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Post by Karaa on May 31, 2011 8:37:27 GMT -8
((Song I listened to when writing this, case anyone was interested)) www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzEvFQuWpYM((Burno Mars - The other side)) Karaa took a deep breath as the woman fell at her feet, unmoving. What the hell? Karaa thought, when did silver only work with a head shot?Karaa didn’t have much time to think on the subject, she was tackled from the side. She skidded across the wet pavement, losing her gun in the process, as the lunpine pinned her to the ground. This lupine’s smile was the same as the others, feral almost crazed with the prospect of the kill The lupine reached back, water dripping ominously from his extended claws but this was his mistake. He left one of her hands free and a clear shot at his chest. With two fingers extended Karaa landed a dim mi ki strike in the center of the lupine’s chest. He fell sideways grabbing a handful of his shirt. Karaa jumped to her feet and gave him a soild kick underneath the chin, he flipped over onto his back with a sound like a groan. Out of the corner of her eye, Karaa saw her gun. She bent over and picked it up off the ground. She could hear and see the chaos around her. Numerous lupines had poured out from the surrounding buildings. Karaa walked over to the lupine that had tackled her earlier, looked down and steeled herself. Karaa pointed her gun at his head and pulled the trigger. The man’s head bounced against the pavement, the action held her gaze for a moment. As Karaa looked up she could see that more lumpiness were scaling the nearby fence, the area was fast becoming a free for fall. She took aim and fired, another lupine falling back and off the fence. Karaa moved to stand on the other side of EichDee. “Damn Rsy and his stupid coat.” EichDee shouted. “We need to get out of here,” Karaa said breathlessly. “No shit, Karaa. You got suggestions to go with the blatantly obvious?” Valaro yelled from Eichdee’s left. “My suggestion would be to keep it simple.” Karaa muttered. “What?!” Valaro shouted! Karaa fired in rapid succession as more Lupines seemed to realize where they were and charged. Karaa shouted over the sound of her firing weapon, “Run! My suggestion is to run!” *** Karaa reach the end of the roof and launched herself into the air, she landed on the adjacent building, sliding to a stop as water kicked up around her. She recovered her balance quickly and returned fire at their pursuers. Valaro and EichDee were already making the jump to the next building. The lupines were thinning out but there were still too many to fight in close combat. Karaa slid another clip into her gun and took off towards the end of the roof. "Where the hell was Pylat?," Karaa muttered, probably has something up his sleave. She landed on the adjacent rooftop and looked over her shoulder. She skidded to a stop….no one was there. “what the –“ She began but stopped when she heard movment to her left, Karaa raised her gun as a group of lupines spilled over onto the roof. She opened fired on the group; the first two on the roof dropped and were forgotten as more of their comrades charged after her. Karaa shifted her weight to the balls of her feet as the first one reached her; she used her speed to get in close, catching the lupine off guard. This was risky, close combat with lupines was always a bad idea; their claws made them formidable opponents. Karaa pressed her gun against her next opponent’s forehead as the lupine’s claws scraped Karaa’s cheek. Karaa pulled the trigger, gritting her teeth against the pain. The lupine’s body went slack; Karaa grabbed the limp body and held it up as a shield. She pushed her gun farther into the dead lupine’s skull and pulled the trigger, blood sprayed through the air, the color not dulted from the pouring rain. The bullet cut through the water and found its mark in the closest lupine, he fell to the ground, the sound lost among other, more important sounds, of the fray. Karaa jerked the dead body around in time to block an attack from the right, she pulled the trigger and caught a lupine on left in the shoulder. She discarded the bloody carcass and fired another headshot to the lupine that had tried to attack from the right. Karaa’s speed was the only thing keeping her alive right now, this wouldn’t be the first time she thanked whatever higher power there was for the ability. She bought her arm parallel to her body to block another attack from the right, claws sunk into her lower arm. Karaa swung her gun forward and fired another bullet. The lupine fell to floor, dragging its claws through Karaa’s forearm. Karaa quickly refocused on the southwest corner of the roof, where the lupines initially started to emerge from, and saw nothing. The roof was empty. She looked down, bodies laid at her feet and blood covered her clothing. More gunshots rang out and Karaa turned to see Valaro and Eichdee dealing with their own battle on the roof adjacent to the one she was on. She ran in that direction, however as she approached the edge of the roof, another clawed hand shot up and gripped the ledge, the face that followed was more menacing than the ones before, if that was possible. How many are there? What the hell was going on in that building?As the woman cleared the ledge, Karaa pulled the trigger but she met with resistance. She quickly glanced down at her gun and tried pulling the trigger again, nothing happened, she glared at the lupine in front of her and threw her gun as hard as she could at the woman. It smacked against the lupine’s forehead knocking her back. Karaa ran forward bringing her leg up to connect with the lupine’s chest. The woman fell to the ground. Karaa bought her leg down to finish the move when the lupine suddenly rolled to the right, Karaa’s foot connected with the hard concrete, the cement cracked slightly under the pressure of the blow. The Lupine rolled into a crouched position and then launched herself at Karaa. Both women fell to the ground. The lupine grabbed the top of Karaa’s head and smashed in against the pavement. Karaa saw stars as pain exploded behind her eyes. The Lupine wrapped her fingers around Karaa’s neck “ I want to feel the life leave you, cave crawler, for all my kin you sent to the afterworld.” Karaa’s tore at the lupines hands but to no avail, the woman was infinitely stronger than her. Black spots began to appear in Karaa’s vision. The red chopsticks in her hair bit painfully into the back of her head. Karaa’s mind was sluggish from the lack of air but the pain bought clarity. The chopsticks!With the last of her strength, she reached behind her head and grabbed the hair accessories and pulled. The sticks came out relatively easy; Karaa could feel her hair fall away from her head. She bought the chopsticks up with as much force as she could manage and jabbed them into the lupine’s neck. The woman reared back grabbing at the hair accessories protruding from her throat. Karaa weakly kicked the woman away. The lupine rose to her Knees gasping as Karaa pushed herself upright with some effort. She watched as the lupine tried to pull the accessories from her neck without success. “ Say hello to “You’re Kin” for me.” Karaa spat. The woman’s eyes rolled up into the back of her as she fell to the ground. Karaa was breathing heavy; her blonde hair fell in a wet mess past her shoulders. Karaa looked over to EichDee and Valaro who were finishing off the rest of the lupines on the roof. Karaa began to move in that direction, when she heard more scratching nosies. Please God, she thought, give me a break. Another lupine charged her, Karaa bought her arms up to protect her face when she heard a gunshot ring out. She look toward the source of the sound as the dead lupine's body collided with her and saw Caius, and another figure who’s face was obscured by shadow. Caius? Her mind sluggishly tried to rationalize what she saw but understanding eluded her. Karaa stumbled back as she took on the weight of the dead woman, her foot connected with the ledge and Karaa lost her balance. “Karaa!” she heard two male voices scream her name. Her head spun as felt herself falling over the edge. Karaa put both of her hands out hoping to catch something. She felt hard metal rake her left hand, she latched on bringing her right hand over to help support her weight. A broken fire escape, she almost laughed, God was listening. Karaa looked down and realized that the fall probably would have killed her. Her arms shook trying to support her weight. Karaa heard more gunshots and frantic footsteps, then a face came into view over the ledge. Water dripped from his dark brown hair, almost black because of the rain. He wore a mask of reflief and green eyes bore into hers with an intensity that Karaa thought she would never see again. For days after Karaa would wondered how she managed to hold on, with her head spinning from a concussion and from the shock of seeing him. “Karaa! Hold on! I’m here!” His voice was better than any sound Karaa had ever heard. “You have her?” Caius’ voice was different. More desperate than Karaa thought it could ever sound. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest as her lungs fought for air. Today was different. “Give me your hand!” But all she could do was stare. Danny.((As a note, in case there is confusion, internal thoughts are italicized and all the stuff that is spoken out loud is in quotes))
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Post by Dee on Jun 1, 2011 2:36:32 GMT -8
The powerful kick to the stomach stunned the lupine for a few seconds, making him take a few steps back in pain, giving EichDee the time to parry and attack from behind. The enemy exiles were surprisingly strong; they also seemed to resist silver, which was very rare amongst werewolves. Probably enhanced programs, she thought to herself as she delivered a karate strike to the chin of another female exile. She had encountered a few in the past; they were programs dating from a much older version of the Matrix than the regular fiends. They were a lot more mature and experienced than the others, making them even greater foes.
Another lupine lunged, claws out, at the young woman. Taking a step back, she parried his strike at the last second, the powerful blow resonating within her bone. With a ouch! slipping from her mouth, she took her stance and went back on the offensive. Rain was still falling heavily on the city, the drops falling all around them mixing with the sound of battle. Valaro was fighting besides her, and Karaa was a little further on the next building, handling her own against her share of exiles.
The lupines around them stopped attacking, and formed a circle around the two Zionites. Claws out and hissing, the dark-skinned exiles were taking a second to reevaluate their tactics. Or they're just wondering how to eat us, who knows?
- Still five on two, smirked Valaro. How many of them do we have to defeat? - I know that's a rhetorical question Captain, so I won't answer, she grinned, taking back her shuto uke stance.
The exiles rushed back towards them, ready to kill. Dee parried a flying hand with two inches-long nails with her forearm, before executing a forward trust with her right fist. The man smiled as he took the hit without flinching, and pressed on. Her martial arts weren't as good as most Zionites. Her speciality were tools and guns, not fighting with her fists. Sure, she knew how to do it, and she could probably defeat a number of people before having to start running, but in Zion - and Pride, specifically - that was barely average. Most Zionites were able to mix a number of arts together when fighting, changing stance almost instantaneously and changing tactics just as kickly. EichDee had preferred to concentrate only on one and perfect it. She knew Karate to a grand master level, but that was it. Her shortcoming in melee fights was her inability to adapt to situations as quickly as others. But she had perfected another type of melee fighting, as well.
