Pawn to King Four - Part 1

[Debbie Grassfielder]

Debbie sat on the very edge of the stone railing, looking down at her reflection in the river. Her tiny feet swayed just a bit, and she tapped the toes of her black flats together. The breeze rustled her short, brown hair, and teased at the edge of her pleated khaki skirt. She tapped her thin finger on the bridge to the beat of something in her mind.

The morning sun sparkled in her eyes when she looked up to spot a jogger in the park around her. The quiet murmur of pedestrians, the river, and birds all tuned out as her vision focused on a single man wearing a white jogging suit and a red headband. A small smile played across her innocent face.

Moments later the jogger came to the bridge. Curious to see this young girl of no more than thirteen smiling at him, the man approached her. He was in is late forties, and strode with much confidence in his step.

"Are you lost, little girl?" he asked curiously while jogging in place.

"Oh no," she replied. Her voice was soft and gentle, and she smiled at him more, as if recognizing his face. "You're Charlie Maru, aren't you?"

The man gave her a puzzled look. "Why yes, yes I am, but how did you know that?"

"My papa works in your office on the other side of town. He says you're the best boss he's ever worked for!" she smiled shyly.

Charlie smiled and held his hand to her with a changed demeanor, "Why don't you come down from there, young lady. What's your name?"

She took his hand gingerly, and slid her legs back over the railing and dropped to her feet quietly. "My name is Debbie. And my papa works hiiiiiiiiiiigh up, in his ivory tower. He says you need to learn some self control."

The jogger's eyes widened in surprise. Her hand was gripping his tight like a vice, and wouldn't let go. She showed not even the slightest hint of effort, though. "Let me go, young lady, you're hurting me!"

Forcing herself to obey, she tossed his hand away and smiled wickedly with a sing-song in her voice, "Goodbye, Mister Maru!"

Watching her over his shoulder in dismay and fear, Charlie jogged away, then ran as fast as he could. Debbie watched him for a moment, trying to contain fits of giggles, before turning in the other direction and skipping off the bridge.

"SOMEBODY DIAL 911!!" shrieked a woman's voice. People started running from all over the park to see what the commotion was. Charlie Maru lay dead on the sidewalk, eyes wide open, his mouth frozen in a silent scream. The police report would classify Maru Industries' CEO's death as accidental, resulting from a heart attack induced by over-exerting himself. Nobody remembered the little girl he'd been speaking to only moments before his collapse.

[Key Mischavitch]

The City of Hanging Rock was not an unusual one, it was a 'dark' city, not dangerous exactly, but one would still have to be careful where they travelled at night. The skyscrapers were small compared to some, but pretty and gothic.

Today was unlike many other days in Hanging Rock, though on this day the sun was shinning and there was little sign of the usual gloom and mist that hung over the ancient city night and day. The Gargoyles were finally getting their chance to rest and slumber.

A small figure walked down the quiet street, a boy by the looks of it, he wore a purple and black striped jumper with the hood pulled low over his face, his black leather jacket had a huge collar that hid the rest of his head and neck, two large shining yellow orbs could be seen glimmering if the sunlight hit the boys face in a particular direction. His feet were adorned by leather boots with a large 'chuck Taylor, all stars' labelled on the side; they matched dark pants of an undistinguishable material.

The boy made his way towards a large square building, its structure was perfectly square and it was encased by shimmering blue glass that had a mirror effect, a large sign over the door read 'Hanging Rock Police Department, HRDP' The Boy slipped through the automatic doors.

The Station was quiet, it was unusual, when crime hit Hanging Rock it hit with a vengeance, and the whole department would be working for weeks on end, night and day. When it was quiet though, it was quiet, almost like crime was being controlled by some mysterious omnipotent force… but that was insane….

Lieutenant Marx moved through his department, desks were lined up in one large room, most of the detectives sat at their desk, some typed, some looked at files while others smoked cigarettes and chatted.
Lt Marx ignored them, he confidently strode through the office and pushed a door open leading to a stairwell. Marx made his way up the staircase until he was at the top floor, he unlocked a door labelled 'evidence', nervously he locked the door behind him and pushed a large bookcase to the side, he crept behind the bookcase.

Marx appeared in a small room rammed full of computers, around the room at strategic locations were white boards and sketchpads, maps and photographs covered the boards.
An attractive woman with long pointed ears, sharp claws and purple feline eyes smiled at Marx,

"Morning David"

She said in a smooth husky voice.

"I'm getting worried… I'm forever looking over my shoulder, just waiting for the tower to come down on us like a ton of bricks…"

The woman nodded knowingly, but ultimately shrugged her shoulders, they knew very little of 'The Tower' but apparently it was a force to be reckoned with, a virus that spread to every single continent on earth, corrupting and destroying.

"We're secure here; nobody knows where the Hanging Rock Resistance is…"

Marx massaged his forehead, she always seemed to remain calm, she turned away from Marx, the silence was broken by the secret door being pounded open, one of the resistance officers ran in, carrying a large crimson envelope.

"Shit, shit, shit, look at this! I found it in the bathroom bin!"

He said dropping the envelope in Marx lap; he immediately began to load his revolver. Marx opened it carefully with a raise of his brow and pulled out the contents; photographs, obviously taken while the subjects were unaware, there was one for each of them. Marx immediately recognised the location it was taken; the park while he was investigating a murder case.

"We've been compromised!"

Marx said standing up. Everyone in the resistance began to stand with him warily.

"Compromised and so much more…"

Said a boy's voice, it was smooth and masculine but obviously a Childs voice. The boy was standing on a table as if he appeared from nowhere. He intertwined his fingers and cracked them noisily, he wore leather fingerless gloves. Calmly the boy pulled out two ridiculously oversized pistols and pointed them at the officers.

"If you fire, ever cop in the building will be up here in three seconds…"

One of the cops said drawing a rifle from under is desk; he was unable to hide the tremor in his voice. They all knew why he was there and who he was working for.

