Chapter Text
Searching the walls in the dark, 101 eventually stumbles upon a lever and gives it a pull. The place lights up slowly, everything inside is rather ornate looking. Wall patterns and containers are decorated with golden accents, lined with obols and glowing lines.
"It looks like a mausoleum mixed with a library in here." 101 comments as she runs a hand across the coin patterned wall. The passenger in her mind commented in the form of an internal message. [???????????: It's not an underground church this time. I don't think Cabin Fever had anything to do with this one.] "Underground- what?"
[???????????: You don't wanna know.]
They made their way down the hall, Snowball more focused on the shiny decorations than the implications of this place. Before they came across a desk practically drowning in notes and papers. Snowball picked one up and gave it to 101 to read it instead.
This is the bargain we have made. Through our sacrifice, history will be saved.
Monsters, in function and form. But not out of malice. Some understand their effects, their cost. Perhaps they can change, themselves as well.
An artificial apotheosis, Deus Ex Machina, A God From A Machine. And I fear it will not be the last.
But I fear not either of which. For something worse is on the horizon.
The door is shut, sealed and forgotten, to preserve those that remain.
For to piece together that accursed gate, is to invite that which bares no name.
101 couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved about this cryptic note. Especially with how whoever wrote it seemingly, knew about the Absolute Solver's rise... Pocketing the note, 101 turned her attention to the parasitic program along for the ride. "Why are you using me for this? Why not come here yourself, or take command of J directly?"
[???????????: I would've come here myself with a couple of friends but that would take too long, I need to find out what J's doing now. And we're not exactly on good terms, she hates my guts and I'm not looking forward to making her right to hate me this time.] 101 transcribed what it said to her to snowball. "J not likes you?" Snowball asked as she held up another strange trinket. [???????????: I don't think she likes anybody really. She was one of Cyn's 'favorite' murder drones and that's not a position you'd want to get, because it means it wants to toy with you more often. She's not hateful because I... Well, actually I did kill her once. She's more upset to realize that what she was doing working for Cyn was all for nothing in the end. She lost, and she's still bitter about it.]
[???????????: If we do meet. Don't let J know I'm here. If she finds out I'm in your head she'll kill you on sight. No questions asked, no corporate buzzwords. She'll just, *Kccrrht*] A tentacle made a throat slitting gesture.
101 and her 'party' soon stumbled upon a piece of technology they recognized. And actual computer, a Pom-2 PC, pretty ancient, but seemingly functional. [???????????: Hook us up, I bet I can work some eldritch magic on this thing.] 101 had her doubts that even the solver could influence something as dated as a Pom-2, but she tapped one of her hands against the side of the thing anyways.
...
101 felt her hand lock to the side of the computer, she couldn't even move her hand at all. As the purple glow was more focused on her hand, more messages from the stranger. [???????????: Oh, crap there's a security measure in here alright. I can hack this but you're gonna be a sitting duck for a while. Just speak 'darkXwolf17' if things get bad, got it?] She was given her 'Copilot's' username to work with... Not exactly a name that instills eldritch fear. She was more convinced this was a hacker in her head rather than a fragment of Cyn.
[darkXwolf17: Get hacked sucker! >:3 I'm in!] The screen of the computer displayed a set of files while a chat window appeared in the corner of 101's vision, [darkXwolf17: Okay, so humans are still making monstrosities of science bordering on arcane magic. That's what I'm getting from this Warframe Project stuff. Notably, that's what attacked us back in the tunnels.] A massive list of warframe models scrolls across the monitor. [darkXwolf17: But I'm not seeing anything that matches our assailant in the tunnels.] A file is brought up, seemingly locked behind a password. 101 squinted, before a second chat bubble popped on screen. [darkXwolf17: There's notes to something else in here, 'Vitruvian'.]
It was worth a shot. And sure enough, the file unlocked showcasing what seemed like an autopsy report, with an audio file playing as well. The voice in the recording sounded... 101 wanted to say, venomous? This didn't sound like a person anyone would trust.
It is with the greatest of risk that I commit this recording. The codices within reveal the development of your soon to be most feared enemy. My creations. My frames of war.
