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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2015 19:13:13 GMT
Barktown was a quiet little city without any major or noteworthy attributes on a solitary island in the southern parts of Earth. Its populace liked the quiet, and so stayed within its borders even with such attractive and bigger cities to move to. People were friendly to one another, whatever their background was. The town was only as successful and prosperous as it was because of the cooperation people displayed to overcome problems. Even aliens, normally shunned and abused in other places on Earth, were freely welcomed in the city.
That's what made it the perfect site for testing.
In one of the cafes, customers sat about drinking their beverages and conversing with each other. In one corner a mother played with her daughter by making a game out of reading. At the counter, two Saiyan men talked about private business while taking their time to make an order. It was, by all accounts, a normal day.
The first sign that something was amiss came when a Saiyan in one corner developed a cough. He hooked a finger inside the neck of his shirt and pulled against it, as if it were choking him. This did not seem to alleviate the coughing; in fact, it began to grow in intensity. As other patrons began to take concerned notice, another Saiyan began coughing as well.
Panic began to set in as the first victim fell to the floor, gasping for air. Soon the second Saiyan fell to the ground, quickly followed by the three others in the cafe. Hysterics had broken out as some patrons rushed to try and help the fallen while others ran for the door. In just a few minutes the peaceful tranquility was shattered as five Saiyans lay dead in the middle of the city with no real crime to speak of.
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By the time Tenshi landed at the outskirts of the city and walked his way in, there was a palpable air of disquiet and barely-restrained panic. He had heard that the people of Barktown were very friendly and social, but all he saw were people hurrying along the roads with their heads hung low or fearfully darting glances over their shoulders. The entire town was spooked, and the more he observed their behavior the more Tenshi became deeply unsettled by all of it.
An ambulance came screaming by, startling the half-Saiyan out of his troubled thoughts. Its siren had not even faded into the distance before a second one roared by. Then a third. And a fourth. If Tenshi was unsure before, he was definitely nervous now. What was going on in this city?
Naturally taken by curiosity, Tenshi made his way deeper into the city where the trouble seemed to be. A few times as he ran, he caught wind of people whispering and pointing at him as he passed. The city was well-known for its hospitality and tolerance of alien species. So why then was he the subject of such scrutiny by others?
Slowing to a walk as he rounded the corner, Tenshi spotted a pair of medics kneeling beside a body on the ground. A short ways down the road and he saw an eerily similar scene unfolding. Something was definitely wrong in the city. There must have been an outbreak of something, some kind of disease that was killing people. If that were the case, then maybe it was best for him to leave.
Before he could turn to fly off, Tenshi noticed a tail beside one of the victims. It was a Saiyan tail! He could not help but look at the second victim and found too that they had a tail. Two wasn't enough to make a complete judgement call, but so far it seemed like all the victims were Saiyans. Which raised a stomach-dropping question; what was going to happen to him?
As if to answer, his stomach suddenly decided to empty itself all over the sidewalk. A woman screamed somewhere in the back of his mind while Tenshi struggled to remain standing upright. His vision spun, or more accurately his eyes did. Every sense he had went haywire as he succumbed to the pull of gravity and fell against the concrete sidewalk. His entire body seized and spasmed in waves.
He felt a mask being placed over his head and vaguely heard someone shout out something about a survivor before passing out.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2015 17:29:04 GMT
The steady beeping of a heart monitor was the first thing to greet Tenshi's senses as he came out of the fog of unconsciousness. He groaned in pain as his body reminded him in the absolute worst way that something had seriously jacked with him. He felt like he had been on the receiving end of an out-of-control semi-truck along with the absolute worst hangover ever.
With great effort, Tenshi managed to open his eyes. At first his vision was rather blurry, but after a few moments it began to clear up to reveal a rather typical-looking hospital room. The window was shut, but he could see out it well enough to know that it was daytime. Whether or not it was still the same day....