"We're in a sealed, Private Sector, Top Secret A Class facility; the walls are bullet and sound proof, there is no ventilation, or openings of any kind, except for the trigger based alarmed door, security cameras are enabled only if the alarm is activated, the feed is sent to a secure location for review. The Windows are made from mercury based part titanium, part quarts lenes, this allows for air to pass through, but little else."

He said rapidly, with an invisible smile.

"Did I get it all?

He said in child-like voice, almost mocking the sound of his own voice.

"You're just a kid…"

One of the female officers said, but that was exactly the moment when 'the kid' began to fire. He shot round after round, slaughtering the police officers, many had children and partners, The terrifying sound filled the room as the officers dived in all directions for cover, most were hit falling to the ground.
The Boy dodged the bullets that were being fired at him with amazing speed. After at least a minuet only two people remained alive, Blood and gore was soaked into the carpet.

The Last two survivors were Marx and the feline woman. They had dived over several upturned desk and a bulletin board.

The Boy looked down at his guns for a second to check his ammo when he felt a surprised tug from behind, his hood was ripped free of his face and he was kicked from behind.
He flew forwards smashing into a desk; sparks sprang from the shattered computer that sat atop it. The feline Woman was squatting on a table, long dark claws extended, she hissed fiercely. Marx was dragging himself into a corner, his leg was bleeding badly. With quaking feeble hands he tried to reload his pistol, feeling trying to reload his weapon.
The Boy pulled himself up as calm as ever, his jacket was ripped and his hood was removed in rags. He was a surprisingly handsome boy, with pointed ears, his skin was pale and clear

Around his eyes was a pair of yellow tinted thick goggles. They were in an almond shape and pointed at each end, they made him look like a mix between an oversized bug and cat.

He smiled handsomely, he wasn’t human that much was certain, but he still looked like a child, if he really was remained to be seen.

"Bad Kitty…"

He said flashing perfect pearly whites, the two leapt towards each other, the woman scratched savagely at the boy's chest and face, They connected, the woman grabbed him around the throat with one hand while the boy managed to clamp one leg hard against her stomach his knee pressing against his own stomach, all this was mid air.

The Boy pushed backwards and gracefully contorted his body into a backwards flip. He was very slim, but his strength against a full grown adult was phenomenal.

"He's an assassin for the tower, I remember reading a report a couple of years ago, they call him the Key".

The Woman came back with a scream full of rage as Marx revealed who he was. Key dodged a kick by the woman; once again he slammed into one of the machines and it buzzed with electricity.

"Don’t tell anyone will you? Daddy will tan my hide if he finds out there's Intel floating around about me…"

He said with a hint of a frown, He saw a weakness; the woman was holding her ribs. He launched through the air and kicked the woman in the chest, knocking her back flat. His head jerked to the side suddenly as Marx fired another round of bullets aimed at Key's head.

"The Tower wants you gone."

Key said calmly as he placed one gun under the confines of his jacket but kept one pointed at Marx.

He fired shooting Marx in the head, His brains splattered against the window behind him, his eyes rolled gruesomely into the back of his head, the screams of anger and rage from the woman shattered the creepy silence Key fired.

She clutched her chest in pain and scrambled towards Marx' body

"Eight of your ribs are broken, one has pierced your lung, they're filling with blood as we speak… goodbye"

Key began to run towards one of the windows, He squared his shoulders and lowered his head, by all rights the glass was as hard as steel, but Key shattered through it, he opened his arms and swan dived towards the ground gracefully. As he fell he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small capsule looking device, he squeezed the device together in his forefinger and thumb;

The Explosion ignited the sky, Key smiled as he felt the fire warm his back.

((Ok so i've modified my post heavily! it was crap before and it's much better now, not too much has changed but read it again if you like and you'll probably notice the little changes and improvments. Ta))

[Tak]

The sky over Farson was dark, only it could hold the ever changing moon overhead. Screams could be heard from all over town. Everyone in Farson knew not to go outside at night, especially the children. Except for the unruly teenagers, the streets were empty. The screams and yells had belonged to these young adults. For a terror ravaged the streets at night in Farson.

The sky lightened as a sliver of the sun began to shine over the horizon. A man walked out from behind a particularly dirty dumpster. His dark green shirt was torn, it's cotton fiber all over. His pants were tattered and stretched. Looking at this man, one would think he was mugged. But there was a much more accurate, and complex explanation. His face exuded tiredness. He looked worn down, as if he had been worked too hard or had been thrown through a terrible ordeal. It was the ladder that afflicted this poor man.

He walked down the street and to his apartment not far away. He opened the door of the main office of the complex in which he lived. He strode by the front desk which was empty. It was still too early for the secretary to be out and about. He sighed. Why was he of all people cursed with this? He took out his keys and opened the door to his apartment, number twenty-four. As he stripped himself of his ruined clothes he began to think, of what he did every night, and what he did every day. They were totally the opposite. He walked over to a small closet and pulled out a t-shirt and pants. Now he had to go to work. How fun. He slipped them on his clothes and he walked over to the door. Sitting next to it was a nice brown suitcase. There was really nothing in it, except for some necessities. It was kind of like a woman's purse, for men.

He began to leave the apartment. No rest for Dirk Creighton, no, none at all.[/b][/i][/color]

(Hope that was okay?)

