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Post by Man on Jul 1, 2015 20:13:52 GMT -5
The woman diverted her eyes as Zero pressed his thumb against her cheek. Her skin was remarkably ordinary by universal standards despite the great feats she had displayed. As her gaze returned and set on his own, the android retracted his hand, shocked by her unanticipated response. So was Ona, AEVA, and himself; their origins seemed to be a mystery to all but their absent creators. –Not to say the woman before him was like them, but she seemed similar enough. Was this the fate of all artificial beings? The woman reached her hand out and revealed a silver sphere suspended over her palm, made of the same properties as the rest of her body.
AEVA took notes of what she had been witnessing. No doubt, if Ona had been present, she would request to have the specimen on her lab bench for further studying. However, unlike popular belief, Model Zero was not as scientific as his peers; he observed things at facevalue. Androids were known for being objects of high intellect, constantly pondering the workings of space and time –but although Zero possessed said intellect, he was not as interested by inner workings of a clock as he was of the clock itself.
His gaze rose from the sphere in her palms and met with hers once more as the question was reciprocated. “What are you?”, an existential paradigm to all creation. “According to my master, I am a machine built by the living, to serve the living,” he responded. It was what Ivan had fed him since the day of his awakening, at least part of it, yet he had only just begun to question the words he trusted most. It started at Belegost when he was struck by the planet’s unstable magnetic barrier. A mysterious yet familiar man eluded his mind, making him second-guess his existence as a whole. Ivan said he was a machine, but Ona detected living cells within him during their ‘fight’ on Mement Mor. And if one would analyze him closer, they would discover that –known by Ivan alone, the android carried saiyan and human DNA. Ironic, since he was created with the intention of destroying the entire saiyan race.
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Post by Maya on Jul 1, 2015 23:45:42 GMT -5
His hands weren't what Maya had expected from his sleek exterior shell, they weren't nearly as soft as others she had come into contact with however his touch was gentle, exploring the smooth curves of her face in a observational method. Maya felt no danger from this act, the look in his eyes was one which she had seen before, one for understanding, discovery; he was dissecting her with his senses as she was doing to him. There was much one could learn from another with mere senses alone even from the start of their encounter Maya had taken every opportunity to evaluate him, from his fighting skills down to the ticks that made him who he was. The picture was cut and dry but a basic outline of him had taken shape, all that was left was to fill in the blanks but such things would taken much more time than Maya thought she had here.
The recoiling of his hand from Maya's face rose questions from him, the question had seemed simple enough to be answered yet from actions alone it almost seemed as though she had struck a weak point in his protective shell. The same question had been directed towards Maya more times than she cared to think about and the answer had always been the same; she did not know. From what Maya had seen from the man it appeared that the answer was going to be all to similar to hers, it was a sad thought, the only other being like herself that she had ever met and they shared the same fate of the unknown. Of course that was her luck, either the rarity of what she was to such an extreme that finding her kin... or something close in comparison was near impossible or the fates above felt the need to cast a vale before her eyes to all which shared her nature; every small lead to understand herself better seemed to putter out within seconds of its discovery.
With the silver sphere appearing in the palm of her hand Maya thought the man would have taken interest in the strange object let alone her physical make up yet his attention lingered for a moment before it changed views. This struck Maya as odd, he was so similar to her, their mental make being mechanical yet he showed little care of what she had just showed him; did he not care to expand his knowledge, to take apart and discover, even those simplest life forms such as humans gawked and questioned her existence... he showed nothing of the sort.
Changing in subject the small sphere sunk down as it once again became part of her flesh, with its base touching her skin the orb melted like snow in a spring gust, within seconds the object had vanished into her.
"That is it?"
Maya was expecting more than what he had said, something to give more meaning, not just for himself but for Maya. As long as she had been able to move about she held no memories of her past, where she had come from, if their were others just like herself, and for what purpose was she sent to Earth... and when she finally finds another who was so similar to herself she comes to find out he is merely a servant to the living. That couldn't be it for them, their type... to be constructed just for the means of others.... Maya took orders from Akassa but there was a mutual respect there, a union formed by them to aid the other... she took any order from Akassa not because the woman demanded it but because it was Maya's choice to... but... did he have a choice? Did he do what he did because he was told to... or by his own whim.
"There is nothing more than that? Do you not do what you wish to?"
It was hard for Maya to wrap her mind around such a way of existence, to have no will to do what one wished; she did what she felt was correct, what she wished to, what she enjoyed regardless if it was solving the Empires needs, a home had been found in doing such things. He could not be black and white as he was speaking... unless of course they were further apart in likeness than she had first thought.
