The Den Games Network Forum RPG
Page 8
Game Masters:
virtualoctopus, CKW, Wesforce, Nyerguds
(BlueThunder)
Grubb stumbled into the small flat, He'd had a rough day. He took off the now stained and torn jacket and threw it in the corner. He sat down on his bed, it may feel like a rock but it was a place to sleep. He carefully lifted his Cyber leg onto the bed and lay flat on his back, he was exhausted.
He barely survived a bar fight, had a narrow escape from a gun slinging mad ork, had his car practically fall to pieces and he hadn't heard from Rayi for about a month. His arm reached out for the picture of her on his bedside table, He missed her. He brushed his finger along the glass of the frame, hoping Cairns wouldn't keep her inactive for much longer.
"On" he yelled at the small 3Dtv, he didn't really want to watch anything. He just got lonely when it was quiet. A human scientist, dressed in a black suit with a bright red tie was talking about the mating habits of Dwarves. The Goblin made a sound of disgust, were they allowed to show that kind of stuff at this time of day?
"OFF! OFF! OFF!" He yelled as diagrams of Dwarven sex organs were about to be shown. He was so disturbed that he never even noticed his someone was calling him until he heard his own voice on the answer machine.
"Yer, allow! Frek ain't 'ere, Ah Dunno why but he ain't, So leave a message an' he'll prabably git back to ya!"
"Frek, if you are there pick up NOW!" It was Rayi's voice, the goblin rushed to answer the call.
"INQUIZITA!" He yelled at her with joy "Where ya bin? 'aven't sin ya in agez!"
"Frek, I need your help." she had a slightly worried tone, as if something big had come up. "We are being called in."
"In?" The Goblin asked. "In? Ya ain't ready ta be goin' in!"
"The Church wants it to be done." She said "I must see it done, I am not forcing you to go on this mission with me... but you know what to do if you want to."
She hung up, Frek was slightly disturbed, there was something different, out of place. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. Rayi needed him and he had to go, it was his duty to protect her, not matter what the costs.
***
Sorrow had tried to arrange to get a wheelchair so he wouldn't have to face an ear full of Polt again. He'd been calling on the Cadre for help, but they seemed to walk off when he said....
"Well if you idiots would have took more care pulling that infernal bolt out, I wouldn't be in this mess!"
He'd eventually, after much arguing and drugging persuaded the nurse to get him one.
He had Damocles wheel him outside Polt's office, and he waited to be called in. Who knows what the mad man would have him doing...
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(Wesforce)
"I can't... Walk... Or stand..." Crystal tried to say, though she was having difficulty. Just then she went into another throe of agony.
More guards came down the stairs - These were real guards, in total body-cover security armour (Helmet, leg, arm and chest sections), not like the two off-duty, unarmoured and unarmed men Shadow had just killed, bleeding at the bottom of the stairs.
A man rounded the stairwell. Shadow fired at him, scoring two hits. The bullets embedded themselves in the man's kevlar III chest plates. He grunted with pain, firing a submachineun burst that ripped chunks from the construction-plas of the ceiling, jumping back out of sight up the stairs.
An object clattered down the stairs, spewing gas. A gas grenade. It was the same gas the police were using on the streets - Tactical dispersion gas. A few drops could incapacitate a man, making his face well up, his eyes sting and run, more effective than 20th century tear gas. If breathed in, it could cause unconsiousness.
Crystal immediately began coughing and choking. Shadow felt his face stinging, getting worse rapidly.
A bullet richocheted up the stairs from below. Another armoured guard with a submachinegun shouted into his radio:
"We've got him surrounded. Do we have permission to kill him?"
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(Riff)
He looked at Crystal and nodded, understanding what she could say.
Shadow turned and saw more guards come down the stairs, but these were better armed and protected.
He saw a man round the stairs, Shadow fired off 2 shots, getting both successful. He then heard the man groan and grunt.
A burst of Machine gun ammo hit the ceiling as chucks fell he got over by Crystal, protecting her.
