Anima Ex Machina (PG-15)

[Diddy]

Ixodida hmm?

It's a pretty all right name, I think as a race of creatures, the 'x' suits them for some reason. The other way round it spells Adidoxi, which (in my opinion) sounds cooler :P

It was interesting to see what these creatures have done to Hoenn, and how powerful they are (if two Poison types can take out a group of hunters I wonder what better types could do xD) not to be discriminatory against Poison types, they're actually my third favourites behind Dark and Psychic, but they aren't exactly the best in terms of power or defense.

Please don't mistake me for a competitive battle guy, those people annoy me, I jut pick things up now and then.

It was interesting to how big this thing has gotten.

Yay for zombie apocalypse scenario!

[ESPNfanatic35]

Another great chapter. Don't worry, you didn't give too much information. I think it was just the right amount. I found the inner conversation with Adam to be interesting and the raw meat eating scene very amusing.

"It cut me!" she shrieked. "The ******* cut me!"

Haha, Officer Jenny swore!

[JX Valentine]

It's a pretty all right name, I think as a race of creatures, the 'x' suits them for some reason.

Thanks! I'll have to admit I was sort of inspired by Elfen Lied here. As in, the name comes from the Latin name of a not-so-random real-life animal.

The other way round it spells Adidoxi, which (in my opinion) sounds cooler :P

For some reason, this makes me think of Mexico (probably because, in my half-awake stupor, I misread this as "Axolotl," that one Mexican salamander thing Wooper's supposed to be based off of)... which is either pretty awesome or something that makes me think of Bill in a sombrero. Which, actually, would also be pretty awesome. Especially if there's Mexican beer involved somewhere in here.

...What was I talking about again?

not to be discriminatory against Poison types, they're actually my third favourites behind Dark and Psychic, but they aren't exactly the best in terms of power or defense.

Please don't mistake me for a competitive battle guy, those people annoy me, I jut pick things up now and then.

Totally okay. I'm the same way. Poison-types are cool, but they're not that strong -- something that's definitely going to come into play soon. As for how strong they are compared to people, you definitely hit on something there. Or, at least, these ones are fast.

Also, word to the bit about competitive battling. XD

Yay for zombie apocalypse scenario!

Seriously, everything is better with zombies. No exceptions. Think about it. Serebii would be probably ten times cooler if the staff had to fight off a zombie apocalypse. Psychic with a crowbar. That's all I'm saying.

Another great chapter. Don't worry, you didn't give too much information. I think it was just the right amount.

Thank you!

Haha, Officer Jenny swore!

Oh yes. This Officer Jenny is like a sailor soldier. The kind that drink and swear, not the kind that dance around in skimpy suits of armor and sparkle.

[Diddy]

Thanks! I'll have to admit I was sort of inspired by Elfen Lied here. As in, the name comes from the Latin name of a not-so-random real-life animal.

I watched Elfen Lied on the recommendation of a friend, needless to say I enjoyed the gratuitous mutilation. Lucy ftw!

For some reason, this makes me think of Mexico (probably because, in my half-awake stupor, I misread this as "Axolotl," that one Mexican salamander thing Wooper's supposed to be based off of)... which is either pretty awesome or something that makes me think of Bill in a sombrero. Which, actually, would also be pretty awesome. Especially if there's Mexican beer involved somewhere in here.

...What was I talking about again?

I thought of Axolotl when I turned it backwards. Did you know they "evolve" if you inject them with iodine, although it has serious health risks and it shortens their life spans dramatically. I read an article on them... for some reason.

Totally okay. I'm the same way. Poison-types are cool, but they're not that strong -- something that's definitely going to come into play soon. As for how strong they are compared to people, you definitely hit on something there. Or, at least, these ones are fast.

Also, word to the bit about competitive battling. XD

Accidental plot point figuring out ftw :P

Seriously, everything is better with zombies. No exceptions. Think about it. Serebii would be probably ten times cooler if the staff had to fight off a zombie apocalypse. Psychic with a crowbar. That's all I'm saying.

That makes me think of Half-Life, the crowbar anyway. Zombies not so much xD

[ESPNfanatic35]

Oh yes. This Officer Jenny is like a sailor soldier. The kind that drink and swear, not the kind that dance around in skimpy suits of armor and sparkle.

Nice, I prefer that. Btw I don't think I'm on your PM list for this fic yet. You got me hooked on it so I was wondering if you could add me.

[Cryptic Blaze]

I just got through reading your fic JX Valentine, and it is awesome! I like how you used Bill as the main character. He really can be an excellent character if used right and you are doing just that.

Anyway, I like the name "ixodida" as well. It fits with them.

Also,

Swiftly, she stepped forward. Bill's indignant expression gave way to wide, frightened eyes as the police officer's hand grasped his neck. Right afterwards, Ellen darted to Jenny's side and grabbed her arm.

"Veronica!" she screamed.

Jenny's eyes narrowed. "I'm just coaxing it to tell us what we need to know. You! Ixodida! Did you lead them here?"

Unable to force his tongue to work, Bill stared at Jenny for awhile. When a minute passed, he felt her hand tighten around his neck.

"Answer me!" she demanded.

Real smart to "coax" someone who could easily rip you limb from limb in a heartbeat.

"It cut me!" she shrieked. "The ******* cut me!"

Need I say more.

"Officer!" he yelled. "Just heard over the radio! Guards just got wiped out by the two missing ixodida! They're headed this way!"

I smell a battle coming...

And,

    Spoiler:- question:

Show Spoiler

 
Will there be multi-types for the ixodida?
 

[JX Valentine]

I watched Elfen Lied on the recommendation of a friend, needless to say I enjoyed the gratuitous mutilation. Lucy ftw!

Your friend is amazing.

Also, amen to Lucy FTW. Personally, I have to say Nana's up there on my list too, just because PROSTHETIC LIMB ROCKET PUNCH. Lucy's pretty badass, but when you're an amputee who uses your own prosthetic limbs as weapons, you kinda redefine badass, no matter how cutesy you are otherwise.

I thought of Axolotl when I turned it backwards. Did you know they "evolve" if you inject them with iodine, although it has serious health risks and it shortens their life spans dramatically.

I didn't know this. O_o Well, now I'm off to find pics and/or YouTube vids. XD

Accidental plot point figuring out ftw :P

*high fives!*

That makes me think of Half-Life, the crowbar anyway. Zombies not so much xD

While you should be thinking of Half-Life, for some reason, this reminds me of Half-Life Full Life Consequences. Specifically: BECAUSE YOU ARE HEADCRAB ZOMBIE.

Also, yes, that game made me realize that every action hero needs a crowbar.

Btw I don't think I'm on your PM list for this fic yet. You got me hooked on it so I was wondering if you could add me.

No problem. And I will actually put up the PM/VM list on the first post eventually, just because I keep losing the doc that has all of your names on it... because I love failing at life, apparently.

I just got through reading your fic JX Valentine, and it is awesome!

Thanks!

I like how you used Bill as the main character. He really can be an excellent character if used right and you are doing just that.

Thanks. I really try. He's my favorite in the series, and I agree he can be a pretty cool character to work with.

Real smart to "coax" someone who could easily rip you limb from limb in a heartbeat.

XD Yeah, I'd say she could be a smarter cop, but this one really isn't. She's somewhat street-smart (compared to the rest of the cast, at least), but that's about it.

I smell a battle coming...

As you should. ;D

    Spoiler:- question:

Show Spoiler

 
Will there be multi-types for the ixodida?
 

    Spoiler:- Spoilery answer says...:

Show Spoiler

 
You know, this is something I've been playing around with for awhile now. I'm tempted to say there already are, but I'll have to think about it a little bit longer.
 

Thanks for the review in general!

[Phantom Kat]

Ahh! What better way to unwind after three days of nothing but state exams than to read your latest chapter?

Finally! Bill meets a human who doesn't want to kill him or run away in the opposite direction. xD I like your portrayals of Jenny and Joy. They're so different from their anime counterparts because really, in the anime, no matter how many you meet, they act very similiar to each other. I especially love Jenny's bad-*** "I can control this monster 'cause I'm a cop" attitude. It was definitely unexpected. Here I thought that Bill would wake up, talk with Jenny, and she would calmly ask him questions while keeping him handcuffed. *snorts*

And Bill, despite his situation, is still his polite self. Bless his heart. x3 The way he looked at his situation with Adam is so totally Bill. What better way for a researcher to cope with this than by seeing it as just one big experiment that will just take longer than expected to complete?

