Fourteenth Jump (Arrowverse)

Arrowverse

Location: Central City

Faction/Origin/Age: None/Drop-In/26

Perks: Abrasive Charm (Free): I can be quite blunt and people will still open up to me. This helps a lot considering I am not one to return the favor more often than not.

4 Companions (200cp): The Sisters need some points, heh.

Meta Human: Vibe – 1000mp (600cp): After this jump it simply allows me to keep up with beings that are much faster than me through prediction, but otherwise it makes me 100% immune to time manipulation.

Concealed Identity (100cp): Just need a hood and I can hide my identity.

Equipment: Magical Card (100cpD): Papers, please.

Bag of Goodies (Free): Some holy water, duct tape, a police scanner, cemetery dirt... hmm, and nails from a saint's coffin that can be used as a tracking device.

Arlissa------

Origin: Martial Artist

Perks/Equipment: 

Meditation (Free): Eidetic Memory and I can go through my memories at different angles. Useful. Peak Human Training (150cp): Top physical condition, as if I needed further training.

Next Gen Watch (50cp): Can detect supernatural effects, tell time, and record my voice. Hmm. Flechettes (Free): Small, throw-able bolts. 

Comic Time (100cp): The Inquisition might accept me with this talent.

Fia-------

Origin: Scientist

Perks/Equipment: 

Adorkable (Free): So, if I wear glasses and do what I normally do... I am more attractive? 

Gadgeteer (300cp): I can create gadgets and items that work off of comic book physics. What are comic book physics? 

Robotic Bees (Free): Robotic bees... Robotic bees.

Lina------

Origin: Drop-In

Perks/Equipment: 

Meta Human: Cellular Regeneration – 500mp and Photokinesis – 500mp: Oh, I can control my cells... create temporary copies of myself... and control light to an extent? I have a use for all of this, hehe. 

Bag of Goodies (Free): Same as Tadek's... Why is there dirt from graves in the bag? 

Abrasive Charm (Free): Same as Tadek's.

Cierra-------

Origin: Philanthropist

Perks/Equipment: 

Born Rich (Free): More charisma. Good.

Wealth 1 (Free): 5 million dollars... What shall I do with it? 

Next Gen Watch (50cp): Same as Celestian Arlissa's.

Expert Driver (100cpD): Finally! Celestian Arlissa can't drive and she won't let anyone else do it unless they show skill. I can finally go to the movies without nearly dying! 

World Famous Suburbanite (150cpD): Peace and quiet as long as I keep a normal profile? Yay!

A Very Short Cop-out

            I remained unconscious into the next jump, my regeneration working tirelessly to try and repair the damage that I had gone through during my fight with Chakravartin. As such, I didn’t wake up for a full year and, once I was awake and went through the emotional portion of what had occurred after word. It was an enjoyable time in a modern setting. I even had an actual body once more! Granted, my cybernetics were a part of it all, but they were now a part of a much, much more advanced form… At least to my knowledge.

            It was unimportant, either way I enjoyed my time with everyone and simply focused on recovering, learning to properly use my abilities for once, and working on constructing (With Fia’s help) and charging the mantra orbs before simply putting them into my personal inventory for the day that I might truly need them.

            Besides that, there wasn’t too much of note, simply more mundane and average tasks to help prepare myself for what was to come up next. Granted, rarely did I have any idea where I was going, but I felt like the next jump would be quite interesting.

Thirteenth Jump (Asura's Wrath) Part 2

Stall Him Until The Main Character Gets Here!

(This is written in 3^rd person for my sanity.)

            The orb vanished as it was swallowed by a sudden rush of energy, a flood of blue energy filling the area. As the energy slowly flowed away and Tadek lowered down onto the floor below, Chakravartin’s eyes widened for a moment. Tadek’s form had changed. A chained circle floated behind him, his body laced and etched with glowing lines of energy, his eyes nothing more than blue orbs with small flows of energy that emulated flowing tears with ribbons of similar make drifting away from his limbs and torso, always hanging down from his charred body, being of similar appearance to that of Asura when he turned into a beast except for the aforementioned traits and the flowing cloth that hung from his waist, rags clinging to his limbs with the only purpose of hiding the cracking skin underneath.

            Just in front of him, the words ‘Tadek: Slaughterer’s Lament’ shown for a moment before vanishing in time with ripples of the floor below. “You show your true self t-“ Chakravartin’s face vanished underneath a black fist, his face caving inward. Tadek flew back from the return strike, his hands slamming the ground to help slow his momentum. “Pathetic Fool! You dare strike me!?” As the charred body of Tadek stood up, he offered a small grin. “And I will do it again. You say that torment brings enlightenment… Allow me to enlighten you of the pain you have brought others.”

            What was a simple slug fest turned into an unseen battle, Tadek and Chakravartin appearing for mere moments at a time with flashes of movement and attacks. Blows struck, bodies cracked underneath the strain, and pulses of force erupted at seemingly random points within the realm where they collided.

            With a flash, they both landed and charged forward, fists filling the air at speeds that should not be possible. Where they collided, flesh cracked and chipped away, their heads and bodies lurching back when they impacted one another. “Worlds should not be treated like this! You manipulate them like children!” Tadek slammed one of his elbows into the side of Chakravartin’s jaw before he was slammed away by four or five fists to the chest. “You know nothing!” As Chakravartin brought his limbs forward, Tadek brought his leg forward in a wide arc to push them away and in a flash the deity had a heel collide with his chin and another to the sternum.

