Malfunction Moderation

Mr. Schellhous Walked around inside the massive structure, admiring the handiwork of the world's most skilled engineers, physicists, and nucleophysicists.  Never in his life did he expect to see so much energy in one place, much less that it would belong to him and him alone.  Effectively, in the basement of his second-class high school, he held the power of the future, and it was his will alone which could dictate what it was to be used for.

It could be used to provide the entire planet with an unlimited supply of clean, renewable energy. Then again, based on his scientists' calculations, the amount of energy being produced at a constant rate was enough to rip to shreds the entire galaxy - or more. it seemed strange however that a school Principal with a side interest in Quantum dynamics would have gained the rights to such an accidental thing. it was only a day ago that Charges were being pressed against him for the Death of Elsteba Alistair. but when no proof of his direct influence in the whole affair they could only be dropped. it was a tragic thing, one that still made Mr, Schellhous feel bad. it was unfortunate that such a horrible accident had happened to an innocent student. accidentally being annihilated by a rip in the universe wasn't a good way to go theoreticaly anyway... because he had felt so bad for the girl he had done everything he could do the make sure that she would be remembered, for it was her terrible accident that had brought humanity all the energy it would ever need.

that was another matter, it felt good that he could benefit so many people just by directing who got this energy. He had gone into the teaching business only because he wanted to make the world a better place, and  as fate would have it, it did, he now could alleviate all the worlds problems in any way he wished. in a round about way he ruled the world...but he preferred not to think of it that way. he was helping people get all the power they wanted with no ill side effects, pollution related to energy production was now a thing of the past.

because the plant was still under construction, it was still very understaffed but he didn't mind running errands for people. it helped him feel like he was doing something. at the moment he was on a mission from his head of Engineering, Mr Slavonois, who he felt could only be the best man for the job. he had been asked to find a Dr. Russel and bring him to the generation room.  because all the rooms have been rearranged that was not as easy as it sounded. "room 1240-G 2nd floor..." he kept repeating to himself.
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Dr Russel sat in the dark room, which was for all intents and purposed his prison cell thinking very hard.

it had been a few days since he had sent his son Jacob off into the universe as one hope of saving everything from the force that now held him captive. it wasn't too long after his boy dissapeared that the forces assailing his home broke through the shield and swept across His "city in a tower" like a wave. Taking his tower like sanctuary level by level. his fate was not however what he had himself expected. It was said that any life that resisted was just destroyed or consumed to fule the endless horde, and boy had Russel resisted. when all hope seemed lost and most of his people accepted the force looming in on them and submitted to it, he began to detonate the tower. but he knew this was not enough to stop the umbering from snatching his world away. he was captured before the tower began to collapse, the shadow took him and stopped the detonation sequence.

Dr. russle awoke sometime later, supprized because he had expected to never wake again. he had been here in this room, since he awoke, decently feed though a slot in the door but never once had he seen his captors.

Postulating escape seemed his only option, he would not be apart of the will of the Umbering. Dr. russle felt the floor. it was vibrating slightly, the whole building seemed to be in motion, though not in a normal way it was if the space inside the whole building was itself pulsating. there was alot of activity, even outside his door. he heard voices yelling instructions to each other. from what he could tell from their conversations he was being held in a power plant... the room was obviously not designed to be a prison. neither was the building.

