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Post by Sandy Bell on Sept 8, 2016 21:52:27 GMT
Wild-eyed and sweating profusely, Sandy Bell jerked her Piper assault rifle from side-to-side as she queried her EGO psyche, "Is that a sharkadile?" "No Captain," Answered Sarge calmly through the telepathic link they shared, "That is a log." Hearing the wind and a rustle of leaves above her head, Sandy's white rimmed blue eyes darted upwards, pointing her weapon there as well, asking Sarge, "Is that a manbat in the shadows of the tree above me?" "It's merely a breeze through the leaves, Captain," Remarked Sarge, wondering about the wisdom of Commander Atticus Batman's decision of putting Sandy on point with her lover, Volodja Uljanov, as the Protectors' team moved towards the DLZ. "I've got to tell him," Said Sandy suddenly to her EGO psyche. "Tell who what?" Asked Sarge, raising his virtual eyebrows as he monitored her blood pressure as it heightened to stroke levels and he forwarded his findings to both Volodja's and Atticus' EGOs. "I've got to tell Volodja I'm leaving him," Replied Sandy in a sad tone, her heart beating even faster. "W-W-why?" Questioned Sarge clearly taken aback, adding, "And why now?" "Because I'm going to get him killed just like I got Sargent Rocke and the rest of them killed," Muttered Sandy unconsciously out loud, "They ALWAYS try to protect me, and I get them killed!" Her mind unfocused on where she was going, Sandy tripped and fell on an exposed root and falling backwards into mud, striving to stand up with the heavy backpack on her back. Struggling like a turtle on its back, she could not upright herself no matter how hard she tried until Volodja rushed up and helped her to her feet, despite her attempts to wave him off. Once she had regained her balance, she shrugged off his steadying hands on her shoulders. "You have to STOP," Demanded Sandy stridently, her heart beating like a jackhammer, "You keep trying to help me and I'm going to get you KILLED! Just... just leave me alone," Tears began to well in her big blue eyes as she intently stared into his brown ones, "I-I-I never loved you! I...never..." Sandy fell into Volodja's strong arms, breaking into tears as she dropped her assault rifle into the mud, hugging him tightly as she weeped into his shoulder whispering between sobs, "I DO love you, but I'm going to get you fucking killed if you stay with me! You HAVE to leave me! You HAVE to!"  |
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Post by Volodja Uljanov on Sept 9, 2016 16:14:51 GMT
Volodja Uljanov closed weeping Sandy into his embrace, saying with serious look in his brown eyes: "I could try to pull my skills together and try to convince you that:
...but we both have seen the other face of the God of War. The one which isn't full of fancy uniforms, well choreographed parades and military marches, but full of hot metal, explosions and screams of wounded and dying. The war where pale greenhorns, still wet behind the ears get hit right away when they arrive to the front and manage to scream only "Mama!" before soaking ground with their blood. The heavy bombing and that feeling when you discovered that those planes which bombed us were OUR damned planes, because pilots made a mistake and released bomb hatches couple of minutes too soon. And much much more.
I'd personally would prefer my studies to courage under fire, but I was still fighting in the front-line...or behind it most of the time. I happen to know how it looks like behind enemy lines than about my side. But I saw enough. Sometimes I almost got killed in action. And lot of other men got killed, wounded or barely avoided getting killed. But still most of men didn't desert, no matter what was thrown at them.
They acted so not because some high ranked butcher wanted them. Or because they wanted to be heroes. No! They stayed because of their comrades. I remember an occasion when field medics went back for a guy who had bullet in his stomach and kept calling for help. First one got sniped right away, because couple of enemy sharpshooter were nearby and waited that opportunity. The other medic ended up just like the first one. Only the third managed to bring the wounded back, but by that time that guy was already dead too. Those medics did what they did because helping one of their own was their duty.
But helping you is not only my duty as a fellow officer and a self proclaimed gentleman. I love you, Sandy. So much...That makes helping you my duty as a man too. And not only my duty but also my privilege and pleasure. Even if you think that staying with you could be a threat to my life, I refuse to desert. Without you there won't be any life for me anyway, so I'd rather prefer to face dangers by your side...or few feet behind you to enjoy the view of your beautiful back side along the way.
Besides - I do believe that I still have something to say when someone tries to wipe me off from the ground of Earth. Even if that someone doesn't care about my opinion or dares to say that it's against of rules of survival. Or something similar. And there is lot more than everlasting fights. We had a taste of peace and beauty sometimes too...There must be more of that and we can find it together....I do wish that I had more beautiful and poetic words to convince you...Maybe this deed speaks more than my words can..."
Volodja became quiet and just stood there, holding Sandy between his arms and letting hear tears steep the fabric of his khakis. He sunk his face into the clump of Sandy's blonde hair and kissed her head gently and yet firmly, refusing to let her go.
