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I remember there was Transformer Animated and Transformers Prime back in CN so I wonder if there are in Fusion Fall
The closest we probably have to a Transformer in FusionFall is Megas from Megas XLR. Unless we considered a crossover between networks/companies, I wouldn't say that they are in FusionFall's world for the simple reason of licensing/ownership. Transformers is a brand owned by Hasbro, whereas most all of the shows featured in FusionFall were Cartoon Network exclusives.
There were some exceptions and the whole topic's a bit messy with so many franchises being involved--I don't know all of the irl history myself--but we can try to clarify some things to see what works for FusionFall's world if we're looking at it from that licensing angle:
First off, again, anything that is specifically a Cartoon Network brand seems to be an automatic pass. That includes shows like The Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Hi-Hi Puffy AmiYumi, and anything else from the wide collection we're familiar with. If we want to be a little broader, I'd even throw in early characters from the Cartoon Cartoons era that didn't make the cut to get a full show themselves, but were seen in other CN material, like those from the Cartoon Cartoon Summer Resort game--or even original series from the CN Real era for easter eggs, because even though they're the weird cousins we don't normally like to talk about, they're still part of the family.
I'd next throw in my hat for the Hanna-Barbera shows. Not only are they already referenced in the game, from the Hani-Baba Temple to the characters acting as easter eggs in the totems/ruins, but--just like the CN exclusives--they also were present in the CN City era that the game shares roots with. In-particular, Scooby Doo and Tom and Jerry--which is actually a former MGM cartoon created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera--had bumpers made specifically for their own shows. The FusionFall wiki calls the Hanna-Barbera shows "second-party property" as well. As to how they came to be known with CN, this goes back to the earliest days of the network when Ted Turner acquired a massive collection of old cartoons to feature prior to creating original material. This placed them under his company, Turning Broadcasting, before CN and everything under its umbrella was bought by Warner some years later.
Just as a side note in case it comes up in headcanons if I do any for Scooby Doo in the future: I personally won't be including the events of Mystery Incorporated and certain other installations, like a lot of crossover titles, into my ideas just because of how much they exist as their own, independent things compared to the rest of the material. However, I definitely wouldn't knock out the possibilities there for others with their own takes for the game's world, since it's really just a matter of what flavor of the series you prefer.
Next, we're getting into some weird territory. For comparison's sake, franchises under the DC label seem like they would technically follow the same pattern as the Hanna-Barbera ones: Warner owns both of them and they were both featured in CN City, like Teen Titans and Justice League. Despite this, however, I haven't found evidence of any easter eggs or other content for them featured in the game. Warner seemed to want to keep them separated, and while we don't know the reason, I can see how balancing certain aspects of DC's multiverse vs. CN's--such as their tones and just how much lore there is to sift through with the DC characters alone--would get tricky with an already massive project like FusionFall. For instance, Samurai Jack is a mostly serious action cartoon, but it could still fit itself with the others because it also embraced its cartoony aspects, like the Wonderland episode or how unserious Aku could be at times. I can't say pairing mainstream Batman with the likes of Super Cow would've worked quite the same, especially for a general audience who mostly know specific images for the DC characters. If someone who was used to the typical Batman story walked into FusionFall expecting more of that Batman, they'd probably be thrown for a loop and wind up unsatisfied. If the two were combined, it would have to be specifically for an audience that accepted the DC characters being treated with a bit campy fun, like in the bumpers, and only playing a small role to balance with the other franchises.
Then there's the shows that actually did make it into FusionFall despite either not belonging to Warner or their licenses falling into more of a grey territory. For example, Johnny Test has a sizeable presence in the Academy version of the game, with its characters handing out missions and a Johnny nano existing. If I had to make a guess why, I'd pin it on how popular/regularly aired the show was on CN at the time. From what I've read, it seems that Warner only has partial ownership of the show. Meanwhile, Total Drama Island and its sequel shows had an easter egg through t-shirts you could collect in the game, despite how Warner mainly seems to have broadcasting rights for the franchise. I would personally keep these as fun references or easter eggs; maybe things that the people in-universe enjoy or have their own version of.
I would definitely recommend checking out the Shows Represented page of the FF wiki, because it tackles each of the franchises seen in the game really well.
I'm just kinda jotting some quick thoughts down here, because I only just caught up to the last couple of chapters and there isn't really much to say on this topic anyway, but does anyone else see how warped Modri is going about his self-enforced crusade against demons? Placing the rest below the cut, just in case of spoilers:
To get to the heart of the matter, the source of Modri's trauma focuses on how Sebastian ate the souls of his loved ones, but how is what he's doing, what he's become, any different from the demons he's been hunting? Demons treat humans as a source of food and, as a Bizarre Doll, Modri has essentially become a parasite that requires a constant supply of blood to keep him going. This has resulted in the deaths of countless innocents whose blood was drained from them. If we talk about the Sphere Music Hall victims, the comparison is even more stark, as they were promised pleasures without understanding the cost that they came at--just like how demons make promises to their victims only to twist them before dragging said individuals to a miserable end.
The fact that Modri has fang-like teeth could be a visual hint to this, because it makes him appear not just vampiric, but gives him one of the same physical traits as Sebastian. Modri is/has abandoned everything that made him human, putting his revenge above the souls he's supposed to shepherd and protect if he truly was a man of God. This seems to be something that even his mentor was worried about, as when Modri insists on following him to Rome, there's one panel focusing on the demon hunter giving him a hard look, as if he knows that Modri has chosen this path for all of the wrong reasons.
I'm gonna add Undertaker here as well, because his behavior is also starting to mirror a demon's actions more and more with how he's looped others into his plans. Let's go back to the Campania Arc. When Ryan Stoker realized that he'd been lied to and used by Undertaker, he confronted the reaper about it directly, demanding to know what happened to their plan to make the world a healthier place. In turn, the Undertaker used this moment to mock Ryan for his own hypocrisy and how much faith Ryan put in him:
"That was your desire, right? Besides, you are not capable of bringing the dead back to life by the power of the medical knowledge in your grasp. And it all ceased to be medicine in the first place the moment you began to depend on my techniques... You were a good lad, naively buying all I said without question."
Then, seeing as how Ryan likely ran out of his apparent usefulness given his obvious involvement with the project and the inevitable destruction of his career, Undertaker let Ryan die without any show of remorse. There's a good chance he's using and is willing to throw Modri away in much the same manner.
There's a theory going around that the demon in Modri's flashbacks might not be Sebastian, since he still doesn't seem to have a clue who Modri is, demons are fully capable of changing their appearance, and it's not like we ever saw the face anyway of said demon in the flashbacks--aside from when it took on a shadowy, amalgamated form. I'm not going to throw my hat into either camp for now; however, I will say that it would be very in-character if Undertaker is using Modri's thirst for revenge to create an obstacle for Sebastian. Sebastian wouldn't need to be the demon Modri's after: Modri just needs to believe that he is. It would also copy what Undertaker did to Ryan: Using someone's blind self-righteousness against them while he furthers his own goals by pointing them in the wrong direction.
As a last point, the theme of abandoning one's humanity has been addressed by Yana Toboso way earlier in the series:
"We mock their desperate wishes and trample them like insects! Cowardly, base! We’re more demonic than demons are! I’m just like them. I’m full of the same ugliness they were. This is how humans are. It’s how we are, Sebastian!"