Tenshi tried to sit up and immediately regretted it as his abdominal muscles seized and told him to lay right back down. His heartrate spiked, which seemed to serve as a summons for a nurse to come in and check on him. She was a pretty woman, though obviously seasoned as she went over his charts and took some readings with no apparent unease or nervousness.
Before he could open his mouth to speak, Tenshi's attention was drawn by a quick knock against the door frame. A pair of humans stood there in rather serious looking suits; a man easily as tall as Tenshi would be and a woman a head shorter with dirty blonde hair that reached her shoulders. "Mr. Nadon. I'm Special Agent Jean, this is Special Agent Braed. We'd like to have a word with you if you're up to it."
He looked between the two and his nurse before nodding and slowly working his way into a sitting position. Every muscle felt like it had been stretched and worn out til it was pudding. Truthfully, he didn't really feel all that great and didn't want to talk to them. However he felt as though if he spoke with them he might learn a few things about what it was that was wrong with him, why he felt so terrible, and maybe even what killed those Saiyans.
Once the nurse left, Jean shut the door to the room and stepped closer to the bed while Braed stayed in the corner. "I was wondering if you could tell us exactly what you were doing today in Barktown."
He raised an eyebrow at the question and looked between the two agents before explaining to them how he had been traveling the world for the last few weeks, learning new things and helping people out when he could. It was just happenstance that he had arrived in Barktown just as there was an outbreak. The two agents looked at each other with a knowing look before Jean looked back at the half-Saiyan.
"We think that this was a deliberate attack by someone. So far, three attacks have happened in the last twenty-four hours. We have seventeen dead Saiyans. No other casualties. No injuries. No survivors... until you showed up."
Tenshi blinked and looked at Jean for a long time, mulling over her words. He was the only survivor? But that didn't make any sense. He was... A dawning look of realization came over Tenshi's face, catching the attention of both agents. "What is it?" Braed spoke up from his corner, his voice a rumbling baritone of authority.
"Uh, well... I'm not exactly all Saiyan. My mother was an Earthling. I was born here on Earth." Jean and Braed looked rather surprised before turning to each other. Tenshi himself was considering the implications of his status here as a hybrid. The attacks were only instigated against Saiyans, which suggested a grudge. Despite the attacks being biological in nature, the only victims were those of Saiyan blood. If Tenshi survived whatever chemical weapon or disease he had been exposed to, as a half-Saiyan, then what did that mean for the weapon used?
The agents thanked him for his time and Jean gave him her business card in case anything else came up. Tenshi spent most of the rest of the day lying in bed. It seemed that his body was fighting off whatever he had been infected with. With nothing else to do but think, he pondered the weapon that was used in these attacks. It was an airborne weapon, something to get the maximum dispersal range and infect the most targets. It attacked very select individuals, namely only those who had Saiyan blood. But it didn't work on him, because he wasn't all Saiyan. Something about being half-Earthling kept the weapon from killing him.
Saiyans yearned for a challenge. Even on a genetic level, what didn't kill them made them stronger. His body had been wracked with pain before, but as time went on Tenshi found the pain fading away. Maybe it was just the drugs, or maybe his body was fighting off the weapon and in the process immunizing himself to its effect.
So someone wanted to kill Saiyans, but no one else, and was willing to use an indiscriminate weapon to do so. That all seemed reasonable enough, but it still left the bigger question of who, and where would their next attack be?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2015 19:56:31 GMT
By the next morning, Tenshi was feeling back to normal. The nurse had come in a few times to check his vitals, administer drugs, and pull blood for some bloodwork. When everything came back green, he was given a clean bill of health and told he could leave. All of his bills were being paid for by the city, since they were very interested in finding out what it was in his blood that kept him from succumbing to the attack that had killed seventeen other people. Maybe it was something they could use to inoculate others for their protection.
As he finished coming out of the bathroom with his clothes all on and in order, an unfamiliar man walked in. He seemed to fit in, wearing the appropriate clothes, but something about him put the hair on the back of Tenshi's neck on end. "Ah yes, you are the 'survivor'." The way he pronounced the word gave Tenshi the creeps, even as he watched the man check over his clipboard for something. "Everything seems to be in order, though we do have one last round of bloodwork to do." He peered up from the clipboard with a small smile.
