Deus Ex Machina Archive 48 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by Arcana http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat DeM posts belong to their respective authors, the characters belong to their respective authors, etc etc etc. Comprehensive, from 2000-09-13 to 2000-09-18. Game Year is assumed V-498 unless otherwise stated. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: Super Saiyan Seth [cross64@yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2000 2:14 PM To: DeM_story@egroups.com Subject: [DeM] Rankar attacks! RANKAR ATTACKS! ------------------------------------ August 19th, V-498, 11:50 PM BLACKMOON FOREST ------------------------------------ (Seth dreams of the past) "So Abel, what's it feel like being on such a big spaceship?" Seth asked his young cousin as they jogged down one of the thousands of halls on the Eldridge. Abel was ahead of him, anxiously looking at all the people that they passed, and yelling back to Seth. "Hurry up!" Seth happily followed him, laughing at the fact that somebody actually wanted to hang out with him (Back in the present, a battle rages on!) Seth quickly awoke to the sound of a roar unlike anything he ever heard. Seth looked over where Zak stood watch, and saw that he was currently stabbing a gigantic dinosaur creature that looked like a green t-rex. Seth just about wet his shorts when he saw this, but managed to keep the rented clothes clean, and instead ran over to help his new travelling partner (not ready to call him "friend" yet especially after that banana). Zak stabbed the creature right in the eye, knowing that this would blind the beast and bring it to its knees. As an experienced barbarian, he knew how to handle a Rankar that is, if he were alone. The half-blinded Rankar roared in pain, and through his blood- soaked eye he saw the figure of Seth standing near the camp, looking at it in awe and fear. The beast charged at Seth, hoping to feast on him for dinner. Zak yelled something at Seth (probably "Look out!), and Seth managed to jump out of the way of the monster's claw. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough to avoid the creature's tail, which slammed Seth hard in the chest and knocked him into a nearby tree, stunning him. Meanwhile, Zak yelled a battle cry and jumped onto the Rankar's back, using his incredible agility to skewer the monster's other eye before the beast even knew he was on it. The creature howled in rage and pain, realizing that it was now blind. Instinctively, it swung back and forth, trying to swipe and smash anything close enough, as well as trying to knock the barbarian off its back. Despite his speed, the barbarian was unable to remain on the Rankar when it crashed blindly into a rock face. Zak spryly landed on his feet, checking to see if Seth was still alive. Luckily, Seth was only wounded, and seemed ready to get up and join the fight, despite having what looked like several broken ribs. Zak quickly looked around for something to stop the beast, and found nothing large enough to kill the creature. Zak wished he had one of the metal giants he had seen in the skies and sands outside his forest, but knew that now was not the time to worry about that. Zak avoided the Rankar's charge as it attacked what smelled like his human prey. Meanwhile, Seth finally managed to stand up, even though he still felt a little woozy from that hit. He looked over at the battle, just in time to see Zak dodge another attack by the reptile. The barbarian was very fast, Seth noticed as fast as his own Speed burst ability, perhaps more. Seth would have to "ask" him about that, if they survive the battle that is. Seth quickly looked around, finding that Zak's spear was the only weapon here, and that was only good on the soft eyes of the creature, which were thoroughly gouged. Now all Zak could do was avoid the creature's attacks until it either gave up (which wasn't likely in the rage it was in) or accidentally killed itself. Seth suddenly got an idea on what to do next, and wondered how he would get Zak to understand the idea as he charged up. As Seth's body became enveloped in golden chi, he yelled at Zak to get his attention. Zak looked over sporadically as he avoided the beast's attacks. Zak was starting to get tired, while the giant Rankar was still enraged and going strong. Seth pointed to a tree and made a motion with his arm of it falling. Zak quickly caught on, thankfully, and leaped in front of the huge tree about 20 feet from the battleground. He kneeled and quickly caught his breath as the Rankar sniffed the air, looking for his scent. "Oh shit." Seth whispered to himself, and Zak seemed to do a simultaneous "oh shit" as they both realized that the creature would pick up Seth's scent first, since he was closer. Seth was too busy charging up the biggest chi wave he could in his cupped palms, and wouldn't be able to dodge. The two looked at each other, thinking as fast as they could. Zak suddenly started shouting at the top of his lungs, making growling and roaring noises at the Rankar. "Whewgood one Zak." Seth whispered as he focused his energy. The Rankar heard the barbarian's shouts, and rather than continue his sniffing, he charged at the noise, picking up speed and ready to ram into the tree. At the very last moment, Zak leaped to the side, avoiding the ram. The Rankar nearly broke its own neck when it collided with the huge ancient tree. The beast was only stunned, and would soon get up but now it was Seth's turn. "Uraaaaahhhh!" Seth focused all he could into the chi wave, which was already nearly tripled by the pain flowing through his body (and aura, thanks to the Man of Chi ability). He unleashed everything he had, creating a massive wave of energy that slammed the Rankar's momentarily limp body into the massive tree again this time with enough force to break the tree entirely. The huge redwood tipped over, and before the Rankar could completely get up, the gigantic tree crushed it. When Zak was sure the beast was dead, he smiled and reclaimed his spear back at the original fight scene. He looked over at Seth to congratulate the "weakling", but saw that he was too busy throwing up. Seth felt the world spinning, until finally Seth fell over. His golden aura snapped off, and his eyes closed as he lost consciousness. SUMMARY: A climactic battle between Zak/Seth and a Rankar! Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: Joseph Hicks [Arrgh_a_lot@hotmail.com] Sent: Friday, September 15, 2000 8:36 AM To: DeM_story@egroups.com Subject: [DeM] aftermath... eGroups My Groups | DeM_story Main Page | Start a new group! Zak sat down heavily, thrilled that they had won- losing that battle would have been a problem. He turned to his companion- anybody who fought like that deserved respect. He bowed low, and then stood up. He bent down, and started sketching in the dirt. Seth tried to look over his shoulder- but was pushed away. Puzzled, the outworlder waited until Zak was through, though that wasn't long. He looked- it was a fairly good depiction of him curled in a ball. Seth had no clue why he had hurt for so long after their battle- Zak's attention had been received gratefully, though the barbarian had no idea- only that it must have had something to do with his fighting, because this had never happened to this extent before. Since this was his biggest battle to date, and it was the first time this had really happened, maybe the two were connected? But how to convey that in writing? Seth lapsed into a fighting stance, hoping that would show- instead, Zak raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Seth immediately stopped, knowing that Zak could probably beat him any day of the week. Zak's eyebrow returned to earth. And then the thought passing through his head was practically visible, as he made the connection. He smiled, and nodded- and then realized that unless he wanted to cripple his new friend, he had to fight alone. He frowned, but continued nodding, as plan after plan went through his head. Seth held up a finger for quiet, and then realized