The Meteor [Open/Accepting]

[Dark Xaero]

[ Jack : Wasteland ]

It was quiet, too quiet. The kind silence that could bring a bead of nervous perspiration to one's skin. A silence, where death loomed in wait. It had been no-less then a few hours since Jack had taken notice of the bestial howl in the distance trailing behind them, and Douglas wasn't one to wait around. Picking up the pace as suggested, the mimic took up watch behind Jasper as Douglas persuaded the old mule to hurry. Despite being extremely stubborn, the animal wasn't one to enjoy the idea of being lunch to something possibly far more terrifying.

“What do you think it was Douglas?” As much as it interested him in learning more of the dangers that belonged to the wastes. Judging by the size of that howl, Jack didn't need to over calculate the size of the beast it belonged to.

The old caravan driver grunted, “well, likely its a Goliath. But I’ve heard stories that there's something bigger. Hell, I've heard stories that there's something bigger than that. Either way were just a snack waiting to happen if we don't get to Steel town soon.”

Jack nodded, tightening his grip on his weapon, he didn't want to be a snack either.

Taking a scan of the distant horizon, the mimic caught the image of a young woman along the broken road. Judging by her posture she was apparently hitchhiking. To Jack, this was quite suspicious for a person to do. Especially when raiders and other dangers could be lurking about. It was likely a trap.

Tapping Douglas on the shoulder in haste. Jack moved up in front, in case small arms fire should happen, he would prove to be an excellent body shield for the old man.

“What is it kid?” Spotting the woman on the road, who now seemed to notice them, the old man pulled out his automatic rifle. Despite his age, Douglas wasn't one who could lose a fight. Especially to some road side thugs.  

[Kallori]

Hearing a voice suddenly call out to her made the girl startle slightly, and she turned to see who it was. The first thing to catch her eye was a pack mule that didn't seem too happy with its job. There were two people in the caravan, a young boy around her age or slightly older, and an older fellow who looked like he had seen better days. Oh good, some cavalry's arrived, she thought as she slowly made her way nearer. Although the two men looked like an unlikely pair, Sera was sure they had their reasons for sticking together. Suddenly she felt like she was just going to be a third wheel, and halted in her tracks. On the one hand, if she refused to accept the ride, she would be stuck roaming the wastes on foot, and by herself no less. Then again, she really didn't have a choice, considering the predicament her truck was in. Even if these two were uncertain about her, she'd have to deal with it until she got to her destination. Until then, they were just going to be acquaintances, nothing more. Heaving a sigh, she came up beside the mule, and although it snorted at her, she stroked its mane gently for a while, hoping to calm the animal.

"I don't suppose you two would offer a lift, would you?" Sera looked up at the younger of the two, and was slightly put off. The boy's green hair was one thing, but his red eyes completed the theoretical disposition she had thought of upon first glance. The older was slightly more...normal-looking. After the once-over, she turned her head to where her truck sat in the ditch. "As you can see, I lost control and got stuck, and no matter what I do, I can't get it out." stroking the mule some more, she turned back to greet those unnerving red eyes of the boy. "So...would you kindly offer a lonely little girl a ride?" She doubted they would buy her little act at those last few words, or even comply and let her join them. They could very well be thugs, and she took note of how the older was gripping an old rifle, subtly glancing in his direction, obviously just as wary about her as she was about them. But she didn't have any other choice at the moment, and if a fight were to break out, she had her own pistol to bring to the party.  

[Dark Xaero]

[ Jack : Wasteland ]

It didn’t take genius for Jack to realize that this woman was speaking the truth about her predicament. The proof was easy to see and her clothing was far less worn then the average wasteland trash that ransacked innocent people daily. But that didn't mean the mimic was going to let his guard down just yet, especially with the way she eyed him suspiciously.

“Well, If its a lift your after, I don't mind the extra company. Name's Douglas, this fella here is Jack. So ah...where you headed?” It was astonishing for Jack, to witness how quickly the old caravan driver could switch gears. A second ago it was likely he could have gunned this woman down without so much as thought. But now, he seemed to be back in his usual mood.

