This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/KyleKKent on 2025-11-27 21:57:42+00:00.
RAK and Roll!/Shadows Over Centris
Even as he faces down Anaris who clearly wants him he can hear it in the distance. The sound of a heart monitor. Distant. Lighter than anything in the city but still somehow audible over the traffic going just shy of supersonic up ahead, the wind blowing between the spires and the sizzling of The Chop Wagon’s fryers.
The enormous Alien takes a sniff of him and there’s a rumbling sound.
“Nothing in the Axiom, but so much on the scent. Intermingling with those pheramones... regret, loss, pain, confusion, so much pain, and hope... burning at the end. Hope. Like the smell of candles lit in a musty pantry.”
“What are you even on about?” Reggie demands as Anaris smiles.
“It takes a bit of Axiom, but you can learn the signals. The amount of pheromones is like being punched in the face. But that’s just advertising the main feature.” Anaris says. “Still... what is going through your head?”
“I already told you. They’re dead. But I can hear them. Now back off.” Reggie says.
“Do we need to cut this short?” Koa asks.
“I’m fine. So long as we don’t start going through graveyards or we run into the exact doubles of my family I’m going to stay fine.” Reggie answers.
“I can give you something else to think about. After all, we should work to keep your family-.”
“My DNA was stolen. I’ve been cloned... way, way, way too many times.”
“Aw! So you are a father! Hundreds of times?” She asks and he doesn’t answer as his eyes go ditant. “Thousands? Millions? ... Billions?”
“Yeah... yeah... too many.” Reggie says. How does one do anything about that? Or handle it or... anything. Billions of little souls all massively cancer prone and spread out. Sure, the program to make sure they were all treated well was going fine. Or at least fine enough that no one had come to tell him anything about it since last time he checked. But... How? Just how does one make themselves the example for billions? How do you do right by more people alive than seconds you’ve lived? How?
He’d have to be in his mid sixties to have more seconds to his name than clones. How the hell do you do anything about...
A pair of horns are lowered to the top of his head as Anaris looks down at him.
“... If I put all my weight on you now, you’d barely notice. Wouldn’t you?” She asks with something dancing behind her eyes.
He reaches up and slowly pushes her off him.
“Sir, I think I am done. Can we cut this patrol short?” Reggie asks Koa who nods.
“Yeah. I’m calling it in.” Koa says as he holds down a yellow button on his communicator’s side.
•-•-•Scene Change•-•-• (Circling Lorule Spire, Unmarked Blue Van, Centris)•-•-•
She starts typing frantically as she tries to decode the... it’s already gone. They had already sent out a code and it could mean something. Anything and. And...
She couldn’t risk it.
Not after what happened to Amala.
She triggers the panic protocol and presses the red button next to her. Two separate systems to prevent hacking back through it.
As her autopilot takes her away from the spire she removes the registration card from her communicator and snaps it in two. Removes the memory from the communicator and then waits until they’re out of the faster traffic to toss the device out the window. She gets a glimpse of it shattering on impact with the walkways of the spire before the program brings her around the corner.
•-•-•Scene Change•-•-• (Lorule Spire, Leaving Jem’s Chop Wagon, Centris)•-•-•
“Please stop following us.” Koa states.
“You’re not in private and I am a resident of this Spire. I have every right to wander where I please in public areas.” Anaris retorts primly. “Besides, you humans find trouble all the time. I want in.”
“Lady we’re heading back to our car so we can go home.” Koa says.
“In particular because the one of us you are more interested in is having a day where he is required to rest.”
“Okay, seriously, is that normal?”
“I... I don’t have to explain myself to you. Not about that.” Reggie says as he starts growing upset and Anaris suddenly turns as a clinical beep can heard. Followed by another.
“What is that?”
“I’m leaving.” Reggie states.
“... Is that a heart monitor?” Anaris presses before comprehension dawns. “Why didn’t any of you tell me it was that bad!?”
“Shouldn’t have to!” Amadi states.
“I’m not a mind reader! You bastards don’t put anything into the Axiom I can’t tell if you’re just eating all the fuckiest food imaginable, actually upset or wearing some kind of emotive cologne.”
“That stuff is fucking awful. And we’re not allowed to wear it on the clock.” Torque states. “Or bomb the changing room with it. Not unless you want to do push ups until you collapse.”
