Scene #8686: MMBN3: I am the Alpha and the Rita Ma

Owner	Pose
Kale Hearthward	Everyone is called not to the internet this time, but to the 'real world' of this world, which happens to be in Spring. The location isn't any less remote than last time, but the real world is noticeably easier to navigate than virus-infested floating platform mazes. Even so: It's a remote island, protected by strong currents and rocky outcrops - the perfect location for a final boss's outpost. It'd be an entire adventure just to get to. Fortunately, the group's been invited, and boat rides are available for those without traversal powers. https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/megaman/images/7/77/CastleWily.png Out past the boat dock, up the long flight of stairs... Forte's waiting outside at the entrance to the definitely-final-boss base. He's got the armored basketball in hand, keeping a firm double-handed grip on it. "We enter as a group, and stick together," he says. "So far, Wily has held up his end of the deal. You may not like him, you may not agree with his goals, but until such time as he gives us reason to distrust him we're going to fulfill our end of the deal." "We hand Alpha over. He frees it, with my help. Rita gets use of Alpha until her world has been saved, at which point if Alpha still survives then Wily gets control of it back." "He'll likely use it to wreak havoc on my world, at that point. He will be under specific restrictions while doing so, which will minimize loss of life to an acceptable level. At that point, once we have handed Alpha over, if you wish to oppose him, that's up to you, but until that point the deal holds." "That is all understood?" Forte looks around the group, meeting everyone's eyes. "It is my reputation on the line right now. Trust is easily spent but expensively earned back, and none of you can afford the cost I'd impose to spend mine right now."
Gaonoir	Normally they would just fly out to a remote location like this, but that would require digivolving and Gaonoir is still recovering his energy from the last adventure. So for the sake of conservation and being prepared should things go downhill later, the Digimon and Tamer duo just took one of the offered boats like everyone else to meet Forte outside of the very clearly sinister lair. "Technologically advanced keep atop an isolated rocky mountain and modeled after skulls," Gaonoir snorted. "Feels like something the Machine Empire would build." Forte lays out the plan. Gaonoir and Erika look at each other. There's no vocal communication between the two, just a silent nod of agreement. If necessary they would likely be amongst those coming back to clean up that mess in the future, having indirectly been a part of it's cause in helping with this. But that was only a hypothetical situation at this point. Until it comes to pass, or Wily does some manner of double-cross, they were hear to go along with this. Eventually Gaonoir does break the silence with another soft snort. "Hardly the first time I've had to work with an aspiring despot." Though he can very much relate to that view on trust and respect, knowing how hard that journey can be.
Rita Ma	Rita's all tidied up now. You can barely tell she was an unraveled monster the day before, except for the queasy look behind her eyes and the tense way she balls her hands in her lap. She takes the boat, even though she could swim. It feels more human like that. The blue ribbons of her woven straw hat flutter in the sea breeze, and she's oblivious to what they evoke. Melancholy still can't stop her from offering cups of seaweed soup to anyone on the boat with her: "Did you want some? It's homemade! It's not enough to thank you for being here, but it's something, right?" She's a sweet kid. Rita has the whole long stair-climb to armor herself in a businesslike demeanor. She's not half-bad at that, either. "It sounds like I have an incentive to get it killed, Mr. Forte," she says after a smile of greeting. "At least, if you think he really will be able to control it. Do you think he'll have a way to free-" She glances at the other three Watchmen and checks herself. "-to make it stop being friends with me, afterward?" They'll know in a couple of minutes anyway. So why is it so scary to be honest?
Kupot	Kupot is heavily bandaged. Across the chest, mostly, where he has suffered a gaping wound. Thankfully, fur has a tendency to hide bruises and wounds once you clean the area around it. He takes in the skulls, the radar dishes. A glance downward at the river of purple goop. Blasted waste and excessive technology.. He looks at Forte.EXE silently, taking in those words. He tests the weight of them, with the look of someone who is willing to betray Forte for the souls of others. But also with enough respect of the Watch credo. Instead, his eyes go to Rita Ma, the optic lens removed in the wake of his injuries, allowing his ice blue eyes to focus fully on her. To contemplate her. A small smile crosses his face as the cup comes to him. "Kupo," he thanks Rita in return, bringing the soup to his lips to gingerly sip. It gives him a moment to think about his words, to weigh the tone of them and construct carefully. A world in danger. Is it fair to even ask her to keep his own morals in mind? Kupot swallows his words with a large gulp of the soup. "If he is as intelligent as reports suggest, kupo, he can find a way do a lot of damage."
