WeirdTrack: While He Slept Ch. 01

Warning~: Body::Chrome::Leg.Both--Integrity_Weakening;

She ignored the slight creak and warp of her metal when she landed. Sylph charged at her, hands sparking with electricity.

"Take this mean lady!" The tiny elemental shot at her like a green rocket, chased by a tail of green magic and blue electricity.

Celty pulled another fire suppression orb from her pocket.

"Fuck no!" Salamander yelled. She thrust both hands forward. Flames flew from her palms, twisting into each other. The torrent struck the orb just as it left Celty's hands, just as Sylph's electrified touch reached towards Celty. The orb burst as the heat struck.

The foam engulfed indiscriminately. Both Celty and Sylph disappeared into the tower of foamy white.

Salamander neared, her hands holding flames. "Come out you bitch."

A moment later the foam was dispersed by green winds. "Sally, why'd you do that. I almost had her and then you had to go and be a dumdum and-"

The foam revealed Celty. A shiny surprise inside. She stood with her left palm outstretched toward Salamander, the small slit at her palms base hidden by some stuck on foam. Salamander smiled wickedly and began to say something horrid, but the words never left her mouth. A sword telescoped out of Celty's palm and skewered straight through the small elemental.

The room stilled, as if everyone held their breath waiting. Salamander looked up for a moment, a small groan of pain passed her lips. Her skin became light red, translucent, and then she was gone, leaving only a glowing red heat on Celty's sword.

Combat Analysis~:Salamander.Terminated;

Everyone stopped waiting. The Maid lept at Celty, her sword swung down with a newfound fervor.

"Nooo!" Sylph rushed towards her, embraced by an aura of electricity and wind. She became a storm in the shape of a girl. "You killed Sally, you MEANY!"

Celty moved, with a spin kick she struck Sylph. Electric arcs leaped up the chrome of her leg.

Warning~Body::Chrome::Leg.Right(disabled);

Celty's leg fell to the ground heavy, all it's machinations stopped.

Execute~Body::Chrome::Reboot(leftLeg);

Sylph flew straight into the Maid's bosom, hitting the soft pillowy chest like a stone wall. Sylph exploded into a mess of wind and electricity, engulfing the maid for a moment before her stone body absorbed the chaos.

"I'm gonna Murder you-you." Sylph tried pulling herself out of the small dent she'd made in her shape against the Maid's skin.

Celty's leg came back to life. She ran. The Maid swung, expecting Celty to dodge left or right. She missed, not expecting Celty to leap straight for her. Celty's foot collided with the Maid's chest.

Before she could grind the little green elemental into nothing, a spark of lightning and a burst of air sent her flying back. Celty's systems screamed as for a moment white noise filled the data stream.

Celty stood back up slowly. Her chrome rebooting once more. A storm had formed, electric and angry and wanting for her.

Sylph charged a woman encased in electricity. Celty dodged. Too slow. Sylph struck her with two hands that carried the weight of lightning and for a moment the world went white.

Celty felt her body go limp. She was aware of the notifications, of the damage, as she flew back and away. She could hear the screams of anguish and anger coming from somewhere far away. This elemental was a lightning strike and Celty a turtle.

Another flash and she could feel her body falling back again. Celty was just too slow for this.

Execute~: trinkets::ChemMod.dispense(.4);

The world slowed. The white faded back into reality. Celty was a participant in a slow motion cut scene. She could Sylph coming in for another strike. She could see the Maid behind her trying to get in a hit, but too far behind. Too slow.

Celty feel the flames around her. The furniture and carpet that had started to blaze. She could see sharp statue, lurid and tacky. She could go through her notifications and reroute her power to get back into the fight.

More importantly she felt wonderful. Capable. Able to handle anything. There was a warmth in her heart that she wished would never leave. The feel of the moment around her, slowed and delicious, a victim to her whims. Like a first kiss stretched so far that you could pursue it at your leisure.

Celty controlled the moment.

Her body twisted in the air. When she struck the ground, it was on her terms. She landed on her hands; another warning scream bleeped. She flipped back, her momentum continuing backwards towards the statue.

Sylph chased after her, almost catching her. The storm that surrounded her brewed with anger at every miss. The blue lightning arcing around her contrasting the black clouds.

She was fast, faster than Celty. Celty just had to keep moving. The green elemental nearly reached her. Her hands just inches away from Celty.

