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| Reasons For Leaving; A Crystal and Stryker production | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 24 2007, 07:31 PM (603 Views) | |
| CrystalGirl | Sep 24 2007, 07:31 PM Post #1 |
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小阴影
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Intro: Hello boys, girls, and gender-neutrals! CrystalGirl here, posting a fun little story/epilogue/novella thing that was written by ProtoStryker and myself. =D I dunno quite when this takes place... perhaps after Maks' epic novel, or perhaps just after the epilouge where Pat left us. I do know it IS after Pat's leaving though. This may span multiple chapters, leading up to/covering the seperation of the team... depends on if Stryker and I have the time/patience/will to continue. In any case... enjoy the story, and hey! Look! Stryker finally wrote something for the team! =p --- The sun was slowly sinking into the horizon, casting a warm, almost friendly glow over the abandoned area of New Jersey, where the Androids housed themselves. It was mostly silent out, as the daytime animals scurried off to their respective places of rest for the night, and the nocturnal beings having yet to wake up. CrystalGirl had seated herself on the edge of the roof of the house, which acted as a decoy to the underground lab in which the ragtag team resided. She was dressed in a lavender top, and knee-length shorts, with a grease-stained lab coat assembled over it. A coffee-colored plastic bottle was in her hand, the worn label reading "White Russian". Normally, the scientifically-minded girl didn't drink, but lately, a deep depression had rooted itself in her, causing her to take up the bottle. Taking a swig of the vaguely coffee flavored vodka, she sighed heavily. Underground, back in the lab itself, Chargeman was on his way up. There had been a noticeable lack of Crys-chan, which then became his duty to check out. Moments earlier, he was merely listening to the radio - it offered something to do at any rate. After all, the city wasn't offering much entertainment. It was always easier to just listen to the horror stories of the day on the long-range receiver. He was currently adorned with a red tee-shirt and cargo pants. Morale wasn't terribly high, but he wasn't personally letting things get to him terribly. He creaked the door to the house open and stepped outside. New Jersey's cityscape was quite calming at this time of day. She heard her colleague opening the door, and glanced down to see which one of the others had come to look for her. Spotting Chargeman, whom she'd come to affectionately nickname Prote, or Stryker, she let a small smirk momentarily grace her lips, before going back to working on her drink of choice. She'd made herself scarce for the last few days, spending most of her time hidden on the roof or out in the poor excuse for woods that surrounded the area. She made no move to hide herself from her fairly obvious location, though, and instead continued working on her drink. It was likely he wouldn't take notice of her, and even if he did, she probably wouldn't mind his banter, or company if he decided to stick around. The sunset really was beautiful tonight. Charge took no real notice immediately, of course. It was much more like him to glance around the immediate ground level as if she were standing in plain site, waving at him. That didn't seem to be the case as usual, so he let out a slight sigh. There were times when any member might randomly disappear for the length of a day without really saying anything. There was still a sufficient shock factor from everything else going on, so quiet time was typical. Even still, to hardly be seen for days at a time was not likely to happen - especially when it came to Crys. Everyone was worried about her more than the other members. Because she was the former team-leader? Possibly. The only female team member? Also a likely cause. In the end though, the slight sound of gulping down a drink tipped him off to her being somewhere nearby. But... where? He took a chance to look up on the roof - it wasn't like she was the only person to ever go up there. "Oh! Hey Crys-chan!" He said as gleefully as he could, which wasn't hard - he really was glad to see she wasn't in trouble somehow - despite the gloom floating around base. She pulled the bottle away from her lips for a moment, gulping as she waved to the somewhat older man. "H'lo Stryker." She responded, her voice seeming a bit thicker due to the alcohol. Though she rarely got drunk, it was not unusual for the team's ex-leader's speech abilities to become a little off kilter. She took another quick swig, the drink burning her throat as it went down, before setting the bottle to the side. "Came out here for the view?" She questioned, referring to the nearly completely hidden sun. She looked unusually tired in that moment, even for her standards. But a small smile was directed towards Chargeman, assuring him that he was appreciated company. For now, anyway. Chargeman returned the smile, but moreso in the form of a smirk - a slight trademark of his. "You know it! That big orange ball... Reminds me of something," he said with a laugh. It was all too common for the typically-orange Android to make train puns or force himself to be the butt (in his case caboose) of his own wisecracks. "In all seriousness, I was wondering where you'd run off too. My jokes don't get the same reception when that female giggle isn't replying - after all, it's not like the others have a sense of humor anymore." Stryker began looking about the building, trying to figure out how she got up there so simply. A pile of boxes, maybe? He couldn't really tell for the moment. CrystalGirl gave a short chuckle, and pointed to the rope ladder hanging from the roof, and nearly to the ground. "I thin' Pat 'r Maks set that