"Ixodida" sounds cool, like some kind of exotic medical drug. Kudos for the people in Hoenn that thought of that, rather than call them something stupid like "Pokémon aliens". :P (And of course, kudos to you for coming up with it!)

Overall, awesome chapter, JX!

*waits for epic battle*

- Kat

[The Great Butler]

her chansey companions

Chansey.

Nice touch with noting how even a Joy can't tell why all Joys look the same.

not to take care of the sick and injured but instead to serve as the mother to the last inhabitants of Mauville City. People, afraid of being on their own in their almost-empty city, had taken up residence in all of the trainers' dorms, and she was the one to offer food, water, and a listening ear to anyone who needed it. This included whoever they found on the outskirts of town.

Chilling...

Ellen paused. Male. This creature was male. Of course, this wasn't the thing that was currently putting her thought processes on hold. It was mostly the fact that she was holding a conversation with a member of a species that had annihilated most of Mauville City, and apparently, the creature in question believed in polite manners

My second thought was how amusing Bill's ever polite attitude is.

You don't wanna know what the first thought was.

the same kind of creature she had seen rip off a little girl's head

...I think it was the other one that did this. Bill wouldn't do it...

"I'm sorry," she told him. "We've had so many ixodida attacks that–"

"What?"

Stopping, she looked at him.

"Ixodida," he said. "What do you mean by that?"

Ixodida is a great name, but you missed capitalizing it the first time you used it. That's important to fix.

At her question, Bill stopped. Although he couldn't figure out why she would ask that at first, his mind thought back to Abel and understood. That must have been the only kind of ixodida Ellen had seen. He must have been an anomaly. It made sense, though. If anything, it explained why she was so afraid of him. With his mind lingering on Abel, Bill pictured the creature, how he readily attacked everything in his path, how he communicated in grunts and half-words...

You missed "Ixodida" again. Other than that, this is a great paragraph, conveying stuff I thought earlier.

"You poor thing!" Ellen breathed.

She reached over and removed the lid on the bowl. Immediately, the room filled up with a smell Bill couldn't place. It wasn't entirely unpleasant to him, but something about it seemed wrong. Whatever it was, it had a metallic scent, almost like copper, and that overlaid the scent of something sweet. His stomach rumbled as soon as he picked up on the odor, and he curled his toes and clenched his teeth through the hunger pangs that suddenly hit him. All at once, he came to the realization that he hadn't eaten anything since he first woke up as the creature he was now, and he wondered if anyone tried to feed him during his transformation.

"Let me take care of you at the very least. I can tell you're hungry," Ellen said softly. "Here. Eat this."

Oddly adorable.

Only then did he realize four things. First, the soup was actually cold – stone cold, as if it had been chilled instead of cooked. Second, the first reason why was because the broth was actually salty and viscous and had the distinct taste of something bloody. Third, the other reason why was because the red chunk was chewy and tough. It took him a few more seconds to come to the final realization: he was eating raw meat.

I actually guessed he was eating blood soup the moment you pointed out how red it was, yet I still had an OH **** moment at the end.

There was a variety of things Bill wanted to do: struggle, scream, cry, plead Ellen to stop. No matter how much he tried, however, Adam kept him quiet and compliant. Yet, at the same time, he felt strange. With each bite, he felt a sense of satisfaction, like he was eating the most fulfilling warm stew he ever had. He wanted so much to shudder at the thought and force himself to dispel the notion, but he was trapped. Adam was in his head, and as a result, although the parasite didn't think of anything coherent right at that moment, it held every part of his body like a puppeteer.

Oh God! he thought. What's happening to me?

I can totally understand the conflicting emotions here... very nice paragraph, creepy and yet fascinating.

Bill felt something wrap around his mind, like an invisible hand seized his mind and pulled it back to the surface. The numb feeling gave way to small, stabbing pains all over his body.

You will not, Adam hissed. Do you already forget our deal? This is our life now. You must be strong and embrace it. You have no choice.

I-I can't, he replied. It's too much.

It will only be too much if you let it be. Remember, I know your memories. You studied the monsters you call pokémon by donning their skins, did you not? This is a new skin for you to wear. Let your mind adapt to fit your form. You can, Bill. You have done so before.

This is so ****ing creepy I can't even describe it.

"The guard's spotted several poison-types trying to cross the city from the west.

guards

"Officer!" he yelled. "Just heard over the radio! Guards just got wiped out by the two missing ixodida! They're headed this way!"

And you end a massive OH **** chapter with the biggest OH **** of them all. Good job.

[The Great Butler]

her chansey companions

Chansey.

Nice touch with noting how even a Joy can't tell why all Joys look the same.

not to take care of the sick and injured but instead to serve as the mother to the last inhabitants of Mauville City. People, afraid of being on their own in their almost-empty city, had taken up residence in all of the trainers' dorms, and she was the one to offer food, water, and a listening ear to anyone who needed it. This included whoever they found on the outskirts of town.

Chilling...

Ellen paused. Male. This creature was male. Of course, this wasn't the thing that was currently putting her thought processes on hold. It was mostly the fact that she was holding a conversation with a member of a species that had annihilated most of Mauville City, and apparently, the creature in question believed in polite manners

My second thought was how amusing Bill's ever polite attitude is.

You don't wanna know what the first thought was.

the same kind of creature she had seen rip off a little girl's head

...I think it was the other one that did this. Bill wouldn't do it...

"I'm sorry," she told him. "We've had so many ixodida attacks that–"

"What?"

Stopping, she looked at him.

"Ixodida," he said. "What do you mean by that?"

Ixodida is a great name, but you missed capitalizing it the first time you used it. That's important to fix.

At her question, Bill stopped. Although he couldn't figure out why she would ask that at first, his mind thought back to Abel and understood. That must have been the only kind of ixodida Ellen had seen. He must have been an anomaly. It made sense, though. If anything, it explained why she was so afraid of him. With his mind lingering on Abel, Bill pictured the creature, how he readily attacked everything in his path, how he communicated in grunts and half-words...

You missed "Ixodida" again. Other than that, this is a great paragraph, conveying stuff I thought earlier.

"You poor thing!" Ellen breathed.

She reached over and removed the lid on the bowl. Immediately, the room filled up with a smell Bill couldn't place. It wasn't entirely unpleasant to him, but something about it seemed wrong. Whatever it was, it had a metallic scent, almost like copper, and that overlaid the scent of something sweet. His stomach rumbled as soon as he picked up on the odor, and he curled his toes and clenched his teeth through the hunger pangs that suddenly hit him. All at once, he came to the realization that he hadn't eaten anything since he first woke up as the creature he was now, and he wondered if anyone tried to feed him during his transformation.

"Let me take care of you at the very least. I can tell you're hungry," Ellen said softly. "Here. Eat this."

Oddly adorable.

Only then did he realize four things. First, the soup was actually cold – stone cold, as if it had been chilled instead of cooked. Second, the first reason why was because the broth was actually salty and viscous and had the distinct taste of something bloody. Third, the other reason why was because the red chunk was chewy and tough. It took him a few more seconds to come to the final realization: he was eating raw meat.

I actually guessed he was eating blood soup the moment you pointed out how red it was, yet I still had an OH **** moment at the end.

There was a variety of things Bill wanted to do: struggle, scream, cry, plead Ellen to stop. No matter how much he tried, however, Adam kept him quiet and compliant. Yet, at the same time, he felt strange. With each bite, he felt a sense of satisfaction, like he was eating the most fulfilling warm stew he ever had. He wanted so much to shudder at the thought and force himself to dispel the notion, but he was trapped. Adam was in his head, and as a result, although the parasite didn't think of anything coherent right at that moment, it held every part of his body like a puppeteer.

Oh God! he thought. What's happening to me?

I can totally understand the conflicting emotions here... very nice paragraph, creepy and yet fascinating.

Bill felt something wrap around his mind, like an invisible hand seized his mind and pulled it back to the surface. The numb feeling gave way to small, stabbing pains all over his body.

You will not, Adam hissed. Do you already forget our deal? This is our life now. You must be strong and embrace it. You have no choice.

I-I can't, he replied. It's too much.