As she delivered a side snap kick to the abdomen of the female lupine, she unholstered her silenced Walther P99 and fired thrice at another exile, each round hitting his target who was apparently not expecting that. The female was already back, and stiked at Dee's armed hand before she had the chance to lodge a bullet in her too. Her arm went back, but she didn't lose grip of her handgun. Before the next strike, she quickly hit the woman's leg with a round house, making her fall to her knee, before smashing her jaw with an uppercut. sending her to the floor, stunned.
Another exile pressed on. There were only two left. - By the way, she began between two blows. Where the hell is Pylat?! - Who knows, you know he likes to run off to do his little things by himself… Valaro answered as he parried a few more hits, before unleashing a flurry of punches to the exile's nose. - Hey, not that I doubt his judgment, but sometimes, a little hand would be cool, y'know? - I know what you mean, he chuckled, cracking his opponent's skull with a final overhead blow.
Her gun's slide was locked back, meaning it was now empty. The lupine took his chance, going for a slash to her face. Dodging the hit by crouching, she quickly replied with a punch to the groin, following up with a strike with the silencer to the face as he was bending down in pain, sending him back up standing. With a raging scream, he lunged back at her for a final time. Standing still, she swept her right arm in front of her, ejecting the pistol's magazine at the same time, which ended up smacking the lupine of the forehead. It didn't do any damage but it stunned him half a second, just so he could not see the bullet coming from Valaro's revolver to meet his pretty face.
With the last one down, Dee readjusted her raincoat firmly on her shoulders, and slid another fully loaded magazine into the grip of the handgun, releasing the slide in a clack sounding noise. As she and Valaro looked around to see how Karaa was doing, they noticed, to their horror, that she was no longer on the rooftop. A few lupines were dead where they had last seen her, and by the ledge of the building were standing two men, backs turned to them. It seemed like they were looking down the building, but it was impossible to tell due to the distance and the pouring rain.
- Karaa! said Valaro as he started running, not wasting a moment.
The two Zionites jumped over to the next building, and in a resonating crack, landed safely on the other side. Both their handguns pointing the backs of the two men, they jogged towards the ledge, hoping their friend was still okay. The building they were on was pretty high, even a redpill would have a hard time landing safely. But Karaa knew how to surprise them, more often than not.
One of the men was now kneeling, his upper body over the ledge, as if he was trying to catch something. The other one was standing behind, anxiously looking over what the first one was doing. She could see them more clearly now. They were both wearing raincoats over what seemed to be casual suits, and from the look of it they didn't look like exiles.
- Stop it right there, ordered Valaro, his SAA revolver ready to fire. Slowly turn around and show me your faces. - Sorry, man, we're a little busy here, said the one at the back, not even turning his head around. - Are you serious? almost laughed Dee. Hello? We have guns pointed at your head, you know? - Valaro, tell your friend to calm down, said the one leaning over the ledge. - T-That voice…
Valaro lost his stance for a brief second, before taking back his aim. He seemed taken aback by the man who had just spoken, like it was the last thing he could've expected. His eyes were opened wide. The man now had both arms over, and looked like he was pulling something up. Soon enough, a delicate hand could be seen, then an arm, and finally Karaa's head popped from over the side of the building.
- There you go, said the man as he laid her down on solid ground.
She could see his face now; a handsome man, dark brown hair, bright green eyes, a little scruffy but overall very good looking. He had a few scars, but it added to the charm. It didn't take long for her to recognize him though.
- You're… Danny! she said. - That's right, he answered, casually closing his coat to hide from the rain. - So it's true, replied Valaro. It was you back then. - You expected someone else, Val? - Well, for starters, someone who is still alive, yes!
Karaa was back on her feet. She looked blank, like her head was a big empty space. If this really is Danny… Can't imagine what's going through there right now, she thought with a deep sense of compassion. The other man also turned around, looking at Val and Dee.
- And you, continued Valaro. You're Caius. I remember you from a few weeks ago. I made you pee your pants. - Yeah, about that. Sorry to burst your balloon, Valy-boy, but I actually had to pee, and I figured I'd give you what you wanted with a little extra bonus. Don't think it's the first time I've had a gun pointed to my face in my life. - Huh, Valaro simply answered, perhaps a little disappointed. - Wait, you peed yourself? asked EichDee with an eyebrow as high as it could get, and her eyes as wide as they could. - Long story, chicka. Just had to be convincing is all. By the way, Karaa, you didn't tell me you had such lovely friends! - You still tried to kill us a few times, said Valaro. - Well… began Dee. Karaa mentioned he was on Danny's side. - Is that right?
Karaa still had a blank look on her face, staring straight at Danny. He had his hands on her cheeks, telling her everything would be fine. She looked as though she didn't grasp the situation at all, and that her mind was trying to process everything at once. Valaro and Dee still had their guns pointed towards them, though. They hadn't been convincing enough yet.
- Danny, let go of her, ordered once more Valaro. - Don't you trust me, Val? - You have been dead for almost a year, he spat, obviously angry. You have made no attempt to contact us whatsoever, even though we kept the search going for months. And now you want me to just trust you? What happened to you?! - Val, I know it's hard, but believe me, I had no choice. Plus, I'm the one who just rescued your friend, Rassy. - Where is he? Is he okay? - He's fine, shrugged Caius. We were on our way to a nice little café down on fifth when we heard about the ambush they set for you. We came back to help, and told him to keep going. - He was being held by Thanatos, replied Danny. I got word on his location from some of my contacts in the city. Figured if I went ahead and break him out, it might earn me some points. But trust me when I say I couldn't reveal myself sooner, no matter how much I wanted.
He turned back towards Karaa.
- Knowing you were convinced I was dead killed me… But I couldn't show myself, not as long as Thanatos was around. I had to deal with him first, while he thought I was gone. - He's the one who attacked the Knight last year? asked Valaro. - Yeah. Probably for some kind of revenge since I kind of blew him and his crew up a while back. But ever since he learned I was still alive, he hasn't let me rest at all. These lupines here were Phellan's, he's working with Thanatos. - We know who he is, we had nice chat in Sati's. - So what happened? asked Dee, finally lowering her sidearm. - Hey, sorry to break your little reunion moment here, intervened Caius. But can we continue this conversation elsewhere? Preferably where it's not raining like crazy, and were we can get a nice expresso? - Caius is right, approved Danny. Rassy is waiting for us, anyway. We should get moving. There still could be exile reinforcements, and I don't want them to catch up. - Fine, agreed Valaro, finally lowering is revolver. We'll do it your way for now. But I've still got my eye on you.
As they were about to move out, Dee's phone rang under her coat. She took it out, place her hand over the screen so water wouldn't get in the way, and she read the number.
- It's Ceege, she said to the others, taking the phone to her ear. Dee here, go ahead Ceege. - Dee, hey. Listen, Angelis and I just finished up here. Turns out this Phellan guy is a total wife-killing, meat cleaver-using nut case. And he's definitely in league with Thanatos. - Yeah, we know... There's been some development here... - Oh? What's up? - We found Rassy, with a few extra bonuses. - Ooooh, I love bonuses! No no, don't spoil! Just glad to hear Rassy is okay! Where are you? - On some rooftop, but we're about to move out. A café on fifth, I'll call you back when we get there. - Right. Be there in half-hour.
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Post by Pylat on Jun 1, 2011 2:45:45 GMT -8
Pylat crouched in a corner, making himself as invisible as possible. He'd been split up from the rest of his party, and now the Lupines were trying to hunt him down. He could hear one nearby, claws scraping along the wall as it tried to sniff him out. The Lupine had his scent as was slowly making it's way towards his hiding spot.
This will have to be a silent kill, I can't alert the swarm.
Pylat shifted his position carefully, purposefully allowing the floorboards to creak under his feet. He heard the Lupine pause, then move towards his position a little faster. Pylat had his back to the wall, standing next to the door, he saw the handle turn. The door opened and Pylat attacked, quickly wrapping his arms around the Lupines throat in a brutal choke hold. Not a sound was made as he felt the Lupine struggle in his grip, trying to pull Pylat's arms off him. Pylat held the grip until he felt the Lupine go limp in his arms, then he held it longer. He quietly lowered the Lupine to the floor, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
As he crept down the hall he withdraw his pistol from the inside of his jacket, slowly screwing a silencer into the end. Pistol at his side, he slid along the wall. With a quick glance around the corner he saw two Lupines standing guard at the exit, taking a mental note of their positions he held his breath as he slowly pulled the hammer back. The Lupines didn't hear the click as the gun was loaded, they saw Pylat for only a fraction of a second as two efficient shots to their foreheads brought each one down silently.
Pylat slowly opened the door and slipped out the building. He took three steps from the exit, paused and turned around, he had a plan. He searched the corpse of one of the lupines and found what he was looking for. He pulled off his jacket and rolled up his sleeve, using the Lupine's blade to cut a shallow wound in his arm. He wiped the blood off on his jacket...
They had his scent, they could smell blood. Soon this pathetic cave crawler would be dead. Over a dozen Lupines quickly padded along the hallway towards the source of the smell. The door burst in on the room and the Lupines flooded in, sniffing the air. The smell was emanating from a closet, typical human, hiding like a coward. They ripped the door clean off its hinges, all of them poised to fall upon Pylat and tear him apart. His jacket lay in a heap on the floor, it was simply a diversion. The head Lupine picked it up, sniffing it closely to see if he could pick up a scent and continue tracking this human. It was the Lieutenant that saw the small pile of high explosives hidden under the coat, not a diversion, a trap.
