Me, Myself and I

[Maharg67]

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0056: I WAS JACKOMAN

 

The rhouler, and I, went with the three Zazateps, of Zazataza, past the floating carrion eaters that were named hocotics. The hocotics had flourished since creatures began to flood out of the zetan saucership and to wage war on each other. Nothing seemed to want to attack them, not even the hivaca that could feed on an amazingly wide range of different kinds of life. There were roughly 220 Zazateps along with many more of their curious biomechanical servants of zazaps, zazeps, zazips, zazops and zazups; all were variations of zazans. Zazaps were guard creatures able to use various intrinsic weapons including a low power type of raygun. Zazeps were worker versions of zazaps with intrinsic tools. Zazops were personal servants to the Zazateps. Zazips were fast moving scouts and couriers. Zazups were bigger creatures hauling packs, doing heavier slower labor and other such tasks. Not just the Zazateps but many factions of Zazataza were served by such entities.

 

As we got closer to the Zazatazan encampment, of the Zazateps, I noted some zazans that were clumped at the edge of the big chamber we were traveling through. They looked damaged and seemed forlorn, hungry, though I was not sure how I knew this with their bone-skinned bodies and visages. "Your people have neglected those zazans, there. I am sure you would soon remedy that oversight as related to the Codaxa of Compassionate Practicality. Your world is a signatory to the Codaxa."

 

AgrandoZazio made an odd hissing noise. "Oh contemptuous foolishness is the Codaxa that would waste valuable attentions upon useless lesser beings. Let them decay away for clearly they are of no use."

 

At that moment I began to suspect the truth and a cold shiver of anger went through me. I turned and walked towards the pitiful creatures. The aloof Zazatep humanoid halted and pretended disinterest in what I was doing but I 'sensed' his anger. Only its fear of me stopped it from attacking me. Between us, my companion and I were able to do much for the creatures. At once they became bonded to us, as clearly they had not been to the Zazateps of the encampment. The different marks on the creatures told me they had been abducted from the service of various factions. None of the markings matched those of the three Zazateps.

 

Zashrada, the rhouler, staid with the cluster of zazans to protect them and to further heal them. I, alone, went on with the three frustrated, angry, but frightened Zazateps. Yes, I was frightening them though I was not sure why I was doing so with so much intensity as I was.

 

Then I saw the rough encampment proper, a pitiful mixture of rag-tag structures, of clumps of miserable zazans, of Zazateps standing around in small groups, none of them attempting to do anything to improve their situation. Yet it was when I saw the half devoured, dead zazans, that I gave into rage.

 

I spoke with icy anger in my voice. "You dare to be cannibals of these abducted, enslaved, zazans? It is not just the Codaxa that you break but older, more ancient traditions and laws of your people."

 

AgrandoZazio made a strange rolling shrug gesture with its shoulders. "One busies oneself with higher thoughts and thus can not dally to do mere survival tasks. So we eat the zazans, inferior but tasty and nutritious enough. Soon the ShadowLord will keep his promise. He will return to us with our reward for us stealing some mere power artifacts from the Emperor the Empress. He will come and grant us shadow follower status. We will dance in the glorious Shadowlands to the tunes of singing shadowfolk."

 

At that I lost my rage and felt just pity. "You are struck with the Satirical Madness. Only such Zazatazans would listen to such as a ShadowLord."

 

AgrandoZazio was strangely embarrassed, in the Zazatep way of such emotions. "One wonders where such a foolish notion comes from. Would it be that you do not see the circling wisdom of...." Then the humanoid was staring up at the high, partly smart-concrete ceiling overhead where glowcrystal grew over rocky areas and from which they lit up the chamber.

 

I knew then what I had to do though it would be difficult. It had to be done to save both the Zazateps and the zazans in that encampment.

Edited January 10, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0057: I WAS JACK

 

My 'resurrected' secondary biological father, and Professor Brown, recovered more quickly by staying in the TransOrb. They were amazed with the transdimensional device, as damaged as it was, the professor resting quietly while he studied data streams. He also spent time with Moira, who had kept a distance from the doppelganger though she was not sure why. I, Jack, now felt less wary of Professor Brown, this being the real thing.