Undertaker is a reaper. They are regarded as unique beings in Kuroshitsuji's world. However, they were human first. They retain their human memories, emotions, and spirits. Considering that and just how experienced he is as a reaper, I think what makes Undertaker distinct as an antagonist is that he should know what it means to throw away his humanity... and he just doesn't seem to care. I'm not saying he's a villain that loves being evil for the sake of it or that he's prioritizing desire: I think he's empty, and that makes him scary in a way other villains aren't. It doesn't make him base or animalistic. It makes him a force of nature, because an empty person will burn everything in their path without any sense of direction.
FusionFall Headcanons: Nano Stations and Nanochips
Nano Stations are common devices for fusion fighters so that they can easily summon their nanos wherever they may be posted, basically working as a quick-travel system. For the nanos themselves, they also act as a kind of shelter. They can be found across all Fusion Fighter bases, with a variant of the device becoming available for home installations for those with large teams. Nanochips, meanwhile, are small devices made to safely contain and transport individual nanos while their IE Donors move in the field. These can be clipped to the IE Donor's uniform for quick access and easy movement.
The development of both of these devices involved re-engineering the same technology that is used for the warp gates for a more compact form/longer distances and heavy study into imaginary worlds. Since nanos exist partly from imaginary energy, the idea was to create pocket spaces ideal to each nano that would keep them safe in a worst-case scenario and allow fusion fighters to move larger squads with minimum issues. (This was before limits were encouraged regarding the number of nanos placed on a team at any given time.) However, such technology has proven risky and teleportation devices are strictly limited overall, particularly for living beings. In fact, if you were to read the terms for using Morbucks Savings and Loans storage, you would find that even they strongly advise against using their tech on people.
Imaginary worlds already exist as pocket realms where creators born from imaginary energy (IE) can live well. That alone though had multiple issues, the main of which being that it's pretty rare for people to create them and that access to them can be unstable. Without the will of the creator or an established "gateway" linking it to the real world, entry into these realms essentially becomes impossible. As such, scientists on the Nano Project hoped to create a widespread tool that would solve these problems. The tool itself would act as the gateway, but also would largely maintain the overall structure of the pocket space. It functions similarly to other tech already used to channel IE in weaponry and around a soldier's body.
Nanochips were designed first due mainly to their smaller scale. Each chip can only carry one nano at a time and deletes the information related to specific nanos frequently to keep from overrunning their systems. When an IE Donor is ready to form a new team or if a nanochip has been inactive for a lengthy period of time, their data is cleared to adjust to whatever kind of ideal space suits the next nano to register to it. As mentioned in previous posts, as the chips prioritize the safety of nanos, they can be locked to prevent anyone on the outside from trying to forcibly remove the nano. The pocket space the chips create are equally small, and could be described in-small as being similar to a small room or single-person tent. They contain a small transmitter so that the nanos still know what goes on in the outside world, but they can only receive audio transmissions.
If a chip is damaged while a nano is trapped inside, an emergency procedure will open a "backdoor" that will sync it with the nearest Nano Station. Depending on the extent of the damage, this is the only time a nano can be forced to leave the chip in the form of a transfer.
Nano Stations, meanwhile, largely establish a central hub that could be compared to an apartment complex in-function. Multiple nanos can exist within the same hub. The appearance and scale of these hubs, however, are also dependent on the IE Donor. For example, if an IE Donor does happen to have an imaginary world, the stations may link to it instead or in-addition to the typical hub.
To access the stations, each user must register their IE signature into the system. This signature is permanently saved, with the IE Donor typically being automatically registered to all stations. As no stations have been placed in locations limited to specific factions, there are typically only two exceptions to this access. The first exception is, if a fusion fighter retires from the army, they will be removed from accessing stations at bases. The second exception is private stations located in fusion fighter's homes, which grew in popularity in the latter half of the war. Private nano stations essentially just copy whatever hub an IE donor already made or can, again, link to an imaginary world. (To compare to computers, it's a little like using OneDrive or Google Drive vs. your personal drive.)
The IE signature is also what allows the system to recognize a user's connection to their nanos, serving as not just the key to the hub, but the link to transport nanos from one station to the next. IE Donors can also issue commands into the system to allow their nanos to travel freely to and from specific stations, such as in the event that they need to be sent to another area for training or tests or in medical emergencies.
Bare minimum, nanos are allowed to freely come and go from whatever station their IE Donor last accessed. However, most limit their movements for a number of reasons, like safety concerns. It's rare for a nano to wander, so members of each base are often vigilant when they do see a nano flying around on their own and won't let them to leave the perimeter. Due to the way the system is hosted, there is no risk to an IE Donor's hub should a single station wind up damaged. In the case of private nano stations that don't have a secondary link to either another station or imaginary realm, there is an all-abort command that will eject nanos into the real world.
While nanos can find themselves very comfortable in the hubs, reviews state that they can feel stifled or stir-crazt if left in them over long periods of time. Just like imaginary friends, while a nano can survive in these pocket spaces, they are at their happiest when they can interact with other people and do enjoy things from the real world as well. It's recommended that IE Donors ensure that their nanos do get that real world engagement, even if they opt not to assign said nanos on missions.
The Forever Knights are one of the few groups on Earth that not only refuse to ally with the Fusion Fighters, but can actively cause trouble for them despite both sides standing against Fuse. According to Plumber Enrique, a vendor in Offworld Plaza, the Knights have even stolen technology from the Fusion Fighters. The Fusion Fighters themselves generally try not to deal with the Knights when possible, simply because beating Fuse takes priority, but will act when the Knights instigate a conflict.
Due to the Knights having various factions and the game's version of Earth being so different, I'd like to think that said factions are even more split than they are in Ben 10. You'd have some that are still human-centric, so anything to do with not just aliens or hybrids, but EVOs, cryptids, Underworlders, imaginary friends, and even people who use imaginary energy (IE) or superheroes with unique powers like the PPG would all potentially be considered abominations. Then you have the Earth-centric factions, which, due to how things like IE are a regular part of humanity in this world and how Aku's takeover affected the timeline, are mainly focused on chasing aliens off of Earth. The first group is smaller, being incredibly outnumbered, but the second can actually be more active/extreme because so many of its members have personally lived through chaos caused by events such as Aku's reign of tyranny or any of the number of invasions that happened before Fuse's arrival.
As seen in the episode "Ben 10 Returns: Part 1," certain factions of the Knights are willing to trade with select alien species for their technology. Given that, it isn't impossible that some might be willing to work with the Fusion Fighters on occasion out of necessity; however, these alliances should be treated with just as much caution as with any other assortment of villains in FusionFall's world.
In the missions "Fuzzy Wuzzy" and "Water You Doing?," Mandy begins to give us pieces of Forever Knight armor as rewards, stating that she found it in the Hani-Baba Ruins. Since there was no mention of the Forever Knights themselves, it might be safe to assume that, whatever brought the Knights to the Ruins, things didn't end well for them... Since they aren't a part of the Fusion Fighters, that also means that they wouldn't be connected to the Resurrect 'Ems: Any end is the end for them unless they found something else to keep them alive. As to why they were at the ruins, I'd like to think that the group likely picked up on the knowledge that Earth's ancient people took preemptive measures in case of Planet Fusion's arrival, and are researching it for themselves. Chances are, they'll end up hoarding whatever they find, especially since there is evidence of alien involvement--like the Anur totems we find in missions such as "Hands Off."