From an adjacent building Pylat watched, he pressed down the remote detonator. The blast blew out an entire section of the building, obliterating the nearby Lupines instantly, sending the bodies of Lupines further away flying. The concussive blast shattered all the windows in a large radius and set car alarms blaring. Pylat quickly hopped out the, now shattered, window of his room and inspected the scene. Most of the Lupines had been reduced to stains, the ones farther away from the explosion had been tossed dozens of metres, but they were no less dead.
Confident that the threat was eliminated, Pylat started making his way towards Karaa. A small detour took him past Rsy's coat. He retrieved the coat from the pole and slipped it on, pulling it over his shoulders and lifting the collar as the rain got heavier. He pulled out his phone and dialled Karaa.
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Rassy - Rsy
Pride Member
Captain of HvCFT Cheetah
Posts: 161
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Post by Rassy - Rsy on Jun 2, 2011 5:27:28 GMT -8
Fully recovered after the exhausting escape Rassy waited in the café for the rest of the gang.
Seems my diversion worked, he thought.
After Rassy took his coat off the rest of the trip to the cafe went a lot smoother. Rassy encountered only 1 small group of lupines, they were following the trail to his coat so Rassy hid and watched them run right past him.
Thinking over what had happened the last few months the door suddenly flew open. The figure was moving way too fast for Rassy to recognize her. Rassy quickly stood up into a defensive stance as he felt the arms of Karaa surrounding him. I've missed you, she said a little harder than intended. We've all missed you said Angelis entering the cafe along with Eichdee, Ceege and Valaro. Valaro saw Rassy looking who would come in after that and answered before Rassy could ask. Pylat is on his way. He'll be here shortly. Rassy answered what about Dan… Karaa was still standing in front of Rassy and suddenly punched him in the chest. That's for keeping us waiting all the time. Couldn't you have done this a bit sooner?
Thanks... Rassy sputtered. We tried...
Danny and Caius entered the café. There you are, said Rassy still surprised by Karaa’s punch. I see you’ve already said hi to Karaa, said Caius with a wide smirk on his face. Rassy smiled. Thanks for helping me out of there Caius.
“Hold on a second Rassy” said Valaro from the back. “You might want to explain something to me. As I recall you and Caius were even further apart as I was to him.”
“Correct Valaro, but when Radomir died he was the only one that searched in the right place.” Valaro’s mouth fell open. “You see” continued Rassy. “Rado didn’t just die. He came to close to finding me and he knew that. Unfortunately Thanatos noticed this too. Thanatos didn’t expect this so fast and wasn’t fully prepared for Radomir. Rado tried to free me, but was transported out of here as soon as he came near me. Rado went to the same construct they had used to trap me. Radomir went berserk inside it and when he got out he just wasn’t himself anymore. He was no match for the lupines. A bluepill would have had more chance. The only thing u know is Radomir coming back into Camon Heights and calling for help. Even Neo himself wouldn’t have been fast enough to save him.” Rassy paused as a tear slowly ran down his cheek.
A few seconds later Pylat entered the café. Walked straight to Rassy and man hugged him. “Don’t ever do this to me again” he whispered so that no-one else could hear him. “Good to see you too, Pylat” the two stayed silent as they stared at each other for a while. Both knew exactly what the other one meant. Rassy interrupted the silence “Can I have my coat back now?” ”I think I’ll keep this one” answered Pylat “I used mine in a diversion” Everyone laughed.
“We might want to leave the café now. Find someplace safer. There are just too many of us in the same spot.” said Pylat. Rassy interrupted “We need to do something else first. Everyone here knows the place where I disappeared, back in Sai Kung. Next to it is a tea house. The basement is one huge data storage device. We need that data. It has every bit of info about Thanatos and Phellan and what their next move might be. I expect a bit more lupines than you’ve seen so far. But all of us together should do fine.”
“Besides I want to see the look on Thanatos’s face when I kick his ass into oblivion” said Rassy as Eichdee’s eyes opened up. But before she could say anything Angelis said: “Rassy, I’ve never seen you want to take revenge on anyone”
Rassy answered calm: “This one’s different. This is for Radomir.”
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Post by Karaa on Jun 2, 2011 9:04:52 GMT -8
Songs: Howl by florence and the machine www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZweDwbJ_Ic&feature=BFa&list=PL0D94018A56648718&index=10 and Kiss with a fist by florence and the machine - www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SmxVCM39j415 minutes earlier…. Karaa stood in the rain trying very hard to control the storm of emotions that was tarring through her. Emotions were a difficult beast to master. Along with her unnatural speed, Karaa had the ability to turn off her emotions. Another quirk in her makeup. The first promise she ever made Danny was that she would never flip the switch. Karaa promised to never turn her emotions off. So she had to settle for controlling them. Which sometimes she succeeded at and other times she didn't. Danny once told her that emotions are what separate humans from the enemy, machines. That emotions are what made us worth saving. And to turn them off, well, that was like switching sides. Karaa sighed, it had been tempting over the years to flip the switch but she had promised the man she loved. And deep down she knew that turning them off was a dangerous path because once the switch was flipped how did one find the desire to turn it back on? No more pain, no more fear...only clarity ... Karaa looked over to Danny once again, finding it hard not to. She could say anything to him now that she didn't get a chance to before... how much she loved him, how losing him was a death sentence for her, how angry she was...and still is but the emotion was choking her, she couldn’t respond... couldn’t… simply couldn’t do anything. Karaa kept her breathing even with great difficultly. Valaro and EichDee were doing what she should be doing, trying to get answers. Karaa glanced over to Caius and found him looking at her. He gave her a sympathetic smile. A smile that said I know what you’re going through. Karaa normally would just have flipped him off but something in his eyes made Karaa stop and think that he might actually know. Caius, what a contrary person she thought. Karaa shifted her gaze to EichDee who was still holding her gun on Danny and Caius. Similar emotions could be seen in her eyes, though this time there wasn’t just sympathy but pity. Karaa looked away. "Wait, you peed yourself?" asked EichDee with an eyebrow as high as it could get, and her eyes as wide as they could. Karaa could feel the smile pulling at her lips but then Danny was looking at her and the would be smile faded. His hands gently cupped her face. His thumb rubbed back and forth against her cheek, in a soothing motion. He tiltled her head and looked at the cuts on the side of her face and grimaced. Karaa told herself to pull away, that he didn’t deserve any kindness from her but Karaa couldn’t find words anymore. It was one thing to hear his voice but a completely different animal when seeing him in person. He was just as beautiful and perfect as she remembered. He had a new scar that went through the thinner part of his eyebrow. It must have happened a while ago, the scar was already white to match the others. Karaa mentally berated herself, here she is staring at his face….looking at that scar... when she should be yelling. Karaa's mind was trying to go in a million different places at once and in effect could go nowhere. It was like grasping at bubbles, once her mind settled on something it would "pop" and her thoughts would be sent racing again. How are you here? She wanted to know, Why did you let me think you were dead? She thought of all the times she welcomed the chance at death during missions and shuddered. All for nothing, she thought, because here you are... murmuring words of encouragement. “Danny, let go of her”, ordered Valaro once more. Danny sighed, his hands slowly slid from her face and fell at his side. Her body scream in denial at the lost of the contact but again words eluded her. “Don't you trust me, Val?” Danny was facing Valaro and EichDee now. He is different, Karaa thought to herself. He seems to have become colder. I guess that’s what happens when you fight a secret war for almost a year, she mused, not letting anyone know where you were, that you were still breathing. “You have been dead for almost a year”, Valaro spat, obviously angry. “You have made no attempt to contact us whatsoever, even though we kept the search going for months. And now you want me to just trust you? What happened to you?” Karaa’s mind focused on Valaro’s line of questioning for a blessedly amazing moment but as soon as Danny started talking again the bubble popped and her thoughts when everywhere at once. “Val, I know it's hard, but believe me, I had no choice. Plus, I'm the one who just rescued your friend, Rassy.” “Where is he? Is he okay?” “He's fine”, shrugged Caius. “We were on our way to a nice little café down on fifth when we heard about the ambush they set for you. We came back to help, and told him to keep going.” “He was being held by Thanatos” replied Danny. “I got word on his location from some of my contacts in the city. Figured if I went ahead and break him out, it might earn me some points. But trust me when I say I couldn't reveal myself sooner, no matter how much I wanted.” Danny looked back at Karaa and his eyes locked on hers and still no words came. He rescued Rassy!, her mind tried to bring her attention to this important fact but Danny’s face…he was talking again. “Knowing you were convinced I was dead killed me… But I couldn't show myself, not as long as Thanatos was around. I had to deal with him first, while he thought I was gone.” Karaa felt like her body was ripping itself in two. There was only so much someone should be expected to deal with at a given time and Danny was definitely too much. More conversation ensued but Karaa’s head was spinning. Valaro lowered his gun ”....but I still have my eye on you.” EichDee was on the phone now. “Its Ceege and Angleis” she explained. EichDee gave them the cafe's location and disconnected the phone. Suddenly a boom resonated a few blocks from their location. Everyone ran to the opposite edge of the roof to see where it was coming from. Karaa stood exactly where she was. Caius didn’t move either. He looked over to her, “You’ve seen one building exploded…you’ve seen them all.” He smiled at her but Karaa found this time…she couldn't even feel the tugs at the corner of her mouth. She just nodded, not sure what she was agreeing to. Then her phone rang. Karaa’s mind found the sound to be abrasive. “You gonna get that? Might be important?” Caius offered. Karaa nodded again. The phone continued to ring until karaa slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled it out, flipping it opening and holding it against her ear. She didn’t try to protect the phone from the rain. She could barely get her name out. “K-Karaa” She took a deep breath. “Karaa, its Pylat. Where are you?” “Karaa, we need to get going, we can’t stay here.” Danny’s voice again. She did her best to block it out. “Was that explosion you?” “Yes! Where are you?” “On a roof top a couple of blocks from there. We are heading to a café on 5th. Rassy will be there.” “How do we know that?” Karaa could hear the surprise in his voice. She sighed, for some reason she felt like she was incriminating herself, “Danny.” Caius frowned and pointed at his face. “and Caius” karaa amended giving him a scowl. “That’s better” Caius said as he began to walk away, “I rather see you frowning than that blank look on your face. Like something out of the walking dead, really Karaa, you’re better than that.” He tossed a smirk over his shoulder as he joined Danny and the others who were waiting for her. But she couldn't juggle talking to Pylat, Danny and actually walking somewhere. Karaa couldn’t do anything about Danny but she was going to finish this conversation before she expected anything else from herself. “Danny is with you?” Pylat sounded annoyed like he had already asked the question. “Yes. Café on 5th Pylat. See you there.” And with that, Karaa disconnected the phone. “Karaa, I don’t mean to rush you, but we can’t stay here. “ Danny’s voice was gentle but before where it seem to freeze her in place... now her mind latched onto anger and held to it tight. Karaa stalked over to Danny, fists clenched. He stared at her for a moment , “whats wro-“ Before he finished his sentence, Karaa’s fist connected with the side of his face. He stumbled back massaging the affronted area. Everyone stared at her in shock except for Caius who was laughing almost uncontrollably. Karaa narrowed her eyes at Danny and threw a glare at Caius before turning on her heel, walking a few feet and then hyper jumping to the nearest building. Valaro smirked at Danny. “Seems like she hasn’t changed much.” Danny groaned as he righted himself. “Oh on the contrary, Dan, shes gotten worse." Valaro took off at a run, trying to catch up to Karaa. EichDee was close behind, she stopped next to Danny for a moment and shook her head. “Men”, she scoffed and then was following close to Valaro. "What were you expecting? A kiss?" Caius asked still laughing. "A kiss with a fist is better than none. I'll take what I can get at this point." “You’re gonna feel that in the real.” Caius said rather breathlessly as he finished up his laughing fit and gestured toward Danny's face. “I have no doubt,” Danny replied despondently, "in more ways than one." (("A kiss with a fist is better than none" line is from a kiss with a fist by florence and the machine)).
