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Post by Xerxes on Jun 10, 2013 20:33:41 GMT -5
That seemed to be the opening Kiki was looking for. He dropped from his perch as soon as he comprehended her orders, struggling to stabilize himself quick enough to follow her feathered form. Their target was destined to be the the door that the individual was leaving, and from that, the interior of the room.
Only a couple yards or so behind Kiki, Xerxes powered forward with all haste, tracking the door’s movements and calculating the time they had left. The door had reached it’s peak angle by the time he was halfway between his starting and ending points. As he flapped nearer, it began swinging ever closer, narrowing the gap between it and the doorframe. Closer, closer, closer! The last few inches of the opening were vanishing even as he entered the home stretch. He watched Kiki expertly flit through the slice. He watched the door close, merely a foot before him.
Without wasting time in disappointment or shock, Xerxes agilely swerved upward as hard as he good, counting on the bat’s reflexes to prevent a collision. The mammal’s prowess proved capable, turning their momentum into enough velocity to turn away from the door and head back to the relative safety of the ceiling.
Finding a perch that would enable him to see through one of the many windows in the office as well as the majority of the factory, Xerxes settled down to await Kiki’s next orders.
Such things did not occur. Instead, he was faced with a series of senseless noises, an acceptable question, and a pointless declaration of intent. If only bats could roll their eyes.
<<No, I did not make it into the room,>> he reported. He decided to elaborate, as he wished to forestall even more pointless nonsense from the mission leader. <<I’ve taken up a monitoring position approximately twenty yards from what appears to be a centralized computer system in the main office. Additionally, I am capable of observing nearly forty-five percent of the individuals in the factory.>> He neglected to ask where she was or what her situation was. If it was serious enough to warrant concern for the mission, he’d assumed she mention it. Very loudly and quite excessively.
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Post by Kiki Sanderson on Jun 12, 2013 9:22:51 GMT -5
<<Crap.>> There was a momentary pause in Kiki's demorphing process as Xerxes informed her of his situation, but she soon resumed. She would be stuck in here as a bird so she would need to demorph anyway. She just hated being separated.
<<Okay Zerk, new plan. You keep watch and warn me if anyone is coming. I'll see if I can find a way from this bathroom into the main office. Maybe there is an air duct or something I can crawl through like they always do in the mov->> Her thought speech cut out as her head became mostly human. Not being able to communicate with Xerxes would be a nuisance at the very least. Possibly life threatening if events went the wrong way.
Kiki took several deep breaths to try and calm the nervous shakes she was starting to get from being alone in an infestable form in the middle of a yeerk building. Once the feathers receded from her fingertips, she turned on the bathroom faucet and splashed some water on her face. Looking in the mirror determinedly, she let out a sigh. "If not you, then who? You got this."
Unconvinced by her own remarks, Kiki took a step back and observed her surroundings anyway. "How can I get from here to the other side of this wall without going outside?" The simple answer was to morph hippo and bust through the wall, but she would rather not leave such an obvious sign that the animorphs were here, especially if they needed to come back later.
Kiki looked for the air ducts she had suggested to Xerxes, even though she didn't think that would probably actually work. There was something among the ceiling tiles that looked like it was probably an air system, but only her cicada morph would fit through the opening. "I really don't want to morph a bug right now. Or ever, really." Her cicada morph was one that she had acquired, but never used before. Now did not seem like a good time to experiment. Plus the thought of becoming something with an exoskeleton made her feel nauseous.
It had only been a couple minutes, but already Kiki felt she had been standing around too long. The only option she could see was the air system. "What else is up there though?" With a little effort, Kiki managed to pull herself up onto the back of the toilet and balanced precariously as she lifted a ceiling tile and peeked in.
"Score!" Apparently the yeerks didn't seem to feel that the walls needed to extend above the tiles. there were poles extending upward to support the weight of the building, but the space within the ceiling was wide open.
Kiki slid her ceiling tile aside and lifted one on the other side of the wall to peek into the main office. It still looked dark. After sliding that tile aside too, Kiki pulled herself up and sat along the top of the wall, trying to balance as she slid the bathroom ceiling tile back into place. She managed, but lost her balance in the process. Before she could react, Kiki was windmilling backward into the office. She landed on a filing cabinet before flipping onto a crowded computer desk. Paper stacks, office supplies, and a coffee mug were strewn unceremoniously all over the ground.
"Owww." She definitely wasn't coming out of this mission without any bruises. It felt like she might have even cracked a rib or two. Slowly and carefully Kiki climbed off of the desk and onto the floor. "So much for getting in and out without a trace." If she had time, she would try to clean up a bit when she found what she needed.
