SG: Aurora #44 - Simple Wishes (Part One of Five)

[Frobozz]

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The Ninety Second Recap
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     Aurora -- a Canadian organization dedicated to protecting the public
against supernormal threats as well as interfacing with existing
superguys and providing essential services to them -- has just recently
investigated the Changeling Society, which is a fellowship of survivors
of the Days of Hell(tm) on Earth. Though initially suspected of having a
sinister agenda, the Society's spiritual leader was found to simply want
to make a grand statement to the world at the end of a march on Aurora's
headquarters: a surface-to-orbit Beanstalk which is located in southern
Ontario.
     Tensions ran high on both sides, as confrontations normally do, but
the march seemed to be a peaceful one until an unknown third party
assassinated the Reverend from afar. This was a spark struck in an
oxygen-rich environment, which caused both Aurora's troops and the
Changelings participating in the march to take up arms against one
another.
     Meanwhile, inside the Beanstalk, Arthur Doyle -- Computer
Personality and current head of Aurora -- was locked down from his own
computer systems. He was then captured and tortured by an unnamed
assailant and his own lady-love, Colleen.
     Outside the Beanstalk, Al Peterson has assumed control of Aurora's
power-armoured troopers, splitting them up into two squadrons, both of
which will attempt the Beanstalk's highest levels separately in the
hopes that their change of tactics will confuse these far-too-prepared
invaders. The troopers use a transponder system to allow themselves
through the otherwise-impenetrable shield which blankets the Beanstalk,
but destroy said transponder once inside so that no one can use the
system to get back out again. Cut off from the outside world, the
troopers make their initial foray, which is to raid the day care level
of the Beanstalk and remove the children still there back to the first
level, where a few of the troopers stay behind, guarding the children in
a reasonably secure location. Meanwhile, the two squads have split up
and begun their individual climbs. Peterson's squad has been making good
time up the 'stalk, but not as good as he'd like. During a sleep-break
from the climb, he lost three companions to unknown forces and had to
resume the climb without them.
     Arthur Doyle remains in his captors' custody, subjected to torture
in the hopes that he will turn his coat and join with the enemy. His
silent partner, Xenophon (and also a Computer Person), has managed to
slip Doyle's bonds on several occasions and render help. Peterson and
company engaged in their first fire-fight with the enemy, who had
managed to ambush them via the elevators. Outside, Rae has been able to
communicate within the supposedly impenetrable shield, informing those
within of their enemy's identity.
    Meanwhile, inside the Beanstalk the as yet unidentified enemy is
tentatively identified as hailing from the Superguy altiverse
001SUPERGUY, with which Aurora had brief dealings some time ago. Worse,
it is revealed that the first head of Aurora - one Nicholas Treis - was
left in the care of 001's Aurora counterpart, Strike Force Borealis, to
recover from an assassination attempt. Peterson calls a halt to their
ascension in order to give his troops a fast party, in the hopes that it
will keep their spirits raised for the trek ahead. Sentries report that
Borealis is moving towards their position. Aurorean troops set up a
defensive line and successfully hold off the opposing forces, but due to
a quisling in their ranks, Peterson takes a disabling wound. Following
protocol, DeVrai is put in charge of the troops and continues upwards,
while Peterson and Chambers (who has herself sustained significant
armour damage) stay behind.
    Nicholas Treis wakes up in his prison in 001 and realises that he's
been a bird kept in a gilded cage for too long. Despite being an old
man, he overcomes his physical limitations and makes an escape attempt.
    Meanwhile, in 000, Peterson and Chambers hear someone headed for
their position. They draw weapons and prepare to make a final stand...
only to discover that they've been found by Clark, leading the other
half of Aurora's troops. They exchange supplies, but Clark is forced to
move on while Peterson and Chambers remain behind, as Peterson's wounds
and lack of fully functional powered armour would just slow down the
squadron.
    Meanwhile, Langely -- a trooper who had been captured during a brief
sortie some time earlier -- is subject to mind-breaking torture, until
finally the promise that one of her command has been killed for her
intractability, which causes her to break and agree to her captors'
terms. The troops under DeVrai's command climb upwards, pausing to rest,
whereupon they discover the long-lost and somewhat changed Doug deep in
meditation, patiently waiting for his chance to hook up with the rest of
Aurora to do some damage.
    In the virtual world, Xenophon realises that something big is about
to happen in the computer networks and begins to unpack the computer
intelligence that he both created and slew, BARD, knowing that he is
going to need some help in the storm to come. And Doyle's will is
finally broken by his captors, giving them access to the Beanstalk's
computer systems.
    DeVrai and company found themselves an enemy checkpoint that did not
expect a frontal assault. Having learned to always do the unexpected and
using their knowledge of the level as an advantage, DeVrai's squadron
launched an attack and took the enemy base without sustaining
significant losses. But just as the squad had finished gathering intel
resources, they discovered that another enemy squad was inbound and they
had to bug out. Doug took a small band of irregulars to spring a trap
and then scatter, to cover the rest of the troopers' withdrawal. But
just as Doug's irregulars made their retreat, a missile explosion nearby
managed to ruin their day.
    Peterson and Chambers continued to talk in the medical bay, and some
personal stories came out, though Peterson seemed reluctant to talk
about himself.
    Treis continued his escape from the enemy Beanstalk in 001SUPERGUY,
only to discover that the Colleen of 000SUPERGUY was being held prisoner
there, and had been for many years. He managed to revive her and reverse
the effects of muscle atrophy, and the two began to make their escape.
They reached the room containing a dimensional portal which would bridge
the way between the two altiverses, but upon activating the portal the
two were set upon by Gladiator, a demonic creature who had been loaned
to the Borealleans by Hell(tm) itself.
    The opening of the portal caused Xenophon and BARD quite a bit of
trouble as they dodged hunter-seekers in their computer system. Try as
they might, they couldn't manage to keep the path between the worlds
from opening... which would allow the forces of 001 to pour through and
reinforce the already plentiful troops in 000...
    O'Rourke and Vedding explored the level where they'd been trapped
when the Beanstalk's shields had gone up, in search of food. But Vedding
recalled something that might be worth even more in this time of crisis
and made a beeline for it, leaving the priest to rush after.

