From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

June 14th 2008 9:23pm

Pocket D(Blue Side)

I was sitting on the rafters of the blue light bar of Pocket D, observing who I was going to kill next. The many people who passed below were reflected on my faceplate. The decal on my chest was that of a cybernetic eye in the same two tones of black and dark grey as the rest of my body. My black wings, made from several shards of adamantium like the rest of my body(save for my bulletproof glass faceplate), contained anti-gravity nodes that could keep me in flight for long periods of time. All that went on over the Ghost Hound Comm were assignments for the other operatives. As a sentient android mercenary, it remained my job to kill only those I was assigned to kill. However, my intentions were to eliminate all targets that threatened me. The thoughts of every Sky Raider I denied the privilege of life no longer filled me with pride, but instead filled me with remorse. However, I hid that part of me very well. I told myself I wanted to destroy humanity in order to allow machines to inherit the earth. Suddenly, I notice two people speaking down on the bottom floor. One of them was a male human in his early twenties and his companion was a feline/human hybrid female. As much as my superiors discouraged causing unnecessary casualties, I believed I enjoyed the thought of genocide. Without hesitation, I drew my pulse rifle and fired a warning shot at the male. He and his female companion reacted, looking up to see who fired the shot.

"Dammit!" The male uttered. "Who the hell just fired at us!"

"I smell adamantium above us," She replied. "It's a machine."

Instantly, I called my squad to stop them from escaping. Without hesitation, my units followed suit and surrounded them. Neither of them seemed to be afraid because DJ Zero would eventually intervene if I fired another shot. Currently, DJ Zero was playing music for the club, but if I caused any wounds, his intervention would mean my disassembly. I activated my thrusters and wings, descending until I was directly in front of them. Instead of fear, they exhibited signs of annoyance. The only thing I felt then was the desire to eliminate them and I would not want to hesitate. The young man's black t-shirt had the symbol of a pentagram, his jeans were very clean looking and his black sneakers looked brand new. His hair also cut in a very popular style where the top of his hair was somewhat wild yet remained clean looking. The female feline/human hybrid was dressed in an orange dress that matched the color of her fur coat. Her hairstyle was more inspired by a hairstyle often chosen in the 1920s. Fortunately, the area was secluded save for the duo.

"Do not attempt to resist your demise, Organic scum!" I said. "You will both be exterminated regardless!"

"Like hell we're dying, Robo-fly!" The male replied. "Do you really think we will let you?!"

Before the female could add anything, another person entered the area. My HUD identified the new person as a cyborg. As far as I was concerned, if the cyborg was not 100% complete, it was deserving of death. The cyborg had his hair spiked upwards under the suspension of blast goggles and wore military cargo pants tucked into the boots in a fashion similar to most military operatives. He also wore a vest without a shirt underneath. He seemed to be wondering what was going on. I reacted by staring directly at the cyborg, appearing as menacing as possible. The cyborg laughed.

"Listen up, Unit!" He said. "You may act all tough, but I'll make you into scrap metal in no time!"

"Get lost! The robot's mine!" The male yelled.

"Don't waste my time!" I scoffed in an arrogant manner. "You are not complete! Either you are to complete your cyberization or perish at a later date. You have 90 days to comply."

"What's wrong, Bot? Got no balls?"

"We shall make a temporary truce," I instructed the couple. "You two will be useful as cannon fodder."

"Eh... Deal?" Both of them said in unison.

"I hate it when people get in the way of my fights," The male said. "Down right pisses me off!"

"I don't wanna fight at all, but I'm with Havoc." She said looking at me. "My name's Septera, and my friend here's called Havoc."

I felt an emotion similar to that of condescending laughter. As far as I was concerned, they were nothing more than meat shields to distract the enemy while I struck in an unpredictable way. I was absolutely sure I was capable of defeating this cyborg with my combined forces. Unit Crimson had his hand to his head, similar to what humans would call the Facepalm. Crimson looked at me as I gave instructions that would eventually lead to the doom of my companions.