Kale Hearthward	> "If he is as intelligent as reports suggest, kupo, he can find a way do a lot of damage." "I have not yet seen anything to make me believe he's not, or can't." > "It sounds like I have an incentive to get it killed, Mr. Forte," "Please prioritize your world's salvation over everything else, Rita. But promise me you won't go out of your way to get it killed unnecessarily," he says. > "-to make it stop being friends with me, afterward?" Forte doesn't comment on Rita's hesitation and last second change of phrasing. "Probably. I wouldn't depend on him not having some sort of countermeasure ready." Forte leads the group inside. He's been here before. There's a gauntlet of minions and a number of hazards, but the group are here as guests. Deep inside, the path Forte leads the group on ends in a high-ceiling room, ringed with machinery - around a conspicuously empty space in the middle. There, waiting, is a person who is just simply radiating final boss vibes. https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/megaman/images/f/f4/MMBN_Wily.png "Ah - right on time. Actually, a bit early. The decrypting machines are still warming up." Dr. Wily looks over the group. "Let's see... a cyborg, and a digital monster with his operator, hmm? I'd be most grateful if you'd let me do some scans before you leave - entirely voluntarily, of course..." "... And there's the girl of the hour. Fighting an interloper for control of your world, correct? My best wishes, and I look forward to seeing what you do with your world afterward with great interest."
Gaonoir	Erika looks a bit concerned at first. But Gaonoir shrugs a bit. "Whatever. Let's stay focused on the matter at hand." He doesn't think Wily would learn too much other than find some of the similarities and differences between Digimon and NetNavis. "Right, right." Erika calms down when her partner doesn't get too upset by the offer. "I'm sure they have it in hand." She flicks on her device, bringing up both it's own sensors and the link with Gaonoir's heightened senses. "But we will monitor from over here just to be careful."
Rita Ma	The soup's pretty good! Hot, salty-savory, and thin in a pleasantly tantalizing way. It feels like an appetizer you'd have before a meaty main course. Rita stiffens up at Forte's words, drawing in on herself. Her armor of formality thickens further. "I promise, Mr. Forte. If he agreed to it, I should probably expect there's no easy way out after all. It's worth it either way," she says. 'If innocent people die anyway, can I live with myself?' fights against 'Can I live with myself if I don't help with everything I have?' in her head. You can hear the uncertainty in her voice. But she's not letting it sway her now. It's too late. It's fine. It has to be fine. She's at the back of the group when they come to the old man, like she doesn't want to be noticed. She's relieved not to be addressed at first. That vanishes a second later. But she puts on the picture of the perfect well-mannered girl, and bows shallowly from her waist. Her voice sounds suddenly more formal: "Good afternoon, Dr. Wily. That's correct. I'm very glad we could come to this arrangement. What I'll do with my world is..." Suddenly, she seems to realize that the "taking over the world" bit hadn't come up with her allies either. Rita glances at the three of them again, with an uncomfortably apologetic look. "... my plans don't yet extend far beyond the current crisis. It's hard to plan beyond the end of the world, and tomorrow belongs to tomorrow."
Kupot	He doesn't need his optic implant on to record data. Kupot's eyes do a quick sweep of the room, allowing his implants to scan every machine and inch before centering back on the old man. "No." If Wily is sowing seeds of discord, it is working. Kupot casts his eyes again back at Rita Ma, considering her. Then forward at Wily.