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Post by Vo Kshaa on Sept 9, 2016 20:31:33 GMT
As Volodja and Sandy took the point and Atticus took the rear guard, Vo found himself next to Dr. Todt, deciding for himself he would be the one to protect their noncombatant companion. It was fine by him, so with his Breacher shotgun on the ready he was scanning and listening to the jungle around him for any dangers. It was all fine until he felt something was wrong. Someone was following them. He started to develop that eerie feeling of someone staring a t them and from time to time their footsteps were echoing strangely as if someone outside of their group was trying to synchronize with their steps to hide the sound of them. Although every time he glanced around he could not spot anything suspicious, the feeling just could not go away. Sandy seemed to get that feeling too as she jerked her rifle from side to side in her search for danger. Vo was focused on scanning the environment so the moment when Sandy tripped and fell was unexpected for him. His first urge was to rush and help her but he calmed himself down as he remembered that his main goal was to protect Dr. Todt and he was sure Volodja would do his best to provide whatever help Sandy was in need of. Indeed, Volodja was next to Sandy just a moment after, helping her to stand upright and Vo felt relieved when Shirra reported that Sandy was uninjured. Vo let Sandy and Volodja talk to each other, as he took the position in front of them ushering Todt to stay behind his back. While waiting for Volodja and Sandy to report they are ready to go, he kept scanning the environment as the eerie feeling of being watched returned to him. "Wait," he said finally as he raised his hand to signal others to notice. "Quiet." He stood silent as his enhanced hearing scanned through the various sounds of the jungle trying to determine something that might signal of danger but heard nothing special. He kept standing in place until in the corner of his eyes he noticed some movement. He quickly turned his head and for a moment he thought he noticed an animal which looked like a big cat. But he could not focus at it as it disappeared right away. Vo thought of making a shot in the air to scare it away further, but remembered about the pact they had with the Viral creature, so he just stayed silent some more until he made sure the animal was not going to return.  The feeling of being watched disappeared so he waved his hand again, signaling it was safe to continue on their way.
She felt angry. First, her hunt was broken by a loud voice in her head. She remembered that voice. It belonged to the creature that some time before tried to scare her away with a strange glowing stick which was hot and cold at the same time. Not that she was scared too much but she tended to stay away from something she didn't know. The voice in her head was definitely not a common occurrence and the fact he could not stay away from it made her nervous to the point she lost her concentration and growled, scaring her prey away just a second before she was ready to attack. Being not ready to give away her food so easily she gave it chase, but the chase ended up in the area she tended to stay away from too. Her victim ended up hiding at the territory of those bipedal creatures which looked rather weak but was smart enough to have different means to defend themselves each time she tried to attack them. This time the bipedal creature was alone and it was even more careless while it was drinking from the pool than her previous prey was. But the smell that her nostrils caught in the wing made her lick her paw again. The bipedal creature was female and it was pregnant. It meant there was no food for her there, although she might try to wait for other creatures to come to drink and she might even get lucky to find someone else of them alone too. She was patient and she waited. Creatures were coming and going until they gathered together and went out of their cave. She followed thinking she might still get lucky to see one of them fall behind especially with the heavy weight they were carrying.
She started to feel her luck was not with her today when she noticed that at least two of the creatures had outstanding senses and kept reacting at her regardless of how quiet and invisible she tried to be. First one was at the back of the flock, and the second one was in the middle. They both almost spotted her several times and she decided to circle around the group to meet them from the front. This way she might stay away from those with outstanding senses long enough to start her attack on those who were leading the flock. To her dismay, once she thought he took the position she liked, the pregnant female tripped and fell with others gathering around her, but the worst thing was that exact individual who almost spotted her several times was now standing in front of the group looking her way.
A strange feeling suddenly rose in her mind. Despite her knowledge that those creatures were incredibly hostile and dangerous she suddenly felt they could be friends and she could easily come close to them and get nothing but a friendly scratch of her ears. She shook her head as she definitely knew she shouldn't have felt like that. The movement made the one in the middle look straight at her which meant she was in for a fight. Suddenly she heard a voice in her head again. This time it was soft and pleasant and although she couldn't discern any words, she could understand it was pleading her to leave those alone and go away. Before she could even understand what happened, she was running away. The hunt failed, but she was still alive and it was all that mattered. But she still was hungry, so she jumped at the first thing she saw moving. It was a snake. She quickly broke the serpent's neck with her fangs and drank its blood. It wasn't the best dinner she could have, but given her luck today she was thankful for that one. After she finished her meal, she yawned, showing her row of sharp fangs and teeth and thought she could have a couple of hours of sleep. She climbed the nearest sturdy tree and hugged one of its thick branches, as the rocking tree lulled her to sleep. |
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Post by Atticus Batman on Sept 10, 2016 10:39:26 GMT
As Volodja and Sandy took the point and I took the rear guard, Vo found himself next to Dr. Todt, deciding for himself he would be the one to protect their noncombatant companion. It was fine by him, so with his Breacher shotgun on the ready he was scanning and listening to the jungle around him for any dangers. It was all fine until he felt something was wrong. Someone was following them. He started to develop that eerie feeling of someone staring at them and from time to time their footsteps were echoing strangely as if someone outside of their group was trying to synchronize with their steps to hide the sound of them. Although every time he glanced around he could not spot anything suspicious, the feeling just could not go away.