 

I had investigated the TransOrb, of course, only to find that most of it was semiactive or even inactive. Many internal transdimensional spaces were inaccessible and many network-systems could not be used. The TransOrb's exotic special abilities were also largely unusable. The three chambers remained the only usable, active spaces, for a while.

 

I stood at a special machine that was pumping out exact working duplicates of typical Wastelands solid-state computer modules, rechargeable batteries, caseless cartridges, gun parts, tool parts along with much else. Others were busy around me doing repairs, being operators at various consoles, cyberlinking into specialized network-systems, standing guard or doing other duties.

 

=-= Your security network-systems need work done on them. Only weaknesses in such allowed the doppelganger to enter the TransOrb.

 

I had checked carefully to make sure the doppelganger had left no nasty surprises in the very exotic vessel that was becoming, somehow, increasingly familiar to me. I turned and stepped away from the mechanism that I had managed to improve the performance of by about 14% and an android replaced me to operate the mechanism, to make sure items went into proper containers. Another mechanism was producing stimpaks. Another was slowly creating specialized serums that in turn would help fix up quasiliving elements of the TransOrb itself. Progress was being made but it was frustratingly slow and there were constant small delays caused by problems popping up with the TransOrb.

 

=-= Three Marsclave dronebots flew overhead Megaton. They dropped very small message capsules that give off Marsclave propaganda. They are being investigated carefully.

 

Wastelanders had come to be wary of Marsclave 'dirty tricks' but nothing happened. The message capsules were what they seemed to be, no more and no less. The messages, like those from the wandering eyebots, were attempting to get people to surrender to the Marsclave and to a wondrous new life of security, comfort and meaningful work for a wonderful new future for Mars. None seemed to believe them!

 

The Marsclave, with its central government of the Marsclaven, was an unwanted extra complications unless their coming to the DC was not just a coincidence, actually having something to do with the activities of the ShadowLord and its ShadowOne followers. The ShadowLord had been seeking exotic ancient alien artifacts and had gone to great efforts to gain them. The ShadowLord had bribed, and threatened, various DC Factions. It was whispered that only the DC Syndicates had dared to cheat the ShadowLord. Was the Marsclave also seeking AAAs, was it in some sort of alliance with the ShadowLord? I had my doubts about the last idea for the two factions were just too different from each other and would not much wish to work with beings so different from themselves.

 

Megaton was expanding population and otherwise. The Megaton Subway Station was becoming a whole new zone of the settlement. The LifeVault was being more efficiently utilized, along with the station and various bunkers. More Orders of Steel, Republican and other forces were arriving there along with refugees from smaller settlements that were being abandoned.

 

Word had come of a battle being fought, in the ruined dome-town of Springvale, between gangers and giant-ants. The battle seemed to be focused at the Springvale High Achievements Education Collage, a very elite place once but now just abandoned ruins beneath a cracked dome. What did gangers want so desperately that they would fight against rad-ants to get it?

 

I went off to find Moira and to spend some time with her.

[Maharg67]

0058: I WAS JASMINE

 

I, Jasmine, spoke to Overseer Parisha who had replaced Amata's father. "So the communications, that were gained from the main vault, were faked?"

 

Parisha nodded. "It took our specialized equipment, that we brought with us from the RingBase, to expose the fabrication of known voices. The falsification was very well carried out. We would have sent an expedition to the main TekVaultDC101 thinking that it was largely controlled by free vaultfolk. We have continued to send messages to the main vault as if we still belief that the false story is true. The expedition would have gone straight into some kind of trap."

 

I cursed softly and pacing back and forth with some feelings of agitation. We were in the newly rebuilt, redesigned, Command Coordination Chamber that was already being called the CCC on most occasions. It was large and had been two chambers. It was, in some areas, rough looking for demands of time had meant no efforts could be spared to make the place look neater. Exposed cables ran along the bottom of two walls and some mechanisms were obviously welded together with skill but in a hurry. A small working roboremote was putting some finishing touches to a communications module with a laser-welder.

