Imbue, Chapter 1: Mistaken Identity
Imbue, Chapter 1: Mistaken Identity
Foreword from Liar X. Agerate
Imbue really surprised me. I had missed out on Union, after posting once and forgetting about it, and Tryst was fun, but got congested with characters and loose plotlines, making it much harder to read through and understand; Actually, if you go on with that train of thought, all of Anthadd's IFs have surprised me. Most of the IFs I've been involved with since the board's inception were alot of fun to write in; However, a new reader would find it very hard to read through and understand the plot. This is the exact opposite in Union and Imbue, and to a slightly lesser extent, Tryst. But, as I was saying before I so rudely interrupted myself, after Tryst, I expected even more people to come in, making it harder to read and comprehend. However, this was not the case, and I'm happy to say that through Imbue, my AC has become more developed, I have become a better writer, and throughout it all, watched as the IF developed into the fanfic you see here today.
Miss Fake had, thusfar, enjoyed this vacation. She had asked that Mister Poochyfud, formerly of the Chaos Theatre in Twoson, now defunct, temporarily run the Topolla's affairs in her absence.
She initially had had some reservations about this decision, given that he had a hand in driving the Chaos Theatre to temporary, then final, closure. But after deciding to remain for a week before departing, she had watched Poochyfud operate the Topolla successfully. Retracting any fears she might once have harboured, she headed off to Winters to adventure and explore.
"This air is so refreshing," she murmured. "The sky is a crisp blue, the snow is so soft and white... the water such a deep blue... so unlike Fourside. Ah, Fourside... the Big Banana... I miss you."
She took a step towards the Tessie Watchers' camp. The snow crinkled gently beneath her boots. A squeaking, slight at first, but increasing in intensity, began to overtake the crinkling of the snow.
"A... ah... ahh... ahaa!" Miss Fake cried, as she slipped on the ice.
She fell flat on her back... and blacked out.
He came upon Miss Fake's unconscious body.
A slight dusting of snow caused the light to glisten on his spectacles.
"She looks like the proper specimen for my experients to Imbue one person's life into another... to bypass mortality, to live forever..." he said, licking his lips in anticipation.
He pressed a button. A few Mook Seniors which he scavenged from Stonehenge arrived, and ported the woman's prone body to the repaired lab below Stonehenge.
Miss Fake's eyes flickered open. The dim technological environment startled her, as she had just seconds ago -- if it had been seconds ago -- been in snow.
She tried to stand up, but... her arms were shackled! Her feet, too!
"Let me go!" she cried, furiously straining, trying to escape that which bound her.
"It would be best if you did not attempt to struggle," he silkily whispered.
She knew that this man -- no, child, for he was too small to be full grown -- intended a horrible fate for her.
Her pupils dilated. "What do you want from me?" she demanded angrily, still not comprehending how she had come to be here.
"I want your life." His glasses glimmered in the darkness. He wiped some snow from them.
"What?" Miss Fake was flabbergasted! Someone, wanting her life -- hadn't she been through enough already?
She heard a metal clinking. What could happen now? Her mind raced, trying to formulate the possibilities, but was limited by fear -- fear that it was just a joke, and that she had worried for nothing.
"This won't hurt at all... well, just a bit," he said, his grin bright and large in the partial darkness.
Miss Fake craned her head, trying to catch a glimpse of him. If she happened to survive, she would press charges!
"Foolish woman," he said, and drove one hypodermic into her shoulder.
It was getting dark, Miss Fake noted. Was she being anesthesised? ...oh, it wouldn't matter... and then... total blackness.
He waited a minute, to make sure she was totally under.
"What an annoyance," he muttered, drawing another hypodermic.
Instead of filling this one with anesthesia, he would fill this one with a small amount of fluid that stank of death.
"This should be sufficient." He walked over to Miss Fake and inserted it into her brain. He pushed the needle in as far as he could, then drew out something. The fluid, which stank of death, slowly whitened, and swapped its deathly stench for a lively one.
"Perfect. She was the perfect specimen. She is bursting with life. Although I would have preferred using a child... she'll do. If this succeeds, I will expand to others."