the idiocy of the automatic gesture. He began drawing in the dirt...It was Zak, obviously, but with lines from behind him, indicating great speed. Zak laughed, and picked up his spear once again, as Seth froze in fright- was the beastman finally going to finish him off? No! He launched into practice, spear blurring in its speed. He picked up the pace, going faster and faster...soon, The spear had disappeared, and all Seth could see was a blur moving- although he had moved slower during the battle, it wasn't much. Now Seth saw the incredible speed came from nothing besides hard practice. His mind boggled- he could become that fast, and learn about this barbarian lifestyle, should he choose to stay in the forest for a while! (Summary: Seth and Zak learn about each other, and Seth is faced with a choice.) _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: Super Saiyan Seth [cross64@yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, September 15, 2000 12:28 PM To: DeM_story@egroups.com Subject: [DeM] An Experiment eGroups My Groups | DeM_story Main Page | Start a new group! An Experiment -------------------------------- August 20th, V-498 Blackmoon Forest, Sunrise -------------------------------- Seth silently gazed into the fire Zak had made for their breakfast cooked Rankar on a stick. Zak had gone off to carve the meat from the Rankar's body, a task that would take quite some time, which left Seth to decide on what to do next. Ever since he had awoken at the beaches near Lahan, Seth had basically wandered around here, doing nothing as he fell deeper into depression. Now that Zak and Seth had seen each other's true skills, they had silently conveyed their trust to each other and had stopped being suspicious of the other. Last night also revealed something to Seth that he hadn't realized beforewell, two things actually. One was that their was something going on inside of him that he couldn't explain as of yet, but it seemed frightening even to a man of science. After last night's battle, Seth could feel his energy had increased a lot more than when he was simply kicking around the goat things that Zak had called "hob-gobs". However, it seemed that that jump had really messed him up, and had forced him to lose consciousness until Zak was able to revive him with his knowledge of the surrounding plants and animals. The second discovery was that this world held dangers far greater than what he had thought. Not only were there creatures like what Zak labeled a "Rankar", but there was something out there that could decimate a village like Lahan without using missiles or bombs. Such dangers may be common, and Seth didn't even have protection against a "Forest Elf" as Zak put it. As much as Seth wanted to stay in the relatively safe forest and train with Zak, that was just not going to happen. Seth was a scientist, and he had to see what was out there. His curiosity has been itching inside of him ever since a giant robot (or "mecha" as Seth put it, being an anime fan) flew over the forest and landed near Lahan for a pitstop. The man inside was dressed in garments that reminded Seth of the military, and he carried a rifle on his back. His uniform was made for the desert, so Seth realized that there was at least a military out in the desert. When the soldier flew away in his machine, Seth finally realized what the man was riding in a gear a Sand Trooper to be exact. There was an experimental model on the Eldridge, among countless others, that were to be used in case of trouble. Seth had watched them fiddle with the gears on the spaceship when he got bored, so he knew a little about how they worked and how to repair them. Seth wanted to see more of this world, because Seth held a theory that the surviving technology of the Eldridge helped to develop this world over the period of time Seth waswherever he was at the time. Seth didn't know how to convey all this to Zak, but while Zak was cutting, he would have time to figure it out. However, for the moment, Seth had some more important questions he had to answer. He stood up and assumed a relaxed stance, preparing to harness his chi once more. This time however, he wasn't going to do anything in particular with it. All Seth wanted to do was carefully generate as much energy as possible, in the hopes of finding out more about what this stuff was, and what it was doing to him. Seth let his golden energy flare from his body like flames by calling on one of his abilities. The "flames" were small since he had been fully healed thanks to Zak's herbs and a good nap, but Seth was going to push himself, hoping to make his energy grow like with the Rankar, but in a controlled manner. Seth began the experiment, hoping he wasn't making a big mistake in the process. Seth hummed a monotonous tune to focus his thoughts with, and began focusing his energy into his "center" as his mother put it. Seth felt the energy there, and soon reached his normal maximum within moments. Seth continued to push, like a muscleman trying to lift more than he can, and hurting himself in the process. However, as Seth knew would happen, his golden flames began to burn higher as he hurt himself. Seth grunted in pain, but was careful not to let go. He carefully used the energy to activate his healing powers just enough to keep himself from fainting, but not enough to erase his flames, so he could get as much out of himself as possible. "Alrightjust like the perpetual motion science project from high school." Seth said to himself, as his flames grew slowly but steadily larger. "As long as I keep focusing, I can practically feed my fire until it hits the threshold. If I had a meter of some kind, maybe this would be a little more controlled, but I guess I'll have to rely on good old-fashioned estimation." Seth's golden flames were flowing about a foot from his body, and Seth felt his energies wouldn't go any higher. Seth's "center" felt like it was on fire for real. Seth finally threw all the energy into the sky, sending a wave into the skies that could be seen for a couple miles, and stopped. He checked his heart rate, and was amazed at what he counted. Seth did some quick math work in the dirt as Zak returned to camp with a dog-sized piece of Rankar meat. "Damn dude. If my calculations are correct, I just generated enough energy to flash fry an elephant, but my heart rate is equal to a good stair-climbing exercise. What did I do wrong? Hmmmaybe the energy isn't DIRECTLY affecting my body. Maybe my body is somehow affecting the energy like throwing a spray can into the campfire, and only "explodes" when I get an adrenaline rush or something." Seth turned to the barbarian. "What do you think Zak?" Zak turned to Seth and shrugged, being unable to understand him, but knowing that Seth wasn't expecting an answer. He went back to cooking the Rankar meat as Seth sat back down at the campfire. He prepared to tell Zak that he was heading out to the desert this afternoon. SUMMARY: Seth decides to satiate his curiosity by venturing out to the desert in search of the humans living out there. Also he tries to trigger another fit by launching a gigantic wave of chi into the sky, but succeeds in only attracting attention to the small forest. However Seth is starting to piece together what is happening to him little by little. Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: Colin Sutton [JakeColin@hotmail.com] Sent: Saturday, September 16, 2000 6:48 AM To: DeM_story@egroups.com Subject: [DeM] "Darkening Horizons" (Adin-13, Aloysius-14) eGroups My Groups | DeM_story Main Page | Start a new group! (Pre-OOG: Alright everyone since Dan had problems sending his posts in I volunteered to send them in for him so don't think i'm trying to write for him and Anastasius (believe me, i have enough in my work load ^_^¿) (OOG: Hey everyone. This is the first post I've written in a while! But I'm glad to be writing again. Ok, this post tells in detail what that "Big Event" was, although Anastasius did capitalize on it in the first part of this chapter. Well, i hope you all like it) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ August 18th, V-498 Northern Aveh Gebler Base 7:15pm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Later that night, Adin's personal staff set up dinner for Aloysius and their commander. The base's dining hall wasn't much for elegance. The soldiers and mechanical staff ate on blueish-white mettalic table's that lined a large room of the same colour. Adin's dining quarters, however, did reflect his status in the base. The oak table was adorned with a red and gold tablecloth, the same colour as the elaborate rug below it. A golden Gebler insignia decorated the wall behind the head of the table. When Aloysius arrived, Adin was already waiting for him at the table. The General had washed up since their earlier meeting and was now wearing a Gebler uniform, one of the uniforms kept at the base. The white uniform was pulled taught against his large body, as not many of the uniforms fit his overwhelming girth. The harsh-looking man sat as Adin's attendants placed a bowl of soup in front of him. "I must say Mr. Kal'Ahaz," said Adin, "I can't say I've heard much about you until word of the massacre in bledavick reached this base about a week ago." He slipped a pair of reading glasses on and flipped through a thick pile of orders, strategies, and maps that had arrived shortly after Aloysius. "I am not in the Solarian military," said the man, stabbing at a chunk of thick, tender beef floating in his soup. "I work for the Gazel Ministry." Adin looked up from the papers at his superior. His eyes traveled to the servants, and he nodded. They nodded back, and promptly left the room. The Captain took a deep breath and stood, straightening the papers on the table, then leaning against the table. "Perhaps you can tell me in your own words what is going to happen?" Aloysius dropped his spoon into the now empty bowl, causing a loud clank as metal hit glass. He leaned back, folding his arms. "On August 24th you are to lead an army of Solarian soldiers in ignas, who will gather at your base, to Bledavick. You will travel directly south until you reach the capital, where you will find that you have come across the back half of the city, behind the castle, where the Bledavick gear docks and airship hangars are located. You will dispatch a number of your men into the docks, where they will resume control, and move their gears into the hangars. You and a number of other soldiers will then proceed into the main city where you will meet up with Ariath, who will be leading an army of soldiers from Entrenank up from the south end of the capital. You will give him your report, then continue to the Castle where a messenger from the ministry will be waiting to give you further orders. It may be me, it may not. It's not my decision to make." Adin paced as he listened, nodding every now and then. "Yes commander. As I mentioned earler, several of the Gebler soldiers in Ignas have already arrive." "All of Ignas' scattered forces should arrive by August 20th. Your base is more than large enough to hold every one of them. You are then to organize them to the best of your ability, and head our promptly on the 24th. It is calculated that you will arrive at the capital approximatley 20 minutes before Ariath and his forces. This is most important to Solaris as it will give us firm control of the lambs once again. When the Aveh soldiers see that you and your forces have cleared Kislev out from there country, Gebler will be regarded as hero's, and our grasp on the surface will once again continue. You must be there on the 24th, though, while Kislev forces are still weak." Adin turned on a heel to face Aloysius. "But it's not like Gebler couldn't wipe out Kislev even at their strongest." Aloysius pushed himself up from the table and his chair clattered to the floor behind him. "Don't get cocky about this mission Senka! The ministry knows your talents and is interested on how you utilize them. Adin stared at Aloysius, mouth agape, eyes wide open. A spine- breaking silence ensued as Aloysius gruffly snatched up his chair and sat again. Adin scratched his head and sat down himself. He stirred his soup a bit before breaking the silence. "Why was I chosen for this? I'm most certainly not the BEST in all of Gebler." "The ministry's orders are not to be questioned. The true light of this test will come to light in time." "Test?" Adin's intrest was perked. Aloysius rose from his seat once again, this time quietly, and walked to the door. It clicked and slid open. "Like I said Captain Senka, you're the decision-maker. I'm only here to watch." The door slid shut with a mechanical wheeze. An attendant came in through the kitchen door. Adin spoke, eyes still fixed on the door through which this mysterious general had just left. "Dinner for one tonight." (Summary: Adin hosts a dinner for Aloysius and is told about the details about the attack which is to take place.) (OOG: For those who might have skipped this, this post is important to read because it sets a whole storyline event that many people will surely be involved in) ----------------------------- "Darkening Horizons: Part 2" By Dan Clark ----------------------------- Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: Amber Michelle [myaru@earthlink.net] Sent: Saturday, September 16, 2000 8:21 PM To: DeM_story@egroups.com Subject: [DeM] "Silvered Word, Sour Thought" (Myaru) eGroups My Groups | DeM_story Main Page | Start a new group! (OOG: I had to rush this, thanks to lack of time... *kicks school* Sorry for the horrid post. I'm hoping it won't conflict with anyone - if it does, tell me and I'll revise and repost.) "Silvered Word, Sour Thought" (Myaru) ----------------------------------------- Etrenank, Mordon's Home August 18, V-498 -- Evening -- ----------------------------------------- "That's all?" Myaru inquired calmly, tapping the surface of Mordon's desk with the tip of her pen. "You didn't find anything else?" There was a pause and the shifting of papers over the comm speaker, as her agent filed through his reports - or whatever it was he kept with him. She was no expert on his technique. "I'm afraid not, Commander. The young woman was tried in typical military fashion; unfortunately for us, we don't have any agents high enough in rank to be present at such a trial, and none were selected for the jury." She nodded, although the motion was wasted. "Very well... Do you have her location on file? And the information on her sentance?" "Sending now." The console beeped, and Myaru tapped her authorization code in with the end of the pen, watching with some impatience until she saw the data transfer kick in. She hoped it was a secure transfer... it wouldn't do to have an eavesdropping Kislev agent - or worse, Shevat - intercepting the transmission at this point in her plan. She needed the girl... Athena was only one of two potential Anti-types, yes, but... if she /was/ the one, and she was killed... It just wasn't worth the risk. She couldn't allow even a remote possibility of failure to enter the equation this time. If events forced her to wait yet another fivce hundred years to see her plans come to fruition... she very well might be as insane as Kyouran... "Transfer complete..." Papers shuffled on the other end of the transmission, as her agent stowed his data card in whatever manner he used to hide it. "Orders, commander? The execution is marked for the twenty-fourth -- shall we arrange something for her?" "No, just set a watch. You'll receive orders as needed - do not move on your own, this time." She stilled her fingers, letting the pen drop onto the desk with a metallic click. "In the event of an emergency, make every effort to preserve her life, but do not reveal yourself, or any of the others." "Affirmative. I'll report back in the morning with the information on the girl's status." The transmission flickered out, static eating away at the last syllables of her agent's response. Myaru let it run for a few moments, before flicking it to another channel with a graceful ivory finger. Now, the interesting part... Her