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 Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 4:19 pm
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 6:59 pm
Bios are up, we are offically starting. So you may post now.
Also, we still need people so please invite!
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 9:01 pm
 
Michelle died last week from radiation poisoning. Alec was mauled by a lone ember and lost an eye three days ago. Brian had a mild cancer and needed frequent checkups. Markus was locked up in his room because of a contagious flu he’d contracted. Adel was pregnant. Chris was healing from a bullet to the side of his face. Logan has a nasty bruise on his chest where Sin had punched him during one of their playful squabbles. Darius had a tender cut on the back of his head where he had knocked it against an engine. Some of the skin on Ryan’s leg was burned off and peeling away in chunks.
Rosen had seen it all. Nothing surprised her anymore. And no matter what happened, she had always seen worse.
But that didn’t keep her from cringing. It wouldn’t stop her from staying up all night at a patient’s side to make sure they were ok. It certainly didn’t make her feel any better.
Especially when there was a smiling little girl in front of her that might very well die within the week.
“Say ah.”
“Ahhhhhhhhh.”
“Very good Shayla. Can you lay down for me now?”
“Yes Ms. Rosey.”
“I’m going to check on your leg now, alright? I’m sorry, it’s going to hurt a little, but try to hold still.”
“Yes Ms. Rosey.”
Rosen’s reassuring smile was masked as she pulled a white cloth across her mouth and bent down next to the tiny girl’s bedside. The mottled sheet beneath Shayla was stained red around her leg. Rose frowned and slowly lifted the child’s dress to a few inches above her knee. She let out a little sigh of pity as Shayla tried not to squirm.
“You’re doing fine. This will all be over in a minute.” Rose’s voice was muffled and soft behind her mask, a gentle coo to sooth her. She was glad the little girl couldn’t see the frown pulling down her lips. The sight before her was worse than she needed to know.
A month ago Shayla was caught in the crossfire of a small battle. She’d slipped away from her room to watch the adults fight. An XForce commander saw the child and fired at her. The shot was so carefree that the man didn’t even bother to aim. His bullet grazed over Shayla’s thigh, hardly drawing blood. But it didn’t matter; she’d been struck by a D bullet, which released a trace amount of toxins into her bloodstream. This would cause little harm to an adult in good health, but Shayla was little more than eight years old. It was a token to her strength and stubborn determination that she was still breathing.
Shayla’s father brought her in that day because she had a fever again. Her steal blue eyes were a faded gray and the pink had left her cheeks, leaving her frail and pallid-looking. Sweat weighed down her hair and made it cling to her forehead. Somehow she still smiled, but it was a tired and broken smile. Rosen reached out a tender hand and wiped away the hair from Shayla’s face before reluctantly pulling her eyes back to the wound.
The cut itself was only a few inches long, but the entire span of skin around it was red and puffy. Rose carefully touched her fingers to either side of it and pressed down. Warm, milky fluid pulsed from the wound. She reached over to the little rolling table at her side and plucked a wet rag soaked in antibiotics, gently bringing it forward and sliding it over the wound. Shayla gave a startled little cry and pulled her leg away, but some soft words and promises of a rare cookie got the petite child to ease her leg back down and let Rose place the dripping rag over it once more.
“Ms. Bluesummers?”
Rose’s head lifted at the rough voice of an ex-smoker. It was shaking with uncharacteristic concern. When she turned around she saw a drawn and haggard man standing hesitantly in the doorway. He rushed over as Rose waved him in.
“Hello daddy,” Shayla chimed. Her voice was the only part of her that still had its light.
“Hello sweetie. How are you feeling?” His eyes were filled with more compassion than Rose had ever seen in the man before. To everyone aboard the ship he was a brutal fighter with little remorse, but to Shayla he was her protector. They cared for each other more than anything else in the world.
“Tired. And cold. But Rosey says I’ll be alright.”
“Is that so? Well, of course you will. You’re a fighter like your daddy.” He could hardly keep his chin from quivering when he looked into Rose’s eyes. His wife was dead and Shayla was his only child. They had no other known relatives. If he lost her, he lost everything. She was his world, and despite her hopeful words he knew that she might not be alright.
“I’m doing my best,” Rosen assured him, “And she really is a strong girl. The infection has stopped spreading. She has a chance.”
“I know Rose, I know. I just can’t help but think…” He shook his head.
Rosen stared at him, her amber eyes fighting to betray no emotion. Her hand fumbled around in her pocket; when it withdrew again there was a small orange bottle in her upturned palm.
“What’s this?” Shayla’s father asked, reaching out in disbelief. His eyes scanned the bottle as he turned it over in his hands. “Colony-stimulating factors? Ms…Ms. Bluesummers…is this…” His voice dropped so low that she had to read his lips to understand, “…medication?”
Rose pulled the white cloth away from her face so the man could see her slight smile. “Yes, something like that. We got it in a raid a few months ago. I wanted to save it, but what better reason to use it do I need?”
