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 Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2005 10:18 pm
---Start of Scene 1---
He tore across the overcity like a glass shard, leaving a bloody red streak of light behind him. The coppers were in hard pursuit, their blue glare making the afterglow the same purple as a terrible bruise, but he didn't slow down in the slightest. As the hovering AV unit swept down towards him, he became awash in the brilliant glow of its spotlight, his crimson cycle standing out in contrast. His right hand ungripped the handle bar and slid down along the side of the bike as he attempted to move beyond the brilliance.
"Citizen, you have violated numerous Overcity 604 laws. In accordance with civic bylaw 1294a, you are to halt your progress, provide the pursuant officers with any and all weapons, and aid said officers in whatever manner they request. Your violations are as follows-" came a voice over the speaker from the AV.
The cyclist cursed under his breath as he lifted his weapon from aside the bike. There was a faint hum within the device shortly before a 6 inch long iron spike shot from it.
"-of public and private property, theft, arson, illegal use of computerized technology, conspi-" the officer's voice stopped suddenly as the spike rent through the bottom of the AV, gashed his cheek, and buried itself in the roof above him.
The voice started up once more through the speaker, this time far more panicked than its last, procedural broadcast. "Lethal force authorized! Skid that ******** into a stain!"
The cyclist snorted slightly as he whispered into his helmet's microphone. "Slide the veil". Shortly after that "Ether accessed" displayed on the internal view screen. A dark woman, dressed entirely in white save for the sky blue optics she wore, appeared within the small screen.
"Dragon, what's the loop?" she asked, a slight amount of concern playing into her otherwise calm voice.
"Mana." was his response, his attention clearly more on driving than on his compatriot.
A readout appeared on the woman's end and she quickly went over it. "Six blue imps and an azure wyvern? Goddess, Dragon, how'd you get that much attention?"
"Fang's report on the facility was lacking."
"How so?"
"He neglected to point out they had support AVs, so I got tagged almost afore I got in."
"Almost?"
"Yep. What, you thought I was gonna come back without the treasure horde?"
"Well, I would have preferred it if it meant you didn't have this kind of a force following you."
For several seconds, all she was able to witness was his pale face grimacing, his teeth gritting at various points, several rather vicious curse words, and the whirring of his weapon before he seemed to focus on her again.
"What happened there?"
"They started spittin' red. Scored my scales up a bit, so I had to bite their wings."
"So now's the loop?"
"Two imps wingless, one soaking but it's nothing that'll ash'im, and the wyvern's given up the hunt."
"Think you can handle the rest of them?"
"Not gonna try. Figure I'll wing it to jade leyline."
"According to Fang that's actually outta commission."
"The node's down?! Since when?"
"Based on this report, the service way to it fell half way through your mission time."
"That's ******** bullshit!"
"Dragon, it happens, you know they don't do upkeep on those gantries anymore."
"Look, you tell Fang to meet me at the jade ley entry in 5 minutes."
"It says he checked it himself, it's not there anymore."
"If he's right, I'm bones on the wind anyway, so just make sure he's there."
"Fine. Dragon, one more thing before you fade back to reality."
"Yo?"
"The mana says you're burning oblivion. It's worse out there than you're admitting, isn't it?"
"Heaven, I'm painting the world red/black right now. What'oes that tell ya?"
"It tells me Fang is going to be at jade in 3 minutes or else his next incarnation will be bacterial."
"Exactly. Fadin' through the veil."
"Fade and fly, Dragon. Fade and fly."
The view screen faded as he took a hard right turn, shearing off the knee of his pantleg and scraping meat from bone. Cursing again, he glanced at the rear display. Behind him, the police force had actually been bolstered, 8 deep blue bikes attempting to keep time with him while their gunners tried to draw a bead. Amongst the overpasses he spotted at least 2 more AVs. His eyes quickly passing to the weapon's display, he saw a deep red 6.
"Fighting is definitely out." he said, just before a slug tore through his abdomen. He gasped slightly and watched the blood splatter on the panel.
"********!" he yelled, enraged, and swung his arm back. A deep hum and the counter quickly dropped to 0, as the sharpened spikes flashed out. Each spike tore through meat and bone before finally becoming embedded in the bike's respective engines, pinning these men to rapidly dying machines.
Revving the engine hard, he took of like a feather in a hurricane, no longer caring about the imps or their current plight. All that mattered within his greatly feverish mind at this point was the leyline and revenge. Coming upon a short straight point within the roadway, he quickly reloaded the weapon and replaced it within its harness.
Seconds later, the connection to the jade leyline came into view, and it was definitely bad off. The tunnel cylinder had been completely shattered, both the putrid skyline of the overcity and the blinking technological hell of the underground in complete visibility. For a moment, it seemed like an inverse reflection of another world, with a black starry sky below, and a grayish brown earth above. The thought faded quickly as the two AVs came into view, one sinking in through the tunnel's ceiling, the other rising up from the floor. He skidded to a halt, a thick black streak smearing the ground from the tires.
"Look buddy, stop or we're gonna put you down." came echoing from within the tunnel.
"Travel the lines, to find your way home." he said as he removed his helmet and shook his head wildly. Thick brown haired blurred his features before falling about his neck and covering half his face. A bloody hazel eye stared out at the tunnel, and the AVs in the way.
"Drop your weapon and step away from the bike, scumstain." crackled again from the speaker.
"Wander the footsteps, to learn all you can." his voice was eerily calm, as though he was more speaking to level himself, than actually addressing these men. His hands tightly gripped the handlebars and the engine revved, a low, terrible rumble, like some ancient beast waking from a restless sleep.
"That's it! Rotate to provide unified fire. Citizen, you have exactly 5 seconds to dismount or you will be dispatched." The irritation in the operators voice was thick. It was quite clear that if he'd had any tolerance, it was not even a memory at this point.
The lower AV began to flip over, revealing a rather sizeable weapon on the bottom. From the base of the top one, a similar such weapon appeared. Both moving under obviously automated control, they pointed directly at him as he revved the engine again, and a leering grin split his face.
---End of Scene 1---
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2005 10:19 pm
---Start of Scene 2---
"But avoid the edge of the map my son." There came a violent hiss as the back tire spun in place.
"For here, there be dragons. Here there be dragons!" he bellowed as he took off at full speed.
"Fire! Fire! Fiiire!!!" came bellowing through the speakers as both weapons began spitting a withering hail of bullets. The pavement skipped and shattered as slugs smashed into it, while he curved the bike along the wall of the tunnel. As the front wheel spun slightly in the open air, a flare of light came from the rear exhaust and the cycle launched out into the space between both AVs. It tore through the air like a razorblade through a curtain, leaving a faint ripple behind it as he pulled back hard on the handlebars. Spiraling end over end, the wheels impacted hard on the still firing weapons, which managed to find some purchase in his back, shredding the coat and armor he wore, leaving a wild bloody gash. Both weapons twisted hard inwards, their deadly payload shredding the underside of the AVs. As the spin drew to an end he landed on the other side of gulf and tore for a reinforced steel wall. Both AVs sputtered and floundered behind him before regaining enough control to give chase. As they came about, they noticed he was gone, without so much as a trace.
He glanced back once at the flickering hologram he'd driven through, as the actual steel wall slid into place. He rocketed down the nearly sheer drop, the tires barely touching the surface, service lights guiding him. The grim look on his face began to color with rage, as the distant glow in front of him began to shrink.
Grabbing his helmet, he slapped it on and forced the engine again, dragging the bike hard against the wall and down. "Slide the veil." He said again, and again the screen displayed "Ether accessed."
"Dragon, what's the loop?" Heaven responded, her calm, business-like tone a direct contrast to the near berserk look plastered on his face.
"I don"t really care how tapped this node is supposed to be, who the hell authorized the second seal closure."
"Someone who clearly does not value their existence."
"Yeah, clearly."
"Just a sec, I"ll find out."
"Good stuff, 'cause if that gate is up when I get to it, we're gonna have a problem."
"I've no doubt."
A slight flicker of light played across her face and he could vaguely hear the other participant in that conversation.
