Broken In So Many Ways [Open]

Aphelion stepped in front of Aoife, rather aggressively.

"Don't let him lead you into proving him right." he whispered, before looking back at Leo

"You speak a slave's tongue. You, who sneers at human nature, lost his own. I don't know about law or authority, for I answer to Gods alone, but I can assure you that Aoife is more fit to be a human being than you are and will ever be. Her hatred, anger, disgust, make her more human than anyone I know. Heat is life, cold is death. Aoife lives, but you... You are already dead. No doubt your mechanical brain isn't picking up on what I'm saying, and I don't expect a machine to understand it, but emotion can be controlled, and whomever controls emotions has strength greater than one who fuels them. Good job trying to fix the problem you are a part of."

Leonius ignored Aoife, her words merely confirming what he said. Aphelion, however, he paused at.

"And yet you praise those... who are slaves to their emotions and desires... You speak of gods... and yet it is still... just a different authority above your own... Mankind's strength has always been... in organization... in the capacity for thought and reason... Blind passion, unharnessed by rationality... has been the undoing of nations... since time immemorial..."

He turned, chuckling.

"And yet you speak... of understanding... when the basics of human civilization... of human nature to structure itself... is beyond your comprehension. You speak of hate and anger... defining humanity... but not a word said of empathy or compassion... I look upon the two of you... and I see an outcast incapable of comprehending... that which makes a human... trying to pass judgement on his betters... and a sociopath... whose hubris she falsely deems merit enough to place herself... in the ranks of the divine..."

He leaned in toward Aphelion, looking down at him in the crater.

"The difference between us... Aphelion... is I am aware of how far I have slipped... How much sway the computer has... over the man. And yet I look upon one... who would indiscriminately drug those... that he would call brother and sister... and make them but puppets dancing... at the strings of his poisons... Someone incapable of understanding... why people may not wish... to be enslaved so... Someone whose understanding... of Man is so stunted... that he places destructive impulse... above care for one's fellows..."

As the giant held out his hand, a screen appeared, showing a laughably simple schematic of Sum Sine Sceleri, little more than an outline with "livable" marked inside, and "hostile" marked outside.

"You are correct... I am dead. Without this suit... I am a corpse... Doomed to return to such a state... as my scarred lungs are rendered... unable to extract oxygen... from the natural environment... I was burned... to death... And that is precisely... what puts me above you... Because I understand... pain... Because I can comprehend... what she threatens with carefree abandon... Because I know... what I protect others from... by setting aside... this defective cog... in society's gearbox... What you base animals... bereft of the touch of human civilization... fail to understand is selflessness... That it is sacrifice... that built humanity to the heights... it now occupies... Sacrifice for one's brothers... and sisters... You understand only the moment... the here and now... You poison your fellows... for amusement... because you are incapable of empathizing with them... She threatens horrific violence on a whim... because she thinks only of herself..."

Leonius returned to his full height and banished the display.

"You will argue... You will say... that you think of her... but it is that failure to grasp... the larger picture... that condemns the two of you... to the muck... It is not enough to control emotions... You restrain your anger... your outrage... but why do you do so? ... You think only of the here... the now... It is only consequence... that stays your hand..."

He shook his head at Aphelion.

"Whereas I show mercy... to this bitch... not out of any fear... not out of any consequence... not even out of obligation... or pragmatism... I do it... because mercy... is in my nature. I do it... because it is the right thing... And that is what you animals... may delude yourselves into thinking... you can comprehend... but you never will... And that is what places Mankind... forever out of your reach..."

Leonius turned, and crossed his arms.

"Your horse... better understands Man... than you... I suggest... as a pretender to the title... of a leader... that you pay attention... and learn to think of others... beyond immediate impulse..."

As alien moved to attempt to pick her up, seemingly to try to protect her from the bunch of angry people, she brushed it aside. For all she knew he could be trying to abduct her or something. Maybe the alien had good intentions, but it was unnecessary anyways.

"No, don't worry about me... It doesn't really hurt," she lied, "Also don't worry, no one here is going to hurt anyone else!"

She said this while watching the three in a lengthy argument, believing that despite the argument none of them would come to arms over this. After all, this was an academy for fighting Grimm, not humans, right?

"I won't deny anything you said, for as a machine you speak the truth, as the only thing you can. I drug people, but not for amusement. No, I do it for power. It is a grasp on emotions which gives me power above those who fuel them. You, for example. You see how Aoife reacts when you activate the staple - her anger only intensifies. I threw myself at her to console her - consolation was, after all, how humanity puppeteered emotions for ages. My tribe knew best how to live a life without technology and survive. My feelings for Aoife are my staple for her, and if I truly control emotions, I can make her burn brighter than she wishes to..."