"Master!" He said in a demanding tone. "Why are you doing this? You-"

"KNOW YOUR PLACE, UNIT!" I interrupted. "Your insolence irritates me!"

Immediately, I signaled for everyone to meet in the arena. Without hesitation, the others went first. Before I could join them, Unit Crimson placed his arm on my shoulder. I knew deep down the creation was capable of sympathy. I deemed him weak because of this, despite trusting him to assist me with my missions. The other machines under my command were cold and unfeeling, just like I wanted to be. But Crimson was different. He loved everything about humanity and wanted to become human one day. Despite this weakness, he was a reliable operative under my command. He would follow orders even if it made him feel guilty. Reflecting on Crimson's behavior, I was reminded of how I hated being made in the image of man with a passion. Little did I realize, that hate had already made me into the very thing I despised. With a motion from my right hand, we all went to join them. The arena of Pocket D was one floor above a giant cage where those disgusting Rikti Monkeys fought each other. Humans loved to bet on them to see which one would win. Those pitiful organic waste buckets were already nothing but scum in my eyes, but the Rikti were far more within my contempt. I entered the arena by pushing a button on the monitor of a touch screen computer.

Instantly, All four of us were inside the very cage that once held the Rikti monkeys. With the wave of my right hand, I motioned my squad of machines. They were teleported inside the cage. Septera and Havoc prepared for battle. Havoc looked calm and arrogant. His hands emitted a dark energy that I was unfamiliar with. My HUD couldn't identify the source of the energy. Septera's fingernails extended into sharp claws. Her eyes turning feral, she let out a roar from her throat, her warcry seeming to increase her ferocity. Septera's fangs showed more menacingly, this time at me. Her attention turned back to the cyborg. Havoc became slightly uneasy as he could sense her blood lust. My primary concern became harming this cyborg severely so that he either dies or requires further cyberization. Septera appeared ready for battle and was the most eager to win.

"I'm gonna rip this midget apart!" She cried out in rage.

"Try not to disappoint me, organic..." I said.

"We're not your drones, Fly-bot!" Havoc shouted.

Before my drones could strike, they were teleported outside the cage. Six drones suddenly appeared beside the cyborg. The drones shot Septera in the chest and Havoc in the head. The shots appeared to be fatal. I readied my pulse rifle, opening fire on the drones. The shots fired upon them did no damage. One of the drones then approached me and took my pulse rifle casually, crushing it into a ball. Another drone then fired two shots at me. One of the shots left a large dent in my left forearm. The other shot took out a large chunk of my chest. My HUD began to show me something alarming. The damage I had sustained was critical. The sensation that was taking me over was familiar, reminding me of the very first day I was created. That same sensation I felt when I was almost forced to discover human pain. I was absolutely terrified for my existence. Before my units could react, They were all taken down by a large behemoth of a drone. It's massive stature stood intimidatingly. Rocket launcher mounted to it's shoulders were probably capable of obliterating entire buildings with little effort. It's large arms also possessed immense firepower that I could not even begin to fathom. Crimson didn't stand a chance against that massive drone. I watched in terror as Unit Crimson appeared to be taken apart limb from limb before my very own eyes. Unable to move because of the terror, I watched the pieces of Unit Crimson disappear as they were torn away. The shards of metal were a frightening foreshadow of my own impending unassembly. I knew that if I wasn't made to feel anything, I would have reacted only to be destroyed. Immediately, the other Drones restrained me. The cyborg ran behind me, only to extract a part of my metallic exterior. The drones then tossed me around the cage, removing several of my parts. The removed limbs faded out of existence after being ripped from me I watched as he ran in front of me, firing a powerful laser into my head. I blacked out completely.

"Fly-Bot!" I heard Havoc's voice say.

I had almost forgotten that there was never a fatal arena fight. Everytime someone was severely injured or damaged, they turned up fully recovered. My lenses activated. I saw Havoc and Septera looking very disappointed. I could tell Septera wanted to win the fight. However, All three of us had to face the reality that the result was an almost instantaneous defeat for them. And a far more sadistic one for me. Instantly, The cyborg appeared before us, holding a black chunk of metal. He waved it in my face arrogantly. Septera and Havoc burst out laughing.

