S18 Epilogue. Part Win.
(For the Taikaiwiki people, completely written by Wayne and company. Temporary post while I figure out why this part is imploding the wiki)
The City of the Eternals did not have a "commercial" district, per se, as their culture had no use for currency; but for convenience's sake traditional "businesses," such as restaurants, clubs, and theaters, tended to be built in the same section of the city. Along one quiet street was located an equally empty eatery, its polished darkwood tables, arcade gallery, and booths were hosting only the cook and manager, Ziccuchi himself, and the three members of the Chain Gang, all watching the restaurant's single, large holographic projector.
"Man, I don't know why all the chicks are into Fabian." complained Sean, leaning as far back in his seat as possible. "He tries so hard to make you not like him."
"When [i]you're[/i] one of the most powerful men in the Multiverse, you don't have to worry about the nice stuff much." explained the owner, halting his chores for a moment.
"Not to mention," joked Weapon, sitting at a table next to Sean's, likewise facing the screen, "The Eternals' 'most eligible bachelor.' I have analyzed your weak carbon-based female gender for some time. They always idolize the best available specimen."
"You make it sound like a science experiment." complained Taev, but the construct's eyes glittered.
"It is. ...well... to me."
"Yeah, yeah... hey, there's me!" he grinned, changing the subject with a quick gesture toward the screen. "Hmm, either of you guys think the OVN seemed a little [i]too[/i] curious about the whole mission? The big story was Phaetheon, but...."
"No more than usual." mused the half-Romulan, sitting to Sean's left at a third table pulled up alongside the other two, half-eaten meat pizza still on the table. "There's so few major operations these days that it'll probably be their big story for the rest of the decicycle."
"You're not [i]complaining[/i] about that, are ya?" Ziccuchi, a stout, tanned Eternal, called out. "Seems to me that no 'news' is good news, when the stories are always about what's wrong."
The Epsilon Sean on the monitor stood up and grinned, shaking the woman's hand. The next Eternal to meet with her was Nicolai, and the current Delta offered the interviewer a charming smile as he took the cushioned seat across f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m her. The real version shook his head. "Really makes you wonder how they knew exactly who to ask, huh?"
Taev shrugged. "Reporters know things. And they're smart... chances are she arranged some preliminary meetings, and found out f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m them who to really go after." He paused. "...you all right, Weapon?"
The Warforged's eyes darkened as he nodded. "I am. But you're right. I was one of the first Eternals she spoke with, and her questions... were mostly about Asli, and the... incident."
"I'm sor--" began Sean, but his friend cut him off.
"It's alright. Those... parasites... just make me angry. 'Were you really in love with her?' 'How can a construct like you feel things like that?' 'How upset were you when she was blasted into pieces by the--' "
"Hey." the chef barked, rapping his hand on the counter. "I know you're mad, but you don't disrespect the gods in my house. Got it?"
"You didn't know what I was going to say." the construct replied dully. When the swarthy man crossed his arms, furrowed eyebrows only adding to the comical yet intimidating display, Weapon sighed. "Sorry."
"Parasites, though?" asked Sean quietly. "That's a bit harsh, man."
"It's true. What else do you call someone who survives-- and [i]thrives[/i]-- on the misfortune of others? Who make a [i]career[/i] of exploiting real heroes... and victims?"
"Politicians?"
Weapon gave a short laugh at his friend's joke, the metallic echo blending into the shouting of a loud voice on the screen.
"...you're [i]beep[/i] right he didn't! Miracle and the guys softened him up like pros," the man being interviewed bragged. "But the real show was We the Pillars. Phaetheon's an 'old god?' More like 'old news.' We woulda punked his [i]beep beep[/i] right then and there, but he wussed out and ran."
The reporter blinked, brushing back strands of brown hair. "...no offense, Mr. Kalten, but that's not the story we heard f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m--"
The archer waved his hand dismissively. "I was [i]there[/i], girlie. OK," he admitted, "He was pretty bad [i]beep[/i], but it wasn't nothing we couldn't handle. Hell, I managed to burn him up with this," he patted his bow, "And he's [i]beep[/i] [i]immune to arrows[/i]." He grinned smugly. "We were just better than he was, and that's the bottom line, 'cause Kalten said so!"
Ziccuchi laughed and shook his head. "D--- but I miss having the Pillars around. Daisetsu's not much fun, but Kalten's always hilarious."
"Hilariously [i]wrong[/i]." retorted Weapon, but his mood had improved. "I guess things like that help make everyone feel better about what happened."
"Some of them need it." frowned Sean. "Did you guys see Dr. Isley earlier? She was one of the first ones they interviewed... when the chick asked her about what happened, she just broke down and cried right th--"
"Wait, [i]that[/i] Dr. Isley? As in, 'Pamela'?" Taev's eyes widened as his friend slowly nodded. "...wow. [i]Crying?[/i] That woman's hardcore, she always scared [i]me[/i] when Cuchi--"
"Don't [i]you[/i] start calling me that too--!"
"...send us over to her greenhouse to help out. ...but... I can see why." He shuddered. "When Phaetheon flung that spell at the Alpha, his aura... there's no word for how scared you feel. We couldn't even move, not even Amondi or Kaimuro. ...of course," he added, "There's one good thing about it." He forced a wry half-smile as his friends glanced at him quizzically. "...well... fear is f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m 'the anticipation of harm.' If we weren't afraid of him... if we just all rushed in like we would have against anyone else... we all would've died in that spell."
"You died anyway." Weapon pointed out, and Taev could swear that sculpted metal face was grinning.
"Yeah, yeah, but you know what I--"
"And then Yume brought you back." chimed in the other man. Then a smirk crossed Sean's face. "Didn't she do that the first time, too, with the Shapeshifter?"
