A secure Grid Feed between two unidentified locations, untapped by any hackers trying to listen in. These lines where always safe. Omni-Tek had its best security measures on lines like these.
Two male voices spoke. One normal male voice, the other mechanical in its reverb, as if it where disguised, or cybernetically altered.
"It's finally catching up to him." The normal voice spoke.
"Then it's as we feared..." The other, more mechanical replied.
"I'm afraid so... What are we going to do about it?" The first inquired. "No known cure has been found yet, and a couple more trips through reclaim, and it's too late."
"We feel it's time. Time to take him in and show him the truth... The truth about many things." The second voice stated.
"What would you have me do then Sirs?" The first asked.
"Send him to us... We'll take it from there."
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A rainy day in Omni-Entertainment caused many people to remain indoors, but not those who had work to do, no rainchecks where given to the Company after all.
Daetona awoke from the drug induced sleep the Doctors at Omni-Med placed him in. They had not the look of good news to come on their faces.
Sitting up groggily, Dae looked to the head Doctor, awaiting his diagnosis.
"I'm sorry to say the Soul-Burn hasn't left your system as it did others, General..." He said grimmly. " In fact, as far as we can tell, one or two more deaths, and even the best Reclaim Tech won't be able to bring you back."
Nodding once, Daetona gathered his gear, and got dressed.
"Where are you going, General? Didn't you hear what I just said?" The Doctor inquired.
"I heard you just fine..." Daetona answered. "But, if death finally is inevitable, then it must come with glory and honor. The honor of serving the Company.. The glory of Omni-Tek."
The other Doctors glanced at each other in shock, and admiration for the words just spoken. The head Doc tilted his head and smiled softly. Placing his hand on Daetona's shoulder, he nodded once, firmly.
Exiting the medical facility, Daetona got the sense of being watched for a moment, but lost it shortly there-after. Heading for the nearest Mission Terminal, he checked in with his superiors for assignment. Knowing his current medical condition, they opted for some lighter assignments, but Daetona wouldn't stand for the favoritism, and demanded something on his level of ability. Reluctantly, they assigned him one of his usual tasks of exterminating a traitor for good.
Perhaps he smirked a bit at the passing thought that this time, whichever side losing the fight would be gone for good, instead of it always being just the "other guy" facing destruction, but his face remained concealed, so none could tell.
Regardless, he proceeded to move through Rome's Red District on route to his task, stopping at the Northern Bridge of the lusterous park area. Gazing north, his eyes closed in thought and memory, he caressed a silver filagre ring of high quality on his left-hand ring finger with a delicate touch.
From there he moved south, and to the closest working Grid Terminal to access and travel. Then on to the heart of the Company, Omni-Tek Headquarters. The entrance to a high-security research and development facility was flagged on his HUD, and he applied the hacked building key to slip inside quickly.
Throughout the building was a continues hum caused by the many electronics about the facility. Oxygen scanners, Notum scanners, weight sensors, and motion detection devices where all present. Making it impossible for anything coming or going into this building to not be known to its security system. Where someone to be watching, they could compromise the assignment's success, and that couldn't happen.
Daetona's eyes closed, but this time the lids came from the side, and had a more artificial appearence. Part of his cybernetic enhancement that allowed for infra-red vision. They flashed a crimson light as he moved through the motion detetctor beams that where now visable, gracefully slipping between the rods of light, he arched his body and came to a new hallway.
He continued to follow a blip on his radar to a nearby inhabitant, registering as a human life-form and of Omni-Tek affiliation. The notum sensors in place could still give him away as well if they detected the notum present on him. It really depended on how finely tuned and sensative they where. Taking no chances, Dae removed two small devices from his gear, and set them at the intake of the notum sensors, activating each one. They would now instantly shut down any nano-bot, or absorb and recycle even the smallest molecule of notum coming within ten inches of them. Nifty little gadgets, he was thankful he had come across them in the shop recently, though had doubts about their origin.
The blip now came from around the corner, just to the east. And as Daetona snuck a peek around the bend, he saw someone's back. Grey Modernized ICC Secretary Cloak, Solitus by body appearence, male with blonde hair. He had something in his hands he could not see though. something that had his attention.
Not his target, and most likely not dangerous, Daetona clung to the wall, watching for where this man was going, as he starting walking north at a casual pace.
The moment he turned the corner, Dae stepped out silently, and stalked his oblivious guide until another blip appeared on radar, this too, bearing a human pattern, and Omni-Tek affiliation.
Waiting until the sound of the door opening was heard, Daetona slipped a peek around this corner, down the hall and into the room. His quick glance capturing what looked like a static-clean workshop and another man with orange hair in the distance. Matching the brief desciption to what he just saw, he tapped his HUD to alert his superiors that he had a lock on his target. An instant later, his HUD flashed "confirmed" across its screen, and the blip on his radar switched over from Omni-Tek blue, to Clan red.
At the same moment, his target was alerted that his registration with the company was ended, a very alarming message to receive, and he knew exactly what it meant.
A quick commotion came from the room as one of the two went scurrying for something, and Daetona sprang out from the shadows and towards the room in a blaze. Hands glowing from the electricity covering them, he took three quick sprints to make it into the room, and with one swift movement, swept the legs out from under the blonde haired man and delivered a knock-out kick to his jaw.