What led us here? You did. You twisted your own ilk into weapons, vile obscenities, a false angel's choir of bladed feathers and needle fanged mouths. Rather than the abominations you churn out of stolen matter, you chose to decrease the quality of your demons in exchange for the quantity. And we were less prepared for it. And so it was, we had to turn to equal measures.
We took our greatest, volunteers or not, and twisted them as much as you have your own. But we could never replicate your abilities, your way to manipulate the Absolute Fabric. So we turned to the darkest corners of our research. And we found an equal essence. A Void to combat your own Void.
[darkXwolf17: Ugh, of course they did. There's so many stories about science causing the end of the world! Why the hell would they think this is a good idea?]
"What void? How do use, nothing?" Snowball questions. 101 was about to shrug unknowingly, before her hand light flickered purple as '17' took partial control. [darkXwolf17: In our case, they're talking about THIS >:D] Manifesting a singularity in her hand! "THROW IT AWAY- I MEAN PUT IT- GET RID OF IT!" 101 shrieked in horror! She did NOT need to be balancing a BLACK HOLE ON HER FINGERTIPS! *Crunch-fizzzl* It was almost instantly dispelled as her hand crushed it, control returning to her self as she shook the heat off her hand.
"Never, make me do that, ever again!"
Lavos and Trinity had followed the feline, and it led them to the Entrati Corp's vault. Though the door seemed to be in an even worse state than when he had last seen it. He slid his hand under the brim of his helmet to pinch his inexistant brow. "I just know this had something to do with Mag folding the door open."
"This where you got that 'eternal lens' thing?" Trinity asked as she armed herself with her rifle. "Yes, but that's not what I'm worried about." Lavos moved to pry the remnants of the door back open. The fact it was actually budging as he did this confirmed his suspicions, Mag must've broken the locking mechanisms when the door was twisted open. "Down here should be, a warframe the corporation considered, unfit for duty!" Lavos strained. "And given the demonstration from the transmission from J, she seems to have- RRGH! Seems to have obtained access to void energy based armaments!"
A gap in the door was left wide enough for both frames to enter as Lavos finished his thought. "I fear J must've found the poor fellow, and disassembled it to upgrade herself with it's systems."
"What's so special about this warframe?" Trinity asked. "Last I checked those entrati corp. bastards didn't evaluate half of us before sending us off to war. What did this one do?" Lavos simply shrugged. "Supposedly, treason. It showed no sense of madness for a long time, until one day it attempted to assassinate one of the higherups of the warframe project without warning."
Looking down, a trail of grey latex spots and drops of drone oil led deeper inside the vault. "It looks like we're not the only ones to go down here. Either there's a new vulcanized on the loose, or there's a fight breaking out inside."
It certainly seems like someone, or something has been rummaging around down here, given the amount of files and items thrown about. Trinity picks up a blank piece of paper with a grey pawprint splattered on it. "It's fresh."
Lavos however was more interested in the computer, and the file currently open on the screen. A database of warframes, active and not, and a message left open. Last he checked not a lot of latexes were computer experts, the keyboard also seemed untouched, not a speck on any of the keys. "So if we meet whoever's down here, will this need us to kill or capture them?" Trinity asked. "Depends on how they react to us. Regardless, we need to make sure they leave these halls as soon as possible. Worst case scenario: We'll have to scuttle this entire installation. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that."
101 and Snowball pried open a door, leading into what appeared to be an armory. Tons of weapons, most of which decorated with that familiar golden trim. "Boom sticks! Shiny boom sticks!" Snowball claimed in awe. 101 reached for a machine pistol with a strange looking barrel modification attached to it, labeled 'Riot 848'. "I don't think I've heard of any weapons with this kind of attachment. It almost looks regal." She couldn't help but think the gold was a bit much though.
