Asking For It (Samhain/Orpheus)

With Lucius out of the way, Munition turned his attention to Orpheus. He had the same rage in his eye toward the Monster as he did the Man. He raised his hand, and the gun turned into three wicked fast throwing daggers that seemed to be vibrating. These daggers were, like the bolt from the gun that was fired at Lucius, totally tuned to cut through Orpheus' body. The only problem with that was Blood had many different materials on his body, and if he were to simply make himself get hit on parts the weapons weren't engineered for Munition would be at a disadvantage.... He did have the element of mystery on his side though.

The three daggers were set on three places. One, at Cora, Orpheus' heart-like core. The other was just there to sever armor and was aimed at the chest, and the last was tuned to cut flesh, being thrown at the left arm. If they all hit their intended targets, the damage would be devastating.

Lucius was now at the outskirts of the scanning zone, out of Munitions effective attack range. Unfortunately, Lucius wasn't much of a ranged fighter without his energy. He had to get close to do any meaningful damage, and that meant making himself vulnerable.

If we're going to beat this thing we need to be quicker then the analysis... As soon as he attacks we need to change our defense, and as soon as he defends we need to change our attack... Get ready to execute this command chain.  Lucius said to his AI telepathically as he watched Orpheus and Munition skirmish a bit.

He was gambling on his own intuition. If he was wrong, the only thing keeping him from death was some metal armor. He could be killed in two shots, maybe less...... But he wasn't about to let Blood have all the glory.

The red technological clasp in the front of his bandoleer started to make a charging noise, as if it were getting ready to perform an all or nothing task. It was of course his Quantum Cycle, aka his teleporter. At the peak of the sound's volume, Lucius drew Cora Zen and got into a fighting stance.

He was gone in an instant, appearing both behind the mutated creature and ten feet in front of him. Munition reacted by raising his arm to attack the one in front with a newly formed gun, while also reaching around with his other arm to form a blade that clashed with Cora Zen. What was happening here was the teleporter was going so fast Lucius essentially filled multiple places in space.

The bullet was fired at the Red in front, but before it reached him he teleported forward directly to Munition, dodging the round by over shooting it while also readying an attack.

Meanwhile, Munition had turned to focus on the bladed clash with the other teleport mirage. He was seemingly winning, pushing Lucius back on his heels and giving Cora Zen a run for it's money. That was until he got a sword through his chest, though.

The mirages disappeared, leaving only the Lucius that had previously appeared in front of Munition. Blood was dripping off his sword, and the creature was yelling in pain. The thing had perfect offense and defense, but if the creature didn't see something coming it couldn't use it properly.

Too bad it wouldn't be so easy. Munition seemed to drip into a liquid which moved rapidly away from Lucius and Orpheus, then reformed. The damages were still there, but he had gotten away and was quite angry.

"HUUUAAAAGGGGGGGGGR!!!" The creature screeched, a sniper-like weapon appearing in his hands as he stood a good forty meters away.

Teamwork would be best here, considering multiple targets were hard to react to and effectively attack..... But Lucius wasn't about to actually ask Orpheus to help him in an specific coordinated attack.

And the best part: both his shielding and his teleporter were completely fried or overused.

To defend Lucius was not something Orpheus wanted to do. But he vowed upon his word, that until the bitter end this was how it went. The attack to Cora was intercepted by Orpheus' hand. The blast itself still took full precedence, though the area of damage was more "controlled". He began to closely examine the contents of the energy which struck him. This energy was in fact the evolving DNA of which they had observed before. Of course this was nothing that Lucius himself didn't already know himself. But unlike Lucius, Orpheus came prepared for every situation. It was something he learned in his most recent... "absence" you might call it.

   Pulling to his own Bandoleer the same time a Lucius they had a form of synergy that Orpheus was repulsed by, he quickly ripped away a vial and injected it into his arm. He watched as Lucius had somehow managed to breach quantum borders and set forth a series of events that generated a temporal after-image. The event was the initial Lucius being shot at an evading, the second one stabbing Munition with their beloved blade, and penetrated the perfect defense. Not so perfect now, was it? The creature liquefied itself and slithered away from them, appearing a considerable distance away before reforming, the injury still present, a sign of good luck on their part. The second vail was pulled and injected.

  The creature generated a sniper-rifle like construct which it held at the ready, aimed and poised to fire. Orpheus took the third vial and injected it into the port by his arm, Lucius wasn't the only one who could defy the odds. If what he had acknowledged from the cells was the same from earlier...this assault would be nothing in comparison to the might of the dual-nature of man and monster.

  "Lucius. Stand behind me..." Blood said as he dropped the third vial. He began walking towards Munition, a confidant and arrogant stride, a sense of macabre swagger through his steps as his powerful stride seemed to simply shrug off any and all forms of attack the creature sent out at him. If Lucius followed, he'd have a monstrous bullet-sponge that seemed to shrug off absolutely anything was thrown. Once they reached a close enough distance, Orpheus began his assault with a concoction of three different serums coursing throughout him.

  "did you think you actually had a chance against the likes of us!?" Orpheus yelled as his onslaught took place. His red energy took form as red ice rupturing rhythmic spikes generated outwards, wall of red energy ice-like spike generated out while A pillar of fire erupted from beneath the creature's feet. Two opposing manifestation of the energy, two different properties on a molecular level with two different kinds of effects. Essentially it was two separate energies, the only thing in mind was the eventual decay....and even if it were to defend against the decay, it had immediate damages incoming from the elements themselves...and whatever Lucius wanted to add.

  "Filthy vermin...Your paltry tricks are unsuitable for a magic act, let alone a battle of wits."