Limping and clutching her ribs with one hand, she made her way over to the window she thought was facing Xerxes. She made the OK sign with her free hand and mouthed the words "I'm in," then sat down at the nearest desk to see what she could find.
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Post by Xerxes on Jun 12, 2013 16:18:58 GMT -5
It was quite simple for Xerxes to deduce what Kiki thought about his current part of the situation. He was actually surprised at the simplicity of her clearly well thought-out and eloquent answer. One word, one syllable. If she’d actually been speaking the word, it barely would’ve added to the level of carbon dioxide already present in the immediate surroundings. Xerxes approved of her word-efficiency.
He retracted his approval mere moments later after a stream-of-consciousness came pouring out of Kiki. It was quite fortuitous that thought-speech did not consume natural resources. At least she wasn’t being wasteful. With resources, that is. She was wonderfully wasting time. Xerxes began ignoring her as soon as she began stating the heavily implied course of action he had previously mentioned he was capable of giving. He did not care to pay attention to the rest of the inanity she was spewing.
Miraculously enough, her voice cut off not long after. It was enough to make Xerxes send a small prayer up to the heavens in thanksgiving for the blessing.
Assuming that she had demorphed, otherwise he would’ve heard a psychic screech or whatnot, Xerxes turned his attention to surveying what he could see of the factory. Along the edges of the wall closest to him resided several large storage containers. He estimated them to hold enough room to possibly confine an elephant in. The signs on the container doors were conveniently in English, enabling Xerxes to make out the names of several different types of parts. Regrettably, none of them sounded even remotely close to the one they needed.
Angling his head, he watched a steady line of of vehicles moving large parts from the factory to the building yard. A similar stream--excepting the parts--was moving in the reverse direction.
Xerxes glanced back at the office, as some type of movement had caught his eye. A scruffed-up Kiki was attempting to alert him to her status of well-being. She didn’t look like it. But if he didn’t go along with it, there was a minute chance she would attempt a series of charades in order to fully demonstrate the veracity of her claim. <<Acknowledged,>> he said privately, forestalling any such antics.
He was starting to enjoy himself, somewhat. Even in the midst of a massive factory full of machines and people, it somehow seemed like the quietest part of their mission.
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Post by Kiki Sanderson on Jun 13, 2013 21:38:07 GMT -5
"Acknowledged," Kiki said in a mocking voice to herself as she shuffled around the papers on an undisturbed desk. "That Xerxes, what a character. Way too serious for his own good. But at least he will do his job." Despite her personality complaints, she was genuinely glad to have Xerxes watching her back as opposed to somebody else. She barely knew him, but still, he exuded competence from every pore.
"Where are the dang computers?" The desk had all sorts of office supplies on it and personal items like a camera and a half eaten box of candy bars, but nothing resembling a computer. At least not a desktop or laptop. But then she shuffled a few more files and uncovered something that looked like a tablet computer. She picked it up and the screen turned on.
Instantly she knew it was a yeerk-crafted computer. The symbols and icons were a dead giveaway. That alone would be enough to stop most people in their tracks, but Kiki was not most people. She used to be a controller. A controller who flew bug fighters and used bug fighter computers. So while she was no expert at navigating the system, she could understand some of the basics. Like she knew the warped triangle with the squiggly lines meant "files." Kiki tapped on it and an entire list came up, with labels that were mercifully in English. "Schematics, blueprints, system analysis, shipping orders, boo-ya!" Now she just needed to figure out what to do with all this new found knowledge.
"I just wish there was a self destruct button." At the very least, she could email the files to herself and figure out something later. She began organizing the files for transfer when a thought occurred to her. The files didn't have to go to her. They could go to anyone.
"Lets see what the military and the general public have to think about this place." After opening up a few select websites, Kiki sent out the files. "Well that's done. What lousy security." She leaned back in her chair for a moment, satisfied, then eyed the camera on the desk. "Might as well snap some pictures too."
Snatching up the camera, Kiki went over to the windows. She hadn't snapped more than three images before the commotion started.
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Post by Xerxes on Jun 15, 2013 22:05:12 GMT -5
Xerxes watched. And waited. With patience.
With no alternative course of action available, he could only pose as a sentry, but even that position was limited. In order to remain in any semblance of communication with Kiki, he had to hang around his current roost in order to be able to acquire a visual lock on her. He certainly wouldn’t be able to hear her and it was impossible for her to use thought-speech.
Effectively, he was to roost where he was and do nothing. Although not a glamourous duty, it was the most he could do. It could not conceivably harm their mission and might even aid it. Actually it couldn’t. There did not seem to be any reason at all that this part of their mission would fail. Humans did not, as a rule, look up. He doubted that yeerks in human brains would either, especially when they were concentrating on the job at hand.