Tenshi put on a diplomatic, if forced, smile and shook his head. "I think I'm good now, doc. Y'all got a bunch of blood already."
The man didn't quite seem to get the hint, as he half-stepped in front of Tenshi and pulled out a syringe. "Please, it will only take a moment."
There was something about, Tenshi moved from uneasy to agitated. He frowned at the man and gave an emphatic shake of his head. "I said no, doc. Now get out of my way."
Instead, the man tried to roughly grab Tenshi by the arm. As he jerked his arm away, he saw that the syringe that was obstinately being used for blood drawing as conspicuously full of some kind of blue fluid. Whatever he was here for, it was plain to see now that this man was not a doctor and was not here to draw blood. There was a struggle for a moment as the doctor attempted to plunge the syringe into Tenshi's arm.
Deciding then that this man was a hostile, Tenshi shoved him bodily across the room before assuming a defensive stance. The wall cracked and several racks of equipment fell over with a clatter. Over his shoulder, Tenshi heard a nurse scream but his eyes were focused on the man that had assaulted him. Something felt off in that moment he grabbed the other man's arm and threw him across the room. He felt way heavier than he looked, almost as if...
There was an audible sound of grinding gears that stunned Tenshi. Looking on in shock, he watched as the man slowly rose from the ground and turned to look back at the half-Saiyan. One of the trays that had been knocked over had held a number of sharp implements on them which had slashed his face. Rather than bleed, however, the cuts revealed a metallic surface underneath them. This man wasn't a man, he was an android.
"Well, since the discreet method is out I'll just have to kill you the old fashioned way." The android's voice became considerably more synthetic in tone, a stark reminder of just what Tenshi was dealing with. Before he could react, the android flew towards him and tackled him through a wall. Sheetrock and plaster dust filled the air as they rolled on the floor. Thankfully the room was missing an occupant, so no one was hurt.
Tenshi scrambled up and delivered a quick kick to the side of the android's head. He winced, feeling that strong metal surface resist his kick, but was rewarded for his efforts with the android being hurled end-over-end back into the other room. More screams and shouts could be heard as the medical staff reacted to the sounds of a fight breaking out. Over the intercom, there was an alert put out and patients were being rushed out of the adjacent rooms.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Tenshi quickly though about his options. He could just run and get out while he had the chance. The android was only after him, it seemed, so that would lead it away from the fight, right? On the other hand, this might be his only chance to get a lead on who was responsible for these attacks. The android might just attempt to cut its losses and flee. If he lost sight of it, he'd never find it again.
What was he to do?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2015 17:56:34 GMT
"Aw what's the matter? Got a screw loose?" Tenshi grinned as he taunted the android. With several parts of its facial sheath now in tatters, it was much easier to see its interior workings and the unnatural origins. It gave a low, mechanical growl before launching itself forward. It was a bit juvenile to taunt an opponent, and perhaps a bit inappropriate considering his opponent was a killer android that may or may not have been directly tied to the incidents of Saiyan murders within the city, but he needed to ensure that the android's focus was solely on him.
Their fight began in earnest now as the android launched a flurry of blows. Tenshi brought his left arm up to blow a wide swing before jumping up to slam his knee into the android's head casing. It staggered backwards, stunned by the blow, giving Tenshi the time to touch the floor again. He dropped down and swept the android's legs out from under it, using his moment to come back around and deliver a powerful kick to the side of the still-falling android. Without any ground to resist the blow, it flew across the room before slamming through several walls.
I need to get this fight out of the hospital. I don't want anyone else getting hurt, he thought to himself. The android was surely angry now, if androids could feel anger, and would focus on getting the half-Saiyan. At least, that's what Tenshi hoped. "Oh come on, you useless bucket of bolts. Is that the best you've got? I know toasters that could do more damage than you." He let his voice carry an air of haughtiness that, truthfully, he didn't fully have. "What's the matter? Ready to go back to the scrapyard already and call it quits?"
