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Post by eez on Nov 19, 2009 17:28:37 GMT -5
"There goes a brave, dead man....." The Fixer mused as the agent finally left his shop.
A brave, dead man....
The environment of Trade World was now fully open to the agent; its flying cruisers and shady characters on the infinite catwalks and side alleys galore. It was a dangerous place, but it was also a place where anyone could go to get lost.
Or never seen again.
After about a few more steps of the agent, the suit made a vibration within the left gauntlet and before the suit's owner could have a chance to glance at it in confusion, there was a torrent of roaring wind and thunder and people all around scrambled for cover as something cast a gloomy shadow over all of them.
There was the sound of dying engines and something unseen seemed to hover before the agent's very foot. A soft whoosh later could be heard as something decloaked; revealing something most sinister and evil.
Before the agent was a ship, but not just any plain ship.
It was an Astralripper; or more specifically, an extremely unethical type of spacecraft that exhibited all the fashions of old terrestrial jet fighters much like those on Roswell. Its entire hull was of an abyssal black and its starshield was tinted a deep, brooding red. Its wings were cut and jagged like daggers and its nose flattened into a perfect point; excellent no doubt for ramming lesser ships without a scratch.
There were red, alien letters on the side of one wing--their meaning was anyone's guess--but their message of evil was perfectly clear. The thrusters dimmed to a dying, deep orange and softly whined in the background as the ship seemed to levitate in place.
The ship flared its red comet lights, beckoning its new owner to come forth and sit in it.
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Post by Blacksteel on Nov 19, 2009 18:22:43 GMT -5
Hellboy's face brightened up, suddenly forgetting his previous murky thoughts. "Now that's a spaceship!" he marvelled.
He immediately climbed in, strapped himself securely in place, placing his hands upon the controls. To his amazement, they were even modified to suit the difference in size of his hands; the right lever was larger than the left.
"Well I'll be a monkey's uncle," he marvelled. "This guy's thought of everything." And in such a short time, too. Almost as if he had been prepared for his arrival beforehand...
That was a scary thought.
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Post by eez on Nov 19, 2009 18:29:46 GMT -5
Upon registering that the agent had already situated their rather large, dense buttocks onto the padded pilot's seat with lumbar support, the ship purred to life with a whir and the starshield crept over the agent like a thick liquid and sealed himself in tight; daylight from the outside slowly being choked into the darkness of the ship.
The console in front of the agent flashed on, revealing its state-of-the-art holographic hologram controls and gauges, and alien letters flashed across screens; trickling into Galactic Basic and finally...into the language the agent preferred best.
"Welcome, Agent Red." A computerized voice spoke, activating the rest of the controls and showering the agent in a rainbow of colours as switches lit up and glowed.
"Your heartbeat is fast. Do not worry." The computer whispered, already twisting knobs and switches to better adjust the temperature to the agent's liking. "I am your ship's AI and I am at your service. Would you like to see the world beyond my starshield?" It asked, realizing that the agent was still being kept in the dark with only the controls and main terminal screen to light up his face.
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Post by Blacksteel on Nov 19, 2009 18:49:40 GMT -5
Well, maybe his heartbeat was fast because this ship was talking back to him like it had a mind of its own! Which it did, probably, but he hadn't expected it to be so... lifelike.
"Uh... yeah. Sure, let's see what things are like outside."
This was just too cool!
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Post by eez on Nov 19, 2009 18:56:42 GMT -5
The darkness flashed white and the darkened interior grew brighter as thousands of hexagonal pixels pieced themselves together in several seconds to reveal the beauty of the outside. Even the warmth and wind could be felt through the starshield glass.
"My starshield is constructed out of nanopixels." The AI explained as the last pixel fashioned itself and completed the picture. "From inside me, you can view the outside world and feel the atmosphere even before you step out. You can see them, but they cannot see you. I am programmed to simulate the world according to your preferences. Do you prefer visual light, infrared, or ultraviolet." The calm, neutral voice asked.
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Post by Blacksteel on Nov 19, 2009 19:05:52 GMT -5
Hellboy floundered about. "Um... well... I guess we could go with infrared," he decided.
"...Do you have a name or something?" He felt he should refer to the AI as something other than just that; it sounded like it had a personality, after all.
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Post by eez on Nov 19, 2009 19:11:42 GMT -5
A shimmer pulsed through the pixels like a shockwave and behind the wave the world turned into shades of blues, reds, and oranges; the world set in heat and warm colours amidst a sea of cool hues.
"Infrared has been set as per your request." The AI notified, its single red eye winking. It winked several times as the agent asked for its name, to which it answered: "I was not programmed to know a name, but....I do fancy Erevos; a name of shadow and darkness. It suits my design as well as my origins. Do you like it, or do you wish to offer something else?"
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Post by Blacksteel on Nov 19, 2009 19:20:13 GMT -5
"No, no, Erevos is fine." Hellboy noted its greek origins and actually thanked Bruttenholm for drilling the basics of ancient greek into his brain. "I think it suits you."
He watched the blips of warmth in the screen; it was as if he were wearing heat goggles. He glanced back down at the control and mentally thanked Zurg for switching Erevos' language back to his native english.
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Post by eez on Nov 19, 2009 19:25:16 GMT -5
"I am glad you agree, Agent Red." The newly-baptized Erevos replied. There were a few more moments as Erevos, the ship, made minor adjustments before it questioned its current owner again.
"Shall you be needing to know anything else before we are off? I was given instructions in case you had further needs of assistance."
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Post by Blacksteel on Nov 19, 2009 19:27:55 GMT -5
Hellboy mulled it over. "You know, actually, I do have a question. If I need a quick getaway, I trust you can reach me wherever I am?"
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Post by eez on Nov 19, 2009 19:29:24 GMT -5
"Oh of course. Your suit is already linked to me. In fact...we are of the same core." Erevos winked. "If there is ever a need for help, your suit will be the first to notify me. Do you have any more questions?" It asked, neutral as always.
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Post by Blacksteel on Nov 19, 2009 19:34:49 GMT -5
"Nope, I think we're covered for now," Hellboy said amiably. "'Sides, if there's anything I've forgotten I can always ask you later."
He drew his PDA out from his belt and popped it into a special slot on the control panel. The screen blacked, alien writing trickling down it in amber letters. It soon decoded into his familiar english. He scanned through the instructions, looking for something specific that had caught his eye before in the cab...
"Aha," he said triumphantly. "Erevos, set a course for the planet called... Vegas."
His lips curled into a wicked grin. "We've got a wedding to crash."
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Post by eez on Nov 19, 2009 19:41:55 GMT -5
The screen blacked out again and this time revealed a plotting star chart; the Cosmos themselves flickering page by page until Erevos found the exact coordinates for its agent's method.
"Vegas. Course: plotted." Erevos said, the planet coming up and twisted on its axis to reveal the northern hemisphere of what was once North America. "Estimated arrival to destination: two hours. Please enjoy your first flight."
The ship's starshield darkened to protect the agent's eyes as the thrusters fired; a lurching sensation grasping the ship as it tore off into the sky and then...the Cosmos beyond.
There was indeed a wedding to crash, and on a hellish planet far far away....an Evil Emperor cackled with mad delight.
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