Given the model of the armor seen in the game, Sir George hasn't united the Knights under one banner by the time of the invasion. He's probably going to bide his time a bit longer as opposed to in UA. Part of this is because Dagon's seal hasn't been broken yet, the war causing the events that led to that being postponed thanks to Fuse's invasion. Nevertheless, I don't see him staying completely out of the war out of a sense of duty, perhaps acting as an "old, retired veteran" helping rookies with combat training or strategy. This would also be a way for him to try to gather information and potentially hunt for future recruits for Knights.
Sir Driscoll's faction, on the other hand, is very much active and the most annoying group among the Forever Knights for the Fusion Fighters to deal with. He's driven by his own ambitions for dominance and control, so the threat Fuse poses to Earth is secondary to him: He sees the war as the chance for two enemies to take each other out while he and his men sneak around to take whatever they want in the shadows. Sir Enoch is in the process of building back his influence during the events of the war after the Ben 10 episode "Perfect Day."
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"That might've been for the best. To give an outsider—nevermind one of low rank—such an honored seat was unheard of and the nobles present struggled to hide their distaste. They didn't dare voice any opposition though, instead drowning out their bitterness with food and wine. There might have been a few petty gripes directed at the mages instead if the guild hadn't prepared everything so flawlessly in-advance."
Dark Origins has been updated on Tapas, FFN, and Ao3!
This is another one I only put together in a couple hours and I had way too many issues with it to be made with the simplest of tweens--even my mouse decided to die on me while making it--so consider it unfinished. Couldn't find anything I like among the game's sfx for the spawn, so I voiced it and added a reverb.
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The job for the day was easy: Test out the new Dynamo armor and submit a report to Professor Utonium before morning. Mobility, durability, absorption, weight. Supposedly, adjustments had been made to improve the suits for direct combat, but they wouldn't release them on a large scale until after final evaluations were finished.
This was the kind of thing Silya enjoyed most about being a research participant, trying out all kinds of innovations—granted, it wasn't anything new or groundbreaking, like the time-travel experiment or Nano Project. She hadn't expected anyone to ask her to test anything outside of Dexlabs either, but she and two other labrats she worked with, Naomi and Ella, had been passing through Peach Creek when they got the request. Now, all three of them were in matching suits of different colors, spotting each other as they took on a mix of Pesky Ponies and fusion spawns.
"On your left!" Naomi's warning was unnecessary. A holographic alert flashed within the corner of Silya's full-faced helmet, letting her know about the charging quadruped at almost the same instant. The fusion monster was a bit larger than the others, so she swerved out of the way. Its vacuum nozzle of a mouth launched out at her at the last second and she stumbled further back. Unable to turn fast enough, it raced harmlessly past her.
They were in a nearly vacant field wide enough to give both sides plenty of room to run circles around each other. It wasn't far from the suburbs; what might've been a plot emptied for further development at some point but was left overgrown. The nearest homes were only a minute-or-two walk away, with drainage pipes feeding an unnatural, rainwater pond. With no obstacles in its path, the Pesky Pony just slowed, trotting in a U-turn to face the fusion fighters once more.
They'd decided not to bring their nanos with them. Peach Creek was relatively safe and the trio could cover each other's backs against the weaker monsters that typically roamed the area. Besides, for their evaluations to be as accurate as possible, they wanted to handle the monsters for themselves. For that same reason, they mostly kept their weapons at their sides, not drawing them except in the case of a surprise attack or to deal the final blow.
Silya took notes in her head throughout the fight. Mobility. None of them seemed to have any issues there. Even though their bodies were covered from head to foot in heavy material, the armor wasn't too stiff or cumbersome. Silya evaded the mob with ease, imagining herself as a matador, in her blazing red gear, as she dodged the same Pesky Pony a second time. A blurry orb went flying as Naomi—dressed in blue—kicked away one of the spawns like a soccer ball. The group's green Dynamo, Ella, had managed to grabble one of the other Ponies and was splayed atop its table torso, her gloved hands wrapped around its elastic hose of a 'neck' as if she meant to twist it into a knot.
Durability and Absorption. Although the Fusion Fighters' armorers thoroughly tested both before even allowing anyone to wear the suits, these were always the riskiest to analyze, especially faced against toxic monsters. They had to get hit. A spawn suddenly leapt at Silya from a nearby patch of tall grass. She instinctively raised an arm to block the attack, its sharp fangs struggling to sink into the thick gauntlet while an acidic spray akin to drool rolled off its surface. She heard a faint hiss as fusion matter attempted to burn through the armor, but as she ripped the spawn off of her, she only saw the tiniest of scratches left behind by its teeth. She held it up by its headtail and, before it could ooze from her grasp, swung it at the Pony that had been chasing her for the past few minutes. A mechanical whine whirred from the latter as it accidentally sucked up part of the spawn's goopy form, bucking wildly.
Weight. It was one of Silya's few complaints about the armor. Nevertheless, it wasn't one she could reasonably put to paper—she just wasn't a fan of heavy armor in general. She wasn't the strongest, so it always wore down her stamina in a short amount of time. She also hated how blind and caged she felt in most helmets. The Dynamo suit was probably one of the better sets she'd worn. Save for the bulkier gauntlets, its weight was distributed evenly across her body and it wasn't unbearably heavy. However, again, the helmet was a completely different story, built with so many functions that it felt almost like she was wearing a bobblehead. Its tracking system was also a blessing and a curse; useful until multiple alerts danced across the visor in a distracting parade of holograms.
After clearing the fusion monsters out of the area, the three young women stepped over to each other and removed their helmets for a much-needed breather. Three sweaty faces with long, tangled manes of hair appeared, chuckling at their own, tired appearances.
Naomi was almost a head shorter than the other two. Light, cotton candy pink locks stuck to her equally fair skin. Maybe her hair used to be blonde, but Silya had only ever known it to be pink. Her eyes were a watery blue, almost perfectly matching the Dynamo suit she was wearing. Ella was a handful of centimeters taller than Silya, and she had cool, medium-dark skin; rich, brown eyes; and springy hair that she usually kept styled in a bun. Since the two were the type that could get along with just about anyone, she found herself easily meshing with them whenever they happened to meet up.
"How long have we been at this?" Ella asked, then nodded at the piles of fusion matter and broken wood and appliances around them, "How many does that make?"
"Don't know. Lost count," Naomi replied.
The pink-haired woman looked to Silya, who just shrugged, equally as lost on the numbers. Perhaps they were treating it too much like a game, but they needed some levity and it was hard for them not to feel at least a little playful in their current gear. Almost all of Dexlabs' research participants had some kind of adventurous streak and had grown-up watching the Powerpuff Girls and other heroes on the news. All things considered, the Dynamo suits felt more like cosplay than armor.
"Well, I think it's safe to say these are a success," Naomi continued, pointedly bouncing her helmet once in her hands. "Should we call it a day?"
Silya looked to where the sun was in the sky, guessing the time. "Probably. It'll take a bit to write our reports and I need to get back to my nanos." Technically, she could call them from anywhere that had a nano station, but she'd sent her current team to the Treehouse in Sector V and said she'd meet them there.
Her friend nodded in understanding. It was strange to think that, less than a few months ago, all of them only really had to worry about themselves, their biggest concerns being their paychecks and whether or not any of Dexter's experiments would go haywire on them. Now, they all had nanos that had quickly become something akin to family to them in the bleak world that was the Future. In small ways, it'd changed them.
In others, they were the same eccentric labrats they were when they'd first met. The corner of Ella's lips lifted in a small grin as she suggested, "We're still stopping at Burger Frenzy, right?"