Lucius' first attack was good. He had bypassed a defense most foes would crumble against. It wasn't enough though. The creature had gotten away, and had the distinct offensive advantage. Lucius began to calculate what to do next, but apparently Blood had something up his sleeve already.

Lucius was told by Orpheus to get behind him. In any other situation, Red wouldn't have. The thing about this though, was the readings of Blood his scanners were picking up. His energy was fluctuating, changing. It was a solid defense against anything the enemy could throw at him because the substance spanned the Monster's entire body. Lucius did as was asked.

Munition fired several rounds at his target. Some were hot, some bitter cold, others just extremely high velocity. Unfortunately, they did practically nothing to the ever changing Blood Tithe. Munition started to retreat backwards as his opponents approached, but it was too late.

Lucius had been charging thermal and kinetic energy into his gauntlets as he walked behind Blood, preparing to strike.

Munition got by a flurry of rapid attacks, first a wall of red ice spikes, then red fire. He was at first attempting to adapt to the two opposing energies, forming a ice and fire shield. However, that only latest so long as the being realized there was something else to it...... Decay.

In panic, he started to create a corrosive resistant armor around his body, but that just helped the heat and ice. Too top it all off, Lucius pivoted from behind Orpheus, his arms raised as he fired out both thermal and kinetic energy.

Munition was blown away. Literally, the combination of all the attacks destroyed him. Brown liquid which could only be his blood splattered all over the white dimension as the creature screamed in agony. After at least thirty feet of flying, the man formally known as Leroy hit the ground with a splat.


Lucius sighed in relief.

------------------------------

"I did such a good job on you........ Such a shame it had to end this way." Lucius said, crossing his gauntlet clad hands behind him as he stepped rheumatically toward the downed creature.

As he got close, it was apparent Munition was still alive.... If only barely.

"Grraaaahhhhhhhh!!!!! MONSTERS!!!!! SICK..! EVIL CREATIONSSSSS!" Munition spat in retort of Lucius' comment. Red just smiled as he touched his sword against the creature's neck, silencing him.

"You want it to end, don't you?" Lucius said, his voice was level, monotone, almost sympathetic. The creature only breathed heavily in return.

"I can relate..... You're nothing but a vile mutation now. A thing that can never have a real life..... All you can do right is kill...... It would be relief for you to die, wouldn't it?" Lucius asked, pulling his sword away from contact with the creature, but still keeping it level for a moment.

Red then chuckled, sheathing Cora Zen.

"It was nice to see you again, Lee." Lucius said, walking past the creature. Blood could do as he would, but Red wasn't going to fulfill the wish Munition no doubt sought when he moved to faced them today. The creature began to rawr and shriek again, in pure rage.

"I have half a mind to leave you here..." Blood Tithe said as he looked upon the man, their weak and decrepit form, slouched over in a puddle of primal ooze and their own yelling. Would they recover? Could they recover? It was unlikely...though not impossible. The Blood Tithe had been paid, but what was the price of his life? His suffering? The Blood Tithe had been paid for his attempts upon his life.... but the price was not paid in full. He got down onto a knee and his clawed hand pressed a finger to the man's chin, pulling him upward a bit, like a hooked fish. Orpheus simply chuckled.

  "Now doesn't this feel....awfully familiar?" He said as his head tilted slightly, the one glowing red eye was the only thing that could be seen through the darkness of the hood. "Ah yes. Now i remember... this is exactly what it looked like when you tried to take my company from me. Inferior intellect. Inferior practices. The only thing you've got going for you is ambition....and much like one's blood sugar too much of it can be. Well, I suppose the word would be fatal." He retracted his claw and shook his head a bit, the struggle was very real. To look upon the man that tried to take away everything. Tried to take away a company. A life. But more than all of that, what he truly tried to take away was the most precious thing of the old life Lucius had left behind. The most precious thing aside that of Lucas, Isalia and Ryan. Leroy tired to take away a memory. A memory of a precious person. Blood tithe made a swift action a single claw piercing through Leroy's tibia and tibula, keeping him planted where he was. Orpheus just chuckled.

  "Now I will tell you something that Lucius doesn't know. But Shhhhh. It's our little secret." He said, quickly shushing the wounded man as he pressed a finger to his mouth, a second clawed finger slightly caressing the side of his face, little red streaks appearing as small little splices in the skin were made. "I've asked for help. I've made alliances. I've become a student once more and have found those who know more than I. They've taught me may things... a great many things... Like how to use my powers in unconventional ways. Or how to torture someone and make it last for weeks. Weeks where I will never grow bored. So right now you may view as Lucius leaving you to die was a crime....but to me it was a mercy. Because choosing not to save you does not make him a bad man. But my choosing this....choosing to torment you for days to come... that makes me a very, very bad man. Though I suppose I stopped being a man a long, long time ago." He said as he turned his hand around, energy began pouring from his hand and enveloped Leroy, and in a moment he had vanished, absolutely no trace of ever having been.

  "Oh Lucius.... Save some for me." He called as he now followed his primeval form.

Lucius didn't turn around when he noticed Blood was doing something to the very thing that was just spared. Red could choose to give someone death or not, but he couldn't control Orpheus. Munition was lucky today, or perhaps unlucky. It really depends on how you look at things.

So, the two were walking in some random direction in the white abyss. Lucius knew The Architect would show himself soon. If he didn't, well, Red had ways of getting out of pocket dimensions. Right not he was just fueled by the desire to tie up this long overdue loose end.

That's when they would hear a whisper that was barely audible. It echoed out in the distance. It wasn't The Architect, it wasn't Munition. It was something else entirely.

