WW - The New World

Marco raised an eyebrow at alec


"if your pointing that at me, then i guess you think i'm meido.. if so, go ahead and shoot"


he loked into her eyes and waited for her to lower her weapon


"Damn this Meido is a slippery one, i burn her eyes out, a boil her blood, i tear her skin off, she just keeps coming back, and even though she screams like the pig she is, she's always laughing.. well come on then"


he walked ahead of Alec, keeping a close eye on the surroundings.
 
Sighing in relief, she shook her head as she stood. Walking a little behind him, she nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess so..." She inwardly cringed a bit at how cruel Marco really could be, but hid that fact."Where is she now...?"
 
"running, hiding, scheming... she's not far, even after taking a beating like that, she's really not the type to just give up and run, i know her type, she's a masochist, probably a sado-masochist, she likes the pain"


they got near a cross-section of the corridors


"huh... which way do you think, Alec?"
 
Stopping behind him, she lifted her hand, the bullet spell still rotating. Staring at him, she tched.
 
Marco tilted his head


"ALec... what the hell are you doing?"


his eyes became wide, and a grin spread across his face, like a cerial killer with a fresh victim.


"or is it Meido?"
 
Alec sighed, staring at him. There where two ways this could go, all ending nearly the same. Someone was going to get hurt. The bullet spun in the air, taking in a charge and growing in strength. As he turned his head to look at her, she fired. It missed by a mere millimeter.


"What do you think your doing, Alec?" He turned fully and stared at her. Pulling up another spell, she grinned.


"Got you." Firing again, it nailed Marco straight in the forehead, and as he fell back, black smoke fell from the skin, turning the flesh back into Meido. Twisting mid air, Meido launched a ball of purple lightning at Alec, only to get more bullets into her flesh.


"Die." She screeched, twisting an arm into a grotesque skeletal form and nailing Alec across the face with it, successfully blinding her only good eye. Left in darkness with pain, Alec tried to hold firm and level. Firing more magic bullets, she could hear some missing and some not.


With a laugh of glee, Meido's arm suddenly reached out and grabbed a hold of Alec by the throat. Literally throwing her against the wall she pressed down, her other hand transforming into a blade. Setting it at the base of her throat, she grinned pressing her mouth near Alec's ear. "From throat to naval you will bleed, and I'll deliver you to his feet, giving him the guilt of your death, and the shame of having to bring you back to your children and husband." Pressing down, still keeping her choking grasp, she began to cut into the medic's flesh.
 
As Meido cut, Marco appeared behind them, looking at Meido


"Meido, i've been kicking your ass so far, but if you draw one drop of Alec's blood, i swear i'll show a pain beyond what you can get off to!"


he summoned a knife into his hand.


"you think my flames hurt, then you have no grasp on the concept of true pain!"


his knuckles became white, instantly he flickered from vision, and Meido's knife-hand came clean off, followed by Meido's choking-hand


"too slow"


his hand was placed on Meido's belly and he blasted her back
 
Meido flew backwards into the wall, going through it and landing on the other side. Leaning forward she looked down at her hands which were slowly reforming. This wasn't good. Looking through the whole towards Marco, she started to sputter, before lightning started crashing down around her, creating the almost perfect magic barrier from him, and his spells.


As the hands fell away, Alec slid down the wall. The pain in her now second ruined eye not dulling as it mixed in with the pain on her neck.
 
seeing her clam against the wall, he didnt smile, he watched as the barrier went up


"good, your not finished... oh and dont try and run, thats a dead end down there"


he kneeled down and placed a hand on Alec


"hold on... young transfer... activate!"


instantly, his neck cracked and a cut appeared around his neck, as Alec's neck snapped back into place and the wound stitched itself up, and Marco's eye began bleeding as her good one fixed itself as well


he turned to her with the bleeding eye, it was soon swallowed up by a black energy and re-emerged healed, but with marks still on the eyeball.


"feeling better?"
 
"I...don't know..." Alec said softly, staring up at him before a screech made her look past him. Meido was raging. With black smoke pouring off of her in sheets the lightning cracked down faster with more power, spreading out towards them.