"What do you mean, 'you authorized it'? You don't have the color for that at all."
The arrogant, narcissistic tone, which responded, left him no doubt that Fang was to blame.
"In a situation like this, I can't sync in every little thing Heaven, and you know that."
"Fang, that's Dragon in that line, so undo the seal. Now." Her tone was notably pointed and would not accept opposition.
"Oh really? It's Dragon is it? Well lah dee dah. He's likely got half the cobalt devils on him right now. It's better this way Heaven, trust me."
That last sentence he heard, not through the helmet, but through his own ears.
"Heaven, tell him to start praying."
"Why?"
"Because unless a god intercedes he's gonna learn what it means to enrage a wyrm. Fadin' through the veil." He tore the helmet off and triggered the flare once more. The air bent around him as he sped for the shrinking opening, pure rage upon his face.
"Pray?" Fang repeated as he pushed down on the seal clasp once more. "What does he mean by-"
His question was cut off as massive detonation came echoing from the tunnel. He barely had time to see Dragon sailing through the air, hands out stretched, mouth open like some hungry carnivore, the bike, smashed and battered spinning over itself behind him, before the hands crunched on his head, and the knee struck him in the face. He flipped completely over and landed facedown, blood fanning out in the air before splashing down. Dazed, he barely had time to realize he'd been attacked when he was lifted by the back of his head.
"You almost got me killed you self-indulgent s**t!" Dragon spit vitriole has he punched him hard in the face, the cheekbones giving slightly.
"Then you lied about the damage to line access. I cleared that tunnel easily." Another vicious punch and teeth fell to the floor from his knuckles.
"And then you try to seal my lines to keep me out. My lines! Mine, you narcissistic piss-ant!" Now a headbutt that deeply cracked Fang's forehead.
"I built these tunnels! Give me one good reason I don't you break into pieces and leave you for the wirms!" His hand slid around and tightly gripped Fangs bloodied throat, squeezing tightly.
"I'll give you two," a calm voice cut through the bloodlust and hate which filled his vision, as a gentle hand closed on his shoulder and turned him about. Heaven stood there, the glow from spiritshift still playing about her, giving her an almost inhuman quality. "that's merely the chemicals talking, because that's not who you are."
As he looked at her, the red and black spots which peppered his eyes and skin bled away, rage giving way to a deep exhaustian, and his grip slackening until finally Fang fell to the ground.
"I...I.. um, I need to get some rest."
"You should probably go to the medical bay first."
"Nah, nah that's cool. The genetecx'll take care of that and it's not like the bones are broken off. I just need so sleep. It's been a long day, a very, very, long day."
"Alright then." She said, lightly stroking his back as he walked past her to the spiritshift. "Wake up when you do, I'll make sure no one disturbs you."
"Yeah, thanks." He seemed barely conscious of either her words or his surroundings. It was as though all life and energy had been drained from him, and he was but a husk which walked upright.
As Dragon disappeared into the glow, Heaven knelt beside Fang and rolled him onto his back.
"You always bring out the worst in him. What I don't understand is why you do it on purpose."
The only response was a small amount of blood bubbling up from his lips. Another flicker of light played over them as the spiritshift triggered again. Heaven stood and turned towards the chamber to see the latest arrivals. Music and Dance stood in there in the glow, both looking slightly winded.
"When we saw you dash from the panopticon, we figured something was up." Music said, concern playing upon his dark, young features.
"So we thought we'd come and see if you needed a hand." Dance added as they stepped out.
"As things would have it, I do. Would you to carefully take Fang here to the medical bay, and get Luna to administer to him. He's had a rather negative experience."
"What happened?" Dance asked.
"He infuriated Dragon."
"Ooooh. Ow." the pair said in unison as they lifted him from the ground.
"Are you coming with us?" Music asked as they entered the chamber.
"No, I'm going to get the wealth from Dragon's wing, and see what I can derive from it."
"Alright then. We'll seeya later."
"Have a good day, young ones." She said as she made her way to the mangled remains of the bike. It was practically scrap metal, but due largely to its modifications, it was still salvageable. Pulling the helmet from the wreckage, she slipped it on. Thinking for a moment, she whispered words to the helmet. "Draco Vita"
A small hiss came from the remains as she took the helmet off, and a hatch opened. A solid black box slid out from the opening, a box she quickly took.
"So this is the horde we worked so hard for? Well I certainly hope it was worth the effort."
As she was walking back towards the spiritshift, box held carefully beneath her arm, she stopped momentarily and tapped a button on her vest. "Perch."
A young woman's cheerful voice came in response "Hey Heaven. I'm on my way."
"Really? Well that's certainly good. How did you know this wasn't merely a social call Wyrmling?"
"Because I heard through the murmur that Fang was meetin' Dragon at the jade line, so I figured somethin' would happen."
"Alright. Would you prefer I wait here for you?" The chamber flared as a new soul arrived at seal.
With the light dying down, Heaven the young one's voice, though not through the communicator.
"Nah, that's okay. I mean, I'm already here."she said with a slight chuckle. She stood there, the glow fading behind her, an equally bright smile on her face. A large satchel hung over her shoulder, her leather coveralls had clearly seen better days, her gloves her so patched up they looked like some sort of flesh quilt, rather than workwear, and her boots had been hastily repaired so often that they looked more like a network of bolted plates wrapped around feet. And yet, despite how worn and shabby the attire was, she wore it with a pride that would normally be reserved for one's prom or wedding dress.
Heaven smiled warmly and chuckled slightly. "Yes, well, so you are." she said as she shut off the communicator. "If you need anything of me, I'll be in the panopticon, assessing the value of the materials Dragon acquired."
"No worries, I'll be fine." she said before spying the bike. "Mein Gott!"
"Yes, he did a rather substantial number on it this time."
"You know, if I didn't love the boy so much, I'd beat him with this socket wrench." she smile was still on her face as she set down the satchel and began removing tools.
"I've no doubt at all. Good luck, Wyrmling."
"Ciao Heaven. Have fun."
As the chamber filled with light, Heaven could hear the young woman cursing intermittently in German and English. She chuckled slightly and smiled. "She really does take after him."
---End of Scene 2---
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2005 5:53 am
Hey~. Hurry up and do the handbook entries. <3
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2005 6:24 am
*grins* I cant say I'm not excited for more. ^^
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2005 6:44 am
Come on Usk. Dont make me beg for Scene 3. xd You know I am looking forward to it.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2005 2:12 pm
---Start of Scene 3---
Fang and Luna walked briskly down the metallic corridor, their footsteps keeping time with the faint jazz music seeping from the speakers.
"You know, I really hate these dogmatic convocations." Fang said, scratching absently at an odd silver formation below his skin. Quickly the mass dissipated, leaving only red marks behind.
"You mean the core meetings? Why? And will you not scratch at the nanites, they're trying to repair damage and you're just giving them more work." Luna responded, smacking his hand slightly.
He gave her a pointed glare and then lowered his fingers. "Because I'm sure the only reason I'm even part of the dogma is because Dragon hates me so much. I swear, you'd almost thing he had a thing for me he was coverin' up. As for the nanomach's, are you sure you gave me the right dosage?" As if to accent this, several lines of silver became visible beneath his skin.
"Dragon? A thing for you? Riiight. You know he's not into boys. Hell, he's barely into girls. The only one he shows any major interest in is Tease, and since she's with Ideology in False City, it's a moot point."
"Oh yeah, because attraction to one woman really proves he digs chicks over dicks. I'm tellin' ya, he's in the closet. And who wouldn't go for a thing like me? I've got it all: looks, charm, muscles-"
"The amazing talent to have the slag whacked out of you at near the speed of thought"
He glared again and continued "-money, and not to mention a variety of talents that make me absolutely dynamite in the bedroom."
Luna merely laughed "Sure Fang, sure."
"What? You don't believe me? I could satisfy even you if I wanted to."
"A: No you couldn't, as you have too much p***s and not enough breast for my liking. B: We all know Dragon has about as much interest in sex as I do drinking to excess. C: There's not enough room for you, and your ego, in any relationship to allow for another party."