Taking a glance to give this new individual a once over. Jack quickly detected what kind of equipment she held upon her person. deducing her current threat level as, above average. Sure, he didn't trust her outright for they had just met, but there was also the fact that she couldn't seem to keep her eyes away from his own which made him more then a little, uncomfortable.

“Hey Douglas, I'll take up the rear again.”

Moving to the back of Jasper, Jack went on with his scanning of the surrounding area. Observing the same old scene he had stared at for the last few miles only this time catching the odd peek from the woman. Why did she seem so interested in him?  

[Kallori]

Sera smiled when Douglas allowed her to join their little ragtag team, and took up a position beside the mule. Every so often she'd glance behind her towards the boy with the red eyes. Whenever she did, her skin crawled, and she didn't know why. But then something hit her like a brick wall, and she mentally slapped herself as to why she didn't think of it before. If a guy as nice as Douglas was roaming with this...Jack character, surely the latter had no intentions of bringing harm to others. This set her mind at ease, however slightly. She wondered if talking to the boy would help ease some tension between them. And maybe she could find out about his darn eyes.

Slowing her pace so as to fall back and strike up a conversation, she observed his weapon he carried, a simple pole that looked like it came from an old street sign. She thought to herself for a moment before clearing her mind and breaking the proverbial ice. "So where are you two headed?" and the girl physically slapped herself this time, forgetting to answer the question Douglas asked in that same vein. "As for me, I'm going to Steel Town. It's kinda my 'home away from home', so to speak. A lot of good memories there." The last time she was in Steel Town, she even got to meet up with a friend she hadn't seen in a while. Of course, that was the last time she saw her friend, as they were abducted the next morning. Sera lowered her head, the memory filling her thoughts. If Sera wasn't as fearless as she is now, she might've been able to save them. But one thing the girl did learn was to accept faults and grow from them.

She glanced over at the boy, this time not at his eyes, but into them, before looking forward. "Sorry, I must be coming off as weird to you."  

[Dark Xaero]

[ Jack : Wasteland ]

The girl's sudden change of character was intriguing to Jack, he had never encounter someone who used such simple words to describe how they were acting. Usually the people he had met went the vulgar route.

“Weird huh? Well I guess the way you've been eyeing me, I'm probably just as weird. Either that, or maybe... you have some sort of infatuation with me?” The Young woman's face quickly lit up in surprise, a kind of stunned shock that brought a cheerful smile to Jack as he chuckled. Oh how he loved to poke fun at the naive and gullible, it was so easy.

But there was too little to work with. Most people he found in the wasteland didn't seem interested in friendly banter. Always full of fear or hardened from a life alone. This woman though seemed like one of the select few who still enjoyed some lighthearted humor.

Jack enjoyed bringing a smile to someone every so often, even if it was for the most briefest of moments he knew he had still accomplished something and thus found some purpose in this world. It made him feel, happy. Or at least what it meant to be full of joy.

Returning back to his previous duty the mimic continued to scan the area for potential dangers. Besides an old dilapidated swing set, a small drop in temperature and a very faint scream far out in the distance. Everything was fine out in the home front.

“By the way miss, whats your name?”  

[Kallori]

Sera was startled that the boy come to such a conclusion, even if it was remotely plausible. "Whoa, what? Um, no, I guess." she rubbed the back of her head, lowering it in doing so. "It's just...ugh, it's...well, I don't really know how to word this without sounding prejudice..." and she really didn't. In all her years, she had never met anyone that struck her quite like Jack did, and not entirely in a pleasant way. "Don't hate me, but it's..." she paused, looking at the boy's face. "your eyes. From what I've learned, red eyes typically indicate evil, but you..." she made a strange, exasperated sigh, as if she was just running her mouth and saying the worst accusations. "I guess I'm just trying to say, they're not natural, at least not where I come from."
Then a realization dawned, one she didn't think of earlier, mainly because she was wrapped up in other thoughts. Perhaps this boy's eye color wasn't natural at all, yet it wasn't unnatural. Perhaps, out of minimal chance, they were... "Sorry, I must sound like a complete idiot, and it didn't even cross my mind. But, by chance, could you be wearing...contacts?"
The boy's own question rattled around in her head, and she hadn't forgot it with her odd rant. "I'm Sera. Sort of a hunter against Young, but I work for the PAAC." she paused, going on and sort of dismissing whether the boy acknowledged, "In fact, one of the bastards was raiding my fridge when I got to my house, and the rest of its group was absent from the scene, but showed up a few hours later. Was nothin' I couldn't handle, just a small mob of three." she chuckled slightly. "I kicked the door into the first one's face, was quite funny to see it reel from the pain as I shot the second. I sniped the third before they got to my doorstep..." She turned her head to the boy. "Oh, sorry, did I go on one of my spiels again? I tend to do that..."  

