You had to wonder how you would actually be able to locate one of their less publically declared research areas, one of the places that they no doubt researched things that they wished for nobody else to know about. Things that would shock the regular citizen, things that were too dangerous or too unpredictable to announce as projects for the people to follow. There was always the Technomancers for that, always the guild filled with lunatics that liked flashy pyrotechnics and large explosions. The Clockworkers had the respectable image, yet when it came to it, they were the ones who commited atrocities in the name of science as the Guardian series had proven.
It was a wonder that they had kept the true nature of those things covered up for so long, that people were unaware of how they had condemned former friends to become those things. That the Enlightened, guilty of nothing more than falling foul of the Clockworkers as a scapegoat, were the only things they had found reliably able to survive the entire process.
The one thing that you could count on was that these research facilities that they had would be guarded by their mascot Guardians, that you would be able to catch them unaware by being able to waltz past their so called protectors. Then, you could deal with them as you pleased, then, you could sort through their research and see what of it would benefit you.
Weapons, new armour materials, new components not installed in the Guardians, anything of that nature would be extremely welcome at this moment. Anything that would further the power of your form, anything that would make certain that you were able to deal with the people that came after you with ease. They would no doubt after all, come after you with weapons of their own once they were certain that the Guardians were of no use, they would no doubt attempt to destroy you.
They were welcome to try.
Another of the Guardians walked by, travelling down the street as you started on your way, one that you instinctively knew to be Unit Six-Two-Two. One that you knew before he had fallen foul of the Clockworkers had been Brother Angst, a man who had been a fairly reasonable one at that, one who like many, bore a name that bore no relevance to his personality. Sister Anxiety however, was one of the few who had been renamed, who had lost the name originally bestowed upon them. She had once been Love, she had once been someone who bore a name of beauty and warmth. She was one who had been stripped of the name because she faltered.
At least that was how you recalled it.
You disliked her, yet this dislike felt as if it was bordering on obsession, as you knew that her weakness was to blame for the fall of the Enlightened, that she should have remained silent. She should have never told others about the place that you had hidden in, she should have respected all that she was given, been thankful and-
How did you know that one was Six-Two-Two?
You had to wonder, maybe, just maybe...
Maybe there was some form of interconnection between your mind and theirs, maybe that was what permitted them to recognise you immediately as one of them, despite how they were of a completely different design to you. Maybe there was some form of mind used as a means of remote control, something that would permit you to locate one of these guild research areas. It made sense that they would have created some form of overseer that they could control the others with, used one of the more powerful minds, a mind like... Like...
A Transcendent.
A Transcendent mind amongst the Enlightened was able to co-exist in both the world of the living and the world of the unconscious mind. You were one of the more powerful minds, you were one who was no doubt next going to be gifted with the boost that would push you that way. You were going to get Pride's help in reaching a state in what your latent potential was harnessed. The only problem here though, was that you had never actually used what you knew of this power before for anything more than walking dreams. You had never actually had to use it while focusing on the world before you at the same time. You were far from powerful enough to be one of the fully fledged Transcendent, yet it may just be enough.
Your visual sensor shut off as you freed yourself of the distracting input that it presented, your body standing still as you focused, as you mentally sought to alert whatever may pass as an overseer to your presence, to see if you were able to glean the location of the nearest facility from it.
"This is-" you started, only for a booming voice to echo in your mind.
"Ego."
Your thoughts froze at the chilling power of the voice that you had heard, a voice that was no less impassive than the Guardians voices, yet it was overwhelming in magnitude.
"Ego, Designation NULL. Status, Incomplete. Transcendent Mind Detected. Report To Nearest Facility For Conversion Into Overseer Unit," that booming voice continued, before your visual sensor crackled back to life, disrupting what little focus you had on remaining in that state of mind. As you were jolted back to full awareness of the world about you, pulled away from the amateur attempt you had made to mentally walk between the two.
Something had come of it however, you could feel information tickling at the back of your mind, a map of the area you were in forming in your thoughts. You could see a route to a seemingly normal building in one of the abandoned industrial parts of the City. The location of a place that had not been declared, a place that doubled up as a research facility and secondary production area.
Had you a mouth, right now you would have been grinning.
This was just what you were looking for.
The fact that you had been right did not please you however, as you couldn't know if it was from your own brilliant mind having worked out that this was the most likely thing, or if this was implanted knowledge. You didn't know if this had all come to you, if you had instinctual awareness of how to interact with the hierarchy of the Guardians from the failed attempt to create a weapon of war.
As you made your way swiftly towards the facility, you found yourself once more considering your potential options. How did you plan to deal with those in the facility, how did you plan to deal with the facility itself, what were your plans now?
Author
Topic: They told me I could be anything... (Read 78909 times)