Saying that, Aphelion spun and turned his back to Leo. He gave Aoife a sad smile.

"..and if I can control Aoife, then you should staple me too."

"That judgement... is not yours to make..."

Leonius did not move. He merely stood, as a statue.

"Your understanding of justice... and the purpose of nerve stapling Aoife Knight... are as lacking as your knowledge... of what a technology is... Lacking as well... is your understanding of power... Something else... I attribute to your... nature..."

His head turned, and he looked back at Aphelion with his natural eye.

"Take her... and fall from my sight... if she will go to one... who has given voice that he... dreams himself her master... and puppeteer... I offer one warning, Aphelion... You may be dealing... with authorities... very soon."

His gaze returned straight ahead.

"... Pray, then, that your gods... are stronger than the law... that you disparage... But I suspect... you will find their power wanting..."

"Egotistical sons of bitches love to be proven right." Aphelion whispered reassuringly into Aoife's ear, "Now we should really depart."

Authorities, eh... This could get pretty bad. I hate it when people I hate are right. Gods will watch over me, though, for I am their martyr. he reassured himself, before giving himself a half smile.

Plus, I just got an almost-guaranteed pass into meeting the guys behind Aoife's lockdown.

Indigo turned the corner to the courtyard, her hand in Shem's. As they walked, laughing raucously, Indigo joked "So then my mom says "I'll have you know that my shoes are-"" Ingido stopped suddenly as she saw the crater. "What the..."

Shem holding Indigo's hand, just looks at her and smiles as she tells her joke until they stop at the crater. "Whoa...What happened here?" He looks around the area to see what could have caused this. He tightens his grip on Indigo's hand, "Indy, I dont know we should get involved in this especially since all that happened earlier today..."

Seeing the guy she had seen previously at the beach, Melissa approached her, intending to warn him and what seemed to be a new friend of his.

"Hi, you and your girlfriend might want to stay clear," she winced in pain, "there's heavy alien and cyborg activity in the area, along with lots of explosions and long dialogue." She said, still feeling the pain on her back.

"Girlfriend... Yeah! I guess I am!" For a moment Indigo stares into space, smiling from ear to ear, before remembering the topic at hand. "Are you okay? You don't seem very... Right." She considered examining the girl's mental health before noticing someone she hadn't seen since her first day. "Oh crap, Leonius!"

Shem's smile grew bigger at the sound of Indigo saying that she is his girlfriend then looks at Melissa. "Melissa, what happened here, are you ok?" Shem then looks at where Indigo is calling out a name too and sees that machine of a man that he has seen around campus but never really talked to. His gut is telling him to go but he decides to stay next to Indigo's side.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm alright, just got some burns and shrapnel imbedded in my back when saving the alien agent from pro-human attack. It's important to keep this one live for study, y'know." Melissa said, rambling on a little but about insane things.

"Oh! Right well what happened is actually I'm not too sure I just walked over here and there was a giant crater in the ground with Liar and Alien nearby and Aoife was walking awy from it so I figured something happened with alien and then I realized it must've been alien landing and dropping off the alien agent to begin the alien take over of earth so I began interrogating alien but then the aliens came back to try and kill alien to stop it giving away information so I saved it but then Aoife came over to try kill alien but she managed to get pursuaded and now Crying Boy and Bench Murderer over there are arguing. Got that?" She said in a very long and fast stream of words.

Indigo just stared at the girl, dumbfounded. And I thought Maria was hyperactive. "Uhh... No. No, I really didn't. Can you start again with less... With just less?"

WHAT.

Once more his brain is back into the state of What. At least Melissa was still...Melissa. That was a good thing. He frowns a little at that and irritably slumps down, crossing the talons in front of him as he shakes his head and coughs again. He was not a damned alien for the upteenth time.

"I'm not a damned Alien!" This shout would carry before being broken off by yet another coughing fit.

And while collapsed he looks at his leg.

"Huh. This still hurts." Go figure. Apparently cracking your leg back into place isn't a good idea. With that he lets out a sigh and just falls over sideways, watching Melissa and wondering if all this damned activity hadn't made him so tired that his facepalm would eviscerate said face...

Compared to the person talking about his Gods, Aoife would stand there looking like she had just done a deal with Lucifer, the fire from her aura barely centimetres away from Aphelion at points. Walking towards Melissa as she scorches the earth, she would comment to Leo, still using the same demonic heard in her voice as before, "Then I shall be his sword and shield." As she reaches Melissa, she would look at her back before going, "Get that checked out. Now."

"Hmm?" Melissa said, being distracted just as she was about to explain the previous events over again since this girl somehow had trouble understanding her. Crazies, all around her, "It's okaay, it's really not that bad!" She said, despite the constant pain she was feeling from her back. She managed to hide it well, however.