Shayla’s father knew damn well that the medication was for the rebels injured in fighting. His steel eyes met Rose’s and he nodded curtly.
“Thank you. It won’t be wasted. Rose…I owe you. I owe you everything.”
She shook her head. “You can take Shayla now. She needs her rest.”
Without another word the man lifted his daughter from the stiff hospital bed. As they left the room Shayla waved her tiny hand over his shoulder. Rosen waved back happily, but her smile melted away as soon as the door closed. She sighed exhaustedly and pulled the soiled sheets from the bed, tossing them in the corner. She didn’t have the energy at the moment to take them down to the laundry room.
The room was completely silent. That hardly ever happened. Rose breathed in deeply, enjoying this rare treat. She would spend it wisely.
Rose trotted over to her room, throwing the torn purple curtains aside. She slid onto her bed and pulled one of her many journals out. This was titled Medical Log. She leisurely scribbled down a few words about Shayla’s progress before tossing it aside and replacing it with another, thinner journal, this one titled the Beasts of Vega Plains.
After staring at a blank page for a few minutes she threw that one with the others and closed her eyes. It was early in the morning, but the rest of the ship was sure to be livening-up soon. She would catch as much rest as she could before someone had a chance to hurt themselves.
There's a shadow just behind me.
Shrouding every step I take.
I will only complicate you.
Trust in me and fall as well.
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 11:39 pm
Stretching out his arms Mutt sat up from his bed and popped his knuckles, a daily ritual that no one could dissuade him out of. Rubbing his eyes free from their encasement of dust, Mutt was met with the grey metal of the Highwind. Dragging his feet out of the hard bed he placed them on the cold dirtied floor which sent a chill up his spine. Turning, Mutt grasped his orange sunglasses that lay on the table beside him and donning them Mutt stood up and yawned loudly. Smiling Mutt stepped over to his boots and dug in both of them until he found both socks, yellowed and dirtied from prolonged use. Making a mental note to himself to actually wash them one day in the future, Mutt flung himself back onto the bed, creating a loud abused groan from the rusted springs that supported him every night. Boots squeaking, Mutt pulled on his long sooty shoes, loosely tying them so that the ends snaked after him on the ground as he walked out of his cabin.
Thrumming the powerful engine could be heard throughout the corridors and rooms of the Highwind, and as Mutt made his way to the Mess Hall the thrum made him feel more relaxed due to its familiarity. Entering the Mess Hall Mutt glanced around and pulled up his glasses to look around the room, seeing no one present as of yet. Taking off his glasses and hanging them off the round collar of his black shirt Mutt made his way to a table in the corner of the Mess Hall. Writing surrounded him as he read the numerous signs and words on the walls, all of which he couldn't read. Frustrating as it was to be surrounded by hieroglyphics he could never understand, this would not wipe the smile from Mutt's face due to its quintessential properties. Mutt sat back in his chair and stretched once more, whilst guessing at the meanings of the mysterious words as he waited for people or food to arrive, seeing as neither were evidently present.
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Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 2:51 pm
"Allison, I promise you...we're going to be just fine. We will probably join you one day, just for now... you need to go with Mr. Sanders. He'll keep you safe and away from Garter...You aren't safe with us anymore...nobody is safe." The man crouched down next to the crying girl, who was sitting on the floor next to her bag. "Dad...I thought you guys were coming with me. I thought that was the entire point of all of this." He looked over to the woman and then back to Allison, "Not for now, Alli. But...soon we will meet up with you...we will." Allison nodded and her tears stopped, she looked up at her father and over to Mr. Sanders and over to her mother. "We have to go..," Mr. Sanders said, trying to relieve the tension. She nodded and stood, she was ready to get away from her parents and slightly angry. She grabbed her small bag of clothes and supplies and began to follow the man deeper into the woods. She only turned back once to wave to her parents and she called, "I'll see you soon."
They were deep into the woods when they heard a heart breaking scream. Allison stopped dead in her tracks, recognizing it to be her mother. "Mom..." That was soon followed by an agonizing, angst filled man screaming. "...Dad..." She tried to pull away from Mr. Sanders and run back to her parents. He grabbed her arm quickly, and pulled her into a hug. "You'll be safe with us. I promise you...you just need to come with me, now." She nodded slowly, her eyes were filled with sorrow and fear, but her face was stone. Mr. Sanders grabbed her hand, to assure that she kept up with him and they started running. After a short while, they slowed. Allison's eyes widened at the sight, this was her new life,...this is what her parents wanted for her... This was The Highwind.
Allison was laying in her bed shaking quietly, tossing every once in awhile. This was a dream that she had often, though she hated remembering it. She slowly opened her eyes, sighing in relief of the familiar sight of the metal. She looked over at her dresser, seeing that she had set out her clothes before she went to bed last night. Sitting up, she stretched and yawned quietly. She could hear Mutt in the cabin next to her, yawning loudly and making a lot of noise. She smiled and rolled her eyes, Mutt was the only other person that was the same age as she was. She slipped her feet off of the side of her bed and knocked on the wall, "Shh..." She laughed quietly to herself. Allison walked over to the table and pulled on her clothes, a pair of pants, a black tank top, an old pair of black socks, and shoes. She shrugged, she stopped growing when she was 15, so she wore pretty much the same things since then.