"Yeah, but--"
"[i]And[/i] when you and her were in that tournament?"
Flustered now, the young Eternal glared. "Sure, but what does that have to--"
"Trust me on this one, dying is [i]not[/i] a way to impress the ladies. You'll never get a piece of piecake if she thinks you're gonna d--"
"[i]Sean![/i]"
"So [i]that's[/i] how it is." laughed Weapon. "All this time we thought you were just a wuss, but you just wanted Yume to--"
"No, no," interrupted Sean again, waving his hand, "It's [i]both[/i]. 'cause if Taev really [i]does[/i] suck, then she's gotta take pity on him, and--"
"Like [i]you[/i] know anything." their victim snapped. "When's the last time you had a girlfriend, Sean?"
"Like you've got one now?" Sean grinned. "Sure, knowing a girl that won't punch you when you try to talk to her is a good start--"
"For Sean." quipped the Warforged.
"--but," he continued, "That's it. A hologram isn't a girlfriend, buddy."
Taev crossed his arms. "I think you've got me confused with Erich and his Yuo collection, 'buddy.' Heh."
"...wait, that's [i]him[/i]? [i]D---[/i]. ...good taste, th--"
Weapon rapped his hand on the table, looking knowingly at Sean. "Focus! We're not done with Taev yet."
"Thanks." replied both men, Taev sarcastically; Sean with a grin. "So... if you weren't the sad holosuite guy, then you [i]must[/i] be the sick cosplay g--"
Reddening, the Romulan leveled his first finger at Sean. "That is a [i]d--- lie[/i]! Ingole broke up with me because I flunked Conjuration 205! D--- the Magister," he grumbled, "Moving teleportation into that class...."
Sean shook his head. "That just means we're back where we started, man. You can't get a girl because [i]you suck![/i]"
"You want a fight, Sean?" Taev said, half-seriously, tightening his gloves. "Because that's what it [i]really[/i] sounds like to me."
"Hey, why not? It's been 20 cycles since I kicked your a-- last ti--"
"It was actually pretty close." intoned Weapon, who went ignored as his friends stood up, Taev magically shoving tables and chairs aside. Sean leaned back, a cocky expression on his face, raising a hand up and then beckoning his friend forward.
With a growl the Romulan obliged, leaping forward and tackling a surprised Sean, flipping him over into a snap-suplex on the restaurant's tiled floor. Weapon clapped, standing and kicking out his chair, to get a better view of the fight as Sean snapped out one of his chains, hidden in his sleeve; ensnaring the Romulan's leg and yanking him down.
Both men kipped up to their feet as Ziccuchi swore and pushed a button on his counter, a makeshift shield popping up. "You kids break [i]anything[/i] and I'm reporting it! I mean it this time!"
Taev nodded as he darted forward, reaching for his rival's legs; Sean swung out that chain in a broad arc, lashing the Romulan's arms; it wasn't a serious blow and deflected off his jacket's sleeves. The attack succeeded, Taev pulling Sean to the ground and then grabbed his ankle and spun around, attempting a leg-lock; as he ducked to dodge a second strike f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m Chain Sean kicked free, and scrambled back up.
"I'm just messing with y--" the Epsilon started, but his voice halted in a yelp, having to dodge a grab for his elbow, driving Taev back with the chain. "You got a selective memory, you know that? We gave you s--- like this when you asked Amondi out and you diugh!"
The grappler had ducked behind him and grabbed Sean's neck for a sleeper hold, clinching it for a couple seconds before the Epsilon flipped him over his shoulder and to the ground. Taev planted both hands on the floor and flipped himself up, kicking out and sweeping Sean's legs with his as he regained his footing. "This is [i]different[/i]! I-- I... I, uh...."
"You [i]what[/i] now?"
"Look, I [i]like[/i] her, OK! Anything wrong with that?!" The Xi hopped forward, feet landing on a table; he pushed off it and soared over Sean's chains, looping an arm around his neck and then driving his head toward the ground. But he recovered, wrapping a chain around his hand and planting it on the floor, stopping the fall; Taev let go and flipped back to his feet as Sean bridged back onto his.
"Dude, it's [i]Yume[/i]. Goddess of the clucking [i]Multiverse[/i]? Come on!" He swung Other Chain low, striking Taev's shins; the mage lunged forward with a grab, but was driven back as Sean flicked the chain to his wrist, adjusting the length; and then twisting it into a rapid, deadly spin. "I don't want to see you make a big mistake." He paused. "...this time."
Taev and Weapon looked at each other, then back at Sean. It was the Warforged who asked first. "...'clucking'?"
"...long story."
"...right."
"Yume's just a normal woman." said Taev, shaking his head as he and his friend slowly circled each other.
"Normal women don't fight gods. Or the Void. Or gods of the Void."
"In space!"
"Shut up, Weapon." Sean sighed as the construct gave a mechanical laugh. He started to speak to Taev again, but the mage tried a quick, low tackle again, and the Epsilon lashed a chain around one of the scattered tables and yanked himself toward it, narrowly dodging Taev's charge; Sean uncoiled the chain and whirled as the wrestler passed by, the other chain scoring a stinging blow on his back. "I hate to be like this, man, but get real. You know how many other people want Yume? Hell, you know how many sites there are for her on the OmniNet?"
"No, but I bet Sean does--"
"Weapon. Shut. Up."
