Android XL64 . . . Our last Sanctuary . . . Plot: The world has been completely eroded by wind and water, destroyed by pollution. Nothing remains but endless black sands that reach from ocean to ocean -their waters a ghostly white and reeking of death and decay. What few civilizations remain are pockmarked and scattered, and make completely out of metal. Children are abandoned at birth to be raised at cramped, prison-like orphanages, and when they are eighteen, are taken to the cities where they will work the rest of their days like their parents in making new androids or equipment for future generations. All of it is controlled by the Council, the leaders of the five squadrons of the world. They put down any rebellions with brutal force, and do not tolerate even the slightest hint that something may not be under their complete and utter control. You will be an orphan child, having been raised at an orphanage in Sector Three. From an early age you have had to fight for food and your mere survival, as there are too many kids, and not enough food to go around. The conditions are awful. The roofs have not been repaired in ages, and the blankets are too thin, forcing everyone to huddle together for warmth each night. Each time another night passes, one more child does not wake up -lost to starvation or exposure. The only way they can keep track of you all is through a number/letter system. Each child has a series of letters and numbers on their forearm. But not all hope is lost. Some are whispering that Number XL64 -or Mikey as she is known- is coming to break them out. Famous for escaping into the desert when she was little, Mikey is the epitome of a resistance movement among the children. The Council, thankfully, does not take it very seriously, otherwise the rumors of her having broken out many other such children would have immediately been silenced. Tonight you will be freed, but there are many obstacles in your way, and then even more dangers to come should you brave the black desert. The first of which would be the android guards -known as Scrappers- who will shred any child who tries to pass the boundary line of the orphanage. Second of all would be the desert itself, with its poisonous, mutated snakes, lizards, and spiders. Some have even grown so large that they could swallow a bus whole. These are known as the Sand Worms. But despite all this, you must either go or stay. Which will you choose? Rules: -Please do not control other Player's Characters. -No harassing anyone OOC. In character, you can be as much of a jerk as you'd like, just keep it from becoming personal to the writer. -No God-Moding. That means no instantly successful hits. I don't mind it if you add a little combat, say, having you block and then you send a small attack that is blocked in turn, but your true attack must be left for me to decide if it succeeds. -Keep your health posted in bold along with your name so I can keep track of information much more smoothly. Skills: There are two skill types: Thieving and Mechanics. Thieves: In order to survive out in the desert, you will have to be good at sneaking food and scrap metal from the dumps -also known as Heaps- out in the desert which are guarded by Scrappers. You are fast and light, and can handle most objects as weapons should the need arise. Example: a blunt rock or sharp scrap of metal. You can also tap into the amber's powers more easily than the Mechs. Mechanics: Mechanics, unlike Thieves, are good at building well-camouflaged hide-outs under the sand or making small robots to assist Thieves. The one catch is that in order to bring your robot to life is that you must use a bead of amber to power it, and that is produced only by the last tree in existence -a tall sapling that those who hold it guard with their lives. Depending on how large the amber is, the more powerful your robot. If you should make one, PM me about it and I will discuss the abilities of said robot. Character Creation: Name: Age: (5-18) Gender: Number: Appearance: Personality: History: Skill: (Thieving/Mechanics) Other:
"Mikey . . . . Mikey!" The girl jumped and banged her head against the propeller she had been repairing, and groaned as she dropped the wrench with a clatter. "Tobe, do you really have to do that?" "Sorry M.K, but . . . are you sure you want to do this? What if-" "I know what can happen, and it won't." she said sharply, making the small boy flinch. She slid out from under the hover bike and sat up, dusting herself off and then meeting the kid's gaze fully. The her steel-grey eyes softened. "Tobe, I'm sorry. It's just that . . ." "I know." he muttered, looking around them at the scrap-metal walls and cement floor of the "garage" deep beneath the sands of the desert. Mikey stood and walked over to him, pulling the near-toddler into an embrace. He was a tiny kid, with mussed up black hair and huge brown eyes. "But I've got to do this. I may not be able to get them all out at once, but I promised I would try." Turning to the hover bike, she kicked it and the metal contraption started up with a loud bang, the four propellers whirring and sending it two feet into the air. A slight smile came to her face, and she rubbed Tobe's head before clambering onto the bike. Pulling on a rope above her head, a large steel door opened up to the blistering sun and screaming wind of the black desert. "I'll be back. I promise." she called, then revved the bike and zoomed out towards the horizon as the door closed behind her, hiding Sanctuary once more.