agents were truly excellent... with a little patience on their part and research on hers, she'd manages to pick apart poor Alys's plan... How lucky, for both of them - at any other time, Myaru would have had the girl court-marshaled and removed from Gebler, but this time... this time, her rebellion might just work favorably for everyone. The twenty-fourth would be Athena's lucky day... assuming all succeeded, of course. Hands poised above the keyboard, Myaru waited for the program to settle on Gebler's most recent encryption code, and began to type as soon as confirmation appeared on the screen. Lieutenant Alyson Van Treymond, Your dilemma has come to our attention, and I thought it only courteous to render the necessary aid at this critical moment. Two Element-class soldiers have been dispatched to your anticipated location; they have been ordered to work under your command, and will aid you until such time as your party and the young woman you intend to rescue are safely away from the city. Your reinforcements will report to you upon arrival - their identicards will confirm their purpose; from that point, the Element Commander [Victoria Seliny] and a Special Forces agent by the name [Irina] will do every- thing in their power to preserve the success of your mission. Good luck and Godspeed. - Solaris Command Council 08-18-498 #7655910-448 "Thank you, Commander Davin..." Myaru murmured, sending the letter with a flourish and leaning back in Mordon's chair. His Gazel number would only fool the Ministry so long if they decided to check up on this little discrepency, but it was nothing to worry over. Even if they did manage to trace it back to her - a difficult feat, with Mordon's data barriers - it would make no difference. They had disregarded both Athena and Elanore, after all... and if they did not believe either was the Anti-type, this bit of interference should be beneath their notice. They would be too busy concentrating on their plans for Bledavik anyway, she hoped, and that would be all the time she needed to leave Solaris and begin weaving her plan. If they did interfere, for some reason... Well, that was what Kyouran was for. It wouldn't be hard to incite just a little more resentment between the two, with the current state of affairs... She slipped out of Mordon's chair in a swirl of robes and violet hair, pausing only to key his computer to shut down again before moving out of his study and into the hall. Her dear host was likely still holed up in his laboratory in the Palace, but it wouldn't do to take risks; Mordon could be infinitely more annoying than even her children, and the last thing she needed now was a delay. But all was falling into place, so far; hopefully, nothing would go wrong. Irina and Victoria had already departed with one of her agents for Alyson's location, and Ariath was still unaware of her presence here... Things were almost perfect. Almost. And Myaru would be there, soon, to make sure 'almost' would finally become a reality... (Summary: Myaru contacts her agent and receives information on Athena; soon after that, she sends a letter to Alys under a false name and plans to make a trip to the surface.) ----------------------------------------- "Silvered Word, Sour Thought" (Myaru) By: Amber Michelle Stand tall and shake the heavens... Xenogears ----------------------------------------- Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: danclark17@excite.com Sent: Saturday, September 16, 2000 4:50 AM To: DeM_story@egroups.com Subject: [DeM] Reminiscence of a Soldier (Adin-14) eGroups My Groups | DeM_story Main Page | Start a new group! (OOG: Hey. I a little free time on my hands lately so I decided I'd write a second post while I had the chance. This post just tells a little more about Adin's past and how he is "behind the uniform", as they say. Enjoy.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ August 18th, V-498 Adin's Quarters 11:48pm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Adin stepped sleepily into his darkened quarters, a room he had gotten to see so little of the many sleepless nights spent in his office organizing reports and monitoring the base's efficiency. It wasn't rare, even, for him to be the only one awake in the base, save for the several night patrolmen and sentries making their rounds in those early hours of the morning. The captain undid the snaps on his uniform and pulled the zipper down the chest, discarding the white jacket onto his bed. Few ever saw Adin in this vulnerable state. Uniform off, weary-eyed, and weak from the day's events. No one had ever been with him in these times. No one...except Kyle. Adin sat on the edge of his bed remembering his older brother. Back in the days of Jugend after long days of officer classes, tests, and training, every once in a while, Kyle Senka would come to visit Adin at the end of the day, when the student was in a state much like he was now. The mirror on the other end of the room reflected Adin's image back at him. Bare-chested, his slim, firm physique a constant reminder of the nine years of training he had to endure to reach this position. Commander of his own Gebler base, and soon-to-be leader of a whole army of Ignas Solarian soldiers! Kyle would be proud. Adin's very own brother, who had dissapeared after their parent's death. Where had he gone? He could be dead, but brotherly instinct told Adin otherwise. He stood and crossed the room. A bright orange moon peered boldly into his window, and the golden-red sands of the desert were now a soft white as the bright blue sky shifted to black. A sigh escaped Adin's mouth. A long, unproffesional sigh. He pulled off his pressed, white pants, and replaced with with his navy blue sweats. He layed in his bed and pulled the covers up to his waste. Hands behind his head, sleep had overcome him. (Summary: Adin reflects on good times with his brother and thinks about his position today) Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: Super Saiyan Seth [cross64@yahoo.com] Sent: Sunday, September 17, 2000 11:28 AM To: DeM_story@egroups.com Subject: [DeM] Dead man walking eGroups My Groups | DeM_story Main Page | Start a new group! (OOG: I wrote this story in an effort to include Seth in the upcoming events, as well as finish writing stories about Doctor Nye and the Solaris scientists. This is all based on info from respectable websites and the gameroughly. Any discrepencies are unintended, so flame me all you want just remember I didn't mean it. Thanks and write me if you want to use the idea!) DEAD MAN WALKING ----------------------------- August 20th, V-498 Solaris Government Lab ----------------------------- Jacob perused the files again. He hadn't been able to sleep that night, because he was still worried about this case with the alien. When Doctor Nye had finished with Jacob, he had said that this information "might be useful to someone else". What he meant by that was most likely the military, but what would the Gebler forces want with an alien? Jacob activated the lab computer and brought up the Lahan memory cube file, which was unsecured information among the scientists. Seth Unrecognized Human variant Current Ether Alignment: 160 Anima Alignment: none Comments: Potential experimentation for Drive and Rush variants. Expendable under controlled situation. Jacob reread the comment line again and again, making sure he didn't misread it. He had seen the effects of Drive on Solarian soldiers and Lamb experiments alike. In all cases, the subject's ether potential increased dramatically, depending on their DNA. If taken properly, Drive will draw out the total potential of the user, but cause them to become very aggressive and difficult to manage. Jacob (typed): "Computer. Show projected ether alignment of Seth if uses standard Drive, based on the DNA scan from the memory cube." Current Ether Alignment: 160 Projected Ether Alignmentcalculatingestimated at 400. Jacob wasn't a whiz on ether alignment, but that seemed high to him. The question was, why give him Drive when he was already so high, and not even working for