Memoirs of a RAFian

[guitarhero01234]

. . . Please don't say you're going to play "Barbie Girl" on repeat.

[Cloak]

You'll find out soon enough, GH. 

[spoiler=Behind-the-scenes]And I'm rather off-script from my original outline on this book, but it's clearly made for a more engaging story. Originally, Malice would have played a more minimal part of the book, and Queen and the Banned would have been involved somehow.[/spoiler]

[guitarhero01234]

I'm sorry, I can't seem focus on what you said when you spell my name like that.

[Cloak]

Oh. Ugh. Damn over-reliance on auto-capitalization. Or maybe I need to go to bed. Anyway, I fixed it.

Yeah, another cliffhanger, sorry.

New chapter.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
The Dark Technique

"Cloak, you're not going to --" Bladeh said, shocked.

Cloak shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and she gasped. She thought she saw where this was going. She believed that Cloak was going to . . .

"Cloak, are you going to do what I think you are?" FuBar asked.

Cloak said nothing. He was trying to muster up the strength to do what he felt needed to be done. Then, with a sharp intake of air, his stance changed, and his mivements became more fluid.

"Cloak, you can't kill them!!" Bladeh screeched a feline yowl.

Cloak said nothing.

"Cloak, killing them won't solve anything!!"

Cloak said nothing as he continued to focus, as the others noticed that the bodies of the others were stiffening, rendering them immobile.

"Cloak! You can't kill them!"

"I'm not," Cloak said, without any emotion or tone to his voice. He never lost his focus, his concentration.

"Then . . . w-what . . . w-what a-are you doing to them?" Blue said, unnerved.

Cloak said nothing, feeling shame.

"Cloak?" FuBar prompted.

"I'm mechbending Sakki and Oceanspray," Cloak said, quietly.

"But the other RAFians can't be mechbent," Blue said, astutely.

Cloak said nothing for a moment, hating himself for admitting it. "No, but they can be bloodbent."

Silence.

"Bloodbent?" Blue echoed the term.

"It's a dark technique know to waterbending," Cloak said, feeling as if he wanted to cry, "usually requiring a full moon, it allows the hydrokinetic ability to manipulate the fluid in one's body, water-based fluids."

"I . . . I didn't know that you could do this," FuBar said.

"I didn't want to," Cloak said. "But I didn't know any other way to save them without outright hurting them. I'm . . . not proud of it."

Cloak noticed something, though. They were being unusually calm and inert. They were still alive, he knew that, but it was like their bodies were given no instructions to move, blink, or speak.

"They've been cut off from Malice," Bladeh said, just as Cloak was realizing.

"Yes," Blue agreed. "But why?"

[redtailedsaffa]

Oh god. I thought he'd actually do it.

OR WILL HE.

[Cloak]

Oh, you find out. But, first, some new book ideas.

• Book DCCCXXXIII: "Squatting Threats, Hidden Symbiotes" -- A renegade Yeerk looks to restart up the Council of Thirteen with itself at its head, tries to forcibly recruit another hosted Yeerk, who has a voluntary host.
• Book DCCCXXXIV: "Dpsb Depowered?!" -- When it seems that Dpsb has been depowered, he reveals his backstory.
• Book DCCCXXXV: "Gauntlets of Infinity, Weapons of Eternity" -- The Infinity Gems and Eternity Blades turn up again in some radically new forms.
• Book DCCCXXXVI: "I Reject Your Reality and Substitute My own" -- The RAFians must destroy the yellow Reality Gauntlet.
• Book DCCCXXXVII: "Soul Power!" -- The RAFians must destroy the green Soul Gauntlet.
• Book DCCCXXXVIII: "Time of His Life" -- The RAFians must destroy the orange Time Gauntlet.
• Book DCCCXXXIX: "A Space Case" -- The RAFians must destroy the purple Space Gauntlet.
• Book DCCCXL: "A Mind's Eye" -- The RAFians must destroy the blue Mind Gauntlet.
• Book DCCCXLI: "Power Switch" -- The RAFians must destroy the red Power Gauntlet.

All titles subject to change. Don't think that I rehashed anything.

New chapter. Sorry about the brevity.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Quarantined

"It seems to be holding," Aquilai said, fingers flying over the keyboards. "The quarantine barrier is running at peak efficiency."

"No deterioration to be seen," Goom said, scrutinizing the monitors very closely. "How is that Purger coming along, Yarin?"

"As well as can be expected, Goom," Yarin said. "Just keep the forum and city on lockdown until we can purge this viral assimilation pandemic."

"The city and surrounding areas," the Goomba confirmed. "Only the uninfected can pass through."

"How can you be sure about that?" Aquilai asked, working just as diligently as his compatriots. "How can we be absolutely sure that this Malevolence is destroyed?"

"You talking about the gestalt mind or the actual nanites?" the Nyac asked, all four arms whipping about at an almost frenetic, frenzied pace. "In any case, the neural collective, this gestalt mindset, must be broken up first, as simply purging their bodies of the nanites."

"More as what happens if we overlook one drone." the Time Lord said, expressing a deep concern.