The thick, misty clouds of steam clogged his throat and the machinery relentlessly drummed in his ears. The clattering of turning cogwheels, the scent of filth and decay, the stinging and scraping of the black sand battered against his senses. From underneath his dark brown hair he gazed into the factory. Drones hummed about, keeping everyone in check. Evan wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and returned to work. 'Walking the mill' they called it, with his feet he pushed against the large, splintered plate, forcing the wheel in front of him to turn and present him with another one. Evan ignored the yearning of his legs for respite and walked the mill, grinding some unknown substance or perhaps doing nothing at all. After all, the machines seemed more than capable of labour themselves and Evan had often contemplated that the children being kept here weren´t doing anything useful at all. He closed his eyes and perked his ears. He could hear the low humming of the droids, the rhytmic shuffling of a thousand feet, kicking against wheels, forcing them to rattle into motion. To him, it sounded like a rhytmic symphony. His nose cut out the stench, his feet reduced the pain and the hammer-and-anvil noises of the factory faded into the background. He could hear them, his parents. The tinkling of a wind chime, the soothing laughter of his mother and father, the smiles upon their faces when he had arrived into the world. He lingered in the memory, unaware that he'd come to a halt. With a smack his forehead landed on the coarse, black sand soil. Sparks buzzing through the fibres of his body, his frame convulsing slightly. He forced his eyes open, though he knew all too well what had happened. "Work" the droid commanded in its usual, monotonous voice. The electric rod in it's mechanical arms still crackling with static electricity. Evan scrambled to his feet and lifted himself on to the wheel. He gripped his hands tightly on the rail that was position above the wheel. To his relief, the drone zapped off as soon as he started to work the mill again. He sighed, there was a small crack in the wall in front of him, through it he could see the outside world. An ocean of black sand. He wondered if there was anything else, a place where his parents could be. A home.
Twila A cold, tiny body lay in the hard bed beside Twila. She sat up and looked into the face of the 4 year old beside her. The little girl was dead. Yet another to succumb to the elements in this horrid orphanage. Twila had done what she could to make sure Dana survived here, but from the first moment they had met...Twila knew that Dana likely wasn't strong enough to survive the year. The worst part; death was such a regular occurrence here that she felt only the tiniest pain of sadness. In many ways, Twila felt that perhaps, Dana was the lucky one. Passing on before ever experiencing true horrible pain. She lifted the tiny body easily and took it to the gate of the orphanage. The Scrappers, metal robots which took care of the place, would dispose of the body as they always did. And the rest of them would carry on and scrounge to survive, as they always did. It was the way of life. If you could call it life.
