Decline The Call

Connor Rett had recently quit his job.

Now between jobs, Connor decided to take a break and work on some projects. Unfortunately, he found himself completely unmotivated. Feeling he needed a change of pace and seeing as he had the time, he decided to go for a walk and just enjoy the scenery. 

As Connor walked, he decided to head away from the city and stroll around nature. He stepped onto some undeveloped land appreciated the greenery around him as he kept walking. 

Connor continued on like this for some time before suddenly stopping. "Wait, should I be walking this far," he asked aloud. Looking back, he added, "If I keep going, I might get lost. Plus…the sun's gotten a little far. What time is it?…Four!!!? How the hell did I manage to walk for over three hours!? I just wanted a change of pace. Why the hell would I walk around this long!?"

Venting his frustration over the unexpected duration of his stroll, Connor sighed. He then looked around and said, "Okay…I'll walk over to that big hill over there, then turn back…"

Connor continued walking toward the protruding mound. Upon reaching it, he turned to look around the seemingly mowed but otherwise untouched expanse of land around him - only the grass directly next to the hill reaching to his knees. 

"Well, even if I do end up having to throw this day into the trash, I can at least say it was somewhat enjoyable." Connor proceeded to turn to the hill behind him. "Heh, what a strange hill. What are you, a rock or are you just that conveniently steep." He then proceeded to try tapping and kicking the hill to get an idea of the material. That is when he heard a distinct noice. 

"Metal," Connor muttered. He then eyed the hill suspiciously and started slowly stepping back. "Whatever this is, I want no part of it."

However, as if to deny Connor's words, the ground suddenly fell out from under him. 

Falling into a hole, Connor landed on hard ground. Groaning in pain, he rolled around admits the dirt and soul that fell with him. Looking at where he fell from, he groused, "A hatch? A hatch and a strange, apparently metal hill. Ugh…I've seen enough anime with this exact set up to know what's going on."

Getting to his feet, Connor stretch and rubbed his aching back, side, and arm. "Now, I'm supposed to curiously investigate my discovery and become the protagonist or something. N~o, thank you."

Connor took in his surroundings. "That said, I am going to have look around for an exit. No way in hell yelling for help is going to get me anything this far from anybody."

Looking around but not seeing any sort of clearly marked exit, Connor put his hands together in prayer. "Dear god, if your really out there, please let there be a reasonable explanation for all this. I'll even start going to church! Please be the benevolent deity the bible says you are and not the nonexistent narcissist I think you are." 

Connor lowered his hands and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Using it as a flashlight in the dark, he chose a direction and started walking. It was his thought that if he headed toward where he thought whatever this was was protruding from the ground, that it might be easier to get out.

As he walked along, Connor eyed the metal walls around him. Part of it was genuine curiosity but he was also trying to disprove his outlandish theory of being inside some sort of giant robot or crashed space ship. "I'd have expected more blinking lights, wires, cables or something. This is too advanced for some conveniently discovered archeological find, but maybe its a poorly hidden, buried military or company thing. Yeah, that could be it…"

Connor stopped his rambling as he came to a room. He cautiously steps into the room while shining his phone's flashlight. He saw what looked like advanced but deactivated control panels and the like. However, once his light caught a peak at there being some sort of large tube in the middle of the room, he immediately stopped investigating.

"Nurp," Connor said as he began slowly stepping back. "I am getting out of here before some sci-fi bullshit happens." 

Unfortunately, once again, as if to prove Connor wrong, he tripped over some cables he had previously stepped over. He kept himself from falling and quickly hit his back against the wall by the entrance. However, he can feel his back having pressed down on something. 

"Shit."

The room came alive and lights turned on to illuminate the green-tinted glass tube in the middle. Then between the entrance and the tube, another light flickered on, but this no ordinary light. Once the flickering stopped, what appeared was a blue, holographic display of a tall, beautiful woman. She had long hair, a headdress, and shoulder-less, long-sleeved, flowing dress with a gem in the center of her neckline. 

"Greetings oh chosen one. It is destiny that has brought you here today. You are currently within the great Alpha Prime Mechazoid. It is one of seven great Mechazoids brought to life by the Cosmic Force to be the Nealik Republic's greatest defense. For you see, the Nealik Republic has been in conflict with the dark empire of Guliadam and it is only by the power of the Mechazoids and the Hyper Warriors chosen to command them that the republic has stood their ground and repelled the invaders. However, Alpha Prime Mechazoid was struck down in a battle against the dark empire. It teleported to safety and crashed upon your world."

"To ensure it would be revived and rejoin the forces of Nealik Republic, it released a wave of cosmic energy that would bring about someone who would one day reactivate and lead the Hyper Mechazoids against these invaders. Due to being offline for so long, I cannot determine how long it has been, but your parents, grandparents, and perhaps their parents before them were guided by the cosmic force to bring you into being to be that someone. The time is now and you have been drawn here by your innate connection to the Alpha Prime Mechazoid. Step forward and accept you-"

The holographic woman waved her arms out and opened her empty eyes to look at the chosen hero…only to see him gone. Blinking repeatedly, she eventually looked to the left and right to see if he was there. 

