BODY SNATCHERS [modplot] [part 2]

[legionnpcs]

Who| Zenyatta, Locus, Rico
What| Body Snatchers part 2
Where| The "terrorists'" base
When| After the last part of the plot
Warnings/Notes| N/A

When they reach the extraction point, they're transmitted to a room that's apparently secure, locked off from wherever else their mysterious benefactor or benefactors are.

The synth-voice talks to them over the comms.

"You're not our prisoners, but we're not going to expose our organization to unnecessary risk by giving you easy access to our facility. We apologize for the less than hospitable treatment."

There's no danger here at least, no weapons, nothing to threatening them.

"As for what's going on, your friends have been compromised by their implants, their minds manipulated by a system of AIs that have taken control of the ruling regime of this planet. They currently control key figures in the Epryrian government and are capable of taking temporary control of anyone with a cortical implant to briefly use as one of their agents. We are the Surian Underground. Upon discovery of the AI uprising, we had all of our augmentations removed and have been fighting back ever since. For our efforts, we've been painted as terrorists, surprise surprise. Mere anarchists."

Comments

[truefaceofthelaw]

Other Rico's face twitches like it doesn't quite know which direction to go, but he's quiet for a moment. "You should be careful with what you say." But he taps over his heart, grinning with a bravado that was once genuine but starting to slip. "Don't you worry about it, buddy boy. Rico's got it. Can't say how much trouble he's going to get himself into, though."

Rico, on the other hand, looks... unhappy. His mouth tugged down into a thoughtful frown, watching the proceedings - a marked change from when he'd first sensed his presence. His head tilts ever so slightly to track the passing of the badge, but doesn't say anything. He looks too exposed like this, Rico thinks. Is this what he looks like? Eyes warm, but manic and sick?

It makes it easier when he silently pulls out his lawgiver. Other Rico stares, and the smile drops.

"It's not how I thought I would go out," Other Rico says quietly, entirely to himself. His face is too full of vulnerability that makes Rico's fingertips twitch with discomfort. "This isn't how we'd planned it. Not at all. It's the right face, at least," he says with a wry smile. "But wrong gun. Wrong hand. Should be stupid blind drunk - it's not the place. I want-"

Something hitches in his throat, and a glint approaching trepidation grows in his eyes as he stares down the barrel. "I wanted to be by the pool. I wanted to be bored of it all, but I've got the whole drokking universe at my feet," he says, a distant, removed anger in his voice. "I'm not done. I thought I was, but I was only done with what Mega-City One had to offer. There's so much beyond it that's begging me to take. But now that I want to bother going on for something that's worth it, I can't." He looks at Zenyatta at this, the edges of a bitter grin curling at his mouth. "Isn't that just about the sickest joke you've ever heard of?"

[orbislife]

Never underestimate a Zenyatta's ability to get into trouble. They welcome adversity and seek it out instead of keeping a distance.

Zenyatta snaps his head towards Rico, the gun, and then to the other Rico. He nearly speaks, to convince Rico to not do it. Then he stops and stills himself. Just like him and Reggatta, this is a matter between the two of them. They are the ones who know what's best, what each other wants. The least Zenyatta could do was the same courtesy they gave him.

He takes a deep breath and composes himself, lifting his chin and giving attention to what unfolds before his eyes. Mentally "Other Rico" is starting to become Rico 2.0 to Zenyatta. He doesn't want to think of him as an "other."

It is cruel that Rico 2.0 has come to this realization without a chance to explore it fully. In his core, Zenyatta feels cold, heavy. If he hadn't composed himself, his words would be trembling. "I will not deny that. I think with what you know, you can decide what you want to happen. The ideal may be out of reach, but the now is still here." For however longer.

"You need not voice it if you do not wish to, but... I hope both of you are in agreement."

[truefaceofthelaw]

"What I really want to do is to hijack one of these vehicles and run over a few of them very unlawfully- just kidding. Don't look at me like that. Go take a vacation. Live in the lap of luxury. Change is coming like the fist of Grud - he's gonna understand. He's finally gonna understand. Stick around to see the fireworks happen. And get laid for me. Hell, get the bot laid too, find him some nice socket-jockey for all his trouble-"

"That's enough." That interruption comes from Rico, leveling a careful glare.

Strangely enough, Other Rico seems to smile at that.

"I did say I could stand to die honest. But we don't always get what we want, do we? Even if we try?" Other Rico shrugs. "Oh well. Easy come, easy go. Life's cheap, but at least I spent it well. Spent every cred like it was my last."

One last glance at Zenyatta, with a secret quirk to his smile.

"Don't let anyone else take that pep out of your step, eh?"

Hilarious. Other Rico spreads his arms wide, facing himself. He's ready. But his counterpart almost can't pull the trigger. He looks, really looks at himself, and his finger freezes in place. Some ghost sensation, haunting him from inside his skin, stopping him from shooting. He blinks his eyes, and he's both. Killing, and being killed. But then he remembers - this is him. And Rico is loathsome, and arrogant, and the best in the drokking world, and a murderer and a brain-strain psycho. And he loves himself. He needs to take care of him. He'd do anything for himself.

And with loving care, blood sprays on the wall in the purest form of self-care he knows as he finds that he can pull the trigger on himself after all.

