Me, Myself and I

[Robert55]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :psyduck: An epic in the making

[Maharg67]

0149: I WAS THE EYE

More lots of parachute-canisters had fallen and now ten groups, each of ten 3x3x3 cube containers, landed on the DC Wastelands. Fighting was still going on in the general north-west of the DC between FA and MP Forces. While there were still many skirmishes there had also been five small, savage battles involving larger forces.

I warned the Free Alliance about the hidden complex and what was in it. That they faced such a powerful enemy force so very close to their home territories, was a great shock and they were not greatly prepared for fighting on two fronts. It seemed that the Free Alliance was deep in trouble.

Until Field Marshal Rear Admiral showed up, from the west, with a massive military force in the form of a very big formation of aeroships, hoverships and even helicopterships. There were also massive, atomic powered, transport jumpjets, advanced airships and other aircraft. Jumpjets flew in protective patrols, circling the great aerial fleet. At the center, of the formation, was a gigantic flying citadel and this was to be the HQ of FMRA himself.

Strangely enough the enemy did not react by trying to attack before the new FA Forces could could dig in. Why they did not try to take advantage of that moment puzzled me except that perhaps it was something to do with the more hidden nature of what was happening; perhaps it was because of the twisted nature of the TwistedGod.

What I did work out, and 'sense', was that very soon the DC Wastelands would be involved in a terrible conflict. This would be the war that had been promised before but which had not happened.

More people, all life, had to be sent to the safety of the Ringdom. Especially as, suddenly, the rest of us JaeiouThirteen broke free our our entrapment. The dark force that had held us was gone but we knew it was a malignant, distorted aspect of the TwistedGod that had once been the AncientGod.

Which was when, just to make matters more complicated and harder, that ShadowLords began to appear with ShadowOnes. They were angry and seeking revenge on the force that had betrayed them but that was not the Free Alliance. Yet they would not even consider becoming part of that same alliance.

Edited April 9, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0150: WE WERE JACK, JACKOMAN, JAKEMAN AND JASMINE

 

We appeared in a big old bunker chamber deep beneath the DC Wastelands surface, with a big silent machine melded into one wall along with a dozen functioning robots. The LittleFatWoman was floating in a great round tank, her nudity hidden largely by the cloudy effect of the liquid. The robots tended her needs and those of dozens of cats, dogs and other animals in the chamber.

 

The four of us stood in super power armor as the LittleFatWoman spoke clearly, as if she was not deep inside a powerful, sophisticated regenerating rejuvenating device that was keeping her 'alive' though not in any mortal sense of the word.

 

The four of you need to go to the Chamber of Thirteen Phases Focus. You will know why when you get there.

 

I, Jasmine, responded. We know much more now than we did, we are more aware but there are still many questions to be answered.

 

The LittleFatWoman spoke again, slightly less weakly. I must go now, taking my pet companions with me, but there will be assistance for you. Remember to always forgive is wisdom and that includes forgiving one self!

 

Then she was gone, almost as if she had never been there, the device and the pet companions vanishing with her. We wondered what her last words meant in relation to us, why she had spoken them just before departing.

 

There stood the two Mysterious Strangers, a man and a woman, along with the real Uncle Leo. There was a hulking supermutant called Fawkes who carried a powerful gattling-blaster. He was big for a supermutant but was dwarfed by Uncle Leo who was a behemoth. Star Paladin Cross was a powerful black woman in super power armor who was armed with a very powerful sniper-rifle. There was also a big dog named Dogmeat, a ghoul radhuman named Charon, and a floating MrGutsy robot named Sergeant RL3. All were more than they appeared to be.

 

We set out towards the Chamber of Thirteen Phases Focus, the C13PF, but not directly for there was no direct route. We had to head almost straight downwards using a spiral rampway tunnel, a very big one dotted with abandoned electric trucks.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0151: WE WERE JACK, JACKOMAN, JAKEMAN AND JASMINE

 

We started going through a strange series of different environments reflecting different parts of the Marslands.

 

First was what looked like typical DC Subways; the difference was that there were many thousands of ghostlike PreDoomsday people moving through the air, or just standing around. Stranger were the ghostly subway trains racing along, sometimes pausing at platforms to take on and drop off passengers.

 

The local radroaches, radbeetles, giant molerats, zhouls and other entities had gotten used to the phantoms and mostly behaved as if they were not there. Now and then there would be some giant molerats watching the ghostly activity with much curiosity for such creatures could be very curious.

 

The phantom, ghost like people, were far from hostile to us. Sometimes they looked upon us with curiosity but mostly they just ignored us as they mimicked going through the every days actions of PreDoomsday life. They appeared to be trapped into doing so. Perhaps they had been doing so on Mars Doomsday itself when everything had gone wrong.