"How dare you!" She hissed, feral eyes locked onto Marco as her skin started to bubble. As smoke consumed her completely, a loud shrill war cry was let out, and suddenly, her energy signature was gone. But, just as soon as it disappeared, Meido reformed next to Marco, vibrating with sheer power, striking at him and disappearing over and over, the whole time her lightning and smoke storm increasing in range.
 
with every strike, there was a loud "crack" as she wounded him, but not once did he scream, not once did he grunt, it wass like hitting a dummy, but of course he spoke


"oh i see the great and mighty Meido has snapped, wat yo lose your cool, meido!"


his vision was blocked by the smoke, but he still didnt panic, in fact he began scanning the area as he was struck.


"and... NOW!"


his arm shot out, grabbing Meido by the neck as she tried to dar around, and he burned her again and again, 5 times scorching her insides, before letting her go again afte rhis wounds had healed


"HA HA HA HA! this is great! i just payes attention to the smoke as you moved it around while you ran! and next..."


she struck him again, he darted around with his arm on her hand, his other arm jabbed out, poking 2 huge holes in each of her eyes before letting her go again.


"oh this is so much FIN! i havent had prey that really fought back in years! again! again!"


he summoned a sword, and stung it ina complex and lighting fast pattern, soon Meido's legs came flying off and she was on the ground again


"come on! stand up! regenerate yourself monster!"
 
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck Marco directly. Meido grinned, as her flesh bubbled and melted away to nothing. From the puddle left, it started to stretch, grow, and mutate. Soon, a form in a black shroud appeared, holding a blade. The hood fell from it's face showing the pitch black eyes, pale skin, and white hair of none other than one such Leslie Fitz.


"Marco..." She cooed softly, holding a hand out towards him, as tears filled his eyes. "Please....stop."
 
Marco whistled


"wow thats a nice representation of Leslie, i gotta hand it to ya Meido, you've got a knack for transforming, too bad all you've done is add fuel to your funeral pyre!"


again he struck, this time he spat acid at her, covering the fake leslie with acids which instantly began to scorch through her flesh, through her eyes, and into her body, burning her insides, the pain would be unimaginable.


"I've met those like you Meido, you know my fears, but you keep forgetting one thing, i know where i am, and i know what you can do! i haven't forgotten the spiders before or you pretending to be Joseph, your illusions mean nothing to me, because i know they're illusions!"


he turned to the puddle of goo and spat acid at that as well, the acid began to eat away at the goo on the floor.
 
Meido screeched, as her form shifted back, holding her face as her body failed to regenerate fast enough. As she was eaten away by the acid, a glow came from inside her chest and remained until she was completely gone. Falling to the ground in her place, was a small purple and black crystal with barely a source of energy left in in the form of an echo of a scream.
 
Marco sighed heavily, his body still cracking as it repaired the wounds from before


"that should do it..."


he fell onto his back panting, not hurt, just damn exhausted


"damn she took a punishment... dont worry about me, i'm just... phew!"


he pointed roughly to the crystal


"all yours Alec..."


after hse picked it up


"Alec, you're a damn...damn... damn, damn, damn IDIOT!"


he jolted back up


"you let it take over, Alec, you drew too much on it's power, and for what? so you could kill the remnants of the council? well bloody done, you succeeded in that!"


he stood back up again, and went face-to-face with Alec


"Meido is yours again, but let me tell you thins only once Alec, if it takes control again, i mean if it EVER even influences you in the slightest one more time, i'll take your magic, every last drop of id and i'll leave you as a half-blind albino in the middle of nowhere, and if it somes to that, and you resist in the slightest you die.."


he snapped his fingers


"just like that, you understand me?!"
 
Listening to him speak, Alec knew he was correct, and simply bowed her head. "Then take it now." She said softly when he was done. "Hell, it's already sealed so you don't even have to search for it." She continued, eyes glossing over as she fought tears. " I mean...I'm only going to screw up again...and I was only trying to be like you three, so I didn't have to rely on you......but, I suppose it would be better for everyone....if I just stopped completely." Pressing a hand to her chest, she pulled out a ball of energy and held it out towards him.
 