Another round of nods answered her, this time with more enthusiasm. Before Professor Utonium had contacted them, they'd actually meant to take the chance to reconnect after what felt like an age apart. Sometimes, Silya met the others, separately, but she hadn't hung out with Naomi and Ella since everyone returned to the Present.
They'd only just turned around and begun to pass the pond when they heard a scraping in the earth. None of them had the chance to turn around when something rammed into Silya from behind. She went flying forward, landing in the water with the sound of gunfire and a muffled thud erupting behind her.
The large Pesky Pony that had chased her around hadn't had the fight knocked out of it quite yet. Whether it was because the last attack wasn't enough or because the spawn Silya had hurled its way merged with it to give its scrapped together body new life, it had shuffled up on broken table legs and made one more attempt to trample her before the other two fusion fighters put it down for good. The trio stared at it for a moment, making sure that it and the other Ponies didn't get back up.
Naomi couldn't help but snort as she turned to face Silya, taking in her soaked-through appearance. Her eyes squinted with a wince of concern, "Are you ok?"
Silya had gotten over her daze from the blow quickly. Righting herself into a sitting position, pulling her arms free from a tangle of weeds, she thumped her chest-plate with a closed fist. Absorption. It had taken the blunt charge like a dream. "You were right. I think we can give the armor a pass."
She searched for her helmet, which had landed just ahead of her—fully submerged, but only barely, with its bright red patterns making it pop beneath the surface of the pond. She crawled over to it, her mouth twisting as she poured out a stream of water. She hoped the visor wasn't damaged...
Ella waded in after her. "Here, let me help you up."
Silya was able to stand in the pond on her own just fine, but for a moment, her foot felt wedged in the muddy earth beneath her. Ella moved into the water until it reached her calves, stretching out to brace her friend. There was a suctioning sensation and Silya's leg finally pulled free.
The water quickly evaporated in the midday heat, leaving dirty smears on the armor. Silya could feel where it had leaked through to the bodysuit underneath her gear, nevertheless leaving her chilled. She took a look at herself, then found the two other young women staring at her, wide-eyed, as if they'd seen a cryptid emerge from the pond in her place. "What?"
Wait. She felt it now: A presence that wasn't that before, clinging to her back. She turned her head slowly, casting a glance over her shoulder. Her nose was hardly a breath away from a round, red face with seven bulbous fisheyes and a wide, all-consuming mouth. It wasn't a fusion monster.
It yipped a high-pitched gurgle of a sound at her.
Silya whirled around in a voiceless panic, arms flying back to try to claw the creature off of her. The sudden jerk of motion was enough to pry it away, but as it fell, it captured her leg instead, hanging on with a tight grip until she lashed out with her other foot. The impact sounded almost like a kickball striking a gym floor and it landed back in the water with a splash.
Does anyone know what's going on with @ao3org? My login has been blocked all day despite resetting the password and I keep getting a data breach alert.
Posting this because Nergal is referenced in a recent fic I wrote and I'd like to expand on ideas that I talked about in it:
Because they live in the Center of the Earth, Nergal and his family are so removed from the war that, like a lot of other Underworlders, they aren't bothered by it all that much. His main concern over it stems from the fact that his son still goes to school on the surface, so when the invasion hit, he treated it more as "the neighborhood falling apart." He wanted Nergal Jr. to switch schools, but everyone in the family talked him out of it: If the surface is still good enough for his in-laws, then it's good enough for his family.
He treats the Fusion Fighters similarly as less of an army and more of a club. Billy and Mandy are in it--even Grim is in it, so he guesses it's more like a YMCA type of thing--so there's no reason he and Jr. can't be in it too. As long as battling fusion monsters doesn't affect his son's grades, Jr.'s allowed to hang out with the others as much as he wants. In contrast, Jr. himself feels like he's the only one in his household taking the war seriously, while his dad dismisses it as one of those things that feels important and bigger than it is just because Jr. is a kid. "Son, not that I actually want you to answer this, but do you know how old I am? Do you have any idea how many times I've seen the so-called 'end of the world'? It's not a big deal, so just have fun with it."
Despite this, while Nergal is mind-numbingly cool-headed about the consequences of the war, by no means is he mature about the war itself. It's just all from the perspective of it being more of a sport. There are times where he can be downright petty over a loss or what he views as "foul play." Since this usually results in him taking out fusion monsters himself, people rarely bother to try calling him down for this way of thinking or correcting him.
Yes, you can expect him to bring snacks to strategy meetings. He thinks it's kind of rude that he's pretty much the only one doing it since everyone should have to take turns. No, not everything he brings is safe for consumption, so be sure to ask whether he made the snacks himself or if his wife did. Accept anything store-bought at your own risk.
If you're one of those soldiers that Him has decided to bully for whatever reason, while Nergal will avoid physically fighting the demonic entity, he will stand up for you or try to help create some distance. (He's not against a confrontation, but he's trying to be the bigger person, and he honestly doesn't know how the match-up would go or if it would be worth "getting banned" from the Fusion Fighters.) Nergal views Him as someone who's throwing his own weight around to get whatever he wants and ruining everyone else's fun because of it. However, Nergal can also be swayed by Him's manipulation. If you aren't direct and Him says things are fine, Nergal probably won't notice even if the harassment is obvious to everyone else.
As seen in GAOBAM, Nergal is someone who heavily values the opinion of others, even if he doesn't always respond to those opinions positively. He craves companionship, with the main reason he wanted to create Nergalings was so he could "make friends" by force. Since the data used for the Spinal-ARCH's version of the tentacles stems from this strange power, the data also contains those feelings behind it. Combined with a fusion fighter's own imaginary energy, this results in the tentacles expressing themselves almost like a separate living entity. However, they aren't sentient. The best way to describe them, as corny as it sounds, is as a physical manifestation of self-love. In theory, Nergal desired approval--specifically the approval of fusion fighters when he joined the project--so the tentacles also instinctively crave the approval of the person they're attached to. Still, the tentacles don't register themselves as anything other than an extension of said individual's body and/or mental state.
For comparison, think about how Celia's snake hair works in Monsters Inc. The snakes love Mike because Celia loves Mike, and they get angry with Mike on her behalf when she feels he's ditched or lying to her. Nevertheless, not once are they considered as anything other than 'hair' and we only really see them react separately from her when she mentions cutting them, which could easily be pinned on survival instinct the same way you'd have to mentally hold yourself down to brace for something you knew was painful, like getting a shot or removing a broken piece of glass that you accidentally stepped on.
The tentacles are prone to reacting in a similar, uncontrollable manner, especially to short-term stimuli. For example, if you were walking down the street and notice something odd out of the corner of your eye, the tentacles might linger on what that something longer than you would, even if it's nothing important. If you got a sudden a craving or smelled something tasty, the tentacles might go after that food whether you actually want it that very moment or not. They're incredibly impulsive and can cause several problems as a result. They don't register cause and effect at all; they register want and instinct.
Getting back to the self-love angle, you will see some variation in the behavior of the tentacles from person-to-person. While anyone will find them hard to control, they express themselves differently. The tentacles might flex when attached to someone with a lot of confidence in themselves, create a physical boundary when attached to someone with social anxieties, or curl around a person just like a self-soothing hug... even if said person may actually be uncomfortable with the tentacles themselves.
No one asked him to help with the Spinal-ARCH. Nergal just volunteered when he heard about it, thinks it's nice to be included (especially because his offer to help with the Nano Project was rejected), and was elated to see some of his efforts to be supportive actually pay off.
