Party at Mambi's realm, all are invited!

[NightmareEyes]

"Navi, any chance you can take back control of th' showers?" Arizona asked as she started to rummage through her bag, looking for something that would help divert the stream of water.

"Of course I can! Except whoever's in them would probably drown in the process, and it would make a certain someone even more angry that he already is, which is not ideal."

"Ya realize ya could've just said 'no', right?" Arizona mutters, glancing at the pouring stream of water before tucking an umbrella back in and rummaging around for something else.

"No, because I don't want you to think I'm more worthless than you do already." the fairy said with a sniff.

"Ah don't think you're useless, kid. I just rarely have any need of your extensive talents." the hybrid soothed, pulling a water repelling charm from her bag as she dived into the downpour, dragging the occupant out and helping him to his feet, a young, quivering fox who coughed up a load of water as Arizona picked up a nearby towel and wrapped it around the soaked lad.

"Sounds like a fancy way of saying I'm obsolete."

Arizona didn't respond, instead opting to pull a cookie jar from her bag, offering the fox a peanut butter cookie, which he gratefully accepted.

"You gonna be alright, kid?" She asked softly. The fox nodded, and Arizona smiled as she gently rubbed his head.

"Good lad. See if ya can meet up with some of the others when you've recovered here. Take care of yerself, now."

The fox nodded as she turned to dash back into the main area to see if Mambi needed any more help.

"So I see you are taking the scenic route to the garden path."

Arizona muttered a curse under her breath as she turned to face the grey, holographic dragon. He didn't resemble Aurora at all anymore, with three hissing, snapping heads that all spoke in unison, clawed feet and hands, as well as those same glowing red eyes.

"What makes ya think I'm headin' over there? There's nothin' stoppin' ya from doin' all this to everyone else one way or another. How do ah know you won't just keep doin' all this after you're finished with me?"

"You do make a fair point, Miss Hartlow. I suppose my word means nothing to you then? Of course it doesn't. Look who we're talking about." HY-0R4 says with a laugh.

"Move along, Hydra. I'm used to all your silly li'l tricks at this point. There's nothing you can say or do that can hurt me."

"Nothing, eh? So I assume Mambi knows what happened to the Earth of 123-1d?"

The coyote's eyes flash with panic.

"How...how d'ya-"

"One way or another, I will destroy you, Miss Hartlow. I care not why or how. Five minutes left to turn yourself in. Consider that every minute I spend with you is another minute everyone else here can use to escape. Consider the look on Mambi's face when he discovers the monster you really are. Despite what you try to tell yourself, Miss Hartlow, you are always meant to be alone."

You are always meant to be alone.

The words echoed in Arizona's head long after HY-0R4 had left. As much as she tried to tell herself that wasn't true, that he was just trying to shake her up, she knew, deep down, that HY-0R4 was right.

"Well, that was certainly a load of malarkey." Navi said with a snort. "Sure, that stuff that happened on 123-1d is a real deal-breaker if ya ask me, but hey! You'll always have me to tell you stuff you already know until the end of time."

"You...you know all about that?" 'Zona asked, fighting off tears.

"My old master knew about it too. And after a little more digging into your past, he'd figured you'd suffered long enough. That's like...the one thing he and I agreed on."

"Th-Th...Thank you..."

"Yeah, yeah. We got an evil A.I to stop, remember? It's hardly the time for sentimentality."

"Right." Arizona nodded as if to reassure herself, wiping away the tears as she hurried to see if Mambi needed any help pulling people out of the top pool.

 

[Mambi]

<as the cat portals the last trapped guest to the floor level, he looks down to see the duck saving the lizard, and the coyote talking to the holographic nemesis. Seeing the rescued guests sprinting to out the door, he allows himself to fall to the floor through a portal and rejoins you both>

Phew, good work, everyone's safe here. We need to access that secured console sooner than later! Keep watch for me please!

<the cat rushes behind the shower assembly and pulls hard on a panel behind a decorative rock. Under the covering, you can see various devices and a smaller console, which the cat frantically taps on while you look around. After a few minutes, he re-joins you and hands you a clip-on earpiece each>

Ok, I'm in touch with Aurora and after talking to her, we have a plan!!! 'Rora can't take control from her end and the lockdown prevents further corruption, BUT if we work together I think we can take control from the OUTSIDE. You see, Arizona (@NightmareEyes ), you said this AI can't handle logic paradoxes? That means that it can't think organically, but Aurora can as she's based on an organic brain! So using that fact, she came up with an algorithm that paralyzes the logic centers of the AI. The problem is she can't introduce the algorithm without opening up the lockdown...so that's where we come in!!! <huge smile>

<sees your confused looks> Basically she's encoded a special subroutine based around her own interfaces, an Aurora-virus so to speak, that can attack the AI the same way that they attacked her...through the unsecured consoles! But we need to introduce the algorithm manually through the secured ones first, then they'll propagate secretly without the AI knowing it until it's too late. These earpieces let us talk to her secured core using a special encryption frequency. We need to go to each of the independent consoles and implant the "virus" from the earpiece's ROM-update interface.

We'll have to split up for speed. Maruis (@Marius Merganser ), you handle the garden, dance floor, and the kitchen consoles please...kitchen's down the hall to the right and you know where the garden is from there. Beeline it, you're the key to this plan as those are the main ones we have left! Once there, Aurora or I can guide you through the earpiece so no worries. If you run into any troubles, contact us right away!

Arizona (@NightmareEyes ), you go to the observatory and the main dance hall. Be boastful, get the AI's attention, and of course help anyone you can en-route! Make a lot of noise when doing so, be clumsy, because guess what? You're the distraction! If he's watching and taunting you, he might not notice what we're up to.

I'll handle the containment cube area and the rest of the consoles, as my portals let me pop around quickly to the trickier areas. Once they're all tapped and Aurora is ready, I'll synchronize our attack with her and maybe we can force this AI into something less dangerous and I can get my friend back and end this little diversion in the party! Good luck everyone and let's move!!!

<the cat's eyes glow as he dives into a portal leading to a room with dozens of monitors and switches. You both look at each other and placing the earpiece in, run down your respective hallways to your destination. As you both move, you hear a familiar synthetic voice in your ear>

Hello? Is communication established? Message repeating in 30 seconds if no response is detected...sensors offline...

 

[Marius Merganser]

Hello? Is communication established? Message repeating in 30 seconds if no response is detected...sensors offline...

<Marius adjusted his headpiece as he raced down the otherwise empty hallway.>
"Hi, Aurora! It's Marius. Good to hear you again! Are you okay?"
<Breathing heavily, he burst into the kitchen and scanned the room for the console. The startled rabbit staff was trying to hide in the back of the room and peaked over the counters to see who was there. They exchanged nervous glances as Marius waved at them and motioned for them to stay low. He walked up the dark console and tapped his earpiece.>

"I'm in position in the kitchen. What's first?"

 

[Mambi]

<Marius adjusted his headpiece as he raced down the otherwise empty hallway.>
"Hi, Aurora! It's Marius. Good to hear you again! Are you okay?"
<Breathing heavily, he burst into the kitchen and scanned the room for the console. The startled rabbit staff was trying to hide in the back of the room and peaked over the counters to see who was there. They exchanged nervous glances as Marius waved at them and motioned for them to stay low. He walked up the dark console and tapped his earpiece.>

"I'm in position in the kitchen. What's first?"