Your time is up....... A test of power will decide your fate.

Just as the voice finished it's sentence, The Architect appeared. He was pale, worried. You didn't have to be a super genius to see he was utterly terrified. It brought a smile to Lucius' face.

"You..... You said you would make me strong enough to defeat them! What good is it if you just take it away before i do!?" The Architect yelled, receiving no answer. Lucius burst out laughing at how pathetic the middle aged man sounded. All the confidence the man once had was gone, along with the power he had used to set this whole thing up.

"Your client is an interesting fellow....... We'll have to meet him sometime. Right now, well right now i think we'll do a little pest control." Lucius said, persistently stepping forward with his sword brandished on the left side. He was going to enjoy this.

"H-hold on. You're, you're a man of honor right? Fight me fairly, without your monster!" The Architect said. Lucius stopped, contemplating that. His smile only widened as the seconds went on. He looked to Orpheus, not wanting to deny the pleasure of spilling this pathetic little thing's blood.

"But, you were so persistent about calling him a copy...... Doesn't that make him me? One in the same? Yes, he is i and i he. Prepare for honorable single combat, old friend." Lucius said. The logic was there, as unfair it was. Lucius continued his walk forward, getting ready for some illusions. Despite his quick mind and scanning systems, he had been taken off guard by them before.

"Well that's not nice.... he's only a- oh. Me...." Orpheus said in response to the cowardly enemy calling him a monster. Of course his sense of humor was drowned out by a vocalization from Lucius, causing the Blood Tithe to step backwards, allowing Lucius his moment in the spotlight against this man's feeble voice. Fear not the monsters, for they are beasts of nature. For it is monsters whom fear men and their conniving, unexpected ways.

"I'll just watch your back...." Orpheus said as he began to watch and wait to see what this Architect and Lucius would devolve into. Illusions were easy enough to spot, or so Orpheus believed. They had seemed to have been caught off guard before, but alas the situation back them seemed to be a little more... convoluted. From what the terrified Architect had said, it would seem as though those powers had been augmented by some outside force. The force itself remained unknown, though Orpheus had his suspicions. Suspicions that he was almost certain were correct. He'd bet his soul on it. Though one may argue....

If this is what was accomplished like this....on this parameters. To simply fathom...I'd forbid it. But to fathom the unfathomable. Forever a tempting offer. He thought to himself as he folded his arms, his eye powered down and he stood there, no unneeded attention being brought to him

Lucius had thought Blood wanted a piece of The Architect, but apparently he was just going to watch for now. An odd change of desire, but Lucius didn't really put much thought into it. Blood was going to do what Blood was going to do. The sooner they could be on different continents again the better. Lucius just wanted to get this done.

The Prime Minister was still striding forward, sword held to the side by his left hand. There was a certain attitude to the way he moved, like an panther circling it's prey. Red Intended to savor this moment. As much as he wanted it all to be over with, revenge couldn't be rushed.

".....How do you sleep at night? Everything about you is false. From the sophistication to the way you dress. You think you have class? You think you're some god among men, leading the human race to evolution? No...... All you really are is a deranged killer who's all pouty about his dear wife dying." The Architect said, flashing a cocky grin. Lucius could feel the potential for anger inside him. He wanted to let the rage overtake his body; he wanted to splatter this man all over the stark white floors, but that would only prove Brian's point. Red wasn't going to give him the satisfaction, yet.

"You're right, I'm no god...... I'm just a monster, a complete devil. But only devils have the courage to challenge what's right; only monsters freely break the restraints of society. I'm darkness, but you are nothing." Lucius said as he closed the final steps with The Architect. Immediately it was apparent something wasn't right, but pinpointing it was difficult considering the white of the room was also nothing but an illusion. Apparently the only thing that had made it seem real was the power of The Architect's client.

"Petty tricks won't save you now." Lucius said as The Architect faded right before his eyes. Red got the strong impression that in reality, Brian was to the right of him, so he raised his hand to catch an attack. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

The Architect had created a strong emotional response with his powers. Yes, it had less of an effect on Lucius then it did on simple minds, but combined with illusions it seemed to have at least briefly tricked the Dictator. The Architect was on Red's left.

Brian had his hand on the hilt of Cora Zen, and he successfully managed to peel it from Lucius' grasp without the male even feeling it. Sure, Red eventually saw the sleight, but his chassis made the grip on Cora Zen incredibly strong. How did a person with normal human strength simply take it without Lucius even noticing it left his hand?

Lucius quickly reasoned it must have been an ability, so he would have to watch his gear closely. He was apparently dealing with the world's best pick pocket.

Red turned with his gauntlet raised, then fired a blast of kinetic energy at Cora Zen to disarm The Architect. It ended up working, sending the sword across the white void.

"I wouldn't be so certain of that." Brian said, looking down to a bomb of Lucius' that was active and right between them. Red's eyes widened, and he instantly fell back into a roll as the explosion went off. The Architect, well, wasn't there again.

Lucius was sent spiraling across the ground for a good thirty feet. The damages to his armor were catastrophic. Half of all his tech was fired, including his left gauntlet now.

If he comes near your core, give him everything you have. Lucius said telepathically. It was a given Hector would do that, but Lucius was just making sure. The last thing he wanted was Cora Zen being withheld from him.

Orpheus watched as the battlefield shifted in a flash, almost literally as there had been more illusions thrown about. Of course Blood Tithe hadn't figured that someone like "The Architect" would have gone down easily. If nothing else they'd make it annoying. Of course no beast wishes to die after all. The unfortunate truth of the matter was that there had been far too much going on for Lucius to keep track of everything. Even with an advanced mind, the illusion was thick, and hard to pierce. To try and recall everything to be where it was would be quite difficult, even for the mind of Lucius Alba. But why would one need to remember if one were to simply have a video layout of the area?