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Post by Man on Jul 2, 2015 8:36:01 GMT -5
Zero remained silent, as if in deep thought once more. From the moment he opened his eyes, the only word imprinted in his mind was “Man.” He thought it was his name, but the red man with white hair soon enlightened him with words of wisdom. The only thing the android could see as the scientist probed him were pit black, soulless eyes reflected from Ivan’s hazel and blue eyes.
“Man!?” the scientist snickered with baneful amusement. “No you're not, you're a machine, you could never be a man.”
“A... Machine?” Zero was unfamiliar with the term itself. His awakening was replete with what he now learned to call ‘a haze’, at least, that was the best word to describe the experience. Eventually, the abstract word ‘machine’ acquired physical form and meaning in his mind.
“Yes; you're just an imitation of man, you have no heart or soul, you're not a living being.”
He was rigid and shiny, without emotion or desire. After spending time with the living, he understood what his master –his god, had been explaining to him what exactly made him differ from the rest. Although others seemed to have limbs and eyes like him, there was a clear distinction between the two. Unlike the living, Zero didn’t need to sleep, eat, or rest. He could not feel pain, according to Ivan. Yet, with all of this explained to him, there was still a concept his advanced mind could not grasp with ease.
What does it mean, to live...?
That question was answered on its own in time. Apparently, to live possessed a different connotation to every individual. For some it was waking up every morning to go to work and make a living for their family. In this context, a living meant money. For others, it was the simple act of existing and spending time with others which defined their life. Yet again, there was another term Zero did not grasp. For Zero, to live meant training with his masters, going on missions, and receiving maintenance and upgrades from the lab aides in Ivan’s laboratory. If he wasn’t doing either of those, then he was inside a blank room, staring at a wall until his next orders were announced through the tiny speaker. However, that implied that he lived and to live, one must be alive, no? Can he exist without living? The concept continued to elude him.
Zero caught himself staring at the ocean below them and shifted his gaze to meet hers once again. With the affirmative way he spoke, it sounded as if he were completely sure of everything he was about to say. AEVA leaned forward over the monitor, as if she had also been waiting for his response. “An android does not desire, nor does it require it. Emotions are absent... My only -wish- is already predetermined by my creator’s programming. My actions and words are a reflection of his image and nothing more.”
After listening to Zero’s response. AEVE receded back into her seat silently. Her mechanical body could not yet communicate the emotions her artificial intelligence program had been attempting to convey; resulting in a blank and robotic expression. However, the sudden shifts and the rhythm by which she moved her body away from the screen was almost a sign of disappointment. It was as if she had been anticipating a cake and only received a piece of charcoal.
“Do you not possess a master?” he questioned. Zero had thought that all like him possessed one. However, Ona proved him wrong when they met –although he continued to insist that Invictus was her ‘master’ in some form or another.
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Post by Maya on Jul 4, 2015 17:54:39 GMT -5
Maya waited for his answer with growing anticipation for something which would resonate within her, something which would give her some idea of what she really was other than a machine; a machine with no memories of who she really was or where she came from. Outside from Akassa Maya had never taken any type of consul from another, others opinions were worthless to her mind, those that lived for a blink of an eye in a universe only searched for their next meal, their next pay check when the mail would arrive on time or not but those like Maya and the mysterious android floating before her time was an endless span which showed them from where they had come yet not the truth for why they were their now. So long had she searched for a hint of something more than idle tasks, a greater means behind her existence.
Her eyes dimmed at the mans words, no longer did they tear away the shadows from his bleak face but illuminate hers alone. Cold, callous; Maya understood all to well... they were not the same, something deep within set them apart from one another and she knew just what it was.
It was a few sparks that resided within her mind but the lingering mind of another kept Maya the way she was, from her solid form down to the way she acted and while it was a candle on the fringes of a icy death its beat did not waver in strength. The flash of her eyes, the way her attention turned when Akassa walked by, it was all there, the shimmer that was lost in this metallic being.
Maya was unsure what to say, what to think, something inside her hoped very much that a nugget of wisdom would have laid in his words yet nothing that he said had not been thought by herself in the past.... It seemed like the world back then was cold, lifeless, with out a hue of color but now she saw more than before, arching sunsets over the palace walls, swiftly guided winds as they toss about old leaves so the new ones may take their place. Everything changed though it had not been a quick one; the voice inside her head had always been there. Maya once thought that it had vanished, sunken away, torn apart by her conscience yet she knew now it was there, as it always had been.
