Topic: Visceral Fear (Penance SL)

The Vindicator

Date: 2012-06-21 12:35 EST
(This thread's story follows on from "Bloodstone Dichotomy," located here: http://rdi.dragonsmark.com/forums/viewtopic.php"t=22962)

For continuity purposes, this scene takes place on the 9/6/XX

For months they had hid, preparing for the final Phase of the Purge. Long had they planned to tare from the ground, and take all Imperfection away from a City that was ripe for the slaughter.

Phase 1, was the subsequent upgrade to The Black Flame's underground headquarters " buried deep within the crust of the earth within an unknown location far outside the influence of the city of Rhy'din. Day and night the autonomous Sisters worked religiously, creating a chassis around the original multiple levelled headquarters, that was constructed by their former Master and Creator, Renna The Betrayer. But it was not just the chassis, that the Sisters were entirely concern with. The recently developed dual tri-crystalline engine located at its core; fuelled by the pilfered Betrayer's Warp Crystal, was to be the true icing on this proverbial cake. For this crystal, will provide a mode of Teleportation for this mobile fortress to transport out of the ground " and finally, up, into the air.

With this essential Phase under completion, Phase 2 " the final phase, ought to had been an easy situation to implement.

All that was left to do, was to activate the Sisters currently hiding in key locations through Rhy'Din City, and release a furious carnage upon an unsuspecting city whilst its heroes dealt with Raven and other such matters of importance.

The city would had been blind sided by their surprise attack " the Vindicator calculated a 91% ratio of success, and they knew, nothing, could had stopped them...

But the attack was called off, at the last minute.

The fortress never did take to the sky and the Sleepers never did awaken to enact their core programming. The Vindicator's calculations, meant naught, when they received an alarming neural link, through the super-massive psychic cobweb that was the Sister Network.

As the three leaders of The Black Flame stood silently around the towering Crystal Tree at the centre of the Command Platform, the tree's warm illuminating glow merely served to deepen the abyssal depths of their black, monkish attire, almost blending them seamlessly into a room where darkness reigned.

The Vindicator; the tallest out of the three, turned its glowing, purple visored helm, cast within the confines of a hood's embrace, onto the two other figures close by. "Thhiiiiiiiiissssssssss....Issssssss nooott posssssisble....Thiissss inforrrrmation MUSSSST be incorrrrrrrrect....REPLAY THE MEMORY FRAGMENT! I musssssst see it again!" The Vindicator's serpentine voice snarled aloud, echoing throughout the vast and empty Command Platform, as she took a step back and regarded the image being reflected across the Crystal Tree's surface.

But there was no mistaking it.

They witnessed the events through the eyes of the recently deceased Sister Wednesday for the fifth time now, and the Vindicator again, was left baffled and frustrated over the whole fiasco. Neither of them could quite believe their visuals, but the Vindicator was surprisingly more so affected by the revelation that Renna was very much alive, and not dead, like they were led to believe.

In a sudden fit of rage, the Vindicator turned, whipping an arm through the air, "It'sssss IMPOSSSSIBLE! My Virruusss; it ssssshould had tore Mother's regeneerraaatiive powwerssss to pieceeessssssessss! Sssshe sssshould not liiiive!!!?

The Shadow

Date: 2012-06-21 18:09 EST
Shadow's androgynous crackle chuckled, as if its voice played over a disgruntled radio, drowned in a sea of oil, "Regardless of your knowledge Commander, of the Betrayer's mind, weaknesses and strengths, it seems, some how, she has escaped your Virus's clutches."

The reflective black helm canted to one side, as it folded long voluminous sleeves across a flat chest, "However, I do agree, there is something not quite right....About this whole charade....Renna The Betrayer " Mother, died. We all felt it. Her soul was cut from existence " the Virus, should had perpetuated this outcome to its full completion. Not only that....But we all did indeed feel her mind drop from the Sister Network " we all no longer held the same psychic connection we once all shared, with our great Creator....That, should had signified that Renna had passed on, into True Death."

Shadow's helm regarded Vindicator's anger, with a sickly chuckle, "There is only two possible possibilities to consider, now..." Then, Shadow looked to the smallest member of the trio, as if expecting the answer both Shadow and the Vindicator sought.

"Sister May....You have been, rather quiet of this altercation thus far....But, being a true birthed Unholy, from the womb of the Betrayer, I assume, you know more than you are willing to share with us.?

The Sister

Date: 2012-06-22 12:06 EST
The child-like figure wrapped in the monkish attire, still, refused to make a move, or even acknowledge the questions or speculations that both Shadow and Vindicator wrought upon her....

She had better things to worry about than to sate their concerns with fluffed up explanations their meagre minds could not simply comprehend. They might all be pale biological imitations of The Betrayer, but May" She was born with that woman's blood coursing through her veins " she knew Mother better than anyone.