"Cloak," Goom said.

"What about him?" Yarin said.

"He would be able to sense the implants," Goom said. "They're obviously metallic in nature."

"And if he can't?"

"Oh, you're just mad that he won't let you work on your microwave," Goom said, dismissively.

"FOOD YIELD INCR-- oh, what's the point?" Yarin said, moodily. He had to gut his precious invention to get the materials for the Purger. The idea was to shrink the nanites out of existance, but the effectiveness of such a ploy was up in the air, as it had yet to be tested.

Then Goom took a call from Blue, and was informed that Cloak was holding back the infected RAFians with mechbending and bloodbending. Yarin would be going there first with the Purger, though he would be one of the more dangerous RAFians to be assimilated, due to his inherent telepathy.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
Probe

"Sure took your sweet time getting here, Nyac," Cloak said, rather crosser than he felt.

"Sorry," Yarin apologized swiftly in response, "had to be sure the Purger was functional."

"Well, best get down to business," Blue said. "Cloak can't keep this up forever."

"First, I must detangle their minds," Yarin warned. "Or the result may be that are rendered vegetables for the rest of their natural lives."

"Whatever you're going to do, Nyac," Cloak growled, "JUST DO IT!!"

Yeah . . . Cloak didn't like bloodbending and mechbending. He didn't like how dirty it made him feel. He considered them techniques of cowards, madmen, and sadists.

"Alright, alright. Give me a second." Yarin said calmly, before telepathically diving into GH's noggin.

***

Yarin saw GH's mindscape to be rather chaotic, but in an aesthetically-pleasing way somehow. Yarin wasn't too surprised when music started up, and GH sang:

"Sometimes I really wanna be alone . . .
But that's one state I'm never in . . .
Because I know that I've got millions upon millions
Of tiny, one-celled nanites living beneath my skin!
(Nanites!) I rub and scrub until my flesh is raw and bleeding!
(Nanites!) But they just come right back again.
(Nanites!) I can't even see 'em, but I know they're up to something!
Hey, don't touch that - you don't know where it's been!
They've infested me!
They're inside of me!
Can't get 'em outta me!
I'm infested with . . . (Microscopic nanites!)
What do they want from me?
What'll they do to me?
There's no escape for me.
I'm crawling with . . . (Microscopic nanites!)
Now if I ever dare to go to sleep,
That's when they start their sneak attack!
In the morning, I wake up in utter horror,
To find my mind was sent away to pack!
(Nanites!) Can't get those parasitic creatures outta my face!
(Nanites!) And there's more comin' every day.
(Nanites!) I never said that they could camp out in my body!
I wish they'd pack their tiny little bags and move away!
They've infested me!
They're inside of me!
Can't get 'em outta me!
I'm infested with . . . (Microscopic nanites!)
What do they want from me?
What'll they do to me?
There's no escape for me!
I'm crawling with . . . (Microscopic nanites!)
(Nanites!)
(Nanites!)
(Nanites!)
(Nanites!)
(Nanites!) They're creepin' around my shorts.
They're under the bathroom sink.
(Nanites!) They're ridin' inside that car.
They're swimmin' in every drink.
(Nanites!) They're hidin' inside my toes.
They're lurkin' in every kiss.
(Nanites!) I've got 'em way up my nose.
In every orifice.
(Nanites!) I'm gonna show them who's boss!
I'm gonna get even yet!
(Nanites!) Just gimme some EMP spray!
Just hand me a magnetic towelette!
(Nanites!) Don't tell me I'm paranoid!
I know that they're after me!
(Nanites!) Look under the microscope!
See??
They've infested me!
They're inside of me!
Can't get 'em outta me!
I'm infested with . . . (Microscopic nanites!)
What do they want from me?
What'll they do to me?
There's no escape for me.
I'm crawling with . . . (Microscopic nanites!)
(Nanites!) They're all over me.
(Nanites!) I can feel 'em all over me
(Nanites!) In every part of me
(Nanites!) (Microscopic nanites!)
(Nanites!) I know they're watching me!
(Nanites!) They're always watching me.
(Nanites!) They're comin' after me.
(Nanites!) (Microscopic nanites!)
Won't somebody help me?? (Nanites!) (Microscopic nanites!)
Please somebody help me! (Nanites!) (Microscopic nanites!)
You've got to believe me! (Nanites!) (Microscopic nanites!)
They're out to get me. (Nanites!) (Microscopic nanites!)
They wanna control me! (Nanites!) (Microscopic nanites!)
They wanna destroy me! (Nanites!) (Microscopic nanites!)
They're tryin' to kill me! (Nanites!) (Microscopic nanites!)
It kind of upsets me . . . (Nanites!) (Microscopic nanites!)"

"Interesting," Yarin said, "but, altogether unsurprising that GH has a musical mind."

Yarin went about his work trying to stablize the RAFian's mind. Well, stabilize it to normalcy. ()

***

It was an arduous process, but Yarin penetrated each mind, to etablize each for the separation -- though discovering that they were not connected to the Malevolence. So, it was easier than it would have been, as their minds weren't tangled up in each other. He basically was severing any control Malice could exert over their bodies.