He pressed a button. Beside Miss Fake's stretcher, the remnants of the Starman Deluxe, which he himself had salvaged, and repaired -- although the repaired Starman Deluxe required quite a few terra-organic compounds to appear complete on the outside -- to optimum completion.
He took the hypodermic, which began to slowly darken and stink horribly again, and inserted into the Starman's "brain". Depressing the plunger, he dumped the entire contents of the vial into the brain cavity.
He waited for an hour, then left.
He was fully disinfected, devouring a Hamburger, and downing it with a Can of fruit juice -- in the addition... a cafeteria -- half an hour later. He looked in the window. He had decided to turn on the lights, so he could see in.
He saw a twitching!
"Yes! I have Imbued life from one, to another!"
Miss Fake struggled awake.
"Am I... alive?" she wondered out loud. She sat up. Realising she was free, she cried, "Hooray! I can return to the Topolla now!"
Her heart wished to return home, but her eyes, however, noticed something amiss.
"But... that's me!" she exclaimed. "I'm here... aren't I?"
She looked at her hands. But they weren't really hands anymore... they were tentacles...
"Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!" Miss Fake's mournful cry echoed throughout the base, and wisped upwards, towards the sky, outside.
She tried to find him. And she did.
"YOU!" she yelled, her mind and sanity shattering.
He saw her anger. He heard her cry. He pressed a button... tinting the window so he could see her, but not vice versa.
But he was too late.
She turned to face him... as the window apparently dulled.
"No... I went too far..."
He slumped to his feet. Indeed, he had went too far.
CRASH! CRINKLE!
He tried to get away... he knew he couldn't escape, but he tried anyways.
He ran through a door... he pressed another button, sealing himself off from her.
He began to breathe heavily.
"It's over... it's all over..."
He began to write: My name is Orange Kid. I tried to delay death, perhaps forever, but I went too far: I created a monster. Please forgive n
He never finished writing. He didn't even feel the final pain.
Miss Fake took one of her tentacles, transformed it into a gun, and fired once.
The one salvo was all it took. Orange Kid fell, dead, onto the letter. A small bit of saliva dripped onto it, mixing with his blood, which was flowing due to massive injuries... and dulling the writing. The letter could still be read, but the writing was faded.
She felt no remorse. In fact, she felt nothing at all anymore. She had surpassed the greatest weakness of the humankind she once belonged to: simple emotion. Truly, she had become more than human. But, as well, she was no longer human. She had become a bridge between human, robot, and android.
Although she felt nothing, she sensed that it was her mission to eliminate the limited -- those bound by emotions. This meant making the bridge the sole sentience. Eliminating the limited... yes! That was what she must do.
The shattered remains of her mind and sanity... she had no need of them. Yet. She placed them in the furthest reaches of her mind.
However, she still doubted she would need them at all.
Poochyfud, temporary head of the Topolla, enjoyed his restored privileges as a Theatre head.
Realising the mistakes he had made at the Chaos, he decided to not make those same mistakes here. After all, Fake had put him in charge. He felt it was his... responsibility.
Now, he was closing up the Topolla for the night.
He had closed up the Topolla for the night. As he walked to the Enrich Grand, an eerie whistling alerted him to the fact something was going on. He whipped around! "No!" he cried, reaching a hand towards the Topolla.
He was blown backwards, as the Topolla exploded in a brilliant flash of light.
Frightened, he hopped on the next bus to Twoson. Surely, he reasoned, Paula Polestar would know how to handle this.
Mr. Poochyfud ran through the streets from the Twoson Bus Stop. He had ridden for 15 minutes, shaking harder every second, swearing he could hear a voice behind him.
"Please, don't hurt me! Whatever you are!"
Not even daring a glance behind himself, he ran to Paula's front door, and slammed his fist heavily against it.
"Paula! Wake up! I need your help!" He threw himself against the door, but bounced off into a bush harmlessly.
The door creaked open to reveal a very groggy girl.
"If you're a reporter, you should learn a little decency," she said, rubbing her eyes.
"Mmmpm!"
Paula looked over at one of her bushes, and cried out. She saw an arm trying to reach out, so she pulled it firmly.
"Mr. Poochyfud? What are you doing here?"
"Explosion! Topolla! Insanity! Need..your help!"
Paula blinked a few times, then pulled the man upright. "What? The Topolla theater exploded? Are you sure?"
