World Tree MUSH

    So! Emily Nyx had promised the people of Westview that she would help them construct the stasis field projectors that they'd found in the bunker underground using the technology recovered from Avina's databanks. This, as Tyrael had pointed out, would be pretty instrumental in keeping the demon at bay while today's heroes venture to the realm of Pandemonium in search of a way to free Mr. Jeff Lecky from the demon's foul curse.

    For the time being, Police Chief Sam Everett has kept it heavily drugged and locked in a holding cell at the precinct but of course the sooner Emily can get the tech operational the better, since all these anesthetics are getting expensive, and he sure doesn't want the thing to go on a rampage through the town in the likely scenario those regular criminal holding cells aren't enough to contain it should it manage to wake up.

    For his part, Tyrael is also about, in case that does happen. Although the archangel does hold out hope that he won't have to kill Mr. Lecky before he can be freed from this dark influence.

    Of course, there's little need for wizards about when a town is licking it's wounds and tending to a host of victims of the prior near-tragedy. So, Li-Ming has made herself scarce. Keeping out of sight as much as possible while remaining available enough to respond in the event the monster-former-teen's containment measures fall through.

    So, she's found a perch as out of sight as possible atop a building! Here, she can be left alone to be as idle as she likes! That said, it is terribly boring and staring toward the police department has allowed her to memorize nearly every detail of the building that can be seen from where she's chosen to lurk. All the other goings-on in the town? None of her concern. There's no immediate threat other than the demon!

    Near a Vine leading to the area, a staticky portal opens up and turns black from inside out, and out steps Emily in the form of a silver-haired four-armed catgirl in a full-length tailcoat, and still with her glowing purple eyes. She's followed by a woman with red hair and robotic-looking eyes in a black dress, carrying the databank with a cable running between it and her hand, and looking generally annoyed at Emily's antics.

    "Aaaand here we are, in the general vicinity of the explosion," Emily says, gesturing expansively and smiling her amused and faintly smug smile.

    The woman nods. "Wow," she says absently. "Kind of ... fantastic how fast things get fixed when all the infrastructure still works."

    Li-Ming's perch on the roof of a building neighboring the police station will keep her out of the sight of most of the locals, especially since they are mostly busy talking about the crazy thing that happened last night and/or worrying about loved ones who may have happened to be involved. As per Misaki's suggestion, there is a new blood drive going--the signs are up around town and quite a few people are eager to give what they can.

    Of course, they also can't fly, but there is someone else here who can. That being Tyrael. And he still has...several questions for Li. And Zoltun, for that matter. So she'd find him approaching her on the rooftop, landing near her position. "Li-Ming." he greets.

    When Emily arrives with another individual in tow, Officer Everett goes to meet her. "Emily! Great, you're here. Those drugs were getting expensive. I've managed to get some engineers from factory in town to help out." He tells her, gesturing toward a small group of men in hardhats and work clothes, ready to get going on the job.

    Of course. There's no avoiding the notice of angels when they're interested! Li-Ming looks up, having stepped back from the corner of the roof some to avoid being silhouetted against the sky. "Tyrael." Though it it's odd to speak to the angel's faceless visage rather than the swarthy man she's used to.

    "So you've found me. The situation with the beast is being resolved, I take it?" She's faintly radiating a light mist that slowly cascades and pools on the roof of the building. Keeping cool with magic; rooftops are rather hot, afterall! She lets her eyes wander for just a moment before fixing on the angel before her. This is no doubt a conversation she'll need to have even if she'd rather avoid it but she'll endure.

    Emily nods in greeting. "Hey, Chief!" she says. "This is Erebus-model AA23. Double-A, this is Chief Sam Everett."

    The woman nods, and extends a hand in a hesitant way, as if she's gotten way out of practice in shaking hands. "That nickname is the only thing of Emily's that I'm keeping," she says. "Or, I guess, 'name', at this point. Some of us have names." She's visibly ... very tense. "Okay thanks bye."