 

The RingBase had sent what resources that they could spare and could spare no more. Other RingBase units were busy in RivetCity, Megaton and Zhouls' End. Getting the forces from RingBase, to the four places in the DC Wastelands, had been tricky enough. Doing so had used much energy and RingBase could not afford such energy costs again unless the need was amazingly urgent. RingBase was rebuilding its energy charge-banks back to full but this would take many days to come.

 

Then I stopped and spoke. "We need to send in scouting parties to find out as much as possible. Our next expedition will go to DemivaultDC101C."

 

At that Parisha nodded. "We will send out small scoutbots along with small cyborg-animals and humanoid scouts in special recon power armor. All will move in trios for mutual protection and will back each other up."

 

At that I nodded right back. "Also send reinforcements in the form of three light combat platoons and one service-support team with a combat platoon for protection."

 

We would have sent more but there was much work to do upgrading and extending DemivaultDC101E along with assisting DemivaultDC101D. Lack of resources, including time, was a major problem for more than just myself and our people at the demivaults. We decided that the expedition, to DemivaultDC101C, would not go ahead until scouting operations had taken place for at least a week. Further plans would depend on what was learned from those efforts.

 

After that I went off to be with my friends being Amata, DJ-Zoe, Zack, the Huck Twins and Opo the radroach.

[Maharg67]

0059: I WAS THE EYE

 

Orders of Steel forces in the Centropolis Grand Mall, sometimes called the 'National Mall', focused on dealing with the 'monsters' while the supermutants did the same thing so that they did not fight each other except for some scattered light skirmishes. Fighting was savage as both power armored soldiers, with their hitech support, and the supermutant forces fought hivaca, vireclaws and zetargs. The Republican forces withdrew in fear to remain at the very edges of the mall. There they did battle with any 'monsters' that came their way. The hivaca only attacked at night, for unknown reasons, and the biometallic creatures were most savage and controlled by a hivaca subqueen.

 

Sarah Lyons, and the Lyons Pride, had gone to the DC Citadel and had returned to the Centropolis Grand Mall. Sarah Lyons had been ordered to find more clues, more strong data, on just what was happening in the CGM and what the 'monsters' really were. The Orders of Steel had gained knowledge from others, had learned of the hivaca, the vireclaws and zetargs to a great degree. Yet much remained unknown.

 

As the platoon moved through a series of rough looking, but well secured, tunnels they were only too aware that they were moving deeper into hivaca territory. They had struck, had killed, four hivaca soldiers using xolasers that drilled neat holes through them and neutralized the toxic-acid blood with intense heat. For a while they passed tunnels made by human forces but then they came into those kept secure by hivaca glue-cemented webbing. The webbing, and glue-cement, came from specialized types of hivaca while hivaca workers had worked with the substances.

 

Black, glistening things came out of the walls ahead of them being hivaca guards, being bigger tougher versions of soldiers. They came fast, hard, and the Trooper on point fell back even as she unleashed heavy calibre bullets from her battlerifle. Other weapons opened up with hammering firepower. Grenadeshells exploded, ripping apart hivaca guards with force and shrapnel. The hivaca died and then the platoon pressed forward. There had been less hivaca appearing, less being killed, and the same could be said for the other kinds of monsters. The source had been cut off and no more were arriving through the Waygate in Zhouls' End.

 

The alien scream of rage came from the great big hivaca creature as the subqueen charged along the tunnel towards the Lyons Pride Platoon. A Trooper fired off a multiple purpose Javelin Missile from a shoulder-launcher. It struck the subqueen, who was in control of all of the hivaca surviving in the CGM, and exploded. The subqueen died, spraying toxic-acid blood in all directions along with chunks of armored biometallic flesh. The concussive force, in such a narrow confined space, knocked down a Steel Sister and pushed back the others, forcing a Steel Brother to his knees.

 

The Lyons Pride had struck a major blow against the hivaca of the National Mall. The hivaca lost their control and coordination, many becoming confused. Yet they did not realize the significance of what they had done and they continued deeper into enemy territory as they sought more data. The destroyed subqueen provided some samples and digital recordings, but no more.

 

After a while, while meeting no more hivaca or anything more dangerous than a few radroaches along with smaller critters, they came upon a metallic stone chamber of the ancient aliens. The power armored soldiers paced smoothly through the great alien spaces of tunnels and domechambers. They noted great metallic stone statues of bizarre four armed humanoids and other creatures. There were machines half melded into walls, if one could call them that, which no humans could access, could use.