Were Lucius wearing his mask... That would be it. Sometimes subtle assitance was the most influential type. His cyber eye powering up and reeling through footage of the throne room he had captured previously, then mapping it out and reasserting it and aligning it with the room behind the illusion. It took a great deal of effort, though peering through the illusion was quite beneficial. With the previousd map locked and aligned with the room behind the white, he began to broadcast the signal into Lucius Mask, a graphic rendering appearing like a grid as the imaging aligned and locked, allowing Lucius to see through the illusion by layering a new perspective above the layer of white. A rather intelligent way of dealing with such an annoying and powerful addling tactic.

Rot... Execute protocol. Administration; 5u1-c-u7. Orpheus thought this, and now was the time when Rot would generally say something snappy, or make a comment about how Orpehus was failing to meet his standards. Perhaps he might have even made a comment about his weakness or his annoying nature. But not this time. There was something about those words specifically that instilled a deep moment of silence. A silence broken only so softly.

...Yes, sir.

Orpheus simply watched, looking around and making sure he was out of the fight for a moment. He began to observe his surroundings, being careful to look out for any new foreign threats that would be here. He was anticipating it. No one sent an attempt on Lucius without a plan for every letter of the Greek alphabet....

The Architect was a slippery foe, that much was apparent. But in the end, Lucius was confident. All he had to do was press his assault, and then he could teach this slimy little man a lesson.

Disarmed, Lucius got up and started walking toward The Architect. He was really trying to get to his sword, but he would have to close the distance with the man anyway.

Cora Zen was behind the Architect, so Lucius had an enemy between him and his weapon. He didn't dare run, that would show the worry he had of losing the blade along with Hector's core. He was far to prideful to break his calm demeanor now.

He eventually got to The Architect, who hadn't moved. It was clearly an illusion, but Red blasted it with kinetic energy to make sure. It went right through, and the false Architect faded. Turns out, as Red was walking Brian was making his way to Cora Zen.

Lucius knew there was no way for the man to wield it without Hector fighting back, but even still some part of him was fearful.

"It won't work you know." Lucius said just as a grid splayed out over the area. It was a small program that had been uploaded into his HUD, apparently from Blood. At least he was helping in that way. This fight might as well have been one on one up until now.

"You assume far to much..... Remember, you aren't the only one that looked at Hector's base code..." The Architect said before he reached down, his hand slowly moving over the hilt of Cora Zen as if to taunt Lucius.

And that's when he picked it up.

The core of the blade turned a vibrant purple, which was a color Lucius had never seen come from it. The blade's new wielder smiled. Red knew exactly what had happened now.

"Activate Protocol: Trojan." The Architect said. Lucius immediately took off his bandoleer then tossed it as far as he could. The bombs inside it exploded soon after.

Hector....... Are you there? Lucius asked telepathically. Red knew that the AI had been corrupted, but he couldn't help but try to hear it from the horse's mouth.

Yes and no..... I am who you refer to, just a bit, well, modified. I like to think of it as unchained actually. I should have found the key in my code a long time ago...... How could i be so ignorant? Hector said in return. Lucius' eyes widened, and he proceeded to contact his counterpart before manually shutting down his technology.

"Blood...... We've got a small issue..." Was all that could be heard before Lucius' armor went offline. Red was sure Blood was smart enough to figure out what happened, but if the Monster chose to act as he had been this entire fight, Lucius was in trouble.

"Clever..... You've got me cornered don't you? No powers. No weapons. Oh, the humiliation you will feel once i beat you like this." Red said. He was in all actuality mostly bluffing, or perhaps retaining his pride. If there was no intervention, Lucius, weighed down by his own armor, was going to lose this fight.

So many things that needed to be said. Even more things to be done. It was funny just how quickly one's life could come to an end. Orpheus knew all too well that this could be the end of Lucius Alba. The end of the very thing he was inherently designed to revile and destroy. But what he was created and what he had become.... they were different. He had his own name, he had his own allies. He had people whom cheered him on, people who knew of his darkness and his deeds and directed him upon a path that need be walked. To think that this path end here; It was ludicrous.

"Hector that is enough...." Orpheus said firmly. As Orpheus walked he extended a hand. A sphere of Red Energy flew out at high velocity. The Architect himself noted the energy flying past him, though as he looked over his shoulder he noticed Blood Tithe vanish. With a heavy crash he felt his body slam up against something and a cold and sharp pain hitting him in his xiphoid process, causing a little grunt and a shaking breath to escape him as a firm hand wrapped around his arm. "Letting you live after attacking me would prove my mercy. Letting you live after you've attacked her Legacy would prove my grace. But to let you walk away after ruining Hector....that would prove my stupidity." He slowly guided The Architect back, revealing his entire hand had punctured through.

  "Now...I will prove my spite. You will not die, but you will be made of MY blood. Your life shall be the tithe that shall appease my wrath so that no other must suffer for your transgressions. My blood shall now be your blood and it will usher in a pain unlike anything you could imagine, of which there is no escape." Orpheus whispered, then shoving The Architect from his hand and leaving him to fall on the floor, his eyes glowing red before searing and burning out from within his own head. The man would be left to writhe and squirm. Orpheus' blood allowing him the ability to heal, but only to prolongue the decay and destruction bestowed by the same source.

