TRACK 012: FORWARD
THE COMPOSER
As she finishes her story as she finishes the twist up. I thank her for the help and give her a little smile, but I’m not sure that reaches my eyes. I’m completely caught in my head and I worry it’s on my face. I can’t imagine I pulled it off. I need to get my head right.
Are you okay? Kohl’s voice drifts to me. I lay back down on my bed as he walks out of the shadow.
You will all things pass in time.
Because I care.
Yes
Yes
Yes
You just do. Kohl jumps on my body. She told you when she could.
Then we know where to start.
We already have the Sea Witch on our ass. She’s a danger more than any professed warrior. The look on Kohl’s face was hard. What are you really worried about?
It hits me and it makes me rethink my prior feelings. Looking down, I realize my hands are shaking.
You’re having a panic attack.
I am. I know. I-fuck! I try to focus on my breathing. Kohl wanders off running away and I hear him moving things around in the bathroom. In what feels like hours of excruciating chaos, he returns. In his mouth, a bottle of my anxiety meds. He gives it a kitty toss and where it would have before slipped through my fingers before, my increased reflex let me know the arc, snatching it out of the air. I open it with a practiced motion I’ve done a hundred times. Two pills down and I’m just sitting on my bed.
I finally must have gotten asleep around 3 am. The meds finally got in my system and took the edge off. I could relax. My worries didn’t go away. My brain just slowed down. Able to breathe. I got up around 10 and that’s late for me.
Kohl rounds everyone up together and we have a breakfast of dry cereal, some chips, and some juice. Carter must have thrown out anything perishable, which is better than my entire apartment smelling like a dumpster.
Sitting in silence, we all agree to say nothing, but sit in the company of the sounds of crunching in our ears. Gabrielle steals glances at me through her eyelashes. Pretending not to notice, I try to finish our brunch.
At some point, probably when things have gotten overwhelmingly awkward and the weight of unsaid things becomes too crushing, Neon opens their mouth and is about to say something when they close their mouth in double time and go back to the meal. It’s so distracting, though I almost don’t notice the weird look between Neon and Kohl. An act of god comes about because I don’t try my version of telepathic communication with Gabrielle.
“Alright,” I get up, pacing my kitchen. “Next steps are very simple. We need to go shopping before long. Food, medical supplies, shelter, and water are the biggest problems.” I make eye contact with each of them. “We can’t stay here when the dungeon resets. We aren’t yet strong enough to make this place home yet. So we have to find some place to lie low and gather strength.’
“Gabrielle says we might have connections if we can get in contact with The Resistance. I have a brother who might still be working with them. While that’s important for me, I want to be sure that no matter what we find, we’re safe. Which if we’re feeling bold, we should check out Oceanside. It gets us far away from the city and it allows us to check out Rodger Carisle and what was going on while we got captured.”
Gabrielle makes a shocked sound and kind of collapsed into herself. I can only guess that she’s thinking about seeing Andeseo again. But we need that data. We need to know why that happened.
“Firewall, I need you in on this. We’ll wait until we level up again, but Andeseo isn’t likely to be there.” She made eye contact and I see Firewall before me again. “And even if he is, you have both of us. We’ll take him out. This information would be not only a good for us but it would cement our ability to work with The Resistance.” Neon pats her shoulder.
“Does anyone have and questions or things to add?”
“Transportation. I can move fast, but you guys can’t. Our ability to move fast might be the best way to keep us alive.” Neon says. The concerned look on their face tells me they’ve been thinking about this for a minute. “And allow us to transport people and places when we have a place to harbor survivors.”
“So are we stealing?” I ask. Neon looks away. “We’ve got to make peace with taking what we need while we can.”
“It’s not what I want.” Neon meets my eyes strongly. “But it does seem like the best option. Where we can, I’d rather we steal from the corpos. They don’t need it and we do. We don’t know what we’ll run into out there and we need to be prepared.”
“I’ve also thought about that.” I lick my lips. “The preparedness. I think we need to find more awakened. I think we need to make a support system even if they aren’t combatants. We need people who will allow us to stay in the field.”
The more people we have with us, the more my power will increase, which could serve you all better. Kohl says. If I could increase my range, it would help to keep me safe and you informed of the going on.
“That’s another thing to think about.” I nod. “Kohl needs to make more contacts. The Underground is a good one to have. Which makes me think about whether we should talk about leaving Electric City.”