Then he pulled out the Purger, which looked vaguely Triceraton or Kraang in design, and blasted each RAFian causing thr implants to crumble away, not shrink. But the overall effect was the desired one.

But each RAFian would need time to recover, as Cloak released his hold on them quickly. He hated doing that, and hoped to never do it again.

"Cloak," Yarin asked, very seriously. "Are all traces --"

"All traces of the nanites and implants are gone," Cloak answered, with a rough-sounding voice. "But we're not done. There's still the city left."

[guitarhero01234]

XD You just had to adapt Weird Al's NIN style parody to play in my head, didn't you? Well done.

[Cloak]

Nah. I just thought it had a similar subject matter.

[guitarhero01234]

Oh Still, a Nine Inch Nails type of song playing in my head is incredibly appropriate.

. . . Damn it, now you've got "Germs" stuck in my head.

[Cloak]

Better than nanites, right?

[guitarhero01234]

I'm less disappointed that you made that pun than the fact that I didn't see it coming.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
Freeing the Impenetrable City

Cloak, Dpsb, and Yarin passed beneath the quarantine shield without a hitch. Dpsb was wielding the Purger, as Yarin would work to detangle the minds, effectively nullifying the existence of the gestalt Malevolence collective. Cloak would obviously immobilize them using bloodbending and mechbending. He wasn't too happy with it, but he understood the necessity of such an action.

"Yeah! Let's do this," Dpsb said, youthful enthusiasm surfacing.

"Don't get complacent," Cloak said, sternly and gravely serious. "That's what got the others in their predicament."

Dpsb looked a little perturbed at Cloak's intensity, which Cloak, himself, chose to ignore.

"Don't take it too personally," Yarin said, addressing the RAFian youth. "Cloak's just in one of his moods."

Cloak did not react to this. He was far to focused on which must be done, and just how much he wasn't looking forward to it. So much power inherent within him, so much power at his fingertips. Too much. Despite what those without the kind of power Cloak could wield might think, such power was not a luxury to be enjoyed, but a burden in which to be managed, to be careful to not allow it to corrupt you.

Cloak still remembered what happened when he was touched by Corruption. It still scared him, the amount of damage he could have done. And here he was again, forced to use one of the darkest abilities he possessed. He was just thankful that there would never ever be a scenario where he would have to utilize breathbending.

If Yarin and Dpsb were chatting to each other, Cloak had stopped paying attention, trying to focus on the task at hand. He knew he would find the entire experience unpleasant and hate himself for even using the ability.

"We are the Malevolence," came the chorus of voices. The mental entanglement known as the Malevolence was still aftive here, even cut off from Malice, because she allowed them more autonomy than she allowed the RAFian drones.

Immediately, Cloak bloodbent them all. Every afflicted man, woman, and child. He was right, he hated himself for doing it. Cloak kept them all still and stationary, trying to keep them from harm as much as he could.

"This is just as tricky as I thought that it would be," Yarin said, more to himself than anyone else.

"Is it still doable?" Dpsb asked.

"Oh, it's certainly doable," Yarin said, "just difficult."

It took the three the better part of the day and the evening to dwindle the numbers into nothing. To free the entire city, though whether or not any of them remembered was still up in the air.

The quarantine was lifted, and the three returned to the forum.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Malice's Ambivalence

"No . . ."

Malice felt that her control slipping. She had managed to gain full control over the city. Full control!! She had enough bodies in which to take another, neighboring city or town! She was going to play "connect-the-dots" with the cities of this planet, before it fell to her. Then she'd expand outward, taking all species. Making them all hers.

But it was slipping.

Ninety percent of the city was still hers.

"No, no, no," she muttered.

Eighty-one percent was now hers.

"How is this happening?" she wondered, confused.

Seventy-two percent.

"I can't reach them," Malice said. "I can't speak through them."

Sixty-three percent.

"I can't see through their eyes anymore."

Fifty-four percent.

"I can't hear through their ears anymore."

Forty-five percent.

"I can't smell with their noses anymore."

Thirty-six percent.

"I can't taste what they taste anymore."

Twenty-seven percent.

"I can't feel what they touch anymore."

Eighteen percent.

"I'm losing them."

Nine percent.

"It's such a pity that I couldn't care less," Malice said, casually.

Three percent.

"It was a good scheme," Malice said, thoughtfully, as the Malevolence reached zero percent of the population with no deaths, surprisingly enough. She fell into silence as she thought this scheme over.

"Perhaps, just perhaps," she said, thinking aloud to no one, "that I have been just too hands-on with my schemes and plans. Perhaps I should work more discreetly, more indirectly, more behind-the-scenes."

She lapsed into silence, as she continued to ponder this, completely dismissing the dead and defunct Malevolence and its eradicated nanites. One coukd ask why she just didn't try again with this scheme, just altering a few key points. But the fact of the matter was she didn't use the same scheme twice, in precisely the same methodology, because she would find it boring.

[redtailedsaffa]

Whoops, modify-post syndrome caught me.