"Chosen one?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"NURP!!!"

Connor was running from the buried Mechazoid. 

The instant the woman appeared, Connor barreled out of the room and back toward where he fell. Fueled by determination and adrenaline, he manage to hop up, kick off the wall, and propel himself just high enough to grab the hatch door. Using strength he did not know he had, he scrabbled to hold onto and then pull himself up the hatch door. Then, he managed to get his hands onto the edge of the hatch and pull himself out. 

Connor began laughing victoriously at his escape when a metal wall suddenly appeared before him. Running headlong into it, he fell back while yelling various profanities in pain. Quickly looking around, he found he was back in the room with the holographic woman looking down at him like a mother that caught their child doing something they should not have. 

"Do not fear chosen one," the woman began, "I mean you no harm. You see, you are the chosen one and it was destiny that brought you here. You are currently within the great Alpha Prime Mec-"

"Okay," Connor interrupted as he turned and sat on the floor, "look I'm sorry miss…"

"I am the onboard artificial intelligence assistant of the Alpha Prime Mechazoid."

"Do you have a name?"

"The name I was programed with is Eulalia"

"Okay, look Miss Eulalia, I can appreciate you have a job to do and provide me some epic sounding exposition about chosen ones, destiny, maybe some intergalactic war. But I want no part in what you're selling."

Eulalia looked taken aback by Connor's firm declaration. Shaking her hear, she put one hand to her chest and began trying to convince him, "Chosen one, if you would just let me explain, you will see that this is your destiny and a great honor to-"

"Don't care. Don't care. Don't care."

"You would receive fame and glory across the galaxy-"

"Nope."

"Wealth and status among the top echelons of the greatest society in the the known universe-"

"Nope."

"Power beyond-"

"Nurp."

"Why not," Eulalia exclaimed - throwing her holographic arms up in exasperation.

"You see Miss Eulalia, I'm a nerd. And as a nerd, I am well versed in a wide manner of tropes and even studied the articles of the great TVTropes as well as various Wiki and Wikipedia. And, if there is anything my studies have taught me, it is that this whole situation is one I want no part of."

"I'm sure that there's probably some sort of prophecy or other convoluted reason that makes me the 'chosen one', and I'm either supposed to embark on some epic adventure to save the universe, galaxy, or some intergalactic kingdom. Maybe I'll have or be part of a team of three to five people who'll gain one to five more members over time. Some enemies turned allies, maybe some betrayals, everyone getting heart wrenching character development, and through teamwork and the powers we are given everything will turn out okay. I'll admit everything you listed is tempting but it all comes with too many strings attached for my liking."

"I just want a nice easy life. I don't want any big responsibilities, expectations, or conflict. So I'm sorry, but you'll have to find a different 'chosen one'."

Eulalia looked momentarily lost from Connor's words. However, she quickly collected herself and leveled a serious gaze on Connor. "I'm sorry chosen one, but that is not an option. You are the chosen one. The one and only who can command the Alpha Prime Mechazoid and lead the Hyper Warriors. You and it are already connected. This is proven by the face that the reactivated teleportation device was able to bring you back here as it would only be able to do that if you were the chosen one. Even if you try to leave, I can bring you back here no matter where you run until you accept your destiny."

"Fine," Connor sighed.

Eulalia smiled gently at his acceptance. However, her mood then dropped.

"Then I'lol just run away the first chance I get and join the evil empire."

"What…"

Connor looked on in unrestrained awe at the sight of the ghostly, holographic figure before him somehow managing to go pale like every drop of blood left their body. He wasn't sure how serious he was with his threat. He would absolutely do it, but he would first have to make sure doing so would not result in becoming some sort of lab rat or a prisoner tortured for fun. Still, it looks like his words had the desired deterrent effect.

Eulalia was visibly shaking. "No. No. No! That absolutely CANNOT happen. If Guliadam got ahold of a Prime Mechazoid - let alone the Alpha -, the war is over. Not even considering the horrors that would unleash, it would devastate Nealik to be betrayed by a Hyper Warrior. The loss of morale alone would destroy us."

Crouching down to try and be eye-level with Connor - though still slightly looking down on him due to being a full head taller than him - , Eulalia near pleased, "Alright, please, just tell me chosen one, what will it take to get you to accept?"

"Do you really need me that badly? From the sound of it, these Hyper Warriors aren't immortals. If you've waited this long, can't you just let me die and get a new chosen one."

Eulalia replied thoughtfully, "Though, technically, yes; it is somewhat more complicated than that. Upon landing here, the previous Alpha Hyper Warrior dispersed his soul to ensure you would come into being. If he - or you - perish by normal circumstances, your soul shall return to Nealik and be reborn. They will be able to train to sense the Prime Mechazoid and track it down, but to keep it out of Guliadam's hands, the Alpha Mechazoid teleported across the universe. The war will likely end by the time they find it."