Snowball grabbed a larger looking gun labeled 'Sepulcrum', this one looking hardly like an existing model. It was rather bulky for it's submachinegun-esque build, Snowball was struggling to keep it up. "Careful Snowball!" 101 reached with the solver to hold it. "Maybe I should take that one, this one seems lighter." They exchanged weapons and 101 made sure Snowball didn't immediately point the barrel at her or herself. "Do you, know how to use guns?" 101 asked. Snowball perked up to say something, stopped to think really hard about something before dropping her smile and shaking her head. "Know, bullet comes from end. But that all."
Well at least she's got the basics down. "Just, keep your fingers out of the trigger unless we need to shoot something."
101 was partially regretting taking the Sepulcrum from Snowball, she needed to use her solver just to hold it up and it was a bit big for her hands. She ended up wielding it like an over the shoulder rpg. At least they weren't unarmed wandering through this place. Even with her use of the solver there was still a possibility that something more dangerous would be down here.
The sights just kept getting more alien down here. They stumbled across a room with a massive archway with missing pieces. Thought 101 was less concerned about the arch of unknown horror, and more the sudden step down she nearly tripped over. Snowball caught her before disaster.
But with the sound of something big approaching them, it was 101 who pulled Snowball down to hide.
Something heavy was patrolling the halls, emitting some nightmarish distorted chatter. Snowball cautiously peeked to get a look at the strange noises, and was subsequently horrified to see a large, artificial guardian with it's back turned to her. More concerning was the MASSIVE gun in it's right hand, slim and rectangular, but clearly a weapon of high caliber. She ducked back down as the giant began to turn around slowly! [DON'T, MAKE, A SOUND.] 101's screen messaged silently. Snowball curled into a fluffy grey ball as tightly as possible.
*Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.*
They could practically feel every step closer.
...
Then it began to leave. They held their collective breaths until they were certain it was gone... A mechanical growl however alerted them that there was something else there! A pack of quadrupedal constructs resembling dogs, sans a proper head which was replaced with a three pronged device, began to sprint towards the two!
Snowball took the first shot, firing the Riot 848! It's bullets flew through the air and grazed one of the hounds, but then the gun clicked! Out of ammo already?! She then clicked onto a second trigger and, the bullets left their embedded location with a bang and zipped back into the gun! Striking the hounds on the return trip! "Wrrroah! Weird gun!" Snowball quickly dove to the right as another hound slashed at her! 101 aimed her Sepulcrum and pulled the trigger, it fired two bolts at once which popped into small blasts as the dogs. Three of the hounds turned their attention to her now!
There's gotta be something special with this- oh? 101 noticed a switch on the side of the gun, she flipped it. A reticle projected wherever she pointed it, as it passed over the hounds there was a subtle click and the dot duplicated as it locked on. *clik-clik-clik, clik*
She pulled down on the trigger and a series of small missiles shot out of it! They flew through the air like a swarm of hornets and struck the sentinel-hounds, a few of them even locked onto the other hound giving Snowball trouble, taking it out and causing her to shriek in shock as it exploded INCHES away from her! "S-Sorry! Didn't know it would do that!" Two hounds were left, one of them charged up energy with the device for it's head and released a shocking pulse! 101's vision got distorted and, she felt a little light headed. A warning appeared in her vison. [MAGNETIC INTERFERENCE] D-Did... Did it just get her high as an attack? The magnetism caused her to lose her grip on her solver, and with that losing her grip on the gun!
Snowball pounced the hound and rode it crashing into the other one. Firing more bullets and embedding them into them. 101, struggling to sober up (Those pulses sure gave her a buzz...) Tried to use the missiles again, but the Sepulcrum's switch didn't budge, she noticed there was a meter down the sights that was empty. She would have to use the primary fire mode then. They opened fire on the canids, soon enough they stopped functioning. 101 grasped at her head, the buzz slowly fading away. "We have to get moving." She stated. "There's no way that big one, or anything like it didn't hear that."
*Thunk-thunk-THUNK-THUNK*
On queue! Snowball and 101 got a glimpse at the giant. A massive, gilded mech with a human skull in it's head?! It bellowed in it's distorted chatter, took aim with it's massive gun and held down on the trigger! The bullets were more akin to a flashing beam of light with how fast they were fired!