Evan & Twila Evan limped towards his bed, his feet were sore and his eyes felt heavy. But even then, he could hear the soft, light-footed shuffling of feet. He glanced over his shoulder. A red haired girl was carrying a corpse. A little one, again. It seemed that the smallest went first, lack of physical strenght but mostly lack of care seperated them from the living. He had seen the red-haired girl around before, carrying others to their graves. She seemed to be one of the few willing, and able, to care about others at all. Evan had always hoped that the children would be friends and rebel. But instead, they'd all splintered into small groups, remainders of families, brothers and sisters, sometimes cousins. And it was every group for itself here, save for the odd kindness shown here and there, mostly at unceremonial burials like these. He could hear the metalic clattering of the scrapers and saw the red-haired girl return, empty-handed. He tightened his green neckerchief, though torn piece of green cloth would've been equally descriptive, and approached the girl, his heartbeat raising. "How old?" he asked, his voice soft, and slightly broken, through lack of use. "Four, I think." Twila replied vacantly. The boy looked to be only about a year younger than her. She brushed her red hair out of her eyes. It was knotted and matted as she hadn't had a chance to brush it out with her fingers yet. "Dana was lucky. She didn't suffer much." Evan nearly tripped over his own feet, partially because he was as tired as anyone, and partially because the girl had actually replied to him. "I am sorry" he said. He stared at the ground for a few moments -gods, he hated the sand- then looked back up. "Did you, was she family of yours?" he inquired. "No. I was just trying to help her...keep her warm. But it didn't work. It never seems to work." Twila hung her head. "But why are we talking about the dead? They're gone. I'm Twila." "Oh" Evan said, caught off guard by Twila's rather blunt introduction. "Evan" he said, offering his hand. It felt good to talk to someone, even if that someone sounded like there was no hope for anyone. His free hand found it's way into his hair and he scratched his head, trying to save himself from the rapidly approaching awkward silence. "Do you have any family?" he asked. His cheeks reddened somewhat, it was a pointless question really. Everyone had family, even here there were few like him without brothers, sisters, cousins even. He was truly alone, or had been, until now. "Yes. I have an identical twin. Dawn. Do you have family?" She said all this with hardly any emotion. She found it was easier to survive in this place if one wasn't overly happy or sad. Evan smiled upon hearing that Twila still had some family left. "I am happy to hear you aren't completely alone" he said. His smile faded and was substituted with a deep, dreamy frown. "I don't have any family here" he said carefully "but I think my parents are somewhere out there, waiting for me." he said. His eyes darted off to the metal-sheet roof. The darkening clouds above them rumbled, like hungry giants, ready to shower their meal with the herbs of nature, rain and lightning. Evan clicked his tongue they had already passed his bed, or lump of ragged, colorless linnen depending on how you looked at it. "I've heard that XL64 is coming, she might even be here tonight, to get us out." he said, his voice soft, lower than a drifting grain of sand. "I will go" he said, trying not to sound scared. "This might be our, I mean, my only chance, if it's just you and your brother, you could come to." "XL64 is just a fairytale to tell the toddlers at night so they stop crying. She isn't real. Don't get your hopes up. It's not worth the pain." Evan froze on the spot. She was kidding, she had to be joking. Evan had been waiting for months, weeks, days and now mere hours. The frail sense of friendship that Evan had felt for the girl just moments ago snapped. He wondered who was the fool here. Perhaps she was right, perhaps it was just another lie, poured into their heads, make-believe to keep them from dying by the dozens. To stop them from killing themselves. "She'll come" Evan whispered, more to himself than Twila. He stood perfectly still, he gazed directly at Twila "She'll come" he repeated before turning around and hurrying off to bed. For once he didn't shiver underneath the thin blankets. For once he was happy to be wide-awake and unable to sleep. He knew XL64 would come, and when she would, he'd be ready. I'll hear her.
Hours passed, and the sun slowly began its descent in the sky as Mikey rode at full speed across the desert, sweat pouring down her back as her exposed fingers burned from strain. But she was used to this -she had had to get used to it in order to survive out here. Looking down and tapping the sphere of amber in the center of the steering bars, Mikey smiled a bit as it flickered in response. It was a small bead -but each one had limitless energy depending on who used it. The larger the gem, the more powerful blasts of energy it could produce at one time. I promise, Kyle. I'll find you. I'll get everyone out like we promised them. One day . . . she thought, squinting at the sun as its last rays flared in a rebellious explosion of blindingly white light. Then it was gone. Pulling the hover bike to a rumbling halt at the top of a dune, midnight-black sand billowing around her, she looked upon the squat, black building and the glowing eyes of the Scrappers guarding it. Her lip curled in hatred, and her nostrils flared as she took in the stench of rot and decay. Pain and suffering. She may not be able to get them all out, but just a few would be enough. A few more, and they would help her get the next load. The numbers would slowly grow until she could break every single child out of that hell-hole and free them. Now, she just had to prepare.