[Moridanu]

(( Amorshka Delacroix))



*Amorshka squinted at the fading sun through the thick lenses of her opaque desiger shades. Her mane of wild tri-coloured tresses flew around her gorgeous face as she hugged her body in an attempt at shielding it from the frigid wind that blew harshly across the cliffs. Wrapping her thick purple velvet cape around her body, she sat huddled utop the cliff looking out at the beauty before her. Where once desert had spread before her, a raging ocean now roared for as far as her eyes could see. The sleeping town behind her still lived in relative comfort considering the climatic change, embracing their new seaside community with enthusiasm when compared to the hot desert temperatures they had been more familiar with for so long. Of course, these changes had happened long before Amorshka had made her way here, and it was neither here or there to her whether she had water or sand at her doorstep. All she cared about was that she was far enough away from civilisation to be too concerned with The Tower or its plans for her.
Although she had received her crimson envelope in the mail less than three days ago, Amorshka was not concerned as the date for the assassination was not planned for another nine days. This gave her more than enough time to do her research and travel to wherever it was that her latest victim now resided. Until then, her time was her own, and for now, she planned on nothing more than enjoying the spectacular sunset that had streaked the sky before her with streaks of pink and gold.

Her serenity was soon interrupted however, by a loud “WOOO HOO!” That echoed up to her from the beach below. Amorska raised one slender brow as she glared down at the two surfers that were taking to the waves for a sunset surf. Once the waves engulfed them in a salty embrace, the surfers voices were drowned out by the roaring waves and Amorshka found herself enjoying the display of their tanned and toned bodies surfing an impressive display of tricks. Pulling herself up from her resting spot with an exagerated sigh, Amorska was soon making her way down the craggy cliff, her feet expertly knowing where to step. Soon, she was standing on the beach, looking out to the sea that was now bathed in the soft glow of the full moon above. The sun had now disappeared, taking with it the beautiful sunset. Darkness now claimed the night, and Amorshka grinned to herself as she removed her thick sunglasses and purple cape. Revealing her apparel of tight black jeans that clung to her curves, and a red peasant shirt that was decorated with embroidered black and white flowers, Amorshka knew that she looked good. As the surfers emerged from the water, their approving glances showed her that they agreed with her wholeheartedly and she smiled demurely as one of them let out a long slow wolf whistle. The full moon above them provided more than enough light to illuminate the small inlet that the trio had claimed for themselves, and for several hours Amorshka played with the two men, satisfying both their desires and her own before she feasted on their blood moments before the sun rose once more.

As she scampered back up the cliff, she wiped the blood off her lips as the sun began to rise at her back. Within moments, she was jogging back to her Victorian Manor that was perched precariously above one of the cliffs, the back door quickly shutting out the growing light as she slammed it shut behind her. *

[Korgin]

(( Mikael ))


Mikael made his way down the street. His head was down, hands in coat pockets and coat drawn around him to ward off the chill. The black leather coat itself was well worn and cracking in several places, it should have been tossed years ago for something more suitable. T shirt was likewise old and worn, colors faded, the name of an old rock band still visible across the front of the shirt, if his coat had been open enough to make more than a few letters visible. Blue jeans completed the attire, torn in several places, over the knees, fraying at the him, tear in the back of a leg, granted it was a small hole. Overall, it did little to add to his appearance. Black tennis shoes clad his feet, to provide cover, though there were no socks to go with the shoes. Black hair was cut short, greased back through hair gel. Covering his face was a thick black beard that covered most of it from site with the exception of his green eyes.

Overall, not that noticeable, and certainly as hell not attractive. Slung across his back was a worn military grade sea bag, probably purchased from an army surplus store. Or donated, given how poor he looks. As the man makes his way down the crowded streets he bobs and weaves, moving as people force their way past him, not really stopping the shoves and nudges as other more assertive businessmen and families go where they want to go.

After several minutes of traveling he reaches his destination. Looking up at the number of cars parked outside the newly formed fast food restaurant he can't help but wince a little. Somethings could not be avoided. This small business had literally sprung up over the course of a couple months, and had already forced several of the more well known fast food chains to close down. It all seemed legit, just that this chain got lucky and hit it rich, and offered something people wanted more than a grease-burger and calorie drink.

Opening the door, the young man takes a brief reprieve as the blast of warm air hits his face. Slipping inside he lets the door shut, nodding to the young woman behind the register. Another innocent, probably. She likely had no idea what the business was, just that it was well funded so could afford to pay her well. Making his way around the corner, he set his sea bag in the corner near the restroom. Mikael then walked back to the front, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. As he waited in line he kept looking around. Really, the restaurant had plenty of funding to give a more appealing look to families and young couples.

Stepping to the register, Mikael just placed a random number order to go, moving to the side as the food was processed. His green eyes looked around once more, back leaning against the wall as he waited. Once he picked up his food, he made his way to the door, nodding and holding it open to let a young couple and their two kids inside. Now, Mikael would move a bit quicker from the building, tossing the bagged food in the garbage, and pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket. Placing one in his mouth he continued to walk drawing a Bic lighter from his jeans pocket.

Murmuring softly under his breath in a soft prayer he raised the lighter to his lips, flicking the flint a couple times. As soon as it catches, the fast food chain erupts in a massive explosion. Mikael hadn't been quiet far enough, so the shock wave knocks him to his face, unlit cigarette falling from his mouth. Forcing himself up, he slips the charge back into his coat, face a mixture of horror and disbelief as people ran a bit towards the building,even as flipped cars go off in smaller explosions. Hurrying into the crowd, Mikael blends in, before losing himself in people both looking, as well as running and screaming in disbelief at the random bombing of the fast food chain.

[Serenity 'Jade' Baldacci]

((Serenity)) I hope I do this right

A small girl of only 18 lay in a grassy field of flowers, she looked to be only 15 or maybe younger. Her brown eyes looked longingly into the distance and she wished to be far away from were she was but really knew of no place to go. The wind blew her long brown hair around and her little black skirt blew with it. She moved one of her hands down to keep it from flying up, and her eyes wondered to the sky. The sun shining off her face, and making her seem like she had been eating a lemon. She smiled a little as she seen a bird fly by. She always loved animals.

She sat up in the grass and pulled her legs in around her, she looked around to see if anyone was around. Either way she did not care, but she knew it was not safe for her to be out alone and out in the open. But she always hated being stuck in the house, or hiding. As her soft brown eyes fell upon a little purple flower in among some blue she just had to pick it. She stared at it for a while be for putting it behind her ear, and siting the the soft breeze that blew.