Shadow heard something clank and clatter down the stairs, then he saw some yellow and green gas spew out.
He knew what this was, it was tear gas and he knew what the stuff could do.
He heard Crystal coughing and choking, and he felt his face sting badly.
Shadow brought his sleeve up to his face to block some of the swelling.
He could hear the voice over the radio and decided he wasn't going to get killed here and now.
Shadow took out a grenade, knowing this may penetrate the Kelvar vests and armor, he threw it without pulling the pin.
He then quickly pull out his 9mm and grabbed Crystal quickly but gentle and swift and then shot a round off towards the unarmed grenade hitting it dead on, then he ran and didn't look back.
Shadow ran down more staircase and met more guards, a mix of both, disabling the unarmed ones with his gun and grenades to the well armed ones.
As soon as they were at the bottom he kicked the door open, and his face still stung a bit.
Shadow ran out into the alleyway, quickly hiding in a safe place a well distance away from the Grexon complex.
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(CKW)
An accuratte shot pierced Shadow's leg.
A magnum revolver. Wolf was staring in the back alley. His face seemed to grin with evil.
"Wolf, the man who can kill or heal you alike."
He shouted. His revolver was smoking in his hand.
"The girl needs some REAL medical attention, idiot. Leave her by now!" His face looked way too much like an assasin. He could kill him.
Fiennes just appeared in the back.
"I didn't know that you were so skilled with the guns, nickie."
"Don't call me Nickie again, Jason. My nickname is Wolf, not Nickie. Only my father called me like that."
He stared at Shadow. His weapon pointing at his head.
"Do you think you will kill me from such a long distance?" Shadow ranted out.
"Someone called Jade teached me aiming."Another shot. A bullet made a slight cut in the head of shadow.
"Next time I'll blow your head off. Leave the girl."
"And bring her here." Fiennes added.
Idiot. Wolf was doing all of this mess just because of the girl, to save her, not to please Fiennes. He doubted about her stable health.
***
"Go back! DO not get closer!"
A voice in the blizzard. Another dragon. Draco continued despite the warning.
"Feel the wrath of Silver Dragons!" The other voice seemed furious.
Another dragon appeared and charged against the flying Golden Dragon. Draco, thanks to the chestplate, was not hurt by the hit.
The other dragon blinked and stood amazed. A female, silver dragon, really attractive, by dragon terms.
"What's your business? Get lost...Golden Brood!"
The dragon girl threatened to attack him. Draco had a somewhat of Deja-Vu about her attitude.
"Greetings, Milady. I am Draco Firetongue, of the Golden Brood. I was sent to meet your Lord Mawroth."
"My father has no business with you! We were expecting no Greater Dragons! We are waiting for a messenger of the goldens, not a Golden in itself."
"I am afraid that I am that messenger, milady. There were no lesser dragons available, so our Lady Tyadoron sent me instead of sending some of those Lesser-Races that only cause problems."
"Ok... I shall trust you, but if you cause trouble, I personally will bring you down!"
Draco laughed.
"I doubt that, Milady..."
"Varos, Lady Varos."
"I doubt that, lady Varos. I am becoming a Knight."
"Please follow me and don't get lost! I shall take you to my father to decide what to do."
What a charming dragon... Draco thought. But he knew he couldn't let the next step happen. He was still loyal to Silvia.
***
"Ahem. I just remembered something about where I had hidden that sword." Behemoth replied. "For how long have you been living in here, whoever the owner is?"
He stared looking at the floor. That pattern. The sword. He remembered hiding the sword in a flat...
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(Riff)
Shadow felt a piercing pain the back of his leg as he went down on one knee, he gently set Crystal down and turned around.
He saw a dark figure at the end of the alley and he heard him state his name.
Shadow looked over at Wolf and nodded to him and then saw Fiennes.
A few moments later he heard a shot coming down the alley and he felt a grazing pain and a bit of blood coming from his head.