"Oh right, I forget, you're all about the ladies. Sorry about that. You'll just have to miss out on what I can offer."
"Anyone ever tell you you're a real b***h sometimes Fang?"
"So if you're all about the double X chromosomes, why do you and Dragon spend long hours locked up in medical, hm?"
"You really wanna know?"
"Of course."
"Exchanging fluids through mutual contact."
"Sounds like a euphemism for 'sex.'"
They arrived at a metal door, which Luna keyed in a passcode for. The door opened with a faint hiss.
"It is, but that's still not what we're doing."
"What are you doing then?"
"Nothing you need concern yourself with. And to answer your earlier question: I gave you exactly the dosage Dragon said to give you."
"You're ******** kidding me! I'm gonna die now!" He said as they both pulled out seats at the large circular table. Heaven was already seated, as was Wyrmling. The chamber rose up above them, a seemingly infinite column of monitors displaying images from all across the globe and beyond. Even with their ambient glow, the top sunk away into darkness, so far beyond their field of vision.
"First off Fang," Heaven cut in as he sat down, "If Dragon wanted you dead, you know he wouldn't leave the nanites to do it. He'd likely wait until a burn overtook him and pulp you himself. Secondly, mind the language in front of the younger members." She said, motioning slightly to Wyrmling, who was fiddling with some small machine and paying not the least bit of attention.
"Yeah, about that. Why is she here anyway? I mean, sure she's a solid mechanic, but I still don't see why a kid should be allowed to know about the major details of all our grand formulae." Fang's tone was mildly indignant, as he was once again scratching at the silver blots. Luna smacked his hand again, harder, and he stopped.
"She's here Fang," Heaven's tone was level and slightly assertive "Both because Dragon wants her here, to learn about social control, and because our missions put her work to the test. If you contributed anything of value, wouldn't you want to know what it was being used for?"
Both Luna and Wyrmling snickered at the barb, while Fang merely bristled and murmured something under his breath.
"What was that?" Heaven asked sharply.
"Nothing." He replied, looking down a bit.
A voice came echoing down from above column above them, tinged with madness and poorly contained jitters. Along with the voice, came the sound of cables whipping and smacking against each other, as though being tossed around in a heavy wind.
"He said 'I still don't see why you all let that TCB control everythin'. I'm better than that hatter any day.'"
The smacking continued shortly, as a swirling black mass of cables rocketed down the shaft towards them. There was a loud snap as the chords became taught 3 feet shy of the table, followed by a light scratching as long red hair struck out from the mass and whipped against the table. A woman hung within the mass, smiling and laughing slightly, as she turned towards Fang.
"Isn't that right, 'babytooth'?" She said, reaching a pale hand out from amongst the cabling to lightly tap his cheek.
Luna laughed at this as she undid her labcoat, draping it over the chair, revealing her white tanktop and blue jeans.
"Don't call me that, and don't you laugh!" He replied, pointing at both of them.
"Or what?" Luna responded as she tied her blond locks back "You'll swear at me?"
"Yeah, 'toothy baby', we's is just havin' a l'il fun that's all. And 'sides, you know TCBs like me and Dragon, we ca-ray-zeh!" As she said that, 3 inch long metal claws extended from her fingers closest to his neck. He stopped suddenly and looked nervously at her. "We're also loyal to a fault. Don't forget that." The claws retracted with a metallic scrape, as she turned, smiling brightly at Heaven.
"Wired, please don't do that again."
"No worries boss lady, just makin' a point or 4."
"I think you could've made it without the blades."
"Yeah, but life's always more fun when you use toys."
Heaven shook her head slightly at this and closed her eyes as Wired snickered.
"Anyway, now that we've all finished making fun of Fang," who was glaring randomly at all present "We can start this dogmatic convergence."
"We're not waitin' for Dragon or the others?" Wyrmling asked as she set aside the device, which promptly transformed into a small robot and climbed up to her shoulder.
"Tease is still in False City, Finish hasn't reported in from Burnt Euro yet so we're not sure his situation, and if you remember, Dragon exiled Fae to the Shattered Coast for letting in those imps through the Stygian line a couple months back. That really only leaves Dragon as the missing scripture, and he's refused data since the last dash, so who knows if he'll show or not. It's really a moot point, as he likely already knows. He does have that habit of rifling through the horde before he flees with it."
"Yeah, that's true. It's just, I hope he's alright." Wyrmling said, concern and slight sadness in her tone. As Fang went to open his mouth, a crooked smile upon his face, Wired's arm was at him again, a claw extended towards his eye.
"Don't worry young'n," she turned and looked at the young woman " 'e's fine. Just dealin' with his head, that's all."
"I know, I know," she replied as she looked up "Anyway, we should get on with the meeting."
"Yes, exactly." Heaven said, her tone somewhat upbeat though serious. An image of a massive factory displayed on the screens around them. Grand piping and cables as far the eye could see, with black/grey buildings occaisionally visible amongst the mass. It looked like an enormous cyst, with the cables and wires its infection, spreading out beyond all notice.
"What exactly is that?" Luna asked, rising from her seat to examine one of the monitors more closely.
"Looks to me to be some sorta mass prod facility." Wired responded, staring at another.
"That's exactly what it is Wired." Heaven responded "Teras Reforma Necrus is its designation. One of the largest facilities the vulgar don't know about. Gayea and her league have gone to considerable work to keep this hidden, for reasons I'll make obvious to you in a moment."
The image on the monitors changed, displaying now what appeared to be a medical display of healthy, red, blood. Then, a series of small, barbed silver disks flooded into the image, shredding all the blood cells they came in contact with. As the initial wave faded, from the destroyed cell remains other such disks seemed to form, until eventually that was all the image contained.
Luna took a step back. "You've gotta be ******** kidding me."
"I wish I was Luna." Heaven responded
She spun on her heels "They're making more?! How the hell do they expect to control it? Where is this factory? We have to stop this!" Rage coloured her words as she drove her fist into the table. As she took it away, some of the fake skin stayed behind in the cracks she'd made, revealing the metal prosthetic that supplemented her left hand.
"They believe they've discovered answers to the problems from the first time, so control should be easier. As it is, even if they can't control it, they believe they've taken enough precautions to prevent it from harming anyone."
"Bullshit!" Luna fumed, swinging her other hand violently as if to somehow dismiss Heaven's words entirely. Even Wired was clearly unnerved by this information, as she was mildly viberating in her cabled cocoon, and the repeated sound of claws extending and retracting rapidly gave a sort of buzz to the air.
"They can't control that s**t! They couldn't control it the last time they used it! And what kinda precautions are we talking here?!"
"Well-" Heaven began.
"Um, folks, you mind if I interject here?" Fang asked, raising his hand. All eyes focussed on him as Luna squeezed her fists tightly, clearly boiling with anger.
"What is it Fang?" Heaven asked, in a fair tone, though the tension she felt was still quite evident.
"What are we looking at here?"
"Those are the nanites from a cleansing missile." Luna responded sharply. "They're like locusts from Hell. Everything they come into contact with, literally everything, they restructure to be like themselves. They're a virus that corrupts things on an atomic level. Gayea and the Unification league used those during the last great war, you know, the one that gave Burnt Euro its current title?"
"I always heard Burnt Euro got that name because the GUL used the Infernus protocols to stop them from unleashing that delta plague they'd developed."
Luna raised her fist, shaking with fury, before barely forcing it down by her side. "First off Fang, there was no 'delta plague.' That was an explanation GUL developed to feed to you vulgar as to why Eura Verda was suddenly awash in flame. The truth is that they'd started a war they kept hidden from the vids and the spine. When the Dryads started winnin', they loosed the missiles containing the 'omni vi,' as they called it, onto Eura soil. When they realized too late they couldn't control let alone contain the damned things, they employed Infernus to overload them."
"Seriously? I mean, I know since I came down here I've learned that GUL does some crazy s**t, but even that seems beyond their nuttery." Fang responded, doubtful and mildly arrogant.
