Shapeshifters in WWIV: A Roleplay (Celebrating Ten Years!)

Cato's scanner directed him towards a ruined shopfront, where he saw another figure.

He pushed down a pair of goggles on his head over his eyes, and tapped them.

"Human..." he murmured, "not one of the enemy".

"So, Human, whom do you stand with? Us, or them?" called Cato to the other person, removing his goggles and walking forward.

He stowed his scanned within the inner pockets of his lab coat.

"The next war in this world will not be fought between man and man, but between man and gods" he continued, "we are no longer the prime species on this planet, and one day, they will realise they no longer need us".

"Do you honestly believe that once the Shifters realise their superiority they will let us be? Humanity has grown complacent in its rule of the world, and now a new evolution has come to displace us" said Cato, "we must evolve too, forging a new humanity bound not by blood, but by steel and fire!"

"THIS war is just a beginning...soon there will be a far greater conflict, between human and Shifter, and believe me we will not win" sighed Cato, "I must ask, do you know this area?"

"This area was the site of a secretive RK research base during the initial stages of the war, which was lost in the bombardment" explained Cato.

He tapped his headset quickly.

"Thorne, I require a drone, the area is too strewn with debris" he spoke into his headset.

"The blacksite here conducted research into Shifters and the source of their abilities" said Cato to the stranger, "I need whatever fragments of their knowledge remain“

"My apologies, I have likely confused you" said Cato, "although, I must admire the work of a photographer such as yourself. There is much merit to be found in preserving images of the past, both to look back on, and to ensure we do not repeat the mistakes that lead to the present"

At that moment, a trio of figures in black combat fatigues rounded the corner, accompanied by a hovering quadrotor equipped with an advanced set of sensors. They were marked with a silver insignia, of a serpent eating its own tail.

"Fear not, these are my associates" said Cato with a small smile.

Upon closer inspection, the newcomers were clearly robotic in nature. They smartly lined up behind Cato in formation.

"Mark 1 Bipedal Drones" explained Cato, "I am an engineer by trade, and these are my creations. Simplistic and rudimentary given our limited resources, but they suffice as workers and basic combat troops should I come under attack"

"We are Infinity Circle, an organisation dedicated to the preservation and advancement of humanity" said Cato, "the Ouroboros was a stylistic choice of my associate Dr. Thorne"

The Mark 1s stood at attention, carrying large black satchels and with rucksacks on their backs.

"Alas, our resources were decimated during the sinking by WK of the Iron Serpent, our seaborne base" he continued, "for now, without manpower or equipment, we must make do with the Mark 1s, only capable of receiving simple programmed instructions...they are a poor substitute for even cloned forces"

"They have their uses, that is true, for example, working with conditions and materials hazardous to humans" admitted Cato, "compared to the average person, they are fairly strong and resilient, but their construction from salvaged equipment and scavenged materials limits their capactiy"

"Sadly so" replied Cato, "with proper facilities and materials I could likely create something more efficient, but they are proving less than easy to acquire".

"Yes...unfortunately it seems that salvage is what I have to make do with...the WK and RK have a monopoly on military grade equipment, and they do not seem too interested in sharing..." sighed Cato.

"Ah, but that requires funding, something else we are rather lacking in" replied Cato, "ah, we have to work with what we have, I suppose"

"Ah, I get by doing odd jobs for various organisations to fund our own" replied Cato, "having the robotic labourers tends to come in handy when manual work is needed"

"On that note, might as well have them doing something" remarked Cato, taking out his handheld device and tapping a few keys.

The three Mark 1s put down their sachels and produced folding shovels and power tools from them.

"If the data from the Ouroboros in orbit is correct, the RK Blacksite is below this building" mused Cato.