Marco held the magic ball in his hand, but he didnt let it lose it's connection with Alec, in fact he slammed it back into her violently, by shoving it down her throat along with most of his fist, forcing her to throw up.


after she was done puking her, Marco kicked her, sending her sprawling up against the wall


"... get up, yuo pathetic MONGREL!"


after she did, Marco held her by the neck and lifted her up


"so thats it is it!? some bad happenings, you **** upp and thats it!? thats just like you alec, you always give up! this would never have ahppened if you actually improved your magic like everyone else, who you rely on did, if you actually took some time to harness your power, instead of relying on a demon to control it for you none of this would have hapenned!"


he threw her against the other side of the corridor


"now, when we wake up, i'm taking you to a Legion training facility, your kids will be taken care of, this is NOT a negotiation Alec..."


soon he casted another spell.


Alec would wake to find all her wounds gone, and marco nearby fixing up the last bit of his jaw


"good your awake"


he opened a portal and streched his ar out, grabbing her by the neck, like a leash


"get in..."


the portal, he was reffering to.
 
The second they were back in the real world, as his hand touched her throat, Alec growled. Setting her hand over his, she yanked it off. "You. Don't. Know. Anything." She sneered at him, completely disappearing before he could stop her into a place only she could get into. Settling down into the blind realm, she nearly burst into tears.


After all her countless years of self training, pushing herself till she was running on dry, driving herself into the ground with practice,even putting herself in a system of body guards to be able to fight like them, she was still considered an unimproved..mongrel? She was the only one that had given up her main source of power as a child, and trying to take it back made her an idiot? The fact she had tried for such a long time, giving up anything that could give her an advantage just so she could help them get better, and she was the one at fault?


Staring into the darkness, she realized how worthless she really was. The sole reason they kept her was because she was good with a needle and thread, and that she was loyal, and she'd accpeted that a long time ago. But this? This was too much. For him to say what he had, that she had not tried just as hard as them to be in control, that she had a demon handle her powers, when the last time she held that power was when she was ten and at their first year in school?


Her blood boiled in anger and frustration, all aimed at herself. She was not giving up, merely taking a precaution to avoid what she knew would happen in the long run. And clearly, even if she destroyed all her power right then and there, he would still find a way to say that it was just her, and her alone being stupid that ruined things. Taking in a sharp breath, she pulled onto the world to shift into it's light. Settling herself down in the ruins of what remained, she stared at the blood water running through a fountain.It was time.


Drawing in a slow breath, she let out one single word to echo in the silence. One word to call forth the very thing she was afraid of most in this world. One that had not only given Vent a run for his money, but had alluded Marco, and had even terrified her mother when she was alive. The one word that had created such a wave of power in it's wake, and had avoided even death.


"Zaria."


To stand against the demon that even Vent failed to kill, she would prove him wrong. A second presence swelled within her sanctuary, as if the name had given him a passage way directly to her. Her face set into a grim line as his foot steps grew louder.


"Yes, my love?" He spoke softly, eyes locked onto the albino in front of him. As she turned and met eyes, he, a demon of emotion who was never surprised by mere humans, was scared. There, in the woman he had tried to corrupt so long ago, who was once so full of a spit fire that even he couldn't dim, was emptyness. She was a walking corpse void of everything, and as she stood, his worry grew.


She had nothing to lose. Not anymore, as it stood. Which made her untouchable to any of the tricks he had used on her before. For once in his five hundred year long life, he thought of actually dying. After all he had done, and knowing his intent to kill her, to make her suffer, he was completely unprepared for what happened next.


"Teach me." She said softly, a near whisper of a voice that seemed to have power in it as if she had screamed. Standing in front of him, he could have sworn that she was mocking him. The only reason he even took her seriously, was because of her eyes. They were just blank, and lifeless, without even a shine to them, not even a hint of joking in them, just pure seriousness.


"You know I just want to destroy you, correct?" He asked, still keeping the soft voice as he walked around her. Nothing about her seemed normal anymore, around him she was always tense, as if ready to run, and now? She was just neutral.