[thisone]

((Jericho))

As the world went on, as the sun rose and set, as hundreds of people lived and died of their own design, there was one who sat aside from it all. And, by sat aside from it, I mean he sat aside from a long stretch of sidewalk as hundred of thousands of people walked by, looking down at the Ancient One with disgust. His back was pressed against the hard concreat wall of some office building, the thin cloth of his cloak barely offering any protection from the cold winds that whipped across his body. The Druid looked like nothing more than a begger now, though that is basicly how he always looked. His cloak was a shadow of it's former self, barely staying together from the countless rips and holes. His brown pants were in just as bad a condition, only reaching down to his knees and tattered beyond any hope of repair. His green shirt had completely lost it's sleeves, and all that was left of it was what appeared to be a home-made muscle shirt. And even though there was no true earth to walk upon, the Ancient One still refused to wear shoes. Even his bag, which was enchanted to never rip or break, was worn to it's limits. His staff, which was once a sign of his power as a Grandmaster of the Order of the Talon, was standing tall as ever beside the man against the wall. His guantlets were battered and worn, but they still retained their power.

A rather large woman looked down at the ragged form with pitty, dropping a few coins beside him before walking on. It was pathetic. There was a time when the name Jericho Whitefeather inspired both fear and awe in man, but that time had since long passed. Granted, even then Jericho tried to excersize as much humility as one could, but there was still only so far a man could go. The wind stung the druid's copper-colored skin, his eyes peering out from beneath the hood, which still always hid his face. The bruise he had attained a few weeks ago still hurt alittle. Even in this time, when people killed for no better reason then a few pieces of currency, and when kids would beat up a homeless person simply because they could, the druid didn't fight back. He could have ripped them apart, but he wouldn't. He couldn't let the Hunter out, and if that ment being beat up every once and a while then so be it.

As the man sat there, his knees curled up to his chest and his cloak trying it's hardest to keep him warm, a familiar kaw came from a few feet above him. Pulling his hand from underneath his armpit, he offered his wood-clad arm to the bird, and the crow happily took up the pirch. The druid's eyes met the bird's, and the druid saw that the bird had seen for the past few weeks:

[glow=green,2,300]He saw a little girl and a man, the girl's aura being more than that of any human. He saw the man laying dead a few moments later, the girl nowhere to be seen even from the bird's pirch high up in a tree.

He saw a boy waltz into a police station and slaughter everyone within it, this boy's aura just as different as the girl's from before, though not nessecarily in the same way. He then saw the boy jump through the window he was across from and land gently on the ground.

He saw, from high atop a building, a man who looked to have been beaten by some unseen force walk out of the shadows of the early morn and back to his home, while the screams of the night before still echoed in the bird's mind.

He saw a beautiful woman atop a cliff, looking over a beach and sea. He saw her go down to the beach, seduce a pair of men who must have been enjoying the water, then drain their lifeblood at the height of their pleasure. He then watched as she slunk away back into the darkness before the sun could touch her.

He saw a man walk into a restaurant, then walk out a few minutes later. The keen eyes of the bird noticed as he muttered a small prayer under his breath, and not a moment later the restaurant erupted with the force of hellfire. He saw the hundreds of people rush to the scene, and saw the man slip away.

After all this pain and darkness, the last thing he saw was a girl laying in the grass, completely at ease with the world around her. She even looked up at the crow as he flew by, giving him a small smile before the bird continued on it's way. [/glow]

This final image brought a small tear to the druid's eyes, which was quickly blown away by the fridged wind. There was nothing left for the Druid here, so there was no reason to stay. Standing up to his full height, about a head taller than most of the business people that passed him, he took up his staff and merged into the flow of trafic. His bare feet fell silently as he passed the people, the other pedestrians clearing a path for the large man. The crow, who had flown up into the sky after convaying his message, now bare witness to the druid from above, giving him information that would keep the druid alive in this time when nature's voice was obscured by metal and concreat. It was not the Druid's world anymore, so all he could do now was wander through it.

[darkflameangel]

((Camriska Duval))

Cammy sat idly in a tree swinging her black jean covered legs back and forth. She didn't really know where she was, but in truth she didn't care. her crimson blouse stretched as she did. she appeared to be twenty-seven, but her true age was long forgotten. she pulled one of her ivory daggers from her boots and twirled it in her hand, while thinking, I've fed, I've played with a few mortals heads, and now I'm bored... i need someone to talk to... she sensed another of her species, though no in direct link, but close. she smiled a fanged smile and was gone, turned into a shadow, and headed strait for Amorshka Delacroix's estate.

((OOC: I hope i was right guessing your a vamp?))

[Debbie Grassfielder]

Debbie sat quietly in her room staring out the window over her bed. The moon was brightly shining in a blanket of stars, lighting the compound below her. The Italian architecture of the large mansion was something she enjoyed looking at, but she never quite remembered why. Once or twice she might get a flash in her mind, a faded memory of a life long ago, but the images never seemed to make sense. Sometimes she wondered if she really had chosen this life.

She turned away from the moon's light and back to her small room. A wooden table, a short bed, and a chair were her only furniture. But, sorted out neatly all over the floor and desk were unique weapons of every caliber; shotguns, sniper rifles, machine guns, swords of varying pedigree, daggers and knives of different lengths and style, ropes, whips, chains, hand guns, pencil-thin explosives, booby-trapped makeup cases, grenades, crates of ammunition, and even an aircraft Gatling gun hanging from the ceiling. She sometimes felt like a spoiled princess with all the equipment The Tower bestowed upon her.

The small alarm clock by her pillow suddenly went off, and she picked it up. She flicked it back on the bed and delicately made her way to the door of her room. Her sleep period was over, but she hadn't been able to close her eyes. The nightmares were returning, and she didn't feel like visiting them this night. Straightening her pleated skirt before opening the door, she stopped suddenly and narrowed her eyes. There was someone on the other side of her door.