“What was it?” Amadi asks.
“Secretive Allure! The scent of a man with much to hide! At least that’s what it said on the dark blue can. Drill Instructor wanted to murder me after that.” Torque explains as they go along. “Still, if you guys are finishing up then I’ve got to go back into character.”
He pulls out his hat and pauses. Puts his hand to the ear with the piece in and starts looking around. “Get into cover. Now!”
Amadi throws his right arm out as everyone moves. He paints the air above them into a swirling mass that looks like a landslide of yellow bricks that then fades to show the area with himself, Reggie, Koa, Torque and Anaris erased from it.
Anaris hasn’t bothered to actually run and is looking around before spotting the large armoured figures under a partial stealth in an opposing rooftop.
“Get behind something!” Reggie calls over.
“Pfeh, I’m what people get behind.” Anaris says as she pulls in Axiom into her eyes and looks harder. “Hmm... The Axiom around those things is off...”
“Too regimented.” Amadi says. “They’re automated, but not Synths. Meaning they have a targeting algorithm and a series of patterns they go through.”
“Yeah but they clearly either can’t pierce the illusion... or they can and they’re not looking for her.” Reggie notes as he adjusts his Turret again and Koa starts putting together one of his more interesting toys.
“Which means we’re being targeted. Send me a real toy.” Torque orders and Axiom PULLS around him before an anti-material rifle drops into his waiting hands. “Oh hell yes. I love these things.”
“Plasma launcher configuration finished.” Reggie states.
“Illusion still up, no hesitation.”
“Alright Torque, do we have eyes on the area behind our attackers? What’s the backdrop like?”
“Spire Gerga is the primary backdrop, a missed shot also goes into civilian traffic lanes.” Torque says. “We need a better firing arc. This weapon is too powerful, but we don’t have anything else that might drop a mech suit at this range.”
“... Amadi, test the enemy firing solutions. Make it look like Torque is running. See if they have it in for him. In fact, test for all of us. In sequence and starting with Torque and then Anaris.”
“Testing on the three.” Amadi states. “Three!”
There is a lance of blue lasers and pulses of plasma from the ‘empty’ air of the next building over. All on target for where Amadi put the illusion of Torque.
“Well that’s friendly.” Torque notes.
“Testing for Miss Anaris on the count of three... Three!” Amadi states and he weaves another distortion into the veil. There is no response.
“Amadi, check if they’re looking for Torque in particular or his uniform.” Koa orders.
“On the three... Three.” Amadi says again, waiting a moment to calculate the requirements of the illusion before weaving the next one. There is no response from the mech suits.
“Oh. Okay then. You boys hold this. I’m climbing the building and getting a better firing solution.” Torque says ditching his coat and making sure the teleport beacon gloves stay on.
“Or you can all just sit down and let the big girls take care of it. If they won’t shoot at me then this goes from unfair to a chore. You know, like changing the cleaning drone’s bin.” Anaris says as she prowls forward and then takes off in a gentle lope towards the building with the mechs.
“What are you doing!? You’re going to-!” Reggie calls after her before he has to slip to the side to avoid a barrage of plasma nad several laser blasts to his location. The mechs had homed in on his voice.
“Maybe keeping it down might be smart.” Amadi notes wryly. “Oh... shit.”
Police cars are flying in, they have amazing time. But bad timing as the Mechs are still dangerous, active and...
“Combatants in battle mechs. Stand down!” Rings out from the cars even as Anaris reaches the base of the building. There is no response from the mechs.
Anaris starts climbing the building and Torque sends a signal on their communicators to indicate he’s reached the top.
The police land around the mechs and numerous officers start pouring out of the cars and using them as cover as they point their weapons at the distortion.
“This might not...” Koa begins.
“Step Away From The Mechs Or Be Fired Upon.” An automated voice rings out and Koa sighs. Most of the police back off. Then one of them opens fire. The Mechs turn and plasma bolts slam into cop cars, an Anti-Material Round hits one of the Mechs in the shoulder courtesy of Torque and Reggie throws his turret some distance to have it land perfectly, take aim and launch a powerful plasma shot directly at the middle of three mechs.
An energy shield picks up and deflects the plasma shot as the Mechs turn around, but wit...
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