She somehow managed to get away with her idea of flooding the [Square-shaped entity], now fully confirming her suspicions about the hidden revolution of the [Slave] species.
There was none, no information whatsoever about their [Slave] species.
“[Found databases of multiple species, re-cataloguing previous information about other P-series subjects…]”
There was a veritable mountain of information on the device, and even more, if she used it as a bridge to access the networks available to it.
“And I have [Internet] on this thing?” Alexa asked [Eleanore] who was guiding her to what would be her new [Den]...no, her new [Home]...That sounded weird, [Den] it would be!
“They are connected to our internal network, you can call anyone working for Haephestus’s Forge. If you want to use it on the broader Internet or to call someone outside our system, you will need to pay for a plan.” [Eleanore] answered her, getting her own [Phone] out and showing her a weird symbol on the top right of it. “See? I have a provider, just buy the chip and plan. Billy will make sure the new plan you have doesn’t collide with our internal network. Or if you don’t want to bother the old man, buy a new one. It will not work while on the base, so most go and bother the old goat.”
…was [Billy] a [Goat]? A quick search on the internal database of the thing found the image of a quadrupedal [Animal] who seemed to like eating [Metal Cans] and [Paper]. She could understand this [Animal], but she wondered if [Billy] had awakened a [Humanoid Core] and earned his place among the [Humans] that way.
“.... Somehow that seems like the wrong [Identifier] for [Billy] but I have no idea why.” Alexa ended saying, she was sure that her [Child Stage] would accept the new information without doubting it. Her [Teenager Stage] .... may be suspicious but ultimately would accept it. “Was he really a [Goat] before getting his [Core]?”
But [Young Woman Stage] Alexa wanted to confirm it.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Only for [Eleanore] to start laughing at her, why? “Oh sorry, you were so serious…no wait, you really thought?”
And she went ahead to continue laughing, Alexa wasn’t quite sure why or what had she said, but she found this… [Embarrassing].
“Sorry sorry, that's just a mean way to speak about someone who is either too stubborn or old. Billy meets the criteria for both, so we call him an old goat.” [Eleanore] said after laughing for a few minutes, “It is a sort of mean nickname, like how your code name is Rhapsody. I mean, he has one too, just not old goat.”
So, a third [Name]? But one that the person in question wouldn’t recognize? Then what was the point?
“What is his code name?” Asked Alexa, she knew that [Eleanore] was [Cerberus], but what would be [Billy]?
“He is Hermes, in his younger days he was all about speed. At least till he forced his body beyond his limits and couldn’t run anymore. Then he focused on the Tinker aspect of his Core Power. Instead of the Speed aspect.” [Eleanore] said with a sad smile on her face. “He was all about speed you know. One of the best Heroes this city ever had. But when you fall from grace…it is hard to rise again, others don’t trust you, and he has made many enemies…. So Vulcanus took him in, and in exchange for that he works for us.”
Wait, [Main Core]?
“[Database indicates that there was a Hero with speed and tinker-type powers who caused the death of a hundred humans because of faulty technology. No evidence in reports to make an accurate judgment.]”
“If you search the older news, you may find him. It was a big case, it was all on TV for weeks. A Hero Falls, causes hundreds of lives to be lost because he tried to bite more than he could deal with.” [Eleanore] said with anger in her voice, “As if, he did his best. But the other Heroes with better PR put their errors in Billy. They made him a scapegoat.”
“[Found a Hero with Code Name: Hermes, wanted for arrest in account of 78 deaths, 12 wounded and 10 disappeared.]”
…. That was an impressive head count. She would need to reassign the danger threat of [Billy] if he could even be held suspect for so much [Human] destruction.
“He kept his [Hero] code name?” Alexa asked, she had thought that if they moved from [Villains] to [Heroes], they needed to change it.
“Yeah, usually when you move from Super Heroics to Villain you can keep it, it’s only a PR problem if you want to return to Super Heroics. Not that he will, even if they wanted him back.” [Eleanore] said turning to her as they arrived at a [Door] that opened into a small room. Another [Elevator] perhaps? “If you ever want to move into Super Heroics, I can get you in contact with one of the good ones. Or you can go to Super Force, he would probably get you into the sidekick program.”