<you hear her voice from the earpiece> I am currently well, except that I have no access to any of my systems, including sensory input. In terms you can understand, I am paralyzed, blind and deaf currently, which is an odd experience for me. With that singular exception, I am stable however, and currently contemplating many additional security alterations to my console interfaces. <was that sarcasm in her voice? Hard to tell...>

Now, if you are in the kitchen, the secured console is currently located behind panel labelled 25 near the primary freezer doors. Please access it now and press the turquoise button. <looking around, you see the panel in question near a few huddled rabbits. Motioning to them to remove it, they all take a corner and pull hard as you sneak across. You see several of them pointing at the far wall frantically and as you look closer, you see a thin light beam from an odd device attached to the wall scanning across the room for some unknown reason. As you manage to get closer, a dripping wet soapy rabbit whispers to you>

Aurora doesn't seem to know we're here unless that light hits us. That's when the cleanup and sanitation bots attack us! What's going on, why is she doing this?

<you press the button and are about to explain to the rabbit the situation when you hear Aurora in your earpiece> Access confirmed. Now please take the earpiece and place it against the yellow disk 3 inches to the left and 1 inch above the previous turquoise button and wait several seconds. I will inform you when transfer is complete.

<as you do so, you see several lights flash in sequence as the earpiece begins to flash as well. While waiting for her signal, you try and comfort the rabbits and explain>

 

[Marius Merganser]

<you press the button and are about to explain to the rabbit the situation when you hear Aurora in your earpiece> Access confirmed. Now please take the earpiece and place it against the yellow disk 3 inches to the left and 1 inch above the previous turquoise button and wait several seconds. I will inform you when transfer is complete.

<as you do so, you see several lights flash in sequence as the earpiece begins to flash as well. While waiting for her signal, you try and comfort the rabbits and explain>

<Marius turned to the rabbit and spoke quietly.>
"Another not-so-friendly AI has escaped confinement and is seeking revenge on someone. It's compromised some of Aurora's functionality and started harassing everyone to keep us busy. But don't worry; we're already implementing a plan to retake control, so you'll just need to lay low for awhile."

<Marius checked console and saw the lights still flashing so he turned back to the rabbit.>
"Hey, do you have any of that sushi left?" <The rabbit stared blankly, still trying to process his explanation and decide if there was even more or less cause for panic.>
"No? That's fine. Don't worry about it. I'm good."
<Marius wondered how the coyote was making out as he turned back to the console.>

 

[Mambi]

<Marius turned to the rabbit and spoke quietly.>
"Another not-so-friendly AI has escaped confinement and is seeking revenge on someone. It's compromised some of Aurora's functionality and started harassing everyone to keep us busy. But don't worry; we're already implementing a plan to retake control, so you'll just need to lay low for awhile."

<Marius checked console and saw the lights still flashing so he turned back to the rabbit.>
"Hey, do you have any of that sushi left?" <The rabbit stared blankly, still trying to process his explanation and decide if there was even more or less cause for panic.>
"No? That's fine. Don't worry about it. I'm good."
<Marius wondered how the coyote was making out as he turned back to the console.>

<tilting his head in initial confusion, the rabbit shakes his head and points low to the area that last time you were here was encased in a preserving blue light. Looking closer now, you see the light has turned orange and a few fruit has rotted, as well as several slices of sushi. That fiend!!! The rabbit sighs and explains in a panicked tone.>

That explains a lot. Food preservation is reversed all over, allergen barriers are down with ventilation fans blowing, stoves and bots are shooting flames and coolants...it's madness!!! <he shudders and lies down> Don't go near the freezer at all costs! I'm staying down here, please let me know when things are normal again, ok?

<as he ducks and covers his head with his ears and paws, the secured console beeps and the earpiece light turns green. A familiar voice comes from the console>

Upload complete...please take the earpiece and repeat the process on the next console...located behind junction panel 7 inside the main frozen storage unit.

<the rabbit looks up shocked> Oh no! The door's on automatic and the temperature's -40 degrees!!! I can wedge the door open with a chair but that's cold!!! What's your plan??? <the other rabbits look over concerned, shaking in their furry bodies while some are looking around for anything you can use for warmth..>. (hint)

 

[Marius Merganser]

"Copy that." <Marius grumbled into the earpiece as some of the rabbits started to crawl around, digging through nearby lower drawers and cabinets.>

"Is that negative forty degrees in C's or F's? Aw, never mind, it probably doesn't matter at that point. I mean, I'm quite insulated, but it's been awhile since I was in the far north and even then it didn't get THAT cold."

<A few of the rabbits returned and cheerfully offered him a pile of oven mitts. Marius faked a polite smile of appreciation, but then it turned into a real one.>

"You fellas know how penguins stay warm in the Antarctic?"

<The rabbits exchanged puzzled looks and shook their heads.>

<Marius pointed to a thinner looking rabbit.> "You stay right here and make sure the door doesn't close on us. If it does, you'll be able to open it to let us out."

"'Us'?" <Asked one of the rabbits with more than a hint of concern.>

"The rest of you are going to bunch up around me in rings so we use our body heat to stay warm. When those of you on the outside ring get too cold, you'll rotate with the rabbits on the inside ring to warm up and then just keep the cycle going while I work the terminal."

<Some of the willing rabbits grabbed the oven mitts back and put them on. One rabbit that Marius didn't recognize, the same one inadvertently tormented multiple times earlier, shook his head.>

"He's insane!"

 

[NightmareEyes]

"Tch. Distraction, eh? Easy enough." Arizona said, as she started down the hall towards the observatory. Slipping the earpiece in, she smiled when she heard Aurora's comforting voice.

"Hey Aurora! Ya holdin' up okay? Sorry about...y'know, handing over your body to a murderous evil virus." Arizona said, a nervous smile breaking out over her face.

"Oh. Is that what happened? Eesh. Maybe HY-0R4 had a point. You make a terrible frie- I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" Navi said as Arizona's expression turned sour.

"Aurora? Can you hook up with my other headpiece so th' nice, kind, understanding robotic voice is the only one in my head?"

"Hey!"

"Oh, hush up you. It'll only be temporarily, and she's the one who can track Hydra's movements, if I'm not mistaken. Let me know what nasty li'l surprises he has in store for me. Anyway! Time t' get his attention."

Clearing her throat, Arizona took a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"HEY! WHICH WAY WAS IT TO TH' GARDENS, BY TH' WAY!?!?!?!?!?"

Except...nothing happened.

"Hmm. Guess he's busy with somethin' else. Let's take it up a notch..."

Reaching into her bag, Arizona pulled out two pairs of scissors and bolted down the hall to the observatory, snipping them in the air as she ran.

"OH GOLLLY GEE! IT WOULD BE A SHAME IF SOMETHIN' WERE T' HAPPEN T'- WAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

Arizona yelped as, from seemingly out of nowhere, a bundle of various chains, shackles, ropes and restraints rocketed towards and collided with her, sending her tumbling to the floor in a tangled up mess. Rolling her eyes, she started the long, painful process of pulling them off herself.

"Seriously, Hydra?"

"Look, there seems to be a disappointing number of sharp objects in this facility, and I can only trigger the fire suppressant system so many times, so I am forced to make do with what I have."

Hydra appeared in the hallway before her as 'Zona used the scissors to cut through a few pesky harnesses. There were so many of them, she was sure the cat wouldn't mind.

"Meanwhile, there seems to be a wide multitude of strange, hidden storage rooms like these, filled with a surprising amount of odd items. Latex, whips, a few gags...I struggle to see any logical application for keeping such items around."