At this time . . . In another Place . . . Blood dripped to the cement floor with a faint plink. "Tell me where she is, XL59, or I shall have to punish you." a voice said softly, "And you know how I don't like to do that. Why don't you just make things easier on yourself huh? I could make you my personal servant." Pitch-black eyes opened and glared at their captor. "No." The Sector Leader snorted and stepped back at the boy's defiance, anger flashing across his pudgy face. "No? Well, I guess it's back to confinement for you! Guards! Take him back to his cell!" The boy straightened against the wall, his gaze never leaving that of Number 3's. Blood dribbled down his chin, and bruises stood out on his bare arms and stomach. Nothing but battered, torn jeans covered him, the dark stains speaking out what need not be said: that he had been here a long time. As the Scrappers came forward and grabbed his cuffs from where he had been hooked to the wall, a faint smile came to his face and his eyes flashed. "You will never break me. I made a promise, and She's keeping her end of it. Just you wait!" he spat, then was dragged away and an iron door slammed shut.
Evan Trotterlay Evan drummed his fingers against his thigh in almost perfect, rhytmic silence. He didn't need to hit his skin to hear the drums, he didn't need to see the endless sea of desertsand to heart the rustling tones. A dry desert wind whistled gently through the many nooks and crannies that were punctured into the building. A low, throbbing hum entered his inner auditorium. He opened his eyes, the darkness before his eyes swirled around him like a suffocating fog. It dissipated as his eyes got used to the dark. In the distance there was a shimmer, hovering just above the sand. Evan could barely contain his excitement, covering his mouth with his hands. She is here! He kept his eye steady on the approaching dot, his heartbeat quadrupling in speed. He could taste the shifting of the wind, as if someone had taken the breath out of the air. Everything was about to change, for good. He kept his eye firmly on the lone speck, he wasn't going to miss his chance.
Mikey stared at the orphanage, eyes narrowing. Now. If she could just signal one of the kids inside without alerting the Scrappers . . . Reaching behind her, she flicked a small light on and raised it above her head. Click. Click. Click. Three flashes. Please let someone know I am here. Three blobs of light hit his eyes. Evan jumped to his feet, she was signalling him! His thoughts began to buzz, there had to be something he could do to let her know he was there. He could slam against the metal sheet plates but that would rouse the scrapers. A rock, he could pick up a rock and throw it at her, but how? The small spaces between the metal plates wasn't enough for him to reach through and throw. The wind started to pick up, blizzards raced through his mind. Please don't go, please don't go! Then, he knew it. He couldn't make a sound, he couldn't turn on a light, all these things would no doubt wake up everyone. But he could... He untied his neckerchief, stretched out his hand through a crevice in the metal-sheet wall and let go of it. He just hoped the wind wouldn't turn and that his neckerchief would fly straight towards his savior. Mikey paused as something moved. A hand jamming itself out of the metal. Jumping off her hover bike, she caught the scrap of cloth before it could get blown away. Yes! Someone had noticed! Running back to the hover bike, she pressed the palm of her hand to the amber and gritted her teeth as confusing images flooded her mind. She had to contact Einstein and let him know what had transpired. That she was ready to break them out. M.K? Yes. Stein, how far along is the Android? Not far enough. The amber is still growing: it's nearly a foot in diameter. Shouldn't be long now. Good. I'm going in. If I don't make it . . . You'll make it Mikey. You said you would. Now go get them! The girl pulled her hand off of the amber and blinked several times as her mind focused once again on the desert around her, and not the white-haired boy who had been in the workshop back at Sanctuary. It was nearly finished, the project they had been working on since the beginning. Android XL64 -named after her- would awaken soon. Revving the engine, Mikey pulled down a pair of goggles over her eyes, and pressed a button on the handles. The metal screamed and whirred as the bike semi-transformed, its body lengthening until it could carry several passengers. Its blades spun wildly -exposed in the wind and their points razor-sharp. Sharp enough to cut through metal even. The alarm went off and she saw several Scrappers halt, then speed her way. A mad grin came to her face and the engine roared as she plunged down the dunes towards them. Evan covered his ears with his hands, even then the wailing of the alarm was so loud that he fell to his knees and cringed. No doubt everyone would be awake, and panic would ensue. There was only one thing for it. He scrambled to his feet and ran. As fast as he could, never letting his hands