Loki (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
complicatedliar) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
damned_institute2012-01-19 03:40 am
complicatedliar) wrote in damned_institute2012-01-19 03:40 am
Day 61: Recreation Field (Shift 2)
Loki wasn't entirely thrilled about returning to the recreation field, though he supposed it would be nicer during the day. And without the annoying presence of Riku. Some fresh air would likely do him good; that was what Sif and Thor had always claimed right before they dragged him out of the library.
He wasn't entirely certain if that was a pleasant thought or not. It was still far too mixed up and painful.
He was allowed to go back to his room and pull out every bit of warm clothing he had, bundling up as much as he could. As he followed the nurse out into the field, he also wondered if this meant he would miss out on the greenhouse, since he'd arranged to meet Soma after lunch. That had priority, of course, but he did find plants interesting. At least it was good to know there were activities they were forced to participate in during the day that weren't as horrifically painful as, say, what the music room would indicate.
Good to know that as prisons went, it wasn't all just torture, torture, torture. Some variation was good for the mind.
He wandered along the crunchy, dead grass, for now steering clear of the few other patients. The air felt much better during the day, smelled much better to him as well as he sniffed at it. even if it was cold enough to make his nose hurt. It reminded him uncomfortably of Jotunheim, and...
But at least here, there was sunlight. He wasn't trapped in that dark place as sometimes was in his nightmares.
Loki stopped about halfway down the field, tilting his head back to take in the thin sunlight, his eyes slipping shut.
[Here, angel angel angel... :D Castiel!]
He wasn't entirely certain if that was a pleasant thought or not. It was still far too mixed up and painful.
He was allowed to go back to his room and pull out every bit of warm clothing he had, bundling up as much as he could. As he followed the nurse out into the field, he also wondered if this meant he would miss out on the greenhouse, since he'd arranged to meet Soma after lunch. That had priority, of course, but he did find plants interesting. At least it was good to know there were activities they were forced to participate in during the day that weren't as horrifically painful as, say, what the music room would indicate.
Good to know that as prisons went, it wasn't all just torture, torture, torture. Some variation was good for the mind.
He wandered along the crunchy, dead grass, for now steering clear of the few other patients. The air felt much better during the day, smelled much better to him as well as he sniffed at it. even if it was cold enough to make his nose hurt. It reminded him uncomfortably of Jotunheim, and...
But at least here, there was sunlight. He wasn't trapped in that dark place as sometimes was in his nightmares.
Loki stopped about halfway down the field, tilting his head back to take in the thin sunlight, his eyes slipping shut.
[Here, angel angel angel... :D Castiel!]
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The Replica's focus narrowed down to the rhythm of his strikes and the imaginary results of his violent movements; he pushed himself to hit faster and harder, banishing out the cold from his body and the fact that he was still weak from his mind. He had to better himself, even if he had to break this body to do so! Must get stronger--!
Just as Sechs nearly lost himself in his lone fight and droplets of sweat threatened to spill down into his eyebrows, a voice suddenly came up from behind.
"You're Sechs?"
Within that instant, the bloodied faces of Sechs' imaginary enemies disappeared into the cold air, leaving him panting and slightly dazed from all his effort. Not recognizing the voice, Sechs blinked and turned around, then looked down at the stranger before him. Long blonde hair... This must be Zero...!
Catching his breath, Sechs took a second to appraise the fellow former robot. The guy wasn't kidding when he mentioned his hair; it was almost longer than he was tall! ...Heck, why was almost every droid Sechs had met so far been so much shorter than him? Sechs felt a tinge of discomfort when Zero's short stature reminded him of Alita and Forte, but he was quick to shove away that sad recollection...
"Yep, that's me!" Sechs replied with a gruff smirk, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, "I take it you're Zero, huh? Good to see another fellow droid 'round here!"
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"Yeah. Here I was thinking I might be the only one." As he spoke, Zero likewise took a moment to make a quick first-impression judgment of Sechs, standing confidently and maintaining eye contact all the while. Geez, when he said he was tall, he really meant he was tall, didn't he? Zero had to look up at him to see his face, and that felt a little weird when everyone else he knew had always been about the same height as him...
The other once-android's punch-the-air-repeatedly exercise routine hadn't escaped his notice, either. Sechs seemed to be quite strong...hm. It was tempting to ask if he was up for a friendly bout - the best way to keep up one's fighting form was to practice your skills with another good fighter, after all - but that probably wouldn't be a good idea until Zero learned the limits of his human body through a solo workout. Not that he feared getting beaten up by Sechs or anything...it was more like let's avoid foolishly breaking anything and being rendered useless for awhile, since humans are such pitifully fragile creatures and there's no time to waste being incapacitated in this place. Plus, he was pretty sure flips, rolls, and the ever-useful wall kick would be hard, if not impossible, to pull off now that he was human.
