Mad Machine - Intro for Carina (and Sam)
Mad Machine is a game that has been a long time in the making. Many moons ago (that's no moon, that's a space station!), baronsamedi decided he wanted to put both his major Scion games together to create the ultimate scenario. We've been working up to this for so long, being in trouble, making the Daitokuji angry, and just being a nuisance. We'll they are finally fed up with us and decide to attack. Each of the characters, all 13 of us, who cover every pantheon, pretty much, except the new ones, are attacked by Daitokuji's robots. This is the story of what Carina goes through.
Carina was at the zoo, her first day back since returning from Cairo. She'd only been in the States a few days. The morning had gone nicely. All the animals were quite happy to see her. The male lion had licked her so much she had to change clothes, which only made her happier.
She had just finished feeding the clouded leopards when she felt a tingle at the back of her neck. She looked through the jungle-like tree cover, trying to find the source that had set off her warning sirens. Shaking it off as being a false alarm, she began to walk back toward the buildings only to suddenly hear the familiar whirr of engines. Not just any engines, but the whine that only came from certain flying robots that she despised. She triggered her ability to avoid attacks easier and turned to see three of the flying robots coming towards her. There was the sound crunching of wood and she saw two of the large humanoid bots coming towards her.
Suddenly, before she could react, they were firing and her mind was exploding. Sam, Helena, Jacob and the kids, Erika, everyone was being attacked. She dashed ahead, trying to find a shadow in which to hide. There was one at the building. It wasn't where she wanted to be, but it was her only refuge until she could decide what to do.
The door to the building opened and someone poked his head out. "What's going on out here?" he called.
Carina saw the robots turn towards him. She dashed for the door. "Get back inside, you moron. Jim, you and the others stay until you hear nothing. I'll distract them." She pushed him back and closed the door. Turning to face the robots, she saw their guns preparing to fire. "And stay away from the windows and door!"
By the time the bots fired, Carina was gone. She appeared a few hundred feet away from them and called out. "Hey, you big, stupid, ironclad asswipes, I'm over here!"
Her mind raced as they turned towards her. There was a new one among them, a huge cannon on its arm. It looked really dangerous. She had to get them away from where people or animals might get hurt. Thankfully there was a large forested area nearby where the zoo was considering expanding. They were just starting to clear off the area, so most of the local animals had already scattered. She stayed in their sight, but far enough away that they had to follow her.
Once in the middle of the forest, Carina stopped and let them get closer. The sunlight streamed down through the canopy of limbs, creating shadows everywhere. Once they were within firing range, Carina gave them the single finger salute and stepped into a shadow. They fired and turned the tree she had been standing next to into firewood.
She stepped out of a shadow a few hundred feet away and stayed within its darkness. She watched them from there. They stopped firing and looked around. She could tell they were talking to each other, but she couldn't tell what they were saying. She wished Sam was there. He'd know.
After a few minutes, the robots gave up and took off. Carina climbed a tree to see if they were gone. She didn't see them anywhere, and it didn't look like they had tried to shoot at anything else. She sat down on a sturdy limb and pulled out her cell phone. She tried Sam first, but it went directly to voicemail, so she tried Erika. "C'mon, answer Erika," she growled into the phone as it rang. The voice mail picked up. She quickly pressed one without listening to the whole thing. "Erika, it's Carina. Call me back and let me know you're all right. I have a bad feeling about all of this. I think everyone who has opposed the Daitokuji is in danger, which means both our bands. So anyway, call me." She hung up and quickly dialed Sam's number again.
"Look down," said Sam's voice over the phone. Not "hi" or "hello", no kind of greeting at all. Just "look down."
"What?" Carina, confused, looked down at the base of the tree. Sam was standing there looking up at her, his sunglasses reflecting the sun back at her. She closed her phone and stuffed it in a pocket as she leapt down beside him. She quickly wrapped her arms around him. "Thank god, you're safe."
He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Which one?"
She didn't flinch, just squeezed him tighter. "All of them. Fuck, even Jacob's mom, even though I don't really like her."
He actually grinned. "So, what happened here?"