 

We continued through subway tunnels empty of phantoms and then we went through a standard, large armored vault wheel-door. It simply rolled to one side as we approached to reveal a huge quarantine security airlock and the LittleFatGirl was there, looking tired and sitting in a fancy hoverchair. We 'sensed' welcome warmth emanating from her as we entered that big chamber and the door wheeled shut behind us.

 

There were also thirteen super power armored figures, being the 3^rd Thirteen of the ThirteenThirteen. They served us but, more, were linked to us intrinsically. They were ready to go with us as the others were, to assist us, but they would travel behind us as a separate unit both being a rear guard and being ready to come to our assistance.

 

There were also hovering robots and androids, all of great sophistication, ready to assist us. The robots were mostly hovering carrybots with extra equipment and supplies along with some special items. The androids and robots would travel behind us but in front of the 3^rd Thirteen.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0152: WE WERE JACK, JACKOMAN, JAKEMAN AND JASMINE

 

The LittleFatGirl yawned and then spoke in a way that was both quiet and yet carried easily to everybody there. So smart, so dumb, so silly, so wise, so blind..... mother father told me of this long ago but did I believe it to be so possible... no, I did not. Yet we all have sung the Song of Tears, have danced the Dance of Shame. The JaeiouThirteen, what do you really think that you are?

 

We had no real answers, so complete ones, but only partial answers.

 

I, Jakeman, spoke. We are many things, linked to many great entities, like the Q-Continuum, the Circling Circles, you the LittleFatFolk and the TwistedGod.

 

Yes, but what does that mean? The LittleFatGirl showed mild frustration, with us, for just a short moment and then smiled. We LittleFatFolk are also linked to the TwistedGod, are an aspect of it though at odds with the rest of it. We are not at the very core of the TwistedGod.

 

I, Jack, spoke. Neither are we! Yet even as I said it, I knew that this was not true.

 

We, the whole of the JaeiouThirteen and not just the four aspects in that chamber, were deeply shocked and the pain, the sadness, the guilt and other dark emotions were a deep seething ocean that threatened to drown us. Then it was gone and yet we were still badly shaken.

 

We, the JaeiouThirteen, were at the very core of the TwistedGod. How could that be? We swore, to ourselves, that it made no sense and yet we knew, somehow, that it did. We had to admit to the truth though it was extremely hard to do so.

 

I, Jasmine, spoke. According to the story, the GeniusThirteen created us!

 

The LittleFatGirl sighed, as if relieved. At last you have accepted, you have dropped your guards so that we can speak full truth to you. We, the LittleFatFolk, tried to do so before but you blocked us from doing so with out even knowing you were doing so at a higher level of awareness. You have blocked others from giving you the truth and blocked knowing the truth when you ran into it otherwise. So you have gained fragments of truth that sometimes seemed contradictory.

 

I, Jackoman, spoke. We need to meet, as the whole JaeiouThirteen, and...

 

But the LittleFatGirl warmly, firmly, cut in. Please just complete this mission. No more procrastination so you can avoid facing the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Then she vanished almost as if she had never been there.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0153: WE WERE JACK, JACKOMAN, JAKEMAN AND JASMINE

 

We stood there for a short while, not knowing what to say, and then decided to focus on the mission to go to the C13PF.

 

Behind the inner vault wheel-door was a great vault that looked mostly like a TekVault but with some strange extras, odd areas and inhabitants. Hundreds of men and women were active in the TekVault01010 but most were doing things that were not typical of vaultfolk keeping a vault running properly. While many vaultfolk wore blue jumpsuits, or other colored vault jumpsuits, others were naked, seminaked or wore PreDoomsday gear or strange outfits of clowns, skin divers, marching band members or much else.

 

We made our way past a whole lot of men, and women, in leotards doing aerobics to music. We avoided rows of soldiers shooting rifles at expensive vases that 'magically fixed' after they were blasted apart by powerful calibre bullets. We certainly avoided the big orgy going on in one chamber, going around the chamber using hallways until we got back on track.

 

Somehow we just knew where to go, in what direction to head.

 

The vault freeway tunnel was very big and we used a convoy of advanced electric trucks, that we just started using with out any fuss at all, to zip along it at a high cruising speed. Other vehicles used the freeway, most of them being practical in nature to a vault, but many being from odd to extremely eccentric. We passed a sailing galleon on sixteen wheels, a hot rod with a roof shaped like a power armor helmet, a big hotdog on eight wheels, a whole lot of rough looking bikies riding big, powerful electric motorbikes and fast running legged machines.

 

We began to understand that we were no longer fully in the reality of the DC Wastelands but not gone entirely from it either. Instead we were on the edge of two such, where they met and merged with each other.

