Hey there, Za-Ck here. This is just a small fic I had developing in the back of my head for a while, and the concept got approved by Azure-Orbit, so here it is! This takes place in the same universe as the Clockwork Renegades, which if you didn't know already is an ongoing RP, so check it out if you want:
http://forums.spiralknights.com/en/node/33996
I'm probably not going to continue this fic, but if I think of something more, it may update :)
Note, this is eventually going to be a bit dark, but nothing too graphic I think.
Warning, this first part is quite long, so be ready to sit down for a while.
Here we go!
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Deep within the bowels of the Clockworks lay an immense complex. This was one of the most important facilities within the gremlin empire; it being the chief laboratory and production plant of the grand colony. It took up an entire stratum from its sheer size; various pipes spewed steam and fumes into the air nonstop, exposed wires hummed, and gargantuan conveyor belts jutted from it at various angles, constantly producing various components. Within its cavernous depths shone the relentless burning light of the forge creating metal parts nonstop, lighting the otherwise dark and oppressive atmosphere surrounding the area.
This place produced everything from Gremlin tools, to whole sections of the clockworks themselves. It was also here that the Gremlins tested their newest projects, constantly striving to create things deadlier and more explosive than the last attempt, as well as things that were absolutely bizarre.
It is within these very walls our story begins...
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Alerek was tired, stressed, and hungry. He sighed, sitting at his desk, paws over his face. The elderly gremlin was in charge of the most recent endeavor of the laboratory, and progress so far had been slow. Ever since the Crimson Order had suddenly taken control of the entire facility, projects have been started consecutively, one right after the other with little time for rest in between. He had no idea why the Crimson Order was suddenly so interested in developing new weaponry, but it meant less free time and more stress for everyone.
He slowly got up from his chair, leaving his office and closing the door. He then proceeded to wander the hallways a little, passing by other departments and their experiments on his way to his own. Looking over his shoulder, he passed a team developing a new series of gremlin bombs, far more destructive than those currently wielded by demos in the field.
Unfortunately, they still had a tendency to take the user along with it. As he passed by this particular sector, a large explosion rang out, followed by alarmed cries from within. Shaking his head, he continued on his way, knowing that probably another poor test subject had gotten mortally injured in the latest test batch.
Yet another sector contained the current efforts of a very weird experiment indeed. It was a device intended to exchange the minds of two beings, so that Gremlin spies could seamlessly integrate themselves into enemy ranks and sabotage the organization within. It was hoped that this could be a devastating blow to the current invaders of Cradle: The Spiral Knights.
There had been many mishaps with the development of this device, leaving a few dozen test subjects either brain-dead or stuck in an unfamiliar body. Alerek remembered one particularly unfortunate fellow who wound-up stuck in a Jelly Cube's body...
Either way, the device was steadily being refined and coming closer to completion each day.
After passing several more departments, he reached his own and walked in. Here, there were many Gremlin mechanics and engineers walking around, working on various machines and constructs. This was one of the biggest and most important of the projects within the laboratory as a whole, and the Crimson Order was taking particular interest in this endeavor. Alerek took a look over the shoulder of one engineer, who was working meticulously on a small circuit board. He was peering through a large magnifying glass, soldering a very tiny piece to the board.
"How goes progress?" Alerek asked in a raspy voice.
The engineer jumped up slightly in surprise, but luckily didn't damage the piece he was working on.
Turning around, the engineer gave a brief salute. "S-s-sir! I didn't realize you were coming here for an inspection!" He stuttered, clearly a bit nervous about the sudden intrusion.
"At ease there, worker." Alerek said with a gentle tone. He took a look at the circuit board that the engineer had been working on. "Are the chips coming along on schedule?" he inquired.
"Well, from our tests so far, the new artificial intelligence chips seem to be working smoothly, although more testing is required to get rid of any bugs." the engineer replied.
Alerek nodded in approval. "Keep up the good work, and notify me of any major developments." With another quick salute, the engineer turned back to his work.
Alerek took a look around. Everyone was hard at work on "Project 2.0", a gargantuan effort to overhaul all of the current constructs in commission. The goal was to create a new race of "super-constructs", all smarter, more efficient, stronger, and most importantly: more lethal than their current counterparts. There were multiple teams working to create the ultimate construct, and many ideas already were being tested.
One of the most promising attempts so far was improving mecha knights from their basic, sentry-esque programming. Admittedly, standard mecha knights were quite stupid and shoddily made. It was little wonder that even armies of the haphazard creations were mowed down by the dozen by a small team of Spiral Knights. The Crimson Order was delighted to hear however that their new army was coming close to realization.
Not too long ago, the first batch of prototypes had been produced. While capability-wise they were not that much stronger than ordinary Mecha Knights, the experiments to their programming were very informative indeed. It had been proven that they could create calculating, learning minds who could adapt to each battle situation as it came.
Unfortunately, many of the prototypes were quite flawed personality-wise, and were deemed unfit for service. They were either not aggressive enough for extended combat, or were they had the dispositions of mere children. With a heavy heart, Alerek had signed the decommissioning of each, scrapping them for parts and resources. The sheer fact that they had created truly sentient artificial beings was a scientific marvel in of itself, but the Crimson Order wanted ones suited for combat and destruction, which the early prototypes would have been unable to fulfill.