Heart shot. Three planted dead-center, punched in one after the other. Rico jerks and slides to his knees, clutching his chest, laughing. And with an irreverent, bloody grin, before the hacking laughter turns into silence, says;

"Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?"

And then he's dead, eerily still. His eyes are still open. Rico takes up the laugh as he holsters his lawgiver, sounding only a little unhinged.

[orbislife]

Rico 2.0 can die knowing that he flustered Zenyatta with his quip about getting the bot laid. It'll be hard to miss how his forehead lights flicker, even with how dim they are from low power. Zenyatta isn't even aware he reacted as he did.

What follows next only takes a blink just as long. There were two Ricos standing. Now, there is one.

"This is not the end of Rico, merely a transformation," Zenyatta whispers, unsure of which Rico he speaks to. He moves over and shuts Rico 2.0's eyes, shifting his hold on everything in his arms. It's not easy, but he manages somehow. "Form is temporary. The spirit is eternal."

He continues to look at Rico 2.0. He takes in as much as he can about the moment, committing it to his memory. Then he looks at Rico; a silent question hangs in the air.

What is the next course of action?

[truefaceofthelaw]

There's somebody looking at him for instruction. Zenyatta sure knows how to appeal to Rico's weak points. Big Rico's gotta be Big Rico, as always. How can he ignore a look like that? Get his drokking head put together.

His jaws slam shut, clicking together in a grin. They're close to the exit, he can feel it. The corridor in front of them stretches outwards, linear and promising, and thinks he can even see the red glow of a sign. How convenient. "Come on. Let's get outta here. This place is getting on my last nerve."

He reaches out and bundles Zenyatta off in that direction, but not before glancing over his shoulder. He reaches into his glove compartment, pulls out his last remaining incendiary round. He slots it in, and casually, almost off-handedly, fires it at the body. It ignites behind them, going up in smoky, crackling flames. He's not going to linger long enough to know what his own cooking flesh smells like, but he couldn't just leave it there intact. They technically already have his genetic data on file, but like hell he's going to make it easy for some enterprising scientist to drag it off.

[orbislife]

Zenyatta has the best sad puppy eyes for someone with an expressionless face.

This situation is well out of his realm of experience, and they lack the time and energy to slow down. That equates to Zenyatta looking to Rico for help, for direction. He doesn't say anything as the incendiary round goes off. After all, Zenyatta did the same when he fried Reggatta's circuits.

They continue down the corridor. Only Rico's feet on the tiled ground echo against the walls. Their captors probably have their hands full with the mess they've left behind. Mostly the havoc that Rico 2.0 had left. The red sign draws near, and Zenyatta wonders about where they are going to escape to. Where exactly are they? Are they close to where the treaty is supposed to be signed? Further away?

He shifts uncomfortably and feels for the Legionnaire Ring on his finger, a very human gesture he'll later recognize. The ring would normally help the Legion locate them and offer a way to communicate with them. However, those options are absent. The Legion would have already launched a rescue if they knew where they were. Even being an omnic, Zenyatta doesn't have a personal method to contact them.

"Do you have ideas to notify the Legion of our whereabouts?" They could find someone native to the planet and try asking for help, using their implant. Perhaps there is something like an internet cafe or a public communications terminal they could use. Or maybe they could cause enough of a commotion somewhere to gain the Legion's attention through the news.... That would probably make a bad situation worse. Bad idea.

The Legion most likely has eyes out for them. They just need to be seen by someone looking for them or their doubles.

[truefaceofthelaw]

"I was thinking find a crowd, start firing into the air. It's a way of getting attention."

Rico's only half joking. Really. He checks his own localized radio, and Legion Ring. It's not long-range, and it's been sitting useless since their appearance in this facility, but here's hoping it'll start being useful. "Might not even come to that. They could have shielding on this facility. As soon as we get out of range of the blackout inducers, comms'll turn back on."

Of course, that's assuming they're not in the middle of nowhere. But on a planet as built up and crowded as this, he's betting they're relying on secrecy and security to stay hidden, rather than physical isolation.

They reach the door, it's predictably locked. Rico doesn't bother slowing down for even that, just fires off a round that smashes the lock, and kicks it down with his full momentum. He won't deny that he's doing the dramatics just a bit for Zenyatta's sake - morale is important to keep up - but the rush of victory and exhilaration that comes with the door slamming open and seeing the dark night sky is very real.

[orbislife]

Through his muddled senses and the impressive act of breaking down a door, Zenyatta knows that Rico has regained some of his inner strength. The exit opens up to the city around them. Cool air registers on Zenyatta's sensors as his visual ones adjust to the change in light. There's plenty more sound, the melodies of daily life and not the dirges of terrorism and dying breaths.

Until this moment, he never thought of himself as being claustrophobic. However, the change to open air rejuvenates Zenyatta's spirit some even though it cannot his energy reserves.

They're not in the middle of nowhere. That bodes well for them. (And not just for the idea Rico suggested.)

"It is late. Perhaps the treating signing has already happened." It should be over by nightfall if the treaty signing happened on schedule without anything else occurring. The news should be talking all about it. Still, they shouldn't delay. The longer the other Legionnaires remain captive, the more of a chance they could be moved or have some worse fate befall them.