Posted on 2024-06-05 03:56:00
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BRIDE OF BABYLON


Sometimes she swore she just ought to go forth and fly on her own two wings.




While Jet and Storm weren't bad per se, Wave certainly thought that there were numerous occasions in which she was being held back by those two. Whether it be the ruthless and prideful boasts of their leader or the rather simple-minded Storm, she saw herself as the glue holding the team together in more ways than one. Whether it be to repair and upgrade their Extreme Gear or simply to be the voice of reason amidst doofuses, they probably wouldn't function quite well without her and she seemed to be the only one aware of this. The Babylonian tradition might have held her back, thus why she had decided to test it out, to do a solo job under the nose and beak if only to either prove whether she was correct or not...and so far it was going splendidly.




Theirs was a rich history, one related to ancient Babylon, to miraculous technology lost to time as Wave looked at what she had just found: a cache of treasures all related to their people. Had it not been her and her initiative, they'd never have found this due to Jet preferring to just steal and live as nomads aboard their airship. Yet right now did she stand within chambers that were unmistakably related to her people and to the long-gone past. History, culture, riches, power...all there to be seen, understood, adapted and perhaps even improved upon as she was an incredible mechanic, a boast that she took pride in given the time and efforts she put upon her very craft. Vases, murals, ancient writings, carefully-preserved scrolls, coins, all of it meant to be discovered. Perhaps it had been the hiding place or home of a rich and influent Babylonian, one whose secluded locale had made it easier to preserve his belongings. Whatever it was, however, Wave was entirely fascinated as she explored, took notes, pictures and then...then she saw it.




The creation of a flying, magic carpet had been the catalyst for modern day Extreme Gear, their floating boards which permitted them to soar through the sky at intense speed. Such technology, closer to miracles than mere doodads, had been lost and yet now did she look upon something that she couldn't believe was real: the magic lamp. There had been a bottle back then, capable of hard-light constructs, illusions made manifest in the form of the Babylon guardian...yet this one was told through fable and legends to be even greater than that. Energy storage, digitalization, immortality in the form of transubstantiation and transformation of the flesh and spirit. Yet its activation could be tricky, perhaps even dangerous, which was why Wave thought to bring it back, to analyze it at her own leisure. Yet in picking it, observing it up-close did it unfortunately activate as the paradigms and triggers for being turned on were all met.




The golden exterior, a gilded and pristine appearance for what would be at first glance a luxurious oil lamp, went on to sparkle slightly as invisible fumes escaped from the spout. A faint smell, one of subtle sweetness, went on to her nostrils as her beak took in that delectable yet near-secret aroma. Akin to a perfume, it granted her a slow and building sense of peace, a relaxation of the muscles and mind as while Wave was affected by this...she did begin to put the pieces together as this reaction, this lax attitude and stance was not normal. The lamp, however, was programmed for a great many things, many possible paths, deviations and reactions already instilled within as the proper response for such activation of neurological pathways, based on observations and a slight change in innate chemicals, was to double its efforts.




The fumes turned into smoke, glistening as the energy and ideas contained within the lamp extended a tendril meant to connect with the descendant of Babylon itself. Her beak already relaxed, her instinct being to breathe in more despite her understanding of the situation, Wave inhaled some more unwittingly as eventually she was put in a daze. Her surroundings swam within waves of reality beginning to blur, the many closed lights going on to brighten the area suddenly, neon colors of purple, teal and blue as they went on to shine and glow. All of it were entirely controlled by the object, this powerful relic from the past yet still unmatched in many areas. As this went on did Wave feel faint, though not scared for the lamp had failsafes for such emotional reactions.




What the lamp could store was not just limited to technology and programs, but also sensations and ideas. Designs and desires, dreams and delight were conjured through that smoke, increasing her euphoria until the flashing and pulsating lights nearby went on to blind her to everything else but this ongoing experience. A smile, small but incrementally spreading on her cheeks, was but the first sign of an emptying mind as her apprehension was conquered by bliss and ecstasy. Her own eyes went on to get filled with the smoke itself, eventually reflecting the colors nearby as the entire room was attempting, and succeeding, in relaxing herself. Muscles slack, breathing slow and steady, a trance was put in place as Wave could not help herself anymore as she became an unwitting participant in a process that would change her.




