Story: Hard Sell

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Because it lets me introduce a new character. Written by User:Holbenilord.

The Gun

"You wanted to escape the iron grip of the authorities, and we heard your calls. Voila, the Mk5 VF-4 Dallygon! Light, at 4.8kg, but big enough to hold all the necessary goodies. Easy breakdown into three parts, fully organic chambered circuitry and firing parts that make it undetectable by x-ray or magscan.

"Handle's fully adjustable- memory-metal makes it good for righties or lefties, any kind of species with hands... we apologise, any Gaedrongo out there, but you'll be pleased to find out that there are specially designed carrying slings just for you.

"Now onto the firepower. The VF-4 is revolutionary in design- no need to reload or switch ammunition, the gun does it for you at a thought. Nerve-sensitive electrodes inside the handle let you control all the setting with great accuracy- and it's no steep learning curve like that of PWS's Veron, but the kind of thing that you can have done in an afternoon, and then have full control of your gun from then on. Same technology allows user identification and the gun can be set to self-destruct in the wrong hands.

"The VF-4 ammunition system can fire over 120 different types of bullet- from tracking HE to acid marker- and needs no clip or feed. The self-repairing and cleaning barrel means you won't have to worry about obstructions, and if the barrel is filled up with material it can be got rid of simply by turning on the internal wipers. Don't look down the barrel though- whatever was put in'll come out at 80 kilometres an hour.

"Eighteen firing modes, not including the standard single-shot, 3-burst and 30-burst we've all grown to love. By turning on the gyro-lock you can compensate totally for any body movement, or even being fired from a cannon. The barrel micro-adjusts to aim at targets, updating itself 50,000 times a second with our special trajectory microcomputers for shooting the really fast.

"The ZF-4 replaces all your weapon inventory in a single stroke. Barrel rotates to reveal flamethrower, shockwave gun, missile launcher, net gun, and modulated laser, each with its own myriad of settings.

"You wanted the upper hand? Well, here you have it."

The Man

"Hello, chairman Voll. No, no, no need to get up. I believe you were looking for me?

"Ah yes, the gun under your desk. I replaced it with a powerdrill, so that's what you're hearing from down there. The alarm circuitry has been... redirected to your personal spaceship's starter motor, which is what you just saw crashing into the skyscraper across the street. The nerve gas vents have been sealed with plastic explosive.

"There was the small matter of the contract you had with Kiberian. No, I'll be asking the questions, if I have any. You are going to go back on the contract and purge Facility 8 completely- I've already taken a specimen. In case you needed motivation, I've got through two of your children so far and little Marius seems a trite frightened. If you want their body parts back, that can be arranged.

"I didn't bother deactivating your cameras and motion sensors simply because you'll never find me. What can you say you actually know about me? Anything?

"I took the liberty of destroying the recent shipment of ZF-4s for your guards- lovely guns, those- but I couldn't bear to part with all of them. This one- ink tags and tracking chips removed- is called Reanna, and she's the last of her family, as you could be!

"A name? People call me the Seraph."

The Beast

To Harios Maistva d'Reas

Shortly before the complete and unanticipated purge of Facility 8, our agent successfully got hold of the attached document, here for your perusal. The discoveries here are remarkable and disturbing, and raise questions about the source of the Aian genetic material.

We have to consider the possibility that Genetic Solutions was aware of our presence, or one of their primary benefactors.

-Rerinos Jiel d'Lessor

Document on the nature and history of the "Sabaoth" organism.

Physiology

The "Sabaoth" organism is a genetically engineered entity created from the genetic material of (or a copy of the genetic material created in compatible code) of species found throughout Viperius. Species with genetic material used in the experiment include:

The organism has been designed to be highly effective in combat. It is 6.7m long when fully grown, and masses 0.9 tonnes. It moves quadrupedally, and extremely quickly, reaching speeds of up to 106km/h which can last for 34 seconds. It can also leap long distances, and climb using its 7cm retractable claws.

In addition to its arms and legs, it has four tentacle-like appendages, derived from Gaedrongo limbs. All these have spines down their underside, which possess a poison known as 'Incendia'.

The bone and keratin have been replaced by lightweight, industrial substitutes that are stronger and more shock absorbent, as well as providing a better anchor for the weave-infused muscles. Its regenerative capability is high, with blastemic sacs throughout its body which allow any part of the organism to regrow as long as its cells remain alive. Regeneration of a limb takes approximately 2 weeks, and full regeneration from the head takes 49 days.

To prevent cancerous growths, the Aian immune system has been merged with that of the Terrortooth, ensuring the stability and healthiness of all cells. The nervous system is mechanically enhanced, allowing the organism almost instantaneous reflexes and rapid adaptation to new information.

By replacing the genetic stop codons with versions unknown to any lifeform, the organism has been made completely immune to viral or genetic attack. The cells have a great degree of durability and redundancy, so much so that the organism has the radiation tolerance of an organism one thousandth of its size. All cells secrete fullerite, which replaces the skin and cartilage of the creature, making it impervious to most firearms and explosives.

A set of twin-linked heavy machine guns has been installed in the tail. A cloaking weave covers the body, allowing light, IR and radar invisibility, but this automatically shuts down to repair if it experiences damage.

Intelligence and Behaviour

The "Sabaoth" organisms have widely varying intelligence. As they have not been selected for intellect, some are sapient but others are completely non-sapient. 3 in every 20 created specimens is born in a vegetative state without correct brain function.

All functional specimens show hostility to dissimilar beings, good learning ability, and are completely untameable without the aid of a neural encephaloclamp. Sapient "Sabaoth" organisms have been taught multiple languages and the ability to read and write.

Sapient specimens can also be persuaded into assisting researchers if there is an otherwise unobtainable reward.

When hunting, the Sabaoth stalks its prey without making a sound. It tends to hunt from above, in ducts or treetops, and to dispatch its victims extremely quickly. It feeds rapidly, taking around ten seconds to ingest a Salsene body.

The Hat

"Hey! Give that back!"