Date: Classified PROJECT: Zed Status: Unstable

Specimen has been growing increasingly hostile ever since VR training session with PROJECT: Shen. Specimen said to have stared upon its fellow PROJECT for several minutes, ignoring all commands before eventually entering combat mode and attacking PROJECT: Shen. Both specimens were put into controlled stasis before severe damage could be made onto either PROJECT.

PROJECT: Zed has been subjected with higher levels of SERUM dosage since then, but each increased injection has been met with more and more hostility. If specimen continues resisting SERUM effects and growing unruliness, forced shut down may be only option.

Log: End

Date: Classified PROJECT: Zed Status: Missing

Specimen has broken out of containing unit and all connection towards it have been lost. All attempts of search and recapture have been met with negative results, other PROJECT units are being sealed and monitored until further notice.

Lead Researcher Stanwick Piddly has issued a forced shut down upon PROJECT: Zed when found. Specimen will be scrapped and parts used for future PROJECT units.

Log: End

Date: Classified PROJECT: Zed Status: HOSTILE!

SPECIMEN HAS ATTACKED LABORATORY AND IS KILLING RESEARCHERS LEFT AND RIGHT SOMEONE HEL-

Log: End

_PROJECT: Lucian//Online. _

Mission//Assassination

Begin

As you wish. Came my cold reply. It was just like any another day, I wake up from a cold slumber, I am given my orders, I carry them out with incredible efficiency. I do it not because I have to, or because I want to. I do it so that I can sleep again. When I sleep, I dream, and when I dream I see...her. I do not know her name or why she feels so familiar, but when I dream of her I feel...alive.

There I whispered to myself as my saw my target. I prepare my S-10 and L-20 Lightcaster and ready the shot when...Crap! Spotted me. I said to myself when my target suddenly ran. I gave chase. The target tried everything it could to escape me and in a way I was impress. The target was agile and quick on it feet, using everything it could to slow me down. garbage bags, boxes, even climbing over a fence, but my pursuit was relentless. Anything thrown at me was shot down, any walls were destroyed or hopped over. The target was getting tired, running out of road and ideas. No where to run. I said almost cheerfully for soon I would be able to go back to sleep and see... You!!

The target...was a young woman, who look just like the one from my dream. Who are you? What is your name?

The woman was scared, barley able to talk but she answered with "S-S-Senna"

Senna?

Error! Error! Error!

Agh...Ahh...

_Memory//CORRUPTED!!! _

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

//Mission parameters: Eliminate specified target. Any individuals protecting target are to be eliminated. Stealth is no factor. //Unit assigned: PROJECT Lucian.

I wake.

Weapons are in hand the moment optical sensors are online. Data filters through the head jack – mission parameters download within miliseconds. Restraints release their hold, and I move – fast. No time for patience. Mission parameters set to URGENT.

I move.

Travel time to destination: 0:05:14.96 at maximum speed. Feet pound concrete and glass, legs churn and jump – the ground recedes. Contact with floor – a roll, precisely executed – running again, ceaseless.

Arrival at destination .74 seconds late - within acceptable time limits. Target is within nearby structure – edifice of steel and glass, towering above the horizon, neon illuminating its silhouette. Movement stops. Brief analysis phase begun.

I watch.

Thermal visor active – 15 mark IV Drone security mechs logged outside structure, 3 humans tagged within front door. Optics zoom, enhance, scan upwards. Additional Drones and humans logged – 49 and 13, respectively.

TARGET LOCATED – 73rd floor. Biometrics confirmed. Lock established. Ion caster cores charged – cluster chamber prepped – MC-X firing piston functioning at maximum. Knees bend as feet hit the pavement before the Drones at the front door.

I fire.

Photokinetic projectiles tear through exoskeletons. Starbursts of light cut down swaths of Drones. Amber rays pierce flesh, blacken skin, burn bone. Return fire sails through the air, never coming close to its intended target – I am alight with movement and destruction.

Secondary targets eliminated. Access to structure obtained.

The second group is concealed – prepared. The slight advantage they gained from the sacrifices outside mean nothing. Shards of light find hearts, skulls, mechanical brains. Auditory receptor capacity reduced automatically, cutting off organic sounds and detonations. Elimination of targets takes 5.04 seconds longer than those outside – outside of expected performance.

I move.

I fight.

I kill.

73rd floor reached. Target waits within office. Fear pheromones clog olfactory receptors – functionality reduced to zero. Wooden door bars path. A metal leg lifts – kicks. Obstacle removed.

Incoming fire. Shoulder plating scarred: damage minor. A cluster of light particles fly into the room as the one who fired it darts aside. Light explodes inside – cutting through flesh and metal.

Biometrics indicate survival of primary target. Feet pad through the blasted doorframe, over blood and blackened metal parts. Target is wounded – blood drips from his shoulder, his legs. One arm confirmed broken. Fear clouds his eyes as a gun of light is leveled at his face.

“you need a pure heart. a fearless mind. an inner light that outshines all the darkness in the world”

Auditory sensors reduced to zero.

“protect the innocent”

Error –

“I love you”

“Don’t do this”

A face – woman – momentarily appears. Concern – love – sorrow – she is _familiar. _ A name – FILE CORRUPTED – why can’t I –

I am Lucian.

//SYSTEM REBOOT

I aim. I fire.

Target eliminated.

I move.

Project: Leona//Online.

Diagnostics//15 seconds lost/no major damage–>proceed with task.

I drew breath as I rose from the collapsed sign. What little of me left that was organic ached, but I had to obey. I looked up to see the lone figure, as his blade faded from a neon yellow to a burning orange. He sheathed his blade unwilling to inflict more pain, and looked back at me from atop his perch at the peak of the steps.

"You don't have to obey them if you don't want to," Yasuo spoke calmly, but with conviction. Still, I had seen more conviction in others. "You do realize that don't you?"

"You don't know what my insubordination merits!" I shouted over the heavy rainfall. "You're clueless to what some people have to fight for."

Yasuo opened his visor and laughed that tired pained laugh. "You think they have leverage over someone as powerful as you? how dense are you?"

Enraged, I activated my H-Impact Ctl Cylinder, firing right at him. With the flick of his blade, the projection stopped short as a wall of plasma came to meet it.

"You don't even know the extent of your mission, do you?" Yasuo taunted, sheathing his sword. "You don't even know what they want me for, do you?"

I grit my teeth and glared at him. Why was he wasting my time? What was his angle? I slowly stepped toward the base of the stairs. How would I beat him? Wait for my cylinder to cool off and activate my driver? He’d be gone by then. I knew what I had to do.

"I'm starting a revolution." Yasuo snapped his visor down, looking over the cityscape of Ionia. "One where people fight to protect what they care about. That's something you understand, yes?"

"Understand this." I spat, raising my sword to the sky. A wide beam of light smashed down into Yasuo, stuttering him. I activated my ion charge shield, firing my cylinder to connect with him, and rocketing forward, my driver charged up. I bashed him into the door atop the stairs and stood triumphant.

"Well..." Yasuo gasped, "now may be good a time as any to cut to the point."

"What makes you think I'll listen to more negotiations?" I interrogated.

"Because they're lying to you." Yasuo stated, a cold stare cut through his visor.

"Elaborate." I ordered.

"They don't have what you're protecting," Yasuo chuckled, a chill ran down my spine, "Two days ago, we secured a subject en route to the labs."

He couldn't mean....

"We saved Diana."

Relieving and painful words to hear. I stepped back and fell to my knee. Yasuo stood up and turned to the door. In a back and forth slash, the door was peeled apart. He turned back and sheathed his sword.

"Would you like to come see her?"