He didn’t really see the need to be on lookout. Besides, it was too bright out. He didn’t need to be flying around or even paying attention to Kiki. She didn’t matter. Only the mission did. But he couldn’t do that right then so he might as well sleep. Sleep. Sleeeeep
The bat’s eyes closed as it readied for its daily rest.
Bat instincts were much cleverer than he’d given them credit for.
As the pale form of Xerxes huddled amongst the grey rafters in the ceiling, Saekron 614 began moving into his next position.
He began moving towards one of the main assembly lines, where many other workers were putting together some of the more intricate pieces of hardware for the vessels in the outer yard. The nearest one offered the best opportunity. Each worker on the line was adding a different touch to a piece of equipment that was exceedingly essential to just about any form of ship. Larger vessels such as a Blade or Pool ship could manage without one, but only barely. Bug fighters tended to become useless after a week without one.
Some part of Saekron’s host found that fascinating. A former car mechanic, his voluntary host could appreciate that such a small part, just about the size of a grey, black, and gold beet, could be so important to such a massive construct. It was because of that level of understanding that Saekron had come to the One to volunteer to be on the mission team.
Just before he arrived, he surreptitiously glanced around to see where the other team members were. There were only four others, but only two could be seen from his location. Perfect.
He reached the end of the assembly line and briefly unveiled a Dracon beam. It was on its lowest setting and he aimed and shot from the hip. The targeted controller immediately fell forwards onto the parts in front of his, gasping and wheezing while clutching at his chest. Given the overweight nature of the host and the long hours Saekron knew these Yeerks worked, it would be reasonable enough for any others around to assume that the man had had a heart attack.
In the few brief seconds that the surrounding workers were distracted by momentary curiosity, Saekron 614 quickly lobbed a small explosive device in an underhanded fashion towards the underside of the assembly line. A magnet on the device activated and pulled itself towards the machine. It was only one of many such devices he’d already spread around the factory, just as he knew the others had done. But his duty was not yet over.
“For the glory of the One!” he screamed, his voice penetrating the noise in the factory. For added measure he began firing his Dracon beam at the ceiling. Yes, it would have been easier for him to start slaying those around him, but it was not his place to question the One’s orders. It was his place to obey, and if he were to become a martyr, than he would have ever so many rewards in the next life.
And so he assaulted the ceiling. Scarlet lances of fire streaked up from his dracon beam, now set on its highest setting. Lights exploded and rafters began falling. A water pipe burst, pouring forth its contents over part of the factory. He also held up his other hand. In it was a detonator. A single push of a button later, the special charge another teammate had planted on the interior of the office, but far away from any windows, went off. Very little damage was done, but the blinding flash of light and the thunderous boom of its detonation accomplished the rest of his mission. Be the flashy distraction even unto death. Let the others handle the demolitions.
But as every eye not otherwise engaged by the sudden chaos was attracted by the light of the explosion, fully half of the factory was able to clearly see the figure of a woman on the other side of the glass walls of the upper room. The forbidden room. The one only a few select personnel were allowed to be in. None of them with big frizzy hair.
The factory erupted into pandemonium.
Xerxes woke up from his nap.
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Post by Kiki Sanderson on Jun 19, 2013 9:15:35 GMT -5
"Who is that guy?" Kiki wondered aloud as she snapped a couple quick pictures of the guy shooting at the ceiling. Beams of sunlight poked through the wreckage accumulating on the ceiling and she could only pray that it wasn't the spot where Xerxes was keeping lookout. If it was, there was nothing she could do about it. She snapped another photo just before he pressed a button on the device in his other hand.
Kiki's head slammed against the window, causing her to see stars in her already blinded eyes. The force of the explosion behind her made her ears ring profusely and she stumbled in place for a moment while her head cleared. It was only moments later that she realized she should have taken cover immediately in case there was more hostility coming her way, so she did so now.
Now crouched in the corner between a desk and the wall with the windows, Kiki's eyes and thoughts both began to come back into focus. The first thing she noticed was the crippling fear. The mission had just taken an extremely unexpected turn. Had they been found out? Had she tripped a security precaution? Then she remembered the guy shooting up the ceiling and the button he had pressed. He probably had something to do with it.
Her ears were still unreliable, but several sets of vibrations notified Kiki of other explosions taking place further away. Whatever happened was still happening. "Don't just sit here. Move!"