After all, it was through her vile genius that they orchestrated The Black Flame's coup d?"tat. It was she who hacked and overthrew The Betrayer's programming upon her minions and turned them against her, and it was she, who ended that woman's miserable existence by infecting her with the Vindicator's N.B. Pathogen.

May finally thought she was rid of that woman once and for all, but now, this, had happened. Just when they were so close to enacting their perfect ideals for peace and tranquillity throughout the realm. Just when they were so close to entering Phase 3 of her brilliant plan...

Unlike the Vindicator, May was quietly seething with anger. But she kept a much more composed reaction to the news that the woman was indeed still alive; and bizarrely so much more, upon the discovery of a seemingly second Betrayer.

She herself, had watched the memory fragment over and over again, and she could still not quite figure out just how Renna " or the Rennas, had managed to evade their intelligence for so long. The most interesting part, however, was the information attained by Sisters Wednesday and Sunday, prior to their unfortunate demise.

The biological signature analysis obtained, did indeed indicate that these....Twins....Were indeed the real thing. It was as if somehow, both of them were Renna; existing as two separate entities....

But what was the most puzzling of all, was the fact that neither of them possessed that dark and twisted soul between them. It was as if, these two bodies were moving of their own free will like mindless automatons without a Directive...

Finally, May spoke, her childish voice barely above a whisper, rarely revealing any signs of her inner turmoil.

"Calm down, Vindicator....There is so much more to this that we cannot see right now. As confusing as the data appears to explain these two....Clones, my fallen Sisters however, were fortunate to discover this potential threat to our great plans of the Purge before we had implemented its end." Her hood turned to the Vindicator, "If we had gone blindly into Phase 3, Commander, the results, could had been catastrophic....There was only ever one person that could had stopped us, and that, was Mother. It was the very reason why we got rid of her in the first place. But to think" Somehow, she survived..."

May turned, walking slowly away from the Crystal Tree, her arms crossed, as she continued to speak, "Whatever the case may be, I have a speculation." Suddenly, she turned, and lifted a gloved finger towards the Crystal Tree, "Those two women, regardless of who they are, or what they are....They are, in fact, both the real Renna....I cannot back up my claim as of yet without further investigation, but make no mistake, regardless of the situation, we cannot allow such a possibility to continue.?

The Vindicator

Date: 2012-06-23 10:48 EST
The very notion of May's comment in regards to the ruin of their plans simply did not sit well with the Black Flame's notorious killer. The purple visor's glow dimmed, as the Vindicator took two slow steps forward towards May, rising a fist to clench before its faceless helm, "Arrrre youuu sSsssuggessssting that....Thosssse....Thiiingssss, could haaave ssssstopped ussss" Are youuu insSsssane" Weee ARE maaaany " sssssshe, iiiiiiit, theeeey, are twooo....Twoo!"

The first unfurled, pointing now an accusing finger towards the child, "I don't caaaare who, or what thesssse things are....I don't feeeeeear a broken, fallen God....If they areeee in the waaaay, theeeen let usssss act now, and be dooonne with it, than juuusssst sssstanding hereeee wondering how ssssshe hathhh returned!"

The tallest of the trio turned, ready to depart, "I, willl eeeend thissss problem oncccce and for aaaall with mmmmy own twwwwo haaaands," The Vindicator's voice chuckled, as its hood turned to view the image of the two Rennas,"I will sssseek ouuuut thesssse two pesssssts, and onccccce I fiiiind them, I'll slicce-slice them up into tiiiiny, little pieccces fooor the carrion birrrdssssSs!?

The Sister

Date: 2012-06-27 17:54 EST
"That's lovely and all, Vindicator " but tell me, how do you plan to find them' Running through the city waving your ridiculous swords around, screaming with that highly infuriating voice of yours" Threatening for them to come out' Or do you actually plan to do something even less subtle than that?" The child crossed long voluminous sleeves, and chuckled, "Or maybe you plan to shed your disguise and show us all that half baked, badly burnt civilian ego Francine Renton" Either way, you are going to draw attention to yourself, and that, will draw attention away from other problems the heroes have, and back to us..." She shook her head, "No wonder Edward Batten was always able to defeat you when Mother ceased her influence over your body; just like the rest of the Black Flame, you too seem to possess Mother's stupid lack of forethought and foresight, jumping head first into a situation you know nothing about..." May could see " or tell in the way the Vindicator said nothing, that she hit the proverbial nail on the head.

May's attention returned to the Crystal Tree, "Now if you don't mind " it has only been merely twenty-four hours since the incident, and already," she glanced at Vindicator, "I have taken steps to awaken several of the Sisters based in the city, and monitor our little....Problem." With a wave of her hand, the Crystal Tree revealed a set of various images across its crystalline surface.