Allison sighed quietly, not wanting to wake anyone up that might still be sleeping in the rooms around her. Looking over, she decided that she should make her bed. Once finished, she opened her door and quietly walked through, closing the door behind her. Rather than making her way to the mess hall, like she knew Mutt probably would, she went to the infirmary. She mumbled to herself, "I wonder how the little girl's doing..." She slowly opened the door, and she heared Rosen stand up reluctantly and walk out of her room with a concerned look plastered on her face. Allison smiled, "It's okay Rosen, it's just me. I didn't know if you needed help in here." Rose returned her smile, "No, it's alright. You can go get breakfast if you'd like.." Allison nodded and walked closer to Rosen, "Actually..I was curious... How's Shayla doing?" Rosen's eyes turned down, "She'll be fine. I gave her father some medication to help her progress," her eyes turned back up to Allison, "She should be back to herself in a short period of time." Allison's eyes brightened with the good news, "That's amazing, Rose.." She paused and looked at her shoes, "I'm...really glad that you took me under your wing.. It's a pleasure to be trained by you." She left it at that and started towards the door, "Enjoy your quiet time."
Closing the door behind her quietly, she made her way to the mess hall to find Mutt sitting in there alone. She shrugged, she was used to him being the first one in their. She made her way over to where he was sitting and sat across from him. She saw his confusion as he read the signs around them. "..I can..uhm...help you learn to read them...if you'd like."
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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 12:56 am
Mutt flushed crimson at the help offered, embarrassed at his own inferiority. Smirking however, Mutt plucked his orange glasses off his shirt and placed them on his nose, covering his moonstone eyes.
"Allison I didn't think you were the type to make fun, but maybe I was wrong." Pausing to look at Allison, Mutt pleasantly smiled at the brunette before him
"and anyway", Mutt started once again before Allison could utter a word, "what use is knowing what words mean anyway? Plus, it's more fun guessing." Mutt finished with a flash of his gleaming teeth.
Regret however swelled to the surface within Mutt, he may have just missed a wonderful opportunity. Though, reasoned Mutt, Allison was patient, but patient enough to deal with a dolt like him? Unlikely.
Not accepting Allison's tutelage wasn't a matter of pride or honor, it was a matter of if Mutt was bothered enough to actually learn. He'd survived long enough with out it, why start now?
Pleased with his mental processes Mutt stretched out his legs in front of himself and watched the ever-exciting monochrome ceiling. The place in which he was watching was of course devoid of any writing, perfect. Reflecting on his previous actions, Mutt realised that he'd have to stop staring at the writing on the walls, otherwise more people were just going to make him into a joke. It'd happened enough in the past, and Mutt, like always, had just ignored it and kept on smiling. He was strong though, he wouldn't crack under something so insignificant as a few throw away taunts.
Turning his thinking into far more useful areas, Mutt glanced at the doors of the Mess Hall, waiting this time for some food. He'd already had his fill of people for the day, now what he wanted was a meal. His stomach rumbled in agreement. Rubbing the stubble on his chin, the thick short hairs scratched against Mutt's sun kissed skin, creating a soft grating noise in the empty hall, reminding himself during the action that he'd have to shave tomorrow morning. "Whadda you thinks on the menu today?" asked Mutt to Allison whilst keeping his eyes locked on the door. "More watered down oatmeal perhaps?"
During the inquiry Mutt unaware of his actions began to scratch at a small scab on his arm. Inquiring into the minute pain prickling his skin, Mutt noticed the small bubble of blood that had erupted onto the surface of his arm. Disregarding the blood, Mutt wiped it on his thumb and licked it away, and in the next action wiped the saliva coated finger onto the open wound.
"You probably know already Doc in training, but saliva acts as a great way to stop infection." uttered Mutt, proud of his small bit of knowledge that came with surviving on the streets and in the wild by ones lonesome.
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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 2:18 am
The twisted thoughts
Of a subdued mind
“Red wire with green, green crosses blue, blue connects to the cylinder…” Darius muttered to himself, his long boney fingers working delicately but vigilantly, connecting and rearranging the tangled mass of wires. His eyes stayed trained on his work, completely absorbed in his own world. At that moment, nothing mattered but the completion of this contraption.
The clock above his desk chimed 8 times, it was eight o’ clock. The clock itself was from the late 1900’s, and had only just started working again. They came across it while rummaging through an old bomb shelter. It took him 2 years but Darius was determined to fix it. Even now, it still broke sometimes.