"You think that hasn't crossed my mind?" retorted Taev, feinting a charge toward Sean, then flipping forward to the right; but his rival sensed it and dodged out of the way, swinging a chain the mage blocked with his arms as he landed on the tiled floor. "I know every time I tease her she could cut me in half, if she really wanted to. But Yume's not like that. If I didn't think she had feelings for me too, I wouldn't care, but--"
"So it's [i]not[/i] all one-sided? [i]That's[/i] a new one." Sean cracked his knuckles. "Shouldn't have said that, man, 'cause now I really want to know!" He grinned and snapped forward both chains, beginning the technique he used to beat the Xi last time. Just as before, Taev glared and sprinted forward, between the chains... and Sean, expecting the trick; leaped up, over the anticipated low strike. He swung both chains down....
And grunted in surprise as Taev had also jumped forward, with the exact same attack. One arm grabbed around Sean's waist, and the wrestler whirled in midair after the grapple, slamming the leader of the Chain Gang hard to the ground. Taev rolled forward, catching Sean's ankle and flipping him over to try a step-over facelock. The Epsilon grunted as Taev reached for his chin, pulling back his forearm; with preternatural control Sean lassoed the mage's neck and pulled as he finished the hold.
Weapon dashed to their side like a referee, raising one hand over the floor as his friends struggled. "Xi Taev has the STF locked in," he mock-announced, "But Sean isn't giving up, the Super Ultimate Chain Trap X-treme also in place! Who will win the Ziccuchi Pizza Championsh--"
"Excuse me, is Sean here?"
Where one moment before the impromptu wrestling match had reached its crescendo, there was only silence. f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m the door, a girl in a low-cut white gown saw the dark-colored Warforged, hand transformed into a bell, standing over two male Eternals, one pinning the other to the ground as he was being strangled with a chain.
"...s-sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything!" She quickly turned back for the door, but Weapon called out to her to stop. Taev immediately let go of his hold, scrambling up; wincing as Sean roughly retracted his chains and pulled himself off the floor.
"I'm... Sean." the Epsilon greeted, coughing, still short of breath. "Sorry about tha--" his voice trailed away as his eyes swept across the door.
The voice which called to him belonged to an exotic-looking human girl, with skin a few shades darker than his, with black, curly hair and grey eyes. She was beautiful, even as Eternals went; and she smiled, self-consciously looking to the side as Sean stared. "I... I'm Liona. And it's OK. The Gamma just thought I should talk to Keir, and he wasn't around, so...."
"Oh, are you a new Zeta?" Sean asked, forcing his gaze up to her face. "I was only [i]recently[/i] promoted, you know."
"Oh, really? That's great! I wanted to help with the Memory Pools, and they made me an acting Zeta until I decide which caste I want to join...." Her voice trailed away as Weapon leaned close to Sean, whispering.
"Hey, there's something really odd about her...."
"Yeah there is," he hissed back, "She's [i]smoking hot[/i]."
"Besides that!"
"I'm sure you're just imagining things." He laughed and waved the construct away as Liona looked at them quizzically. "Ain't no thing. So... acting Zeta? Well, as it happens, that would mean you'd work for me, because I'm the Epsilon over the Memory Pools."
"Ah, I see. Well...." she asked slowly, seeing that Sean wasn't going to volunteer any details then, "...what do I do?"
"Nothing." He shook his head as she blinked. "They were destroyed in the Void attack. It won't take [i]too[/i] long to get them back in working order, but... hey," he glanced over at Weapon, "What's the--"
"Full functionality, oh wise and fearless leader."
"Full functionality, right," Sean continued, ignoring the rest of his friend's quip, "Will probably take a long time to be restored."
"Oh," her face fell, "...does that mean you won't need me?"
"No, not at all!" Sean laughed nervously. "In fact, we'll probably need somebody [i]else[/i], too, because Keir's gonna want to keep things all nice and organized, and--"
"Sean's not very good at that." added Taev, also looking Liona over; but he didn't recognize her either.
"Oh yeah," continued Sean, pointedly not paying attention to the friendly insult, "We should go over the special rules, too."
"...special rules?" the girl echoed, and Sean's grin widened almost impossibly.
"You bet. First off, while you're working at the Memory Pools, you have to use proper forms of address." He nodded at the unspoken question. "For example, Keir is 'Hey, you' or 'That guy.' But I must be called 'Lord and Master Sean,' or, if it's an emergency, 'Sir Epsilon' will do."
Liona raised her eyebrows. "...that's a joke, right...?"
"Nope. But don't worry, you'll get used to it. Now," he beckoned toward Liona, and she dutifully walked up to the table in front of him, "...next is proper attire. Workers at the Memory Pools must wear approved uniforms at all times." As she nodded, Sean reached into his shirt. "For example, here's our female maintenance uniform."
[img]http://sirwayne.taikaiwiki.com/sample/s18ep2a.png[/img]
Her tan cheeks turned scarlet, as the other members of the Chain Gang nodded their approval. "...w-what?! But, that's a--"
"[i]Wow.[/i] That's the girl at the [i] Nobakomeio[/i], right?" Taev shook his head.
"Hellooo, nurse." nodded Weapon. "...she's not really my type, though. Too much skin."
"But in all the right places."
"You're d--- right." agreed the Epsilon.
"On a purely professional level," Taev intoned, "This is a very good photograph. You can admire the textures and highlights. It's very emotionally provoking."
"I bet you read [i]PlayElf[/i] for the articles, too." the Warforged joked.
"Nah, Taev reads [i]Goddesses Gone Wild[/i]."
"...hey, Sean, you know that thing you eat pizza and make bad jokes with?"
"...my mouth?"
"Shut it!"
Sean smirked and glanced back to Liona... now staring miserably at the photo. His expression didn't change as he reached over and gently patted her shoulder. "Of course...if you object to that uniform, we [i]do[/i] have another...."