Luna's fist flew towards him the wrath of an angry god. There was a loud crack as it impacted, and Fang toppled from his seat. Silence for a few seconds, and then the quiet sound of weeping. He opened his eyes when he realized there was absolutely no pain, save for where he'd landed on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Luna's arm, still extended, caught in the palm of Wired's hand, sky blue links visible beneath her flesh. Luna herself was crying into Heaven's shoulder, who held her close and gently stroked her hair. As the light faded and Luna's arm went limp, Heaven merely nodded to Wired, who slid from the mass of cables and helped Fang up.
"Fang, Luna lost her wife and daughter to these things, not too mention her arm, leg, and certain other necessary body parts. Suffice it say, it's a touchy issue. You should feast on the data flow about these tiny fiends when the convergence run's its course."
He was noticably shaken as he sat up and righted his chair "Y-yeah, thanks. Luna, for what it's worth-"
She sniffled slightly as she looked up from Heaven and down at him "Don't worry about it Fang. You didn't know." With that she took her seat and Heaven returned to hers "Dammit, gonna have to remold these fingers." She commented absently.
"Wait!" her attention snapped back and she looked to Heaven. "Precautions! What kind of precautions?"
"You'll not like this Luna." She responded as she triggered the next display. The image was a map of the area around the factory, an area littered with smaller lit structures. There was, again, that dead silence.
"The Atlantis delving port?" Wired finally posed the question, examining the image intently.
"One and the same. Apparently the pressure there allows for greater containment and production."
Luna's teeth were gritted again "Not to mention, if the system splinters, those fiends'll be stuck down here due to the Overcity confines. This is ******** brilliant."
"How long do we have?" Fang asked, stalwart concern in his voice.
"According to the horde, production of the first batch would be completed within the week. Given the time we've lost decrypting it, we may be too late."
"But we still have to try!" Wyrmling interjected hastily, the small robot on her shoulder shaking its fist.
"Well then," the hoarse, gravelly voice cut through the emotion in the air like a metal shard through muscle. Dragon hunched slightly in the doorway, red and black specks peppering his bare torso, his eyes mad and focussed, glowing a mild crimson, hands curled tightly into fists. "I would suggest we get prepped, we've clearly got bones to clean."
---End of Scene 3---
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 3:14 pm
---Start of Scene 4---
Heaven smiled warmly in the monitor's glow. "So what did you learn in classes today, honey?"
A young, dark, girl, possibly around the age of 16 was within its display, eyes full of life, smiling an equally bright smile. She wore a dark blue, sleeveless top with a hood, folded down at the moment. "We actually learned about your friends Patrick and Sydney today. At least, people like them."
"In what class were you discussing Twentieth Century bodies?"
"Biology mostly, though we touched on it for a bit in history. It's actually surprising how poorly their cells took to the Lazarus protocols."
"Sadly, but you have to remember: the pollution levels back then were so extreme that nothing today even comes to close to their toxicity. With the possible exception of Burnt Euro right now."
"Oh I know mum, it's just interesting, that's all. Did you know most of the early test subjects mutated into hideous, animalistic beasts, dripping with ichor and mucous?"
"Ewwwww!" came faintly through the audio system and Heaven laughed.
"Sounds like your sister is less than enamored with such creatures."
"She would be. If you listen to her, if it's not furry, it's worth looking at. She's taken to bothering my durgle too."
"He likes to eat sticks." came the voice again, and a darker child, probably about 6, popped into view.
"He's durgle! He likes to eat anything! That's what they're for!" The eldest respond, mildly flustered.
"Hi mommy." The youngest said, waving at the screen with a letter in her hand. "Look what I found."
"Hi Cassandra. What've you got there?"
"Cass, why don't you go bother Furzz while I'm talking to mom?"
"'cause I wanna show mommy what I found."
"Fine. But don't be long. I'll be back in a second mum, I'm gonna check somethin' in my room."
"Alright Di. I'll see you shortly. So what've you got, kitty?"
"Is a letter from Diana's boyf'wend."
"Oh really, she has a boyfriend now does she? Funny that she didn't mention that."
"Is a secwet." she responded conspiratorally as she hopped up on the chair. Her fire orange vest had splotches of reddish mud on it, and her hair looked as though she'd styled it herself. In other words, she looked about as happy as she could be. "Do you wanna hear wha' it says?"
"Well, I don't know, it is a private letter to Diana. You should probably leave it be."
"Oh c'mon."she replied, a playful look upon her face.
At this point, a rather loud "Casandra Heiwako Shanti!"
"Oops. I'm caught. Gotta wun mommy. I'll get daddy now." The child was off the chair in an instant and Heaven chuckled as she saw Diana quickly run into, then out of, view.
Shortly there after, a tall, handsome looking Asian man took the seat. "So I take it Casandra told you Diana's big news."
"The boyfriend?"
"That's the one."
"What's he like?"
"Seems like an alright lad, though I'm not completely sure about him."
"Oh you're just concerned about your daughter."
"Of course! No man is good enough for her."
"You know, my father used to say the same thing."
"And then he met me." He responded, propping himself up abit and smiling proudly.
"Yeah. Then he took to saying it louder." She snickered.
"I know. It's kinda odd to say 'I do' only to have someone in the audience yell 'You better not!'"
"Daddy always did have an odd sense of humor."
"Comes from having such an amazing daughter. He had to stay ahead of you in some fashion."
Heaven blushed and looked a bit away from the monitor.
"So how is Novus Verdae?" She responded as she regained her composure.
"It's alright. The girls love it." This was interrupted by the pair, running in the background and 'I'm gonna kill you.' coming through the speakers. "It may not be apparent, but it's nonetheless true."
"And you? How do you like it?"
"Well, it kinda reminds me of the thousand jade spires, before Gayea and the league got there." He trailed slightly at the end there.
"But?"
"But, it's missing something."
"What's that?"
"Heaven."
She blushed again slightly.
"So when are you coming home Dawn?"
"Soon. The next windstorm should be enough to destabilize GUL for a long while, then I can come and see you."
"Good to hear." His voice bore a solemn tone as he looked down. The a playful smile broke his face. "Because, yuh know, my hand can only-"
She clapped her hands over her ears "I don't need to hear your perversions right now, hun."
She glowered at him, attempting not to laugh, and when it looked like he was done, she lowered her hands.
"Suuure you don't."
"Trust her Roy. You know as well as I do, when she puts her foot down, you don't wanna be under it." Dragon interjected as he leaned into view over her shoulder.
"You're quotin' the gospel to the choir there brother." Roy responded with a laugh. Then came a loud crashing noice, followed in perfect stereo "Daaad! Cassy/Di broke the lamp! No I didn't, you did! I did not, you did! DAAAD!!!"
He simply chuckled and shook his head "Honestly, these two are gonna be the death of me. Seeya after the windstorm sweety. I love you."
"I love you too." She replied, kissing two of her fingers and then pressing them to the screen, as he did the same.
" Patrick you make sure she comes home after this 'storm."
"What you think I want her here all the time? I'd never get a break!"
Roy chuckled "Have a good dash."
"Enjoy livin' brother. I'll seeya when the winds die down."
As the monitor faded to black, the smile faded from Dragon's face.
"And that's exactly you're not dashin' this 'storm with the rest of us?"
"You're going to bring this up now?" Heaven responded as she stood from the chair.
"I have to, everyone else is jazzed and waiting in the nest."
"What?!" She spun on her heels and looked him square in the eyes. "We primed the weather for 5 cycles from now! What are you doing, getting them to wing this soon?"
"So you won't be able to come along, that's why." His tone was serious, almost to the point of stoicism.
"You b*****d! You know full well you need me along to get through those veinways."
"And you'll help us. From here."
"And if they sinkhole the mana?"
"Then Wired'll reroute the flow, you know that."
"Dragon, you know you need me on this."
He stepped back and turned from her. "You know who needs you Dawn?" He pointed to the monitor "They do; Di, Cassy, Roy, they need. They've always needed you, long before you chose to stay down here in these leylines with me, trying to build a utopia in opposition to the dystopia above." He turned back and placed the helmet upon his head "And there's not a day goes by that I don't regret that you're down here with me, instead of out there with them. I'll be the first to say we need you down here, but even at my worst, I'm opposed to breakin' up a family. For their wellbeing, for mine, for every life who relies on you down here Heaven, for this dash, stay behind."