His taunting was interrupted by the floor beneath him exploding. Debris and dust blocked his vision before a metallic fist shot out and grabbed him by the throat. Tenshi's eyes widened as his hands instinctively reached up to try and pry the hand loose. As the dust settled, the now-thoroughly deskinned android stood there with a rather menacing scowl. "You filthy aliens are all alike. You think you are so superior, so unbeatable." It tightened its grip just a little further to emphasize its point. "How quickly all that bravado goes out the window when you've got an unbreakable grip on your throat."
Panic was desperately trying to invade his mind, but Tenshi warded it off for the time being. He still had a few moments to figure out a plan of attack. The android, for its part, chuckled darkly as it held the half-Saiyan off the floor and walked over to a window. "Here, Saiyan. Have a good look outside before we go. It's the last time you'll ever see sunlight again." It had its own back to the window, giving Tenshi the vantage point he needed to look out. The sky... His eyes widened in sudden recognition.
Tensing the muscles in his throat in an attempt to talk, he struggled and coughed to mouth a sentence. The android tilted its head to one side and laughed brazenly. "I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of me crushing your larynx. It relaxed its grip just enough for Tenshi to get a brief burst of air which cleared his head and gave him room to speak.
"The toaster looked down."
The android had a look of honest confusion before looking down to find Tenshi's hands together. The palms were just a few short centimeters from the android's chest, glowing green. Panic began to filter through those soulless eyes, but it was too late.
"RYOKUHAAAAAAAAAA!" The android's back exploded outward as the energy beam blasted straight through its abdominal cavity. The wall behind the pair disintegrated in a brilliant flash of light, sending shards of glass and wall onto the street below. People who had been eyeing the hospital out of curiosity while patients were walked out screamed in legitimate terror as their peaceful afternoon was shattered. Everyone ran screaming in different directions, hands over their heads.
As the smoke cleared upstairs, Tenshi stood over the broken platform that had just unsuccessfully tried to kill him. He wasn't strong enough to vaporize its lower half, but there was still a very obvious hole in its middle that had drained most of its battery. Various mechanical fluids pooled underneath it as it lay twitching from the numerous system errors it was no doubt receiving. Sparks flew from various breaks as it struggled to look up at Tenshi. "H-H-How are y-you still-ill-ill alive?"
Tenshi sneered and brought a hand up, letting it glow with that same energy. "Because, you glorified trash heap, I'm not a full-blooded Saiyan."
Before he could destroy it, there was a commotion from somewhere behind him that sounded like debris being shoved aside. Distracted, he turned in time to see the door burst open. Special agents Jean and Braed came barreling through, guns high, looking for something. When they spotted Tenshi, they seemed taken aback and confused before Braed shouldered Jean and pointed down with chin, leading her to spot the android on the ground below. She holstered her weapon and approached Tenshi while her partner busied himself with the android. "What are you doing here?" Her question came out a bit biting, surprising the victorious Earthling.
"I could ask you the same thing, Agent Jean." His own reply was just as sharp as hers, though he had the excuse of just getting out of a fight for his life. "The brave little toaster here tried to sneak in and inject me with something." That news certainly got the special agent's attention and she turned to run off towards what remained of Tenshi's former hospital room. While she was gone, Tenshi turned his attention to Braed and the android. "Ever see anything like this before, Agent Braed?" Tenshi asked while inspecting his handiwork.
"A couple times, actually." Braed's voice sounded almost inhuman in the lack of emotion it carried. He seemed busy tinkering with the android's chest cavity, as if looking for something. "This isn't the first android attack we've investigated."
Before Tenshi could inquire as to what exactly that meant, Agent Jean came walking back into the room carrying the syringe filled with blue liquid. "I'm guessing this is what you were talking about?" It was obvious from her tone that she was already assuming she was right. Hospitals weren't usually in the business of keeping syringes filled with drugs at hand.