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Post by Dee on Jun 8, 2011 16:46:44 GMT -8
The two cars, driving in a line, turned right at the intersection when the light turned green. The streets were quiet, and the rain had gotten softer. Traffic in downtown was smooth, even if they were between rush hours. The first car, a white Toyota celica, was driving barely above the speed limit. There is no need to get stopped by the cops, had stated Pylat behind the wheel of the vehicle. We have time. Rassy was sitting in the front besides him, and Dee was sitting behind them, keeping an eye on Danny who had decided to tag along for the operation in Sai Kung. Karaa and Valaro were in the black BMW behind them, Ceege's and Angelis' car, with Caius as an additional guest. They had decided it would be best for Karaa to separate her from Danny, at least for a while, so she could think for herself for a while. They also had decided to go by car, not by hardlines, since time was not an issue, and they could all use a little down time in the half hour it would take to get there.
- Yeah, so thanks for your help, you've been very helpful, smiled Dee at the back of the car, her phone to her ear. …Yes, Captain RSY seems okay. All right. Will do. Thanks again.
She closed her phoned and sighed. She had called the machine liaison to tell them they had managed to locate Rassy, and that the fetch quest for the pins was apparently off.
- You didn't tell them about Thanatos? asked Pylat, eyes on the road. - They don't need to know, at least not now. If things go sour, we'll call them. - They'll also want to know Valaro shot their Agent, he smirked. - Yeah, we'll have to come up with something. Maybe pin it on Thanatos himself, if what we find matches. - I know it's near where I was, though, precised Rassy. But I don't know exactly where it is. - Don't worry, if you're talking about the place I'm thinking of, I know where it is, reassured Danny. - Some kind of headquarters? asked Dee. - Similar, yes. It's one of their multiple rendez-vous points around the city. If we're lucky, no one will be there. If we're not, well… - Lock and load, simply said Pylat.
She rested her head her fist, leaning against the window. They were in Hampton Green, a district in Downtown. They soon got on a street that brought back many memories to her mind; the sidewalks made with red stones; lots of little businesses, restaurants, apparel shops, jewelry stores. It was a very familiar district, reminding her of her days back at home, in Montreal, where streets similar to this one were very common.
The car stopped at a red light, the black BMW slowing down behind them. It was an intersection between two avenues, one she knew very well. Years ago, she had almost been hit by and armored truck on this very corner, when her old ability to see déjà-vus had began to really manifest itself. She smiled. It feels like a lifetime ago… I've been through so much since then, and I've seen and done so much… It's almost like I'm not even the same person anymore. Her thoughts went back to her old boyfriend, Jeff, who had died not long after. Initially, she had thought Zion was responsible for his death, leading her on a vendetta against them. It was a very dark time for her, and remembering it took away her smile. She also thought of her sister who had disappeared, and that to this day she didn't know where she was; if she lived somewhere in the simulation or if she had died.
The light turned green, and the smooth shaking of the car as it began to move forward again brought her back to reality. Her side still hurt from her earlier battle on the rooftops. One of the lupines had managed to land quite a good kick to her ribs, and it was still softly aching. They weren't broken though, so the pain was superficial.
- Now that I'm thinking about it… she slowly began, as if she was trying to find the proper words to use. - What's up? asked Rassy, turning his head backwards. - Those lupines back there… they were resistant to silver. - So? asked Danny. - Lupines who resist silver are pretty rare, she pointed out. - Only old programs, such as the ones the Merovigian has with him, are resistant to their killcodes, precised Pylat. Their programming comes from way before, silver probably didn't even exist back then. - So… thought out loud Rassy. Thanatos could have a link to the Frenchman? - Not necessarily. They are common around him, and to be here they must've worked at least in the past with him, but they could be on their own now. - Phellan didn't seem that old, Dee said, her eyes staring into nothing, before switching her gaze back at Pylat through the rear-view mirror. At least his minions weren't. Silver worked great on them. - Well, we can't just drop by the Merovigian and ask him, can we? Rassy joked. - We'd be killed before stepping inside the place, said Danny. I guess we'll find out when we get to Sai Kung. - By the way, Rassy, said Dee, tapping on his shoulder. - Yeah? - You know that diversion with the jacket you used back there? - What about it? - It almost got us killed. We followed it like the lupines. Boom booms ensued. - Re-really?! - Why do you think I'm wearing your jacket? asked Pylat with a brink of humour. - I'm--I'm sorry, I should've figured you would... Aaahh...
Dee and Pylat laughed, tapping him on the back. They had left Hampton, and were now entering the Lamar district. It was the last district before entering the small residential areas that separated Downtown and International. Dee turned around and looked outside the back window at the black car following them. Angelis and Ceege at the front seemed quiet, while Valaro in the back was sitting apparently very uncomfortably between Karaa and Caius, the latter bent over him, seemingly talking to Karaa. Dee couldn't see the woman from behind Ceege's seat, though.
She turned back her gaze towards Danny. He was being very quiet, but wasn't shy to look back at her, like he was waiting for a question. He seems like a nice guy, she honestly thought. She knew Valaro and him had been close friends back then, but she never really knew him; even if he had spent some time in the past aboard the Tiger.
- So, how did you make it out? she asked after a short hesitation. - Hmm? - The Knight's destruction. I saw the wreckage myself, nothing could've survived that explosion.
His expression turned to a sadder one. Obviously it wasn't an easy question, but to trust him, she had to ask how he did it. Rassy was also looking at him, and Pylat was occasionally throwing a look through the mirror.
- One of our landing gears had a malfunction when we landed at broadcast depth, he finally said. One of my crewmates, Saphire, and I had gone out to check it. The rest of my crew was doing routine operations inside the Matrix. While we were working on the landing gear, we heard footsteps behind us. When we turned around, Thanatos was standing there, looking at us. He had burn scars, but he was recognizable. Without warning, he fired a lightning rifle at Saphire, hitting her right in the face. Killed her immediately.
He took a short pause, looking out the window. Must not have been easy, she thought with a concerned gaze.
- What then? asked Pylat. - Then, he started ranting about the fact that I tried to kill him even though we were supposed to be brothers of Zion. I confronted him with the evidence we had found against him about working with the Cypherites, but he wouldn't listen. He said he would get revenge on Zion for treating him like a criminal and killing his entire crew, and said he would start by my own. He then shot me in the chest, and I was lucky to survive. Still, I lost consciousness for a while, and when I woke up, all I could see was a small craft leaving the area. Near the base of the ship was one of those bombs the sentinels use. I rushed inside to warn my crew, but they were already dead. I barely had the time to escape before it all blew up. - So why didn't you wait for us to come looking for us? wondered Dee. - From my location at the time, I knew it would take you weeks at least before you would start asking questions and send a rescue party. I couldn't survive on my own that long. A few months back, we had destroyed an E Pluribus Neo supply craft a few dozen of miles from my location. I figured I could get supplies from the downed ship, if it hadn't been salvaged already. So I began walking. I was lucky, it hadn't been touched. So I had found my haven. - But then, why didn't you ever contact us at all? You could've explained the whole situation, we would've sent search parties for Thanatos! - Thanatos, even with Zion, was easily able to become a ghost. We sometime needed to mobilize crews to find him in the Real, just because he wanted some alone time with his crew. So as a fugitive, we never would've found him. I thought, since he was convinced I was dead, that the best way to stop him would be here, in the simulation, where I knew he would be active. I thought I could eventually catch him off guard, but… I got close a few times, but he slipped through my nets every time. He eventually found out I was still alive, and he hasn't let go. He's a though son-of-a-bitch to catch. He appears when he wants to, and when he doesn't, don't think you can find him. - So why show yourself now? asked Rassy. Why save me? - When I heard he had captured you, I knew it wouldn't take long before Zion organized all their ships to search. Maybe this is what Thanatos wanted, I don't know. Still, with Phellan having you running around, figured it was time I came back and helped. As I said before, my contacts in the underworld revealed to me your location for quite a good amount of $info, figured it would be a good move to buy my trust back from you guys. - We'll see about that, answered Pylat. Let's first see what that database he has tells us, then we'll see what we do with you. - Cold, smirked Rassy.