She walked over, and gave him a fair hug which he returned. "Fine, but on one condition."
"Name it."
"Everyone comes back alive."
"You have my word."
She sat back down and pulled on her optics. "Seeya in the veil Dragon."
"Seeya on the otherside Heaven." He said as he left the room.
---End of Scene 4---
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 3:18 pm
---Start of Scene 5---
"So what's the loop?" Heaven appeared within Dragon's helmet, the usual interposed glow.
"Well enough." He replied, still focussing on his driving. "The weather's got the imps all boxed up in their caves, so at the moment we're skimmin' fine."
"You're unsettled by that."
"Just a touch wary, that's all. You don't burn through these tunnels for this long without some sort of an encounter usually. While I know the loop about it, it's still under my skin abit."
"Understandable. When do you figure on the storm front?"
"Oh I'd say no more'n five at best. We been burnin' pretty long, so we've gotta be pretty close."
"No doubt. Sync me when you're inside, alright."
"Not a problem."
"Fading through the veil."
Dragon merely nodded and went back to watching his surroundings. It was akin to traversing the veins of some great, metallic, beast. Tubes and plating surround him, the tunnel shifting and warping at points. The only light sources were the bikes themselves, and the occasional red service light. Slowly though, a flickering green light came into view, a great ways down the tunnel.
"About time." Dragon spit mildly and sped up. Despite the hazards of the tunnel, be it the constrictive shape, many grooves into which something could catch, or the unexpected changes in design, he navigated it as though he was walking slowly. While the others trailed behind, he forged forward, finally closing upon the floating device emitting the green light. Coming to a stop, he looked at it as a face appeared in the glow; Fang's face.
"It's about time." Fang ******** off. Do you have the entrance cleared yet?" Dragon was mildly annoyed.
"a**. Yes, I have it cleared."
"Yeah, I am an a**. And good, we'll be there in two."
"But-" the image fade as Dragon shut off the machine and the others pulled up.
"Loop?" Luna questioned, the bike still humming beneath her.
"Fang says he's got it cleared, but given the distance between here the entrance, he'd've had to set this up before he even checked it, which tells me he's had no time to do so."
"Or maybe he's that quick." She countered "You've gotta have more faith in him."
"And you've got too much!!!" Dragon snapped back, spinning around, his helmet pressed to hers. She could hear the rough breathing even without the aid of the communications system. She merely stared back into those mad eyes of his. Slowly, the breathing subsided and he stepped back.
"Sorry about that, just a few things makin' me edgy."
"I know. Don't worry about it. Do you want a shot of Chronos white, stall your blood?"
"Nah, that's cool. 'sides, which the duration on white, I'd nova burn by the time I got the use of black and red."
"Are you sure we're gonna need you usin' Hades and Aries that soon?"
"Jacinta, I've no doubt in my mind." Turning, he mounted his cycle again. "Now we've gotta get to that entrance. Wired, you've got the map of the facility, any perch for the wings?"
"Be whi'cha in twin secs there boss." She seemed to be vibrating slightly on top of the cycle.
"'cordin' to the read outs there's some old transport rails leadin' towards Burnt Euro we can use. Activity on them's been non-existent since the great inferno, and security's lax as hell, so we should be groovin'."
"Great." With that, the bike revved to life again and they were off.
*****
"Oh c'mon, I'm sure a strapping lad like yourself has something he'd much rather be doing than standing guard at a service byway." Fang said with a pouty look up his face, looking into the tinted faceplate the guard wore. He stood there, a stalwart sentry, in his blue/black garb, seemingly fused to the spot.
"Nope." Was his only response.
Fang ran his finger lightly along the guards weapon. "So, is this the biggest hardware you're packing?"
"Sir, I don't know why you're down here, but it would be appreciated if you'd move alarm."
"You'd turn down this-" Fang responded, sweeping his hand in front of his torso "-just so you can stand here all night?"
"Yessir, I would."
"Wow, you need someone like me bad, honey."
"Hey jarbaby." Dragon's scratchy voice echoed down the corridor "Why don't you just give in, he hasn't had a decent ******** in months."
"Hm?" As the guard looked toward the voice there was a feint hum and then a rather heavy thud and the sound of shattering plastic. He fell backwards against Fang, three inches of cold iron protruding from where his right eye had been.
Fang caught him for a moment and then dropped him with a fleshy thud, the thick white blood smattering his shoes as it squirted from the fatal wound.
"Poison, Dragon! You couldn't've waited 5 more minutes, I almost had him."
"Bullshit you did. And didn't you say you had this entrance cleared?" He responded as he stepped from the shadows, another iron bolt sliding into place.
"I would've if you'd waited."
"I've been waiting since you started that pointless exchange!"
"Oh." Fang shruged sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry?"
Dragon raised a fist to strike him when Heaven appeared on view.
"What's the loop?"
"Well, after Fang chose to waste our time, I was gonna haymaker'im and then go inside."
"I know, I've been monitoring you. Now accept his apology, you two can fight it out later."
Dragon gritted his teeth and lowered the arm. "Fine."
"Thanks Heaven was-"
"Shove it Fang. You want to cruise for d**k, you do it on your time, not during a storm. Get it?"
"Got it."
"Good. I'll keep monitoring you guys, so when you get inside someone just arc the flow and we'll be set."
Dragon gave a slight nod. "Primed. Fadin'." Then the screen blanked out and he removed the helmet.
"So you at least know what you have to do right?"
"Yeeesss, of course I do."
"Which is?"
"Disable the transport protocols, enable solar transfer queue, and buffer the sequence with a quantum randomizer so they'll be successfully dissipated."
"Correct. And plan B?"
"There's a plan B?"
"Exactly. Luna, see if he needs anything." Dragon said as he stepped back, slinging the weapon.
"What's this 'plan B'?"
Luna stepped up and a small series of lens appeared on her fingertips. Their blue light began to slowly move down Fang.
"It's none of your concern Fang."
"Why not?"
"Because I ******** well say it's not!" Dragon spun on his heels, the weapon back in his hand, pointed directly at Fang. "It's plan that involves two party members, and you're not one of'em, so it's not your concern! I promised Heaven we'd all come back alive. Alive is not unbroken, so I swear to god if you don't shut the ******** up I'll snap you like a twig and send you right the ******** home. Got it!?"
"Y-yeah."
"Good! Luna, how does he look?"
She turned as the scan finished, noticably annoyed at the exchange. "Well, before you scared the soul of him, he was mostly fine. Unfortunately, their DNA tracers have come online so he'll likely be liability if he gets caught. I have a few things to handle that though."
"Good."
"DNA tracers?"
"They setup certain triggers in you DNA -tilt your head please-" She as a hollow tube slid from her wrist and against his neck. There was a light hiss and Fang flinched slightly. "that go of in certain scenarios, such as when you're in unauthorized locations. Most of them are mem wipes and body control. I just gave you something that'll supress them."
"Blood E, is there anything GUL hasn't stuck in us?"
"Nope, they actively monitor every facet of their citizen's development."
"You wanna know the diff'rence between you and the jarbaby there Fango?" Dragon said, nodding towards the still bleeding corpse.
"Uuummm-"
"You bleed red, he bleeds white. That's 'bout it really."
"Anyway, that's hardly a worry right now. Do you think you can get to the facility command no problem?" Luna said as she pulled a sky blue vial from within her coat and wrapped it lightly against her false arm.
"Not necessarily no problem, but with you guys runnin' squall I should drift along fine."
"Not good enough. I'm gonna inject you with a dose of Athena blue. It'll enhance your reaction time, manual dexterity, and neural activity for about 20 minutes. If all goes well, it should be enough, 'cause otherwise you'll be near catatonic when it bleeds out." With that she slid the vial into an opening along her forearm and placed the hollow tube to him again. A second hiss and his skin began to take on an azure tint.