It will only be too much if you let it be. Remember, I know your memories. You studied the monsters you call pokémon by donning their skins, did you not? This is a new skin for you to wear. Let your mind adapt to fit your form. You can, Bill. You have done so before.

This is so ****ing creepy I can't even describe it.

"The guard's spotted several poison-types trying to cross the city from the west.

guards

"Officer!" he yelled. "Just heard over the radio! Guards just got wiped out by the two missing ixodida! They're headed this way!"

And you end a massive OH **** chapter with the biggest OH **** of them all. Good job.

[JX Valentine]

Ahh! What better way to unwind after three days of nothing but state exams than to read your latest chapter?

*high fives for getting through exams*

Finally! Bill meets a human who doesn't want to kill him or run away in the opposite direction. xD

I know, right? XD Poor guy. The universe just hates him.

And by "the universe," I mean "I," and by "hates him," I mean "love to torment him because he makes funny noises when I do."

They're so different from their anime counterparts because really, in the anime, no matter how many you meet, they act very similiar to each other.

First off, thanks! Second off, yeah, I see what you mean. I mean, I know it's supposed to be part of this running gag that's literally older than parts of the audience, but still. Officer Jenny, at least, has the potential to be awesome when she's not being a bumbling cop. >_>

Here I thought that Bill would wake up, talk with Jenny, and she would calmly ask him questions while keeping him handcuffed.

Yeah, apparently, Jenny took lessons from crime drama movies when it comes to interrogation. (However, for anyone who might be wondering, there is a reason why she had him chained to the bed other than to take out her anger.)

And Bill, despite his situation, is still his polite self. Bless his heart. x3

He really tries. XD *pats him on the head*

Kudos for the people in Hoenn that thought of that, rather than call them something stupid like "Pokémon aliens". :P (And of course, kudos to you for coming up with it!)

Thank you!

I have to admit, though, it's probably slightly out-of-character, considering this is the same region that thought "Metagross" was a perfectly awesome name for one of their most alien-looking Pokémon.

Overall, awesome chapter, JX!

Thanks! And don't worry. That epic battle shouldn't be too far away.

...Just as soon as I can get this last paper done.

Nice touch with noting how even a Joy can't tell why all Joys look the same.

Thanks! Yeah, I'd imagine that if anyone else was in a family like that, they'd respond to that kind of question with, "IDK, genetics?"

My second thought was how amusing Bill's ever polite attitude is.

You don't wanna know what the first thought was.

Oh, feel free to share. ;D

...I think it was the other one that did this. Bill wouldn't do it...

XD Oh, you're right. He wouldn't. Unfortunately, he has to tell that to someone who was thoroughly traumatized by other members of his current species. (Yay thinly-veiled racism theme?)

Ixodida is a great name, but you missed capitalizing it the first time you used it. That's important to fix.

Thanks for the compliment.

As for capitalization, there's actually a reason why I didn't. Outside of fanfic, I'm writing from a fan's perspective, so I capitalize everything to respect trademarks. Within fanfic, I'm writing from the perspective of a narrator (who's assumed to be a third-party, invisible, omniscient entity within that universe), so I don't capitalize species names, the word "Pokémon," and things like that because I assume all of them to be common nouns. (There are, of course, exceptions. I capitalize move names, "Pokémon" and similar words if they're the beginning of a sentence, and those words if they also function as the actual name of an individual. So, I'd capitalize "Water Gun," "Ixodida" at the start of a sentence, and "Chansey" if I'm using it as the name of a specific Chansey. And, well, everything when I'm not writing fanfiction.)

It's a bit confusing, but it just boils down to whether or not I'm using those words as common nouns. Still, good eye.

guards

You know, I'm not actually sure how I managed that one. Thanks.

And you end a massive OH **** chapter with the biggest OH **** of them all. Good job.

Thanks! I'm glad to have broken your brain a couple of times. XD

[JX Valentine]

O hai gais. :V Long time no chat, right? I'd like to apologize for randomly disappearing (and there's a long list of reasons why, but that's neither here nor there), but I'm finally back. Hopefully, the servers will cooperate with me here because let me tell you, editing all of the chapter (barring the prologue) that are here was a nice little endeavor. Nice like KITTENS. ON FIRE. [/rant]

But yep. I'm back, and there's been a lot of changes to all of the chapters here. For example, I've upgraded the alien's number from 494 to 650 so people don't go, "lol your fic is about Victini." Unfortunately, this will probably be the only explicit BW reference until translation names come out because I'm anal about that kind of thing. Also, the plot's been fixed up, so hopefully, the entire shebang actually makes sense this time. (I'm serious there. Like, looking back at the first version, I have no idea what I was smoking.)

Now, I have no idea who's still around, so I'd like to say hi to all of the awesome people who were patient with me and/or who would like to pop up right at this point. To the rest of you, I'm restarting the PM list, so feel free to ask to be added or say, "Oh hey! Sure, I'd like to keep up with this fic again!"

Um, rambling aside, how about that chapter that's over a half a year overdue?


Warning!
This chapter is rated R for graphic scenes of character death and violence (that may be edited out later, as noted 12/3/11).


Anima Ex Machina: Ten
Violence is a last resort.

Bill was hard-pressed to recall any situation that was more awkward than the one he was in right then. It had been some time since Officer Jenny ordered the pudgy man at the door – who never did reveal his name – to unchain Bill and lead him downtown for negotiations. This involved unchaining Bill, naturally, but it also involved using the chains as a collar and leash to lead him down the empty streets of Mauville City.

Needless to say, Bill tried to focus more on the fact that the streets were empty than his current state.

Mauville reminded him a little of Goldenrod City. It looked modern on the surface, but it had a sort of old-city charm underneath that. Both sides of each wide street were lined with brick buildings. Some of these were apartments with revolving, glass doors shaded by weather-beaten awnings. Others were stores with windows full of colorful displays.

However, the difference between this place and where Bill grew up – a difference that made his heart feel chilled – was that this place was practically a ghost town. Technically, it wasn't completely empty; Bill could catch the scraping sound of people moving on rooftops around him. It was just that the only soul on the street at that moment besides himself was the man leading him down the road, and even he subsequently dashed for a hiding spot as soon as the end of the chain was securely locked around a lamp post.

Ignoring this form of company, Bill could tell that there hadn't been crowds on that street for some time. On closer inspection along the way, he had noticed that all of the store displays were coated with thick dust that gave every color a grayish tint. The garbage cans didn't even smell like something was rotting in them – as if there wasn't anything left to rot at all. Most of all, the place was quiet: extremely quiet, like the entire city block was gone. He couldn't even hear the buzz of electricity or the hum of traffic in the distance.

Leaning against the lamp post, he waited. He couldn't quite tell what time it was, but the sun hung halfway between the earth and its zenith. For awhile, he watched the shadows by his feet elongate while he wondered what the humans wanted him to do.

How boring. I hope you were not planning on remaining here for much longer, Bill.

At the voice, Bill jolted back into reality. "Adam!"

Did you expect anyone else? Tell me, human, what is your plan?

"Plan?"

To escape, of course. We have things to do. We cannot be chained here forever.

"Are you insane?" Bill whispered. "We can't escape!"

Why? Are you concerned about breaking the chain? I could give you the ability to do so.

"That isn't the problem."

Then what is?

Bill looked up, scanning the rooftops. Catching sight of the corner of a shadow, he turned towards it and leaned back a little.

"Do you see that figure on the roof?"

I can see it through your eyes.

Shaking off the creeping shiver he got from that statement, Bill frowned. "That man is carrying a gun."

A gun?

Balling his hand into a fist, Bill carefully used the back of his wrist to rub the bridge of his nose. He was starting to get a headache, but the last thing he wanted was to put out his own eyes.

"Guns," he said. "They're weapons that can kill us both from a distance by firing lead projectiles at us at high velocities."

How primitive.

It occurred to Bill right then that he knew next to nothing about Adam or the rest of his species. He knew that they apparently began appearing around the crater outside of Fortree City in Hoenn, and from that, he guessed that they were extraterrestrial in origin. Other than that and what little data Project Stardust gathered about the way they functioned, he knew nothing. He didn't know where they actually came from, let alone how they lived before coming to Earth or what they could do or, if they were as sapient as Adam was implying, what kind of technology they used. Adam's comment right then sent an electric shock to his brain – a shock that made him realize he was dealing with something that most likely was far more advanced than he had originally believed.