There was one oddity in the record though; a prototype Cryo Knight #Q-77 had mysteriously vanished. No one knew what had happened to it, although one of the scientists responsible for that particular mecha knight's creation, Tickafir, had gone missing as well. It was a shame really, that young gremlin was one of the most brilliant engineers that Alerek had the pleasure of working with, even though he mysteriously showed up one day out of nowhere.
Alerek was snapped out of his reverie when a small Tenderfoot clan gremlin tugged on his sleeve for his attention. Behind the young Tenderfoot was a cart with several bars of a reddish metal.
"Sir, the latest shipment of the volcanic iron that you wanted is here." He stated.
Ah, yes. This shipment would be crucial to the construction of their most promising prototype to date. Alerek walked up to the cart and picked up a bar, inspecting it carefully. The ruddy-hued metal gave an odd sheen and felt very warm to the touch, both signs that this batch was of a particularly high quality. This type of particular metal only formed at very high temperatures and was thus exceptionally hard to come by, but it could be used in alloys to lend structures outstanding durability and heat resistance, so it was prized by gremlins everywhere. The fact that there was so much of the precious substance going to waste on this project didn't sit well with Alerek, but there was little he could do about it.
"Good, get this shipment to the forge to be casted into the parts we need." Alerek ordered.
With a salute, the Tenderfoot dragged the cart behind him, marching to the forge.
Speaking of the new prototype, that was the whole reason Alerek had come down here in the first place, to check up on it. He walked to the back of the room and gazed at what lay there. On a large table lay a massive being. Superficially, it looked like a lot like a mecha knight, but it was far more than that. It was built like a Trojan, and designed to be at least twice as strong. It had a broad, sweeping chest, with stocky legs and a burly, powerful-looking right arm. The left one, instead of the crude wrench-like clamp of a standard mecha knight, was instead a large plier-like device with the sheer power to crush bone. The entire body was covered in thick metal plating and many strong rivets to hold the structure together. Its body was largely composed of that special volcanic iron alloy because its body would need to withstand an absolutely immense amount of heat. It would be a new type of Firo Knight, except with capabilities far exceeding any produced to date.
Instead of the standard 2 Fuel Canisters that ordinary Firo Knights contained, this one had a staggering TEN. Not only that, there was a special container filled to the brim with Flame Souls and other highly unstable/combustible materials. When this thing activated, its body would pretty much be a living furnace. Its chest was currently open, and several gremlin mechanics were fiddling with the complex innards.
"Do you think this monstrosity will work?" Alerek asked one of the mechanics. The mechanic simply wiped some grease off of his forehead with a towel and replied: "Well... all the systems seem to be in working order, and all of the artificial intelligence chips have been loaded."
He took a look at the exposed circuitry.
"All we need now is to rivet the new chest plate into place."
They waited for a while, and during that time, the innards of the construct were completed. The Tenderfoot gremlin eventually returned, but instead of a cart with several bars of volcanic iron, it was instead a cart with a heavy and durable chest plate of refined volcanic steel. The front resembled an old-fashioned furnace or an oven, with a large vented grill prominently displayed on the torso. This would both serve as ventilation for the internal combustion chamber, and it would also allow the owner to spew out flames from it if it wanted to.
Several gremlins got together and together struggled to lift the chest plate into place. Seeing as Gremlins were somewhat short in stature, this was no small feat. Finally, after much gasping and straining, the large metal piece was in place, and the mechanics proceeded to rivet and weld the seams together.
The moment had come, it was time to awaken the slumbering giant. The construct was placed into a standing position, and the workers stepped back away from it. Alerek stepped forth and spoke the activation code:
"Project 2.0 Prototype #V-89, activate."
Immediately, the stylized X-shaped visor lit up with a blood red glow. The pipes mounted on its back roared to life, spewing out copious amounts of smoke and sparks, which left many of the workers hacking and coughing. Flames jumped out from the furnace-chest, actually managing to singe the fur of a few of the gremlins despite standing a respectable distance away. The body began to glow a dull red color, showing exactly how much heat was being produced from its being. In fact, the very floor it was standing on was starting to melt and buckle from the sheer amount of energy it contained.
Sweating a bit from the dramatic increase in temperature, Alerek stated: "V-89, are you aware of your purpose?"
The head of the mecha knight turned to Alerek, staring him down with that baleful red light.
"I AM." It boomed in a deep, monotone.
"And what might that purpose be?" Asked Alerek
"TO SERVE THE GREMLIN EMPIRE, TO DESTROY ENEMIES OF THE CLOCKWORKS, AND TO ELIMINATE ALL WHO STAND IN MY WAY" replied the colossus.
Alerek gave a grim smile.
"I think the Crimson Order will be very pleased with you..."
((End Part 1))
(That's that, more coming soon! I would appreciate a comment or any thoughts you had on my story!)
A rough sketch of V-89 to help you get a better idea of what he looks like, I may redraw him later because I was just coming up with the design in this drawing:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18001357/Antagonist%20Concept.jpg
Nice!
Wait...why'd you need Azure's permission...unless...V89'S GOING TO BE A STORYLINE VILLAIN?!
squeee don't hurt meeee