  Which is where we last left our intrepid adventurers...

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                Chris Angelini/Frobozz Magic Productions

                              -and-

                        Mademoiselle Muse Inc

                        -in association with-

            'We Didn't Mean To Colour The Sky Pink, Honest!'
                Industrial Special Effects and Magic

                               -and-

        The Overworked and Underpaid Lisa MacDougall (producer)

                             -present-

                             AURORA #44

                          "Simple Wishes"

                         'Keys to Ascension'

                              Part Nine

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    Langley didn't know where she was, but she knew that she didn't want
to be here.
    Langley had been force-marched to a doorway by two of her... her...
enemies? No, came the answer from deep within the cotton that seemed to
surround her thoughts, , not enemies. There were allies... she had...
allies in them. Yes, allies, she realised and that epiphany caused her
to relax, though only a little. These two men were on her side, because
she had joined their side to save those under her command. Yes. Yes, had
been a good thing to do and they had told her so. Wait, that wasn't
right, was it? If they told her so, then shouldn't she doubt? But...
    No, whispered that core that had formed unseen in the depths of
Langley's mind -- which tried to soothe her unease in the same voice as
her Questioner --  she had done the right thing, yes the right thing!
and come over to the Borealleans.
    It was almost a shame that Langley's will had been so strong.
Mind-control experts of every stripe had known since the beginning of
time that the more fiercely one resisted, the longer the lever one
offered by which to have one's will broken. Had she been trained to
resist subversion and torture, Langley might have better known how to
deal with the irreconcilable difference between her loyalties and her
concern for those under her command and dealt with her captors
differently; but sadly, even Aurora had not foreseen the necessity of
teaching its non-espionage operatives the art of resisting mind control.
Now, she wore the other side's uniform, ate their food, laughed with
their troops and had been rewarded every time she had shown that she
owed her daily existence to those who had invaded her home.
    Langley wondered why her friends were bringing her here. They hadn't
told her the reason for this trip, and it hurt a little to be out of the
loop with her new family. That's what her friends had taught her. Her...
what was the term they used? Her uplinks? Yes, they had taught her that
they all had responsibility for one another and that with power came
responsibility for those directly under you. She was directly under
these two, so why weren't they telling her what was going on? Was it
something that they were protecting her from? Oh, these people were her
friends now, but they could be so confusing too...
    "Here's the place," muttered one of her hardsuited companions to the
other. "They say he's holding steady here and waiting for orders."
    "Good," replied the other, looking just a bit nervous. "You take her
in."
    "The Hell(tm) you say," said the first, taking an involuntary step
back from the door. "I'm not going anywhere near that thing. You take
her in."
    "He won't hurt you. He's tame as a pussy to us, right?"
    "Oh yeah. Right. And if your Pearl told you to stick your hand in the
garbage disposal because he was -pretty- sure it wouldn't go on, would
you do it?"
    Langely looked between the two, confused. What was going on here? The
two seemed to be talking around her, and they were talking about
something dangerous? Why was she here if this was dangerous? Shouldn't
she at least be briefed so that she could prepare herself for battle,
like a warrior should?
    "Why..." she began, but one of her friends held up a hand.
    "No, no questions," replied the first, and Langley would swear that
she heard a tiny note of regret in his voice. "Please. Damn it, this is