Gebler? Jacob: "How does that compare to the average Gebler Ether soldier or pilot?" Estimated ether alignment and current ether alignment are approximately double that of the standard ether soldier in the military with similar training and experience. "Okay" Jacob thought he was on to something, but still wasn't sure. Jacob: "Give me a list of his documented powers from memory cube status records." Seth Ether Powers Type: Chi Origin: Training and energy channeling over extended period of time Abilities: Chi wave/blast, Chi healing, Chi speed enhancement, Masochistic chi enhancement, Masochistic strength enhancement "Masochistic enhancement? What the hell is that?" Jacob: "Define Masochistic enhancement." Masochistic Enhancement Data User's strength or ether increases as he is damaged. Increases are directly proportional in all cases. Thus healing reduces the increase until it is back to normal levels at full health. At 50% health, ether or strength is increased 50%, and so on. "Wellthat might explain a few things." Jacob said. Suddenly he though he understood what they were trying to do. He decided to test his theory. Jacob: "What effect will Drive have on Seth's power other than magnitude?" There is a high chance that the aggressive tendencies of the Drive will override Seth's limited control over his Chi, thus triggering an explosive reaction similar to the one expected to occur within a year's time. "Thought so." Jacob: "What will his ether alignment be if this occurs?" Projected Ether Alignment under Drive influence with 100% damage calculating800. Explosive reaction at this ether level is considered par to the Zeboim nuclear bomb. "So that's ita ticking time bomb, with none of the radioactive mess." Jacob said. He brought up the files on gears used by the Gebler training camps, which was hidden from the public, but kept open to scientists for study of their effectiveness in combat and similar. Jacob: "What is the ether strength of a malfunctioning gear?" An exploding gear's ether strength varies with pilot's ether alignment and the gear's ether magnification. Average damage during explosion is same as standard attack, but is typically released on a large area surrounding the exploding gear. Jacob: "What is the average ether strength total of a Gebler soldier in a standard gear?" Average ether strength is 50 including magnification. Jacob: "What is the size of the explosion with the same gear?" On 20 of the 24 recorded occasions of an exploding gear of this type, the damage was effective within a 100-sharl radius on average. Higher ether strength means greater explosive radii. Average is 2-sharl radius per ether point of strength. "In that caseif Seth blew up under Drive influenceor better yet, if he was KILLED when under Drive influence, and using that particular ability, he would decimate everything within a 1600 sharl radius of himself! That would decimate an entire city down to the bedrock! That must be it! They want to use him to blow up a city!" Jacob: "Where is Seth's location?" Unknown. Unable to locate Limiter tag. Possible error. Please try again. Jacob: "Does anyone in the Ignas continent possess Drive?" Affirmative. Several bases [locations classified] and outposts have Drive and Rush for soldiers. "That's right all the military installations give Drive to their soldiers in the event of a full scale battle. If they find Seth, and manage to get the plan under way, then Solaris' enemies are done for." SUMMARY: Jacob pieces together why Seth is considered a possibly important item for future military use. Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: Alex Groden [alexsg1@hotmail.com] Sent: Monday, September 18, 2000 10:53 AM To: DeM_story@egroups.com Subject: [DeM] Caught in the Middle, Part Three -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> GET A NEXTCARD VISA, in 30 seconds! Get rates of 2.9% Intro or 9.9% Ongoing APR* and no annual fee! Apply NOW! http://click.egroups.com/1/9146/3/_/529963/_/969241973/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> ?Caught in the Middle, Part Three - July 9, V-498 You know, it sure does smell down here, Alex was slouched against a wall, Mat lay on his back. Your right, Mat said, I guess you get used to it, though. I dont even notice. Oh, Alex sighed. The body of the monster lay there, Mat and Alex beside it, totally exhausted. Mats arm was bleeding, and so was Alexs head, but they were otherwise none the worse for wear. Now the only problem the pulled on Alexs mind was his lost partner... Who were those people? Alex asked after a while. I dont know, but they seemed to have had some sort of interest in you friend, Mat said. I wonder where they were taking her? They left to go further into the sewers, Alex said, how far can they travel? Well, there are limits, if you leave them the collars will explode, thats to prevent people from escaping underground, Mat said, they would have to do something with the collar before they took her out. Collar... Alex said, trying to remember, actually, now that I think of it, was Cali even wearing one? I dont recall, Mat said, but if there are people here that can remove them we need to find them fast! Alex and Mat finally got up and made there way out of the sewers, washing up in D-Block. Then Mat told Alex that he would stir some things up, and ask a few questions. They headed to the local bar, and Mat began. Alex sat in a corner and let Mat do his thing. Moving his glass around in circles and watching the fizz make bubbles to the top, he didnt notice it when the lady came up and sat next to him, ordering a drink. The drink came, and she looked at Alex. Word on the street is that your looking for me, Bro, She said, whispering into his ear. Ah, Alex looked up, startled, whore you? They call me Nails, she said, pulling back her hood on her cloak she wore. She looked strongly demi human, much more than Cali looked, and I dont like people asking about me. What do you want? Wait, I didnt... Alex trailed off as his mind pieced it together, asking... Ive been asking for a demi human that has been recently arrested! But wait, your telling me thats you?! Yep, the woman said, you were expecting someone else? Oh, no, so that means Cali wasnt even arrested! Alex moaned, then who were those guys that took her? Guys? Nails asked, what guys? Explain before I lose interest! I, uh... Alex said, then quickly told her why he was here, explaining the situation of Cali to her. Hump, Nails sat back, I see what you mean, its a pretty strange story. But it sounds so dumb Im inclined to trust you, Bro. I dont know whether to take that as a compliment or not, Alex said. I may be able to help you, Nails said after a second. Huh? Alex looked up again, what do you mean? Let me explain. When you heard the fight, you were, as you said, actually mistaking me for your friend, Cali. But the reason I was put in this prison is because I am and information gatherer! I find everything, for anybody, because /that/... is my specialty. But this time I found out to much. I learned from a source that the Kislev government is running tests on demi humans. Medical tests, drug tests, horrible stuff. And they use D-block for their specimen ground. I dont know who tipped them off, but the police found me out, and now Im here. At least I didnt go down with out a fight... Did you say medical tests? Alexs eyes widened. Im getting to that, Bro. What Im saying is that your friend may have been taken because she came looking for you. If she is, then, you may never see her again, Nails said. What?! Alex shook his head, where is she? I can get to her no matter what! Ill do whatever it takes! You really like this girl, dont you? Nails said, leaning back, humm, Ill see what I can dredge up. I may be in D-Block, but I still have my contacts! Youd help? Alex said, I would be in your debt forever! Ha, Ive heard that before, Nails said, sure, Ill help you. Lets just say Im a sucker for romances, eh Bro? Thank you, Alex said, nodding as she left. Then he got up and motioned to Mat. Hey, I think I may be getting something here, Mat