Kiki ignored the pain from her banged up head, cracked ribs, and bleeding bicep and- Wait, bleeding bicep? Kiki glanced down quickly and pulled out the ballpoint pen that had been lodged in her arm, then took a peek around the desk and into the rest of the room. If anyone was coming after her, or just to investigate the explosion, they hadn't arrived yet.
She risked a look out the window. Standing up, she was quickly spotted by a group of three on the narrow pathway outside. The one in lead pointed at her with recognition, then they redoubled their speed as the rushed toward the entrance at the other end of the office.
Without even thinking, Kiki bolted toward the hole in the ceiling tiles. Which just so happened to be above the filing cabinet that had blown up, making any attempts at climbing up that much more difficult. She changed course to the next nearest filing cabinet along that wall.
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Post by Xerxes on Jun 23, 2013 23:40:56 GMT -5
The explosion rocked the bat as the soundwave thundered through him. His eyes flashed open and became immediately disorientated by the striking beams of light that were tearing all around him. Down below an unnatural chorus of howls began crescendoing as unknown creatures began howling for blood. Then more red lights began striking every surface, but these did not break anything. They just accompanied a horrendous noise.
Startled and confused, the bat dropped from its resting place and cast out with a constant series of squeaks, all the better to see his surroundings with. Then the cave ceiling began falling. Bits and pieces of stalactites began falling whenever the red lines touched them. He began an intricate dance with the debris, twisting and dodging every piece of shrapnel in order to clear the danger zone.
Once out of imminent danger, Xerxes managed to get ahold of himself. It was the chance to actually take in his bearings that did it. This creature has strong instincts, I already knew. But it seems I was unprepared for their subtlety. It was a note to work out later. For now, Xerxes would consign himself to scouting the surprise battleground in an effort to ascertain the cause of it all.
The dracon fire quickly stopped, as did the continual damage to some of the rafters. Glancing down, Xerxes’ gaze was directed to the prone form of a man lying on the floor near another. Three other controllers were in close proximity, one of them carrying some sort of construction device. It was being wielded like a weapon and therefore the most obvious reason the gunman had stopped firing.
Attempting to distance himself from the damaged ceiling--an area that would most likely be calling heightened levels of undesired attention--Xerxes managed to wing around to the other side of the office. From there, evidence of the explosion was all too clear. A hole in the side of the wall, perhaps large enough for a large child to crawl through, had formed nearly a foot from the bottom of what Xerxes assumed was the floor to the top floor of the rooms. It seemed suitably sized to permit either Kiki or himself to fly through if needed.
In order to discover whether or not his assistance was required, Xerxes began broadcasting his report of the events, from what little of the aftermath that he’d witnessed. <<Kiki, there seems to have been a rogue gunman near one of the construction lines. Undoubtedly, he is not a regular Controller. Additionally, he does not seem to have accomplished anything, other than minor superficial damage to a small portion of the ceiling, as well as blowing a hole in the side of the office area opposite to the windows you appeared behind.>>
As he started a search to establish a new vantage point, a curious thought struck him. What was the gunman’s purpose is his sacrifice? Wasn’t he aware that there was no hope of him accomplishing anything by shooting the ceiling and using a rather ineffectual explosive device in a non-vital area? It didn’t add up.
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Post by Kiki Sanderson on Jun 24, 2013 1:46:13 GMT -5
The pain in Kiki's arm and ribs hindered her climb up the wall more than she expected. By the time the three controllers were in the room rushing toward her, she had only managed to scramble to the top of the filing cabinet. Without even bothering to slide a ceiling tile aside, Kiki made a lunge over the wall. She landed with her stomach straddling the peak, then pulled her legs over even as she felt a controller brush her bare leg.
"Ah! Whoa!" She caught herself just in time. If the light from the hole in the opposite wall hadn't illuminated the unfinished elevator shaft, Kiki would have plummeted to ground floor. Even so, her legs were dangling into the dark pit as she held on to the lip of the wall, using her hands and elbows.
Xerxes started talking now, but she didn't catch much of what he was saying because just then one of the controllers leaped over the wall after her. The woman with long curly brown hair must have thought there was another room on the other side as well, because she didn't stop to look for a floor either. And seeing as Kiki had most of the good handholds taken, the woman tumbled over the wall and into the shaft, only managing to slow her descent by clinging to Kiki's ankle. The woman's momentum pulled Kiki down to where her hands were the only thing still clutching the wall, arms outstretched.
"Xerxes!" Kiki yelled.
"Help!" the controller screamed.
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Post by Xerxes on Jun 24, 2013 14:35:08 GMT -5
Before Xerxes could land, his oversized ears picked up the plaintive whine of a particularly distressing damsel. It seemed that Kiki did indeed need his help. Considering the level of volume she had expressed her desire for his presence in, Xerxes could only conjecture that she required him immediately, as her life was most likely in jeopardy.