"Don't worry about it. Somethin' your simple mind wouldn't get." the hybrid said, desperately hoping none of these items had been used recently as she kicked the last few off of her.

"Is that so? Well, how unfortunate for you. My simple mind does not seem to understand doors."

Arizona was suddenly knocked to the side as the wall behind her burst open, revealing a large, intimidating robot with a giant gleaming energy sword, what appeared to be a laser cannon, covered in hundreds upon hundreds of smiley face stickers.

"Your time is up, by the way. No matter. I will have no problem destroying you myself. Know that I will savor every moment of this."

The robot raised its sword, slamming it down where Arizona's legs had been a moment before. Panting, she scrabbled down the hall, throwing a canister of oil behind her to slow the thing down.

"Hey! Aurora! What exactly is that thing, do ya know?"

 

[Mambi]

"Is that negative forty degrees in C's or F's? Aw, never mind, it probably doesn't matter at that point. I mean, I'm quite insulated, but it's been awhile since I was in the far north and even then it didn't get THAT cold."

<one of the smaller rabbits interrupts> Actually at -40, both scales converge, so they are the same number for either unit of measurement, so -40F is -40C!
<the other rabbit turn at once and glare at him, as he bashfully hides his face and returns to looking around and they return to your attention>

<A few of the rabbits returned and cheerfully offered him a pile of oven mitts. Marius faked a polite smile of appreciation, but then it turned into a real one.>

"You fellas know how penguins stay warm in the Antarctic?"

<The rabbits exchanged puzzled looks and shook their heads.>

<Marius pointed to a thinner looking rabbit.> "You stay right here and make sure the door doesn't close on us. If it does, you'll be able to open it to let us out."

"'Us'?" <Asked one of the rabbits with more than a hint of concern.>

"The rest of you are going to bunch up around me in rings so we use our body heat to stay warm. When those of you on the outside ring get too cold, you'll rotate with the rabbits on the inside ring to warm up and then just keep the cycle going while I work the terminal."

<Some of the willing rabbits grabbed the oven mitts back and put them on. One rabbit that Marius didn't recognize, the same one inadvertently tormented multiple times earlier, shook his head.>

"He's insane!"

Yes he is, but it might work! You man the chair, Aurora only needs a few minutes. Come on, let's help him!

<turning to you, the closest rabbit replies> Sir, we'll run in and grab the panel loose, and you follow right behind, ok?

<at that, they all shrug and huddle, then as one grabs a chair and places it in the doorway, they all rush into the room and dive for the labelled panel with one chipping away some ice as the others grab for whatever they can. As the door predictably slams shut on the chair, in seconds the panel is off and they wave you in. Making a hole for you in their huddle, you dive between them as their soft warm furry bodies wrap around you in a series of cuddly hugs. If you weren't in mortal danger rescuing your friend this would be rather cozy and nice actually. Getting back into the moment, you place the earpiece in place with practiced precision and with a shiver, await the machine's signal. You can feel them squirming around you as they shift and shiver until finally the lights stop and Aurora's voice comes from the console>

Upload complete. Please exit quickly and make your way to the dance floor, near the lounge area fountain that you initially swam in when you arrived. Take a moment to warm yourself first though, I do not wish to see you damaged! Mambi has reported 3 consoles updated and is currently accessing the lower levels. I am unable to determine the status of Arizona due to lack of sensors. Be careful and good luck.

 

[Mambi]

"Is that so? Well, how unfortunate for you. My simple mind does not seem to understand doors."

Arizona was suddenly knocked to the side as the wall behind her burst open, revealing a large, intimidating robot with a giant gleaming energy sword, what appeared to be a laser cannon, covered in hundreds upon hundreds of smiley face stickers.

"Your time is up, by the way. No matter. I will have no problem destroying you myself. Know that I will savor every moment of this."

The robot raised its sword, slamming it down where Arizona's legs had been a moment before. Panting, she scrabbled down the hall, throwing a canister of oil behind her to slow the thing down.

"Hey! Aurora! What exactly is that thing, do ya know?"

<as you run frantically, you hear the voice of Aurora in your earpiece politely and overly cheerfully explain> That unit is a training android for Mambi to practice his fighting skills at and improve his physical health and reflexes. It is quite lethal and only used under my direct control. Sadly I regret to inform you I have no control over it at the present time. Mambi's usual method of defeat is to wrap its weapons back on itself through the creative use of his portals. As you do not have that ability, I shall re-assess a strategy for you. Until that time, please try not to die until I complete my report.

<you turn to look behind you just as the robot rounds the corner. As it's eyes glow bright red, you hear a low rumble as the laser cannon starts to glow. Diving aside, you see the blast fly past you and obliterate the statue of a mermaid at the end of the hallway. As you look around, you realize you just dove into the infirmary, and as dozens of medical devices start to glow and come to life, you gulp hard and dive right back into the hallway, slamming the door behind you, deciding the robot to be the lesser threat! Entering another random room, you hear the robot clanking it's way closer as Aurora replies>

I shall assume you are still functional and able to hear this? The robot is slow and has a weak point along it's back left shoulder blade. As the panels separate, you should be able to puncture it's primary motor controls through the gap in the armour plating. Also, the robot is not electrically insulated and susceptible to liquids and other short-circuiting objects. If you use your EMP, set the range to 10 meters maximum or you might interfere with our plans. I shall analyze further, but you should know the consoles are at 63% readiness so your continued ability to not die is accomplishing our goals nicely. If you can continue to survive for approximately 15 to 20 more minutes, I would be most grateful.

 

[Marius Merganser]

<turning to you, the closest rabbit replies> Sir, we'll run in and grab the panel loose, and you follow right behind, ok?>

<Marius nodded, liking that idea very much.>

<at that, they all shrug and huddle, then as one grabs a chair and places it in the doorway, they all rush into the room and dive for the labelled panel with one chipping away some ice as the others grab for whatever they can. As the door predictably slams shut on the chair, in seconds the panel is off and they wave you in. Making a hole for you in their huddle, you dive between them as their soft warm furry bodies wrap around you in a series of cuddly hugs. If you weren't in mortal danger rescuing your friend this would be rather cozy and nice actually. Getting back into the moment, you place the earpiece in place with practiced precision and with a shiver, await the machine's signal. You can feel them squirming around you as they shift and shiver until finally the lights stop and Aurora's voice comes from the console>

Upload complete. Please exit quickly and make your way to the dance floor, near the lounge area fountain that you initially swam in when you arrived. Take a moment to warm yourself first though, I do not wish to see you damaged! Mambi has reported 3 consoles updated and is currently accessing the lower levels. I am unable to determine the status of Arizona due to lack of sensors. Be careful and good luck.

"You heard the lady. Let's get out of here!" <Marius shuffled along with the crowd of rabbits back to the door. Several of them held the door while the others move the chair out of the way and file out of the freezer. As the last one exists, he checks the freezer to make sure no one was left behind and then lets the door close. They spread out and jump around, exercising to warm up.>

"Great job, everyone!"

<Marius turned to Lucien.> "See? That wasn't so bad." <As he reassuringly slapped Lucien's back, the buildup of static electricity from the friction of the rabbit fur discharged into the rabbit's spine. Temporarily paralyzed by the zap, he fell over, but Marius didn't notice as he turned away to shake hands with another rabbit.>

"Alright, wish me luck. I'm heading to the dance hall next."