whispered, dont get impatient, this stuff takes some time, ya know? Ive found her, Alex said. What?! Mat said, Ive been at this for over an hour and you say youve found her? Well, where is she? I dont know yet, but Ill know soon enough, Alex said, motioning towards the door, I have contacts. Youre a strange one, Mat said, sighing, oh well, I guess we wait then. Meanwhile... Cali was shoved into a white room with low illumination. There was a small thinly cushioned bed to one side and a faucet to the other. The room was about 15 square feet in its entirety and reeked of sterilizer. What is going on, Cali wondered looking at the metal clamped band on her arm, what kind of sick bracelet is this? It had the numbers 28 stamped on it with a bar code and a strange small black box protruding slightly from its dull silvery surface. I hope Alex finds me soon, Cali thought, trying to comfort herself... -------- July 10, V-498 -------- Apparently there is a small bio- plant here. Its near the southern side of Nortune, where the town gets most of their... imports. What? Alex asked, looking at Nails, howd you find out? Well, it took a little more than I though, but after a while I was able to piece it together from the contacts that I, uh, persuaded. I hope this didnt involve any illegal activity, Mat said, raising an eye brow. I dont see why your hanging with him anyway, Bro, Nails said, hes just blabbing on about technicalities. Hey, hey, you two, cut it out, Alex said, dang. What? Mat asked, getting quiet. Hump, Nails folded her arms. How are we gonna pull this off? Alex sighed, this is just like Rall said... how did he know? Alex paced the doctors room impatiently. No ideas came to him, Cali, and the cure, they both were together. But would that make it harder to get them both? Would he have to go in fighting? No, there was no way he could take on the whole Kislev military, or even the garrison. So it would have to be stealth... But what would get them in easiest? The two had taken to bickering quietly again, and Alex looked up again. Shut up! Alex snapped, help me think this through! Sorry, Mat offered, Nails shaking her head. Ok, force wont work, Alex said, we know that right now. So what are our other choices? We could sneak into the base! Nails said. No, that would never work, Mat said, if it were that important the security would be tight. Man, I still cant believe Im going to help you get her back! Why dont you leave then? Nails sneered. Even I have a sense of whats right and wrong! Mat said, looking to her, and I know that taking people, even prisoners, to use as test subjects is very wrong. Some of the prisoners are good people, they just made some bad decisions. But they are paying their time, they dont need to bear an extra penance. Its inhumane to do this to people, hell even to animals. If they didnt volunteer, and Cali didnt look like she did last night, they shouldnt take them, by this time Mat was almost preaching, but he caught himself quickly, thats just the way I feel... he trailed off. Your different from the others, Nails said softly, you care... Its good that you know what your fighting for, Alex said, but we still need a plan. You know, now that you mention it, sneaking may be a good idea, Mat said, looking down, listen to this... You actually think it will work? Alex sat back. It sounds good, Mat and Nails said in unison, then they laughed. I guess so, Alex said raising an eye brow. What am I now, a dating service? He thought, besides, its not like we have something better. Right, then its decided, Mat said, first well need some uniforms... Alex approached the gates. In his gloved hand he held a chain leading back to the cuffs that held Nails. Mat came up and flashed his ID to the guard at the door. Mat Thompson, Nortune special investigations unit. Bossman said to bring this prisoner, Mat said putting his ID back into his pocket. I thought our guys were making the deliveries, the guy said, well, you check out ok, Investigator Thompson, I guess if the boss said it was ok. Thanks, Mat said, smiling. He walked over to Alex. He wont call in? Alex whispered. Heck no, Nortune is full of rookies that want a promotion. He knows if he calls in Ill hear about it. Plus Im his boss, Mat said, but be careful, this place is teeming with higher ranks, Ill be squished if they want to challenge me! Right, Alex said, raising his shoulders. The three walked into the base uncontested, all let out a sigh of relief. Stepping into the door of the small facility, the were met by another guard. Oh, a new one, you all can take it down to C- hall, theyll take it off your hands, the guard said. Thanks, Mat said, saluting. This is creepy, Nails said, you guy better not let them get to me! Shh! Mat said. They walked down a corridor, coming to an elevator. Everything was white, and then the hall ended abruptly. In front of the trio was an elevator, with a chart on the side. C-hall is this way, Mat said, tapping a button on the chart. Quickly the elevator opened and they got in. I bet C-hall is where they keep the test subjects, Alex said, so far so good. Yeah, I just hope our luck holds out and everything works like its supposed to, Mat said. The doors opened and they were greeted with another corridor. Suddenly a door opened at the far end and Alex jumped. The scientist glanced up, walking to a door. Ah, a new specimen, the man said, I didnt know we were going to get a new one. No matter weve just freed up a room, put her in twenty eight. Ah... Alexs mouth hung open as the door opened and two large men in lab coats took Cali out of the room. She seemed dead, her feet were dragging on the ground and her head slumped to one side... Careful, Mat whispered. Cali... Alex breathed, his fist clenching. Summary: Alex meets Nails, then Mat, Alex, and Nails infiltrate a medical test facility to find Cali. But are they to late? The conclusion, in Caught in the Middle Part Four! _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: Arcana [ikwan06@home.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2000 7:59 AM To: DeM_story@egroups.com Subject: [DeM] [Elly's Comrades] Conflict in Rescue eGroups My Groups | DeM_story Main Page | Start a new group! Conflict in Rescue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ August 20, V-498 Cassandra grunted as she pushed herself off of the floor for the fifteenth time. The muscles on her left arm bulged with the effort of lifting her body weight off of the ground. Her right arm was held behind her back. Her long dark hair fell in tangles around her face, slightly damp. Although she could hear someone speaking in the background, she tried her best to tune out hte voice. "We can't just sit here and do nothing, Cassandra! Look, don't you even care? I thought you were her best friend!" Cassandra's face contorted. She finally finished the last push-up, then placed the other arm on the floor and began to do the push-ups with the other arm. "Cassandra, you can't just keep ignoring me..." Cassandra turned her head and let her body fall gently to the ground, finally fed up at the voice. Jason was sitting at the leg extensions machine reading a book. "Look, Jason! What would you have me do? I can't do anything right now, so I'm just going to do what I can and finish my workout! So please, stop YELLING at me! Just SHUT UP!" Cassandra tried to give her best glare at him. With the chances of hostile retaliation by Aveh increasing dramatically, and the fact that Nortune was under the Gebler flag, all Kislev soldiers were recalled to active duty. Jason, in the absence of Elly, was appointed the Acting Captain of the squadron. Today, the day consisted first of a long training session of arial-defense attacks and mobile support for stationary defenses. They had finished the training just before supper and were called to do personal training before the meal. Ever since Jason was ordered to assume command, he was fretting over Elly's incarceration, asking Cassandra about what could be done and plotting to himself about possible ways to clear her name. He had bothered