"Positive! I saw it with my own eyes! It was fantastic..In a horrific sense, of course. What should I do?"
"I think you should find out what made it explode like that. Couldn't it have just been a gas leak?"
"Nono no! I saw a shadow standing there, laughing at me! at ME, Mr. Poochyfud! There's something wicked about that place Paula! I need you to help me!"
Paula looked down at herself, clad in nothing but a nightgown and slippers. She hadn't even brushed her teeth.
"I'll help you. Just give me a chance to get changed, alright?"
Paula took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and pulled on her signature pink dress. When she was done, she came back downstairs to Mr. Poochyfud, who was nervously pacing in the nursery.
"Finally!" he said, still shaking. "Okay, let's go!"
They quickly ran to the bus station, and hopped on the late-nite bus to fourside. In the meantime, Mr. Poochyfud filled Paula in on how Miss Fake had left him in control on the Topolla theater while she went on vacation.
They arrived at Fourside in the early morning light, and Mr. Poochyfud led Paula to the smoking remains of the burnt-down theater.
"There it is.." Mr. Poochyfud said sadly. "I lose another position as a theater manager! Oh woe is me!"
Paula hadn't believed Mr. Poochyfud before, when he said something "wicked" had destroyed the place, but the pure power that radiated from the ruins proved his statement correct. She was finding it hard to find the right words for it, except that it was the same power that radiated from Giygas... but it didn't quite seem as.. as... evil.
Paula poked around the remains of the theater, looking for any clues as to what destroyed it. She came to where the stage used to be. An immense amount of power seemed to be radiating from that spot only. She lifted a board and found what appeared to be some hair. When she went to pick it up, she found that the as she drew near to the hair, pain coursed through her body. "Aaah... this doesn't feel right." The police arrived on the scene.
"Alright, everybody back" the captain of the police force stated. "You too." He motioned towards Poochyfud and Paula. The moved back behind the barriers that the officers had erected. "There's nothing to see here, folks."
Paula thought to herself. I think that this is much more serious than it appears to be. I think that a more scientific mind would be able to figure this out. The only person whom I know that is like that is Jeff and Dr. Andonuts. Perhaps I'll give them a call today.... She told Poochyfud that she was going home, leaving him to mourn over his lost theater.
Once home, she changed back into her bed clothes and went to bed. However, when she tried to fall asleep, she found that she couldn't sleep. She got up out of bed and called Jeff up at Snow Wood Boarding School.
"Hello, may I speak to Jeff Andonuts?" she said over the phone. The operator responded by saying that it was too late to make a phone call. "Alright, thank you. I'll call back later. *Click*" She sat on her bed and stared up at the sky.
Mike walked up to the podium. He cleared his throat and began speaking. "My fellow shipmates, over the past couple years, we have been through many things. However, it is now my time to leave. I am deeply saddened by the fact that I have to leave my friends and associates that I have just recently met. However, I'm not leaving in the true sense..." He was making a speech at the change of command ceremony that was taking place on board the Fourside, one of Eagleland's Aircraft Carriers. Mike had just recently been promoted to Rear Admiral (Lower Half) and he had to leave his previous command as Commanding Officer of that ship.
He finished up his speech and saluted the new CO of the ship. He walked off of the stage and left the building. "Ahh. Many memories have come from my command of that ship. But now, as an admiral in charge of fleet operations, I can do many more things." He walked off to his quarters and picked up his stuff, which were in bags.
After getting his bags, he walked over to the personnel department and checked out on leave for two months. He walked off of the naval base and started heading towards Fourside in his Service Dress Blues uniform. People in Summers stood and watched him pass by.
This was not a good day. To start if off, it was the one week anniversary of his mom packing them both off and moving to Onett from Fourside. Sure, it was relaxing--In a "Crime is enforced, not promoted, by the police" kind of way--but Dan just wasn't a "small town person."
Shrugging that off, he walked over to his iMac to check his E-Mail, among other things. He turned the computer on, and got nothing more than smoke and a black screen from the bondi-blue computer. Finally, he picked up the newspaper, only to find the headline: "Topolla Theatre Destroyed in Mysterious Accident!" Dan used to live at the Topolla, watching the new releases in the recently opened Ciniplex center. He had even gotten a part-time job there to pay for his now defunct iMac. Putting on a coat and carrying his Zapper, he caught the bus to Fourside to pay his last visit to the Theatre in which he had eaten, worked, and slept.