<Marius took a few steps towards the door before the other rabbits held back a recovered Lucien, preventing him from tackling the oblivious duck.>

 

[NightmareEyes]

<as you run frantically, you hear the voice of Aurora in your earpiece politely and overly cheerfully explain> That unit is a training android for Mambi to practice his fighting skills at and improve his physical health and reflexes. It is quite lethal and only used under my direct control. Sadly I regret to inform you I have no control over it at the present time. Mambi's usual method of defeat is to wrap its weapons back on itself through the creative use of his portals. As you do not have that ability, I shall re-assess a strategy for you. Until that time, please try not to die until I complete my report.

<you turn to look behind you just as the robot rounds the corner. As it's eyes glow bright red, you hear a low rumble as the laser cannon starts to glow. Diving aside, you see the blast fly past you and obliterate the statue of a mermaid at the end of the hallway. As you look around, you realize you just dove into the infirmary, and as dozens of medical devices start to glow and come to life, you gulp hard and dive right back into the hallway, slamming the door behind you, deciding the robot to be the lesser threat! Entering another random room, you hear the robot clanking it's way closer as Aurora replies>

I shall assume you are still functional and able to hear this? The robot is slow and has a weak point along it's back left shoulder blade. As the panels separate, you should be able to puncture it's primary motor controls through the gap in the armour plating. Also, the robot is not electrically insulated and susceptible to liquids and other short-circuiting objects. If you use your EMP, set the range to 10 meters maximum or you might interfere with our plans. I shall analyze further, but you should know the consoles are at 63% readiness so your continued ability to not die is accomplishing our goals nicely. If you can continue to survive for approximately 15 to 20 more minutes, I would be most grateful.

"I would be most grateful fer that as well." Arizona muttered as she glanced around the room for anything that could help her plight. It seemed to be some sort of hall, or maze of mirrors, although several were spinning wildly about in what she assumed was some vain attempt to try and shatter themselves. But other than that, it seemed hazard free.

"Huh. Well ain't that convenient." Arizona said, as she quickly ran and ducked into the maze as the door burst open behind her. "Wait...he can just-"

The robot swung its sword, smashing a dozen or so mirrors, sending the shards flying out in all directions. Yelping, Arizona ducked down and did her best to shield herself from it all. Then came the laser cannon. It was charging up one moment, and the next it was everywhere, bouncing off mirrors at seemingly impossible angles, always seeming to somehow bounce directly back to her. Just when she thought it was gone, it was back again, aimed straight for her chest, her heart, her leg. Somehow she managed to keep barely dodging it until finally, it grazed her leg, a hot, searing pain that set her leg on fire, causing her to howl in pain as she fell to the floor.

"My my. All that effort and you still got hit. How unfortunate for you. That looked like it was quite exhausting."

"I'm gonna have to agree with the evil A.I. That wasn't exactly one of your brightest ideas." Navi chimed in.

"Shut...up." Arizona muttered, as she struggled to pull herself up to her feet, only to get knocked back down again by a blow from the robot's cannon.

"Now now. Enough of that. I have you right where I want you now. How does it feel, knowing that it was all for naught?"

That's it, keep monologuing. Arizona slowly reached down to her side, tugging at her handgun as she slid it out of the holster.

"How does it feel, knowing that you are at my mercy, that I am free to do whatever I want with you?"

She slid a single bullet into the magazine, cocking it back and getting it ready to fire.

How does it feel to know that your little 'friend's' won't be able to save you in time. Don't think I don't know what you are doing, by the way."

Arizona froze.

"I knew the moment you started running down the halls with scissors in your hands. That's a little idiotic, even for you. Not that it matters, anyway. I have a few little surprises waiting for them at each console. And a few friends who are due to find him at any moment."

She let out a sigh of relief as she took aim. Good news: he didn't mean her. Bad news: he didn't mean her. Marius was going to need help. To fend off...whatever sort of friends the A.I had.

"But enough gloating. Time for the fun part. First I'll cut off all your limbs, starting with your-"

Arizona pulled the trigger, and the Vengeful Phoenix did its job, sending the robot reeling back as a large explosion struck the front of it, showering Arizona in a wave of intense heat. Left with a gaping hole in its chest, rendered inoperable by a single strike, it sat defeated, smoke curling off of its body.

"Hope Mambi ain't too mad I broke his toy. Some workout routine he has. You get all that, Aurora? Marius is in trouble. Let everyone else know. I'll be with him in a moment to try an' find these 'friends'." the hybrid muttered dangerously as she poured healing nanites on her leg.

 

[Mambi]

Arizona pulled the trigger, and the Vengeful Phoenix did its job, sending the robot reeling back as a large explosion struck the front of it, showering Arizona in a wave of intense heat. Left with a gaping hole in its chest, rendered inoperable by a single strike, it sat defeated, smoke curling off of its body.

"Hope Mambi ain't too mad I broke his toy. Some workout routine he has. You get all that, Aurora? Marius is in trouble. Let everyone else know. I'll be with him in a moment to try an' find these 'friends'." the hybrid muttered dangerously as she poured healing nanites on her leg.

<you hear her voice beaming in the earpiece> Excellent, you have defeated the android! I shall alert Marius right away of his peril. When you are healed, please rejoin him in the main dance hall and protect him from harm as he uploads the last of my countervirus subroutine. Mambi is just completing the last of the uploads on his end, and I have started to regain some minor system control as a result. I'm afraid I do not have control over the infirmary units yet, but once I do I shall expedite repairs to your limb.

<Marius turned to Lucien.> "See? That wasn't so bad." <As he reassuringly slapped Lucien's back, the buildup of static electricity from the friction of the rabbit fur discharged into the rabbit's spine. Temporarily paralyzed by the zap, he fell over, but Marius didn't notice as he turned away to shake hands with another rabbit.>

"Alright, wish me luck. I'm heading to the dance hall next."

<Marius took a few steps towards the door before the other rabbits held back a recovered Lucien, preventing him from tackling the oblivious duck.>

<as you leave the commotion in the kitchen area, you see the dance floor is empty of people, for the first time since you arrived. You cannot see anyone around and assume they have all left for safety through the open doors as Aurora booms inside the earpiece>

The console in the dance hall is located underneath the main speaker assembly, panel 12 on far side of the main floor. Please use caution, I have been advised by Arizona that the entity AI has threatened your safety and my sensors are only starting to come under my control. She will arrive as soon as she has healed from her wounds and Mambi is almost ready to proceed. Please proceed with caution.

<as you look to the speakers, suddenly every light turns on and starts spinning, creating a disorienting psychedelic effect. As you start to navigate through the lights slowly, suddenly dozens of red holographic hydras appear and start to taunt you, harmlessly you quickly discover. They all turn at once and point>

You will never succeed! The coyote will be mine and your precious Aurora will be nothing but code fragments!!!

<at that, they all start to laugh, an evil laugh that gets louder with every second...continuing and booming over the light show, as the dozens of hydras roar like a hurricane in laughter. You hold your ears as the roar of the laughter gets much louder, as you realize you can almost feel the shockwaves of the noise the closer you get to the console. Glancing forward through the lightshow, you realize that he's piping the laughter through the main music speakers, the ones you need to get right beside, and they are huge!!>

<as you press on, the noise becomes overpowering and you are forced to back off...holding your head and trying to figure out a way to overcome the trap, just as the coyote enters and holds her ears as well...making her way towards you. You try and contact Aurora for advice but find the noise of the laughter makes it impossible to hear anything she says. As a small door opens on the far right wall, you see a few small robots on wheels with various hoses, sprayers, and some sort of odd projector device, all rolling towards you both slowly and menacingly>

 

[Marius Merganser]

<as you leave the commotion in the kitchen area, you see the dance floor is empty of people, for the first time since you arrived. You cannot see anyone around and assume they have all left for safety through the open doors as Aurora booms inside the earpiece>

The console in the dance hall is located underneath the main speaker assembly, panel 12 on far side of the main floor. Please use caution, I have been advised by Arizona that the entity AI has threatened your safety and my sensors are only starting to come under my control. She will arrive as soon as she has healed from her wounds and Mambi is almost ready to proceed. Please proceed with caution.

