Another week had passed, all the while Xenon had still been left wondering, trying to find all the answers for himself. However, yet another issue had been added to the seemingly endless line of questions. About two days ago, during another test, Vexis almost seemed like herself again, she almost refused to cooperate, instead of the obedient, mindless drone they turned her into. Although, Vexis obviously hadn't remained like that, because earlier today -when Xenon saw her last, she was back to the robot personality. What made Vexis revert back so quickly? Little did Xenon realize just how...corrupt this place was.
Layla had explained to them what the plan was for reviving the Nova stream; it would be a gradual process. There were certain areas on Aristaisia where the stream seemed to cluster most, "Gates" as Layla called them. Each of these Gates were buildup points for Nova energy, they acted like portals into the stream.
Vexenesis and Xenon were supposed to visit these Gates, and help pull more of the stream into Aristaisia by using the portals.
Simple, right? Maybe not...
Anyway, today was the day that they would set out towards the first Gate, up near where ancient Ethiamn used to stand.
~
Xenon begrudgingly followed Layla and Vexis down the long walkway, needless to say; he wasn't looking forward to this day. The large metallic door slid open, but not nearly as much sunshine as he would've expected poured in. The sky was gray and cloudy. Again. Big surprise. Layla led them around the side of the gigantic lab building, only the annoying clacking of her ridiculously high-heeled boots could be heard amongst the silence. Xenon was just glad to be outside for once, and a non-simulated 'outside' at that.
Finally they stopped on the other side of the concrete parking lot...thing. Just ahead were a bunch of strange looking androids, all clustered near a single vehicle (which looked like a miniature star ship that you'd find in space, only on a much smaller scale). The robots were all shaped like human beings, but were missing several details such as a face, skin, hair, and gender. They were all made from a bright silver metal, a single glassy looking band of red light replaced where their eyes should be.
"These androids will be accompanying you on your journey, they will fend off any disobedient people in town. After all, being projects of Axion, you're both prime targets for their hatred..." Layla headed over to the group of robots, directing one to step forward from the group. "These are specially designed androids built specifically for combat, they're called the 'O.M.A' series -Offensive Model Android. They are equipped with twice as many weapons as the regular town-patrol series, and are S.S.A.S capable. Any questions?"
Xenon hesitated to say anything at first, but curiosity got the better of him eventually. "Uh...what exactly is this 'S.S.A.S' you speak of? You know, just so I don't accidentally piss one off and have it kill me..."
Layla gave him a look of extreme disapproval, as if she expected him to know all this. Maybe she did? "Strategic Self-Adaptive System. It's a program that allows the android to adapt the use of a weapon to fit the task at hand. Say, for example, the android saw that you use mainly Nova-based attacks, it could adapt one of it's weapons using S.S.A.S to have a much more effective use on you. Like, say, it could make you unable to use Nova energy if it adapted well enough."
Xenon shuddered at the very thought, anything that could adapt itself so easily was just plain frightening. What if -as crazy as it sounds- Xenon had to actually fight against these things someday?
Layla made all of the robots clear out of the way now, she opened up the door to the black mini-ship. Funny, it was made out of the exact same material as the laboratory walls. The inside was exactly like the interior of a car, a very luxurious, roomy car, that is. Vexis immediately took her seat in the very back, Xenon hesitantly followed (only, he chose to be closer to the front -it was too dark and depressing in the back). And then, a few androids shoved their way in. For some reason, Xenon was very uncomfortable with sitting next to a homicidal robot, but why could that possibly be?
Once the door slammed shut, and the ship started to move (with no driver, this thing had an Auto-Pilot function, apparently), everything just seemed to whoosh by unbelievably fast. Just staring out the window made you dizzy. Gray landscapes, gray magnetic tracks beside the gray roads, black industrial buildings (with gray smoke puffing out of the smokestacks), they all sped past and disappeared into oblivion. Wow, this planet was certainly colorful. Not.
A very depressing span of 30 minutes went by, Xenon had already seen enough of Aristaisia. He was sick and tired of this monotone world. Xenon couldn't imagine having to live in grayness for his whole life, but hopefully, he would be able to help fix this. Otherwise, if their attempts completely failed, and all hope was lost, Xenon most likely wouldn't be able to continue existing. Vexenesis, however, could live this way for centuries. But, well, that was because shes basically just a freaking drone in personality.
The ship came to sudden stop, outside of the black-tinted windows could be seen the tall buildings of a city. The magnetic track shifted slightly, and the ship began to move again, only much slower. A sign that they had passed by told them that this was Neo-Ethiamn, the city that only dreamed of being like Ethiamn. Seriously, this Ethiamn was merely a pathetic replica of the original. But to a person like Xenon whom had never seen a real city before, it was just as amazing. Xenon let his mind wander off for the time being.