Her final back handspring. Her arms whirred as the pushed with every bit of force they could, and she rocketed back. Her feet struck the statue, she tore through the thin of its legs and kept flying past.

Sylph slowed, trying to move out of the way, but it was too late. She was too close, and the statue fell too fast.

Sylph shrieked for a split second. The green stain left in the wreckage of the statue faded to nothing.

Execute~: Suit::Helm.Say(taunt08.txt);

The words, "And then there was one." Scrolled across Celty's helmet.

The maid raised her head, sword held by both hands. Up until now she'd been stoic, but her face distorted into one fury. Celty, inside of her helmet, smiled.

Execute~: Suit::Helm.Say(fear03.txt);

"Gulp..." read the helmet.

She felt cold now. The whiteNoize from her ChemMod had left her. Burning out of her leaving a cold hollow feeling.

The Maid sprinted forward, her heels dug into the floor as she stopped and swung. Celty jumped, but she was too slow.

Warning~Body::Chrome::Leg.Right--Damaged:Partial Severed Foot;

Execute~Body::Chrome::Repair(footRight);

Celty buckled slightly when she landed, enough to slow her escape from the Maid's assault. A stone leg slammed into Celty's chrome one.

Warning~Body::Chrome::Leg.Left--Integrity-CRITICAL_Weakening;

Execute~Body::Chrome::Repair(legLeft);

She felt her leg bend slightly from the strike. She spun away, extending her sword and striking twice with her it. Her quick blows loaded with all the strength her chrome arms could muster still only left two chips in the Maid's skin. Celty's body could only partially repair itself in the sense of stopping leaks and reworking what she had into something usable, but under these conditions she'd be a pile of blood-soaked scrap in minutes.

The claymore swung for her face. Celty bent back, her body parallel with the floor, her legs self-stabilizing as the blade swung over her.

She saw it. Her salvation. The planar-port. She sent the order to Hayley.

Celty jumped away from the maid and towards the port. Her legs screeched every time she pushed them now. The same message kept popping up.

Warning~Body::Chrome::Leg.Right--Integrity-CRITICAL_Weakening;

"What are you doing." Samson's spoke, "Your legs are going to give out! Call it quits."

Samson had trouble seeing that, he believed in safe actions. Actions that would lead to a predictable end, even if that end was butchery at the hand of a crazed sexy maid. Risks were not programmed into him, which was good, because Celty took enough risks on her own.

She turned around and struck the maid with a slash, not a serious one but enough to keep her interested. A swing from its claymore nicked the edge of her arm, slicing a thin sliver of chrome. She leapt back and kept running for the port.

"Uhh, not trying to be difficult, but we don't have enough resources to hack the pad and keep up a stable defense. Even with the Ninja.exe I'm barely breaking even over here. I'm gonna have to let up some defense to even hack it, and it might take a bit."

Celty sent the orders. A bare bones defense squad. Everything else focused on taking the planar-port.

"We're escaping. Right?" Samson sounded unsure.

Celty felt the ground behind her shake. She heard the claymore slicing the air behind her. She dodged. It wasn't enough. The metal bit into her shoulder.

Warning~Body::Chrome::Arm.Left.Shoulder--Damaged:Laceration;

Execute~Body::Chrome::Repair(armLeft);

The Maid stood in front of her now, cutting her off from the planar-port. She'd flipped over Celty, slicing at her from above.

"You're masters. You will not leave." Her eyes were a pale white, but their expression was not blank. Fury, anger, sadness, and desperation. All this raged writhed within the stone monstrosity.

Celty ran. Not away. She ran forward, towards the fury, diving into the depths of danger and anger that was this creature, the servant of the Marquis.

"She knows you. She's been watching your fight this whole time. You won't be able to dodge." Samson's tone couldn't hide his fear, he trembled.

Hayley provided her update, "Cel, we're barely holding off the ICE-breakers, but the port's nearly ours."

The Maid tightened her form, claymore cocked for the strike. Celty retracted her sword, the blade telescoping back into her arm. She readied her chrome and her meat. Celty dodged; the maid swung.

She saw the blade swing towards her, but she could not avoid it. The maid had pumped as much strength as she could into the blow. Her whole body had committed itself to ending Celty right then and there. But Celty had expected this, so her body remained indecisive mid dodge, ready to move away from her intended course which would've at once doubled her and ended her.

Execute~: trinkets::ChemMod.dispense(.1);

Warmth, goodness, love and lust. Now she had choices, but none them included escaping unscathed. Her body would pay the toll to pass the monster, but would she pay in meat or would she pay in chrome.