 

Then they came upon it and the platoon halted in great surprise. It was a vast, almost organic looking, metallic stone artifact that rose as as a generally cylinder shaped column from floor to the apex of a great domechamber. The domechamber was amazingly big and the machine filled at least a quarter of it. Yet there was another surprise for great big human built vehicles and trailers were parked around its base. They were huge armored mechanisms but were very small compared to the vast AAA itself. Great cables ran across the floor between vehicles and trailers but many also ran to the ancient alien artifact itself. Big, human designed, machines were attached to AAA as were more exotic ones of human-alien hybrid kinds.

 

Sarah Lyons knew that she had made a truly amazing, and very important, find.

[Maharg67]

0060: ME, MYSELF AND I (PLUS OTHERS)

 

I, Jakeman, assisted with the sending of 'She' and her people to hopeful safety. Getting them to RingBase was successful as they vanished except 'she' had them appear in a Secondary Domeland which she promptly took control of, to a large extent. Her nature was still not fully defined but it was clear that she was at least a Living-Goddess of some kind, that she was very powerful. So she assisted the move of what turned out to be a whole, hidden, transdimensional pocket realm from inside the stealth submarine that was the 'Toyland', the real one and not the false one where the doppelganger had been.

 

Almost accidentally I learned that the GlimmerLord, and a ShadowLord, had tried to take from her three powerful artifacts of her people that were of her stewardship and to use. She had hurt them for their attempted theft but became weakened in the battle. So the ShadowGod was seeking powerful artifacts, and so were other dark powers, but for what reason? She did not know the answer and her concerns were directed towards survival and regaining contact with her people, especially her mother. That her mother, her people, would be seeking her was another great concern for they were extremely powerful.

 

What ever else had been in the submarine, fled, and then it was just a powerful machine that could be used by who ever managed to claim it. I claimed it for Me, Myself and I. Soon the existence, of the hidden vessel, was known to increasing numbers of people. It was not too soon before the NDCR Central Government made a claim on the submarine and were promptly ignored except for a quick, formal response.

 

I, Jackoman, had a harder time getting the damaged Zazateps, and zazans, to RingBase but succeeded. They were test-transformed, rejuvenated, and thus an ugly truth was discovered. A powerful ShadowLord had infiltrated the Zazateps' home world and had then captured some sick Zazateps, then exploiting them and their exotic powers. Zazans had been abducted and other resources stolen. With assistance, I removed the dead zazans from the area of Blazewarand and its madness. To my surprise, the dead zazans were 'resurrected' which indicated that they 'should' not have died according to some kind of universal balance or other. Only when the last of the zazans, and Zazateps, were gone was I able to focus on getting closer to the altered zetan saucership.

 

I, Jack, continued to deal with the TransOrb but also with the changing situation in Megaton. There were some tensions between factions, the factionless, while many debates were held both formerly and not so formerly. I spent some time with Moira and also with my father and Professor Brown. The TransOrb began to provide the people, of Megaton, with some valuable resources such as medical, military and civil robotic stuff.

 

I, Jasmine, spent some time with my friends and did some work while waiting for scouting reports to come in. Soon there were reports and they gave much information of importance. The number of vireclaws had diminished, along with the number of vireclaw-puppets. Some hivaca had failed to establish a nest, dying in the process for the Wastelands had creatures capable of dealing with them and were even immune from their toxic-acid blood. Radscorpions, for instance, were deadly to hivaca and the hivaca blood did not burn or poison them. Word came from DemivaultDC101C which turned out to be abandoned though in an a way of barely controlled panic. It was still sealed up and many resources remained there; network-systems were often active or semi-active. The expedition would go there, anyway, and investigate the demivault in a deeper fashion.

 

We three continued to work at RingBase, now assisting newcomers from both Zhouls' End and from the submarine beneath RivetCity. That is we being Jade, Jaze and Janz.

 

I, the Eye, continued to roam and to observe.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0061: I WAS ???