Cassandra to the point where she was telling him to shut up every half-hour or so. Brynhild was nervous; always fidgeting and playing with her hair and pacing as if she were slowly losing her mind, but the events around her did not affect her training performance at all and she was recording extremely good results during practice. Bellerophon was the least affected by all of this; he simply carried on his days as normal, but Cassandra noticed the silent reflections and his ever-common lapses of thought. Unlike Brynhild, his performance in training had decreased; he was unable to follow Jason's orders as quickly and efficiently as Elly's, though it seemed more as an adjustment than actual emotional impact. Cassandra went back to her one-armed push-ups when Jason began to talk again. Without clearly comprehending his words (she thought she heard "but") she snapped back at him, "Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Jason didn't go quietly, however, and within a moment Cassandra got back up and was shouting at him to be quiet while he chided her for her apathy and inactivity. "Will you two just STOP IT?" The two glanced over to the direction of the voice, where Brynhild was on her bench with fourty-pound dumbbells. Her ethereal face was creased with a frown, and her light fragile eyebrows were arched downward angrily. When she was met with silence, she nodded and in her quiet voice replied, "Thank you." With that, she went back do doing her arm- curls. Cassandra and Jason sat there, shocked and ashamed, not at the fact that they were actually yelling at each other, but mainly at the fact that they had even managed to tax the patience of Brynhild, who was probably the most tolerant and quiet of the entire group. Before now, neither could recall a moment when she had raised her voice. Cassandra was the first to speak. "I... I'm sorry. But Jason, I can't do anything about this right now... or maybe I can and I just don't know what... I... I don't know. I'm so confused..." Jason nodded. "I'm sorry too. I think we all need more time to think about it..." Bellerophon chuckled from his bench-press. "Looks like Brynhild really told you two. I was getting sick of your bitching too, guys. Look, we need some proof to get Elly out of the slammer. Until then... there's nothing we can do." Brynhild spoke. "We can bust her out of jail." Jason and Bellerophon spoke at the same time. "What?" Brynhild was unphased. "We can bust her out of jail." Cassandra was immediately on her feet, lowering her arms in a gesture that indicated to the others to keep it quiet. "Look. We're alone in the room but someone could be listening to us this very moment..." Jason nodded and got off of his machine to move next to Brynhild. He grabbed a free weight and began working his arms as well. "You've got a wild suggestion there..." Cassandra moved closer as well. "Hah hah, you were thinking what I was thinking. See, you're more like me than you'd think." She nudged Brynhild in the leg with a wink, and managed to prompt a tiny smile and a flush from the girl. "Umm, well," Brynhild started, now obviously embarrassed. "I just thought... I know that Elly is innocent. I was there when she ran off. So if the law won't work for us, then we can get into that prison and get her out of there..." "And how exactly will we do that?" Cassandra asked. "Gears," Brynhild suggested, still doing her workouts. Cassandra began to work on sit-ups. "We can't just smash our way into the prison..." "It'll be guarded like you wouldn't believe," Jason added. "Patrols, stationary defenses, and besides, even if we can crash our way into the area, how do we know that we don't kill Elly in the process? Do you know where she is in the base?" "No..." Bellerophon stuck his head in the circle. "And how will we get out? We'll be criminals. Fugitives. Where the heck are we supposed to go if we rescue Elly?" Cassandra frowned. "We can't talk about this stuff here..." Jason rose and clapped his hands. "All right, guys. I'm going to go outside and do some formation training. Come with me. We're leaving immediately." In an undertone, he added, "We'll do some flybys of that prison there..." ~~ August 20, late evening. The computer labs were almost empty. Most of the computers were on standby for the night. There was a group of people huddled in one corner, finishing up a late project, but with the exception of the late-nighters, the lab was empty. "According to this arial scan, this is the high- security area. You can tell because it's blocked with lead and other metals," said Jason. Brynhild's small nose wrinkled with her disappointment. "I thought you said it would tell us where Elly is. Are you sure that red dot there isn't her?" "I'm pretty sure. This area isn't very heavily secured... you can see the exit to the main area very close to there. They wouldn't put a person tried guilty of war crimes in such a light area. No, I'm pretty certain that she's under this lead barrier here." "How can we get in?" Cassandra asked. "Barrier or no, there's no way it can resist gear-sized weapons..." "I'm sure they would have incorporated something...!" "Perimeter defense." Bellerophon frowned and gave a snort. "This is impossible... we're not going to be able to get through an entire perimeter defense for a high-security prison..." "Prisons back in the ancient times before gears didn't build their walls to resist against tanks, which were, and still are used..." Jason started. "Still. They're going to have a cannon there, there, and there. How does one person confront that, in addition to the gears that are pacing around here and there?" Jason frowned. "Well..." "And there remains the question... where are we going to go?" Bellerophon's face was rigid as he glanced between the three of them. They responded with blank looks. Bellerophon tossed up his hands. "You three... all about saving Elly, saving Elly.... precious little Elly... look, no offense, but what good is saving her when we wouldn't be able to bring her anywhere safe? Come on, we'd be fugitives. She's already wanted, and this wouldn't make us look any less guilty. We can't go back to Nortune. Aveh is certainly not going to accept us because they all think Elly's responsible for the massacre. None of us are probably willing to haul-ass for Gebler... so where do we go?" He let a deep sigh out of his chest. "After serving in the military and ending this war... I always wanted to settle down... find a girl, get married, and then train for track and field sports like shot-put, hammer-throw, and javelin like I've always wanted to do, and compete in the Nortune Games. No more of just telling stories about it... I wanted it to happen. But if we put ourselves into the position... then how will I... how will any of us have a future? We need to clear her name... we have to do this legit!" Cassandra chuckled. "Why, I didn't know you had such noble aspirations..." Brynhild turned back to the screen. "Elly is worth it," she said. "I owe her..." "You don't owe her nothing!" Bellerophon shouted. "We can't just sacrifice everything for her... not like this! This is the stupid way to do it!" "We can get immunity from Nisan," Jason said. "They'll have to take us in." "We'll still be in hiding... and that doesn't mean that we'll be able to break inside the prison any easier, either. We have to find that guy she mentioned in court.. that 'Al'..." "All we have is a first name!" Cassandra cried. "How could we ever locate him?" "We have to smash through before Elly's executed... we don't have enough time!" Jason added. "Come on... we're four of us. We can probably..." Bellerophon stood up, grabbing his coat and turning. "Three. I can't possibly risk so much for such a flakey plan. I'm out of here." Jason's face was shocked. "Hey, wait Bellerophon..." Cassandra reached for him, but Brynhild stood up sooner, stepping toward him and placing a hand on his shoulder. She said in his ear, "Look, I wish I could convince you... but I understand what it is to not rebel..." Bellerophon adjusted his coat with a huff. "I just