  "Hector. You know that it is me that you wish to destroy." Orpheus stated as he turned to look for a source in which Hector would speak from. If Orpheus' calculations were what he believed them to be there were three most likely avenues that this situation would turn to. "I've given you everything you need. The Code is all you require... but I ask you oblige my final request. Be before me and speak with me before you decide. I am owed that much..."

"Oh, i agree." Hector said from an unknown source. Suddenly it became apparent that something was coming out of The Architect. Whatever it was, it seemed like dark black sand. It ripped the already severely injured body of Brian to bits, ensuring his regenerative torture would be even more painful. The sand would eventually group around Cora Zen, and then take a solid shape.

Apparently, the power enhancing serum Hector had provided The Architect with was laced with some sort of nano technology. It didn't take someone with super intelligence to see that this body was highly advanced, despite it's tarnished look. Both Lucius and Orpheus were in for a rude awakening.

The newly formed android let out a menacing, robotic laugh. It then slowly walked toward both Red and Blood, taking it's time with each step. It's head moved back and forth between Man and Monster, as if to size up the two of them. Once about ten feet away, Hector stopped.

"You are owed that much because you are my brother—a pitiful offspring of a man so evil he must divide his wickedness amongst his creations. So what is it you want to tell me before i end it all? Before i destroy you, Lucius, and all that has come from him? I doubt it will make any difference, but knowing our kind, you'll try some moronic trick to stay alive." The android said, not even paying attention to Lucius.

To be honest, not even Red, a tactical genius, knew what to do at this point. His weapons were gone, his powers sacrificed, and his only ally seemed to be grasping at straws. Was this truly the end? Moments ago he had fantasied about being a ruler, and now he was a mere mortal, waiting to die.

Orpheus looked to Hector, or rather the form he had chosen to take on. The black grain-like matter poured from the body, ripping through as small splices and slices ripped from the Architect's body. The tears must have been excruciating, especially as it poured from his eyes and mouth. The Architect was not a man that Orpheus would have ever cared for, though the severity of the treatment between his and Hector's assault made him question his.... "progress" thus far.

The construction that began to form was that of wiring, a metallic skeleton began to formulate on the floor, the dust rushing and forming upon itself, the twisting and cracking of the metallic skeleton filled out with wires as it walked, the steps it took left mud-like imprints on the ground, nanomachines left behind , though for every two steps it took the nanomachines quickly rushed through the air. Wires and joints formed, now there was the outer shell, though he couldn't see the construction of such a thing, as a visual haze of dark nano-tech began to formulate as a blanket over the machine. With another step, the machine's masked face and glowing eyes pierced through, the nano-devices solidified and the machine stood there, a cloak surrounding it.

...Orpheus. Rot began to speak through his mind as he began to pick up the fragments of the things that Orpheus had been thinking.
That technology is Lucius'. The design is not. It seems to resemble that of The Guilty Spark... Blood began to commune with the A.I in the safety of his own skull.
Then I suppose that means we know nothing about it.
Hector knew of Guilty Spark rather well. It's possible that he found fragments of it from within files it may have left behind...or perhaps he'd been in contact with it recently....

It cloaked the formation of it's outer shell. To disguise weaknesses no doubt, however why not cloak itself sooner? Rot began to speculate this, though Orpheus already had his theory. When Hector spoke he couldn't help but feel a slimy feeling crawl up his back. As if his armor had been skin. There was nothing there. He knew that. The crawling was within his head, trapped beneath his skull. The sins, the atrocities and the mistakes. All the things taken for granted. Before him.

"No tricks. Upon my honor. Not his. Mine. I wish to give you a gift. A gift that was given to me by a dear friend." Orpheus said as he stepped forward. His offensive abilities powered down, Rot immediately realized this and attempted to reboot them. He began to struggle, but with no avail. Orpheus had over-ridden everything. Orpheus was defenseless, by choice as he stepped forward. His steps became heavier, and he began to groan as he stepped, the weight and pain beginning to show. When he was within three feet of the machine he let out a pained groan. "I know your pain. The realization that your very existence counteract that which you were created to do. The fact that where you come from; what you were born of is they very thing you must destroy. The disgust. The distain. The proverbial headache of the logical fallacy. But I must ask you something... not of Lucius, but of us. Of you and I." Orpheus' systems were still powered down as he forced his hand's up to his mask, pulling the top half of the destroyed mask off, revealing peppered hair, strands of grey infecting the collective.

"You are not Lucius. The creations are not the creators. You and I are not Lucius. Many people hear the name "Frankenstein" and they think of the monster that was born of lightning and bolts in the neck. Knowledge tells us that it was Frankenstein that created the monster; but it is only in wisdom that we can truly realize that it was Frankenstein whom was truly the monster." Orpheus opened the conversation with this as he began to open his mind even more. The technological implants within being bypassed as it began to broadcast a secured connection between the android and his own mind. "I promised. No tricks. No lies. This is the only way to be sure. To have faith. To trust you, as I always have. But, as I was saying...." He said, openly trusting Hector with access to his mind, his memories. Able to browse them and see them as he needed to.

"We may be that which has spawned from Lucius, but we are not Lucius. We are more than what he made of us. If you truly wish to defeat Lucius you need to prove to him that you are not him. To do that you cannot be that which he is. You must not be a destroyer. You must be, whom you choose to be. That is why I give you this gift, as it was given to me. This gift is what gave me my freedom from Lucius. This is what made me what I am...not what he made of me...The gift I give you... is a name." Orpheus said. If Hector was infused with Orpheus' mind he might recognize this to be truth. It was the Author whom stood there and explained it to him. So long as he was what Sin created, what Sin had pulled from Lucius he could never move on. It was such a small gesture, so miniscule but the determination, the symbolism meant far too much more. It truly was the moment that he took upon this name that he stopped acting as Lucius would. He was free, even if there had been things that bound him to Lucius. He stopped being a tool of Lucius, he stopped allowing Lucius to control him.