            Chakravartin stumbled back for a moment and dropped to the ground, staring at his hands for a moment before he raised up high, letting out a scream of true anger toward the sky. His form raised high, disappearing in a black and white void. Out of the light that filled the sky, he lowered himself down to the ground below, a new, skeletal form that emanated a sense of dread and hopelessness to anyone who ever laid their eyes upon such a thing. Even the realm shifted to match the black and white from before, the chimes sounding once more as his toes touched the flat plane in a way as softly as a leaf touching a still pond.

            As the deity stood there, the words ‘Chakravartin, The Creator’ appeared before Tadek. He knew what this meant for him, but he cared not. His body was cracked, blue energy seeping from his body in a similar fashion to blood, his body shaking just a hint from the strain it was being put through. “If nothing else, I can save Mithra for Asura…” He muttered to himself, slamming his foot down onto the ground below.

            Tadek rushed forward, flying forward in a burst of energy. They connected, Tadek with a heel and Chakravartin stopping him with merely a finger. “Weak… Very Weak.” He stated before forming and then unleashing a burst of light. Tadek screamed in agony as his very body was torn apart, the man flying back, his body skipping along the plane like a simple stone that soon came to rest a full sixty feet away.

            Chakravartin sighed, looking out toward his fallen opponent who slowly, painfully pushed himself up onto his shaking legs. At this point the only thing keeping him standing was his regeneration. “Just a little longer… Just a little longer...” He muttered to himself as he took a stumbling step forward, his other foot dragging across the ground for a moment as he went. “Simply lay down and die, Slaughterer. You have lost.” As Chakravartin spoke, he slowly walked forward toward the suicidal person he had been fighting.

            “Never.” After he spoke, Tadek fell down to the ground for a moment, forcing himself to climb back up to his feet. Once he was on his feet, he was welcomed with a finger to the forehead. “Any last words?” Chakravartin stated, possibly only because he could. “Yeah… Just a few. Dimensional… Eruption.” He stated, portions of his body flying away as he stepped forward. Five different fists appeared at once due to sheer speed, his arms from the forearm down glowing in a mix of colors as they connected with Chakravartin’s arms and head at once.

            The only sound that came from them was akin to a silo of hellfire missiles, waves of force erupting from every spot that they impacted. “Dimensional Eruption!” A second wave of blows shot forth, one of Tadek’s arms bursting into blood and shards from the strain on his body. There were visible holes in his body, growing wider with every combination that he brought forth. “You may be the only god here, but you hold no power over me! You are like everyone else! Flawed!” He stated, his other arm shattering as he continued forth, one of his knees snapping in two underneath the sheer strain. During the repeated blows, a small bubble was punched out and landed a short distance away. It grew and popped, a small girl with black hair appearing.

            Tadek thought that he had done enough, but all that he was greeted with was a scream of annoyance and a sharp blow to the chest, an eruption of Mantra tearing through his body. From there, he landed a distance away, laying there with barely a leg, a torso, and a head. The charred portions of his body slowly fell away to reveal his base form below. “You annoy me…” Is all that Chakravartin stated. He slowly moved forward, but stopped as someone approached. It was Asura.

            “Stay down, Tadek. I will take it from here. Take my daughter and leave.” He stated, Mithra running over toward the both of them. Tadek went unconscious with a grin on his face.

Thirteenth Jump (Asura's Wrath) Part 1

Asura’s Wrath

CP: 1500cp

Background: Demigod (100cp)

Era: Asura’s Wrath

Perks: 

Mantra Generation (Free): I can generate my own Mantra. Yay.

Imposing Declaration of Title (Free): Everyone gets a title that pops up when something important occurs, such as a new form. 

Mantra Affinity: Melancholy (Free): My affinity is Melancholy and I am both a constantly active 10 sources of Mantra. More or less that means I am constantly at level 1.  

Mantra Training and Techniques (100cpD): Supernatural martial arts, a mantra form, woo!

Cyborg Hindu Godbody (200cpD): True cybernetics/genetics/magic/WTF that gave me a new chance with a new body.

Equipment: 

Resplendent Wardrobe (Free): Very nice clothing. 

Mantra Capacitors (100cp): Mantra storage devices, which... with enough of them... I could probably reach level 5 with enough preparation. 

Divine Weapon: Flail (300cp): A wonderful weapon. Named "Redemptionist's Might" and has the special ability of storing momentum and potential energy through swinging. Can be unleashed in one strike with the cap of the user's strength. In other words... After 10 seconds of swinging, I can hit them with twice my max strength. 

Divine Weapon: Shield (300cp): A large kite shield of sorts with a bladed edge that has the special ability of protecting anyone behind the wielder from collateral damage, such as cones and explosions. It weighs a literal ton and is named "Lamenter's Burden". 

Mantra Reactor (200cpD): It will keep me from dying due to the use of Mantra.

Retreat (200cp): A luxury resort that can be fashioned into a fortified bunker.

Drawbacks:  

Outlandish Empathy (200cp): I can feel the pain of the planet and use it to power my Mantra, but I run the risk of gradually dying. Why the fuck is the planet feeling lust!?

Threat to the Conspiracy (300cp): And all of the deities are after me. Yay!

The Day that Remorse Died

            Asura’s Wrath… Such an odd, yet welcome place to wake up in. All the way up until I realized one single issue… I felt the emotions of the world as a whole. I had memories of being a Demi-God for thousands upon thousands of years, interacting with all of the main characters, side characters, background characters, and everything that occurred up to the point that I went rogue against the conspiracy. I knew exactly what was going on, however, and for the longest while I stayed out of it, simply enjoying my time until Asura had worked his way up to the point that he was preparing to fight Chakravartin… However, there was one issue.

