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]

"Relax," Rico waves him off as he runs. "I can practically hear your brain whirring away. We escape the compound, get in radio range with the Legion. They'll swoop in on our location and secure the others. We've been doing just fine so far, haven't we?"

Perhaps he's a little too quick to say that. The sound of footsteps come again, but this time it's different. It's heavier, more disciplined.

The squad that comes this time are more heavily armored. More heavily armed, too. He catalogues this in the blink of an eye, assesses the order of threats. One of them hefts a bulky looking tube up on his shoulder, and Rico raises his lawgiver to disable him. But this time, this time, he's just a little too slow on the trigger. Sometimes people get lucky. This is one such instance.

His bullets whizz past his target by a bare centimeter, embedding itself into the wall behind them, and the man pulls something into place. It makes a clicking sound, and Rico watches the glint stare them down in slow motion.

"Down!" he roars, suddenly all business, wrenching Zenyatta to the ground and twisting around him, and the world explodes in a flash of fire.

[orbislife]

Zenyatta sees the rocket launcher aimed at them, and in that instant, he wants to transcend, use the Iris to protect Rico. However, he's too exhausted. He can't reach deeper into his reserves. He can't connect to the Iris, distant from his touch.

Rico pulls Zenyatta down to the floor. The explosion overloads his microphones with too much sound. His sensors register the heat and start his fans whirring. A miss, but all it might take is a second rocket.

They're stationary. They're trapped. Fear grips at him, icy and piercing. He can't lose Rico here. No, no. Not Rico too. He can't lose anyone else today. He needs to do something.

"You will not be hurting my friend!" Zenyatta growls; his soul yells.

From his position on the floor, his orbs rising into the air and dart into their attackers. They aren't the orbs of bright blue energy he normally shoots during a fight. They are the actual orbs themselves, metal moving at a rapid pace towards his targets.

However, there are more than nine metallic clangs that ring out. Twice as many in fact. If Rico checks, he'll find that the people are knocked unconscious. Even wallowing in discord, Zenyatta somehow manages to pull his punches.

And there are eighteen orbs in the air. Zenyatta seems surprised by this fact as well.

[truefaceofthelaw]

He’s not entirely sure why he decided to cover Zenyatta when he’s made of metal, and much more durable than skin and leather and flesh. It would have made more sense to take cover behind him, and at one point he gladly would have. He’s not sure when that changed, and and he curses himself out for being a drokking idiot.

This runs through his head in a second. Rico has no time, or place, for hesitation, once he's already committed to the action. But he picks up on Zenyatta’s icy fear (for him? surely not), and that mollifies his anger at him somewhat.

The backwash of the heatwave rolls over his back, and he hears something hit. Many somethings. It takes him a second to get to his feet, but when he looks he thinks concussion. I can't be having more head injuries. But he blinks, and he’d not just seeing double. If he were one for wonder and sentimentality, he’d gasp. But instead, he coughs, and smiles.

“...That’s new,” he croaks. "Well, would you look at that. A little present, from you to you."

[orbislife]

Nine orbs fall to the floor in a clatter of chimes. Whatever lingering energy within them had run out. The other nine--Zenyatta's nine--remain in the air as Zenyatta recalls them back. He tries to recall the fallen orbs, but they do not respond. They are not attuned to his omnic energy but to Reggatta's.

"Thank you, my brother," Zenyatta whispers.

He wants to get up and collect them, bring the orbs with him, but his body acts like he has doubled in weight. There's a quick surge of fear. What if he had been injured? Could his Legionnaire ring make up for any paralysis? Did that blast have an EMP element within it? Then that weight disappears, and Zenyatta can move freely. He sees Rico stand.

Oh.

"Are you unharmed, Rico?" Zenyatta asks as he hovers off the floor.

[truefaceofthelaw]

A brief pat down reveals that his uniform is scorched, but otherwise alright. Lucky, all things considered, that it didn't melt the fabric into his flesh. "I am," he responds, making a show of brushing off his shoulderpad. A twinge of pain echoes in his chest, but he ignores it. "Now come on. If they're bringing out the big guns now, they must be desperate to stop us. We're close."

He only takes two tottering steps when a sense of excitement hits him, electricity crawling up his spine in steps. Rico cocks his head to the side, a shiver growing as the smile on his face does. "Wait. There he comes now."

And just on time, the sound of boots echo down the corridor. A Judge emerges from the darkened corridors, a shade of his former self. He's looking worse. Much worse. He crosses over straight to Rico, swerving just slightly on his straight path, touching the palms of his hands with his bloody fingertips. Like the victor coming back with his spoils of war.

