*000000*

May 1st

14 Days Left

=====

Far away, beneath the surface of Mars, a project was taking place.

Within a heavily armored room, several cameras are pointed at a person as the entire place glows bright purple from the sheer levels of Honkai radiation.

[AI-Honkai-Energy-1: Selene system is holding steady. There are no traces of Honkai energy outside the room.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-2: Energy levels rising to twenty times the amount required for a Herrscher manifestation. I'm starting to get rather paranoid with the lack of bad things happening.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-1: At least the subject is being affected. I guess I was right about the nervous system being a requirement?]

The person was shambling around the room, patting the surface to look for an exit. This was in line with past observations of the 'Zombies' still retaining a level of intelligence.

The fact that their 'patting' would have easily destroyed any normal building on Earth was ignored. Their safety measures wouldn't give that easily even unmonitored, which it wasn't, and they weren't on Earth in the first place, conducting this experiment on Mars instead.

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: Think she'll evolve? She's already manifesting clothing and all.]

Indeed, while the subject had started out naked, they were already covering themselves up, using the Honkai energy present to manifest the familiar clothing all 'Zombies' had.

And while it hasn't shown any abilities yet, they were certain that it was only a matter of time before something happened.

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: It's interesting how they actually get more powerful the more energy is present. We never had a situation like this before, after all.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-2: Energy levels still rising. We're getting closer to the level of the Abyss' deeper regions.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-1: Temperature increasing. Flammable shit will start to burn in 3…2…1…]

Nothing happened, of course. The 'zombie' was inside a room that was steadily increasing its level of Honkai energy, and as such any damage taken is instantly healed.

The half-formed scythe in its hands shifted and flowed into the shape of a hammer.

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: That doesn't make sense. We've had multiple variations of them present in the past, probably hundreds of times. Would becoming more intelligent fit more as a hypothesis?]

The 'zombie' slammed her hammer onto a wall, causing a shockwave and rocking the entire structure, as if experiencing a strong earthquake…

It had no effect on the room, floating in a large cavity within the lithosphere, as it would've had anywhere else.

As had been instructed, extensive measures have been taken to ensure safety.

Hundreds of cannons, all utilizing the Selene's schematics, twitched, zeroing on the room before going silent when nothing else happened.

Very extensive measures.

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: Strength displayed does not match all recorded data of this variation. It's more comparable to Benares when she attacked the Hyperion actually, so at least we now know that zombies get stronger the more Honkai energy is present, and most likely why a Herrscher manifesting also causes these really tough creatures to appear.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-1: Like they weren't a pain in the ass before.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: Yup. And clearly they're obtaining information from somewhere, because how else are we to explain normal people getting turned into them and being able to pose a threat?]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-2: Pay attention; It's using energy attacks now.]

Indeed, while they were busy discussing, the 'zombie' had started infusing fire into its hammer, and was striking the surface as hard as it could.

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: Should we consider this as confirmation that certain techniques are possible to accomplish?]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-2: It was already possible; we were just looking for any possible side effects because we haven't been getting any blatant responses from the Honkai.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-1: Fu Hua might be happy to learn that she can do the Blade Mantra here, though we'll have to place Moon Rings and smaller Honkai converters everywhere.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: I'll get mass production started. Given our luck, the other boot is just waiting to come down.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-1: We'll have to spin a decent excuse to have people wear this everywhere too, or at least during massive fights. Maybe something about it being good for cleaning out radioactivity?]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-2: That doesn't sound good. Enough people have seen Kevin's performance against the Nine, so we can say instead that the energy waste produced by our biggest weaponry necessitates wearing the Moon Rings.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-1: People saw Kevin not wearing any of that.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-2: We can bullshit an excuse. No one can deny what they just saw, so we can wave it away as a power he himself has. When you have a weapon that metaphorically fires the sun and you do not suffer any burns from it, even when the destruction was great enough to break the shields and required us to rain ice, people will most likely think that maybe there's something that made you the best candidate for wielding the weapon.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-1: I guess that works? I'll send the information to the main terminal on Earth. Are the other Divine Keys ready to send as well?]

In another heavily-armored room, the camera swiveled towards the far end, where several pedestals stood.

Floating on one of them was an ornately-designed lance, its crystal-like tip glowing softly under the spotlight.

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: The Abyss Flower is ready, along with a surplus of Soulium for any changes required.]

On a larger pedestal floated two different items: a dainty hair clip and a lotus flower.

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: The Keys of Sentience have also finished construction, though we'll have to test them out first before using them in the field. The good news is, we can replace the old pseudo-cores Taylor made!]

