Futuristic An Agent of Maniacles

[mmarage]

The twins looked at the Owls calmly. "...No, you two aren't clones. I can say this with complete certainty. You haven't shown signs of degeneration, and you can use magic. Clones can't use magic, because we lack souls. Otherwise, we'd be able to use light magic like the person we've been cloned from. Furthermore, if you were a clone, the Maniacles wouldn't allow you to wander freely. They'd want to continue to study your body and collect data." 01 said calmly. The twins... didn't seem that surprised by the revelation. Of course they wouldn't. This was a world created from their memories.

"...When we were snooping, we saw a file that briefly discussed other subjects. Your picture was among them. We didn't get to read everything before the researcher came back. We... assumed it was cloning. It could be something else... but given what Denton said... it must have filled in a few blanks in our minds. So... cloned Owls." 02 said, gesturing to the pods.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu turned to the Joes. "Wait, does that mean we could have a group of me running around?!" Kotsu said, half-excited and nervous.

 

[Darkling0096]

"You should see your face Kotsu. Oh man. I wish I had a phone. You were all like BLAAAARGH So gross."

"I'd have paid to see that," Sam said before she realized she was speaking out loud. Her first impression of Morgan had been of a cold woman. Sam could respect a strong leader, she and her squad leader had gotten along well in spite of the man's rude nature. But Morgan had taken an order to shoot civilians, and not only abided by them, but shot a man old enough to be her grandfather in her arms. Sam didn't want Morgan dead, just five minutes in a locked room and no magic.

 

[Kinggunlucky]

Denton quirked an eyebrow, not phased by the gun in his face. He was starting to get the feeling the others may not trust him, heh. Maniacles was a very large organization and if he didn't know something he felt no reason to hide it.

Knowledge is power. Pretending to have knowledge is what idiots do. Sooner or latter it'll catch up with you if you have nothing concrete to work of of. Seeing Owl in the pods was as much a shock to him as the rest. He had to blink a few times to make sure he was seeing it clearly.

The Sandlands continued to be one giant mindfuck. He wouldn't be surprised if they returned to the real world drooling.

"I already told you what I know. Ten to fifteen reasonable and healthy candidates from all over the world. The project is still going on. Faust's main hurdles are magic not carrying over to the clone and cellular degeneration." He put a finger on Owl's gun, pushing it away from him. "Not a clue why you're here. It...I...really. This is was unexpected. Not really sure why we make clones. I can only assume it is a muscle thing. A way for us to have more brute force."

He smiled at the team. "Satisfied with my answers?"

 

[mmarage]

The twins gave Kotsu an unamused look. "It's possible. However, we didn't see your picture in the file we looked at. So it's unlikely that if there were, which is unlikely since they were choosing mages specifically. Either way, I would hope not. They'd be suffering too. We'd hate to see any version of you suffer, Kotsu." 01 said.

 

[Freikugel]

Fizzy entered last jumping in one leg.

"Can you fix this later Sam?" Asked to the girl with an unexpected sweet tone. He smiled "I'll give you a nice reward sweetie"

He checked the pods as well.

"I've heard about the cloning programs before, though most of them supposedly hadn't given good results or are currently closed. Finder twins are examples of the few working ones"

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu looked at 01, "But I mean if we have more me, they'd be able to help us temporarily. I don't see myself giving myself grief." Kotsu had a smaller version of himself appear on his head.

Small Kotsu was chuckling as he sat there. "Hey, if you're gonna talk about us, at least look at me." He said jumping off of Kotsu's head and disappearing. Kotsu raised an eyebrow. "Okay, nevermind. I don't think I wanna think about things anymore." Kotsu said, as smoke started to come out of his ears. "But wait, if I stop thinking, then how will I move in this world? Can one stop thinking about not thinking but still technically be thinking?" Kotsu had fire coming out of his ears but didn't notice.

 

[Exzalia]

Owl blue owl glares at denton then back to her clone.

"Yellow Owl, help me open it."

"Are you sure that wise?"

"The clones retain some of the memories of the original correct, so that means this must have some of our memories. I'm going to mind delve her." Blue owl says.