"Yes, please!" Liona exclaimed, and Taev snorted a barely-restrained laugh.
"Well... alright." The Epsilon placed the other picture on the table.
[img]http://sirwayne.taikaiwiki.com/sample/s18ep2b.png[/img]
Liona sank to her knees. "But...."
"Ooh, that's a nice one." Weapon commented. "She made some artist really happy." His eyes brightened a tone as he glanced to Taev. "So what's your take on this drawing, master connoisseur of the arts?"
"Of course. The artist," he pronounced with a surprisingly confident air, "Expertly captured the zest and perkiness Miss Yuo brings to life."
"They [i]are[/i] pretty perky." nodded Sean.
"I'm kind of surprised she's personalize it, though." Taev stared at the marked-over line. "Hrm... looks like it starts with a 'B.' Any guesses?"
"Don't start--" warned Sean.
"...Keir's 'buddy'?" said the construct instead, and Sean scowled as Liona shared a laugh with his friends..
"Yes." the Epsilon grunted unhappily. "That's [i]exactly[/i] it."
Taev crossed his arms, looking over at Sean. "That's what you get for playing with her like that, though."
"Who said I was playing with her?"
The Warforged jerked his head toward Liona, staring uncertainly at him. "Let me put it this way. If you're not 'playing with her' [i]now[/i], you'll never get to 'play with her' later."
"...d---, didn't think about that." Sean glanced over, making sure not to catch her eye. "You don't think I, uh...."
The Epsilon sighed in relief as the girl's attention suddenly shifted f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m him toward the holo-projector in the corner. "Hey, that's...."
Each member of the Chain Gang looked up at it in unison... and as one, froze. The restaurant was silent as the image of Mishnu herself, poised and beautiful as she always was; took the vacated seat, pulling forward the train of her white dress-robe as she did. The Romulan smirked as he heard Sean exhale, finally, as the camera broke away f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m its close-up of her. "I didn't think you went for the older women, Sean."
"So... [i]fine.[/i] So, [i]so[/i], fine."
"Such eloquence!" boomed Weapon, drowning out the reporter's opening question. "No words about her epidermal layers, optical sensors, or milk-production units? Why, when you were talking about Miss Ain--"
"[i]Yes that's fantastic and now we can talk about what's on the Holo--![/i]"
"Be quiet, I'm trying to see it!" bellowed Ziccuchi, and the four young Eternals, chastened, sat down in a row to watch the interview.
"...brings me to the most-asked question in the Continuous right now: 'Why did the Alpha order a general evacuation of the Eternal City,' when hindsight shows it may have been unwarranted?"
"I'm glad you asked me that." the Alpha replied pleasantly, smiling. "Firstly, 'hindsight' is indeed the problem. The previous attack launched by the Void against us, in 3508, resulted in vast loss of life and damage to the city. I felt that Phaetheon," she smiled gently as the reporter flinched at the name, "...the god who attacked us, was a vanguard for a true offensive. Our combat specialists were still within range, only our civilians were truly evacuated."
April leaned forward intently. "How did you know to order the withdrawal?"
"The Beta feels that's classified," Mishnu began, but she laughed softly as the reporter opened her mouth to protest, "...but I disagree. In actuality, there's not much to the story. The Council knew that 'the god' could attack at any moment, without warning, so we enhanced the city's shields with a null-dimensional field. Unauthorized teleportations would be stopped far enough f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m the city that an evacuation ordered immediately could be underway in time."
"And it [i]worked[/i]?"
"...mostly." she sighed. "The device was eventually overloaded trying to stop... 'the god's' repeated attempts. But it did delay him long enough."
"Interesting." the reporter nodded. "...why pronounce the city 'lost?' I'm sure other civilizations would have come to your aid, but only the unknown fleets--"
"At the time, there was a very real danger that the Void could destroy our city, and we didn't want to ask anyone else to face that risk. By prematurely-- I admit that-- declaring defeat, we could be sure that if anyone tried to aid us, it would only be for the evacuation."
"Were any of you involved in the evacation?" whispered Taev, glancing around. The others shook their heads or ignored him; he shrugged and resumed watching the interview.
"Alpha," came the next question, "How do you respond to allegations that the evacuation order was merely a ploy to draw other civilizations into the battle? After all, there wasn't much damage do--"
"Preposterous." Mishnu interrupted, frowning. "We had no idea that 'the god' was going to withdraw. If we had tried to turn the attack into... some sort of publicity stunt, we wouldn't have displaced our entire population."
The woman nodded. "I see. There are rumors going around that 'the god's' objective in the attack was the goddess Yume. Is that true?"
"I don't presume to speak for the gods." the Alpha replied with a forced laugh.
"What [i]do[/i] you suppose his goals were in attacking the City, and why did he leave so suddenly?"
Mishnu shook her head. "I don't know. When 'the god' assaulted the High Council last week, we weren't sure what his motives were. There were only two casualties; nothing compared to the damage he [i]could[/i] have done. It's possible he just wanted to fight us."
"But we [i]do[/i] know why Phaetheon attacked." protested Taev in a harsh whisper. "He was after Yume, I was th--"
"The Alpha can't [i]say[/i] that, though." Weapon emitted what sounded like a sigh, glancing away f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m the screen for a moment. "A lot of people look up to Yume. If word got out she was in real danger... well. 'Crisis of faith,' anyone?"
"I suppose," continued the reporter, a lighter tone that suggested she was almost done, "...that that brings up the next obvious question: what's next for the Eternals?"
Mishnu smiled, brushing back a few strands of rich black hair. "That's a very good question."