Dee chuckled. Danny seemed like he was being honest. At this point, did he really have anything to hide? He probably had his share of misery for the past year.
- I should've contacted you guys sooner, he said. Maybe I could've prevented some of the things that happened this week. - Well we're here now, smiled Dee. We're ten minutes out, so let's concentrate on getting that data.
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Rassy - Rsy
Pride Member
Captain of HvCFT Cheetah
Posts: 161
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Post by Rassy - Rsy on Jun 13, 2011 11:20:44 GMT -8
As the two cars entered International district through Furihata they noticed that Akasaka was partially inaccessible due to another explosion in Club Pandora. Pylat turned the wheel and headed straight for Kaede. Which was the most logical route.
Pylat do you mind if we take a small detour through Murasaka and Shinjuku. Rassy asked.
Pylat looked surprised. Why would you want to do that? That’s another 10 to 15 minutes extra.
Rassy answered. I don’t know. I just have this feeling. Besides I want to see how my old dojo is doing?
Back when Rassy was still a blue pill. He used to have a dojo on the edge of Murasaki. Even though he is a red pill now. He still visits the place a lot. Cleans it up a bit and trains in there. There is just something about the ambience that cools him down. Make him realize that whatever truth there is, you can’t just throw away the past like it didn’t happen before. Cause those memories make you to what you are at this time. Whether you like it or not.
When they arrived at the dojo Pylat stopped the car. Karaa, who was in the car behind them, stopped behind him and quickly ran to Pylat.
Why are we stopping here? And why didn’t you drive through Kaede. That’s much faster. Pylat lifted his shoulders and pointed towards Rassy.
Ahh… she thought. Karaa was often invited to this place to train with Rassy and work on her melee. But they never really did.
Rassy still sat in quietly in the car. Taking a deep breath before opening the door. He stepped out and walked straight to the front door.
I wonder how it looks. It must be dusty inside. It’s been so long. Over a year since I was last here. I learned so much here.
As Rassy stood in front of the door hesitating to open it. Danny who was still inside the car yelled through the window. Rassy… do you need this? Holding up his silenced pistol. Rassy smirked as he couldn’t silence his lips any longer and answered with an enormous smile on his face: I will not carry a gun.... I'll carry your books, I'll carry a torch, I'll carry a tune, I'll carry on, carry over, carry forward, Cary Grant, cash and carry, carry me back to Old Virginia, I'll even hari-kari if you show me how, but I will not carry a gun! (Hawkeye-Pierce – M.A.S.H.)
Rassy opened the door and walked inside.
Hmm… at least the smell is the same he said to himself.
Rassy walked to the center of the dojo and made a formal bow to whatever air there was standing in front of him. The huge dojo looked almost completely unchanged aside from the occasional dust flowing around.
Rassy thought about the times he was here. So many training hours he spend. The fight against Seraph. Everything fell of his shoulders then. The imprisonment, the torture, the strange white room he spend so much time in, the death of Radomir.
Rassy started his training kata. Calmly cutting the air with his hands he felt at peace. Losing track of time Rassy continued.
A few minutes later Eichdee and Pylat entered the large dojo.
Hey Rassy, are you coming or did you fall asleep in here… dee yelled to Rassy a little harder than needed. The echo of her voice reflected on the walls. He’s almost done said pylat recognizing the kata and they both stood by the side as Rassy finished.
Thanks for letting me finish said Rassy as he walked to Dee and Pylat.
Is there any reason for us to be here asked Pylat as he took off Rassy’s coat and gave it back to him. I just wanted my coat back Rassy smiled.
The three headed back to the cars and when they left the building Thanks guys, I needed this.
Dee turned to pylat and whispered to him. Now I see why he doesn’t want guns. Pylat nodded both to Dee as to Karaa who was waiting by the cars.
They continued their journey to Sai Kung.
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Post by Karaa on Jun 15, 2011 8:36:20 GMT -8
(Song: Leave out all the rest by Linkin Park. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBTXNPZPfbE) 35 minutes earlier… Karaa slipped her hand into her jacket pocket and pulled out what felt like her sunglasses. The weather in megacity was never really consistent. As they exited the café the rain had lighten and the sun began to shine. The light drizzle added to the rebellious behavior of Karaa’s hair. It was beginning to curl at the ends. If it got any warmer her hair would be begin to friz. Karaa winced slightly as she felt her finger drag along a sharp edge. She looked down to see that her sunglasses did not survive the scuffle on the roof. Blood dripped from her index finger. Karaa stared at it for a moment. She was starting to get her life back. After talking to EichDee about…her history as a bluepill, she was able to move past it. Karaa was never sure if she would ever forgive herself but she was at peace with her past. She was starting to do the same for Danny but then…. Karaa looked up from her finger and search for Danny amongst their small group. She found him immediately; it was like a magnetic pull… her body knew where he was. He hesitantly smiled at her before moving toward her while the others discussed plans regarding sai kung. “Karaa…” He began but trailed off looking down. “I-“ He started to say something but stopped grabbing her hand. “So careless…” He took her broken sunglasses and then he did something she wasn’t expecting. He gently took her finger into his mouth. Karaa froze for a moment. This was something she thought she would never experience again. Whenever she had cut her finger, Danny always did this, called her careless and then put her finger in his mouth until the bleeding stopped. When he first did this, she was appalled and asked where he picked up such a disgusting habit. Danny had told her that before he was unplugged his mother would do this for him. He saw it as a sign of affection. Karaa smirked and Danny’s smile widen around her finger. Valaro coughed behind her and she immediately pulled her finger from his mouth and wiped it on her jeans. Danny’s smiled faded as he reached into his pocket, “Here use mine.” He offered her his sunglasses; she looked down at them and shook her head. “I’m fine, you keep them. Use them to hide your black eye.” Karaa said gesturing to his left eye where Karaa had hit him less than an hour ago before. Surprisingly he smiled, “Nah, this bruise is a token of your affection. I would never cover it up.” Karaa scoffed and turned around to face Valaro. “Alright, lets get moving.” Valaro said looking over to Danny. “We are going to need to take two cars.” Said EichDee. Karaa pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open, “ Ocelet, I’m going to need a program for car jac-“ Before Karaa could finish the sentence someone laid onto a car horn, long and hard. Karaa looked over to see two cars pull up along the curb. Ceege and Angles exited the car with big smiles on their faces, “ Got it covered Karaa.” She sighed, “nevermind Ocelet.” “ We slipped out when we were in the bathroom.” Ceege said smiling. Karaa raised a delicate eyebrow in question. “ I’ve never jacked a car before….” Ceege offered as a way of explanation. Karaa looked over to EichDee and saw the woman smile and shake her head. “Alright, lets get moving.” Said Pylat. “We’re coming with you.” Danny interjected. Pylat smirked once without humor. “ Aw, man, really?” Caius scratch the side of his head, “ I wanted to get the espresso and you know jack out?” he stressed the the last part. Danny shot him a glare but Caius was not fazed. “Karaa, you going to this shin dig?” Karaa raised her eyebrows as if to say obviously. Caius stretch his hands over his head and said, “Alright, then the espresso can wait. I call shotgun!” Danny continued to glare at Caius but the other man didn’t really seem to care and began to make his way to the black BMW. He glanced over his shoulder at Ceege and mouthed the word, “Nice.” Pylat looked Danny over once more and said, “Fine, then you ride with me. “ “And I will ride with Karaa.” Caius chimed in with a big smile, “this is non-negotiable since I didn’t get my espresso. “ Danny threw him another glare but Caius didn’t seem to be getting the message or was choosing to ignore it. “Karaa you ride with Valaro in the other car, you can bring your fan with you.” Karaa narrowed her eyes at Pylat’s comments. “Right-o, Captian Sassy Pants.” Karaa muttered as she reached for the black BMW’s car door. Danny smirked at her and since seeing him again, this was the first time the smile reached his eyes. Pylat seemed to bristle but didn’t say anything as he stormed off towards the car. Danny watched Pylat go for a moment before turning his attention back to Karaa. “Karaa…” Danny began. “I’ll see you there.” Karaa said quickly before slipping into the car. Caius was there about to slip in next to her but stop for a moment looking at Danny. The man leaned in and whispered, “Denied!” When Caius pulled back he had a huge smile on his face while Danny’s glare was now turning murderous. “Make sure nothing happens to her or I’ll hold you responsible.” Danny grouned out. “Yadda Yadda… you keep sayin’ the same thing over and over again….You know I’m not stupid and English just so happens to be one of the languages that I know. “ Something caught Danny’s eye on the other side of the car, causing him to smirk, “Get in the car jackass.” “Aye Aye.” Caius slipped into the seat and look over, to his surprise, to find Valaro. His smile faded, “what happened to the pretty lady?” Caius looked pass valaro and over to Karaa. Valaro pushed Caius back against the leather seat using the side of his arm. “Buckle up.” Was all Valaro said before Angelis started the car. Karaa looked out the window, the rain was still a light drizzle. They drove in silence for the first 15 minutes or so before Karaa sighed and turned toward Caius, “ Caius.” He lean forward and over Valaro, “Yes?” “I have some questions.” The light in his eyes dimmed a bit before he answered, “About Danny.” “Yes. “ Karaa looked down at her feet before she spoke. “How did he survive the attack on the knight?” “He’s a lucky bastard to be frank. He was out doing maintenance on the ship when Thanatos’s men came and killed everyone. He was knocked out at one point.” Caius sighed, “Its all very dramatic. “ Karaa nodded seemingly taking in the information, “ Why didn’t get let me know he was alive?” Caius leaned back in his seat, “He thought it was safer for both of you. And he didn’t want Thanantos to know he was alive, if you weren’t grieving that would have tipped the little bugger off.” Caius glanced over Valaro’s head at Karaa. “I told him that he should tell you. How you were turning into your very own wacked out version of Evel Knievel.” Karaa nodded once before Caius continued. “After sometime past he told me to bring you in. But no matter how I tried, it always backfired. “ He chuckled. “First with Agent Norris. He wasn’t supposed to be there that first time. And then Aaroun with his…hacking abilities. “ He sighed again, “I had to make it look like it was against your will so it wouldn’t draw suspicion.