"Adam," he said, "what did--"

Suddenly, a howl rose in the air. He felt his nerves prickle under his metal armor, and instinctively, he crouched.

"What was that?" he whispered.

One of us, I should think, Adam replied. Prepare yourself, Bill. We will need to treat this delicately.

"What do you mean by that?" Bill asked.

Before the parasite could say a word, the howling grew close. In front of him, Bill could see a pair of purple blurs streak towards him. Yelping, he scrambled to run away, but he got no further than a few feet from the post before the chain yanked at his neck. He choked and grabbed it, holding it taut. Although he knew it was locked, he still pulled at it, hoping it would somehow come undone.

A purple hand grasped the chain. Stopping short, Bill felt his breath catch in his throat. Cautiously, he turned his head to find that the purple blurs had stopped, and both of them were standing uncomfortably close to him.

As far as he could tell, both of the creatures must have been teenagers when they transformed. They looked about as young as he was, with smooth, round faces and wide eyes. The long, purple quills all over their bodies rose and fell as they leaned in to study him, and their tails, both ending in spike-studded balls, waved like the tails of two content dogs. One of them – female, as far as Bill could tell from the chest – ran long fingers along his tail to find the arrowhead. The other, a male, looked down but kept his own hand on the chain.

"Monarch," she whispered. "Tail. Look."

She pulled Bill's tail closer to the male. He blinked and glanced at the tip between her fingers. Then, before Bill could struggle to get away, the male put his hands on Bill's shoulders and gently pushed him downward.

"H-hey!" Bill cried. "What are you--"

He couldn't finish. His mouth immediately closed, and he could only watch as the male touched his nose to one of Bill's horns.

Stay calm, Adam said. This is how the drones of my species identify a monarch.

Bill glanced upward, as if Adam was above him. Monarch?

I have no time to explain it to you now. Listen very carefully, Bill. These drones will free you. Once they do, follow my instructions exactly, and do not question me. Understood?

The female growled, "Chain."

With a grunt, the male lifted a hand. His claws began to glow bright violet, and with a quick swipe, it sliced cleanly through the metal links. The ends of the chain clattered against two metallic surfaces.

Right then, Bill found he could speak again.

"Thank you," he said.

Both of the creatures bowed. The female took several steps and lifted her eyes to the sky. Bill wondered if she already knew about the people on the rooftops. He opened his mouth to ask her a question when all of a sudden, a shot rang out. There was a burst of blood, and the female fell onto her back with blood spurting out of a gunshot wound in the side of her head.

Bill felt his throat constrict, not just from the shock of the site but also from the gravity of the realization that just hit him.

Bait. They were using me as bait!

Adam stirred. Bill, the other one!

Looking up, Bill watched as the male dashed for one of the buildings. Bounding upwards, the poison-type sank his claws into the structure's brick facade and began climbing towards the roof.

"No!" Bill yelled. "Wait!"

More shots filled the air, forcing Bill to duck and take cover in a the building's doorway. Glancing back towards the street, he froze.

What he thought was the corpse of the female sat up. Bullets hit her, biting off parts of her body little by little. Her shoulder was ripped open. Several holes went right through her torso. Parts of her brain were exposed to the open air, and some parts of it were ripped completely out of her skull. Yet, she still stared at Bill with the same expressionless face, and keeping her wide, blank eyes on him, she stood without a problem.

Sinking to the ground, Bill felt his mind go completely blank. He couldn't think of a single thing right then except for the thought that he really wanted to scream.

Change your expression.

He kept his eyes on the female. His entire body felt numb, not because he was losing control but instead because he couldn't sense anything else but the image of the girl with her brains in full view. He had no idea Adam was trying to communicate with him.

Bill. I gave you an order. Change your expression.

Closing his mouth, Bill tried to push himself backwards. His body shook as the girl knelt in front of him and stared with her wide eyes.

Bill. Listen to me. Humans express their emotions on their faces. My kind does it by other means. A human who has recently become a drone struggles with transitioning from one mode of expression to another, but a monarch is in control of their body language at all times.

"What?" The word stumbled out of Bill's mouth so softly he almost believed he had imagined he said it.

You are putting us in danger by staring at her the way you are! Change your expression!

Although Bill heard him, he couldn't comply. All he could do was continue to stare at the girl as she reached down and grabbed his chin. He felt her slick, cold fingers grasp his face tightly. Her claws stung his skin.

"Rogue," she rasped.

She knows.

Bill couldn't make sense of either voice – the girl's or Adam's. His eyes fell on the female's free hand as she drew it back. She pressed her fingers together, each one glowing with a bright, violet glow. Then, her arm shot forward, aiming directly for the red jewel in Bill's chest.

Acting on its own orders, Bill's hand reached up to grab the drone's wrist just before the strike connected. Suddenly, Bill's expression blanked, and at the same time, he felt himself slip backwards and his entire body go numb.

"Bill," Adam said, using his mouth, "I want you to watch what I do. Let this be a learning experience."

Then, the parasite bent the girl's arm until it snapped. It kicked her backwards into the street, and as soon as she landed, she shrieked and grasped her broken arm frantically. Adam rose from where it sat and walked forward. It extended one of its hands, spreading its claws to prepare for a strike. Each finger took on a white glow as the muscles tensed to the point where it felt like all that existed in that appendage was pure steel.

Above them, Bill could hear the male's shriek, but whereas he would have reacted a second too late, Adam twisted and thrust the glowing hand upwards. The male fell, intending on ambushing Adam, but before he could so much as plant a claw on the steel-type, its glowing claws stabbed into his stomach. Turning, Adam threw its victim back into the street, letting him slam into the pavement. The female bent over him and whimpered as he curled on his side.

"Lesson one," Adam said. "When engaged in battle, always be aware of your surroundings."

The shots stopped abruptly. At the edges of its field of vision, Adam could see the humans on the rooftops lowering their guns and stepping closer to the edge, their faces frozen in wide-eyed wonder. Right then, the female rose and lifted her arms in front of her. Each quill that ran along her forearms stood and pointed themselves at Adam. Calmly, it turned its head back towards her and shielded its face with its own arms. For a second time, Bill sensed that the muscles of his body tensed as his skin began to glow with a white light. Pins shot from the female's arms and struck Adam's with a volley of clinks; not a single one of them pierced its armor.

Behind it, Adam's tail stiffened and began to glow. As soon as the attack finished, it lunged forward, crouched, and spun. Its tail whipped around it and sliced cleanly through the girl's legs halfway down her thighs. The rest of her body smacked back into the pavement and fell still, her mouth open in death. Meanwhile, one of her amputated legs twitched. Adam bent down to pick it up.

"Lesson two," it said, "locate and destroy the core. The core is our source of life. Our host may be decapitated, and we can still control its body to fulfill our needs. However, if the core is broken, we die."

It turned the leg over and found the female's crimson jewel embedded in her heel. Adam's fingers dug into the flesh surrounding it, cutting through the spindly threads that anchored the parasite to its host. With a rip, Adam yanked the creature free from the leg. The parasite squealed and thrashed its tentacles as the rest of the leg was tossed onto the girl's body. Adam held it up, studying it for a few seconds. Then, metal fingers gripped the parasite in a palm until its exoskeleton cracked. The squealing abruptly stopped, and the red body flashed several times before bursting in a splash of blood and acid. Opening its hand, Adam licked the liquid off its palm.

Without warning, a purple arm wrapped around his shoulders. Another hand lashed forward, its claws ripping across the exposed flesh of Adam's throat. The steel-type rasped, feeling the blood run from its neck and the cut in his windpipe.

Taking advantage of my distraction. Using Slash instead of a venomous move, Adam thought. This one is intelligent. However...

It reached over its shoulder. The five claws on its hand began to glow white again. Taking notice, the male grabbed Adam's hand and wrapped his tail around its waist. Adam struggled to free its wrist, but the male held on with a crushing grip. For that reason, the glow faded before Adam could do anything with his second Metal Claw.

But then, it stabbed the male through the shoulder with the arrowhead tip of its glowing tail. Instantly, the parasite on the poison-type's back burst, and the creature shuttered. Withdrawing its tail, Adam pulled itself free from the man's weakened grip. It looked at the infected human as he dropped to his knees. Bringing a hand to its throat, Adam felt the wound across it heal, and with that, it coughed.

