"And, I believe that that is my cue. Time to end that karzer."
Deviox takes his leave, exiting the lab as well.
"Remember; Free-mercy is what seperate us from him."
Deviox stopped for a moment, chuckling, "Then, in that regard, we are not so different."
Turning to face Leka, he added in a more somber tone, "Look, I'm not like the rest of you goody two-shoes. I am not a good person. I've killed people. I've got the mission, I've got the target, and I'll complete it with any means necessary."
"Remember; Free-mercy is what seperate us from him."
Deviox stopped for a moment, chuckling, "Then, in that regard, we are not so different."
Turning to face Leka, he added in a more somber tone, "Look, I'm not like the rest of you goody two-shoes. I am not a good person. I've killed people. I've got the mission, I've got the target, and I'll complete it with any means necessary."
before she left...
"I broke the karda of toa-code." Leka looks into his eyes with concern. "-remember that."
With a whistle, Eviice lands in the alleyway, his wings retracting as he stomps into the lab's already opening doorway. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the hidden doorway slams shut again with a loud thud, consuming the small room in momentary darkness. An eternity of a second later, it became flooded again in a blue light. Fuming, he stormed directly towards the vault of weapons, the rounded, metallic wall opening with a hiss. Inside, waiting for him, innumerable, metal arms stretched forwards, several pieces of equipment clutched in their two-pronged hands.
Unceremoniously, he dropped his massive gatling guns to the side. Hitting hard enough to shake the nearby table, both guns clanked against the ground loudly, as if in protest. Slowly, the light shining from within began to dim, mirrored by the softening of the constant hum that once emanated from them.
Next came his glowing armor, each piece detaching with a click and being dropped with as little grace as his weapons. The moment the upper body was released, his Skakdi heritage in the form of spikes running up and down Eviice's crimson back pricked straight up. Combined with his untamed anger, it instantly transforming his smooth, sophisticated silhouette into the spiked, monstrous beast his brothers were known for.
He simply stood there for a minute, his chest heaving as he looked at his reflection in the shiny armor at his feet. This was his race's legacy, monsters who were more suited to scaring Matoran in the night than progressing society. That is, unless you require breaking numerous records for plundering small villages to be any meaningful addition to society. For centuries, he had tried to distance himself from the stereotypes, the distasteful actions his brothers longed for. For so long, he had succeeded. Through his actions, countless lives had been saved, countless evils put down. And now, there was one last abomination whose comeuppance was long overdue. Ironically, this last hurrah would require actions that would place him right back with his brothers.
Gritting his teeth, he raised his gaze to the weapons and armor in the clutches of the vault. They were prototypes, never tested in the field, but exactly the sort of tech a man would need to go up against an army. Quietly, he slipped the armor on. It was white, sleek, and pulsing with a green energy. Most importantly, it too smoothed back the sharp prongs lining his back. Along his forearms were attached large disks, lined with what seemed to be a blue plasma.
For a few moments, he stood still, brooding, as the rest of his armor clicked into place. When he was ready, he turned on his heel and walked out of the lab. Instead of wings popping from his sides, blue energy erupted from his feet, catapulting him high into the air with a soft roar. Once he was high enough, he turned and rocketed out of Kra-Metru.
Rain pounded the outside of the lab, the relentless tapping reverberating throughout the cramped room. The light was dim, shadows seeping into every corner and flickering as if in a constant battle with the light. The only place warmth truly prevailed was in the center, over a medium-sized, protodermis table covered in bits of machinery and circuitry. His thoughts matching the mood, the lone inhabitant of the lab solemnly slouched over the mess, unenthusiastically tinkering with the plethora of parts at his disposal.
Already half-shut, his eyes beat fruitlessly against the overwhelming exhaustion, starting to go blurry. And yet, he never stopped, putting together and ripping apart the same few parts again and again. The device seemed to be part of a large, metallic breastplate, wiring and energy infused with every inch of it.
His endeavor was interrupted by a hard rapping on the door- two bangs in quick succession, audibly louder than the pelting rain outside. Suddenly alert, his head jerked up as the sleep fell off him in a cascade. Cautiously, he pushed the chair back and got to his feet. On the defensive, he slowly trudged towards the protosteel door, peering through a small peephole.