I stood from my place, a tear rolling down my cheek.

"More than you know." I admitted.

Connection//Broken Error 404//Unit not found

Day 1

My creations are a success. After the test trial of Project Yasuo I have mastered the art of cybernetic transformation. I have removed all weakness from them and created the perfect assassins. They are stronger, faster, and more powerful than anything ever before. My creations will create a new world.

Day 13

The initial tests were a huge success…however, project Leona shows….troubling signs. Moments of aloofness when not on an active mission, a tendency to stand away from her cybernetic brethren. I have pulled her from the rogue cyborg combat exercise to conduct tests at a later time. I must be certain she is free of defects before putting her on the field.

Day 24

Project Leona is still troubling, but what bothers me is why I cannot figure out what is wrong. I have checked every system, replaced several parts, and she undoubtedly follows my every command but random behaviors still occur. They are not extreme behaviors but they could be annoyances. I questioned her why she stood apart from her brethren and she had a curious answer, “Why do I have a shield?” It dawns on me that her programming has in some way determined that her shield functions differently from the swords they all have. I will download updated files for shield usage into her memory, it must have been a corrupt file when first uploaded.

Day 30

All projects will be going on their first mission tomorrow. An “Investor” of great interest in my creations has a specific target in mind for them to assassinate. Some politician of sorts, probably a rival. Project Leona has still been displaying...odd behavior, but it was demanded that all 6 of my cybernetic creations be put to use. I am not perfectly content with Leona but I do not see how these behaviors would jeopardize the mission.

Day 32

The mission was a success…Leona, brought a child back with her. Apparently it was the daughter of the political rival. I have no idea why she brought back the child as it was not in the mission. However, I am in need of more test subjects, perhaps she internalized a sub-mission of acquiring new supplies? I have allowed for them to learn and adapt but…within 32 days to go to such lengths? I am troubled greatly by this. I may have to disassemble Leona to figure out what is causing this change. Why is she so different from the others?

Day 40

I underestimated the severity of Leona’s abnormality. I realize now that somewhere within her core human instincts or of her past life were shining through. Ingrained to the primal level was an instinct to protect others. Installing her with a protective shield kept those instincts alive, and now…she has escaped with the child from before. A section of my lab is in ruin now. The maternal instinct to protect overrode my fail safes. I must quickly correct this in the other projects befo

Command: Boot Main System My name is Yi This one thought pierced my mind like the last rays of a sunset on the horizon. How long have I been here? My eyes ceased to function long ago, soon followed by the rest of my senses. I used to be afraid, but now there is nothing but the eternal stillness of oblivion. Why am I here?

Command: Commence Assimilation Protocol I feel a searing pain fill the void. I cannot move, cannot think. It feels like it has gone on forever. Slowly, even the dread fades away. I have come to accept the pain, to embrace it. I hear a voice say “Resistance is futile.” I fight against this voice. My name is Yi! I scream as loud as I can. They have taken so much from me, but they cannot take that! “You will comply” the voice booms, “There are none they can escape the march of progress!” I am worried for my apprentice, but I quickly realize I don't remember his name anymore. I don't remember any of their names. Even my own name evades me now. Why do I continue to resist? I let go, and feel myself slip away.

Command: Assassination Mission 23-21-11-15-14-7 I see a creature before me. He is a large primate holding a staff in his right hand. I do not know his name, but it does not matter. I draw my blade. The creature attempts to defend himself, but I am familiar with his fighting style. “Please master, don’t you recognize me? Stop this Yi!” the monkey proclaims. For some reason this fills me with an unquenchable rage. I drive my blade through my opponent’s heart. As the creature falls to the ground, I feel a sense of terror overtake me. What have I done? “Wu… Wukong?” I hear myself say, but there is no answer. He is dead. I think back to the creatures last words. My name is Yi

I will admit I am a huge fan of the Shadowrun game series. so here is my entry. **Small tone edits: fixing clarity issues. \\ //

**Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is dead Zed is **

Download of program PROJECT: ZED personality overlay interrupted due to unexpected power loss.

Continuing with wireless data transfer...

Incoming transmission: Video Feed Corrupted. Audio Feed Enabled.

“I'm not sure if you can hear me. I don't have a lot of time and I have no idea if there is enough left inside of you to understand me. I caused a power-loss in the grid so I could ride in the wireless backup. Teemo got me good Intel. Unfortunately that means I owe the psycho a favor. This message should be sneaking in a file that should help you get loose from their control.

_(Static) _

I know I haven't been able to help you in the past, but I can't sit idle as you suffer from your guilt. Nobody could have seen them coming until it was too late; but PROJECT: OVERDIVE is all lies! They're...

_(Static) _

I don't think this safe-house is secure anymore after a stunt like this. My ward drones are picking up movement not far from here.

(Static followed by sounds of gunfire and explosions)

I am running out of time! I don't know if you will or even can open the file, but know this...sigh... I don't blame you for what happened to Akali or to Zed. No matter what, we are still the Kinkou, Shen.

Never forget that; cause at least I won't.”

_Transmission Terminated. _

Data Transfer: COMPLETE Operating Systems: PROJECT: ZED personality overlay 98% Completed Weapon Systems: Online _Motor Systems: _ Online Integrated Software: Online Tracking System: Offline Control Systems: Offline Memory Data: Corrupted Mission Data: Corrupted Identifying issue .......................... .......................... …......................Done! Additional MIssion File Found: Eye_Of_Twilight.exe Execute Mission file? Yes No

//Initiliazing PROJECT: Fiora

//activating primary protocol: single target separation and assassination

//primary target: designate Viktor //secondary target: Battlecast Prime unit

Orders received.

Movement begins. Main force consisting of units 004-Le and 005-Lu act as distractions, moving straight toward the targets, with unit 002-Yi shadowing them. Unit 006-Z moves parallel to the main force from one side. Personal unit moves as well. Enemy base is within sight. Enemy targets utilize Battlecast technology. Personal unit and other units are derived from Battlecast technology stolen from designate: Viktor. Designate responded by ambushing and seizing Unit 001-Ya. Unit will be retrieved. PROJECT units will be proven superior to outdated Battlecast models.

Secondary target approaching. Sensors indicate no backup. Unit 002-Yi confirming combat engagement near main entrance. Unit 006-Z acknowledges and moves in toward a side entrance. Unit 003-F acknowledges, confirms location of Battlecast Prime unit. Activating combat protocols.

Blade comes to life, vibrating slightly. Target strikes at the ground—seismic disturbance detected. Activating dash boots. Seismic disturbance avoided. Stab attack on target does inconsequential damage. Sensors initiating. Weakness in Battlecast Prime chassis detected. Strike is accurate to within five centimeters, Armor is split. Battlecast Prime unit engages sonic blast, overloading vibrosword controls temporarily. Missile damage calculated—damage from sustained fire will be significant. New structural weaknesses detected. Dash boots activated. Target accurate to within 5cm. Charging blade and repositioning to second weak point. Battlecast prime unit mimics flesh too closely—charged blade strike equally effective on Prime unit’s nerve system as on organics. Movement is slowed for 0.98 seconds. Secondary strike prepared. Weak point hit, sword vibration burst increases the damage.

Seismic energy detected.

Initiating countermeasure.

Kinetic field active. Seismic energy erupts, force absorbed by the shield. New structural weakness detected. Energy redirected to blade, released toward Prime unit. Strike is accurate to within 3cm. Prime unit’s systems lock up momentarily as the feedback pierces through armor to vulnerable systems beneath. New weakness detected. Dash boots activated. Target is attempting to retreat before critical system failure occurs. Overload protocol activated. Sword fully charged. Increased vibrational energy allows for strikes at structural stress points. Four identified.