She quickly told him as they were walking back to the zoo. She had a feeling the others would be calling soon, and she had some explaining to do for her boss. It was starting to get harder and harder to get out of work. But at least they were grateful for her when there was something wrong with any of the cats. And she did do a lot of research for all the zoos. Her guardian had settled a bit and she didn't feel much more danger for anyone. "So, what happened to you?" she asked him.
"Well, Sam and I were…"
"Sam was with you?"
"Yes."
"Is he all right?"
"Yes. They attacked him first, actually, thinking it was me, I assume." He had his hand in hers, their fingers entwined. It seemed they both were holding on for dear life, afraid they might lose one another.
Carina stopped at the door to the building she'd been near earlier. Bullet holes riddled the door and chipped the concrete bricks. She still hadn't let go of Sam's hand. Opening the door, she called out. "Hey, anyone still here?"
Jim and several others came creeping out of one of the center rooms. "What the hell were those things?" Jim asked. "And what happened to you? You were there one moment and gone the next."
"How did…?" Carina began before one of the girls interrupted.
"Cameras. We were watching. What happened, Carina?"
Carina sighed, gripping Sam's hand tighter. "It's a long story that I'm going to have to tell you later. Right now, I've got to go. I just wanted to make sure you all were okay."
Something in Jim's demeanor changed. "We're fine. You go take care of whatever you need. I guess I should call maintenance for a new door, hm?"
Carina glanced back at Sam. Did he have one of those red flashy thingies? He'd always threatened that he did. She didn't see anything, though. "Yeah, good idea. Thanks, Jim." She smiled and led Sam out of the building. "What did you do?" she asked once they were clear.
He just stared at her blankly, she assumed, through the sunglasses. "I did nothing."
She rolled her eyes and went back to the conversation they were having before. "So, Sam was attacked."
He nodded. "I came out to help and we were able to take the HDRs rather easily. It was a little harder when we saw the new ones."
Carina shuddered. "The ones with the big cannons for arms?"
"Affirmative. I told him I was going to find you. He was going to get out of there, too. He mentioned something about your helicopter."
"He damn well better not have used my helicopter. If those bots tore up my helicopter…" She looked at him and noticed a smirk on his face. Sam didn't smirk, usually. She knew something was up. "You're teasing me, aren't you?"
His grin widened.
She playfully slapped at his shoulder as they arrived at her Rav4. "Get in the car, Samuel Adams Gannon. You're going to pay for that."
"As you command, Lady Theophilus."
Carina was at the zoo, her first day back since returning from Cairo. She'd only been in the States a few days. The morning had gone nicely. All the animals were quite happy to see her. The male lion had licked her so much she had to change clothes, which only made her happier.
She had just finished feeding the clouded leopards when she felt a tingle at the back of her neck. She looked through the jungle-like tree cover, trying to find the source that had set off her warning sirens. Shaking it off as being a false alarm, she began to walk back toward the buildings only to suddenly hear the familiar whirr of engines. Not just any engines, but the whine that only came from certain flying robots that she despised. She triggered her ability to avoid attacks easier and turned to see three of the flying robots coming towards her. There was the sound crunching of wood and she saw two of the large humanoid bots coming towards her.
Suddenly, before she could react, they were firing and her mind was exploding. Sam, Helena, Jacob and the kids, Erika, everyone was being attacked. She dashed ahead, trying to find a shadow in which to hide. There was one at the building. It wasn't where she wanted to be, but it was her only refuge until she could decide what to do.
The door to the building opened and someone poked his head out. "What's going on out here?" he called.
Carina saw the robots turn towards him. She dashed for the door. "Get back inside, you moron. Jim, you and the others stay until you hear nothing. I'll distract them." She pushed him back and closed the door. Turning to face the robots, she saw their guns preparing to fire. "And stay away from the windows and door!"
By the time the bots fired, Carina was gone. She appeared a few hundred feet away from them and called out. "Hey, you big, stupid, ironclad asswipes, I'm over here!"
Her mind raced as they turned towards her. There was a new one among them, a huge cannon on its arm. It looked really dangerous. She had to get them away from where people or animals might get hurt. Thankfully there was a large forested area nearby where the zoo was considering expanding. They were just starting to clear off the area, so most of the local animals had already scattered. She stayed in their sight, but far enough away that they had to follow her.