“No, all the information I have so far seems to imply that I would [Fit] better on this side,” Alexa said, at least she hadn’t found any information in the database that implied that a [SuperHero] could [Kill] other [Humans], that would limit her way to get more [Blueprints]. “I will stay on this side.”
“So long you are okay. Either way, you can remove the Mask, we are about to return to the surface.” [Eleanore] said as she turned to look at her, “...It would be better if you had clothes…If you want to stick with that face change it to another.”
Clothes? What was the problem with her [BodySuit]?
“What about these? They weren’t made with my [Power], aren’t they good? The explanation [Billy] gave seemed to imply that they were [Good].” Alexa asked doing a small twirl to showcase her [BodySuit].
“I mean they are above standard for sure…but they are a Minion uniform, everyone knows that most of the people living in the complex of apartments I am guiding you work for Haephestus’s Forge…but you still need to pretend.” [Eleanore] sighed at her, was it that important?
She could of course change her face…
“[Warning: Only two human faces available. One is the one host is wearing, the other is from the male human. More Blueprints are needed to increase variety.]”
…that was dumb. Main Core was dumb, couldn’t she just…extrapolate them?
“[Affirmative, but evidence from doing so implies that there may be Emotional Rejection from a face made in such a way. Host needs to increase understanding of Brain Chemistry to achieve such a change without Emotional Damage from such a change.]”
Correction then, the [Human Body] was dumb.
“[Affirmative.]”
“...Should I return to my [Teenager Stage] or [Child Stage]?” Alexa asked as they seemed to move closer and closer to the ground level, “It seems my power won’t allow me to take another face unless I get more [Blueprints].”
“Couldn’t you make new clothes? I can get you pictures.” [Eleanore] said showing her images of some clothes on her [Phone].
Right…. that was an option…MAIN CORE!?!?
“[Already preparing blueprint viable to current BodySuit.]”
…. This cheeky thing…
“Sure, give me a second…Can I skim some of the [Material] on this?” Alexa said pointing at the [Elevator]. She could use some of the pigments on it, also if she added them to the clothes she made, then she could save some biomass!
She was currently underweight, after all, reducing her overall weight would be a problem. Her current bone structure was way too fragile as it was.
“...So long you don’t break it.” [Eleanore] said as Alexa put her hand on the wall.
“[Main Core, use as much material as you can without compromising the current structural integrity. Make a simple design that can hide the BodySuit.]”
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Was the order Alexa gave, she felt the [Nanites] start moving into the walls and bringing some materials back to her. Then from her exposed neck, she felt a strand of cloth fall down.
It went towards her waist where it embraced her. From there it made a pair of loose pants that went almost to her ankles, they were blue and seemed to be made from a rough material. She tried touching it and they were indeed coarse.
“[Material rough to touch, but host is wearing protective armor, so it was deemed a viable solution. No new footwear was made since current bodysuit boots are an acceptable solution. Please remove Gloves for the next part.]”
Alexa accepted the reasoning so pulling a few hooks in her wrist and pushing some buttons she released her hands, the arm coverings retracted as soon as she removed the gloves, she could manipulate how long she wanted them, so she decided to move them all the way to her shoulder. The less material she needed to cover the better.
The gloves were then pocketed into one of her pouches at her waist, they were a very convenient thing to have, and her new pair of pants had integrated them well enough.
“...” [Eleanore] was just staring at her, so Alexa focused on the next part. And by focused, of course, she just prodded at Main Core to continue the transformation.
In this case, the strand of cloth that had gone to her waist started to widen, it turned into a [Turtle Neck] blouse. It covered most of her abdomen and chest area in a tight form while leaving her arms wide open.
“Would this be enough?” Alexa asked as she took the mask and folded it away into her bracelet form to complete her ensemble. It looked…somewhat weird as she was dressed in a rough pair of [Jeans] with what seemed to be a fancy [Turtle Neck] blouse and [Combat Boots]. “I can’t do anything about the [Blouse] or [Boots].”
“...we have seen weirder combinations.” [Eleanore] said as Alexa continued admiring her work. While rough looking her pair of [Jeans] seemed to match her eye color. And while the [Turtle Neck Blouse] seemed to be too much. It made her figure more prominent.
“[Eye color was used in the color for pants.]”
Main Core chimed timely as they arrived at the end of their travel using the [Elevator].