FusionFall Fic: Not a Campy Horror Fan (Part 5, END)
The ship's passageways were only mildly brighter than the vents had been. Silya was careful not to make a sound, each step on the metal flooring seeming loud to her own ears. Other footfalls tromped in front and behind her, every unknown approach chasing her into some other hall to hide in.
This wasn't actually the first time she'd been in this kind of situation, although it was the first time she found herself trapped without either her weapons or her team. The fact that she'd effectively been defanged wasn't lost on her. So, while she was confident that Gwen would be able to take care of herself, Silya wasn't so sure about her own chances. Progress was slow. She must've circled around the same rooms a dozen times before she found herself back near the holding cells, only now on the opposite side of the force shields.
The others had regained consciousness by then. At first, when they saw her emerging from the shadows, they shouted at her, mistaking her for one of their captors. They only went quiet when she raced over to quiet them, eyes flickering between her face and the tentacles at her back. "You-!"
Silya motioned for them to keep silent. Sure enough, upon closer inspection, she recognized one of the other captives as the missing guard. The other two were still hard to identify, but given the mud on their shoes and how ruggedly they were dressed, she thought they might've been independent agents like her assigned to the wilderness. She hurriedly examined a nearby panel to try to shut down the shield.
"Behind you!"
The sudden shout was followed by a harsh blur of movement. Her body was thrown sideways as a teal, webbed hand swiped the air near her face. Three of the tentacles spread apart to catch her fall while the fourth coiled around her attacker's wrist. It was the amphibian from only moments earlier.
He swiped at her again only for another tentacle to grab his other wrist as well. He then jerked both arms down, snatching up the false limbs. Silya's knee buckled as tried to drag her to himself and she fought to keep her legs braced against the floor.
Before he could reel her within his reach, the second set of tentacles lashed out with a punch to his stomach. His grip faltered and the woman was able to scramble away. Once again, she ran for the cover of darkness and somehow found herself crowded among containers. She must've wandered into the cargo hold.
The amphibian's silhouette followed after her. She could hear his respirator easier than she could see him. Each gargled breath pushed her deeper into hiding. She crouched low, almost crawling along floor so not to reveal herself, and ducked behind a wide box.
One of the shorter tentacles looped around her forearm for comfort and she attempted to pat it to calm it down. The last thing she needed was to get tangled up in them right now. Based on where the sound of the respirator came from, the amphibian was taking his time prowling the room—but he made sure never to leave too much space between him and the entryway to his back, just enough so that she couldn't dart by him.
Silya held her own breath. She almost wished he would say something. Hearing him taunt her would've likely been preferable, because it would've given her some sort of read on what kind of enemy she was dealing with. The silence itself felt predatory; the mute patience of a hunter that knew its prey was cornered.
Sinking so low that she might as well have been lying on her stomach, she crept toward the adjacent wall. Maybe if she stuck to the cargo hold's perimeter, she could keep herself far enough away from the mercenary to get around him. Every time she heard him draw close, she rolled around the nearest container to stay out of his line of sight.
She managed to crawl all the way back to the entrance, leaning against its frame in a readied sprint, when something grabbed her from behind. She was lifted off of her feet and then hurled to the floor on her back with enough force to knock the wind out of her lungs. She felt the plates of the Spinal-ARCH bite into her flesh and the tentacles lash out around her for any kind of purchase as she tried to cry out in pain and couldn't. The brutal landing made enough noise though, calling the amphibian back over to her.
"I don't know how you got out, but it won't happen again."
Half-dazed, Silya squinted up to find a different mercenary looming over her. This one was more machine than man, the rise and fall of his chest armor the only sign that he was a living being at all. He blocked her escape one way while the amphibian blocked the other.
"Are those normal?" the latter pointed at what Silya could only assume were the tentacles.
There was pause, then the former's tone dipped in suspicion, "No. They're not."
The armored alien reached down and one of the tentacles lashed out to try to attack him only to get caught under his foot with a heavy stomp. Silya deactivated the Spinal-ARCH, earning a moment's surprise as the limbs vanished. She shoved herself up and tried to swerve around them only for a fist to bury its way into her chest and knock the air out of her again as she collapsed to her knees.
"What if we broke a bone?" the mercenaries continued their conversation, unmoved, "It won't change the way the meat looks too much, will it?"
"No, I don't think we need to go that far." This time, there was a grin in the other's words, as if he could sense her rising terror.
He reached down to resume his inspection when something snaked around her wrist. It almost looked like fabric. In an instant, she was dragged down the hall, coming to a stop several meters away from the pair and in front of the legs of two other aliens she didn't immediately recognize.
Silya didn't get the chance to look up. An ear-splitting howl boomed through the narrow space, and the only thing that kept her from digging her nails into the ground in response was the solid metal beneath her. She felt her hair whip back as though it were blown by a strong wind and kept herself flat to avoid getting swept away.
The newcomers then moved past her. She hadn't yet fully processed what just happened when another strong grip picked her up like a cat. Electric purple eyes scanned over her with concern.
Before she could utter her surprise at seeing Gorben, a trio of red, yellow, and blue streaks catapulted into her arms. "Silya!"
While her team weren't exactly in a fit, three angry faces did stare up into hers. They'd gotten separated from each other before, but they must've thought she'd up and left them to handle a job on her own. Aoi and Clutch were the first to wriggle away from her. "You disappeared on us!" the Demongo nano puffed out his cheeks, the flames on his head flickering indignantly, "No fair! I demand equal notice on all schemes!"
"Are you ok?" Poppy was the only one of the trio openly taking her absence seriously.
As much as she wanted to reassure them and as many questions as she had for them over how they managed to find her, they couldn't wait around. Silya turned back to Gorben, "Gwen's trying to stop them from fixing the engine. We need to keep this ship grounded!"
The Transylian picked up on the urgency in her voice before the explanation itself, steadily setting her back down on her feet. Her entire body ached from the earlier pummeling; however, thankfully, the short breather was enough for her to manage the pain for now.
She naturally gained a little more energy back from Clutch's leech ability too. The mummy and wolfman had already taken out the two mercenaries and were currently setting the other prisoners free. The amphibian was bound by his legs, but only temporarily stunned. He grabbed the gun at his hip, aiming for the nearest of the Anur aliens, when Clutch sped forward and twisted his wrist. The tiny Tetramand then swung the much larger amphibian over himself, Overpowering the mercenary and slamming his head into the floor.
A familiar piece of tech caught Silya's eye. She recognized her nanocomm among a line of others strapped to the amphibian's belt. Gwen's was also among them, which she stashed in her pocket to return to her superior later. She put hers back onto her wrist and helped pass out the rest to the other fusion fighters as they walked over.
"You do look a little rough," Clutch placed his hands on his hips, "If you need to rest up, you can leave this one to the real heroes."
Not letting his teasing get to her, Silya readied her shattergun. "Not a chance."
The Anur trio already knew their way around the ship well from their journey to Earth. They led the way toward the engine room while two of the other fusion fighters went to find the exit. With any luck, they'd signal for backup or keep any other potential dangers from finding them.
Silya, her team, and the remaining fusion fighter followed the first group. Truthfully, she didn't think they were able to offer much in the way of support. Between the mummy, werewolf, and Transylian, they had a pretty solid match up against any one or two mercenaries they came across at a time: One to constrict their opponents' movements, one to either lash out with an explosive sound wave or brute force their way through, and one to grapple or electrocute anyone left standing. There wasn't really anything left for the humans and their nanos to do except watch the rear.