Then while in the midst of his plotting, the door opened. no armed escort only one rather portly lost looking man, this was his chance, he ran towards the door only to find a force causing him to stop before he reached it. " REALEASE ME DEAMON!!!!" Russel roared into the face of the man he couldn't reach. a Disturbed look passed across the face of the man in front of him. " i have no idea what you are talking about, this is your office... it is a little sparse isn't it, i didn't know you needed more things... you could have just sent me a memo." the man signed, " well we aught to get going now the My head engineer Mr Slavonois needs you now." Dr. russels mouth dropped open, " are you feeling alright Dr. Russel?" the man asked. "i should have known..." Dr Russel muttered, " you better come along quickly then" the man said with a slightly worried look. Dr. russel knew from the strange accent in which he spoke that he had been whisked away to another world. the force stopping him ceased and nudged him to follow the man. he was more a slave than he thought, and it shouldn't have surprised him that his Arch rival Dr. slavonois would be the one holding the reigns.
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Mr. Shellhous watched the doctor closely, he walked as though in chains, his face showed a sour scowl of defiance, Mr shellhous began to wonder if the man was sane. "so what is your area of expertise Dr russel? i have a slight interest in quantum dynamics myself so don't be to afraid to use any big words." he asked attempting to make the whole mood of the meeting more friendly the man look at him with a sad expression, " i dabble in many things, most of which i would like to keep secret from you." the man defiantly had a foreign accent. he must have come from very far away,."suit yourself, i am only trying to be freindly" the walked in silence the rest of the way to the lift. then the lift descended down towards the where Mr Slavonois waited.
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Dr. russel felt sorry for this man, he had no idea what was happening, and it would only be worse for him if he did reveal it to him. they finaly arived at their destination, the room was more of a glass cage looking over into another room. but there at the controls and watching the dials was his old enemy. "ah, Dr russel so nice of you to join us. thank you very much, President Schellhouse." the man who had escorted him to the room bowed and said, " my pleasure, is he always like this?" Mr. Slavonois smiled and said, " he has always been a bit eccentric."  taking that as his explanation the man left.

"it's been a long time Russell, i am glad to see you are still in once peace." Russel scowled, " what do you want with me." Dr Slavonois regurded Russel for a moment, " i don't want anything from you, my master is the one who has the plans. you see... i have been running into a few problems. that rift down there is stably unstable, and we both know where it leads. energy needs to be efficiently pulled away from the rift or else it will get recycled back in and that doesn't help our master now does it...." "THAT IS NOT MY MASTER!" Russel screamed, " calm youself, weather you want to or not you will help me improve the energy draw efficiency." " i'll never help you or that Abomination! you might as well kill me, i am no use to you or that thing you call master."  mr slavonois smiled a sly smile, " that's the thing, i can't kill you, you are also Bait for the only real threat to my master. once your son finds out where you are, he will come for you and then we will kill him." Dr russels face went pale, " you aren't the only one who has been plotting old freind" mr slavonois continued with a chukkle. " you will serve, everything serves the master." Dr. Russle felt the force press in on him he fell to his knees, " i have you in my power Russel, you will help me or you will suffer" Dr. russel laughed, " i'd prefer to suffer, you can't convince me to serve you no matter what you do." mr slavonois smiled wickedly, " i was hoping you would be difficult, we have ways freind, we have ways."

noise like a million screeching thunderbirds filled Russels mind, his eyes bulged and he screamed but using an inner strenght that supprized even him he pushed it from his mind and sealed it tighter than and stronger than diamond . Mr slavonois looked suprized and breathed heavily almost falling to the ground himself, " ah, you have a strong will." Dr Russel grunted his body shaking, " you're not the only one with tricks." the effort of speach almost knocked him out, Mr slavonois frowned, " but  your will, shall wear down in time. Take him away!" two writhing shadows leapt up from the floor and pulled the barley conscious Dr russel out of the room.
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mr Slavonois sighed as he sat heavily in his chair, that had taken more out of him than he expected it would. Deep in the dark part of his mind a voice began muttering instructions for more subtle ways of reaching his old Nemisises mind to convince him of the truth and glory of their mission.