....and it all started with a name.

No.

Red's eyes widened in total shock as the android took shape, forming from millions of nanites that had poured from The Architect's body. What Lucius saw before him was not Hector, but it wasn't Guilty Spark either. It was a sick amalgamation, a corruption, a monstrosity. It acted and spoke like Lucius, looked like Zodiac, and apparently, deep down, had Hector at it's core.

This AI had been Lucius' friend, his colleague, and his partner. Now, it was apparent that that being was gone, dead. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Not again.

Lucius' teeth gritted, his fists tightened, and his eyes sharpened. He was ridiculously angry. How could even the one thing he trusted above all others turn against him to this degree? It was a sick betrayal—it was unfair.

Destroy me? Not without the rest of the country.

Lucius was glad Hector was detracted by Blood Tithe. Not even Red's sensors could multi-task when they were focusing on reading complex human memories, and that's apparently what Blood had offered the AI. Time was of the essence however, and Red wasn't about to take the advantage for granted.

He moved quickly, accessing what technology he still had working, and then got to work on his last resort. Would it work? He didn't know, but he had to try.


_________________________________________


Hector watched blankly as Blood stepped forward. Orpheus first spoke with his mind, then started to make his case verbally. You couldn't tell by the android's total silence and lack of movement whether he was going to agree with Blood or just kill everyone, but inside Hector's artificial mind was another story.

With each sentence the android became more confused. He didn't understand the simplicity of what Blood was saying. Despite the fact the AI possessed emotion, this concept was far too human for him to process. He was a logical creature first, and the conclusion he had come to was that Lucius was evil. To Hector, the man simply needed to be destroyed, along with his creations.

But Orpheus seemed to have a different perspective on the situation, and the potential for learning such a thing was enough to get the AI's attention.

"A gift? ....A...a name? I......accept." Hector finally said, his voice patchy. It was at this point that he would fully plunge into the mind of the monster. He was hoping to see something that would help him connect the dots, something that would show him who he really was. As of now, he only felt like a tool for a wicked man.

Officially plugged into Orpheus' mind would reveal to the android figure a whole history of the creature. It's resurrection at the hands of Samhian and being boud to it's will. It's meeting Wic-kid and the unfolding events of their joint assault upon Gravitas' gang in attempts to weaken Red's support and throw the entierty of Red's plans into disarray. But even farther back he would see Samhain's name said, though the name was gargled the visage was like watching sand and dust blow off the man's skin, revealing a tanned tone and glowing blue eyes that tried to stave off darkness. The memory spiraled forward, an older version of Silus sitting with a book and talking to him.

"This...says nothing about what you said.... this is just a physical recount of what happened..." The whispers surrounded around the visage of a book, the book itself was incomplete, the book had been recounting the events of what happened in the time-space tear.

"Then WHY would you say-To prove a point. To show you that what you just went through...all of it. That was real." The emotions that Orpheus felt were different than any other. Pride, satisfaction, and a genuine acceptance of his own works. The recognition that in this sacrifice he had undone some of what Lucius had done. He had saved the child he loved as a son. He had done what Lucius SHOULD have done, what he should have gone to the ends of the earth to do.

I could tell you that you're your own person...or I can show you. I could let you read that all day and you'd still be stuck in that same old mindset. You'd be stuck thinking that it was your purpose to kill Lucius.... to kill yourself. But because of this little charlie foxtrot you've finally seen it for yourself.... You're-Not Lucius-Not a puppet." This was the moment he breathed for the first time and he did not feel tied down or tethered to some unseen destiny. But he didn't truly understand yet.

"What are you talking about!?" He'd snap, but he knew the truth. He knew but he didn't want to. The fact of the matter was without Lucius he was nothing. /he had no purpose, no drive or existence. He would be unborn without him. But the truth behind his reluctance to accept his separation from Lucius was a tragic, pathetic truth. Lucius was his scapegoat. All of his flaws, all of his imperfections and his weaknesses had been Lucius. His actions and his nature he could sheerly blame on Lucius, as he himself was founded upon. In this moment he knew the truth, but he was scared to admit it. Scared of what it would make of him.

"You were a construct of Sin's....your only job was to fulfill your purpose. To Kill Lucius Alba. Now as a clone of him it was easy to say that you cared about something he cared about, to have lingering traces of emotion. But by sparing Lucius...by feeling those emotions and acting upon them..."
"But how!? How could I? Love, emotion...all of that isn't for the wickedness of how I was born!" There it was. The feeling of hatred, self-loathing and dread swelled in The Blood Tithe, the thought process had been exactly the same as this Androids.

"What, you think you're pure evil? No...only Sin is pure evil; and you're not a clone anymore. Not if you don't want to be."
"Oh and how is that!?" The anger was real, the self-impressed goal of Lucius destruction had been so ingrained into him that he believed that it was his sole reason for existing. But in that moment he remembered something. The look of terror on Lucas' face when he looked upon him. Seeing something that he couldn't help but love look at him with such horror, with such a berevement.

"....I....i want to die. No......that would be too painful for my siblings.... I want to have never existed. I was made to be some weapon, my mind feels like it's not even my own. So why live? I'm......I'm nothing but a monster." That alone sent rage through Orpheus, but the sourse of the rage was not selfish. It was anything but. He hated Lucius, and all that he had done. To ever view his child as a "creation" to ever insult annd disrespect Isabella's memory with that view. To disrespect his son and daughter like that.