“ “I guess things have a way of working out.” Valaro said. Karaa looked over at Valaro, his face was flat and stoic. “If it was up to me Karaa, I would have grabbed you sooner, a lot sooner. I knew what you were about. The SC crews, the dangerous streak in your personality. “ Caius voice held a hint of frustration and possibly anger? Caius really did not fit neatly into any preconceptions of him, Karaa mused. Caius took a deep breath, looked at Karaa and shook his head, “He hated every minute he was away from you. Knowing that you were…being reckless…I think It aged him a thousand years. All that is missing is the grey hair really.” Caius smirked, “There are two things that I envy about Danny. One is his self control, without it, he would have ruin his entire plan just to see you again. I think it crossed his mind more than once.” “What is the second?” Karaa asked. “What?” Caius asked. “The second thing that you envy about Danny, you said there were two.” Caius smiled weakly, “I didn’t think you would pick up on that. Danny was right, you are extremely observant.” Karaa waited. Caius' smiled grew a little wider, “You’ll just have to stay tuned.” “What’s Danny’s plan now?” Valaro interjected. “To kill Thanatos and come back into Zion. To get back in Karaa’s good graces. To reclaim his life. Now that Thanatos knows he’s alive, there is no point in keeping it a secret.” He looked out his window. “And you know Danny, he just wants to see the world in his own image. He is bit of an idealistic prat, you know? He wants human’s free.” “That’s not so bad.” Said Ceege. Caius shrugged, “We are at are best when we are struggling to achieve something. We will always be oppressed when the cause is as noble and something so immaterial as freedom. It is not something we can get away from. Freedom is an illusion for those who have not yet accepted the reality of being human. We are all slaves to something. Something or someone that no matter how much you want to walk away from…you can’t. “ Caius eyes became unfocused as if he was recalling something from his past. “Freedom is a lie…a lie that we all desperately wanted at one point but it is still just a lie.” The car got quiet. Karaa stared at him for a moment, his eyes were still unfocused and she wondered, not for the first time, how Caius became the man he was now. She shrugged off the thought and looked out the window. “Why are we going through Murasaka?” Karaa asked Angelis. “Don’t know, just following Pylat." Soon the car stopped in front of a building Karaa recognized. Rassy’s Dojo. ((The finger scene was actually in a show called Mars and it was all them...I just borrowed it. And Captain Sassy Pants is all EichDee. ))
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Post by Karaa on Aug 20, 2011 18:53:16 GMT -8
Karaa walked down the deteriorating hallway where the wallpaper was peeling off and the carpet had large dark stains. What caused them, Karaa didn’t have the slightest clue and wasn’t all that curious about. Her hands lightly traced her path along the wall…picking at pieces along the way. “I wouldn’t touch anything in this place”, Caius offered from behind her as he looked over the hallway once more, “It can’t be sanitary.” “I’m inclined to agree.” Rassy said slowly as he looked up and down the walls. “The door to the basement is locked, it’s too thick to knock down and requires a keycard. On this floor, there are only old offices that have long been ransacked for anything valuable. That means anything that is worth anything is in that basement and the people that put that door there knew it. So, where better to hide something then in something worthless?” “And this something worthless is ….wallpaper?” Caius asked sarcastically. “Maybe” Karaa said slightly distracted. She came to a stop in front of a wall that was relatively intact. She glanced down the hallway and saw the peeling wallpaper then glanced back to the one in front of her. While the yellow colored paper was still ripped, the bigger pieces were still attached to the wall. Karaa traced the rips with her fingertips. “Look at the other walls …the paper is falling off the walls. But here its still holding on.” “Just barely.” Caius chimed in sounding bored. “It could mean that they used a stronger adhesive here. Or, that this section was put up later that the others.” “I think both theories are a bit of a stretch.” Rassy commented examining the wall. Karaa began picking at the wallpaper gently peeling in back. “The floor below this one, the wallpaper litters the floor. Why would this one section still be holding on? And no where else in the building?” She felt along the inside of the paper for a raised bump or different texture. “Hmm” Karaa bit the edge of her lip. “Karaa, this is ridiculous. We are wasting time.” Rassy said. “If you have a better idea …” Karaa trailed off. Rassy shook his head and began to walk to the end of the hallway. Caius leaned against the side of the wall to Karaa’s left. “Kar, you know I’m all for fringe ideas but…I think it would be careless to leave a key card inside a piece of wallpaper.” Karaa smirked, “ A few years ago Danny and I were sent to investigate this merv… self proclaimed genius. He was supposedly working on a way to replicate the white hallway keys…but in such a way that you didn’t need keys or even a door. You could just touch a wall and be somewhere else. It was very “ Karaa raised her eyebrows and smirked at Caius, “fringe.” Karaa returned her focused back to the wall, “He had a similar setup to that basement door and he knew we were coming. So he chose to hide it ….in a place we wouldn’t even see…something so commonplace. “ “Bastard hid it behind the wallpaper.” Caius chuckled. “Yes but we didn’t figure that out until we had ripped most of the walls apart and the offices….” Karaa paused for a moment, “and the merv.” she added quietly. Caius looked at her stoically for a moment, seeing more than Karaa probably wanted him to see and then he glanced at the wall. Karaa sighed, “its not here.” She took a step back and looked the wall up and down. Caius pushed himself gracefully off the wall and leaned back slightly. Suddenly, with the speed and intensity of a coiled snake, he put his fist through the wall. His whole arm disappeared in the dry wall. Karaa jumped back and stared at him questionably. “You said that merv guy was a genius right?” Caius grunted as he pushed his arm farther into the hole his fist made. Karaa nodded blankly. “Well, whoever said the people we are dealing with now are THAT smart? Like a normal …non-eccentric person…they just hid it in the wall. “ Caius said as he pulled out what looked like an eye glass case. He tossed it to Karaa who caught it easily. She flipped the box open and inside was a clear keycard with green symbols along the sides. Caius smiled brushing debris off his arm and glanced over his shoulder at Rassy who was standing obliviously by the stairs. “If you want….we could tell him it was tapped to the wallpaper. You know, I love an “I told you so” as much as the next guy.” Karaa smirked as she snapped the glass case shut once again. “Ready for the basement?” “That sound like code for something dirty.” Caius waggled his eyebrows and Karaa rolled her eyes. “Lets go, Perv.” “How am I perv? I am simply a man.” *** “Found it.” Karaa announced to the group as she arrived at the basement door with Caius and Rassy. “How’d you manage that?” Asked Danny. Karaa raised her eyebrows and asked simply, “Remember kite? “ “It was on the wallpaper?” Danny asked incredulously. “Not exactly.” She hedged. “That’s why I’m here, I’m the 'not exactly part.'” Caius smiled easily and put his arm around Karaa’s shoulder. Danny turned his eyes on Caius and glared. “All right where’s the key?” Asked Pylat. Karaa tossed him the case. “Where are the others? “ Rassy asked nonchalantly. “Valaro, Ceege and Ang are still clearing the second floor. Apparently they found some old hard drives that are….interesting.” supplied EichDee “That’s strange, the whole third floor had been ransacked. Everything valuable had been taken. Doesn’t make sense that hard drives would be left around.” Karaa mused. Eichdee shrugged seemingly unconcerned. “Maybe they missed something.” Karaa doubted it…. scavengers don’t miss things worth anything. Why would only the third floor be ransacked? “I wonder what’s down there.” Eichdee wondered out loud. “We’ll find out soon enough.” Karaa said while Pylat swiped the card.
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Post by Karaa on Sept 19, 2011 16:56:31 GMT -8
Karaa followed Danny down the basement steps and found herself staring at the back of his head and the way his body moved. She inched closer to him as they reached the bottom of the staircase. Karaa was close enough now to smell him. Just barely though, over the distinct smell of the damp basement…. but it was there. The smell was uniquely him. She felt her throat begin to close up and she moved away before her body could betray her. The body, she once read, holds memories stronger than the brain…she didn’t believe that statement until this moment. Just then Danny looked over his shoulder at her. He stared at Karaa blankly for a moment before a somber smile touched his lips. His eyes spoke unknown words to her. They seemed to convey a deep despair…. or maybe it was desperation. Karaa shook her head and step ahead of him.
“Hmm, this doesn’t look like anything special.” Commented Ceege.
Karaa looked around the spacious room. Papers littered the floor along with broken chairs and a few pieces of what looked like a table. The room they were currently in branched off into other rooms that were blocked from view.
“Let’s take a look, shall we?” Caius muttered as he moved out further in the room. Karaa nodded, “Right…”
She walked into the adjacent room. It was in much the same state as the other room. Karaa walked over to the far wall where a picture of a woman hung. The woman’s face was slanted downwards but her eyes were looking outward…as if cursing the individual that dare paint her. Karaa examined the picture more closely and saw that the woman held something in her hands …the picture was torn so the object could not be seen but it almost looked like a person. There was a shoe depicted in the corner…that could belong to someone lying on the ground in her arms but the picture was beyond damaged so it was too hard to tell. Karaa’s eyes lingered on the woman…she looked angry at first glance, but after looking at it closer Karaa could see that the woman had tears on her cheeks…or it could be dirt Karaa thought mildly. But the woman’s eyes were hard, cold almost. As if she was beyond any emotion but the insanity shown in her eyes. Karaa sighed, there was a reason she never took art history in college, she always read too much into things. Karaa put both hands on either side of the painting and lifted it.
