I apologize in advance for those who wished to see my second story, chosen to be "Pet Comic", and already I have been working on ideas; however, things have begun to change. I recently began working at Canada's Wonderland and with a full week schedule (9:30-6:30 being the longest days) I am rather packed with work. That doesn't mean I wont get back into writing, now that I'm working, I finally feel a sense of accomplishment and drive to do more things, drawing, miniatures, writing, all the stuff I enjoy doing. Now with work and a steady pay-stream, I will certainly get down to doing all that stuff.
So, whats in store for the coming weeks? For one, the addition of new AUDIO info bits that I am dubbing "Walk in the Park" since I mostly created during my evening dog walks in the nearby park. With that as well as Stone Temple, another audio program, I hope to get some things seriously slabbed on this site by the end of the summer.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Some thoughts on the next Stories
Welll for those who are interested, and for those who have seen my Deviant Art journal, you might know that I've been trying to think of one of two ideas that I have formulated for my next story. Both ideas are pretty interesting, each with their own perks and plot as well as a few twists. The problem is I cant seem to decide exactly which one to do, so I will leave it up to you, my fellow readers.
First, we have Pet Comic, an old story idea i created back in Grade 12 Visual Arts. A project were I had to make a board comic turned out to be a rather interesting experience, and the result was a brief idea about "Pet Comic". The story goes about a writer who has been hired by a comic book company to work on the next line of issues being discussed. He has a large mass of ideas from the said company, and is given free reign to use any or create his own, as long as they fit within the guidelines. The problem our friend here has is that he has no ideas what-so-ever; and given only 2 months to come up with something isn't a lot of time if you consider the big picture. He works part-time at a hobby shop and tends to sometimes wander the nearby park to think. Unfortunately, neither of these two places had offered any useful solutions to his plight. One evening, while walking away from his troubles in the park, he stumbles across a stray. Strays are common around the city, but this one seemed different. It was a collie, a mid-size border collies (Not the lassie type, the other type) but instead of black fur with a white chest, it had dark red fur with a white chest and emerald green eyes that seemed rather captivating. This of course was the most random event this writer has even faced, but for some reason he was drawn to it. Without second guessing, he took the poor thing home and took care of it. However, bringing this dog into his life was the first step into a series of unusual and somewhat dangerous events to follow.
That's the idea for Pet Comic, now for its competition, Chaotic Attention
Chaotic Attention revolves around a young boy who LOVES video games, he plays them day in and day out and has earned quite a reputation in most multi-player game boards. He wasn't a stupid person, he read now and then, studied his school work and did his homework, but his life was in video games (his parents considered him to become an expert in the field in his future.)
Suffice to say, he lived and plaid with gamers blood, that was, until one evening when he faced a rather strange foe in a FPS game. [WundrWizard], as the tag said, challenged our character to a one-on-one match for a very interesting prize, and barely getting by with the skin of his teeth, our play wins...but the resulting match corrupted the system and everyone who was spectating was kicked. As the boy watched the people continue to log off, WW said "Your gift is nigh, I hope you enjoy it"
What gift? Well i wont spoil much, it has something to do with video games and most things related, but that's all I'm saying.
Now, the rest is up to you fellow readers. Comment to this entry by placing either "Comic Pet" or "Chaotic Attention" in your response. The Time Limit is till the end of April, so let us see what comes to mind.
First, we have Pet Comic, an old story idea i created back in Grade 12 Visual Arts. A project were I had to make a board comic turned out to be a rather interesting experience, and the result was a brief idea about "Pet Comic". The story goes about a writer who has been hired by a comic book company to work on the next line of issues being discussed. He has a large mass of ideas from the said company, and is given free reign to use any or create his own, as long as they fit within the guidelines. The problem our friend here has is that he has no ideas what-so-ever; and given only 2 months to come up with something isn't a lot of time if you consider the big picture. He works part-time at a hobby shop and tends to sometimes wander the nearby park to think. Unfortunately, neither of these two places had offered any useful solutions to his plight. One evening, while walking away from his troubles in the park, he stumbles across a stray. Strays are common around the city, but this one seemed different. It was a collie, a mid-size border collies (Not the lassie type, the other type) but instead of black fur with a white chest, it had dark red fur with a white chest and emerald green eyes that seemed rather captivating. This of course was the most random event this writer has even faced, but for some reason he was drawn to it. Without second guessing, he took the poor thing home and took care of it. However, bringing this dog into his life was the first step into a series of unusual and somewhat dangerous events to follow.
That's the idea for Pet Comic, now for its competition, Chaotic Attention
Chaotic Attention revolves around a young boy who LOVES video games, he plays them day in and day out and has earned quite a reputation in most multi-player game boards. He wasn't a stupid person, he read now and then, studied his school work and did his homework, but his life was in video games (his parents considered him to become an expert in the field in his future.)
Suffice to say, he lived and plaid with gamers blood, that was, until one evening when he faced a rather strange foe in a FPS game. [WundrWizard], as the tag said, challenged our character to a one-on-one match for a very interesting prize, and barely getting by with the skin of his teeth, our play wins...but the resulting match corrupted the system and everyone who was spectating was kicked. As the boy watched the people continue to log off, WW said "Your gift is nigh, I hope you enjoy it"
What gift? Well i wont spoil much, it has something to do with video games and most things related, but that's all I'm saying.
Now, the rest is up to you fellow readers. Comment to this entry by placing either "Comic Pet" or "Chaotic Attention" in your response. The Time Limit is till the end of April, so let us see what comes to mind.
Monday, April 5, 2010
The Stage of Ice - What comes to an end...prt. 2
Mobilization of a Scavenger army is a rarity most people get to see. Scavengers tend to be nomadic, living in small groups that are constantly moving from place to place. Empress Nint, who had been manipulated by Kiri, was rather...uneasy, and rather unhappy to be toyed so easily by a machine. Her anger, hidden under her cold exterior, was whipped up as she organized her troops for battle.
"You seem quite...intent on this" Silver asked as he watched her motion her men to prepare
"To be...controlled by something unseen, unheard, it was terrible. Lock in the cage of my mind while my body worked by its hands." she shivered slightly as she turned towards Silver
"How do you know where she is then? I assume you have a plan" I asked, causing Nint to smirk
"Indeed, I do" she whispered turning and walking away to her temple quarters.
Nint brought us to a makeshift war rooms; computers dangled along the walls connected to various ports in the ceiling, giant terminals stand at different points around a large make-shift table that had a 3D image system on it.
Cobalt was standing over the table as myself, Silver, Nint and Damnsel are escorted inside.
"Well...if the party is all here..." he says half-hearty as he taps a control console. On the table, an image of a large dome-like facility around mountains of ice appeared. Cobalt adjusted his position and touched the image "This is where we believe the creature controlled Empress Nint from." he said "Located in the Northern Wastes, it seems to be emitting a large amount of energy, possibly the transmission signal."
Nint nods as she walks over and observes the image.
"I knew of this...well...my father did. He mentioned of the people who created the Spectrums...and their...Ark facility...as this is called."
Silver closed his eyes for a moment "Ark...that name" he whispered
I turn to Silver "Ark? My creator mentioned that to me...something about an Ark"
"It was a facility designed for special projects...that's all I really remember."
Me and Silver soon left the war room, we had gotten a decent idea on what we were up against, but...i couldn't help but feel awfully secluded.
"You were rather silent" Silver muttered as he stopped and turned to me
"Well...I'm not strategist..." I mutter, locking my paws together 'and...well...im nervous about everything"
"How so?" Silver asked
I sighed "Well...why did they create a facility we never knew about, especially you, being their "pet-project"...no offense"
Silver huffs at the "pet-project" word, but sighs "I do not know...the name was...mentioned as I said, but I was never told of it."
"That is what bothers me the most" i reply in a whisper "something just doesn't feel right."
We were soon interrupted by Nint herself, with Cobalt close behind
"Well...I do hope you two are ready, we are about to embark on this great adventure" Nint said in a rather excited tone.
"But...how do we go about getting there?" I ask
"Simple...we fly" Nint replied, which caused me and Silver to give rather...blank...stares.
--
Flight…a once grand design has long since been abandoned by these people. After the collapse of technology, aircraft were unable to fly through the skies because most of them required ancient technology to master. That wasn’t to say there were…a few, and I mean a FEW around that some people had skills with. Nint had continued to surprise myself and Silver as she showed us our transportation; a large fix winged, 4 engine craft that was around the size of a football field, and stood 4 stories tall. The craft, according to Nint, was an old military transport, but it had been rebuilt from many scrap parts found on their “hunts”. It was flight worthy, and would take the group to the Arctic base. I personally had never seen a flying machine before. From what Silver told me, the people that built us had one, but solemnly used it
“In the before-time, it was used to transport them around to other facilities, but with most of their pilots gone, it laid in rust” he had mentioned.
“It shall take us a days flight” Nint noted as the group of Scavengers began loading equipment into the craft. As Scavenger's loaded the last of the supplies, we were greeting by Cobalt who had been assisting Damnsel in getting set-up. Damnsel, now brandishing a new rifle and better armor, gave us a solemn look. We hadn;t seen here since we freed Nint from her mind control
"I had been taken care of, my wounds tended and my armor repaired. Cobalt had been kind enough to fit me properly from the makeshift equipment I originally used" she said softly "I thank him dearly for that."
“It seems that we are ready to go” Nint had instructed as the last of provisions were loaded. Certainly this trip would be amazing, but there always was the pang risk of something going wrong.
“It won’t be easy to get to it, whatever is stationed at the base won’t expect us to arrive by air, so we may still have the element of surprise” Silver had noted as we loaded ourselves onto the plane. After a few bumps, some final checks, and a long list of supplies to mark off, we began to taxi from the large hanger onto a massive strip of land at the rear of the base.
“Ever done this before?” Silver questioned Nint, she gave a rather silly smile
“Nope” she replied
“What of your pilots?” he asked
“Neither have…actually flown this, only tests”
The wolf seemed silent after that, but I could tell he wasn’t to sure about flying anymore.
The interior of the craft was rather rag-tag. Most of the original fixings had long since wore out, and many of the new ones seemed out of place amongst the smooth-line figure of the craft. Added bulkheads here, a new computer there, and a few other mismatched pieces scattered about. There weren't even any seats left, only a long webbing next that was spread across either side of the craft to act as "seats" with straps to keep the passengers in place. The only avaliable seats were in the cockpit for the 4 crewmen, but no one seemed to mind what we were given.
I'm not going to lie, flying...it cant simply be understood by one who never heard of it. Nint's words seemed to assure me even less that this would be easy, and even after double strapping myself to the webbing, i felt that my life would flash before my eyes once we took off. Silver however was more...comforting, he seemed to understand my fear.
"Everyone experiences panic when faced with something new, I'm sure Nint is aware of the risks and has it figured out, why else would she allow us to fly in this thing"
"but..." I rebutted "she never tested it"
"Well...we have to have faith in her and her pilots"
I gulped, almost clinging to the robots massive arm before me as the rear hatch closed. Large engines outside slowly whined to life as I could hear the powerful roar. Soon we began to shudder, moving about the ground until we suddenly stopped and then a huge force pressed against me. It felt like a giant weight had been struck against my chest and i felt my body press tightly against the wall of the craft until, after a few shaky moments, it eased and everything was quieter.
"We are now airborne" Silver says poking out the small window beside him.
--
“Do you believe in fate?” Damnsel asked me an hour after we lifted off. Everyone had left their seats once the plane stabilized, but I dared not leave mine. The white wolf had been sitting with Cobalt and she and him had been able to get on a steady footing in terms of working together. It seems Cobalt and Damnsel had quite a history between them, trying to take the other down for who knows how long and now suddenly working together to save everyone…it was shocking.
“Fate?” I replied “I…tend not to, whatever happens happens, we can’t really judge it by something else” I huffed, remaining crouched on the webbing
“Then if that were true, why were we created for this task, I assume from the start all Spectrums had been designed for this kind of thing. Silver and yourself have proven how powerful you two are in combat, and even helping those mercenaries rescue those refugees to the settlement was instilling. I never would have guessed our skills were so fine.”
I sit up “My…creator told me one thing when he made me; that we all have a purpose, natural or not, we all have something to do. Maybe they figured we would have to deal with this if it ever happened.”
“Or maybe they had made it prior and we are simply the custodians” Silver muttered as he turned to face us.
“You don’t think that really?” Damnsel asked, the robot nodded “I’ve been thinking the same thing, what was our purpose…but sadly I haven’t the faintest. However, when we met her…the pre-born…it was clear we had some reason to be there. How could she know of us when we were not even built?”
Damnsel sighed “That is a question I cannot answer, true I did know of her, but this…I never expected her to become this”
“I am ashamed the organics had changed our minds?” I said, trying to remember exactly what she had mentioned
“It seems we might have turned out like her, if our creators hadn’t learnt from their mistake”
Everyone nodded “So…someone who built her” I begin
“probably didn’t know that she would become like this” Silver ended
--
The plane landed in a relatively flat snow drift. Ever since the collapse, the arctic tundra began to expand, so now it was a giant cap and base on the earth’s surface. It’s not easy managing it either, far colder with temperatures below -50 degrees. Suited up best we could, Silver, myself, Cobalt, Damnsel, Nint and a few other Scavengers rode towards the destination on modified trucks and transports, equipped with winter gear. As we proceeded deeper into the tundra, we could see massive ice spires in the distance, it wasn’t too obvious to notice that they were not natural formations and as we drew nearer, we could see a large structure taking the base between them, reaching deep into the spires.
“That it?” I ask
Silver nods
“Arctic Base…but those spires…they were never there before”
Damnsel seemed…tense
“I believe…that she had made them”
“Why?” Ask Cobalt, he turned to Nint who too shrugged
“It could be relating to her plan to reset the world…we must be careful”
What was unusual was the lack of resistance, I doubt we came around undetected, it would be a fools gamble to assume we wouldn’t, what was waiting was…something even I never expected.
As we curved a hill towards the base, we looked down to see an army of…snowmen
White…fluffy snowmen seemed to be everywhere, as if children were here building all this time. Some had hats, others brooms, a few scarf’s, one even with a sled, but all had the corny smile and all the same build; three balls with sticks and coal. It was…to be honest…unusual, but we couldn’t stop to observe, we drove on. Passing the “field of snowmen” I had an unusual feeling something was right, and I figured Silver did too.
“Whats wrong?” Damnsel asked me
“I dunno…don’t feel right, something…doesn’t seem to fit here”
“Aside from the mass of snowmen?” Cobalt added as I nodded
“Stop the truck!” I shout as the convoy rolled to a halt. I got out without even thinking and pounced onto the nearest snowman…however, expecting it to crumble like snow, I landed with a thud on its head, it…was metal
“It’s…not real…”
It dawned on me
“IT’S A TRAP!”
--
It never really was easy to kill Frosty, any snowman you may rip apart simply forms up from the snow, or liquid metal as we soon found out. Seems the rabbit lady spent a good deal of time perfecting her own army under the snow, and the cute little snowmen were simply camouflage. Underneath were rather menacing looking robot combat units and we were quickly being overwhelmed by them.
“Seems you were right!” cobalt said as he sliced down a robot and cut its head off “but killing these things in the head stops them cold”
“Yeah, but I doubt we will have enough ammo to stop them all!” Damnsel barks back as she sniped several of them with her rifle.
“They wont stop!” I shout “we need to stop it from the source!”
“Agreed” replied Silver “we need to get inside now”
“Then go!” said Nint…her Scavengers slowly being beaten back as she had drawn a pair of SMG’s “we will hold them here…you do what you were meant to robot!” she said as she shot a snow beast at close range in the face, spraying snow and liquid metal about “we will cover you.”
Silver nods…I nod…it was hard to just abandon what these people were doing, we couldn’t, we didn’t, but we had no choice. As we saw a break in the snow beast advance, we lunged, Silver in the lead, using his strength to slay the beasts to the side and make a hole to go through.
--
We entered slowly at fist, it was rather unusual for us not to come under heavy resistance as we neared the facility. Instead, we seemed to be running into less and less hostiles than those we left behind, as if they were…expecting us to enter. Silver lead the way, his robotic sensory scanning the entire area from his nose as a wolf would, each breath took in a bit of the load out and showed him, with it, the location of tangos.
“None….i got….wait….three contacts…look…organic”
“Organic?” I reply as Silver nods. We didn’t expect to encounter anything fleshy, Kiri detested them, so why here? Slowly we both entered the room the contacts were…and all three….were the scientist from the spectrum team
--
“Well, it seems you have done well Silver, your training as a special operations robot has finally be completed, soon, you shall be allowed to operate with our primary military that is shaping the way to restore and destroy all xenos…nothing left to bother us with, and nothing left to worry about cleaning….no more…discrimination towards us, the crap we take.”
Silver stood in awe as the female scientist ranted on, she had been so absorbed in telling Silver that no one noticed me…then again, that is my task, I’m an assassin.
While Silver got the tongue lashing and no doubt something else by the female, I had slid away toward the vent ducts….something….just didn’t seem right, it felt like someone was manipulating Silver, but how, he’s a robot, you cant simply confuse a robot….unless.
Something seemed to bother me, Silvers sudden emotions after we finally got free from the super zombie, something…had changed, but what? A robot cant simply change like that, it was…well…downright impossible.
But he did
He did right in front of me, and now he’s being manipulated…
I wanted to think more, but the sudden realization that silver was still in trouble made me jump to my feet. I didn’t doubt they were real and some conspiracy was afoot, that was probably why I was built…he must have known something was up….that’s why he was killed, I saw him killed in front of me….
I take that emotion and rush forward, even if they were here, the Kiri we know of is still around. After an hour or so scampering around the vent work, lord only knew what Silver was doing, I make my way to a grand chamber, it was quite decedent, golden furnishing, a Victorian feeling, nothing that would be seen in a base.
“Welcome”
A sweet voice echoed as I turned to see Kiri, though, she wasn’t from the video we saw of her, or the data we had, she…she…was a pure anthro rabbit.
I was not expecting guests” she said sweetly as she escorted me to the table that seemed to just appear before me. She slowly eased away and picked up a tray with a kettle, knife, and tea cup.
“Uh….that’s….I think” I reply, something didn’t feel right
“Oh…don’t be harmed, I never get anyone here anymore, its…always so lonely” she looked at me, her beady purple eyes, part robotic, part human, seemed to scream to me, but... I couldn’t tell if they were real or fake….they looked too good. As she handed down the tea, I felt a sudden pang in my back…as if…something very important was forgotten….or someone close was killed.
I wheel up
“what’s wrong?” Kiri says as I turn to her
“i…I just felt a sharp pain in my shoulder”
Kiri looks suspicious, but goes on pouring. I sit back down, slowly sniffing the tea….that’s when I picked it up
Poison….or some form of acid
A killer
I gaze at Kiri, I doubt she has noticed me, that’s probably why she can manipulate him, control his technology from the inside, give him the wrong readings, make him confused, and maybe an illusion. I slowly sipped some of the tea
“mmm…its quite good”
I say as Kiri smiles
“I’m glad…its made well
“yeah…though…was the poison part of-“ I stopped…Kiri whipped her gaze at me, suddenly black were white was, and her pink eyes flame into electric glow. She lunges at me, feeling my limbs hit the floor hard
“So…you think you can…control me too huh…think you can eradicate me/’
Her eyes flared, I continued to brace myself, waiting for an attack….but…one never came. I opened my eyes…was…the poison making me feel all tingly…but…no…that wasn’t right either, I couldn’t feel my limbs, but I wasn’t being injured, just pinned. Kiri was controlling my robotics….that’s what the acid smell was!
I never liked doing this…but there was one piece Kiri neglected to think of with my limbs….a tight squeeze on the muscle that only organic functions could detect, would release the lock…that means if anyone tried to crack it or fool it, it would know because only the wearer of the limbs could detach them like an energy escape hatch.
I did so, and with a hiss and fuss, the arms eject to my sides…my legs next and then finally…my tail, which actually wasn’t controlled.
I sighed as my body fwummped to the floor, limbless I try to roll over with my shoulder joints. It takes some time…and some pain, but I am able to slither over to the table….that tea was real but the table certainly wasn’t…it…didn’t smell.
I bump the table, the tea rumbles and suddenly drops, splashing hot liquid all over the room.