Darius reached into the drawer beside him and took out a small metal box of screws, scattering a few on his desk. The once tangled mass had finally taken shape, the wires were coordinated, and the screws held the form in place. At the end of his desk was a silver cylinder wrapped in a dirty cloth, with thin wisps of vapor floating from it. Attached to it were two wires, a green and a blue. Darius smiled to himself at his own ingenious as he connected the blue wire to a small remote sensor.
“Beautiful.” He whispered, grinning with satisfaction.
“You’re the only man I know who would think a bomb was beautiful, Dar.” Chuckled Logan as he peered over Darius’s shoulder. Darius jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, having not heard him come in.
“Hehe yeah, you know me.” He said nervously. Logan leaned closer, inspecting the bomb’s composure, but knowing better than to touch it. He remembered when had made that mistake…it would be a side of Darius he hoped to never see again.
Logan spotted the remote attached to the cylinder, and knew that Darius was just itching for him to ask.
“You going to explain the remote or do I have to beg?” Logan asked playfully, watching as Darius’s face lit up.
“It’s actually quite cool. I figured that the second we caught Lynn guards would be on our asses and would locate the bomb before it would detonate…so…I hooked up a remote to the time cord and the cylinder and made a decoy,” He said, a moment silence passed before Logan finally asked:
“And this means…?”
“They will think they are disarming the bomb when really the real bomb is planted else where and when the blue wire is pulled, it will send a signal and detonate the bomb.” Darius said quickly, eager for Logan’s approval, though he would never admit it.
“Awesome.” Logan chuckled, his face now glowing with excitement now as well. He always got that way before a fight. Darius lifted the bomb gingerly, as if it were a newborn, and placed it gently inside a metal case. Then placed the decoy in an identical case.
“How will you tell which is the live one?” Logan asked.
“The live one has a red latch the decoy a yellow latch.” Darius answered as he strapped on his gun and wrist watch.
“Why do I have a feeling that isn’t an actual watch?” Logan said, staring at the seemingly normal watch. He knew better, knew Darius better. With him, nothing was what it seemed.
“Heh, how did you know?” Darius chuckled as he pressed a few buttons on the watch.
“Darius, I have known you for how long? Now, seriously, what the hell does that thing do?”
“It emits a small magnetic field that disarms the security pads on the doors.” Said Darius with an elfish grin.
“Seriously!? When did you make this!?” Logan asked, his excitement further expanding.
“About 4 hours ago.” Logan knew he shouldn’t have been surprised, but he couldn’t help his jaw from slacking open.
The sound of the engine room door opening tore them from their conversation, a dark silhouette approaching them.
“Logan, Keric needs you on deck, he has a message from Jason.” Said a tall woman with long brown hair, her features were soft but her expression serious. Logan’s smile faded as he evaluated her serious demeanor.
“Alright, I will be up in a moment.” He said, dismissing the woman, who in turn pivoted and left. Logan turned to Darius, whose smile had also vanished.
“Everything is ready I take it?”
“Yes.”
“Alright let’s do this.” Logan said with a sigh before leaving with Darius fidgeting beside him.
The two made their way down the labyrinth of corridors climbing stairs and turning corners until finally coming to the steel doors leading to the control room. The doors slid aside, allowing them entrance into a neat room lined with computers and monitors, each focusing on a different aspect of the ship. This differed much from the cluttered confines of the engine room that Darius was used to.
“Logan!” Shouted a young boy from across the room, he appeared to be no older than 17, with shaggy brown hair and a crooked grin. Logan gave the boy a friendly smile as he walked over to where Keric sat at the monitor.
“What’s the news kid?” Logan asked.
“We got a message from Jason, he says everything is ready and is going according to plan, the XForce ship should be in position in 20 minutes so I suggest you two head out.”
Logan nodded and turned to Darius, who was busy playing with a small blue gadget in his hand.
“What are you doing?” He dared to ask. Darius looked up from his gadget for only a moment before peering back down at its small screen.
“I’m looking at radiation levels in the area to make sure there won’t be any radiation storms while we are out there.”
“Don’t we already have machines that do that?” Logan asked.
“Yes but they don’t detect the pre spike in radiation as accurately as a handheld. Don’t worry I will work on updates for those later. Right now we have to take advantage of our window of opportunity. “ Darius said, sounding more assured than he felt.
Logan nodded and led the way to the belly of the ship where the Stealth Pod was stored and ready for them. The Stealth Pod, aka SP was made only recently for small attacks. It flies low to the ground and has the same magnetic field around it that the watch emits as to confuse the XForce radar.
Upon nearing the S.P a tall figure could be seen leaning against the wall adjacent to it. Logan and Darius didn’t need to see the figures face to know exactly who it was.
“Sin, what are you doing here?” Logan asked sounding a bit suspicious.
“What you think I’d let you and nerd boy have all the fun?” Sin said with a smug smile.
“It’s Mister Nerd Boy to you lecherous punk.”
“Touché.”
“Enough you two. Sin, I don’t know if you should come. The more people, the easier it is for things to go wrong.” Said Logan trying to reason with a person he knew to be stubborn.