However, the serenity did not last very long. A sudden blast occurred directly in front of the ship, Xenon, Vexis, and the four androids all jumped to attention at once. Someone was trying to attack them? "What the hell was that!? A bomb?!" Xenon exclaimed in surprise, well that was certainly a way to be greeted.
"Did Layla not warn you of uncooperative civilians? Or are you just that stupid?" Vexis said rather coldly.
One of the androids immediately took action and blasted the roof away and leapt out, god knows where it got that gun from. The other three androids followed. Why didn't they just use the door? Oh well, at least neither Vexis nor Xenon had to pay for it!
Turns out that the ship had completely stopped on that part of the track, great, now they were stuck in the middle of the road. Oh, right, wings, they're there for a reason...just like doors! Imagine the concept! Vexis jumped up through the hole-y roof, and in one powerful surge, was airborne. 'How can she just react like that without wondering about things?' Xenon, well, wondered, then went and did the same.
They both landed gracefully on the sidewalk, just ahead stood a group of people...armed with weapons.
One man in the group had his gun pointed directly at Vexis, ready to shoot at any moment. Vexis just stared at him coldly, unafraid. The man's face showed bitter determination, "You people are to blame for what happened to this planet! And now you try to tell us that these mutant freaks are just going to magically fix the Nova stream!? How do we know these things won't just end up making things worse, like the government's other 'solutions'?!" He shouted out, enraged.
Xenon just waited and listened to the man's ranting, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "Huh?"
Vexis suddenly pounced forward into the crowd, accurate and deadly. Blood lust was visible in her eyes.
16.1.09
8.1.09
The lovely life at Axion, NOT.
((Whee! This is the first post EEVEEEERRR (ever, ha!) in 2009! I never thought I would actually continue this story for more than just a few posts...proves my own brain wrong, I guess! XD ))
~
These past few days had been fairly slow moving for Xenon, all the attention, testing and excitement was for Vexenesis now. Why was he treated any differently? Xenon was as much a part of this project as she was! But to Layla and the other researchers, Vexenesis was the only worthy project. Sure, they did do a few tests with Xenon, and they did explain some things to him, but only about the equivalent of one third of what they were doing for Vexenesis. At least Xenon wasn't completely trash to them. Wow, what an honor.
Things were so vastly different here in the real world compared to the simulation, it almost seemed like they were on a completely separate planet. This Aristaisia was so dark and depressing, from what little Xenon could see outside the window. The skies were always gray and rainy, the ground was pale and relatively grass-less. Thick clouds of black smoke occasionally puffed out of the tall smokestacks of the nearby industrial plants, god knows what they made in there to produce that much pollution. 'What a waste...' Xenon often thought, he hadn't been allowed to see the rest of the planet yet, but he could already tell just how poor of a condition this planet was in. Xenon sat alone in his tiny excuse of a bedroom, it was just barely big enough to contain one chair and one small bed. The walls were all made of the same black metal as the rest of this dreaded place, the only thing that was mildly exciting was the puny circular window up towards the ceiling. Ooh, at least he was given the privilege to see a tiny fraction of the world hes supposed to help save! Vexenesis had it better, Xenon was certain about that.
The automated door slid open, Layla stood in the doorway with Vexis at her side. "Project Xenon, come with us for a moment." Layla instructed, her tone as harsh as ever. Xenon obeyed, moving along with them almost automatically. "It's time you both learn about the situation a bit more." Layla started to speak as they reached the end of the first hallway, and into the next. The walls here in this section almost seemed...alive, in a sense. Little streams of blue light occasionally pulsed through the cracks in between panels of metal, Nova energy. No wonder this place felt like a living being!
"As you've both probably noticed, Aristaisia is in very poor condition as of late. What is the cause of this? Well, to put it in very simple terms, the Nova stream is running almost completely dry on this planet. And it's all because of over-use of the stream." Layla led them into one particular lab room, then stopped by a large monitor on the wall. "Now, the Nova stream normally replenishes itself, at least, on other planets it does. But here in Aristaisia, there have been no signs at all of a regeneration cycle. And without the Nova stream to provide growth and life, Aristaisia will dry up energy and die out. Just like Earth did almost 5,000 years ago." The black screen blinked to life now, it displayed what Earth looked like before it died. Aristaisia was identical to how this photo showed Earth, gray stormy sky, lifeless dirt fields, and many depressed people, all waiting for their deaths. Xenon just stared at the screen solemnly, trying his hardest to understand what those people were feeling at the time. Sorrow? Anguish? No, resignation. These people had given up their hope long ago. Xenon closed his eyes in thought, he couldn't even try to imagine the pain they must have felt.
