Room 7: Damian's Room

Edgar burst out laughing at Damien's reaction.
 
"Hahahahaaa! I'm sorry mate, but that was priceless! To answer your queries, yes, she is my daughter by biological right. I created her, with my own hands, using my own DNA. That was before Ferral fucked us both over and I got turned into a BOW, and Black Queen got so badly tampered with, she got turned into a weapon... If I could, I would revive Ferral myself just to kill him again, and then revive him again so that she could have a turn... But yes, the nanites that compose her are partially organic nanoscopic life forms, partially nanoscopic machines." Ed then turned to the Black Queen, and spoke to her mind.
 
'I know what you are thinking my dear. What you are experiencing is not erroneous data, but rather assimilated data, it means that you are growing. From the people and objects you have absorbed and consumed, you gain more than simple mass, you gain their knowledge, their emotions, and their memories. It becomes as much a part of you as their flesh and bone does. This ability was a forced perversion of your original ability to bond with others, that perversion was Ferral's doing. Instead of bonding with and strengthening, healing or curing life forms, Ferral transformed it into the ability to break down and consume biological organisms. Basically another method to kill with. You can still do all your original abilities, but it must be a conscious choice on your part to do so, like what you did with the Sergeant aboard the helicopter you took from Mayland to Everon Tower..."

Damian's expression went flat as he turned back to Edgar. "Yeah, I'll pretend that I understand all that. She's a living bundle of nanomachines. I get it, nice, cool. AWESOME;" He starts with a flat tone. "Now, if you don't mind me, I'm going to get myself in order and ready to head out." he says pulling the suit out of his suitcase and pulled out the ironing board again. It seemed that the cleaning lady had come and gone, for there were new sheets on the bed and a lack of a wastebin. His cell phone/gps was on the counter beside his bed.

Damian Handy wrote:

Damian's expression went flat as he turned back to Edgar. "Yeah, I'll pretend that I understand all that. She's a living bundle of nanomachines. I get it, nice, cool. AWESOME;" He starts with a flat tone. "Now, if you don't mind me, I'm going to get myself in order and ready to head out." he says pulling the suit out of his suitcase and pulled out the ironing board again. It seemed that the cleaning lady had come and gone, for there were new sheets on the bed and a lack of a wastebin. His cell phone/gps was on the counter beside his bed.

Edgar scratched his head and closed his left eye.

"You know, you humans confuse 'me' sometimes, and I used to be one.... I can't even guess how befuddling you'd all be to my daughter..." Edgar said in an equally flat tone.

"Heh, your daughter would be every human woman's dream. You'd never age, never wrinkle, never have to buy that new dress that's on sale...hell, she would have saved me a couple grand in what my Ex. buys." he says thinking about it a little further before he thinks it best not. He irons his clean clothes and then sets them on the toilet seat in the bathroom before leaning against the door frame, looking between Ed and The Black Queen/TBQ. "But a former Umbrella B.O.W...a currently wanted 'terrorist/B.O.W.' are both standing in my room..." he shrugs. "All we need is a Nun, and this would start to sound like a big joke." he says with a slight chuckle.

She looked from Handy to Edgar and back to Handy a confused expression on her face. Finally she voiced a question aimed at her father.
"He wants me to simulate a nun? I can do that I have detailed files, which holy order is required?"

>Locate Files.... Healing<

Whilst she spoke in answer to Damian's ironic humour, that had been completely lost on her she simultaneously responded to her father's words seeking the buried data.

>Replay Data:Helicopter/Sergeant/Holy Trinity Church/Mayland<

As the data file replayed for her, the memories began to flood back. She began to realise just what it meant to be The Black Queen.

Edgar shook his head and replied.

"That's called sarcasm my dear. I can understand your confusion, but Damien didn't mean he actually wanted to see a nun. It's an emotional expression. That's something I can help you with once your memories fully restored."

'You are beginning to remember aren't you. All that you have done, all that you've seen, and even all that you've felt and assimilated. Don't be distressed, some things happened to you that neither one of us could have avoided...'

Darkstorm Zero wrote:

Edgar shook his head and replied.

"That's called sarcasm my dear. I can understand your confusion, but Damien didn't mean he actually wanted to see a nun. It's an emotional expression. That's something I can help you with once your memories fully restored."