up..." She trailed, motioning for him to join her. She leaned back slightly, sighing a bit. It wasn't in her usual content manner though. "S'rry I haven' been around lately..." She mumbled, taking another swig of her drink. The fact it was still over half full suddenly made her fairly glad, in case the other Android decided to join her in drinking as well. Well, that wasn't too bad - a rope ladder. He could climb up that with little real effort. "I wouldn't put it past Pat - lazy bum," he laughed. Indeed, he did climb up the dangling rope. The sun was quite a lot closer to disappearing than it was a minute ago, when he first came out of the base. He found a place to sit on Crys-chan's left, crossing his legs with his wrists resting on his knees. "Hey, don't worry about not being around - we're just concerned, s'all." Nick hadn't really taken much notice of the drink, not that he typically drank anyway - especially after that one drink Vulcan offered him. He was throwing up for a good bit of the night after that one, but Vulcan insisted it was because he'd gulped most of it down right off the bat. He was probably right, too. She nodded slightly in response, going quiet. The moon was visible overhead, a full, round blotch on an otherwise untainted sky. She stared at it for a moment before speaking again. "Y'know... y'weigh less when yer directly under the moon." She mumbled softly, eyes half closed. Smirking softly, the token female of the team took another drink, pointing it to Chargeman afterwards. "'ere, if you want some... jus' dun drink t'much at once." A chuckle followed the instructions, as memories of Nick's experience with Vulcan's drink of choice flooded back. Without waiting for a response, she started talking again. "S'tell me, Prote... why'd you decide to stick around, really? Me an' Tom-tom forced ya inta it... we coulda r'moved the armor though." She glanced at him again, looking serious. He too looked up at the moon. She did have a point about that, whether the difference was notable or not. Nick could only think to wag his head up and down as a confirmation - at both her comment and the offer. He took a small sip. Wow, this didn't burn nearly as much as whatever the heck Jack had given him before. It still was rough going down, and he coughed slightly at the sensation. He passed the bottle back over to his female comrade. He didn't often think about his reasoning behind sticking with the rest of them. True, he could've easily gone back to his normal life and never so much as thought about them ever again. But then... that wouldn't really be him. "In all honesty, you guys grew on me in this brief time. And... without this armor, who am I? Nicholas Phaelin, slightly-above-average high school student? No thanks, I'm done with that lifestyle - being a super dude is interestin' enough anyway. What about you, though? S'not like you had to stick around either." She placed the bottle between them, in case he wanted another go at the stuff. She'd just about met her limit anyway. Crys paused as he directed the question back to her. Why had she stuck around, anyway? She had no obligation to, after all. She didn't proclaim herself team leader... she could have up and left at any time. Right? Frowning, she looked skyward once again. Heaving a sigh, she finally found her answer. "I had nothing left." She nearly whispered, suddenly sounding, and feeling, incredibly sober. It wasn't often she spoke of her life before the team. "I don't have a family or... anything, really. Just an underground lab, Tommy, and... well, you guys." She smiled at Nick softly, but it was a sad one. "I'm wanted by the government, so I can't really go back to normal society..." She trailed. "Wanted?" he almost spit out what bit of the drink he'd taken in. That was an unexpected turn of events, at least from his standpoint. "Wow... I'm sorry to hear that. Well, you know we're always around to back you up," he too trailed off. This kind of thing - comforting people - was so much easier when one was in a pretty good disposition, such as the earlier days of the team. Now, though? He didn't really know how to give advice anymore. Sure, he could still listen, that was one thing. Consoling a hurt friend was a different can of worms, though. He searched deep down for fitting words. "So, we're pretty much what you've got left going for you, huh... Doesn't seem like that's doing you any good, what with Jersey the way it is now. Hmm..." he sat silent for a moment. "Well, I promise you... we're better than any family you could have. What's better than dysfunctionality, anyway? You have a group of people here that care about you... Yanno, it is kinda weird to look at you guys like family more than a team, but really, that's what you've turned out to be for me." He smiled weakly for a moment. "But yeah... that's not always satisfying enough, I reckon." Taking another sip, he stared straight up at the sky as a few more stars peeked out. Crys paused for a moment, thinking about what Nick had just said. Having long since lost the meaning of family, she found tears forming in her eyes at his confession. To be included in someone's family, faux or otherwise, hit her hard. But it wasn't a bad thing. Wiping her eyes on her grease stained sleeves, she looked at Stryker, and smiled. "I... thank you, Nick." She couldn't help but sniffle a little. After a moment of silence, she sighed softly. "I... I'm going to tell you something, that no one else but Tommy knows, and that's because he was there." She had no real reason to tell him this. He hadn't inquired about her past... but in that moment, she felt a bond with him not unlike the one she shared with her fellow scientist. She was crying? Oh shit, what did he say wrong? He didn't mean to make her cry. Nick was starting to really feel bad for a moment, wondering if he'd really lost some touch with his emotions. Then