Yellow owl is not so certain. "Remember, mental magic works differently here. You won't just see it, we'll live it."

"I am prepared, I must know. Kotsu, give me a hand with this thing." Blue owl pulls at the pod were one of the clones lay suspended in fluid.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu's ears stop having fire come out of them and he walks over to Blue Owl and stops her for a moment. "I just want you to be sure that you know what your doing. You should take your own advice sometimes. But if you're gungho for it, I'll help you." Kotsu said smiling at Blue Owl. "I trust you." He smiled softly toward her, as he started to help her open the container.

 

[TheAdept]

Clayton didn't understand the whole situation regarding Morgan. In fact, he had forgotten all about her. Were they talking about Morgan Freeman? Nah, that old man died decades ago. He spaced most of the shit regarding her up to the point Kotsu vomited. Like Denton, he had never seen someone vomit from pure anger. He vomited the night he turned, before he actually turned but after his family had been killed, though that might have had more to do with the fact his ribs were literally kicked in than anything else.

Then while Joe was talking about dying, he looked at his bottle, then touched his own face. This was some kind of imagination world, wasn't it? So...

"Wait a minute! If this is imagination dream land, couldn't someone survive if they believed they would?" He took a swig out of his bottle "This is real whiskey in here, because I say there is whiskey. So couldn't these Joes or anyone else survive in this world indefinitely if they wanted?"

 

[Exzalia]

Forgotten horror

​

They pry the pod open, the cloned Owl spills onto the floor like limb noodles, green ooze sloshes away and blue owl bends down, and touches her mind. "okay, I'm going in, prepare your selves everyone."

She casts mind delve, and they plunge into her memory.

***
They are ghosts. One moment they are in the laboratory, the next they are invisible ghosts standing around Owl as she was ten years earlier. She is in her home on her prayer mat facing the east. It was a comfortable home, small and poor, but well kept. She is thirteen a thin little thing that was more clothes than body, they drape off her frame like a coat hanger though it was not for lack of food. Owl was at that age when the body grows taller faster than it grows wider.



“Cova, come out here a moment.”



Her fathers voice. She finishes up her prayers and heads into the living room. Her mother was crying, her two little brothers were hiding behind her father and at the front entrance where two armed grinning men.



“This is she?” One asks.



“Yes.” He father says, he was an old man with kind sad eyes.



“She has the gift?”



“Yes.” He says lowly.



“Father? Who are them?” Owl, aka Cova asks sensing something was off.



“They are mercenaries Cova, they are going to give our family, more money than we could ever need. We’ll buy a bigger house, and have enough to send your two brothers to school. We can even afford your mothers surgery.”



“Oh! That’s wonderful!” Cova says her eyes bright like yellow Owls.



“It, is not free.” Her father cuts her off. “in return I am giving them something.”



“What?”



“You.”

Cova blinks. “Me, like as a servant?”

“I am sorry.” Her Fathers says turning away from her. “I won’t ask forgiveness just know your sacrifice won’t be for nothing.”

Her mothers crying turns to wails as the two men walks forward and take the stunned Cova by her wrist.

“Papa?” She asks staring at him standing there doing nothing while she is being dragged towards the door. “Papa? Papa help, Papa they’re taking me! Papa I, I don’t want to go!”

He does nothing, he simply turns his back and looks at his feet.

Owl realizes with horror her father was doing nothing and fights back as one who had no help. She spins pulling helplessly against the much stronger mercenary, pulling turns to kicking, then to biting and scratching, she fights like an animal possessed. But a swift blow to her cheek silences her struggles.

“I’ll hit you again if you don’t behave witch.” The man sneers bending down and glaring at her so close she can smell his tobacco stained breath, she hits him anyway, smacking him in the face with all her might. He just grins.

“I like this one. A warrior spirit she has.”

His partner shrugs. “Pity, you should have been born a man witch.”

They drag her to an armored vehicle parked outside and throw her into the back then pile in on either side of her, she fights every step of the way even as they take off she’s fighting to reach the door, trying to clamber over them, screaming for her papa to save her. Finally one of them grabs her throat squeezes until she becomes still.

The memory goes black and all they hear is Owls heart beats for several black, lonely minutes. None of them can speak, it is like they are drifting in the emptiest of space until suddenly light.