[Dark Xaero]

[ Jack : Wasteland ]

A light smirk met his lips as Jack listened to the woman who now identified herself as Sera, Stumble somewhat with her words. He had heard her questions yes, yet now she seemed more self-conscious, nervous and Shy. It couldn't have been do to what he said, could it? Ridiculous, he was over analyzing things.

But this didn't hinder the fact that Jack was being questioned about the odd color of his eyes. His eyes huh. Till now, he never knew they held such an unusual hue. But this was the guy who had bright green hair thinking, so it didn't seem too surprising. “Contacts? Uh, no actually. Till now I had no idea myself.”

Sera was right to question him. After all he was a machine and judging by the condemning things he had done previously along with his blood caked clothing and weapon. It wasn't odd at all that she may have just been acting on her self-preservation instincts. He was technically a monster.

A monster... the word once again resurfaced to haunt him. He had killed many people so far along his own journey, but not by his own control. Some were of the not so savoury variety, while others seemed just stupidly innocent. It was, unnerving. Unnerving to the point that his grip tightened severely on the long pipe he carried, causing the metal to whine softly from the pressure.

A hacking cough quickly snapped Jack back to reality as Douglas spoke up.“The young huh? I wouldn't trifle with those things lightly miss, unless of course you've got a death wish.”

A death wish? Well, it wouldn't be first time for Jack and he doubted it was gonna be the last. “And why do you say that Douglas?”

The old caravan driver grunted. “Well kid, the babysitter will tear ya apart before you even realize what hit ya. Believe me, when I say avoid conflict out here as much as possible, avoid it like a plague. I've met your type before Miss Sera, hunters, here to take a chunk out of the mutant population. Except the one's I've met were packed to take down a Goliath, not a babysitter.”  

[Kallori]

Sera was a little surprised by the boy's answer. How could he not have known? "So wait, you didn't know what color they were? Haven't you at least looked into a mirror, or seen your reflection on the water's surface or in an intact window, not even once?" She herself didn't own a mirror aside from what her truck was equipped with, but she had seen reflections in windows whenever she visited the PAAC facility. They were usually installed to close of different rooms of the building while still letting someone peek in to see what treatments the animals were being given without interfering. "Well, there's water right over there, though I don't know how well you'd be able to see it..." she pointed to the small river just on the other side of the trail. "Course it's also dropped a lot..."

Sera was a little shaken and stirred by Douglas' words of caution. She tried to word her reply as delicately as possible without angering the old man too much. "Look, I'm sure you've seen your share of battles, considering I don't know what a 'Babysitter' is, but I can handle Young on my own, thank you very much, and I know damn well to stay clear of the others. I've seen Goliaths more than once, and escaped by the skin of my teeth, but that was only during routine roundups, as part of my job." she paused, letting the info soak in. "Speaking of which, I don't hunt those bastards, I just fight them to show who's boss. And also because I can barely go anywhere without seeing them."

Sera suddenly let out a yawn. Her exhaustion was catching up with her, and although walking was a good distraction, she might have to down another energy drink. Fortunately, she stuffed three in her duffel bag before leaving her house. Speaking of her bag, she slipped it off her shoulders and opened the zipper partway, rummaging for her respirator. She pulled it out a moment later and took a deep breath before putting it back and slinging the bag over her shoulder again.  

[Dark Xaero]

[ Jack : Wasteland ]

Taking time to look in the mirror? When did he ever have time? To Jack, time was nothing to waste and with the number of things that constantly seemed to pursue him wherever he went, spotting his reflection in the odd shard of glass seemed very trivial. Following Sera's direction to the small filthy river that seemed more polluted then the land it flowed through, Jack caught the faintest shimmer of his visual identity as he passed by.