If he wanted to cripple me, he would have broken my horns, Adam continued.

It finished its victim off by whipping its tail through his neck. The man's head fell off his shoulders with a thud, and the rest of the body collapsed sideways.

Walking into the middle of the street, Adam looked towards the rooftops. Every single human stood there, still as people in a photograph. A few of them still held guns, but these remained at their sides. Adam had nothing to say to them.

"No contest."

Turning its head towards the whisper, Adam caught sight of three familiar faces. The first was the chubby man who had led Bill to that spot, and the second and third were Officer Jenny and Ellen. All three of them were standing at a street corner several feet away, but although Jenny whispered, the place was silent enough for Adam to hear her voice.

"Two ixodida in less than ten minutes. I... I don't believe it."

Bill, take over, Adam thought. They do not intend on attacking us, and I have spent too long outside as it is.

There was no answer.

Bill?

Still, there was silence.

Jenny started forward. Her face was pale, and her movements were sluggish, as if someone had sapped all her energy. Without a word to her, Adam turned away, dropped to all fours, and started running.

[Diddy]

Lol, you're back

This was certainly unexpected. Not bad unexpected, very good unexpected, because there has been a severe lack of "people-that-used-to-be-around"

Not as friendly a place as it used to be.

The chapter was pretty good, Adam showcasing his skills in a, quite frankly, all too unnecessarily gruesome way. Poor poison types *wipes away tear*

[JX Valentine]

Thanks for the welcome. XD Also, really? I have to admit, I haven't really taken a good look around the forum yet, so I haven't noticed yet. I have noticed that there seems to be a lack of discussion in the Author's Cafe and reviews in general compared to back in May, though. (Or maybe that's just me.)

And thanks for the review. Yes, Adam is a bit of a sadist. ;D

[Cryptic Blaze]

You're back, and with a new chapter!

The two poison ixodida shrugging off being practically torn apart by bullets like it was just a minor inconvenience surprised me, but it also made me think of the necromorphs from Dead Space for some reason. What really took the cake though was that Adam just wiped them out like they were the inconvenience. You made him into a tank!

What he thought was the corpse of the female sat up. Bullets hit her, biting off parts of her body little by little. Her shoulder was ripped open. Several holes went right through her torso. Parts of her brain were exposed to the open air, and some parts of it were ripped completely out of her skull. Yet, she still stared at Bill with the same expressionless face, and keeping her wide, blank eyes on him, she stood without a problem.

O_o Very descriptive...

It turned the leg over and found the female's crimson jewel embedded in her heel. Adam's fingers dug into the flesh surrounding it, cutting through the spindly threads that anchored the parasite to its host. With a rip, Adam yanked the creature free from the leg. The parasite squealed and thrashed its tentacles as the rest of the leg was tossed onto the girl's body. Adam held it up, studying it for a few seconds. Then, metal fingers gripped the parasite in a palm until its exoskeleton cracked. The squealing abruptly stopped, and the red body flashed several times before bursting in a splash of blood and acid.

Talk about an Achilles heel, but I like how you made it so that the ixodida can only be killed by destroying the "jewel" that they have.

Anyway, this was a very well-written chapter. I can't wait for the next one.

[The Great Butler]

Anima Ex Machina: Ten
Violence is a last resort.

Bill was hard-pressed to recall any situation that was more awkward than the one he was in right then. It had been some time since Officer Jenny ordered the pudgy man at the door – who never did reveal his name – to unchain Bill and lead him downtown for negotiations. This involved unchaining Bill, naturally, but it also involved using the chains as a collar and leash to lead him down the empty streets of Mauville City.

Needless to say, Bill tried to focus more on the fact that the streets were empty than his current state.

Mauville reminded him a little of Goldenrod City. It looked modern on the surface, but it had a sort of old-city charm underneath that. Both sides of each wide street were lined with brick buildings. Some of these were apartments, their revolving, glass doors shaded by weather-beaten awnings. Others were stores with windows full of colorful displays.

Good description of Mauville City, I can definitely picture that.

However, the difference between this place and where Bill grew up – a difference that made his heart feel chilled – was that this place was completely devoid of visible people. Technically, it wasn't completely devoid of people in general; Bill could catch the scraping sound of people moving on rooftops around him. It was just that the streets were empty. Even the man who led him there had subsequently dashed for a hiding spot as soon as the end of the chain was securely locked around a lamp post.

Ignoring this form of company, Bill could tell that there hadn't been crowds on that street for some time. On closer inspection along the way, he had noticed that all of the store displays were coated with thick dust that gave every color a gray tint. The garbage cans didn't even smell like something was rotting in them – as if there wasn't anything left to rot at all. Most of all, the place was quiet: extremely quiet, like the entire city block was gone. He couldn't even hear the buzz of electricity or the hum of traffic in the distance.

Chilling...

Leaning against the lamp post, he waited. He couldn't quite tell what time it was, but the sun hung halfway between the earth and its zenith. For awhile, he watched the shadows by his feet elongate while he wondered what the humans wanted him to do.

How boring. I hope you were not planning on remaining here for much longer, Bill.

At the voice, Bill jolted back into reality. "Adam!"

Did you expect anyone else? Tell me, human, what is your plan?

"Plan?"

To escape, of course. We have things to do. We cannot be chained here forever.

"Are you insane?" Bill whispered. "We can't escape!"

Why? Are you concerned about breaking the chain? I could give you the ability to do so.

"That isn't the problem."

Then what is?

Bill looked up, scanning the rooftops. Catching sight of the corner of a shadow, he turned towards it and leaned back a little.

"Do you see that figure on the roof?"

I can see it through your eyes.

Ignoring the creeping shiver he got from that statement, Bill frowned. "That man is carrying a gun."

A gun?

Balling his hand into a fist, Bill carefully used the back of his wrist to rub the bridge of his nose. He was starting to get a headache, but the last thing he wanted was to put out his own eyes.

"Guns," he said. "They're weapons that can kill us both from a distance by firing lead projectiles at us at high velocities."

How primitive.

I hear Obi-Wan Kenobi's disgust for blasters here. XD;

It occurred to Bill right then that he knew next to nothing about Adam or the rest of his species. He knew that they apparently began appearing around the crater outside of Fortree City in Hoenn, and from that, he guessed that they were extraterrestrial in origin. Other than that and what little data Project Stardust gathered about the way they functioned? Nothing. He didn't know where they actually came from, let alone how they lived before coming to Earth. Adam's comment right then sent an electric shock to his brain – a shock that made him realize he was dealing with something that most likely was far more advanced than he had originally believed.

"Adam," he said, "what did--"

Before Bill could go any further, a howl rose in the air. He felt his nerves prickle under his metal armor, and instinctively, he crouched.

"What was that?" he whispered.

One of us, I should think, Adam replied. Prepare yourself, Bill. We will need to treat this delicately.

"What do you mean by that?" Bill asked.

Before the parasite could say a word, the howling grew close. Looking forward, Bill could see a pair of purple blurs streak towards him. Yelping, he scrambled to run away, but he got no further than a few feet from the post before the chain yanked at his neck. He choked and grabbed it, holding it taut. Although he knew it was locked, he still pulled at it, hoping it would somehow come undone.

A purple hand grasped the chain. Stopping short, Bill felt his breath catch in his throat. Cautiously, he turned his head to find that the purple blurs had stopped, and both of them were standing uncomfortably close to him.

As far as he could tell, both of the creatures must have been teenagers when they transformed. They looked about as young as he was, with smooth, round faces and wide eyes. The long, purple quills all over their bodies rose and fell as they leaned in to study him, and their tails, both ending in spike-studded balls, waved like the tails of a pair of content dogs. One of them – female, as far as Bill could tell from the chest – ran long fingers along his tail to find the arrowhead. The other, a male, looked down but kept his own hand on the chain.

"Monarch," she whispered. "Tail. Look."

I wouldn't be laughing so hard here if I wasn't a Venture Bros. fan.

What he thought was the corpse of the female sat up. Bullets hit her, biting off parts of her body little by little. Her shoulder was ripped open. Several holes went right through her torso. Parts of her brain were exposed to the open air, and some parts of it were ripped completely out of her skull. Yet, she still stared at Bill with the same expressionless face, and keeping her wide, blank eyes on him, she stood without a problem.