Sadness... she felt sadness towards the android before her, for herself, she was in his place not long ago; a blank script only to have another write his story for him. It was her difference from the man that she was who she was, the mind, the body she had taken from another gave her these gifts that he couldn't understand; it was useless to explain, she knew the way they thought as she herself used to.
Eyes cast off to one side Maya let his words drift into the blackness around them, she didn't know what to say anymore. So many questions still lingered within her mind but it all seemed pointless now, they need not be directed towards him; she would find another, some where out there in the great void of space... there was another which could guide her to an understanding.
She was ready, ready to leave, ready for him to get it over with and slay her then and there, either way she would be back at the palace, away from all of this only to be alone with her thoughts once more. Before she was able to disconnect from the sever he spoke again, the question had been assumed in its coming though it still hit her with all of its magnitude.
"Master?...."
Maya grew silent once more as her thoughts flashed back to her first arrival to the moon. The universe had grown so much to her in one single step from the Earth to the strange lunar world, a new race, new people and Akassa. Their meeting was strange even looking back on it now with some fondness at her still awkward nature... at least she could speak now. At the time there seemed to be no possible way to gain entrance to the Empire let alone form an alliance with the Queen yet it had been by chance that she found her way into Akassa's good graces. She worked side by side with the Queen each one providing the other with something they yearned for, over time something changed, the line between alliance and subordinate came into view. Even now Maya was unsure where the line lay, if she was free to leave when the need arose or if she was bound to the Empire and by association Akassa till time ceased. Akassa demanded and Maya did what was asked of her but only in the beginning had Maya done it as a demand from her partner, now... now it was because Akassa needed help and Maya was more than willing to aid her in any manner for she had given Maya a home... and... friendship...?
Maya floated there above the cresting waves below as her mind returned to back to the man next to her; how long had it been since she said anything?
"No... at least, not anymore. I have... a friend. I am bound to my own whim. And with that I choose who I wish to follow."
There was uncertainty in her voice as she spoke, Maya had only ever heard the term of "friend" before, its true nature was mysterious but it seemed to fit, however she was unsure if the same thing could have been said from Akassa towards Maya. Her time with Akassa had shown Maya much about the woman, more than others would receive from a general appearance; deep beneath her hardened exterior Maya saw that there was another that resided inside Akassa, someone that never got to be, repressed and pushed away for her whole life. There was a connection between the two but the concepts of any type of relationships was far to bazaar for Maya to yet understand.
"At first...."
Maya paused to gather her thoughts at what she was about to say.
"I thought, you and I where similar. Machines. Searching for something more than what we know currently. I know now, I was wrong. You are a machine... and I... I am something different. What that is, I know not."
Her tone changed from the nervous unsure state from before as her words were embraced in a determined stance, she knew all to well of what she spoke and was damned if she would not defend her ideas. Maya learned not which she hoped to from the start but something else was learned, she was more than just a machine, something beyond that... but what was it?
"Now take your victory or be gone. My mood to speak has grown sour."
Maya turned her back towards the man with a flick of her wrist as if to shoo him away like a stray dog longing for a bone. Maya had her fill of conversing with this man, he was merely a shadow of what she once was, no longer would she allow it to trail in her wake. Arms crossed one over the just below her chest she sighed softly gazing into the twin moons, skirting the surface of the oceans lip it would only be a matter of time before whatever sun that existed here would rise to greet her, though would she be here to see it, she could not say.
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Post by Man on Jul 6, 2015 11:24:51 GMT -5
Zero’s gaze lifted to meet the woman’s eyes as she spoke of her ’friend’. Her voice wavered, fluctuating with all kinds of imperfections that thawed the message she intended. She was almost like a living being in a sense. Model Zero had come across the term before and frankly he did not yet fully comprehend what it meant. It could be said that he also possessed someone like a friend, but that individual was slain by his own hands. No. Zero rejected the woman’s claim. She confused this friendship with loyalty, he thought.
In spite of her previous claim, the android concurred that she was indeed something separate. Zero’s path was certain and laid out in front of him while the woman stood shrouded by her own ignorance almost as much as their surroundings were with the absence of light. Zero knew who he was. He knew what his purpose in life was. He knew who created him. Despite the mishap in Belegost and Mement Mor, he proved to be far more certain about his origins than any other being like himself. Ona and AEVA both have no record of their creation. In fact, Ona spends the entirety of her immortal existence trying to discern how beings such as themselves could even be in this universe. AEVA had no such endeavors, for she had found comfort under Ivan’s leadership –almost like an adopted father. The scientist would help her improve her body’s mechanisms so she may interact with the world on a more intimate level.