Whether it was thanks to a vigor for battle, a genuine sense of moral duty, or the knowledge that they could be blamed for the whole mess, the Anur aliens also fought with a certain... gusto.. The engine room was locked, forcing Gorben to short out the door's controls. When it zipped open, they found the large reptilian from earlier blocking the entryway. He spun on his heel and launched himself at the Transylian—only for the latter to catch him by the throat and hurl him back into the room. Metal claws raked the floor as the lizard caught himself. He attempted to charge once more. Sparks and teeth went flying as Gorben grabbed the reptilian by the back of the skull and slammed his snout into the wall until he lost consciousness.
Gwen was a fighter in her own league. Not only had she taken out the engine completely—evidenced by the large slash through the machine that made it look like a laser cutter had torn through it—but she seemed to have been holding her ground against the reptile and yet another mercenary just fine. The one she currently faced off with was a portly, pink alien with no visible features other than a wide mouth and a pair of thick goggles over his eyes. While he didn't appear to be built for combat, he absorbed hit after hit of the multiple energy discs she hurled his way. It wasn't until the mercenary was distracted by his colleague's defeat that she was able to get a proper strike in, changing the shape of her mana into a much larger form and bludgeoning him back into the wall. She fired off an additional beam of energy for good measure, ensuring that he didn't get up.
She looked over the group as a whole as she caught her breath, accepting her nanocomm back from Silya. "Is everyone out?"
"And waiting," the other woman replied.
Gwen's eyes briefly met the mummy's as she gestured to the mercenaries lying out cold. She didn't hesitate to take charge, "Bind them for now. But don't think this means we won't have more to talk about when we get back."
Silya did a quick count in her mind. They hadn't fought off all of the mercenaries, based on what Gorben had said; however, there was a good chance anyone remaining had either also fled in an escape pod like the Anur aliens or were currently out 'hunting.' In that case, it wouldn't hurt to have a couple of fusion fighters stationed around to watch the vessel in secret, in the event that they returned to it so they might catch them by surprise.
No sooner had she mentioned the idea, an all-too familiar, animalistic shriek echoes from the passage behind them. She and the other fusion fighter instinctively moved forward, weapons at the ready. The shadows warped and distorted just ahead of them before erupting into countless spidery legs crawling along every surface. A late warning followed after them:
"We've got Alpha Arachnids! There's too many of them—look alive!"
It was a swarm. Had the unexpected buzz of activity following the crash attracted them?! Silya clenched her jaw. Whatever had, they couldn't let the wave of fusion monsters corner them. "Poppy! Aoi!"
At the cry of their names, the two nanos shot ahead of her, each casting their unique ability against the approaching mob. The passage ignited in a spiral of blue flames and the monsters temporarily halted. The other fusion fighter unleashed a volley of bullets against the spiders, while Gwen followed suit with her energy blasts.
Silya activated her Spinal-ARCH once more. The Nergal tentacles shot out from her back and latched onto a grate above, yanking her up. She planted her feet against the wall added her own firepower to the mix, targeting the Alpha Arachnids clinging to the ceiling.
For a while, all that could be heard were the spiders' shrieks, the splatter of fusion matter, and rapid gunfire. In the confining space, the chaos was almost deafening. Then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped. As Aoi's Demon Fire died down, all that was left were large pieces of wood, oozing green puddles, and acidic burns in the metal.
The ragtag group glanced around at one another. Now that the worst was over, a sense of relief washed over them, but also trepidation—both sides still finding that their newfound allies were certainly a fright to behold.
....
By the time they returned to the base, Silya was ready to pass out. Unfortunately, a necessary stop by the medic's cabin would delay her rest even further. As expected, there were bruises; massive ones, covering both her chest and back. The medic seemed at a loss that the beating Silya took hadn't resulted in a fractured rib or some other internal damage, and all she could really do for the bruising was offer some cold compresses and pain medicine.
Meanwhile, her nanos could only offer their help in the form of their usual verbal jabs.
"It could've been worse," Aoi shrugged after hearing the full story of what happened, "You should count yourself lucky that those mongrels didn't want to sample the local cuisine first..."
"A free sample is about all they could make of her," Clutch added, "I always knew you were short, but you're a shrimp compared to those guys!"
"Are either of you gonna shut up?" Poppy scowled at them. It wasn't that she was against teasing her IE Donor on occasion, but this wasn't one of them. Maybe it was because of all they went through together in the Future, but she was a lot more mature than many of Silya's other nanos.
At the same time, deep down, Silya knew that Clutch and Aoi didn't truly mean anything by the ridicule. This was their way of overcoming the bleaker moments of their job, poking fun and trying to have a laugh.
"Speaking of giants..."
Returning to the barracks, Silya paused mid-step and followed her nanos' gaze. The Anur system aliens stood clustered together with Gwen and some of the other leaders at the base. At that distance, it was hard to tell what exactly they were talking about, but the young woman imagined it had something to do with ensuring that they were indeed trustworthy. First there was the rough history between their worlds, then the alliance their planet already had with Fuse, and now this incident... It would likely take a while for both sides to come to some kind of agreeable terms.
Spotting her, Gorben found a way to excuse himself and began to approach. Silya might've pretended not to notice and kept walking were it not for how nervous he seemed as he drew closer. She still didn't buy how anything about her was remotely terrifying to a towering hulk like him; however, if he was going to go out of his way to act friendly, then she figured the least she could do was not flinch at the sight of him.
Gorben stopped directly in front of her, "How are you feeling?"
"Don't worry. My wounds aren't anything I can't walk off."
"That's good."
A thick, awkward atmosphere settled between them in the absence of words, just like it had back in the forest. The longer it dragged on, the more a nasty, delighted grin began to spread across Aoi's face. As Gorben evaded her eyes, struggling to add anything else, Silya shot the Demongo nano a look in a mute order to keep his mouth shut.
She cleared her throat, "Really, I'm fine. And a large part of that is thanks to you. If you hadn't caught me, I probably would've splattered at the bottom of the satellite tower... So, thank you."
She hoped she didn't paint too grim a picture, but if it upset him, the Transylian didn't show it. If anything, he merely looked stunned. "N-no problem."
Neither of them could eke out much more than a few words after that and it was only small talk: Checking to make sure that they had gotten through the recent fight relatively unscathed and had each settled in. The non-conversation dragged on long enough that Gorben was eventually called back—to both of their relief.
With that, Silya went on her way, eager to hit pause on the long nightmare that was the recent events and enjoy a deep dream.
END OF TRANSMISSION
Part One
Part Four
...
Author's Note: Now that I'm done with this fic, since it'll probably be a long while before I get to draw it in comic form, I want to talk about Gorben's characterization a bit here, because he was honestly a lot of fun to write. I wanted to bring in the canon from Omniverse where, unlike the aliens who work directly under Zs'Skayr, much of Anur actually thinks of the people outside of their system as monsters. We don't get a ton of development at times and I'm a stickler when it comes to things like that... except I didn't want to amp up the fear factor as much as the show played it for laughs.
As a result, Gorben ended up being this character to kind of tightrope between genuine fear and a rational understanding. He's a good guy and his people need the kind of firepower humans can wield against Fuse through imaginary energy, so he goes into the situation trying to set his feelings aside while also grasping that humans will either be scared of him as well or possibly even hate him for what Zs'Skayr has done... But then, the more he learns about humans, the more they kind of freak him out. XD
"What do you mean they're winning against Fuse? No one's won against Fuse!"