Cova was woken by a sudden dousing of cold water, then she’s dragged and thrown out of the van onto the rough desert sands. She looks up.

The moon is full, and the night is cold and un inviting, before them stands a man and a woman both wearing suites. Westerners from what she could tell. One of her capture’s steps forward.

“We got her, just like you asked. Now where is our payment?”

“Now, now let’s not be hasty, bring her to me.”

A man grabs her hand and drags her to the well-dressed westerner throwing her to his feet. He bends down and speaks in her own language.



“Show me, the gift.”

“What?”

“You can create dreams? Show it to me, don’t fear I won’t hurt you.”

Cova is trembling at this point confused and bewildered. The white man before her seemed at least nicer than her captures and she understood what he wanted.

She extends a hand and shows him her gift transporting his mind to an island paradise nestled in calm seas. The setting sun at his back, birds flying in the wind. He marvels at it.

“you made this?”

“yes.”

“with your mind?”

“yes, it is my gift. I help those who have, trauma by giving them good dreams.”

“A waste.” He says shaking his head, “you don’t know how much power you really have Olokun, no ordinary mind mage could create this.”

“My name is not Olokun…”

The man laughs. “You don’t know what your name is.” He snaps and they are back in the desert he looks at the mercenaries.

“You have served us well, the Mainiacles are pleased, she is indeed the one rumored.”

“The money.” They demand.

“Of course, of course just a moment how ever.” He turns to his assistant. “the needle please.”

His assistant a sciencey looking woman sets down a brief case and takes out a long syringe. The well-dressed white man looks back at Cova who was on her knees scared and confused.

“Now I’m going to draw some blood, it will hurt a little. But then you are free to go deal?” he reaches for her and she bats his hand away standing suddenly.

“Oh, come don’t be like that.” He reaches for her again and she backs away.

“You’re only going to make this difficult. Boys?” Her captures grab her wrists, she struggles but is easily overpowered and pinned to the ground, she screams but no one is there to hear.

“Now, we just need some blood.” The man says needle raised high, “just a little, hold her still!”

Mercilessly he stabs her in the arm with the thin white line diving deep and draws her blood, she cries out to her god, but even he is silent.



“There.” The man says standing. “That was much harder than it needed to be. Boys here is your payment.” He hands them another briefcase. “Make sure you pay her family the agreed amount, the rest is yours.”

“What about the girl?” his assistant asks. “She’s valuable could be a real asset in the dream world.”

The Maianicles agent looks down at Cova. “You see, the problem with recruiting supernatural beings is that, in the event you loose control of them, you’re fucked. Now with a mere vampire the risks are acceptable. But if this girl ever realizes just how powerful she is while in the dream world and then realizes she doesn’t need us, we’re really fucked. Look at her, she already shown a disagreeable nature, we can’t afford to take a mind mage into he dream with fight in them.”

He waves the syringe gently swirling Cova’s blood I it. “But a cloned mind mage? One who’s will is so utterly under our control she wouldn’t even think of turning on us? Well, it would be all the power of this girl with half the risk, and if one of them does turn, we just wait a year until it melts away. Problem solves it’s self. Man, really wished we did that with Rosevelt.”

His assistant nods. “So, just leave her?”

The mainacles agent looks up at the men currently pinning her. “I don’t need her anymore, do what you want with her. Come, we must get back to base.”

He dials a number and a helicopter descends from out of the night. “Good working with you men, we’ll call you when we need more people kidnapped.”

With out another look, the strange foreigners take off.

Owl at the time did not understand English so registered none of it, but revisiting the memory ten years later jogs her memory. So, that’s was he had said.

Cova’s captures let her up and stand around grinning over their money, until one of them glances at her and says.

“What do we do with the witch?”

“Sell her of course, she’s no use to us.”

“Oh…I can think of one use.” A man rises with a wolfish grin he stride towards her. They can hear Owls heart rate spike thumping louder and louder as the man get closer and closer.


I don’t want to watch this memory anymore.


He reaches for her hand and pulls her against his body.


Make it stop.

He forces her down though she fights every inch, plants his tobacco stained lips on her hers she screams.