No one says anything for a minute. I don’t think they thought any of us were going to suggest something like that. I mean, it makes the most sense. From what Kohl says, The Sea Witch is a powerful opponent. If we left and got stronger, we could even bring an army in to take her out. It’s not what I want. However, like Neon, I will do what we must.
“I don’t like the thought of abandoning our people,” Firewall says. “We have a choice, and if we leave now, we won’t be able to save them. We’ve all seen the experiments they’re doing on people: The Mind Melds, the genetic testing, the implants.”
I hadn’t seen the implants. The other stuff lives right behind my eyelids. The thought that they’re filling human bodies with whatever they want just to produce more monsters brings bile to my mouth.
“It only gets worse if these people are allowed to continue their work here.” Neon says, a haunted look in their multi-colored eyes.
Neon’s right, Kohl interjects. We have to save our home.
“I’m with them.” Firewall says, arms crossed over her chest.
“Alright, that wasn’t what I wanted, either. I brought it up because it needed to be an option.” I make eye contact with each of them. “We can’t do this just for duty. We have to be sure we can do this because it makes sense. While we may not be on our own, we don’t have substantial support. That changes today. By this time tomorrow, we’ll be in a better place, stronger, and if not with allies and information.”
It only took a few minutes for us to get ready. The Loadout system made it easy for us to change in our battle armor. And armor, it was for at least one of our group. Firewall was now decked out a harness. Like a skeleton, metal bars reinforced every joint and limb. The hot pink painted metal really makes it as just makes it Firewall’s own.
A harness was designed by construction workers and day laborers before the androids started doing most of that work. The exoskeletal nature takes a lot of the weight off of joints multiplying every ten pounds of force. It can make a normal person capable of towing cars like it’s nothing. This will definitely give Firewall a lot more Power behind her attacks.
“I know I saw you build it, Gabby, but this is cool as shit.” Neon says flitting around her, looking around at the exoskeleton. Gabrielle flexs her arm and the small wine of servos meets my ears. “Though it isn’t it a bit loud, even for me.”
“I’ve got to look pretty loud, to be a bigger draw to the eye than you, Neon.” Firewall says.
“They’re right. It’s cool as hell.” Our eyes meet and I blush. “I want to talk to you tonight.”
“O-uh-okay.” She looks a little thrown off, then quickly regains her composure.
“Also, I have this.” I put my hands on the exoskeleton. I sing sigils, etching them into metal. Sigils for strength, durability, and crystal.
Crystal Carapace gives Hard Work Harness +1 chevron.
The moment the last of the sigils become etched in the metal, it shifts, creating tiny fractals appear in the metal. Little crystalline structures reinforce it under the paint. The finish becomes more glittery than glossy.
“Thanks, it feels way tougher.” She balls her hand into a fist and punches the air. “I can do some real damage with this baby.”
As we’ve made our way through the apartment building we didn’t see any of corpses. There was no blood or gore. Even the big leviathan is gone. We move through and startle at every sound of the empty building settling. The sounds we were never supposed to hear. A silent building in a silent city. Electric City was never supposed to be quiet. It was never supposed to be dead. That’s the world we’re living in, though.
They came as we’re about to pass through the doors, scales, fur, and chitin. Two release from the ceiling to land on their prey. The third descended on a spinnerette, its wide back legs helping the push the gloopy, sloughing mess into some form of a web. This creature was a collection of parts that don’t work and yet the part of my brain that controlled motor fuction, voice, and decision making could do nothing but watch.
The creatures were six-legged black, tan, and brown creatures with heads like spiders and mouths like a tiger. Chitin, fur, and scales alternate in bands, splotches, and spots. Fangs peak out from the upper jaw. Body is in three segments, like an insect with a triangle-like torso almost seeming like shoulders. The thorax itself is shaped like a thorn, making me wonder what the fuck else is going on with this monstrosity.
“A-ambush!” I finally scrape my jaw off the floor enough to call out. Kohl doesn’t need any excuse and jumps out of the hood of my raiment. I trust him to be safe or call out if he needs us.
Neon catches one of them out of the corner of their eye. Their head turns to see it and in the space of a thought they are no longer prey. They run along the side of the glass front of the foyer. Cartwheeling over the creature. Now. like as an eagle descending on its prey from on high, talons outstretched. Glowing light daggers in their hands, ready for a coup de grâce. It didn’t happen like that, though.
In the air, the rough hairs of the elongate forming quills and those spray straight into the Neon’s face. Filling our skirmisher with pins. It hit the ground and jetted away into the gloom.
