When There's a Will...((Mia and anyone else!))

[Anonymous]

Two hours earlier:


The TRIM carrier U.S.S. Æther sailed above the polluted skies just five hundred miles away from Aedolis’s borders. Aboard it, the scientists were carrying top priority cargo for Aedolis’s army. It was a weapon, one that could break the stalemate between Aedolis and Edanith. It took three centuries to make, but it was finally complete. It was now locked down in cryostasis, awaiting the time to be awakened.

This was the result of TRIM’s now-successful Project Polar. This project involved the polar opposite magics of light and darkness, and attempting to fuse them into the same body of a magic user, willingly or unwillingly. The result was then to be given to Aedolis as an ultimate weapon for the war. Their past attempts have been disastrous, with the subjects either dying on the spot or mutating into such horrifying forms that they had to be killed. These results, the scientists later realized, was because there wasn’t a proper match in the subjects’ genes and the psychological spirit to harness and control both of these energies to a large extent. The latter reason was put aside, for their technology was too limited at the time to discover spiritual connections, so they focused their efforts on the former. Thus, Project Polar was postponed until a match could be found.

None of TRIM’s subjects at the time had that gene match. So they focused on outer borders, such as helping both Aedolis and Edanith with their war. In one instance of Aedolian expansion, a village was wiped out…all but one warrior, who struck down a large portion of the Aedolian forces, survived, only to be in a coma. Impressed by this warrior’s fortitude for punishment, TRIM scientists who happened to be at the scene inspected the body. Incredibly, a gene match for their project was found in this warrior, a near-deceased cat girl named Lyuba. The scientists placed the body in suspended animation and transported her to TRIM.

The scientists had their match now. Their only concern was her mental capacity to effectively harness both light and dark magic. They injected a tiny sample of light and dark magic into her veins. She showed no signs of significant physical mutation or mental degeneration, which seemed a positive outcome; the only minor mutation she had undergone through the transfusion was a change of hair color and tail color. However, the scientists noted her body working harder than normal to contain the magic. To counter-balance this, they performed surgery upon most of her bones, fusing them with biomechanical plating which acted to increase her endurance to drastic levels. That way, her body wouldn’t strain itself during the infusion process. Even so, the process was likely to be dangerous if done all at once, so they had to do it in tiny segments once in a given period. This was a painstaking process that took a century and a half to complete, and she had to remain in suspended animation in order for the process to take place. But it was complete nonetheless, and she was then placed in cryostasis for another century and a half for her extensive surgery scars to heal.

The scientists at TRIM then ran several diagnostics and simulations based on data acquired from their experiment. They all proved to be quite promising, showing that she could battle for extensive periods without being exhausted. The simulator also showed high levels of strength and speed within the subject, with an eighty-five percent chance of victory against any opposition. Their only concern was the curious barrier enveloping her mind that resisted all but the most powerful psychic energies, but it was of little matter to them, since this was to be a weapon for Aedolis to wield.

However, there were two critical factors that the scientists at TRIM forgot to take into account: her will to choose, and her immense fighting spirit.

////

She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t see. Yet she knew she was still alive. She still felt pain, but she didn’t know what was causing the pain. In her state of coma, she saw white and black lights in her mind. At times, her fighting spirit surpassed the strange field that surrounded her so that she could open her eyes slightly, only to see the blurry images of people attaching strange contraptions to her. She could not retain her wakened mind for long, for the effects of suspended animation would not allow her to. She had no sense of time, as she did not know how long she had been here. It all seemed like an eternity to her. Then the field around her strengthened, and she could no longer wake.

After what seemed like eons of agony, drifting in endless sleep, a fire lit within her. Her fighting spirit reawakened her into inner-conscious awareness. She felt more power surge within her, more than she thought she had. But she did not remember who she was, for this long, aching sleep had taken away most of her memory. She struggled to remember, yet she could not. She wanted earnestly to escape, yet she could not move. Tears filled her subconscious mind.

Yet something about her inner fire sparked, for her mind soon filled with visions of her past…her family, her friends, her husband-to-be…the attack by those military men…the people who found her, attached those devices to her…the ones who caused her pain. Suddenly, she remembered who she was. The tiny spark of her warrior’s flame began to grow. An unexpected power began surging through her body as she returned to her wakened mind.