Suddenly, they manifest in her memory. Kotsu, Denton joe and the others, they all appear right there in the middle of the desert.


The mercenaries all blink staring at the group that had just teleport in summoned by Blue owls subconscious mental panic.


The man currently penetrating Cova looks up stunned. “...Who the fuck?”

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu grabs the man on top of Owl by his throat and launches all four of his whips down into his mouth, forcing a garbled scream out of him before he's ripped into nothing but viscera over Cova, covering her completely in blood. Kotsu's eyes were black. "I told you I'd kill them if I had the chance." Kotsu glared at the other men with hungry eyes. Kotsu grabbed another one and started to slam his face into the ground, making him eat the fleshy remains of his ally that he just forced to explode. "You all can have the rest." Kotsu said to Denton, both Owl's, Joe, and the rest laughing crazily. "Or you can let me take them. I'll take them and make them eat each other. Monsters. ALL MONSTERS!"

 

[TheAdept]

"...Who the fuck?"

Without saying anything, Clayton simply snatches a guns from his holster and shoots each of the rest of the men, his quickdraw skills made even quicker by his vampire reflexes. He regretted not acting before Kotsu so he could blow the bastard's dick off, but Kotsu gave an a sufficiently violent end.

"I don't think I want anything to do with this fucking corporation anymore." Clayton said as smoke was still hanging in the air from the gunshots.

 

[KotaKotsu]

"You and me fucking both," Kotsu said as he proceeded to shove his hand through the current man's ass and through his pelvis before tearing upward with his whips. He ripped him in half and stomped on the halves until they were mush under his heels. Kotsu stared at both Owls. "Bring them back. They've got more eating to do." Kotsu's voice sounded like he had swallowed rocks and they were caught in his throat.

 

[Exzalia]

Bickles obliges, bringing all three of them back.

The men stand their blinking. "Who the fuck?"

 

[Freikugel]

DEATH DEATH DEATH DEATH DEATH
DEATH HAS BEEN ALLOWED
SENTENCE TO DEATH
OH HOW BLISSFUL DOOM TO OUR ENEMIES

Fizzy equipped both guns and begun to fire several rounds against his opponents. They didn't pose much threat, for a moment he considered wiser to use physical force on them to save bullets, but his leg was useless and ammo was practically limitless in this world.

Kotsu really went brutal.... I understand why yet still...

 

[KotaKotsu]

As Fizzy kills them, Kotsu demands Bickle brings them back again, and as he does, Kotsu grabs all three by their necks using his hands and one whip and forces them to start eating each other. He pries their mouths open with his whips and slams them down when they reach contact with each other, forcing them to swallow through their cries and pleads for mercy. "DID YOU GIVE HER MERCY? DID YOU GIVE HER A CHANCE?! SHE'S A LITTLE FUCKING GIRL!" Kotsu slams two of their skulls together, colliding his own hands together between gray matter and skull fragments and limp bodies fall from thing strings of flesh. The strings dangling from Kotsu's hands. He slams the other man down on the ground and forces his mouth open with both hands. He shovels in the remains using his whips until his stomach literally bursts. Kotsu rips off the man's still twitching skull and stares into the light fading from his eyes. "AGAIN!"

 

[Freikugel]

Kotsu's brutality was just too much to bear... guts, brain matter, liquid and blood spread everywhere, Fizzy who was used to the battlefield was disgusted.

This animal...

"Kotsu, I understand you're angry but look at her, look at the girls... You're scaring them even more you idiot!!"

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu turned to face Fizzy, covered in blood, tissue, brain matter, and other remnants from his carnage. His horns were no longer present, but his eyes were black, he now has three rows of teeth too big to close his mouth. He was shedding tears that cut through the blood on his face. He stared at the trembling Owls as he stared back at the skull in his hands. He tossed it to the side. His eyes went from black to his normal color. The tears kept flowing as he dropped to his knees next to the 13 year old Cova. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you..." His tears falling near her head.

 

[Kinggunlucky]

He really disliked not knowing things. He disliked child rape even more.

Denton cycled through the masks of comedy and tragedy several times now, but felt empty when he realized neither could full express how he was feeling. Disgust, shame, regret. All the nine yards of guilt.