“Hmm, nothing behind you.” She flipped the painting over and on the back was a signature and a quote.
“For the noble heart, freedom is the dream but for the righteous spirit, freedom is a wretched reality. “
Karaa stared at the inscription on the back of the painting. The words seemed to echo in her mind.
“I think it means that…with freedom comes the responsibility of making hard decisions.”
She looked over her shoulder and saw Danny standing behind her.
“So basically life sucks and then you die. Universal truth passed down through the ages huh?”
Danny smiled softy but his voice was somber when he replied, ”yeah…then you die.”
A long silence followed that was filled with tension. Karaa could tell that Danny wanted to talk, however, she decided that he waited this long, a few more hours wouldn’t kill him. Karaa walked into the next room, trying not to focus on the sounds of his footsteps following her.
There was a data hard drive in the corner, “Bingo.”
Danny moved to her side, “Looks like it.” His voice was rough and not for the first time she wondered what could be going on in his mind.
Danny moved over to the hard drive and Karaa followed behind him, he looked over the machine while fishing for something out of his jacket pocket. Karaa turned around for a moment and yelled, “Found something!”
“Coming!” Karaa could hear EichDee shout from the other room. Karaa returned her attention to Danny just as he was bringing his hand up to the center of the hard drive. He paused for a moment and then said, “What the—Shit, Karaa get down!” He screamed the words so fast that they ran together but in the same second his body collided with hers and they both fell to the ground.
A second passed and then another, “Danny, what the---?” An explosion cut off the rest of Karaa’s exclamation. Danny’s arms tighten around her and his body pressed her harder against the floor.
Karaa’s mouth opened to scream but all that came out was a hiss of air as Danny’s full weight suppressed her diaphragm. His body completely covered hers and his smell surrounded her, memories fought for dominance in her head but she pushed them aside when the smell of smoke and something burning reached her nose.
Karaa’s ears were ringing as she heard more screams and the floor beneath shook more violently. More explosions? She thought wildly as more pieces of debris fell loudly on either side of them.
The heat was farther from her face now, “ Danny.” Karaa croaked and gently placed her hands on his body to try and relieve the pressure on her chest.
He didn’t respond right away, she could feel a breath of air blow past her ear as he slowly lifted himself away from her, “That hurt.” He said breathlessly.
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Post by Karaa on Jan 2, 2012 10:55:37 GMT -8
Danny rolled to Karaa’s left and leaned on his elbow as he looked done the length of his body, “That was close.” His voice was horse and barely above a whisper. It could have been the ringing in Karaa’s ears but she didn’t think that statement was meant for her.
“Talking to yourself? I don’t remember you being inclined to doing that.” She said sarcastically as she bought her hand up to put pressure of the ringing in her ears.
“Well, I picked it up from you. Didn’t you once say that it was a sign of intelligence?”
Karaa arched a delicate eyebrow, “Didn’t you tell me it was a sign of insanity?”
Danny smirked, “Yea I did, let’s hope you were right.”
Karaa pulled herself up and stood shakily on her two feet. The ringing in her ears began to ebb but her footing was another issue, her legs felt like Jell-O.
“I’m always right, I thought you would have remembered that,” Karaa said.
“Yeah, now that you mention it, that sounds familiar. You shouldn’t stand up right away.” Danny slowly got to his feet, admittedly a little shaky himself.
“Well, it seems the passage of time has affected your memory.” Karaa’s eyes flashed a little harder as she locked gazes with him.
Karaa walked pass Danny to take a look at the destroyed hard drive. “Damnit,” She muttered running a hand through her hair. It got tangled in the snarls before she could pull it very far. Karaa sighed and ripped her hand back to her side.
“I never forgot.” Danny’s voice seem loud in the small room.
Karaa froze for a second, before she recovered and started poking at smoking pieces of the hard drive. “What?”
“I never forgot a single moment with you. “
Karaa hazard a glance over her shoulder, Danny’s eyes were fierce.
“Karaa!” EichDee burst into the room. “Are you two ok? A whole back room collapsed. Pylat and me barely made it out alive. “
“We’re alright.” Karaa said.
“What the hell happened?” Pylat said as he emerged next to EichDee in the doorframe.
Karaa looked over at Danny, “ Hard drive was rigged. Danny pushed us back, good thing or we would be decorating the wall.”
“I was inspecting it for ware, to see if it was useable but when I looked at the back wiring, I saw a timer.” Danny added.
Pylat ran his hand down his face, “What the hell is going on? What was on that hard drive? Or is it that Thanatos likes to play games with us?”
Karaa shook her head not having an answer, at that moment Valaro pushed his way into the room, “Everyone alright?”
Karaa nodded once and others followed suit, to shaken up by Pylat's questions to say anything out loud.
“Good, cause you are not going to believe what we found on those extra hard drives upstairs. They link Thanatos to everything. I mean” Valaro paused for effect as he repeated, “everything.”
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Post by Karaa on Jun 19, 2012 10:10:53 GMT -8
The crews of the pride gathered in the meeting room aboard the Tiger, joined by Danny and Caius. The ship that Danny and Caius were using idled next to the Tiger.
She still could not believe that Danny was here, that she had spent hours with him when she thought she would never get another second.
“My skin is crawling.” Caius whispered under his breath, “I haven’t been on a Zion ship … by choice, in a while.”
Karaa shook her head and looked over at EichDee and Valaro who were getting ready to debrief everyone on what they had found on the hard drive.
Karaa hazarded a glance over at Danny he wasn’t too far away. His face was flat and expressionless as he waited for the meeting to start. Danny seemed to wear that mask often, at least, more often then she remembered. He had always worn his emotions on his sleeve and now…Karaa found it difficult to read him.
I was willing to do anything to get him back, Karaa thought to herself, would have done any mission, would have killed anyone, would have betrayed everything and here he stands, and I can’t bring myself to forgive him. She scoffed.
Caius looked over at her and raised an eyebrow in question.
“Just realized I’m a hypocrite.” Karaa muttered as she sighed and looked up at the pipe ceiling.
“We’re all hypocrites. Being human is a messy business.” Caius offered.
That was another issue. Caius. The one many call the chameleon. That was the nicer of the names. Others call him a selfish bastard; many call him the Benedict, The Betrayer. She looked over at Caius from underneath her eyelashes. Something about him, didn’t add up. Karaa sighed again, praying the meeting would start soon so she could be distracted from her own thoughts.
As if Valaro could some how read her mind he began, “Alright everyone listen up, the hard drive has information linking the recent attacks on our crew to Thanatos, Rassy’s kidnapping, Ceege and mine’s capture. There is more information we still have to go through, but this was a huge break for us. “
The whole room got quiet; they had everything they needed to prove Thanatos the bad buy. This was a big relief, however, there was one thing that bugged her.
“Why was it on the 2nd floor? Just lying there, when everything else had been ransacked? And the basement was fortified with a rigged explosive? What was on that basement hard drive? It doesn’t make sense.” Karaa said.
“It was too easy,” Pylat chimed in.
“Speak for yourself, it was under heavy guard. Plus, the code has been verified.” Valaro voice rose slightly.
“It could have been a diversion,” Danny offered, “make us think there was something important on the basement hard drive because it was so well protected, while leaving the really important information out in the open, hoping that we would disregard it, since it was not ransacked.” Danny looked over at Karaa, “like Kite and the key on the wallpaper.”
Karaa nodded slowly, still feeling slightly uneasy about this but agreeing with Danny. He was always able to get at the heart of things, cut through the bull and see the truth of the matter.
“We have to get Thanatos”, Ang said, “ It’s the only way we will get any semblance of peace around here. The guy has a stick up his ass about something.”
“Its me,” Danny said, “Thanatos and I, we have history. He is still aligned with the Cypherites, and I’ve been trying to stop him. He is using my old faction, to get to me. I’m sorry.” Danny bowed his head for a moment before looking up again to meet the eyes of each respective crewmember. His face was grim. When his eyes landed on Karaa, he looked away quickly.
“Even more reason to take him out,” EichDee said offering a weak smile. “We just need a plan.”
“Well, we have been trying to find the bugger for a while now. No luck. We don’t know where he is in the real. The only time we have ever been able to locate him, is in the matrix,” said Caius, his voice sounding tired.
“Then we jack in.” Said Valaro, his voice hard.