            Because of the constant attacks on me and various other factors that I had caused due to slowing down the pace at which Asura realized his version of enlightenment, the “creator” was already moving his plans ahead to remake the world once again. Shit…

            The Sisters and I were staying at the retreat, discussing how to specifically survive long enough for Asura to take on, and eventually defeat, Chakravartin as he should have. All of the other demi-gods who could possibly have a chance are dead except for Yasha, who Asura is currently fighting. “So… I have a terrible idea… But, the only reason I am considering it is because, well… I don’t want this planet to die, nor do I want all of us to perish with it.”

            As I spoke, I gestured to the Sisters of Battle, each of them having a worried expression in their own right. Cierra was currently eating away at some cookies she had made to help ease her worries, Fia was curled up next to Lina who was trying to console her, and Celestian had just the barest hint of a frown. I was personally focused more on holding off the tsunami of emotion from the world itself. It was painful to feel the torment of the very planet for years upon years… I was used to never feeling the same emotion as another individual and understanding why they felt the way they did without the use of logic, but instead pure emotion.

            Part of me welcomed the change, but the emotions clawed at my heart day in and day out, threatening to drive me insane and force me to feel the exact same way. Everyone, however, stayed silent, simply looking at me, awaiting for me to explain my idea. Instead of actually telling them, like I should of, I slowly stood up and made my way out of the retreat. I gathered my flail and shield as I went along, bringing them as I knew that I would require them for what was to come.

            They followed along, Fia actually speaking up as we walked. “Well, what’s your plan, Tadek? Wait… Why are you brin-“ She went silent for a moment, the color leaving her face as something apparently dawned on her. Instead of allowing them to speak, I glanced up toward the sky. “Heh… You know… I killed a planet once. I have regretted that fact ever since… But, well… If I am going to die, anyways, I am going out fighting. Give Asura a chance to catch up.” I explained, the air around me starting to flow with blue lines of Mantra before I suddenly crouched and leaped high up into the air, moving from the planet into the sky and out into the empty void of space.

            I would be lying if I said that the rush of power wasn’t sobering. Going from what would be considered Mantra level 1 to Mantra level 6 in an instant through the power of the very planet itself. I had to focus heavily on keeping the rush of energy under control as I came into view of a large, golden figure in the far distance. “Chakravartin.” The figure was smiling, but it was a curious one, almost as if he wasn’t aware of who I was. He was going to find out soon enough as I allowed some more of the energy to flow through me, pushing me from level 6 to 8. “Using a drawback as a benefit… Hmm… Come to think of it, I am going against my own philosophy, relying on another entity for power.”

            With a little hum, I made my way toward the glowing figure as fast as I could. I had a job to do and I was not going to enjoy it.

            It wasn’t long before I found myself standing on a flat expanse of white, a subtle glow surrounding me on all sides with the subtle tone of chimes filling the air. It was almost transcendent, my mind and body being calmed for the moment until I heard someone speak with a soft voice. “And who are you? My plans only accounted for Asura to accomplish such a feat.” I heard those words just before a column of energy surged forth, a tall, multi-armed being appearing with a curious smile.

            “My name is Tadek Pezrin… At least that was what I called myself after I slaughtered a world to undo the death of a few and those that followed that I had caused. You may know me as Remorse.” The being squinted his eyes for a moment, a realization possibly coming to his mind. “So, you are the slaughterer. You brought suffering upon yourself to remove the suffering of an entire planet… But, in doing so you caused further torment for all. What brings you to me?”

            The being slowly raised up off of the ground and floated toward me, coming to stop a short distance from me. “Your actions have caused nothing, but suffering… I am here to end this.” I explained simply, bringing up my shield and dropping the head of my flail so that it hung below my hand. “And why? From the stories I have heard, you and I may agree on how one obtains enlightenment. Suffering. Suffering brings strength… It brings knowledge…” He explained, obviously deeming me nothing more than an insect that he could speak with without fear of being bitten.

            He was right… I saw suffering as a means of obtaining strength, improvement. Did that make me like him? Someone who would force someone to suffer for eternity so that they could become a god? That realization slowly caused my weapons to lower. Wait… There was one part that I forgot. One single thing that makes suffering a way to improve. “No. We are not the same. Suffering does lead to improvement… The body and mind do become stronger by overcoming hardship, but that’s just it… The body and mind need time to recover. You can’t just keep going on without a chance to recover.”

            I explained, thinking it over in my head for a moment as to why people suffered in the first place, why people became stronger and why they didn’t break underneath it all. Before he could speak, I interrupted and spoke once more. “Heros suffer for others… Only Villains force others to suffer for their own ends! I normally only bring pain upon myself to continue my existence, so that I can become more and more powerful. But… I don’t want others to be in pain. I don’t want my companions or the planet to die here because I stayed out of the fucking way!” I raised my weapons and leapt toward the deity with flail in hand.

            Chakravartin narrowed his eyes and slowly raised one of his hands. “Pathetic fool. Here I thought we could have a proper conversation and not fight one another…” His hand thrust forward, a wave of force coming toward me, sending me flying back without so much as a shred of resistance on my part. I was thankfully uninjured, but it kept me at a distance. “Now… Die.” My form lurched back with a burst of energy going around me, my shield held high. I hardly saw the burst that he sent my way, even at level 8 I could hardly move to block each burst that came my way.