"Did you think I wouldn't make it?" Other Rico is breathless as he turns to Zenyatta, almost reverent. There's traces of blood on the daystick swinging by his side, on the handle of his sheathed boot knife, and painted across his knuckles. He glances down at himself like he's only just remembered that, then looks up again. "Don't worry about that, it's not mine."

Another second as he remembers that's not what he's supposed to say. He's usually better at lying than this. Grud dammit. "I only did what was necessary," he adds, belatedly.

[orbislife]

He's alive. Zenyatta spins around to face the second Rico, completely stunned. Both glad and pained to be wrong about his thoughts at their parting. He can feel how much further his condition has deteriorated. The fact that the second Rico still stands is a testament to his will and drive.

It's weak and flickering, but Zenyatta tries to squeeze out a tiny Orb of Harmony from his low energy reserves and aching soul. He shuts down some of his sensors. Three of his forehead lights blink out. Some of his cooling fans fall quiet. It will probably amount to very little healing, if any at all, but he wants to do something to help keep the second Rico standing, to help him live a little longer when he still fights to. Unlike Reggatta who had... fought for his life in a different manner.

The Orb of Harmony connects but then vanishes as Zenyatta cringes in pain, doubling over his brother's gathered orbs in his arms. They're both in too much pain for the connection to last. Zenyatta takes a shaking breath in an attempt to center himself. He does not try to form another Orb of Harmony.

"You do not have to say more. You are here." Zenyatta can guess what actions have occurred, but he still forgives him. They managed to reunite. They should leave now like Rico said. "You are coming with us now, aren't you?"

[truefaceofthelaw]

Other Rico shakes his head before Zenyatta is done talking. The orb is too small and the connection doesn't last, but he's - pleasantly surprised for a second. There's still nothing in the world that would keep him alive.

"Listen, I..." His voice trails off, unfocused, then sharpens again. He fumbles at the clasps of his shoulderpads, unlatches them and drops them to the ground. They hit the ground with a thud, one after the other. "You and I both know it's not happening." He reaches up to remove his helmet, fingertips sliding on the slick surface. He hesitates for a second, but he seems to gather his resolve, and takes it off with a forceful, angry determination.

Rico's face under the helmet is nothing special. He's just a young man with a strong jaw, a scar that winds across his temple, and brown eyes that look too warm for his suspicious face. Not ugly, but not handsome either. He stands in front of Zenyatta, without the shoulderpads that alter his silhouette into something more imposing, and without the helmet that makes him faceless. Without everything that makes him into something he is not.

"I'm not going to die a Judge," he speaks, locking eyes with Zenyatta. He's unusually expressive like this, his eyes narrowing in determination. "Drokk that. I think I'll just be Rico."

He reaches for his badge, unhooks it from his uniform with a jangle of chains, and hands it to him. It fits neatly in the palm of his hand, shining harshly in the fluorescent light. The shadows make it look cheap, like a piece of plastic. DREDD, it says. Framed proudly by the wings of an eagle, dirtied with his blood.

"I don't care what you do with that," he says. "Burn it. Keep it. Chuck it in the garbage. I don't care. That doesn't mean anything to me."

[orbislife]

When Rico starts to shed his armor, Zenyatta fears that he's going to show some grave injury to prove his point. The truth behind Rico's action becomes clear once he reaches for his helmet.

The sight surprises him. Zenyatta's consciousness has a brief blip, remembering the first time he saw Genji without his mask. There's something in Rico's warm brown eyes that is so similar. Like if they just had more time, Rico would be able to find the balance and peace, the acceptance he desires. Yet... time is the one thing they will not get.

"Rico," Zenyatta repeats. Just as Reggatta chose his identity, Rico has done the same. The method is different, but the result is the same. Zenyatta commits that face to his memory and tucks it next to Reggatta where it can be safe for as long as he lives. He takes the badge, only sparing a glance at the other Rico. Shouldn't he be the one to keep the badge?

No, if Rico wanted Rico to have it, he would have handed it to him instead of Zenyatta.

Zenyatta places the badge with the extra set of orbs. He doesn't say what he'll do with it, but it's obvious that he intends to keep it. One man's trash is another man's treasure as the saying goes. With a slight bow that's mostly from hovering lower than actually bending at the waist, Zenyatta says, "Please make sure Reggatta doesn't get into too much trouble. I entrust my brother to you."

And if they get out of this in once piece, Zenyatta will try to help Rico's brother. He gives him a silent promise.

[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.