But digressing from the topic at hand...getting to know Sechs. There was so much that Zero wanted to ask him, being another android and all (or used to be another android, anyway), but he'd stick with the basics for now. "You look like an experienced fighter," he commented first, hoping a compliment would lead to him learning more about Sech's abilities as a 'Fizziroy model' android.
(Was that a new type of combat Reploid they'd invent in the future? From what Zero had been told over the board, it seemed to be that way... But then, Nigredo had said they stopped producing androids eventually, right? Confusing...)
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"Nah, there's at least a whole bunch of other droids, robots and whatnot here," Sechs answered, "I know a couple so far."
Crossing his arms across his chest, the Replica kept an appraising eye on the shorter patient, taking note of Zero's stern expression and stoic tone. Yet what got Sechs' attention the most were the blonde's eyes, he could tell right away that Zero's gaze was sharp enough to pierce through whatever he looked upon. They looked to be perfect eyes for observing tactical situations in the battlefield. So much like Alita... Sechs knew full well that he was being sized up just as much as he was gauging Zero as a potential challenger. It was too bad they couldn't jump right into an introductory tussle, what with the nurses breathing down their necks...
A small burst of wind sent Sechs' messy bangs fluttering over his eyes, but he kept his attention on Zero. Tilting his head slightly, Sechs couldn't stop the smirk on his face from growing at the other youth's comment. "I am an experienced fighter," he replied, throwing back his hair with a proud toss of his head, "and I'm on my way to becoming a true warrior! I'd say I'm finally getting close lately..."
"You don't look too bad yourself!" he added with a challenging glint in his eye, "You kinda remind me of this one other fighter I know... Speaking of which, do you happen to know anything about Panzer Kunst?"
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...Hm. The way Sechs responded to Zero's compliment - the wide grin, that toss of his head, his claim of being on his way to becoming a 'true warrior' (whatever that meant to him) - suggested he had some level of arrogance. Interesting, but not surprising for someone who looked as strong as Sechs did. Zero continued to stare at him, showing that the other's attitude was having no real effect on him other than casual observance. At this point in his life, Zero had encountered too many fighters who thought too much of themselves and loved to flaunt their power every chance they got... The attitude was predictable, common, and pretty tiresome now, and the once-Reploid was going to continue being unimpressed by it. Still, it was only one response, and he'd try not to judge Sechs too quickly on this.
Meanwhile, Sechs was going to continue throwing surprises at him. Zero's apparent resemblance to someone else Sechs knew was interesting, but he held off on asking about it right away. Instead, he'd ask about the next thing Sechs mentioned that was also of interest to him - something about a Panzer Kunst. "No, I don't. What is that?" It sounded like it could be anything. The name of a Mythos Reploid, an organization, a combat technique...
(Of course, Zero should probably stop assuming anything Sechs mentioned would have any relation to what he knew and what his era was like. Nothing said Sechs couldn't be from some time in the future, or even from another planet...)
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Sechs' smile faltered slightly at Zero's answer, turning smaller and lopsided with disappointment. The other droid didn't know what Panzer Kunst was then... Sechs couldn't blame him of course, but it was still a bit of a downer to not find someone who knew what he was talking about. One of these days...
"It's a fighting technique exclusive to cyborgs," Sechs answered proudly, "Developed on Mars for more than a century. It's perfect for fighting against foes with thick armor and battling in zero-gravity environments. There's a whole bunch of attacks you can learn from Panzer Kunst."
Twisting his lips to the side in thought, Sechs tilted his head to the other side. "If that technique isn't known back in your home world though, then what kind of fighting style do go by?" he asked, "Did ya have any weapons or cyborg models to battle with before you ended up here?"
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Though Sechs was clearly disappointed, Zero was far from it, becoming more and more interested in what he was learning here (although, of course, it would never show outwardly). So Panzer Kunst was a combat technique developed on Mars? He didn't recognize the planet name - assuming the other android meant Mars was a planet, anyway - but that didn't automatically mean Sechs was from a different solar system altogether. Weren't there other planets near Earth? Maybe Mars was one of them. ...In any case, Zero would wait to ask for details.
When Sechs asked him about his own fighting style, meanwhile...the once-Reploid had to take a moment to consider his answer to that. He didn't really have a true fighting style. He just...fought. Sometimes learning techniques from his enemies, sometimes coming up with techniques on his own. Usually trying to adapt to and counter whatever style he was fighting against. But there was never one specific style that he used for everything. How to explain this, then...