The result, whatever was causing that illusion failed…and I could see where I really was.
Around me was a giant, empty, windowless, shadowy room with a strange ting of metal and ozone, and small track lights illuminating various paths all around pointing to the center….and there….hanging between a massive 1 story tall base, and suspended almost 3 stories above that suspended by millions of cables that connect all over the room (and are even the landlines) She looked…exactly as I figured…cold…robotic, but trapped…almost trapped in something she never wanted to be part of…she was…alone, afraid and damn well crying to be released. The spectrum project didn’t end with Cobalt…Kiri…Kiri was the final project that had been started at the very beginning…till the end. Her purpose, destroy the failures…
I didn’t take long to figure she wasn’t too happy like this, she wanted out, freedom, I knew because after I saw her…my limbs stopped moving, and powered down…she knew we had come for her.
--
I left the room shortly after…my arms and legs and tail back in place, with Silver next door, staring at three illusions….i felt…curious as to why as the wolf suddenly snapped too and looked around
“what happened?” he asked with a monotone voice
“Oh…just the end of the world” I said teasingly, sticking out my tongue.
Though I jest…those illusions haunted me, could that team still be alive, could they still be trying to destroy us all…and what plans were they setting forth to…unleash.
I fear what we may soon face…but for now, our time is done.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you enjoyed that, I really liked how i wrote the last part, it really ties in the story and makes a few curious questions reviled to the reader...a possible future issue, perhaps, and perhaps a better quality too.
For now though, next on the block is Comic Pet...its an unusual story i created when i was in high school, finishing grade 12 visual arts. I had to work on a style of art, and make a piece on it. I did, working with comic books. i wrote out the story, not much of it, and then drew what I could onto it. I did rather well on it, was the course that helped me get into University.
anyway suffice to say and not to bore, I am going to enjoy this next story, ill be able to continue with what I know and improve on with a few ideas I've learn from the years after.
"You seem quite...intent on this" Silver asked as he watched her motion her men to prepare
"To be...controlled by something unseen, unheard, it was terrible. Lock in the cage of my mind while my body worked by its hands." she shivered slightly as she turned towards Silver
"How do you know where she is then? I assume you have a plan" I asked, causing Nint to smirk
"Indeed, I do" she whispered turning and walking away to her temple quarters.
Nint brought us to a makeshift war rooms; computers dangled along the walls connected to various ports in the ceiling, giant terminals stand at different points around a large make-shift table that had a 3D image system on it.
Cobalt was standing over the table as myself, Silver, Nint and Damnsel are escorted inside.
"Well...if the party is all here..." he says half-hearty as he taps a control console. On the table, an image of a large dome-like facility around mountains of ice appeared. Cobalt adjusted his position and touched the image "This is where we believe the creature controlled Empress Nint from." he said "Located in the Northern Wastes, it seems to be emitting a large amount of energy, possibly the transmission signal."
Nint nods as she walks over and observes the image.
"I knew of this...well...my father did. He mentioned of the people who created the Spectrums...and their...Ark facility...as this is called."
Silver closed his eyes for a moment "Ark...that name" he whispered
I turn to Silver "Ark? My creator mentioned that to me...something about an Ark"
"It was a facility designed for special projects...that's all I really remember."
Me and Silver soon left the war room, we had gotten a decent idea on what we were up against, but...i couldn't help but feel awfully secluded.
"You were rather silent" Silver muttered as he stopped and turned to me
"Well...I'm not strategist..." I mutter, locking my paws together 'and...well...im nervous about everything"
"How so?" Silver asked
I sighed "Well...why did they create a facility we never knew about, especially you, being their "pet-project"...no offense"
Silver huffs at the "pet-project" word, but sighs "I do not know...the name was...mentioned as I said, but I was never told of it."
"That is what bothers me the most" i reply in a whisper "something just doesn't feel right."
We were soon interrupted by Nint herself, with Cobalt close behind
"Well...I do hope you two are ready, we are about to embark on this great adventure" Nint said in a rather excited tone.
"But...how do we go about getting there?" I ask
"Simple...we fly" Nint replied, which caused me and Silver to give rather...blank...stares.
--
Flight…a once grand design has long since been abandoned by these people. After the collapse of technology, aircraft were unable to fly through the skies because most of them required ancient technology to master. That wasn’t to say there were…a few, and I mean a FEW around that some people had skills with. Nint had continued to surprise myself and Silver as she showed us our transportation; a large fix winged, 4 engine craft that was around the size of a football field, and stood 4 stories tall. The craft, according to Nint, was an old military transport, but it had been rebuilt from many scrap parts found on their “hunts”. It was flight worthy, and would take the group to the Arctic base. I personally had never seen a flying machine before. From what Silver told me, the people that built us had one, but solemnly used it
“In the before-time, it was used to transport them around to other facilities, but with most of their pilots gone, it laid in rust” he had mentioned.
“It shall take us a days flight” Nint noted as the group of Scavengers began loading equipment into the craft. As Scavenger's loaded the last of the supplies, we were greeting by Cobalt who had been assisting Damnsel in getting set-up. Damnsel, now brandishing a new rifle and better armor, gave us a solemn look. We hadn;t seen here since we freed Nint from her mind control
"I had been taken care of, my wounds tended and my armor repaired. Cobalt had been kind enough to fit me properly from the makeshift equipment I originally used" she said softly "I thank him dearly for that."
“It seems that we are ready to go” Nint had instructed as the last of provisions were loaded. Certainly this trip would be amazing, but there always was the pang risk of something going wrong.
“It won’t be easy to get to it, whatever is stationed at the base won’t expect us to arrive by air, so we may still have the element of surprise” Silver had noted as we loaded ourselves onto the plane. After a few bumps, some final checks, and a long list of supplies to mark off, we began to taxi from the large hanger onto a massive strip of land at the rear of the base.
“Ever done this before?” Silver questioned Nint, she gave a rather silly smile
“Nope” she replied
“What of your pilots?” he asked
“Neither have…actually flown this, only tests”
The wolf seemed silent after that, but I could tell he wasn’t to sure about flying anymore.
The interior of the craft was rather rag-tag. Most of the original fixings had long since wore out, and many of the new ones seemed out of place amongst the smooth-line figure of the craft. Added bulkheads here, a new computer there, and a few other mismatched pieces scattered about. There weren't even any seats left, only a long webbing next that was spread across either side of the craft to act as "seats" with straps to keep the passengers in place. The only avaliable seats were in the cockpit for the 4 crewmen, but no one seemed to mind what we were given.
I'm not going to lie, flying...it cant simply be understood by one who never heard of it. Nint's words seemed to assure me even less that this would be easy, and even after double strapping myself to the webbing, i felt that my life would flash before my eyes once we took off. Silver however was more...comforting, he seemed to understand my fear.
"Everyone experiences panic when faced with something new, I'm sure Nint is aware of the risks and has it figured out, why else would she allow us to fly in this thing"
"but..." I rebutted "she never tested it"
"Well...we have to have faith in her and her pilots"
I gulped, almost clinging to the robots massive arm before me as the rear hatch closed. Large engines outside slowly whined to life as I could hear the powerful roar. Soon we began to shudder, moving about the ground until we suddenly stopped and then a huge force pressed against me. It felt like a giant weight had been struck against my chest and i felt my body press tightly against the wall of the craft until, after a few shaky moments, it eased and everything was quieter.
"We are now airborne" Silver says poking out the small window beside him.
--
“Do you believe in fate?” Damnsel asked me an hour after we lifted off. Everyone had left their seats once the plane stabilized, but I dared not leave mine. The white wolf had been sitting with Cobalt and she and him had been able to get on a steady footing in terms of working together. It seems Cobalt and Damnsel had quite a history between them, trying to take the other down for who knows how long and now suddenly working together to save everyone…it was shocking.
“Fate?” I replied “I…tend not to, whatever happens happens, we can’t really judge it by something else” I huffed, remaining crouched on the webbing
“Then if that were true, why were we created for this task, I assume from the start all Spectrums had been designed for this kind of thing. Silver and yourself have proven how powerful you two are in combat, and even helping those mercenaries rescue those refugees to the settlement was instilling. I never would have guessed our skills were so fine.”
I sit up “My…creator told me one thing when he made me; that we all have a purpose, natural or not, we all have something to do. Maybe they figured we would have to deal with this if it ever happened.”
“Or maybe they had made it prior and we are simply the custodians” Silver muttered as he turned to face us.
“You don’t think that really?” Damnsel asked, the robot nodded “I’ve been thinking the same thing, what was our purpose…but sadly I haven’t the faintest. However, when we met her…the pre-born…it was clear we had some reason to be there. How could she know of us when we were not even built?”
Damnsel sighed “That is a question I cannot answer, true I did know of her, but this…I never expected her to become this”
“I am ashamed the organics had changed our minds?” I said, trying to remember exactly what she had mentioned
“It seems we might have turned out like her, if our creators hadn’t learnt from their mistake”
Everyone nodded “So…someone who built her” I begin
“probably didn’t know that she would become like this” Silver ended
--
The plane landed in a relatively flat snow drift. Ever since the collapse, the arctic tundra began to expand, so now it was a giant cap and base on the earth’s surface. It’s not easy managing it either, far colder with temperatures below -50 degrees. Suited up best we could, Silver, myself, Cobalt, Damnsel, Nint and a few other Scavengers rode towards the destination on modified trucks and transports, equipped with winter gear. As we proceeded deeper into the tundra, we could see massive ice spires in the distance, it wasn’t too obvious to notice that they were not natural formations and as we drew nearer, we could see a large structure taking the base between them, reaching deep into the spires.
“That it?” I ask
Silver nods
“Arctic Base…but those spires…they were never there before”
Damnsel seemed…tense
“I believe…that she had made them”
“Why?” Ask Cobalt, he turned to Nint who too shrugged
“It could be relating to her plan to reset the world…we must be careful”
What was unusual was the lack of resistance, I doubt we came around undetected, it would be a fools gamble to assume we wouldn’t, what was waiting was…something even I never expected.
As we curved a hill towards the base, we looked down to see an army of…snowmen
White…fluffy snowmen seemed to be everywhere, as if children were here building all this time. Some had hats, others brooms, a few scarf’s, one even with a sled, but all had the corny smile and all the same build; three balls with sticks and coal. It was…to be honest…unusual, but we couldn’t stop to observe, we drove on. Passing the “field of snowmen” I had an unusual feeling something was right, and I figured Silver did too.
“Whats wrong?” Damnsel asked me
“I dunno…don’t feel right, something…doesn’t seem to fit here”
“Aside from the mass of snowmen?” Cobalt added as I nodded
“Stop the truck!” I shout as the convoy rolled to a halt. I got out without even thinking and pounced onto the nearest snowman…however, expecting it to crumble like snow, I landed with a thud on its head, it…was metal
“It’s…not real…”
It dawned on me
“IT’S A TRAP!”
--
It never really was easy to kill Frosty, any snowman you may rip apart simply forms up from the snow, or liquid metal as we soon found out. Seems the rabbit lady spent a good deal of time perfecting her own army under the snow, and the cute little snowmen were simply camouflage. Underneath were rather menacing looking robot combat units and we were quickly being overwhelmed by them.
“Seems you were right!” cobalt said as he sliced down a robot and cut its head off “but killing these things in the head stops them cold”
“Yeah, but I doubt we will have enough ammo to stop them all!” Damnsel barks back as she sniped several of them with her rifle.
“They wont stop!” I shout “we need to stop it from the source!”
“Agreed” replied Silver “we need to get inside now”
“Then go!” said Nint…her Scavengers slowly being beaten back as she had drawn a pair of SMG’s “we will hold them here…you do what you were meant to robot!” she said as she shot a snow beast at close range in the face, spraying snow and liquid metal about “we will cover you.”
Silver nods…I nod…it was hard to just abandon what these people were doing, we couldn’t, we didn’t, but we had no choice. As we saw a break in the snow beast advance, we lunged, Silver in the lead, using his strength to slay the beasts to the side and make a hole to go through.
--
We entered slowly at fist, it was rather unusual for us not to come under heavy resistance as we neared the facility. Instead, we seemed to be running into less and less hostiles than those we left behind, as if they were…expecting us to enter. Silver lead the way, his robotic sensory scanning the entire area from his nose as a wolf would, each breath took in a bit of the load out and showed him, with it, the location of tangos.
“None….i got….wait….three contacts…look…organic”
“Organic?” I reply as Silver nods. We didn’t expect to encounter anything fleshy, Kiri detested them, so why here? Slowly we both entered the room the contacts were…and all three….were the scientist from the spectrum team
--
“Well, it seems you have done well Silver, your training as a special operations robot has finally be completed, soon, you shall be allowed to operate with our primary military that is shaping the way to restore and destroy all xenos…nothing left to bother us with, and nothing left to worry about cleaning….no more…discrimination towards us, the crap we take.”
Silver stood in awe as the female scientist ranted on, she had been so absorbed in telling Silver that no one noticed me…then again, that is my task, I’m an assassin.
While Silver got the tongue lashing and no doubt something else by the female, I had slid away toward the vent ducts….something….just didn’t seem right, it felt like someone was manipulating Silver, but how, he’s a robot, you cant simply confuse a robot….unless.
Something seemed to bother me, Silvers sudden emotions after we finally got free from the super zombie, something…had changed, but what? A robot cant simply change like that, it was…well…downright impossible.
But he did
He did right in front of me, and now he’s being manipulated…
I wanted to think more, but the sudden realization that silver was still in trouble made me jump to my feet. I didn’t doubt they were real and some conspiracy was afoot, that was probably why I was built…he must have known something was up….that’s why he was killed, I saw him killed in front of me….
I take that emotion and rush forward, even if they were here, the Kiri we know of is still around. After an hour or so scampering around the vent work, lord only knew what Silver was doing, I make my way to a grand chamber, it was quite decedent, golden furnishing, a Victorian feeling, nothing that would be seen in a base.
“Welcome”
A sweet voice echoed as I turned to see Kiri, though, she wasn’t from the video we saw of her, or the data we had, she…she…was a pure anthro rabbit.
I was not expecting guests” she said sweetly as she escorted me to the table that seemed to just appear before me. She slowly eased away and picked up a tray with a kettle, knife, and tea cup.
“Uh….that’s….I think” I reply, something didn’t feel right
“Oh…don’t be harmed, I never get anyone here anymore, its…always so lonely” she looked at me, her beady purple eyes, part robotic, part human, seemed to scream to me, but... I couldn’t tell if they were real or fake….they looked too good. As she handed down the tea, I felt a sudden pang in my back…as if…something very important was forgotten….or someone close was killed.
I wheel up
“what’s wrong?” Kiri says as I turn to her
“i…I just felt a sharp pain in my shoulder”
Kiri looks suspicious, but goes on pouring. I sit back down, slowly sniffing the tea….that’s when I picked it up
Poison….or some form of acid
A killer
I gaze at Kiri, I doubt she has noticed me, that’s probably why she can manipulate him, control his technology from the inside, give him the wrong readings, make him confused, and maybe an illusion. I slowly sipped some of the tea
“mmm…its quite good”
I say as Kiri smiles
“I’m glad…its made well
“yeah…though…was the poison part of-“ I stopped…Kiri whipped her gaze at me, suddenly black were white was, and her pink eyes flame into electric glow. She lunges at me, feeling my limbs hit the floor hard
“So…you think you can…control me too huh…think you can eradicate me/’
Her eyes flared, I continued to brace myself, waiting for an attack….but…one never came. I opened my eyes…was…the poison making me feel all tingly…but…no…that wasn’t right either, I couldn’t feel my limbs, but I wasn’t being injured, just pinned. Kiri was controlling my robotics….that’s what the acid smell was!
I never liked doing this…but there was one piece Kiri neglected to think of with my limbs….a tight squeeze on the muscle that only organic functions could detect, would release the lock…that means if anyone tried to crack it or fool it, it would know because only the wearer of the limbs could detach them like an energy escape hatch.
I did so, and with a hiss and fuss, the arms eject to my sides…my legs next and then finally…my tail, which actually wasn’t controlled.
I sighed as my body fwummped to the floor, limbless I try to roll over with my shoulder joints. It takes some time…and some pain, but I am able to slither over to the table….that tea was real but the table certainly wasn’t…it…didn’t smell.
I bump the table, the tea rumbles and suddenly drops, splashing hot liquid all over the room.
The result, whatever was causing that illusion failed…and I could see where I really was.
Around me was a giant, empty, windowless, shadowy room with a strange ting of metal and ozone, and small track lights illuminating various paths all around pointing to the center….and there….hanging between a massive 1 story tall base, and suspended almost 3 stories above that suspended by millions of cables that connect all over the room (and are even the landlines) She looked…exactly as I figured…cold…robotic, but trapped…almost trapped in something she never wanted to be part of…she was…alone, afraid and damn well crying to be released. The spectrum project didn’t end with Cobalt…Kiri…Kiri was the final project that had been started at the very beginning…till the end. Her purpose, destroy the failures…
I didn’t take long to figure she wasn’t too happy like this, she wanted out, freedom, I knew because after I saw her…my limbs stopped moving, and powered down…she knew we had come for her.
--
I left the room shortly after…my arms and legs and tail back in place, with Silver next door, staring at three illusions….i felt…curious as to why as the wolf suddenly snapped too and looked around
“what happened?” he asked with a monotone voice
“Oh…just the end of the world” I said teasingly, sticking out my tongue.
Though I jest…those illusions haunted me, could that team still be alive, could they still be trying to destroy us all…and what plans were they setting forth to…unleash.
I fear what we may soon face…but for now, our time is done.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you enjoyed that, I really liked how i wrote the last part, it really ties in the story and makes a few curious questions reviled to the reader...a possible future issue, perhaps, and perhaps a better quality too.
For now though, next on the block is Comic Pet...its an unusual story i created when i was in high school, finishing grade 12 visual arts. I had to work on a style of art, and make a piece on it. I did, working with comic books. i wrote out the story, not much of it, and then drew what I could onto it. I did rather well on it, was the course that helped me get into University.
anyway suffice to say and not to bore, I am going to enjoy this next story, ill be able to continue with what I know and improve on with a few ideas I've learn from the years after.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Unwanted Apology
Well...for one let me say this is a hard letter to write. I have missed 3 weeks of story; I am not happy about it, but I do it with reason. Since March is the last month of school, and I've been rather bothered by the end of Febuary, I have a lot on my hands as well as a lot of stress emotionally. Its hard to manage this and have the determination to go on writing. This is not a cry of "im giving up" more like "I made a mistake, give me time to heal"
Once this month has past and things ease off, I'll certainly get back to writing my stories for this. The last one of "Silver and Natalia" is nearly complete, so for now, enjoy yourselves with this teaser.
--
“Do you believe in fate?” Damnsel asked me an hour after we lifted off. Everyone had left their seats once the plane stabilized, but I dared not leave mine. The white wolf had been sitting with Cobalt and she and him had been able to get on a steady footing in terms of working together. It seems Cobalt and Damnsel had quite a history between them, trying to take the other down for who knows how long, now suddenly working together to save everyone…it was shocking
“Fate?” I replied “I…tend not to, whatever happens, happens, we can’t really judge it by something else” I huffed, remaining crouched on the webbing
“Then if that were try, why were we created for this task, I assume from the start all Spectrums had been designed for this kind of thing. Silver and yourself have proven how powerful you two are in combat, and even helping those mercenaries rescue those refugees to the settlement was instilling, I never would have guessed our skills were so fine.”
I sit up “My…creator told me one thing when he made me that we all have a purpose, natural or not, we all have something to do. Maybe they figured we would have to deal with this if it ever happened.”
“Or maybe they had made it prior and we are simply the custodians” Silver muttered as he entered the room
“You don’t think that really?” Damnsel asked, the robot nodded “I’ve been thinking the same thing, what was our purpose…but sadly I haven’t the faintest. However, when we met her…the pre-born…it was clear we had some reason to be there. How could she know of us when we were not even built?”
Damnsel sighed “That is a question I cannot answer, true I did know of her, but this…I never expected her to become this”
“I am ashamed the organics had changed our minds?” I said, trying to remember exactly what she had mentioned
“It seems we might have turned out like her, if our creators hadn’t learnt from their mistake”
Everyone nodded “So…someone who built her” I begin
“probably didn’t know that she would become like this” Silver ended
Once this month has past and things ease off, I'll certainly get back to writing my stories for this. The last one of "Silver and Natalia" is nearly complete, so for now, enjoy yourselves with this teaser.