"And that's where you two come in. Normal humans are naturally born with the ability to manipulate Nova energy, but only to a certain degree. What little we can control is no where near enough to regenerate the Nova stream, not even with all of Aristaisia's population. It's just not possible." Layla turned to face the two angels now, the dim lighting cast an eerie shadow across her angular face, only her icy blue eyes could be seen in the darkness of Layla. "However, through years of research and experimentation, we were able to create you two out of artificial methods. Each of you, individually, have the capability to manipulate one half of the necessary amount of energy to revive Aristaisia. And together, your powers are amplified two fold."
Xenon glanced over at Vexis briefly, full of curiosity as what she was thinking right now. But Vexis displayed no hint of emotion, she just stood and listened, much like a stupid robot.
"Do you know why this amplification occurs? One of you must at least have an idea of why..." Layla mused, then waited for the long time it would take for them to answer.
"That is because our existences are intertwined in a rather intricate way. Our minds share the same wavelength, our bodies each have the same strengths and weaknesses, although in opposite ways." Vexis replied immediately, her voice was very flat and monotonous, robbed of any emotion at all.
"Correct." Layla said with a little grin on her face. "Believe it or not, you're both actually just one creature. The two halves of one entity, separated." She turned back towards the computer screen again, this time the monitor displayed the translations to several different words that were written in some strange language. "As your names 'Vexenesis' and 'Xenon' suggest, each of you possess one side of your whole personality. In ancient Ethian, 'Vex' means darkness, or to be of a more sinister quality. Whereas, 'Xe' is the exact opposite, it translates to 'light' or 'pure'. And 'Non' or 'Nohn' is the name of Nova, it means 'life energy'. Vexenesis' name would have originally been Vexenohn, which would mean 'Darkness of life', but we decided that was too much alike to 'Light of life', which is Xenon."
Xenon felt numb and unable to think, too much was running through his mind right now. How couldn't he have at least realized the similarities between Vexis and himself? What are they planning to make him do to help save the world? Why was he seen as so inferior compared to Vexis? Or better yet, why was he inferior? It was all too much, all these thoughts pulsed through his mind at once. And even though Vexenesis and Xenon were both mutated super humans with the purpose of saving the world (and possibly part of the universe), their minds were still human, and human minds are flawed and easily get overloaded. Xenon headed towards the door, trying to escape his own confusion.
"Fine, leave if you wish. At least I have one loyal experiment! Reject." Layla said with a sneer, but eventually returned to her explanation to Vexis. "The only problem with you two being so closely connected, is that if one of you die, the other will die as well."
~
Xenon tried to ignore Layla as the door shut behind him, and found it quite easy. '...If we're the same being, then why can't I figure out why Vexis changed?'
Xenon stopped in the main lab, the giant room with all the pods. Where he and Vexis first 'met' so to speak. He was just barely aware of one of the scientists staring at him, she sat in the corner of the lab behind a desk. Xenon watched her for a moment, she seemed oddly familiar. The girl looked slightly younger than Layla, her red hair was cut short and at an angle, her eyes were an odd...violet color. Her facial features were similar to Vexis', but a bit softer and more rounded. The first thought that sprung to Xenon's mind was Lea, the strange girl that was trying to fight Vexis constantly. But no, that couldn't be her, could it? Lea was just a simulation, after all, and besides, her hair and eye colors incorrect! So why did Xenon feel like he knew her?
Great, another question to add to his overloaded brain! Xenon stormed off back towards his room, right now, even the tiny prison cell seemed like heaven if it meant easing his mind.
~
These past few days had been fairly slow moving for Xenon, all the attention, testing and excitement was for Vexenesis now. Why was he treated any differently? Xenon was as much a part of this project as she was! But to Layla and the other researchers, Vexenesis was the only worthy project. Sure, they did do a few tests with Xenon, and they did explain some things to him, but only about the equivalent of one third of what they were doing for Vexenesis. At least Xenon wasn't completely trash to them. Wow, what an honor.
Things were so vastly different here in the real world compared to the simulation, it almost seemed like they were on a completely separate planet. This Aristaisia was so dark and depressing, from what little Xenon could see outside the window. The skies were always gray and rainy, the ground was pale and relatively grass-less. Thick clouds of black smoke occasionally puffed out of the tall smokestacks of the nearby industrial plants, god knows what they made in there to produce that much pollution. 'What a waste...' Xenon often thought, he hadn't been allowed to see the rest of the planet yet, but he could already tell just how poor of a condition this planet was in. Xenon sat alone in his tiny excuse of a bedroom, it was just barely big enough to contain one chair and one small bed. The walls were all made of the same black metal as the rest of this dreaded place, the only thing that was mildly exciting was the puny circular window up towards the ceiling. Ooh, at least he was given the privilege to see a tiny fraction of the world hes supposed to help save! Vexenesis had it better, Xenon was certain about that.