"Get behind me!" 101 shouted to Snowball! I've never even attempted to do something like this before! 101 manifested her solver over them like a shield, the bullets curving around them like the very space they were intended to hit was bent around them! 101's breathing was getting heavier as her systems started to heat up! The mech's constant barrage however didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. [/!\WARNING: HIGH TEMP/!\] "When it s-stops shooting, we RUN!" 101 struggled to speak between her head burning up and the continuous barrage of gunfire.
Sure enough however, the mech's gun clicked empty. "THIS WAY!" 101 shouted, she and Snowball quickly scrambled before it opened fire again! The heavy footsteps of the guardian's pursuit echoed behind them, before being replaced with an engine's hum. 101 soon felt her back be struck with a hefty force from behind! She tumbled to see the mech had used it's helmet like a battering ram as it caught up to them! Snowball took aim with her Rio 848, only for the mech to sound an alarm from itself and activate an aura of electricity surrounding itself! Snowball screamed as she was zapped into a melting grey blob, but the mech didn't seem too focused on her, It's attention was clearly set on 101.
[... --- .-.. ...- . .-. / .... --- ... - / -.. . - . -.-. - . -.. .-.-.- / -. . ..- - .-. .- .-.. .. --.. .. -. --. / - .... .-. . .- - .-.-.-] The machine made more incomprehensible bellows, as it reached down and picked 101 up with it's free hand. It kept it's grip tight on her as the barrel of it's gun was focused on her. Snowball tried to scream her name, but her form was still melted over and all that came out was a distressed gargle. 101 reached to grasp the mech with the solver... [TARGET OBSTRUCTED/NON-INTERACTIVE] "What!?" It wouldn't even highlight the mech, like it didn't even exist.
101 shut her eyes, bracing for the inevitable... *ZOSH* *KZRRRRT* She suddenly hit the ground hard, opening her eyes she saw the arm of the machine laying on the ground, sliced off it's shoulder. She squirmed as she tried to escape it's grip, Snowball's liquified form pulling back together as she also tried to pry it's fingers open.
"WE'RE NOT DONE HERE!" A course, gravely voice filled with rage shouted at the golem. 101 recognized the shape almost instantly. The black swordsman from the tunnels! His helmet was cracked, revealing a horrific mesh of flesh and a singular glassy eye. A blade of solid light in his hands, goading the mech to attack. [..- -. .. - / -.. .- -- .- --. . -.. .-.-.- / - .- .-. --. . - / .. -.. . -. - .. ..-. .. . -.. ---... / ..- -- -... .-. .- .-.-.- / . -. --. .- --. .. -. --. / .... --- ... - .. .-.. . .-.-.-] The mech grumbled, it's attention gotten.
The mech charged to ram the warframe, the latter swinging his blade rapidly and sending waves of cutting energy soaring through the air towards it. The waves crashed against the giant, staggering it with every hit. It opened fire against the swordsman, who began to run across the walls to avoid it, even bringing his blade up to block the gunfire when dodging wasn't effective. The mech revealed a new trick however, firing off a barrage of grenades as the warframe approached he quickly leapt back to avoid them! That's when a charging noise was heard from the cannon in the mechs hand, and a powerful blast of energy struck the warframe as soon as it landed! There was an audible crunch as his chassis cracked and splintered on impact, tumbling to the ground.
Blood pouring from his wounds, the black swordsman still stood up to gaze at the mech. "Come on now! Finish the job!" He shouted. "Don't make the same mistake He did, because I know I won't leave you alive!"
101 was pried free of the severed arm's grasp, then she spotted a glowing spot on the back of the mech, filled with a wispy blue energy. If I were a betting drone... 101 quickly grabbed her Sepulcrum and aimed it at the target. Snowball opening fire along side her. [.-- .- .-. -. .. -. --. -.-.-- / -.-. .-. .. - .. -.-. .- .-.. / -.. .- -- .- --. . / ... ..- ... - .- .. -. . -.. -.-.-- / ... - .-. ..- -.-. - ..- .-. .- .-.. / .. -. - . --. .-. .. - -.-- / -.-. --- -- .--. .-. --- -- .. ... . -..] The mech tumbled and blared in clear distress! It fell over and collapsed into a sparking heap of junk, the energy coming from it's now obvious weak point fading out.