Sinking to the ground, Bill felt his mind go completely blank. He couldn't think of a single thing right then, except for the thought that he really wanted to scream.

That's terrifying.

Change your expression.

He kept his eyes on the female. His entire body felt numb, not because he was losing control but instead because he couldn't sense anything else but the image of the girl with her brains in full view. He had no idea Adam was trying to communicate with him.

Bill. I gave you an order. Change your expression.

Closing his mouth, Bill tried to push himself backwards. His body shook as the girl knelt in front of him and stared with her wide eyes.

Bill. Listen to me. Humans express their emotions on their faces. My kind does it by other means. A human who has recently become a drone struggles with transitioning from one mode of expression to another, but a monarch is in control of their body language at all times.

"What?" The word stumbled out of Bill's mouth so softly he almost believed he had imagined he said it.

You are putting us in danger by staring at her the way you are! Change your expression!

Creative.

Although Bill heard him, he couldn't comply. All he could do was continue to stare at the girl as she reached down and grabbed his chin. He felt her slick, cold fingers grasp his face tightly, the claws stinging his skin.

"Rogue," she rasped.

She knows.

Bill couldn't make sense of either voice – the girl's or Adam's. His eyes fell on the female's free hand as she drew it back. She pressed her fingers together, each one glowing with a bright, violet glow. Then, her arm shot forward, aiming directly for the red jewel in Bill's chest.

Acting on its own orders, Bill's hand reached up to grab the girl's wrist just before the strike connected. Suddenly, Bill's expression blanked, and all of it wasn't even his doing. After all, he felt himself slip backwards, as if all of his body had gone numb for a completely different reason.

"Bill," Adam said, using his mouth, "I want you to watch what I do. Let this be a learning experience."

Then, the parasite bent the girl's arm until it snapped. Kicked backwards into the street, she shrieked and grasped her broken arm frantically. Adam rose from where it sat and walked forward. It extended one of its hands, spreading its claws to prepare for a strike. Each finger took on a white glow as the muscles tensed to the point where it felt like all that existed in that appendage was pure steel.

Above them, Bill could hear the male's shriek, but whereas he would have reacted a second too late, Adam twisted and thrust the glowing hand upwards. The male fell, intending on ambushing Adam, but before he could so much as plant a claw on the steel-type, its glowing claws stabbed into his stomach. Turning, Adam threw its victim back into the street, letting him slam into the pavement. The female bent over him and whimpered as he curled on his side.

"Lesson one," Adam said. "When engaged in battle, always be aware of your surroundings."

When did Bill become a badass. Geez.

The shots stopped. By then, Adam could see people gather on the edges of buildings with their guns lowered and their eyes fixed on the scene on the street. The female rose and lifted her arms in front of her. Each quill that ran along her forearms stood and pointed themselves at Adam. Calmly, it turned its head back towards her and shielded its face with its own arms. For a second time, Bill sensed that the muscles of his body tensed as his armor began to glow with a white light. Pins shot from the female's arms and struck Adam's with a volley of clinks; not a single one of them pierced armor.

Behind it, Adam's tail stiffened and began to glow. As soon as the attack finished, it lunged forward, crouched, and spun. Its tail whipped around it and sliced cleanly through the girl's legs halfway down her thighs. The rest of her body smacked back into the pavement and fell still, her mouth open in death. However, one of her amputated legs twitched. Adam bent down to pick it up.

"Lesson two," it said, "locate and destroy the core. The core is our source of life. Our host may be decapitated, and we can still control its body to fulfill our needs. However, if the core is broken, we die."

Again, very creative...

It turned the leg over and found the female's crimson jewel embedded in her heel. Adam's fingers dug into the flesh surrounding it, cutting through the spindly threads that anchored the parasite to its host. With a rip, Adam yanked the creature free from the leg. The parasite squealed and thrashed its tentacles as the rest of the leg was tossed onto the girl's body. Adam held it up, studying it for a few seconds. Then, metal fingers gripped the parasite in a palm until its exoskeleton cracked. The squealing abruptly stopped, and the red body flashed several times before bursting in a splash of blood and acid. Opening its hand, Adam licked the blood.

Without warning, a purple arm wrapped around his shoulders. Another hand lashed forward, its claws ripping across the exposed flesh of Adam's throat. The steel-type rasped, feeling the blood run from its neck and the cut in his windpipe.

Taking advantage of my distraction. Using Slash instead of a venomous move, Adam thought. This one is intelligent. However...

It reached over its shoulder. The five claws on its hand began to glow white again. Taking notice, the male grabbed Adam's hand and wrapped his tail around its waist. Adam struggled to free its wrist, but the male held on with a crushing grip. The glow faded before Adam could do anything with his second Metal Claw.

But then, it stabbed the male through the shoulder with the arrowhead tip of its glowing tail. Instantly, the parasite on the poison-type's back burst, and the creature shuttered. Withdrawing its tail, Adam pulled itself free from the man's weakened grip. It looked at the infected human as he dropped to his knees. Bringing a hand to its throat, Adam felt the wound across it heal, and with that, it coughed.

If he wanted to cripple me, he would have broken my horns, Adam continued.

It finished its victim off by whipping its tail through his neck. The man's head fell off his shoulders with a thud, and the rest of the body collapsed sideways.

Wow...

Walking into the middle of the street, Adam looked towards the rooftops. Every single human stood there, still as people in a photograph. A few of them still held guns, but these remained at their sides. Adam had nothing to say to them.

"No contest."

Turning its head towards the whisper, Adam caught sight of three familiar faces. The first was the chubby man who had led Bill to that spot, and the second and third were Officer Jenny and Ellen. All three of them were standing at a street corner several feet away, but although Jenny whispered, the place was silent enough for Adam to hear her voice.

"Two ixodida in less than ten minutes. I... I don't believe it."

Bill, take over, Adam thought. They do not intend on attacking us, and I have spent too long outside as it is.

There was no answer.

Bill?

Still, there was silence.

Jenny started forward. Her face was pale, and her movements were sluggish, as if someone had sapped all her energy. Without a word to her, Adam turned away, dropped to all fours, and started running.

Overall, it's certainly an interesting chapter to return with. We'll have to see how things go from here.

[JX Valentine]

You know, I probably should be asleep right now, but hey!

You're back, and with a new chapter!

*high fives* Good to see you too! You too, m'dear Nando. :D

The two poison ixodida shrugging off being practically torn apart by bullets like it was just a minor inconvenience surprised me, but it also made me think of the necromorphs from Dead Space for some reason.

Probably due to the whole space zombie thing. Which is actually pretty cool (that you thought of that because that's what I was going for).

I mean, seriously. Zombies. In space. I love this genre for pulling stuff like that all the time.

What really took the cake though was that Adam just wiped them out like they were the inconvenience. You made him into a tank!

Pretty much. ;D

Talk about an Achilles heel,

Literally!

...And just now do I realize that this scene was just a lead-up to an intensely terrible pun that I swear I did not actually plan, and for that, I'm deeply sorry. XD;

but I like how you made it so that the ixodida can only be killed by destroying the "jewel" that they have.

Thanks! I wanted to make the ixodida be as horrifying as possible. So, I figured a good way to do that would be to make it so that their bodies could be completely mutilated except the core, and they'd still be able to get up and walk around. In other words, it's an excuse to have space zombies.

And thanks for the review in general! :D

Good description of Mauville City, I can definitely picture that.

Thanks and awesome. :D I wasn't entirely sure whether or not it was too vague.

I hear Obi-Wan Kenobi's disgust for blasters here. XD;

Which is hilariously ironic, considering Adam is like an Obi-Wan who's trying to convince Luke Skywalker to screw choosing sides and just go off and eat Jedi and Sith babies. XD

I wouldn't be laughing so hard here if I wasn't a Venture Bros. fan.

XDDDD Things I Never Noticed When Writing Them for $400, Alex.

It's probably terrible of me to say this, but this is made slightly more amusing to me because Bill would totally prance around in a black and yellow butterfly costume if given the chance. Adam... not so much.

When did Bill become a badass. Geez.

XD Oh, Bill wishes he could be a badass. But unfortunately, until maybe next chapter, Adam gets the honors of doing some awesome stuff with their body.

...And that sounded a little less wrong in my head.

Overall, it's certainly an interesting chapter to return with. We'll have to see how things go from here.