He slowly got up, the pain surging through his leg, he ignored the immense pain.
He picked up Crystal and started making his way, but pulled out a marble and threw it down, making a dark cloud of smoke as he ran.
Shadow then kept running, hearing gunshots richocheting past him.
He saw an motorist at a stop light and then pushed him off with one hand and then got on, with Crystal infront of him, and he floored it to the max flying down the straight away stretch.
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(virtualoctopus)
"I think I hid the sword here. In this flat. I require room to take up the floorboards and search."
"What! Do you know HOW many rooms like this there are in the city? And besides, this is a HOUSE, not a FLAT!" Charlie looked quite annoyed.
The strange Ork looked rather shocked. He scratched his head, and looked around rather ashamedly.
"Erm.. ok"
"Then why don't you find some other lead before tearing up my house? I do happen to live here."
The Ork didn't bother to reply.
Charlie then turned to Mary.
"Ok, maam. You also have a bit of explaining. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
Mary considered her options. She decided the best one would be all out truth.
"Ok. We're runners. Our friend has been kidnapped. We need to find a way to rescue her."
Charlie looked shocked.
"You..... a runner?"
"It wasn't my choice". And I wouldn't have made it if I had to.
***
Sorrow was ushered into the room with Polt and Damocles by a Cadre. The wheelchair barely fitted through the door.
Polt stood up, placing his hands on the table.
"Excellent. I see you are well enough... now"
"Yes sir"
"Good. I have a job for you. I have been recieving reports of something called a daemon in the Geneva area. Of course, it is not the mythical kind, more likely the work of some rival biotech corporation. I wish you to capture this 'daemon', and bring him to me, for analysis."
"Geneva? That's a long way, Polt."
"Yes. Transport will be provided, of course, and you shall have backup. Not only will you have Damocles, and the new experiment you may have met, but you will also have a new employee of mine... he has been fitted with an explosive collar, to ensure... reliablity"
Sorrow noticed that he hadn't mentioned the half-dragon. He desperately wanted to find out more about her, especially as she was seemingly the only sane one in this place. Carefully, he prepared to cast a minor, yet difficult, mind-altering spell.
"And the half-dragon?" The words contained a hidden suggestion that she might accompany them.
Polt looked thoughtful, and Sorrow thought he might have resisted the charm. However, his snappy reply came soon after.
"Her? Oh yes.... take her. She is no use here But she must wear a collar as well".
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(BlueThunder)
Daemons eh? Sorrow thought to himself. Just the information I've been looking for."
"Oh course..." Polt went on after the affects of the spell wore off. He was flexing those damned cyber fingers of his AGAIN! "You'll have to get rid of that ridiculous wheel chair."
"No problems there" Sorrow said "I've spoken with the staff of the hospital wing, I'll be back to health in a matter of days."
"Good..." Polt said, as if he was only half aware of his surroundings. "Good indeed... all coming up good. Mishaps, Nothing but mishaps! Defective mishaps! And now we have goodness..."
Sorrow told Damocles to wheel him out, he wasn't in the mood for Polt's dream like rambling, he had to focus on getting ready for the mission.
***
They had kept her contained in the dark, damp room for days, if not weeks. As if she was an item on the self, she had been stored. But she did not care, she probably didn't see it as unusual. She ate the occasional scraps of food the cadre gave her, drank the often discolored water that dripped from the ceiling and slept. It was life.
The large metal door swung open, the rays of light hurt her eyes as they reflected off her pale face. She shank into a corner, covering her eyes with her skinny arms.
"Sir..." began one of the cadre. "She's doing it again."
The other sighed and walked over to her.
"Come on." he said, lifted the light young woman off the floor. "Daddy wants a word."
"Daddy?" laughed the other cadre. "Your far to sensitive with it sir, it's not like it has feelings."
"True, But excuse me for not wanting to end up like Williams and Harris" he paused and shook his head. "That was nasty... and all over this skinny little runt here."