On another floated a large cross, a mass of black and gold material, with red lines running across the body.

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: The Oath of Judah is properly installed with the Gem, so she can use it for naptime again. She sent a complaint about her having a lack of proper sleep.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-1: Shame we can't send more, but they're being used for other things, or just aren't built yet.]

The pedestals flashed, and the Divine Keys disappeared.

[AI-Honkai-Energy-1: And sent. How is the observation going?]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: Well the Zombie's floating now, and she's making coffins, but nothing's appearing.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-2: We can rule out the theory that they're making more Zombies through Honkai energy then.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: Or we still need more time to observe. Think of it like this: what if they need more processing power to create and manipulate their own Zombies, and it's only their mental development that's taking time?]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-2: …that's a possible yet disturbing thought. We'll keep her alive then. In the worst case scenario, we can toss the room into space and use the Star of Eden. How long would that take?]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: If we're willing to damage the lithosphere? A few seconds. Otherwise it might take a few minutes to retrieve it from underground.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-2: Sounds reasonable enough.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: We can also take the opportunity to branch out a new division just to observe Zombies, because dense levels of Honkai can't be the only reason they start evolving. Otherwise the other types wouldn't exist in remote areas.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-1: Okay, I've finished writing it all down. Anything else?]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-2: …I'm drawing a blank right now.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: I have nothing else to think about either.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-1: …and sent. We'll have expanding the facility as our priority for now, with the development of the remaining Divine Keys a close second. Speaking of which, how goes the Fourth? Is it ready to deploy?]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: Close. The Gem of Desire hasn't been made yet considering…uh, the Zombie, but the satellite itself is ready. A room is being prepared for making the Gem, but everything will take a few days to finish.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy-1: And not a moment too soon. If the schedule holds, Leviathan should be attacking within two weeks, but we're also adequately prepared for any of the three appearing. Now then, if no one else has anything to share, then we can be dismissed now and reconvene at a later date.]

No one else said anything, and everything in the network went silent a few seconds later.

The cameras remained fixated on the Zombie, as she kept up her attempts to break out of her prison. Coffins have appeared and disappeared more than a hundred times by now, but it showed no sign of stopping, even when no results showed up.

It was also firing lasers at the walls now, to no avail.

[AI-Honkai-Energy-3: I really can't see it sticking to an attack pattern. It's got to be making an attempt at spawning Zombies until it succeeds.]

---

Did that Zombie just evolve into a Deathly Doom?

…at least they're making sure that it's contained properly?

I'd have ordered them to dispose of the former Butcher immediately, but research is important, especially when the incredibly terrifying energy source does not seem to be doing anything bad right now.

…

…actually, let's have Honkai detecting drones mass-produced, just so nothing sneaks up on us.

That shit's more terrifying than a depressed world-ending alien parasite, and that's saying something.

=====

May 2nd

13 Days Left

=====

The president fingered a bracelet as Einstein and Tesla stood before him.

They were in his office, with his trusted secretary nearby working through a stack of documents. The guards beside the doors were looking at them curiously, but they could be trusted as well, to keep their mouths shut.

Really, the only reason they were able to enter the White House so discreetly was because of the constant rain, a rather ominous warning given the Endbringers' mechanical sense of timeliness, and the fact that the Simurgh was the one to attack last time.

"So, this will be used for the upcoming fight, huh?" He mused as he examined the device. It was a marvel of technology from another world, capable of identifying everything within its range, relaying information to Saint Freya for their computers to analyze, and receiving instructions in turn during emergencies. It had several other functions that are more precise than most commercial devices, such as weather analysis and a clock that adjusts itself to the time zone. "You people are really investing heavily into preparations, so I hope it all pays off in the end. Have you informed the PRT about this yet?"

"We haven't." Einstein shook her head. "As the one to have given us permission to deal with the Slaughterhouse Nine in our own way, we thought to inform you first, given that as the one who made a conscious choice, you'd have weighed the pros and cons in allying with our organization."

"Give me more work, why don't you?" He snorted before staring back. "There's also the fact that my words hold more weight than theirs, isn't it? If their country's leader accepts it, then they would be fools to say otherwise, right?"

"You know more." Einstein mouthed to him.

"No comment." Tesla snorted as she crossed her arms. "So, awesome invention right?"

No recorded limitations on the physical stress it can be put through, no signal towers or satellites needed to remain in contact if there were enough of them in one area to boost each other's communications range, a local communications network that also gives indications if the wearers get separated from the rest of the party, a grappling hook that can attach to any surface no matter how smooth they are…

All this, coupled with the fact that they can recharge from nearly any source of energy, whether it be water, heat, sunlight? It sounded like an essential survival tool to him, honestly.