"I know."And for some strange reason, he felt compelled to say yes. Raising an arm, he brought it down, and she avoided it with ease. The two continued on like that for hours, a simple, try to hit me, try to avoid it, drill, neither growing tired. As counter strikes where thrown into the mix, their speed increased, and no longer did they even speak, just let themselves move through the motions of trying to injure the other.


Word count: 828
 
A heart beats. There is blackness. Another beat,and a steady beep. It repeats. Things begin to come into view...Shapes. Ones that cannot be identified. Surrounded by shades of white. The beeping is recognisable now. An electrocardiograph. A hospital? A memory. An explosion,a figure slamming into a wall. Blackness. Right...I blew up...How'd I survive? The ECG sped up a touch. Voices began to chatter excitedly. They were indistinct,but not english. Italian? French...? Deutch...Maybe...German?


He began to hear clearly. "He's reacting to outside stimuli!" He...Understood. Yet they spoke german. Steven groaned,and brought his left hand,his prosthetic hand,to his face...The arm was different. "What the...?" The ECG began to accelerate. "He saw the arm! It's too much! He's going into cardiac arrest! Sedate him! NOW!" A beep. The sound of a pressurized piston firing off. His vision suddenly lost focus. No...What else changed!? Focus sharpened,by sheer force of will. "It's not working!" "Give him another dose! Now!" The ECG was almost a constant tone,by now. More hypodermic plunges. His focus was lost,again. No! What have they changed!? Then,everything began to fade. "That was close! We could've lost him! I told you your estimates were off! Run the numbers again!"