--
“Do you believe in fate?” Damnsel asked me an hour after we lifted off. Everyone had left their seats once the plane stabilized, but I dared not leave mine. The white wolf had been sitting with Cobalt and she and him had been able to get on a steady footing in terms of working together. It seems Cobalt and Damnsel had quite a history between them, trying to take the other down for who knows how long, now suddenly working together to save everyone…it was shocking
“Fate?” I replied “I…tend not to, whatever happens, happens, we can’t really judge it by something else” I huffed, remaining crouched on the webbing
“Then if that were try, why were we created for this task, I assume from the start all Spectrums had been designed for this kind of thing. Silver and yourself have proven how powerful you two are in combat, and even helping those mercenaries rescue those refugees to the settlement was instilling, I never would have guessed our skills were so fine.”
I sit up “My…creator told me one thing when he made me that we all have a purpose, natural or not, we all have something to do. Maybe they figured we would have to deal with this if it ever happened.”
“Or maybe they had made it prior and we are simply the custodians” Silver muttered as he entered the room
“You don’t think that really?” Damnsel asked, the robot nodded “I’ve been thinking the same thing, what was our purpose…but sadly I haven’t the faintest. However, when we met her…the pre-born…it was clear we had some reason to be there. How could she know of us when we were not even built?”
Damnsel sighed “That is a question I cannot answer, true I did know of her, but this…I never expected her to become this”
“I am ashamed the organics had changed our minds?” I said, trying to remember exactly what she had mentioned
“It seems we might have turned out like her, if our creators hadn’t learnt from their mistake”
Everyone nodded “So…someone who built her” I begin
“probably didn’t know that she would become like this” Silver ended
Sunday, March 7, 2010
What comes to an end - prt.1
For the first time…I felt afraid. Silver unconscious below me, Damnsel no were to be seen…and then me held against a wall, claws sealed in heavy gauntlets. The blue fox, Cobalt, as he told us, was a rather serious figure; his right arm was cybernetic, which was daunting to see, but the weapon it housed that had disabled Silver was far more frightening then the fox holding it. I remember thinking just how much power this fox could be given, it seemed something totally impossible.
We were drawn from our cell after several long and dreadful hours. I was tired, sore and most of all depressed. It had been several hours of silence, worry, I kept my gaze upon Silver for all those hours, hoping that he would awaken; I couldn’t believe how he was taken down so easily. I couldn’t and wanted to deny it but the truth was there, he lay on the floor, out cold…it…it was something I wished not to see. When Cobalt and his men gathered us, I felt a cold chill when he came near; taking a paw to my chin as his men drag Silver onto a movable trolley while another began to unhitch me from the wall.
“Hmm…it seems this Damnsel has been good with meeting people” he says turning my head to the side from my chin, studying my composure. I couldn’t even growl to how tired and upset I was
“What is this…the kitty has lost her tongue this time around?” he chuckled at the sick and stupid joke, I couldn’t even gag. For some strange reason he spent a good deal of time watching me, gazing at me. His eyes, craving me, wanting me…it was scary how fiendishly he was looking at me as I finally sagged to the floor.
“Now…posture malady!” the fox says jokingly as he heaves me up and twist my arms together. It didn’t matter, the gauntlets that sheathed my claws were enough to prevent me from using them, but he was smart to know I could still wail with them on me fists.
--
Royalty of any kind pisses me off, especially those who know of their power and can use it to the best extent. In other words, a king can use his knights to instill fear, at the same time these Knights serve directly to him and have such trust and loyaly in him they will never falter. The fact he holds so much power in his hands and is able to ease and sway his followers is scary. Seeing that in reality is far worse. We were brought before Nint in her throne chamber, a massive cathedral style room that seemed to date before the fall of humanity. Stain glassed windows line the walls around the throne and an even larger one right behind it. I doubt they were even related to Nint and her kindred…if she had any, but the sheer awe of seeing such ancient artifacts’ in good condition is a sight to see. Nint herself was another curious thing to see, a red hedgehog. From what I know, marsupials like that are very rare and uncommon, usually unable to live in this harsh world. Seeing her here…and in such good form was one thing. But something at the back of my mind kept telling me there was more to it, and that gave me…a chill.
Nint sat proper in her throne, as royalty should. Her black fur well groomed and her bangs neatly kept, both bore steel bangs that covered almost half of it from the base of the head. Her eyes were deep green and her gaze seemed a mix of boredom and seriousness, somewhat hidden by her black hair. Her gown was an unusual style of clothing; dark black with red trimming that had runic letters written across it. As Cobalt escorted us into the chamber, she rose. Her hand, delicate and slender outstretched to us before clenching her fist and drawing it in
“So…” she said, her voice soft yet very powerful “you are the kindred who have aided Damnsel?” she asks. I growl, already not liking her “yeah…we did…what’s it to you?”
Nint seem to keep her composure “I had no intention of seeing any aid towards Damnsel, it is…unlike her”
“unlike her? I take it you have a history with her.”
She turns to me and nods
“Indeed…she has…caused me some serious grievances for the past year, it is suprising to see her have…”friends”
Cobalt holds my arms tightly as I squirm abit “seems your operation is rather extensive, and yet you needed a year to take down one gal?” I chuckle abit, only to be violently tugged by the fox
“Silence!” he barks, Nint raises her hand
“No need…her words are futile…if not rather idiotic”
“HEY!” I shout as Nint smirks at me, she turns to another entrance as Damnsel is escorted out, eyes covered by some funky cover as she seemed…frightened.
“Ah…Damnsel…for so long I have sought you, now you are here…under my control”
Damnsel shifted, she couldn’t speak, in fact she couldn’t even coordinate were Nint was; her head shifting left and right
“Ah…it seems without your...gift you cannot truly see, but my little mask does more than that…all your sense except for a tiny bit of hearing are free…so you forever will be in the dark”
“That’s just twisted!” I exclaim
“Necessary however” Nint replied as she turned to Nat again “now…I offer you one thing my child” she said to me “because you did not truly involve yourself, I will allow you to leave this place. Your friend…” she said as Silvers solid body was wheeled in “will not be as fortunate…due to his attack on us, his body shall be used for parts, and Damnsel shall be executed for her crimes.”
“Wait…I cant just allow that?”
Nint gives me a look “oh…are you willing to die with them instead of being given freedom?”
I growl again, looking down….Think…what can I do…
“I…I…” I stop for a second, take a deep breath
“I challenge you to a fight for the freedom of myself and my partners!” I shout, the room grew…oddly silent as Nint gazed at me
“You…challenge me?” she smirked “interesting…and if I win?”
“Then…you get all of us, and you can do as you please to me”
--
As Silver would say “Man has fought by tooth and hand since the dawn of time…simply adding a stick escalates the danger, but the true fighting spirit resides only in the hands and feet of the contenders.” I never asked where he got that quote, but the concept was perfect. Man has always fought with fists, a sword or gun or even a nuke are simply sticks added to escalate the danger, but it’s the spirit of the fist that holds the true power (even for a nuke to push the button) fighting Nint with only my fists was a real treat, but I highly doubted that it would be a walk in the park.
Nints battlefield was a coliseum, an ancient one at that built around a high wall were everyone, including the prisoners, watched. Silver had been reactivated, well at least his head had been, and his body was…removed… so he couldn’t try anything. Now, with my friends on the line, I had to do something I seriously hope was the right thing.
Nint walked onto the field, her gown replaced by a strange armour; a mix of Scavenger armour with a more “royal” feel, but I figure it had more to it than just looks. I slowly raised my fist, gauntlets still present but I didn’t mind them, was better since I didn’t want to kill her.
“Now…begin!” came one of the observers.
I must admit…I never really fought hand to hand much, mostly with my weapons training, I deal with close to mid range gun fights, but first-to-cuffs is something entirely different; its…well…almost frightening. With guns its point and shot the enemy goes down, with fists, its all about skill, speed and focus; it’s not something you can just wail at.
Nint was fast, she came at me with such speed I nearly had time to block before I was pelted in the gut by a series of strikes. Each hit felt like a stab from a sword, precise, quick, and quite painful. I double back quickly, my gut screaming in pain as I nearly double over
“Such...movement” I mutter as Nint takes a stance before me, fist ready and raise, not clenched, but straightened. She huffs a bit, and then comes at me again. I am able to narrowly block this time, but that was my mistake, she feinted and quickly struck me in the side of the head.
I…buckle….cant think straight as everything blurs…wait
“Nat…” I hear in my head
“Silver….?” I respond, or…I think I do
…in an instant I feel something almost control me, my hands flail upwards and I block another attack, my entire body felt lithe and agile again. I moved quickly at Nint, stroking back…or at least I think.
I don’t have control of my body, but I can feel the blows being block and connected by my fist, and eventually I am knocking the hedgehog back. I…however notice something that doesn’t seem right. Around Nints neck was a metal band, but not like the ones around her bangs, this one…seemed like a coil. I quickly direct every point in my body towards it and strike at it, once…twice…three times. It hurt to hit it, but soon I knocked it clear off. Nint’s eyes went glazed and she fell to the ground, the coil scattered to the floor nearby as my body went limp, smoke coming from my joints of my robotics…whatever happened had done its job.
--
“The…Queen lost?” muttered Cobalt as I slowly moved to the wall “yeah…now…let my friends go!” I bark with whatever strength I had left, if these guys didn’t follow their side of the deal, id be done as dinner, fortunately, Nint taught them well and sure enough the scavengers began to untie Silver and Damnsel from their locks, easing them down to the field. I walked over to Nint, and gently felt her neck, she was alive…but out cold. The coil thingy…lay beside her. I recall what had happened with the Zombie and the metal rod, could this be the same? Curiosity of a cat is never really something good, and instinctively I drew my hand near…only to have the coil spring it and grab around my arm, crushing the cybernetics.
The pain rips through me, I clench my teeth, shout, cry meow, anything! Until its relased…Cobalt rushed to me and slashed the coil with his sword, causing it to sputter and tumble to the floor. The blue fox kept the blade pointed at it
“Are you alright?” he asked, I nodded
“Yeah…that was scary” I mutter as the coil turns into a ball…then slowly forms into something else…a small figure
“So…it seems my creators had done quite well with their projects…I am most pleased to see all 4 of you growing so well.” It said as the from took shape of a rabbit…girl or something
“Wait…four?” I ask as the rabbit points to me, Silver, Damsel, and then…Cobalt
“You are all my…successors…and I am quiet please, it is a shame the organics…had defiled your minds and removed your true purposes for being here”
“What do you mean!?” I shout, but the form quickly melds away
“Fine me…in the North for the answers” it said and quickly slid away into the shadows
“The North…” Cobalt muttered “she means the Arctic regions”
“Then…it’s where we must go” Silver said walking over, I smile and look up to him as Damnsel walks over “So…she is the pre-born…I was wondering when she would show”
“You knew?” I asked, Damnel nodded
“I was born first before Silver, and before me was her…she was…an experiment to make way for us, but she was far more powerful than anything ever built”
“Well… then it seems that’s where we better go” Silver replied “That has been our task since the start Nat”
Cobalt huffs “you can go…but I refuse…my place is here, I do not need your misery on my shoulders.”
“Cobalt…” Came a soft voice from the ground, Nint slowly rose “as your queen…I ask you to help…she has controlled me for the past year and…in her hold I was able to see her vision, her purpose…it is a risk to us all…life in general shall be destroyed if we do not stop her.”
The fox growled then turned from everyone “fine…I will go…”
Nint smiled, as did myself and everyone else…we had one more mission and hopefully, the last one
We were drawn from our cell after several long and dreadful hours. I was tired, sore and most of all depressed. It had been several hours of silence, worry, I kept my gaze upon Silver for all those hours, hoping that he would awaken; I couldn’t believe how he was taken down so easily. I couldn’t and wanted to deny it but the truth was there, he lay on the floor, out cold…it…it was something I wished not to see. When Cobalt and his men gathered us, I felt a cold chill when he came near; taking a paw to my chin as his men drag Silver onto a movable trolley while another began to unhitch me from the wall.
“Hmm…it seems this Damnsel has been good with meeting people” he says turning my head to the side from my chin, studying my composure. I couldn’t even growl to how tired and upset I was
“What is this…the kitty has lost her tongue this time around?” he chuckled at the sick and stupid joke, I couldn’t even gag. For some strange reason he spent a good deal of time watching me, gazing at me. His eyes, craving me, wanting me…it was scary how fiendishly he was looking at me as I finally sagged to the floor.
“Now…posture malady!” the fox says jokingly as he heaves me up and twist my arms together. It didn’t matter, the gauntlets that sheathed my claws were enough to prevent me from using them, but he was smart to know I could still wail with them on me fists.
--
Royalty of any kind pisses me off, especially those who know of their power and can use it to the best extent. In other words, a king can use his knights to instill fear, at the same time these Knights serve directly to him and have such trust and loyaly in him they will never falter. The fact he holds so much power in his hands and is able to ease and sway his followers is scary. Seeing that in reality is far worse. We were brought before Nint in her throne chamber, a massive cathedral style room that seemed to date before the fall of humanity. Stain glassed windows line the walls around the throne and an even larger one right behind it. I doubt they were even related to Nint and her kindred…if she had any, but the sheer awe of seeing such ancient artifacts’ in good condition is a sight to see. Nint herself was another curious thing to see, a red hedgehog. From what I know, marsupials like that are very rare and uncommon, usually unable to live in this harsh world. Seeing her here…and in such good form was one thing. But something at the back of my mind kept telling me there was more to it, and that gave me…a chill.
Nint sat proper in her throne, as royalty should. Her black fur well groomed and her bangs neatly kept, both bore steel bangs that covered almost half of it from the base of the head. Her eyes were deep green and her gaze seemed a mix of boredom and seriousness, somewhat hidden by her black hair. Her gown was an unusual style of clothing; dark black with red trimming that had runic letters written across it. As Cobalt escorted us into the chamber, she rose. Her hand, delicate and slender outstretched to us before clenching her fist and drawing it in
“So…” she said, her voice soft yet very powerful “you are the kindred who have aided Damnsel?” she asks. I growl, already not liking her “yeah…we did…what’s it to you?”
Nint seem to keep her composure “I had no intention of seeing any aid towards Damnsel, it is…unlike her”
“unlike her? I take it you have a history with her.”
She turns to me and nods
“Indeed…she has…caused me some serious grievances for the past year, it is suprising to see her have…”friends”
Cobalt holds my arms tightly as I squirm abit “seems your operation is rather extensive, and yet you needed a year to take down one gal?” I chuckle abit, only to be violently tugged by the fox
“Silence!” he barks, Nint raises her hand
“No need…her words are futile…if not rather idiotic”
“HEY!” I shout as Nint smirks at me, she turns to another entrance as Damnsel is escorted out, eyes covered by some funky cover as she seemed…frightened.
“Ah…Damnsel…for so long I have sought you, now you are here…under my control”
Damnsel shifted, she couldn’t speak, in fact she couldn’t even coordinate were Nint was; her head shifting left and right
“Ah…it seems without your...gift you cannot truly see, but my little mask does more than that…all your sense except for a tiny bit of hearing are free…so you forever will be in the dark”
“That’s just twisted!” I exclaim
“Necessary however” Nint replied as she turned to Nat again “now…I offer you one thing my child” she said to me “because you did not truly involve yourself, I will allow you to leave this place. Your friend…” she said as Silvers solid body was wheeled in “will not be as fortunate…due to his attack on us, his body shall be used for parts, and Damnsel shall be executed for her crimes.”
“Wait…I cant just allow that?”
Nint gives me a look “oh…are you willing to die with them instead of being given freedom?”
I growl again, looking down….Think…what can I do…
“I…I…” I stop for a second, take a deep breath
“I challenge you to a fight for the freedom of myself and my partners!” I shout, the room grew…oddly silent as Nint gazed at me
“You…challenge me?” she smirked “interesting…and if I win?”
“Then…you get all of us, and you can do as you please to me”
--
As Silver would say “Man has fought by tooth and hand since the dawn of time…simply adding a stick escalates the danger, but the true fighting spirit resides only in the hands and feet of the contenders.” I never asked where he got that quote, but the concept was perfect. Man has always fought with fists, a sword or gun or even a nuke are simply sticks added to escalate the danger, but it’s the spirit of the fist that holds the true power (even for a nuke to push the button) fighting Nint with only my fists was a real treat, but I highly doubted that it would be a walk in the park.
Nints battlefield was a coliseum, an ancient one at that built around a high wall were everyone, including the prisoners, watched. Silver had been reactivated, well at least his head had been, and his body was…removed… so he couldn’t try anything. Now, with my friends on the line, I had to do something I seriously hope was the right thing.
Nint walked onto the field, her gown replaced by a strange armour; a mix of Scavenger armour with a more “royal” feel, but I figure it had more to it than just looks. I slowly raised my fist, gauntlets still present but I didn’t mind them, was better since I didn’t want to kill her.
“Now…begin!” came one of the observers.
I must admit…I never really fought hand to hand much, mostly with my weapons training, I deal with close to mid range gun fights, but first-to-cuffs is something entirely different; its…well…almost frightening. With guns its point and shot the enemy goes down, with fists, its all about skill, speed and focus; it’s not something you can just wail at.
Nint was fast, she came at me with such speed I nearly had time to block before I was pelted in the gut by a series of strikes. Each hit felt like a stab from a sword, precise, quick, and quite painful. I double back quickly, my gut screaming in pain as I nearly double over
“Such...movement” I mutter as Nint takes a stance before me, fist ready and raise, not clenched, but straightened. She huffs a bit, and then comes at me again. I am able to narrowly block this time, but that was my mistake, she feinted and quickly struck me in the side of the head.
I…buckle….cant think straight as everything blurs…wait
“Nat…” I hear in my head
“Silver….?” I respond, or…I think I do
…in an instant I feel something almost control me, my hands flail upwards and I block another attack, my entire body felt lithe and agile again. I moved quickly at Nint, stroking back…or at least I think.
I don’t have control of my body, but I can feel the blows being block and connected by my fist, and eventually I am knocking the hedgehog back. I…however notice something that doesn’t seem right. Around Nints neck was a metal band, but not like the ones around her bangs, this one…seemed like a coil. I quickly direct every point in my body towards it and strike at it, once…twice…three times. It hurt to hit it, but soon I knocked it clear off. Nint’s eyes went glazed and she fell to the ground, the coil scattered to the floor nearby as my body went limp, smoke coming from my joints of my robotics…whatever happened had done its job.
--
“The…Queen lost?” muttered Cobalt as I slowly moved to the wall “yeah…now…let my friends go!” I bark with whatever strength I had left, if these guys didn’t follow their side of the deal, id be done as dinner, fortunately, Nint taught them well and sure enough the scavengers began to untie Silver and Damnsel from their locks, easing them down to the field. I walked over to Nint, and gently felt her neck, she was alive…but out cold. The coil thingy…lay beside her. I recall what had happened with the Zombie and the metal rod, could this be the same? Curiosity of a cat is never really something good, and instinctively I drew my hand near…only to have the coil spring it and grab around my arm, crushing the cybernetics.
The pain rips through me, I clench my teeth, shout, cry meow, anything! Until its relased…Cobalt rushed to me and slashed the coil with his sword, causing it to sputter and tumble to the floor. The blue fox kept the blade pointed at it
“Are you alright?” he asked, I nodded
“Yeah…that was scary” I mutter as the coil turns into a ball…then slowly forms into something else…a small figure
“So…it seems my creators had done quite well with their projects…I am most pleased to see all 4 of you growing so well.” It said as the from took shape of a rabbit…girl or something
“Wait…four?” I ask as the rabbit points to me, Silver, Damsel, and then…Cobalt
“You are all my…successors…and I am quiet please, it is a shame the organics…had defiled your minds and removed your true purposes for being here”
“What do you mean!?” I shout, but the form quickly melds away
“Fine me…in the North for the answers” it said and quickly slid away into the shadows
“The North…” Cobalt muttered “she means the Arctic regions”
“Then…it’s where we must go” Silver said walking over, I smile and look up to him as Damnsel walks over “So…she is the pre-born…I was wondering when she would show”
“You knew?” I asked, Damnel nodded
“I was born first before Silver, and before me was her…she was…an experiment to make way for us, but she was far more powerful than anything ever built”
“Well… then it seems that’s where we better go” Silver replied “That has been our task since the start Nat”
Cobalt huffs “you can go…but I refuse…my place is here, I do not need your misery on my shoulders.”