The City of the Eternals did not have a "commercial" district, per se, as their culture had no use for currency; but for convenience's sake traditional "businesses," such as restaurants, clubs, and theaters, tended to be built in the same section of the city. Along one quiet street was located an equally empty eatery, its polished darkwood tables, arcade gallery, and booths were hosting only the cook and manager, Ziccuchi himself, and the three members of the Chain Gang, all watching the restaurant's single, large holographic projector.
"Man, I don't know why all the chicks are into Fabian." complained Sean, leaning as far back in his seat as possible. "He tries so hard to make you not like him."
"When [i]you're[/i] one of the most powerful men in the Multiverse, you don't have to worry about the nice stuff much." explained the owner, halting his chores for a moment.
"Not to mention," joked Weapon, sitting at a table next to Sean's, likewise facing the screen, "The Eternals' 'most eligible bachelor.' I have analyzed your weak carbon-based female gender for some time. They always idolize the best available specimen."
"You make it sound like a science experiment." complained Taev, but the construct's eyes glittered.
"It is. ...well... to me."
"Yeah, yeah... hey, there's me!" he grinned, changing the subject with a quick gesture toward the screen. "Hmm, either of you guys think the OVN seemed a little [i]too[/i] curious about the whole mission? The big story was Phaetheon, but...."
"No more than usual." mused the half-Romulan, sitting to Sean's left at a third table pulled up alongside the other two, half-eaten meat pizza still on the table. "There's so few major operations these days that it'll probably be their big story for the rest of the decicycle."
"You're not [i]complaining[/i] about that, are ya?" Ziccuchi, a stout, tanned Eternal, called out. "Seems to me that no 'news' is good news, when the stories are always about what's wrong."
The Epsilon Sean on the monitor stood up and grinned, shaking the woman's hand. The next Eternal to meet with her was Nicolai, and the current Delta offered the interviewer a charming smile as he took the cushioned seat across f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m her. The real version shook his head. "Really makes you wonder how they knew exactly who to ask, huh?"
Taev shrugged. "Reporters know things. And they're smart... chances are she arranged some preliminary meetings, and found out f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m them who to really go after." He paused. "...you all right, Weapon?"
The Warforged's eyes darkened as he nodded. "I am. But you're right. I was one of the first Eternals she spoke with, and her questions... were mostly about Asli, and the... incident."
"I'm sor--" began Sean, but his friend cut him off.
"It's alright. Those... parasites... just make me angry. 'Were you really in love with her?' 'How can a construct like you feel things like that?' 'How upset were you when she was blasted into pieces by the--' "
"Hey." the chef barked, rapping his hand on the counter. "I know you're mad, but you don't disrespect the gods in my house. Got it?"
"You didn't know what I was going to say." the construct replied dully. When the swarthy man crossed his arms, furrowed eyebrows only adding to the comical yet intimidating display, Weapon sighed. "Sorry."
"Parasites, though?" asked Sean quietly. "That's a bit harsh, man."
"It's true. What else do you call someone who survives-- and [i]thrives[/i]-- on the misfortune of others? Who make a [i]career[/i] of exploiting real heroes... and victims?"
"Politicians?"
Weapon gave a short laugh at his friend's joke, the metallic echo blending into the shouting of a loud voice on the screen.
"...you're [i]beep[/i] right he didn't! Miracle and the guys softened him up like pros," the man being interviewed bragged. "But the real show was We the Pillars. Phaetheon's an 'old god?' More like 'old news.' We woulda punked his [i]beep beep[/i] right then and there, but he wussed out and ran."
The reporter blinked, brushing back strands of brown hair. "...no offense, Mr. Kalten, but that's not the story we heard f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m--"
The archer waved his hand dismissively. "I was [i]there[/i], girlie. OK," he admitted, "He was pretty bad [i]beep[/i], but it wasn't nothing we couldn't handle. Hell, I managed to burn him up with this," he patted his bow, "And he's [i]beep[/i] [i]immune to arrows[/i]." He grinned smugly. "We were just better than he was, and that's the bottom line, 'cause Kalten said so!"
Ziccuchi laughed and shook his head. "D--- but I miss having the Pillars around. Daisetsu's not much fun, but Kalten's always hilarious."
"Hilariously [i]wrong[/i]." retorted Weapon, but his mood had improved. "I guess things like that help make everyone feel better about what happened."
"Some of them need it." frowned Sean. "Did you guys see Dr. Isley earlier? She was one of the first ones they interviewed... when the chick asked her about what happened, she just broke down and cried right th--"
"Wait, [i]that[/i] Dr. Isley? As in, 'Pamela'?" Taev's eyes widened as his friend slowly nodded. "...wow. [i]Crying?[/i] That woman's hardcore, she always scared [i]me[/i] when Cuchi--"
"Don't [i]you[/i] start calling me that too--!"
"...send us over to her greenhouse to help out. ...but... I can see why." He shuddered. "When Phaetheon flung that spell at the Alpha, his aura... there's no word for how scared you feel. We couldn't even move, not even Amondi or Kaimuro. ...of course," he added, "There's one good thing about it." He forced a wry half-smile as his friends glanced at him quizzically. "...well... fear is f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m 'the anticipation of harm.' If we weren't afraid of him... if we just all rushed in like we would have against anyone else... we all would've died in that spell."
"You died anyway." Weapon pointed out, and Taev could swear that sculpted metal face was grinning.
"Yeah, yeah, but you know what I--"
"And then Yume brought you back." chimed in the other man. Then a smirk crossed Sean's face. "Didn't she do that the first time, too, with the Shapeshifter?"
"Yeah, but--"
"[i]And[/i] when you and her were in that tournament?"