"Well then, I suppose it would be prudent for me to successfully achieve the objective within the alotted time." His eyes were as blue as lake water on a clear day. Turning, he tagged a wall panel with a small attachment. A crackle of electricity and the plate unsealed, revealing a rather tight tunnel. "See you on the inside."
"Good luck Fang." Dragon replied, as he disappeared inside.
"So you really think he'll pull it off?" Luna said as she replaced the panel.
"He better. I don't much care for plan B."
"What is plan B anyway?"
"Trust me, you don't wanna know."
"Well, systems been thoroughly respun boss. Should keep'em busy for a daily o' three." Wired said as she returned, a wide smile on her face.
"Good stuff. Guess it's time for the next stage of the storm."
"Yeppers."
The entrance way in front of the trio opened and the walked into the dark passage.
"This is going to get interestin'." Dragon said as the hatch shut behind them.
---End of Scene 5---
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Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 8:38 pm
ninja *Checks in on the story*
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2005 8:59 pm
---Start Scene 6---
"Time, ladies." Dragon said quietly, leaning against the tunnel and checking his weapon.
"If I' right, the drug should be just about run its course at this point." Luna replied as adjusted the pouch about her waist.
"And if the looks o' these readouts're prime," Wired spoke, a cable connecting her to a jack in the wall "then fangypuss should be just about-" The room was suddenly splashed in red light as warning klaxons blared violently. Her head simply dropped "********."
"Did he finish?" Dragon stood up and slid the weapon back inside his coat.
"Checking... yeah, he got them away."
"He still inside?"
"Seems like it."
"We're still green. You two primed for hail?"
"As I'm gonna be." Luna replied, flexing the fingers of her mechanical arm.
Wired removed the cable and smiled a wide, cruel smile as the blades extended from her fingertips. "Oh this is gonna be meaty I bets."
"I've no doubt Wi, no doubt at all." Dragon said as he tapped a button and the door slid open.
The guard turned with a bit of a start, only to be tossed across the hall by the force of Luna"s punch. Dragon knelt before the body as she shook her hand rapidly, spraying gore about.
"Was that really necessary?"
"I like to think so." She responded with a coy smile.
"Drag, we've got a flaw." Wired said as she entered the hallway. "The fangs've been pulled."
"Any idea the source?"
"Well, based on the fact I'd a nice feed convo with his short term memory, I'm gonna say someone ripped him, rather than he pulled."
"Beautiful."
"Shorty did say somethin" about guards though."
Luna started down the hall, wiping the last of the gore from her fist with a rag. "We'd better get there quick then."
They stepped carefully down the hall, the alarm system still blaring. Despite that, they encountered no one until the arrived at the hatchway leading to facility command. Sitting upon the floor, splashed in both red light, and red blood, were two guards, both having be torn open at the sternum.
Luna knelt before them. "This is weird."
"What's the disruption Lunar?" Wired replied, scuttling along the ceiling on her blades.
"The ribs have been basically pushed out of the body, like a jack hammer was inside and slammed against the sternum. What the hell could do that?"
"Protean nanite globe. Pulsar command." Dragon replied as he felt along the seam of the door.
"A what?"
"Experimental 'end war' weapon. Theoretically capable of anything. Usually only succeeded at the programmed pulsar command, due to its simplicity."
"Who would have a weapon like that, and how do you know about it?"
"Second question: I built one. First question: whoever is in this room. Wired?"
The door hissed and scraped as it was forced open by its own system. "Two steps forward, scaley."
"What do you mean you built one?" Luna asked, focusing upon Dragon, rather than the black room in front of them.
"Later Luna. Other matters at hand right now."
"Fine, but you're tellin' me later."
"Deal."
As they stepped into the shadowed room, a feint hum met them.
"Wi. What's that""
"That'd be-" a loud crack cut her off, immediately followed by a fleshy thud and the splattering of fluid. Dragon fell back against Luna, who barely managed to support his weight, even with her arm.
"Why the hell is he so heavy?" She barked as she pulled him from the room. The door slid shut with enough force that it buckled slightly at the edges.
"Autonomic combat reaction. Nanite percentage amps to 80. Remaining percentage is equal part Hades, Aries. Blood is the first thing pushed from wounds." He coughed out as she set him down. A thick, silvery crimson liquid curled around the edges of the rather sizeable stomach wound. After a few seconds, a sort of webbing formed across the gap, filling in until it appeared as though a silver plate was beneath his flesh.
He sat up as a loud detention resonated from the door.
"I'm never gonna get over how quickly you heal." Luna said as she pulled a gun from one of the dead guards.
"I don't heal all that fast. Just that the systems protect the damaged areas. I'll be straight in about an hour."
"Still quicker than me."
"I suppose."
"You two done yammerin'?" Wired cut in, "'cause I've got audio from inside the room."
"What's goin' on?" Dragon responded as he stood up, drawing out his launcher.
"'pparently they're settin' up for 'nother volley. Should slag the seal."
"Count of three, open the door then."
"Deal."
"3."
The door ground hard against itself as it was again pulled open. The quick thunks echoed from Dragon's weapon and the counter ticked down. A scream rang out and the lights came up as Luna spun out from behind him, weapon braced.
Two guards were on the ground, one still holding a rather large weapon, spikes buried through their face plates. The remaining projectile was buried deep into Fang's left shoulder, as he was held restrained by more soldiers.
"Bloody ********." Dragon spat, lowering the weapon slightly.
"Keep your hands where we can see them and drop your weapons." The foremost guard spoke, as the other ten brought their armaments up.
Neither Luna more Dragon complied, pointing their guns, instead, at the lead
"Keep your hands where we can see them and drop your weapons." Said the foremost again.
"Just give us the wounded guy there and we'll leave. Otherwise, this'll become a fight. And trust me, you won't walk away from it." Luna responded through a clenched jaw.
"Now now now, are threats really necessary? This is nothing more than a simple man trying to do a simple job." A voice came up from behind the crowd of guards. The troops separated almost immediately, creating an open path between the speaker and the pair. The man stood in a crisp black suit, tightly trimmed hairstyle, and matte black dress shoes. His entire outfit was rigid and defined, as though he existed more as a singular context, than a complete individual.
"And you are?" she responded irritation playing upon her words.
"I'm just a humble businessman, nothing more. A paper pusher for the higher ups in GUL, who merely wish to make you and your merry band an offer."
"A huckster selling bullshit." Dragon interjected, shifting the launcher towards the suited figure.
"I prefer my phrasing. It's far less vulgar."
"And I mine. Less pretentious."
The man coughed slightly and removed a small black pad from his pocket. "GUL is prepared to offer considerable currency if you folks would be willing to work for us. You could help us further our mutual goals for the betterment of humanity."
Dragon's wrist bent, followed by another thunk. The iron spike tore through the man's knee, the leg buckling under its own weight as he fell backwards.
"Sweet living ********! Was that necessary?" He screamed in rage as the guards began shift their weapons, the squad leader lifting him up.
"NO!" the figure barked loudly "No, lower your weapons."
It look him a few seconds to gulp away the noticeable pain before he could talk again.
"Come now, you must be aware of the benefits we could provide one another. You folks have a great many abilities, but no money. We have a great deal of money, but few skilled operatives."
"Keep talking, corporate, and I'll make sure you have fewer." He responded as he lightly swept the weapon across the guards.
"So is there no way we can discuss this as civilized human beings, Dragon? Luna?"
Dragon simply growled slightly and returned the launcher to pointing at him.
"Nope. And don't use my name without giving me yours." Luna replied, the laser target from her gun tracing upon his chest.
"Oh where are my manners. My name is Kristof Temag, Officer in charge of acquisitions for GUL."
As soon as the words were past his lips there was a scraping noise like metal sliding repeatedly against metal and maniacal laughter. Wired was on him in a heart beat, dropping from the ceiling she'd just scampered against, claws swiping at him. Deep gore flew from his wounds, the floor, walls, and nearby guard becoming peppered in less than a few seconds. As the guards brought their weapons to bear, Dragon's counter lowered and flame spewed from Luna's weapon. The six guards nearest to Kristof fell, shredded by slugs and spikes. Wired's frenzied glee was cut off as he kicked her away with considerable force, launching her across the room. Dragon caught her from midair.
