The Nexus

[Somewhere in the Desert]

"I hope I'll remember all that if I come across one", Hoshiki notes with a smile, "I apologize for not having anything useful to tell in exchange. These parts are still alien to me."

[Inside Khafir's Lab] The entity does as requested, vanishing into some dark corner of the doctor's brain. It still sees what she sees, though. Silently, it wonders if these new intruders are more of a threat or an opportunity. Did they happen on the structure by chance, or are they perhaps some ol...

It is indeed possible the coffee doesn't taste right, but if Nemo can't tell the difference, it's just as well. It is not real coffee, after all, just the idea of it build around references Nemo can understand. "Well then, Nemo. You may call me Lucia Sophia" , the woman continues, "my...

[Somewhere in the Desert] Don't be ashamed, Harry. Being a little scared is perfectly normal when you stumble upon a Grim Reaper in a desert. Even if you aren't fully aware that is what you did. "Well, I suppose I'll take the flight back to the city and come back some other time" , the sw...

[Inside Khafir's Lab]

The doctor spots the millipedes before the entity does. It would be startling, if the entity could truly be startled. "What are those things?", it signals.

[Somewhere in the desert] "I've fought a dragon" , Hoshiki notes like it's the most normal thing to do. "it spat lightning rather than acid, though. Wait, no, that's not really descriptive of what it did. And it was more of a moth, while this krayt thing sounds more like a centipede&...

The woman smiles sadly at the clone. "Well, what if I call you Nemo for now. Nemo. How does it sound to you?"

[Inside Khafir's Lab] There is no follow up. Just the usual abandoned gloom of that bone-filled room, illuminated only by watchful eyes of its guardians. "You must be wondering why", the entity signals, "sadly, that part is not something I can convey with images. But the object they ...

"Hello dear" , a voice calls to the clone. To the clone, it seems they are sitting at a cafeteria table. Scent of freshly baked bread fills the air. "It seems you have been under for quite some time. Maybe your whole life, such as it is" , the voice continues. It belongs to a pl...

[Inside Khafir's Lab] Once the doctor is comfortable, the entity progresses the vision. Festivities seem to continue until nightfall, when they are disrupted by an explosion. The vision does not include sound, but it is conveyed through shaking of ground. The vision pans to show the bridge to the m...

[Inside Khafir's lab] The possibility of Khafir recording her visions had eluded the entity. It takes a moment to answer because it is busy figuring out how to exploit this opportunity. Sadly, it can't come up with anything at this short of a notice. Most of its capacity is spent on keeping the ima...

[Somewhere in the desert] Hoshiki does his best to fit in with the junk. "I have seen a lot of things - there a pawn shop near my residence that has quite a collection for sale - but I admit I haven't paid much attention to who produced them" , he notes. Maybe next time he gets his hands ...

As the puppet-man is tied to the chair and the syringe put in place, blue ectoplasm-like fluid begins flowing through their body. The machinery around becomes more animate, the strips of film around nearbt cylinder cores rotating rapidly. The machine is trying to stimulate a state similar to lucid d...

The structure remains inert up to the point where the puppeted human is made to sit on the control chair. That is enough of a change to inform the structure that something is going on, even if it cannot detect any consciousness from this human. A slate of black, glass-like material lights up with a ...

The absolutely black walls absorb telepathic communications as readily as they absorb light, but this is of no consequence to the Encyclopedes as long as the path to the outside world remains open. If that path was shut, for some reason, may they would be severed from their hivemind, but right now t...

[Somewhere in the Desert] When Harry gets to the introductions, the swordsman figures it's only polite to respond in kind. "You can call me Senshi Hoshiki. A pleasure to meet you" , he says and bows before getting into the vehicle. "You said something about Skyside? I've been there. ...

As the millipedes slither down the tunnel, their sensors might notice a small change in the status quo of the structure. Their physical presence has been noted, but the automated guidance systems, running on low power, struggle to interpret the signals. These creatures are sufficiently far from huma...

The volcanic island is still largely devoid of life save for these newcomers. The obsidian mound covering the structure is still intact, save for the hole VIGIL expedition made. The area is surrounded by sensors, spotlights and warning signs left there by VIGIL - perhaps even the occasional guard dr...

[Somewhere in the desert]

The swordsman spreads his arms and shrugs. "A ride wouldn't hurt", he says, giving the retrofitted snowmobile a good look, "if you just have room to spare. I can just walk alongside you." He is a big man, after all.

[Inside Khafir's Lab] Non-functionality of Khafir's fabricator is a significant setback to the entity. If said device did work, it could maybe simply show to the doctor what to make with it. Alas, it is not an option anymore than the entity figuring out what is wrong with the device - after all, Kh...

[Inside Khafir's Head] After its initial bursts of activity, the entity piggy-backing on Sara Khafir's alien implants has lain dormant. There are two reasons for this. One, it has learned it does not need to constantly remind her of its presence just to collect information. Two, it only has so much...

[Somewhere in the desert] When the swordsman sees the vehicle, he slows down to, by his standards, a leisurely jog, which is still faster than the rickety thing is going at the moment. He comes to a halt when he sees the gun being raised, lifting his hands up. "Nothing" , he answers with ...

Intersection Precinct Lia glances at Bunny. "Hoshiki tried to kill both me and Michalson at the duel. We're both still here. He's extraordinarily powerful, but he's not a god." She gets to her feet, stretching before stepping over to the detective. "I'll remain here and look after Bu...

[Somewhere in the desert] There is a life nearby, below the sand. A small life, but a life all the same. Should the swordsman decide to disturb the hidden creature he'll find a very grumpy, very round toad that will begin squeaking at him menacingly. The palm sized animal is of no threat to him. It...

Sylas is excused, the biker was narrated in deliberately ambiguous manner. Having finished putting up the improvised "Wanted" posters, Alice looks like they're about to leave. "Well, it was nice chatting with you. It would be fun to stick around and talk about, uh, parlor tricks"...

[Intersection Precinct] "It's useless to worry about. If he wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead" , Bunny says deadpan, "And if he changes his mind, it's not like you can stop him" , she adds morosely. "If you want some guarantee, remind him Reapers aren't meant to tak...

[Somewhere in the desert] Somewhere on the sands, far from anything, stands a tall stone formation. Rounded by erosion, it is unclear if it used to be a natural shape or some human-made object before being transplanted here, in this graveyard of fallen worlds. It has stood here, undisturbed, for as...

[Typhon] Indeed, while the man is a Grim Reaper, he is not the Grim Reaper. He would not be able to fight this behemoth on equal footing. Not yet, at least. After a good long while, the swordsman exhales and relaxes. The air is released from his grasp and the winds resume howling as they usually do...

Alice notices Sylas's confusion and laughs. "I am a girl", they say, "just not very girly. So you're excused for not noticing."

[Intersection Precinct] "I'm sure we still have it in our records." Michalson nods slowly. "What do you expect it to tell him, though?" Intersection Precinct Lia grimaces as the tea is refused, but she doesn't press the issue. She's also not terribly interested in what Hoshiki t...