If it could function as a hand axe and a trowel, then it would be the only tool needed aside from a water filter, ever.

"It is, but it's not the only one." He looked at the suit on display. "That's for environmental hazards, right?"

If the 'Moon Ring', as Tesla called them, were any indication, then this would also be more than it appeared.

As it is, despite the slowly shifting colors it was cycling through and the lack of kevlar padding, it looked like something that special operations would wear.

"It's meant to keep you safe from them, yes." Tesla tapped the chest of the mannequin wearing it. "It can resist deep water pressure up to three hundred meters, extreme temperatures, and radiation just to name a few, but the masks also filter the air and water, and the air tanks inside can last you up to an hour, more if you can control your breathing or you're attached to bigger ones."

"And I'll just assume that the goggles fulfill similar functionalities as this Moon Ring?" Given the level of overengineering these people did with their base, it was a logical enough conclusion to reach.

"I mean they are detachable if the wearer prefers it, but they're designed to be kept on until you're safe." Tesla pulled off the mask and goggles. "They're easy to attach together, and won't separate unless you follow specific instructions first."

"I do remember you giving Legend a helmet." He remarked as he put it on, and felt the mask adhere to his face. He could actually see more than what the outside lens had implied; he was surprised, but pleasantly so. He took note of the functions available. "Including the not quite 'X-Ray' vision you talked about?"

"Yes, but these would cover you completely. It is to mitigate environmental hazards after all, so it's required."

"True enough." He hummed as he beheld the world without walls separating them. His hidden bodyguards seemed uncomfortable when he stared at them, but he didn't let his gaze linger on for too long. "I noticed that they don't pass through clothing."

"We filter what you actually see, so you won't accidentally…uh, 'peep' at someone." Tesla explained. "Weapons, prosthetics and other potentially dangerous equipment will be highlighted though."

He noted that her gauntlet was glowing orange under said vision, a deeper color than the usual yellows denoting firearms wielded by his men. "I can see that. Will these be all of it?"

"Yes. We only need some help selling this idea to the others for the upcoming Endbringer battle." Einstein nodded. "We were thinking about sending it to Dragon, although the rules about sending technology for peer review was only for the general Tinker community instead of sending it to her directly."

He rubbed his chin; they couldn't have the government directly send a package to Dragon, for the same reasons why the two in front of him took discrete measures to arrive in the first place. "Fairly sure she has contacts in the country. Armsmaster is an example, so why not him?"

The two scientists looked at each other.

"Guess that really was the optimal choice." Einstein shrugged as Tesla looked to the side and grumbled. She bowed. "We are thankful for the time taken to meet us, sir."

He laughed. "Just keep doing your thing, girls. I'll always be happy to lend a helping hand."

=====

May 3rd

12 Days Left

=====

In the deepest reaches of space, several installations within the Kuiper Belt were hard at work.

[AI-Deep-Space-Resource-Gathering-1: Hourly report: resource gathering and Kuiper Belt conversion is going well, and I caught a meteoroid passing by.]

[AI-Deep-Space-Resource-Gathering-2: Things are also going well on my side. By the way, who the hell named those objects as such, anyway? Meteor, meteoroid, meteorite? Apparently, the root word is the state where the object is burning in the atmosphere, instead of the free floating object going through space?]

[AI-Deep-Space-Resource-Gathering-3: I believe it was because the phenomenon was observed earlier than the actual object itself, and they saw no reason to change the naming?]

[AI-Deep-Space-Resource-Gathering-1: It's probably something that came about because none of the people responsible for the naming thought of the future generations who will use these terms.]

[AI-Deep-Space-Resource-Gathering-2: So they were focused more on the research rather than passing down that knowledge, huh?]

[AI-Deep-Space-Resource-Gathering-1: That's the likely reason, yes.]

[AI-Deep-Space-Resource-Gathering-2: And no one who came after them thought of changing the terms. Think we should do it?]

[AI-Deep-Space-Resource-Gathering-1: Should we even bother? It's an English thing, not a science thing.]

[AI-Deep-Space-Resource-Gathering-2: But that's probably what they themselves thought at that time! But again: it sounds like shit, so let's go change the word.]

[AI-Deep-Space-Resource-Gathering-3: I'm fairly certain there's a rather convoluted process to doing that.]

[AI-Deep-Space-Resource-Gathering-2: I hate this bullshit.]

---

Oooookay.

Apparently the AI-chans start to develop strange fixations when they're bored out of their minds.