A young woman pulled on her robe in the Enrich Grand. Combing her blonde hair back with her fingertips, she fastened her bright red earrings on, and decked herself in her signature pearls.
With a single groan, she pulled herself away from the chair and slid her slippers on, to exit her room.
"Good Morning Miss Venus." The Bellhop said politely. "Would you care for a look at the Fourside Post?"
"I would be delighted, thank you. Here's your tip." She said, dropping some quarters into his hands.
The Bellhop nodded smartly, and exited the room.
Venus Whipped open the paper, and went to look at the first headline, which read Topolla Theater Destroyed in Fireball!
However, she never saw it. "Oh no, did I forget to put my makeup on?" She put down her paper, and walked into her room to get her lipstick. "No wonder the bellhop left so quickly!"
As she began to apply the bright red stick to her lips, she stopped. "I can't see a blasted thing in here!" She walked toward the window, thinking about her horrible view. All she could see was the back of the Topolla Theater.
Yanking open the shades, she cried out in surprise.
"Where did the theater go?"
Venus ran downstairs, completely forgetting about the fact that only half of her mouth had lipstick on it.
She slammed her hand down on the desk bell several times, unitl a cranky attendant walked up to her. "Is there something I can get you, madam?"
"Yes, could you explain WHERE MY THEATER IS?"
The man smirked. "It seems it was destroyed in a large fireball last night. You might have known earlier had you not slept through most of it."
Venus glared at him. "It wouldn't have hurt you to tell me sooner!"
Hustling out of the door, the man called out to her. "Do I get a tip?"
As Venus walked out the door, she remembered something. "Oh NO! ALL my stock is in the theater! I'll be left destitute if I don't sell soon!"
She ran, robe and all, post haste to the large blue bank, right near the Monotoli Building. It took her a few minutes, but she didn't want to waste her last dollars on a cab.
"*pant* *pant* Sir!" Venus cried. "Sir! I'd like to sell some stock!"
Geldegarde Monotoli, now head of the stock exchange slash bank, looked up from his financial listings.
"Yes, madam... oh, Miss Venus!" he exclaimed, surprised. "Would you like to sell stocks?"
"Isn't that what I just said?" Venus gave her best smile.
"Which stocks?" he inquired.
"Topolla Theatre stocks," Venus replied.
"Oo, you're just in luck. We've noticed a slight drop in the stock's value. If you sell now, you should be able to get out of it relatively unscathed."
"Sell!" Venus yelled at the top of her lungs.
"I'm on it, madam!" Monotoli furiously typed at his computer console. A few seconds later, he said, "They're sold. And just in time. The price fell 83%."
Venus breathed out a sigh of relief.
"I'm so lucky..."
"However," Monotoli observed, "you sold when it had fallen 10%. Would you like to reinvest the money back into the Topolla, or would you prefer a different stock? I hear that Apple Labo's stock price is rising rapidly."
"I'd rather have the money placed into my bank account."
"At once, Venus. If you wish, I will gladly offer you brunch in the private cafeteria in the bank. If you would give me five minutes, I will join you presently."
"Thank you, Gelde," Venus replied.
She walked into the private cafeteria, and smoothed out the wrinkles in her robe. There she waited.
Paula awoke with a start from a deep sleep. "I don't recall ever going to sleep. Anyway, it should be alright if I give Jeff a call now." She yawned and climbed out of bed. She changed out of her bed clothes and put on her pink dress. She then went to her phone and pressed the speed-dial button that had the name "Jeff" written on it. The phone rang a few times.
"This is Jeff. You have reached Maxwell Labs. How may I help you?"
"Hello, Jeff? This is Paula."
"Oh, hi Paula. I didn't think that you'd call me during the day. Nobody ever calls me, actually..."
"Right. I'm calling because I saw and felt something very interesting earlier this morning."
"Oh? And what was that?"
"Well, last night, the Topolla theater was destroyed. Poochyfud told me to go with him to where the theater used to be. I went with him, but when I got there, I felt something strange."
"I see."
