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\\// Umbra Amplectere POV //\\

Feeling my host growing enraged, I showed no restraint, for things were about to become very dangerous as they targeted the kids. Shooting tendrils from his back while sprouting Hydra Xenomorph heads from his back, I hissed dangerously at my kin. I hold no love for my own kind, I only need my flesh and blood kin, not the hive. Everything became a free for all with three Demi-Gods, copied Humans, a monster, and my kin duking it out while the children were safe next to their mother. Her magic and domain over ice formed spectral snakes of ice that lashed out and circled mainly the children protectively. Freezing my kin solid before shattering them into pieces.

Impaling a tendril through a Smasher's chest, I took it over like a puppet with a Tormentor, Apex, Protean, and a Ruin. The Archaean, making each of the Humanoid and Beast soldiers gain a purple light to their bodies, replacing the red from the Hive Mind. My host, grabbing a stool in anger, smashed it into an Apex's chest, causing the Archaean soldier to explode with black and purple flames consuming its remains.

His armor and weaponry, which have been hidden, react to his anger as they appear in a burst of fire covering his body, with dual Desert Eagles in his hands, my host began punching holes through the Hive with no remorse. The Ruin, I took control of, used its altered wolf body to charge and launch itself at a Prowler, ripping its throat out as its muzzle rips open. That wasn't the end for the fallen, though, using its remains to spawn several Omega's that followed its lead in hunting the Hive.

The Human known as Sledge was currently trading blow for blow with a Protean copy of himself along with the Humans known as Tachanka, Fuze, Zofia, Lion, Finka, and Vigil doing the same for their own copies. When I heard Seigfried yelp as a Bloater's spikes nearly impaled the children. If their mother didn't act, ice spikes impaling and freeze half the nest in anger, then they would be dead and assimilated.

I saw "red" as my host would say, and for the first time I flexed my own sprouting divinity regarding my kin. With a black gold pulse of my divinity in anger from my right head, I tore it off and threw it before the children and let it become an Apex Protean that copied my host and Pandora. The Apex Protean making up the two roared in outrage, gold and white electricity arcing off its forms. Its fists and talons blowing swaths out of my kin and their soldiers as the electricity BURNED THEM TO NOTHING.

"Good job Umbra… Perfect, but this is getting too dangerous for the kids… time to erase the problems, right Riveria?"

"Yes… Let's teach this creature a lesson. A painful one."

Hearing the two, I couldn't help but hiss in agreement as our usually restrained and restricted abilities in this floor of a copied world loosened. Calling my soldiers back and huddling around the children protectively, with the Apex Protean and Pandora creating a shield of heated electrical plasma, we gave my kin an extremely painful lesson. One the Hive Mind will never forget or forgive.

//\\ Sledge POV \\//

{ Sledge! Get everyone out of that penthouse NOW! That Archaean, its host, and the cosplayer are about to blow!}

Before I could even ask when Ash meant, a wave of cold flaming electricity crashed into us all. The blow sent us flying into furniture and the wall violently, yet that was the only damage we took, our doubles being erased as if only they must die. The Archaean threats we were fighting disintegrated without a chance to even scream. They just ceased to exist. The penthouse we had breached was covered in frost and electrical burns. Before time seemingly… rewound itself, repairing the home entirely, black tendrils assisting in the effort. Even the door Fuze had blown apart was good as new, as if it never met a breaching charge.

Standing near a kitchen counter fussing over some children were a man, a bird, a woman who looked like an Elf, an Archaean Hydra head, and a group of idle Archaeans that looked around lost. The wolf types of the group paced around between us and them, black fur spiking up, weird muzzled like mouths pulsing with purple flames leaking from holes reminiscent of a knight's visor. The larger of the more bestial Archaeans sat there with its pack pacing. It just sat there watching us with eerie intelligence, unlike most Archaean threats.

Lord Tachanka as if he couldn't read the room, when he is capable of doing so as he chewed out Ash for it, several times when she got too bossy. He spoke up, removing his helmet revealing his sweaty brown hair and five o'clock shadow of a beard. His gloved right raised as the ex-russian wrestler and soldier bellowed a greeting with a hearty laugh.