            “You use energy that you do not even know how to properly make use of. Energy I gave this world. You may have the power of a perfect being, but you are truly flawed.” I gritted my teeth as I slid across the floor. “As if I would even want to be perfect! You may have given the world Mantra, but it is their energy to keep and use! Once given, a gift can’t be taken away!” I called out, my concentration more focused on keeping my energy levels in check and defend against the various impacts that caused my very bones to rattle.

            I glanced up and dropped down, my knees on the verge of buckling as a column of Mantra came down upon me before the next thing that I was aware of, I was laid flat on my stomach, my body shaking while smoke flowed off of my chest. “Shit… What the fuck hit me.” I muttered as I slowly forced myself up to my feet. Chakravartin hummed softly, halting his attacks for the moment. I couldn’t beat him… Even with everything active, I could not beat him like this. My concentration was too split to do more than stale my death.

            I was going to die here at this rate before Asura ever got here. I was drawing on a planet, willingly, but I was still too weak. “Take heart, Remorse. At least your suffering will bring you closer to enlightenment before your death.” He stated as he started to charge a small orb of Mantra in one hand. Wait… I was going against one of my principles. I was willingly drawing on the power of another, many others, simply so that I could try and save myself and everyone else. People I cared for, people I didn’t know, every single being on the planet including the planet itself. It brought an odd smile to my lips. “Heh… Hehe… Hahahahaha….”

            My sudden laughter caused the being to pause for a moment. “I am glad to see that you are enjoying your demise.” He stated with a hint of confusion and I simply offered him a grin. “Heh, I get it now… This is why the villain always loses. This is why heroes fight and have nothing against drawing on the power of others. Suffering brings strength, but only the happiness and the support that what you’re fighting for brings can you ever obtain true power… Can bring you happiness. I have been going on for so long… I couldn’t feel a damned thing in my heart.” As I spoke, I slowly straightened up, blue lines flowing around me once more as I continued.

            “My companions brought me some joy. They cared… I didn’t have to constantly keep myself up, to keep myself from breaking down underneath the strain of my guilt. But… Here… I am sure that I will die and I am happy, but it is terrible… I feel terrible knowing that if I die, everyone else goes with me.” I dropped my shield and my flail to the ground below, small waves flowing away from where they impacted the ground. “I might as well go out knowing that I will bring the end of a god who wishes nothing else but death on this world.”

            “That is unlikely.” He stated before he launched the orb toward me. At that moment, I simply let go. I finally let the levees open and flood my heart. Time for me to finally let go…

Twelfth Jump (Deus Ex:HR) Part 5

The Four Companions: Arlissa

            I let out a long yawn as I sauntered my way into the kitchen of the warehouse, one hand reaching up to lazily rub at one of my stubble-covered cheeks as I went along. I didn’t have to sleep, but I chose to… A little bit of normalcy everyone now and then helped keep me sane and, as Lina didn’t sleep, it was best that she thought I was asleep more often than not. Could only imagine what might happen if she realized I didn’t have to… Would have to not only lock my door, but soundproof it.

            “Morning, everyone… Did I miss anything?” I asked as I stepped into the kitchen and dropped down into the closest seat at the dining table that I could personally find. Everyone seemed to be present at the least. Cierra was making breakfast, Lina appeared to be writing something, Fia was helping Lina with whatever they happened to be working on, and Celestian was currently cleaning her bolter… At the table. Eh, I would honestly do the same thing if I was her.

            To pass the time, I simply set my head down on the table and dosed off a hint, resting until breakfast as everyone seemed too busy for a conversation… or so I thought until Celestian reached over to give me a poke on the top of the head and get my attention. “Wake up, Mr. Pezrin… Once you’re up, you shouldn’t go back to sleep.” With a little huff, I raised my head up, instead setting it down on a hand that I propped up with my elbow on the table. “You sound like my father. Well, mind telling me a story then to keep me awake? I don’t mean to be rude, but… What about the scar that you carry?”

            Everyone dropped what they were doing when I spoke, except for Cierra who simply turned a little so that she could look over toward the table. Celestian smiled just a hint, as she wasn’t one for extreme… or sometimes even minor… displays of emotion. Lina suddenly piped in, leaning over the table as she spoke. “Oh, I love this story! Come on, come on. Tell him!” She stated before setting her head down on both of her hands, completely forgetting about what she was doing prior to this. Fia was currently trying to actually pull the work out from underneath the copper-haired medic, so… Eh.

            “Ah, yes… My scar. I gained this trophy and lost my sight in a bloody, planet-wide war with the Tyranid filth prior to the planet being bathed in the holy fire of Exterminatus. During the battle I had been arrogant and careless… Resulting in a rather close encounter with the xenos that we call Hormogaunts. A merciless swarm had found my team, a cascading wave of gnashing teeth and bloodied scythes. The Emperor was merciful that day, for all that was lost was my sight.” She explained, the story having grabbed my attention at first… before it suddenly ended and I simply gave her a little look. “Is… Is that the full story?”

            The other women seemed to have enjoyed it, but honestly a short story is either false… or the memories aren’t that intense. Granted, considering war is a constant thing within that universe, it wasn’t too odd that such things might have been lost to time and other battles. “It is. All that I can remember. Years later an Orc was given the chance for a lucky shot and had took it, striking my skull with club that caused brain damage and erased most of the story.” Everyone else seemed to accept that excuse and I was personally too lazy to follow my gut feeling that there might be a bit more to the story.