he realized that she was actually happy - thank goodness. "Oh?" He was at a loss for words. He was touched that she actually wanted to tell him something so important to her past - a secret she seemed to keep for so long. He simply didn't want to interrupt her at the moment with some sentimental remark. She took a deep breath, partly to prepare for the long speech ahead, and partly to keep herself composed. "My parents... were robitcists. They made a lot of contributions to helping mankind... that's how I acquired my knowledge of how to design them... or things like them, like the armors." She paused. "They didn't work for anyone in particular, though, and that made the government angry. The government was constantly threatening them, but nothing ever came of it. I met Tommy around that time... he was an aspiring mechanic, and helped his dad in the shop a lot... he helped me with some of my early stuff. Anyway... one day, the government followed up on their threats..." Her voice wavered at that point, and she bit her lip. "There was... a struggle. But in the end, they got my family, and nearly me. I escaped through a trap door in our hall." She looked at Nick again. He never really could figure out in advance what she wanted to tell him. Her parents' fates was definitely not something that came to mind. He felt something tugging at the back of his chest, like his heart struggling not to break. "I never realized... I'm sorry that all had to happen to you... it's not something people so young need to experience. Just think... if you hadn't escaped... None of us would be here today. Your parents... they sounded like really great people." His thoughts were skipping all over the place in an effort to get out everything he wanted to express. "And the government would really go so low... but I guess from what we hear on the news and everything, that shouldn't be surprising." Nick tilted the bottle towards her, a look of true pity on his face. That shouldn't have to happen to anyone, and he knew that for certain. She smiled weakly as he tilted the bottle to her, and accepted it gratefully, taking a drink of the substance, and then handing it back. She nodded a bit in response to his words of pity. "They were wonderful people... and both were very much so advocates for Robots being equal to humans..." She chuckled. "After that incident... I stayed with Tommy for a while... we raided my old home when the FBI or CIA or whatever wasn't watching it, and grabbed everything we could, and hightailed it out of there. Made our first Sentient Armor, Lyric... it was stolen, though. But we ended up here eventually..." She smiled warmly at this point. Telling someone about all this was oddly... comforting. "I... I have hope they're still alive. That's what kept me going, before the Team..." She trailed again, seemingly deep in thought. He knew the odds of that were very poor. The way she talked, they were for sure gone. Either way, hope was something well worth having. "Good point. After all, it wouldn't be unlike the feds to abduct scientists like that as opposed to killing them off. Have faith, I imagine they're alright as well." He thought to himself for a bit, before asking: "So, um... what was Lyric like, anyway? I can't help but wonder..." Crys chuckled softly at the inquiry. "Lyric... never had a human counterpart, so I don't know how well she would have worked. She was made for ranged combat. She had standard issue energy pistols, but the basic programming inputted in her would've allowed her to adapt to any form of gun. She was also made for reflex enhancement, and to make use of a jump module, which would let her be able to scale this building as if she were stepping over a curb." She grinned a bit. "The armor was made with my... twin? sister Frost in mind. I never met her... apparently, she bonded more with our aunt or grandmother after birth, so she lived with them instead..." She shrugged a bit. "In any case... I honestly don't know if Lyric would have worked... she was the prototype, after all." "I have faith that it would have worked out," he said quickly. "So, you made it for your twin? I didn't know you had a sister." Nick felt like he was learning more and more about her by the minute - and he really was. He never really spoke much about himself either, so he could understand why she would keep from telling stuff like that. "Prototype or not, it sounds like it would have worked out pretty well. Do you know how it was stolen?" He was genuinely curious, and didn't really notice if he was stepping over boundaries. She was rather shocked at herself for revealing such information to him, but realized she didn't mind. There'd always been something about Nick that made him likable, and very easy to trust. That had been part of the reason she'd decided on him for the team, back when her and Tommy were going over potentials. "It was while Tommy and I were traveling... we were mugged by some down-and-out people. We'd stopped on the side of the road for a moment, they knocked Tommy and me out, and when we came to, the Lyric armor, and most of the other stuff from our car, was gone." She frowned slightly. "I hope that, wherever it ended up, they didn't abuse that armor." It then dawned on Nick how inquisitive he was being. Well, if she was telling him about it, he'd still try not to let him curiosity get the better of him. Sipping from the bottle again, he tried to think of how to reply. "Maybe not. A lot could've happened to it. If I had to guess, the government probably gave them a helping hand in exchange for the armor. I hate that most of your stuff was taken then. It'd be nice to be able to track them down and figure out what happened, yanno?" He was a lot more relaxed now that he'd found her at least. And now that he was talking to her, he was able to lay on his back and simply chill out. For the first time in quite a little