"Finally!" A surge of victory coursed through him as the last enemy died. "GG boys," he typed quickly into the team chat.
With a happy sigh, he messaged his teammates.
[play again later?]
[yeah sure]
A quick, final exchange. The curt reply didn't matter; they had won. He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms high above his head with a satisfying pop. "All right, that's taken care of. Now, time for lunch."
He powered down his computer and grabbed his keys, the sound of the lock clicking behind him as he stepped out of his apartment. The afternoon sun was warm on his face, a welcome change from the pale glow of his monitor. He looked for a convenience store.
"Ah, there."
He spotted a small shop on the corner and made his way toward it. A chime above the door announced his arrival.
"Welcome," the cashier greeted him.
He offered a brief nod in reply. "Afternoon."
He headed straight for the ready-made food section, scanning the shelves. "Hmm, I'll take this one and that," he murmured, picking up a bento box and a drink before heading to the counter.
"Is that all, sir?" the cashier asked.
"Yep, that's everything."
"That'll be thirty-four dollars and fifty cents."
"Dang, that's expensive," he muttered, pulling out his wallet. He handed the cashier the money.
"Thank you. Come again!"
He left the store, the plastic bag with his lunch rustling gently in his hand. The plan was simple get home, eat, and spend the rest of the day playing with the boys.
Ding.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, a little confused, and his eyes widened. The screen showed a message from an unknown account.
"What? Who's this?"
Lost in thought, his attention was completely on the glowing screen. He didn't notice the screech of tires or the rumbling sound of a large engine. A semi-truck, its driver frantically trying to regain control, veered suddenly, its massive side slamming into him.
As he fell, the world seemed to slow down. The plastic bag with his lunch flew from his grasp, the bento box inside tumbling across the asphalt. He saw the truck's logo, and the message on his phone, and the blue sky above.
[thank for accepting transporting user now...] the message said. But he didn't read it as he was falling.
"Well... I guess... the game was rigged from the start, huh?"
His final thought, a quiet farewell, vanished as everything faded to black.
A flash of brilliant light, and a system window appeared out of nowhere.
[ SYSTEM REBOOTING. . . STARTING. . . MK-1... STATUS GREEN... OS GREEN... LAUNCHING NEW SYSTEM PARAMETERS... STARTING UP... ]
[Name: Veridian
Race: Automata
Sub-Race: Timekeeper Agent
HP: 100,000
Armor: 100,000
Sub HP:
Head: 2,000
Legs: 2,000
Thrusters: 3,000
Power: 100%
Fuel: 100%
Ammo: 100%
Coolant: 100%
Equipment:
* Two custom 1911 pistols
* Two custom Mac tens (ammo link)
* Data pad
* Personalized computer (left arm)
* Pocket watch
* thrusters ( below the jetpack )
* knifes
* plasma swords ( hidden in wrists)
* jetpack ( located in the back)
Skills (All automaton skills consume power and coolant while time skills takes power)
Chronokinesis: Veridian can manipulate time to her will. She can stop it, speed it up, slow it down, reverse it, and even erase it completely.
Paradox Creation: Veridian can compress time and space to make the future and past exist at the same time, thus creating multiple versions of said object at the same time. This can be used to create copies of herself.
Manipulation of Space: To a certain degree, Veridian is capable of warping space. She can make a small house big on the inside while it remains small on the outside.
Stings of Fate: Firing her guns, she will always hit her target no matter what.
Time Bomb: Upon detonation, it can stop or slow down time in a certain radius or be switched into a regular bomb.
Forced Injector (Red / purple Protocol Required): This skill allows Veridian to quickly accelerate and decelerate, making her a formidable close-quarters combatant.
Maneuver Armor ( blue / purple protocol required): This skill reduces the stun duration caused by enemy attacks and blows, allowing Veridian to better withstand damage.
High-Performance Balancer (Red Protocol Required): This skill enables Veridian to boost her close combat skills, allowing for more fluid and effective combat maneuvers.
Emergency Evasion Controller: This skill allows for a quick dodge maneuver, helping Veridian evade enemy attacks and reposition herself. It can be switched to automatic or manual.
High-Performance Radar (Blue Protocol Required): Increases the power of the Observation Relay Equipment.
[...]
Auxiliary Skills (Does not consume power or coolant):
Timekeeper: The effects of time no longer affect you. You do not age. Powers that manipulate time do not affect you.
Red Protocol: For aggressive, offensive fighting. Increase offense stats
Blue Protocol: For defensive fighting. Increase defense stats
Purple Protocol (Equipped): A balance of both red and blue protocols.
Anti-Stealth: Disables stealth in a limited range.
High-Performance Scope: Able to see up to 3km.
Observation Relay Equipment: Able to see the status of enemies and hidden enemies, as well as giving sonar, early warning systems, and laser warning systems.
System Reboot Done…
AI Installed… Green…
Welcome Unit No. 20091118]
The system window vanished, and a dull ache throbbed behind her eyes. "Ugh, my head..."
She tried to open her eyes, but a metallic clicking sound filled the air as a hatch slowly unsealed above her. When it finally opened, she blinked against the sudden light, her vision adjusting to the unfamiliar sight of multiple lockers filled with equipment and monitors. A strange, antiseptic smell filled her nose. "Where am I?" she thought, before exiting the pod she woke up in.
"Hold on... I... I died..." A sharp, painful memory flashed in her mind. A truck. A phone. The plastic bag. The name "Veridian." The pain was so intense she couldn't remember anything else, her thoughts a jumbled mess.
She looked down at herself. The clothes she wore were not her own. They felt familiar, but she couldn't place them. Her panic grew. She rushed to a locker, threw it open, and saw a small mirror inside. What she saw wasn't a girl, but an ornate clockwork doll with glowing white eyes and a face of smooth, white porcelain. A small, purple hat sat on her head. She instinctively reached up and adjusted the hat. "This feels familiar," she murmured, a strange sense of comfort settling over her as she took the rest of the equipment from the locker.
[ BE ADVISED: NO FRIENDLY UNITS ARE NEAR YOUR LOCATION. ]
A voice, not her own, echoed in her mind.
"Ahh!" she screamed, startled. She slipped on something slick and fell, hitting the ground with a solid thud.
[ WARNING: VERY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE REAR. ]
The AI's voice was completely flat, devoid of emotion.
"What was that?" she said, scrambling to her feet, her heart pounding.
[ I AM YOUR ONBOARD AI. I AM HERE TO HELP YOU IN ANY WAY. ]
"Wait... you're in my head?" she asked, her voice trembling.
[ YES. ]
"O-okay," she said, still shaking a little, as she dusted off her new clothes. "Where's the exit?"
[ UPDATING YOUR MAP DISPLAY. ]
A holographic map appeared in her vision, showing her a detailed layout of the bunker she was in.
"Fancy," she thought.
[ NOTE, UNIT NO. 20091118: THEY ARE NO FRIENDLY UNITS NEAR YOUR LOCATION. BE ADVISED TO TAKE ALL THE EQUIPMENT IN THE BASE OR CONTINUE TO USE THIS BASE. ]
"Hmm, I guess I'll just use this base. Don't need to find or build a new one," she mused. "But what about all this equipment? How am I supposed to carry all this stuff if I need to leave?"
[ ANSWER: YOU CAN CREATE A SPACE IN CYBERSPACE WHICH YOU CAN DEPOSIT YOUR EQUIPMENT AND WHEN YOU WANT TO GET THE ITEM IT WILL DIGITALIZE INTO YOUR HAND OR YOU BODY. ]
"Convenient," she said, before she began to toss all the equipment into her new storage space. "I guess I'll clean this place up a bit."