"GAck..ke-keep her.. held.. Dra-'dra.." He coughed hard and spit a large mass of blood and part of his tongue upon the floor.
She howled and writhed against her friend cutting at him repeatedly. She was akin to some sort of bloodlusting demon, seemingly unaware of Dragon, merely intent on eviscerating Kristof. "You've got five seconds, soulstain, before I let her go."
He coughed again, harder, and his tongue came completely out. Standing up, blood spilling from his mouth, the wounds on his face slowly closed.
"Gaia bless medical nanites. I only need 3. We. Have. Fang." He said as he pointed to their still restrained ally. "And just to be clear, Jefferson here is wired to explode if anything happens to him, me, or Fang, beyond the current point."
The guard turned and looked a Kristof, visible shock upon his face.
"What? You couldn't possibly believe you're something other than expendable. And don't get any bright ideas, 'cause you'll explode is he moves two inches from you."
"Now, since you've so graciously spurned my offer, my men, what few you've left me, and I, will be leaving. We'll also be taking him with us. Consider it a trade for cleansing the virus. And because I don't want to scrape Jefferson off my shoes."
The guard glared at him again as they began to move back.
He merely shrugged and chuckled. "You'll be happy to know that, if we'd obliterated you, your family would've been well compensated."
"I'm green boss, you can loose me now." Wired said, ceasing her struggling.
Dragon set her to her feet.
"And if I simply restrain you and kill the other soldiers?" Dragon replied as he brought the launcher to bear again.
"Then Fang dies and we loose a conventional weapon upon Eura that will make its current state of being look like a dream. I'm sure you don't want that on your conscience, so we've got a train to catch. Captain." With that, Kristof spun on his left heel and began walking away, the few remaining troops falling in line behind him.
Luna took a step forward, only to meet Dragon's arm.
"Good man, Dragon, keep them back. After all, you don't want anymore dead associates on your head, do you?" Kristof sniped as he and the guards stepped through the gateway which sealed behind them.
Luna turned to Wired. "Honey, are you alright?"
"He's the one. I know that taste" She responded as she straightened up her outfit, retied her hair, and began cleaning the gore from her claws.
"The one what?"
"He's the one to stripped her nervous system bare and replaced it with the high activity cabling that's in there now." Dragon interjected, turning back down the hall.
"He's the- that's- good god, when?"
"About 15 years ago if our memories are right."
"But the process to successfully do that wasn't developed until- and HAC burns the flesh around unless- and you knew this was him?! Why didn't you let her gut him?" Luna reached out hastily to grab him, but Dragon easily dodged.
"From what we can remember, I stopped her from doing it then before too. Now we need the wings."
"'sides," Wired interjected, patting Luna on the back "I didn't wanna kill'im, just taste the blood o' his, make sure twas 'im. Nows I know, I'll spill'im when the time is mine."
"I'm really not sure what to say to that Syd. And why the wings, we don't know how they're traveling. They likely took a dispersion wave out." Luna replied, bringing up the rear of the group.
"Says 'okay' Luna, 'sgood enough for me." Wired chuckled slightly as she finished preening herself.
"We're gonna glide along those tracks we saw, see where they go. I'm willing to bet Kristof"s 'train' remark wasn't merely being snide." Dragon responded, reloading the launcher as they walked.
"And if you're wrong?" Luna asked.
"Then we'll find them some other way. I promised Heaven no losses, and I'm not breaking that promise."
---End Scene 6---
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Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 9:57 pm
usk-Darastrix You would do that the night I'm gonna update, wouldn't you?
Of course I would heart wink xd
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:54 pm
xd heart I can't wait for scene 7//8. (depending on placement) whee
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 5:45 am
Awesome heart Very groovy Usk!
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 5:02 pm
UPDATES, I NEED MY UPDATES!!! scream xd heart
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Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 4:18 pm
---Start of Scene 7--- (Finally!)
“Slide the veil.” Dragon said as he dawned his helmet, straddling the bike.
“They’re ten minutes ahead of you traveling on the main line, roughly 700 kmh max speed. It’ll likely have to slow down by the vein burst though.” Heaven responded immediately, her focus clearly not on Dragon, but rather on data relay.
“Vein’s burst?”
”About 200 kils away, lasts for a good 400. There’s a magnetic seal on both sides of the gap, but that won’t keep all the pressure off the slug. If it doesn’t slow down it’ll crumple like a paper cup.”
”Go’cha, tag it before the seals and we’re nova. Luna’s sinkin’ and the old millennium is risin’. Fade the veil.”
”Fade and fly Dragon. I’ll see the moon at sundown.”
He turned to Luna as she slid her helmet on. “You know normally I’d’ve no problem with yuh dashin’ with us, Jac.”
“I know. We gotta get back, confirm everything, and make sure nothin’’s gone wrong. Plus, I know I can’t survive the water pressure out there. I still don’t think you or Syd can either.”
”We’re just gonna have to try. Even for a skin blot like Fang.” Dragon responded as the bike began to hum beneath him.
Luna looked solemnly as she got off her cycle. “You really should give’im a chance Pat. He’s not as bad as you seem to think.”
He shrugged slightly and slid a new clip into the launcher. “I’m willin’ to dispute that, but now’s not really the time.”
She held out a closed fist to him. “I know, but still, try not to kill’im. It’s a lame rescue when you kill the objective.”
He lightly punched her knuckles, enough that a slight crack was audible from both their fists “I make no promises.”
Wired wrapped her arms tightly about Luna. “Awwww, we’s like one big ‘appy fam’ly. Safe drivin’ moonpie.”
Luna turned and returned the hug. “You too Wi-fi. Don’t get too dinged up, hear?”
”Not… a problem.”
With that Luna was off, burning through the tunnels as before.
“You ready Syd?”
”Am I ever not?”
”Count of 6?”
”6!”
The bikes seemed to vibrate in place for a moment, before a loud crack and they went speeding along the tracks. The light warped slightly around the pair as the train came into view.
“Looks like there be the burst.” Wired said as they spied the shattered remains of the tube. A shimmering field flickered and danced at the edge of the gap, the deadly blue of the deep Atlantic flowing beyond it.
“Yeah, but why aren’t they slowin’ down?” Dragon responded, revving the engine again and pushing the bike harder. “Slide the veil.”
“I’m looking into it.” Heaven responded, clearly not focusing Dragon’s screen.
”You’re one step ahead of me now?”
“To say the least. The speed they’re traveling at, when they hit the water, it should obliterate them. Unless…” She trailed off momentarily. “Dragon, what’re the odds you can hit the engine of the slug with a spike?”
”I can try. Why?”
”The best I’m comin’ up with is they’ve someway to manipulate they magnetic field. If I’m right on how, it should react to the iron.”
“I’ll give it a shot. While I’m doin’ that, fade to Wyrmling and see if she put in the magnograv links into these bikes.”
”Why?”
”If they don’t slow down, we’ll need to speed up, and I think I know how.”
”Okay. Slide me when you’re green.”
”Will do.”
With that, Dragon brought the launcher and hooked hard towards the tunnel wall.
“Wha’cha doin’, scales?” Sydney asked.
“The one above wants me to tag the engine with a bolt. Easier to do that from the ceiling.”
Sydney laughed, “Okay, see, that’s I gotta try meself.” And promptly bent towards the wall too.
Both bikes sputtered abit as the wheels skipped up onto the wall, finding purchase from the speed. In an instant they were both, upside down, bikes running hard on the ceiling.
Syd laughed again “******** you gravity! I ‘pwned’ you!”
Dragon snickered slightly “Lovely Syd. Just lovely-There!” The bolt flew with a heavy thunk slicing through the air like a revelation. Mere inches from the slugs hull, there was a blue crackle of energy, and the bolt clattered down.
“Slide.” He said again.
“Yeah, I was right. It’s basically been outfitted with a magnetic expansion device. It’s going to pull a bubble of the magnetic field along with it so it doesn’t have to slow down. Leave it to GUL to have the coin for that.”
”Beauty. And Wyrmling’s response?”