    The two Eudaemons head over to the workers, Double-A taking the lead this time. "Hey, I've got 90% of a technical specification for the, the stasis field," she blurts out. Then she backpedals slightly. "Uh, I'm Double-A, Erebus-model AA23, I've been going over this databank Emily here brought me from the rubble ..."

    Yes, rooftops are usually pretty hot, given their direct exposure to the sun during the day. But Li-Ming's magical rooftop air conditioning works wonders for her. Tyrael doesn't appear to notice, because these sorts of things don't bother him, at least not on the level they do for humans. "Yes, in no small part due to your noble actions." 
    He brings something out that Li-Ming might recognize. It's Kanai's Cube, the powerful transmutation (among other things) device constructed by the Horadrim. "Your allies found this among the ruins. I have deemed it a just reward for protecting the people of this village. The others have declined, however I believe you are worthy of an offer, in the least."

    The engineers nod their greeting to Emily and Double A as they approach. "Thanks for helping us out." one of them says. "Name's Jack. This is Nick, and that's Doug." Jack points toward the other two guys. "Pleasure to meet you, Double A. I heard you found the code for some ancient long-lost VI."

    Rooftops are hot but the shores of Hell are hotter! Still, if leaning on a little magic to make her alone time bearable is a crime then she's guilty! What's almost not bearable is the praise for doing, as she feels, comparatively little. So she pounced on a demon. More remarkable that she didn't paint the insidse of that bunker with the thing, really. She does squirm though, averting her gaze. "I didn't do anything grand. I'm mostly relieved that we avoided an untimely demise. That device had a lot more bark than I thought."

    The cube gets her attention, though. "That? Here?" The way her eyes dart around suggests she really wants to reach for a book or something to confirm what she's seeing. "Unbelievable. Those fools hid that away here?" Her sudden laugh is a mix of astonishment and incredulity. "I always thought the ancients wise, if somewhat arrogant but I never imagined I'd be vindicated in my judgement."

    Though she certainly isn't above reaching for the device even as a form begins to resolve itself from sand and grit, swirling into a recognizable humanoid form. "Greetings once again, Tyrael. You honor us with such a gift. Or reward, if you prefer."

    Li-Ming clutches the cube if it's freely given and stands aside, scowling across at the shade of one of the ancients she'd so boldly mocked.

    "Yes, whelp, you're more of a fool than I'd thought if you believed I'd consigned the full breadth of my knowledge to parchment." The translucent figure paces, his voice rising in a mocking laugh of his own. "Still, you hold in your greedy hands a key. To more than you can imagine. It is your birthright as a nephalem as well as the closest I'll ever have to a successor." Kulle turns and stares down, lifeless silica-rendered eyes staring into the featureless darkness of Tyrael's hood.

    Seems someone's expecting something. Li-Ming, for her part, totally rankles under the taunting as well as the realization that Kulle is the only one remaining who can show her how to use the blasted thing.

    Double-A glares. "It was Emily who found it, not me!" she says, strangely defensive for some reason. "A-and we ..." Emily puts a hand on her head, and she grimaces. "... we're ... hoping you guys can build a stasis field. For that demon they dragged out of the rubble."

    She gestures, and a hologram appears of incomplete 3D plans for the stasis field which held Tyrael. Part of the incomplete bits have question marks connected to part names. "I was wondering if you knew how to find these parts," she says, highlighting the part-names. "We don't have anything like that in the halcyon remnant."

    Emily nods in agreement. "You think the VI might be able to help us?"

    "Your modesty is admirable." Tyrael replies. He does allow her to take the Cube. "I know not how it came to rest here." he admits, because honestly this was somewhat of a surprise to him as well. The multiverse is just brimming with secrets, isn't it?
    But not for much longer, apparently, as Zoltun Kulle once again appears. Oh, good. The archangel was hoping to get a chance to to speak to him again. "Zoltun Kulle. I wish to speak to you." he says, his voice taking on a firmer tone. "Why did you turn upon your own brethren?" Or had it been the other way around?