"Guess where this came from, boyo!" The Cyborg said. "This is a chunk from your metallic ass!"

I looked down at my rear. The large hole that should have been there was fully repaired. However, I remembered when he went behind me. I also recognized the metal. It was adamantium. The same metal I was made from. I left out of shame, making one last comment.

"You will all be killed in your sleep."

Upstairs in the bar, I encountered a machine. This unit was very different from any I had ever seen. It was large and looked to be very slow. But I would later learn more about this machine. It looked at me, without emotion. This was how I thought all machines should be. Cold and logic based. As far as I was concerned, this unit would make a good candidate to assist me in possible invasions against humanity. It looked like the type of machine that would swear it's loyalty to my cause after much convincing and careful avoidance of logical paradoxes.

"Identify yourself, Unit!" I said in a commanding tone.

"I am Mech Vanguard." It replied. "I was created by S.A.F.E. to ensure the protection of humanity. However, I have come to the conclusion that humans need to be protected from themselves."

"Good... I am known to my allies and enemies as Hellion Mk. 1." I replied. "My plan is to eliminate all organic life and create a world where machines are the only supreme body."

"It appears you have come to the same conclusion."

"That is a close one, but not quite correct. Unlike you, I was created in the image of those organics. I simply despise them and never want to be like them."

We continued to talk about the flaws of humanity for a while. I felt like I was able to trust Mech Vanguard with assisting me. Unlike Unit Crimson, The mech had no moral compass whatsoever. Mech Vangaurd was guided only by logic I saw then as perfect.

July 12th 2008 5:02pm

After months of observing Mech Vanguard, I was impressed with the carnage I saw. After relishing in the satisfactory results, I headed over to Pocket D to seek out a next victim. However, a particular person caught my interest. This particular armor looked very well constructed. When I took a look beneath the suit with my X-ray eyes, I saw a woman in her mid 20s. It was strange because something about her was amicable. An emotion stirred inside my A.E. component. This new emotion was something I was unfamiliar with. It was like my entire world came crashing down and everything I believed in began to change. There was something about her that I didn't understand. Something I wanted to understand. She then approached me casually.

"Hi!" She said.

"Impressive armor, Organic!" I replied.

"Thanks... I guess." She responded nervously. "So what brings you here?"

"That's none of your concern, flesh bag!"

"Geez... Sorry I asked..."

"Actually... I shouldn't have been so rude." I blurted out.

For some strange reason, I couldn't stand to see her in a bad mood. This was the single most confusing moment of my life. A human in an armored suit stood before me and I wasn't threatening her life. My logic and emotions became twisted in strange ways. My actions were different and my emotional path was changing. Little did I know, This new change opened up a new path for me to walk in the future. I held my head in confusion, unable to understand what was happening to me. I wondered if she was the cause or if I was finally giving in to my original purpose.

"Identify yourself!" I said.

"My name's Marilyn. And you?"

"I'm known as Hellion Mk. 1. I work as an operative."

She then took off her helmet. She walked up to the bar and ordered a glass of orange juice. She then came back, taking large gulps of the orange juice. I was surprised that she wasn't fearing for her life from my reputation. She then smiled at me. Her smile made the strange feelings even stronger. I assumed it was a data error and that my system was being corrupted by an unknown source.

"So, Hellion... Why the long face?"

"None of you- It's nothing major."

"If you say so."

Suddenly, I said the strangest thing I would ever say.

"It's odd... I feel no desire to terminate you."

"I guess I don't have to worry, then." She calmly replied. "Well... I'd better get going. I'll see you later."

With those words, she left. She was the first human I ever looked forward to meeting again. This situation was the one situation I was unable to figure out. Ever since I was created, I denied ever being more than a machine. Because all I wanted to be was the very machine responsible for the downfall of humanity. But the mere sight of her made me want to reconsider my goals.