 

We came to a place to halt, to park the electric trucks, and left them behind. Next was a huge wheel-door but this one had on it the black-white YingYang symbol on it.

 

We found ourselves to be most reluctant, even frightened, to go through that particular exit though in truth it looked like any typical vault wheel-door, apart from the YingYang symbol.

 

Then the wheel-door began to roll open and revealed yet another surprise to come. Revealed before us was a strange cavern of blackened stone and carvings in the rock that seemed both horrific and part melted by amazing intense heat.

 

In the very center of that cavern was a large fully functioning OblivionGate.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0154: WE WERE JACK, JACKOMAN, JAKEMAN AND JASMINE

 

We passed through the OblivionGate and entered the Deadlands of Mehrunes Dagon. It was a brutally hard landscape of rocks, bizarre metallic towers and very tough ugly plants. In the distance we could see a great ocean of larva that stretched into the distance to the horizon.

 

We came upon stunted-scamps, workers, who fled away from us and ceased tending to small crops of odd plants. Then came taller scamps who threw blazing fireballs from both hands that they thrust out before them, palms facing the target. The tailed furry scamps were only the first to come at us.

 

We kept moving and fought off attackers while trying to do as little harm to them as possible. We could not communicate with the not very intelligent scamps but soon came dremora, ugly humanoids equipped with strange daedric magical armor and weapons. At first the dremora attacked with out any attempt to listen as we asked for negotiations to take place.

 

After a dozen dremora lay dead, or dying, along with many more scamps, then the attackers all withdrew abruptly. They took the dying with them. A high ranking dremora came forth, in fancy dremora armor, and stood glowering at us with obvious rage and other hostile sentiments.

 

Then he spoke. Firstly you intrude and then you try to negotiate?

 

The male Mysterious Stranger spoke back in the same dremora language. We had no choice but to come through the OblivionGate and we did not know where it would bring us. We offer this!

 

He held up a thick leather gloved hand and on it was a daedric artifact that looked like a blood red tinged crystal ball on-in a blood-metal stand. It was intricately made with alien crystals dotting it in odd patterns. The crystals flashed, sometimes, in a dull pattern.

 

The dremora had one look at the artifact, looked surprised by the standards of the taciturn people, and then spoke with less aggression. You have a deal, name your terms! My master has spoken to me and he gives his word as a Daedric Prince that you will be safe to travel through the Deadlands.

 

The artifact was a Dagononto, a powerful device made by Mehrunes Dagon himself many centuries ago. The daedric deity had put part of himself into the artifact and when it was stolen, it cost him heavily in more way than one. Mehrunes Dagon was generally an evil Daedric Prince but when he gave his word he kept it. There were a few reasons for this, one being that he could continue to carry on negotiations more easily with others.

 

We were soon moving on but this time the powerful Dremora Lord was leading us.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0155: WE WERE JACK, JACKOMAN, JAKEMAN AND JASMINE

We expected not to be attacked in the Deadlands, once an agreement had been formed, and the daedra did no such thing. No, it was other things that did so and they also attacked the local daedra.

Swarms of undead were coming out of a big OblivionGate being led by a very powerful LichKing floating like some ghastly tall humanoid in rotting silken robes above the hard ground. Zombies swarmed mostly commonly but there were skeletors with basic weapons, wraiths floating through the air, undead beasts and a smaller swarm of vampires in necromantic armor and bearing necromancer magical weapons.

We found ourselves fighting as temporary allies to the daedra, unleashing our firepower upon the undead even as the armies of Mehrunes Dagon rallied and swarmed at the enemy. Spider-daedra, daedric elementals, dremora, scamps, taller scamp like scards with basic weapons, dragon like daegrons darting through the air and others. There were also big quasiliving daedric war-monsters on strange curved legs, each equipped with the same kind of energy weapon as were the towers that dotted the Deadlands.

We gave over the Dagononto, early, to a dremora lady of high elite class. It was a gamble but Mehrunes Dagon sent an urgent message that he needed the artifact to close the intruding OblivionGate that was letting the undead to invade his realm. We 'sensed' truth in his words including his confirmation that he would not betray our agreement. Indeed he offered 'something extra' that he knew we would have great use for.

We continued to fight and as we did we went forward towards where another OblivionGate awaited for us to use to leave behind the Deadlands, as terrible and harsh as they were though no worse than the Wastelands. Perhaps that's why we took the Deadlands pretty much in our stride.

The dremora were very interested in our weaponry, observing the use of them with sharply intelligent eyes. We did not like this and we gave no information away, but we had no real chance to hide what we were doing. As for our more exotic powers, the daedra simply took these to be some form of exotic, unknown to them, magic.