Fortunately for her, the hole in the office had destroyed the soundproofed effect of the structure. Unfortunately for him, the hole in the office had destroyed the soundproofed effect of the structure. As the bat wheeled around to the hole in the wall, he entertained a notion for a moment. Was Kiki necessary in order to complete the mission? She was indeed. Xerxes was unable to fly a bug fighter, forcing him to embark on seeing to Kiki’s safety.
He darted through the opening in the wall and cast out with his arsenal of senses. The room he entered was an office of sorts, but everything had been scattered around or pulverized in the explosion. A wheeled chair perched in three pieces on the remnants of a cheaply-made oak desk. Splinters and miscellaneous office supplies covered the floor in a treacherous carpet.
Echolocation fleshed out his vision. In the adjoining room, potentially reached through either a closed door or a broken window, a large form was beginning to move what could’ve been a filing cabinet against the wall. Sensing the form to be an excellent locale to begin with, Xerxes flitted across the room and through the jagged remains of the window, entering the room he’d previously seen only from the other side of the massive windows.
And a man seemed to be attempting to climb up into the ceiling via a suspiciously removed ceiling tile. Analyzing the potential for chaos from the man’s actions, Xerxes deduced that Kiki had to be in the ceiling. If there were gods out there, Xerxes must have unintentionally offended one, for no average mortal possessed such horrendous luck.
The white specter flapped its leather-like wings and darted into the ceiling gap, eliciting a gasp of surprise from the cumbersome man. Xerxes ignored it. A burst of echolocation identified the situation. Based on curves and general physical shapes, there seemed to be two females hanging over an abyss. The trick was to decode which one was Kiki. Oh wait. The one in most dire need of rescue appeared to have an average hairstyle.
<<I’m here,>> Xerxes reported as he flew past Kiki’s hands and head, possibly brushing her a few times with his wings. A heartbeat later he was fluttering around the normal female’s hands, taking in the situation. It was simple. The two women were going to fall to their deaths very shortly. Or he could dislodge the controller.
Unleashing a plethora of twittering sounds into the controller’s face, Xerxes precariously landed on the women’s wrist, grasping some sort of metal watch with his wing claws. A satisfying scream bellowed from behind him as the women felt the ghostly white shape settle on her wrist. Xerxes was safe, however, as the women was unable to swat him away. Then he blocked out the distraction and shifted his location a few inches to access the underside of her wrist.
He could detect rather easily the largest veins and tendons on her wrist. Once targeted, he sank his wicked teeth into her flesh and began to gnaw.
The controller began to scream, uncontainable by her yeerk. Her screams echoed around the shaft of the abyss and continued raking at Xerxes’ ears, even as he managed to sever the last tendon.
Unable to continue using that hand, the shock and pain caused the controller to lose her grasp with the other as well. Xerxes watched her fall.
<<Do you require any further assistance?>> the scarlet muzzled bat asked Kiki, his mental matter-of-fact.
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Post by Kiki Sanderson on Jun 24, 2013 21:58:19 GMT -5
Even though she had called out his name, the sight of Xerxes in bat morph flying in through the ceiling still startled her. If she wasn't too busy hanging on for dear life, she may have jumped back in surprise and disgust. Even with Xerxes' help, it still felt like she was hanging there for an unbearably long while, supporting both her own weight and the weight of the controller. All the while she could hear the remaining two controllers moving around office furniture, probably to make their own way into the situation. Whatever Xerxes did seemed to work. The weight fell from her ankle with a blood curdling scream as the woman plummeted. Kiki couldn't believe how light she now felt. <<Do you require any further assistance?>> Xerxes asked. Kiki couldn't think of how he might and was too preoccupied to answer. She pulled up on the wall with all her might, but by now all her strength had been sapped. Her fingers were starting to loose their grip on the cinder blocks above. "I'm slipping!" Just when she thought the last of the power in her fingers was gone, a big beefy arm reached over the wall and grabbed her wrist. "I got her," the man's voice said. "Good," and older and feminine voice on the other side of the wall commented. "We need her alive if we are going to infest the human and discover what she knows." Infest! Kiki began wiggling and squirming to get away, even as the man struggled to pull her up and save her life. "Don't let him get me," Kiki said in a terrified panic. She wasn't sure what a bat could do to the guy, but being infested again was one of her biggest fears. The man's grip was too strong. She needed a way to take him off his guard. A way to relax his grip... Kiki concentrated on the controller, acquiring the host's DNA. And in the process, the man went into the acquiring trance. The good news was that the man lost his grip. The bad news was exactly the same. With nothing left to hold her, Kiki toppled backward into the dark abyss that was the elevator shaft. Down, down, down until she finally landed on something small and squishy and full of bones.