"I don't have one style... I fight based on what I'm up against, and that's all." A beat; that should be good enough. Now to answer Sech's next question, about his weaponry. "I mostly fight with my Z-Saber, though. It's a beam sword type of weapon." And a weapon, as far as Zero knew, that was almost completely exclusive to him. He threw in that sentence of explanation just for that reason. "I can use a lot of other weapons, too... I just prefer using my blade."
Enough about himself, though. Zero was more interested in hearing about what Sech's world was like. "So cyborgs are common where you come from?" he asked. The concept was a little strange to imagine, honestly. Where Zero was from, the only true cyborg he knew about was Dr. Weil, and he'd only become that way for...reasons. Everyone else was either one or the other, Reploid or human. No in-between. The thought of cyborgs was even more interesting if he considered Sechs being not from another planet, but from Zero's future...
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"Well, adapting is always the best strategy in battle," Sechs remarked with a knowing nod, "Along with Panzer Kunst, I've developed my own style through every fight I've had. Always learn and change. Makes ya less predictable to your enemies."
"And a beam sword, huh? Sounds impressive!" the android replied with an intrigued grin. "I've got a set of blades myself, the Titan blade! It's a solid weapon, but it can slice through just about anything! How well can your Z-Saber cut?" Sechs wouldn't have minded crossing blades with a weapon made of pure energy -- as long as it didn't shred up his own precious blade into scrap metal...
Sechs was beginning to like what he heard so far; perhaps he could add Zero to his personal "Warriors to fight once escaped from Landel's" list. Well, that was if they ever got out alive and found each other later. Sechs had already lost Forte and Teisel, two people he definitely wanted to duel in the future. But now, he wasn't sure if he'd ever see them again...
Dispelling those disheartening thoughts for now, Sechs brought his focus back to Zero when he asked about his home world. "Uh huh! I'm purely a battle android, but I know a whole bunch of cyborgs back where I came from," Sechs answered, his smile shrinking a little from such a homesick-prone topic.
"Since you said you don't know about Tiphares, then you'd probably never heard of the Scrapyard. It's pretty much this big junkyard factory city below Tiphares. Practically everyone there is a robot or cyborg in one way or another," he explained, "It's actually pretty dangerous for a completely organic person to hang around there, fresh body parts sell for pretty high prices in the black market..."
"Anyways... What was your home like?" he asked with another curious tilt of his shaggy head, "Sounds like the whole cyborg thing isn't all over the place for you like it was for me."
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Another blade user, huh... Interesting. The more Zero heard of Sechs, the more he felt...well. At ease might be the best way to describe it. This was truly the first person he'd met here who had so much in common with him... And if Sechs really was from Zero's future, then that made this encounter all the more interesting.
But digressing... The other android wanted to know how well the Z-Saber could cut. Admittedly, Zero couldn't remember specifics, or if he was ever told a precise measurement sometime in that distant past he still had trouble remembering nowadays. He did know from experience, however. And it was...about the same as how Sechs described his own weapon, actually. "The Z-Saber can cut through almost anything, too."
As Sechs went on to describe his home world, the once-Reploid couldn't help but become mildly surprised at what he was hearing. Wow, humans being murdered for their body parts? X would have fainted at the idea...as would most humans he knew. Still running with the assumption that Sechs was simply from Zero's future, that meant robots would become regarded as more superior than organics over time? The thought seemed so...unrealistic. Or maybe he was just too used to the way humans had viewed his kind for centuries...
To explain a bit about his own home, and the presence of cyborgs... "No, they're not. There are only humans and Reploids, no combination of the two. Reploids themselves are mostly civilians, as well. There aren't too many like me who were only designed for war." Well, there were the Pantheons, but being a mass-produced android a step above Mechaniloids in the intelligence department, they didn't really count as far as Zero was concerned.
Instead of continuing on to talk about the state of the planet where he was from, he paused, contemplating. Alright, he'd been running on this assumption too long now. He had to ask. "...What year is it where you come from?" Although he was anxious to know, Zero wasn't actually hoping for the question to be answered one way or the other. He just wanted to know.
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Sechs found himself shuffling uncomfortably on the spot. How was he going to ask this without drawing attention to his own manufactured origins? "Reploid, huh?" Sechs said, awkwardly scratching his head, "Y'mean just any ordinary android? Not uh... not some kind of clone or whatever?"