“Aw come on Logan, we both know Darius here can’t shoot, and god knows what would happen if you or Jason got injured.”
“I can to shoot…” Grumbled Darius.
“Yeah sure kid whatever helps you sleep at night.”
“Guys cut it out. I need to think…” Commanded Logan, using his “I’m –in-charge-voice”. The two stood quietly glaring at each other waiting for Logan’s verdict.
Minutes seemed to drag on as the subtle suspense continued to build until finally Logan cleared his throat.
“Alright, Sin your on board, but you guard Darius while he plants the bomb, and don’t shoot if you can understand?”
“You got it boss.” Sin replied, shooting a grin at Darius, who just rolled his eyes.
The trip to where the XForce ship was stationed was short but less than pleasant with the not-so-quiet bickering coming from Sin and Darius. But once the ship was in view they silenced themselves, as adrenalin pumped in their veins.
They seemed to hold their breath as they flew under the belly of the XForce ship, hoping to god Darius’s contraption worked. Luckily, the device prevailed and they docked safely under the ship, awaiting clearance from Jason.
“Darius is the bomb ready?” Logan asked, the tension clear in his voice.
“Yeah everything is ready.”
“Sin are your guns loa- who am I kidding your guns are always loaded.”
“You bet your sweet a** they are.” Sin with a chuckle.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
A light on the dash of the Pod lit up as the beeping persisted. Logan clicked the button below the light, flashing the all clear message across a small screen.
“Lets lock and load.”
Logan lifted latch of the door, making it hiss from the pressure change. Outside dust and the smell of burnt trees hung heavy in the air, making it almost thick to breathe. Sin lifted the collar of his jacket over his nose and mouth to try and filter out the putrid smells but the effort was in vain. Darius approached the hatch leading onto the XForce ship, and lifted his watch to it. He held down a green button and a low frequency humming could be heard, followed by a metallic click as the door unlocked.
“We’re in.” Darius said, motioning for Logan to lead the way. Inside the ship it was cold and sterile, everything was clean and pristine, and smelt of cleaner. Darius took out another handheld from his pocket and looked through the blueprint of the ship, locating where they where and where they had to be.
“We need to take a right at this hallway and follow it down to the storage cells. That’s where Jason will lead Lynn.” Darius whispered, as he tip toed behind . Logan didn’t respond but Darius knew he was heard.
Logan peaked around the corner, listening intently for any footsteps, when the coast was clear he gestured for the others to follow as he hurried down the hall, eagerly searching for storage room 603.
“598, 599,600,601…” Darius’s heart pounded in his chest as they drew closer, every step he took sent another shot of adrenalin racing to his heart.
“…602,603.” The three paused outside the door, frozen in their tracks. Inside where two voices, a male and female.
“…what is this all about Luke?” The female asked, her voice was soft but edgy, in a bitter sweet sort of way.
“My name isn’t Luke it’s Jason.”
There was a pause, an opening they had to take, the element of surprise before Jason revealed what he was…
Logan burst in, while Sin trained his gun on the girl in an instant. Her shocked expression would be one the three boys would cherish.
Lynn stood in the center of the storage room, hands raised defensively while her eyes scanned the room, looking for any possible way out.
“Sorry Hun, you’re coming with us.” Said Sin as he cocked his gun. Jason lunged from behind her, catching her back. Lynn struggled as he reached for her gun, knocking it from her holster. But Lynn recovered and threw him over her shoulder sending him towards Sin. Logan rushed forward, grabbing her arm, he sent her to the floor holding her in an armlock. He hadn’t seen her pull a small knife from her waistband, as she now dug it into his upper thigh. Screaming in agony Logan struggled to hold his grip on the squirming girl, lucky for him, Sin came up behind and pistol whipped her upside the head knocking her unconscious.
“Lights out Sweetheart.”
Logan pulled the knife from his leg with a pained grunt, and tossed it to the side. Quickly scanning the room he found Darius standing on a metal box, hiding the real bomb in the ceiling.
“Where’s the decoy?” Logan asked.
“On the box in the corner. It’s in obvious enough place to make them think it’s the real one.” Darius replied as he switched the bomb on to active.
“Alright we have to skedaddle, Darius set off the alarm on the way out, Sin you grab the girl and bind her in the Pod. Got it?” Said Logan in a flurry of words. The others nodded in compliance as they set to their assigned tasks.
Darius ran off ahead to find the right alarm he had located hours before the mission. This way the alarm will lead them right to the bomb. Meanwhile, Logan fired up the Pod, with Lynn and Sin safely inside.
“I can’t believe she stabbed me….” Logan grumbled as they waited for Darius. Suddenly a loud ringing could be heard outside the ship, followed by Darius bursting through like a mad man shouting, “Go go go!”
Logan didn’t wait to ask questions, his hand gripped the throttle as he jetted off back towards the Highwind. Darius sat turned around in his seat watching the XForce ship grow smaller, his hand hovering over his watch.