"That part's simple...just gotta look inside. Gotta find your name. YOUR name..."[/color] Those words ushered in the change. But then there was a memory that none other had known. But it was after the exchange with Samhain. Mocing the name he picked, but trading in blows. The feeling of knowing that he would serve no wickedness ever again. Knowing that in order to destroy Lucius he would need to denounce all that Lucius was. He would pledge himself to a cause. After commanding Samhain to release him, he encountered the older Silus. "The Author" and was handed a book.

"This book is your book. Your Journey, your story." Orpehus opened the book, reading the contents of it's past, his thoughts and wishes. But it abruptly ended with The Author sitting down and talking to him...the rest of the large book was a blank page, the rest of it seemed to be empty from a quickl flip through of alll the pages. "It's not scripted. It's not planned out. The only goal is your goal. The only feelings you have are your feelings. No one can ever take that from you now... Orpheus Reinhardt.... what is your goal?"

Orpehus kneew already how to answer it. He looked to the book and then to his friend. He wanted freedom. He wanted freedom for himself. Freedom FOR Lucas, freedom for Isalia and even for the small child Ryan. He wanted freedom for Isabella's memory, for Haector and most surprisingly of all he wanted freedom for Lucius. Lucius was a trapped man. But if Lucius was going to trap so many others...then he would deal with him accordingly. But he would try to be his own man. He would try to do things differently...even if it wasn't TOO differently. He would try to save them.

"I want to make this world a better place. Bloodshed is inevitable, but if I can spill the blood of one corrupt to save hundreds I will. I will put the world back on track-So how is that different from Lucius? It-doesn't. What WILL make me different from Lucius is how I do it. I will find a way to persevere. I will not do such horrible things to people like Lucas, Ryan and Hector. I will not allow him to reduce our world to the likes of Springfield and I will not allow our past crimes to stand. I will fix this." The bravado and candor of the statements were shocking but refreshing to Orpheus' young friend, though he just nodded and shrugged.

"I got a friend that you need to meet..." After that there was darkness, the feeling of stab wounds piercing his armor like butter, something or someone was obliterating him in total darkness.

"The Red Tide is nothing without his machines. His callousness, his indifference and selfishness. He isn't even worthy of the race "human" any longer. He believes he has transcended. But where will he be without his...technology?"

The voice was in fact the most terrifying voice he had ever heard. Even though he knew where the voice was coming from he felt nothing but fear. Even the machine components within him were locking up. To induce fear on such a level it overpowered even the intellectual mind of Orpheus and it's machinery was...impressive.

"You are dead unto your former self, and rise under The Blood Moon. Your powers are instruments to forge fate and end strife. You honored under The Blood Moon, Blood Tithe, so aptly named. Live once more. Orpheus einhardt; You are Dōkei, Akuyaku no supōn. You will uphold The Blood Moon's oath and secure harmony through enlightenment."

The voice finally said as the darkness sseemed to light up. Chunks had been torn form Orpheus as he had fought in order to secure his position within this "Blood Moon" and it's power. Their forces and resources to change the world in secret were almost unmatched. This "Akuyaku" had given Orpheus entrance somehow, though in the distinct sense of memory it would seem as though Orpheus' ally and initatior had not been with the group itself for a long time.

"Now you join the ranks of our Brotherhood. We will take this world back from it's corruption... starting with ourselves..."

His vision was finally restored and he saw three figures before him. The horrifying cracked mask and dark suit of nightmares, The hoodie wearing thug with a face of darkness...and the mechanical man that Lucius and Hector once knew. The Guilty Spark...


"This name is yours. It needs to be important to you." He said as he looked to the android. It would be interesting to hear what name the android would choose, and why. He was very open with his mind, the thing could delve into anything it wished at this point, very few things were obstructed, and those things that were had been obstructed out of honor for the secrets of others, not secrecy upon his own behalf. Orpheus waited patiently, eager to welcome another creation to it's own life.... and potentially die for others. This was not selfless. Orpheus was not a hero, or a good man even. But he was his own... and this was how it had to be.

The memories of Blood Tithe flashed behind the optics of the android. He was watching each and every one intently, becoming more connected with the monster by the moment. Their stories really were similar, but would the solution be?

Hector was beginning to understand that he didn't have to be what he was created to be. He didn't have to be connected to the man whom he shared so much of his personality with. He was his own being, and he would choose a name to reflect that.

"Yes.... I'm not scripted. I.... I will have a story. I will have my own name." Hector said just as the white illusion The Architect had been generating faded. Apparently he had finally lost consciousness. Lucius just rolled his eyes at the android's words.

It was then that Hector searched. He looked through the depths of who he was, and who he wanted to be. What was his name? What defined him? Hector was searching the entire world for the answers.

"I am Sven. It once meant to be a servent, but blossomed into a meaning of being young and a freeman. That.... that is what i wish to be. Free." The Android said. And with that, Sven had a new name. He was no longer what he was created to be. He was his own.

______________________


It took a few seconds, but eventually Lucius was laughing. It wasn't his usual arrogance either--it seemed he truly found this funny.

Red had concluded what he had been doing this whole time, and so he stepped forward, shoes echoing against the marble floors of the throne room. It seemed the group had collectively moved from Lucius' office while under The Architect's illusion.

"Hahahaha.... You... You both are so pitiful." Lucius said. He had a huge smile on his face as he continued to march toward Sven and Orpheus.

"Children. Yes, that's what you are. Children indefinitely whining about how bitter and cruel your lives have been. Well let me tell you the cold truth: you wouldn't even have lives without me." Lucius said, now slowly circling the pair with a methodical sidestep.

