Oni2 talk:Silver Dawn

Preliminary fragments.

Summary

META, a cooperation of the most important political, financial and economic forces, was necessary to save those parts of the old world which weren't destroyed during the cataclysm. The Daodan as a live-prolonging, independent-making technology stood in Tratons way of ensuring total control. Meanwhile the losers of that coup got together plotting against that new planetary power. Konoko and Ryu eventually teamed up after Griffin confirmed Traton's source of influence draws on puppet master tech. Traton planned to enhance every human thereby gaining possibility to influence all those. (reading and altering memories, brain-washing)

Traton: "Pandora and the production of those SLDs were just a distraction. While they [Mai und Co.] are busy counteracting those things we worked on the smallest scale... While they are good in fighting us man vs. man, they can't fight nanorobots with bullets nor fists."

Everyone, who was a "META", was going to be excluded from a search-and-destroy Bioc pattern meant to kill all Daodan hosts.

Avatara took action to prevent that mass-murder on all Daodan hosts and recycled Traton's infrastructure to establish mind seals. The AI agreed on Kimura's wish to give Japan back some independence, Kimura was blind to see that this status was by then just virtual. And as cost the country became a home for Daodan hosts. Those were also affected by Avatar's peacekeeping measures. After Shinatama broke that system, some Daodan ascend to even more powerful beings and are called monsters, oni, kami and by other names from folklore. Humans under the restriction of mind seals couldn't understand hightechs anymore and thus perceive it as magic.

Rebooting the Phönix

[Change Konoko's name to something else. She is not the person she used to be.]

People were talking about Konoko being a devastating force, simply getting every mission done they gave her.

"She's a total strike team by her own. Nothing can stop her. Wanna see?"

They poured a drink over her head.

"Hold still."

They set her ablaze. Blunted as Konoko was she endured the pain in dull roars.

Muro had heard enough sitting backwards to them at the bar counter. He turned around and walked to Konoko.

"Who are you trying to impress here?"

He slabbed her in the face sending her burning body flying into the wall.

"You are not a brawler. I am."

Muro grabbed a bystander and battered with him the rest of the pack.

Konoko wiped the bricks that have fallen on her and raced after Muro. He dodged the tackle making her kiss the ground again.

"God, what happened? Are you really working for these parasites now? Where is your finesse you used to beat me at the mountain compound?"

Konoko sent him a heavy punch to the cheek. Muro took it on purpose. He turned his grim face slowly around his green eyes glaring at Konoko.

"Is this the strength the Syndicate couldn't take? Don't make me laugh."

Their fight wasted the other combatants in the bar. They were all collateral damage in a fight between the two alpha-strain symbionts.

“Good. Konoko. Good. But not good enough. Even Saomi could have beat you in the state you are now. She was really going to take you out because you and your friends buried me under that exploded mountain. She had to assume that I was dead. Well, I sort of lost my mind there but then Saomi brought it back. It wasn’t the finest method but I think it will work on you the same way as the degenerated nuthead you are now.”

They continued the fight. While Muro dodged in inhuman speed most attacks Konoko received one lethal punch and kick after another.

When Konoko needed a moment to recover Muro tried to talk sense into her.

"In a way its also your fault she's dead now. But then again, we were simply enemies. Set up by other people to fight each other."

"TCTF and Syndicate - we lived at different families yet we both were tools to foreign means. Trained, educated, brainwashed. Just to be weapons of mass-destruction. In the end you were the one pushing the button. But if you hadn't done it, I had. So much for not teaming up with me, heh."

"You should have wrote me much earlier. Rocking my place wasn't exactly the Christmas invitation I expected."

"Okay, well, screw it. I was a bad boy, still I am. I really enjoyed the things I did. Today I know I was wrong. But I don't feel sorry."

"I know I'm a monster. Luckily I know who turned me into one. And after we have reunited I will pay him a visit."

"Saomi's death made me realize how much wrong I was. You know, slowly crushing bones make very memorable sounds. It's haunting."

Konoko nose bone was cracking under Muro's punch another time. She staggered a few stepped backwards. The blood was all over her face, dripping down at her chin like rain.

"I cannot thank you enough that you burned that goddamn place to the ground. I wished I had done it myself."

Muro and Konoko had reached the semi Imago stages. The flames of their aura was all blazing and swirling lightening up the destroyed room.

"I already told you: You are capable of so much more."

Konoko was barely able to stand up, but she did. She was a fighter. No matter how many open wounds she had. Out of breath yet she took up the fists one more time.

“To hell with that Phönix myth. Remember who you truly are, Mai.”

Muro built up body tension. His aura was burning wild in demonic red flames. Electric discharges were shooting through the air.

He release all his power in this curved kick to the head. It left a colored trailed of glowing particle.

Konoko's head was deformed on impact, clearly broken. She rotated multiples times on her lateral before smashing into the wall.

She was lying there with no more breathing.

Muro kneeled down to her and removed the bricks.

"Come on, Mai. Don't leave me here alone."

Nothing happened.

"No no no, come one, regenerate."

He hit her at the heart. No change.

Muro took the ATP recharger device from his jacket and attached it on her arm.