Kale Hearthward	> "... my plans don't yet extend far beyond the current crisis. It's hard to plan beyond the end of the world, and tomorrow belongs to tomorrow." "I'd suggest doing at least some planning, then," says Dr. Wily, seeming to accept this answer. "Because if you don't make plans for what you'll do with your world... then I assure you, others will. There may be- no, there will be opportunities you get, in the moment, that you won't ever get again. There may be a day when you look back and regret taking them." > "No." "Very well - foreign cybernetics are not why we're gathered here, after all." Wily reaches out. "Alpha, if you please." Forte hands the armored basketball over. Wily takes it, and wheels one of the nearby machines into the center of the room, before placing the basketball in it and flicking a switch. "Alpha. The true culprit of the Alpha Revolt, all those years ago..." says Wily. The manipulators on the machine start dancing across the surface of the ball. Slowly, it starts unlocking... and expanding. "An ever-expanding, ever-ravenous beast. It sinks into and subverts everything it can get, incorporating it into itself, and forever warping it. Its limits know no bounds, no reason, and no rationale." "The damage it did last time... was blamed, initially, on another," continues Wily. "Its creators didn't understand what it was or what they had done, and so they sought a scapegoat. Isn't that right, Forte?" "They don't need the history lesson. Just get it open," says Forte, staring at the ball, which has continued unlocking and expanding, reaching the size of a volleyball with no apparent loss in density.
Gaonoir	"An all-consuming, assimilating... entity." That is enough to have Gaonoir's hackles raised. As usual out of eerie similarities to past experiences more than any personal concern. "So once it's done it's job, it will need to be ... rehandled in short order." So they need to be ready to deal with it, and possibly whatever Wily intends to do afterwards. > "I'd suggest doing at least some planning, then," Not that Gaonoir is a very advanced planning sort either. That's what he has Erika for. The young lady oooooos softly as Alpha unlocks, shifts, and enlarges though yet not revealing anything more of it's true aspect. Curiousity is partially overriding concern at the moment. "It's like an ever expanding puzzle box... sphere." Well that's what she's for when she's not occupied. Though knowing her level of curiousity and analyic ability, just being here to observe may be useful in the future...
Rita Ma	Kupot casts his eyes again back at Rita Ma, considering her. Rita looks back at him, smiling uncomfortably. It's a sharply pleading look; all that tells him is that she doesn't have an easy explanation that'll sound good. Then her attention snaps back to Wily too. "I see, Dr. Wily," she says in that slightly-too-stiff way. There's a shiver under her words, but Rita manages a polite smile anyway. "Thank you for the advice. I can certainly think of things that need changing. It's only strange to think about having a future to look back from with regret. "An ever-expanding, ever-ravenous beast. It sinks into and subverts everything it can get, incorporating it into itself..." It's hard to see Rita's reaction to those words in the moment, because her skin and clothes are unweaving themselves into near-gelatinous blue strips. Her hat falls to the floor- that was the only 'real' thing. When they part to show her true face, she looks wistfully tense. "It'll be okay, Mr. Gaonoir. I've got it handled. I can talk to it, remember?" This time it's easier to get a close look at the pale figure she always was beneath the disguising tentacles: human remnants and fishy alien growths are melded so densely that it's hard to tell which has devoured which. Each tentacle, once it's done pretending to be a girl's hair or dress or face, angles itself towards the data-prison like a viper ready to strike. Her eyes rest there too, mostly so she doesn't have to look at anyone's face. If she saw disgust- or, worse, approval- it'd crush her. "Isn't that right, Forte?" That finally startles her out of her grim concentration. "Your creators at SciLab," she says in surprise. Her eyes search Forte's face, still tender even though only one is human. "Is that why...? All over a mistake like that?"
Kupot	Kupot's eyes keep flicking back and forth over the ball, taking in whatever data he can as he watches. "Technology runs away from even the most intelligent, kupo." This time, as Rita sheds the guise, Kupot takes true note. His irises shift subtly, taking in every part of the body, an almost clinical stare to try and decipher what Rita Ma underwent. He does, at least, have the good grace to do it when she isn't looking.
Rita Ma	> what Rita Ma underwent Something absolutely awful. There are traces of where the alien flesh attacked her in veins, trying to penetrate through her body in aggressive assimilation. Those are old now; for some reason they halted halfway through the process of conversion. The newer growths, like her 'dress' of flesh and many many tentacles, are cleaner and more purposeful: she mastered (or became?) what was trying to consume her.