The Journey

Time passed swiftly for the members of the team. Alsifar and Justor sat and talked a long while near the helm of the ship, or what as far and Jacob knew was the helm of the ship. He sat and watched the two of them talk about random things that he was sure his father would have loved to have taken part in, but not only were the finer points lost on Jacob but the entire conversation was. However, the style of the conversation and the words reminded him of home, of the times when he was young, his mother and father, and then later when Gammon and Athilea, would have conversations on philosophy, technology, physics and what ever else scientists and intellectuals liked to talk about. The conversation calmed him as he read the words of the manual flouting in front of him that told him how to use the watch. According to the watch, he would be able to form weapons and tools using the same energy as the watch used to form Athilia and Gammon and allowed them to take physical form. The watch could be activated by him manually activating it by using the buttons and dials, and eventually as the watch got more and more use to his thoughts and became more attune to the brainwaves that would cause him to activate certain things on the watch, he would eventually be able to operate it by thought alone. well that would be useful in a fight, if I knew how to use them in a fight he thought again in frustration. he could make swords, shields, armor and an assortment of other hand to hand weapons but the watch didn't talk at all about any long range weapons such as a plasma gun or laser rifle like the ones he had used back on his home world. he had of course taken a few classes in self defense but he didn't know anything about using a sword or shield. In fact the longest range weapon he could find was a whip and there was no way he was going to use that if he couldn't even use a sword. He knew better then to try and use a weapon he didn't know how to use.
"so you ready to learn how to use those young master?" said a very familiar voice from behind. gammon as usual flouted a foot or so above the ship floor. Jacob looked up and said "you could teach me gammon? I didn't think that it was in your matrix to teach, that is more of um..... well that's more of Athilias thing isn't it?"
Gammon moved from behind Jacob who was sitting on the floor out side of the helm room, in front of him and nodding his head yes said " it is, mostly. but even she has her limits. Who taught you about electronics and computer programming? " he said pacing in front of Jacob. "athilia" Jacob said. "yes...she did, and who taught you about mathematics and architecture and literature? athilia that is who. however let me pose this last quarry to you young master, who taught you how to wrestle? or how to use an opponents swing against them? other humans, such as young uncle Tiberius before he passed or your teacher Mikel, all were other humans." Gammon stopped pacing and looked down at Jacob. "She is not a fighter like i am, she can fight that is not what i mean but she is not a warrior like I am. This coupled with the fact that your father didn't want you to learn hand to hand combat that could kill, means that I never got to train you. But your father isn't here now, and if you are to survive, you must know how to use everything that you can get your hands on, from an antiquated sword and shield to a suit of power armor. So I ask you again my young master are you ready?" As he said this he offered his hand to Jacob.

Five minutes later, carrying his hover board, Jacob entered a large open room filled with equipment ranging from the laser rifles he was so use to, to what looked like old barbarian war axes, scimitars and hammers. swords of all shapes and sizes as well and shields and armor, from every conceivable and remembered era. there were things like flame throwers next to javelins and bows. The room was Massive as well at least four stories tall possibly more. there were dummies and targets on the far wall, were he saw something he thought so out of place he stared for almost two whole minutes before the shock wore off. It was Elstaba holding a laser rifle shooting at two targets at fifty and then one hundred feet away, with Athilea and she was doing a decent job of it! she shot again and didn't quite get the center of the target at one hundred feet, but she got close enough that it really didn't matter.
"are you going to just sit there gocking or are you going to go over and join her?" said Gammons gruff voice nearly a whisper in Jacobs ear. "you need a refresher course on your Rifle shooting, and once you are done with that you two are going to meet me for hand to hand over there" Jacob saw a bluish glowing incorporeal hand, that he knew was all to real, pointing toward the left corner behind Elstaba. "and we will start hand to hand combat training. Which includes sword, shield, spear, javelin, and other Archaic weaponry."
Jacob turned around and said "what do you expect us to learn while we are on board this ship? we will be at our destination any day now i am sure." Gammon smirked and said "right, well that shows' what you know...." but he didn't elaborate, instead as a response to Jacobs Confused expression he just shoved him toward the two female figures at the far end of the massive room.
As he got to the other side and picked up a rifle and joined elstaba and Athilea Gammon whispered to him self, a habit he remembered from when he was once human, or rather a habit the human he was modeled after had, Gammon didn't really know witch was more true at this point, “and the training begins.....again"