////

“Doctor, look at this,� a scientist near the cryostasis tank said worriedly.

“What is it this time?� the other asked boorishly.

“X0777A,� the first scientist said. “She’s giving off abnormal magic readings!� The tank then began to sputter and short-circuit as the body within it emanated a powerful magic aura.

“Doctor!� a third scientist exclaimed. “The tank is taking some serious damage. The magic she’s giving off is destroying the tank from the inside out!�

“Call security forces, immediately!� the first scientist panicked. “She must be contained!� The third scientist nodded and ran to call security. The ice that was keeping the subject contained began to melt and crack.

“It’s no use!� the second scientist shouted as alerts and sirens began to blare. “She’s already broken the containment field!� The chamber then shattered in a storm of sparks and shards of metal as the subject awoke.

////

She was now awake, fully aware, and breathing. She felt a new kind of power surge with her. It felt as though that there was a river of warmth and desecration, shining and bleakness, and contrasting omens flowing through her veins. This new power frightened her, but fear did not get in her way. She saw the scientists; they wore the same outfits as those scientists that took her away. A cold yet fiery rage could be seen in her eyes as she lunged for the scientist nearest her.

She did a palm strike on the scientist’s face, which shattered his nose and sent him flying across the room. Then, she darted left and did a roundhouse kick across another scientist’s head, succeeding in smashing the side of his skull and snapping his neck. Another scientist tried to apprehend her from behind, but she simply grabbed his arm with a bone-crushing force and threw him into one of the rows of computers, killing him in a shower of sparks. A fourth scientist tried to run, but to no avail; she caught up with him and did a sideways chop to his throat, downing him with ease. By this time, the security force arrived, clad in armor and armed with rifles.

“Stop her!� a fifth scientist cried out. “We can’t afford having her escape!�

But she heard, thus, she reached for a table of computers, then, with previously unheard of strength, effortlessly uprooted it from the floor. She hurled it at the scientist, and it landed upon him with a crash and an explosion, taking out a small portion of the ship’s interior.

“Shoot her!� the front security man shouted, “but keep her alive!�

She was not about to let them. She did not know how she did it, but an orb of prismatic light formed in her right hand. She unleashed it, and the orb split into five smaller orbs, each hitting one of the front line security men in their visor helmets. They exploded in a brilliant flash of light, successfully blinding them. The back line readied their guns and aimed at her. They never got the chance; in an instant, she unknowingly formed an orb of darkness and hurled it at one of the men. When it hit, the darkness spread and enveloped the screaming man in a sort of a cocoon of darkness. The other men fired their rifles, but none of them hit their target; she must have noticed and darted out of the way. She then uprooted a supercomputer from its foundations and threw it at the security men. It exploded, taking out not only the men, but a huge hole in the ship.

She quickly approached it and looked out. She saw that she was flying not too far above the desolated ruins of a city. She also saw the ship she was on was losing control; her destruction must have sent a power surge through the ship. Without even thinking, she jumped out of the ship and fell three hundred feet. She landed hard on the ground, collapsing as she did, yet she sustained no serious damage. She watched as the ship flew much further before it exploded in a fiery spectacle and plummeted to the ground.

////

Present Time:

She stumbled into the ruins of the city, breathing heavily as she did. She needed to find a place to rest and think. She needed to know what they had done to her. She soon found a suitable ruined building to stow away in, so she carried her wearied body in through the open door next to a giant hole in the building.

She staggered to the nearest wall and slumped down it. She found a hand mirror that, surprisingly, remained intact. She looked at her own reflection, and was shocked to see what looked back at her. No longer was her hair and ears the beautiful rust red and brown that she adored; her hair had turned black and her cat ears turned white. After being captivated by her image for a moment, she looked at her tail and saw that it, too, had changed colors; it turned white tipped in black. She then noticed the unusual outfit she was wearing, and wondered why she was wearing it.