            After breakfast, I stepped out and went for a walk, managing to drag Celestian from her constant work so that we could talk. I got the chance to spend some time with everyone else, I might as well do the same for their leader… Besides, I rarely got to spend any time with Celestian that wasn’t related to business. It was honestly bad enough that the last time we spoke in private it was because we had to file taxes… In a world that can’t really keep track of us and we aren’t truly a part of… In fact, I don’t even work because of the money we have every single jump.

            I led her off toward a diner that I knew of that served good coffee, a cigarette wedged between my lips the entire time. “There is a bit more to that story you told, isn’t there? If you don’t mind me asking.” I stated as we walked, one of my hands adjusting to help keep an umbrella held up as the weather was slowly turning into a mix of rain, wind, rain… and more rain. Celestian, who was staying close by for the moment simply gave me a small glance as she spoke. “A capable one, aren’t you? You can spot that I withheld information, yet you are blind to those who pursue you with warm hearts. I have to wonder if you have trained yourself not to notice those who don’t put their heart on their sleeve for you to see.”

            Her voice was as calm as ever, my head turning for just a moment to show that I was listening to what she had to say. “It is amazing what one can accomplish with enough willpower and even a hint of thought into how the mind works… In other words, I am not an empathic person and I simply don’t take things a certain way on purpose as to avoid certain situations.” She hummed softly, one of her hands reaching up to take her monical down so that she could clean it of any moisture that happened to cling to the lens.

            After a moment, she set her monical back on her eye and spoke. “Noted. Perhaps I should inform them of this so that they may take it as motivation to be open about their feelings toward you. Everyone’s infatuation with you, for whatever possible reason may come to mind, is quite distracting. However, I will leave it to them to make their own decisions. It is important that they learn how to be direct with what they desire.” As we stepped into the diner and took our seats, I let out a small huff. “I simply do not react for the betterment of the group and my own personal conscious. The longer this goes on, the worse it will be… but, I do not want anyone to hate the other.”

            I let out a small huff, setting the dripping umbrella down on the far side of the table with a few napkins laid out so that it didn’t get the table too wet… Honestly, it still did. “Well, you could always take the obvious route and simply give me the honors. They already know of my thoughts and I have told them. I would rather avoid having them fight amongst themselves or even get involved, if I must.” Celestian took a moment to offer me a very slight grin and her hand, as if she was offering me the chance to propose or something.

            Instead of doing what she suggested, I simply waved her hand off. “Put your hand away… They don’t allow people to smoke in here, so I won’t be giving you one of my smokes.” I stated with a wide, smartass grin that earned me a frown and an annoyed huff from my friend. “You’re insufferable at times. I don’t understand what their reasoning is for being attracted to you… I have my own, but your willingness to speak in such a manner is unbecoming of someone who could become a proper, dignified individual.”

            I feigned being hurt, but quickly ‘recovered’ and spoke just as the waitress was stepping up. “Says the one who lost her cool when we were moving everything into the apartment and not letting you tell us what to do.” To show that I didn’t mean any harm, I offered her a grin while she simply rolled her eyes. “A leader should be in charge of anything their unit takes part in. While I consider you to be a part of my unit, you truly do not seem to understand that.” After that final comment, we got coffee and simply enjoyed the remainder of the day. Simple.

Twelfth Jump (Deus Ex:HR) Part 4

The Four Companions: Cierra

            It was a full two years before anything of note really happened. I honestly do not know how I managed to miss this fact, but it was fairly easy to notice once I was aware of it. I had been chatting with Celestian and she had brought up the fact that Lina and Fia had been teasing Cierra about her weight fairly frequently as of late. It was possibly because Cierra had recently been wearing a sweater-dress of sorts, which made her appear a little fluffier than usual. She wasn’t fat, she was simply curvy and the dress ended up hugging her form in such a way as to make her appear as if she had been gaining weight because of the thickness of the cloth.

            Once that had been brought to my attention, I waited a day or two before, while Cierra was out of the house and Lina was calmer, before I pulled Fia and Lina off to the side. “What did you want to talk about, Tadek?” Fia asked as she closed her book, Lina pulling a sheet out from nowhere as she spoke. “Are you finally going to model for me?” She looked so hopeful, but I had to crush that hope… In a way.

            “No, simply because I know what you are going to do to said painting. Now then… I have gathered you both to talk to you about the fact that you have been teasing Cierra recently.” Lina frowned as her hopes were crushed and even more so once I mentioned what they had done, even Fia kind of glancing off for a moment. “You both know for a fact that she isn’t fat… Teasing is fine, but from what I have heard she doesn’t take well to it. You can tease her about other things, but don’t mention her weight. Alright?” They started to speak up, but I gave them both a stern glare to silence them. “Need I repeat myself? Fia, need I remind you that I stopped everyone from mentioning your hair? Remember how the teasing made you feel?”

            “No, Tadek. I understand… I’ll stop teasing, Cierra.” Fia spoke for a moment, holding her head down while Lina was busy folding up the sheet. Still no idea where she pulled it out from. The copper-haired medic thought about it for a moment before giving me a wide grin. “Only if you give me a little kiss on the cheek.” She stated, Fia letting out a small gasp. Scandalous! “Fine. One moment.”

            The both of them gasped, Fia quickly looking through her book, muttering something about the ‘direct lover’ archetype or something like that as I walked off. I came back with a small amount of tape and a Hershey Kiss. I actually knew what she wanted… but, I wasn’t going to pass up this moment to just get blank stares. I took the chocolate and tapped it to Lina’s cheek. I technically did what she asked, heh. “There you go. A kiss on the cheek.”