Neon -3 HP
For the one falling towards, Gabrielle got digs her heels in and braces the shield with her body aiming to catch toss aside the creature. Instead, its jaw distended and bit into the shield, the fangs punching through to the other side. The arms and legs grab around it, shifting its body around trying to pull the shield from her arm. After three or four swings, it finally disarmed Firewall.
They stare at each other down. Tense at as each one probes the others’ defenses. r spear isn’t fast enough to stab it. And each time the creature gets close to getting under her guard, she slaps it away. Neither of them landing a blow but keeping each other busy.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
The third splashes down mucousy balls of slime at us. I try dodging the volley and running away in a serpentine pattern. The first two narrowly missed me, except I got tagged by the last. The slime caught my left leg and wrenched it out from under me. I flop hard on my stomach, taking the wind out of me. Fuck, alright, alright. I gasp for breath. The mucous hardened, trapping my entire foot.
These are trackers, team. Kohl says somehow he got away. They specialize in adapting to situations as they come. Trackers are chimeric creatures and often made by a fusing a whole bunch of animals. The best way to take them out is to double team them. Prevent them from taking you out one at a time.
I slam the sound sword on the ground. The ringing of the as a translucent purple blade burst forward from it. I smash it hard into the slime crystal. It shatters and I scramble up to my feet. From the Voidwalker, with each turntable on my hips like holsters, I slide out a Dark Blade Beat from underhand toss it out from under the poncho. It slices through the air, cutting deep into its back leg. Milky white blood spurts out of the hole. The bonus allowing me to be more effective against faster opponents really helps out.
While Tracker A is distracted by the pain, Neon strikes out, severing one of the back legs. (A) cries out a hellish howl and starts to turn towards Neon to attack. Just then, Firewall uses Pierce, charging through and ending up next to Neon. The blow hits harder, putting a deep gash in right side. A collapses white blood fountaining from the soon to be corpse.
That’s when Tracker C launches their attack. The slime ball splashes over Neon, knocking them down and getting stuck to the ground. When it aimed its attack at Firewall, she steps on the bottom of her shield and its on her arm in a blink of an eye.
“How about you get hit with a Firewall special?” She spins around, jumping in the air, tossing the shield with all her harness enhanced strength at C knocks it from its spider perch and slams it into the wall. Hard. As it falls to the ground, it moves like it’s dazed. Neon finishes it with a light blade through the back of the head.
Congratulations! Tracker A and Tracker C have been defeated.
You have gained 4 XP
Weird that it applied the names to them once I learned them and designated them. DreamRunning is odd. Psylinks change things on the fly all the time, but I wonder if I can highlight enemies for us to take out without calling thing out.
Of course, the moment of celebration that’s when Tracker B attacks from the shadows. It really must have a thing for Neon cause it goes straight for him pouncing on him from the blind spot. I run and teleport into the middle of the air, slashing out and catching it across the chest. The follow-through pushing me over Neon and back to landing on top of it. I take my khopesh in my hand and give the finishing blow to sever its head from its body.
Congratulations! Tracker B has been defeated!
You have survived Tracker Ambush.
You have gained 2 XP
You have one, but the summoner who brought the Trackers into the world now knows your location.
Run!
“Oh shit! Guys, we really have to go.” I call. I run for the door, holding it open.
“Don’t have to tell us twice!” Neon runs out, holding Kohl in their arms.
“Wait!” Gabrielle holds up her hand and uses her multi-tool to cut away strips of the tracker, placing them in jars and putting them in her pack. The whole thing only took a few minutes.
The whole thing is odd but, when I try to ask, she just says “Research.” She winks. “You’re such a gentleman.” Gabrielle quips as she jogs through the door. I let the door close, and we sped out of there.
Not even ten minutes later, Andeseo watches from across the street. Harmony Apartments seemed devoid of disruptors. His eyes focused on activating telescopic lenses. With a though, x-ray vision settles in and the hunter can now see no movement in the entire building. Switching to Dream vision, they saw the aftermath in energy signatures of the disruptors leaving the massive domicile.
My Queen, I have news.
We wove through alleyways and backtracked around and across streets. Doing everything we could to make sure if anyone was tracking us, we’d make it hard for them. We didn’t have any training in espionage or anything, so I’m sure we looked ridiculous. I think Neon enjoyed it the most, running up and down buildings and across rooftops like a superhero. Arms flung open wide and I can almost see the smile on their face as bound around. If we weren’t worried about Aquilan, I think we would all enjoy our first real taste of freedom. That’s when it happened again.
