[M] IC: Forced Destiny [ADN & Numbers]

[Numbers]

"Conscious?" She audibly scoffed at the idea. "Now I said I wasn't evil, I didn't say I cared that much about lives. Whats to stop me from sending you undesirables, simply put your ambassador. Who would have access to the records of people in the dome. Background checks, medical records, offenses against the laws, the works. As for you Midoria." She looked specifically at the screen with her on it.

"Your findings were correct. We used the research you gathered to develop more technology in your absence. If you recall the same problem you would run into farther to the equator is a problem you get higher up in the altitude. So designing a stealth aircraft that wouldn't be destroyed by such dangers was tough. However, we eventually designed a special shielding to protect the very sensitive electronics from damage. Of course, its far from perfect, and the scale that we would have to adjust from would be immense. So don't get me wrong, this offer that I would be making to you is not something that would be done in a month. However, it is surely better than constantly fighting and losing more lives wouldn't you agree. Simply put though this is just the first draft of the plan. Of course, there is time to make negotiations and everything like that. Plans to be drawn, agreements to be made. No doubt before you even accept the plan you would like to see the schematics behind the shielding devices to protect the dome. I would be able to give you the plan of the smaller shielding device that is used to protect the spy plane. As well as send you the plans of what the larger device that would be needed for the dome. Though that one would take some more time in order to do correctly. So until an official plan on the dome is put into place, I propose a temporary white peace. Give me time to show you the blueprints, the maps, the resource locations. If you like what you see, we can work on establishing a more set in stone deal."

[AngelDellaNotte]

“Not that we are agreeing but yet again I see another problem with your plan. Will your elite be able to survive without their work force? It is no secret that the domes run on the back of the slums and the people there. If you truly mean to allow anyone who wishes to leave how will you survive when everyone in your work force leaves for a better chance. I don't see many if any willing to stay behind in a lack of a better word, shit hole.” Samuel said. He was one of the last people you would ever expect to be part of the rebels. He was born into a corporate family having been a son of Jubilee Productions. It had been his families unwillingness to get rich off the sweat and blood of others that led to their downfall. At the collapse of the company Samuel had been a young man. He fled the dome meaning to make his way to another dome but failed getting lost in the arctic. The rebels and found him and taken him into their ranks. Over the years he became one of their leaders. “Tell me Miss Aeroff are you willing to come down from your ivory tower and get your hands dirt? Are those you represent going to the same?”

“Or will you eventually deny those you need the chance to leave?” Helena said, getting another glare from Nathan but he let her speak. He felt the same way. Alessia couldn't expect their dome to survive with no one there to maintain it or the ice mines. Who would honestly want to stay working in the dangerous mines where death was an everyday factor for little pay and no chance of bettering yourself or your family when you could leave for a chance of a better life? The dome would collapse without them. Alessia would have no choice but to deny people the option to move south eventually. “What is stopping you from creating a slave force when you have run out of all options?”

[Numbers]

"An excellent point indeed. If everyone decides to leave, who will do the dirty work? As long as there is a hope for other people to go, they would rather do that then work hard. Another plan that was put into action recently. Robotics. Machines. Beautiful they are. Machines can be used to create other machines, as well as repair them. Those that have to take care of the maintenance of the machines are the middle wealth and quite happy. Slowly but surely more and more machines continue to do the work of the lower wealth. Now obviously, we then run into the issue of police and soldiers. To say the least that one has already been taken care of and is currently slowly in the development experimental technology state... Isn't that right Agent 0? I do wonder if you remember the secret that I am talking about. What do you say Agent 0, should I show them exactly what I'm talking about? Or do you think it would be wise to simply not show them? After all, the experiment is capable of turning itself back on so that it can assist its master." She spoke in a way that if Helena remembered, she would realize she was talking about Orion.