Just as ideas were poured into her, hers were analyzed and her own past were subjected to critical subjectivism and objectivism. She was a proud, young and attractive woman, those three qualities determined by a run-through of a vast database from a long time ago. A vast amount of confidence, a sense of superiority...but also a high intellect and a deep sense of curiosity. She was a good candidate, a symbiosis certainly possible for further deployment of the Babylon creed and way of life as the lamp began to release thicker smoke from its spout. It went on to envelop, then merge with Wave as she felt lighter, both in spirit and in flesh as the growing and widening spirals inside her eyes got faster and faster.




Subjected to an unique form of hypnosis to remove the possibility of trauma or resistance, there was no fear nor doubt possible. All she could feel as her smile got bigger was happiness, followed by an eagerness as though she barely understood what was happening, something within her promised greatness and she accepted it without so much as a single question. Her body, her clothes, everything went on to get wrapped and coiled within the smoke as eventually did her form go on to undulate, to flicker upon the ambient air as she had become light and completely devoid of physical friction and resistance. Thus did she begin to float and from thereon did the process truly begin: assimilation.




Suction from within, magical gears and instructions keeping this steady as Wave's own legs were merged together into a tail of smoke and energy. No longer possible to touch the ground in this current state, she was then pulled within the spout as her immensely malleable self went on to get compacted into a most elongated and minuscule shape. Akin to a tube, her waist and hips followed as there was no fight, no resistance, nothing that she could do to save herself as she did not consider that such a result was desired. The only thing going through her mind was glorious collaboration, cooperation for a divine destiny as her intellect was approved, though kept silent for now. Her hands and arms followed suit, flattened and rolled upon her side as her abdomen was next. All of it was effortlessly absorbed, leaving no trace of such appendages or part of her outside the lamp. Then her torso followed as her diminishing manifestation of her self went on to vanish slowly but surely as the head went on to follow suit...




And then she was gone.




As if she had never existed, what had truly happened was that Wave had been indeed turned into data, into facts and ideas rather than flesh, feathers and bones. Stored, the self-realization of her entire being went through a massive upgrade as the energy, information and the abilities of said lamp were merged with her. The lamp being a tool, it needed a catalyst to properly implement its many functions and possibilities into the world and it had been far, far too long since it had such an opportunity to acquire someone. Its past owner had wanted a suitable mate, a loved one to inherit such vast potential, yet tragedy and then disruption went on to happen, causing said scenario to be forever postponed. Yet with Wave's arrival did this endgame could finally occur as more and more was pumped within the once-bird, now something more.




Wave was filled not just with abilities, but also understanding of such actions. Power in a vast amount, all tethered upon her as well as instructions on what to do, how to act, what she meant and how best to interact with others were all instilled within the core of her being. A desire to improve the lot of others, the need to be wielded by capable beings, the craving to be pleasant to look at for better conversations and interactions with others...all this and more were pushed within her expanding mindscape as it supplanted more and more of her past ideals and cognition. Overwhelming might, overpowering concepts all encapsulated her as her new perception of the self englobed all that she needed and more as eventually was she summoned once for a test run...and then did she see what she was now.




I am a the apex of Babylon, a servant for its people...I must aim higher and make our people reach new heights... she said, her voice filled with purpose as the old Wave had been dead and buried, turned into something grander and far more glorious. Her bandana edged with gold, a large feather adorning it that which belonged to the architect of the lamp, a bedlah with gold and sequin, blue to match her own purple feathers. Her eyes pulsated with the same light and spirals, though now originated not from reflections but of the self. Made to be irresistible, to command respect and awe, to be heard and if need be obeyed as her prime directive was to resurrect Babylon and its glory. I hear and obey...Babylon shall rise again...a new leader for me to cherish, serve and love...and those who shall belong to us through any means necessary.




Sucked back within, Wave would then wait for someone to release her. If a Babylonian would find her, a new empire might perhaps spring from the ashes of the ancient one, a bride and servant belonging to them. Anyone else might just learn quite a lot, however, from the mesmerizing genie whose purpose it was to return this past civilization. They would be educated in many things like bowing to their superiors, obeying the commands of the chosen people and to do all within their power to be of use to those they'd serve...as a slave.




Fate would decide which it would be when the magic lamp, Wave's lamp, would be found...