Guilt that he should be part of group like Maniacles.

Kotsu's slaughter of the mercenaries was white noise as sat in silence. Yes sat. At some point during the slaughter. The coldness of the agent is what unsettled him the most. Denton knew the man of course, well had a passing association with him anyway. It wasn't right how he handled this. Buying the child wasn't so bad. Owl - or Cova was a hell of a resource. The cloning is part what stuck a craw in Denton.

One the cloning project would have been less developed at this time and failures were higher, two - even now the science branch hadn't figured out a way for magic to carry over into a clone, three - the agent left her. The girl could have easily been trained to be a well adjusted member or at least returned to her parents. Either way would have been a win.

In the event he took her the girl would have easily fallen in line eventually. A nurturing and caring hand can do wonders when it comes to instilling trust in a child. They are easily groomed. And thirteen is an impressionable age. Denton fully believed she, the real Cova, would have made a fine edition to their ranks.

On the opposite end, returing her to parents is a kindness. A nice thing to do. it also puts a small amount of good ideas out there about the organization. Good image. Maniacles betraying desert kidnappers and returning a lost child.

Nope, though.

That idiot agent had caused this.

The rape of child.

Denton's stomach turned.

"This was handled terrible" Denton said as he stood. "If I were anywhere this or put on a job like this I'd have done it much differently. This is extremely unprofessional work. I should make an appeal to Ward or another director. Not sure if it is considered viable to bring up a decade old job, though." He slipped off his jacket and laid it gently over Cova's shoulders, but continued talking, clearly not wanting to dwell on the worst parts of what happened in this memory. "Seriously. This was really badly done. Chancing his luck on the idea a clone of her may work out the same. Moron. The real person is always preferable even if the risk of compliance is higher."

 

[GamerCarrot]

Vivian stood there and watched in horror as she saw what was done to a poor defenceless child, she even had to turn away not wanting to watch anymore of this vile scene that played out before them. The only reason she turned back around was to see Kotsu and Fizzy unleash their own anger out on the men, she felt disgusted for having seen what had happened to Owl years ago and she honestly wished she could change it so that it had never happened. "Owl... I'm so sorry this happened to you." She turned and looked at the two Owls to see how they were handling this situation.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu shot up to Denton and was in his face within a second. "BADLY DONE?!" His eyes no longer completely red, but just his pupils with a piercing red gaze full of hatred and malice. "THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY TO THIS!?" Kotsu pulled back his punch so hard that his knuckles cracked, and swung past Denton's head. The force of his punch let out a harsh sound next to Denton's ear, which may force him to stagger. "JUST SHUT THE HELL UP FOR ONCE, DENTON." Kotsu was livid at this point and took deep breaths to calm down. "I want you to think about this real carefully. I'm gonna say it real slow for you." Kotsu inhaled, his veins popping out of his forehead and both of his eyes twitching at this point.

"Every mission that we've ever gone on, everytime we've actually felt like we were expendable, and everytime we had you, Morgan, Sam, Fritz, Quentin, the Joes and everyone else injured;" Kotsu counted on his hand with each name he listed and paused, taking another deep breath before continuing. "We have been nothing but a fucking pawn to this fucking organization that apparently CONDONES THIS BEHAVIOR!" Kotsu yelled at Denton's face. "And, the kicker? Heh." Kotsu let out a sour laugh at Denton. "YOU want to APPEAL this like it means something to them? WE'RE A FUCKING SMALL STATISTIC IN THE LARGER SCHEME OF THINGS, according to your own words, ain't that right, Denton?" When Kotsu quoted Denton on the 'larger scheme of things' part, Denton's own voice echoed with Kotsu's. "IF THIS WAS YOUR CHILD, WOULD YOU STILL MAKE YOUR FUCKING APPEAL OR WOULD YOU WAGE WAR!?" Kotsu's whole body was shaking like a leaf. It was clear that what he seen had shaken him pretty badly.

 

[TheAdept]

Clayton couldn't help but smirk at how Kotsu was behaving towards Denton. Maybe Kotsu was finally coming to his senses, though Kotsu seemed like a pretty smart guy.