Flustered now, the young Eternal glared. "Sure, but what does that have to--"
"Trust me on this one, dying is [i]not[/i] a way to impress the ladies. You'll never get a piece of piecake if she thinks you're gonna d--"
"[i]Sean![/i]"
"So [i]that's[/i] how it is." laughed Weapon. "All this time we thought you were just a wuss, but you just wanted Yume to--"
"No, no," interrupted Sean again, waving his hand, "It's [i]both[/i]. 'cause if Taev really [i]does[/i] suck, then she's gotta take pity on him, and--"
"Like [i]you[/i] know anything." their victim snapped. "When's the last time you had a girlfriend, Sean?"
"Like you've got one now?" Sean grinned. "Sure, knowing a girl that won't punch you when you try to talk to her is a good start--"
"For Sean." quipped the Warforged.
"--but," he continued, "That's it. A hologram isn't a girlfriend, buddy."
Taev crossed his arms. "I think you've got me confused with Erich and his Yuo collection, 'buddy.' Heh."
"...wait, that's [i]him[/i]? [i]D---[/i]. ...good taste, th--"
Weapon rapped his hand on the table, looking knowingly at Sean. "Focus! We're not done with Taev yet."
"Thanks." replied both men, Taev sarcastically; Sean with a grin. "So... if you weren't the sad holosuite guy, then you [i]must[/i] be the sick cosplay g--"
Reddening, the Romulan leveled his first finger at Sean. "That is a [i]d--- lie[/i]! Ingole broke up with me because I flunked Conjuration 205! D--- the Magister," he grumbled, "Moving teleportation into that class...."
Sean shook his head. "That just means we're back where we started, man. You can't get a girl because [i]you suck![/i]"
"You want a fight, Sean?" Taev said, half-seriously, tightening his gloves. "Because that's what it [i]really[/i] sounds like to me."
"Hey, why not? It's been 20 cycles since I kicked your a-- last ti--"
"It was actually pretty close." intoned Weapon, who went ignored as his friends stood up, Taev magically shoving tables and chairs aside. Sean leaned back, a cocky expression on his face, raising a hand up and then beckoning his friend forward.
With a growl the Romulan obliged, leaping forward and tackling a surprised Sean, flipping him over into a snap-suplex on the restaurant's tiled floor. Weapon clapped, standing and kicking out his chair, to get a better view of the fight as Sean snapped out one of his chains, hidden in his sleeve; ensnaring the Romulan's leg and yanking him down.
Both men kipped up to their feet as Ziccuchi swore and pushed a button on his counter, a makeshift shield popping up. "You kids break [i]anything[/i] and I'm reporting it! I mean it this time!"
Taev nodded as he darted forward, reaching for his rival's legs; Sean swung out that chain in a broad arc, lashing the Romulan's arms; it wasn't a serious blow and deflected off his jacket's sleeves. The attack succeeded, Taev pulling Sean to the ground and then grabbed his ankle and spun around, attempting a leg-lock; as he ducked to dodge a second strike f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m Chain Sean kicked free, and scrambled back up.
"I'm just messing with y--" the Epsilon started, but his voice halted in a yelp, having to dodge a grab for his elbow, driving Taev back with the chain. "You got a selective memory, you know that? We gave you s--- like this when you asked Amondi out and you diugh!"
The grappler had ducked behind him and grabbed Sean's neck for a sleeper hold, clinching it for a couple seconds before the Epsilon flipped him over his shoulder and to the ground. Taev planted both hands on the floor and flipped himself up, kicking out and sweeping Sean's legs with his as he regained his footing. "This is [i]different[/i]! I-- I... I, uh...."
"You [i]what[/i] now?"
"Look, I [i]like[/i] her, OK! Anything wrong with that?!" The Xi hopped forward, feet landing on a table; he pushed off it and soared over Sean's chains, looping an arm around his neck and then driving his head toward the ground. But he recovered, wrapping a chain around his hand and planting it on the floor, stopping the fall; Taev let go and flipped back to his feet as Sean bridged back onto his.
"Dude, it's [i]Yume[/i]. Goddess of the clucking [i]Multiverse[/i]? Come on!" He swung Other Chain low, striking Taev's shins; the mage lunged forward with a grab, but was driven back as Sean flicked the chain to his wrist, adjusting the length; and then twisting it into a rapid, deadly spin. "I don't want to see you make a big mistake." He paused. "...this time."
Taev and Weapon looked at each other, then back at Sean. It was the Warforged who asked first. "...'clucking'?"
"...long story."
"...right."
"Yume's just a normal woman." said Taev, shaking his head as he and his friend slowly circled each other.
"Normal women don't fight gods. Or the Void. Or gods of the Void."
"In space!"
"Shut up, Weapon." Sean sighed as the construct gave a mechanical laugh. He started to speak to Taev again, but the mage tried a quick, low tackle again, and the Epsilon lashed a chain around one of the scattered tables and yanked himself toward it, narrowly dodging Taev's charge; Sean uncoiled the chain and whirled as the wrestler passed by, the other chain scoring a stinging blow on his back. "I hate to be like this, man, but get real. You know how many other people want Yume? Hell, you know how many sites there are for her on the OmniNet?"
"No, but I bet Sean does--"
"Weapon. Shut. Up."
"You think that hasn't crossed my mind?" retorted Taev, feinting a charge toward Sean, then flipping forward to the right; but his rival sensed it and dodged out of the way, swinging a chain the mage blocked with his arms as he landed on the tiled floor. "I know every time I tease her she could cut me in half, if she really wanted to. But Yume's not like that. If I didn't think she had feelings for me too, I wouldn't care, but--"
"So it's [i]not[/i] all one-sided? [i]That's[/i] a new one." Sean cracked his knuckles. "Shouldn't have said that, man, 'cause now I really want to know!" He grinned and snapped forward both chains, beginning the technique he used to beat the Xi last time. Just as before, Taev glared and sprinted forward, between the chains... and Sean, expecting the trick; leaped up, over the anticipated low strike. He swung both chains down....
