-¤Reincarnation¤-

A faint but long and non-stopping beep was heard.
Bleep. Bleep. Bleep.
Echo didn't open his eyes, but he knew he was alive. He had been, for a very, very, long time. But he couldn't do anything to prove that he was. He was disconnected. His nervoud system wouldn't obey to the commands of his brain. He could still think. Thankfully. He had been thinking for the past 2 years. He felt the vines coil up his arms, the tree branches curl upong his legs. His arms were attached behind his back. His head was lowered. He wanted to get out. He had wanted that for the past 2 years. But he was trapped. He was bound to 'live' here forever, in this dark non-consciousness. It had been so long since he had tasted anything. He couldn't even remember his name. In his mind, he called himself dead. No wind passed in the chamber he was. That was the only thing he could remember. The chamber. The image was stuck in his mind. The big, white dome, in which he was trapped forever. He knew that soon his limbs would begin to disappear. He prayed for someone to come, but he had been doing that for the past two years.
Please, someone get me. I can't stand this anymore.
Little did he know that no one was here to even look at him. The dome was closed form the outside world, the entrance having been blocked by boulders long ago. The whole dome was covered in forest, camouflaging it. It was a mountain, to whoever passed by it. Echo's hopes were dying out, as they were, 2 years ago. But they were reaching to an end.

Akito walked through the thick vegetation, a faint hissing eminating from her mechanical leg as she moved it. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her overcoat, glaring at the ground as she walked, not bothering to sweep away the brown hair that had fallen into her eyes. She was walking towards a mountain, and on the other side of that mountain was the city she used to live in. Her goal, now that she was a newly converted NeoClonoid was to climb to the top of that mountain and take one last look over that city.
She glanced at the mountain, and frowned. There was some sort of pulse coming from it. She laid a hand on the surface of the rock she had been planning to scale and, to her great surprise, her hand touched something metallic. She drew back her metallic hand, and hit out at the metal, a great echoing clang eminating from it as she struck. It crumpled very slightly at the impact. She continued to hit out at it until she managed to tear a hole in the metal, and entered what she had previously thought to be a mountain.

The great bursts of sound made Echo jump in his mind. But he didn't move an inch.
Someone's coming!
Despite his great efforts, he couldn't move. The only way he could move again is if he was reconnected, and the only way to do that was to rip the cables out of the back of his head, and his back.
As the hole appeared in the mountain, the vegetation inside it squirmed, and fell to the ground, in a slight thud. Akito was open to a mass of trees and other various plants, some not having been listed. The only light there was was in small holes at the top of the dome, thoguht to be rabbit holes of some sort. The beams projected by these holes scattered around Echo's body, one beam hitting him in the face, illuminating his silvery hair, that was falling to the ground helplessly besides him. The next source of light was where Akito had just busted in, but that hole was patched, by Akito's mechanicle body, leaving only a few strips of light coming in, one hitting Echo in the eye, but him not being able to see that.

Akito looked around in wonder before something silvery caught her eye. She moved cautiously forwards, trying to disturb the vegetation the least possible. Her brown eye narrowed slightly as she made out a humanoid shape in the dense vegetation. She made her way closer to it, seeing that the silver glint that she had seen was a man's, a Clonoid like herself, hair. She gazed at him for a few moments, reaching out and touching a lock of silvery hair as if to make sure that he was really there. Her visible eye shone with curiosity as she gently entwined it around the fingers of her human hand before quickly letting goand standing back, looking slightly shocked.

Echo waited patiently. He had been patient for all these years. He tried to be patient even this time.
C'mon! Just get the cables off already!
Echo couldn't feel anything. He couldn't even see. His eyes were closed, for that matter, but he didn't know that. The silvery lock of hair fell to the ground, glinting in the rays of sunlight from above and from the beam from the hole created by Akito. Small rocks fell from the hole, having been stabilized earlier, but then the vegetation had moved, slightly, after Akito's impact.

Akito moved silently round the back of the strange person, trying to take it all in. Noticing some cables hanging from his back. Frowning, she pulled them away, her limited knowledge of the spiecies telling her that it wasn't normal.

Echo slumped to the ground. He opened his eyes. He breathed in heavily. It had been two years since he hadn't breathed. He couldn't pull himself up. His joints weren't used for a long time, giving him a disadvantage in movement. He rolled onto his back, his eyes widening. His chest widened and contracted as he breathed in heavily. He looked at his hands. He tried moving his fingers. They slowly clenched into fists. He then tried moving his forearms, which quickly sprang upwards. He shoved his hands onto the ground, the tiny rocks hopping slightly as the force of the impact made them fly. Echo pushed onto his hands, and then landed on his feet. He twirled his arms around, fascinated that he was still moving. he looked at himself, ripping off the vegetation stuck onto his armour. He looked at his hair. Silver blades of hair fell upon his hands. He let them go. He breathed in one more time. He only then noticed the female next to him. His eyes tilted sideways, then looked back forwards, in front of him.
"What day is it?" he asked, suddenly.