Kale Hearthward	Forte... ... isn't actually looking at Rita. All of his attention is on the sphere. So when she talks to get his attention, he's entirely missed her transformation - and sees her in full for the first time. Even on his half-hidden face, there's clear surprise. And then... ... a look of coming to a decision. "Today is a day for leaving behind secrets, then..." Forte reaches up, and grabs his poncho, pulling it over his head and then letting it drop to the ground behind him. "Yes. The Alpha Revolt. I was a security navi, auditing Scilab's security. I was already unpopular for finding exploits in their system - for doing my job too well." "I was being restrained when the Alpha Revolt happened. There was no way I could have been responsible. And yet..." Rita has seen Bass.EXE, his clone, so what he looks like underneath isn't a complete mystery. What Bass.EXE doesn't have, that's been hidden from view the whole time, is the large glowing scar, diagonally across his chest. It isn't comparable to Rita's changes. But it is the first time anyone else has seen it. "They left me for dead. I had to run. Hide in the depths of cyberspace where I couldn't be found. I had to start feeding on viruses to survive. For a while, I thought I was going to become one. A mindless monster. I'm not sure if I wasn't one, for a while." "After everything that happened, I wanted to just be left alone. Of course, I wasn't. At first it was criminals thinking I was a mark to be stolen from. And then when I fought them off, I became a thing of legend - a powerful navi for the powerful and prideful to challenge themselves against." Forte's fists clench. "Even going to the furthest reaches, isolating myself as much as possible, I wasn't able to be left alone. I grew to despise this world. And when the opportunity came to leave it, when it unified into the Multiverse - I took it." "... And then I met you, Rita."
Gaonoir	The glowing scar that's revealed gets plenty of notice from the duo. In part because it's very hard to scar a Digimon in that kind of lasting manner unless you somehow distort the very code composing them. Yet on the rogue Navi that was Forte is was as plain as day. Then after a moment Gaonoir folds his arms and turns his gaze in another direction. "It seems like the more someone tries to be alone, the more the world tries to force them not to be." "Goes to show how much this means to him," Erika adds in, "That he was willing to come back to help Rita with this matter." And working with the likes of Wily, but that doesn't need to be said. "Betrayal from those you worked hard for hurts more..." the dark canine mutters under his breath, though his gaze has turned back to Alpha's progress. It would be foolish to not keep a set of eyes on it just because there was some heartfelt moments going on.
Rita Ma	"Today is a day for leaving behind secrets, then..." Rita's shy, sad smile turns to a look of wary surprise. "Mr. Forte? You don't have to share anything you don't want to. I promise. Just because..." But his poncho hitting the floor makes things clear enough. Her words are stopped by a soft gasp, hand over her mouth. Even her tentacles emote, withdrawing to wind around her arms and legs anxiously. Her eyes can't tear themselves away from the wound. It's sympathetic heartbreak, and it's awe. That expression lingers in the seconds of silence after he finishes speaking. Then she steps forward, and leans up on tiptoes, and hugs the floating man's waist with her cheek against his side. Consciously or not, even her tentacles join in: what shredded metal the day before now embraces gently, twining around his arms and body with a light touch. "'Wanting to be alone'," she says quietly- maybe audible for the others, but meant only for him. "What that really means is, they hurt you bad enough that you gave up on having friends. Is that right, Mr. Forte?" "So... thank you for being brave enough to be friends with me. I know that that takes being really strong."
Kupot	Kupot keeps his eyes on Wily as well, shooting them briefly towards Forte, taking in the scar. A little smile crosses Kupot's face as he listens to Rita and Gaonoir speak. "Do not give up, kupo. The world was forced upon you." A warm fuzzy feeling rolls up in Kupot's heart. Watching Rita overcome that terror enough to hug Forte is enough to keep Kupot going. "You are not stained, kupo. Neither of you." These two do not deserve to be a walking husk like him.