She made her choice.

The Maid looked genuinely surprised when Celty wasn't sliced in half. Samson also joined in that surprise.

"We're alive. Fucking hell, we aren't dead." Elation.

Celty's foot landed on the crystal top of the planar-port. Blood dripped down her suit spreading across her chrome.

The new slice stung and burned; it'd cut into her meat. She felt dizzy, but still her chrome was more important right now.

"It's not ready." Hayley<3 cried. "Cel, we're getting demolished. I don't know how much longer we can focus our systems on taking the port."

Cel turned to face the Maid. She was already approaching. Celty took a breath. She only had so much in her Cybermind to give. Sacrifices had to be made. She took a sturdy stance.

Execute~Body::Chrome::DeadBolt(legBoth);

"Cel? Are you sure?" But even as she asked, Hayley<3 had her troops retreat from the leg faculties of the code, leaving the systems to be riddled by the hulking, gibbon like ICEbreakers of the Marquis.

Celty felt her legs fall out of her control, but it didn't matter. Even the best ICEbreakers would take hours to get her legs to move. For now, her legs were scorched earth, worthless to its invaders. She turned her attention on her main threat. Just as the Maid had watched her, she'd watched the Maid. If the Maid chose to attack directly, with a side sweep, or with a thrust then Celty would be done, but Celty knew exactly what she'd do. The Maid lept.

Celty brought her hands up in a clap, the Claymore stopping its path to split her head. The Maid landed in front of her, cracking the crystal of the planar-port beneath her.

"Almost there." Hayley's tower shook under the siege from the monsters outside. She ignored this; her focus was on the port. Only the port.

Warning~Body::Chrome::Leg.Right--Integrity-CRITICAL_FAILING;

Her right leg began to creak. Her arms whirred in growing defiance as she pushed with all her might to keep the claymore back. The Maid dug her heels in and pushed her sword down onto Celty.

DAMAGE~Body::Chrome::Leg.Right--BROKEN;

Celty's leg collapsed. Gears, wiring, pistons, lube, and hydraulics exploded from the chrome casing. Celty fell back, sustained only by a stump and a failing leg. Her chrome screamed, they stank of heat and hydraulics. The screeches stopped.

WARNING~: Body::Chrome::ALL.Mobility(false);

Celty pivoted on one leg as the claymore fell upon her. She watched as a smile formed on the Maid's face, her claymore parting Celty's arm in half.

"Got it."

There was a flash and there was silence.

Celty's first time dying sucked. Surprisingly that had not been the fall, for as much as it hurt falling from the heavens down to hell, she didn't die that time. The first time was riding the wire, her first death and her first flatline. She was fourteen at the time, stuck on bed rest on Mama Ghungta's orders. "Moving is no no." Her thick Romanian accent as comforting as a mother's scolding. Mama Ghungta said not to move, so she didn't. At least not physically. Celty had convinced her to hook up a neural feeder and to spike it into the wire. Mama Ghungta liked Celty so she let her have her have it. She probably thought that Celty would entertain herself browsing the latest celeb gossip or watching movies. And Celty did, for around an hour. But then she found a rabbit hole which led all the way to a wall of military ICE. It was too tempting. She had Samson for that run, but he was no ICE AI, he would've shit himself if he could've while they ran it. Celty was having a blast. Close calls and danger; sharp, angry voices telling her to get out. It was the time of her life. That is until she passed right through an ICE wall that was practically invisible, practically in the sense that the only tell it had was that it left you dead afterwards. Her heart stopped for two minutes before her mind came sliding back to her body. Mama Ghungta took away her wire privileges after that.

The feeling of having all the air ripped out of her lungs reminded her of death. That feeling of uncertainty, that odd dread, that thrill. Her body was still. Her chrome still down. She could not move. Which was bad. Worse still was that she could not move while trapped in outer space. Which was worse. And to add to that mess, there was a murderous Maid a claymore's length away from her. And worst still she'd forgotten to enable her space suit. Today was not turning out to be a good day. She wondered for how long she could stay exposed to space without air. What was left of her chrome would be fine, but her meat would probably complain.

The Maid turned toward Celty and swung. The tip of her claymore brushed against the leather of Celty's jacket, tearing it slightly. She struck just hard enough to send her drifting slightly backwards, away from the transport pod and away from Celty. Celty began to drift too, into the transport pod. Her back bumped into the spatial crystal.