Though she knew the rebels knew nothing of Orion for this was her own pet project. So she chose her words carefully as if to imply the experiment that she was talking about was Helena, that the device could turn itself back on somehow. Of course, she knew that it couldn't. She would be surprised if there was even half of the device left in Helena's head. "Look, you have questions and I have answers. We both know that the basis of the idea I am offering is valid and it can work. As I've told Helena, this deal won't stay on the table forever. Building the new domes can only be done at certain times of the year during certain years. Add in the fact that the deal is only on the table while I live and there are assassins from other domes looking to kill me for even thinking of a deal. Not to mention, if you think I'm evil, you should see the person who would replace me. If they get control of the dome they'll develop something to deal with you. I admit to hunting you and fighting a war with you, but I haven't worked to design super weapons against you. The other person has already proposed different blueprints and schematics for weapons that will destroy more of the planet. So much to the point that it doesn't matter who survives, they'll simply die from the planet going into an already worse state."

[AngelDellaNotte]

Helena watched as Alessia rambled on not really understanding what she was talking about. She wondered if anyone else did. Perhaps she was trying to put a bigger wedge between Helena and the rebels. She looked over to monitors with the council then to Nathan, while avoiding Alessia. “Nathan permission to address the council.” She said.

“I'm surprised you are even asking. Go ahead. Not like I can stop you anyway.” Nathan said, with a gesture.

“I've been saying it all along you can't trust her.” Helena said, finally looking to Alessia and gesturing to her with her still bound hands. “Stop and think about why she is doing all this. Why does she give a damn about anyone here? Or in the slums? The truth she doesn't. Alessia Aeroff doesn't give a damn about anyone but Alessia Aeroff. Everyone else is someone she can use and everyone is expendable. Which leads to the question why she is doing any of this at all. If she has all these weapons that can destroy us why hasn't she used them?”

Helena took a step toward the monitors keeping her hands before her. “She can't, these fancy robots she is talking about. She doesn't have them and won't be able to as long as she is fighting us. She needs the people in the slums to be her work horses. Bringing us back to this whole plan with the domes. Why after all these years does Aeroff want to make peace with us. I'll tell you why. They are afraid of us. Every day our numbers grow more and more. With every rebel they kill two more are born. With every atrocious wrong they commit more turn to our side. It is only a matter of time before we outnumber them. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if we don't already do. She knows this that is why she is making this deal. Because she knows she can't win. We however can, we just need to stay the course. We can't be making backhanded deals with the likes of her. Well she doesn't even have the courage to look you in the eyes. Instead she hides behind that mask.”

[Numbers]

"Courage? That's funny coming from you, Helena. Fine, you want proof of the advancement in technology. I'll give it to you. Activation code Omega, Foxtrot, Alpha, Zero, Zero, Nine, Delta." After she spoke there was silence from the council as they watched to see what happened. At first, it seemed like nothing, but then a noise slowly made its presence known. A loud humming sound could be picked up easily as her suit hummed back to full power again. "Orion Artificial Intelligence program starting up. Master is bound." Suddenly a jolt of electricity shot around her body and broke the cuffs on her hands. "Location unknown. Reinforcements unknown. Enemies outnumber forty to one. Odds of masters survival without help, ten percent. Unlocking weapons protocol." Suddenly the weapons of the rebels were pointing at Alessia. "Weapons are missing. Initiating freedom mode." Alessia was annoyed that she would have to show off her toy currently. As if in a moment a bright flash erupted into the room given by the suit.

During the bright flash of light, sounds could be heard when the light had faded, Alessia was still standing where she was, but with only her skin control suit still on. Her armor had quickly moved during the blinding light and found itself behind Sabel, one around holding her hands behind her back and its other arm holding a knife underneath Sabel's neck. "Odds of master's survival. Ninety percent." Feeling that her suit had performed a good example of its capabilities Alessia went to speak. She coughed at first to get attention from everyone since half was watching her the other half staring with some fear at the suit.

"Now as you can see, this is only a prototype of a scout suit. They're armed with hidden weapons, biological countermeasures, such as a temporary blinding light, a thin energized field around its body to protect it from bullets, and even an experimental communication set up to be used during blizzards. I haven't had the chance to test the communication device inside of it yet, and I made sure to activate the protocol that would leave the device offline. After all, if it does work, my agents would arrive here in half an hour wearing their own suits just like this one. Of course, the suit has other hidden gadgets to help it with scouting in this wasteland as ours, but I don't think it needs to show those off right now." Alessia put up her hand in a certain shape and her suit took the knife away from the girl before walking over to Alessia and standing behind her. Once it was behind her, the front half of the suit opened up in ways that allowed Alessia to walk backward into her suit, before the front half closed again, sealing her inside. "Test deactivated. Master assuming control. Reducing power levels to defense only." The humming died off again.