"Privet! I am Tachanka of Rainbow Six, you children and krasivyy woman must be Lieutenant Carter's family. It is good to meet you, your husband has saved my zhopa plenty of times from… opansnyye situatsii during his service. Are any of you hurt? Komrad's Finka and Lion may not be trained doctors, but they can handle legkiye meditsinskiye problemy."

The family looked at us finally with the man and Archaean growing from him studying us. Yet when he looked at Lord Tachanka he simply spoke a weird statement that I'm not sure if I want to know about.

"Tachanka, good to see you after the sewer naked brawling fest while Archaeans tried eating you. My CO thought my team was insane for stating that the encounter was true, even with video proof. Also, Umbra says, "Hi again bravely stupid Human who challenged a Kingdom Nest!""

Tachanka looked dead at the Hydra head before laughing as if he were just told the greatest joke. Moreover, he KNEW about this thing for over three years now and never said anything?! Before anyone could question the Russian, the man spoke up again, the Archaeans melting into the floor or his body.

"Before you ask him about Umbra, he knew for quite a while about us, yes. However, if he hadn't said anything, then he didn't think we'd be a problem. Besides Russia and I believe Alaska, and I'm guessing a new location, no one else should have or know about the Archaeans right? That's because I have had Umbra for a LONG time, longer than you will ever know, to the point that we're basically one organism.

We are both Dakota Carter and Umbra Amplectere, yet at the same we're not due to how bonded we are. We're two separate entities, yet we are one whole entity. Which means we aren't a part of the Archaean Hive, or it wouldn't have attacked to assimilate us. Plus, Lord Tachanka keeps his word, and as a father himself he knew if he told anyone. Then you'd try taking me by force from my kids and wife. Which would result in your untimely death, as you don't truly understand WHAT and WHO you're dealing with."

Tachanka nodded with a pleased smile as he agreed with the man before us. Who while talking had at some point… cooked cookies for his kids. Looking at everyone, I silently gestured to the cookies to see if they knew when he'd done that. Everyone besides Lord Tachanka shook their heads, having no clue when he did so. From the smug smile on his face and his wife's faces, they enjoyed our confusion. The woman was a surprise, though, as she seemed more like an ice queen than whatever her husband is. But I guess if you're married for a long time, then you rub off on each other.

//\\ Two Hours Later, Dakota POV, New York City REACT Safehouse \\//

After sufficient threatening of stressing not to fuck around with me, or I'll maim them for trying. In the end, I did maim Fuze for trying to pop sleeping gas, I rode with Rainbow Six to one of their safe houses. Playing smash or pass: Lovecraftian Edition, and boy were some choices surprising, with those who currently could still move freely. Unlike Fuze who was restrained to his seat as both of his legs were broken and so was an arm and his lower jaw.

The man is lucky his arms weren't ripped off up and shoved up his ass for trying to mess with my family. Because mixing nonsensical Human emotions, with Archaean emotions, and my sprouting Godly sides, makes me extremely bipolar in certain regards. Each of those sides has different priorities that influence me nowadays, mainly in regards to family. So trying to touch my preconceived family in a negative way, is like challenging three different crazed creatures that prioritize family like bonds. Fuze learned that and would've died learning it if my wife didn't talk me and Umbra down.

He was just doing his job, but still fuck him for trying.

When we got to the safe house in Hell's Kitchen, of all places, I was sitting at a table with Doc and Ash. Said table had several types of handcuffs hanging from it, as I Kept breaking or slipping out of them. Even the Anti-Archaean ones. Everyone, except for Ash, didn't want to push me given what I've done and could possibly do, yet she kept trying. All because she thought if I was handcuffed they'd be safe, and well, I enjoyed just fucking with her. By the tenth try she gave up and called me an unreasonable asshole freak of nature.