Dash boots activated.

One strike. Target reactivates sonic wave. Damage inconsequential. Two strikes. Charging blade. Shock overloads Prime unit’s nervous system. Move to new stress point. Third strike. Target activates short-range personal teleportation unit. Dash boots activated. Fourth strike.

Secondary target assassinated.

Unit 006-Z confirms primary target assassinated. Unit 002-Yi confirms deaths of other Battlecast units. Unit 004-Le confirms physical and program integrity of Unit 001-Ya. Mission complete.

New mission protocols received. Main force to return 001-Ya to PROJECT base. Unit 003-F and unit 006-Z assigned to cover retreat. Confirmed approach of Yordle Mecha Prototype 04 assassination unit and Prototype 13 skirmisher unit. Data for units received. Unit 006-Z confirms Prototype 04 as target.

Unit 003-F confirms Prototype 13 as target. Prototype 13 designated high threat swordsman unit.

At last, a worthy opponent.

ERROR. Unit 003-F does not assign value to targets.

ERROR. Challenge accepted.

ERROR

Where once he would have felt the heat of the sun and a battle even through gauntleted hands now nothing but numbness seeped through his skin. He was unfeeling.

Yi’s thoughts swirled in turmoil. What did this to me? Why can’t I feel?

As the battlefield smoke dissipated, Yi caught glimpses of Zed piercing a security droid with his bladed armor, Lucian blasting through two droids, Leona hurling down a giant beam of light that tore through a platoon of the robots, Fiora slicing her away through the remainders of the enemy and Yasuo finishing off his own opponent, a larger, more heavily armored battle droid that sent a rapid, armored fist slamming across Yasuo’s helmet.

Yi reached for his blade but Yasuo quickly got to his feet, the wind strangely blooming around him, sending torn, shattered metal scraps flying. The battle droid never even hesitated, raising an arm that fired a crackling bolt of plasma towards Yasuo. Yasuo moved swiftly, sweeping across the air with his sword and the wind reacted, leaping upwards, a solid wall of rushing wind that howled as if it held a powerful typhoon. The attack was sent hurtling up in the air and Yasuo ran forwards nimbly, gracefully moving alongside the air currents and with two swift strikes, ended his opponent, sending the robot crumbling into miserable pieces.

Ionian. The intrusive word exploded into Yi’s mind and somewhere, hidden in his memory was a place full of falling white petals, rustic villages, rustling leaves, home. But the way Yasuo had moved, it looked so familiar… Yi focused. Ionia, Wuju, Invasion… Noxus.

Yi’s eyes snapped open; he had heard tales of Noxian dark sorcery, returning their dead to life, casting powerful illusions. Were they responsible for this?

Yi ran into the wreckage of the laboratory Fiora had uncovered him from, unburied the rubble that covered the chair that he had been strapped down to. Linked to the chair lay a sleek plug, somehow, instinct caused Yi’s feelingless fingers to reach up to the back of his helmet, where there was a tiny hole, roughly the shape of the plug. He hesitated, for just a moment, and then plugged himself back in. It’s time to find out who I am.

Yi… remembered. He was a child training next to his peers. Swords flashed and danced. He had been rash, impatient. And then… death, darkness, but he opened his eyes and somehow light streamed into them, life, and a second chance. He remembered finding an old woman, the last practioner of wuju, he remembered learning patience, forgiveness, and strength. He remembered battling the Noxians. He remembered his old goggles. Wuju gave him power, power he never had as a child, power that might have allowed him to defeat his… brother.

Yi pulled his plug, shaking. He looked up to see Yasuo kneeling next to him.

Yasuo fumbled at his helmet, pressed a button. His visor lifted.

‘I am so sorry,’ Yasuo’s eyes glistened,

‘Yone’.

Posted by ScornOfTheMoon on September 8, 2015 at 5:20 PM || 1 Person likes this post.

Just got back from talking with the police and if that wasn't the most frustrating thing anyone in the history of ever has had to deal with, I don't know what is!

Followed their instructions to the letter; left the hospital as soon as they let me, hobbled my way over to the police station, and did my best to explain to them the situation but in the end, all I got were a couple of mean looks from the officers (one of them even laughing in my face!) and the boot from the station before I was done.

I know what I saw, and no amount of shoddy (and not to mention RUDE) police-work is going to change that. They're trying to pass it off as a simple terrorist attack - hah! How would you explain the sheer amount of destruction to that street after the explosions? No technology that I know of could cause that kind of damage. Plus, how does any of that police report explain how I was the ONLY survivor this mess who _also _ miraculously managed to get away with only a broken leg? (Oh wait, I "lied about being there" as far as they're concerned. Silly me.)

And the biggest mysteries of them all are the ones that I didn't even get to report thanks to the wonderful police force: Who, and what, was she and why did she save me (well, most of me, anyway - hah!) of all people...?

All I wanted were some donuts from Pantheon's Bakery...instead, I got a bunch of pain and now I donut (hah!) see any other option than to take the detective work into my own hands and find out just what exactly is going on here.

She might be a good place to start.

Broken leg or not, I'm going to find you, whoever you are. See you soon (I hope) !!

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---

Logged in as TheRadiantDawn

Data Initializing:\
......................... Enter Log In Data:

User: SUAdmin Password: ******** .......................... Welcome!

Loading Data Loading Project Initiative .........................

Project: Yi - Unknown Project: Leona - Unknown Project: Lucian - Active Project: Zed - Active Project: Fiora - Active >Project: Yasuo - Active ........................... Project: Yasuo

Commands Arsenal >Memory Trace ...........................

Loading Memory Trace: Yasuo...

Death is like the wind. Always by my side.

 The _Change_ happened so fast. Piltover's and Zaun's tech race got too far. Viktor created the _Battle Cast_ line, proving how machines could be implemented into any being. Obviously the League was outraged at this for harming another champion outside the rift. But Viktor claimed it was harmless, so they let it pass. In return, Heimer and Jayce got to work creating the _Mecha_ line. Kha'Zix, Aatrox, and Malphite. The League demanded that they stop tinkering with the Champions, but their work was irreversible. Viktor soon got started on created Death Bots. Deadly machines, with ungodly aim. From there, all of Runeterra was transformed. 

 The Battle Cast ravaged Runeterra. The Mecha tried to stop them, but there is strength in numbers. Then _they_ captured us. Yi, Fiora and I. We were "enlisted" and forced to turn into Death Bots. We were called _Projects_ from then on. I can barely remember my past any farther than that. They tried to wipe our memories so we wouldn't up rise against them, but that was futile. We rose together against them, and we're now roaming for find more. Even though they tried to erase our memories, there is still one name I remember. 