Rising just in time to see his target bringing up a sub-machine gun, most likely what he just dove for a moment ago when he realized what was happening. With a squeeze of the trigger, a hail of gunfire errupted and pounded into the dense computer mainframe behind Dae as he stepped to the side to evade. He still caught two slugs in the shoulder, but they where wild, and barely got through his armor.
The systems behind him started to crackle and short-out from the damage, and smoke poured from a small grouping of them from the weapons initial burst.
Dropping a steaming-hot clip to the ground and going for a fresh one, the target fumbled the clip out of his hands, and it fell to the floor. At this, he franticly dropped down and reached to pick it up, but it was kicked away from his grasp before he could by Daetona as he moved in close.
The fight was over now, no need to draw it out.
"For making available cutting edge technology to our enemies, you have commited the crime of espionage against Omni-Tek. For what you know, and what you've done, you have been deemed too dangerous to deserve imprisonment, and instead will be put to death. There will be no trial, your execution is now..." Daetona listed as he grasped the now fearfully anticipating man by the colar of his coat, and drew an open hand back.
The sparks from the systems behind him leapt out and joined the flow of electricity covering his hand, and gave it a brilliant glow now, blindingly luminescent.
Twisting his hand around as he struck, Dae drove his open hand into the man's chest and felt the life pour out of him instantly. Then letting his body fall to the floor, was just able to notice the circuitry sparking fiercly behind him, and the door slamming shut and locking. Then, a voice came from the nearby terminal, and every system in this room sprang to life.
"Fail-Safe Emergency Procedure number Seventy-Seven activated!" It recited. "System Over-Load in twenty seconds."
His eyes going wide at the precautionary measure his target had taken, Dae bound over a work-station and to the only door out, now closed and sealed. His fingers not slender enough to slip into the opening, he took a step back, and prepared to pound it open if he could in despiration.
The furious punches echoed throughout the hallway outside, but where not set free by the doors opening. Instead, they stopped as the computer's count reached Zero, and then finally opened once all was quiet. Letting loose a cloud of smoke, the inside of the room was now charred to an electrical crisp. Three scrorched bodies lay on the floor, none moving.
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"I lost him, I'm sorry." The first male voice came over that same secure channel. "Tracking now to find out if he survived."
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A Reclaim Terminal at Galway Castle reformed Daetona moments later, and his body fell limp to the ground, his arm catching on the corner of the Item Collection Booth to find support. Having barely the strength, and hardly the presence of mind to keep on his feet, Daetona coughed out a spurt of blood, and collapsed to the base of the terminal.
Time passed, he hadn't a clue as to how long though, and his eyes slowly opened again. He saw in-front of him several sillouettes standing around in a half-circle at the foot of where he now lay.
One stepping forward boldly, spoke in a familiar and mechanical voice. Coming slightly closer, and into the light, he could see the masked figure he had reported too many times before for information and upon request from Daetona's superiors. Not through a holo-image though as before, this time they where in the flesh, as it where...
"The time has come for you to become one with Janus, our Son." The voice spoke. "Time to rejoin your Father in our collective."
Daetona could not harness the strength to rise, but mustered a voice despite the serious condition he was in.
"My... Father?" He managed to get out, then slipped back into unconscousness.
Darkness took him again, and he dreamt of his youth. Of training with his Father in the Park of Omn-Entertainment, the lessons taught to him from as far back as he could remember. One memory came to him particularily clear and focused though, a day when his Father told him that he would learn the workings of life in the fullness of time, and all questions would eventually receive their answers... someday. He didn't understand what he was talking about back then, but felt as if he was about to truly comprehend these words.
"One day, my Son... Your destiny will be realized, and you will conceive of things you cannot imagine." His Father had said. "You will transend all that you have come to be and accept, and move on to another state of existence. Until then, ready yourself as I know you are capable, and stand ready to face this new reality when it comes."
Dreams of his wife also came to him in this sleep. Memories of her beauty and kindness gave him comfort, and peace. Whatever happened now, he hoped she would find happiness and safety. Perhaps finally leaving this war-torn world for another to live out her days in peace and quiet.
Daetona's eyes opened again, and the physical pain he expected to feel was missing. Instead he felt more alive than he had ever been, yet still and calm. Glancing down at his hands, they where now dressed in the same armor as those who where gathered at the foot of where he last lay. His whole body was covered in this suit, including a mask to match the others as well. A series of wires protruded from the back of his head and across the floor leading to an enormous mainframe. Despite this bizarre vision, he felt no fear, no confusion... all was calm and serene.
The thoughts and voices of the other members of Janus ran through his mind, all connected through these wires now. His Fathers voice among them welcomed their newest addition to the fold with enthusiasm. Now, he was neither the man known to some as "Dae", nor the secret collective known as Janus. They where all changed with this advent, becoming a greater consciousness, one that would watch over the Company with great care and authority, as they always had.
Never again was General Monte "Daetona" Jr. seen or heard from on Rubi-Ka... His personel files became locked and his death reported to be a condition of the "Soul-Burn" Bomb detonated at the Omni-Tek Rally on 6-7-29477. His last known mortal remains will be placed in a tomb located just outside Rome.