 

I made my way through the only successful hivaca nest in the DC Wastelands and yet the hivaca bugs did not attack me. As I moved, an almost formless humanoid shapeform barely visible, I transformed the hivaca so that they sparkle shimmered and became more civilized, less aggressive hivori. In truth the hivaca had once all been hivori until the menacing MasterLords had captured and altered some of them into the first hivaca. The MasterLords had done many evil acts before they were destroyed or vanished to the mysterious unknown. What I was instigating was a rebalancing act. The hivori did not fight the remaining hivaca and the hivaca were passive because of my influence. Hivori could be lethal but were defensive aggressive only and relied on large herds of exotic creatures such as the carrion eating, floating hocotics. Hocotics appeared in the nest along with other herding things such as more common type ocotics.

 

Why the rebalancing act? I was not sure for I was carrying out a task given to me by the Lords and Ladies of the Light, the LLL. In doing so I was paying back the multiverse for past crimes against the Empire of Empire, the EoE but also against others. Still, it pleased me to be doing something and to be out of the totality isolation of imprisonment in True Limbo. Even the darkness, strangeness, of a hivaca nest was paradise compared to that!

 

=-= To be reborn is good but take nothing for granted!

 

I did not think I would take anything for granted again for doing so in the past had cost me dearly. My shapeform was slowly becoming more solid, more realistic, more tuned to the physical multiverse.

 

=-= Question, why would the ShadowGod send a ShadowLord and ShadowOnes here to find, to steal, artifacts of power?

 

Not that I was overly interested in the subject, at the time, but I had gained data through my links with Jakeman, Jasmine, Jack and Jackoman so I answered. Anyway it was the start of my fascination in what was going on in the DC.

 

??? Look to the nature of the ShadowGod. It is chaotic evil, opportunistic evil, and will take advantage of any situation to make gain. It is also one that would not miss out on anything. If the ShadowGod came to think that the DC Wastelands faced some kind of future catastrophe, it would act quick to loot what it could before such was taken by others or destroyed.

 

Two hivaca workers were transformed into hivori workers.

 

??? The ShadowGod normally lacks courage but if it had desired something in the DC badly enough it might gain enough courage to send its minions to gather that something. Less dangerous than going itself but we both know that the ShadowGod is damaged every time its avatars are destroyed; thus the ShadowGod is taking risk in sending a ShadowLord, especially, to this world, along with a seemingly large number of ShadowOnes. If one of the ShadowOnes was captured that entity could be questioned and, if it knows nothing, be used as bait to draw the ShadowLord into a trap. The ShadowLord would need to know something of real value to carry out its task properly.

 

=-= What of the appearance of a GlimmerLord?

 

??? That is, as you know, more disturbing an event than is the appearance of the ShadowLord in DC. Considering our-my past it would not surprise me to learn that I was put here to deal with that GlimmerLord and to learn why it is here.

 

Hivori would fit well into the Wastelands, that is deep below them, for they were more apt to fit into local environments and ecosystems; the chaotic order of the hivaca did not fit in but always attempted to dominate and the DC Wastelands would always win in the end, destroying the hivaca.

 

I continued with my task until even the hivaca queen had become a hivori queen.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0062: I WAS THE OTHER

 

I awoke to find a ShadowOne standing before my ever exotically beautiful self and I swirled in rainbow colors, the lights flickering playfully over heaps of long dead victims of my hunger. The ShadowOne gave a quick shallow bow of respect, both fearing and hating me. The entity was a shadowy humanoid figure flickering at the edges. It looked at home in the wondrous desolation of my throne chamber with its smashed furniture, fittings and decorations. I needed no beauty but my own and did not like at all any competition to my purist of appearance.

 

I spoke, my voice echoing around the great metallic chamber and off a great big rusting robot in one corner. The chamber was full of pale light that radiated from myself and there were no real shadows. "I dreamed in reflections of past happiness and sorrow, running over the great white sandy beaches of the NewEarth. NewEarth that was once called Mars but was successfully Terraformed into a paradise for the chosen few. We were many who were almost one but I grew ever so tired of sharing the limelight. The knowledge of my own superiority came to me in flashes. The others did not appreciate this and failed to see their own inferiority to myself. I am superior to all. So, inferior one, did you bring the artifacts of value to give to me as tribute?"