The other cadre laughed harder. "From daddy to skinny little runt? Now that is sensitive."
"Let's just get this... thing to polt." the other said, as the joking cadre came to help lift her. "I don't know about you, but she disturbs me."
They dragged her down the long dark, although compared to the little room they may have well been inside the sun it's self, corridors. Much like her first trip though the compound. Not knowing, not caring. It was life....
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(CKW)
"You let him escape!" Fiennes yelled.
"Calm down, Jason. I wounded his leg. We only need to follow the blood trail."
"And if he went inside a vehicle?"
"Well, I should make a call..."
"And?"
"To Overmind, the hacker. He'll spot them via satellite. Let him feel secure. And then I capture him."
"Why not send my goons?" Fiennes asked.
"Because your goons are jack-asses. And I know all the clinics of London. There's no way she can be healed withouth noticing."
Fiennes muttered. He did not know why Wolf was helping him.
***
"Still... I was very young. And..." Behemoth muttered again in his thoughts. He noticed a painting in the wall.
"Was that painting in the house when you came?"
"yes..wh-"
Behemoth not waited for the full reply. He kneeled on the ground. On a certain part. And smashed his fist. The ground cracked, and a hole was revealed.
"What? have you gone insane?"The owner of the house went mad.
"Here it is."
He pulled the long blade carefully outside the hole. The 3 meter titanium blade shined in Behemoth's hand.
"Thanks for your patience."
He flipped a credstick to Charlie.
"With this, you will fix the floor, the door, and find a suitable paintjob." Behemoth grinned.
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(BlueThunder)
Sorrow was back to sitting up in his bed, he breathed in deeply. His body knew no pain, his mind no insanities. No drug that pestering nurse had given him had relived him this much....he was free.
The inner being, as he now called it had receded it's parade of madness. It was at last content and helped Sorrow cope with his wound. It seemed that the being was as excited about this mission as Sorrow was, is that what all this had been about? Begging for Daemon contact? It seemed strange, but Sorrow was too relived to care.
He never even noticed two cadre dragging the young woman from the cloning vat past his room, looking at the treatment she was receiving, you might think she would have been screaming and fighting them. But she didn't make a sound. An emotionless expression was fixed on her face, he eyes stared into nothingness. What was going on behind those eyes, no one would ever know
But Sorrow cared not for her. With the great weight off his mind he was ready to start walking again, there was no point getting excited if he wasn't fit to go.
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(Nyerguds)
The big cell door opened.
Let's see... Sorrow, or Polt?
It was neither one of them. Just three Cadres.
"Oh this is just too slegging easy." she said.
She shifted to her dragon form and charged. The claws ripped through the arm of one of the Cadres, and hit another one in the chest. Their weapons were useless at this distance; she moved faster than they could aim.
She saw one Cadre going down, with blood pouring out of the big wounds in his chest. He probably wouldn't survive. The other one screamed and dropped his weapon.
Just before Silvia reached the door, the third one jumped on her back.
*click*
What? A collar!
"I wouldn't try anything stupid if I were you, girl." the Cadre hissed at her. "That's an explosive collar I just put around your neck. If you try to escape now I'll just let you... but Polt can simply blow you up when you try to leave the building."
"Agh, sleg it!" she screamed. She suddenly felt so powerless.
Again... I'm being controlled, restricted through a collar... again.
The Cadre left the room; a second team of cadres rushed in. Three of them escorted her to Polt, while the others took care of the wounded men in the cell.
"She resisted, sir. Two men wounded, one probably fatal." one of the Cadres said.
Silvia looked around. There was someone else in the room, besides the Cadres and Polt... a lady, with wings. She looked strangely apathetic, a bit like Damocles, but worse.
Wings? She's one of Polt's creations... so that's why Polt rushed into my cell... he probably couldn't find flying techniques to implant in her brain. Next thing he's gonna ask me to learn her how to fly. Hah.
"So..." Polt said. "You haven't lost any of your temper, I see... but you will. With that collar, I control you. And don't you ever forget that."