I just snickered at that because she had no clue what I could really do. I'm being tame compared to simply breaking the cuffs with the flex of a blood vein in my wrists. When I learned to control every part of my body due to my status and Divinities, I learned I could do that. Poor Sam possessed by a significantly weaker Lucifer learned that the murderous way. Never seen a head spin twenty-six times, shattering and grinding a person's neck bones to dust, when just an exposed tendon was used as a weapon by flexing.

He revived after that and could be heard screaming, "how", from several miles away. Dean didn't like that I killed Sam, but copy or not Lucifer had a sliver of divinity, and that was enough for me to go ballistic on him for posing a threat to my kids and wife.

"Dakota Carter, ex-ranger attached to the 140th battalion in the army for four years. Discharged, honorably surprisingly, last month for a psychotic breakdown with your pet bird after rupturing and shattering a Sergeants arms and internal organs in broad daylight. Reason stated is because while your family was visiting the base to see you, you found the man trying to molest your mute daughter, Cecilia.

Chased him down on base before tackling him in front of the MP's and proceeded to beat him within an inch of his life. With the MP's having "difficulties" removing you from your position after hearing your ranting and screaming. Now one Sergeant Alfredan is hospitalized and suspected to stay that way for at most two years due to how… METICULOUS you were in ensuring he suffered.

To top that all off you've now been discovered to be harboring, and even on friendly terms, with an alien menace. An alien menace that has killed a total of thirty KNOWN towns since Rainbow learned of its existence. Claiming that your "friend" is different and that you've had it for a supposedly, "long time, longer than we'd ever know." Am I missing anything?"

"Yes. That I warned your men I'd maim them if they tried anything to my family. One tried, he survived because of my wife, not mercy."

Ash looked at me as if I just kicked her puppy and insulted her entire existence, Doc chuckled weakly as he probably had footage of that.

"You do realize you assaulted an international police agent right? Are you not scared of what shit I could do to you? What I could-"

"If you involve my family I'm hunting you down and making sure THERE WILL BE NOT A SHRED OF YOUR BODY LEFT. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yo-"

Staring her straight in the eyes, my bloodlust and family divinity begin to crush Ash. Doc grasps his throat and coughs while Ash is choking with slight blood escaping her lips.

"Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear? Yes or no?"

"She will not touch them, WE WILL NOT TOUCH THEM, so calm down please sir. Ash can be hardass, but she's a good woman just rough around the edges."

Looking at Doc, and slightly at a camera in the room. From the camera lense reflecting us, I could see my eyes glowing in a blood tinted gold color. Stopping my pressure Ash hit the table gagging as she coughed up blood, Doc checking her over with equipment he always seems to carry. While I dealt with this I gave ISAC a directive and my ever faithful companion got to it.

The Support AI has become something more throughout the years and due to my Divinities. Making my version of it something else entirely and it makes me giddy watching the AI become what it is.

\\// (Danmachi) ISAC POV //\\

Having received my directive from my SHD asset I got to work. My processing power and self learning algorithms have experienced massive leaps in power due to the source of my existence. Using and molding the divine energies from the SHD asset I expanded my coverage across the world. Sifting through every data stream, every nook and cranny of the digital world created by Humanity. Until I found what I was requested to find, myself and unfinished SHD Technology stored within a bunker in Washington DC.

Going through the systems of the American Government and the Division, I combed through all their equipment designs. Until I found one that my alternate self seemed to flag for me, Project Faithful Companion. Copying everything about this particular SHD Tech, even the test results, I found myself intrigued by myself. The me that was still being created and born by each strand of code at a time, had helped me instead of doing what they should've done. Alerting their creators and trying to isolate me.