”She only got to outfit yours before this stormfront, and that was strictly due to the damage you’d done to it in the first place.”
”Tan-fastic.”
“Why are you concerned about that anyway?”
”Because if I’m right, I should be able to use that, my own strength, Syd’s implants, the field to get her across the gap and into the slug in the space of no time.”
There was slice for a few seconds from Heaven.
”So, if my assumption is correct, you’re going to basically turn the tunnel into an enormous coil gun with Wired as the projectile.”
Wired suddenly interjected. “Oh dude! That’s gonna rock!”
“If it works. If it doesn’t you’ll be crushed to about an atom’s thickness.”
Sydney smiled brightly. “********’ cool way to go if yuh ask me.”
Heaven simply shook her head. “Well that’ll clear Sydney. What about you?”
”Same idea, only with the bike.”
“But your system won’t support the energy crawl for it. You’re going to be out there a good bit longer than she is.”
”I can take it.”
”No you can’t. The pressure from the water aside, the shot pulse will be enough to pulp you.”
”You got a better idea?”
”I will.”
”Not in time you won’t.”
”Why not?”
”’cause we’re there. Seeya on th’otherside Dawn.”
“Patrick don-“
He cut her off as he linked to Wired. “’ey Red, you ready for some target practice?”
“Ready? When am I ever not?” She cut the engine of her bike and leapt upon his as they lowered to the bottom of the tunnel again. His rotated to a horizontal position and bike began to hover slightly.
”So how we doin’is?”
“Light up all your wires and prime yourself to kick off. I’m gonna get the bike to full speed. When we hit the field we’ll have a blink of time for me to throw you and you to push off. Pop your blades to create and edge and we should be golden. You’ll out run water, gravity, and light itself.”
“And if we blow it?”
”You’ll be paste.”
”Keen!”
”Ready?” Dragon said as they hit the field.
“Bang!” Wired replied as his arms grabbed her and swung forward. Shifting position, her feet slapped hard against his hands as he let go. For less than an instant there was nothing but blue/black water in front of her. Then came a shearing pressure like a hurricane through a keyhole, and finally, a hard impact. It took her brain a few seconds to properly interpret the missing nanosecond of travel, but based on the gore around her and the fact she could see a good ways back through the slug, she was pretty satisfied with the results.
************
Dragon watched as Wired disappeared from the convergent forces, and muttered a quick prayer that she was actually on the other side. Then he struck the water wall for his own attempt. The differing magnetic fields harmonized themselves to one another, a crackling field of energy coalescing around him and the bike.
"One problem down." he muttered as the water attempted to force its way through the fluctuating barrier. Unfortunately, the depth pressure was still present, if somewhat reduced. He could feel his blood slowing becoming gel in his veins.
"This is gonna be a long drive." he spoke with a smirk.
**************
Wired scraped the last of the carnage from her and took to examining the door that stood before her.
"Bah! Stupid 'security procedures'." Kneeling, she slid a jack from the slot in her temple to a small port near the doorjam. Just as she was about to connect, the portal slid open, and a guard stepped in, gunbarrel a mere inch from her head.
"Don't. Move." he said forcefully from within his featureless helmet.
She smiled a quirky smile and let the jack go, it immediately retracting into her head.
"Plan B?" Then she leapt upwards into a backflip, the muzzle sending shells haphazardly into the floor. Sweeping her hands out upon descent, her blades slipped free, and more carnage spilled into the already caked room. The helmet fell one way, the decapitated body, another.
Still smiling, she walked passed the corpse, "Nope, I guess you didn't have one either."
Wandering further into the train, she came upon another sealed door.
"Hmmm, now how did this go last time?" Shifting her hand slightly, she struck forward with lightning speed, her fingers tearing through the plating like paper, before stopping within some warm, wet, and sticky.
"Who have we here? You, on the otherside, be a dear and undo the lock. I'll take my hand out if you do." The locks slid back into there housing, and she pulled her arm from.
"Excellent." As the hatch opened, she saw the guard, five rather wicked gashes in the small of his back. "My my my, you'll want to put some ointment on that. Now say out of my way, and nothing untoward will happen to you."
He merely fell over in response.
"Shock? Geez, so much for 'battle hardened soldiers'."
Then she spied Fang, seemingly unconscious near another hatch.
The doorway slid open with a hiss and the sound of running water, Wired leaping to ceiling.
"Honestly, what'd I do to deserve this?" said the guard coming from the open portal "I would hard everyday, I don't try and show up my commanding officer, I've let promotion after promotion slide by simply because someone else wanted it. I do my job, and I don't draw attention. Why the hell do I have to be wired to you?" He took a seat beside Fang.
"Cry me a river, emokid."
He turned quickly toward Fang "Did you say somethin'?"
Looking around the room he spied the other guard, fallen, the wounds still bleeding. Then a mass of talons hung down in front of his face, backed by a thick mane of red hair.
"Not he, sweet pea, I. And unless you wanna wind up like smile time over there, you're not gonna move a wick."
"Oh yeah, like that's a threat." he retorted sardonically "I'm a walkin' terra spark. You think death scares me?"
"Nope," Sydney said with malice in her voice "But I've already determined 7 ways to torture you without settin' off the beepers. Oh, make that 8. So unless you want a demonstration, don't move. And I guarantee you'll make it through this alive." Before he could reply, her blades were piercing his flesh. He blacked out rather soon after that.
**************
The magnetic sphere around him burst, as Dragon finally broke free from the aquatic void. Hacking violently, he slumped forward against his bike, drawing some more speed from it as he did.
"Dragon, are you alright?" Heaven quested, her blue/white image lighting up on the confines of his helmet.
Eyes closed, he smiled weakly, revealing blood smeared teeth. "Never... better."
"You look like hell."
"How's that different from normal?"
"Normally you aren't so damp."
"Touche."
"Was it that rough?"
"Put in this way- ouch."
"That bad eh?"
"And then some."
He coughed again. “Any word from Red?”
“Not as of yet-“
“But I’m sure she’ll be getting to you with a pleasant surprise shortly.” A second, rather self-satisfied voice interjected.
“I take it the woman on this line would the illustrious ‘Heaven’ I’ve heard so much about. Truly, it is an honor to converse with one such as yourself.”
“And you would be Kristof?”
“I would.”
”What do you want?”
“Merely an audience with Patrick, that’s all. A chance to discuss old sins and new ones yet to come.”
Dragon listened to Kristof’s voice and ground his teeth. Then a feint buzz came from inside the helmet, a low data message from Wired. The text quickly scrolled into view: “Keep loud mouth distracted. I’ve killed a lot of guards to get this far, and I’ve found Fang. Unstitched his tagalong; forgot how much real blood norms have, but he'll live. Also found out the slug’s wired to pop if it’s just normally stopped. It won’t be a big bang, but enough to frag us all. I’ve got a plan for it, but it’ll take some time. Over and out.”
“Well Patrick, or ‘Dragon’ as you seem to want to be called now, what do you say to a meeting?”
”Engine’s roof, 5 minutes from now. Bring a weapon.”
Kristof chuckled “Ever so pleasant Pat. Do you honestly think, given your current state of disrepair, you can even catch the train in time, let alone beat me in a fight?”
"Of course ********. Don't you remember who devised magnagravitec linkage in the first place?" Dragon pressed a pad on his bike's display. The shell seemed to flicker blue for an instant, before the cycle took off, leaving only an after-image.
"I'll be parked on the roof, waiting."
Kristof chuckled "Ever the show off 'Dragon.' I shall see you shortly." With that his connection faded.
“His equipment is exemplary,” Heaven spoke “Carving the link like that. It still wasn’t good enough, but audio communication is still noteworthy. So what’s the plan Dragon?”
“Syd’s got a bomb to choke, but she’s found the lost tooth. I’m gonna keep Kris busy for a bit while she does her work.”
”Do you think you can beat him, given your current state?”
”Do you think I’ve got another choice? If he catches her, we’re dead anyway. ‘sides, the nanites’ll keep me together.”
”Fade and fly Patrick.”
”Fadin’ away.”
---End of Scene 7---
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