“What are you doing?” Sin asked.
“I want the assurance of seeing the bomb go off.” Darius said curtly.
“There is a detonator in your watch, isn’t there?” Questioned Logan.
“Yeah, just in case.”
“I knew it. Your gadgets never have just one function…”
Darius’s watch beeped just as the the XForce ship lit up the horizon with a tremendous explosion. Mission accomplished.
Bring forth creatures
Of a terrifying kind
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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 7:22 pm
With the flutter of her eyelids, Demi finally got her golden orbs to greet the day. A twist and turn of the spine, and she got all of her body to function. Getting up in the morning wasn't so hard for her. It was the motivation she lacked, knowing she and her shadow of a twin brother would be doing some kind of odd job around the Highwind. Odd job meaning washing dishes, mopping floors, scrubbing toilets... "UGH!" She groaned, throwing her hands up to her face. But, she knew as terrible as it was, these jobs would never be as bad as going into battle. She wouldn't have minded battle, and she knew Dion wouldn't either, except they were "never ready". But, she forgot this as she rubbed furiously at her eyes. Propping herself up, she shook her hair and looked over to the bed horizontal from hers. She smirked. Dion was still asleep. He knew what that would mean for him....
Sweat poured down his face as Dion struggled to run closer to his father. Bullets flew past him as if they were concentrated gusts of winds. He tried to scream, tears pouring from his eyes. He tried reaching his father. His father just couldn't hear him. Closer and closer.....
Dion's eyes shot open as he felt someone spring on top of him. Fear, at first, and then relief and a bit of anger flew over him. "Holy Christ, Dem! You're gonna give me a heart attack!" His twin didn't seem to care though, as fits of laughter overtook her. She crashed to the floor with a thud as Dion threw her off the bed. Dion pinched the bridge of his nose, moving his pointer finger and thumb to massage his sleep-covered eyes. Another day. Another day and they were still no where closer to avenging their father's death. And there was still much preparation, though he doubted Demi cared too much. He liked it that way. He moved his hand down and took a deep breath. After all of their chores, he thought to himself, he would take the time for tarfet practice. He was terrible with a gun. This fustrated him greatly, since he knew both hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting. He just couldn't hold a gun steady.
Dion moved forward, shaking his head and looking down at the floor to where his sister was, still consumed in her own giddiness. He rolled his eyes, placing his feet down slowly, as not to step on her. He sighed, holding his hand out to her. It would always seem bewildering, seeing Demi as if she were his own reflection, with a few different details, of course. "Let's get going, Dem. I'm starving."
"Alright, alright. Don't get your panties in a bunch." She grabbed his hand, giving it a quick tug to bring herself up, almost knocking him down in the process. She laughed at his miserable expression, using both her hands to mess up his hair. "Well, aren't you a pretty sight in the morning." He gave a sarcastic laugh, which she brushed off as they made their way out of the room over to the kitchen. Demi's stomach growled as they entered the room, and she smiled warmly at the occupants. "Goodmorning all!!" Her voice was controlled, loud but not inconsiderate. It was still morning after all. She stared over at Allison, who was so pretty. It was hard not to feel childish and self-conscious with all these pretty women around, but Demi was slowly getting use to it. And she smiled at Mutt, thinking of a way to get them both, him and Allison, to laugh...
Dion moved past his sister to sit across from the two. "Goodmorning." He wasn't much of a morning person, but he tried to be as upbeat as possible. Mutt was one of the older rebels that Dion secretly admired. He longed to fight beside Mutt and the others, but until they thought he was ready, he was stuck scrubbing out pots and pans. His eyes moved towards Allison and he blushed. He tilted his head respectfully at her. Women had such an affect on him. "I hope we're not interrupting you two. We're terribly hungry. Do you know what they're serving today?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 7:36 pm
As the explosion slightly rattled the windows of the SP, Brynn dropped from the ceiling and straightened casually, her eyes hard as flint but flecked with slight amusement as the three men looked at her in surprise. She even managed a small smile. While she waited for the boys to recover their speech abilities, she crossed the floor to where Lynn lay, bound and unconscious. Brynn picked her up and took her to the back, grabbing something to sit on on the way there, where she lay Lynn and then sat with her back to Darius, Logan, and Sin.
"I wasn't about to let you have all the fun," she said simply, her voice hard as steel. "And I don't trust any of you alone with a girl unconscious." The swords inserted into her back twinged and made her back ache. She rolled her shoulders in an attempt to alleviate the pain, but to no use. Dressed in her typical tight black pants, boots, and shirt with an open back, all the men could see of her was the back of her, the angel wing tattoos with the hilts of the angel wing swords seemingly growning out of the tattoos and her crimson red hair weaved in a long braid to the side of her face.
