[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/BKV06Ya.png[/img][/center] [i]The world was coming apart at the seams. Sirens blared, warning lights flashed, and, even this far below ground, the hardened complex shook violently. “Hurry, Stephanie!” her father implored urgently as they ran down the shuddering corridors. “We don’t have much time!” Stephanie had never seen her parents look so frightened before, and that sight scared her far more than any other aspect of the cataclysm raging around them. It had all happened so fast… One moment, she had been working in one of the labs, the next, and the entire complex had exploded into complete pandemonium. Dozens of voices chattered at once, adding to the already cacophonous wailing of the alarms. Someone had said that Harbinger had gone insane and was now attacking the planet it had been created to protect. Others relayed reports of thermonuclear strikes, supervolcanic eruptions, and the formation of massive hypercanes all across the world. Stephanie had struggled to keep up with the rapid flow of information, even as her parents spirited her away to the deepest, most secure recesses of the complex. What happened next was a blur of hastily applied genetic enhancements and cybernetic augmentation, after which Steph found herself before a prototype cryostasis chamber. “Get in, Steph,” her father instructed. “Quickly, now! There’s not a moment to lose!” [color=DeepSkyBlue]“W-What’s going on, Dad?!”[/color] Steph asked, her shaky voice filled with a mixture of fear and confusion. [color=DeepSkyBlue]“W-What even [b]is[/b] all this?! A-And, what about you and Mom?!”[/color] “I’m sorry sweetie,” her mother apologized as she helped her into the chamber. “There’s no time to explain, but I promise that we’ll tell you everything when you wake up.” Steph could see that her mother was trying her best to sound reassuring, but she couldn’t hide the tears in her eyes. [color=DeepSkyBlue]“Y-You mean you and Dad also have cryochambers? B-But, I only saw this one… Where…?”[/color] “Just trust us,” her father told her with an encouraging smile. “I promise you that everything will be okay.” He was crying, too. Steph was beginning to feel increasingly frantic now. [color=DeepSkyBlue]“Mom, Dad, please!”[/color] she pleaded, tears streaming down her own cheeks. [color=DeepSkyBlue]“I-I don’t want to do this! I-If we stay together, m-maybe we can work this out, fix whatever’s wrong with—”[/color] “I’m sorry, Steph,” her father said softly. “This is the only way.” “We love you, sweetie,” her mother sobbed as the chamber was sealed. [color=DeepSkyBlue]“Mom!”[/color] Steph cried out as the cryostasis system activated. “We love—”[/i] … ……. …………… ……………………….. …………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………. [hr] Steph awoke feeling groggy and disoriented. The last thing she remembered was her parents, her mother saying that she loved her. And then…. [color=DeepSkyBlue]“Mom!”[/color] Steph tried to call out, but her throat was so dry that her attempt came out as a hoarse croak. Needless to say, there was no answer. In fact, the chamber had yet to even open. She felt a pang of fear at the thought that she might be trapped inside her chamber, with no chance of escape, doomed to die a slow death by starvation, but her attention soon refocused on the faint, almost musical voice calling out to her. Calling her name. Telling her to wake up. [color=DeepSkyBlue]“Mom…?”[/color] she inquired uncertainly, her voice slowly beginning to return. No, this wasn’t her mother. The voice belonged to what appeared to be a holographic fairy. The fairy introduced itself as Asra, said it was sorry, that there was no time, and then… Nothing. Was she simply imagining things? [color=DeepSkyBlue][i][b]Everyone’s[/b] sorry…[/i][/color] Steph reflected bitterly. [color=DeepSkyBlue][i]And there [b]never[/b] seems to be enough time…[/i][/color] She heard a hissing sound, and her attention was drawn to her pod’s lid, which was now slowly beginning to open. Once it had done so, Steph carefully stepped out and took a moment to get her bearings. To her shock, the room she found herself in was not the most secure lab of an ultra advanced underground complex, but an ancient pagoda-like structure. No one seemed to be present, and there were no signs of advanced technology anywhere. Well, aside from her cryochamber, of course. Looking back at the now horribly out-of-place device, Steph was momentarily startled as a cloud of nanites emerged from an opening on the side of the machine. The cloud rapidly coalesced into a form-fitting suit, which glowed with streaks of neon, much like her current outfit. Stepping up to it, she allowed the suit to mold itself to her body, the nanofluidic garment feeling like a second skin. After a moment, the suit formed a small holoprojector on her wrist, which promptly activated, displaying an image of her parents. “Dearest Stephanie,” her father began. “It is our sincerest hope that we will be able to explain all this to you in person when you wake, but in the event that we are not, we have recorded this message.” “Please try to understand, Stephanie,” her mother continued. “Your cryochamber was the only one in full operational status at the time, and we needed to use it to ensure your survival. Our own pods should be ready soon, and, if at all possible, we’ll use them to join you. But, if not…” “We never wanted to leave you alone, Steph,” her father told her firmly. “But you needed to survive. You are one of the few who are capable of restoring the world to its former glory. We have no idea what condition the world will be in when you awake, so to aid you we have enclosed this suit of nanofluidic armor in your pod. It will supplement the increased vitality and protection provided by your genetic enhancement, as well as allow you to camouflage yourself in order to better fit in with those you encounter. Your cybernetic implants should already provide you with full knowledge of your enhanced body’s various abilities, as well as those of the nanite swarm the implant allows you to control. Of course, the complex also contains a supply of weapons and useful equipment, but there’s no guarantee any of that will be available to you when you wake.” “E-Even if we can’t be with you, there are others who were placed in cryostasis just as you were,” her mother told her between sobs. “Try to find them. They’ll help you in rebuilding our world.” “We know you can do this, Steph,” her father assured her. “You are a true gift to this world, and we are so very proud of you.” “We love you, Steph!” her mother called out as the image began to flicker. “Never forget that!” Steph felt a tear roll down her cheek as the image faded away. So her parents were really gone. Or, at least, had been moved elsewhere. She felt a small glimmer of hope at that thought, but she forced herself to clamp down on it. She needed to focus on her present situation. She was alone, in a strange structure, with no idea of how long she had slept. The first thing she needed to do was acquire some information, and for that, she needed to find someone to provide it. Making her way to the structure’s entrance, Steph was momentarily left breathless at the sight that greeted her. [color=DeepSkyBlue]"Where am I...?"[/color] Arrayed below her was a rather primitive village, seemingly located high up in the mountains. But that wasn’t the most shocking thing. The village seemed to be under attack by a number of monstrous beasts. Steph had never seen anything like them before, and it appeared that they were far more than the village’s inhabitants could hope to handle. Steph knew that with her enhanced physical abilities she was the best hope the villagers had of fending off the beasts, but she was understandably hesitant to rush into things. She was still a little disoriented from being in cryostasis, and even with her increased physical prowess, she was still only one person. Could she really hope to take on [i]all[/i] these creatures and win? Escape seemed the most logical option, but she needed answers, and she didn’t want the death of an entire village on her conscience. Not if there was a chance that she could help save it. But how to go about doing that? For now, she resolved to simply observe, intently studying the creatures and trying to discern any potential weaknesses. Meanwhile, she instructed her suit to adopt the appearance of a typical villager’s attire, while instructing her nanite swarm to locate some nearby sources of metal to form into a weapon. [center][hider=Items Gained] Suit of nanofluidic armor[/hider][/center]