The woman turned from Zero, requesting that he end the fight or leave. At this point, there was no point in dealing the final blow. Recognizing that time for speech had ceased, the android receded into the darkness without another word. It was likely that this would be the only instance in which they would ever meet. Zero couldn’t help but contemplate how it was possible that beings as rare as themselves kept appearing all over the place. The fact that he had met another like himself through a simulation implied that their kind was much more abundant than previous thought. Then again, they were nothing alike in the end.
The simulation soon ended and Zero found himself standing in the blank gravity chamber.
[Exit. PL/ Heavy Weights/ 10xg]
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Post by Maya on Jul 8, 2015 1:23:02 GMT -5
Having given her piece Maya awaited the glowing sword of the man to pierce deep into the fleshy parts of her backside only for her to awaken within the confines of the simulation, once again trapped with her thoughts, however nothing came from him, not even so much as a retort to her comment. Maya came to the conclusion that either he did not care to speak or cared little of what she had to say, regardless it mattered not, she had been spared though without death being a reality in a virtual world there would have been no effect on her person.
Waiting for some time Maya's gaze locked with that of the two moons as they slipped further and further beyond her vision as the sea below consumed them into its murky depths; such a strange world that they had thrown into yet this virgin untapped world still held beauty within its grasp. Sighing softly Maya was unsure of all that happened before, it came back in flashes before her eyes, strikes left and right, burning flashes of light but there was no pain to be felt by any of it. One part of herself was ready to pounce on her actions only to scold herself for not having performed higher than she had while another thought all had gone as well as it could have against a foreign opponent. Yet... something deeper came from all of it beyond that of the reason she had come here in the first place for. It had only been through the callous reactions of the man that she gained a larger understanding of herself and how far she had come; it was just that... that frightened her.
Fright wasn't something Maya understood well, even experiencing it was unfathomable for one to even speak of, it was another part of herself that was beginning to bloom. So much was going through her mind, not of just herself but of Akassa for many more reasons than she even knew of at first glance. A bond had formed between them, it was not one of which sprung to life when they first met but one grooved in time through actions. Maya never expected to find herself in such a position where the line between ally and... and friend came into light, at least... she hoped thats what this strange feeling was for she knew nothing else beyond it. It was just this that rose more questions than it answered. Maya was not a mind reader, even reading people based off their body language was a skill never learned being that her own social skills lacked far behind others; for what was it that Akassa thought of Maya? Was she a lowly peon that did what was asked of her... or something more than that, did the strange awkward alien matter any to the woman?
Maya couldn't help but shake her held from side to side as if doing so would release the embrace of bombarding struggle on her mind, it was all to much for her take in at once. A sigh rippled through her chest as the first rays of light to hit the world began to stride over the waves warming the skin on her back, it was a nice change from the chilly night air that had been blasting her face since she arrived. While the sun rise was granting a colorful display of pinks and reds across the sky Maya knew it was time to go, there was nothing left for her to do here anymore with her visitor now departed and it wasn't as though she wished to fight any longer regardless.
Turning about Maya faced the burning warmth of rising star as she dipped backwards letting her flight loose as she slipped down into the streaming dark ocean below, its crashing waves beckoning for her embrace. ----
Eyes blinking slowly Maya now stood in the white washed room that was the simulation chamber, double checking her surroundings twice nothing out of the ordinary seemed to stick out; having her fair share of mysterious objects coming back with her it became a normal routine for the alien. Having everything in its proper place Maya shut down the machine for the remainder of the day, there was no more wonder lust in her body for another excursion into the banks of the unknown at least for today. She was sure that soon enough she would find herself tampering with the machine once again but for now her thoughts were much to crowded to think of anything else but Akassa.
Maya needed to know... needed to know what the woman thought of her; was she just an ally... or was there something else there? Being the backwards antisocial entity that Maya was the concept of a friend seemed rather unnecessary especially for a machine... but she was more than just a simple chuck of metal, more than the one she had just met. She needed this, she needed to know if someone like herself could ever achieve such meaningful place in another persons life. Of course... there was no time for such a thing at the moment. The war was coming and Akassa was far to busy to sit around and talk with her... it seemed she would have to ask another time, when the war was but a thought of the past.
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Post by graderr on Jul 12, 2015 17:42:22 GMT -5
Maya: 5,094 PL awarded Zero: 6,005 pl awarded
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