            Fia simply looked toward me with a look that practically screamed ‘Really?!’ while Lina was bright red, her jaw having dropped. As I walked away, all I heard behind me was “Really?! That was on purpose! Fia, stop giggling!” It was Lina screaming, but I simply grinned and went on my way.

            Over the next few days, Cierra had been asking me to help her with dinner and the like recently, which I did. Mostly it seemed to be so that I could point out exactly what I would enjoy for my meals and for the constant influx of sweets and sugar that she sent my way. She even agreed to allow me to teach her DnD from the rules that I could still remember after such a long time. It… Went rather poorly, but it was still kind of her to allow me to ramble on for a full hour about nerd stuff. Something I haven’t done in quite a while.

            In return, however, I had agreed to help her out with carrying a piece of furniture back that she had been planning on purchasing for the apartment. While we were out, another group of those Humanity First people came to hassle us. A rather large group that was located outside one of the LIMB clinics in the city. Cierra had purchased a coffee table and, as we weren’t expecting trouble, neither of us had our weapons with us besides what was implanted in my body.

            She left me with the table for a moment as she went to talk to them. Considering how good of a negotiator she was, before and after perks, this shouldn’t be too difficult. Heck, the group was actually listening to what she had to say. My augmented eyes caught sight of a laser dot line, moving from one of the nearby windows to Cierra. Everyone paused for a moment as it seems they saw a moving dot on Cierra’s head. With a quick motion, I chucked the table (Still in box and thankfully a mix of metal and wood.) into the path of the bullet before rushing forward. The cardboard of the box sprayed into the air as the bullet collided with it. There was no sound, meaning it was silenced… That would require it to be subsonic.

            Before the sniper could take a second shot, I moved in the away and took the second shot, pushing Cierra down and keeping her close so that she wasn’t as large of a target. “Shit! Everyone, take cover! Get out of the streets!” Fucking conspiracies trying to cause something. It was obvious that they switched targets, attempting to shoot on other individuals. To try and distract them, I unfolded my right arm.

            Two of the panels on my arm snapped up, the hand and wrist splitting open before folding back to allow the integrated blade slide out as a bayonet. The barrels of the storm bolter snapped up with the panels, the autoloader moving to slide in the first banestrike bolt that I kept loaded in the arm. That seemed to catch his eye and, if that didn’t, the four-round burst of explosive bolts along his cover did. Because of my augmentations, I was able to actually see through his cover… However, not the area behind it. It was a very weak form of ‘x-ray’ vision.

            Cierra was helping everyone get the fuck out of here and to take cover as she did not currently have a weapon or armor. Unlike me, she was still very squishy. A pair of obviously augmented individuals came running up, forcing me to turn my attention over to them, sending a few more off-world rounds in their direction until the clip, very quickly, ran out. Considering every time the ‘trigger’ was pulled spent two rounds out of the ten internal, well… Yeah.

            My arm folded back up, trading it for the stake thrower in my other arm while the monomolecular whip extended from the right, my fingers wrapping around the handle once it was present. For the stake thrower, it was a basic setup with the panels at the top of my arm dropping down to the sides to allow the ‘wings’ of the crossbow to appear and for the bolts to be unimpeded. Before they came to me, they actually stopped, glancing off as if they were hearing something before pulling back and running off. “Well… Guess they know now.”

            Me and Cierra left as soon as we were able to, not even staying for the police, simply heading home for the day. Once we were back at the apartment, she let out a sigh of relief and, before I could stop her, she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a tight hug as thanks. “Thanks, hero. Hehe, I won’t charge you for the food I make for a week after that. Kept me from becoming that swiss cheese that you find in the grocery stores.” She stated with her usual, large smile. Though, what I wasn’t comfortable with was the fact that she physically carried me into the apartment.

            I gave everyone a look of worry and mouthed the words 'Help me.' They all simply laughed as I pried apart the tall woman’s arms and ran off. I had to go reload my arm, after all.

Twelfth Jump (Deus Ex: HR) Part 3

The Four Companions: Fia

            It was a few months after the events with Lina, which she did return to her daily schedule after the whole thing. It was quite nice of her, but after word she still continued to play that game fairly often and, while I was kind enough to check in on what she was doing in-game when she asked, I did not play the game with her as often. However, after those months had passed, well… one of her ‘episodes’ had struck her.

            Now, these… episodes… were times of each year, sometimes they occurred quite often and other times they occurred maybe once or twice every few months, where Lina seems to become much more energetic and wild in her behaviors. This time around I happened to be laid out across the couch, watching TV for the moment. Cierra and Fia were working in the kitchen, Celestian was sitting by the window with a book. I was unaware of where Lina was until she came out from one of the very few other rooms in the apartment with what appeared to be an easel, a palette, various paints, a few brushes, and a… sheet? Where she got said items, I personally have no fucking idea. She probably picked it up while I was asleep, but that meant that she was out shopping near midnight.

            “Tadek!” She called out with a long, drawn-out voice. Only Celestian really glancing over toward the two of us with a watchful, assertive gaze as if she was ready to step in, if required. Lina was moving from one foot to the other, apparently quite excited about something. “Mind helping me with something?” She asked and, at first, I glanced over to her and offered her a small, acknowledging hum. “Any chance that you might be willing to… Oh… Model for me?”

            I slowly sat up on the couch, one of my hands reaching out to pick up the glass of plain rum that I had poured for myself so that I could take a sip. “Hmm… Depends. What is the sheet for?” She glanced down toward the sheet, glanced back to me, and simply gave me a very discomforting grin that was just a hint too wide. Taking that as my warning, I quickly vaulted over the couch and made my way toward the kitchen. “You know… I would help you Lina, but, uh… Ah! We’re out of food.”