She pressed a button on her arm since her hands were still free the helmet on her suit opened up and slid into the inside of her suit, leaving her face open to everyone again. "Now, the scout suit isn't the only one in production. We have suits for hunters, soldiers, police officers, trackers, and my favorite, infiltrators. While the infiltrators haven't entered the testing phase yet, they will soon. Getting them to act like a human while wearing the image of a human is slightly difficult, but we get closer every week. As for the earlier question of Helena.... or was it a point? Simply put, if I have such powerful, world damaging weapons why don't I use them? I don't want to destroy the world. It's already pretty damaged and destroying it more would seem counterproductive to living. If anything, I've invested in technology to try and reverse some of the damage done. Not that I would be able to completely heal the world, I could hopefully make it less dangerous." Alessia then turned to Helena with a smirk. "Sorry that I had to use Sabel was a test dummy. I didn't actually choose her. Simply put while I was being held on the snowmobile, and sitting in the cell, and even standing in this room. Orion was building files on everyone it could observe with any of its senses. Then it simply chose the highest person as a hostage. It knows how much Sabel means to you, and how much Sabel means to her father. Of course, I had no intention of harming her, but I felt leaving Orion with its knife at her neck would have only proved to be counterproductive to what I'm trying to do."

She then looked at Sabel and gave a slight apologetic bow before turning back to the council. "Why do I offer these deals. I believe I already said why though. I wish to fight you guys no more. My company values science over manpower. We don't have the ability to make robots do the grunt work yet. However, the dome I am offering you is also not done yet. Even when we finish building it for you, it won't be able to support a full population right away. It would take a minimum of three months for the dome to get up to full power, full resources, and fully to the capabilities needed to support any population above a thousand. By the time the dome is done and is able to support your people, and the half of population that is on the lower spectrum of jobs or lower, my robots will be done, and ready to take over the grunt work. If you still doubt my technological capabilities, all you have to do is let me leave with two people of your choice. I'll give them the current blueprints of the construction and mining robots so that you can see that what I say we are doing, is actually what we are doing. As for who to send as ambassadors. I would request Helena, but I would need someone to be with her and make sure she doesn't try to sabotage this deal if you agree to it. Someone who knows Helena well and still trusts her." As she spoke, she made it clear she was talking about Sabel. "As I said, you don't have to agree to the full deal right now. Especially since what you might want will change during the construction of the dome since the dome can be customized as well. For now, I simply ask for a peace treaty and two ambassadors who can send you intel on the blueprints and everything that will prove I am telling the truth." She then looked to the father of Sabel, Nathan.

"Do we have a deal?"

[AngelDellaNotte]

When Alessia stopped speaking, Helena stood there her fists clinched. She was furious at Alessia for attacking Sabel. She didn't give a damn about her apology or reasoning. Taking a few deep breaths Helena closed her eyes. The council was talking again. Debating the offer. Finally it just broke for Helena. She opened her eyes and lunged across the room slamming both her fists into Alessia's face knocking her to the ground. She slammed her fist into Alessia a couple of times until she was grabbed by a couple of the guards in the room. They pulled her back but the rage was still there she found herself fighting as best as she could with her hands bound before her. Helena broke break from the guards holding her and slammed her elbow into one of the guards face. She was about to hit the other one trying to hold her when Nathan stepped up and punched her. Helena said, staggered back but was still struggling.

“Oliver, stop this.” Nathan said, watching Helena still struggle with the guards. They had managed to get a hold of her again but she was still fighting them. “Damnit Helena!” Nathan reached out again punching her. She slumped in the guards arms and fell to the ground landing next to an unconscious Alessia. “Take them back to the cells. Make sure you put them in separate cells last thing we need right now is Oliver killing her. We can discuss this without them.” The guards nodded and picked up both Helena and Alessia carrying them back to the cells.