It wasn't much to go on. But he had to admit, his unique look certainly stood out from a crowd. Especially with the blood that caked him like dried icing. What he needed right now was a shower and some clean clothing, or if he had to choose, some clean clothing. At least, cleaner then what he had on right now.

Turning his direction to Douglas who seemed to be musing over something or another with his mule Jasper. Jack caught up with the conversation that went on without him.

“I don't mean to offend miss Sera, just telling the truth like it is. A babysitter, like the name suggests, is charged with handling the young. Or the early stage of heavy mutation. They sort of protect 'em and do a damn good job of it too. Judging by what you do though, I'm actually surprised your still alive, cause that pee shooter you have ain't gonna do you no good against something that can tear through a squad of fifteen heavily armed machines. In less then a minute.”

The words of the old caravan driver demanded a great amount of attention to them. Douglas wasn't one to mess around, especially when he explained about the dangers that prowled the wastes and Jack respected the man for his knowledge and tips. Since, from what dangers the mimic had encountered alone. Douglas had apparently encountered before.

Sera however, was a bit more brash and over confidant. Notably when someone seemed to question her ability. Jack wondered how such a woman would handle in a combat situation without her current equipment.

“Also, I'm surprised the PAAC allow you to do solo ops now. From what I've heard, the last official in head command never use to even allow his adviser to go out unaccompanied by at least two others. But I guess that was before the murder.”  

[Kallori]

A young man of around twenty or so sat at a small desk, lit up with a few holographic buttons. On the screen, which sat just above the desk on the wall, were two pictures. One was of a small band of disgusting looking creatures laden with scars and bullet wounds, though their posture indicated they were not down for the count. The other was a still image of a small video clip he managed to retrieve from the optical data of an Andro unit sent to patrol the area. As he played the clip over and over, it showed the landscape around the moving rather rapidly. The unit must've been built more for speed than strength. Several of the beings from the left image appeared in sight, and all were obliterated by this Andro and the other units assigned along with it.

"Gamma 03, what's your status?" one asked.

"Everything's secure on our end." the unit replied through the use of an audio receptor built into the Andros.

"Good. Zeta 01, how about you?"

"Needing a little help." the unit, through its robotic voice and tone, sounded almost scared. "A Goliath has breached the southern section, and I'm doing all I can to-" suddenly a strange sound was heard, followed by static.

"Zeta 01? Zeta 01, come in!" no answer. "Everyone, to the southern section! We can't afford another loss!"

Another. That's what the man watching the feed was concerned with. The rest of the video shows the units combating the Goliath, and all failing. Suddenly the feed went to static before turning black.
The man sat back in his chair for a brief moment, thinking it over, before darting his eyes back up to the screen. He set an elbow on the desk and rested his head in his hand, letting out a sigh of frustration. First was the attack on Veteran's Port, or as the locals refer to it, "Hell Harbor", located in what used to be southern Ontario, which the CEC had successfully defended a couple months ago, but now there were two new raids that had caught the man's ears, and around the same time, no less. The first was relatively close to Veteran's Port, in the ruined city of Hanover, sometimes called Hangover because it's full of drunks last he checked. He could only assume some of the mutants that survived fled there, but he had yet to go out himself. A small squad was deployed there after a debate with his fellows to continue the extermination, though he suspects they may be struggling now. The second raid that is currently active popped up far to the northwest in an older Junction called Splinterburg. He has visited this one seldom, but knows the people well. So far, no action on his behalf has been taken, only because he has recently uncovered Splinterburg's situation. He doubts they'll comply with a second squad, but after all, this is part of the world he governs; something must be done.

The man sat back in his chair and glanced toward the steel sliding door. a big "06" was painted on it to indicate his room number, and it was the same thing on the outside. Where is she? I thought she'd be back by now.

Suddenly a holographic image of a woman popped up, streams of data running down the avatar. Considering, she was very detailed. He had almost forgotten how hard the supercomputer's engineer had worked on creating the hologram before him. "Zachary Hawkins, I shall inform you that Madelaine Taylor is on her way."

"Thank you DAWN."  