She didn't want to admit that the metal shafts that were meant to be scabbards implanted in her back to protect her vitals were hurting her, but a particularly strong jab of pain lanced through her back and her arms jerked to her back. Realizing that she'd just shown a sign of weakness, she berated herself inwardly as she straightened up and crossed her arms to hold them there and resisted the urge to cry out in pain as her back continued to afflict her. "Logan, it would probably be best to focus on getting back to the Highwind rather than asking my how I got onto the SP without you noticing." And as soon as we get back there, I'm going to see Rosen. This pain is unbearable.
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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 10:44 pm
"Well if it isn't the two little miscreants of the Highwind, up rather early this morning arentcha? But as to food no idea." As if to punctuate the answer Mutt's stomach growled with displeasure as it was forced to wait even longer. A sigh long and drawn out, issued from Mutt as he leaned even further back into the hard black chair. Watching the twins from behind his dark orange shades, Mutt noticed some of their mannerisms and behavior. Demi was fidgety, periodically glancing around, perhaps thinking to answer Mutts previous question, or was just a morning person. Either way, no one, Mutt examined, should be that lively in the morning. Shifting his focus to the male twin Dion, Mutt observed that like himself he was quiet and composed but appeared contended with his small lot.
Ceasing his reflections on the twins Mutt fidgeted with the interior of his pockets. Rustles emanated from his trouser pockets as Mutt's fingers made their way around the debris of objects that had seemingly spawned over-night in his pockets. A smooth cold object rolled over his index finger and pulling it out, Mutt placed the golden bullet on the table. Soon other oddities formed a regimented line on the table, starting with a bullet and ending with a plastic pen cap. Scooping up half of the items Mutt placed it in one pocket, mentally labeled 'to be put in the bin' and the other was the 'keepers' pocket. Only the bullet remained on the table and snatching it off the table Mutt rotated the object dexterously between his fingers, whilst watching the glints of light that were reflected off it. Testing the red tip for sharpness, Mutt smiled with satisfaction, despite the Highwind Group usually being low on supplies, they still usually managed to get good weapons such as this bullet.
You couldn't afford to steal cheap apparently.
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 7:36 am
Demi seemed to be in hysterics over Mutt's previous comment, but Dion's eyes were focused intently on the golden bullet that seemed to glow softly. It was haunting, mocking even. Just the sight of it cause nervous shivers to shoot through his body. He bit down on his bottom lip, tearing his gaze away from the bullet and up to Mutt. "You know, Mutt," Dion started, "I was thinking...well, if you're not busy or anything. After my chores, I was wondering...do you think you can help me with target practice?"
Demi cupped her hand over her mouth, "whispering" to Mutt, "Poor guy can't hold the gun straight. I feel bad for him." Dion shot Demi a death stare, which she replied by blowing a kiss to him. She turned her attention back to Allison. "Allison, are you going to visit Rosen today?" She slapped her hand to her face before Allison got the chance to reply. "Well, duh! You ARE her apprentice after all. Stupid question." Her stomach growled louder this time and she pouted her lips. "The beast is hungry," she said, using her stomach's nickname. "What are they doing in there? Cause, whatever it is, we're sure as hell not about to get a five-star meal."
"Language, Dem," Dion scolded.
"Hell's not even a bad word! What are you five?"
"There's no excuse for a young lady to be vulgar." He looked over to Allison, blushing as he folded his hands. "Please excuse my sister's manners. She doesn't know how to be lady. Sometimes, I doubt she is."
"HEY!" Demi whacked her brother's shoulder as hard as she could. Those comments always struck a nerve. "You keep being mean and Mutt won't help you with target practice!"
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:36 am
Allison tilted her head slightly to the side as she waited for a response, hoping that Mutt would just accept her offer and not take it as an insult, like he had in the past. When she saw his face flush crimson, she knew that he had. "Allison, I didn't think you were the type to make fun, but maybe I was wrong." He paused and smiled, "and anyway, what use is knowing what words mean anyway? Plus, it's more fun guessing." Allison turned her head away from him and said in a low tone that only he could hear, but just barely, "Boy, ...if I were making fun of you.. it would sound a lot different." Frustration rose from the pit of her stomach and started swelling in her throat. She turned back towards him, trying to speak as calm as she could manage for the time being, "And whether you like it or not, you will eventually learn. You may have survived this long without knowing what everything around you means, but you can't do it on the missions we have coming up. You need to know what everything says around you because if you don't, you're going to end up getting yourself, me, and everyone else killed. Got it?" She ended the sentence sharply. Mutt seemed to be ignoring her as he stretched out and began staring at the ceiling, as if there were something interesting up there.
She allowed that small fact slide, after all she was one of the few members of the crew that got along with Mutt at all. Instead, she changed her mindset to when the old cook would wake up and start on their breakfast. Remembering that she asked for some variety and that they could have a choice of a breakfast this morning, she was trying to think of what she'd like to eat. Deep in her own thoughts, she jumped slightly when she heard Mutt, "Whadda you thinks on the menu today?...More watered down oatmeal perhaps?" Even though he wasn't looking at her, she knew for a fact that he had excellent peripheral vision, and she shook her head no, "I asked him if we could have a bit of a choice this morning. He told me he would do it if he could find something."