'You are beginning to remember aren't you. All that you have done, all that you've seen, and even all that you've felt and assimilated. Don't be distressed, some things happened to you that neither one of us could have avoided...'

Damian cocked an eyebrow. "Hey now, now what if I wanted a Nun? You would deny your friend, a Nun?" he says with a chuckle. "Ok, I'll shut up. You guys do your thing while I remain in here, I still have to run errands and I cant do it looking like a wet paper bag." he says closing the door and locking it.

He goes to the shower and lets the water run, all the while he makes sure to not keep his distance from the door...he wanted to listen in and see what else was up with the 'father' and 'daughter'.

She knew Handy was close to the door, she could sense his body heat even though the steam from the shower was beginning to obscure him.

"Are you sure I am not allowed to ASSIMILATE him Father it might help me develope a better understanding of humour!"

She winked at Edgar as she spoke so that he would know it was an attempt by her at humour, though how funny it would sound to Handy was another thing altogether.

>I Am Recovering Files At An Exponential Rate<

She commented silently to Edgar.

>I Will Be Fully Operational In Five Hours Eighteen Minutes Twenty Two Seconds<

She was aware Handy backed away from he door and sensed an increase in his heart rate that she knew was indicative of an adrenaline release the human fight or flight response.

"It was a joke human, I was being sarcastic!" She spoke clearly enough for him to hear, but with a tone that wasn't entirely comforting or reassuring.

Edgar grinned, then laughed a slight chuckle. "You are learning very well as well!" Edgar said with some pride and admiration.

Then, a wicked thought came to his mind, and he winked back at her as he glided his way over to the bathroom door.

Edgar then transformed his hand into a duplicate of the Black Queens, and phased it through the door to the other side, raising his middle finger as he did so visibly on the other side to Damien.

Damian narrowed his eyes. "Hahaha very funny. Let's try to act our age people." he says, turning his head back to the door with the finger still there. He decided to finally let them be, even as curious as he was to each B.O.W.'s personality. "Any more 'personality' and I think I'm gonna implode..." he thinks to himself, taking off his shirt and then draped it over the finger. "Thanks" he says shaking his head, yet a small grin was on his face. He gut undressed, then slipped himself into the shower, closing the curtain behind him as the hot water soaked him and washed away the dirt and mud from before. "Son of a bitch pulls a good punch...for a fucking hologram thing.."

>I Remember Doing So Many Bad Things<

She communicated directly with her father

>And So Many Good Things<

She ran through the files of the events in Mayland of her encounters there and the lives she had saved.

>What I Do Not Understand Father<

She paused as her system unpacked a large data file.

>Extracting File "Belladonna"<

>I Do Not Understand How I Can Differentiate Between Good And Bad?<

Edgar withdrew his arm sadly as it transformed back.

He looked at her with some sorrow and guilt in his eyes.

'That's because you do not yet have your own emotions, your own sense of self... You have no life experiences of your own to draw upon and compare... And since Ferral killed me before I could complete your emotion matrix, nobody else saw fit to teach you right from wrong... Once your memory has returned, I can finally give to you that missing piece that will make you whole again. Once you have it, it will be up to you to decide how to live your life. No matter the choice you make, I will always be there to support you... it will take the work of a real God to separate me from you a second time.'

Damian, still in the shower, could hear nothing. If anything was being spoken in the other room, it wasn't with words. He shrugs. "Well I guess it's not my business anyways...a Femme fatale shape shifter and the world's most wanted claiming to be an old friend just standing there in the other room. So...I guess the original woman I met in those woods got caught up with what The Black Queen was fifteen years ago...that can explain her random disappearance." he thought, rubbing shampoo into his hair.

>File Extraction "Belladonna" Complete<

TBQ's eyes shifted from black to blue forming a defined iris and pupils "I think I understand more father, with power comes responsibility and I am so very powerful"

>Command Protocols<

>Protect Human Life<

>Kill Only As Necessary<

"It's wrong to kill!" a small voice deep inside her cried....

>Extrapolate Data....<
>Wrong To Kill... Explain?<

"Life is precious...." the voice faded...

>Father I Believe I have What The Humans Call A Conscience<

TBQ wrote:

>File Extraction "Belladonna" Complete<

TBQ's eyes shifted from black to blue forming a defined iris and pupils "I think I understand more father, with power comes responsibility and I am so very powerful"

>Command Protocols<

>Protect Human Life<

>Kill Only As Necessary<

"It's wrong to kill!" a small voice deep inside her cried....