Snowball pulled 101 back up to her feet and hugged her tightly. Her fur was still gooey in places, but 101 didn't object. The sound of a body hitting the ground reminded them that they weren't alone. The warframe dropped, a hand over his cracked armor, labored breathing. Snowball walked up to him, a paw over her heart. The swordsman's eye fell upon them, but he didn't try to get up. "Is there, fix?" Snowball asked. "Maybe? This place belongs to the corporation that made these things, right?" 101 gestured for Snowball to carry him.
Snowball seemed uncomfortable with the blood of the swordsman dripping onto her, but she still obliged with helping him. 101 wasn't even sure if she should, given what happened last time they met. Thought she couldn't really blame him, if the warframes were made to combat the Absolute Solver and it's monstrosities, then it makes sense that he attacked her. She's, infected with a solver after all...
"Issah..." The warframe weakly mutters. "I'm, sorry..." Then he goes silent, the glow from certain lights on his body flickering. 101 briefly recalls how she got here... "Uh, darkXwolf17?" Her eye briefly flickers purple, and she can feel a presence in her mind. "Can the solver, heal people?"
[darkXwolf17: I wouldn't call it healing. But I'm guessing if you want to un-break that thing, use the Edit function. And tell the snow leopard to stand back or it might mulch her body into a fine red mist.]
"Snowball, put him down gently and stand back." Once the swordsman was on the floor, 101 did as suggested. The solver highlighted the warframe's body and she began to make the 'edits'. The uncomfortable silence was quickly replaced with the debatably worse sound of bones being cracked and snapping back into place. Blood seemingly poured in reverse, into his wounds. Sword-steel armor plates fitted back into the cracks they were splintered from, sealing back up good as new. The eye in the warframe's helmet shot open and a strangled cry of agony escaped his absent mouth. "Please don't fight back..." 101 nervously whimpered.
*CRACK*
The knight dropped down, grasping his head. His eye focused on her, before the shell of his helmet sealed back up.
...
"What, do you have to gain by doing this?" The knight growled. 101 was tense, she tried to talk down the warframe from taking it's anger out on her. "You seemed, hurt. I just-"
"Not you, Puppet." He cut her off. "I know you're in there Solver. You wouldn't have dared to leave me alive, so why go through the trouble of saving me?" He knows? "You're talking to... I don't think It's... Cyn's not here, if that's what you're trying to insist." 101 stammered. [darkXwolf17: Tag me in. If I can't talk him out of a fight, at the very least I'll try to keep you alive!] 101 reluctantly agreed. She hates that this can happen still however- [SYS://DARKXWOLF17:CALLBACKPING:101]
Snowball watched as 101 slumped over, the warframe tensed and drew the blade of light in response, waiting for 101 to make the next move. When 101 stood back up straight, her eyes were a different color. She put her hands up. "At ease soldier. You're speaking with the new Dark God Machine." That voice, it was... What did she say? 'Dark Wolf 17?' Snowball was pretty familiar with a dark latex, so that name doesn't really match. "I'm not here to fight you, I want to talk. And I'd rather not have 101 go through her first existential crisis when she comes back if you decapitate her."
The warframe didn't drop his guard. "You sound different. Tell me then, what does that Bastard Executor have planned for me to suffer now?" '101' dropped to a bewildered expression. "Who are you even talking about? What Executor?"
"You don't know? Your little deal with him? The reason I'm like this?"
She got rather annoyed. "Ugh, quit being vague! I came here to get answers, not more questions! Who are you?!" The warframe's blade began to decrease in brightness. "You genuinely don't know... What are you? Besides an affront to science." "Bite me, I'm NOT Cyn. My name is Uzi, and right now there's a corporate asshat who's doing something shifty and possibly WORLD ENDING on my home! I'd like to get some answers, hopefully before things go critical on my end."
...
The warframe dispelled his blade. "You and I might share an enemy after all..."