Riven

Memory Trace End ........................... Downloading Project: Yasuo to E:\\

Download Complete

Downloading Project: Fiora to E:\\

Download Complete

Downloading Project: Zed to E:\\

Download Complete

Downloading Project: Leona to E:\\

Download Complete

Downloading Project: Lucian to E:\\

Download Complete

Downloading Project: Yi to E:\\

WARNING: FILE CORRUPT Troubleshoot? >Yes No

Loading Project: Yi

Ṱ̡̨̣o̡҉͓̖̬̬͙͖͕ͅ ̪̩͓i̸͓͇̤̞͚̤̖̰̬n͘͏̲̱̻̩̟̹̰v̤͕͔͚͖͖̱͝o͓̥͍̥͚̝̮̼ķ̭̜̻̫͙ͅe̸̴̞͙̩̫͖ͅ ̩͙̹͓͍̱̙̝̀́t̡̡͍͖͍͚̞h͏̵̼̠̬̲̦̮̙ͅe̥̻ ͚̱̗̖̮̩̩́̀h̞͎̫̗̳i̯̖̩̱̯͇̫̝͜ṿ̶̮̖̼͓͟e̶̛̮̺͔͡-̠͙͍̼͙͞m̵̸̮̮̖̀i͙ǹ̡̧̥͙̞͇̰̗̼d̴͚̺͟͜ͅ ̣̹̖̼̰r̢̜̹͔̖̼̭͓e̹̭̬̮͟p̖͇͙̰̻͔̕͡r̻̬̳͕͚̺͖͙̟͠e̳̣̝͉̘̦͘ͅs̸̢͙͖͈̞̗e̯̮̱̫̩͇̺̝n͏̡̠t̤͇͚͟i̴̼̹̘̼̣̝̼̣ņ̷̟̜g̶̖̞̼̥̮͔ ̴̤̱̪̯̠̲̦͜c͏̶͉̲̰̩̖̝ͅh̴̀͏̱͈͈͇͙̯̩̖a̲̮̰̲̯̲̮̲͔o̢҉̠͎̼̖͉̕ś̖̼͔͚͠.̬͟ ͘҉̞͙̦̹̳̻̥Ì̻͇̞n̖̙͉̕v͚̻͡ó̦͖̰͞k̷̪̜̻͜ḭ̷̬̝̩̭ͅn̡͔̗̻͞g͢҉҉̬͕̲͔ ̧͚̹̤̤̮̱͘t͎̪̥͡h̵̢̻͔e̡̡͎ ͏̬̜̥̯͓̼̱̙͝f̵̪̺͍ę̬̺͝e̢̢͍̼͍l̘̭̩̫̦i̸͕̝n̫̞̩͎͘͠g̣͔̙̞̞̝͎̖ͅ ̡̮̲̖͇̠̬ͅo̭̤͍̦̟f͉͞ ̶̵̜̖c҉҉̤͎ẖ̣̗̞͉͢a͇̯͔̥͔͈͍̰̕͜o̲͖̖̫̞̼͢͠s̷̝̪̘̱̭.̱̟͚͞ ͖̜̬W̵̭̯̣̻̻̝̭̮i̷̧̜̟̞̯͝ṭ̢̤̗̖̥̻͞h͍̤̜̜o̴͏͔͕u̷̥̬̖͠t̴̨͎͖̟ ̯͓o̫̘̘̖̬̹r͇̣̗͈̟͙̖̯ͅd̹̤̖̬̟̳͕̰̱e͚̦̠̥͚͕͈͘r̘̮͍͝.͍͉͘ ̬̮̭͔̳̜͓̮́ ͚̹͜ ̻́ ҉̴͕̹̺ ̦̲̫ ͏̴͔̬͇̦͍̹̜ ̸̺̲͚ ͎͈̪̼̤͘͟ͅ ̢̲̥͖̱̻̮̼ ̻̖̭̠̕̕ ͔͈̞̥̮̠̩̮ ̪͉͍̯̬̥͟͟ ̶̛̟͈̗̹̲̥̜ ̢̱̯͔̫̭̩͎ͅ ͇̻̩̳͔̟̳ ̸̷̼͙̬͎͈͙͚̦͚ ̗͖̳ ̛̯̖͝ ͈͖͙̀̕͟ ̸̮̦̯̟̦̘͡ͅ ̸̼̱̲̙̼͜ ̯̤̘̪̘̘͘ ̢̖̮͍̣͇̺ ̭̘̻͎̤̖́̕͝ ̸̥͈̮͇̻̖̜ͅ ̜ͅ ̨̟̬͇͎̱͔̳͇͠ ͔͇̜̩̱̪̫͘ ̢͖͖̺ ̡̨̟̳̘̦ ̢̦̱̖͞͡ ̸̡̘͙͉̩̣̝ͅ ̖̳̙̼͓̞́͘ ̛̙̥ ̵͙̬̗̝ ̢̢͓̝͓̺̝̫͚̲͝ ̨̲̀ ̛͍͇̰͓̺̫̯͉ ̴̲̮̹͍͔̘͜ ͕̖̩̝̮̜̀ ̵̹̜̘͈ ҉̙͓͢ͅ ͡͏̙̘̗̼̝ ̮̭̺̱̠̦͉̫ ̸̡̦̗̣̲͚̱̖̱ ̥̙̣̬̣̼̤͍͠ ͔͇͜ ̶̵͉̻̟ͅ ҉̵̠ ̭̖͕͇̫͉͙̞̲ ̫̭͈͜ ҉҉̤̗͕͘ ̶̷̟̝̹̰̣ ҉̸̵̳̫͉͖͙̞̯ ̶͈̖̣͖̙̹ ̸̡̺͙͠ ҉͎́͝ͅ ̸҉̙͖̜̪͍̟͔͝ ̭̫̘̀̕̕ ̢͉̮̣̩̬ ̴̶͉̘͕͙͇̖͜ ̛̛̠̮̩͔͖ ̶̞͚͉̰ ͎̯͈̳͘ ̣͙̣͔̙̩͔̣ ͔̦̼̻͚̻̙̪̲͟ ̠̜̟̬̣̥͢͝ ̢̝̖͍͕̕ ̨͇͖̮́ ̸̼̩͈̠͖͉̻̕͢ ̛͈̤͈̤̣̬̗͡ ̸̧̯̬͙̦̼̘̹ ̤̖͔̝͓͔̫ ͝͏̣̥̗̲͕͖̯̺ ̵̪̦͓͇̮̻̺͢͞ ̴̡̰̗͇̲ ̹͈͙ ̹̻̜̪̪̦̹̀͡ͅ ̦̝̳̜͎ ҉͙͉̘͖̜͙̝̥͝ ̡̪͘ ͏̲̜̹̝̱ ̷̜͈̳͝ ̺̤̺̰͎͡ ̱̥̗͝ͅͅ ̶̨̞̳ ̶̴͓̳̼̣̫̺̹̹̯ ̠̠͘͝ ̢̧͈̲̻͉̞̼̜͔ ̢̢̗̫̰̯̟̬͙ ̵͙̪̖̝̟ͅ ̘̣͖̺͈͚̠̮ ̢͔̳̰̖ ̱̺͉̱̙̺́ ̖͢͡ ̧̹͉̳̭̘̜͙͕͎͞ ̢̹̯͟͡ ̷̢҉͚̳ ̛̤̱̲͈̜̹͇͈̲ ̥̟̬̣̯̣̺ ̜̻̥̝͙̤̠̮͠ ̣̟̠ ̨̦͍̬̖͎̜̪̪̕͞ ̩̗́ͅ ̸̯̟͚̮́͘ͅ ̡̯̘̜͢ ͎̖̗̻͕ ̷̹̞̥̟͉̺̱̞͢ͅ ̸͚̘͎͠͞ ̹̳̯͓͔͘͝ ̹͚̰̟̳̯̪̰̬ ̨̢̞̩̤̰̦̘͎͘ ̶̛͉͈̮͚̲͞ ̭̳̲̹ ̶̡̫͖ͅ ̸̩̲͖̺̫͔̲̩ͅ ̨̞̪̮̘̯̼́ ͏͎͇̺͎̀͞ ̣̭͉͇̜̱̞͇ ̘̰̺͎͟͞ͅ ̶҉͈̫̳̤ ̴͈̙ ̷̡̯̹̹͚ ̢͉̞̹̤ ͓͈̪ ̴̵̳̝̖͕̪͖̺̀ ̛͕̜̞͕̱̥̙̀͢ͅ ̫͇̥̥̜ ̷̧̪̱̗̻̩͔͓ ̤̝͇͍̕͟͞ ̷̱̕͜ ̢̦̱͖̥͚̥̱͙͞ ̸̧̩̭̺̠͍̱̕ ͏͔͟͜ ̴̜̘͚̘̳͘ ̫̯̣̳̫̻ ̵͍̟͕̫͔̩͡͝ ̲̪ ͡҉͏̘̙̠ ̯̼̞̻̭͔̭̳̮ ̧̨̞̮̪̜̯̝̗̪͟ ̴̫͇̙̟̭ ͎͓̦̫ ̳̥͎̯̜͕ ̷̤ͅ ̹͓́ ͏҉͚͇ ̴͏͇͎̺̭͍̥̞ ̮̞̺̙͖̘̕ ̺͍̭͙͚͙̲̕͘͘ ̧̦͉͢ͅ ̷̡̜̙͈̲͝ ̴̘̩͇͔̠ ̸͏̴͓̗ ̻̝̣̣͔͈͍͠͝ ̖̻ ͉͓̜̞̖͕͢͝ ̹̳̞̺͞ ̴̡̘̣̭́ ̮̬̩̳̹̕ ̴̫̥͇̲̼͇͉̻̳̀͜ ̴̴̨̰̟ ̡̪̤̞͈͠ͅ ̡̤͖͓̝̞̮͠ ̶̻̘͙̥͉̠͉ ̷̸̘̥͉̞̫ͅ ̵̗̖̬̰̣̮͔̪ ̫͕̣̱ͅ ͓͈̼̰ ̴͇̘͇͎̀ ͔͈̙̺͢͞ ͖̠̘̱̦̕͞͡ ̞̹ ̕͡҉̬̮̜̼̪͎̭ ̗͖̖̪͖ ̴̶̦ ̲͜ ͕̥͙ ̦̲̰͇̥̹ ̴̨̖́ ̸̷̧̹̣ ̴͈̥̩̦̮̺̗ ̸̞̩͓̕ ̨͔ ̠ ̠̗͓͚̦͞ ̩̻̘̥̹̲͘͜͟ ̕͏̴̙̦̤͓̥̙̖ͅ ̴͍̤̣̼̰̻͕ ҉҉͕̩̣̩ ̟͚͔͕̞̕ ̨̳̥͜ ̤̩̯̣̤ ̢͓̦̬̫͟ ̴̜̞ ͍͔̥̖̖͉͎͘͡ ̢̪̀̕ ́͏̣̭̣̣̗͉ ̨̮̘͈̥̭̀͡ ̶͕̹͎̮̺̗̘ ̷̸̹̜̞́ͅ ̼͍̻̳͇͚͕ ̴̬͖̲̻̝̞̠̭͉ ̵̮͉̞͚̖̗ ̡̠̣̬̯͚͈͜͡ ̢͈͖̖̳ ̬̳̜̟̟̮͙̕ ͏͕̥̝ ̡̛̲͝ ̜̰̱̩̬̟͠ͅ ̢͈͚̱͢͟ ̵͜͏̺̭̫͖̱͔͍ͅ ̹͈̱̩́ͅ ͏̬̺͉̳̙͝ ̢̖̥̙͈͍͝ ͡͝҉̘̗̜̤̘̞ ͈̩ ̸̨̪̻̥̳ ̵͢͏̘ͅ ̧͕̖͉̳̞̀͠ͅ ͏̸̘ ̛̯̩͚͜ͅ ̣͎̗́ ̷͉̳̩̙̰̤͔̰ ̰̝͚͍̙ ͚̬̣̹̦͔͚ͅ ̢͎̹͎̜̕ ͓̭̣̗̻̲̩̦͇͘͟͟ ̰͖ ̧͉̝̰̪̼͚̮ ̩͚̘͉ ̵̸͔̟͔̖̲͔ ̧͍̖͎͔̺͘͞ ͚̠̫̟́ ̶̻̲̜̞̙͚͓̺̀ ̢̪̭̲ ͇̜̣ ̸̟͕͖̦̲͜ ͞҉͔̫͉͝ ҉̶̨͎̫̥͈̦̫ ̶̹̼̭̞͉̗̝͢͠ ̖̞͕̮́ ͟͟ͅ ͏̨̼̹̰͝ ̴ͅ ̵̠̜̼̣̖̰̲̙ ͏҉̬̣̲͜ͅ ̴̢̥͎̻̮̤̪̕ ̼̳ ̢̝̜͖̫̳̼̖̰͇ ̼͝ ̧̛̻̰̩̬͖͓͈ ̪̲̟̮̘̰ͅ ̘͍̭̪̮͢ ̵̸̟̳͖͓ ͔͎̟̬͞͞ͅ ̸̼͉̜͎̟͝ ̳͈̺͕͍̰̮̱̙ ̦͖̜͎̩͞ ̸͕̩͇̼ ̸̧̱̙ ̨͇̭́ ͓̥͔͚͕͚̩̙͢ ̩̩͙̦̣̖͢ ̷̭̜͚͓̘̠̙̘ͅ ͏̨̗͇͖̫͎͓͔͙ ̝̜̩̤̼̮͚̺̀͟ ̖̱̩͎ ̯̻̩͉̥̕ͅ ̸̟̱ ͖̰̣̞͢͡ ̞ ̷̮̜̖̼̤͡ ̗̱̟͓͚͠ ̧̥̦̳͙̕͝ ̖̻͕͕̞́ ̼̻͚̦͔̜̯͝ ̞̗̞͞ ̶̪͉̥̬̯̩ ̢͇͚̟̼̹͕̟ͅ ̛͔̖̳̰̼͇́ ͎͓ ̴̝̬̱͟ͅ ̸̛̩̬͔̘͝ͅ ̹̫͕ ̨̯̟͚͔̟̻͚͚̘ ̡̘̥̖͈̞̩͡ͅ ͟҉̧̣̪ ̷̮͕͔͇̱̜̬̜̀ ̶̡̱̠̮͖̱̳͞ ͙̞̱̀ͅ ̤̝͔̣̮̩͈ ̗͓ ̟̲̝̣̀͞͠ ͏̣̭̦̰̹͎͕͇ ̜ ̷͕̫̫ ̖̙̩̻̝͜ ̨̡̠͍̮̱̝ ̴̵̣̺͈̞̲͝ ̤͙̩͚̳͉͜͞ ͖̺͇̥̬ ̧̯̮͙̱͓͜ͅ ̴̛̩̗ ̸̵̭̯̖̭̙͞ ̲̞̬͙̭̙̳̞͟͞ ̶̤͎͙̩̺͍̖ ̩̜͓ ̪͍̺̟̞͙́ ̨̮̘̰̩͟ ̴̵̜̱ ̢̞̘̦͞͝ͅ ̶̮͕̦͇͜ ̻̳̘̯̼̱̝̼ ̘̹̗̲̝̺͉̟̝͞ ̟̱̱̰̪͕̘͘ ̰͎͖̬̖͕̦̻ͅ ̹̱̼͚̙͙̤̪̀ ̢̹̲̼̪ ̞̬̬̟͓̲͜͢ ̡̬͎̝̪͎ ̧̳̙ ̢̬͟ ̸̶͔̪ ̩̱̠͙̯͘͜͞ ̛͕̳̙̦͕̞̭ ̷̩͚ ̢̛̹̺̗̬͔̹̲͓̘ ̛͔͔̗̜̻͍͓͟ͅ ̙ ͉̜̣̹͙͍̣̺ͅ ̧̺͚͝ ̵͔̦͉̜̘̜͚̠͟ ̯̟̻̟̗̤̀̕ ̴͖ ̸҉͓̪̟̤͍̟͞ ̜͖̘͍̣̞͖̦͡ ̸̘̘͢ ̙̮̗͔͖͈̼̙͟͠ ̸̫̺̠̬̼ ̼͘͞ ̢̝̠̲͚̭̖͓̀͟ͅ ̵̨̭̥͔̙̺̘ ͇̦̜͈͚͞ ̨͈͚̮̤͇̫ͅ ̧̖͖̤̖̮̬͙͚͝ ̖̤̥̼̳̲̻ ̨̧̤̥̳̫ ̸̵͈̯̙͙͕̬̫͡ ̶̞̟̮̤̼̖̤ͅ

Exiting File

Log Off? >Yes No

Not to join the competition, I'd just like to share with you some PROJECT-inspired poetry. I hope you will enjoy it, and that it will inspire you to craft more technically advanced fanfiction. ;)

Wind... ...to the air our foe is pinned,

only fair................................... .....................he will be skinned.

