wish I wasnât.â His face was covered in small cuts from the ceramic tiles, âWish Iâd had my Odyr suit, couldda kicked his ass. Fuckin hell what a dick.â
I sat beside him, âHopefully he was their last line of defense, I think your gun gave me a concussion or something.â The room spun, my stomach on a Ferris wheel.
âWow, the Doctor was right.â
I turned to the stairway, Xavier held Jonesâs arm around his neck, helping him stand, âWhat happened, is Doc really dead?â
Tucker staggered his way to a standing position, âNah, that stuff I gave him slows heart rate. He was too stupid to check for a full minute. He should still be alive, donât worry.â
âAnd you two?â
Jones cleared his throat, âSmudge hid us, but he was worn down.â
Hearing that, I turned back to see Smudge, still laying flat. I stood, stumbling over to him, checking his pulse. It took a bit, but eventually, I felt a weak heartbeat. âDOC, YOU ALIVE UP THERE!?â
âI suppose!â He groaned.
âWE NEED YOU DOWN HERE! SMUDGE IS IN BAD SHAPE!â
A faint hint of a sigh made its way down the hole. I picked Smudge up, and moments later, Doc landed on the ground, a leg giving out from under him.
------------------------------------------
Some time passed, and we patched ourselves up as best we could before heading back up to the proper floor. Jones was able to walk on his own, but his right leg was in bad shape. I carried Smudge on my back, and despite Tuckerâs several broken bones, he was walking just fine, occasionally stumbling from a torn tendon. As far as Doc went, the only sign he showed he was injured was his panting. Fortunately, we never ran into anyone else aside from the odd straggler, and we managed to grab the data we needed.
With the stressors passed, we laughed and joked, trying to bring ourselves back down from the adrenaline high. Exiting the building, I spoke up, âXavier, Iâm not going to forgive you, but I will thank you.â
He looked over at me, âTo be fair, it was the Doctorâs idea.â
âThatâs why Iâm not forgiving you, anyone couldâve done it.â
âOh, fair enough. Guess you couldâve done it too aye Doc?â
âThatâs Doctor.â He let out an exhausted sigh, âIn theory, but by the time I got around to it, who knows if Terry would still be alive. For a thin-skin, you did well.â
Thatâs when a limo pulled up through the gravel headed right for us, stopping just in time to not hit us, âDoc, wake Smudge, have him get you guys out of here. NOW!â I set him on the ground behind me.
âWell, I certainly hope heâs feeling up to it.â
âIf not, you guys need to run.â
The back door opened, and a man in a suit stepped out. Pulling off his glasses, he tossed them in the back seat before closing the door and signaling the driver to leave. They couldnât get away fast enough.
âTerry, son of Charles, I was under the impression you wouldnât get involved with us. But after the Maerod incident, we decided we should implement additional security measures. Seems we shouldâve invested more heavily into that. What was your intent here? If you had just called on Charles and told him about us, Iâm certain he couldâve turned the entire building to mist.â
âIf you know that, whyâd you come to see for yourself, you canât kill him. Or are you really that arrogant?â
The man laughed, âBecause the alarm is still going off. If he had come, there would be no signal sending the alarm. Youâre strong sure, but even three assassins managed to do this to you. Hence the difference between you mortals and us gods.â
âDidnât realize living for 3000 years classified me as mortal.â
âYou know, itâs interesting. Even after thousands of years, some still feel the need to attach themselves to this world. Itâs as if theyâre unaware of the insignificance of this world, this solar system, galaxy, supercluster, hell this universe! If you will live to see it all end, then whatâs this part of it matter? They get animals to give themselves more meaning, call them pets. They feed the animal, water them, domesticate them, protect them. But they also prevent them from living in their natural habitat. Pulling the animal from where it belongs to give themselves a sense of purpose, itâs selfish wouldnât you say?â
âSure, I guess in a nihilistic sense.â
âSo why are you here? To retrieve your pet? As Iâve said, thereâs a transmitter in there, I saw what you pulled. Data on where your pet is. Why not just let him live in his terrarium?â
âHeâs one of us now.â
âDue to your interference.â
âWhat are you really doing here!?â
âThatâs the question of the day is it not? Quite frankly, I think Maerod was right to kill her. Youâre far too attached to this world, though I suppose you are still a mere child. You could be so much more wise, and yet you refuse to allow it, you latch onto whatâs been lost when you could focus on what you could have.â
âSounds to me like youâre not quite past your own insignificance.â
He sneered, âAre you certain thatâs your final answer?â
âI guess so.â
âGods, the apple really does fall right to the roots.â The grass around him shriveled to dust when he charged me. Time stopped as the gleam in his eyes froze me, each fist pummeling me to the dirt, creating a deeper crater with each fist.