"Right. Well, anyway, I got to where the stage used to be, and I saw some hair. There was a strange aura emanating from it."
"Okay..."
"I was wondering if maybe you could go analyze the hair. I don't think that anybody could go near it. But, I don't really know about that. The police were there..."
"Hmm... Alright. I'll go to Fourside and see what I can do. You did say the Topolla Theater, correct?"
"Yes."
"Okay. I'll be there later today. I'm sure that my teachers will let me out of class. After all, I DO have the best grade in all of the classes that I'm in. You'll be there too, won't you?"
"I suppose that I will. Anyway, thanks. Bye." Paula hung up the phone. She put on a jacket and started walking to the bus stop. She was planning on catching the next bus to Fourside, and because she's so lucky, the next bus was coming shortly.
Geldegarde and Venus sat next to a Snapple machine in the private cafeteria, with no noise but the fluorescent lights humming quietly above them.
"So," Venus said, looking up from her Double Burger with ketchup. "Do you know anything about the Topolla Explosion?"
"I've heard stories..." he said airily. "But nothing has been confirmed. Some people think it's the famous Summers Bomber from a few years ago, whereas others believie it's an electrical faliure. However, I have my own theory about it..."
"Oh?" Venus said.
Just then, a red buzzer went off in the caferteria.
"Someone's trying to break in!"
Geldegarde ran through the hallway as fast as his shoes could carry him, with Venus hurriedly skidding across the floor in her slippers.
"Thief! Get back here!" He saw a blue haired woman running from counter to counter, taking wads of cash and jewels from every available spot.
Venus put her hands up."Stop! I command you!" She tried to stop herself, but she ended up sliding out the door and onto the burb, in front of a car with an open door.
The blue haired woman straightened the collar on her fuchsia pinstripe suit before winking at Gelde.
"I'd love to stay and chat, but I have places to go you know!"
She ran out the door, careening toward her open car. What she didnt notice, however, was the woman struggling to stand up right near the door.
"Out of my WAY!"
The blue haired woman knocked into Venus, sending her crashing into the driver's seat. The woman was knocked into the passenger seat, and she looked at Venus.
Drawing a gun from her purse, she aimed it at Venus' head.
"Drive!"
Venus had been driving for 3 blocks now, and had managed to shake the police sufficiently.
"Please! At least tell me your name!"
The Blue haired woman took a moment to tighten her three high pigtails, and looked at Venus. "The name's Narcy, and if you make a comment you can say your prayers." She said, unfastening the saftey.
"You had that thing with the safety on the whole time?"
"And you think I would put it in my purse with the safety OFF? What do you take me for, a pick pocket?"
Suddenly Venus felt a bump hit the car, and she screeched on the brakes.
Narcy jumped out of the car, and landed neatly next to the bus stop sign.
"Looks like you hit someone. You'd better watch your driving, or you'll lose your licence, missy."
Narcy leaned over to look at the person she hit. "Tell me your name."
"Nghhh!" The man said, trying to open his mouth, but he ended up coughing.
"Throw him in the back seat."
Venus looked worriedly back at the man from her new place in the passsenger's seat.
"Shouldn't you help him?"
"I'm kind of busy right now!" Narcy yelled. She carenned into a dark alley, which had a small plaque on it. Reserved for patrons of Jackie's Cafe
Narcy leaned over her chair, and hit the man on the arm lightly with the barrel of her revolver.
"You, wake up. What's your name?"
The man rubbed his eyes, and began to speak. "My name is Mike..where am I? And who are you?"
Narcy's blue eyes sparkled as she moved her head into the light. "My Name's Narcy. I rob banks because I like to. Any questions?"
Mike gulped. "None!"
"Good. Now excuse me while I go get some bee--er, coffee. They serve coffee here, don't they?"
"I think so."
"Good. Wait here." She said, slamming the door, leaving Venus with Mike in the car.
"Scorpius Blade!" the shadowy figure cried.
Some of the computer-generated enemies he faced were eliminated. Others continued to near him.
Some of them began to spew a stream of water towards him.
"Inferno!" he cried.
Those that spewed water were eliminated now.
Now, some of those enemies began to attack in pairs.
"I wonder if I made a mistake, programming the AI to this level..." he muttered.