Helena woke up about half an hour later, her lip felt swollen and her eye was sore. Feeling her lip she could tell it was split open a bit of dried blood there. Her left eye was throbbing and no doubt blackened. Looking over to the other cell Alessia was laying on the bed still asleep with her own black eye. Continuing to scan the room she noticed Sabel sitting on a chair outside the cells. On her throat was a small bandage. The knife had cut her but it was barely a scratch, just enough to break the skin, the bandage wasn't really needed anymore. “Sabel.” Helena said, jumping to her feet and running to the bars. Sabel was still sitting in the chair and was out of reach.

“The council agreed to the plan. When you and Miss Aeroff are able we are heading back to the dome.” Sabel said, standing up but not moving closer to Helena.

“No, they can't.” Helena started to say but Sabel held her hand up stopping her.

“Well the did.” Sabel said, “Helena I know this isn't what you wanted but this is where we are heading. We have to make it work.”

“You keep saying we.” Helena said, recalling how Alessia said she wanted someone to go back with them to keep her in line. Why the hell Alessia even wanted her to go with her was beyond Helena. Probably just to torment her more.

“Yes, we. I'm going with you Helena as the rebel ambassador.” Sabel said.

“Like hell you are. Sabel no, I don't give a damn what the council wants you to do. It's not happening.” Helena said, grabbing the bars of the cell.

“My father said the same thing when I volunteered.” Sabel said. “I don't think this war is ever going to win at the rate we are going. We are going to keep fighting until what? Both sides are dead? We have to try something different. This could be it. Besides I'll finally get to see the inside of the dome.” Sabel was born outside the dome and had lived her entire life in the rebel headquarters. She had never set foot inside a dome. Over the years she had heard many stories from people who came from the dome but all she knew was stories and some of the reconnaissance photos she had seen.

[Numbers]

Alessia looked out at the field in front of her. It was beautiful. It was green as far as the eye could see and she looked as far as she could. As she looked up she saw the beautiful blue sky and felt the rays of sun coming down from it, touching her skin. She remembered this well. Her father would often let her be in the virtual room after training sessions. She remembered training with her grandfather and those he employed to mentor her. They were ruthless, they beat her, broke bones, left deep cuts, all in the name of teaching her.

Of course, the technology always healed her back up. In her memory, the image of a boy appeared in front of her. He was roughly the same age as her. He was from another dome and was the son of one of the teachers. He was always nice to her and it would stop them from going too far. It made her sad though. For she knew the boy was gone. One training afternoon went bad and the boy's father attacked his own son for getting in the way of the teaching. Alessia felt angered and attacked the father and the rest of teachers, killing them. She never knew if the boy survived or not because she was quickly taken away.

She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them. She was in the cell now. She put a hand to the black eye and felt the bruise. That didn't bother her. Her hand moved gently along her face until she found the scar hidden behind her hair. The technology could heal everything, even scars, but the scar served as a memory. She had later found out that the father was sent to kill her. He was a rebel of another dome and thought it would be easier to destabilize one dome to take over. She sat up when she realized the other two were talking. Sable and Helena.

She noticed the bandage on Sabel's neck. "I do apologize again. Looks like Orion still has some bugs in his ability to gauge distances. I guess that shows the difference between even nanometers." She moved from a sitting position to a standing position. "Looks like Orion made sure the rest of my body didn't get damaged. Sucks his healing module isn't ready for testing yet. Guess I'll have to take care of it later though. What happened after I was knocked out?" Alessia walked to the bars of the cell and leaned against them lightly. Her own helmet had slid out of its hiding position and covered her head again. "Sabel and Agent 0 were talking about how the deal was accepted on terms that Agent 0 is not happy with."

"Well, I didn't think they would accept it. So that's a pleasant surprise." Alessia moved to the middle of the cell and did a few stretches real quick. "I guess the real question is when are we leaving. My suit has the ability to make the call. No doubt my agents have the scout plane in the air waiting for contact since I didn't make contact from the safehouse. I'm sure you would like to keep this place a secret so when you are ready to take me to some unknown location, I am ready to go."