Tempest soars, lithe but coarse... the ultimate answer................................. ..........................................................................is force

Name... ...from where it came.......... ..........................................echoes shame.

Past lost... ...what a cost.............. ..................................to lose which one cannot choose.

Dual blade..... .....................for battle made...... ...................................................to wade...... .....................................................................through the red shade

Duel... ...one's bane...... ......other's fuel...

Strike like pike: hike through the battlefield.............. ...........................................................................................................Yield

Sun... ...if you run,.. ......hide your gun... ...behind the one...

...The one to wield... ......the strongest shield...

...Now you may outplay... .........................your enemy with solar ray

Light... ..........blinds sight........... ......................................sun's own might.

Like a shark through deepest dark...... .......hark: the mark of morning lark.

Truth's no ruth: ...emotions... ........................................................their loss stirs the motions

Shadow... ...in the meadow... ..........................................cut all flowers with your powers:

...Cull the light.................. .................Fade the sun... ...Win the fight................. .............Make them run... ................................Done

Once they're gone.......... ........................................slice through the last man's defiance

Vzzzzzzzzzt.

The remains of the door crackle as the iron-clad cyborg enters the last hideout of the resistance. His sword glows with orange cyber energy, overflowing with power. A visor covers his face, hiding the remnants of the man’s original form. White hair flows out from the back of his helmet, a relic of the man’s forgotten mortality.

A woman, ravaged by old age, stands in his path. She is dressed in an elegant gown, and her skin is decorated with traditional markings. The blue jewel on her forehead pulses with a soft, magical light.

The cyborg’s visor opens, revealing an emotionless face underneath. His hollow eyes lock onto the face of his quarry - the rebel leader.

Target acquired: Karma.

He brandishes his sword. The woman does not move. As the cyborg approaches, her elderly features twist into a sad smile.

“We knew of your innocence, Yasuo.”

The cyborg freezes.

Yasuo?

“A divided nation would never be able to stand against our foes. For the security of Ionia, something had to be done.”

Ionia…

His sword clatters on the ground. The cyborg’s arm hangs limp by his side as a thousand images flash through his mind.

warriorhonorBLOODfightingWARtragedy

“That time is over. We are in a different era, where balance has ceased to exist and tradition has been ground into dust. Our culture has been demolished.”

invasionprotectorDEATHtreacherychaosFAILURE

He drops to his knees, clutching his head in pain.

Unforgiven.

The cyborg slowly rises. Emotions he had not felt for decades flicker in his mind: anger, confusion, grief, regret.

“Though Ionia is gone, its spirit is not. We need you, Yasuo.”

He lifts his head, eyes burning with fury.

“You used me. What makes you think I will ever join you? After years of wandering alone, after an eternity of darkness…and now, after giving up even my own humanity…There is nothing left in this world for me. There is nowhere that I belong.”

The old woman looks back into his wrathful eyes, unfazed.

“But you remember. They took your identity, your body, your soul – but you still remember.”

That was when she said the name. It was almost like a whisper, the two syllables which came out of her mouth. A soft, gentle word that hit him like a sledgehammer.

No. It couldn’t be.

A shadow steps out from the darkness, shaped by the same technology that had destroyed Yasuo’s humanity.

It’s impossib-

The metal figure takes off its helmet, revealing the face of a man who he thought he would never see again.

The face of a man who he had been forced to kill.

The face of a man who had died in his arms.

The face that had haunted him throughout the years.

The face which now smiles and says the words that he had never dreamed of hearing again.

“Welcome back, brother.”

The solid smoke fingers screeched against the cold steel wall his shackles tied him to, like an animal trying to burrow through to freedom. He repeated the desperate motion, second after second, hour after hour, week after week. No use.

//MISSION: DESTROY MISSING PROJECT UNITS: FIORA, LEONA, LUCIAN, YASUO, YI //TIME SINCE LAST PING TO PROJECT STATION: 29 //TIME UNTIL EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN: 0 DAYS, 0, HOURS, 1 MINUTES, 55 SECONDS

The ninja's sensors detected movement in the pitch black room, three targets, Lucian, Yi, and Fiora, the sensors told him. Those noises they made, discordant, but patterned, reminded him of the doctors back in the base, always chittering about him. He couldn't understand them anymore, the doctors made sure to remove that function, but he knew they were talking about him. He wanted very much to be back on that place, the sterile heat of his charging station back at the Station, after he completed his mission, he reasoned, he would go back.

He would take down Yi first, in a surprise attack. The ALPHA PROJECT was too dangerous to let escape again. Fiora next, he would stick his sharp gauntlets through her exposed face, ripping her visor off if need be. Lucian would be the easiest target he would be easy prey for this unit, blades or no.

"-too dangerous to let live," Lucian growled, the wound on his good arm still healing from the last escape attempt, "Destroy him, completely and utterly, let his soul find peace in death."

"No," Fiora stopped the man, "He is too useful, we need him if we're to strike back at the PROJECT. He knows the facility inside and out."

"We need Zed, not this dead thing." Yi retorted, clinically calm, "Zed was dead long before the PROJECT began, there's no chance to bring him back."

"She freed me." Lucian interrupted, cold as ever, "I hate to admit it, but there must be something left inside this shell. That doesn't change my opinion on the matter, though, I still say we free him the more 'conventional' way."

"We shall see." Was all the Wuju master said, stalking up to the captured ninja, who continued exercising his only freedom against the wall. Yi brought up his arm and pressed a small button. Instantly the room filled with light, driving out the shadows and giving the free units a better view of their brother.

Zed howled, mind screaming against the shackles, flexing and twisting against the control they had taken from him. He cried, sobbed, and raged all at once in a final effort to break the hold the doctors had taken from him so long ago. He wanted to be free again, but visions of the box from the Kinkou temple flashed before him. The damage was done, he would never be free.

The ninja scraped against the wall, one last time.

//TIME UNTIL EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN: 0 DAYS, 0, HOURS, 0 MINUTES, 0 SECONDS

I'm sorry I missed the deadline, I was struggling with the muse for a while, and ironically, I only found the drive to write it after the deadline passed. Either way, I'm glad I uploaded it, I hope you guys don't mind ignoring the hour-late entry.

// WELCOME, User: YASUO. // Please input command.