"Who's there?" she boldly asked. Her childlike voice was commanding, and she reached for the knife on her back.

"It's me, Jean-Luc...how did you know I was coming?” came a masculine voice from the other side.

With a sigh of regret, Debbie put her hand down, then reached for the doorknob. “I didn’t, I was just on my way out.”

“Ah, yes, the mission,” politely smiled a tall man from the hallway. He wore long black robes with a deep hood, only allowing long locks of white hair to spill out from the sides. He was her ‘handler’, but she regarded him more as an annoying chaperone. “That’s actually why I’ve come to see you. There’s been a change in plans... Here, this disk will explain everything.”

“Thank you. I’ll review it on my way to the van,” frowned Debbie flatly. She hated changes in the missions. It always meant trouble.

“I just wanted to warn you, there’s been some vague reports of a third-party involved,” finished Jean-Luc, allowing Debbie to pass as she made her way down the hall.

With an almost man-like toss of her hand, she dismissed him. “Whatever, I’ll deal with it like I always do.”

Jean-Luc watched her go, then glanced into her room and winced. He shut her door and left.


((If you haven’t receive a PM from me, just proceed normally. You can keep the posting order that’s been established, but if two players get caught up together, those two should keep going without regard to others until others are involved. Make sense?))

[Korgin]

(Mikael)


Mikael sat back in the recliner flipping through the news. He was keeping an eye out for the reports of recent incidents beside his own. His apartment was sparse, in a sense. He had the bare necessities what he himself needed to survive. However, there were also the human pleasures one would expect someone to have. A television, the radio, calender. Nothing really to stand out to grab at the eye. There was no real clutter either, nor were there any newspaper clippings. He had learned to make sure to clean up whenever he moved on, if there was a mess, it attracted attention. The same could be said about an apartment with nothing more than a mattress and television. He lit up a cigarette and took a pull from it after going to the 'fridge to get a beer.

The ringing of the doorbell grabbed his attention. this, followed by a faint rasp of paper against stone caused him to approach the door warily. Steak knife grabbed from the kitchen was held in his right hand, left gripping the bottle of beer at the neck to throw if someone had come inside. A glance to the floor revealed a blank envelope, quick glance outside, showing no one Mikael quickly scooped up the paper then moved away from the window. Taking a drag from the cigarette he opened the letter and read the single line. The young man sits back, swapping between smoking the cigarrette and drinking his beer as he stared at the wall thoughtfully. Eventually he would rouse himself, grab a second beer then go to the second room and start to pack his belongings. In the middle of his packing his pauses, goes back to the letter, and sets it on fire, tossing it in the fireplace. He had already committed it's simple words to memory.

He makes sure that the next couple months of rent were up to date, nodding a bit as he checked the lease and funds. Setting fire to the apartment would just attract attention, and people thinking one was dead usually backfired. It worked in the movies, but that was the movies he had yet to ever see it work in reality. So, letting people think he was still living there was his plan, by the time the next installment came up and people wondered he would be long gone. However there was one last gift, of sorts to leave.

Mikael slips out of the apartment turning the lights off and locking the door. Walking with traffic with another military seabag slung over his shoulder, and another duffel in his hand he whistles as he walks, not looking around or behind him for anyone who might be watching. Best to let them think he was unaware, whoever 'they' were. He makes his way into an up class restaraunt. He takes his time, ordering an elaborate steak and salad, eating the food and enjoying the effort the cooks put into it. It almost made him hesitate over what was coming next. Almost...he would get up after leaving money and a tip and go to the restroom to use the bathroom and wash up. He leaves a small present in the stall before moving out of the restroom and restaraunt at a lazy clip. There was no bomb this time, it would attract far too much attention to anyone who had recently been there. Instead the place would be ruined by another way. The rats he had left should already be working their way through the restaraunt. They were relativly harmless but the fact there were rats in a food industry would get them shut down quickly.

He hailed a taxi, directing him to take him to the airport. Two seeds sown, granted they were small and short term, but he was having to go far too soon for his own liking, shivering a little as he recalled the destroyed letter and it's contents. Yes, it was best he left, and changed his appearance again, as well as name he went by.

[thisone]

The Ancient One continued his wandering, taking a moment to look around at this abomination of a dwelling. This 'City' as they called it. The air was foul, disgusting, contaminated with these things called cars. The soft earth was covered over by this hard concrete and pavement, so their cars could run easier. The mountains and trees were replaced with streetlamps and towers. He hated this world. Hated what these mortals had made it.

There was a time when he could feel the ground beneath his feet, feel the sun shining on his back, and hear the voice of the Great Mother as clearly as he heard the horrendous sounds of motors running and people speaking with no end in sight. Now, he could hardly hear anything of the natural world. True, there were still trees in this world, but they were young, and they were weak. And they weren't the only ones. With ever day that these humans continued to exist, they continued to destroy the Living Earth, and with it was the Wanderer's strength. A druid is an extention of the Living Earth, of the Gaia, and if she is drained, then there is nothing to keep the druid alive. Thankfully, both Jericho and Gaia were a bit more resiliant than these humans seemed to think.

As he continued to ponder how greatly he'd enjoy purging this earth, the sound of high-pitch screaming pierced his ears, forcing the man to stop and clutch his ears. This sudden interuption in the flow of traffic caused many people to knock into him from behind. This didn't matter to the druid, but the source of the screaming did peak his interests as much as anything did anymore. Moving quickly, he passed into the street and made his way across, dodging the oncomming cars suprisingly well for someone who hated urban life so completely. Once on the other side, he merged back into the flow of people and noticed that a great deal of people were running from a restaurant a few blocks up. And then he heard something he didn't expect to on this side of the town. He heard the sound of a living animal, a rat. Pushing his way into the establishment, beating a few people away with his staff as he went, he found the poor little creature a few feet away from the door. It was still alive, thankfully, and very healthy.