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Post by Xerxes on Jun 24, 2013 23:14:57 GMT -5
Help soon arrived in the form of the filing cabinet man. Although his identity was undoubtedly a controller’s, Xerxes was not so overcome with detestment as to immediately go for the wrist again. Besides, the man was the only way to rescue Kiki.
Until he heard her plea.
The world seemed to freeze as the phantom-like bat skewered Kiki’s hanging body with its gaze. Her voice said so much more than her words, and none of it was anything Xerxes wanted to ignore. She didn’t want to be infested at all costs. Her terror was almost palpable. The man behind the bat’s eyes understood. No matter what it took, he would not allow her to be taken.
But as opened his jaws to prepare for a repeat on his gory tactic, he heard the brush of skin on skin and his squeaks painted a stop-motion film of Kiki’s falling form.
It seemed she needed no more help from him.
Reality snapped back into focus. Kiki was beyond his help now. In the few seconds left of her freefall, he was unable to formulate a plan that could save her. Therefore it was up to him to complete the mission. Part of those parameters included getting in and out without anything knowing they were there. Yet there were two witnesses....
Bloodlust surged through both of his psyches, but cold logic managed to hold it at bay. As pleasing as it would be to eliminate the two controllers, it was impossible for him to do so at the moment. The third controller would have to satisfy him for now. The controllers would not be able to reach him and so at the moment he was safe. He needed to check Kiki first, if only to confirm her death. Or put her out of everyone’s misery.
Then he would complete their mission. By whatever means necessary.
Xerxes spiraled down the shaft, scanning the walls and everything with his echolocating blasts. It was smooth and rather cramped. Possibly an elevator shaft. But there was no elevator in it, an event that might or might not be fortuitous. There were doors, however, although on some levels those were merely gaping holes with shifting material hung over them, possibly plastic drapes. They could be used for escape.
At the bottom Xerxes found Kiki, as well as the controller. His comrade was on top of the enemy. But his sharp ears only heard breathing from the former. Excellent. If the fall hadn’t been enough to kill her, Kiki’s impact would’ve signed the deal. He could smell the rich iron scent of the female’s blood forming a pool around her wrist on the floor, a more heavily concentrated dose than the amount in his fur.
Managing to cling to a ladder on the wall, Xerxes attempted to focus on any sound coming from outside the shaft, from any floor. He could plainly hear the two controllers at the top discussing what had happened, but they seemed to be leaving the entrance to the shaft. The last words he heard them speak were about “getting down there” and “taking care of it.” Those words were accompanied what could’ve been radio static.
They didn’t have too much time. <<Kiki, if you are able, you need to move. The controllers from the top are beginning to come down the long way. We seem to be at the base of an elevator shaft, on the ground floor. There’s a doorway to your left--do you see it? Make some sort of noise or motion if you do. It’s only covered in plastic. We should be able to get through it. You will most likely need to morph. We are running out of time.>> He was by no means a doctor, but Xerxes did not think anybody could feasibly fall from such a height and be able to easily walk away. It was fortunate enough that Kiki’d survived.
Unbeknownst to anyone near the elevator shaft, several other individuals were moving about the factory complex, each going about their assigned tasks. Some began milling about in the outside yard. A few were locating their targets inside. The door to a stock room somehow opened and a figure slipped inside.
Another individual marked the locations of the few members of security present. They were all moving towards Saekron’s position, leaving most of the factory unsupervised. The few cameras and surveillance equipment that did not feed directly to the office that had been targeted by Saekron’s explosive were noted as well.
Another individual made its way towards the chaos happening as a result of the damaged water pipe. A chemical agent was in the individual’s pocket.
The stage was set. Now it was time for the curtains to open. All they needed was one final element before their cue to go on.
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Post by Kiki Sanderson on Jun 25, 2013 21:19:49 GMT -5
<<Kiki, if you are able, you need to move. The controllers from the top are beginning to come down the long way. We seem to be at the base of an elevator shaft, on the ground floor. There’s a doorway to your left--do you see it? Make some sort of noise or motion if you do. It’s only covered in plastic. We should be able to get through it. You will most likely need to morph. We are running out of time.>>
The words Xerxes spoke flowed through Kiki's head, but they were slow to register. Her whole body was reeling from the fall. It had only been moments since she was free falling, but it already felt like a distant memory. Something from a bad dream that her mind was waking up from.