"What do you mean they're beating him back through pure imagination and sheer will?"
"Isn't that coffee stuff they drink literal poison to most species on their planet?!"
Then he sees Silya, and he not only realizes that she and most other humans are total lightweights compared to the majority of his own kind, but that, yes, he could, in fact, snap her in half if he wanted to. And he starts to feel bad... right up until he watches her take down a fusion monster two to three times her size and all of those walls of his immediately go back up.
I'd like to think that, mentally, he's both sides of this argument:
When Silya opened her eyes, she found herself not by the Skyway station, or in the barracks, or anywhere near the Pimpleback Mountains. She was lying on her side on the floor of a metal cell. Gwen had woken up before her and was examining the force shield keeping them trapped. From the frustrated look on her face, she'd been trying to disengage it for a short while without success.
"Where...?!" Silya sprang up from the ground, racing to try to get her bearings. There were no windows and the hall outside of the cell was so dim that she couldn't see the end of it. However, in the quiet, she could just barely make out the patter of heavy rainfall. The storm from earlier had lifted, but not fully disappeared, so she hoped that they were still somewhere within the Haunted Ridge, wherever here was. As far as she was knew, none of the structures within the wood had this kind of futuristic look.
There wasn't any lingering pain from the attack, but her weapon and her nanocomm were both missing. There was nothing in the cell that they could use to fight off their captors or any obvious control panel to try to override. Another sealed cell stood across from theirs. Although the Skyway Agent was nowhere to be seen, there were three other humans—all dressed differently, but Silya suspected that they were all fusion fighters—locked up.
Gwen brought a finger to her lips, motioning for Silya to keep her voice low as she turned to face her. "It looks like those missing mercenaries of yours found us instead. I think we're on their ship."
"You're sure?" It wasn't that she didn't believe Gwen. It was simply all she could ask. Her mind was still trying to catch up. Weren't the mercenaries on the Anur aliens' side and weren't they just supposed to bring the trio to Earth? Well, she supposed the answer was in the job description: Mercenaries didn't necessarily have loyalties to anyone. She didn't want to assume yet that the Anur aliens themselves had anything to do with this—although that was still an option. Maybe the mercenaries figured that their work was done the minute they dropped onto the planet, but even in that case, why go out of their way to target Earthlings? Surely Fuse wouldn't have attacked their ship if they'd somehow struck a deal with him.
"Fuse's blockade might prevent a lot of aliens from touching down on Earth, but there have been more attempted abductions since the war started. Some see the invasion like a closing window, in the event we go extinct." Gwen's explanation to that unspoken question was unsparing. "Certain species see humans as... 'delicacies.'" Her tone dipped on that final word, hinting toward some experience.
The other young woman went still, panic slowly rising in a way that it hadn't since the time-travel incident. So, what then... They were treating the invasion like a fire sale? 'Come and get them while they last?!' Her lips curled in disgust, her imagination working overtime against her as ideas of their abductors' intensions entered her mind.
Gwen called her name twice to snap her out of her it. "We need to get everyone out of here before the ship takes off. Do you have anything to fight back with?"
The only thing Silya had left on her was her Spinal-ARCH. The device was hidden under her clothes, meshed to her body, so their captors likely didn't think to remove it. She was glad that they hadn't. The technology was still relatively new and there was no telling what the consequences would be if somebody tried to forcibly rip it off of her back.
The Spinal-ARCH used her imaginary energy and pre-existing data to manifest various creations from her body. The issue was that most of said creations were closer to costumes than true extensions of herself. For example, there was one code for butterfly wings, but they couldn't bear a person's full weight enough to lift them more than a couple of centimeters off the ground for a second. She tried to think of anything in her datalog that would even be remotely useful.
There was one thing... An Underworlder called Nergal had been almost elated to help work on the Spinal-ARCHs. The data he volunteered to the project allowed fusion fighters to manifest dark tentacles similar to his. These were a stark exception to the usual rule, as they were fully capable of lashing out on command like an additional set of limbs. However, they also... kind of had a mind of their own...
They really didn't have a lot of options. Closing her eyes, Silya recalled the shuddering feeling of something pebbled and warm—like snakes basking in the sun—creeping along her back. A familiar tingle coursed through her bones as the Spinal-ARCH activated. Four black tentacles with a dark emerald sheen emerged over her clothes, tethered to the device via mental connection. They stretched and coiled in the air, testing the limits of their range.
Then two of them looped around Silya's neck. She felt one of them slide up and down her cheek while the other rested along her collarbone. It felt almost as if they were purring, as though they were glad to be called to her side after so long. The tentacles weren't really sentient, but they sometimes acted like they were, which made them unreliable. She couldn't count the number of times they'd reacted or grabbed onto something without her input, and the strange shows of affection they made were beyond her.
She then looked around. There was a vent cover high above them. The ends of the tentacles split apart like sharp fingers, grabbing it and pulling it free. Gwen created a stairwell of mana for them to reach it and Silya snapped the cover back into place behind them.
"They took your nanocomm too, didn't they?" she asked.
Gwen nodded, then led the way deeper into the vents. Ideally, they needed to get the devices back. It was the most direct means of contacting other fusion fighters and Silya's connected to all of her equipment.
Whether the ship's lights were low due to some damage taken or if they were left low from traveling with their Anur system clients, the pair had to crawl through near total darkness. Several minutes of aimless wandering eventually brought them in-range of an argument echoing from some kind of common room.
"...wasn't a town! That was a base, you dolt!" a gruff voice barked, "This is exactly why I told you to wait!"
"Hey, technically, I didn't attack the base! They were outside of it," a synthesized, garbled voice countered, "And it's not like anyone saw me."
"Well, thank the stars for small favors!" the first alien shot back sarcastically before continuing his rant, "I swear, if the Plumbers catch on, I'm throwing you straight into the line of fire!"
The two women wriggled close to peer into the room though a grate. Three of the mercenaries stood below them: A giant, orc-like alien with orange skin and pinchers framing his jawline; an ichthyoid with a respirator covering the lower-half of his face; and a tailless reptilian with cybernetic features.
The reptilian got between the larger and smaller aliens, "Enough! What's done is done, but no more risky moves. We're lucky that it isn't uncommon for people to go missing in the area. Let's just finish the repairs as soon as we can and grab what we can before we're noticed."
Gwen and Silya shared a look. They needed to escape the vessel before it took off. If they died here, at least they had the security of the Resurrect 'Ems to rely on. The same couldn't be said if they died off-planet. If the mercenaries slipped past the blockade a second time, that would likely be the end of it. Moreover, if they didn't make it through, then they'd just be left at Fuse's mercy—out of the frying pan and into the fire!
Once the mercenaries parted ways, Gwen gave her orders, "I'll try to sabotage those repairs. You try to find a way around to free the others."
Silya reluctantly agreed to split up. She may not have liked the idea of it, but it was their best chance to get everyone out of there quickly. They waited for the trio of mercenaries to leave before slipping out of the vents.
Gorben didn't appear to take issue with the transport when she showed him the hovercar and explained how they would need to sit. He was just eager to get going. In contrast, Silya somehow felt even smaller next to him when she plopped behind the steering wheel. Even sitting down on the trunk, facing the opposite direction, he still seemed to tower over her. She felt anxious, forced to keep her eyes on the paths ahead and trust that he wouldn't do anything with her back turned to him.