The automated door slid open, Layla stood in the doorway with Vexis at her side. "Project Xenon, come with us for a moment." Layla instructed, her tone as harsh as ever. Xenon obeyed, moving along with them almost automatically. "It's time you both learn about the situation a bit more." Layla started to speak as they reached the end of the first hallway, and into the next. The walls here in this section almost seemed...alive, in a sense. Little streams of blue light occasionally pulsed through the cracks in between panels of metal, Nova energy. No wonder this place felt like a living being!
"As you've both probably noticed, Aristaisia is in very poor condition as of late. What is the cause of this? Well, to put it in very simple terms, the Nova stream is running almost completely dry on this planet. And it's all because of over-use of the stream." Layla led them into one particular lab room, then stopped by a large monitor on the wall. "Now, the Nova stream normally replenishes itself, at least, on other planets it does. But here in Aristaisia, there have been no signs at all of a regeneration cycle. And without the Nova stream to provide growth and life, Aristaisia will dry up energy and die out. Just like Earth did almost 5,000 years ago." The black screen blinked to life now, it displayed what Earth looked like before it died. Aristaisia was identical to how this photo showed Earth, gray stormy sky, lifeless dirt fields, and many depressed people, all waiting for their deaths. Xenon just stared at the screen solemnly, trying his hardest to understand what those people were feeling at the time. Sorrow? Anguish? No, resignation. These people had given up their hope long ago. Xenon closed his eyes in thought, he couldn't even try to imagine the pain they must have felt.
"And that's where you two come in. Normal humans are naturally born with the ability to manipulate Nova energy, but only to a certain degree. What little we can control is no where near enough to regenerate the Nova stream, not even with all of Aristaisia's population. It's just not possible." Layla turned to face the two angels now, the dim lighting cast an eerie shadow across her angular face, only her icy blue eyes could be seen in the darkness of Layla. "However, through years of research and experimentation, we were able to create you two out of artificial methods. Each of you, individually, have the capability to manipulate one half of the necessary amount of energy to revive Aristaisia. And together, your powers are amplified two fold."
Xenon glanced over at Vexis briefly, full of curiosity as what she was thinking right now. But Vexis displayed no hint of emotion, she just stood and listened, much like a stupid robot.
"Do you know why this amplification occurs? One of you must at least have an idea of why..." Layla mused, then waited for the long time it would take for them to answer.
"That is because our existences are intertwined in a rather intricate way. Our minds share the same wavelength, our bodies each have the same strengths and weaknesses, although in opposite ways." Vexis replied immediately, her voice was very flat and monotonous, robbed of any emotion at all.
"Correct." Layla said with a little grin on her face. "Believe it or not, you're both actually just one creature. The two halves of one entity, separated." She turned back towards the computer screen again, this time the monitor displayed the translations to several different words that were written in some strange language. "As your names 'Vexenesis' and 'Xenon' suggest, each of you possess one side of your whole personality. In ancient Ethian, 'Vex' means darkness, or to be of a more sinister quality. Whereas, 'Xe' is the exact opposite, it translates to 'light' or 'pure'. And 'Non' or 'Nohn' is the name of Nova, it means 'life energy'. Vexenesis' name would have originally been Vexenohn, which would mean 'Darkness of life', but we decided that was too much alike to 'Light of life', which is Xenon."
Xenon felt numb and unable to think, too much was running through his mind right now. How couldn't he have at least realized the similarities between Vexis and himself? What are they planning to make him do to help save the world? Why was he seen as so inferior compared to Vexis? Or better yet, why was he inferior? It was all too much, all these thoughts pulsed through his mind at once. And even though Vexenesis and Xenon were both mutated super humans with the purpose of saving the world (and possibly part of the universe), their minds were still human, and human minds are flawed and easily get overloaded. Xenon headed towards the door, trying to escape his own confusion.
"Fine, leave if you wish. At least I have one loyal experiment! Reject." Layla said with a sneer, but eventually returned to her explanation to Vexis. "The only problem with you two being so closely connected, is that if one of you die, the other will die as well."
~
Xenon tried to ignore Layla as the door shut behind him, and found it quite easy. '...If we're the same being, then why can't I figure out why Vexis changed?'
Xenon stopped in the main lab, the giant room with all the pods. Where he and Vexis first 'met' so to speak. He was just barely aware of one of the scientists staring at him, she sat in the corner of the lab behind a desk. Xenon watched her for a moment, she seemed oddly familiar. The girl looked slightly younger than Layla, her red hair was cut short and at an angle, her eyes were an odd...violet color. Her facial features were similar to Vexis', but a bit softer and more rounded. The first thought that sprung to Xenon's mind was Lea, the strange girl that was trying to fight Vexis constantly. But no, that couldn't be her, could it? Lea was just a simulation, after all, and besides, her hair and eye colors incorrect! So why did Xenon feel like he knew her?
Great, another question to add to his overloaded brain! Xenon stormed off back towards his room, right now, even the tiny prison cell seemed like heaven if it meant easing his mind.
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