"So now do we eat him?" He said cheerfully with his fangs showing once again. He didn't crave blood ravenously very often thanks to his habit, but here things were different. Not to mention he was planning to leave Maniacles upon seeing the labs, so they had lost his loyalty. Very little was standing between him and Denton's neck.

 

[mmarage]

The twins... watched all of this in absolute disgust. It... made their stomachs turn even more... as they realized that the clones that they had made... were but children. Kids were forced to suffer. It... felt different. They were supposed to be adults. Sure, young adults, but adults nonetheless. Adults could handle this situation better, they were at least mature enough to fully comprehend the situation and appreciate it. A thirteen year old kid...? No... not just a single thirteen year old kid. Several. Perhaps hundreds. Forced into this world, and then experimented on again... and again... and again. By uncaring researchers that would do whatever they could in the name of science... no... not just science. In the name of the Maniacles.

What had happened at the end... what Owl was forced to go through when she was but a child... what the Maniacles allowed happen to her. It sickened them beyond nothing else. This... this only further confirmed their beliefs of the organization. They were evil. Through and through. They didn't care about anything except power, control. They would destroy countless lives just to get what they want. They did nothing as they allowed Kotsu to mutilate their bodies. They... didn't look away from it. They couldn't. They wouldn't.

When Kotsu had finally calmed down and released the bodies of the kidnappers, while everyone was distracted. There was suddenly a loud shattering noise and a huge burst of flames as the bodies of the kidnappers were engulfed in flames. The scent of burning flesh and hair filled the air as their bodies slowly burnt away... until nothing but ash remained. The twins looked over at Clayton. "No. He didn't do this. He lives." They said in unison, their voices firm as they walked towards Denton.

"...Denton, how could you work for a corporation that could allow something like... like... this to happen?" 01 asked, gesturing towards the frightened 13 year old Owl and the charred remains.

"Do you think that they care? At all? Do you think that they don't know what atrocities that they've put us through? Do you think that they care about the pain and suffering of a bunch of clones? Do you really think that they'd care that some thirteen year old girl was hurt when they were willing to kill civilians to save their own image? They got what they wanted. They got Owl's DNA. They were able to clone her, to try and use her. They might have missed an opportunity, but that's it. That man, that Maniacles agent, he wouldn't have gotten more than a reprimand at best. He got what they wanted for their overall goal, and that's good enough for them." 02 said.

"Wake. Up." 01 said through gritted teeth, his fists tightly clenched. "Denton, do you think that they're going to stop once they achieve safety? Do you really think that's the end goal to all of this? You handed them access to the entire world's psyche. Do you not think that they won't try and somehow manipulate it? To try and gain control over everyone's thoughts? Look at what they put us through, Denton. They want an army of clones that have access to amazing powers. Think of what they could do with Owl if they manage to clone her and somehow tap into her magical ability, if they manage to wipe her memories, her personality, and only instill absolute obedience into her. They could enslave the entire world." 01 said.

"It's not too late to change, Denton. We believe in you." The twins said in unison. Again... for just a few moments, it sounded like another voice had joined in with their words. For a split second... it almost looked like a figure had been standing behind the twins.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu listened to the twins talk, and had seen the visage of a person behind them, he stared at Clayton and shifted his gaze to Denton. "No, the twins are right. That's why I couldn't hit him. Denton himself didn't do this. I don't think he would. Killing and... A fate worse than death are two different fields." Kotsu responded, still visibly shaking in anger and disgust. "The Maniacles and their agents are to blame for this behavior. I wanted to rework the Maniacles to make it better." Kotsu balled his fist and his nails pierced his flesh hard. "But if this is the true nature of the beast, then what else to do but sever the head?" Kotsu asked everyone. "The Maniacles as a corporation couldn't care less about a problem like this. They'll reprimand the agent, maybe at worse execute him. What's that gonna solve, Denton? The deed will still have been done." Kotsu's red eyes still glaring at the ashes littering the ground. "I swear that as a vampire, I have more of a soul than half of the humans we encounter if not more." Kotsu stared back at Fritz. "You still wanna suck the Maniacles dick too?"

Kinggunlucky Freikugel