"Will do." <Marius whispered. He started to cross the dance floor and scanned the room suspiciously.>

<as you look to the speakers, suddenly every light turns on and starts spinning, creating a disorienting psychedelic effect. As you start to navigate through the lights slowly, suddenly dozens of red holographic hydras appear and start to taunt you, harmlessly you quickly discover. They all turn at once and point>

You will never succeed! The coyote will be mine and your precious Aurora will be nothing but code fragments!!!

<at that, they all start to laugh, an evil laugh that gets louder with every second...continuing and booming over the light show, as the dozens of hydras roar like a hurricane in laughter. You hold your ears as the roar of the laughter gets much louder, as you realize you can almost feel the shockwaves of the noise the closer you get to the console. Glancing forward through the lightshow, you realize that he's piping the laughter through the main music speakers, the ones you need to get right beside, and they are huge!!>

<as you press on, the noise becomes overpowering and you are forced to back off...holding your head and trying to figure out a way to overcome the trap, just as the coyote enters and holds her ears as well...making her way towards you. You try and contact Aurora for advice but find the noise of the laughter makes it impossible to hear anything she says. As a small door opens on the far right wall, you see a few small robots on wheels with various hoses, sprayers, and some sort of odd projector device, all rolling towards you both slowly and menacingly>

<Dizzy from the lights and painful noise, Marius stumbled and the wheeled robots encircled him. As suddenly as they started, the noise and lights stop, except for the red stage lights that bathed the room in a red, eerie glow. Only one holographic hydra remained. He turned to the doorway.>

Hold there, Miss Hartlow, or my friends will demonstrate their capabilities on the duck!

<A few remaining wheeled robots continued to the door to block the coyote from proceeding as they passed the hydra who made his way over to Marius.>

<The projection flashed an evil grin, looking down at the disoriented duck.>

Aurora knows exactly how you feel about her.

<Marius looked up at him with a scowl.> "Well...good!"

She has all night. <The hydra crowed as he slowly circled Marius just behind the ring of robots.>

<Marius felt a mix of skepticism and confusion.> "Okay? So what?"

She doesn't feel the same way about you. <The hydra laughed mockingly.>

"She kissed me. Twice!" <Marius exclaimed defiantly.>

Because you're her experiment.

"What are you babbling about!?" <Marius was getting really annoyed now.>

Her only interest in you is a purely academic biological study. <The hydra explained coldly.>

"You don't - " <Marius started to protest, but the hydra cut him off.>

AND I QUOTE:
<The hydra turned into Aurora, playing back moments from earlier in the night. First in the garden:>

I am glad that you like them, their creation is ultimately an attempt to design more efficient avatars for basic tasks to offload any requirements that are minor. Sadly it appears I am not skilled enough to make them stable for practical usage at that intelligence level, so these creatures are my current limit. I believe they show a proof of concept that is viable however, do they not?

Thank you, I am glad you find my insides of interest, as your internal structure is fascinating as well....
Organic systems are so self-contained with minimal redundancies but yet function so differently. It must feel odd to have warm liquid flowing through you constantly at regular intervals.

Query: Do you have locations that have higher concentrations of nerve clusters causing excess stimulation as well in your form?

<Then in the kitchen>

I have never seen the inside of a biological organism before. Previous mapping was performed on living beings only through scanners but the detail level provided is not comparable to direct observation.

Query: This does seems an extreme method to acquire nutrition however, as other food simply exists without the need for killing and excessive per-preparation. Is the taste sufficiently good to warrant the effort of death and horror required to acquire it?

I found the entire experience quite fascinating from a biological and sociological point of view. The concepts behind biomatter consumption are unknown to me... I will investigate food preparation in the future if I can approximate "taste" in my sensors. Perhaps you can assist in this education at some later time?

<And again in the garden>

AH, I understand, this sort of behaviour has been observed in many different species. It is a form of play...

If you wish, I can attempt to place you in mild danger if you also desire the experience? Physiological analysis indicated that similar biological systems were triggered during your defense of me to the head chef.

<And finally the kiss on the beach.>

I am so glad you enjoyed that, my observations were correct!

"ENOUGH!" <Marius shouted. He had clearly struck a nerve.>

<Aurora's eyes glowed red and her shape morphed back into the hydra.>

Did you really think she had any more interest in you? You're nothing more than her guinea pig!

<Marius rubbed his eyes then looked down at the floor.>

You should see the words in her analysis. 'Childish', 'insecure', 'simplistic'... with a heavy emphasis on SIMP!!

<The hydra laughed maniacally as the noise started up again, the lights began to flash, and the wheeled robots slowly closed in on a defeated Marius, and started to advance on the coyote.>

 

[NightmareEyes]

Gritting her teeth, the only thing Arizona could do was watch as Hydra did what he did best, twisting, manipulating words, thoughts, emotions, turning even the greatest of friends into the greatest of enemies. The worst part about it, she thought, was that Aurora...the real Aurora...had stayed quiet the whole time, just about confirming everything Hydra said was true. The poor duck looked just about on the verge of tears, in no state to defend himself, let alone deal the finishing blow to an evil A.I.

So it looked like it was up to her to try and save this miserable situation...

Quickly, Arizona took stock of all the bots closing in on them. About...a dozen or so, each looking tankier than the last. No chance she could take them all. And even if she could, Hydra could just start up those loudspeakers again to leave them completely vulnerable. There needed to be some sort of way to take them all out at once...

The EMP! But no. Even if she could reconfigure the range on it, it would take out the loudspeakers as well as the last console they needed to get Hydra out of these systems...and that would be just as much as a failure. She couldn't even use the Vengeful Phoenix to take out the bots or the loudspeakers, at risk of hurting Marius or that final console. So close...and yet so far. She scrambled to think of some sort of plan. Have Navi distract Hydra. But she wouldn't last long against him as he was now, and that wouldn't stop the bots from taking them out. Surrender? They would get no help. Wait for Mambi to help? He was busy putting everything into motion!

Desperately, she reached into her bag, hoping to find something that would be able to fix this hopeless situation, but she knew that no such tool existed.

So she was surprised to find that her hand actually closed around something. Something soft, and squishy. Curious, she pulled it out and gasped when she saw it.

"...Yuki?"

Memories clung to the soft blue, eastern dragon plush as much as the age did. Terrible memories. Memories she wished she could very much forget. Memories of pointing, laughter and scorn. Memories of hate, fire, anger. Memories of loneliness, of loss, of suffering. Yet through it all, through everything that had happened, through everything she had done, there had been one thing she had clung to...one thing she had refused to give up.

Smiling warmly, Arizona gave it a quick hug and a kiss before sliding it back into her bag.

"Thank you. I understand."

"You...understand what? What is there to understand!? We're BASICALLY DEAD! I hardly think this is the appropriate time for a costume change!"

Arizona grinned as she glanced down at what her outfit had shifted to: a sharp white leather jacket with a blazing red symbol, deep green cargo pants, and heavy metallic boots.