“Cobalt…” Came a soft voice from the ground, Nint slowly rose “as your queen…I ask you to help…she has controlled me for the past year and…in her hold I was able to see her vision, her purpose…it is a risk to us all…life in general shall be destroyed if we do not stop her.”
The fox growled then turned from everyone “fine…I will go…”
Nint smiled, as did myself and everyone else…we had one more mission and hopefully, the last one
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Silver and Natalia - Lose Ends and Allies
Parting with Vix was saddening to say the least, they were good people and we would certainly miss their company again. Silver however seemed more…focused on the task at hand; Damnsel wanted his audience in Culdina and he seemed intent on bringing it. I…wasn’t so sure myself, I still didn’t trust Damnsel, she seemed to sullen to be considered a very good friend to carry around, but her attraction to Silver was close and quite truthful towards Silver; having spent longer periods of time then I have with him. Maybe Silver was right, maybe I am just jealous of Damnsel, maybe I am just wanting this wolf all for myself and not have another female bothering me with it….but…but I cant bear bringing myself to tell Silver how I feel for him.
“Are you alright?” Came his soft spoken voice “you seem…tense”
“Oh!” I exclaim as I flail a bit “no no, I'm good, I'm just…well just thinking”
Silver eyes me for a moment, looking back at the horizon, sighing “Well…you do seem deep in thought, your never this quiet when we wander…I thought maybe something was bothering you….maybe about Damnsel?”
I blush again “no…that’s not it!” I said half heatedly, but Silver knew, he did say anything after, but he knew, he knew too well how I was feeling about Damnsel.
We made our way to the outer limits of Culdina, it wasn’t as large as Yeilds, more rural then urban, but it still housed a decent sized settlement within the mountain valley it resided within. Many settlements that were protected by natural barriers were smaller, they tend to be less developed because of the trouble it takes to deliver supplies, so many of these settlements remained small and less fortified then major ones. Still, people came because they were safer, they weren’t as toxin and the land around was rather fertile, despite still being blasted to pieces, some farmers were able to grow a few crops to keep the village alive by selling them. The nearer we came, the more we felt…comfortable; it’s an odd feeling to become comfortable in such a small place. It was easy to see why Damnsel wanted us to meet her here, the land was rather peaceful, scavengers wouldn’t be a problem here…at least we hoped not.
Passing the front gate, we ended up in the main square, hustle and bustle fill around us.
“Wow!” I exclaim, clapping my hands together as I gaze around seeing all the people “it’s so lively”
“You don’t see this sort of thing in any other settlements; these small towns tend to be the most prospecting despite their size.” Silver noted as we walked into the square. People didn’t seem to bother with us, a few looks, a few mutters, but nothing worth raising a fist.
“Now…were did we have to meet her?” I ask in a rather stuck-up attitude, Silver gives a rather silent stare as he looks at one of the nearby cafes…he sighs and points ahead
“I believe she is there” he says and begins to walk towards it. I huff, cross my arms and follow, not wanting to meet Damnsel again.
The café was small, rather well furnished despite everything being wood. Silver had already found Damnsel at the far corner table, sitting near her as she waved me over. I growl, take a seat across from her. Silver seemed in high spirits with her as they had been talking amongst themselves, a laugh or two escaped
“So…” I butt in “Tell me about you two?”
Damnsel blinked, smirking as she eased forward in her seat towards me “Ohh a curious kitten? Certainly I will tell you”
I growl again
“Silver and I had worked together before you could even walk…you could say I was the predecessor to you”
“What do you mean “predecessor to me? I was built separately!”
Damnsel shakes a finger “True…I read the file upon you, but it seems your creator was responsible for my project too, he designed me before he designed you…its funny…how he had to go behind the company bac-“
I slugged her…right there, I didn’t think, just acted, and slammed my fist right into her face sending her tumbling over the chair.
“DON’T EVER TALK ABOUT MY CREATOR LIKE THAT!” I shout, pouncing over the table and tackling Damnsel, with all that wolf senses, she lacked decent close combat, and now she would pay. As I raise my fist, I felt a sudden grip of immense strength as Silver yanked me off by my paw
“Enough!” he barks, his voice deep but very frightening as he helps Damnsel up with the other paw
“If you to don’t get along, then prey I do not become agitated by your childish games any further…we are all on the same team, now stop fighting or I shall do more then just stop you!” His eyes glowed deep red, both me and Damnsel whimpered, ears lowered and slunk back into our seats.
Everyone stared at us…at Silver, it was hard to simply denounce that wolf’s presence and sheer power now, and everyone seemed…on edge. After moments of awkward silence, Damnsel coughed
“Well…the reason I asked for you to come is because I know what your mission is…and want to help”
“Oh…why, so you can get closer to Silver?” I remark, getting a rather serious glare from Silver
“As…much as that is true, it is not the case” She sighed, fidgeted almost as if something was on edge with her
“For months I have hunted many terrible people, killed warlords of Scavenger tribes, made many enemies….but I am not a fighter and I know many have already begun to track me…so…I request to go with you for my own safety….which is why I am glad you came.”
For a moment I felt sad for Damnsel, her words…were truthful; she meant every bit of it, and who wouldn’t be. She could be considered a vigilant that made a lot of nasty people mad with her.
“Already…I know a large Scavenger gang is hunting me, I made them certainly mad with me because of how much I’ve done to them”
“Such as?” I ask
“Transport ambushes, assassinations, I even worked with other mercenaries to take down many facilities and convoys they had. We did…a lot of damage to them.”
I can’t help but smirk, she was tough, quite resourceful too, not easy so simply attack a scavenger convoy so easily, even harder to piss em off.
I sigh, Silver looks at me, and in return I nod “Well…as much as I would like to see you pay for your crimes…we both see you as someone who can help us, and besides, you got some serious ovaries if you can successfully piss of a Scavenger tribe.” Damnsel seemed to raise a brow missing the commentary given to her…I shrug
“Girl, you got a lot to learn, but we will help you” Silver nods in compliance Damnsel smiled, and clasped her hands together
“Thank you two very m-“ she was interrupted by a sudden bang as the door to the café was blow past, inches from the table we sat at
“LISTEN UP!” boomed voice as many footsteps echoed behind us. Three men entered, clad in armor that represented warriors of ancient times, their cloaks covering most of their body. They were anthro’s many of them varying species, but all well built and large. The one in the lead, a blue fox, took out a data pad and pressed it.
“That’s them” Damnsel whispered “They are from the tribe I have been attacking”
“By order of Empress Nintarie Gironen Anciet, we are here to claim the one who has commit acts of transgression against tribe An’chiu, by her order, she is to be handed over. Anyone who refuses shall be exterminated…save yourselves the trouble of death and present her to us!” he said. Silver growled, he eased low to grab his weapon under the table, but Damnsel nudged him, not wanting him to start
“I am here” She said softly, stepping forward. I blinked, was she nuts!
“Ah…so your whiteout…the assassin, funny, I was expecting you to be a man, no woman would be so vile in her work.”
I could tell Damnsel bit her tongue on that one, even I did…what was this bastard’s deal, I felt rage build in me, but Silver rested a paw on my shoulder
“Just wait…they have surrounded this place, too many innocent will die if we fight”
“So!?” I remark back “Damnsel will be treated far worse when they are done with her!”
Silver sighed “We wait for them to leave, and then we move”
I tensed up, I couldn’t just watch this, but Silver had a point, too many innocent people would be caught in the crossfire, but there was another reason. As the fox tugged Damnsel outside, I could see a tank, turret aimed right at the café. We wouldn’t have even stood a chance if that thing picked us out and fired.
Once the convoy was gone, Silver rose and left the café. I was puzzled, I never seen Silver so calm and controlled about a situation like this, usually if he acted this way, he had something planned. As I followed him outside, he drew his cannon from his back and aimed…after a few moments the defining boom of the weapon shattered and within an instant the rear of the tank exploded in a ball of fire. The vehicle lurched as secondary explosion rocked it back and forth, but…that was quickly responded to by the two forward transports turning and aiming their weapons at us. Turrets lined with fire arms of various types kept their sights on me, but…and this is coming from someone who has been with this wolf for awhile…never seen him move so fast! Silver quickly jetted atop the first transport, cannon at point blank, and fired directly into it. The vehicle seemed to lurch up and then split as the powerful gun ripped through the center of it.
Suddenly a single blast of energy struck Silver from behind, it cut right through the armor and already I could see the damage, wires, gears, synthetic components began to shutter as fluid dripped from the wound…its…hard…just moments before he was so triumphant now…a hole in his upper chest. He stumbled, turning to see who shot…and it was there, that blue fox from before, his right arm now a cannon.
“Down boy” he said, grinning as Silver fell forward
“NO!” was all I could say before Scavengers surrounded me, but I didn’t fight…I…felt so weak; tumbling to the ground as everything went black.
I awoke to find myself hanging in a cell, Silver…at the floor, his hole somewhat patched, but his systems offline. I couldn’t see the glow in his eyes and all I could do was whimper.
“Well...look who’s awake” spoke a rather sly voice. I look up to see the blue fox from before. He had his arms crossed as he stared at us behind the bars
“You’re the trouble-maker’s assistants eh? Well…that’s all fine and dandy. more people tp serve for her crime!” He smiled…already I disliked this guy, as he looked at me, he smirked “Your beauty is remarkable, but that alone should be of little help, the empress was not pleased by you assisting Whiteout after all she has done”
“She is a friend” I muttered “and we take care of our friends”
The fox laughs “Hah…well…look where its got you, you best try to get some rest...who knows, maybe this will be your last night to live…” he laughs again and walks out, leaving me to wonder just what evils await us tomorrow.
“Are you alright?” Came his soft spoken voice “you seem…tense”
“Oh!” I exclaim as I flail a bit “no no, I'm good, I'm just…well just thinking”
Silver eyes me for a moment, looking back at the horizon, sighing “Well…you do seem deep in thought, your never this quiet when we wander…I thought maybe something was bothering you….maybe about Damnsel?”
I blush again “no…that’s not it!” I said half heatedly, but Silver knew, he did say anything after, but he knew, he knew too well how I was feeling about Damnsel.
We made our way to the outer limits of Culdina, it wasn’t as large as Yeilds, more rural then urban, but it still housed a decent sized settlement within the mountain valley it resided within. Many settlements that were protected by natural barriers were smaller, they tend to be less developed because of the trouble it takes to deliver supplies, so many of these settlements remained small and less fortified then major ones. Still, people came because they were safer, they weren’t as toxin and the land around was rather fertile, despite still being blasted to pieces, some farmers were able to grow a few crops to keep the village alive by selling them. The nearer we came, the more we felt…comfortable; it’s an odd feeling to become comfortable in such a small place. It was easy to see why Damnsel wanted us to meet her here, the land was rather peaceful, scavengers wouldn’t be a problem here…at least we hoped not.
Passing the front gate, we ended up in the main square, hustle and bustle fill around us.
“Wow!” I exclaim, clapping my hands together as I gaze around seeing all the people “it’s so lively”
“You don’t see this sort of thing in any other settlements; these small towns tend to be the most prospecting despite their size.” Silver noted as we walked into the square. People didn’t seem to bother with us, a few looks, a few mutters, but nothing worth raising a fist.
“Now…were did we have to meet her?” I ask in a rather stuck-up attitude, Silver gives a rather silent stare as he looks at one of the nearby cafes…he sighs and points ahead
“I believe she is there” he says and begins to walk towards it. I huff, cross my arms and follow, not wanting to meet Damnsel again.
The café was small, rather well furnished despite everything being wood. Silver had already found Damnsel at the far corner table, sitting near her as she waved me over. I growl, take a seat across from her. Silver seemed in high spirits with her as they had been talking amongst themselves, a laugh or two escaped
“So…” I butt in “Tell me about you two?”
Damnsel blinked, smirking as she eased forward in her seat towards me “Ohh a curious kitten? Certainly I will tell you”
I growl again
“Silver and I had worked together before you could even walk…you could say I was the predecessor to you”
“What do you mean “predecessor to me? I was built separately!”
Damnsel shakes a finger “True…I read the file upon you, but it seems your creator was responsible for my project too, he designed me before he designed you…its funny…how he had to go behind the company bac-“
I slugged her…right there, I didn’t think, just acted, and slammed my fist right into her face sending her tumbling over the chair.
“DON’T EVER TALK ABOUT MY CREATOR LIKE THAT!” I shout, pouncing over the table and tackling Damnsel, with all that wolf senses, she lacked decent close combat, and now she would pay. As I raise my fist, I felt a sudden grip of immense strength as Silver yanked me off by my paw
“Enough!” he barks, his voice deep but very frightening as he helps Damnsel up with the other paw
“If you to don’t get along, then prey I do not become agitated by your childish games any further…we are all on the same team, now stop fighting or I shall do more then just stop you!” His eyes glowed deep red, both me and Damnsel whimpered, ears lowered and slunk back into our seats.
Everyone stared at us…at Silver, it was hard to simply denounce that wolf’s presence and sheer power now, and everyone seemed…on edge. After moments of awkward silence, Damnsel coughed
“Well…the reason I asked for you to come is because I know what your mission is…and want to help”
“Oh…why, so you can get closer to Silver?” I remark, getting a rather serious glare from Silver
“As…much as that is true, it is not the case” She sighed, fidgeted almost as if something was on edge with her
“For months I have hunted many terrible people, killed warlords of Scavenger tribes, made many enemies….but I am not a fighter and I know many have already begun to track me…so…I request to go with you for my own safety….which is why I am glad you came.”
For a moment I felt sad for Damnsel, her words…were truthful; she meant every bit of it, and who wouldn’t be. She could be considered a vigilant that made a lot of nasty people mad with her.
“Already…I know a large Scavenger gang is hunting me, I made them certainly mad with me because of how much I’ve done to them”
“Such as?” I ask
“Transport ambushes, assassinations, I even worked with other mercenaries to take down many facilities and convoys they had. We did…a lot of damage to them.”
I can’t help but smirk, she was tough, quite resourceful too, not easy so simply attack a scavenger convoy so easily, even harder to piss em off.
I sigh, Silver looks at me, and in return I nod “Well…as much as I would like to see you pay for your crimes…we both see you as someone who can help us, and besides, you got some serious ovaries if you can successfully piss of a Scavenger tribe.” Damnsel seemed to raise a brow missing the commentary given to her…I shrug
“Girl, you got a lot to learn, but we will help you” Silver nods in compliance Damnsel smiled, and clasped her hands together
“Thank you two very m-“ she was interrupted by a sudden bang as the door to the café was blow past, inches from the table we sat at
“LISTEN UP!” boomed voice as many footsteps echoed behind us. Three men entered, clad in armor that represented warriors of ancient times, their cloaks covering most of their body. They were anthro’s many of them varying species, but all well built and large. The one in the lead, a blue fox, took out a data pad and pressed it.
“That’s them” Damnsel whispered “They are from the tribe I have been attacking”
“By order of Empress Nintarie Gironen Anciet, we are here to claim the one who has commit acts of transgression against tribe An’chiu, by her order, she is to be handed over. Anyone who refuses shall be exterminated…save yourselves the trouble of death and present her to us!” he said. Silver growled, he eased low to grab his weapon under the table, but Damnsel nudged him, not wanting him to start
“I am here” She said softly, stepping forward. I blinked, was she nuts!
“Ah…so your whiteout…the assassin, funny, I was expecting you to be a man, no woman would be so vile in her work.”
I could tell Damnsel bit her tongue on that one, even I did…what was this bastard’s deal, I felt rage build in me, but Silver rested a paw on my shoulder
“Just wait…they have surrounded this place, too many innocent will die if we fight”
“So!?” I remark back “Damnsel will be treated far worse when they are done with her!”
Silver sighed “We wait for them to leave, and then we move”
I tensed up, I couldn’t just watch this, but Silver had a point, too many innocent people would be caught in the crossfire, but there was another reason. As the fox tugged Damnsel outside, I could see a tank, turret aimed right at the café. We wouldn’t have even stood a chance if that thing picked us out and fired.
Once the convoy was gone, Silver rose and left the café. I was puzzled, I never seen Silver so calm and controlled about a situation like this, usually if he acted this way, he had something planned. As I followed him outside, he drew his cannon from his back and aimed…after a few moments the defining boom of the weapon shattered and within an instant the rear of the tank exploded in a ball of fire. The vehicle lurched as secondary explosion rocked it back and forth, but…that was quickly responded to by the two forward transports turning and aiming their weapons at us. Turrets lined with fire arms of various types kept their sights on me, but…and this is coming from someone who has been with this wolf for awhile…never seen him move so fast! Silver quickly jetted atop the first transport, cannon at point blank, and fired directly into it. The vehicle seemed to lurch up and then split as the powerful gun ripped through the center of it.
Suddenly a single blast of energy struck Silver from behind, it cut right through the armor and already I could see the damage, wires, gears, synthetic components began to shutter as fluid dripped from the wound…its…hard…just moments before he was so triumphant now…a hole in his upper chest. He stumbled, turning to see who shot…and it was there, that blue fox from before, his right arm now a cannon.
“Down boy” he said, grinning as Silver fell forward
“NO!” was all I could say before Scavengers surrounded me, but I didn’t fight…I…felt so weak; tumbling to the ground as everything went black.
I awoke to find myself hanging in a cell, Silver…at the floor, his hole somewhat patched, but his systems offline. I couldn’t see the glow in his eyes and all I could do was whimper.
“Well...look who’s awake” spoke a rather sly voice. I look up to see the blue fox from before. He had his arms crossed as he stared at us behind the bars
“You’re the trouble-maker’s assistants eh? Well…that’s all fine and dandy. more people tp serve for her crime!” He smiled…already I disliked this guy, as he looked at me, he smirked “Your beauty is remarkable, but that alone should be of little help, the empress was not pleased by you assisting Whiteout after all she has done”
“She is a friend” I muttered “and we take care of our friends”
The fox laughs “Hah…well…look where its got you, you best try to get some rest...who knows, maybe this will be your last night to live…” he laughs again and walks out, leaving me to wonder just what evils await us tomorrow.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Silver and Natalia - Hunter prt.3
The silence of a city is a hunting thing, desolate, almost mystical, but it’s that mystical feeling that brings about fear and worry. I can’t explain it properly, but I felt…scared around here. Prior to us embarking deeper into this city from the Convoy, we had been able to draw Mike and Vix inside without any more suppressive fire from Whiteout. Mike’s wound, though deep, was actually not as bad as first thought; Whiteout had landed a non-leather shoulder shot, hitting at the flesh below the shoulder, usually were little pain could be felt. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t as if Mike would simply get up and walk from that, but I can guarantee it didn’t hurt as much as it could have been.
Once we left, Silver noted that there may be something afoot here, Whiteout could have easily killed Mike, yet it seemed that the assassin had other plans; non-lethal shots are a very unusual circumstance for this kind of situation.
We had left the Convoy and made our way into the side-streets of the once proud city of Yeilds. Everything seemed…so open, so empty. Anything of value was looted, any material not bolted down was salvaged for scrap; there was a faint smell of death in the air.
“Almost one million people use to live here. Yeilds was the most prosperous and developed city in this region before the collapse” Silver muttered as we made our way through an abandoned school. I could swear that the sound of children playing still lingered, their bodies long since gone, but the spirits…..it got rather creepy.
The streets were oddly quiet, I soon realized that we haven’t even taken shots form whiteout; Silver knew it too, and soon we would be able to test it. Outside the school building was an open field, no cover for at least a block before reaching the row of ruin structures across from it.
For a long moment, Silver studied the opening…he didn’t like it
“Too exposed” he muttered “if the assassin had been waiting for a clear shot, he won’t get any clearer than that” he added. I sighed “Well there isn’t any other way?”
The wolf shook his head “Sadly that is the only route I can detect that will get us deeper into the city.”
Our target, or were are target was believed to be, was in a tall structure in the financial district, it overlooked a good range of the city and a level shot with the road we arrived in. Getting there was the problem, for the last hour of walking, we came under zero fire from whiteout, so now, with this open field, and it would test if we were lucky…or just really good at hiding.