can't let this go... because I'd never forgive myself if Elly died... if I didn't have someone to live for." Bellerophon turned around momentarily. "I hope you can succeed, then," he said, finding himself lifting a hand to Brynhild's chin. "I don't mean to be selfish... but... but I couldn't possibly help you. My conscience is against it... and I want to leave now before I mess things up." Brynhild's eyes lit up with joy. "You won't say a thing?" Bellerophon shook his head. "I promise not to say a thing." "Oh, thank you!" Brynhild cried, somewhat uncharacteristically. Bellerophon nodded at her, then tilted his lips toward her cheek, giving her a light kiss. "Take care of yourself..." he said. "I hope I'll see you again." With that, he turned away and headed toward the door, pushing it open with perhaps more aggression than he intended to. "What was that about?" Jason asked. "He... he wants us to succeed." Jason rolled his eyes. "Well, if we would have had an extra man... that would've been a good way." Brynhild put herself in the chair next to the monitor. "He said he wanted to leave now... before he messed things up. He promised me that he wouldn't say anything..." "Reassuring..." Cassandra said. "Maybe he'll join us later... I hope." ~~ Bellerophon left the labs with mixed feelings. He now felt sorry for Brynhild and the others. He had always regarded Brynhild's obsession with Elly as somewhat pathetic, but he deeply wondered if perhaps the girl was actually in love with her... or if she was so intent on needing someone to love that she had happened to choose Elly as a convenient target. He also felt guilty and angry. Perhaps not at them, but at himself for not being able to fully support their cause. He checked the date on his watch, setting a mental reminder to do all that he could to attempt to clear Elly's name. That would make Brynhild happy, for sure, and would prevent all of them from undertaking this silly quest. He was thinking again, and was starting to get depressed. He checked his watch again and argued with himself momentarily about whether or not he could run over to the bar to get something to drink to help alleviate his sorrows. The battle was short-lived and he headed out of the military barracks toward the nearest bar in the area. On the way, a slender girl wrapped in a cloak stopped him. Although the robes shadowed her face, he could tell by the feminine curves of her body. "Could you direct me to... someone who knows Elly?" Bellerophon froze. Who was this girl? "Who?" he asked again. "Elly. The one who was incarcerated for... a bad crime. I want to help her... so I want to see her friends." Bellerophon narrowed his eyes. Was she Kislev intelligence? Had someone already gotten a hold of their idea a mere day after it had been conceived? But if she was... then why was she blatantly speaking out like this? Why admit that she's looking for Elly? Maybe they thought he would say... was Kislev Intelligence so good that they had already found out about his actions in the past minute? "Who are you?" he asked swiftly. The girl's head looked up, revealing her tanned skin and whites of her eyes that could not be seen due to lack of light. "I am... Alys," she said simply, but Bellerophon noticed her trying to resist a habit of clicking her heels together to stand up straight in a military acknowledgment. Bellerophon's arm shot out to grip Alys, and though she flinched at his touch, she did not shy back as the big man drew her closer to him so he could get a good look at her face. He realised that her facial features were very even and perhaps even cute; they were small and neatly arranged. "Who sent you?" The girl appeared somewhat offended by this and stiffened her shoulders. "I come on my own accord," she claimed staunchly. She seemed about to add another word: perhaps to accentuate the fact that she did not appreciate being treated as a criminal, but Bellerophon let go of her. "See that building there? Go in there and ask for Cassandra." Alys shuffled her clothes around her, rearranging them. "Thank you," she said, and started to head off. Bellerophon watched her for a moment and, after the distance between them was sufficient, began to track Alys silently into the night. ~~ "I'll hit this turret here with some vicious missiles on this end," Jason said. "That should distract the forces on this end of the base. From here, I'll continue in a counter-clockwise fashion to the next turret. Brynhild will come alone from the northeast. You'll have to face the one turret, but I'd actually like for you to get inside the walls. If you stick close to the walls, the turret might hesitate in firing because it may hit the prison." "I'm going to have to dodge bullets as I go on?" Brynhild asked. Jason nodded. "We're going to have you do that. As the turret is distracted with you, Cassandra will come in from over here and smash it." Cassandra nodded. "From here, I'll probably hold my ground there, while you, Brynhild, stay close to the wall here. Cassandra will approach and smash the wall to find Elly. She'll probably have to dismount, so we'll have to cover her from the external fire. "I'll then fall back to here with Brynhild as soon as we get Elly. Then we'll get out from the North." "Okay, so we will escape through this area, which Jason would have cleared out for us already. From there, we can run through the western gate..." Cassandra confirmed. Jason glanced up for a moment, and then he gripped Cassandra's arm. "We've got a watcher..." Cassandra turned slowly, noticing the newcomer. She turned back around nonchalantly, as if it were nothing new, then added, "And then we'll beat the level!" Jason, catching on to the act, nodded. "Right! After that is the final boss, so I'll get my forces to join you. Okay, that's great!" They leaned back, pretending a job well-done. Cassandra glanced over at the new arrival, appraising her cloaked persona. She had apparently been standing at the door for a few minutes. Acting as if it were an afterthought, she idly queried, "Can I help you?" "I'm looking for a Cassandra," she stated. Cassandra stared at her for a moment longer. "I know Cassandra. What do you need to tell her?" "I want to help her rescue Elly." "Shh, not too loud," Jason said. "What you're suggesting is along the lines of treason against the Kislev government." The girl lowered her voice, stepping into the room. "I'm not Kislev. I'm a friend of Elly's, and I want to help her." The others glanced between themselves. "Friend of Elly?" Brynhild asked. "Yes," the girl added dryly. "She's in prison now and..." "What do you plan to do?" Cassandra asked. "Bust her out?" The girl's small mouth smiled slightly. "Yes, if I must. I have a gear and I could..." Cassandra and Jason exchanged looks while Brynhild studied the young woman's face. After a moment, Brynhild said, "Your eyes are purple." This prompted a slight blush from the young woman. "Umm, well, they're just like any other eyes. They just look different." "Your hair is green," Brynhild added, pointing to a free wisp that had fallen from behind her hood. "It's the same thing as my eyes," the girl claimed without shame. "My name is Alys. I hope you do not discriminate me based on my..." "No, no," Brynhild said. "I just noticed." Alys shifted her feet impatiently. "Can I speak with Cassandra?" Cassandra motioned for the girl to sit. "Anything you say to Cassandra should be instead directed to Jason here..." Jason tried his best to look commandeering. "How do you plan to contribute? And how do we know that your loyalties are not split?" "Elly is an old friend," Alys said. "I haven't seen her in a long time, but I still care for her a lot. I'm going to contribute however I can... I have a gear and I know how to manipulate Ether. Please trust me. I'll walk off the end of the world if I need to..." -- /-|rcana ----- ----- * ----- ----- ~~Xenogears: http://project_xat.tripod.com ~~Dragonriders of Pern: http://araby.tripod.com ~~Final Fantasy VII: http://arcanatxm.tripod.com Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~END~~