But the reality of it was that she had plummeted several stories to her death. She wasn't dead, but she was certainly still heading in that direction. Broken bones and ruptured organs didn't just heal themselves after all.
Unless you are an animorph.
Kiki tried to take a deep breath to help her concentrate, but ended up going into coughing spasms, seeming to exhale more blood and bile than air. Waves of excruciating torment pulsed trough her entire body with every slight motion her body made. Kiki seriously considered giving in to death's grip, just to make it all stop. It would be so much easier than morphing. But some of Xerxes' message started to come together and register.
The controllers were still coming.
If they got to her before she died, they could force her to keep herself alive. Best to do that on her own. Concentrate Kiki. Morph! But concentration was not something that was coming to her easily at the moment. She focused on the first shape that her mind came to. The first one she could hold in her head. The man who tried to capture her. The man who was still coming for her.
Immediately she felt her body begin to swell. Muscle and fat piled on under the skin of her slight figure. Her skin paled to a Caucasian complexion and became much more hairy.
"Gross," Kiki said without thinking. It came out in a much deeper tone than she had expected, but at least she didn't cough up blood this time. The morphing process was healing her.
She attempted to stand up as her signature frizzy hair became flat and limp. Her newly added bulk and height made her balance a little uneasy, but she managed. Her sports bra did not survive the morphing process, having been stretched to the point of breaking, but her spandex shorts were thankfully still in place. At least for the moment.
"We're in a tight spot, aren't we?" She asked Xerxes, referring to their current predicament. "How you doing on time? And got any clue about what we should do?" Kiki made her way cautiously across the dimly lit space, eager to distance herself from the controller's body, and peeked out through the plastic covering the entrance. It certainly was a zoo out there.
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Post by Xerxes on Jun 25, 2013 21:58:36 GMT -5
Kiki was recovering. Excellent. Although her transformation was particularly repugnant. The sickening manipulation of bones and flesh nearly made the bat’s flesh crawl. It was enough that they each could become an animal, undergoing much more drastic transformations than Kiki’s, but to become another person. To have touched the person. To live inside their skin.
Despite his inhuman form, Xerxes still managed to cringe. Suddenly he could remember the sound of Kiki’s hand sliding out of the original owner of her current form’s grasp. The stains on his face suddenly felt like writhing worms set to devour him.
With sheer willpower Xerxes attempted to hold back the rising panic as he projected a response to Kiki. <<I believe I have just under an hour left in this form,>> he stated a bit rushed. He paused for a moment in order to regain a semblance of composure. <<And perhaps you should proceed out into room exterior to this shaft. We might be able to set up an ambush and enable you to acquire some proper clothing.>> Before he’d turned his head, Xerxes had been unable to help seeing Kiki’s newly generated and newly exposed body. It felt like his fur was alive with fleas.
<<I will demorph as well,>> he said after a moment. There was no longer any need for him to remain a bat. As a scout, he was beneficial, but they no longer seemed to need that talent. Besides, he still remembered the layout of the factory. As the words left his mind, though, Xerxes remembered his place. He was not in command. As tantalizing as it was, it was not for him to declare his intentions to Kiki without first seeking approval. She was no longer in a position that required him to immediately act, granting her full command again.
<<Unless I am still required in this form?>> he added, a subtle apology woven into his words so cunningly that one might easily miss it.
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Post by Kiki Sanderson on Jun 26, 2013 9:07:51 GMT -5
Was that... emotion, I just heard? Kiki wondered as Xerxes began responding. Whatever it was, it was quickly gone.
"Yeah, go ahead and demorph." She had almost forgotten that Xerxes still thought she had authority over him. "I would rather have you backing me up as a human than as a bat. I'll keep watch."
If Kiki had been thinking more clearly when she morphed earlier, she would have morphed bird so they could get out of this place. But as it was, it would take too much time for her to demorph and remorph. Their pursuers could arrive at any moment and she did not want to be caught vulnerable mid-morph. Not to mention she would have to demorph without a top on. It felt embarrassing enough to be without one even though she was technically a boy at the moment. She tried not to think about it as she slipped past the plastic curtain.
There was some minor construction materials sitting just outside of the unfinished elevator, but the majority of the room seemed to be an employee break room of some sort. Tables, chairs, a refrigerator. Apparently controllers needed a bit of down time to stay productive as well. The room was empty now though, probably due to the hullabaloo going on outside. She could see out a window past the half eaten lunches left on the tables and it sure looked like chaos out there.