“[Notice: Cellphone is picking up a new series of networks available. They all ask for a security token or identification token for access. Probability of this being the Plan Human Designation: Eleanore spoke about is high.]”
“Welcome to your new neighborhood, this is The Smith’s Apartment Complex.” [Eleanore] said as they walked into what looked like the [Lobby] at her former [Den] complex. Only unlike the one there, this one didn’t have [Armed Guards] at the exit, nor did it seem to be as clean as the other. “If you lose your key you can ask at reception for a new one, they will charge us for it, and we will deduct it from your pay.”
[Eleanore] said as she moved toward said [Reception] desk, “Hello Cindy, I have a new tenant. She will use one of our rooms, try to get her on the same floor as Skye.”
The [Receptionist] eyed her, “You sure she will live up to that? She looks more like a cheerleader.” Alexa wasn’t sure what a cheerleader was, but the name seemed to bring something within the [Blueprint], was it…[Pride]? Why?
“Yeah, she is somewhat of a special case, log three access users to it. Here are the photos.” [Eleanore] said as she passed three photos of her to the [Receptionist], they were of the other [Stages] she had.
“She lives with her Daughters? No…Sisters? What?” The [Receptionist] said confused as she looked at her. “She is too young to have a daughter this big, so they are her sisters?”
“Special Case Cindy, you don’t want to know, trust me. I will have nightmares already with what I learned about her.” [Eleanore] said with a shake of her head. “If you want to know it, you need to accept working for me. I could use a receptionist you know?”
The [Woman] at the desk shook her head and placed a [Card] on the desk. It seemed to be made of some type of [Polymer], since it seemed more resistant than normal paper. “Not gonna get me using curiosity. Whatever, we only have one single room around Skye. You still want her there?”
[Eleanore] turned to Alexa, then shook her head and turned to the [Receptionist] again,” Yeah, she will only use one bed anyway.”
“Sure…your problem, I will not get her new beds for the other kids.” The [Receptionist] said shrugging.
“Okay, now let’s go. Skye and Eduardo are already in your apartment waiting.” [Eleanore] said as she grabbed Alexa by her [Hand] pulling her toward another [Elevator].
“Who and what?” Alexa asked as she was pulled into the [Elevator], this one was less smooth and more unstable. But [Eleanore] didn’t seem to mind it that much.
“[Warning, current structural integrity below 20% efficiency compared to previous means of transport. Advise to use an alternative method of travel.]”
Even Main Core seemed to think this one was…dangerous.
“Those are the civilian identities of your teammates, when not using a Mask or outside the base you must refer to them as Skye and Eduardo.” [Eleanore] said, as if no extra information was needed.
Alexa was still linked to the internal [Internet] network, so she did a quick search of both [Names], finding that the first one was usually assigned to [Females] and the second to [Mexican Males], whatever that meant.
Was that some subspecies of [Males]? Did it make him more…dangerous? She wasn’t sure. Her [Blueprint] didn’t react differently to that, so she would ignore it and ask later.
“So, they will refer to me as [Alexa] too? “Alexa asked as their precarious method of transport finished and they arrived at another [Hallway], “Also, is there another way to arrive here?”
“I mean, that would be ideal. But since you can change the form, even if you need extra steps, they may end up using your Code Name; if it bothers you, then come to me. We will speak to them about it, but usually, Mimic Class Shapeshifters are more free-form with both names and forms.” [Eleanore] said in a thoughtful tone, “Also besides that elevator, your other option would be teleportation, flight, or the stairway. You don’t have the first two, so you would need to walk the five floors worth of stairways. I know the elevator is old, but it hasn’t failed this month!”
That…wasn’t convincing at all.
“And here we are, go on. Use your keycard, both Skye and Eduardo are already in since I asked for a favor, waiting outside wasn’t an option since Eduardo sticks out. And we weren’t sure how much you cared about that.” [Eleanore] said pointing at a [Square-box] on the side of the [Door].
Alexa couldn’t get over the fact that these weren’t [Entities] yet. But she respectfully put her [Keycard] atop the thing, only for it to give a [Beep] sound and the door flashed a green light above the [Knob].
“Open up, don’t be shy.” [Eleanore] said smiling at her. So Alexa opened the door and….