while he was calm and not really worried. The scientist nodded, smiling a bit. Mimicking him, she laid on her back, staring up at the now inky sky. "Mmhmm." She responded. She was silent for a while, but it was a comfortable silence. She soon spoke up again, though. "Hey Nick.... if events ever come to pass in which I leave the team..." She trailed, and turned her head to look at him. "Would you come with me?" She watched his reaction apprehensively. To say that also was an unexpected remark would be an understatement. He didn't want to think about anyone leaving the team. That would never sit well with him, the thought of the whole team they'd work'd so hard to maintain and keep alive suddenly falling apart. But he did know how to answer that for certain. "Crys-chan... if you ever do leave... you're my closest friend here. If and when you do leave, I'd be sure to go with you," he replied with a warm smile. Really, he wouldn't much want to stay on if she left. She seemed relieved at his reaction, and relaxed, redirected her attention to the stars. "The same goes for you, Prote... if you ever leave, I'll follow you." She paused for a moment, before grinning. "But let's hold off on that leaving thing for as long as possible. We've already lost Pat... I don't particularly feel like adding any more abandonment anytime soon." Despite the depressing subject, she stayed cheery. She was comfortable there, nestled on the roof with good company and a good drink. Little to the aid of the moment, the drink was trying to take over, but he was doing the best he could to stay sober. No more of that stuff for him, that was for sure. "Right, I really hope things don't come down to that any time soon. After him leaving... I just don't think the others would handle extra losses too well. But... I gotta thank yeh... It means alot that you'd want to follow me outta here." He shook his head a little bit, trying to get the drunk slurring to go away. "You know, this drink you've got here is some stuff. We'll have to remember this one for when we do quit the team." He laughed a bit to himself over the whole situation. "I really am glad we got to talk, Crys-chan. You'll just have to hear my story some day." Whether or not he'd get that chance, he did not know yet. Hope's all he could have. |
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The Peculiar Lilliputian Formerly CrystalGirl and FlameChick.EXE | |
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| Alice Vulcan | Sep 24 2007, 07:48 PM Post #2 |
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Dark Soul
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I said it before, I'll say it again: I love it. As for the rest of you punks, read the damn thing. NOW. |
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| Proto Stryker | Sep 25 2007, 09:32 AM Post #3 |
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Chargin' mah Strykerz
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Considering I wrote half of it, you know I'm going to like it. =D I DEMAND EVERYONE TO READ THIS WORK OF FICTION-ART NOW It's really good. ^-^ |
| Ascendant Androids - Chargeman | |
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| Avi | Sep 25 2007, 03:31 PM Post #4 |
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Ranked Navi
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I read it, I read it! No need to get so pushy! ^_^; Very emotional. Great job you two! |
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~ The Ice Cream Fairy ~ The Fairy Leviathan(tm) Frozen Desert Company - granting your yummiest wishes since 2XXX * * * Try our new soft serve LOBSTER flavor!!! * * * | |
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| Makenshi | Sep 25 2007, 09:13 PM Post #5 |
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Mr. Prog cosplaying as Donatello
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Nice work. I demand moar >=D |
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Waveman of the Ascendant Androids Slashman of Drastic Measures Sam Barber of Tumblr | |
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| Iga | Sep 27 2007, 05:45 PM Post #6 |
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Psychoheretic
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I'm a sucker for character development, so I really enjoyed this piece. Great job you guys. |
| WW, 7M | |
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| Alice Vulcan | Sep 27 2007, 05:54 PM Post #7 |
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Dark Soul
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Haha, sorry about that guys. MM5 stuff just doesn't get all that much feedback, you know. Anyway, thanks for the compliments. That should help encourage these two to finally expand upon this thing. |
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| Proto Stryker | Sep 27 2007, 08:30 PM Post #8 |
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Chargin' mah Strykerz
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Expand? I don't think you WANT us to expand. >-> <-< |
| Ascendant Androids - Chargeman | |
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| CrystalGirl | Sep 27 2007, 09:11 PM Post #9 |
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小阴影
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It doesn't help that we posted this around the same time Top, Hard, and Spark all started posting art. We r unluved. =p In all seriousness... the feedback is muchly appriciated. (I always love a few words of praise for stuff like this ;p )We shall see what the future brings, for this happy little thing. |
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The Peculiar Lilliputian Formerly CrystalGirl and FlameChick.EXE | |
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(I always love a few words of praise for stuff like this ;p )
2:24 PM Jul 11