He nodded before the syringe vanished into a briefcase that had sprung seemingly from nowhere. Braed stood up, hefting the broken android under one massive arm, before walking out first. "Why don't you come down to our office so we can debrief you on the incident here this afternoon?" Once again, Tenshi could tell from her tone that this was less of a request and more of a command. Briefly he considered the idea of telling her to get bent before flying off, but decided in the wake of his own handiwork that it was the least he could do.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2015 18:19:24 GMT
"So you have no idea who's behind these attacks?"
Tenshi rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I'm pretty sure I'd remember the name of someone who had access to a bunch of murder bots." They had been at this for well over an hour now. At first, Agent Jean asked reasonable enough questions; what was he doing when the android first came in? What did it say? Once they got through the basic details of the fight, though, they began to move on to somewhat more invasive questions. What was he doing last week? Did he know anyone from his childhood who had an interest in robotics?
By now, Tenshi was pretty fed up with the questions and was getting ready to just blow a hole in a wall and walk out. Jean seemed to sense his frustration and sat back in her chair. She pulled out a new folder and opened it up, revealing a stack of papers. At first Tenshi though it was more questions but she pulled the first one off the top and handed it to him. It was a medical report of some kind. Most of its meaning was lost on him as he didn't have any real understanding of medical science, but she looked like she understood.
"These are the results from the bloodwork of a victim. The virus that was used bonded to the victim's blood cells and deprived them of the ability to carry oxygen. They literally suffocated from the inside out." Her expression remained neutral while Tenshi's was a mixture of shock and horror. Death was a certainty for everyone, sure, and if you fought for a long time you were far more likely to die with a hole in your chest than in a warm bed surrounded by family. But this...
"Your bloodwork," she said while handing him a second piece of paper. "Your bloodwork showed the same viral presence. However, it didn't fully activate. It seems that the virus is meant to very selectively target those of Saiyan blood. Since you tell us that your mother was a human and your father was a Saiyan, it seems as though your mixed heritage prevented the virus from killing you." Tenshi's head swam with questions, almost too many, but the agent carried on with her work as if she either didn't notice or didn't care.
"We did a little more bloodwork, to see what would happen to your cells if we reintroduced the virus." He looked at her expectantly, wondering exactly what that meant. "It was destroyed. Your cells literally ate the virus." Tenshi's eyes widened and he continued on with his stunned silence. Jean gave a small smile, however, which put him a little at ease. "The doctors believe that they can use your blood to develop an antiviral agent that should neutralize the virus. We'll be administering it to the local Saiyan population as a sign of goodwill."
"So it's over then?" Tenshi asked uncertainly.
She laughed and closed the folder with a shake of her head. "Well it's over for you at least. I've still got a mountain of paperwork and other things to handle. But you're part in my case here is over." Standing up, Tenshi followed her out of the door and through the labyrinthine office. His mind was still preoccupied with the android however. She seemed to sense his unease and handed him one last sheet of paper as they got to the front door of the office. "The android shutdown from critical system failures, but we did manage to recover the bulk of its data."
"We're still going through it, but we believe the data will help lead us to whoever is responsible for the attacks. Whether you know it or not, you did a great service here. Not just to me and the people in this office, but the people of Barktown." She smiled and shook his hand before opening the door and walking out with him. "Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of this and see to it that no one else dies to these maniacs. Thank you, Tenshi."
And with that she walked back in to the office, leaving the half-Saiyan to stand out on the streets and wonder. Just what else was out there? What sorts of mad scientists would he encounter? He began to realize just how little he actually knew of the world. But if he was going to continue on, he had to get stronger; that must was known to him.
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Zucceta
Administrator
PL: 379,083
Oozaru(x10) MSSj(x15) S.Ooz(x22) SSj2(25x)
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Tag: @admin
OOC Name: therevolution
Posts: 2,309
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Post by Zucceta on Jul 7, 2015 18:06:27 GMT
4875 PL rewarded!!
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