Kale Hearthward	> "What that really means is, they hurt you bad enough that you gave up on having friends. Is that right, Mr. Forte? So... thank you for being brave enough to be friends with me. I know that that takes being really strong." Forte gets hugged. He's not expecting it. He's certainly not used to it. ... It's... nice. After a long moment, Forte lifts a single arm and wraps it around Rita in return. Gently, as if he's afraid of breaking her. He's even less used to giving hugs. "... Thank you." "Rita, I-" "Ahem." OH AND HERE'S WILY, RUINING THE MOMENT. "Quite sorry to interrupt, but you may want to take a step back. The decryption on Alpha's penultimate seal is just about finished." The ball, which has steadily been expanding, is now... leaking orange goo. It's spreading out across the floor. With impeccable big brother instincts, Forte twists to the side, putting himself between the spreading mass of goo and Rita. "Alpha," says Forte. "Just Alpha's body. The nucleus, the important bit, is behind one final seal," says Wily. (Indeed, there's nothing for Rita to be 'friends with' here yet.) The ball expands further, leaking enough that the puddle is spreading across the floor. It's mildly unpleasant to stand on but harmless, unless your name is Gaonoir in which case it's stinging a bit. And then the ball, at 'crowd surfing hamster ball' size, breaks apart, leaving behind a large pillar. "The Guardian program. The last seal," says Wily. "Cryptographically unbreakable, but we've got something that trumps any barrier, don't we. Forte, you're up." "Right. Excuse me," he says to Rita, letting go of her, and floating up to the pillar. "Getability.bat," he intones, extending a hand, which starts glowing. "Created by a genius programmer, forged by the fires of the Undernet..." grandstands Wily. Forte grabs the pillar. Slowly, and then increasingly quickly, it starts evaporating - disappearing into Forte's extended hand, with Forte glowing brightly as it finishes. "Ha ha ha... mwa ha ha ha!" The mask drops. Wily's laughing in full supervillain mode. "At last! At last, Alpha!" Now Rita can make friends with the mass of goo. Also just a few seconds after Forte finishes absorbing the last seal, the mass of goo rises up and tries to engulf both him and Wily!
Gaonoir	Being respectful of the heartfelt moment was why Gaonoir didn't get into his own dark and troubled past... But of course Wily manages to butt in at the last moment with perfect timing. In a manner that does nothing to be reassuring while Forte is disengaging the final program seal, then moves protectively near Rita while the goop is oozing out. In a similar manner Gaonoir nudges Erika back a step and takes up a protective stance in front of her, gloved paws up and ready. "Be ready, in case this turns into... whatever you'd call a grey goo situation if the goo isn't grey." Erika's expression twitchs with a bit of consern despite her best effort to retain a 'professional' demeanor now. "Gaonoir, you're not recovered entirely from before..." Her thumb is at the ready at the Digivice display, but wavering hesitantly. "Doesn't matter," Gaonoir chuffs over his shoulder at her, not taking his eyes off the ooze. "If you need to evolve me, do so. I'll manage." He's strong enough even without fully reserves thanks to the Dark Digitron encoding. Or so he hopes. ".. Okay." Erika's brow furrows, reassured. "If we need to. For Rika and her world's sake." If this has proven to be a terrible idea they'll have to act quickly. And pray to whatever gods or mods that are out there it's enough...
Rita Ma	"You're welcome, Mr. Forte," Rita says dreamily. Her tendrils feel uncomfortably cool and boneless, but when they squeeze just like this, they almost don't feel unnerving at all. She looks up at him, eyes bright, and-- "Ahem." --withdraws them all at once while rocking back onto her heels, suddenly self-conscious again. She re-composes herself with a hasty little bow. "Oh. Um, of course, Dr. Wily. Thank you." "You are not stained, kupo. Neither of you." She steps back as suggested, then gives Kupot a heartbroken look. Her lips part- good lord, those teeth are horrible- but the words don't come out for a moment. "It's nice to hear you think so," she finally manages. Of all the ups and downs of today, Alpha's emergence is the one she's most braced for. Her tentacles arch like vipers again, each angling around to present its sharp tip towards the orange mass. Just after Forte deletes the column, all dozen of her tentacles arch around him to strike at Alpha's amoeba-like nucleus, embedding deep. They yank it back from its attempted engulfing like a leash. Alpha's goo is translucent, and so are Rita's tentacles, so everyone gets to see every horrid detail of exactly what she meant by 'talk to'. Alpha's amorphous body starts to shrivel. She isn't draining its juices- she's extracting some kind of glowy-blue energy in pulsing swallows. At first the bubbles (of 'soul'?) shiver in place like they're caught in a tug-of-war; then her hunger rips them towards her, and they cascade in a rush down the tentacles and towards her back. Concentration on Rita's face has lost out to a glass-eyed sharkish hunger. If she doesn't remember herself, she might just devour all of it-- but she does, with a shudder of will and a sharp gasp. Her tentacles tear free, and her alien blue eye glows bright as the last few soul-bubbles course in. She straightens up, still breathing hard, and gestures to beckon Alpha over. STOP. COME TO ME, she telepathically commands it- and it will listen, because a part of it is hers, and she is the Queen.