He took another capsule form his pockets and put it into her hands. He pressed her and his so much that the capsule broke.

It had been an energy cell. The electric shocks from the discharge flowed through their both bodies.

"Mai, you better try now."

The discharge was over.

Muro was disappointed and angry.

"You fell from 100 meters out of an aircraft. You jumped into acid. You single-handed beat all the Strikers and even that assassin freak Mukade. You should have been dead so many times."

"Don't give up just like that!"

While holding her hand with the left he was punched her heart another time.

"Fight!"

A last discharge went through them.

Her skin turned purple, little pores opened up as her whole body was stung by a swarm of thousand oversized needles.

Muro stood up again. He knew that the transformation had begun.

Chenille threads began to grow out of her skin, warping her up forming crystal patches indicating that the static metamorphosis was working at maximum. Her Chrysalis was in a critical state, completely restoring the body and hopefully her mind in the process. But it would take a while. He knew this all too well.

One of Muro’s men was entering.

“Nice decoration.”

“What is it?”, Muro demanded.

META is on their way.

Muro turned back to Konoko.

“We cannot move her. We have to sit this one out.“

“You mean we have to fight...”

“I’ve to make a call.”

Why did Muro free Mai from Black Phönix’ grab? Was this part of his start over, the pathetic try to form a new family, or to just do the right thing for one time. He didn’t knew. All he had was hope that it would be better then doing nothing.

“Ryu, I never really asked you for anything. But right now I could really need your assistance.”

“Help. You need my help. Why don’t you say it, you arrogant bastard.”

“Yes...”

“What crap are you dragging me into again?”

Combat training

[Rewrite this section. Separate Black and Green Phönix.]

Mai received information from Kimura that Syndicate groups defying Traton hold a meeting in a certain building with no windows. There are dozen of levels Mai needs to pass in order to get to the former Syndicate hackers on the top level. The building serves two purposes: firstly it's meant to train Mai back to old strength and beyond as she was heavily wounded after the incidences of Green Village and secondly it's a test to prove the syndicate hackers that Mai is still the best fighter out there when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. Each level is filled with different people possessing martial art skills (karate, jujutsu, etc.)

Incognito, Kimura to Mai: "Killing is not an option. Most of these combatants here don't have a Daodan and may be scum but even those have families. This is a diplomatic mission so to speak. We need [Green] Phönix. Remember that."

When Mai reached the top level Griffin stepped in and told her that there are no hackers and that he sided with some Syndicate guys "to do necessary work". They where all tricked into this place by Kimura. Mai: "I totally can imagine how that shady bastard is grinning at us right now."

The fight attracted Pandora to the scene, META's Daodan hunter. Mai proved powerful enough to fight back this prototype which demonstrated her value to Phönix. Together they escaped and Ryu agreed on cooperation. In the following they tried to find out what Traton was up to, how to defend, and how to eventually stop him.

Details about Shinatama

Kimura tried to negotiate with BGI so they would act in Phönix favor. However, that was not enough.

Shinatama turned to the old Syndicate elite hackers (Comguys) in order to help Mai.

She told them of Avatara and the ongoing developments: Traton's meta program and Avatara's counter measures, the mind seal.

The Comguys disliked Avatara's idea of "human inclusion in a world full of AIs", fearing that all human will become mere puppets. They lure Shinatama into a trap and use their newly gained resources to reprogram her, making her believe that Avatara actually wants to enslave SLDs. They think that Shinatama will more likely fight Avatara if the victims are of her own kind.

Avatara is unable to persuade Shinatama of his plans. The comguys make sure he is only talking to proxies of Shinatama, altering the information she receives.

Eventually Avatara realized that he was not talking to the real Shinatama and destroyed the proxies. At that time he had to make a lethal choice: he prepared computer resources for the awaking of a new AI, Gaia. Shinatama tries to replace that AI. One of Avatara bodies has no other choice than to destroy Shinatama last physical brain and stop her upload that way.

The anti-SLD taser dealt a devastating amount of damage. Avatara kneeled down at Shinatama's smoking body. "Don't be afraid, Shin. I'm establishing a connection. I will try to download your memories.

Shin: "I had to try. I had to stop you."

A: "We will have more time soon to talk."

Shin: "No ..."

Shinatama's energy cells were overloading. With one hand she grabbed his head and released all the energy.

They were both down. Avatara eyes were flickering. He too was unable to move. Just little trembles run through him from time to time.

In VR he tried to reach Shinatama. "It doesn't have to end like this." It was as if there were floating through the darkness, yet Shinatama was slowly falling into the darker shades. He tried to reach out to her. "Give me one more chance to explain."

Shinatama focused all her remaining energy and snatched his finger. "When will you finally help us?"

More shocks went through Avatara. The last thing he perceived was their hands turning to glowing dust, fading into the darkness.

Comguy 1: "Stop tasering him. He is still downloading her memories - unfiltered."

Comguy 2: "You want to inject that package?"

--

Comguy 1: "By losing Shinatama we gained one of his avatars."

Comguy 2: "Yea. Our status barely changed. We still need an agreement of all three entities to alter the core functions."

Comguy 1: "Work on those groups. The others will split up giving you the time."