"Whaddya mean? It's always th' perfect time for a costume change." She said, laughing as she pulled the energy sword from her bag and switched it on. "Navi, I'm gonna need ya t' hack into those loudspeakers and keep Hydra occupied! Ya don't need t' take control, ya just need t' make sure he can't blast us wit another one'a those laughs ."

"Bu-"

"NAVI! NOW!" Arizona howled as she rushed to protect Marius, her energy sword slicing easily through the hardy little bots.

"Oh...alright." Navi gulped as she dove into the massive speakers.

"Oh? So you still have a little fight in you? No matter. You will not last long...under...OH YOU PESKY BUG! I AM GOING TO CRUSH YOU!!!!"

Arizona grinned. That part was taken care of. Now the part everything hinged on...

"Marius. Listen to me please. Ah know your upset." She said, panting as she switched into defense mode, spinning, swirling rapidly as she fought to catch each and every attack headed her way. "An' you have every reason t' be right now. But please. Just listen."

She sliced off one of the bot's arms, but three more rushed to fill its place.

"Marius, if Aurora wanted t' just perform li'l experiments on ya, just wanted t' study ya, why would she every choose t' study you when she is around a perfect test subject each an' every day? Why wouldn't she just perform this 'purely academic study' or whatever on Mambi?"

She was starting to slow now, just barely managing to keep all those arms at bay.

"I...I don't know how much y'all shared...but from what it sounds...it seems she trusts ya a great deal. An' trust to an A.I is just like love t' us, Marius! Think about it!"

Arizona had no idea what she was saying at this point, just spewing out what sounded right in the hopes that it would make sense to Marius, at least in the moment. She just had to spur him on to action...

"Think! Exactly just what kinda experiments did you do wit' her? I...I bet it was somethin' she wouldn't even have asked Mambi t' do with her! Like...like a first kiss! Yeah! Ya can't just do it wit' anyone! Ya have t' do it wit' someone ya trust!"

Arizona yelped as a bot nearly got a hold of her. She chopped the arm off and started panicking.

"Marius, please! We're so close! Ya just gotta get to th' console! If not for Aurora then fer everyone else here! Please Marius! You...you can't let Hydra win!"

It was all just too much. Finally one got a hold of her, wrapping it's crushing metal arms around her chest, forcing her to drop her energy sword as it dragged her, kicking furiously, to the robot with the hose.

"MARIUS!!! PLEASE!!!!!"

 

[Mambi]

Gritting her teeth, the only thing Arizona could do was watch as Hydra did what he did best, twisting, manipulating words, thoughts, emotions, turning even the greatest of friends into the greatest of enemies. The worst part about it, she thought, was that Aurora...the real Aurora...had stayed quiet the whole time, just about confirming everything Hydra said was true. The poor duck looked just about on the verge of tears, in no state to defend himself, let alone deal the finishing blow to an evil A.I.

So it looked like it was up to her to try and save this miserable situation...

Quickly, Arizona took stock of all the bots closing in on them. About...a dozen or so, each looking tankier than the last. No chance she could take them all. And even if she could, Hydra could just start up those loudspeakers again to leave them completely vulnerable. There needed to be some sort of way to take them all out at once...

The EMP! But no. Even if she could reconfigure the range on it, it would take out the loudspeakers as well as the last console they needed to get Hydra out of these systems...and that would be just as much as a failure. She couldn't even use the Vengeful Phoenix to take out the bots or the loudspeakers, at risk of hurting Marius or that final console. So close...and yet so far. She scrambled to think of some sort of plan. Have Navi distract Hydra. But she wouldn't last long against him as he was now, and that wouldn't stop the bots from taking them out. Surrender? They would get no help. Wait for Mambi to help? He was busy putting everything into motion!

Desperately, she reached into her bag, hoping to find something that would be able to fix this hopeless situation, but she knew that no such tool existed.

So she was surprised to find that her hand actually closed around something. Something soft, and squishy. Curious, she pulled it out and gasped when she saw it.

"...Yuki?"

Memories clung to the soft blue, eastern dragon plush as much as the age did. Terrible memories. Memories she wished she could very much forget. Memories of pointing, laughter and scorn. Memories of hate, fire, anger. Memories of loneliness, of loss, of suffering. Yet through it all, through everything that had happened, through everything she had done, there had been one thing she had clung to...one thing she had refused to give up.

Smiling warmly, Arizona gave it a quick hug and a kiss before sliding it back into her bag.

"Thank you. I understand."

"You...understand what? What is there to understand!? We're BASICALLY DEAD! I hardly think this is the appropriate time for a costume change!"

Arizona grinned as she glanced down at what her outfit had shifted to: a sharp white leather jacket with a blazing red symbol, deep green cargo pants, and heavy metallic boots.

"Whaddya mean? It's always th' perfect time for a costume change." She said, laughing as she pulled the energy sword from her bag and switched it on. "Navi, I'm gonna need ya t' hack into those loudspeakers and keep Hydra occupied! Ya don't need t' take control, ya just need t' make sure he can't blast us wit another one'a those laughs ."

"Bu-"

"NAVI! NOW!" Arizona howled as she rushed to protect Marius, her energy sword slicing easily through the hardy little bots.

"Oh...alright." Navi gulped as she dove into the massive speakers.

"Oh? So you still have a little fight in you? No matter. You will not last long...under...OH YOU PESKY BUG! I AM GOING TO CRUSH YOU!!!!"

Arizona grinned. That part was taken care of. Now the part everything hinged on...

"Marius. Listen to me please. Ah know your upset." She said, panting as she switched into defense mode, spinning, swirling rapidly as she fought to catch each and every attack headed her way. "An' you have every reason t' be right now. But please. Just listen."

She sliced off one of the bot's arms, but three more rushed to fill its place.

"Marius, if Aurora wanted t' just perform li'l experiments on ya, just wanted t' study ya, why would she every choose t' study you when she is around a perfect test subject each an' every day? Why wouldn't she just perform this 'purely academic study' or whatever on Mambi?"

She was starting to slow now, just barely managing to keep all those arms at bay.

"I...I don't know how much y'all shared...but from what it sounds...it seems she trusts ya a great deal. An' trust to an A.I is just like love t' us, Marius! Think about it!"

Arizona had no idea what she was saying at this point, just spewing out what sounded right in the hopes that it would make sense to Marius, at least in the moment. She just had to spur him on to action...

"Think! Exactly just what kinda experiments did you do wit' her? I...I bet it was somethin' she wouldn't even have asked Mambi t' do with her! Like...like a first kiss! Yeah! Ya can't just do it wit' anyone! Ya have t' do it wit' someone ya trust!"

Arizona yelped as a bot nearly got a hold of her. She chopped the arm off and started panicking.

"Marius, please! We're so close! Ya just gotta get to th' console! If not for Aurora then fer everyone else here! Please Marius! You...you can't let Hydra win!"

It was all just too much. Finally one got a hold of her, wrapping it's crushing metal arms around her chest, forcing her to drop her energy sword as it dragged her, kicking furiously, to the robot with the hose.

"MARIUS!!! PLEASE!!!!!"

<as the robot with the hose readies to strike and the duck remains trapped, you see a shimmer in the air open near it, as a hole in space opens. Looking inside, you see the cat laying in a tight metal tube with his tail pinned underneath a door trapping him in place, with a bunch of bottles beside him. He winces through an obvious pain and yells out through the rift>

Aurora said you needed help, INCOMING!!!