And grunted in surprise as Taev had also jumped forward, with the exact same attack. One arm grabbed around Sean's waist, and the wrestler whirled in midair after the grapple, slamming the leader of the Chain Gang hard to the ground. Taev rolled forward, catching Sean's ankle and flipping him over to try a step-over facelock. The Epsilon grunted as Taev reached for his chin, pulling back his forearm; with preternatural control Sean lassoed the mage's neck and pulled as he finished the hold.
Weapon dashed to their side like a referee, raising one hand over the floor as his friends struggled. "Xi Taev has the STF locked in," he mock-announced, "But Sean isn't giving up, the Super Ultimate Chain Trap X-treme also in place! Who will win the Ziccuchi Pizza Championsh--"
"Excuse me, is Sean here?"
Where one moment before the impromptu wrestling match had reached its crescendo, there was only silence. f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m the door, a girl in a low-cut white gown saw the dark-colored Warforged, hand transformed into a bell, standing over two male Eternals, one pinning the other to the ground as he was being strangled with a chain.
"...s-sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything!" She quickly turned back for the door, but Weapon called out to her to stop. Taev immediately let go of his hold, scrambling up; wincing as Sean roughly retracted his chains and pulled himself off the floor.
"I'm... Sean." the Epsilon greeted, coughing, still short of breath. "Sorry about tha--" his voice trailed away as his eyes swept across the door.
The voice which called to him belonged to an exotic-looking human girl, with skin a few shades darker than his, with black, curly hair and grey eyes. She was beautiful, even as Eternals went; and she smiled, self-consciously looking to the side as Sean stared. "I... I'm Liona. And it's OK. The Gamma just thought I should talk to Keir, and he wasn't around, so...."
"Oh, are you a new Zeta?" Sean asked, forcing his gaze up to her face. "I was only [i]recently[/i] promoted, you know."
"Oh, really? That's great! I wanted to help with the Memory Pools, and they made me an acting Zeta until I decide which caste I want to join...." Her voice trailed away as Weapon leaned close to Sean, whispering.
"Hey, there's something really odd about her...."
"Yeah there is," he hissed back, "She's [i]smoking hot[/i]."
"Besides that!"
"I'm sure you're just imagining things." He laughed and waved the construct away as Liona looked at them quizzically. "Ain't no thing. So... acting Zeta? Well, as it happens, that would mean you'd work for me, because I'm the Epsilon over the Memory Pools."
"Ah, I see. Well...." she asked slowly, seeing that Sean wasn't going to volunteer any details then, "...what do I do?"
"Nothing." He shook his head as she blinked. "They were destroyed in the Void attack. It won't take [i]too[/i] long to get them back in working order, but... hey," he glanced over at Weapon, "What's the--"
"Full functionality, oh wise and fearless leader."
"Full functionality, right," Sean continued, ignoring the rest of his friend's quip, "Will probably take a long time to be restored."
"Oh," her face fell, "...does that mean you won't need me?"
"No, not at all!" Sean laughed nervously. "In fact, we'll probably need somebody [i]else[/i], too, because Keir's gonna want to keep things all nice and organized, and--"
"Sean's not very good at that." added Taev, also looking Liona over; but he didn't recognize her either.
"Oh yeah," continued Sean, pointedly not paying attention to the friendly insult, "We should go over the special rules, too."
"...special rules?" the girl echoed, and Sean's grin widened almost impossibly.
"You bet. First off, while you're working at the Memory Pools, you have to use proper forms of address." He nodded at the unspoken question. "For example, Keir is 'Hey, you' or 'That guy.' But I must be called 'Lord and Master Sean,' or, if it's an emergency, 'Sir Epsilon' will do."
Liona raised her eyebrows. "...that's a joke, right...?"
"Nope. But don't worry, you'll get used to it. Now," he beckoned toward Liona, and she dutifully walked up to the table in front of him, "...next is proper attire. Workers at the Memory Pools must wear approved uniforms at all times." As she nodded, Sean reached into his shirt. "For example, here's our female maintenance uniform."
[img]http://sirwayne.taikaiwiki.com/sample/s18ep2a.png[/img]
![http://sirwayne.taikaiwiki.com/sample/s18ep2a.png[/img]](http://sirwayne.taikaiwiki.com/sample/s18ep2a.png[/img]){kind=link}
Her tan cheeks turned scarlet, as the other members of the Chain Gang nodded their approval. "...w-what?! But, that's a--"
"[i]Wow.[/i] That's the girl at the [i] Nobakomeio[/i], right?" Taev shook his head.
"Hellooo, nurse." nodded Weapon. "...she's not really my type, though. Too much skin."
"But in all the right places."
"You're d--- right." agreed the Epsilon.
"On a purely professional level," Taev intoned, "This is a very good photograph. You can admire the textures and highlights. It's very emotionally provoking."
"I bet you read [i]PlayElf[/i] for the articles, too." the Warforged joked.
"Nah, Taev reads [i]Goddesses Gone Wild[/i]."
"...hey, Sean, you know that thing you eat pizza and make bad jokes with?"
"...my mouth?"
"Shut it!"
Sean smirked and glanced back to Liona... now staring miserably at the photo. His expression didn't change as he reached over and gently patted her shoulder. "Of course...if you object to that uniform, we [i]do[/i] have another...."
"Yes, please!" Liona exclaimed, and Taev snorted a barely-restrained laugh.
"Well... alright." The Epsilon placed the other picture on the table.