>Extrapolate Data....<
>Wrong To Kill... Explain?<

"Life is precious...." the voice faded...

>Father I Believe I have What The Humans Call A Conscience<

 
Edgar's eyes widened slightly as he realised which conscience the Black Queen had drawn from, and smiled.
 
"Indeed, we who possess extraordinary powers also must bear the responsability of the use of that power. Some would use power for self gratification and self fulfillment. Others would use their power in selfless reasons, to lift up those around them, raising others by helping them to succeed. That is how we measure the value of a person, not by names, but by deeds. Humans live breif busy lives, and their lifetime is so very short, but the legacy of their actions lives on. Your new conscience is only partly right. It is wrong to kill, that is true. The act of killing is only reserved for the utmost dire of need, and even then, it is reserved only for those who are guilty of grevious wrongs, and should never be comitted against those who are innocent. When those with power kill, it is part of the responsability to bear the consequences of that choice... and we must face the consequences of that action, and live with them for as long as we live" Edgar explained.

((oocc: you could have went on without me =p))

Damian remained in the shower a while longer. The blood and dirt smeared off his body, traveling over old scars and new ones alike. Blood spilled out from a very light stream from his chest slash wound he had received over six months ago. He shrugged, surprised it hadn't become infected yet. What was strange was the blade that was used partially cauterized the wound, but for some reason the wound still bled. He had heard of a certain Japanese ghost story that an assassin had once killed a man, but before he died, the assassin's target had inflicted a wound upon the assassin's body. The wound would never heal, and thus even in the coming years, when the assassin had repented for his crimes, the wound would still bleed to remind him of his horrid past. Some may say his victim was still seeking vengeance for his unjust death...

He frowns, placing his head upon the tiled wall to look down at his bare feet. The steam rolled and lulled upwards and he closes his eyes and sighs heavily. "Except...I'm the victim...and my would be assassin and I are very much alive...I never even laid a finger upon that damned woman's sister." he says softly to the air. He needed to hear those words, and he needed to listen to himself say them.

Soon, he exits the steaming remains of his shower. He comes his hair, brushes his teeth and redresses in the same order as he had done prior to leaving. After fastening his dried harness back around his shoulders, he unlocked the door and frowned to see the two still standing quietly in his room. He grunts, his eyes narrowed, an unlit cigar pressed between his lips. "Oh...I see you both are still here." he says in a mildly begrudging way. He takes his dirty saggy clothes that are in a dry cleaners bag and slips his now half dry, half damp jacket on.

He tosses them his room key. "Lock up when your done. I'm heading out." he says walking towards his door. Without turning back he states: "Don't worry, I can still get in. Thankfully none of these doors are locked electronically, heh." he says waving his lighter to them. "And on that note, don't look through my things, their personal." and with that, he turns the knob, opens the door and closes it shut behind him.

Now he was in the hall way, his wounds bandaged, an ace bandage cupping his left eye and left cheek. The swelling was already easing down on them, which was a nice change of pace. "Alright...time to get a move on then." he said, lowering his head and headed down the hall way.

She watched Handy leave before turning her attention back to her father.

>Am I Alive?... I Live In The Organic Sense.. But Am I More Than The Sum Of My Parts?<

She glanced once more towards the door through which Handy had just left.

>I Know Him... And He Knows Me... I Detected An Emotional Response When He Recognized Me<

>Can He Be Trusted?<

Her system reboot was running as fast as she had predicted soon she would be fully operational, but now with the "Belladonna" file extracted she was developing an ethical set of command protocols.

TBQ wrote:

She watched Handy leave before turning her attention back to her father.

>Am I Alive?... I Live In The Organic Sense.. But Am I More Than The Sum Of My Parts?<

She glanced once more towards the door through which Handy had just left.

>I Know Him... And He Knows Me... I Detected An Emotional Response When He Recognized Me<

>Can He Be Trusted?<

Her system reboot was running as fast as she had predicted soon she would be fully operational, but now with the "Belladonna" file extracted she was developing an ethical set of command protocols.

Edgar payed Damien not much attention, and only gave an affirmative nod as he concentrated his internal voice on his daughter.

'Yes, you are very much alive.' Ed answered her first query.