off his ears he ran towards the entrance. He just hoped that the alarm would be enough of a distraction, he could scarcely imagine the horror of being caught running away... The Scrappers screeched and banged against one another in their attempt to get at her, but Mikey knew better. Flexing her arms, she pulled herself into a hand-stand on the bars just as the hover bike lurched to one side, and she twisted her body, forcing it to go into a wild, spinning collision with the guard bots. Gritting her teeth, she swung back onto the bike as metal fragments buried themselves into her skin. Stein could remove them later. Now, she just had to get as many as she could carry. "Look out!" she bellowed, snatching a small orb from hr belt and flinging it at the wall. A grenade. BOOM! She touched the amber again and the hover bike reverted back into travel form -to keep from chopping off kid's legs by accident- just as she skidded to a halt in what appeared to be the main bunk room. Not caring who got on, just so that she got their attention, she yelled: "Get on! We gotta go!"
"Gone to hevean has she? Heard it was nice this time of year." Dawn said jumping down beside her, "You lucky little duck, why couldn't I die this winter? But you don't worry love we'll join you soon enough." He looked at his sister with a goofy grin and a snarky chuckle.
Twila "Get on! We gotta go!" Twila could barely hear the girl's voice over the sound of the engine and the wailing sirens. Was this...XL64? Her mouth dropped open in shock. She had been certain this girl was just a myth; but there she was...in the flesh and trying to rescue them. Twila's twin, Dawn, was being an idiot as always. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the vehicle. Freedom and the ability to smile again, lay just beyond that gate. Even if she was killed trying to escape...it was better than living in this god-forsaken place. "I can't believe your real." Twila muttered in the driver's ear.
Evan Trotterlay Evan was petrified. The engine of the big-metallic thing that had come crashing through the thin, metal-sheet wall rattled, it's humming like the growl of a lion. Evan saw the girl from before dart past him, his body forced itself into action and he too lunged onto the bike. He wrapped one arm around Twila, desperate to hold on. He hoped she'd understand. Evan closed his eyes, trying to shut himself out of the world of hammering, pounding machinery. Every hair on his body could sense the scrapers coming closer. XL64 hadn't exaggerated the rush they were in. "Go?" he rasped over the pandemonium of sounds that besieged his ears.
Name: Anthony Age: 17 Gender: Male Number: T33-R01 Appearance: Tall, black hair Personality: Alternatively comic-relief-type guy and brooding. History: Raised in a small resistance community that was brutally wiped out when he was 14. Doesn't remember anything between then and the time he awoke in Mikey's camp. Skill: Mechanics Other: Dreams of becoming a poet if this ever ends. At Sanctuary ahead of time by Keitsumah's permission. Anthony Health: Good Anthony nervously scanned the control panel. He hated being stuck here at the base while Mikey went off doing all the dangerous work. Still, he had to admit that she was right: if there was one scanner in that orphanage, he was a dead man, and so were they all, probably. He looked at his forearm: T33-R01. That R01 meant that he was the first member of the Resistance they'd captured. He didn't remember exactly what happened or how he'd gotten to Sanctuary, but Mikey had been able to learn that he'd had a special chip implanted in him that would trip the scanners if he got within a mile of the complex. So here he was, doing what he could. Tobe was standing in the doorway. "Tony?" he asked. "Yep?" "Is M.K...?" "For now, it looks like she's fine. The only mobile thing my screen is showing is her hover bike. Stein reports that everything is going according to plan. She's a bit scratched up, but she'll be fine. You wanna watch with me?" Tobe ran and got the chair he always sat in. Anthony watched him go fondly. He'd only been at Sanctuary for a month or so, but the kid was already becoming like a brother to him. So was Stein. And the others. And Mikey... Tobe jumped into his seat just as a message from Stein flashed on Anthony's screen: M done. Injs. T/o. Translated from Steinspeak, that meant "Mikey's done. 3 older ones, 2 younger ones rescued. Injuries reported. Take over." That meant that Stein was off to the infirmary. He had medical skills, while Anthony fainted at the sight of blood. That put Anthony in control of the mission. Right as it gets insane, naturally, he thought. He touched the amber. Mikey? he asked. Tony? She was the only one who called him that, aside from the little kids. Yep. Stein's off prepping the infirmary. Looks like you should have a pretty clean path once you get clear of the complex. Then he looked back at the panel. Anthony gulped and crossed himself. Where there had been just the blinking light of Mikey's hover bike, there were now a lot more lights. Red, all of them.