***
Wirecat had picked up the conversation between Mary and Charlie.
A Runner, but not by choice? Odd... well once you meet these guys it's probably hard to get rid of them. And she's a natural leader, even though she doesn't seem to fully realize it.
"So let me get this straight..." he said. "Every single person in this room except for me is a 'runner, and we need to rescue... a half-dragon?! This must be the weirdest day in my whole fragging life."
He looked at Behemoth, who was taking the sword out of the hole in the floor.
Wirecat was really losing his temper. "And what the frag do you think you are, with that fragging huge sword? A Demon Hunter!?"
He looked at Behemoth, and noticed he looked a bit shocked at what Wirecat had yelled.
Wirecat frowned.
Uh? Oh god no... not a Demon Hunter... the freak level is off the chart already...
Not that I'm not contributing to that...
He sighed, and sat down on the nearest chair he could find, hoping the others wouldn't realize what just happened.
A demon hunter... that's fragging big stuff.
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(virtualoctopus)
Xecktos awoke again. It smelt vaguely clinical here. The celing was white.
The elven assassin rolled over, moaning quietly. He was still in pain, and that white celing seemed to be mocking him.
White. White celing. Dotted with a row of lights.
White. Celing. He could see again.
Xecktos sat up like a bolt, without realising that he could move. He stared down at his body. It wasn't a bloody pulp, and it wasn't cold, lifeless metal. He was alive!
The elf could see, however, that there still remained a metal plate on one of his legs, and on the same arm. A small cost. He was mostly organic again!
But..... how?
Who would have done this? Out of the kindness of who's heart would someone skilled enough to MAKE HIM A NEW BODY fix him up?
Suddenly, he felt the cold, metal collar on his neck.
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(Wesforce)
Shadow drove as fast and far as he could on his stolen bike. It was only a small electric model, and it laboured witht he weight of him and Crystal, but soon the angry owner's shouts were but a memory.
As he turned a corner he realised he'd made a mistake.
London was still a city torn by rioting. he was riding full-pelt towards the rear of a police line - riot cops facing away bullde into the crowd with stun-rods and riot shields, while an APC sprayed them with immobilisng foam, with half a dozen other APCs and armoured vehicles waiting for prisoners.
Shadow dropped into a turn - and lost control.
It was a combination of the pain from his mauled leg, fatigue from running down all twenty-two flights of stairs with Crystal, loss of blood and the effect of the riot gas.
The electribike slipped from under him. He saw the rain slick red street-lit pavement rush up towards him.
He passed out under the flickering blue police lights.
When he woke up, he was bound securely to a gurney, in the back of some kind of high-security ambulance. He was in the air - The ambulance must have been a helicopter.
A metal-fibre waistcoat kept his arms to his sides, and his legs were tied with plasteel strips. He was wearing just trousers and his under vest, the rest of his clothing and gear had been stripped away. His trouser leg was cut off at the hip, and his leg was coveerd in sealant and bandages.
Three riot-cops were in the air ambulance with him, fully armoured, playing with their stun-rods.
"Don't move sonny." Said one, his face covered by the mirrored visor.
Shadow tried to free his arms. The waistcoat gave him a shock that sent him unconsious momentarily - A bout as powerful as a stun-rod.
A 'stun-vest', he thought. Interesting.
"I told you not to move." the cop said, a sergeant. "If you're wondering about yer girly-friend, we've got 'er nicely tied up at another 'ospital, don't you worry 'bout 'er."
There was laughter.
"You've got other things to worry about mate, hur hur hur. Stealing public property, disturbing the peace, GBH, murder... We'll 'ave words, my boy. Hur hur hur."
The helicopter security-ambulance thundered through the night, landing at Pentonville High-security prison, secure hospital wing, where Shadow was transferred to a cell with only a medi-drone for company, awaiting his fate.