[AngelDellaNotte]

Almost an hour later they had geared up to leave. Both Helena and Alessia were let out of the cell neither of them bound then. The jumped on a couple snowmobiles, Sabel rode on one with a rebel behind her. There was another with Nathan and another rebel. While Helena rode with Alessia, the hood was placed on her again. Like they had on the way here they took a longer trip than they needed twisting, turning and even back tracking. Eventually they ended up in a clearing near where they had captured Alessia. It was an attempt to keep the location of the way station from Alessia. They made have been willing to work with Alessia but they weren't about to let her know where they lived. Helena wasn't thrilled about a number of things the most being that Sabel was coming back with them. Along with Alessia being able to keep her suit. Who knew what kind of data she had recorded but they were pretty sure she couldn't tell where the way station was. In the clearing the rebels set up a perimeter around them to protect them from any wildlife. Helena got off the snowmobile and removed Alessia's hood. “So what now?” Helena said.

[Numbers]

Alessia simply looked in Helena's direction. Her helmet covering her face but she was fine with that. "Simple. I send out the pulse beacon. Experimental. However, one of the missions of two my agents, the ones who spend time out here in the wasteland hunting. One of their missions is to plant experimental beacons in the snow. When I fire off a pulse of energy that is under a certain frequency that is designed to bounce off of these beacons, it will bounce all the way to an experimental communication array. The array will then transmit the data back to the dome which will be picked up by a receiver where the agent on the computer will pinpoint the signal and send out the spy plane."

Alessia then started to press some buttons on her arm and a loud, deep, audible pulse was heard. It was a single pulse and it sounded as if it came deep from the ground beneath her. It was the pulse signal that she was talking about. "When in the area of origin, the plane will perform special energy readings to find the exact spot of the signal and then land. Depending on how far from the dome we are. It should take about half an hour to an hour to find us. It's significantly faster than the snowmobiles which makes it great for scouting, spying, and recovering. The only problem is anyone not fixed with a certain transponder will be shot. Your suit already has it thankfully. As for Sabel's... Well, I should be able to modify her suit to give off the transponder as well. The other rebels on the perimeter will have to leave in about twenty minutes in case the plane is able to get here at the earliest."

Alessia started walking over to Sabel. "What I need you to do Sabel is standing perfectly still. Orion is going to scan you when I give the word. He'll scan your suit, height, materials of the suit, and the imprint you're leaving in the snow in order to determine not only your metrics but the specifications of your suit. Once it has the exact specifications of the suit, Orion will take control of my hands temporarily to mess with some of the parts of your suit to make it give off the same transponder that I and Helena are giving off. Because I'm sure Helena will try to punch me again... Not that she would be able to this time with Orion in control, I would rather have your permission. That is, your permission to alter your suit so that the plane doesn't shoot you on sight."

[AngelDellaNotte]

“I might punch you anyway. God knows you deserve it.” Helena said, leaning against the snowmobile. Her leg was hurting some, Sabel had offered her some pain killers but she had declined them saying others needed them more than she did. She could handle the pain for a while.

“Helena.” Sabel said, in a chiding tone as she looked over to the former soldier who shrugged. “You may do what you need Miss Aeroff.”

“We should be leaving before your plane arrives.” Nathan said, still amazed that they had a plane that could fly in the storms. It would seem there was much the domes were creating that the rebels didn’t know about. Nathan hadn’t really been sold on Alessia’s plan but he had been out-voted by a three to two vote of the council. He still didn’t trust Alessia, his opinion much like Helena’s. Not to mention he still wasn’t thrilled about Sabel being the rebel ambassador. There were plenty of qualified people. Aside from Sabel having a wild streak in her Nathan had to admit his daughter was well suited for a life of politics but as any father he didn’t want to see his daughter in danger.

The rebels that had accompanied them got back on their snowmobiles and left the area leaving the three women alone. Before leaving Nathan had warned Helena that if anything happened to his daughter she shouldn’t bother coming back to the rebel hideout. Helena looked over to Alessia. “Let’s just get this over with.”