Dogs. Or at least they were dogs. A Dachshund, the size of a Rottweiler, stares me and the others down. The roided out Wiener dog snarls at me like I’ve walked into its territory. Its coat is scarred and huge chunks are missing from its ear and snout. It must have been fighting. Other dogs, or maybe the Bugs. Shit. I can see the rippling muscles under their coats.
“Alright, Burt…” I say in my calmest voice.
“Burt?” Neon says over my headphones in a call. I knew they were somewhere over head watching this thing happen.
“My neighbor growing up had a Weiner dog named Burt.” Same calming whisper. “Is this really the time? We could get mauled by the puppy.”
“Probably not.” They say disheartened.
“Would you too stop picking on each other?” Gabrielle says, in a hoarse whisper. “This is a serious situation.”
The change in tone rattles, Not Burt into more aggression as just I was calming it down. I put my hands out free to either side as I continue trying to say things that will get it calm down.
Can you all be reasonable for one second? Kohl says.
“Sorry, I’m currently grappling with the fact that this puppy is staring us down.”
Not you!
Glad to be safe from the cat’s ire. I put my hand behind my back and make a stick out of the sound of my voice. I wave it around and once Not Burt’s eyes focused on it instead of me. Launching it with Shot as far as I can down an alley.
We turn and run down a different one right after the dog turns around. Not worrying about being careful this time, we just try to put as much distance as we can between Not Burt and us. Our footsteps are heavy on the asphalt.
“What was that? And why didn’t you sense it, Kohl?”
It’s not a bug, and it’s not an alien. I can’t pick up on non-complex minds. I don’t alert you to every spider or rat we run into. Not only would that be a constant flow of information I couldn’t process, but I wouldn’t possibly be any use to you on anything else. As to why that creature looked like that, I couldn’t tell you. Dream has an interesting effect on people but, I don’t know that it does this to animals. There’s no record of anything happening like that. Either way, keep an eye out. Let’s call them strays for now until we have a better picture of their capabilities.
Congratulations, Rebellion!
You have found an anomaly on earth.
We The Minority find this change interesting, and would like you to look into it.
Discover the cause of the Strays and you will be richly rewarded.
100 XP, 1 Flashback Token, and one additional ability point.
Dream big, Rebellion!
The Composer’s Stats so far
Level 2 (Rank 1)
HP: 12
Dream: 13*
Will: 1
Reflex: 3
Creativity: 4
Talent: 2
Power: 4
Durability: 2
The Composer’s Abilities
Skills:
Leadership
Knowledge:
Ancestral Magic
Utilities:
Siren
Enchanting
Echo
Summon Lukaelin (minion)
Special Attacks:
Shot Lv 2
Damage 7-20
The Composer’s Inventory
Beats (CD Chakrams)
Damage 4-12
Voidwalkers: 9/10
2 Dark Blade
Robes of the Truth Seeker
-1 Damage Resistance
+ 1 Dream
Firewall’s Stats so far
Level 2 (Rank 1)
HP: 14
Dream: 12
Armor: 3 Chevrons
Will: 2
Reflex: 1
Creativity: 2
Talent: 4
Power: 2 (2)
Durability: 4
Firewall’s Abilities So Far
Skills:
Construction
Knowledge:
Hacking
Utilities:
Blackout
Intent
Dive Lv 2
Special Attacks:
Guard
Pierce
Damage 6-18
Firewall’s inventory
Omni Tool Spear (Tier 1)
Damage 5-8
Steel-enforced Leather Shield (Tier 1)
+1 Chevron
Crystal Reinforced Harness
+2 Chevrons
Custom PsyDeck
Neon’s Stats so far
Level 2 (Rank 1)
HP: 12
Dream: 12
Will: 2
Reflex: 6
Creativity: 1
Talent: 1
Power: 3
Durability: 2
Neon’s Abilities So Far
Skills:
Super Speed
Knowledge:
Weapon Bond
Light Gauntlets
Short & Long Range
Utilities:
Hide
Arms: Energy Weapon Lv 2
Damage: 1-8 added damage
Special Attacks:
Dart
Damage 6-17
Kinetic Fighting Lv2
Damage 6-17
With Energy weapon 7-24
Neon’s Inventory
Weapons
Light Gauntlets [Bound] (Tier 1)
Damage 5-11