"It'll heal on its own, probably!" She reassured, although she knew it wouldn't - it was pretty serious, but now wasn't the time to worry people. Now was the time to quickly explain the events to these two and hopefully gain their help in keep Alien safe until they could extract the necessary information out of it.

Noticing Alien saying some nonsense about not being an alien, she figured it would be best to let it believe they weren't onto its plan yet, "Sure, sure, of course you aren't an alien!" She said, unintentionally putting a large amount of sarcasm into her voice as she said it.

Aw crap. Now the Angel of Devastation was approaching Melissa. You know. The one person he had been actively trying to get her away from? And Melissa was talking to someone else...but he didn't know who. Eesh. He had to stand back up. At this stage his leg was going to be the least of his problems. He really wasn't an alien.

He stands, or attempts to, pulling himself to his feet, Talons hanging low as he tries to regain a semblance of balance yet again. This was getting to be a terrible habit. He shakes his head and lets out a frustrated sigh. Whatever the Angel's suitor had thrown on them seemed to have no effect on Melissa and was just managing to make him a bit more irritable.

"Seriously. I'm human! Not an Alien! I bleed red! I have bones that break and stuff!"

Yeah, because open defiance of Melissa had worked so far. He makes his way slowly over to her, shaking his head and then freezes a moment when he spots exactly who she is talking to. Great. The Angel of Devastation and Indigo and the one who had stolen her. This was exactly what he needed at this point.

He turns, mumbling in the vague hope that someone around him is paying attention.

"Oh...great...hey Arthur? You about? This is the...trouble I sort of didn't tell you about."

The second Melissa distracted herself, Aoife's hand would go for her back, Melissa feeling the heat of her hand before the flames withdraw, "That is not a request. You can either go there voluntarily or I can drag you there. Choose within the next three seconds."

"Let. Her. Go."

These words were spoken with a barely contained anger, something Drake did not let out much, if at all outside the Frenzy. And they were spoken quite clearly, with some degree of authority that he could muster despite the pain of his leg and the state he was in.

"She will go in her own time. And she will not go alone. You have done enough harm today Lady Aoife. Step. Down."

Now this was something. Drake was showing those emotions he didn't show to anyone. But not the more positive ones. No. This time it was anger. Genuine anger. He'd just found a cause.

Arthur, being stirred by Drake after silently watching the events take place asks "What do you need me to do, Drake?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Drag me there! That sounds like a lot of fun! Do we get to go really fast like a rollercoaster or slow and steady like a frog? Doesn't matter, let's goooo!" Melissa said, almost jumping up and down in excitement. She had a chance to get a free trip to the infirmary, via human power! When does a chance like this pop up? NEVER.

"You are right she will not go alone. Because I am taking her." would be the last thing said in her other voice. Followed by producing her White Dragon and producing a firewall between them, she would grab Melissa in a new position, taking her under arm as the jets ignite, launching them into a Headstart towards the infirmary.

WHAT.

And at this departure all the strength is just gone and he slumps down yet again. In part he's angry, in part he's frustrated and in part he's just...confused. He glances after Melissa and lets out a frustrated sigh before collapsing to his side.

"Ow. I don't know if I mentioned before...but this really hurts."

Shem squeezes Indigo's hand a little tighter. "I dont think we need to be here, Indy..."

Watching Aoife fly away, he turned to Drake and approached him.

''Yeah... you probably picked the wrong woman to sexually assault.'' Aphelion said to him, putting another chewing gum in his mouth, ''But I approve of your tastes.''

He offered Drake a hand.

He looks up and takes the hand, carefully, deliberately reaching around with the actual gauntlet rather than the blades of the Talons. At those words he scowls, just a little and seems to put far more weight into his exhausted slump.

"She keeps saying that. It was a kiss. Conflicting signals. I do however apologise. I was not aware that she was involved with yourself. And...this whole...sort of thing is somewhat confusing by nature to me."

He does keep glancing in the direction they went before glancing back toward Indigo and Shem. Awkwardly.

"Apparently reason does not work with the feminine gender. Regardless of circumstances."

He would shrug but to be honest the frame itself was a bit bent out of shape. The only thing that didn't look like it needed to be resharpened, reshaped or repainted was the iron scale pattern that ran down the back of the talons.

"My thanks for calming her fury though. But I am now...concerned about the other. Even if she was only saving me to dissect me later."

"I hear she's a pleasant crazy one. You never know what she might've actually meant by 'dissect', although it might just be my perverted mind telling me crap." he said with a slight giggle to himself.

"I can, and should, get you to the infirmary so you can check up on her, but I think we'd have to be quick enough to leave before Aoife comes back and slow enough to get there after she leaves." Aphelion added, whistiling loudly.