The Machine God posts
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Chapter 76 - Sidekick
Chapter 76SidekickAlexander stepped out of Precision Unlimited’s workshop into the station’s eternal twilight. His shoulders slumped from exhaustion, but his stride remained confident despite the seventy-two hours of near-continuous work. Behind him, three sets of black armor floated in formatio...
Chapter 75 - The Weight of Heroes
Chapter 75The Weight of HeroesAugustus stepped through the doorway onto cool stone tiles, the shift from Argentum’s afternoon to Mediterranean night immediately apparent. Stars blazed overhead in a clarity impossible near any city. The terrace’s exterior lighting cast warm pools of gold across t...
Chapter 74 - Moving
Chapter 74MovingAugustus stepped through the portal into the estate’s living room. Through the wraparound glass walls, late afternoon light painted the mountains gold. Two hours until the Doorman arrived. Alexander was busy at work in the station’s workshop, leaving the move to them.He found Ann...
Chapter 73 - Pay to Win
Chapter 73Pay to WinAlexander stepped through the doorway into the workshop he’d rented through Precision Unlimited and stopped, taking it all in.The workshop stretched out before him, industrial and beautiful. Clean steel surfaces, overhead gantries for heavy lifting, power feeds running in organ...
Chapter 72 - Pressure Points
Chapter 72Pressure PointsAugustus stood in the reception area, watching Paul rise from behind his crescent desk of polished black stone. The Truthseeker’s measured gaze took in his appearance with the same weight as always, but there was something else there. A flicker of recognition, perhaps. Or ...
Chapter 71 - Henchmen Manifested
Chapter 71Henchmen ManifestedAnnie forced brightness into her voice as she stepped back into the living room. “How’s everyone doing? Still enjoying the Barkforce?”She stopped mid-sentence. One of the aliens, the one with scales that shimmered like oil on water, held her tablet. The others hudd...
Chapter 70 - The Big Lie
Chapter 70The Big LieAlexander made it back to the estate without further incident. The walk from the lake gave him time to process what had just happened. A bounty on their heads, big enough to motivate even the cautious. The kind of wealth that could turn anyone into an enemy.He found most of the ...
Chapter 69 - A Nice Day
Chapter 69A Nice DayAlexander woke to the sound of chirping outside and the faint thrum of dramatic music from inside the house. After getting dressed, he made his way downstairs, still rubbing sleep from his eyes, and froze at the bottom step.All the aliens except the Syltharian sat arranged around...
Chapter 68 - Choosing the Dream
Chapter 68Choosing the DreamThe rest of the day passed in a blur of strange normalcy, punctuated by the oddity of alien foods.Augustus returned through a portal with bags that clinked and sloshed with their bizarre contents. He muttered under his breath while unpacking."Fermented tree bark. Crys...
Chapter 67 - Practical Matters
Chapter 67Practical MattersAfter a brief discussion about the quest that continued to blink insistently at the corner of Alexander’s awareness, they set it aside. The System wanted an answer, but it could wait.“Medical first,” Talia said, already moving toward the nearest alien. “I need to a...
Chapter 66 - Spread the Dream
Chapter 66Spread the DreamAlexander released the last of the restraints holding the alien. The creature’s breathing had steadied into something like sleep, chest rising and falling in a rhythm that seemed too slow compared to a human.He glanced around the lab, once again taking in the blood poolin...
Chapter 65 - The Good (Bad) Doctor
Chapter 65The Good (Bad) DoctorAlexander closed his eyes and reached into the security panel, unlocking the door.The mechanism clicked softly. He eased the door open, peering through the crack. Dr. Miller stood with his back turned, tablet in hand, still addressing the alien strapped to the medical ...
Chapter 64 - First Contact
Chapter 64First ContactAlexander waited until the man had moved far enough away that he wouldn’t hear him, then he pulled on the hatch, easing it up.He dropped down into the elevator with a thud; his drone floated down noiselessly after him.Reaching for the doors, he gently slid them apart with a ...
Chapter 63 - Subtle Unease
Chapter 63Subtle UneaseAlexander moved quickly through the dim corridors, his drone keeping pace. He kept checking for any change, but had so far found only disappointment.His senses stretched wide across the facility. The place was quiet, with the only notable sound besides his footfalls being the ...
Chapter 62 - Splitting the Party
Chapter 62Splitting the PartyAlexander leaned against a crate, taking a few moments to let his heart rate slow. Annie pulled her helmet off first, the small oxygen canisters starting to run low. Talia followed, and Alexander pulled his own off as well. The air in the room was chilled, but breathable...