On the other side, a shrouded figure stood in the rain, almost entirely concealed in the dark of night. Glistening in the torrent of water, the dark garment hanging around him rustled in the wind. Underneath, only a dim, blue light was visible, illuminating only a small portion of a red chestplate. It was all Eviice needed to recognize him.
With a hum, the door folded into itself, wrapping around to form a doorway into the lab.
Not hesitating, Deviox entered the room, still soaking wet, yet seemingly not noticing. He moved slowly and deliberately, fists down sternly at his sides. A piercing gaze bore into Eviice, matched only by the underbit grimace he currently sported.
The Skadki backed up, a questioning look on his face as he looked over the sopping wet Glatorian.
"What. Happened?" he hissed through grit teeth.
Stuttering, Eviice replied, "I-I'm sorry? Wha-"
"They're gone, ALL OF THEM!" he roared, swinging his right arm to the side forcefully, his coat billowing behind in reaction.
He took a thunderous step forwards, "I can't find them. I have been searching for weeks and I can't find a single one. Not a single one!
"It's like they all just... vanished!" He continued, his voice suddenly very hollow and quiet.
Eviice raised a hand to stop him, adding irritably, "Alright, slow down. Who? Who vanished?"
"Everyone," he growled, "Every Glatorian has disappeared off this godforsaken rock."
Eviice was taken aback, his hand dropping back down to his side as his eyes went wide, "I'm sorry, wait, what? What are you talking about?"
"I have looked everywhere. And they're all gone, every last one of them. First, the Great Beings abandon us, and now, their putrid creations kill us off."
Mouth agape, Eviice slumped back into his chair, looking down at his feet. After several seconds, his gaze raised back up to see the small Glatorian looking at him expectantly.
"Well," he replied irritably, throwing his arms out to the side, "What do you want?Why, out of all your little connections, do you decide to turn to me? Our deal is done, and you've made it painfully clear that we aren't friends."
"I don't have a choice," he replied sincerely, his voice cracking, "What 'connections' do I have? What little ties I still had to my kin, well, they're gone. Good ol' Zurakia wants my head on a platter, Voidarix has gone and disappeared to who knows where, and pretty much anyone else here couldn't give a rat's thornax about me. You're the only other person I know that doesn't want me dead. So, please," he sighed, crossing his arms. Quietly, he added, "I need your help. Whoever caused this... they need to die."
In response, Eviice just shook his head. Sighing, he replied grimly, "Look, if what you're saying is true, I'm more than happy to help, but look around you, what do you think I can even do? I don't have a fancy little laboratory in the Order anymore. I'm living in a glorified hole in the wall in a disgusting slum, running out of supplies every day."
"It's enough," Deviox replied. Gritting his teeth, he added, "I don't need much to kill these murderers."
* * *
They sat across from each other from the now-cleared protodermis table- its contents now on the floor. Eviice held a small vial of gas between his thumb and forefinger, rotating it around to inspect it.
"And you got this how?" he asked.
"Zurakia's enhancements flushed it out of me. I have no idea what it is or what it does, but if every other Glatorian was targeted, I'm putting my money on this being involved."
Eviice nodded in reply, "Well, whatever it is, it's definitely Brotherhood. They love their viruses."
Deviox's eyes narrowed, "The Brotherhood? Well, then I know where to start." * * *
[/font]They worked long into the night, putting together a laundry list of specified devices to get the task done.
This included: Several temporary ZE-Aura shields, kraata-specific nullifiers, a variant of his gun ammo that fired hau-shards, and a disk that he could teleport to when thrown, as well as stocking back up on his usual supply of devices- notably a large amount of electric-dot grenades.
* * * Deviox left quickly, a determined look on his face. Though, just as he exited, he turned back to Eviice with a wave of thanks before disappearing into the night.
As soon as he left, Eviice felt all the excitement flush out of him. Dropping into his seat once again, he looked down at the pile of metal at his feet.
That had been the first time in a long time he had actually felt purpose. Without an Order... what was he?