            “Out of food? But, we have plen- mmph!” Cierra asked as I stepped up and slipped a hand over her mouth to stop her. I glanced over toward Fia. “That and Fia assured me that we would go out grocery shopping together at some point!” Before she could really say anything, I quickly moved to wrap one arm around her waist and heave her up onto my shoulder. “But, I haven’t finished organizing the silverware! No! We won’t be able to find anything!”

            Those words escaped her as I ran off out of the apartment with her on my shoulder, managing to grab my coat on the way out as we went. Lina tried to leap toward me, dropping everything she had in hand to try and grab onto me. Thankfully, she missed and was left behind as we went along. “But, I was going to paint your body!” Crazy woman be crazy sometimes.

            Lina was a nice woman, but sometimes she could get very… odd. Once we had reached the elevator, I set Fia down and gave her a small pat on the shoulder. “Sorry about that, Fia… The last time I was around for one of Lina’s episodes, I ended up answering a psychology quiz of rather painful depth… She was not happy with my answers.” I commented, taking a moment to slip my coat on and straighten the fabric. Fia was currently straightening her hair and clothes before gently pushing one of the buttons on the elevator’s panel.

            I started to pull out a cigarette, but I soon found myself being assaulted by a rather upset scribe for a moment. “How dare you! I had a set schedule for the entire day! I even made room for a fifteen minute break after dinner!” She eventually let out a long whine while I simply allowed her to punch at me for a while until she tired herself out. “I apologize… How about I get you a milkshake and a movie while we’re out?”

            “That would be nice.” She stated simply as she tried to compose herself a little. I straightened out the cigarette I had in hand before slipping it in-between my lips. I, however, did not light it until we were actually out of the building and into open air. It was a fairly quiet day as we went from one local to the next, waiting till the very last moment to actually go grocery shopping. Around sundown we found ourselves sitting at one of the major parks in the city… Never thought any part of Detroit would look nice, even later on in years and within another universe.

            Fia was quiet… Which was normal for her, all things considered… However, she seemed a little more tense than usual. No idea why, honestly, but she occasionally glanced over to the pocket edition of one of her favorite romance novels every now and then… She was attempting to be stealthy, I imagine, but those sudden movements couldn’t get past me.

            It wasn’t until a small group of people, a mix of men and women, walked up to the both of us as I was working on a cigarette and speaking to Fia about the movies she had been watching. While she didn’t speak much, she seemed comfortable with listening to my comments. I paid the group no mind until they actually had spoken to the both of us.

            “Hey, clank! What are you doing here, hmm? This is for non-augs only.” One of the men stated firmly as one of the ladies of their group stepped up to Fia and began yelling in her face about hanging out with a cyber-head. I pulled the cigarette out from between my lips and, just out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Fia was reaching for something… Probably one of her knives, if I was lucky.

            “Fia, please don’t harm our guests… That will cause more trouble than it’s worth. Humanity First, right?” I asked, one of them reaching over to poke at my chest a little bit. Thankfully, a century of living had taught me patience, but it was still annoying me… Lina I have gotten used to, but a stranger is a stranger. “Damn right, bolt-leg! Your kind aren’t welcome here! This park is only for pure, wholesome people.”

            To my surprise, Fia reached over to give my sleeve a tug and a small look. “Tadek, let’s go… As you said, they aren’t worth the trouble.” With a small sigh, I slowly stood up and helped my companion up to her feet. “Very well. It’s really not that much trouble-ah!” A glass bottle came through the air and slammed into the side of my head. I had the majority of my physical abilities turned off except for what I had gained from this specific universe, meaning that the bottle itself actually did cause a hint of pain and draw blood despite my reinforced frame.

            “That… Was unnecessary.” The scribe that I had been spending time with quickly moved toward the direction that the bottle had come from, some random man running off. Before I could stop her, she had launched one of her electrified knives toward him, the blade sinking into his calf before he fell to the ground in a spasming fit. “Well… At least that wasn’t lethal.” The mob, however, did not take kind to such an action. They started to move forward… Well, I may have learned a little bit of patience, but I should still be a gentleman for my companions.

            There were five in total. I started at the closest with a quick, sharp fore-knuckle strike to the person’s jaw, right where it connected to the skull below the base of the ear with a wee bit more strength than I probably should have. A second turned around just in time to meet the palm of the same head underneath their nose, my hand moving forward to grab their head soon after and toss them into a third.

            My quartermaster friend stepped up, tossing another knife into one of them as she ran forward, following up with a quick kick to their hip. Her hands found their bicep and, as she pushed their hip away, she pulled their arm right out of the socket and pulled them to the ground. To my surprise, she actually stood up in time to catch the fist of the final group member between her arms and slam her hand straight into his throat before grabbing him by the side of the head and ‘guiding’ his head into the metal bench.

            “Hmm… I’m impressed. Always fear the quiet ones.” I commented as my own form of compliment as she took a moment to gather her equipment, a smug smile plastered on her face. “Thank you… I think. Shall we go get the groceries that you had dragged me out here for? You still owe me a milkshake.” She gave me a little glare and I simply reached over to set my hand on the top of her head for a moment, the quiet woman going silent for the moment. “Heh, you did good. No killing the civilians.”

            With that, we both headed off toward the grocery store and then back home. She was a decent bit chattier, mostly talking about the confrontation that we had had earlier, but the smile on her face was quite nice to see… Granted, the prolonged blush was kind of odd. Here I thought she was fit enough not to overheat.