[Dark Xaero]

[ Darwin : Citadel : Council Room ]

The situation had erupted beyond measure. But then again it was just like any other normal day for Darwin. Now, here he sat. Awaiting his subordinate to receive his summoning so he could get the full explanation involving this incident underway. Once that was taken care of, precautions would be discussed with the other members, then carried out and proper ordinance along with military reinforcement could ship off. But Darwin wasn't one to act hastily. He would handle this with honed skill and ability.

Hearing the hiss of a door opening followed with light footsteps in tow, the aged headmaster looked to his newest guest. At the entrance, stood a man who was anything but simple. With his rugged longcoat, oval shades, turtle neck and shoulder length hair. Dune, certainly gave the word “serious” a new meaning and it wasn't any surprise to Darwin that the Arabic man was here with questions.

“Sir, if the problem has escalated from the incident involving Veteran’s port, will we be able to afford reinforcement? You know that the China situation has forced our hand, what with the riots. Plus the others also have their plates more then full.”

Darwin sighed, despite enjoying the company of Dune. do to the small fact that he reminded the aged headmaster of himself. The Arabic man seemed to question far to many things. Which was helpful, if he didn't constantly state the obvious, “I'm sure everything will work out Dune. Now, are the others able to attend the meeting?”

The man nodded, taking a moment to clean off his shades with a piece of torn fabric he had stuffed in a coat pocket, “Nicole will be here in a matter of minutes, as will the others. But sir as I've stated before its doubtful they will even comply to a call for arms should-”

“If, its required Dune. You need to keep your mind on the present rather then the future my friend.” Darwin disliked the idea of having to once again lecture the young bodyguard. Especially with an event such as this at hand, perhaps after it was dealt with, he could take the time to drill some sense into him.

“Regardless of, `if we can spare them or not.` The fact remains. What is causing this increase of aggressiveness from the mutant population surrounding Canada? There has to be a source. Hell, it hasn't even been more then six month since the last incident and Zachary usual has handle of most situations there.”

Indeed the question was troubling. In all his years, Darwin had never encountered so much activity from them, especially there. Something was up and the likelihood it had human or senti involvement was high.  

[Kallori]

Sera heeded Douglas' words with care and caution. It would've been likely that a Babysitter may have been lurking nearby during her assassinations of the Young, but if they were, why hadn't she seen any? Or why didn't they reveal themselves? The theories were odd, but what mattered was she was alive and here now to learn of these mutants before dying at the hands of one by accidentally crossing into its path. What shocked her was another fact Douglas mentioned; its prowess in killing off large groups of fighters. A chill went down her spine at those words.

"M-Murder?" What the old fart mentioned about the organization she worked for, cared about even, struck a chord she didn't like. True, she had heard something about such an event, but she was much younger and all of the details were kept from her. What she only knew was that it was a simple accident, nothing further. Driven off the road, much like she was before meeting these two. It took her a bit of strength to regain composure, and once she did, inquired further. "So, what exactly happened then?" she doubted Douglas knew every detail, but it seemed he knew quite a bit to tell her and shed some light on the subject.  

[Dark Xaero]

[ Jack : Wasteland ]

Murder, it was a thing that seemed very unimportant to the world as it was now. Even Jack couldn't understand how someone such as Sera would take such information in stunned silence. Death came as frequently as turning the wrong corner, opening the wrong door, or... picking the wrong meal. Even she was a killer. But perhaps, the young women still had yet to see it? Jack shook his head thoughtfully, such a question wouldn't even make sense to her. She was human, in every point of the word. So was Douglas. But, there was a large difference in everything they did. Every word they spoke, every motion they made. No, the mimic understood now. Sera, had yet to lose someone very dear to her.

But so did Jack at one point. Till now, he had not really connected to anyone as a friend. Douglas was the exception of course but, before now, everywhere he went. Nothing but trouble followed. Glancing over to Sera the mimic pondered with innocent curiosity about the individuals she had in her life if any. Maybe this PAAC which she was apart of, was her, family?

Turning his focus back to Douglas, Jack watched with renewed interest as the man pulled out an aged canteen before popping off the top and putting it to his dry lips eagerly. The mimic stared on in utter fascination at the common sight as his mind tried desperately to piece together the “taste” this amber colored liquid that spilled out from its container held. But he avoided the subject for it seemed very unnecessary now.