Now it seemed to be Zero's turn to be apprehensive. Sechs knew Zero had an important question in mind just by the brief lapse in his perpetually stoic expression. When the question came out, Sechs couldn't help but give Zero an understanding smile. The kid was homesick, and he probably wasn't aware of Landel's ability to snatch victims from various worlds... "Era Sputnik 591, or just ES 591," Sechs answered, "I really doubt you're from my world or vice versa though..."
Sechs took in a gruff breath before continuing; the kid was going to have to learn about this awful fact about the institute sooner or later... "You see... Uh... From what I've learned about this institute, prisoners here are rarely from the same place. Hell, not even from the same damn planet. Time really doesn't seem to matter here... If that makes any sense."
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"...I forgot how they came about. I think it had something to do with the base design being copied from one original... But otherwise, Reploids are unique from one another." In mindset, mainly. When there were clones, it was only in body. Like those pirated copies of X...and Zero himself, actually. But he wouldn't explain that much to Sechs. The subject wasn't something he felt like discussing with someone he wasn't very familiar with. (And besides, it would take a lot of explaining to make sense.)
The fellow android's answer to the question about his timeline, meanwhile...it was a little surprising, but not wholly unexpected. Being told about prisoners coming from other planets and times wasn't unexpected, either, mostly because Zero had been informed of that already. "I've heard that from other prisoners...and the more I hear it, the less room for doubt there is about it, it seems." Not that he ever truly denied those facts the first time he heard them, as he'd seen things just as crazy in his lifetime. Plus, he and other non-human beings were here as humans. That alone was rather impossible as far as he was concerned.
Guess this meant Sechs wasn't from Zero's world after all, though...which would make any previous assumptions about his future invalid. Admittedly, it was somewhat disappointing to hear, but it was better he heard it now than later. "I was starting to think you were from my future," he admitted, "since it sounds like technology is more advanced from where you are."
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Slouching a little from a bit of homesickness himself, Sechs gave Zero a sympathetic shrug. "It took me a bit to figure out that I wasn't one bit close to my home. How and why Landel would do this to all of us, no one is totally sure yet. But it sure sucks ass, let me tell ya..."
Zero did seem to be taking this awful fact about the institute better than Sechs ever did, as he had reverted right back to being stoic yet all the more inquisitive. "Yeah, I guess you could say that... Depends on where you live and who or what you are though," Sechs answered, his voice tinged with bitterness.
"Other than the Scrapyard, where all the junk and shit happens, there's Tiphares and Ketheres floating up in the sky and in orbit," he explained, ignoring the wind as it continued to play with his hair. "They're supposed to be these technological Utopias with power over everything -- But trust me, they may have a load of high-tech stuff, but they're far from being nice places to be in for most people!"
Sechs ended his little tirade with a gruff sigh and wearily shrugged away those memories; he didn't want to focus on his home world's problems when he wanted to go back there so badly... "It might be better that my world isn't your future."
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However... "It looks like we won't be figuring any of that out until we take him down, huh." If not because Landel wouldn't reveal those secrets so easily, then because of the simple fact that curiosity wouldn't help them win this war. They needed to free the people held prisoner here, not sit around worrying about the hows and whys unless it was necessary...or until after the fighting was over, when they had the time and means to do it.
Zero then listened to Sechs talk some more about his world, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of familiarity. Awful familiarity. A high-tech utopia with power over everything, but not quite as utopian as it seems... "Just like Neo Arcadia," the once-Reploid muttered under his breath, loud enough that Sechs could probably hear him. He shook his head; never mind. Unlike the mentioned Tiphares and Ketheres, Neo Arcadia was practically no more. Ragnarok had taken out its center, and Zero himself had taken out its leader...so it was highly unlikely that the place could have survived much longer.
Then again, who knew what would happen? He'd left the world not soon after that...all he could make were assumptions.
He glanced away from the other former android, briefly closing his eyes in heavily contemplation. Sechs didn't sound like he was very happy with his home world...but was it any better or worse than the Reploid's own? "I don't know," he said (at a normal volume this time). "My world was pretty bad already... What you've told me about yours doesn't sound too different from the way mine's been." He said this in a neutral tone of voice, despite how sad the truth really was. As much as Zero wanted, sometimes desperately, to believe in the best of things...he, unlike X, had always understood the truth. Prejudice was hard to let go of, people wanted power, and war was sometimes inevitable. History was full of the same things.
That was why he wouldn't be surprised to hear if Sech's world really was his future after all. Yes, the whole 'humans being abducted for their organic body parts' thing was surprising, he being so used to 'human supremacy', but otherwise...no, it didn't sound much different than the way things were already.