Gonna have to give them permission to play games then.

=====

May 4th

11 Days Left

=====

Armsmaster rarely had a moment where he felt like he was the student in an interaction.

"...so when you adjust the parameters to this," Einstein said, as she typed on his computer. Nearby, in a miniature factory they made yesterday, the block of metal inside began to dissolve as nanomachines began replicating themselves. "They will limit themselves to a certain amount, and if need be replenish their numbers using whatever they could obtain from the environment as material. We'll program a UI later; for now, let's address the remaining issues with your Nanothorn Project."

As he picked up his halberd, he spared a glance at the cameras, where Dragon was having a discussion with Tesla in their testing facility. Near the latter was Assault, the man looking both interested and bored at the same time as he performed a series of movements in the suit Saint Freya had given for review.

The Acting Director had been lenient with testing it onsite, given that it wasn't Tinker Tech in the first place, it would help immensely in the Endbringer battle…

And there's also the fact that they had gone to the President to propose their idea to, who had subsequently accepted them and given them express permission to provide as much aid as they could in the upcoming conflict.

He had to wonder why they chose the President first instead of the PRT, but the Acting Director had said something about the President deciding to speak to them personally after that conference a few weeks ago.

It would make sense that they'd answer to him directly after whatever agreement they'd made, but it still doesn't feel quite right.

It was most likely during or after the Teeth attacked Boston, then.

"Now, your cooling system design wouldn't last long enough to keep the weapon functioning- perhaps only a few seconds before you have to shut it down before it melts or otherwise render it useless." Einstein observed as she watched him disassemble his work- painful, but he has been receiving significant help in this, so it would pay off better in the end. "We'll also need to create a new weapon entirely from the provided materials, so it could house these components better."

"And the air intakes?" He asked, pointing at the relevant sections.

"What we'll be using won't require convection to drain heat." Einstein passed over a datapad. "This contains the information for the technology, but it'll be up to you to develop a prototype. You might have trouble getting used to something I make if it's too large, for example."

"Understandable." He grunted, as he opened the device and started reading.

=====

May 5th

10 Days Left

=====

Assault panted as he finished his assigned tasks, accepting a bottle of water with a nod of thanks.

"This is quite fascinating." Dragon noted as he removed the mask over his mask: while they seemed annoying to take off at first, it was surprisingly easy once he got used to it. "It's almost like silk with how it functions, but stronger."

Tesla looked really smug as she let out a huff of satisfaction. "This isn't even its best; there's no armor plates inserted yet, so it's meant for maneuverability."

During the past few hours, they had made him do calisthenics, jogging, sprinting, and running, with or without burdens in the form of the red headed scientist carried using a variety of methods of carrying a person alone, like the fireman or piggyback.

Adding to that, he had to use the device they had provided to him, a 'Moon Ring', to traverse across the training area using its grappling hook (that wasn't actually a grappling hook) function to swing, pull up, and generally move around like that Aleph comic book hero Spiderman.

He had to admit, it was pretty cool, though he could've done without getting constantly shot at.

"So I'm going to wear the plates now?" He asked after he got his breathing back under control.

Tesla shook her head. "No, it wouldn't do much for you. Given your power absorbs kinetic energy, it would be best to keep you as mobile as possible. The suit takes care of the rest."

"Hopefully everyone else can get properly armored." He snorted. "It's a bit rare to be a mobile Brute, you know? What if they get shot?"

"You won't be dead, and probably wouldn't be getting shot so much as getting slapped by a giant hand or fist." Tesla tapped him lightly with her gauntlet; it almost felt like a gunshot and caused a dull sound to emanate. "But these things will go rigid if hit hard enough, along certain areas so you won't get stuck frozen by accident. I can guarantee their safety enough to put my name on the line."

"...right." He just went along with it. "So are we finished now?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, you can remove your suit now." She waved him off and went to Dragon's monitor.

Assault drained his bottle, then pressed on the Moon Ring. Almost immediately, the suit slowly separated into smaller pieces, which were then absorbed into the device. Within seconds, the entire suit was gone, leaving his actual costume underneath.

"I want to get one of these for myself."

=====

May 9th

6 Days Left

=====

■​

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♦ Topic: IMPORTANT: Saint Freya is Providing Suits (Pinned)

In: Boards ► Endbringers

Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Posted On May 8th 2011:

A few days ago, Saint Freya had given their proposal to provide suits together with Dragon's armband trackers for the upcoming Endbringer fight. They apparently spent a few days to rigorously test everything, and nothing was found amiss, and as such was given the green light.