--Pst. 9th day of the Promta month. That's the day. I'll have to put up the years of Arcana soon...--

Akito jumped backwards as the Clonoid got to his feet, taking on a battle position before she realised that he wasn't hostile, yet. She relaxed her position slightly, but remained on alert, her one eye narrowing slightly. She listened to his question, and responded almost automatically.
"It's the 9th of Promta..." She said slowly, wary of this person.

"9th of Promta," Echo repeated. He thought of this. That means I rested in a trance for more time than I thought. If I remember correctly, I got captured by the Clonoids the 24th of the Noft month.
Echo looked around, gazing at all the vegetation. There wasn't all this before, too. Except if I'm in... Echo looked around. He saw the walls encircling him, and the large hole that Akito bursted through. The Arlyss temple? It wasn't in such a mess not a long time ago.
"What year?" he demanded.

--3428.--

"3428," Akito replied quietly, looking at the person curiously. Her mind was debating on whether this was actually a man or a woman, but she pushed those thoughts aside, knowing that it was not likely to be one of the questions he or she wanted to hear at that present moment.

"3428," Echo replied, turning the thought around in his head, lowering it. "It's been two years. That's why everything changed."
He looked at his armor. Who am I? Does it show here? He saw the number plated onto his bust armour. #°01732?
"Hey," Echo blurted out, turning to Akito, "Do you know who I am?" he continued, pointing at the number on his bust protection.

Akito looked at the code, running it through a reconissence program in a chip they had placed in the back of her brain. The code came up with a name that she then repeated to the silver haired person.
"Echo Hunter, apparently." She said quietly, her one brown eye looking Echo directly in his eye.

Sightless eyes flashed open as the young lieutenant came dashing into the room. Serenity slowly sat up as the man stood to attention and saluted. "Ma'am, the general requests your presence in the situation room immediately," his deep voice barked, a voice that didn't belong to such a thin scrawny man, "He believed that you would like to be there when they confirm the location of Echo Hunter." A slight smile passed over Alos's face. That bell-like voice toned melodically, "They have presumed to have found Hunter many times and nothing has ever come of it." She was just lying back when Septimus entered the room. "Nar Rashadda, you will desire to be there this time. Sextus believes that they are right," his deep voice did fit him, in his dark coat and manly attitude. Thence did Serenity deign to place her bare feet on the cold metal floor of her room. "Does he?" she asked as Primus came up behind her and Secundus approached from the front so that she might better see herself and surroundings, "Well then, I suppose we should make an appearance after all." She called up to the mind of Sextus, who was in the control room, and assurance flooded her own thoughts. "Finally," Alos spoke quietly to Septimus, "Finally, we shall meet this legendary NeoClonoid, this Echo Hunter. Perhaps we shall finally find peace..." Septimus only looked at her sadly, "Perhaps."

"Echo Hunter..." Echo repeated, "That name seems familiar to me. Is that my name? Doesn't seem like one," he continued, more to himself, than to anything around him. He lowered his head, thinking. Why am I here again? What did I do before? What should I do now?
Echo tried to think, but nothing came into his mind. He heard something faint outside the dome. The everlasting beep of the machine he was previously attached to. He only noticed it now, but it was annoying him. He tried to concentrate on something else.
"Do you know anything about me?" Echo asked, not looking at Akito, his head still slightly tilted downwards.

Akito shook her head slowly.
"No, I don't know much about you." She said quietly. "I've only just been upgraded a couple of days ago..." She added, as if in explination.

"I can't remember anything," Echo mumbled to himself. "The deconnection must've been brutal and must've attacked my memory."
Echo walked in small and tight endless loops. He was trying to think of things that had passed in the past. My name's Echo Hunter. That's all I know about myself. I need to meet more people to see if they rmember me. I don't even know what I can do.
Echo looked at his hand. It shook slightly, as he slowly clenched it into a fist. I don't know what I can do, eh?

Akito watched Echo carefully, observing his every move. She still wondered about his gender, but decided to assume that he was a man. Still getting used to the fact that she was now' one of the enemy', she was curious to know how other people became Clonoids, because she doubted rather highly that they were born.

Echo opened his eyes as a white-and-black picture appeared in his mind.

Echo fought against the attempts of the other Clonoids to catch him. Their robotic hands reached out towards him. There was a great light, but that didn't seem to astonish Echo.
"Get back, I say! Stay away!"
The hands kept on coming. They were infinite. At least, it seemed so. There were only fifteen Clonoids. But Echo was tired, and he was gasping for air. Another blast of light, and three hands fell down, no more pylonic energy flowing through them. They twisted in several directions, then stopped. Echo didn't take his eyes off the Clonoids. They were flaring with rage. The Clonoids grasped him. "Let me go!" Echo shouted. "Don't touch me!"