    Down on the ground, the three engineers examine the holographic plans Double A is projecting. "Hmm, not sure on that. I'm sure Sam told you that a lot of this technology was lost during the crises. But yeah, if there was a VI down there, it might be able to led some light on where to find these parts."

    Li-Ming manages to weather the praise for yet another narrowly eked out victory and sands aside, looking on as the conversation between her savior and her curse looms.

    The ancient spectre raises to his full, imposing height. "Why? The progess I'd made in fashioning artifacts to aid our quest in recapturing our birthright. You simplified things in our version of events by destroying the World Stone. The Horadrim, as a whole, turned upon me when I continued to reject their foolishness. They couldn't stomach the grim work my goal required and as I fashioned the Black Soulstone, they struck." Weirdly, that inexpressive face twists, a smile. Though wicked and likely somewhat insane. "What took an entire order of timid weaklings to accomplish," Kulle gestures to Li-Ming. "This one accomplished singlehandedly, while her companions cowered in the dark. The power of a Nephalem. The power to resist the Heavens and Hells alike!"

    "How they misused my work in the modern age is no longer my concern, as your acts rendered my efforts moot. Well done." There's a hiss, then a flash and the sands begins to disassociate. "We will speak more, little girl! You would do well to survive the coming trials!" Peals of wicked laughter echo as if growing distant, then the presence is gone.

    Li-Ming seethes at the disrespect offered by the phantom wizard but she hardly has any recourse. A foe well and truly beyond her reach. "Mmm. So, yes, the accounts of the Horadrim spoke of many disappearances. He likely murdered several mages, though his methods or reasoning for it is unknown. In their battle, while conjuring forth the power of his newest soulstone, he slew dozens before they could subdue him. This, however... The simply hid it away. The entirety of the Horadrim worked to build this and the process was every bit as gruesome as any of Kulle's other works. I'm hardly excusing him, of course. He is right about one thing."

    "The destruction of the Worldstone was a critical moment in history. An event that took place merely a year before I was born."

    Double-A opens and closes her mouth a couple of times, then frowns. "Lemme see if I can run the VI's software in here ... run it through my own holoprojectors ..."

    "With maximum permissions, too!" Emily adds cheerfully.

    Double-A gives her a look, then turns back to the workers. "Okay, so ... Yeah, here's ... here goes nothing." She gestures, and attempts to reactivate Avina. Despite her reservations, she does in fact attempt to set it so that they have maximum permissions for accessing Avina's knowledge.

    Tyrael grows more and more disconcerted the more he listens to the raving mad Kulle. This...this is definitely not the Kulle -he- knows, and he is still struggling to understand -why-. "Kulle!" he exclaims as the ghost begins to disintegrate. "wait..." But it's too late the maniacal old man is gone. So, he turns back to Li. "But, the Black Soulstone...why? What caused him to doubt me? To doubt the Horadrim's noble cause?"
    Then Li speaks of the gruesome way in which the Cube had been constructed. Yes, he had heard whisperings of that. Which had been the reason for the warnings he'd given the rest of the group earlier. But they must have deemed it necessary.
    And that wasn't even the worst of it. There was that little part about him destroying the Worldstone. If Tyrael could look shocked he definitely would be, but as it is he just kind of invisibly stares at Li-Ming. "I--or this other iteration of myself--destroyed the Worldstone? I must have had good reason."

    The engineers nod and watch as Double A hooks in and attempts to run Avina's software through her own hardware. Give or take a few seconds, and a holographic projection appears, numbers and diagnostics scrolling down too quickly for a human to read.