Twelfth Jump (Deus Ex:HR) Part 2

The Four Companions: Lina

            A few months after I had returned Kubrick to Jensen and had the chance to relax, nothing involving the need to either stalk the augmented security guard that Jensen had become or taking care of the maintenance of my body… or gluing together the plates that I had shattered last week… Only to cause even smaller, broken pieces- Any ways, that isn’t important. What is important was the fact that, as I was walking through the housing section of the warehouse, I had caught sight of Lina rummaging through the pile of games that were strewn about her room, the door having been left open for whatever possible reason.

            Everyone, except for Celestian, had grabbed a decent number of video games, movies, and music after the housing had been generated. Granted, they were traded around soon after simply for the fact that they either grew bored of them or they were not of their liking. Lina had specifically grabbed a large amount of video games… My theory on that manner was the sheer fact that she didn’t seem to sleep… or blink… Seriously, why did she never blink?

            “Morning Lina.” I stated, only slowing down for that moment before resuming my casual pace. As I heard “Hhhiiiiii Tadek. Come here!” I found one of my arms taken a hold of and insistently pulled into the woman’s bedroom with the force of a small gerbil, not resisting the pull only to be polite. The copper-haired woman pulled me over and wrapped an arm around my neck, pulling herself up close to me as I would not budge at that point. “I need your help with something. You seem to know more about these machine spirits than anyone else. Which one should I play with?”

            As she spoke, I reached up to grab her by the back of her shirt and slowly pry her off of me. Of course, if she wasn’t going to let go, I would instead just slip out of her hold and crouch down so that I could sift through the pile of games. “Well, that depends. What do you like to do, hmm? You would probably like something a bit more energetic…” While I went ahead and sifted through the pile of random games. Pretty sure I saw a Sims game, which I set off to the side for the moment.

            While I was distracted, the non-blinking woman stepped up and rested her elbow on the top of my head so that she could prop up her own. She didn’t rest any weight on me, but it was still slightly uncomfortable. “What about that one?” My companion commented, pointing down toward a survival game with a steampunk flare to it. “Hmm? Oh." I stated, reaching out to pick up the game and then hand it to her.

            The woman snatched the game from my hand and went off to, after a surprisingly short bit of prayer and ritual… Something I really needed to explain to all of them at some point that it wasn’t necessary for something to work… before managing to figure out how to put in the game and get it started. “Well, I shall take my leave then, if you are comfortable.” Just as I was stating that, she reached over to grab my wrist and pull me over. “It says we both can play! Mind joining me? I have been needing to make sure your motor functions are up to par.”

            If there ever was an excuse made off of the top of someone’s head, this was it, but at least she tried making it sound reasonable. With a hum, I sat myself down next to her and freed my wrist. “Alright, I suppose. But, quick warning… If your character dies, that isn’t the machine spirits being angry.” I warned as I picked up a controller and got started.

            We played for a few hours before we were called away for dinner and, since she seemed to have enjoyed herself… Despite the occasional effort that I had to make to keep her at least a foot or two away from me. Over the next few days, however, I realized that I had made a grave mistake. A terrible, terrible mistake.

            Every chance that she had, she pulled me along to go play video games. Normally it was the same exact game, which was understandable, and while I was quite comfortable simply playing games with her, there was just something off about it.

            If I was free, she pulled me away… If I was interacting with another person, she pulled me away to play video games. Heck, even if I wasn’t playing games with her, the other women stated that Lina had been spending a lot of time in her room as of late with the sounds of chopping wood and Lina saying something about getting everything ready.

            Cierra and Celestian were showing a notable amount of worry as Lina was skipping combat practice a wee bit too often for Celestian’s liking, and was also quite uncharacteristic, along with the fact she wasn’t always present for lunch. With this in mind, I had a goal in mind the next time that we gamed. I must break her of her addiction.

            I was laid out over the couch of our actual apartment when Lina came running up with a small box in hand. “Tadek! I have something to show you!” She stated, already moving to set everything up. Apparently she had brought out the system and game, put everything together, and began to play. “Speaking of the game… I need to talk to you about something. What do you need to show me, though?”

            With a huff, I rolled off of the couch and landed on the floor with a little thud. She moved her character along the screen, going around an area that we had been avoiding for the most part as if she was searching for something. “Just a little thing I have been working on for you.” She dragged out the word ‘you’ a little too long, but I didn’t pay any mind.

            Instead, I climbed up to my feet and watched the screen, speaking as she moved the character around. “Well, I would just like to raise some concern that everyone has had… They’re worried that you may be playing these games way too much. You’ve been skipping meals and training… Would rather not see you lose your life to games.” I explained, stepping over to stand next to the red-head.

            She finally stopped her character at the top of a hill and looked down, revealing a large, spread-out ‘Thanks for playing with me!’ written out with a mix of stone, wood, and fire in a clearing at the bottom of the hill. Lina glanced up at me and offered a smile. While it brought a grin to my face, I simply reached down to set my hand on the top of her head for the moment. “You’re quite welcome. It was enjoyable… Now, please eat and everything, alright?”

            I gave her a little pat, my personal way of showing friendly affection, before moving to take a seat next to her and play the game with her once again. “I shall, Tadek. Been getting very hungry…” She commented before attempting to hug me. One of my hands came up to gently hold her at a distance by her shoulder. “Heh, go eat. Lunch is being made and I am sure that Cierra wants to see you eat it.”