Her attention was drawn down to Mutt's arm, which he was scratching, and saw a small bubble of blood surfacing. She smacked his hand lightly, "What have I told you about scratching and peeling scabs? It's going to get worse if you do so." Ignoring the slap, he wiped the blood away, licked it, and then was putting the saliva on the wound. "You probably know this doc in training, but saliva acts a great way to stop infection." She rolled her eyes at his satisfaction, "Well if you hadn't have done that you wouldn't have needed your saliva... but whatever, if you don't want to take care of yourself, why should I care? it's your body....I don't care anymore." She regretted saying this almost immediately, but she didn't let it show in her face. She was definitely thankful that he couldn't read her as well as Logan and Rosen could, yet. She looked at him apologetically.
"Goodmorning all!" Allison's attention was drawn quickly to the approaching twins. "Oh..thank you.." She smiled at the ever-spunky Demi and then at the serious, yet lovable Dion. Once they were seated; Dion across from Allison, and Demi across from Mutt, Dion said his good mornings. Allison couldn't help but smirk as Dion looked at her with crimson cheeks and he tilted his head to her, in respect. "I hope we're not interrupting you two. We're terribly hungry. Do you know what they're serving today?" Mutt lead back even further in his seat, "Well, if it isn't the two little miscreants of the Highwind, up rather early this morning arentcha? But as to food no idea." Allison smiled at the twins, "You weren't interrupting anything. Mutt was just being stubborn--as per the usual-- and I was pointing out that he was wrong." She paused and sighed, "Breakfast...last night he said that he would try for a bit of a variety, so I snuck down here last night and found some cereal and stuck it right where he walks to first in the morning. So your choice would be..cereal or runny 'oatmeal'." She said the last part quietly, as her attention was drawn back to Mutt.
He had pulled out everything in his pocket and began organizing it. He came across a gold bullet, and she saw that Dion's eyes were entranced, "I was thinking...well, if you're not busy or anything. After my chores, I was wondering... do you think you could help me with target practice?" Allison smiled, and her eyes focused in on Mutt's, as she gave him the you-had-better-help-this-boy look. Demi then began talking to her, "Allison, are you going to visit Rosen today?" Allison opened her mouth to say something, but closed it as soon as Demi started speaking again, "Well, duh! You ARE her apprentice after all. Stupid question." Demi's stomach growled louder, "The beast is hungry. What are they doing in there? Cause, whatever it is, we're sure as hell not about to get a five-star meal." Allison smiled, Demi was more like her than she knew. "Language, Dem," Dion scolded her. Demi shot back, "Hell's not even a bad word! What are you five?" Dion returned, "There's no excuse for a young lady to be vulgar." He turned to Allison, "Please excuse my sister's manners. She doesn't know how to be a lady. Sometimes, I doubt she is."
Allison smiled again, standing up, "Alright, guys that's enough." She walked over to their side of the table and hugged Demi, "It's alright. Trust me, I curse too." She then turned to Dion and hugged his back, "It's alright, you don't need to apologize for your sister, she did nothing wrong." She stood behind them now and faced Mutt, "Alright, what do you want for breakfast, oatmeal soup or cereal? I'll go get it myself." She started walking backwards, dodging every chair and table without looking, she knew this ship like the back of her hand. "Demi, if you like you can come help."
((Bah..I tried to include everyone's post..))
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 11:06 am
Dion froze as Allison wrapped her arms around his back. He bit his bottom lip as hard as he could without drawing blood as his face flushed every color of red. She was seaking to him, but he couldn't make it out. When she released him, he shook his head and looked back over at Mutt. He coughed, hoping Allison didn't notice his reaction. "So...uh...yea, I'll...uh...need help with target practice and stuff. So, if you could help me, that would be great."
Demi smiled and moved from her seat to follow Allison. Forgeting their previous tiff, she patted Dion's head. "Don't worry, Di. I'll get you something good for breakfast." He smiled up at her and she poked his forehead. "Let's go, Alli!" She grabbed Allison's hand and followed her like a shadow. "So, how's your training with Rose coming along? It's probably hard work." She gazed at Allison's long, shiney hair and couldn't help but envy its beauty. She brought her hand up to her own short, messy hair and picked at it. It was hard to be beautiful in these times of chaos, yet all the women here had no trouble with it at all. Maybe it was their few years over hers? She doubted it. Maybe because she looked more like Dion then she needed to. She smiled back at Allison. "It must be exciting to have Rosen teach you. She's soooooo smart! I wish I could be like her sometimes!" She shook her head laughing. "Sorry I'm ranting! I've been so busy lately though. You can't believe how many dishes there were left from yesterdays meals! Me and Di worked for hours! So, I wouldn't have time to do what you do. It must be so nice to help other people. You're a really good person, Alli!"
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