    ACCESSING...
    LOADING.....
    RENDERING HOLOFORMAT EMULATION.....100%
    AVINA MODEL X v5.2.9.1 ONLINE

    The panel then gives way to that same holographic woman they'd seen earlier. "Greetings, I am Avina. Welcome to Vault 209A-1. Warning: Stasis field emitters aren't connected. Warning: Power levels low. Warning: Surveillance system is offline."

    "Kulle is like this. He comes along as he pleases and leaves. I thought he was dead. Apparently not completely. Ever since..." You know, she still really doesn't want to admit to everything going on, especially not with something more immediately important requiring work.

    "Yes, I believe he didn't fully believe in your ability to singlehandedly stave off the End of Days. To your credit, you always seem to do everything you're able. Even if it seems a terrible cost." 

    "Do we have a handle on the creature? We must be going. It will resist it's captivity before long and I doubt it will be easy to simply subdue it once again." She gives the cube in her hands a thoughtful tap, though the device will probably remain inert until some version of Zoltun Kulle wakes the thing from it's slumber.

    Emily grins. And then she transforms into her more-or-less default form, an auburn-haired woman in a midnight-blue business dress with glowing purple eyes. "Hey, Avina!" she says, in an artificially cheerful tone of voice. "How's it going? Did you know that in the world I'm from, it's the year 3521, but the technology took a completely different track from what this world looks like?" ... Literally repeating her previous greeting to Avina verbatim.

    "Emily, what the fuck," mutters Double-A. "Ahem." (That is, saying the word 'ahem' rather than actually making a clearing-her-throat sound.) "Uh ... hello, Avina," she says, in a customer-service voice. "We are currently attempting to rebuild the stasis fields following a major accident. We're currently missing several parts."

    "Ever since...what?" Tyrael does seem very interested in what happened in Li-Ming's version of things. "The End of Days? You are holding back, Li-Ming. I do not understand why." At the question, he looks down at what Emily and Double A are doing. "I believe your allies have the situation well in hand."

    When Emily repeats verbatim the same greeting she had given to Avina last night, the VI essentially says the same thing minus the authorization code part. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean. Would you like me to tell you about the Vault Safehouse program?"
    At Double A's question, she asks for specifics. "Tell me the name and number of missing parts, and I can show you where they can be salvaged or purchased. However, operational businesses may be rare."

    Emily starts to reply, "Tell u-- actually, don't tell us about it, that would be silly."

    Without breaking eye contact with Avina, Double-A clamps a hand over Emily's mouth. Still maintaining her perfect-robot-servant tone of voice, she says, "Here are the items required." She then proceeds to list ... well, every single part, basically, highlighting each one in her holographic plans in the process.

    The VI runs the list through its systems for a few seconds. Finally she speaks up again. "Unfortunately, these parts are no longer available for purchase. However, it may be possible to salvage or scavenge them from ruined cities on the surface. Warning: Approaching these locations without protection may result in radiation sickness or contamination." She begins to spout off a series of coordinates to locations near Vault 209A-1.
    "Huh." Nick says once she finishes. "Sounds like it still thinks we're living in the fallout. Now that I think about it, we might be able to whip some of it up in the fabrication lab at the metal factory. But speaking of salvage, maybe some of the original setup is still functional in that pile of rubble?"

    Emily looks away awkwardly. "Well, uh ... I dunno, maybe, but considering it was right next to the generator when it blew up ..."

    Double-A glares at her. "... I don't know how it could possibly be your fault," she says, "but with that reaction, I can't see how it could possibly not be your fault."

    Emily, not looking at anyone, exclaims, "How was I supposed to know that rupturing the coolant line would cause it to blow up like a poorly-designed bomb!?"

    Double-A facepalms. "Uh, do you still want us to try looking down there?" she says flatly.

    Nick glances at the others, a brow going up at Emily. "So -that's- what happened. Should I even ask why you ruptured the coolant lines?" he remarks when she describes exactly why it was the bunker blew sky high. "Hmmm, I dunno much about this long-lost tech or how durable it is, but maybe it's worth a look. Otherwise, we might be able to use the factory equipment to whip them up if you can decode the specs from Avina's databanks."