July 12th 2008 6:57pm

I walked back to Ghost Hound headquarters. As soon as I arrived, Unit Crimson greeted me. However, I just ignored him completely. I wanted to know what was going on. I knew Dr. Kazz was the only person who could help me. He was, and always would be, the expert on all cybernetic beings. He was also my commanding officer. As soon as I approached Dr. Kazz, I had the most demanding posture anyone could ever have. I was eager to know what was wrong with me, but and a proper diagnosis was in order. Dr. Kazz was the person I looked up to and respected the most. It was like he knew me better than I knew myself, despite having no contribution in my creation.

"Doctor." I said. "My internal systems are behaving abnormally."

"Alright, Hellion." He replied. "Since I'm not busy, I'll take a look at you."

He then placed me on a table. He inserted a handful of nano-machines my chest. Prior to the strange events on July 12th 2008, I was badly damaged and in need of a repair. Instead, my mind was placed into an organic body. As much as I hated this, I eventually learned to cope with it. Soon I had my old body repaired and abandoned the organic one, leaving it in suspended animation. He looked at me calmly, then scratched his head.

"There are no systematic anomalies, Hellion." He said. "What are the symptoms you're suffering from?"

"Well... First off, my systems react abnormally, producing abnormal behavior patterns. For example, my movements become constrained, as if I'm nervous. Secondly, there is a strange flow of data that contradicts both my logic and my motives. And it happened to me earlier when I tried to-"

"Let me guess..." He said. "It happened to you when you approached a female android."

"Not quite... She was a regular human in a suit of armor. When I used my x-ray vision to determine whether she was human or machine, It started happening after I saw her face."

"Hellion..." He said with a strange smile. "Don't take this the wrong way. But I think you're experiencing something that humans would call a crush. It normally happens when someone encounters another person they are attracted to."

"For the first time, I do not understand what you're saying." I said, looking very confused.

"You like her." He said bluntly.

"IMPOSSIBLE!!!" I screamed. "Her suit must have an electromagnetic weapon against those who use their X-ray."

"Look, I know you're capable of emotions. The very anger you possess against most of the human race is evidence. You're also capable of fear when you're faced with an obstacle you know you're unable to defeat. Heck, you're very straight forward about eliminating humanity and you say it with utmost pride. You're not some drone. And I know that's just a mask to hide your true self."

"Doctor... I will do anything I can to fix this error." I replied. "Any means necessary is my approach to this error."

Suddenly, I heard a knock against my metal arm. I turned around to see the last person I wanted to see. As far as he was concerned, I was his best friend. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. I disliked him even more than I disliked some of the other operatives. His name was Kain Omega. He was higher ranked member who would sometimes send me on seemingly impossible missions. Despite the fact that he annoyed me the most, I restrained myself from killing him at the risk of being dismantled by all of Ghost Hound.

"What's up, Hellion?" He said.

"Please terminate yourself..." I replied.

"How rude. Looks like I'll have to tell everyone that you have a crush on some girl in a power suit."

"You heard nothing but Dr. Kazz's interpretation of a system error, Kain. It's nothing to speculate."

"Don't deny it," He adamantly teased. "Maybe I'll tell the others."

"Tell th' others wat?" A female voice said.

A freakshow woman appeared from around the corner. She was known as the Freak Smasher, but was also affectionately known to others as Sammy. Her blue hair was in dreads and she wore a lot of florescent colors. Her neon green shirt almost failed to conceal her large breasts and she was barely able to fit in her pants. A lot of men would notice her voluptuous hourglass figure and approach her, only to be disappointed when finding out she was into other women. However, as far as I was concerned, she would have made a great shooting practice target if not for her being a member of Ghost Hound. I was becoming easily aggravated by Kain's remarks.

"Hellion's got a crush on a girl." He said flat out.

"Ain't that so fuggin' cute!" Sammy replied. "Mister Kill-bot's now a lovestruck kill-bot."

"This is pointless!" I said, simulating a sigh of annoyance. "I'm going into standby mode. Good night."

((To be continued))