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it, especially after the, uh, half-a-year-long wait. XD;

The next chapter is actually done, edited, and waiting to be coded. Maybe it'll be up later on today if I actually get off my lazy rear to do it. b)'')b

[JX Valentine]

And for once, I make good on my promise. :D


Anima Ex Machina: Eleven
In life, unlike chess, the game continues after checkmate.

A young woman stood on the edge of a cliff enveloped in fog. The fog wasn't so much the byproduct of the area as it was the result of her presence: fog emitted in wisps from her indigo skin while dark purple clouds shrouded most of her body. Her eyes glowed with a soft, blue light as she gazed through the mist.

Suddenly, she gasped and shivered, and the glow faded from her eyes.

Behind her something stirred. "My lady?"

Looking over her shoulder, she made out the silhouette of a second ixodida standing a few feet away.

"I sense a rogue on this island," she said.

"Does that worry you?" the male replied. "It is not wise to concern yourself so much with something like that. We have identified multiple rogues on this planet, and all of them are weak. It is the mind of this world's dominant species, my lady. While it may be intelligent, it lacks the ability to adapt to the transitional process. Many of them will die shortly after creation, and those few that survive will either lack the power to be considered a threat or be killed by their own follies."

"You underestimate the earthlings," she replied. "Besides, this may not be any ordinary rogue. I feel its presence already. Whatever it is, I sense that it may be powerful and clever. It killed two of Venom Clan's drones and disappeared..." She narrowed her eyes. "...as if it was mocking me."

The other ixodida straightened. "My lady, the likelihood that we fell to the same planet as--"

"Nonetheless," the woman interrupted, "please investigate it. I will not rest well until I know for sure what this rogue is."

Without further questioning, the other ixodida bowed. "Yes, my lady. It will be done."

Straightening, he turned and walked away from her. She waited for awhile until she heard the buzz of his departure. Then, she lifted a hand and glanced at the pink silk lotus she held in her palm.

"If you did indeed follow us to this planet--" She gripped the flower in her hand. "--then for the sake of our kind, I will not allow you to live."

---

Adam entered the gray forest easily. For its kind, it wasn't difficult at all to access a host's mind. After all, the ixodida and their hosts were one being. Everything that was part of the host was also a part of the parasite. So, everything that Bill's brain contained was just a casual thought away for Adam, even the parts that Bill himself had long forgotten.

Technically, the same relationship existed in reverse. Everything that was contained within Adam's mind could just as easily be accessible to its hosts as their mind was to it; the host just needed to be willing to explore. This openness was most of the reason why Adam's kind typically overwhelmed and trapped the host's mind within itself upon infection, but there were certain advantages, as Adam had discovered long before coming to Earth, to having multiple minds in one body. Amusement, for one. Although Adam hoped that Bill would never discover that the link between them went both ways, the parasite was already making a game out of seeing how long it would take for one of the brightest minds humanity could offer to figure the ixodida out.

However, humanity had its weak points, and Bill's were beginning to test his parasite's patience.

Adam found its host sitting against a tree. His arms were resting on his knees, and his face was buried in them. He didn't say anything. He didn't even move.

"It would be a problem if you have already broken after witnessing your first real battle," Adam drawled. "I would need to find a new host, and I have no doubt you would die wherever I left you, either from the gaping wound in your chest I would leave behind or the fact that the tentacles I have planted all over your body would secrete acids to liquify all your internal organs in a matter of hours."

Still, there was no response.

"Get up," Adam said.

Silence.

"Bill. Get up."

After awhile, Bill shook his head and whispered, "That girl... I don't understand..."

It wasn't a question, but Adam knew from their bond what Bill was trying to say. The most unfortunate side to humanity was, quite simply, the fact that the human brain frequently failed to process whatever was well outside of their normal understanding of the world. For example, on Earth, getting shot multiple times in the head killed a person. The dead did not get up and walk. People were not normally dismembered in broad daylight. A rational human who previously claimed to be a pacifist did not rip another living being apart with his own bare hands. All four facts combined left Bill, despite all his intellectual abilities, overwhelmed to the point where his brain shut down. He was no more useful, therefore, than a mumbling idiot.

Knowing this, Adam's answer was quick.

"I did nothing that was not necessary for our survival."

Bill clenched his fists. Evidently to Adam, that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Did you kill her?"

The question didn't surprise Adam. In fact, it knew Bill would eventually ask, just because he was human. What surprised Adam was the fact that the question came clearly, even though Bill could barely process a thing just a few seconds ago. The human was recovering – or had decided to recover a long time ago. A part of Adam felt relieved, if only because Bill's ability to grab onto whatever sounded like sanity and climb back up made things easier. Not much easier, but at least Adam didn't have to explain the basics again.

"It was necessary, Bill," it said. "She intended to kill us."

"A-and the other one?"

"Necessary as well."

"Oh gods..."

Bill turned his head and covered his eyes with a hand. For a while, Adam simply watched him, waiting for him to look at it. When that never happened, Adam flexed its fingers, each joint clacking with irritation.

"You cannot face my kind with the fear you displayed before our battle," Adam said. "The second you hesitate, our enemies will rip you apart, and I mean that literally. That female may have been weak against us, but she still possessed the ability to tear us limb from limb if we did not defend ourselves. Imagine what will happen if a stronger member of my kind encountered us."

Still, Bill said nothing. After a moment of this silence, Adam lashed one of its hands downward. Bill felt a metal hand grab his hair and yank it, pulling his head backwards. With another hand, Adam grabbed its host by the neck, pulled him to his feet, and pinned him to the tree behind him.

"Human, are you listening to me?" it asked.

Bill glared at Adam. His eyes were red and wet.

Flicking its tail, Adam tilted its head. "Are you mourning the deaths of our enemies?"

"I don't want to be a murderer," Bill mumbled.

Adam's tail flicked again, this time kicking up dirt behind the parasite as it leaned close to Bill. "What was that, human?"

"They're just like me, aren't they?" Bill said. "They're... they're just victims. We need to help them, not kill them."

"Even if they wish to kill us?"

"No. That's you... isn't it? That's why that girl could get back up, and that's why she attacked us. The ixodida. They're controlling us, ar--"

Adam threw him across the clearing. He slammed into the ground, yelping as pain shot up the arm he had landed on. Unfortunately for him, he had no time to think about it. Adam was on top of him a second later, hands pinning Bill's shoulders to the ground and tail wrapped around his legs.

"Perhaps they are, but not one of those hosts have the power to reject my kind. More importantly, most of my brethren would try to kill us instantly if they knew what we were. Did you hear that female call you a rogue? Do you know what a rogue is? It is nothing more than an ixodida who defies the natural order of our species. They are anomalies, and if they threaten to disrupt our survival as a whole, then every member of our species will do everything they can to eradicate us. You are no friend to the ixodida, Bill, just because you exist."

Although Bill's expression faltered, revealing a flash of uncertainty, it was erased in seconds by a glare of determination.

"So, you want me to be a traitor as well as a murderer?" he snapped.

"No," Adam replied. "I want you to fight."

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I can't kill another living being, and I certainly don't want to have anything to do with threatening the existence of an entire species."

"Our contract, Bill. The consequence of violating it is death."

"Kill me, if it means that much to you!"

The words echoed throughout the forest. Bill was shocked he had even said them, and because of that, he stared at Adam with a blank expression. Of course he was terrified of the thing pinning him to the ground – or whatever it might be doing to make him feel as if he was being pinned – but right then, for the first time in his life, he felt enough motivation to fail at caring. He knew he was most likely about to die, but he took a certain pleasure in the idea that if he did, he would at least go out with as clean a conscience as he could get.

So, when Adam lifted a hand, Bill did nothing to stop it. Just as the claws on the parasite's fingers began to glow silver, he closed his eyes and waited. Any second, he knew everything would be over.

The blow never came.

Opening one eye, Bill realized that the glow had dissipated. The claws lowered, and Adam carefully pulled away.

"In all my travels across this galaxy, I have never met a creature with such open audacity," it said as it stood. "You humans may be weak, but you are at least... interesting."

Bill sat up. "I... uh. Thank you?"

Adam scoffed and turned away. "If you will not fight to defend yourself, fight for the sake of humanity, then."