Echo's face darkened. So, that's how I got here in the first place. But what were those flashes? Why was I declined to go with the robotic beings? The Clonoids? Why was I tired?

Akito walked over to a fallen tree, sitting down. She was remembering her own encounter with the Clonoids. She looked at her metallic hand, remembering the flames and the pain. The hand clenched into a fist, and she rested her forehead against the cool metal.

--*waits for Whil*--

Serenity placed one of her yet bare feet into the command room, bringing with her an air of such tranquility that she looked completely out of place among the soldiers who were dashing about frantically. Primus and Secundus both saluted the general as they came into the room, but neither Alos or Septimus paid him the least bit of attention. Alos immediately glided over to Sextus who was feverishly typing on numerous keypads. "Well?" the toll of her bell like voice commanded an answer be given. "There was a small energy anomaly picked up in the vicinity of the old Arlyss temple," the reply was quickly bitten out. "That temple was buried under an air strike last year," Septimus said as he came up behind his mistress. "We were scanning the entire area because of suspected insurgencies from hidden bases that the Clonoids may have planted in the area. It wouldn't have been important except for a short data burst followed it not minutes later. Most of it was new code but we recognized a short bit of the old stuff. The part we got was what we assume was a request for a profile download, but the only part we understood clearly was the unit designation: #°01732," Sextus spoke with incredible speed and clarity. Septimus nodded, "That's him." The Shiva turned her delicate face towards him, "You think this is it?" Septimus shrugged, "It's the best indicator we've ever gotten. Sure it could be a trap, but something about this feels...right." The smile that lit Serenity's face was brighter than the rising sun in the day, "Your gut feelings are good enough for me." One of her hands came up to beckon Primus, "See to the others immediately, we leave one hour ago. Secundus, prepare your kit. Sextus, get us a transport. Septimus, with me." without so much as giving the general a glance, Alos slid silently out of the room.

Echo turned about in the room, clenching his fists tightly. He was trying to resolve what he had just saw in his mind. What was that bright light? I just can't get it into my head! Echo clenched his fist again. C'mon, just WHAT was that?!?
Echo then slashed at the wind with an open palm, figuring the blade of a sword. A white beam came out, slashing the wind, the noise shrieking as it appeared. It morphed into a small blade. It glimmered in the faint shadows as Echo looked at it, eyes seemingly surprised. The white beam turned to a dark red colour, and it glowed. It then disappeared. What was that? he though. Echo looked at his hands, noticing the same sort of white hilts. Are those what made me do that? Echo pointed his hand out again. The blade again appeared, shrieking as it did so. It then turned into a crimson colour. Echo smiled faintly.
"I remember this thing..."

Not more than half an hour later, two airborne recon with small troop bays were carrying Serenity, her men, and a black ops group to the scene. "You have taken into consideration that if we caught that transmission just by accident, then the Clonoids will probably have units crawling all over that temple, buried or not," Tirtius was still checking his weapons as he spoke. "Doesn't matter," Sextus spoke with the kind of audacious confidence that only a scientist can possess, "We're just there for Hunter. We get in and then get out, just like always. Haven't we made are way into firmly guarded facilities before to take our mark?" Tirtius shook his head, "That was once, and we barely made it out of that prison with our lives. Heck, Quartus barely made it out with all his limbs." At that comment, the heavily armored unit rubbed his shoulder and groaned a bit. The pilot's voice broke into the conversation over the intercom, "We are nearing the drop zone." All of the men made one final check of their weapons. Primus piped up, "You said that a squad was sent the second we intercepted the transmission?" Sextus nodded, "But they were just supposed to secure the drop site for, well, us."

Echo, as he heard the slight sound of an engine above, turned his head upwards, only able to perceive glimpses of the machines above. What the heck are those? Clonoids?
Echo desperately thought, trying to remember. Whatever it is, I don't think it's a good sign for me.
Echo glared upwards, his eyes squinted slightly because of the light above, which then disappeared as the volatile units hovered over him directly. He didn't think of Akito, and looked around. He wanted to see what was going to happen. Maybe they knew something about him.

The air shook slightly as it was churned by the turbines of the recon's hover jets. The squad dropped together. "Sextus?" Serenity's voice chimed with incredible audibility over the engine's noise. "The data burst came from 'inside' the temple." Alos's nodded, "Secundus." Without hesitation, the man bolted forward. Septimus also ran forward. Serenity used Primus's eyes to watch him go, her own brow furrowing slightly with what might just have been worry. "Quintus," the Shiva spoke and the GyroClonoid lowered his arm. With incredible grace and elegance, Serenity stepped lightly onto the arm and was lifted up to sit on the massively armored shoulder. She deftly strapped herself down with the restraints she had had Primus add. "Let us find this, Echo Hunter," she smiled as her tattoos began to glow from the energy being channeled into their neural enhancements, and the rest of the units began to move forward in unison.