 

"No!" The ShadowOne hissed at me. "We are not stupid! Around us are the remains of those who once trusted you. They served you well and, as a reward, you killed them and fed off their life energies. We have found an OmegaKey."

 

My excitement surged me so that I glowed brighter for a moment, causing the ShadowOne to move back in wariness and discomfort. This amused me for causing pain in others was always so much fun. "Give me the OmegaKey as a tribute to my superiority and your inferiority."

 

The ShadowOne responded dryly. "You will give us the five ShadowGlobes that you have obtained through theft and, in turn, you will gain the OmegaKey."

 

I soured my mood and flexed my thinking. Yes, attacking the ShadowOne would be so very amusing but I needed the OmegaKey, along with other such artifacts and the ShadowGod knew it. "Bring the OmegaKey here to me and then, in turn, I will give you the five ShadowGlobes."

 

"No! Arrangements will be made to meet at a neutral place." Then the ShadowOne was gone in a flicker of motion.

 

I contemplated the heaviness of nothingness, slipping back into my type of sleep full of profound dreams of exotic shattered multiple impressions.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0063: I WAS THE EYE

 

The fighting in the Centropolis Grand Mall, the National Mall of PreDoomsday Mars, ceased with the destruction of the last of the monsters that had come through the Waygate in Zhouls' End. The supermutant forces withdrew back down to the secret Waygate Chamber that they had come from. There they hunkered down and waited for the arrival of reinforcements and new supplies from the SupermutantLord but at first they did not come.

 

The Brotherhood, and Sisterhood, of Steel were weakened and were not in a position to take full advantage of the withdrawal of the supermutants. Some territories were grabbed up, new fortified positions were created and the hold on areas were strengthened. The Orders of Steel were far from pleased with the Republic's rapid retreat from danger, in the past, and would not except them as allies in future fighting. This was the start of a growing rift between the NDCR, especially with the Central Government, and the Orders of Steel.

 

The NDCR-CG continued its growing alienation from most of the majority of the Republic. The Central Government's 'madness' seemed to be growing.

 

Marsclaven military forces skirted around Blazewarand and through a great series of three long distance road-rail tunnels that were not part of the Subways. The Marsclaven had ordered the forces to stay away from the environmental and social madness of Pittsburgh, the Martian version of the long lost Earth American city. Mars Pittsburgh had a vast abyss of swirling super toxic 'nature' that had become known as the 'Pitt'.

 

The Brotherhood of Steel had once invaded Pittsburgh, had occupied it for a few months, had done some looting but realized that it was truly beyond their control and had left. They departed because they were suffering from the toxic illnesses emanating from the Pitt, with some of their people turning into brutal cannibalistic trogs or worse.

 

The Marsclave forces headed for the well hidden, deeply buried, Fortress RavenRock that the Marsclave had constructed over a century before. That was where President Eden operated from and from where were sent, in a clever fashion to disguise their origin, both eyebots and dronebots. Much else was happening at the huge fortress complex that was expanding slowly, but steadily, in both size and capacity.

 

The SupermutantLord was being outflanked by the Marsclave so he withdrew all of his forces back from Blazewarand in order to better utilize them. The entities of Blazewarand went on fighting, and surviving, as they always had done.

 

BigGary recalled all of the GaryClones back to the 'GaryVault' of TekVaultDC108. BigGary controlled, regulated, and made the GaryClones more dangerous. Now they were a disciplined working, fighting force that also carried out other functions. The production of GaryClones was tripled along with new kinds of clones including the female SaryClones and the animal KoroClones like monstrous dog ape hybrids.

 

The AntEmpress continued to prepare for future military campaigns, continued to create new variations of giant ants.

 

The Mechanist first appeared with a mixture of roboremotes and robots, south-eastward of Canterbury Commons. His base was a huge, mostly underground, RobCo commercial and industrial complex long assumed destroyed by most.