Taking the little one in his hands, he made his way out with the rest of the crowd, seeming very out of place with his vagabond dress amongst the lavishly dressed and lovely people about a foot shorter than the seven-foot man.

[Moridanu]

((Amorshka Delacroix))


*Amorshka nodded cooly to the flight attendant as she stepped off the plane. Her flight had been relatively comfortable for such a long period of time, and the young boy that she had found wandering around the back of the plane near the toilet cubicles had provided more than enough sustenance for her long journey. As she made her way through the long tunnel that would take her from the plane to the arrival gates, Amorshka allowed a small secret smile to play upon her dark lips as she wondered how long it would be before the boys body was found. She had propped him up against the basin in the cubicle, a small boy of eight or nine who had been drained of all his blood through two large puncture wounds on his ankle. She had deliberately bitten him on the ankle, hanging the poor boy upside down while she drank. Two puncture wounds on the ankle would be more likely to be dismissed as a snake or animal bite than two puncture wounds on the neck, and Amorshka congratulated herself on her initiative as airline security ran past her, yelling back and forth to each other that they needed to call “Animal Control” due to a strange animal attack on a plane.

The airport itself was relatively deserted given the time of night and Amorshka smiled approvingly as she slipped through customs after collecting her bag. The one small bag that she travelled with held everything that she could possibly need, while the large wad of cash she carried with her could buy anything else that might prove useful should her target prove to be a worthy adversary. After hailing a Silver Cab, Amorshka rode in style to the Indian Embassy, reaching into her bag to finger the crimson envelope. Although she had the information and the picture of her target etched in her memory, Amorshka had learnt the hard way never to be too cocky. The memory had a way of playing tricks on the minds of people too confident in their abilities, and Amorshka vowed to never make the same mistake again. Fishing the envelope out of her bag, Amorshka slid the black and white photograph out of its crimson enclosure, glancing down at the man who would soon be dead, noting his name and exact location that was written in black ink beneath the photo. Nodding grimly to herself, she slid the photograph back into the envelope, and the envelope back into her bag.

She saw the cab driver looking fearfully back in the rear view mirror and she chuckled to herself as she realised he was wondering why there was no reflection looking back at him. When he looked back over his shoulder to make sure she was in fact still there, Amorshka giggled girlishly and waggled her fingers while fluttering her long dark lashes at the driver who blushed, opened and closed his mouth a few times, and then turned his attention back to the road ahead . Soon, they had arrived at the Embassy, and after Amorshka had “paid” the driver for his services by relieving him of all his blood, she slid from the front seat of the cab, gathered her cloak around her and walked quickly up the stairs to the Embassy. She knew that the man would still be working, her envelope had assured her of that fact, and Amorshka smiled at the night guard who moved to the front door as she approached. Making her face seem somewhat sad as the man pointed to the closed sign, she made a pleading motion with her hands while allowing her cloak to fall open a bit at the front, revealing her ample cleavage. Fixing the mans gaze with her own, Amorshka locked her eyes on his, the smile draining from her lips as she began to rock slowly from side to side. Soon the man was staring at her, rocking slowly from side to side in perfect unison with Amorshka. After a few minutes of this strange dance, he merely nodded and unlocked the door for her, moving aside to let her in. Staring blankly forward, he nodded again as Amorshka slipped inside and told the man to give her his keys. Ten minutes later she was skipping down the hallway of the fifth floor towards an office at the end of the hall.

Her target was sitting at his desk where he was supposed to be, an Indian ambassador that had clearly outlived his purpose if the assassination order was anything to go by. It was not up to Amorshka to question why this man had been marked to die, it was only up to her to make sure that he did. In the matter of a few seconds, Amorshka had pulled her mechanical left hand off, revealing the streamline cannon that had taken the place of her left arm. Aiming it expertly at the back of the head of the man who still sat at his desk, typing away at his green computer screen, Amorshka mouthed the word “POP” as a large bullet style cannon ball shot out at lightning speed and hit the man squarely in the back of the head. The bullet was suprisingly quiet, as was the cannon that had shot it and Amorshka merely watched as the man slumped over his computer, a large hole in the middle of his head. Blood, bone, brain and cartilage scattered all over his computer, monitor and desk and Amorshka nodded in satisfaction of a job well done. Pausing to wave up at the security camera that she knew was mounted in one corner of the office with her detached hand, Amorshka then clipped it back into place and pulled her cloak back over both arms. Turning on her heel, she slipped out of the office, skipping back down the hallway she had come.

Down in the lobby, the security guard still stood with a slack open mouth by the equally open door. Amorshka kissed his scruffy cheek as she skipped past him, dropping the keys by his feet as she disappeared out into the night. *

[Key Mischavitch]

The Crystal blue waters off the coast of Puerto Rico gently rippled against the surface, leaving small temporary scars over the otherwise still sea. Dark shapes moved under the surface, schools of fish and sharks, occasionally even a soft delicate hand would reach out of the water, feeling the unusual sensation of the other world, they were forbidden to experience. Puerto Rico was known for many things... Its Mermaid population was one of them.

The natural sounds of the sea were suddenly drowned out, it was a low mechanical sound, silenced and muffled, in the distance a sleek aerodynamic jet ski sliced through the water. There was a small figure sitting comfortably on top of the jet ski, a boy sat atop the Jet Ski it had platinum blonde hair, its eyes were hidden by a set of large black rimmed goggled, the lens of the goggles were a deep amber yellow, they curved upwards in an almond shape that gave the boy the appearance of a cat. Its two large ears were sleek and pointed. He wore a skin tight blue wetsuit, which looked almost leather. Around its waist was an oversized belt, attached was twin hand guns, and a large metallic slingshot. Its feet were covered by thin wetsuit like slippers for protection. Key had a small silver instrument attached around one of its pointed ears; it looked somewhat like an old hearing aid. It buzzed softly and Key put a small child-like hand to the instrument, he nodded knowingly...