Aoi kept enjoying himself, watching the two of them. His IE Donor couldn't imagine what he thought was so funny, but it embarrassed her enough that she eventually told her teammates to return to their nanochips. Only after the fact did she realize that meant being alone in the Transylian's company. Needless to say, it was a tense, quiet ride.
Thankfully though, it wasn't a very long one. Even going slower than normal so that she wouldn't accidentally throw Gorben off the vehicle, they easily reached the base in less than half the time then they might've arrived by on foot. One of his allies was already there—a mummy-like alien that had been brought in by a second team not long after Silya had sent her report. Gorben joined him to talk to a few Plumbers while the young woman headed to the barracks, breathing freely for the first time since the strange encounter.
The barracks, as with much of the base, were made up of the same sort of cabins that dotted across the rest of the Haunted Ridge. The only real difference was that there were some larger buildings on-site, filled with old, rusted equipment from decades past. The base sat right at the bottom of the Pimpleback Mountains and was only a short climb to a nearby mine. Although there were plenty of beds, the cabin Silya entered was practically empty. She reclaimed the one that had been assigned to her before and took off her gear, ready to catch a few hours of sleep.
She hadn't been resting for long when someone shook her awake. Accustomed to the battlefield, her mind immediately went to the worst conclusion until a calm face and a mane of red hair entered her vision. She rubbed her eyes, surprised to find Gwen Tennyson standing over her.
Although she'd spoken to Gwen when she'd first arrived at the Haunted Ridge, it was only to introduce herself as an independent agent temporarily working in the area. Silya knew about Gwen's family from the news, that she could use magic, and that she was one of the base's leaders, but that was about it. There wasn't really a reason to get close to her and she doubted they had anything in common to begin with, so Silya only expected to interact with her on the job.
"Sorry to bug you when you just got back, but I wanted to talk to you. I saw you and that Transylian when you came through the perimeter. You both looked a little wound up," Gwen said, then pointed a thumb at the door behind her, "Do you mind taking a walk with me?"
By taking a walk, Silya figured that meant she just wanted to make sure no one could slip behind them and listen in on their conversation... She glanced around the room, eying what few others were sleeping around them and trying not to sulk. It wasn't as if she could outright reject one of her superiors and since she was the one who brought Gorben in, it was her responsibility to answer for it.
She saw no point in dragging her nanos along. Unless they were hit by a sudden, coordinated mob, the base's perimeter was relatively free of fusion monsters. The two women trekked through a clearing near the side of the mountain. If someone did overhear them talking, they would have to step out into the open to get close enough do so.
"I want your honest opinion," Gwen began, "What do you make of that guy?"
Silya thought over what to say. As deep as her reservations were, it also felt a little unfair to claim that Gorben was untrustworthy. The reality was that she didn't have any proof to weigh the matter with, just the Anur system's track record against how he'd personally helped her. He intimated her because he was an unknown, possible threat; because of what he could and maybe had the motive to do, not because of anything he'd done.
If she had to admit it, his physical appearance didn't bother either her so much as he startled her when he showed up in the woods out of nowhere. There was no denying he looked like a character straight out of Frankenstein, but she'd seen plenty of Underworlders and fusion monsters that were a lot scarier. Other than that, he came across to her as just some guy—albeit a really big guy that could probably bench press a truck.
"Did he threaten you?" Gwen asked, a bit more to the point.
"The way he acted, you would've thought I threatened him," she answered. The words sounded ridiculous to her own ears.
The fact that Gwen was acting so cool-headed about the situation made Silya feel a little calmer as well. Nevertheless, Gwen also echoed the same advice the latter had already been given, "Someone reported seeing what looked like a Loboan near their position not long after you made it back. We found one of the escape pods, so I don't think they were lying about the crash, but we can't be too careful."
If someone as experienced with alien encounters as a Tennyson was giving her that kind of warning, she'd take it. Silya supposed, even excluding Earth's relationship with Anur, their world had always been a massive target. Well before Planet Fusion arrived, there was Vilgax, the Broccoloids, the Great Rainbow Monkey Abduction... Then there was the demonic being known as Aku, who had tried to turn their planet into a cesspit where every villain in the universe gathered. Silya and Gwen were both lucky enough to grow up in a protected region, their childhoods left largely unscathed thanks to Jack chasing the dark lord off and other heroes shielding them from further danger. Not everyone had that.
Not even all of the Plumbers were on the best terms with Earth, despite the planet being a part of the organization. Silya remembered from her time in the Future that, aside from a handful of agents that looked after Ben, the group's presence was almost nonexistent. If it looked like Fuse would win the war, they would leave Earth to its fate. And the fact that they prioritized safeguarding the Omnitrix and the use of imaginary energy meant almost nothing to a civilization fighting to survive.
"I did some research on Anur after my cousin and I dealt with Ghostfreak a few times," Gwen continued, "People from their system have been visiting Earth throughout history, but a lot of them are just as scared of Earthlings as some of us are of them."
Hearing that made Silya reflect a bit more on Gorben's behavior. She couldn't say that either of them had acted irrationally toward each other—given everything, she thought they both held their nerves pretty well. However, she did wince a little when she thought of how brutally she'd taken down the Alpha Arachnid in front of him...
Something occurred to her. "You mentioned people saw another alien from Anur. Including Gorben, that makes up all three of them if we take his word for it. What about the mercenaries though, or the ship itself?"
"We're still searching." The way Gwen's brows knotted together revealed that she was equally as bothered by it. "If the ship crashed, we should've seen it. Not unless it landed outside of the Ridge or maybe burned up in the atmosphere."
Or maybe Fuse's army got to it first. They didn't get a lot of news about what went on just outside of Earth's atmosphere. Silya couldn't even guess how bad Fuse's blockade was.
Without warning, they heard a distant, agonized scream. For a moment, the two women froze, waiting for some other clue to the abrupt terror that broke through the still night. There was nothing. There was no cry from a fusion monsters or flash of green light from the Resurrect 'Em less than a three-minute walk away.
"I think that came from the Skyway station." In an instant, Gwen's hands glowed with a pink energy and she raced toward the sound. Silya chased after her.
The Skyway station was positioned on a high ledge overlooking the base. It had the best vantage point in the area and wasn't easily attacked. Fusion fighters came and went from the cliffside largely without issue, so there was typically low, but steady foot-traffic along the path up to it.
When they reached the ledge, the guard that was supposed to be keeping watch at that hour was missing and there was a Monkey Skyway Agent lying unconscious on the ground. Gwen crouched by him to check him over for injuries while Silya readied her shattergun and examined their surroundings.
It didn't look like there had been a struggle, but then again, the ground was so dry and course that footprints were hard to find. The only hint of trouble that Silya noticed was a place where it looked like someone may have slid on the ground.
There were less places for someone to hide here than in the clearing. The only way an attacker could've taken the agent by surprise was if they struck from higher up the mountainside.
Silya looked up the moment the idea entered her mind. It was that same moment when she noticed the shimmering shape of a net bolting directly toward her. Before she knew what was happening, she was thrown back, hard, her entire body convulsing as an intense, electric shock wrapped around it. She thought she heard a second scream, but it was hard to make out over her own.
And then the world went dark.
Part One
Part Two
Part Four: TBA!
...
((Author's Notes: We're actually kinda drifting into a second story planned for the comic here, but I figured combining them wrapped things up a little nicer, so we're doing both. :) ))
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