The courtyard ahead was a square dirt field, surrounded by a concrete walkway, each side with 3 benches. There were no trees, no grass, just emptiness. Silver eased out first, not far just enough to poke his front to check…nothing. He moved further, going into the walkway just before the open field…an eerie silence rose around him as he moved further still, just to the edge of the concrete path and the dirt. He stood there, in plain view now, eyes gazing about the high-rises around him, catching a large building in the distance that went high up into the sky.
“That’s our target” he says pointing to the building. He then ushers me forward, no one had taken a shot, so it seems we were safe…or whiteout was just waiting.
“I…I don’t know” I admit I was scared, Silver was a robot, maybe whiteout knew that, maybe they were waiting for the weak fleshy thing to come. I sighed, creeping slowly under the careful eye of Silver. I was tense, my movements very cautious; each step I would stop and scan around before moving further until I eventually got behind a bench and ducked. I counted 4 times Whiteout could have clocked me, but none had ever touched me, in fact, not a single round came. Again, I felt that something wasn’t right, but my thoughts were quickly put down as I saw Silver walk into the center of the field
“You see me whiteout?” he calls “Then shoot me” he extended his arms, opening his full body to the sniper…but…nothing came, after several tense minutes I watched in awe at Silvers bravery…or sheer stupidity. After that tense moment I came up behind him
“What they hell are you doing?” I exclaim, grabbing him and pulling him back
“I think the sniper wishes not to kill us”:
“Well duh!” I reply “had several clear shots at me and nothing…maybe he moved?”
Silver shook his head “No…I don’t think so, there is little places here for suitable vantage points.
We stood there, this got rather confusing, why had whiteout engaged us at our convoy, but not now…something wasn’t right, but our thoughts were quickly silenced again, this time by a revving motor and the sudden crash of the wall furthest from us. From the dust roared a heavily armoured truck.
“Scavengers!” was the call both me and Silver shouted as I duck behind the nearest bench for cover. Silver, already engaged with his heavy weapons laid fire upon the van with little effect. Soon several scavengers piled out, armed with an assortment of guns. Like those before, they wore makeshift armour plating, hid their faces behind mask with cloth covering their bodies. It was then Whiteout made himself known, firing two clear shots into the heads of the Scavenger drivers, killing them instantly through the only vulnerable spot on the truck; the windows. The scavengers were quite bewildered, some kept shooting at us, and others began to peck the few buildings around us. It seems whiteout was on our side…for now. I wasn’t too keen on why at this point; I just kept shooting along with Silver.
The battle went quick; Scavengers were no match for us, as well as a sniper hidden beyond. When everything subsided, we quickly made our move to the buildings
“It seems Whiteout hasn’t moved as thought, he supported us during the conflict from the same vantage point.” Silver said slinging his heavy machine gun to his back as I nod
“Yeah…I'm surprised he did.” I was concerned, why was he helping us now?
The financial district…if the city of Yeilds was something, the financial district was like heaven, during the past it was a sprawling business sector, many people made a lot of money here, success and power was ripe. Nothing more than a derelict zone, the tall and powerful structures now littered with debris, some even falling from the perilous heights they once were built up from. The only remaining building, and the one holding the sniper, was one tower that rose high into the sky.
“100 floors, the sniper is located on the 100th” Silver said his scanners easily able to pinpoint the targets location”
“100 floors…wow, how did he get there?” I say, gazing upwards towards the massive structure “it’s…insane”
“Power causes people to build big to prove it” Silver replied “that is why they built this; the largest and richest people were here…”
“…and yet now look at it” I add as we enter the building.
99 floors later, we stop, we aren’t tired, but something has been bugging me and Silver for the past 98 floors; no traps, no sensors, nothing. This sniper had completely left his position open to any intrusion from below. Was he that precise in his skill that no one would even get to the building, or was there something else? The questions continued to mound as to the whole ordeal. I went first, slowly creeping up the last flight of stairs to the large door marked 100 in bright yellow letters, fading steadily as erosion took the paint of bit by bit. Taking one side of the door, Silver aimed down in front of it, tensing, and weapons ready. I gently touch the handle, seeing if there were any extra weight, a possible sensor or body trap, sliding down the handle and the crack I clear the door, nothing…not even a simple trip wire. We stepped inside scanning our sectors and getting the entire room in view. The room itself was empty…except for the sole figure propped on their stomach, sniper extended over an open wall down at the convoy. We stepped forward, weapons aimed and ready as the figure tilts their head.
“So you came” they spoke in a feminine voice “good…you sure took your sweet time…its…good to know your friends are alright”
She slowly stood up, easing her rifle up with her and then laying it against the wall before turning slowly,
“Its…good to see you Silver” she said with her soft tone voice.
“Damnsel” Silver replied “I figure it was you”
Damnsel as she was called was a white wolf; she stood around my height of 6 feet tall, and like me, was built rather well…especially in the chest area. She wore a black skin suit beneath an armour piece on her chest, shoulders and ankles. She smiled
“I was waiting for you…sure took your time” she said, her blank, white eyes glowing slightly as she turned to me “and you must be Natalia?”
I nod in sheer awestruck at this…this female was the sniper that had shot mike, cleared two scavengers in the head inside an armoured truck, and was able to cause so much trouble for anyone passing her. I admit I was impressed…but…it was still something else.
“Yeah…I'm Natalia….so your Damnsel…and how do you know Silver…and me?”
Damnsel smiled “take a seat child….Silver and I go back longer before you were even created. I was, like him…a genetic experiment. We went on many operations together, and had been assigned during the early years before the collapse to defend this area…it seems however that the usefulness and riches behind this are long since extinguished.” She paused “I did however venture away once I realized it was futile, and learnt many new things about this world” she turned to the window
“I had…missed you, so when I heard of your sudden return and exploits, I had to find you, but…I was only one girl…and I had no real way of doing so”
“So you staid here and hoped I would come?”
She shook her head “I knew your kind heart would help those you see, and when I heard of those two exploits in sending refugees through Scavenger territory and this city, I knew soon enough you would come”
“How long have you waited?” I asked
“Several years….I…lost count”
She turns back to us “but now that you are here…I am happy” she walks over to Silver, gently easing close and….hugging him. I growl…I don’t want this girl on my tuff with Silver
“I see…I make your friend rather uneasy” Damnsel suddenly notes turning to me “well…I will not waste your time then” she stepped back
“Why don’t you come with us?” Silver noted “I’m sure Natalia will understand how useful your skills are” Silver looked at me, I wanted to rebuttal, say I didn’t want this bitch with us, but….I felt I couldn’t, maybe it was me being selfish, but something with girls like this didn’t…feel right. Maybe Silver was right, her skills were useful…but not now. Damnsel seemed to figure this; her expression was at first upset, but turned understanding. She turned away and walked to retrieve her weapon
“Well…my task here is not complete, I cannot leave just yet, but…when you do, find me at the settlement of Culdina, and I shall wait for you there”
--
“You seemed rather…uptight about Damnsel” Silver asked as we began to trek back from the building. Damnsel had told us a shortcut and we were making good time back to the Convoy. I blushed a bit at the question “well…I…just don’t like her, being with you so long its hard to figure that there were any other Genetic experiments that looked….” I stopped
“So good?” He finished, I blush redder
“HEY! I’m not implying anything with that! Just saying I don’t trust her!” I huff hard, Silver seemed to keep something else in mind, he chuckled a bit
“She isn’t that bad…I worked with her, she is very skilled”
“but aren’t you the sniper of us?” I ask
Silver shakes his head “I’m…heavy weapons specialized, Damnsel is markswoman specialized, I do snipe for you, but she is far superior. I had seen her skills first hand, and now, with what we have seen, so have you.”
I growl a bit “Well…I still don’t care, so she’s got a good sniping skill, so she has attuned senses, so she has bigger boobs than me…” I stop eyes wide and go bright red
“I…didn’t just say that!?”
Silver nods “So…its jealousy of her form”
“GAHHH!” I yell hard falling to the group “FINE!!! She looks prettier than me, THAT’S WHY I DON’T LIKE HER!”
I whimper a bit on the ground, pounding a fist into the dirt, but a few moments later I felt myself lifted up into Silvers arms. I fidget, blush brightly as I look at him
“Form is nothing to what the heart holds…Nat, you have a pure heart and that’s all I care for you to have” he carries me the rest of the way, I cant help but feel warm and fuzzy with him…like this…so…safe.
--
“Well….I thank you two for that” Vix remarked as the Convoy finally reached the settlement in the city center, it was a relatively quiet trip after Whiteout was “Dispatched” according to Silver, he didn’t mention who are what she was, only that they “removed” her from their worry, which was enough for Vix and Mike to be pleased about, convoys could go through easier now without the worry of a mad sniper killing people.
“How is Mike?” Silver asks, Vix smirks
“He’s fine…a bit sore, but that comes with the territory, he thanks you for helping him, and I thank you for getting my own butt out of the fire”
She sighs “When…I saw Mike go down, I felt we would end here, but…but you seemed to get me to my senses, and I thank you” Vix bowed before Silver as the wolf smiles “No need Vix…It was an honour to assist you.”
“Are you planning on staying?” Vix asks
I shake my head “We have places to go, and its best we get going on our own mission”
Vix nods, she turns away for a moment, calling to someone and then back “well…your free to get supplies here…but before you do go, take this” A figure she had called to came rushing up, he was pulling a cart with a large rifle atop it as well as an SMG.
“This is the Black Widow, a very powerful Anti-material sniper rifle…we found it awhile back but it cant be used by any normal creature, its too big and heavy to carry around, but seeing you wield those heavy guns of your own, we thought it would serve you better Silver.” Vix then turns to me “as for you Nat, we got you a pair of Rapier SMG’s, they are a bit old, but they are one of the most durable weapons around, I’m sure you will see much use with them”
I bow “Thank you Vix, we will not forget this”
With weapons in hand, we say our last few goodbyes and part…our mission was still to stop this creature, but…with Damnsel’s request to find her in Culdina, Silver and I had to make a quick detour there, who knows what she had in mind.
Once we left, Silver noted that there may be something afoot here, Whiteout could have easily killed Mike, yet it seemed that the assassin had other plans; non-lethal shots are a very unusual circumstance for this kind of situation.
We had left the Convoy and made our way into the side-streets of the once proud city of Yeilds. Everything seemed…so open, so empty. Anything of value was looted, any material not bolted down was salvaged for scrap; there was a faint smell of death in the air.
“Almost one million people use to live here. Yeilds was the most prosperous and developed city in this region before the collapse” Silver muttered as we made our way through an abandoned school. I could swear that the sound of children playing still lingered, their bodies long since gone, but the spirits…..it got rather creepy.
The streets were oddly quiet, I soon realized that we haven’t even taken shots form whiteout; Silver knew it too, and soon we would be able to test it. Outside the school building was an open field, no cover for at least a block before reaching the row of ruin structures across from it.
For a long moment, Silver studied the opening…he didn’t like it
“Too exposed” he muttered “if the assassin had been waiting for a clear shot, he won’t get any clearer than that” he added. I sighed “Well there isn’t any other way?”
The wolf shook his head “Sadly that is the only route I can detect that will get us deeper into the city.”
Our target, or were are target was believed to be, was in a tall structure in the financial district, it overlooked a good range of the city and a level shot with the road we arrived in. Getting there was the problem, for the last hour of walking, we came under zero fire from whiteout, so now, with this open field, and it would test if we were lucky…or just really good at hiding.
The courtyard ahead was a square dirt field, surrounded by a concrete walkway, each side with 3 benches. There were no trees, no grass, just emptiness. Silver eased out first, not far just enough to poke his front to check…nothing. He moved further, going into the walkway just before the open field…an eerie silence rose around him as he moved further still, just to the edge of the concrete path and the dirt. He stood there, in plain view now, eyes gazing about the high-rises around him, catching a large building in the distance that went high up into the sky.
“That’s our target” he says pointing to the building. He then ushers me forward, no one had taken a shot, so it seems we were safe…or whiteout was just waiting.
“I…I don’t know” I admit I was scared, Silver was a robot, maybe whiteout knew that, maybe they were waiting for the weak fleshy thing to come. I sighed, creeping slowly under the careful eye of Silver. I was tense, my movements very cautious; each step I would stop and scan around before moving further until I eventually got behind a bench and ducked. I counted 4 times Whiteout could have clocked me, but none had ever touched me, in fact, not a single round came. Again, I felt that something wasn’t right, but my thoughts were quickly put down as I saw Silver walk into the center of the field
“You see me whiteout?” he calls “Then shoot me” he extended his arms, opening his full body to the sniper…but…nothing came, after several tense minutes I watched in awe at Silvers bravery…or sheer stupidity. After that tense moment I came up behind him
“What they hell are you doing?” I exclaim, grabbing him and pulling him back
“I think the sniper wishes not to kill us”:
“Well duh!” I reply “had several clear shots at me and nothing…maybe he moved?”
Silver shook his head “No…I don’t think so, there is little places here for suitable vantage points.
We stood there, this got rather confusing, why had whiteout engaged us at our convoy, but not now…something wasn’t right, but our thoughts were quickly silenced again, this time by a revving motor and the sudden crash of the wall furthest from us. From the dust roared a heavily armoured truck.
“Scavengers!” was the call both me and Silver shouted as I duck behind the nearest bench for cover. Silver, already engaged with his heavy weapons laid fire upon the van with little effect. Soon several scavengers piled out, armed with an assortment of guns. Like those before, they wore makeshift armour plating, hid their faces behind mask with cloth covering their bodies. It was then Whiteout made himself known, firing two clear shots into the heads of the Scavenger drivers, killing them instantly through the only vulnerable spot on the truck; the windows. The scavengers were quite bewildered, some kept shooting at us, and others began to peck the few buildings around us. It seems whiteout was on our side…for now. I wasn’t too keen on why at this point; I just kept shooting along with Silver.
The battle went quick; Scavengers were no match for us, as well as a sniper hidden beyond. When everything subsided, we quickly made our move to the buildings
“It seems Whiteout hasn’t moved as thought, he supported us during the conflict from the same vantage point.” Silver said slinging his heavy machine gun to his back as I nod
“Yeah…I'm surprised he did.” I was concerned, why was he helping us now?
The financial district…if the city of Yeilds was something, the financial district was like heaven, during the past it was a sprawling business sector, many people made a lot of money here, success and power was ripe. Nothing more than a derelict zone, the tall and powerful structures now littered with debris, some even falling from the perilous heights they once were built up from. The only remaining building, and the one holding the sniper, was one tower that rose high into the sky.
“100 floors, the sniper is located on the 100th” Silver said his scanners easily able to pinpoint the targets location”
“100 floors…wow, how did he get there?” I say, gazing upwards towards the massive structure “it’s…insane”
“Power causes people to build big to prove it” Silver replied “that is why they built this; the largest and richest people were here…”
“…and yet now look at it” I add as we enter the building.
99 floors later, we stop, we aren’t tired, but something has been bugging me and Silver for the past 98 floors; no traps, no sensors, nothing. This sniper had completely left his position open to any intrusion from below. Was he that precise in his skill that no one would even get to the building, or was there something else? The questions continued to mound as to the whole ordeal. I went first, slowly creeping up the last flight of stairs to the large door marked 100 in bright yellow letters, fading steadily as erosion took the paint of bit by bit. Taking one side of the door, Silver aimed down in front of it, tensing, and weapons ready. I gently touch the handle, seeing if there were any extra weight, a possible sensor or body trap, sliding down the handle and the crack I clear the door, nothing…not even a simple trip wire. We stepped inside scanning our sectors and getting the entire room in view. The room itself was empty…except for the sole figure propped on their stomach, sniper extended over an open wall down at the convoy. We stepped forward, weapons aimed and ready as the figure tilts their head.
“So you came” they spoke in a feminine voice “good…you sure took your sweet time…its…good to know your friends are alright”
She slowly stood up, easing her rifle up with her and then laying it against the wall before turning slowly,
“Its…good to see you Silver” she said with her soft tone voice.
“Damnsel” Silver replied “I figure it was you”
Damnsel as she was called was a white wolf; she stood around my height of 6 feet tall, and like me, was built rather well…especially in the chest area. She wore a black skin suit beneath an armour piece on her chest, shoulders and ankles. She smiled
“I was waiting for you…sure took your time” she said, her blank, white eyes glowing slightly as she turned to me “and you must be Natalia?”
I nod in sheer awestruck at this…this female was the sniper that had shot mike, cleared two scavengers in the head inside an armoured truck, and was able to cause so much trouble for anyone passing her. I admit I was impressed…but…it was still something else.
“Yeah…I'm Natalia….so your Damnsel…and how do you know Silver…and me?”
Damnsel smiled “take a seat child….Silver and I go back longer before you were even created. I was, like him…a genetic experiment. We went on many operations together, and had been assigned during the early years before the collapse to defend this area…it seems however that the usefulness and riches behind this are long since extinguished.” She paused “I did however venture away once I realized it was futile, and learnt many new things about this world” she turned to the window
“I had…missed you, so when I heard of your sudden return and exploits, I had to find you, but…I was only one girl…and I had no real way of doing so”
“So you staid here and hoped I would come?”
She shook her head “I knew your kind heart would help those you see, and when I heard of those two exploits in sending refugees through Scavenger territory and this city, I knew soon enough you would come”
“How long have you waited?” I asked
“Several years….I…lost count”
She turns back to us “but now that you are here…I am happy” she walks over to Silver, gently easing close and….hugging him. I growl…I don’t want this girl on my tuff with Silver
“I see…I make your friend rather uneasy” Damnsel suddenly notes turning to me “well…I will not waste your time then” she stepped back
“Why don’t you come with us?” Silver noted “I’m sure Natalia will understand how useful your skills are” Silver looked at me, I wanted to rebuttal, say I didn’t want this bitch with us, but….I felt I couldn’t, maybe it was me being selfish, but something with girls like this didn’t…feel right. Maybe Silver was right, her skills were useful…but not now. Damnsel seemed to figure this; her expression was at first upset, but turned understanding. She turned away and walked to retrieve her weapon
“Well…my task here is not complete, I cannot leave just yet, but…when you do, find me at the settlement of Culdina, and I shall wait for you there”
--
“You seemed rather…uptight about Damnsel” Silver asked as we began to trek back from the building. Damnsel had told us a shortcut and we were making good time back to the Convoy. I blushed a bit at the question “well…I…just don’t like her, being with you so long its hard to figure that there were any other Genetic experiments that looked….” I stopped
“So good?” He finished, I blush redder
“HEY! I’m not implying anything with that! Just saying I don’t trust her!” I huff hard, Silver seemed to keep something else in mind, he chuckled a bit
“She isn’t that bad…I worked with her, she is very skilled”
“but aren’t you the sniper of us?” I ask
Silver shakes his head “I’m…heavy weapons specialized, Damnsel is markswoman specialized, I do snipe for you, but she is far superior. I had seen her skills first hand, and now, with what we have seen, so have you.”
I growl a bit “Well…I still don’t care, so she’s got a good sniping skill, so she has attuned senses, so she has bigger boobs than me…” I stop eyes wide and go bright red
“I…didn’t just say that!?”
Silver nods “So…its jealousy of her form”
“GAHHH!” I yell hard falling to the group “FINE!!! She looks prettier than me, THAT’S WHY I DON’T LIKE HER!”
I whimper a bit on the ground, pounding a fist into the dirt, but a few moments later I felt myself lifted up into Silvers arms. I fidget, blush brightly as I look at him
“Form is nothing to what the heart holds…Nat, you have a pure heart and that’s all I care for you to have” he carries me the rest of the way, I cant help but feel warm and fuzzy with him…like this…so…safe.
--
“Well….I thank you two for that” Vix remarked as the Convoy finally reached the settlement in the city center, it was a relatively quiet trip after Whiteout was “Dispatched” according to Silver, he didn’t mention who are what she was, only that they “removed” her from their worry, which was enough for Vix and Mike to be pleased about, convoys could go through easier now without the worry of a mad sniper killing people.
“How is Mike?” Silver asks, Vix smirks
“He’s fine…a bit sore, but that comes with the territory, he thanks you for helping him, and I thank you for getting my own butt out of the fire”
She sighs “When…I saw Mike go down, I felt we would end here, but…but you seemed to get me to my senses, and I thank you” Vix bowed before Silver as the wolf smiles “No need Vix…It was an honour to assist you.”