‘Anarchist bastards...’

He muttered and looked around; as if a whole battalion of anarchist would simply pop out at him.

‘Any further information on the location of the Anarchist?’

He asked the device strapped to its ear, there was no response and Key frowned frustrated. It changed things... The Key lifted a small case on its Jet Ski handle bars and pressed a large red button with its thumb. Immediately the Jet Skis handle bars began to descend. The Jet Ski lengthened so far forward that Key was now lying down. Fluidly the Jet Ski began to sink into the water, two small but powerful propellers lifted from the Jet Ski propelling it through under and through the water.

Key moved with incredible speed, It was impressed, such technology... It wasn’t easy to come by, but then Key did have the right contacts. Key noticed the rise of the sea floor, he was getting close to Puerto Rico, he was almost certain, the currents were changing, the fish were even different. A long beautiful mermaid swam up to Key, it wasn’t long before a whole pod of the creatures was swimming beside the Jet Ski, Key had thought his aquatic vehicle was fast but the Mermaids were playing with him. They made a game out of it, swimming in front of him and weaving in and out, their bronzed bodies glistened nakedly in the shimmering sunlight. Key pulled out one of his hand guns and fired. One of the mermaids screamed in pain, a bullet through the fin, Blood began to slowly cloud the water, it was oddly beautiful.

‘Freeze...’

The Key said coldly, his voice came out as a series of muffled bubbles but the creatures understood. He held his handgun aimed at one of the Mermaids heads, instinctively her fin curled upwards to protect her

‘Where’s the cave entrance?’

The Mermaids looked at each, they didn’t understand English one hundred percent, but they understood enough. One of them replied in a series of clicks, whistles and moans. It was beautiful like a song. A slightly longer Mermaid pointed to the north and made a motion with her hand, left and right, under a shipwreck. The Key smiled and pressed the accelerate button.

It wasn’t long before Key came towards an ancient ship wreck; fish swam out of the darkness they called home when Key got too close, He would have to abandon his jet ski. It swam to the surface, he had been holding his breath for at least 15 minuets now, he took another deep gulp of air before diving back down again. The Kender swam through the ship wreck, his enhanced vision made it easier. It wasn’t long before the Kender was swimming through an elaborate series of pitch black claustrophobic caves. Kender could see a light in the distance, dim and murky but a light none the less, he had been swimming for ten minuets, Key would have made it under Puerto Rico by now, and there were easier ways to reach the Maru Industries Secret Robotics Labs, but not for him, especially since the Anarchist may be lurking within the walls of the robotics lab.

The Keys hands gently reached out in the murky light, he could feel a metal grate, there was no time for silence, his lungs were beginning to burn painfully. The Key pushed with all his strength and the grate lifted, Key took a deep breath of air before he took note of his surroundings. It was a simple dark and dank room. The grating was supported by beams above the cavernous waters below. It must have had something to do with water filtration. He pulled himself out of the water and covered the grating.

The Maru Industries Robotics Labs had some information on it, but nothing substantial, secret labs came and went but Maru had been around for the longest time, gathering information on the Tower. Key had looked over a floor plan but he already knew it was wrong. He moved silently thought the dark corridor, the constant sound of water swishing beneath him was annoying, but he could handle it. He heard movement ahead and the familiar sound of an electronic door sliding open. Key took a quick look around him. He leapt into the air, hanging upside down against grating covering the ceiling. He noticed a vent to his right, he scrambled silently towards it.

When the two guards walked past they heard a sound of metal scraping against metal, they looked up at the vent, but there was nothing to see.

Surprisingly it didn’t take Key long to find a brightly lit computer Lab. Engineers sat around green tinted computer screens, typing furiously, small robotic parts moved around the room, to the delight of the engineers. The Large humming giant computer was the sign Key was looking for, he would need to destroy it to take out of the network. The Key flexed his fingers and pulled out a large tablet shaped instrument from his pocket... The whole lab would go up.

((Hope this is ok... forgive me if it's boring...))

[Dirk Creighton]

It was amazing how hot it could get in a car. The sweltering taxi bumped along the rocky road to the State Farm insurance firm where Dirk worked, about a five miles from where he lived. It was a good job, as it had some perks. For instance, Dirk could take lunch whenever he wanted. Well, that's what you can do when you're the boss of a branch of a huge insurance company. Dirk sighed as he walked up to the small building, and through the door. Two other employees were working with serious looks on their faces. A blast of cold air washed over his face as he sat down on his computer to begin work.

"Okay, so Eric McLane is coming in to get help on his bills..." Dirk spoke aloud to himself, but cut off as the other employees looked his way in curiosity. Dirk stood up as he sensed a change of color in the room, as his superior senses were present even after his transformation. He trained his eyes around the room, searching for the cause. The employee to his left adjusted the speaker on the right of his computer, pumping up the music that usually played in the office so nobody would die from boredom. Apparently someone was feigning work. Dirk turned to the one closest to the door and strode over behind him with an unnatural silence. He made no noise as he watched the screen in front of him. Miniature flashes exuded from the screen and a large Game Over sign appeared on-screen in blaring red block letters.

"Jerry, you really shouldn't be playing games during work." Dirk smiled as he said this, as Jerry had turned to look at him with apparent shock."B-but how did you get here? I didn't even hear you g-get up!" Jerry exclaimed, a strange mixture of confusion and shock. He turned off the game, which told Dirk the name of it. Gunman: Flight of Firearms. Dirk grinned as he looked down at him, scratching at the small scar above his left eye. "Well, I have my ways. Just don't let me catch you playing again, 'kay?" Dirk walked away toward his desk and began to work quietly.