What have they done to me? she wondered in fear. She began shaking as she looked at the palms of her trembling hands. Soon, an orb of magic formed in each hand. She stared at them in both confusion and fear. The one in her right hand was a glowing, prismatic ball of light that was warm to the touch. The other in her left was quite the opposite; it was an orb of cold, utter blackness with a deep purple aura surrounding it. She stared at her hands even as the orbs dissipated. She shook her head in despair and noticed that something was on her upper left arm. It was a tattoo that said, “X0777A� in inky black lettering. She remembered seeing something like that…on her deceased sister.

So that was it. They had used her in an experiment. They took away everything she had…her family, her friends, her fiancée, her home…and they changed her into something she was not. They had destroyed her. And she could not go back.

All of this was too much for her. Anger and sorrow fused into one emotion. She buried her face in her arms and began to cry uncontrollably.

[Anonymous]

Dier leaned on his spear in agitation, Caros hadn’t come back yet. Where had he gone? Ipollius was a large place and though Caros had a very good nose, ie he strayed too far his master might not be able to find him again. Master was a very formal term however, the two were more like friends, Dier could understand everything his partner said even if he did only meow, purr, growl and generally make cat noises.
     Growling in exasperation, Dier pulled his spear out of the ground, he wasn’t go to stand around waiting. Caros probably smelt something like food and if that was the case, there was no sense in worrying about the panthera, it would probably be back soon. Instead Dier decided to concentrate on finding the ship he had seen crash, and any survivors if there were any. Hopefully it wasn’t a TRIM ship, if it was there was likely to be some powerful and dangerous creature stalking round the ruined city and it would probably be hard to kill too. He should know, he used to work for them…

//////////

Caros could smell something very strange. It sort of smelled human, but also feline at the same time…it was sort of like Dier’s scent but the panthera was pretty sure it was female.  Who knew where Dier had gone, he had probably gotten annoyed at waiting for him and had wandered off into the city after the ship. Oh well, the panthera could find the source of the unusual scent on his own.
     He roared into the ruins, hoping that whoever it was would hear.
     â€œIt might scare them,â€? Caros thought mischievously, “That’ll be fun.â€?
     He continued to stalk through the decimated buildings, roaring occasionally and waiting for a response until the smell became stronger.
     Following his nose, he ran towards the scent until it was so strong he knew it was in the building right in front of him. He stepped into the room and saw exactly why the source smelt human and feline, it was a cat girl. She was quite cute, for a humanoid creature. Her fur was white and black, quite unusual for a Nekomimi.
     â€œHello,â€? Caros said, though it sounded more like a purr.

[Anonymous]

She didn't know how long she had been crying. She didn't even bother. She had everything taken from her...all for the sake of some twisted experiment. Why they experimented on her, she didn't know and didn't care. She wanted to destroy them. But what could she do?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a deafening roar echoing through the desolate ruins. She stood immediately and wiped the tears from her eyes, wondering what the roar was. It sounded again, only it was louder this time. She did a full 360 of the immediate area, but saw nothing. The roar came again, much louder than before. Whatever she was hearing, it was coming closer. In terror, she prepared herself for anything, even though she was mentally and emotionally scarred.

Something purred behind her, as if in an attempt to speak, and she spun around to face it. It was a large panther...too big to be natural. And did it say hello? She was very freaked out now.

"Wh-What are you?" she whimpered in a broken voice. "D-don't come near me. Don't...don't..."

[Anonymous]

Dier continued walking through the ruins until he heard Caros’ roar. Had something happened to the Panthera? Then again Caros roared a lot, he roared when he was he danger, when he smelt something interesting, when he was lost. The fact Caros was roaring wasn’t really anything to worry about. Maybe he had found the ship. The sound didn’t seem to have come from that far away though.

     Dier headed in the direction of the sound until he could smell something. Like his cat friend, Dier had a very good nose though not quite as good as the panthera’s. Something smelt like a human and an animal and he could also smell Caros.

     He entered the building and saw quite a strange sight; a girl that seemed to be half human half cat but her colouration was very unusual.

     Caros purred, “I’m not going to hurt you?â€?

     The girl seemed to be scared of the big cat which wasn’t really surprising and though he was human, Dier wasn’t much less terrifying than his partner. However the girl obviously seemed to be in distress.

     â€œHello,â€? Dier said as he walked across to stand next to Caros.