“Are you planning on staying?” Vix asks
I shake my head “We have places to go, and its best we get going on our own mission”
Vix nods, she turns away for a moment, calling to someone and then back “well…your free to get supplies here…but before you do go, take this” A figure she had called to came rushing up, he was pulling a cart with a large rifle atop it as well as an SMG.
“This is the Black Widow, a very powerful Anti-material sniper rifle…we found it awhile back but it cant be used by any normal creature, its too big and heavy to carry around, but seeing you wield those heavy guns of your own, we thought it would serve you better Silver.” Vix then turns to me “as for you Nat, we got you a pair of Rapier SMG’s, they are a bit old, but they are one of the most durable weapons around, I’m sure you will see much use with them”
I bow “Thank you Vix, we will not forget this”
With weapons in hand, we say our last few goodbyes and part…our mission was still to stop this creature, but…with Damnsel’s request to find her in Culdina, Silver and I had to make a quick detour there, who knows what she had in mind.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Silver and Natalia - Hunter prt.2
With the Scavengers gone, the least we could do was escort the convoy to the settlement. According to Vix, there were actually quite a few operational colonies around this wasteland. The one they where heading towards probably the last fully operational city-like colony, a great place to find more information and equipment for our own quest. Silver walked alongside the convoy, being too large to fit into the few reaming trucks, and, according to Vix, wanted his big guns on flaking security. Silver obliged without incident, though something about how he did it pecked at Vix, those two had an issue slowly growing between them.
The convoy moved on slowly afterward, no Scavengers bothered us from there to the final settlement with enough gas and food for all of us. Small compared to other settlements, it served more as a checkpoint than an actual established colony. Several small buildings litter around a large lot were gas pumps fuel any vehicles that needed the gas…and had the funds. Surprisingly enough, Vix was able to pay it all.
“C’mon, lets get a drink” she ushered towards me as I blinked for a moment, I was never really keen on “a drink”, it was new to me. As a cyborg, I didn’t need any sort of nutriment…
“I don’t…drink” I muttered, trying to not pull myself into that sort of situation, yet Vix seemed…unmoved
‘Ah com on!” she exclaimed “Everyone lives only once!” she grabbed my arm and began to tug me towards the bar, I whimpered, honestly I was scared of how strong and determined Vix was. I watched Silver standing near the truck but was unable to signal him. I sighed as I was pulled into the bar.
“So…why do you hang out with him?” Vix asked as she took me to the bar, I couldn’t figure out why she wanted to know this, maybe the curiosity
“Why do you ask?” I reply, finding it to be the only answer I could come up with
“well….you don’t seem to relate to Silver at all, your…more understanding, you seem to care more too” She added, signaling a drink from the bartender, after a few moments, two glasses of…something was served before us. Vix drank it quickly, but…I just stared at it, I wasn’t sure if I should or should.
“Really?” I ask, trying to ignore the drink
“Yeah” Vix mutters back whipping her lips with the back of her hand before she asks for a refill which she quickly drunk down, smacking her lips “good stuff”
“Well…” I begin, pawing at the glass a few times “I guess because I feel he is capable of so much, yet needs…guidance”
Vix gave me a rather curious glare “Guidance?” She asked “more like a brain, he’s so…well…ignorant”
"Hes not ignorant!” I retaliate, rather fiercely “he’s a very smart creature, he’s….just not all there, how would you feel if you lost everything and couldn’t feel the pain!”
By this point, I was standing, my claw dug into the table and the few patrons all staring at me
“Whoa…chill sister before you cause a problem” Vix sighed and propped me down “Look…I didn’t mean it in a bad way, its just…Silver seems cold, he doesn’t seem to appeal to any sense of good will, and from what I saw, only cares for the mission.”
“Well…it shows what you know, I’m sure once we keep going you will understand.”
There seemed to be a hint of upset between me and Vix, but she huffed it off and knocked back her third…or was it fourth…drink.
“Well…whatever, we need his guns so we can make it to Yeilds”
“Yeilds?” Came a voice from the nearby booth, a frazzled human, wearing makeshift parts of armor with a strange hat walks over
“Your going to Yeilds?” he asks, his breath laden with tar from smoking, I gag, Vix glares
“Yeah…what it to you?” she asks, easing to her thigh were her gun was
“Well…hey…don’t mean any trouble there miss, just wanted to warn you that going there isn’t the best idea now”
Vix blinked “what do you mean “not the best idea”? it’s the only useful settlement around”
The man sighed “Look…I don’t know what you heard, but recently, there’s been this assassin stalking the city ruins around Yeilds, sniping Scavengers, and seeing as how your trucks are decked out like them, I doubt you will get through”
Vix huffs “Yeah right, we got through a score of Scavengers to get here, what’s one assassin?”
The man seemed to look serious “’Aint no ordinary assassin, this ones a pro, a sniper and from what I ‘ear, ‘aint one to let people slip by either, efficient, deadly, and very accurate. Whole convoys whipped out by one guy”
Vix seemed not to care, but…I felt this man was thinking the best of us, and I felt scared…
“Whats the name of this assassin?” I ask
The man turns “Plenty names for em, though, only one is true….Whiteout…”
“Whiteout?” Vix asks
“Yeah…from what I hear, the assassin is blind, yet can still see much better than anyone of us could, that’s what makes em dangerous, you cant fool em. That’s why they call em Whiteout, because no matter the condition or distractions, always seems to focus on its target”
“gee…like tunnel vision from hell” Vix mutters as she looks at me “Well, its there we got to go, so were going”
I gaze at Vix, despite the patrons rambling about the dangers; she just seemed to shrug it off, eventually leaving the bar (after paying of course).
We found Silver talking with Mike, between them they were speaking about various weapons and equipment they came across, Mike had just began speaking about armoured suits he saw and noted on how sophisticated Silver’s was
“It’s not a suit though, it is my body” the wolf replied
“Still it’s fascinating” he mutters, stroking the arm plating. Silver sighed, turning to see me and Vix approach “Well, were going”
“How was the bar?” Silver asks
“Eventful” I reply “Though…I worry about were where going”
“Why?” Silver asks, a concern hint in his voice
“Oh its not much” Vix adds “apparently there is this assassin-”
“Whiteout?” Silver says
It was silent
“How…do you know?” Vix and I say together
“Its in my files…Whiteout was part of my creators company…another genetic experiment”
“Another one?”
Silver nods “Something even I don’t know about”
Another pang of worry strikes me as I turn to Vix, for a split second…she seemed afraid, but she hid it well
“Experiment or not, we still gotta go, and those people are counting on us” She notions to the refugees who were with them, for awhile I never spoke with them, many human, some anthro’s like Vix, it was an unusual bunch, all so weak and afraid…touching really.
Still, it was taken by Vix and Mike to bring them to their destination, and it was our job to help, so after a few last checks, we were on our way.
--
The drive towards Yeilds felt…different this time around. The once warming atmosphere of chatting with Vix and Mike like before was dissipated, even Vix seemed more concealed and silent than usual, was the story of Whiteout being a genetic experiment assassin true, what chance did a normal anthro have against that!? Actually, little….ever since the collapse, animals began to morph into human like creatures or Anthro’s, and during the struggles that followed, many became far better in combat and technology then actual humans, many were prized for this, sometimes even feared. Mike and Vix were no different, skilled soldiers simply holding their claim as such. Genetic Experiments or robots like me and Silver are a cut above normal anthros, they are more refined in their abilities as combatants, and sometimes even as researchers. Genetic creatures are feared for their abilities, technology long since lost after the collapse.
Suddenly the convoy lurched to a halt, before it stood a rather large blockade. The driver looked confused as Vix hustled to the front
“It’s a trap” She muttered “Were in Whiteouts turf now” she said, her voice completely changed, serious. I gulped, she sounded completely different than normal. “Well if that’s true, I’m sure Whiteout is holding steady watching now” Mike noted as Silver eased up and out of the truck
“HEY!” Vix shouted “Where you going!?”
Silver didn’t answer, he slowly stepped out into the open, walking right up to the barricade, he studied it for a moment as Vix suddenly ran out behind him, she began to tug him
“Get back in here!” she shouts pulling Silver back, only to be stopped by him lurching and covering her as a shot ripped through the air, deflecting against his armour. Vix yelped, cowering under his big arm as the bullet narrowly hit her
“Move…back inside” he says softly slowly walking towards the truck. Yet things got worse, Mike got out, instinct to protect Vix, only to end up getting shot in the arm
The bat yelped in pain as the round struck his shoulder, causing him to flop to the ground. I jumped out next, yanking Mike behind the truck as a round narrowly missed me, it cracked in the air and ricocheted off the truck’s armour.
“Shit shit shit!” Vix exclaims suddenly crumpling to her knees and holding her head, her eyes seemed glazed as Mikes body lay on the ground, blood in the shoulder. I was trying hard to yank the round, but it had gone deep, real deep.
“Medic!” I shouted instinctively, yet no one came. Silver kept trying to drag Vix back to the transport, the kitsune seemed to be dead weight
“m-my fault” she muttered “mike was hit”
Silver eased Vix with Mike “help him” he said as he turned to the building
“Nat…with me”
“But…” I mutter, pointing at Mike
“We need to take down that assassin” he barked “lets go!” he says gazing at the bat “He will live, but we need to deal with that sniper”
For a moment, timed stopped, Vix looked at Silver, hands lowering as she looked back at Mike
“Do it then…for me” she whispers as she begins to work on Mikes wound
The convoy moved on slowly afterward, no Scavengers bothered us from there to the final settlement with enough gas and food for all of us. Small compared to other settlements, it served more as a checkpoint than an actual established colony. Several small buildings litter around a large lot were gas pumps fuel any vehicles that needed the gas…and had the funds. Surprisingly enough, Vix was able to pay it all.
“C’mon, lets get a drink” she ushered towards me as I blinked for a moment, I was never really keen on “a drink”, it was new to me. As a cyborg, I didn’t need any sort of nutriment…
“I don’t…drink” I muttered, trying to not pull myself into that sort of situation, yet Vix seemed…unmoved
‘Ah com on!” she exclaimed “Everyone lives only once!” she grabbed my arm and began to tug me towards the bar, I whimpered, honestly I was scared of how strong and determined Vix was. I watched Silver standing near the truck but was unable to signal him. I sighed as I was pulled into the bar.
“So…why do you hang out with him?” Vix asked as she took me to the bar, I couldn’t figure out why she wanted to know this, maybe the curiosity
“Why do you ask?” I reply, finding it to be the only answer I could come up with
“well….you don’t seem to relate to Silver at all, your…more understanding, you seem to care more too” She added, signaling a drink from the bartender, after a few moments, two glasses of…something was served before us. Vix drank it quickly, but…I just stared at it, I wasn’t sure if I should or should.
“Really?” I ask, trying to ignore the drink
“Yeah” Vix mutters back whipping her lips with the back of her hand before she asks for a refill which she quickly drunk down, smacking her lips “good stuff”
“Well…” I begin, pawing at the glass a few times “I guess because I feel he is capable of so much, yet needs…guidance”
Vix gave me a rather curious glare “Guidance?” She asked “more like a brain, he’s so…well…ignorant”
"Hes not ignorant!” I retaliate, rather fiercely “he’s a very smart creature, he’s….just not all there, how would you feel if you lost everything and couldn’t feel the pain!”
By this point, I was standing, my claw dug into the table and the few patrons all staring at me
“Whoa…chill sister before you cause a problem” Vix sighed and propped me down “Look…I didn’t mean it in a bad way, its just…Silver seems cold, he doesn’t seem to appeal to any sense of good will, and from what I saw, only cares for the mission.”
“Well…it shows what you know, I’m sure once we keep going you will understand.”
There seemed to be a hint of upset between me and Vix, but she huffed it off and knocked back her third…or was it fourth…drink.
“Well…whatever, we need his guns so we can make it to Yeilds”
“Yeilds?” Came a voice from the nearby booth, a frazzled human, wearing makeshift parts of armor with a strange hat walks over
“Your going to Yeilds?” he asks, his breath laden with tar from smoking, I gag, Vix glares
“Yeah…what it to you?” she asks, easing to her thigh were her gun was
“Well…hey…don’t mean any trouble there miss, just wanted to warn you that going there isn’t the best idea now”
Vix blinked “what do you mean “not the best idea”? it’s the only useful settlement around”
The man sighed “Look…I don’t know what you heard, but recently, there’s been this assassin stalking the city ruins around Yeilds, sniping Scavengers, and seeing as how your trucks are decked out like them, I doubt you will get through”
Vix huffs “Yeah right, we got through a score of Scavengers to get here, what’s one assassin?”
The man seemed to look serious “’Aint no ordinary assassin, this ones a pro, a sniper and from what I ‘ear, ‘aint one to let people slip by either, efficient, deadly, and very accurate. Whole convoys whipped out by one guy”
Vix seemed not to care, but…I felt this man was thinking the best of us, and I felt scared…
“Whats the name of this assassin?” I ask
The man turns “Plenty names for em, though, only one is true….Whiteout…”
“Whiteout?” Vix asks
“Yeah…from what I hear, the assassin is blind, yet can still see much better than anyone of us could, that’s what makes em dangerous, you cant fool em. That’s why they call em Whiteout, because no matter the condition or distractions, always seems to focus on its target”
“gee…like tunnel vision from hell” Vix mutters as she looks at me “Well, its there we got to go, so were going”
I gaze at Vix, despite the patrons rambling about the dangers; she just seemed to shrug it off, eventually leaving the bar (after paying of course).
We found Silver talking with Mike, between them they were speaking about various weapons and equipment they came across, Mike had just began speaking about armoured suits he saw and noted on how sophisticated Silver’s was
“It’s not a suit though, it is my body” the wolf replied
“Still it’s fascinating” he mutters, stroking the arm plating. Silver sighed, turning to see me and Vix approach “Well, were going”
“How was the bar?” Silver asks
“Eventful” I reply “Though…I worry about were where going”
“Why?” Silver asks, a concern hint in his voice
“Oh its not much” Vix adds “apparently there is this assassin-”
“Whiteout?” Silver says
It was silent
“How…do you know?” Vix and I say together
“Its in my files…Whiteout was part of my creators company…another genetic experiment”
“Another one?”
Silver nods “Something even I don’t know about”
Another pang of worry strikes me as I turn to Vix, for a split second…she seemed afraid, but she hid it well
“Experiment or not, we still gotta go, and those people are counting on us” She notions to the refugees who were with them, for awhile I never spoke with them, many human, some anthro’s like Vix, it was an unusual bunch, all so weak and afraid…touching really.
Still, it was taken by Vix and Mike to bring them to their destination, and it was our job to help, so after a few last checks, we were on our way.
--
The drive towards Yeilds felt…different this time around. The once warming atmosphere of chatting with Vix and Mike like before was dissipated, even Vix seemed more concealed and silent than usual, was the story of Whiteout being a genetic experiment assassin true, what chance did a normal anthro have against that!? Actually, little….ever since the collapse, animals began to morph into human like creatures or Anthro’s, and during the struggles that followed, many became far better in combat and technology then actual humans, many were prized for this, sometimes even feared. Mike and Vix were no different, skilled soldiers simply holding their claim as such. Genetic Experiments or robots like me and Silver are a cut above normal anthros, they are more refined in their abilities as combatants, and sometimes even as researchers. Genetic creatures are feared for their abilities, technology long since lost after the collapse.
Suddenly the convoy lurched to a halt, before it stood a rather large blockade. The driver looked confused as Vix hustled to the front
“It’s a trap” She muttered “Were in Whiteouts turf now” she said, her voice completely changed, serious. I gulped, she sounded completely different than normal. “Well if that’s true, I’m sure Whiteout is holding steady watching now” Mike noted as Silver eased up and out of the truck
“HEY!” Vix shouted “Where you going!?”
Silver didn’t answer, he slowly stepped out into the open, walking right up to the barricade, he studied it for a moment as Vix suddenly ran out behind him, she began to tug him
“Get back in here!” she shouts pulling Silver back, only to be stopped by him lurching and covering her as a shot ripped through the air, deflecting against his armour. Vix yelped, cowering under his big arm as the bullet narrowly hit her
“Move…back inside” he says softly slowly walking towards the truck. Yet things got worse, Mike got out, instinct to protect Vix, only to end up getting shot in the arm
The bat yelped in pain as the round struck his shoulder, causing him to flop to the ground. I jumped out next, yanking Mike behind the truck as a round narrowly missed me, it cracked in the air and ricocheted off the truck’s armour.
“Shit shit shit!” Vix exclaims suddenly crumpling to her knees and holding her head, her eyes seemed glazed as Mikes body lay on the ground, blood in the shoulder. I was trying hard to yank the round, but it had gone deep, real deep.
“Medic!” I shouted instinctively, yet no one came. Silver kept trying to drag Vix back to the transport, the kitsune seemed to be dead weight
“m-my fault” she muttered “mike was hit”
Silver eased Vix with Mike “help him” he said as he turned to the building
“Nat…with me”
“But…” I mutter, pointing at Mike
“We need to take down that assassin” he barked “lets go!” he says gazing at the bat “He will live, but we need to deal with that sniper”
For a moment, timed stopped, Vix looked at Silver, hands lowering as she looked back at Mike
“Do it then…for me” she whispers as she begins to work on Mikes wound
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Silver and Natalia - Hunter prt.1
For a big hunk of metal, Silver seemed to be changed from what I remembered. He was becoming more concerned of me, more understanding of feeling. Of course, this was within weeks of work, it wasn’t that we were always fighting you know, some days were just boring and silent, nothing would ever come our way (remember, were in a waste land). Whatever the case, Silver was becoming stronger not physically, but mentally, he was becoming…almost human rather than machine.
Of course, this is just speculation towards me; I cannot really say how or why he was acting so kind and caring. I never considered it as a trap, but maybe it was the crystal that he absorbed, maybe something within that little object actually gave him a bigger conscious. Not that…I don’t like it, in fact I enjoy him like this, he seems more animated, more understanding and he seems to…be happier. Still, being happy isn’t really what we want to feel, not until whatever that…thing…Silvers creators had mentioned was still about and going to restart the world for its own gains; and we still didn’t have a chance of actually finding it since we had no idea…were it was.
Through our travels, we checked many sources Silver seemed to sniff out. Scavenger Raiders were the best and only stable source of knowledge, but trying to take them prisoner without killing them isn’t easy. Raiders rarely liked being taken prisoner, and some that do tend to kill themselves before they can be questioned…zealous bunch; yet Silver seemed to have a plan of his own. Silver decided that the only way to truly capture some raiders were to take them by surprise, of course, this in itself was difficult since Raiders tended to move randomly and a majority of them (aside from the few who built bases in old villages) were a nomadic civilization in massive convoys of people and equipment.
To catch one such convoy is to be really lucky, or just really stupid, sometimes Raiders would come across any old ruins and strip it clean (hence the Scavenger name), surprisingly they were the only real active population of beings, at least from what we knew, and it served as a testament about how powerful our civilization could be and how adaptive they were; but that is not important now. What is the plan Silver had; Silver had been able to acquire a anti-material rifle. This weapon would lead the ambush by taking out the lead vehicle. For most convoys of Raiders, an armoured vehicle led the convoy, protecting the front from any hostile, and the drivers and gunners were quite skilled and well represented for this task of leading the vulnerable transports behind it. Several other smaller vehicles would escort around the sides, but that lead one is the key target. Once disable, the convoy would be stopped, but only for a short time before another vehicle takes the lead. During that time, it’s up to me to go in and cause a ruckus as Silver continues to provide sniper cover for me.
The convoy came as planned, several vehicles, painted dark yellow and black to mix in with the land around it, with a retrofitted truck armed with various heavy weapons about it leading three other transports, with two more armoured trucks of varying styles behind it. Around them, a pair of trikes with light guns mounted atop skidded about along making sure no one would flank them. A normal setup of such a convoy…all neat and tidy, that was until the first vehicle lurched and its front end exploded in a rupturing mix of gas and an explosive sniper shell. The convoy quickly wheeled to a stop, the lead convoy actually rear-ending the armoured truck that now lay burning. The next to go was one of the trikes, it exploded, flying upwards a few feet before crashing down in the same spot. The second quickly began to drive around, almost like a panicked animal, until it too was silenced. Now it was my turn; and I take no time rushing in.
