Training Facility.

[Hinnaku2]

Anvil looked up as Hammer spoke to him, nodding quickly he gave a salute and heade doff down the corridor. He hadn't really cared to much to participate in the previous conversation. It was about that...child. The one that tried to kill them. Well Anvil for one was glad to see the boy gone, hopefully he wouldn't come back...

Now though, there was a bigger task at hand, Captain Jek...The door's security wouldn't allow for anyone under Colonel in the navy to override, and there was no time to go looking. Anvil wrapped his hand around a small object at his belt, "Ah yes...time fo-" Well...perhaps he should knock...once. "Captain Jek?" He questioned and lightly tapped on the door, "Oh well...no answer. Let's do this the fun way."

In an instant he pulled a small flat disc from his belt and slammed it to the front of the door, there was a small hissing knows as it adhered itself into the metal. "Hopefully he isn't passed out by the door...that would be a shame..." Anvil entered a quick four diget code and lept back. An instant later the door burst in to the room, slamming roughly to the ground.

"No one screamed...that might be good..." Stepping over the reckage he surveyed the room, and there on his bed, sound asleep, lay Captain Jek. "Captain?" He questioned. No response. "Captain..." He said again stepping next to the bed. Still nothing. "Captain!" He shouted and slapped Jek across the face.  

[l-Edgewalker-l]

Ace took his hand off Liek's shoulder as she began to try and establish contact with Aidan. It would be best if she had no distractions for such an important task. The Private's attention was turned to Seargent Hammer as he ordered Anvil to investigate the situation with Captain Jek. He was at ease for a moment, but grew tense after Hammer uttered the word: Death. To Ace the Captain seemed an immortal man, and the Seargent's words made him bitter and angry, though he did his best not to show any sign of either.

Anvil left down the hall. As Ace began refocus on Liek and Hammer, Miss Tower was actually stepping toward him to embrace in a hug. Spontaneous, but not unwanted. She then whispered something into his ear. 'May luck be with us?' what was that supposed to mean? The Private perished the thought and left Liek to do her work. He turned to face Hammer.

"Sir, if there is anything I can do, I would like to help" Ace didn't know what he could do besides aid his superiors or await chastisement from Jek for failing.


SMACK. Jek felt like he had been slapped across the face. As the Captain came back to conciousness he realized that he was, in fact, slapped across the face. Steading himself with his quicksilver, placed evenly on both of his shoulder blades for support, Jek combed his hand through his purple hair. 'At least I got some sleep' he inwardly groaned.

Now outwardly groaning, Captain Jek spoke as a teenager would getting up early for classes, "What's the meaning of this?" He demanded, losing all kindness and speech edicate due to his disposition. The air smelled like burning metal.  

[Hinnaku2]

Anvil stared through his helmet for a moment at the Captain, 'Perhaps that wasn't the best way to do that...', He thought to himself. "Uhhhh, sir!" He said trying to remember why, in fact he had even come to wake the captain. "We have somewhat of a situation, sir!" Where to start..."The boy, Aidan, he's gone. He was taken by two men, they infiltrated the base completely undetected." Anvil himself has not personally been there...so maybe it was best to bring the Captain to the others..

"Sir! Private Ace and...the woman...Liek? They were the ones who discovered the infiltrators and tried to subdue them, would you like me to bring you to them?"  

[l-Edgewalker-l]

"It never ends" The Captain grumbled to himself more than to Anvil.

Terrific. First the inhibitors, then Carrie, then he's shot, then this. Not a moment of rest... not in this empire. Jek arose from the bed and walked over to his closet. He may not feel great but that wouldn't prevent him from looking decent. Captain Jek exchanged his old blue trim coat with a green trim. A subtle change.

He turned back from the closet to face Corporal Anvil. The quivering ball of gleaming Quicksilver galvanized his fists as the Captain walked up to the soldier, "Yes, take me to them please" He requesting, calamity settling into his senses once he regained his bearings.  

[ChaosMidget]

Sergeant Hammer looked to Ace, nodding briskly at his request to help. He was going to say, 'We'll wait for the Captain before I have you do anything else just yet,' but stopped when he noticed the look on Ace's face. A twinge of worry perhaps? A slight wrinkle at the edge of his mouth betrayed him.

"You're worried about The Captain's reaction? You think you failed? Don't. The boy would have been gone without a trace if it weren't for you two. You handled the whole ordeal very well, and in the end, you made the right decision. Better Aidan kidnapped and none killed or wounded, than Aidan kidnapped and Liek dead."