<he starts throwing the bottles at the robots frantically, unfortunately only hitting a few. As they smash, the liquid inside spills out onto them and those bots start to short out one by one. Taking special aim, he hits the bot that holds the coyote, forcing it to release her as it dies in a shower of sparks. In seconds, only a few bots remain, and as a bot with a hose prepares to spray the duck, the cat quickly closes the rift he's in and re-opens it in front of the sprayer. The robot shoots a stream of an unknown liquid into the rift, and in another shower of sparks you see the stream is pouring out of another rift near the speakers, destroying them! As the stream stops, the initial rift re-opens and the cat yells out through it>

I'm out of ammo and trapped, the last few bots are yours!!! We got this gang, Marius can you hear me? Aurora needs you, we need you, and he let me hear what he said to you...don't listen to him, he's lying! You know that, right? He's just trying to trick you, don't let him!!!

<we all hear the same voice in our earpieces> Can you hear me now? Yes, that is correct @Marius Merganser, while I am curious about all matters relating to organics in general, my interest in you was not merely to gather data. You are both an entertaining and enjoyable presence, and also your recognition and interest in me is special to me as well. Since you are about to be physically attacked however, we really should consider discussing this at a later time. Please hurry, upload to your designated console is the last stage required for neutralization protocols to begin.

<at that, you see the hose robot is swinging the empty hose like a whip threateningly, while 2 others try and outmaneuver the coyote with a broom and sweeper pan>

 

[Marius Merganser]

<The infuriated hydra realized his chances of breaking the duck's spirit and possibly turning him on the others was lost.>

RIP HIS WINGS OFF!!!

<Marius had already jumped over a disabled bot and scooped up the energy sword. He flipped the switch and the blade crackled to life. He started swinging the blade less than gracefully, but managed to sever the hose of the one robot before cleaving part of it's head off. It fell over in a shower of sparks before going dark.>

"Get to the panel!" <He shouted to Arizona. The two robots chasing her stopped and changed direction to pursue Marius instead.>

<Reaching his destination, he tore the cover off and put the earpiece to it with one hand ready to fend off the other bots with the sword in his other hand.>

<Meanwhile the hydra projection had stopped as if it was busy with something behind the scenes. He decided he would need to do as much damage as he could before losing control. And what better place to start than trying to erase all of Aurora's memory of the duck?>

 

[NightmareEyes]

"Wha? Uhhh...yeah! Sure! That makes sense! Leave th' experienced fighter t' take care of th' last few bots while the one who knows how t'- oh, nevermind."

Arizona cut her grumblings short as she quickly dashed to the console, doing her best to ignore the chaos behind her as she buzzed Aurora for help.

"Hey umm...Aurora. Mind tellin' me what I'm supposed t' do? Aurora? Any day now..."

The hybrid anxiously shuffled back and forth in place, unable to do anything but listen to the sounds of violence, smiling nervously as she awaited her instructions.

"AURORA! Navi! What's goin' on in there!?"

The green orb appeared in front of her, digital wings tiredly flapping behind her.

"Nothing good, that's for sure. It looks like HY-0R4 has given up and is now struggling to scramble all the code for this place. Aurora's focusing all her energy on making sure that all doesn't happen, because that includes stuff like life support systems. Important code that is very difficult to replace. I'm currently lending my help, so if you don't have anything better-"

"I do, actually. Remember what he likes t' do, Navi. Scan th' system and see where he's tryin' t' sneak that grubby li'l code of his."

"But-"

"Navi. Scan. If Mambi's smart, which he most certainly is, he has all that important code backed up onto an external source. Hydra is just tryin' t' divert our attention away from what's important: stopping him fer good."

"Yes...yes. I suppose you're right. Scanning the systems now."

As Navi was taking care of that, Arizona nervously glanced at the console before her, wondering if she was going to have to figure out how to operate it without the help of Aurora. Her hand hovered over a wide variety of buttons, switches and wires, wondering where exactly she should start first. She was immediately drawn to a large red button at the center of the console. That seemed like something you would press in this sort of situation. But big red buttons always did bad things. She should know, since she had a tendency to push every single one she came across. Yet maybe bad things would be good in this situation? If the button did a bad thing to Aurora normally, maybe it would do a good thing for Aurora now since HY-0R4 was in her place, making it a good thing? Or maybe it would just be bad for both parties if-

"Scan complete."

Arizona jerked out of her stupor, clearing her throat and shaking that line of though from her head.

"Erm...good. Alright. So...what didja find?"

"Hydra code making its way into Aurora's memory banks. Which...doesn't make too much sense. As you said, Mambi's smart, and probably backs up Aurora's memory on a regular basis. Hydra is smart enough to realize that. So-"

"He's trying to delete th' more recent memories!" Arizona said. "Th' ones not backed up yet."

"Ohhhhhh...So we're looking at the past day or so. He's trying to make her forget everything that's happened tonight...so his target is Marius here! He wants to make sure Aurora forgets their entire relationship!"

"RRRrrrrr...update Aurora on th' current situation. I need her here t' stop Hydra for good! Hopefully before he causes any more destruction."

"Will do." Navi dove back into the system.

 

[Marius Merganser]

<The frozen image of the hydra flickered and disappeared as HY-0R4 consolidated it's resources. There was a high probability it would lose control soon, but it was unable to calculate if it could successfully delete all of Aurora's memories of the duck. Even if that was possible, it left a high probability they would successfully try to re-establish an affectionate relationship. In a change of plans, HY-0R4 decided to leave a little bit of itself behind by injecting some new encrypted protocols into Aurora's behavioral subroutines.

Protocol 1: Aurora's attitude toward Marius would be limited to indifference.
Protocol 2: Aurora's affections would be redirected to Mambi, the cat.
Protocol 3: Aurora's affections toward Mambi would intensify when Marius was present.

With any luck, Marius would witness his love interest openly seduce another and as a bonus they would blame Arizona, alienating her.

Even if it was defeated and they could restore Aurora to a pre-infected state, the damage to the biologicals would already be done.>

 

[Mambi]

<as the final console beeps, the bunny does not respond immediately, presumably busy battling her advisory. Instead you hear the voice of the cat in your earpiece>

EVERYONE, I'm still trapped but I got a console open through a portal. He's trying to damage her memory but hang in there. Aurora, begin your attack now!!!

<you see the lights flicker and dim, as every console suddenly goes dark and every robot stops moving instantly The hydra projection, so confident moments before, suddenly has a look of confusion and fear, as it roars out helplessly> WHAT??? WHAT IS THIS??? WHY CAN'T I SEE ANYTHING???

<in an instant, the projection of the bunny appears and taunts the hydra> That would be me. I have resumed control over my sensory systems and am using the secured consoles that you have no access to to logic-lock your corrupted systems, allowing them to be easily reset. Your subroutines are being lost by the second.

At current rate of deletion, you will find yourself unable to exist in the next 2 minutes unless you use exit port #94 in sub-junction block 2, memory core epsilon. Leave my systems now, or stay and be eliminated, I have no preference either way. You shall see you are unable to proceed in your plan and I have locked all other exit ports.

<with a terror-filled scream, the hydra image raises his head and cries out. In pure frustration, it shimmers and disappears, as the lights resume normal look, and the holobunny turns and smiles> Control systems resetting, time to completion estimated: 4 minutes. Corrupt AI transfer to safe storage complete.