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Post by Karaa on Feb 26, 2013 14:15:38 GMT -8
((Song (just for the hell of it) : www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcfHcRL2lgQ --- Band of Horses - The Funeral)) ((Also mildy NSFW, there is kissing! You have all been warned! )) Everyone slowly filed out of the meeting room to return to their own ships or other tasks that needed to be addressed on the tiger before jacking back in. Karaa and Caius were the last ones to retreat from the meeting room. As she entered the hallway, Karaa saw Danny leaning against the wall, he straighten as they approached. Karaa paused awkwardly for a moment and looked over at Caius. His face was hard as he stared at Danny before returning her gaze with a knowing look, “Mending bridges?” Karaa smirked, “Trying to be less contrary,” she corrected. Caius nodded and looked back to Danny, “Well don’t stay up too late kids, we’re storming the castle tomorrow.” With that one last quip Caius disappeared around a corner, not looking back at the pair. “Hi.” Danny said after a moment. Karaa nodded, “Hey.” They both stood there for a moment in silence before Karaa sighed and decided it was time to man up, for a lack of a better word. “I thought you were Dead” Karaa paused taking a deep breath, “and it nearly killed me, Danny. I wanted it to, hungered for it. I wanted it all to be over so badly. I wanted…the pain to stop. But I had people that needed me, who depended on me so I fought. “ “Karaa.” Danny’s voice sounded tortured. “I fought and eventually the pain started to dull. The more I fought the more I thought, ‘I can do this.’ “ A single tear slipped down her cheek, “But I knew, I knew after hearing your voice on that damn cell phone.... I knew after seeing you on the rooftop... that I was lying to myself. How could I be all right? How could any of it make sense without you?” And then he was there, his arms surrounding her, crushing her to him. “Karaa, I am so sorry. I…after my ship was destroyed; I knew I had to do something. I had to finish it; I had to protect what I cared about. Karaa, I love you. You have to know that. “ Karaa balled her fists in his shirt. He was here. He was real. Karaa felt his hands rest on the sides of her face as he pulled back a few inches. Danny looked in her eyes, as if searching for something, then he leaned in slowly giving her a chance to push him away but she didn’t. Karaa found she couldn’t stop him; she wouldn’t be able to stop wanting this. His lips softly pressed against hers and when she didn’t pull away, he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding between her lips to touch her own. She felt her back hit the wall roughly as the kiss became more urgent. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Karaa realized that this man that she now held in her arms, the man she was pulling closer, holding tighter, was no longer the man she loved, was no longer the one she had mourned for. Danny had changed. She could tell by the way he carried himself, the way he spoke to others, and the way he looked at her. Karaa heard his breath hitch as he pulled away from her and rested his forehead against hers. His breath fanned over her face, “ I missed you, Karaa.” In that moment she decided she didn’t care. In this moment, it was enough that he was here, that she held him close. In that moment, she decided everything else was meaningless.
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Post by Skyscream on Mar 12, 2013 12:02:17 GMT -8
((I like the music thing, because I like music. Alabama 3 - Woke up this morning www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC7HrC027pk )) She woke up screaming in pure anger with cold sweat making life sticky and the tears in her sleepy eyes making it sad. Her breath came in short gasps as she slowly began to realize where she was. Slowly, with shaky hands, she set the knife in her hands on the makeshift metal nightstand she had insisted on when they built this ship. Her cabin was spacious but still cluttered with odds and ends of unidentifiable projects she had been working on. Most importantly her cabin in the heart of her hovercraft was one of the few places in the world she felt a little bit safe. "Nightmares Sky?" A warm deep voice intoned over the speakers that were in every room in the hovercraft. There wasn't another ship like the Format C in Zion. Only somebody insane would trust a program to be a hovercraft operator was the most common opinion in Zion. "No my friend. Memories." Her breathing slowly levelled out. She was tired. Tired of the wars. Tired of the betrayals. Just tired. She lay back down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. "Is there anything I can do?" The voice was filled with genuine concern. "No Format." Skyscream smiled a little. "But thanks for asking." She slowly rolled off her bed to her feet and lazily stretched. There was nothing soft about her. Over six feet of hard muscle and sharp edges. Joints cracked as she slowly worked out the kinks in her body. With a deep breath and exhale she turned to gather her clothes. As she slipped into them she stared at the wall opposite her bed. It was covered in names. With practiced ease she was dressed in mere moments and bowed ritually to the wall of names before stepping out into the corridor. It was quiet. Nobody running back and forth going about business. Not like it used to be. The few crew left were all sleeping peacefully under the watchfull eye of the Format C guarding them. Skyscream wiped the sleep out of her eyes as she walked the few steps down the corridor to the bridge. The view was ... boring. There were a limited amount of tunnels a ship the size of the Format C could fit down. It was built for the surface on the frame of on old hoverbarge and as a result quite large. A fat ass tug boat according to some Ziontes who fancied themselves as hot shot pilots. Skyscream could swear she had seen this exact same view a million times. With a sigh she plopped down into the captains chair and put her feet up on the bank of monitors. "Seriously? Feet on my monitors?" Format complained teasingly over the speakers. "Yep." Skyscream didn't smile this time. Something was bothering her. There was a reason the memories were visiting her again. Some people didn't believe in premonitions but whenever Skyscream had those dreams of old betrayals, death, and loss there was something wrong in the universe that was about to affect those she cared about. "Anything on the scanners Format?" "Um.." A pause before he spoke again. "I have a few things in range. Mostly zionites. One known machinist." "Hmm. Any alerts from the Believers or the Alliance?" Skyscream fiddled with the arm of her chair as if she were checking to see if it was coming loose. "Nothing in the in-box." His voice left no doubt that if he were standing in front of Skycream, Format would have shrugged. "Any of those nearby ships someone we know?" Skyscream looked up from the arm of her chair for a moment to look outside. "I think I may have some of the Pride ships but they are to far out of range to tell." Format seemed distracted, as if he were trying to peer into the distance. "See if you can get them on the radio." Skyscream continued to stare out into the dark tunnel as her hand reached up to scratch what looked like a very old scar, partially obscured by the collar of the loose fitting shirt she wore, that looked as if something had punched right through her long ago. "Something isn't right." "Another gut feeling thing?" Format asked matter of factly. "Yeah." Skyscream was the one who was distracted this time as she peered into the darkness of the tunnel. "You could say that." "Great." Sarcasm dripped from the voice of the ship. "Just what we need. Another war." "It might not be." Skyscream sighed. "Just hail those ships you think might be Pride. They might have heard something." Skyscream could distinctly hear Format grumbling under his digital breath about how it ain't easy being soldiers in Morpheus's cause to guard the gates of zion. That brought a smile to her face. "You're talking to yourself again Format." Skyscream chuckled a little. "Sorry. Hailing those ships on the Alliance frequency." The hovercraft Format C was all business again. "If they're Pride, they'll respond."
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Post by Karaa on Mar 17, 2013 14:29:00 GMT -8
((song: Florence and the Machine - Seven Devils - www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjIwKzBg0aI&list=PL9837B0DF4DAEB4EA&index=8 )) ((note: if the dream scene sounds familiar, its because I took parts from the post about Karaa's previous dream. I wanted it to be very similar, just in case people were curious.)) Karaa stumbled into the room and froze. The room. The sight before her eyes shattered her to the core. She would never recover from this; her soul was ripping itself apart. The room was covered in blood; it dripped from the walls and bubbled up from the carpet. The room had no windows; the only entry points were the door she ungracefully broke through and an elevator at the far end of the room. In the center of the room were her beloved crewmates, on the floor…covered in blood….motionless. Her breath came out in a strangled sob, which she tried to choke back with no success. Their bodies were forming a circle around a man who had his back to her. Not again, her soul screamed, but the bodies were there.... strewn across the floor, bloody carcasses that barely resembled her comrades. Karaa choked back a sob and looked up from their bloody and broken bodies, to the man that stood amidst the carnage. She already knew who she would see. Karaa had been here before. "Danny" her voice broke under the weight of the emotion, "why?" When he didn't turn right away, she screamed, "why?" Grief, anger, confusion, denial, and betrayal flashed across her face in a mask of anguish. Her legs could no longer hold her; she collapsed to her knees, the blood swirled around her… soaking her legs and jacket. Karaa’s breathing was uneven and sporadic. She couldn’t control it, her chest heaved with the effort and her mind screamed in denial. Everything was happening again the same as before. “Karaa, you need to save them.” He stated firmly. The blood dripped from his hair down his face. His face was serious and pained. Tears fell down his face making white streaks through his blood stained face, “ Karaa, please don’t let me go. Please don’t let me go.” His voice broke on the last word. Karaa could feel the silent tears slide down her face. Danny moved closer and reached out his hand, blood oozed from his arm dripping to the floor Danny closed the distance between them and stroked the side of her face, the blood red liquid streamed from his fingers and down the side of her cheek until it soaked her shirt. "Our path is difficult." Karaa looked into his eyes and his words seemed to resonate in her very being, "we are the only ones strong enough to walk the line.” Then Karaa heard it, the thick squish of someone stepping into the room. Her brain tried to push this information to the surface, this person coming towards them was important, but why? Death.The person bought death with them. Karaa shot up from her kneeled position gun drawn and she hesitated before pulling the trigger, her eyes wide in shock. Shots rang out and the man she loved fell to the ground. "No!" Karaa felt her strength drain, just as the blood left her lover's body. Danny’s eyes grew wide and then he fell to his knees, only then could Karaa move. She grabbed him as he fell forward and held him tightly. She couldn’t see where the bullet had hit him, his clothes were already soaked in blood. “Karaa, you have to save them. You have to help me save them.” “From what?” She cried, “Please, don’t let me go. Karaa, don’t…” His breath rasped in his chest and then in came out in a slow hiss. Karaa felt everything stop, her breathing, her thinking…her heart. Everything stopped and then she heard the sickening squish of foot steps moving through the blood that swirled in quick small circles around the room. Karaa’s grip on Danny tighten bringing him closer. I couldn’t stop it. Again and again. It ended the same. Then Karaa felt the cold end of a gun press against her temple, almost like a gentle caress. “I’m sorry.” The voice was rough with emotion. The voice a friend, a comrade. They squeezed the trigger and karaa could feel the blinding pain of the bullet tarring through her skull. Her eyes shot open and were assaulted with the conflicting image of pipes running along the ceiling. Karaa shut her eyes tight and bit her lip to keep from screaming. Again, the same fucking dream. Then all the sudden she realized where she was, but more importantly with who. Karaa slowly turned her head to find Danny sound asleep beside her, the weight on her chest that she initially thought was remnants of the dream was from his arm draped over her. Karaa closed her eyes tight again, as the image settled in her brain. Everyone was alive. Danny was alive. Karaa bought her hand up to his face and rested her forehead against his. He was alive.
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