 

Then word came of a huge air-convoy flying from the direction of Calimarsia and where the New Calimarsia Republic, the NCR, had been waging war against the Brotherhood of Steel and its allies. It was no surprise that the air-convoy was of the Brotherhood of Steel and its allies. The NCR had won but only because their enemies had also been heavily attacked by Caesar's Empire of ape-humans, humans and other humanoids. There had also been other threats, other challenges, that together had proven to be too much. The great air-convoy was most impressive a sight as it flew as many airships, big subsonic jet-aircraft, atomic motorized helicopter-ships and much else including some very exotic transports. Many transports had been taken as working machine from museum collections, many of those having once flown in the skies of the lost home world.

[Maharg67]

0064: I WAS JAKEMAN

 

I, Jakeman, felt the surge of weakness rush through me and half collapsed to the metallic floor of the submarine bridge. I was always used to feeling strong and so the effect was a double blow to me, was a big shock to my mind, body and spirit.

 

Around me were busy clonefolk, androids, robots and others. Soon I was being picked up and carried to the submarine's medical bay where I was soon being scanned, sensor swept and probed. My naked body lay on-in an advanced medical bed. I not only felt that I was under some kind of attack but, strangely enough, that it was coming from both 'inside and outside' of me at the one and the same time.

 

I knew it was not Jack, Jasmine or Jackoman who were doing so.

 

=-= Nor Janz, Jade or Jaze of the RingBase. No, this is the evil that grew inside you; that is you of more than one body; grew as an aspect of yourself and then attacked you others, trying to destroy you. It failed, in its evil insanity, and you managed to quarantine it for a very long time. That quarantine barrier is fading, weakening, and you must now deal with that evil once and for all.

 

I frowned heavily.

 

Jakeman: Kill it!

 

=-= Firstly, that would hurt you all greatly. Secondly, that would be unjust for it became evil because the other aspects dumped their growing evil into it because they could not, would not, face dealing with it properly.

 

A great surge of anger, frustration and fear went through me. I could not afford to be distracted when I had so much important to work done. Then again was I just trying to avoid an even more important problem? Was I just trying to avoid confronting demons of our-my past? I had a strong sense of guilt, a feeling of past wrong doing, that persisted relentlessly.

 

It felt hard, the decision, and yet it felt right. I decided that I would go and try to deal with the problem and that would do so as compassionately as possible. RivetCity would have to do with out me for a time. Even as I made the decision, the weakness faded away and yet I needed to rest from the attack that had taken place on me.

 

When Jarisha, the auric mage, came to my side I kissed him and then let him do his work with his very special healing abilities. Doctors also worked on me, in their own way.

 

I managed to give some general orders before I fell asleep and dreamed strange dreams.

Edited January 15, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0065: I WAS JACKOMAN

 

I, Jackoman, was struck by a surge of pain and weakness. The last of the zazans, and Zazateps, had already gone through along with other lifeforms sent through and many items. With my rhouler companion, I returned through the Waygate to Zhouls' End and there rested at the growing encampment of the Order of Compassion. The irony was that soon I was under the care of those that I had been helping.

 

As I lay there, on a mattress, revelations came to me.

 

I was starting to love the peaceful, defensive aggressive, rhouls and even the poor, pitiful, aggressive zhouls. It was then that I realized that I would not be returning to Blazewarand or going to the site of the zetan flying-saucer. No, another would be doing so that was more powerful than myself. Instead I would be remaining at Zhouls' End for a while helping the ghouls dwelling there, along with any others who needed it.

 

That a 'mystery agency' was offering to send me resources so as to better carry out this new mission of mine. Not the RingBase this time but another. I accepted and so appeared, from seemingly nowhere, large lidboxes of food rations, waterbags of fresh, clean, cool water along with special blankets, flame-torches that burned brighter with less heat, small camp-lamps, lamp-oil, coils of rope, general purpose knives in scabbards, axes, rolls of special bandages, small fire-lighters and concentrated healing serum in vialpacks. It was a twenty metric tonnes of aid that came but all of it was badly needed.

 

I slept in a large cave chamber, surrounded by quietly slumbering rhouls and pets of dogs, big rats and other critters tamed to become defensive aggressive only.

 

It came to me, in my sleep, that there had been another place of importance to visit beneath the National Mall but that this matter had already been attended to by others.

Edited January 16, 2013 by Maharg67