Then,blackness. Steven saw nothing,except the arm,and the ceiling. What else!?


~~~


The beeping again. The voices were nearer,this time. Steven's eyes opened. Slowly. Things came into focus slowly,but he saw a human head looming over him. The head retreated,and he regained focus. He looked around. He was surrounded by doctors. The ECG sped up a touch. He looked at his left arm,again. It was very different. It used to be simple. A mundane prosthetic arm. Now,it looked almost robotic. Black,sleek,the joints looked organic,but were obviously synthetic. He looked at his right arm. Elbow and below,the same story. Above the elbow,metal reinforcements connected to it. Then he realized...He felt empty...Yet he could precieve depth. The ECG sped up another notch.


"What did you do to me?" One of the doctors,a woman,replied. "We rebuilt you. That Nightrise Agent's suicide blast done trumendous damage. It's a wonder you survived at all." "I need a mirror."


After a moment,the doctors handed Steven a mirror. He examined his face. Both eyes had a black scalera. No irises. No pupil. Instead,what appeared to be glowing blue LED's. along his temples were more metalic pieces,apparently reinforcing his head,and ditto for his jaw. He held his empty hand out for a second mirror. When he recieved it,he checked the back of his head. Almost a solid plate. "How long was I out?" Steven handed back the mirrors.


(OOC: Betts,you have the doctors from now on,until Steven gets out.)
 
Marco gritted his teeth as she warped away


"stupid girl... thats it, now i give up on you too"


if he knew she was running to Zaria of all people for help, he would have killed her himself.


his phone rang, there was a heavy german accent on the other end


"Herr Highland, he iz regaining conciousness"


"good, i'll be there soon"


Marco teleported to the safehouse, he sat in the corner of the room while Steven lay there withhis prosthetic arms


"how long was i out" was almost like Marco's que, he walked up in between the 2 doctors.


"about a month, take it easy, Steven, your body sn't used to all the modifications, the doctors here tried to patch you up but... you were missing half your body, Steven, you actually died for about 5 hours, they had to keep your brain preserved in a jawr while they worked on you inner-skull, its amazing you are even alive... of course the brain was the biggest thing we could save, most of your organs, and almost your entire skeleton is gone, including your spine, heart and lungs, all have been replaced with machinery"


The doctor took over


"Herr Steven, while examining your brain we found several chemical imballances, possibly the cause for your outbursts, so, we have implanted several nanites in your brain to fix this, you may still have outbursts in times of extreme stress, but in everyday life you should be alright"


the doctors went back to their business, one of the doctors began working on Steven's right big toe, it was robotic too.


Marco sat on the bed beside Steven


"i'm not angry about... what happened with us, i know that wasn't really "you""
 
Their motions by this point were a blur if anyone had been watching, and the two were far from finished. Clashing together before pushing apart. Zaria held up one arm as if to signal a time out. Alec just stared at him.


"Why are you doing this, love? Torturing yourself and wearing yourself down, in front of the man who would like nothing better than to rip you apart piece by piece..."


He received no reply, and shook his head. Fine be it, he thought, though he took no joy in this. If he couldn't feed on her easy to read emotions, there never was any fun to be had. Cracking his hands back, power built up and he threw spells at her of all natures. Avoiding them narrowly, Alec moved through the space separating them, right hand glowing. And off the two went again, furiously, at least on one side, throwing spells at each other, each gaining more and more strength as the time went on.
 
Steven jumped slightly at Marco's entrance,but noticed who it was. Before,I would've tried to gut him on the spot... "A month? Five hours dead? I'm surprised. I was expecting something like two years. Thanks." Then the doctor explained to him about the root of his madness. "That would explain why I'm not trying to kill everyone...Thanks." He looked at his right arm. Steven sighed. "I'll never be able to feel again...To know that the world around me is a solid thing..."


"No glands,replaced by tech. No organs,replaced by tech. No bones,replaced by tech." Steven sighed again. "No soul. Replaced by tech."
 
"yep no feeling alright..."


he picked up a pin and poked Steven's finger, he felt it! it punctured the "flesh" on his arms and he felt the pain


"OH! what was that?"


he smiled


"Steven, its not your body that makes us human, its this"


he poked Steven on the head


"look at me, my body is anything BUT human, but my brain is still like anyone else's, just like you buddy"


he smiled again


"the robotic parts are all connected to nerves, and we've implanted some patches of artificial skin, it'll grow, get hairy and more, just like real skin, in about a year, the only difference will be that you can't sweat or bleed"


a nurse bought in a tray of food, it was all liquids and jelly.


"Lunch Mr Steven, no solids, you're body can;t handle them for at least a week"
 
Steven smirked. "Indeed,it seems. How long until I'm running hot? And is there any platinum here?" When the nurse brought the tray,Steven nodded,and said, "Thank you." He taken a sip of one item. "Salami sandwich shake? That'll take some getting used to..." He gulped back the rest of the shake,set down the cup,and went "Bleargh..." He wiped his mouth,and said, "So,Nightrise is back. I want at them,ASAP. They've killed hundreds of children to get to me. An eye for an eye;I plan to collect,with interest."
 
Crashing together, spells connecting, the two locked eyes once more, after days in the blind realm*. As their time slowed down, the strength of their spells grew as they bounced off each other. Taking a chance, he shot out his hand and struck her side, drawing the first blood.


Not even blinking at the pain, Alec deflected her spell, and twisted herself, bringing her elbow directly into the side of his face before he even had time to pull his hand away. The crack of his nose breaking was good enough retort for her side.


Boosting the power of her fist, she cracked him against his face again at the same time he did her. Falling back from each other, he grinned. This was suddenly a lot more interesting. Licking blood from his lips, he created a wave of despair and flooded the area with it. Nothing. He did the same, running through various emotions, and by the time he got to love, he was near terrified. Nothing had worked, as it hadn't for the all the time lapsed here, and everything as he expected was true, the girl had finally cracked beyond fixing.


Suddenly, she was gone, and a warmth filled him. As everything began to grow lighter, he felt like nothing could touch him. It wasn't until he looked down, that he realized every part of his body was imbolized.


She reformed in front of him, a hand level with his forehead. He realized then, everything she had been doing.


"Goodbye, Zaria." She whispered, before turning and walking away from the mess the river was cleaning. With specs of black over her, she dimmed the lights on her world, and let the creatures of it finish what the water couldn't. Stepping through a portal into the real world, the time lapsed in hers faded away into a measly few hours.


(* Time in the Blind Realm can progress days, months, and years ahead of it in the 'real' world, or go by slower than a whole weak to one minute. )
 

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