If there was ever a time to question the situation, id say this would count. The moment I stormed into the convoy, there was little fire being returned…had we been that thorough in taking out the defenders? Surely scavengers were far more resilient and even deceptive than this. The moment I stepped closed to their transport I was expecting a fresh squad to just jump out from the back and let lose at me, but none came, in fact, the only real guns were probably on all the armoured vehicles, but this again didn’t seem like Scavenger tactics; those crazy lunatics would put gunmen on any vehicle they had just to make sure their “loot” was secure. This however seemed much different, there were few defenders, and looking at how many armoured escorts there were, it began to seem less and less like a Scavenger unit. I notion Silver to approach, some of the wrecks still smouldered around as he slowly lumbered towards the rear convoy truck. I stood there, arms crossed “I don’t know about you” I began “but something tells me this isn’t a Scavenger transport” Silver looked around for a moment then nodded “I had a feeling myself after the first armoured truck was disabled, and little fire was coordinated back upon me” he turns to the convoy “I…think we may have a hoax” he muttered as he slowly eases to the door and with a strong tug, opens the back.
For that moment we both had no real idea what to feel like, at first, we thought this was a Scavengers convoy, but…as we opened the door and saw refugees, it was…us who had become the scavengers. I felt sick to my stomach; these people…these people were innocents, refugees escaping the horrors probably, not a single one had a gun. Apparently, this was not uncommon. Convoys carrying refugees or supplies for some of the few standing settlements often employed the same methods as Scavenger teams to avoid being attacked by them. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, its all about luck and how crafty you can be. This convoy was one of them, and now, it seemed that it wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else now with such damage done to it. As Silver and I contemplated this, there was a click sound as pair of guns cocked and readied behind us.
“Raise them high you bastards!” came a sharp female voice as both me and Silver rose our hands, slowly turning we were able to catch a slight glimpse of our captors, but the females sharp words prevented us from turning
“Keep your eyes on what you nearly killed!” she seemed to sneer “Those people could have died if you idiots weren’t careful” Whoever this girl was, she was obviously not happy. Silver seemed soft spoken as he motioned to me “only two…move quickly”
As soon as Silver gave the signal, both of us whirled around. Quickly I went at the assailant at me, it was hard to tell but it seemed he was holding a rifle of sorts; I took no time in grabbing it and pushing against him. He was strong, by the looks of it he was wearing pretty heavy armour, and the only parts I could tell from what he was were a pair of bat wings. I growled, pushing harder until I heard a yelp and floored him, the gun pinning his chest down as I growl “Stay still!” I mutter
Silver on the other hand, turned to face the female, but she was ready for him, her gun went at his head and quickly they seemed to stalemate. While I pinned the other, the female, who was an orange/brown mix kitsune with black tips on her many tails, had a pistol to Silvers head as Silver had a clawed fist to her chest. They both had at one another’s points and either one could kill the other. As I looked at her, as well as Silver, I could see her tail, and her right leg was robotic. The machine parts were rather sleek, but not as sophisticated as what Silver and myself were bearing.
“So…what heartless contraption are you?” she asked glaring at Silver
“That’s none of your concern” he mutters back “we were here to capture Raiders…disguising your refugee convoy as such was at your own risk, not mine”
I couldn’t help but sigh; Silver…you still needed work. The kitsune on the other hand didn’t take it lightly; she slammed the gun right up in front of the wolves face.
“Bastard, don’t act like your all proper! You don’t know what we have to go through!” she seemed to be really serious about it all
“No I may not, but I do know what it is to lose something, so do not bother” He lowers his arm “it seems however we have mistake, and we will now part”
“Part!? And leave us to die!”
Silver turns to me, ushering me to leave as I slowly heave off the male. But as we leave, the kitsune growls
“Hey, don’t think you can just do this and leave!”
Silver doesn’t answer, simply moving forward as I tail behind
“Cowards, Bastards, I should skin you and boil you down for parts!”
“Do you think it was wise to leave them be?” I asked as me and Silver stopped after leaving the view of the convoy behind. The wolf took a seat, studying his paw from the quick bout he had with the kitsune “She was strong…I’m sure she could handle it” I wasn’t sharing the same optimism as Silver, that convoy suffered because of our mistake
“I still say we should help them, and I know you feel the same, we did mangle them.”
“And they chose to look like Raiders, what could we have done?” Silver barked back. I felt a pang of anger towards Silver
“That’s…that’s terrible! How can you be so cold?” I demanded, stamping my foot, the wolf seemed to glare at me
“Do not question what I feel, this is how things are, we must survive and complete what has been given to us, whatever we run into, be it mutant, person, or anything of the sort is secondary to us”
I couldn’t recall why I did what I did next, I walked up and smacked the wolf across the face
“You’re still the same old cold hearted Jerk!” I shout “has nothing I told you in those days of wander meant anything?” I tear up, I felt defeated yet again that he still wasn’t understanding the emotional level of everything he has done. I want to leave him, to just give up, but each time I try, I’m swoon back to him, I have come too far with him.
“Nat…” he sighs “You’re right…I’m sorry but that’s just…how I am.” His ears perk and he quickly turns about
“What is it?” I ask
“Scavengers…”
The convoy was easy pickings…and despite Silvers original words, it was a surprise to see him gather himself and rush back to the convoy. As we moved towards the fight under the sound of gunfire, I questioned why he had the sudden change of heart. I felt a bit relived, but also concerned, if Silver was going to help the convoy should there be an attack, then why act like he wouldn’t? Its something I found to bug me, and it’s not like it didn’t happen before. He…always seemed to have change of heart when a situation made it possible for that. I cannot say if its bad or good…maybe its some…form of emotion growing, and he just acts tough to make sure people respect or fear him, whatever the case, we came to the convoy as a small Scavenger team, 12 guys and 2 trucks, surrounded the convoy.
From the vantage point we had before, we could see the two surviving trucks had been rolled into the road and the only armoured unit in front, but they hadn’t gotten far before the real Scavengers picked up their scent and decided upon them like ravenous beasts. As we arrived, we saw that 4 of them had been killed; the kitsune and bat were holding quite well atop the armoured truck, but only two guns against 10, it wasn’t going to be easy.
“Nat” Silver muttered as I looked at him “Go down there and assist them, ill pick them off from here” he says raising a rifle and firing, already killing one as it hid behind some rubble. Many of the attacking Scavengers were using the derelicts as cover, most armed with assault rifles and one or two with squad automatic weapons and light machine guns. Still, the fight was quickly going to turn to the defenders as I approached. The first Scavenger to die was the first one I latterly fell into. I never saw a actual Scavenger up close, they wore dusty cloth atop armour pieces, and their hoods covered most of their masked face, leaving a red eye piece visible, or sometimes most of their faceless re-breathers. They wore armour plates on their chest, shoulders, arms, and ankles, as well covered by makeshift cloaks with short bottoms. They fought ferociously, as soon as I came down on one, I found him quite capable of defending himself even though I was clearly doing serious injury. At one point I gouged him across the chest, yet he kept on fighting, for the most part, more fiercely than before. I nearly lost it until Silver shot him in the head for me. I was able to see Vix not to far from where I entered, she was…majestic, to say the least. She was moving this way and that, only with a pistol and a few grenades, and taking down Scavengers whenever they popped up, or at least cutting it close to them. I was awe struck for a moment until Silvers voice crackled in the com.
“Never underestimate them…there are a lot of things we don’t know about Scavengers, all we do, is they are very tough” Silver noted as I shake my head to get out of the clouds.
“Well Duh!” I replied, somewhat understanding what he meant before he needed to say it. Too keep a story short, we were able to defeat all the Scavengers, and salvage both working trucks they drove in.
“Well…you’re the last people I was expecting to haul our butts from the fire” The kitsune muttered as we approached one another after the Scavengers had been destroyed
“Call it an emotional hunch” Silver replied
“He means he felt bad” I added, with Silver giving a silent look
“Well that’s mighty fine of him, and frankly, I could care less what that tin can thinks” the kitsune muttered
“Do you have a problem with robots?” Silver remarked
“Yeah…I do, its robots always end up causing problems”
Again I felt the heated ager between these two. Silver however, not one to let it brood, decided to ease the conversation
“I will…go on patrol, make sure we killed them all” he mutters as he leaves me alone with the kitsune
“I’m Natalia…and that’s Silver” I say “least we can do is tell you who we are”
“That robot has a name?” the kitsune remarked, receiving a bit of a scowl from me “well, I’m Vixica, but call me Vix, and that other gunman is Mike…” she paused pointing at the bat atop the truck, he waved back as he turned about to watch the horizon “you know…don’t tell that big dope of a robot, but I’m glad you came, if it was you or the Scavengers, I’d definitely take the former.”
I smirked; Vix seemed like an okay person, behind the cold exterior. Still, the robotics puzzled me, though not as sophisticated, the fact she was quite active and able to manage so well with them was impressive, most augmentations left a person sore or kept them down, but she…well…cant say much really, but seeing her fight those Scavengers was something else.
Of course, this is just speculation towards me; I cannot really say how or why he was acting so kind and caring. I never considered it as a trap, but maybe it was the crystal that he absorbed, maybe something within that little object actually gave him a bigger conscious. Not that…I don’t like it, in fact I enjoy him like this, he seems more animated, more understanding and he seems to…be happier. Still, being happy isn’t really what we want to feel, not until whatever that…thing…Silvers creators had mentioned was still about and going to restart the world for its own gains; and we still didn’t have a chance of actually finding it since we had no idea…were it was.
Through our travels, we checked many sources Silver seemed to sniff out. Scavenger Raiders were the best and only stable source of knowledge, but trying to take them prisoner without killing them isn’t easy. Raiders rarely liked being taken prisoner, and some that do tend to kill themselves before they can be questioned…zealous bunch; yet Silver seemed to have a plan of his own. Silver decided that the only way to truly capture some raiders were to take them by surprise, of course, this in itself was difficult since Raiders tended to move randomly and a majority of them (aside from the few who built bases in old villages) were a nomadic civilization in massive convoys of people and equipment.
To catch one such convoy is to be really lucky, or just really stupid, sometimes Raiders would come across any old ruins and strip it clean (hence the Scavenger name), surprisingly they were the only real active population of beings, at least from what we knew, and it served as a testament about how powerful our civilization could be and how adaptive they were; but that is not important now. What is the plan Silver had; Silver had been able to acquire a anti-material rifle. This weapon would lead the ambush by taking out the lead vehicle. For most convoys of Raiders, an armoured vehicle led the convoy, protecting the front from any hostile, and the drivers and gunners were quite skilled and well represented for this task of leading the vulnerable transports behind it. Several other smaller vehicles would escort around the sides, but that lead one is the key target. Once disable, the convoy would be stopped, but only for a short time before another vehicle takes the lead. During that time, it’s up to me to go in and cause a ruckus as Silver continues to provide sniper cover for me.
The convoy came as planned, several vehicles, painted dark yellow and black to mix in with the land around it, with a retrofitted truck armed with various heavy weapons about it leading three other transports, with two more armoured trucks of varying styles behind it. Around them, a pair of trikes with light guns mounted atop skidded about along making sure no one would flank them. A normal setup of such a convoy…all neat and tidy, that was until the first vehicle lurched and its front end exploded in a rupturing mix of gas and an explosive sniper shell. The convoy quickly wheeled to a stop, the lead convoy actually rear-ending the armoured truck that now lay burning. The next to go was one of the trikes, it exploded, flying upwards a few feet before crashing down in the same spot. The second quickly began to drive around, almost like a panicked animal, until it too was silenced. Now it was my turn; and I take no time rushing in.
If there was ever a time to question the situation, id say this would count. The moment I stormed into the convoy, there was little fire being returned…had we been that thorough in taking out the defenders? Surely scavengers were far more resilient and even deceptive than this. The moment I stepped closed to their transport I was expecting a fresh squad to just jump out from the back and let lose at me, but none came, in fact, the only real guns were probably on all the armoured vehicles, but this again didn’t seem like Scavenger tactics; those crazy lunatics would put gunmen on any vehicle they had just to make sure their “loot” was secure. This however seemed much different, there were few defenders, and looking at how many armoured escorts there were, it began to seem less and less like a Scavenger unit. I notion Silver to approach, some of the wrecks still smouldered around as he slowly lumbered towards the rear convoy truck. I stood there, arms crossed “I don’t know about you” I began “but something tells me this isn’t a Scavenger transport” Silver looked around for a moment then nodded “I had a feeling myself after the first armoured truck was disabled, and little fire was coordinated back upon me” he turns to the convoy “I…think we may have a hoax” he muttered as he slowly eases to the door and with a strong tug, opens the back.
For that moment we both had no real idea what to feel like, at first, we thought this was a Scavengers convoy, but…as we opened the door and saw refugees, it was…us who had become the scavengers. I felt sick to my stomach; these people…these people were innocents, refugees escaping the horrors probably, not a single one had a gun. Apparently, this was not uncommon. Convoys carrying refugees or supplies for some of the few standing settlements often employed the same methods as Scavenger teams to avoid being attacked by them. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, its all about luck and how crafty you can be. This convoy was one of them, and now, it seemed that it wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else now with such damage done to it. As Silver and I contemplated this, there was a click sound as pair of guns cocked and readied behind us.
“Raise them high you bastards!” came a sharp female voice as both me and Silver rose our hands, slowly turning we were able to catch a slight glimpse of our captors, but the females sharp words prevented us from turning
“Keep your eyes on what you nearly killed!” she seemed to sneer “Those people could have died if you idiots weren’t careful” Whoever this girl was, she was obviously not happy. Silver seemed soft spoken as he motioned to me “only two…move quickly”
As soon as Silver gave the signal, both of us whirled around. Quickly I went at the assailant at me, it was hard to tell but it seemed he was holding a rifle of sorts; I took no time in grabbing it and pushing against him. He was strong, by the looks of it he was wearing pretty heavy armour, and the only parts I could tell from what he was were a pair of bat wings. I growled, pushing harder until I heard a yelp and floored him, the gun pinning his chest down as I growl “Stay still!” I mutter
Silver on the other hand, turned to face the female, but she was ready for him, her gun went at his head and quickly they seemed to stalemate. While I pinned the other, the female, who was an orange/brown mix kitsune with black tips on her many tails, had a pistol to Silvers head as Silver had a clawed fist to her chest. They both had at one another’s points and either one could kill the other. As I looked at her, as well as Silver, I could see her tail, and her right leg was robotic. The machine parts were rather sleek, but not as sophisticated as what Silver and myself were bearing.
“So…what heartless contraption are you?” she asked glaring at Silver
“That’s none of your concern” he mutters back “we were here to capture Raiders…disguising your refugee convoy as such was at your own risk, not mine”
I couldn’t help but sigh; Silver…you still needed work. The kitsune on the other hand didn’t take it lightly; she slammed the gun right up in front of the wolves face.
“Bastard, don’t act like your all proper! You don’t know what we have to go through!” she seemed to be really serious about it all
“No I may not, but I do know what it is to lose something, so do not bother” He lowers his arm “it seems however we have mistake, and we will now part”
“Part!? And leave us to die!”
Silver turns to me, ushering me to leave as I slowly heave off the male. But as we leave, the kitsune growls
“Hey, don’t think you can just do this and leave!”
Silver doesn’t answer, simply moving forward as I tail behind
“Cowards, Bastards, I should skin you and boil you down for parts!”
“Do you think it was wise to leave them be?” I asked as me and Silver stopped after leaving the view of the convoy behind. The wolf took a seat, studying his paw from the quick bout he had with the kitsune “She was strong…I’m sure she could handle it” I wasn’t sharing the same optimism as Silver, that convoy suffered because of our mistake
“I still say we should help them, and I know you feel the same, we did mangle them.”
“And they chose to look like Raiders, what could we have done?” Silver barked back. I felt a pang of anger towards Silver
“That’s…that’s terrible! How can you be so cold?” I demanded, stamping my foot, the wolf seemed to glare at me
“Do not question what I feel, this is how things are, we must survive and complete what has been given to us, whatever we run into, be it mutant, person, or anything of the sort is secondary to us”
I couldn’t recall why I did what I did next, I walked up and smacked the wolf across the face
“You’re still the same old cold hearted Jerk!” I shout “has nothing I told you in those days of wander meant anything?” I tear up, I felt defeated yet again that he still wasn’t understanding the emotional level of everything he has done. I want to leave him, to just give up, but each time I try, I’m swoon back to him, I have come too far with him.
“Nat…” he sighs “You’re right…I’m sorry but that’s just…how I am.” His ears perk and he quickly turns about
“What is it?” I ask
“Scavengers…”
The convoy was easy pickings…and despite Silvers original words, it was a surprise to see him gather himself and rush back to the convoy. As we moved towards the fight under the sound of gunfire, I questioned why he had the sudden change of heart. I felt a bit relived, but also concerned, if Silver was going to help the convoy should there be an attack, then why act like he wouldn’t? Its something I found to bug me, and it’s not like it didn’t happen before. He…always seemed to have change of heart when a situation made it possible for that. I cannot say if its bad or good…maybe its some…form of emotion growing, and he just acts tough to make sure people respect or fear him, whatever the case, we came to the convoy as a small Scavenger team, 12 guys and 2 trucks, surrounded the convoy.
From the vantage point we had before, we could see the two surviving trucks had been rolled into the road and the only armoured unit in front, but they hadn’t gotten far before the real Scavengers picked up their scent and decided upon them like ravenous beasts. As we arrived, we saw that 4 of them had been killed; the kitsune and bat were holding quite well atop the armoured truck, but only two guns against 10, it wasn’t going to be easy.
“Nat” Silver muttered as I looked at him “Go down there and assist them, ill pick them off from here” he says raising a rifle and firing, already killing one as it hid behind some rubble. Many of the attacking Scavengers were using the derelicts as cover, most armed with assault rifles and one or two with squad automatic weapons and light machine guns. Still, the fight was quickly going to turn to the defenders as I approached. The first Scavenger to die was the first one I latterly fell into. I never saw a actual Scavenger up close, they wore dusty cloth atop armour pieces, and their hoods covered most of their masked face, leaving a red eye piece visible, or sometimes most of their faceless re-breathers. They wore armour plates on their chest, shoulders, arms, and ankles, as well covered by makeshift cloaks with short bottoms. They fought ferociously, as soon as I came down on one, I found him quite capable of defending himself even though I was clearly doing serious injury. At one point I gouged him across the chest, yet he kept on fighting, for the most part, more fiercely than before. I nearly lost it until Silver shot him in the head for me. I was able to see Vix not to far from where I entered, she was…majestic, to say the least. She was moving this way and that, only with a pistol and a few grenades, and taking down Scavengers whenever they popped up, or at least cutting it close to them. I was awe struck for a moment until Silvers voice crackled in the com.
“Never underestimate them…there are a lot of things we don’t know about Scavengers, all we do, is they are very tough” Silver noted as I shake my head to get out of the clouds.
“Well Duh!” I replied, somewhat understanding what he meant before he needed to say it. Too keep a story short, we were able to defeat all the Scavengers, and salvage both working trucks they drove in.
“Well…you’re the last people I was expecting to haul our butts from the fire” The kitsune muttered as we approached one another after the Scavengers had been destroyed
“Call it an emotional hunch” Silver replied
“He means he felt bad” I added, with Silver giving a silent look
“Well that’s mighty fine of him, and frankly, I could care less what that tin can thinks” the kitsune muttered
“Do you have a problem with robots?” Silver remarked
“Yeah…I do, its robots always end up causing problems”
Again I felt the heated ager between these two. Silver however, not one to let it brood, decided to ease the conversation
“I will…go on patrol, make sure we killed them all” he mutters as he leaves me alone with the kitsune
“I’m Natalia…and that’s Silver” I say “least we can do is tell you who we are”
“That robot has a name?” the kitsune remarked, receiving a bit of a scowl from me “well, I’m Vixica, but call me Vix, and that other gunman is Mike…” she paused pointing at the bat atop the truck, he waved back as he turned about to watch the horizon “you know…don’t tell that big dope of a robot, but I’m glad you came, if it was you or the Scavengers, I’d definitely take the former.”