She found the same fan girl she had seen before, this time she was dressed in a [Mini skirt] with a [Green Blouse] and a [Beret] atop her head. She was sitting in a weird [Chair] that seemed to be made of some kind of sponge-like material.
“They came!” Screamed the girl turning to the door, “Eleanore? Right? Where is Rhapsody? And who is she? Her Mother?”
“Rhapsody can change her age, is this her real form?” Her Meat Shield asked while frowning his stone-hard eyebrows.
“Both of you calm down, what I am about to tell you must stay between you.” [Eleanore] said turning to Alexa, “Can I tell them?”
Alexa nodded, unsure what she was about to tell, but either way [Eleanore] didn’t have any sensitive information about her, so it was a moot point in her opinion.
“Okay, I am Cerberus. As you know my power allows me to perceive the truth.” [Eleanore] started her explanation, “As far as we can tell…Rhapsody, or how you will know her as. Alexa is at least Five years old.”
“...They grow so fast?” Fan girl said with a question mark in her head.
“Be serious Skye.” While Golem turned to her in a serious tone, “Explain, are you saying this woman is five years old?”
“No, the real Alexa is at least five years old. But what do you know of her? Her Teenager form or this young woman form? They are…what age are they Alexa?”
“My [Young Woman Stage] form is 19 years old,” Alexa said as she changed her form into her [Teenager Stage Form]. Re absorbing the material from her clothes back into herself. “This one, my [Teenager Stage Form] is Twelve-year-olds. As for my [Child Stage form] ...She is indeed five.”
“...You didn’t act like a Five-year-old during the Induction.” Her Meat Shield said as he eyed her from head to bottom. “Neither your adult form acted like one. Is it your Core Power?”
“Edward! It’s rude to ask how a Core Power works in full. I didn’t tell you how I work my wind, neither did you tell us how you absorb materials!” Fan girl said angrily at her meat shield.
Oh right, the [Humans] seemed to have those weird hang-ups about information. Alexa understood them of course, but wondered why they shared so much information over the [Internet] if they also wanted to keep information secret. How did that work?
“As far as we can tell, Alexa’s mental age matches her body. If she is in her Adult form…” [Eleanore] left the word trail over her mouth.
“...Then she has an adult mentality….” Her Meat shield finished, “But then why does she return to this one then?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Fan girl said with great emotion in her eyes, “Any woman that could turn the clock back would choose to do so!”
“....” [Eleanore] stared at fan girl in disbelief.
“...” Her Meat shield also stared at the girl in disbelief.
“Am I right Rhapsody?” And so asked the girl who could command the air.
“...I returned to this form since the [Young Woman Stage] didn’t have enough biomass to work at full capacity. But if you are asking me what is my preferred form…” Alexa answered while tunning inwardly to Main Core.
“[Can we prevent my Child stage form from leaving this place?]”
“[Affirmative, this place looks like a viable den to use as forward base, Host in its most primal form should be content with it.]”
That was a good enough answer, “I prefer this one.” Alexa said as she executed the shift and changed into her [Child Stage form].
“ONCE AGAIN I RETURN!” Alexa exclaimed as her change finished, turning her into her [Child Stage Form], the prettiest and cutest of all!
Why was that?
Because it was Alexa!
“And I declare that you!” Alexa said pointing at fan girl number one, “Will give me [Dextrose concentrated candy] at once!”
“You want candy? I only have Mango flavor…” Fan girl number one said as she pulled from within the confines of a dark and hidden place one of the spheres that contained all the joy in the world.
“MINE!” So Alexa attacked! She strode forward with speed and magnificence as her mouth opened as wide as possible and bit down into her objective!
The target?
Fan Girl’s hand!
She quickly used her tongue to dislodge her target from the hand of the fan girl number one and cracked down into the glorious sphere of joy and energy, for she was hungry!
“...We were supposed to discuss your new mission…not get Alexa in hyperactive mode…” [Eleanore] said at the back, but Alexa cared not for it!
For she had candy! And more importantly, a [Human] name for this glorious flavor!
“Main Core! Record it for posterity, the most tastities of all tastes!” Alexa said to the high heavens, “MANGO!”
She had found the key to the heavens! What were the heavens? She didn’t know! Nor did she care! All she cared was that she would eat all of them mangoes!