The OblivionGate, from which the undead were pouring, was closed and became just a blackened area with a few remains. We helped to destroy the ravenous invading undead, freeing many souls in the process, and getting even closer to our own OblivionGate exit.

Then we were there and there, resting on a blacked rocky ledge were five artifacts that would be very important to us in future. We took them up, had one more look around, and then vanished through the OblivionGate.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0156: WE WERE JACK, JACKOMAN, JAKEMAN AND JASMINE

We had ourselves an AlphaKey, an OmegaKey, an AlphaOmegaLinker, a RealityStabilizer and a WantMaker. We doubted that it was just luck that Mehrunes Dagon had ended up with them and had come to offer them to us. Again some force had been playing with reality, pulling the strings of both mortal and immortal puppets.

The new environment was almost familiar and was thus even stranger than the Oblivion Realm of the Deadlands. For we were in a typical Wastelander vault but we were tiny in comparison to it; we were in a TekVault of giant people except there did not seem to be any giant people around, at least not where we were.

We began in a normal vault bedroom that was a vast chamber to us. We made our way past a massive robotic teddy-bear and a great red bouncy ball. A huge bed was to one side and a in another direction was a locker, a set of drawers, a mirror on a wall and a pellet firing bolt-action rifle. Then there was the toy-chest, huge and with its great lid being open.

I, Jakeman, spoke showing my amazement and frustration. “So many crazy realms and delays. I feel we are going in the 'right direction' but why in this fashion?”

The woman Mysterious Stranger spoke out then. “We are going through a 'maze' of sorts and are avoiding dangerous obstacles, along with other threats, to get to the C13PF. The TwistedGod created this crazy 'maze' to stop anybody, anything, from getting to the Chamber of Thirteen Phase Focus. We have been going the safest, fastest, way that we can do as guided by you four of the JaeiouThirteen.”

I, Jack, frowned. “Time is passing....”

The male Mysterious Stranger then spoke. “In truth very little time has passed in either the Marslands or Marstopia since we left the chamber where we met LittleFatWoman. Even our time in Mehrunes Dagon's did not take but minutes in those two other realms.”

The giant teddy-bear stood slowly up and paced towards us, expressing no hostility at all, but held up its hairy arms in supplication and spoke in a cute, adorable robotic voice. “Hello, I am Humphrey the robotic teddy-bear. My friends, and I, need your help against the Bad-Horribles that are attacking us. Will you please help?”

The female Mysterious Stranger nodded. “Of course! Is there a way out of this great chamber?”

The great big robot toy pointed towards a distant door, partly hidden by a plastic pot-plant that was actually a air freshening filtering machine that hummed softly. “The pet door!”

Edited April 16, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0157: WE WERE JACK, JACKOMAN, JAKEMAN AND JASMINE

 

The Bad-Horribles turned out to be monstrous toys of black and blood red, spikes, horns, fangs, studded hammers, whirling blades, great bizarre energy guns, and multiple legs, arms, heads and other extensions. They came charging along the big hallway, over the floor with its great oversized tiles only to meet an army of green plastic soldiers with their warmachines, heroic action-figures of different kinds and varied other brave toys.

 

It was a strange battle that could have been seen to be funny except for the savagery of the attackers. They seemed hell bent of totally destroying the defenders.

 

Green plastic helicopters, and jet-fighters, flew through the air firing machineguns and rockets while the jets also dropped bombs. The weapons did real harm, exploding against the enemies or amongst them, but hardly seemed to slow the horde.

 

Wooden toy soldiers, bigger than their plastic cousins, fired big rifles or used long bayonets to strike at the on comers. Their neat ranks held but were being pushed back.

 

NukaCola toy-trucks carried off casualties to some unseen medical centre.

 

A big toy robot thumped along with flashing lights and blazed away with big weapons, hurling back many enemies and damaging many.

 

The LittleFatBoy rode a toy horse, wearing the flashy armor of a knight and a sword, both seemingly magical. He smashed and cut many enemies, driving them back, but he was visibly weakening and as he did his toy army was starting to lose resolve.

 

We came to the rescue and were soon laying down a whole lot of firepower at the enemy. This time they were truly driven back even as a big plastic Godzilla shot sizzling jets of energy flames at the retreating bizarre toys.

 

Then the enemy army was gone, dragging its fallen with it. That is gone around a corner in the giant vault apartment hallway.

 

The LittleFatBoy yawned and scratched his round armored belly. “We thank you for your timely assistance against the rogue toys of the TwistedGod. That was their third attack on this position. We are in the vault apartment but going through doors will mostly take one to different kinds of buildings. You need to go the other way from the enemy to the green wooden door with the pet door. Go through that and you will find yourself in a late 19^th style middle class house of two main levels, an attic and a basement. Be careful. We will be okay.”