Mikey gritted her teeth, then revved the engine and the hover bike jerked to one side, knocking a Scrapper away. But not before its iron claws raked her leg. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she careened out into the desert at top speed. Pressing her bloodied palm to the amber, she sent out a message to Tony: I've taken a heavy blow, but the hover bike is still running. The three kids behind me are okay as far as i know. It will take me- a Scrapper crashed into her from the side, and Mikey cried out as she grabbed at the handles, wrenching the bike to one side just in time to avoid the others. "Halt! Halt! Halt!" they screamed in their metallic voices, but Mikey glared at them and pushed the bike to its limit. Black sand spewed out behind them, masking their escape. The Scrapper's screeching calls were soon lost to the howling wind. Mikey's vision began to swim, and she struggled to keep steady. Dammit. That cut's deeper than i thought. Reaching out to the amber, she avoided the other's terrified gazes and focused all of her energy on keeping awake. Tony . . . get Einstein . . . tell him . . . to send . . . it out . . . he'll know what i mean . . .
"STEIN!" Tony yelled as he ran into the infirmary. "STEIN! Mikey says 'send it out!'" Stein raced out of the room without another word. Anthony wasn't quite sure what it was, but he had a suspicion. He understood Stein and Mikey's secrecy over this thing, but it did leave him feeling kind of left out. He hoped and prayed that Mikey was alright. Stein hurried back into the infirmary. "It won't work! It's not ready! I tried hitting the button and it wouldn't start. Anthony, there's no choice. You have to go out and play for time." Uh-oh, thought Anthony. They must be in deep trouble if they were sending him out. The cloaking device... what if it didn't work? Still, if there was no other way to save Mikey and the escapees... Half a minute later the cloaking device was on Anthony's wrist. It whirred with power, hopefully enough to block the scanners on the Scrappers. The tiny piece of amber would be enough, would have to be enough. Behind him were several decoy bots. Heart racing, he rode out on the spare hover bike. He had to gain Stein and Mikey time: Stein time to unleash it, and Mikey time to get back to Sanctuary. He began singing Keats under his breath: The minstrel boy to the war is gone In the ranks of death you'll find him His father's sword he hath girded on And his wild harp slung behind him...
Mikey couldn't help it. Her strength failed her. Pulling the hover bike to a stop to keep them from ending up in a huge crash, she watched as ten Scrappers appeared on the horizon -still hot on their tail. "We'll have to fight." she said lowly, breath rattling from her lungs. * * * Meanwhile . . . Stein slammed once again at the huge amber orb in the robot's "skull". "Activate damn you! Mikey is in danger!" Tobe huddled outside the door, peeking through the crack at what was supposedly to be the weapon that would free everyone from the Sector's rule. When Stein moved out of the way, they alighted on a shining crimson outer shell, the amber glowing from between two eye-like slits. The body of the android was more like a curved pupae in appearance, but instead had three curved blades along its belly, with a seat on its back where the rider would sit. Its body was currently folded in in itself, holding any secrets that may lie within. If the creature awoke, it had the potential to transform into many different shapes, but this was the one it had been built in. It's "original" form. On its side was emblazoned the words "Android XL64".