I smirked; Vix seemed like an okay person, behind the cold exterior. Still, the robotics puzzled me, though not as sophisticated, the fact she was quite active and able to manage so well with them was impressive, most augmentations left a person sore or kept them down, but she…well…cant say much really, but seeing her fight those Scavengers was something else.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Silver and Natalia - Mentor
Part two of "Silver and Natalia"
Enjoy
--
For several long hours we remained motionless outside the boundaries of our home…or what once was. We had left so quickly during the attack we never were able to see just what damage had been done, and from what we saw now, it was rather awful to witness. The once proud structure that stood high above all in this silent wasteland was nothing more than shattered glass, steel and concrete litter around a dusty landscape. It wasn’t very concerning for me…but Silver, something about this was rather hard for him. He just stood at the gate, staring at the ruin. I have to admit I don’t know him very well even after the past months we have traveled together, but seeing him standing there, something told me he lost more than just a home.
“Are…you alright?” I ask, taking the courage to ask, he looked at me for a moment, then back to the ruin
“It’s hard to simply forget what is lost, especially when it’s important to you” he replied almost monotone
“What do you mean?” I replied
“To you, this may have just been a home, but for me, there was more than just board that I am upset to lose” he pauses “People…people who I cared for were lost, innocent lives that need not have died by that incident” Silver seemed to clench his fist a bit “People that had a life to live, children that have yet to even understand what the world was they were born into…all…cast into darkness like a breath to a flame” he sighs, looking down. I really can’t say much towards him, I feel hurt for even asking. All I could do was stay by his side, which I did, hoping to comfort him.
We went into the ruin by Silver wish; he seemed intent on looking through what was left of that once proud building for any clues to what he could find out to why it happened. We know the Super Zombie was responsible, but when he died, and that metal piece seemed to “jump” from his body, more questions seemed to arise; what was that, why was it inside him, and was it controlling him? The last question was what we both believed to be the only real answer, when a piece of metal jumps from a corpse and slithers away like a snake, something is up. I figured something bigger was going on, and Silver did too, it was probably why he wanted to scouted the ruins, maybe clues could be uncovered as to what, or who, was really responsible.
Despite the damage above, Silver seemed to be rather giddy. He began to dig deep into the main floor of the building. The zombies and mutants had destroyed everything above…but as Silver soon showed, they had not destroyed everything below. Silver motioned to me that there were a few facilities under the main structure. These were meant for special projects such as himself, and with how much protection and secrecy they had, the crazed beast would never have found it. At first, I didn’t believe him, built after he tossed aside a few heaps of steel, there was a door, laid flat on the ground with a key pad that still seemed to glow with power. For a few seconds I looked in awe at the door…I never even knew it was there and even under the rubble I doubt the zombies or mutants would have seen it. The wolf tapped in a code and the door slowly hissed open, exposing a long, darkening staircase below ground.
There are many secrets in the world, many kept hidden from prying eyes. Those of great important that should never be learnt by those who do not need it. As Silver escorted me down these stairs, I couldn’t help but feel that this was a secret I was being granted passage to see. Its not often you get to see what is always below your feet, secrets kept underground tend to be quite important, I remember as my master told me, beneath the ground lies a world of secrecy and discovery, and this was probably what he meant.
When you first see something like this, an underground facility and all that, no matter how simplistic, it always gives a sense of awe when you walk inside. This facility wasn’t anything fancy, a long hallway with several rooms lining both sides with one large door at the end. As the robot escorted me down the stairs, we continued till we reached that door. He turned to me “What you will see…is something few get to” he muttered as he tapped a code into a hidden panel. The door opened with a hiss, steam swept past us as I felt a sudden chill run across my shoulders. Something…something no one was to ever see was in there, that feeling just rippled down my spine but it seems that Silver wished for me to see it. As we proceeded, we found weapons of unique and interesting designs, as well as many computers, most glowing dimly for who knows how long. As we walked to the end of the room, there was a large pedestal and atop it, a rather small crystal with a dull gray color. For awhile it was quite mesmerizing to look at, a faint little jewel so rearly seen, it was captivating, and I nearly took it, until Silver swatted my hand aside
“Do not touch” he whispers, not forcefully, but concerning “there is a dangerous power within, and with one touch shall release it” he says as he walks over, tapping a few buttons nearby as a screen next to the pedestal suddenly comes to life.
“Silver…” came a voice from a static filled screen “if….you are playing this message, then the wheels of fate are turning, we are no longer present in your time, and the world as we know it will soon cease to be as is. Yet this was meant to come, to reset the world to what it once was.”
“Reset the world?” I repeat as I watch Silver studying the screen, the way he seemed to be looking at it was…confusing. There was nothing there, but, it was like he saw something I missed. I felt envious, wanting to know what he was seeing.
“The creature that wishes to do this was…one of our older creations. It seems living beings as destroyers, creatures that wish nothing more than to rip this world asunder, and thus…sees it fit that the world can do without us.” It pauses for a moment “It will be trying to work its way to destroying opposite that may wish to stop it, but…we succeeded in keeping you from its grasp. Your…work is to stop it, the world does need to be reset, but the way it should be, not by means of this creature”
A small chip suddenly extended from the screen “This disk…holds everything you will need to know, and with luck…you have recruited the Wind Tiger into your ranks”
”Wind Tiger?” I repeat again as Silver seems to stare at me, was….that me?
“Silver….be warned that our creation does know of you, but to keep her from finding you, we grant you this crystal before you…it will mask you and anyone near you from being seen, as well…it shall give you the one chance to level the field against her. This crystal must be secret and kept well guarded for without it, we shall surely be destroyed”
Silver turns back to the crystal, it gleamed in the dull light that surrounded it
”Good Luck…and Good hunting” were the final words before the screen fuzzed and went blank. Silver slowly extended a hand to touch the crystal; it glowed, and then slowly attached to his paw. He looked at it, for a while he was not sure were to put it, then, surprisingly, on his left chest a small compartment open, reveling a small space designed specifically for it. As the robot studies the crystal, he slowly brings it near the alcove; the crystal shimmers then quickly inserts itself into the hovel. The robot keel’s over, I nearly scream as he does as a rough sounding growl escaped his vocal box as he goes to his knees. His body begins to shift, the blue armor becomes dark black, black as night and also expands in size. I can’t help but worry, I don’t wish to see Silver like this, but the pain, and he seems to be in so much pain. I want to rush over, to hug him and hold him…but…but I can’t. As I continue to watch, I can see Silvers once thin, lithe robot body morph and change by the crystal and began to pound on more armor to the body. He became bulkier on the chest, but still seemed to retain the elegance in his original look. After almost a full minute, Silver raises himself again. His eyes glowed deep gray as his black armor shimmers against the faint light. I stare in awe…his body looks…so well formed for a robot…I find myself blushing as I eye him up and down.
“We are ready…” he mutters as he turns to the door. His back had two large ports, each empty. That however changed; whatever the crystal had done, Silver knew exactly how it made his suit work. As he leaves the room, I really couldn’t find the words to say about what had just happened, I felt…so shocked at what happened. He turns to me, pointing to the Armory “Gather what you wish” he said “but pack light”.
Dumbfounded….I can’t really explain how I feel, Silver changed into this new…robot and he seems to not care about how much pain it took, or how I felt worried he might…might have been killed or something. I feel rather insulted, surely he must have noticed, but…I can’t continue, he keeps staring at me, wanting me to take what I want. I slowly walk into the main hall then into the Armory.
Weapons…if we haven’t seen enough out there, surely there was plenty more in here. The walls were lined with various weapons, from guns, to missiles, to laser rifles and even emplaced weapon systems. I scan around…normally I would be giddy but….I look back at Silver….does he not feel pain…does he really not feel emotion?
Ever since we left, Silver…seemed to show no emotion, even in the dire times we traveled he just…kept going. I don’t know if he does or doesn’t or just hides it well, but…I can’t help but feel that this wolf is running himself so hard that he doesn’t care about how people see him. I turn
“Do you not care…?” I say rather bluntly, he looks cold at me
“What…about?” he asks, monotone. I growl and stamp my foot
“Shut up, you know…what I mean.” Fists clenching now…I didn’t notice but they were “you…could have died…why did you just listen to what they said!”
Silver keeps watching me, I couldn’t tell anymore what he felt, and his face…seemed to always show uncaring. I close my eyes
”You’re a jerk!” I bark and rush out.
--
“You didn’t have to do that” Silver remarks as he approaches behind me, I had rushed out of the bunker and made at least several steps before falling to my face, crying into the dirt. I wept for what felt like an hour but…according to Silver, was only around 5 minutes. Again, I got angry; whipping up I lunged at him, slamming a fist on his chest
“Jerk…Jerk…JERK!” I scream in tears…heavy tears as I suddenly collapse onto his chest, weeping harder. He simply…stands there, I get even angrier…I want to slash him, destroy him…I should have done it at the start…
“Don’t…cry” he whispered
For a long moment…I stop…I look up at him
“W-what?” I asked between sniffles
“Don’t…cry…it doesn’t suit you” he repeats, still monotone, but…this time there was something behind it
“Why…why should you care, you don’t even know how I feel; you don’t know emotions you jerk”
The wolf shakes his head “I may…not know emotions as you do, but…I can still tell when someone is upset”
“So why did you act so normal right after that happened, why did you listen to your masters when that might have killed you”
He looks at me again “because…I trust they understand that I know what im getting into….my masters made me for the purpose of what they say, they never told me, but…the moment I saw that video…I knew I needed to, that is why I did it.”
”And what about me…I was…so worried” I lean closer again
“Because I know you were strong, and…seeing me weak would not have been well for you”
”WELL!?” I exclaim “Seeing you nearly keel over and see you not even notice is well for me?!”
I sigh…but…smile this time
“You have a lot to learn…dummy” I nudge him…I couldn’t explain it but…I felt a bit better, there…just seemed to be an aura around him…comforting, slightly…but it was still uplifting. Brushing away my tears I keep close as he suddenly taps my shoulder
“I got you something” he adds, handing me a pair of sleek SMG’s. My eyes light up again, I nearly forgot to raid the armory…yet…he was kind enough to do it for me
“Though you might like them” he says as I nod and turn around
“Alright…dummy…lets go…and while were at it, I got to teach you a few things about being a gentleman okay?” I demand, he simply nods and I sigh “No…you gotta say “yes ma’am...talk or something!” giggling I pull Silver along, we had much to do…and the path ahead was long enough to teach him.
Enjoy
--
For several long hours we remained motionless outside the boundaries of our home…or what once was. We had left so quickly during the attack we never were able to see just what damage had been done, and from what we saw now, it was rather awful to witness. The once proud structure that stood high above all in this silent wasteland was nothing more than shattered glass, steel and concrete litter around a dusty landscape. It wasn’t very concerning for me…but Silver, something about this was rather hard for him. He just stood at the gate, staring at the ruin. I have to admit I don’t know him very well even after the past months we have traveled together, but seeing him standing there, something told me he lost more than just a home.
“Are…you alright?” I ask, taking the courage to ask, he looked at me for a moment, then back to the ruin
“It’s hard to simply forget what is lost, especially when it’s important to you” he replied almost monotone
“What do you mean?” I replied
“To you, this may have just been a home, but for me, there was more than just board that I am upset to lose” he pauses “People…people who I cared for were lost, innocent lives that need not have died by that incident” Silver seemed to clench his fist a bit “People that had a life to live, children that have yet to even understand what the world was they were born into…all…cast into darkness like a breath to a flame” he sighs, looking down. I really can’t say much towards him, I feel hurt for even asking. All I could do was stay by his side, which I did, hoping to comfort him.
We went into the ruin by Silver wish; he seemed intent on looking through what was left of that once proud building for any clues to what he could find out to why it happened. We know the Super Zombie was responsible, but when he died, and that metal piece seemed to “jump” from his body, more questions seemed to arise; what was that, why was it inside him, and was it controlling him? The last question was what we both believed to be the only real answer, when a piece of metal jumps from a corpse and slithers away like a snake, something is up. I figured something bigger was going on, and Silver did too, it was probably why he wanted to scouted the ruins, maybe clues could be uncovered as to what, or who, was really responsible.
Despite the damage above, Silver seemed to be rather giddy. He began to dig deep into the main floor of the building. The zombies and mutants had destroyed everything above…but as Silver soon showed, they had not destroyed everything below. Silver motioned to me that there were a few facilities under the main structure. These were meant for special projects such as himself, and with how much protection and secrecy they had, the crazed beast would never have found it. At first, I didn’t believe him, built after he tossed aside a few heaps of steel, there was a door, laid flat on the ground with a key pad that still seemed to glow with power. For a few seconds I looked in awe at the door…I never even knew it was there and even under the rubble I doubt the zombies or mutants would have seen it. The wolf tapped in a code and the door slowly hissed open, exposing a long, darkening staircase below ground.
There are many secrets in the world, many kept hidden from prying eyes. Those of great important that should never be learnt by those who do not need it. As Silver escorted me down these stairs, I couldn’t help but feel that this was a secret I was being granted passage to see. Its not often you get to see what is always below your feet, secrets kept underground tend to be quite important, I remember as my master told me, beneath the ground lies a world of secrecy and discovery, and this was probably what he meant.
When you first see something like this, an underground facility and all that, no matter how simplistic, it always gives a sense of awe when you walk inside. This facility wasn’t anything fancy, a long hallway with several rooms lining both sides with one large door at the end. As the robot escorted me down the stairs, we continued till we reached that door. He turned to me “What you will see…is something few get to” he muttered as he tapped a code into a hidden panel. The door opened with a hiss, steam swept past us as I felt a sudden chill run across my shoulders. Something…something no one was to ever see was in there, that feeling just rippled down my spine but it seems that Silver wished for me to see it. As we proceeded, we found weapons of unique and interesting designs, as well as many computers, most glowing dimly for who knows how long. As we walked to the end of the room, there was a large pedestal and atop it, a rather small crystal with a dull gray color. For awhile it was quite mesmerizing to look at, a faint little jewel so rearly seen, it was captivating, and I nearly took it, until Silver swatted my hand aside
“Do not touch” he whispers, not forcefully, but concerning “there is a dangerous power within, and with one touch shall release it” he says as he walks over, tapping a few buttons nearby as a screen next to the pedestal suddenly comes to life.
“Silver…” came a voice from a static filled screen “if….you are playing this message, then the wheels of fate are turning, we are no longer present in your time, and the world as we know it will soon cease to be as is. Yet this was meant to come, to reset the world to what it once was.”
“Reset the world?” I repeat as I watch Silver studying the screen, the way he seemed to be looking at it was…confusing. There was nothing there, but, it was like he saw something I missed. I felt envious, wanting to know what he was seeing.
“The creature that wishes to do this was…one of our older creations. It seems living beings as destroyers, creatures that wish nothing more than to rip this world asunder, and thus…sees it fit that the world can do without us.” It pauses for a moment “It will be trying to work its way to destroying opposite that may wish to stop it, but…we succeeded in keeping you from its grasp. Your…work is to stop it, the world does need to be reset, but the way it should be, not by means of this creature”
A small chip suddenly extended from the screen “This disk…holds everything you will need to know, and with luck…you have recruited the Wind Tiger into your ranks”
”Wind Tiger?” I repeat again as Silver seems to stare at me, was….that me?
“Silver….be warned that our creation does know of you, but to keep her from finding you, we grant you this crystal before you…it will mask you and anyone near you from being seen, as well…it shall give you the one chance to level the field against her. This crystal must be secret and kept well guarded for without it, we shall surely be destroyed”
Silver turns back to the crystal, it gleamed in the dull light that surrounded it
”Good Luck…and Good hunting” were the final words before the screen fuzzed and went blank. Silver slowly extended a hand to touch the crystal; it glowed, and then slowly attached to his paw. He looked at it, for a while he was not sure were to put it, then, surprisingly, on his left chest a small compartment open, reveling a small space designed specifically for it. As the robot studies the crystal, he slowly brings it near the alcove; the crystal shimmers then quickly inserts itself into the hovel. The robot keel’s over, I nearly scream as he does as a rough sounding growl escaped his vocal box as he goes to his knees. His body begins to shift, the blue armor becomes dark black, black as night and also expands in size. I can’t help but worry, I don’t wish to see Silver like this, but the pain, and he seems to be in so much pain. I want to rush over, to hug him and hold him…but…but I can’t. As I continue to watch, I can see Silvers once thin, lithe robot body morph and change by the crystal and began to pound on more armor to the body. He became bulkier on the chest, but still seemed to retain the elegance in his original look. After almost a full minute, Silver raises himself again. His eyes glowed deep gray as his black armor shimmers against the faint light. I stare in awe…his body looks…so well formed for a robot…I find myself blushing as I eye him up and down.
“We are ready…” he mutters as he turns to the door. His back had two large ports, each empty. That however changed; whatever the crystal had done, Silver knew exactly how it made his suit work. As he leaves the room, I really couldn’t find the words to say about what had just happened, I felt…so shocked at what happened. He turns to me, pointing to the Armory “Gather what you wish” he said “but pack light”.
Dumbfounded….I can’t really explain how I feel, Silver changed into this new…robot and he seems to not care about how much pain it took, or how I felt worried he might…might have been killed or something. I feel rather insulted, surely he must have noticed, but…I can’t continue, he keeps staring at me, wanting me to take what I want. I slowly walk into the main hall then into the Armory.
Weapons…if we haven’t seen enough out there, surely there was plenty more in here. The walls were lined with various weapons, from guns, to missiles, to laser rifles and even emplaced weapon systems. I scan around…normally I would be giddy but….I look back at Silver….does he not feel pain…does he really not feel emotion?
Ever since we left, Silver…seemed to show no emotion, even in the dire times we traveled he just…kept going. I don’t know if he does or doesn’t or just hides it well, but…I can’t help but feel that this wolf is running himself so hard that he doesn’t care about how people see him. I turn
“Do you not care…?” I say rather bluntly, he looks cold at me
“What…about?” he asks, monotone. I growl and stamp my foot
“Shut up, you know…what I mean.” Fists clenching now…I didn’t notice but they were “you…could have died…why did you just listen to what they said!”
Silver keeps watching me, I couldn’t tell anymore what he felt, and his face…seemed to always show uncaring. I close my eyes
”You’re a jerk!” I bark and rush out.
--
“You didn’t have to do that” Silver remarks as he approaches behind me, I had rushed out of the bunker and made at least several steps before falling to my face, crying into the dirt. I wept for what felt like an hour but…according to Silver, was only around 5 minutes. Again, I got angry; whipping up I lunged at him, slamming a fist on his chest
“Jerk…Jerk…JERK!” I scream in tears…heavy tears as I suddenly collapse onto his chest, weeping harder. He simply…stands there, I get even angrier…I want to slash him, destroy him…I should have done it at the start…
“Don’t…cry” he whispered
For a long moment…I stop…I look up at him
“W-what?” I asked between sniffles
“Don’t…cry…it doesn’t suit you” he repeats, still monotone, but…this time there was something behind it
“Why…why should you care, you don’t even know how I feel; you don’t know emotions you jerk”
The wolf shakes his head “I may…not know emotions as you do, but…I can still tell when someone is upset”
“So why did you act so normal right after that happened, why did you listen to your masters when that might have killed you”
He looks at me again “because…I trust they understand that I know what im getting into….my masters made me for the purpose of what they say, they never told me, but…the moment I saw that video…I knew I needed to, that is why I did it.”
”And what about me…I was…so worried” I lean closer again
“Because I know you were strong, and…seeing me weak would not have been well for you”
”WELL!?” I exclaim “Seeing you nearly keel over and see you not even notice is well for me?!”
I sigh…but…smile this time
“You have a lot to learn…dummy” I nudge him…I couldn’t explain it but…I felt a bit better, there…just seemed to be an aura around him…comforting, slightly…but it was still uplifting. Brushing away my tears I keep close as he suddenly taps my shoulder
“I got you something” he adds, handing me a pair of sleek SMG’s. My eyes light up again, I nearly forgot to raid the armory…yet…he was kind enough to do it for me
“Though you might like them” he says as I nod and turn around
“Alright…dummy…lets go…and while were at it, I got to teach you a few things about being a gentleman okay?” I demand, he simply nods and I sigh “No…you gotta say “yes ma’am...talk or something!” giggling I pull Silver along, we had much to do…and the path ahead was long enough to teach him.
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