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(Wesforce)
BBC News update
Woman found undergoing 'Abhorrent goblinisation'
"Reports have come in of a woman apparently found undergoing what is being called 'abhorrent goblinisation'. The woman, said to be human, white, and in her twenties, was first noticed by Riot Police in the midst of the rioting, not far from Angel Towers arcology."
"However, none of the hallmarks of regular human-ork or human-troll gobliniastion are apparent on the victim. Details are unclear, but it is said the woman is being held under observation at the Colonel Garcia memorial hospital."
"This also adds credence to other rumours of 'freak mutants' reported, but not confirmed earlier in the capital. Clancy Dougall reporting."
The BBC. Proudly serving Her Majesty Queen Antoinette.
***
Crystal also awoke under the ubiquitous 'blinding white light' that was the trademark of hospitals and dangerous research labs the world over.
What this one was, she couldn't be sure.
Actually, she didn't really care anymore.
"Kill...me..."
Now as well as the intense back pain, she had concussion and a swathe of bandages on her head. She vaguely remembered her lunatic kidnapper grabbing her again, going for some kind of bike chase. He'd lost control of the bike, and...
"How are you feeling?" Said a voice. Crystal didn't bother turning to see who it was, knowing it was a doctor. Turning her head would have caused waves of nausea.
"Perfectly fine, thank you." She responded. "I can walk, I can see. Please show me to my fraggin' taxi so I can get the frag out of here."
"Haha, no," smarmed the doctor, "We're keeping you under observation for a while, your, ah," Did Crystal hear a suppressed laugh? "Condition is improving, but too interesting to let go. I'll be back in a mo'."
Footsteps, two sets - The doc was accompanied. Tne door opened, closed, not concealing the sussuration of voices outside, questioning voices...
Like news reporters...
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(Riff)
Shadow was driving as fast as he could with Crystal on it.
He noticed it didn't go as fast with both of them on it.
As he turned the corner he saw the rioting was going on still and there were police men ahead.
Shadow then knew he made a mistake and tried to turn but lost control as he did this because of the high speeds.
He noticed the road was coming up fast and the pavement was slick and the bike slipped out from underneath him.
Shadow hit the ground hard, passing out as he sw the blue lights of the police cars.
When he woke up a few hours later he noticed he was in an ambulance.
Shadow looked himself up and down and noticed he was strapped to a restraintment device.
He also noticed his weapons were gone and his clothes had been cut.
He then heard one riot cop say a couple of words and nodded.
He then tried to get his arms free but got a shock and he was stunned a couple of moments.
A few moments later he heard laughter from them and he smirked.
Hours later they landed at the prison, he then woke up in the security cell.
Shadow looked around and saw a couple of windows, there were bars in between the sil and the frame.
He sat there and thought about Crystal and wondered if she was ok.
Shadow then got up and called over to one of the guards whispering ot him, "Do I get a phone call?..."
He stood there waiting for the cops response.
"You can even be there with me...if you don't want me asking questions I am not allowed too...", he whispered again.
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(Wesforce)
Grudgingly, the grim-faced screw opened the cell door and walked in, while another at the heavy plasteel door aimed an IWS assault rifle at Shadow.
Shadow was still locked into the restraining device, sitting on his bunk
(GM: By the way, the bars are electrified, too :p )
The prison officer held the com handset in front of Shadow's face, so he could see.
"Number?" he grunted.
When Shadow told him, he held the set to Shadow's head so he could see the screen and talk.
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(Riff)
Shadow saw the guard open the door and walk over to him.
He also noticed there was another guard at the door with a rifle.
He told the guard, he wanted to talk to Crystal and he noddded.
The guard left and returned with the information, he saw the guard dial the number and saw it rang.
Shadow heard Crystal's voice after the third ring.
Shadow spoke into the phone at a soft and gentle tone (which was rare) "Hello Crystal...this is Shadow...the man that captured you and got you away from Fiennes..I was wondering on how you were doing...I am currently at the security prison.."
He looked at the guard and made sure he was being careful, he waited for Crystal's response.