    "To deactivate the stasis field!" Emily shoots back. "Obviously." This was not obvious.

    Double-A frowns as Nick when he talks about decoding the specs. "What do you think I've been doing?" she says -- once again, showing that weird confrontational defensiveness.

    Emily puts a hand on her shoulder. "Well, I'm up for at least poking my head downstairs," she says. "Double-A, try to behave yourself, will ya?"

    Double-A looks at her sharply, then sighs. "Yeah," she says. "Sorry."

    Emily salutes, and approaches the rubble. "Now let's hope really hard that I'm not about to open a dimensional field into some fallen rubble," she says dryly, opening one of her staticky portals back to the exact spot where she was when she left right before the explosion.

    "Right..." Nick says, not entirely convinced, but he's not going to make an issue out of it. After all she helped their town, he doesn't want to come off as ungrateful. He gives Double A an apologetic look. "Er, sorry Double A. I uh, didn't mean to sound judgmental."
    But Jack doesn't seem as tactful. "Why did you need to deactivate the stasis field if the cultists had already gotten the victims out and were cutting them up...or whatever they were doing?"

    When Emily arrives back downstairs, she narrowly avoids teleporting into a massive chunk of titanium framework. But yes, it does seem that there are a few things that managed to survive the blast, likely small things like switches, power cells, bits of circuitry, and memory chips that may have had walls between them and the blast. Parts of the magnetized elevator track. Not everything is useful, but maybe some of it is.

    Double-A shakes her head as Emily leaves. "I think she mentioned something about an angel trapped in the stasis field?" she says. "But the long answer is, who the hell knows why Nyx-model Emily does anything."

    Emily leaves the portal open, and starts ducking in and out, bringing out various parts. Some of them become highlighted in green in Double-A's specifications. Others, those beyond repair, are briefly highlighted red, and then revert to their previous state.

    "She's kind of a total weirdo," says Double-A. "Even by Eudaemon standards, as far as I can tell from the humans who've come to the halcyon remnant."

    "And don't you forget it!" Emily calls over cheerfully.

    "An angel, huh?" Jack arches a brow, unsure if he quite believes that. "Well, I guess Everett did say something about something like that..." he murmurs. He hadn't exactly believed it that time either but two corroborating stories is certainly better than one.
    Nick and Doug sort of...just give him a look, then nods toward Double-A. "She does seem a little eccentric, but in a good way." Doug says. "Well, let us know once you've finished decoding, we'll take the specs back to the fabrication lab and see what we can do."

    "A good way ...?" Double-A has to stop and think about this for a moment. "Well," she says finally, "we were all created to be helpful, and I guess none of us knows how to cope from the end of the world, and having our creators and Masters die out. Statistically, I guess she's just an outlier." Her tone suggests that she's worried about more than that, but she isn't sure now's the time to dump both of their entire life stories on a group of relative strangers.

    She watches Emily work for a moment. "Everything's decoded," she says finally. "I just don't know a lot of these parts, or how they work off just by the name and appearance. The technology here is very different from the halcyon remnant." She shrugs. "So, uh. Over to you, I guess!"

    "Well, she did help save more than a few lives here. And we're all very grateful to her for that." Nick says with a nod. "End of the world, huh? Feels as if -this- world's ended more than a few times over."
    When Double-A finishes the decoding, Jack earnestly takes the data with a nod. "Thanks, we'll see what we can do. Might take a few hours, we'll be back." With that, they pile into a company van and head off.

    This leaves Emily and Double-A standing in front of the precinct, and they'd probably notice now that Tyrael has come down from the roof and is studying them quietly. Everett comes out of the precinct again, glancing at the archangel and lowering his voice a little as he approaches Emily. "A little bit creepy, if you ask me..."