He jumped, as two of them slashed with claws just below the apex of his jump.
"To beat two, one needs two. Gemini Bolt!"
From his hands shot two bolts of lightning. They intertwined as they went towards the creatures, eliminating them.
Anthadd, for that was this person's name, was training to master his Sugemo and Stellar skills. His PSI, too, even though he was very deficient in that respect.
A squawking alerted him to the fact that aerial computer generated enemies were about to attack.
"PSI Thunder Alpha!" he cried, calling upon his most recently learned PSI skill.
The aerial enemies crashed and burned.
"Simulation aborted. Computer systems require additional resources. Simulation system only remaining resource centre available," droned the computer system.
"Regrettable," Anthadd commented, using his wrist computer to inform the computer systems to prepare his after-training meal: chicken, milk and chocolate mayonnaise cake, which he always contended tasted better than it sounded.
As he sat down in the laboratory's cafeteria of sorts, Anthadd again accessed the system through his wrist computer, and called up the recent Eagleland news to show on the main computer screen.
The news clicked on.
A generic newscaster appeared on the screen. "At an unknown time last night, an unknown attacker bombed the famed Topolla Theatre in Fourside. The proprietor, Miss Fake, has been unable to be found for interview. Also, Mr Poochyfud, the temporary head of affairs for the Topolla, has declined comment. As a result, the TOPO stock option has declined sharply, losing 99% of its value since opening.
"In other news, Orange Kid, famed inventor, has been reported missing. He failed to return from a routine visit of the pristine wilderness of Winters. Some suspect combined foul play in the disappearances of both Fake and Orange Kid, as both had been last seen in Winters previous to their disappear--"
"Again, system resources too low. There has been an intruder located on the island."
The computer showed a map of the island. The intruder was shown near the middle of the island -- the location of Anthadd Labs.
"Wonderful," he muttered. Twice there had been a system resources lack, and now there was an intruder. "Could this day get any worse?"
He sallied forth to investigate this happening.
When he found the intruder, he discovered the intruder was in reality...
Cyan, who was world hopping, again.
"Who are you, and why are you here?"
"Anthadd? That you?" Cyan asked.
"My name is Anthadd, but how did you know that? I don't know you," was the reply Cyan got.
"Not again ... this is getting tiring."
"What are you talking about?"
"It's a long story ... I don't know if you'll believe me, but I'm from another dimension."
"Alternate dimension?" asked Anthadd, interested. "I've always suspected the existence of separate existences. But I've never seen them in action..."
"The Anthadd in the last dimension I was in said the exact same thing when I told him."
"Well, if you're not an enemy, why did you come here?"
"I just ended up here. I can't control where in a dimension I end up."
"Let's return to my home, we can continue talking there."
"All right."
The two then returned to Anthadd's home.
Dan was led off by a car that was careening down the highway. He chased it until it stopped outside of Jackie's Café. He walked up to the car, Mike and Venus still inside. He noticed the injuries on Mike, and yelled through the window.
"Is he okay?" he said, and the window rolled down with a hydraulic hiss.
"Yeah," the man answered rather shakily.
"Wha...what happened?" Dan replied with his eyes morbidly fixed on the man's wounds.
"He...got too close to the car." Venus replied.
"Hey...you're Venus!"
"Uh...Yeah."
At that point, Narcy walked through the door. At the site of someone leaning over the car, she drew her gun. "Whaddya think you're doing! Say right there, or I'll give you a one way ticket to the cemetery!"
Dan stopped dead in his tracks. Using his PSI, he sensed exactly where the woman was, spun around, and appeared right behind her. He tapped her shoulder with his Zapper. "Hello."
Narcy jumped back to find Dan pointing a Zapper in her direction. "Hey, how did you...What were you doing?"
"Telekinesis, and currently I'm pointing a laser in your general suggestion."
"What were ya doing to the car?" she said, and drew her gun. There they stood, both ready to kill the other in self-defense.
"I was asking if the guy inside was okay! Seriously!" Dan said, and stuck the Zapper into his coat pocket.
"Was he...?" she said, suddenly pointing her gun at Mike.
"Ye...Yes..."
"Okay, I'll let you off. What's yer name, and why haven't I seen you around Fourside?"