“Mmm, thats good. Anyways, to answer your question miss Sera, from what I heard. The whole event involving the murder of the last head official of PAAC all those years ago. Seemed to have been conspired by two perpetrators.” Douglas gave a light cough before downing some more of his canteen, finally taking the time to close it up and stash it away.

“Now, mind you this is mostly speculation from a few other retired members. But, according to them. The current head. Was the adviser and sole mastermind to the whole death. The second however was apparently a recent addition, some young guy going by the last name of Fost or something, I don't know the details. Anyways, they say the guy was good at playing dumb and after the job was done he vanished.”
 

[Kallori]

"Fost?" The details Douglas had given the young woman were both vague and precise, though hell if she knew which was which. However, that name, this 'Fost' character...Sera felt she knew this person. Putting a finger to her chin, she pondered the facts in her head. But it didn't take long to figure out what she was after. "Fost...You mean Foster?" and then, as if hit by a brick wall, her head snapped up and she let her arm fall by her side. Leigh Foster?

Now things were starting to fall into place. The moment she met Leigh, she picked up a weird vibe from the man, even though he acted like a rookie who had just joined the organization, and seemed to have little knowledge of what to do. But that was just it. He acted. That alone put Sera off, and she rarely trusted the man afterwards. Even after his participation in a murder, and apparently disappearing, why would he come back? But more importantly came a memory she had earlier before her last shift ended. Leigh had radioed her as a Goliath was trying to raid her truck of its live contents, and most likely add her to its main course. Either his timing was off, or he intended to kill her and make it look like an accident. Surely she'd have some words, but she'd need to do some digging first. However, since she was so far away from the facility, she'd have to put it on the backburner and focus on what lay ahead. As soon as I get back... she ended her thought by slamming a fist into her open palm, an expression of anger she picked up from one of her brothers.

Switching topics, the young woman let her arms fall back to her sides and her expression changed from angered to calm. "So, how much longer till we hit Steel Town?"  

[Dark Xaero]

[ Jack : Wasteland ]

Foster. The name appeared to easily irk the woman. But just as quickly as it had, she faltered and regained her previous composure. Choosing to instead change the matter entirely, much to Jack's own disappointment. But this didn't pry away from the fact that the name Fost was Foster and seemed to be related to someone Sera had once known or likely still did know. Jack's curiosity was piqued and yet, now wasn't the time to ask for answers.

“Don't you worry miss Sera, we'll be there soon.”

Douglas gave a simple reply to the young woman's short question and judging by his lighthearted tone. The old man wasn't the new guy in town when dealing with the impatient. Sure Sera seemed to be only avoiding one subject for another now, but that didn't hide her slight fidgeting every now and again. Especially to such keen old eyes.

A pregnant silence followed the short words like a rat searching for food. Though the caravan driver likely didn't pay any mind, Jack found the need for this odd tension to dissipate immediately.

“So uh, Douglas, what kind of business do you usually have in a place such as Steel Town?”

The man chuckled through haggard coughs. It was almost as if he had just heard an idiot state the obvious, “well kid, as a caravan driver, I'm charged with the carrying and selling of goods. But I'm also charged with delivery of said goods. A number of markets actually rely on me to procure specific ingredients that can only be acquired from other establishments. I get what they want and in return, they give me what I want. Credits. Simple as that.”

Credits, they were the lifeblood of the economy as it was now, Jack knew that much. Which meant, he was broke, besides the clothing on his back and the grenades in his pouch. A thought that wasn't too pleasing. Picking up on a faint noise to the left of him, The mimic spun to face it, quickly scanning the area for the source. Beyond the remains of a rural house that still stood its ground in addition to leaning precariously to one side. Something was there. But his scan's results brought up nothing. Yet, call it intuition, he didn't believe it.

“Kid, leave it. That sound was probably just the house wailing. It should collapse soon and to be honest, I'm kinda surprised it lasted this long.”

The old man's words of reassurance calmed Jack's rigid frame as he returned to the group, but it didn't help the suspicion he now had of that house. Something, was watching them there. No, someone was watching him there.

As the trio moved on from the dead building, a soft mechanical growl followed by the sound of tension releasing from large metal joints echoed faintly as a figure shrouded in the darkness given off by the old structure observed its prey with malice and murderous intent.

“Little brother...”