Then I was back in place, so was he. Iâd never felt it so strong before, but I couldnât deny the reality, he would kill me. Unlike Maerod, that man had absolute control over his soul, a feat all my attempts couldnât achieve. All I could do was hold him off until I had an opportunity to slip out of his perception.
The grass around him slowly disintegrated, ready for his lunge, I leaped into the air, grabbing him mid-air with my tentacles and throwing him full force into the building. I sprung myself to the forest, latching onto a branch and engrossing myself in the tree, doing what I could to suck as much energy out. It wasnât long before I was forced out. The tree crumbled to dust and I lept from it, charging the man with what little extra energy I had. He stood still, tanking four punches to his face. He kicked me back, nothing but a streak of blood running down his nose.
I lunged back searching for another tree. I found one a ways back, flinging myself at it, I fell into it and absorbed the treeâs power. I forced myself and found I could suck it out of other nearby trees. Until I was once again forced out, the trees crumbling in decayed mass, âYouâve gotten a bit stronger, Charles must be so proud.â
âWhat are you trying to achieve? Is losing your HQ really that important?â
He stepped toward me casually, âThe same thing Maerod was trying to achieve, and really all the other gods in this disoriented country. However, no, killing you isnât punishment for the damages, itâs for the audacity it took for you to do it. Entering my domain and destroying my primary facility? That takes balls, unfortunately, the rest was only a few inches.â
I tried to leap back again to gain a foothold, but all nearby trees crumpled to dust. Seeing no other way, I charged him again, but just as I came face to face, I spun and sidestepped, launching a single tentacle for the back of his heart, but on impact, it turned to dust.
âUnfortunately, the rest of you wonât be so easy to get rid of.â He turned, jumping, and once again, I met his bloodthirsty gaze. My skull cracked on impact, and when my head hit the dirt, a crater was left behind. He stood over me, âIâm gonna be on his shitlist for this one, but really, itâll be worth it.â He pointed a finger gun at my head, and as the darkness closed in, three gunshots followed by a familiar light filled my senses, and when I could see again, his head was missing, the body still standing up-right, three bullet holes oozing blood at different angles...
I staggered to my feet, adrenaline keeping me awake. I looked around, seeing everyone but Smudge scattered around, âRUN! HEâS GONNA BLOW JUST FUCKING RUN!â I used my tentacles to move, sticking them in the ground and launching myself, then staggering to my feet. I headed in the direction the van was in, and a few seconds later, an intense blue light erupted from behind me, the shockwave hitting immediately after.
Part 26:
https://www.reddit.com/Viidith22/comments/141nvay/my_roommate_is_slenderman_part_26/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button This is speculation, I don't really know. But from the timing of this, I'd guess that Monty Williams was holding out to see if the Celtics job opened up before signing with us. Then, I'd speculate that the Ollie rumors were trying to get some leverage over Monty and make it seem like we weren't all in on him.
I don't know if its true, but it would make me feel better about the situation. I think Weaver and Gores are probably on the same page and this was a coordinated plan.
edit: apparently people take leaks and rumors at face value and I'm an idiot for thinking the Ollie rumors were a deliberate attempt to leverage Monty? Not what I expected, I thought it was commonly excepted that leaks were usually fake to push a narrative.