    Double-A shrugs. "Yeah," she says as she hands over a USB stick Emily picked up on the way here. "This world seems to have landed on its feet, though. You guys don't know how lucky you are."

    At Everett's comment, Emily stretches (drawing another odd look from Double-A). "I'm pretty sure he's the first angel I've met," she says. "A couple of gods like Persephone and Vanileth, and one goddess candidate, and ambiguously two in the halcyon remnant, but no angels." She waves to Tyrael. "Hey, Tyr!"

    Double-A stares at her. "Wait, what?"

    Emily deliberately misinterprets her. "Yeah, apparently Uni is just one candidate for the title."

    Double-A just facepalms.

    Everett shrugs. "I guess I've probably got some unfair pre-conceived notions that may or may not be unique to this reality. But I figured they'd be...I dunno, more human looking I suppose. Maybe it's the faceless thing. Or is there a face in there somewhere?" Hell if he knows. But he stops talking as Emily calls the archangel over.
    "Yes, Emily Nyx?" Tyrael asks. "Have you need of my assistance?"

    Some time later, the company van returns filled with the parts needed. Some of them are a bit awkward, but it's at least something Emily and Double-A can work with. Upon getting out of the van, they each do their own sort of slight double-take at Tyrael. "Well then, I guess Emily isn't as weird as we thought, Double-A." Doug finally says with a chuckle.

    Emily shrugs. "Just saying hi," she says. "You were watching us, I didn't want you to feel left out or whatever. And please, call me Emily! 'Nyx' is my type, not a family or anything like that."

    And then she does a double-take at Doug. "Hey, I'm plenty weird!" she protests, grinning ear to ear.

    "Yeah, we got that," says Double-A. "I'll handle the construction, I'm running that VI in fast-mode so she can give me a step-by-step."

    In a swirl of what appears to be silvery glitter, her arms take on a mechanical appearance, and various armatures extend from them to start assembling the device. In the same glittery light, tools materialize and dematerialize as needed; Double-A only uses her actual hands for a few larger movements here and there, to supplement the armatures.

    "Very well then, Emily." Tyrael replies. "You are a fascinating creature." he answers to the bit about him watching them.

    Speaking of which, the Westview engineers at least are definitely visibly fascinated when Double-A starts getting to work constructing the device, the nanomachines swirling about like a swarm of coordinated insects.
    "Incredible," Nick breathes. 
    "Wish I had a robot like that." Jack remarks half-jokingly.
    "What manner of magic is this?" Tyrael inquires of Emily.

    At Tyrael's talk of fascination, she fixes him with her amused and faintly smug smile.

    To the various responses of awe and Tyrael's direct question, Emily announces, "The kind of magic which is paired with nanotechnology. Machines so small, it takes three and a third quintillion of them to take a human-sized form, able to reconfigure themselves into, uh, well, the short version is shapeshifting and tool-creation. QED."

    Double-A continues her own work. "Plus a CPU Core with our actual minds and software, and containing generators for magic and electricity," she says distractedly.

    Emily chuckles. "Great, way to ruin the mystery, Double-A~"

    "Miniscule machinery, hm." Tyrael says faintly, as he continues to watch Double-A do her thing. "You must tell me more about these methods at another, less pressing time."

    "Nanotech, huh? Wow." Doug replies. "Heh, maybe we'll get there, one of these days. That is, if we can manage to stop blowing ourselves up at some point."

    Emily chuckles. "Yeah, you guys got lucky in terms of the world ending," she says. "Timeline-wise, the world which became a halcyon remnant had nanotech centuries before the current year in this world. And if you want to find out more -- including you, Tyr -- I recommend stopping by Cid Harley's settlement in the halcyon remnant."

    Double-A steps back, and her arms go back to normal. "Okay, I'm done," she says. Her left eye starts glowing green and projects a holographic reticle which dances over the device; after a moment, it dims, and she gives a thumbs up. "We're good to put your prisoner in there, Mr. Everett."