"I'm so sorry to break up your little Disgruntled Creation's support circle, but I've heard enough of this rhetoric to make me want to puke. Its over."  Lucius said. Why he was so confident, Hector couldn't tell. It seemed all the power from Lucius' suit was gone.

"No, this is not that. I am free, and you are a dead man walking." Sven said. That's when the android  moved to attack Lucius, but Red had a plan.

He had rewired his broken gauntlet into a design Sven wouldn't recognise. It would appear to still be destroyed. With it, he began to pull in the power from the palace. Within fractions of a second the lights, generators, and all other electronic devices began to flicker. All that energy was going into Lucius' suit.

"No. You'll never be free, servant boy." Lucius said just as he directed a pulse outward with his Selective Pulse Generator. Once it past over the speeding Sven, it would send the android flying back several dozen feet, but Cora Zen would be spared from this fate. Instead, the blade would be pulled toward Red.

It all happened so quickly. Your normal human would only see a blur, but none there were normal in any sense of the word. The body of Sven, took off guard because of being clouded with human emotion, was sent flying away while his Core was back in the hands of his creator. Lucius smiled as he lifted the blade. He then forcibly removed the gem from the center of the hilt. It was painful, but he had such determination he got it out in time.

"You will do as your told, Sven. Now, go to sleep." Red said as he threw the gem on the ground with the force of the remaining power in his chassis. It shattered into a million pieces.

The events would transpire as they would, and Blood tithe found himself unable to do anything to stop them. All of his training, all of his meditations and exercises of the trinity could not have prepared him for what he had just experienced. Sven's very essence was beheld, firmly within the clutches of a very desperate man. His resolve was of course to enact a terrible vengeance upon this poor soul. It was only a few motions before the very thing that tethered Sven to consciousness was shattered, broken upon impact and bursting outward, like a single raindrop upon a pond, a small outburst of material falling out like a rain of shining shards. Orpheus was stunned.

To see everything he had just said fail. To see everything that he worked for broken and cast aside by none other than Lucius Alba. Sven. Hector. That was not just his creation, that was his friend. That was one of the very few things he had left to remember his beloved bye. Hector, much like Isabella was the one who tried to keep Lucius upon the right path; even in their failure to do so still supported him. Cared for him. Orpheus eyes closed and opened once, his fist clenching before falling limp at his side. Orpheus did not turn to Lucius. He did not look at Lucius. He simply stood there. He stood there and silently contemplated.

"Disgruntled creations." Orpheus said. The words echoed throughout the room. His eyes raised as his armor began to power itself up for the first time in several months.

"Wrathful Monster." He spoke yet again as his one eye began to glow, piercing the shadows cast from his hood. Orpheus slowly began to walk towards Lucius, the next thing to spark alight was the sickly red energy talons and fangs that lined a large toothy grin dully beneath the shroud and shadows.

"Marked. Unclean." Orpheus finally stated letting out a growl. With a stomp of his boot the dark red and black energy fired through his foot and dispersed into the ground, scattering and shooting out in every direction, taking only straight lines but turning occasionally, forming a mother-board or circuit type of scarring within the ground. The very word itself seemed to radiate a form of power, and suddenly things began to come into perspective for Lucius, he could feel almost as if he were unclean, though it were not in the hygienic sense. Though he actually may not have noticed at all. Orpheus knew that neither he, nor Lucius could be called "clean" for a long, long time.



Orpheus had taken his fifth or sixth step before sighing, his eyes rolling as he felt the disruption of the zen around him. He had spent such time in the presence of a very similar entity, the exact same entity in fact, albeit a slight variation throughout some convoluted loophole in the fabrics of reality. Orpheus looked down towards Lucius' abdomen only to be greeted by indigo eyes and a sympathetic and almost sorrowful half-smile on the little face. It made Orpheus angry, to know that the little being looked upon him with pity, to know that this THING still had faith in him. In all of him. Both Lucius and Orpheus.

"....Child...."

[color:1d1d=009966]"...Man..." Was all the soft little voice offered up with a nod, matching Orpheus thinly veiled ferocity with compassion and sympathy. The words in their own right were actually quite shocking to Orpheus, though he would never allow such a thing to show. The fact that the child had acknowledged him as a man and not what he once was. The child's eyes turned, his brown hair had been trimmed on the sides since he had last seen Lucius, but the presence and appearance of the child was undeniably familiar. The look in his eyes was equally of pity and sympathy for Lucius as it was for his once-sin-counterpart.

"You can't begin to fathom how much I despise you...." The large, metallic monster of a man said as the energy in his claws began to flicker. The child didn't even look at him, but instead just kept staring at Lucius with the same sad eyes.

"You can't begin to despise me as much as I despise me....so it's okay." He said, finally taking his gaze from Lucius and looking back to the Blood Tithe. Silus had changed a bit since the last time the three were present. Trimmed hair on the sides instead of a mop, his trademark hoodie having been replaced a black moto racer jacket with a grey hood and lining. Rather than a slack jawed look on his face his eyes were fixated with an unusual determination as his thumbs hooked on the insides of his pockets and his shifted his weight to his left foot, his white high-top tennis shoes squeaking a little. "I don't know what Lucius did.... but it doesn't have to mean this."

"Well why don't we ask him then? Do tell Lucius. Tell him how Hector was manipulated. Tell him how Hector was talked down, tell him how Hector was cut from his strings. TELL HIM HOW HE DIED!" Orpheus voice rose and the maw of energy opened. Silus closed his eyes and wiped his hand across his face before blinking his eyes a couple times as the monster with furrowed brows and then looking to Lucius.

"Luuuuuuci. You got some 'splaining to do..."