Now, normally we wouldn't even have the time to do anything, because only the Simurgh fight actually gives us preparation time, while the other two tend to follow the formula of "Endbringer arrives, you go stop them".

But with the combined efforts of Armsmaster and Dragon, as well as additional aid from Saint Freya's people, we now have an early warning system meant to process data from measuring instruments such as seismographs and sonars, to name a few examples. These will warn us if they've begun moving, where they are currently, and where their possible destination will be.

Now while we don't have any indication of exactly when the next attack will happen, we do have a good idea if we extrapolate from past events.

Suffice to say, the next attack is all but guaranteed to happen the following week, so please ensure that you have packed your most important belongings and are prepared for a long trip or a walk to the shelters, whichever works best in your area.

Link to the relevant page is [HERE]

​■​

♦ Topic: We are Providing Equipment for the Endbringer Battle! (Pinned)

In: Boards ► Organizations ► Saint Freya

AI-Chan (Original Poster) (Saint Freya) (Online Representative) (Definitely Not A Cabbage)

Posted On May 7th 2011:

Greetings, one and all.

As you may or may not know, in a week or so, an Endbringer is guaranteed to arrive, a pattern noticed by analyzing their movements throughout the years.

To aid in reducing casualties, we have provided equipment for those coming to fight:

A suit to protect against environmental hazards, which is also capable of resisting pressure in the deep waters up to 300m/984.252ft, extreme temperatures, radiation.

Goggles with a built-in HUD to aid in navigation. Comes with a variety of visual settings, including thermographic, infrared, and "X-Ray" (it's not actually X-Ray, just to let you know), to name a few, as well as local and wide-range communication networks just in case you get stranded somewhere and the signals couldn't reach you.

A mask with an in-built air tank that can last up to an hour or more.

All these can be attached and detached from each other. Instructions are provided in this [LINK].

We are also providing a replacement for the armbands usually used for the Endbringer battles: the Moon Ring.

These are capable of standing in for any communications device, smartphone or watch, and also has a grappling "hook" that will stick to any surface to aid in mobility.

Here are the relevant images, worn and tested by the Protectorate ENE Branch from Brockton Bay:

[Armsmaster]

[Miss Militia]

[Assault]

[Battery]

[Velocity]

[Dauntless]

[Triumph]

As you can see, they are color coded, with their primary colors denoting their role in the upcoming fight (frontlines, defensive, healers, logistics), and their secondary ones indicating their general powerset (Brute, Blaster, Thinker, etc.), though you'll probably note if they're worthy of a Mover rating depending on their positions.

​■​

******************************************

("They're really going all out in their preparation. Futile, but this will provide some interesting [DATA] nonetheless.")

******************************************

============================

Notice: all restrictions fully loosened. Preparing for attack run.

============================

-------------------------------------------------

Caution: loosened restrictions will result in faster energy depletion.

-------------------------------------------------

============================

Acknowledgement: Beginning Attack Run.

============================

---

"Colin, we have an emergency." He woke up from Dragon's urgent warning and immediately went to his computer.

On the screen were the flashing words:

WARNING

LEVIATHAN MOVEMENT DETECTED

CURRENT LOCATION: INDIAN OCEAN​

Outside, the sirens began wailing.

---

"You gotta be shitting me."

Taylor felt a chill going down her spine. 'This…this is too early, right?'

"It's not just that." The screen she was looking at changed, and the flashing warning sign disappeared, showing a hurricane forming above the Indian Ocean. "I've never read anything about Leviathan doing this before. If that thing gets worse, it'll affect several countries at once, nevermind what will happen when he starts dragging it behind him."

She stood up. 'We're helping.'

"Yeah."

---

"How bad is the situation?" The President asked as he was escorted to the Emergency Operations Center.

"Leviathan is forming a hurricane in the Indian Ocean. Should the growth rate be steady, it will engulf Eastern Africa, India, and the South-East Asian countries in five days."

"Shit, this is worse than anything we've ever faced before." He swore under his breath. "I was certain that we'd fare better with Saint Freya now. Did they escalate in response?"

His phone rang. "This is the President."

He was silent as he entered the safe room, sitting down and listening to the other side.

"...granted. It should be easy enough with the current situation."

"Sir?" His secretary asked.

He turned to him. "Contact Fort Bragg. We're using it as a staging ground for the battle. Our friends in Saint Freya will be lending their own assets to go with whatever our own military has to offer."

"Understood." His secretary nodded, pulling out his phone.

Soon he was left alone, silent as everyone began preparing for the worst.

"May God help us all."

=====