Many were of Renna, in varying situations of everyday life. Most of them occupied Renna carrying flowers, and going about her delivery rounds, or entering the Red Dragon Inn. But the most prominent was the one, where she and a man were in each others arms. "My fellow Black Flame compatriots....I believe, we have found this clone's weakness. This man " obviously, appears to be her lover. Let us not strike at the enemy directly, Vindicator..."

The child flourished a hand towards the image of Kaius, and Renna together, smiling, "Let's strike at its heart, instead."

The Shadow

Date: 2012-06-29 12:11 EST
Shadow, as usual, took the back seat to the discussions, its faceless black helm only turning from Vindicator to May as the others talked back and forth. Unlike these two, Shadow had very little say in many of these meetings " for Shadow was more an operative of the highest calibre within the Black Flame than a leader or schemer.

Often or not, Shadow would be the one to step in and calm the argumentative mentally between the others, though this time she was thoroughly amused to watch May put the Vindicator in her place. It even brought forth that odd static androgynous chuckle to crackle forth, and a slow shake of the head.

Finally, Shadow spoke, the faceless black helm surveying the pictures of this man together with one of their beloved Mother's supposed clones. "Judging by the actions of the less than violent clone Wednesday and Sunday were originally pursuing through the marketplace, it seems this clone has far more compassion than ever thought conceivable from a creation of The Betrayer. I doubt the violent clone " the one that mercilessly killed Sister Wednesday, and ate her, to have any intimate and sexual affiliation with the man. There's a blatant social divide between the two clones, that much is sure."

Shadow continued, looking to the other two, "Further more, it is to be noted, that while one of the clones is every bit the image we remember of dear Mother " the violent clone, the other clone appears to be almost the complete opposite of what conventional information dictates. While we can predict the movements of the violent-one; she follows the norm, the non-violent one on the other hand....I believe, will be much harder to predict. We have never seen a form or an incarnation of Mother with such emotional responses."

Unseen footsteps took Shadow around the tree, towards Sister May, "I understand attacking this clone's heart " this man, is the best course of action to disorientate and surprise the enemy, but we know little of her, and above all, the subject of your target. The man..." Shadow stopped before May, inclining its helm down, "Surely, this man must know who or what he is entwined with' It takes a certain amount of courage " or sheer stupidity for that matter, to know that you are sleeping with; potentially " a cloned, self-proclaimed murderous God, who was once the bane of everyone's existence. It would be like sharing a bed with an asp."

There's a light bow, as the form of Shadow leaned forward, just a touch, "Forgive me for saying this, but attacking her man may prove a fatal flaw. I suspect, he is quite powerful. Why else would he keep The Betrayer's clones so close at hand, without even leashing her?"

As Shadow spoke, the Crystal Tree changed its image once again to Renna, though this time, at the Rose Moon Festival. She's standing next to Kaius amongst a crowd of others, looking quite bashful, and rather embarrassed over something.

"What is there not to say that he is in fact the orchestrator of their existence" All we have is speculation and, while I agree with Vindicator that something must be done, I still cannot agree with her or even your suggestions. However....Perhaps, we should flip the idea on its head?" Righting her posture, Shadow turned to regard the Crystal Tree, and the image of the two. "This image was taken at the Rose Moon Festival by Sister Ares, while undercover, posing as one of the children who listened to some entertainer named Kruger, storytelling."

The image on the tree shifted again, though this time to Renna entering the gates into the Bristle Crios grounds, holding a basket of flowers. "Both of these images were taken merely days before the incident with Sister Wednesday, and Sister Sunday. Our Mother had been staring us in the face, all this time " here....Let me show you..."

Several more images appeared of Renna in all kinds of situations, all across the marketplace " talking, smiling, delivering her flowers, rushing around with various boxes of god knows what in her claws....Although Renna looked the same in flesh, the change in her attitude; clothes and hair colour; it painted her almost as an entirely new entity.

Had they not been so absorbed in their idea that was Renna dead and gone, they would had noticed her existence weeks, if not months ago..

Shadow turned, and regarded May, her tone dripping with a static, sadistic displeasure, "You're right about one thing. Attacking the heart is the better solution, but, we shouldn't seek to merely destroy it. We should seek, to possess it. What we are all forgetting here is, that our Mother's body, is nothing like ours " we are all interconnected; we are all perfectly her equal through Bio-Mechanical genius, we, are of one mind and one soul - we are many and she, she is just one. Her methods of immortality, have always been generated around the concept of Possession through Necromancy, using runes....It was through that power that she possessed her blood relations " her daughters specifically....And that rune?"

A black leather glove creaked as a finger pointed up to Renna's chest, "That rune is still there....Inactive.?