Kupot	Kupot steps back, so as not to get into the puddle. While it may be harmless, he has not survived this long by stepping in strange puddles of goo. Hm. The ability to inherit other abilities. He focuses forward, arms moving from folded to one hand resting gently on the hilt of the blade. The ball rising out of the mass of goo is certainly now giving Kupot 'end of the world' vibes, his knuckles flexing as his fingers tighten on the blade. But he does not strike, letting Rita do her job. The calm exterior, patient, having been here before, ready for villains and soldiers, cracks. A single line down the glacier of calm, a crack down the resolve. This is not just a normal happening. This is the possible end of the world rearing its head. Kupot's sword rattles just a second before he steadies his hand, waiting.
Kale Hearthward	Alpha... ... stops, and goes over to Rita. "Ah - whew, that was... fast." says Wily, who's been sufficiently hubris-shocked after nearly getting eaten during his moment of triumph. "Ahem." He coughs, and goes to grab his cane, which he had dropped during all of that. "... Hmm," says Forte. "Thank you, Rita." If left to its own devices: some of the goo calcifies - forming a metal-like shell, with similarly faux-metallic weapons and armor around the nucleus, including two independent spiky arms. The end result looks like this: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/megaman/images/a/a8/Alpha.png "As one last step, I'll install the new control program, and I'll give you a spare remote - as a safety measure, even if you might not need it. I'll set it to shut down and go dormant if you don't use the remote every few hours. If, heaven forbid, something happens to you, Alpha won't run rampant on your world without your control - and I can come retrieve it, of course." "I'm not some maniac who wants to destroy the entire multiverse, of course," adds Wily as he plugs a cable into the back of Alpha's neck. "I merely want to destroy this decrepit cancerous networked society that we're standing in, like a reasonable person." "Like a normal person," adds Forte, straight-faced.
Rita Ma	Alpha extends a weaponized claw, and Rita- after wiping the drool off her lips and re-weaving her human disguise- seats herself atop it, as confidently as if the horrifying monster were an extension of her own body. It sort of is, now. "Of course, Dr. Wily," Rita says. At her unspoken command, the monster even inclines its 'head' towards him to make inserting the cable easier. "I can't make promises, but I won't be reckless with our property. It seems pretty hardy, anyway. Thank you again for your help." From her elevated perch, Rita smiles down at the other Watchmen, but at Forte especially. "And thank you, too. The people trying to save my world are going to need all the help they can get. I wish I didn't have to ask favors of all of you like this, but..." It might even be subconscious, the way Rita extends Alpha's monstrous claw to shake with the Elites instead of her own hand. But she seems to realize a second later and giggles at her own absurdity. It fades to a contented smile. Only by contrast, now, is it possible to pick out how her eyes had always seemed hungry before. "... If I wasted this talent, I'd feel even worse."
Gaonoir	Gaonoir doesn't entirely relax, but he does calm down when Alpha responds to Rita and doesn't start eating anyone or anything. So far, so good. A bent ear does perk in Wily's direction, but he just snorts softly. Rubs his nose with the edge of a gloved paw. He's not really in a position to say much, being a digital being as well. So instead, focus on the matter at hand. So to speak. "One more step towards dealing with this matter." When Rita has one Alpha arm reach forward in an appendage he holds his own up to lightly fistbump the less sharp part of the limb. "Well that was certainly an experience!" Erika is still wearing that hacker jacket, which she takes a moment to adjust. "Thank you for the assistance, Dr. Wily. And the emergency backup."
Kupot	Kupot's eyes drift over to the remote. He may be able to use that to stop the beast in the future. Or, at least, a version of it. "Kupo," he agrees with Wily absentmindedly. His small hand grasps the claw in a shake. Yes. That chance. "You will save your world." Kupot says, not reassuring, but as matter of fact, looking at Rita with his own eyes, hollow, except for a faint glimpse of appreciation for the journey Rita Ma walks. A small smile on his face. "And it is no favor, kupo. Simply help to a protector."