------

The rest of the day wasn't very eventful for Dirk, until he reached for his brown leather suitcase. He grabbed the rickety handle and brought it gently to lay on his lap. He unlatched the small brass buckles and opened it. His eyebrows raised as he shut it quickly. Had he saw red? There was nothing red in his suitcase, he was sure of it. All that was there was a candy bar and a extra pair of socks, neither which were red. "Oh, god..." He whispered to himself. He opened it slowly and saw a red envelope lying awkwardly among visage of the leather. He picked it up, hands trembling and dropped it back into the case. He stood up shaking slightly and walked into the bathroom with the envelope hiding in the lining of his coat. When he got into the restroom he pulled out the envelope and opened ti, careful not to rip it.

Inside was a few pictures, with a homeless man close-up lighting a cigarette, and another of him running from a burning building. It looked as if the building had been destroyed by a bombing. A business card was in the middle of the two pictures. "Grandma Ruth's Fast Food Restaurants." he told himself, going over it in his mind as to not forget his mission. Dirk made a connection, as the burning building had a small plant winding down the corner, as did the card. It must've been the restaurants insignia. Dirk shook his head as he walked out of the restroom. It must've looked odd to the other employees as they turned to look at him. The other employee, Celia, asked Dirk a question. "Dirk, are you alright? You don't look well." Dirk nodded his head and replied. "Yeah... um... Celia? Can you take over for me with Eric McLane? I'm going to take an early leave." Celia didn't seem to mind, as she just nodded her head as Dirk walked out of the building to the world outside. Now he had to hunt down that man.

(I think that was pretty good, don't you?)

[Moridanu]

*The night sky was a seductive shade of dark violet with a scattering of silver stars, inspiring Amorshka to give it an appreciative glance as she stepped off the ferry and onto the dock. Taronga Zoo had officially closed for the night several hours ago but Amorshka had enough friends in high places in Australia to make sure that she received the star treatment. With its magnificent views of Sydney Harbour and the Bridge lit up in the background, the Zoo was often the prime choice of location for the rich and famous in Australia. Amorshka was of course neither of these two, but she had enjoyed a close personal relationship with the grandson of the curator of the Zoo for some years now. It was a relationship that served her well as her love of animals was one of the few emotions that kept her in touch with her human side. The ferryman cast one last curious glance in her direction before she nodded her thanks and stepped off the dock. Her scarlet red stilettos that so perfectly matched her tight sweater by way of hue, clicked against the flagstone path that signalled the beginning of the walk up to the Zoo.

Her serious demeanour that had so unsettled the ferryman on the voyage over to the island, now melted away, and her excitement was almost childlike as she skipped up the winding pathway that was lit up with small blue neon lights. She felt completely carefree and safe in the knowledge that the zoo would be empty for the next five hours except for herself and her beloved animals. It had all been arranged, and judging by the past six years of this arrangement, she was confident that she was now completely alone. Despite this confidence however, a small doubt niggled in the back of her mind as her heightened senses suggested that another life force still lingered, one that was not supposed to be here. Determined to enjoy herself however, she dismissed this being as a possible maintenance man or some other such worker and made her way quickly to the elephants enclosure.

The old tiled masterpiece that used to be known as the old Elephant House still stood, despite being a mere shadow of its former glory. Amorshka paused to run her fingers over the smooth pieces of multicoloured tiles before she pulled open the side door that was normally only open to zoo staff and stepped inside. Gladys the Elephant was waiting for Amorshka inside and she smiled as she opened up the main doors and led Gladys out into her outside enclosure. The illuminated harbour was the perfect background behind them, as Amorshka stepped onto Gladys’ crooked knee and climbed aboard the large graceful beast. Wrapping her lithe jean clad legs around Gladys’ girth, Amorshka leaned down and rested her head against Gladys’ wide neck. Again that sensation of another life force, one that was undoubtedly human, hit her and Amorshka sat up and peered all around. Of course, only the sound of rustling leaves could be heard as a sudden south-westerly wind blew up from the harbour, but still Amorshka knew she was not alone. Continuing with her ride of Gladys despite the sensation of being watched, Amorshka still managed to lose herself for a few minutes as she and the large elephant become one.

Gladys was a beautiful old girl that Amorshka could have happily spent the entire night riding, but there were quite a few animals in the zoo that she needed to see before the sun rose. The first wave of workers would start to arrive at 5 am, meaning that Amorshkas time was cut down to a mere 4 hours. Reluctantly she guided Gladys back into her enclosure before climbing off the graceful giant. Making sure that the elephant was secure before she left, Amorshka then turned right at the elephant enclosure and walked quicklyto the Big Cats Den. She heard the male lion roar before the rock wall that was the façade for the enclosure came into view and Amorshka’s dark red lips curved into a smile as a shiver of anticipation raced down her back. Again, she opened the door normally reserved for the staff and entered the inside sanctuary. The cats; three tigers, two female lions and one large male, had been left out in the main part of their enclosure. The male lion stood proudly on the centre boulder, his eyes fixed on Amorshka as she watched him through the safety of the glass. The largest tiger was asleep up against the glass on the far wall, while the smaller paler tiger was playing in the water. Amorshka was vaguely aware of the other two lions, but she could not take her eyes off the large male. His eyes held a profound intelligence that captivated her and it was only the sudden onset of gooseflesh that rippled across the nape of her neck that broke their stare. Again, the life force came under her radar, and she was once again assaulted with the sensation of being watched. Feeling her anger beginning to rise, Amorshka marched back outside and into the main walkway. Looking left and right, she saw no sign of anything in the darkness, the pale blue neon lights providing nothing more than ambience. Calling out in a strong clear voice Amorshka stated her intention plainly for anyone to hear.

~You have until I count to five to come forward and announce your name and reason for being here. If you fail to comply with my request, you will die.~

She blinked suddenly, her eyelids flickering at a frightening speed as she kicked her night vision into gear. Suddenly she could see more clearly in the darkness, the outline of the surrounding trees giving her vision more depth as she took her time searching the grounds around her.

~One……~ *