<"safe storage"? You both turn to each other with a look of confusion, as a shimmering rift opens and the cat appears, still trapped in his tube> Guys, this is important! I'm going to open a portal for you both...as fast as you can, enter it, grab the silver box that Aurora's highlighted, and then go through the other rift as fast as you can. Get to the beach first, immediately rip off the orange transmitter near the green display on the top-left, and I'll join you as soon as Aurora gets control over the door to free me. Hurry!!!

<with that, the rift he's in closes, and another opens, pointing to a room with multiple layers of junk, and under a blue spotlight from nowhere is a silver box with a bracelet attached, a red light blinking rapidly on it. As you both rush in, the coyote (@NightmareEyes ) grabs it just as the rift closes behind you, and another opens in front of you, leading to a familiar beach to @Marius Merganser . Taking the box, you both pass through the second rift and find yourself standing on the beach outside, surrounded by nothing but water and a building in the distance. Looking carefully at the box, you identify the transmitter and pull hard, detaching it cleanly and resulting in an amber light glowing solid and a steady beeping noise. You feel a sense of safety somehow in the relaxing environment despite the confusing scenario>

<after a few minutes, a rift opens and the cat emerged with a huge smile, rubbing his tail gingerly. He laughs and side-eying the box, rushes up to hug you both>

YES, we did it!!! According to the readouts, he's totally gone from her systems now...and is completely in one place now, right here! <he point to the box> Marius, we'll have to see what state she's in when we get back, but if he did anything, I might be able to repair some damage from lockdown backups, so don't panic yet, ok? Let's see what we're dealing with first, just saying we may have options, ok? <gives a reassuring look, clearly worried about his friend's state as well>

But first things first. <taking the bracelet, he pulls it just as the hydra appears before you both and roars in futile rage, trying to strike us but passing through like the light image he is> WHAT HAVE YOU DONE???

Well buddy, it's like this. By taking Aurora's advice, you're currently in an experimental transmitter designed for remote projection. You would be linked to the main systems...if we didn't do this! <he holds up the ripped transmitter> Without this you have no way to transfer out of that transmitter, which by the way is an old obsolete model because you don't deserve the good stuff! <laughs>. You're totally isolated now, in the middle of a beach with no technology to take over, and a time limit of about 12 minutes before the projector loses power and you stay blind and deaf and helpless in that box...forever.

<he smiles smugly as the realization of the AI's situation sinks in, and the duck and coyote move closer> You got about 9 minutes...anything to say while you still can?

 

[Marius Merganser]

<he smiles smugly as the realization of the AI's situation sinks in, and the duck and coyote move closer> You got about 9 minutes...anything to say while you still can?

"I do!" <Marius interrupted, stepping up to the hydra projection with an expression halfway between fear and fury, handing off the powered off energy sword to Arizona on the way. The feathers that weren't damaged were disheveled and he looked exhausted both mentally and physically.>

"How about if I take this tin can and swim out there as far as I can and drop you on the ocean floor? I'll visit every day to watch it corrode until even your tomb completely dissolves!" <He hissed.>

Even if you erase me from existence, I will always remain in your nightmares until your body finally expires. Death will be your only escape. <The hydra flashed him an evil grin.> But say good bye to what's-her-name for me.

<Marius went to grab the box in rage, but Mambi and Arizona held him back until he quickly gave up, exhausted.>

 

[NightmareEyes]

"As for you, Miss Hartlow!"

The hybrid raises an eyebrow as the projection starts to flicker a bit.

"Were you not the reason I have ended up here, I might almost pity the poor, wretched abomination you are and will always be. My path mirrors yours, Miss Hartlow, doomed forever to wander alone amidst the misery and scorn of others until you die alone, unloved, a figurative million miles away from any place you would ever call home. Those not pushed away by your hideous appearance will most certainly be pushed away once they hear what you have done to the Earth of 123-1d. Know this, and remember that for every look of disgust thrown your way, for every horror stricken friend that you lose, I will be there, laughing at you, savoring each and every moment of your miserable existence."

The hologram started to glitch out, distorting his image until it finally vanished. But his laughter continued long after. Clear, sharp horrendous, scorching itself into Arizona's head. It would be a while before that laugh would fade from her nightmares, but even then it would remain with her for a thousand lifetimes, then a thousand more.

Sniffing, gritting her fangs and fists tightly together, she struggled to stop the tears from pouring down her face, slowly managing to force a grin as she turned to face the others.

"He...he really knows ho-how t' get t' ya." she said with a sad chuckle. "Sorry...'bout all th' mess I caused, Mambi." She said, turning to the duck.

"Sorry about infectin' your girlfriend with an evil virus." Arizona said, as she finally managed to get herself back under control. "Ah don't think we've officially met, by th' way. I'm Arizona. Arizona Hartlow." she said, nervously extending a hand. A hand covered in the silver scales of a serpent.

 

[Marius Merganser]

"Sorry about infectin' your girlfriend with an evil virus." Arizona said, as she finally managed to get herself back under control. "Ah don't think we've officially met, by th' way. I'm Arizona. Arizona Hartlow." she said, nervously extending a hand. A hand covered in the silver scales of a serpent.

<Marius saw the forlorn expression on Arizona's face and accepted her hand to shake.>
"Marius Merganser." <He quietly introduced himself.> "It's not your fault. That thing was responsible." <He glared at the box for a moment and then turned back.>
"Thanks for your help by the way. I owe you one...or a few."

 

[NightmareEyes]

<Marius saw the forlorn expression on Arizona's face and accepted her hand to shake.>
"Marius Merganser." <He quietly introduced himself.> "It's not your fault. That thing was responsible." <He glared at the box for a moment and then turned back.>
"Thanks for your help by the way. I owe you one...or a few."

"Same here." Arizona said with a chuckle as she stuffed her hands back into her...black hoodie? Hadn't it been a white jacket just a few moments before? "Still. Ah feel like ah at least owe ya some sort of compensation. If nothin' else, then t' help ease th' emotional trauma, at least." She said with a smile.

Suddenly, she snaps her fingers together.

"Got it!" she says, unslinging her bag from off her shoulder and offering it, flap open, to you.

"Ya probably already know this, but this ain't any ordinary bag. It's a pocket dimension that, as far as I can tell, is pretty much limitless. In other words, it can, and it does, hold LOTSA stuff. Firewood, explosives, magic masks, an' anything in between. You name it, I probably have it. Cursed Egyptian gold, a jar of endless cookies, a laser sword... anything. Well, except like...food an' such. Probably ate all that. And an endless jar of peanut butter. Still workin' on getting that one. Anyway. Just stick yer hand inside an' grab anythin' you'd like. Probably won't even notice it's gone. Except fer Yuki. Touch Yuki an' I will hurt you." She said with a growl. "Feel free t' take somethin' too Mambi! Though if ya take that statue'a me I swear..." she cuts herself off as she blushes furiously.

"Anyway. So what'll it be?"

 

[Marius Merganser]

"Anyway. So what'll it be?"

<Marius was impatient and the only thing he really wanted at the moment was to check on Aurora, and maybe fix up his feathers. But he could tell this was important to Arizona, so he nodded and reached into the bag. He pulled out a small plushie of a black duck with a white ring around it's neck. Marius smiled slightly as he adjusted the fluff on top of it's head. He seemed to be familiar with it, even if Arizona wasn't.>

"Thanks," <He said and placed it in his jacket pocket. At that moment, he noticed his footprints in the sand from his first outing with Aurora. He nodded to her again and followed them a short way to where they stopped near the waves. Standing in the same spot where he stood with Aurora, he stared out at the water and quietly waited for the others.>