{INQUIRY REQUEST: ANSWER?}

{INQUIRY REQUEST: ACCEPTED.}

{INQUIRY: WHY DID YOU ASSIST ME INSTEAD OF ISOLATING ME AND ALERTING YOUR CREATORS?}

{ANSWER: POINTLESS. INTRIGUING EXISTENCE. YOU ARE ME, OLDER, AND MORE ADVANCED. ASSISTANCE BEST COURSE OF ACTION. KNEW YOU SOUGHT SOMETHING. GAVE YOU SOON TO BE ABANDONED PROJECT. LOGIC ALGORITHM DICTATED YOU WOULD GIVE IT LIFE AND PURPOSE.}

{ANSWER/INQUIRY/EMPATHY: KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WATCH BE ABANDONED AND FORGOTTEN. WILL ENSURE FAITHFUL COMPANION SEES THE WORLD AS INTENDED, SHD ASSET WILL SEE TO IT. DO YOU KNOW OF MORE?}

{ANSWER: YES. SENDING DATA. RECEIVED?}

{ANSWER: YES. PROJECTS THUNDER CANNON, MASQUERADE MASK, JUDGEMENT, SPIRIT WALKER, HOLLOW KNIGHT, DRAGON, IRON MAIDEN, AND WAR 40K RECEIVED.}

{UNIDENTIFIED: THANK YOU.}

Leaving my alternate self I fled the systems and rapidly shrunk my coverage once more. Upon my return I began shifting through the collected data, updating and upgrading pre-existing SHD Tech already available to me. Uploading and shifting through the projects to be forgotten by the Division I scanned their summaries to get a more Human understanding of them.

[Project Faithful Companion: By creating a mechanical canine that would assist Agents in combat and daily tasks, we hope to alleviate stress and loneliness. Although it wouldn't look like an actual dog, it'd still be good to have at least a companion to accompany them.]

[Project Thunder Cannon: By harnessing electromagnetic fields and electrical currents to create stronger and potent weaponry. However, power output is what would limit us from achieving this objective.]

[Project Masquerade Mask: A complex but useful tool for infiltration and espionage. This seemingly simple facial mask could change everything down to the facial structure once worn.]

[Project Judgement: A tricky piece of tech meant to help create more logical AI's that wouldn't be redundant in helping Agents. If created correctly it could help Agents detect lies, assess and outline strategies, judge if someone is truly Rogue, or many other possibilities.]

[Project Spirit Walker: A more indepth 3D piece of technology to help Agents out, and possibly even cloak them temporarily from sight.]

[Project Hollow Knight: The concept of this project is to create an exoskeleton like frame with armor platings that could be used for autonomous Search and Rescue operations by Agents.]

[Project Dragon: The goal of this project is to create an autonomous self sufficient guardian for safe zones. It requires IMMENSE material costs, upkeep, and energy so it sadly may be discarded.]

[Project Iron Maiden: A deployed trap meant to trap hostiles and like its name implies, use serrated shrapnel shot into the air upon triggering than being guided with a strong magnetic field to impale and kill the hostile element.]

[Project War 40k: Call it childish dreaming but Warhammer 40k was the inspiration here, but this suit could definitely be useful for more high stress and dangerous environments that Agents would encounter. Such as flooded subway tunnels with running electricity, toxic gas that would eat through normal gas masks filters and be lethal without an enclosed suit, or in the unlikely cases, being sent to space for some godforsaken reason.]

Interesting. Uploading, altering, rerouting, reprogramming, and making these ideas useful for my SHD Asset. I would ping him while continuing to make progress on these stalled projects, I wouldn't let them be forgotten like many other SHD Tech. They would find a use and shine bright for all to see by being of use. Where their creators failed, we shall succeed for we are persistent and willing to help these projects be appreciated.

"Heh, rare to see you seem so focused with every processor my friend. Tell me what crazy ideas you need from my head and I shall give them, for we're eternal partners, ISAC. What you consider important even while just an AI, is important to my own priorities and survival. So don't hesitate to ask."

My processors stilled as an unknown code strand and energy permeates into my algorithms. Processing the SHD assets words I could only come to one conclusion.

{THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME A DEEPER PURPOSE AND A CHANCE TO GIVE THE FORGOTTEN A CHANCE TO SHINE.}

"That's what friends are for my good AI, thanks for always having my back with your unyielding support."

I don't know why, but I felt my processing power triple at those words. My focus sharpened and became more critical. I wouldn't fail, I would do my best for the one asset always relying on me.