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(Wesforce)
To his surprise, Crystal's 'phone was answered by a man, in police uniform.
"Ullo? Duh... Crystal? Who the bloody hell is that? Uh, you say this is her 'phone? Oh yeah. 'ang on, mate."
There was the sound of a big, dumb policeman blundering his way around the hospital, looking for the woman who'se property he was guarding.
"Excuse me sir, you can't see her! She;s under quarantine!"
"Duh, da guy sez to put 'er on, and I will, alroight?"
A moment passed. The 'thwack' sound of a man being punched in the head was heard. A door opened.
Crystal came on. She looked terrible, hair awry, bandages, groggy.
"Uhh, frag. Shadow? Is that you? What the frag is going on? Can you see a 3V anywhere?"
Shadow couldn't.
"There's a load of reporters here for some reason.What did you do to me?"
Without waiting for an answer, she carried on - "You've got a bloody nerve talking to me when you sold me to that piece of crap, Fiennes" She spat the name like venom. A pause.
"But you did get me away... For which... I am grateful."
She sighed.
"I can't do anything right now. But when I do get out of here... I'll see if I can get someone to get them to let you out."
The phone was hung up.
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(Riff)
Shadow heard a mans voice instead of Crystals and heard the man say a couple of words to him.
He then heard stumbling in the backround and then a thwacking sound as well.
A few moments later he saw Crystal and looked at her and the condition she was in.
He talked to her in his normal tone again, nodding as he heard what she said.
After about 15 minutes he saw her hang up the phone and the conversation ended.
Shadow wondered what he would do now and also wondered if he was ever going to be unstrapped.
He looked the guards in the eyes with his Prussian Blue eye color.
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(LeFire)
The gunship pilot was clear in her instructions... They were only going to hang around as long as it took for the troops in the back to check out the disturbance and extract any survivors. The gunship would orbit... the soldiers would have to fast-rope in. The officer leading them nodded, then signalled to his assistant standing at the other side of the Pacifier, one of the few remaining machines to have survived thus far in the daemon-infested-hell that was Geneva.
Time to drop in on a hot LZ.
The ten black-armoured MUNDI troops followed their instructions, though each wondered what was the use of extracting some obviously-doomed survivors still fighting in the ruined hospital below them. Their primary mission: (Extract a doctor named Hammerhand Harry from the ruins of Geneva on the orders of a certain MUNDI colonel who was his old comrade) had failed when they had arrived only to find the doctor's hospital deserted.
Now instead of heading back towards friendly lines, the ten of them would be risking their necks on the orders of the two strange new officers that the colonel had dug up from an obscure source.
But good soldiers didn't question orders.
Fast-roping down the lines, the men and women of MUNDI Special Forces Team 15 dropped into the warzone, the smell of burning living-dead already filling their noses.
***
Ery was exhausted... He gathered his energies for another push, mentally promising his hammered mind that that would be the last effort ever. His thoughts tripping over each other from fatigue, he summoned up a fire spell, knowing that the wounded elf beside him could not keep up the laser forever... the weapon had already become so hot that the stocky metahuman could barely fire the weapon without screaming, his burned and tattered skin hanging off the smoking laser.
Another rifle-elf... what was once a rifle-elf shambled to its knees, the eye sockets emptied by groping hands of the undead wave. It crawled over the laser-seared fallen, grinning maniacally at Ery. Dozens... scores more of its fellows followed in an unstoppable shambling wave.
Reserve some for yourself Ery... Self-immolation from a mana-short circuit beats turning into one of those things... Dammit... Why did it have to end like this?
Ery loosed his spell...
And suddenly, the entire front rank of the living dead seem to flare with inner light... and then they were gone, turned into ashes by a blast of flame that Ery knew himself incapable of summoning in his exhausted state.