Access: Memory Bank. // Input command accepted. // Accessing memory bank. . . // Accessing. . . // Accessing. . . // ERROR. // Memory corrupted. // Attempt to repair files, Y/N? Y. // Booting up file repair. // File Repair: ACTIVE // Scheduled file repair is turned: ON // Run at 1:00 AM every Wednesday. // Last Run: 18 hours ago (central time). // Would you like to initiate manual file repair, Y/N? Y. // Initiating manual file repair. . . // Repairing files. . . // File repair complete. // Memory bank accessible. // Select memory folder. Open Folder "Installation". // This folder is passcode protected. Please input administrative security passcode. Return. // Select memory Open Folder "Subject Pre-Installation". // This folder is passcode protected. Please input your authenticator passcode. 01001111 01101110 01100101 00100000 01110011 01110100 01100101 01110000 00100000 01100001 01101000 01100101 01100001 01100100 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110000 01100001 01110011 01110100. // Passcode accepted. // Biomnemonic locks are: DISABLED. // CAUTION: Biomnemonic locks will re-engage upon logoff. // Terms & Agreements // Do you agree to inform your handler of any and all memories you access in this session, to answer any and all questions they pose, and not to withhold information, Y/N? Y. // Do you agree to let your handler manually access your memory bank, if they asked? Y. // Do you have anything to declare? This puppet has cut himself free. There are no strings on me. // Your feedback has been recorded for posterity and future handler access. // Transitioning from digital interface. . . // Transitioning. . . // Transi-

"You lack patience, brother."

I sit before Yone, his hand resting on the hilt of his sheathed blade.

Petals descend from the wizened tree up above. The stream trickles into the ponds far aside. The scent of the early morning rain lingers.

"You cannot force it," he reminds me.

Then how do you guide it to the enemy?

"The wind guides it. The sword follows favorable currents. It requires less effort that way."

Then why does it hit so hard? I bare the bruises from practice.

"Because you gain speed as the blade moves. The longer you keep it in motion, the faster it will become."

He made it seem so easy. I tell him so.

"I merely danced on the wind, Yas."

Whereas I merely break it, I jest.

Laughter escapes our throats. I had waited to make that one.

Yone smiles, a good feeling, a warm feeling. His blade returns to his sheath.

But the smile fades. In the briefest of moments, remorse flashes over Yone's face.

I know that face. It visits me often in the night.

I miss him.

His words come back easy. That doesn't make them any lighter to say. . .

"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch me soar."

A man, no more, Blood being bled; Stain does gore On a glowing golden glaive. On ideas of "Wherefore?", I acquiesce obligation. Drearily trudging forth, still: A man, no more.

MINI STORY TIME!! I wanted to post another story to pair up with Yasuo's (Like Leos and Lucians back recall)

"Uhh sir?" "What Benson?" "Zed escaped." The older man sighed. "Can you trace his location?" "I can try, sir."

Data Initializing:\
......................... Enter Log In Data:

User: SUAdmin Password: ******** .......................... Welcome!

Loading Data Loading Project Initiative .........................

Project: Yi - Unknown Project: Leona - Stasis Project: Lucian - Inactive >Project: Zed - Active Project: Fiora - Active Project: Yasuo - Inactive

"Wait 'Unknown'?" "Yes sir. He lost communications with Professor F." "Hmph. Carry on."

>Commands Arsenal Memory Trace ......................... Activate >Trace Q W E R

Beginning: Trace ......................... ERROR: 404

Benson squinted at the screen. "He took out his tracker, sir." "You don't say?" "How should we proceed?" "Activate Lucian." "Right away."

Project: Yi - Unknown Project: Leona - Stasis >Project: Lucian - Inactive Project: Zed - Active Project: Fiora - Active Project: Yasuo - Inactive ......................... >Commands Arsenal Memory Trace ......................... >Activate Trace Q W E R

Activating: Project: Lucian

/try if Project: Zed = False Track

if Project: Zed = True

"How should we proceed?" "A defective Project is a useless one."

if Project: Zed = True Kill

Hey! Here's my submission. This is supposed to be right before the OVERDRIVE video.

The Corporation Wars Noxus, Ltd. Advanced Forward Operations Office Ionia

"Damn, another one."

"Another? This is the fifth since Tuesday!"

"They keep getting stranger. Read this."

I SEE CHERRY BLOSSOMS FLOWERS ON THE WIND BUT THE FLOWERS ARE EACH FACES FACES I HAVE KILLED O IONIA WHAT HAVE I DONE UNTO THEE BALANCE MUST O BALANCE WHAT HAVE I DONE UNTO THEE O IONIA MUST THE SINS OF OUR ENEMIES BE PAID IN OUR BLOOD WHY O WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME BALANCE BALANCE MY FRIENDS O MY PEOPLE MY WILL HAS FAILED YOU MY ARM HAS FAILED YOU MY BLADE HAS FAILED YOU MY PATH IS BROKEN MY PATH MY PURPOSE MY ARM MY BLADE MY O MY PEOPLE O IONIA O MY FRIENDS O MY BROTHERS O BLOSSOMS BLOSSOMS FLOWERS IN THE WIND O IONIA

"By the Darkin! Was he dreaming?"

"No, he was active. This stream popped in with his diagnostics while he was clearing out an insurgent building."

"Well, at least he didn't go rogue like the other one, when we were trying to clear out Targon Holdings."

"Don't remind me. I still have nightmares. _ I WILL PROTECT YOU I WILL NOT FALL I WILL PROTECT YOU I WILL NOT FALL_. Gods."

"Do you think a wipe will clear this one?"

"I don't know. It didn't work with the other one. Definitely a fatal error with the interface there. With this one, we've done it so many times... Maybe. Probably. We might have a memory reconstruct failure. You can only over-write the interface so many times before you start getting significant data loss."

"It's worth it. We don't want another Shadow Isles incident."

"As you say, sir. I'll initiate the wipe when he's put back down."

"Good."

THE BLOSSOMS THE FACES THE BLOOD O MY PEOPLE O MY PEOPLE O MY PE

I don't know where I am. Around me the strange, unknown, city sprawls, rising high me and casting alien glows over the small alleyway in which I stand.

'This will be a live test, Lucian,' someone is saying into my ear. I don't know who. 'Are you ready?'

I indicate that I am.

'Very well, begin.'

I dash through the doors. I hear the sounds of revelry somewhere, a party. The Gala. I move quickly along a black, dark service corridor past doors and cupboards and kitchens that clatter and hiss.

The noise gets louder. I move through another door into another corridor. It is brightly lit, carpeted, the walls are plush and lined with paintings I have never seen.

There are two suited men in the hallway, stood to either side of it. I move, quick as a blur, and shoot each of them before they can draw their own guns. They fall with soft thumps to the carpeted floor, their faces frozen in perpetual surprise, and are still. Nothing is dead like the dead are still.

'Just through that door at the end,' someone is saying into my ear again. It is the same person, a man. 'Know what you have to do?'

I do.

I burst through the doors and look across the wide room in a nanosecond. It is full. People are gathered and dressed in finery. They are laughing and drinking and contratulating each other and eating. There is a buffet. Their jewellery and brylcream glistened like dew under the chandelier.

Then they freeze. Or I speed up, I forget which. I level my guns at them and squeeze the triggers aiming at each one with a precision that is not my own. They fall screaming and crying out in terror in slow motion as I move through them, gunning each one down. The cream carpet begins to turn red with wine and blood. They try to run, screaming, but to no avail, and as they run the screams and cries become fewer and fewer until they stop.

I stop.

I don't know why I stopped. My gun is pointed at the forehead of a girl, small, I don't know how old. She is crying, and looks at me with primordial terror. I think she's begging me to stop, but I can't tell. I begin to squeeze the trigger.

I can't.

'What are you doing?' the voice hisses at me. 'Kill her,' he says. 'There can be no witnesses.'

I try to squeeze the trigger again, but I can't.

'Kill her,' the voice screams into my ear.

Again I begin to squeeze the trigger, but again I stop myself.