Any confusion Bill had over what just transpired immediately vanished. Keeping his eyes on Adam, he furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"This city is empty for a reason," Adam replied. "Something is compelling the ixodida to attack humans. I feel that the purpose of this goes far beyond just survival. I can sense it, but I cannot pinpoint its source." It looked over its shoulder. "That was your area of expertise, was it not? Deciphering why a pokémon acts the way it does? I can only wonder how long it will take you to figure it out – how many people will die while you stand by and simply observe."

Hastily, Bill scrambled to his feet. He held his sore arm with one hand as he stared at Adam's back. For the second time in their conversation, Bill remained silent, waiting for Adam to continue. This time, it wasn't out of defiance. Rather, it was out of the fact that he had no idea what to say.

Meanwhile, Adam began walking away, into the forest. "I have given you the power to protect your kind. Everything you could ever need is now within you. You simply need the will to use it. Think about it, Bill."

With that, Adam disappeared beyond the trees, leaving Bill alone in the clearing. Backing up, Bill found the nearest trunk and leaned against the bark. He closed his eyes, his mind sifting through everything Adam had just told him. Him? Defend humanity? He couldn't possibly... could he? As far as he was concerned, his only purpose in life was to stand back and observe. He was a researcher, a source of information – someone to help the plot along at the very most, if he compared his life to a story. Naturally, he would be more than happy to help a hero, but to be cast into that role himself? He just didn't think he was born for that kind of duty.

With this in mind, he opened his eyes, expecting to see more of the gray forest.

---

What he saw instead was the sideways view of an empty room. Blinking, it took him a moment to realize he was actually lying flat on his stomach on a hard floor. He groaned and flipped over, bringing a hand to his head. The sharp scent of blood filled the air, and he gasped and pulled his hand away from his face.

His vision was monochrome. At first, he couldn't tell why, but after a second, the dark background and the sharpness of every light tone around him – namely, the tones of his hand – caused something to click in his head. Night vision. It had to be.

Of course, at that moment, he didn't bother searching for Adam to get a confirmation. That was the least of his concerns, after all.

Evidently, Adam was kind enough to lick most of the blood off his claws before he awoke, but despite that and the fact that Bill could only see in a limited spectrum of colors, he still caught dark patches on his joints and at the tip of each claw. His hand shook as he stared. The patches were dry and crusty, with some parts flaking off each time he moved a finger. As a result, his joints felt stiff and dirty.

He couldn't remember most of the battle, but one image kept coming to mind: the girl. Her brains exposed. Her body rising up and lurching towards him. Her expression blank. Her mouth open. Her eyes dead...

Bill closed his hand. Don't think about that.

Breathing in, he meditated. The girl was dead. There was nothing he could do about it. Yes, it was alarming, but he had to maintain his composure. He knew it wouldn't be the last time he would see a zombie-alien-girl getting--

Don't think about that!

Sitting up, Bill shook his head and buried his face in his palms. His entire body was trembling.

I can't do this. I just can't. There's no possible way I can.

Moving his hands from his face, Bill pushed off the floor and stood.

I'm not a fighter. I'm not a killer. What do I do now? ...What is that smell?

His tail whipped back and forth behind his legs. Each joint along it felt just as stiff as the ones in his hands, and he smelled blood every time he moved it. It even crackled with dried blood flaking off its surface. Wrapping one of his arms with a hand, Bill shifted a foot and placed it gently on the arrowhead tip of his tail to get himself to stop moving it. The entire appendage tingled, and a sharp pain radiated from its base. Yelping, he let go, and his tail went back to wagging behind him.

"Water," he murmured as he held his head. "I need to clean myself up. Then, maybe I'll be able to think straight. Where can I get water?"

Looking around, he took in more of the room. It was, for the most part, empty. A bench sat on one side, and along the walls, a balcony hung. Other than that, there was nothing interesting about the space except the markings on the floor: a large rectangle with boxes attached to the shorter ends.

A battlefield, Bill thought. Why on Earth did you bring me here, Adam?

As expected, he got no response. Sighing, Bill gave up on trying to contact the parasite and started for a door in the corner of the room. He figured that it was probably better that no conversation happened, given what he had experienced in his dream. Besides, he didn't particularly want to know what Adam was expecting him to do on a battlefield.

Approaching the door, he placed a hand on it. It occurred to him that the door seemed a little unusual. It was made of metal, and by the sound it made when he knocked on it, it was thick. Yet, to make matters even more interesting for him, there was no doorknob or door handle, and it didn't budge when he pushed it. Looking up, he tried to find a window large enough for him to fit through or another door, but there was nothing around him except that single entrance.

He furrowed his eyebrows as a single thought entered his mind. How did I get in here if I can't get out?

Briefly, the idea of shouting for help crossed his mind, but then, two problems occurred to him. First, he had no idea if anyone was actually within earshot. Second, he didn't want to know what would happen if someone found him like that, what with the way that his body looked at that moment and the fact that he was covered in blood. Backing up, he fixed his eyes on the door. If calling for help wasn't an option, he had no other choice.

What attacks do I know? he asked himself.

Raising his claws, he concentrated. One of the attacks in his head had to do with them. That much he knew. But how was he supposed to use it?

Breathing out, he pulled back his hand. He supposed he had nothing to lose when it came to experimenting. As far as he could tell, after all, he wasn't about to use Explosion or something like it, so what was the worst that could happen?

Swinging his arm, he brought his claws across the metal door. Scratch. It was a basic attack for most pokémon, so it didn't surprise him that much to learn that this was what he had in his arsenal so far. What actually surprised him, though, was the fact that the second his claws scraped across the door, the metal underneath them screamed. Crying out, he pulled his hand away, covered his ears, and dropped to his knees. There was still a ringing in his head long after the cause of it stopped.

Scratching metal on metal. Brilliant idea, Bill, he thought.

As if he didn't endure enough pain, the lights suddenly blasted on. Flinching, he felt a wave of pain rush through his head as his eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden light. Even after his vision cleared and his eyes finally picked up color, his head ached from the double assault. Shaking it, he stood and blinked until the pain subsided. Then, he looked up at the source of the lights, the rows of fluorescent lamps in the ceiling.

"Hello?" he called. "Who's there?"

Silence answered him. A cold feeling crept through his body, and he turned back to the door. The sooner he was out, the better, he figured. Reaching for the door, he intended on prying it open, but before he could touch it, it slid apart with a whir. Behind it stood a tall, yellow and white creature. It bared its long fangs as it stared at Bill with glowing, red eyes. Electricity crackled off its muscular body as a tiger's growl rumbled from its maw.

One of the more noteworthy aspects of Johto was the fact that, because the region held a deeper and darker connection to its own folklore than most of the other regions barring maybe Sinnoh, every person who came from there was by default something of an expert in the matter of the regional legendary pokémon. As such, Bill could easily recognize a raikou when he saw one, not because he was a researcher but instead because he had spent a little over half of his life being told the stories about how encountering one would mean the thundering wrath of the gods would be inflicted upon the unwitting traveler shortly afterwards.

Knowing this, Bill immediately took the bravest course of action he could think of: dropping to the floor and screaming.

[Phantom Kat]

Eeek! You're back! You have no idea how huge of a smile I had when I saw this was updated.

The battle did not disappoint, though it was creepier than I had anticipated. Ixodia standing up, no problem, with bullets riddling their body? I don't blame Bill for shutting down like he did. That's not something you expect even aliens to be capable of. Hopefully he can learn to push that aside and save the human race. I know Adam will help him do that, one way or another. lol

And a new character appears, and she's creepy to boot! Definitely can't wait for you to elaborate on that.

*crosses fingers* Don't get turned into ash by that Raikou there, Bill.

Is it mean to admit that I almost laughed at the image of Bill just dropping to the floor and screaming? xD;

Also, I would love to still get PMs informing me about updates!

- Kat

[Diddy]

Oh yeah, I'd like to be on the PM list, although it would only take about a minute more to find out if it was updated, I don't get PM's anymore. So yeah.

I can admire Bill's courage when faced with such a creature as Raikou. I mean, Raikou has freaking thunderclouds on his back and REAL LIGHTNING! More lightning than his body has room for.

Although I am intrigued.

Why is Raikou in this weird place where Bill is? Hmm. Perhaps (because he was in Mauville before) he was put in Wattson's gym and it's the robotic Raikou that he has. It wouldn't surprise me, Wattson is pure win.

I has theories and now we wait to see if they come true.