"Then how do you know the war isn't over already?"

"Impossible. the might of the Prime Mechazoids cannot be beaten…However, as you said the Hyper Warriors who command them are not immortal. I speculate, following the loss of the Alpha Prime Mechazoid, Nealik could stand their ground another century at least. However, I cannot say how much time has passed, but by now, I assume the previous Hyper Warriors have fallen - be it battle, age, or retirement. The Prime Mechazoids follow their Alpha and will not choose new Hyper Warriors without an already determined leader. Nealik would withstand but without new Hyper Warriors, their military power will only hold on for so long before they begin loosing ground."

"Okay. Assuming it's been less than a century how is it that nobody found this thing or noticed it crashing here?"

"The previous Alpha Hyper Warrior used his cosmic energy to conceal his arrival and make it so your people would avoid this area with only the chosen one being able to find it after being drawn here once the time is right."

"I see…," Connor said lazily.

Not liking Connor's tone, Eulalia returned to her first question, "Isn't there anything I can do to convince you?"

Hearing a thoughtful hum, Eulalia felt some joy that there might be a chance. 

"What's the standard of beauty, like?"

"Excuse me," Eulalia asked in confusion.

"What do the people from these kingdoms look like. Are they similar to me or are they radically different?"

Eulalia was initially confused by Connor's question. However, putting his two questions together, she reacted a conclusion, "Companionship? No why would beauty matter? Standard…Oh, Oh! Of course, why did I not think of this myself! Besides power, wealth, and fame, love is a universal desire!"

Nodding at her conclusion, Eulalia smiled kindly, "Do not worry. The Nealik Republic is made up of a large manner of races physically similar to yourself. Additionally, once you accept your destiny and become the Alpha Hyper Warrior, you will be transformed. The physical changes you undergo should resolve any issues concerning biology."

"Fine, I guess I can do it."

Eulalia smiled dazzlingly as she stood up and put her arms out. "Wonderful, now follow me and we can-"

"But I want bitches."

Eulalia completely froze at that. The shock was so great she visibly glitched. This has been slightly intentional on Connor's part to see how she would react if he phrased his demand like that.

"Excuse me," Eulalia asked with an incredulous expression once she stopped glitching. 

"I want to be able to fuck who I want, when I want."

Unable to hide the look of disbelief on her face, Eulalia tried to reason with Connor, "Forgive me for misunderstanding chosen one, but surely you are not suggesting to use the Nealik Republic as…as…as some sort of brothel!"

Despite Eulalia outburst, Connor remained calm. "There are four key things for people to live comfortably. Hygiene, safe shelter, food, and sex. These are what are important in life and I've got three out of four of those things as it is. So, there's only one thing you can really offer me. This is my deal. Take it or leave it."

Eulalia could only stare in disbelief. "This is the chosen one. He's supposed to be the next Alpha Hyper Warrior - one who is bonded with the very soul of the Alpha Prime Mechazoid. They are supposed to be of one mind. How is it possible that the noble, valiant Alpha could be this…LECHEROUS HORNDOG!! Maybe it's some sort of corruption caused by this planet. Once he establishes a full connection with the Mechazoid, it may correct the discrepancy."

"I'll take your silence as a rejection," Connor said as he rose to his feet. "I feel sorry for you and your people, I really do, but it looks like you'll have to find someone-"

"It…isn't impossible," Eulalia interrupted - sounding like it was a struggle to get the words out.

"Huh?"

Eulalia took a deep breath. "No matter the problem, he is still the chosen one and he must accept his destiny…whatever may come with that…"

Reluctantly, the holographic woman explained. "Once you establish a connection with the Mechazoid, you will fully bond with it and gain access to the Cosmic Force. Its energy will flow into you. This will alter your body to make you stronger, faster, and smarter as well as impart the necessary knowledge such as combat, language, how to use the Mechazoid, etc. Some of the power infused into you is meant to awaken your celestial bloodline and grant you power…but…it's possible for some of that power to be…repurposed."

The sheer disgust on her face as Eulalia said these words all but confirmed it, but still Connor asked, "Are you for real right now?"

Though strained, Eulalia replied, "Yes." She then sighed. "It will interfere with awakening your bloodline, but it is possible to tailor certain abilities using the infused cosmic energy. I could, arrange it so you can generate a field around you that lowers others inhibitions and makes them more susceptible to suggestion.

"How do you know I have one of these manhua bloodlines?"

"All life was seeded throughout the universe by celestial entities. No matter how dormant it may be, all lifeforms have some trace of these bloodlines within them to be awakened. Those who utilize cosmic energy do so almost naturally, and once you have established a direct connection to the Cosmic Force itself, you will without question."

"…Can I be invisible too?"

Eulalia pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a suffering sigh. It seemed to be physically hurting the hologram to talk to Connor. "While learning such an ability is possible, in this instance we would have to go with something more directly related to the first. For example…the field generated could also render others to ignore your presence." 

Connor stared blankly at the suffering hologram woman. "…Okay. If you can promise me that, then I'm in."