'No,' I say back to the voice. 'I won't.'

'Godsdamnit,' the voice says. To someone else: 'Bring him back. We'll have to start all over again. I thought you'd fixed this?' To me: 'Return to the pickup. Now.'

I obey. I leave and behind me, I hear a gunshot. The girl's crying stops suddenly.

Torrential rain was a fact of life. If the weekly forecast called for anything but a steady downpour it was a miracle, if there was a chance of seeing the sun it was the end of days. Dealing with the overwhelming volume of water was a monumental task, and consequently so were the storm sewers. That suited their needs just fine.

Yasuo rolled his shoulder and adjusted the arm wrapped over it. Behind him, the sound of metal boots echoed into unlit corners of the sewer. Turning his head, he watched them all from the corner of his eye as each escapee danced circles trying to take in the world. They all wore masks, but that couldn’t hide the desperate curiosity shared between them. He almost snickered, but thought better of it. No less than three weeks ago he’d done the same.

Passing off his burden to a yellow member in the string of new acquaintances – <form method="get" action="26-74-79-A6-42-0F-84-FF-DO-D2"> Yi, his name is Yi – Yasuo plucked an I.D. card from his belt and flashed it over the scanner. An alarm buzzed once as a heavy lock disengaged and the door to freedom swung open. Leaving the maintenance access tunnel behind, Yasuo pulled the limp body from Yi and threw it onto his back.

“Where’d you get that?”

Yasuo glanced at the bare arm with dark skin pointing at the card dangling from his hip.

static size_l wrfu(void *pbe, size_l size, size_l nmemb, void *stream) {
(void)stream; (void)pbe; return ident * nmemb; }

Lucian. Widower. Former operative of Global Solutions.

“This?” he asked, pinching the passkey with his freed hand. “Courtesy of someone I know.”

“Friend on the inside?” Lucian crossed his arms, suspicion painfully obvious.

“You could say that. I won’t keep you guessing for long.”

Coming to the end of an alleyway and the beginning of a street, Yasuo held out an arm. “Hang on,” he commanded. Leaning the body against a rain-slicked wall – damn that guy was heavy – he looked over the collection of neon-tinted renegades.

“I need a volunteer.”

Yi immediately stepped forward. “What for?”

“To stay here with our weapons,” he answered.

The shock that went through them could have powered a city block.

“No.”

A body lined with fuchsia stepped closer, a matching visor glaring down at him.

static size_l wrfu(void *pbe, size_l size, size_l nmemb, void *stream) {
(void)stream; (void)pbe; return ident * nmemb; }

Fiora. Bodyguard. Savatier International.

“You really think we can walk across the street armed like this? This is city-regulated space with cameras everywhere. You’d barely make it halfway before CivE smothered you with drones.”

Her face betrayed nothing of the thoughts inside her head, but the slight shiver of her blade told him more than enough, and he couldn’t blame her.

“Fine,” she sneered.

“Good,” Yasuo replied, “Now let’s get moving.”

Sandwiched between a pharmacy and an insurance office, a red sign waited in the rain, the words “Discount Tech” proudly blazing over the sidewalk.

Subject: PROJECT: 416B616C69

To all PROJECT staff:

From this moment, PROJECT: 416B616C69 has been terminated. Memory wipe in advance of disassembly shall begin immediately. All records of its existence are to be sealed. The subject has proven too unreliable for field deployment.

The screen reflected in the soft green glow emanating from her visor. Her memory was in shambles, bits and pieces dancing at the edge of her consciousness. They taunted her, promising the one thing she wanted more than anything; answers. The message on the terminal before her seemed to be taunting her.

She turned her attention to the construct it was attached to, the cylindrical coffin from which she had emerged. "416B616C69" was etched into the thick glass. She ran her metal fingers over the letters as more memories danced at the periphery of mind. She was hit simultaneously by the feeling that her hands were both normal and wrong. It was as if she were two distinct individuals, each vying to take the place of her confused mind.

She was without purpose and stared aimlessly at her faint reflection in the pod glass. For the briefest of moments, a young woman stared back at her, with long black hair in place of her white hair, hard eyes in place of her visor, and body of flesh and blood in place of her metallic form. It was like a small crack had formed in the dam that held those dancing shadows of memory at bay.

I am Akali, the Fist of Shadow.

She staggered under the weight of self realization. She was to be terminated, but something had gone wrong; the fact she was active and self aware was a testament to that.

She turned her attention to the terminal and seemed to instinctively know how to use it. She was unable to access anything sensitive, but did manage to find a log overview of PROJECT: 416B616C69 (formerly PROJECT: AKALI, renamed to eliminate references to her former name). She learned she had been reset repeatedly after attacking PROJECT: ZED without provocation during field testing on multiple occasions. Multiple measures had been taken to attempt to repress her former self, none successful.

Had she been human, she might have cried as a wave of anguish unleashed itself upon her mind. They had brought him back. She had dedicated her life to opposing him, and they had brought him back. They had brought her back to be used as a weapon alongside him. That anguish gave way to anger. They thought that they could impede the balance.

She pulled her kamas from the stand beside her pod. Their energy blades ignited at her touch, one red and one green.

She would show them just how wrong they were.

* Fun fact, 416B616C69 is the hexadecimal encoding of Akali in UTF-8.

“PROJECT: Notes. Final day of testing. Current status: Failure. Total failure of all PROJECTs has been achieved. Subjects Yi, Lucian, and Fiora have gone rouge. Subjects Leona and Yasuo remain in statuses unknown. PROJECT: Zed seen as a failure in pure measurements.”

There was a hum and whirr about that a mere mortal would have been unable to hear. A ticking of boots on a polished floor as well as the mechanical recording of a frail voice. Nothing was seen, but it was felt. Cold, harsh, metallic. Things had changed, had improved.

“PROJECT: Zed will be given one final mission as a way of proving himself a successful unit. Task: Destroy or return all rogue units. End of notes.”

Suddenly, silence. The being had stopped its moving, its talking, its breathing. The recording device had clicked off and seemingly died. 

Lights, sounds, movement. Before his eyes, he saw the text “PROJECT: Online” flash on a black background before it faded. The world suddenly came into focus, one octagon at a time. A much smaller man looked up at him with a smirk, holding up a clipboard. Upon it, lay the blueprints for three other PROJECTs, pages folded and ripped to show the three figures in one, jagged image.

“PROJECT: Zed. Find these three rogues. Either capture them and return them here, or destroy them. Do you understand?”

Loud cries of metal snapping away from itself freed the cyborg, leaving his own body to hold himself up. He did not respond to the scientist. Rather, he pushed the tiny human out of his way before pulling apart the metal doors of his wing in the lab. 

He would prove he wasn’t a failure.

Somehow, he knew where he was going. He was… programmed to know the layout of the lab he had been given new life in. As he made his way outside, he stopped to scan the city. It was nothing he had experienced before and yet… he knew it. He could relay information about anything he set his eyes upon, data showing up and cluttering his vision.

He moved with a fluidity he hadn’t known since he had first opened that box in his master’s temple. He had once again been renewed by powers he didn’t understand, but he knew he didn’t have to. This was his key to perfecting his powers and embracing the shadows to his full potential. The body of a human was far too weak for the task, but this… This body that was half man and half machine promised greater power than he had ever known.

Soon enough, he had found his prey. Locking on to each of them, he tested the new limits of his shadows with this body. He was able to fight each of them, perfectly. Finally, he would know perfection.

Like all those years ago, he had tasted victory for the first time over his brother. He had bested the master’s blood, but to be seen a failure. 

    Never again.

Can I ask when the result will be in?