[img]http://sirwayne.taikaiwiki.com/sample/s18ep2b.png[/img]
![http://sirwayne.taikaiwiki.com/sample/s18ep2b.png[/img]](http://sirwayne.taikaiwiki.com/sample/s18ep2b.png[/img]){kind=link}
Liona sank to her knees. "But...."
"Ooh, that's a nice one." Weapon commented. "She made some artist really happy." His eyes brightened a tone as he glanced to Taev. "So what's your take on this drawing, master connoisseur of the arts?"
"Of course. The artist," he pronounced with a surprisingly confident air, "Expertly captured the zest and perkiness Miss Yuo brings to life."
"They [i]are[/i] pretty perky." nodded Sean.
"I'm kind of surprised she's personalize it, though." Taev stared at the marked-over line. "Hrm... looks like it starts with a 'B.' Any guesses?"
"Don't start--" warned Sean.
"...Keir's 'buddy'?" said the construct instead, and Sean scowled as Liona shared a laugh with his friends..
"Yes." the Epsilon grunted unhappily. "That's [i]exactly[/i] it."
Taev crossed his arms, looking over at Sean. "That's what you get for playing with her like that, though."
"Who said I was playing with her?"
The Warforged jerked his head toward Liona, staring uncertainly at him. "Let me put it this way. If you're not 'playing with her' [i]now[/i], you'll never get to 'play with her' later."
"...d---, didn't think about that." Sean glanced over, making sure not to catch her eye. "You don't think I, uh...."
The Epsilon sighed in relief as the girl's attention suddenly shifted f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m him toward the holo-projector in the corner. "Hey, that's...."
Each member of the Chain Gang looked up at it in unison... and as one, froze. The restaurant was silent as the image of Mishnu herself, poised and beautiful as she always was; took the vacated seat, pulling forward the train of her white dress-robe as she did. The Romulan smirked as he heard Sean exhale, finally, as the camera broke away f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m its close-up of her. "I didn't think you went for the older women, Sean."
"So... [i]fine.[/i] So, [i]so[/i], fine."
"Such eloquence!" boomed Weapon, drowning out the reporter's opening question. "No words about her epidermal layers, optical sensors, or milk-production units? Why, when you were talking about Miss Ain--"
"[i]Yes that's fantastic and now we can talk about what's on the Holo--![/i]"
"Be quiet, I'm trying to see it!" bellowed Ziccuchi, and the four young Eternals, chastened, sat down in a row to watch the interview.
"...brings me to the most-asked question in the Continuous right now: 'Why did the Alpha order a general evacuation of the Eternal City,' when hindsight shows it may have been unwarranted?"
"I'm glad you asked me that." the Alpha replied pleasantly, smiling. "Firstly, 'hindsight' is indeed the problem. The previous attack launched by the Void against us, in 3508, resulted in vast loss of life and damage to the city. I felt that Phaetheon," she smiled gently as the reporter flinched at the name, "...the god who attacked us, was a vanguard for a true offensive. Our combat specialists were still within range, only our civilians were truly evacuated."
April leaned forward intently. "How did you know to order the withdrawal?"
"The Beta feels that's classified," Mishnu began, but she laughed softly as the reporter opened her mouth to protest, "...but I disagree. In actuality, there's not much to the story. The Council knew that 'the god' could attack at any moment, without warning, so we enhanced the city's shields with a null-dimensional field. Unauthorized teleportations would be stopped far enough f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m the city that an evacuation ordered immediately could be underway in time."
"And it [i]worked[/i]?"
"...mostly." she sighed. "The device was eventually overloaded trying to stop... 'the god's' repeated attempts. But it did delay him long enough."
"Interesting." the reporter nodded. "...why pronounce the city 'lost?' I'm sure other civilizations would have come to your aid, but only the unknown fleets--"
"At the time, there was a very real danger that the Void could destroy our city, and we didn't want to ask anyone else to face that risk. By prematurely-- I admit that-- declaring defeat, we could be sure that if anyone tried to aid us, it would only be for the evacuation."
"Were any of you involved in the evacation?" whispered Taev, glancing around. The others shook their heads or ignored him; he shrugged and resumed watching the interview.
"Alpha," came the next question, "How do you respond to allegations that the evacuation order was merely a ploy to draw other civilizations into the battle? After all, there wasn't much damage do--"
"Preposterous." Mishnu interrupted, frowning. "We had no idea that 'the god' was going to withdraw. If we had tried to turn the attack into... some sort of publicity stunt, we wouldn't have displaced our entire population."
The woman nodded. "I see. There are rumors going around that 'the god's' objective in the attack was the goddess Yume. Is that true?"
"I don't presume to speak for the gods." the Alpha replied with a forced laugh.
"What [i]do[/i] you suppose his goals were in attacking the City, and why did he leave so suddenly?"
Mishnu shook her head. "I don't know. When 'the god' assaulted the High Council last week, we weren't sure what his motives were. There were only two casualties; nothing compared to the damage he [i]could[/i] have done. It's possible he just wanted to fight us."
"But we [i]do[/i] know why Phaetheon attacked." protested Taev in a harsh whisper. "He was after Yume, I was th--"
"The Alpha can't [i]say[/i] that, though." Weapon emitted what sounded like a sigh, glancing away f[goggles]ro[/goggles]m the screen for a moment. "A lot of people look up to Yume. If word got out she was in real danger... well. 'Crisis of faith,' anyone?"
"I suppose," continued the reporter, a lighter tone that suggested she was almost done, "...that that brings up the next obvious question: what's next for the Eternals?"
Mishnu smiled, brushing back a few strands of rich black hair. "That's a very good question."