Once in the middle of the forest, Carina stopped and let them get closer. The sunlight streamed down through the canopy of limbs, creating shadows everywhere. Once they were within firing range, Carina gave them the single finger salute and stepped into a shadow. They fired and turned the tree she had been standing next to into firewood.
She stepped out of a shadow a few hundred feet away and stayed within its darkness. She watched them from there. They stopped firing and looked around. She could tell they were talking to each other, but she couldn't tell what they were saying. She wished Sam was there. He'd know.
After a few minutes, the robots gave up and took off. Carina climbed a tree to see if they were gone. She didn't see them anywhere, and it didn't look like they had tried to shoot at anything else. She sat down on a sturdy limb and pulled out her cell phone. She tried Sam first, but it went directly to voicemail, so she tried Erika. "C'mon, answer Erika," she growled into the phone as it rang. The voice mail picked up. She quickly pressed one without listening to the whole thing. "Erika, it's Carina. Call me back and let me know you're all right. I have a bad feeling about all of this. I think everyone who has opposed the Daitokuji is in danger, which means both our bands. So anyway, call me." She hung up and quickly dialed Sam's number again.
"Look down," said Sam's voice over the phone. Not "hi" or "hello", no kind of greeting at all. Just "look down."
"What?" Carina, confused, looked down at the base of the tree. Sam was standing there looking up at her, his sunglasses reflecting the sun back at her. She closed her phone and stuffed it in a pocket as she leapt down beside him. She quickly wrapped her arms around him. "Thank god, you're safe."
He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Which one?"
She didn't flinch, just squeezed him tighter. "All of them. Fuck, even Jacob's mom, even though I don't really like her."
He actually grinned. "So, what happened here?"
She quickly told him as they were walking back to the zoo. She had a feeling the others would be calling soon, and she had some explaining to do for her boss. It was starting to get harder and harder to get out of work. But at least they were grateful for her when there was something wrong with any of the cats. And she did do a lot of research for all the zoos. Her guardian had settled a bit and she didn't feel much more danger for anyone. "So, what happened to you?" she asked him.
"Well, Sam and I were…"
"Sam was with you?"
"Yes."
"Is he all right?"
"Yes. They attacked him first, actually, thinking it was me, I assume." He had his hand in hers, their fingers entwined. It seemed they both were holding on for dear life, afraid they might lose one another.
Carina stopped at the door to the building she'd been near earlier. Bullet holes riddled the door and chipped the concrete bricks. She still hadn't let go of Sam's hand. Opening the door, she called out. "Hey, anyone still here?"
Jim and several others came creeping out of one of the center rooms. "What the hell were those things?" Jim asked. "And what happened to you? You were there one moment and gone the next."
"How did…?" Carina began before one of the girls interrupted.
"Cameras. We were watching. What happened, Carina?"
Carina sighed, gripping Sam's hand tighter. "It's a long story that I'm going to have to tell you later. Right now, I've got to go. I just wanted to make sure you all were okay."
Something in Jim's demeanor changed. "We're fine. You go take care of whatever you need. I guess I should call maintenance for a new door, hm?"
Carina glanced back at Sam. Did he have one of those red flashy thingies? He'd always threatened that he did. She didn't see anything, though. "Yeah, good idea. Thanks, Jim." She smiled and led Sam out of the building. "What did you do?" she asked once they were clear.
He just stared at her blankly, she assumed, through the sunglasses. "I did nothing."
She rolled her eyes and went back to the conversation they were having before. "So, Sam was attacked."
He nodded. "I came out to help and we were able to take the HDRs rather easily. It was a little harder when we saw the new ones."
Carina shuddered. "The ones with the big cannons for arms?"
"Affirmative. I told him I was going to find you. He was going to get out of there, too. He mentioned something about your helicopter."
"He damn well better not have used my helicopter. If those bots tore up my helicopter…" She looked at him and noticed a smirk on his face. Sam didn't smirk, usually. She knew something was up. "You're teasing me, aren't you?"
His grin widened.
She playfully slapped at his shoulder as they arrived at her Rav4. "Get in the car, Samuel Adams Gannon. You're going to pay for that."
"As you command, Lady Theophilus."