And suddenly he wasn't alone with his last two or three Elves anymore... Black armoured MUNDI troops were darting out of the stairwells, loosing long bursts of gunfire into the milling undead. Leading them was a spectacular sight... A MUNDI officer, dressed in full-black body-armour with a mirrored faceplate, wielding a flamethrower expertly as she moved forwards, only the obviously-feminine figure and the wash of red hair spewing from the back of her helmet betraying her as female.
Strange... what kind of flamethrower operator would be stupid enough to keep her long hair flying around like that?
Near her was another officer, this time wielding an unfamiliar assault rifle of a "classical" design... spewing out rounds with familiar ease at full-automatic from the shoulder, switching targets with ruthless efficiency.
There was something about this duo Ery recognised... but he couldn't place it... not in his exhausted state.
It was brutal and efficient... but even the fresh MUNDI soldiers and their two strangely-familiar leaders could not keep the living dead at bay for long. The female officer laid down a river of flame in the now-blazing hospital, separating the living dead from them as the MUNDI, supporting the few AET survivors, pulled out from the hospital waiting room up the stairwells. Her partner was the last one out of the ground floor, pumping FAE (fuel-air explosive) grenades out from his underbarrel launcher at a rapid pace as they returned to the rooftop where a battle-scarred Pacifier orbited high above.
Ery fell over on the stairs, his vision swimming. Mana shock... he thought. I overexerted myself. The two MUNDI leaders caught him and hauled him up.
They held up on the top floor, more MUNDI commandos rigging up hasty booby traps as the gunship came down for a landing.
For a moment in this short break, Ery found himself staring into the mirrored faceplate of one of his saviours, the female one. Reaching out with a shaking finger, he touched the shiny surface and the officer seemed to hesistate for a moment. She looked towards her partner, who gave a little nod. Then both of them touched buttons on their helmet straps.
The mirror-effect cleared... leaving Ery speechless.
"Chance here spotted your team down there in trouble... since our original mission's gone tits-up, we figured that we do you a little favour."
Ash grinned, her strange irises, the blue-gold of a intense flame, seeming to twinkle with the light of an inner fire.
"You may be nothing but corp scum..." Ash winked to lighten her words.
"But its still nice to see you again, Ery... And you owe us lunch."
---------------------------------------------
(CKW)
A man stepped in. Crystal couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Seems like your little friend did what I thought."
Wolf. With a medic gear, doing the work of a medic. He WAS a medic.
"Ah, Doctor Alexeiv! It's such a nice pleasure to see you again! There are patients..."
"No, nurse, I am busy right now. I am---"
He looked at the woman in the bed. The nurse understood. He had work to do. He kneeled over Crystal.
"How are you, miss Fiennes?"
"Shut up, leave me alone, scum! You are on my father's side!"
Wolf's face reacted to that phrase. He slightly moved the coat, revealing the revolver.
"You have no idea of what are you saying, Crystal. Fiennes does not know that you are here."
Crystal? How could he know his nickname?
"Who... who are you?" She gasped.
"Nicholas Alexeiv AKA "Wolf", member of the six Stalkers, friend of Dragon, and son of Grigor Alexeiv, one of the greatest DNA researchers of all times!"
Crystal's eyes widened. "Nick? Is that you?!"
***
"Greetings Lord Mawroth, leader of the Silver Dragons. My name is Draco, and I am a messenger of Tyadoron."
The huge, old silver dragon expelled some smoke from his mouth.
"Welcome you, stranger. Your presence is a proof of the kindness of Tyadoron, not having lesser dragons to send, he honoured me sending one of her own Brood instead."
Draco felt relieved. At least, he had showed kindness for him. That was good.
"But your visit puts me on a trouble. We have no rooms for Greater Dragons like you in this Antartic Fortress."
Lady Varos. She again.
"Do not worry father. My room is big enough to accomodatte the guest."
Mawroth stared at his young daughter. Then nodded.
"Alright, Varos. It shall be done"
Draco quickly replied. He couldn't say "No" to an old, respectable dragon like Mawroth. But the dragon girl... had something plotted. He could sense it.
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