Chapter 61 - No Witnesses
Chapter 61No WitnessesThe rooftop was quiet.Augustus lifted his wand, the beginnings of a portal forming, until Alexander caught his wrist.Augustus turned his head, one brow raised.“Two people below,” Alexander subvocalized across comms. “And the vehicle elevator’s coming back up for some re...
Chapter 60 - Fear of Falling
Chapter 60Fear of FallingAn hour had passed since takeoff, the cabin’s steady hum broken only by the occasional rustle of movement, or the clinking of ice in Augustus’s drink.Talia napped, reclining in her seat. Annie sat cross-legged with her boots on the seat, glued to the massive screen. Alex...
Chapter 59 - Crime-A-Lot
Chapter 59Crime-A-LotVery early the next day, Alexander stood on a low platform while an elderly tailor circled him like a hawk, tugging at sleeves and muttering to himself in accented English. Augustus lounged nearby in a chair a touch too small for his frame, reading a tablet and looking completel...
Chapter 58 - Auggy's Crazy Plan
Chapter 58Auggy’s Crazy PlanAlexander sat on the couch watching the holo, listening in on the debate between Annie and Augustus.The news anchor’s voice droned on about riots flaring across the planet, crowds storming corporate branches, protests outside AEGIS offices, clashes with police and nat...
Chapter 57 - Kill Quest
Chapter 57Kill QuestAlexander spun lazily on the stool, holding his favorite drone in his hands. Little had changed in the few days since the System’s reveal.The workbench was a place of chaos. To one side sat the alien cube, still giving off pulses picked up by his Technopathy. Still refusing to ...
Chapter 56 - First Defeat
Chapter 56First DefeatAnnie stumbled and almost lost her footing.Her opponent was taller than her, not that it was any surprise, but he was also quicker than she wanted to admit. He fought with a clean, efficient style, and every strike landed with a weight that reached deep even into her metal.She ...
Chapter 55 - Of One's Own Accord
Chapter 55Of One’s Own AccordAnnie looked at him askance. “You killed yourself?!”“I didn’t mean to,” Alexander said, feeling defensive for some reason. “I think…”Talia and Augustus exchanged looks. “At least we’ve confirmed that your story of being from an alternate reality is ...
Chapter 54 - A New Power
Chapter 54A New PowerAfter congratulating Talia, the others quickly realized that they all had hit at least one threshold themselves.The mystery of ascension had long since lost its charm in favor of the desire to clean up immediately. So the team went their own ways to handle their own ascensions, ...
Chapter 53 - Rivals, Not Enemies
Chapter 53Rivals, Not EnemiesThe agreement held, though the two teams kept their distance from each other.Alexander found it strange, the shape of trust in a moment like this. Enemies who had seen enough to keep their word. People who might hunt him tomorrow, yet would not break faith today. He allo...
Chapter 52 - The Black Knight
Chapter 52The Black KnightThe knight spun, swinging the heavy sword wide. It flared with light. Alexander seized his two crafted drones with Metallokinesis, dragging them into the path of what was coming.The sword ripped through the air, releasing a wave of energy that crashed into the drones, carvi...
Chapter 51 - ...Now.
Chapter 51…Now.Everything went white.The next thing Alexander knew, he was rolling on the ground, screaming as fire tore down his spine, and agony exploded inside his skull. He was vaguely aware that everyone else was going through the same thing, though he could barely hear anything over the damn...
Chapter 50 - ...Begins...
Chapter 50…Begins…Alexander hopped through the portal, swinging the tonfa to deflect a barrier-javelin Maximilian hurled after Annie.The portals winked out.He studied Maximilian. Technopathy was useless here; the Throne of Scales had wisely left behind anything that could be turned against them....
Chapter 49 - Phase One...
Chapter 49Phase One…Alexander leaned against the wall while he waited, slowly winding spools of wire around his arms. Now and then, a portal appeared and a pile of objects tumbled through. With casual effort, he scattered them throughout the hallways of the junction where he and Talia stood waitin...
Chapter 48 - Just Add Hands
Chapter 48Just Add Hands“Are you okay?”Julia startled, then glanced at Raelene. “What?”Raelene didn’t take her eyes off her tablet. “I asked if you’re okay. I know I’m not very good at understanding interpersonal relationships, but you have been having episodes where you stare off in...
Chapter 47 - Secrets Unearthed
Chapter 47Secrets UnearthedTalia pulled on the director’s consciousness. It was easy compared to what it had taken to do the same to Flashpoint or the Ice Queen even for a few moments. But it was harder than stealing a recent memory, as she’d done to the officer at the police precinct.She pushed...