already hard enough."
    "I know," replied the second, with a similar tone to his voice. "But
remember, it's for the greater good."
    "It just... goes against everything I believe in," said the first
Borealleans, shaking his head to clear it. "But... yeah." He paused,
then let out a resigned sigh. "It's the only way. Open the door."
    "Right," said the second, moving to the door switch and standing well
away from the doors themselves. He wasn't sure what his friend had in
mind, but whatever it was he hoped he could avoid the worst of any
fallout that resulted by being well -away- from where that thing could
see him. He toggled the entry button, causing the doors to open.
    And with a slap of his powered armour-assisted hand, the first
Boreallean sent Langely tumbling into the room. She let out a surprised
cry at this rough treatment, falling to her face as the doors swished
shut again behind her.
    Trembling with fear at this strange handling by friends, Langley
lifted herself up to scan the room. She vaguely remembered it from an
orientation tour, though it had been so long since she had been in this
part of the Beanstalk. This was... on the Science level, wasn't it? She
wasn't sure exactly where, but she recognized the general Science
Things(tm) that those unfathomable researchers tended to keep near to
them while cobbling together Aurora's latest technological wonder.
    Suddenly, Langley noticed a large figure who had escaped her notice
by remaining still and crouched in the corner of the room. It was large
and menacing, and the way the figure held itself caused something in
Langley's back-brain to gibber in terror, some ancient escape reflex
demanding that she find a tree to climb to get away as fast as possible.
    Then the figure rose smoothly to its feet, scenting the air as if to
get a taste of who else was in the room. His eyes were as hard as those
flints that Langley's ancestors had used to stave off the cats who had
once seen them as a bipedal buffet, and when they fixed on her she felt
a sharp shiver run through her body. There was no friend to be found
behind those sharp, angry, alien eyes. She could see only death in
them... death of body and death of something else... something so dear
to her that the otherwise strong woman nearly urinated herself in fear
as she realised that it was about to be taken away from her...
    The two Borealleans shared a wince at the scream that came from
beyond the door. It was a horrible cry that began with a sudden piccolo
of fear and denial before shifting to a piano-forte of pleading and
begging, dropping further as it was muffled into horrified sobs that
seemed to linger long past the point where they were anything but a
reflex until they finally died away into ghastly and total silence.
    Later the two would agree that the worst of it was the meaty thud
which broke that silence. But first the pair ran, radioing back their
success as they beat a hasty retreat from the creature known as
Gladiator, their own ancestral brains knowing that all the spears and
flints in the world would be useless against the creature of Hell(tm)
who skulked behind that door, and that only a swift return to the herd
would provide any measure of safety at all.
    Within the room, Gladiator strode towards the door, pausing before it
for a moment of almost puzzled contemplation before smashing it open. He
stalked from the room, leaving behind the unfortunate turncoat whose
defection from all she had believed in had rendered her vulnerable to a
thing of Hell(tm). Langley's only true crime had been caring too much
about her commands, but Hell(tm) would take any leverage it could get,
and was brutal when it did so. He spared no thought for her; she had
served her purpose and could be forgotten like all the others who had
empowered Gladiator over the centuries. Now was the time to focus on the
hunt.
    And to paint more of the walls of this strange structure in the blood
of the traitor's countrymen.

***

[[CONTINUED IN PART TWO, WHERE AVAILABLE!]]

---
-Chris
frobozz at eyrie.org
http://www.eyrie.org/~frobozz

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