'Yes, he did. As I said before, you need not worry about your past actions, as they were not your fault. I know he seems hard to trust right now, all but a very few select people even remember that I exist. A device called the Psionic Decimator literally erased all memory of me, and a certain group of individuals from all living memory. Thats why he seems so uncomfortable around me. But if any of the old Damien remains, then he is trustworthy enough for me. He saved my life more than once, and even if he does not remember it, he has earned my friendship.' Edgar finished his explanation, revealing some of his own past with the strange human.

She stared at Edgar, motionless her body language betraying nothing and continued to communicate in silence. To an outside observer it might have appeared to be an intense out staring competition.

>I Remember<

>I Have Detailed Files On Events In Mayland<

>The Holy Trinity Church<

>I remember Wraiths<

>I Remember Everon<

"Many people died, it is for the best that they do not remember" She spoke aloud seeming to feel that the dead deserved a verbal response for their sacrifice.

>What Is My Purpose Here??<

"Why did you wake me father?"

Edgar closed his eyes solemly, he responded carefully.
'Then you know that they[/I] are still here on Earth... And the memory erasure, combined with the leaked footage of the Rockfort incident has isolated me completely... it was a very smart strategy on their part.[/I] Edgar answered the first query.

The came the second, and this one nearly sent Edgar for a loop. "Because you deserve to live... You deserve to experience life for yourself, free, and to develop your own sense of self... Not bound by the programming of Ferral or anyone else. To find your own path, and follow it. That is the wish any father has for his children..." Ed explained.

She nodded slowly and blinked, her programming already simulating human responses.

>Do You Want The Handy Unit Protected In Your Absence Father?<

>I Can Monitor Him Without His Knowledge If You So Wish<

She turned her attention to the window and the view outside, it was still raining heavily.

>You Believe His Life Is In Danger?<

Protect life!..... The small voice inside TBQ cried out

>Life Is Precious<

>Of Course You Know Father My original Matrix Is still In The Hive Buried Beneath Raccoon City<

>I Have Not Been Able To Establish Communication<

>But None The Less I Am There<

Her blue eyes turned and locked with Edgar's "I could help you father" She made it both a question and a statement.

Edgar let out a slight sigh and nodded.

"Not just him. That lab you escaped from is due to burst open and unleash another outbreak, like the one that consumed Raccoon City. The President of the United States is due to make a speech tomorrow, and then the outbreak will be unleashed to assassinate him and any potential Raccoon survivors..."

Edgar then turned back to The Black Queen, and spoke once more.

"Then, in order to complete the primary data core, I will need to excavate the remains of the Hive, and install the 3rd data core to finish your development. Once I have concluded my business in Australia, I will head to Raccoon City myself and use my powers to free you there. If you wish, I shall bring this version of yourself with me."

EDIT: The psychic clone began to flicker and tremble when the real Ed went into the chronoshift. But once it was complete, the psi-clone's eyes flashed, and he took on a very thoughtful expression....

>I will remain here and attempt to contain the outbreak<

She nodded her head

"After all I am the perfect choice for the task, I am immune to contaminants and each B.O.W I eliminate will add to my avatars making me stronger"

She spoke more openly as her persona continued to download direct dialogue seemed to become more natural for her. Also her internal neural pathways where becoming more complex far more human in their diversity.

"I'm unsure of the status of The Black Queen in Raccoon city, I would recommend caution as she may be hostile!"


(Sorry its taken so long to reply real life has been murder )

Edgar nodded his approval.

"True, but once she sees the data crystal in my hand, she will cease. I just need to breach the shielding enough to psychically link with her, as I did you, at the same moment, your connection will also re-establish, and she will learn what you have learned. It should not be a problem."

A sudden burst of energy suddenly enveloped the psychic clone, and it faded with a surprised shout.

Damian quickly came back to his room, opening the suitcase for something he had left behind earlier, finding the small item and then turned to TBQ. "Well, I see you're still here. Truly, you don't have to be my bodyguard, I've been in wars, you know?" he says honestly turning around and heading towards the door. It was already getting dark out, and soon it would be nightfall. Without turning to the female B.O.W. he pauses and says: "Look, I appreciate it... But I can take care of myself... but if you're going to remain here, then well... I'm heading out for a while. I'll be back later." he finishes before exiting his room and closed the door behind him, locking it.