Celty watched as the maid squirmed and swung her claymore uselessly as she drifted further off into space.

Alia chirped in, "Cel! Cel what's going on?"

Celty's lungs felt like they were trying to inhale themselves, heavy gasps wracked through them without any air to fill the space between. Her skin felt as if any moment now it was about to bubble and boil, and Celty would become a fleshy goob accessorized with metal floating in space.

Execute~Keys::Misc::MagicBullshitPortalOpener.exe;

A light swallowed her, and she was back in the Marquis's fortress. Violent tremors shook her body. She swallowed air like a glutton, her body coiling with every exhale and stretching with every inhale, like she was an accordion that made music of gasps, coughs, and phlegm. She had a few moments of silence before her scoldings began.

"What in the seven hells were you thinking Celty. You could've killed us all."

"Yeah, what the bit, bitch! I thought I was gonna get gangbanged by an army of mil-grade ICEbreakers, and not in the good way. I'm still trying to purge the system of these damn things. And they made a mess, put their feet on the couches and everything."

Celty still couldn't move, she wondered if she even wanted to try. An arm was missing, leg was busted. She could try, but what if the best she could do was hop to the Marquis, what then?

Resolved.Partial~: Body::Chrome::ALL.Mobility(true);

Note— Systems inoperable: legRight, armRight;

Note— Severe chrome damage;

Note— Meat under duress;

"We're calling this off. We're leaving." Samson urged.

Celty sat up, and carefully balancing herself upon one leg, hopped off of the planar-port.

"Cel? Cutie? Look, I know you're tough and all, but don't you think you should maybe try this later. You know, when you have more limbs at available."

"Celty, listen to us. We're actually agreeing for once, that has to mean something."

But there'd be no later. After this the Marquis would never allow himself to be this vulnerable ever again. This was the one chance Celty had to stop the spread of his inhuman vitriol.

Samson audibly sighed.

With every hop she took her leg creaked. She had the sum total stealth of mountain goat weighted with bells. There were moments when she nearly fell, but her stabilizer kept her balanced and hopping down the halls, past the pornographic artistry, and towards the Marquis.

When she pushed open one of his double oak doors carved with buxom goddesses Celty had prepared herself for just about anything. A shotgun to the face, an evil figure slowly turning on a swivel chair stroking a cat, or perhaps a man begging like a whiny wimp for mercy. What she did not expect was the Marquis sitting in a lazy boy, watching some skinFlick while some blonde chick with a cartoonishly lewd body rode him.

She bounced up and down on him, their skin slapping against each other and mixing with her overdone moans to create a sexual symphony. Celty stood there unsure of what to do. She balanced on her one leg not sure where to look.

The man pushed the the blonde off of him and she instantly dropped to her knees.

He tossed his head back with delight as she throated his dick. Drool streamed freely from her mouth as he moaned in delight. The Marquis could best be described as wild. Wild hair. Wild beard. Wild eyes. Every aspect of him seemed to be refined animalism, with a dash of false sanity.

"Yeah you cock sucking whore. You're the fucking bees knees you filthy slut. Yeah, take that like your mother abandoned you at birth-"

Celty coughed.

He looked at her confused, as if he hadn't noticed her this whole time. As if he didn't know that she'd boarded his transport, invaded his personal safe haven, and murdered his honor guard.

"One momento por fay-vor." He said cheerily. "I've got a deposit to make."

He gripped the sides of the woman's hair and began to thrust her on his cock. She choked and gagged, retching as the Marquis's cock was thrust down her throat, but her eyes stayed fixed in dazed stare, eyelids half closed.

He moved. He thrust his hips forward and grunted like a crazed chimp when he came. He pushed the woman back, cum and drool dripped from her mouth.

"Swallow." He instructed and she did. He didn't even watch. He stared at Celty instead, a crocodile smile on his face, toothy and crooked.

Celty looked the woman over. She was muscular. Lean, but busty. Quite lovely if it weren't for the half-dead stare in her eyes.

He pushed her away. Like tossing away a toy.

"Yeah, so...What can I do for you." The Marquis hadn't even bothered doing up his pants. His flaccid dick still hung out for all the world to see. He wasn't an old man, nor was he a young man. He had aged like all do, but he did so well. Money helped with that. His hair once speckled brown, now speckled grey. The wrinkles on his face were many, but all had some degree of character or pedigree. Even his body, chubby and hairy, had some regard of ordinary appeal.