Kiki grabbed a spare monkey wrench and lumbered toward the window as stealthily as she could manage, then discretely closed the blinds. Once completed, she moved to a protruding corner where the break room turned into a short hallway leading to the main factory. She pressed her bulky body against the wall, held her monkey wrench firmly (lighter in her new arms then expected), and waited.
<<Hey Zerk, can you hear this even if my morph is a human? I think I may have thought of a way to get me some clothes that fit and a way to get you your own disguise at the same time. We can->> Just then her outfit and Xerxes' potential disguise walked through the door.
Even through the sudden noisy clamor let in from the factory, Kiki could hear their familiar voices as they neared her hiding spot. "And keep an eye out for that white bird or whatever it was," the lady's voice said. "Once we confirm that your incompetence killed her, we'll need to do a thorough search of the->>
<<I must be crazy,>> Kiki muttered as they came into view. <<Backup would be good!>> She swung her wrench toward the big guy's head with all her might. "Huragh!"
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Post by Xerxes on Jun 26, 2013 10:45:01 GMT -5
Xerxes began his transformation as soon as the first syllable left Kiki’s mouth. He dropped to the floor of the elevator shaft and perched in the corner, as far away from the remains as he could get. If one didn’t know any better, one might conclude that Xerxes was eager to escape his form. With his image focused firmly in his mind’s eye, Xerxes began to reverse the shift he’d undergone earlier. Legs lengthened and switched functional directions. Fur receded into his skin and his snout began reforming back into a regular human’s. Seconds slid away like water through a drain as his metamorphosis continued working its course. But it was not quick enough. Kiki’s voice rang loud and true in his mind, but although he attempted responding with a simple <<Yes,>> his thought-speech cut out. More human than bat, his head had already changed enough to destroy the psychic communication ability. His ears, though, still worked fine. And they heard the sudden sounds of oncoming controllers. His head still received Kiki’s inner monologues. She needed backup, but he wasn’t finished with his demorphing. He still wasn’t human. He was the correct height and his stirrups had appeared once the webbing between his legs had vanished. His wings were mostly gone but leathery flaps still stretched from his sides and connected all of his fingers. His arms were still elongated, but not to the extreme proportions of thirty seconds before hand. He doubted he possessed his full muscle mass, still feeling quite light. The changes suddenly seemed too slow. He assumed that shout was Kiki’s battle cry. An thumping noise was most likely a point of contact. Xerxes was needed now. Half-galloping, half-running on still deformed legs, Xerxes burst out of the elevator shaft like a bat from hell, his continued transformation paused after his concentration shattered. There was no time for him to think, to prepare, so Xerxes lunged towards the woman, a fierce, monstrous shriek coming from his deranged smile. The blood still on his face would only have increased his demonic appearance. He collided with her and his weight, slightly reduced as it was, still managed to knock her off her feet, causing the two to begin rolling on the floor. She screamed in shock as she witnessed the creature on top of her, but Xerxes ignored the sudden pain in his ears. Underneath him was a controller. A monster controlling a human slave. It did not deserve to live. The woman began to beat at him, but she did not possess the leverage to effectively harm him. Still, he did not have too much time. Shoving aside his disdain for physical contact, Xerxes gnashed his teeth together and plunged his head down to her neck. He did not have the strength, he was certain, to wring her neck, nor did his half-changed hands possess the dexterity to do so. As it was the woman would quickly throw him off of her and he could not afford that option. So with his slashing fangs he bit down, vampire style, and proceeded to eliminate one of the two witnesses who could report their existence. A minute or so later his task was complete and he leaped off of the women. Without even bothering to check on Kiki, Xerxes struggled to focus on his true form. The teeth vanished, facial bones realigned themselves and the world no longer sounded quite so loud. The last of his clothing appeared and blonde hair began sprouting on his head. But the blood, old and new, was still there. His stomach heaved in revulsion and he unloaded its contents on the floor.
A scream was heard from the ground floor of the office tower and many heads turned towards it. Some of the security personnel began running towards it in order to investigate. Meanwhile, the rest of the indoor workers of the factory were all completely distracted. It was time. Djenn 841 managed to drop the chemical vial into the water from the broken pipe. The glass shattered and the compound mixed with the water, instantly causing a cloud of gas to form, rapidly expanding in all directions and colored a most insidious yellow. It smelled like sulfur, and indeed, sulfur was one of the key components to the nerve gas. By the time you could smell it, the gas would already begin paralyzing you, starting with your lungs if you breathed enough of it it. Eventually you would suffocate. In seconds the cloud had encompassed a small knot of people and began spreading at a speedy rate. Already Djenn could feel his host begin to grow sluggish. In one minute they would be unable to move. In two minutes their lungs would stop. In five minutes they would be dead. For the glory of the One.
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