 

[l-Edgewalker-l]

Ace couldn't begin to think up a response at first, out of shock.

'Is ******** everyone telepathic in Jek's facility?' Hammer had read him like a book, 'But how?' Private Royals was confused but quelled his thoughts at realizing the possibility that the seargent DID have psychic powers. Paranoia was a b***h. He formulated a response after a short pause of silence.

"Thank you sir," Ace saluted. He tried to remain emotionless as he felt he should since his superior made things sound so matter-of-factly. He felt that he should be serious in the company of anyone except Jek, who was more like a Father than a Captain to him. Ace still felt like he had failed Jek, despite Seargent Hammer's reassurance.  

[ChaosMidget]

Sergeant Hammer looked almost absent-mindedly at nothing in particular. Perhaps brooding slightly.

"You learn a lot as a soldier when you last as long as I have. One of the first things is body language. In the Imperial City, you have to learn to differentiate between the petty thugs and the real hard cases to survive. There will always be crime. There's just not enough time in the world to beat the crap out of every two-bit pickpocket who happens to own a switchblade. You just gotta know where the real threat is before it rises up and sinks its fangs into the back of your neck. Sometimes literally if we're talking rat beasts."

He smiled slightly as he looked at Ace again.

"Like I said, don't worry about it. It'll only cloud your duty. As long as you have that, nothing else really matters. Empire is first and foremost, everything else can wait."

He clapped the Private on the back.

"Just think about how you're going to get through the day and worry about the future when it gets here. It's no use trying to predict what will happen; It never happens the way you plan."

 

[l-Edgewalker-l]

Private Ace was at first bored with the seargents seemingly boring lecture, but payed close attention regardless. His thoughts changed in favor of Hammer when he recognized the humor at the mention of rat beasts and rested easy knowing that his superior meant not to instill fear but teach a lesson.

"Thank you for your advice sir" royals responded with less stiffness and formality, but more as a full hearted answer to a common friend, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind" Ace slipped a salute in there, sometime mid sentence. Sloppy, but easily acknowledged the reality of rank and seriousness in the empire.
Private Royals refocused his attention on Liek.  

[l-Edgewalker-l]

And so 2 months passed of absolute silence  

[l-Edgewalker-l]

As violated as I feel by the nature of that post, Im actually ECSTATIC to see anything posted here

my morale just increased  

[derfmonger]

-0urytr9y 8cghnouesd-*-nknmkihjuy7nu/i  

[Hinnaku2]

"Right away sir!" Anvil turned out into the corridor to lead Captain Jek back to Private Ace and the Liek.

"Sorry about the door by the way Captain, but you wern't answering and this seemed like a critical situation!"

Anvil ran over what was going on in his head, he and Hammer had just killed the women Carrie, and that was certainly for the best, and now her son went missing without a trace. Anvil was glad he was gone, but the boy was very dangerous.

They reached the corridor in which Seargent Hammer was waiting, "Sir!"  

[l-Edgewalker-l]

Captain Jek squeezed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. This was going to be a long day... or several days. He had that feeling.

"Think nothing of it Corporal," He said with an obviously annoyed sigh, "you did the right thing breaking down my door. This indeed sounds critical"

The Captain's boots resounded in the halls among the silence of the base during off hours as he followed Anvil down the winding halls. His bullet wound was still quite tender. His eyes were red from the lack of sleep and added stress of recent events. This was going to be a long interlude before all was said and done.

As the small collaboration in the halls came into view, Jek took in the situation and stood there in silence, awaiting some ridiculous far fetched tale for an explaination. Ace had a terrified look on his face, Seargent Hammer was staring off into space, and Liek was in some kind of trance as if possessed. This 'ought to be good.

The ball of quicksilver, which had been faithfully wisping around behind Anvil and Jek, lazily orbited Captain Jek, who stood patiently with his hands behind his back.  

[Pink Rain Today]

Liek's temperature dropped, and her skin felt uncomfortable. She paled noticibly, and began to mutter, her voice slowly rising.

"Ace ... Ace ... Aidan, he's ..." Her eyes scanned the ground absently, and she lifted her gaze sharply, but could not seem to focus upon her friend's eyes.

"He was slaughtered."

Miss Tower looked lower once more, shaking her head so slightly, biting her lip. In one aspect, the sudden taking of his life was utterly shocking ... In another, there was a barbaric, beautiful thrill to senseless murder.