I had sensed that we had been followed since we had left the compound, but whatever it was managed to keep it's distance and stay out of sight. However I noticed that ahead of me that Vo was starting to feel the same way and it seemed Sandy got that feeling too as she jerked her rifle from side to side in her search for danger. Vo was focused on scanning the environment so the moment when Sandy tripped and fell was unexpected for him. His first urge was to rush and help her but he calmed himself down as he remembered that his main goal was to protect Dr. Todt and he was sure Volodja would do his best to provide whatever help Sandy was in need of. Indeed, Volodja was next to Sandy just a moment after, helping her to stand upright and Vo felt relieved when Shirra reported that Sandy was uninjured. Vo let Sandy and Volodja talk to each other, as he took the position in front of them ushering Todt to stay behind his back. While waiting for Volodja and Sandy to report they are ready to go, he kept scanning the environment as the eerie feeling of being watched returned to him.
"Wait," he said finally as he raised his hand to signal others to notice. "Quiet."
I gave a kurt nod as I Scanned the area with my enhanced tracking and hunting abilities and senses yet again. Vo stood silent as his enhanced hearing scanned through the various sounds of the jungle trying to determine something that might signal of danger but heard nothing special. He kept standing in place until in the corner of his eyes he noticed some movement. He quickly turned his head and for a moment he thought he noticed an animal which looked like a big cat. But he could not focus at it as it disappeared right away. Vo thought of making a shot in the air to scare it away further, but remembered about the pact they had with the Viral creature, so he just stayed silent some more until he made sure the animal was not going to return. I did manage to see a clear glimpse of the big cat as it retreated, but I saw no reason to pursue it as it was probably just looking for an easy meal that it wouldn't find with us around. Besides I had the odd sensation that it could sense that I would only give the order to attack it if it attacked first, otherwise I would let the creature live in peace.
My mind lingered for a few seconds on those odd feelings as I watched the area where I had seen the creature disappear. Then I glanced back towards Vo and noticed that the feeling of being watched had obviously disappeared in Vo as well for he waved his hand again, signaling it was safe to continue on our way. I nodded and then quietly signaled the others to take a defensive position around the group while we gave Volodja and Sandy a tiny moment to finish their private little discussion and get back onto their feet so we could continue, as the Riot wasn't much farther ahead.
As Taffer and Attila left the Riot, Attila couldn't help but wonder if Lu would be alright as he was the one that had been by her side since Taffer escorted her back onto the Riot and put her on the cot. So Attila was the one that had witnessed how Lu had been acting and it had him worried about the babe. However even though her actions had him uneasy about trusting her at the moment he really wanted to and wanted her to trust him. So he kept his feelings to himself as he Accompanied Taffer to work on digging a tunnel to the buried emitter.
Meanwhile on the Riot, Atika could notice a group of friendly targets on her radar. She also could notice Lu also turned her head towards where they were coming from, although her radar was not active at the moment and her EGO was still disabled. Surprisingly, Lu seemed to be not happy to see them, as she stared at their direction and moaned repeatedly "No, No, go away, go away, go away!"
As Atika witnessed that, she considered sending Taffer an EGO message to report Lu's odd behavior. However she decided against it for now as she turned to look at Lu. Then she gave Lu a friendly smile as she asked, "What's wrong Lu? Why do you want our friends to go away? Am I missing something? Just tell me what I missed or what is wrong so I can help." |
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Post by Lady Christianna on Sept 10, 2016 15:14:10 GMT
"Wait," Vo Kshaa said finally as he raised his hand to signal others to notice. "Quiet." Atticus Batman gave a curt nod as he Scanned the area with his enhanced tracking and hunting abilities and senses yet again. Looking in the direction that the two men did, Lady Christianna spotted the big cat retreating into the jungle as Lady turned to will-of-the-wisp density, her Crime fighter shotgun in hand, whispering to her husband, "On it," as she blurred forward following the beast into the brush; at least she would swear she told him, but in retrospect she would have second thoughts as to whether she had or just thought to herself thinking she was speaking out loud. Lady wondered sometimes if being insubstantial most of the time affected her thinking processes, but always came to the conclusion that it didn't: Lady was thoughtful but also impulsive and chose to live in the moment, operating on whatever information she had at that moment! At this particular moment, Lady was focused on her target, following it by sight as she raced through the jungle, invigorated by the chase. Lady was also gratified that her power encompassed the heavily laden backpack she was wearing, so that when she went into ghost mode, it weighted next to nothing. Lady kept the creature in sight, relying on her powers and available cover to keep the big cat from detecting her. Finally she saw the beast settle in a big tree, falling fast asleep. Lady's enigmatic smile grew bigger as a mischievous glint appeared in her big pink eyes. Slinging her shotgun but staying insubstantial, she crept up and floated up to where the big cat lay resting. Lady tentatively reached out, willing her right hand to become substantial, and stroked the creature gently behind it's left ear until it uttered a soft purr.  |
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Post by Sandy Bell on Sept 10, 2016 15:56:13 GMT
Volodja Uljanov became quiet and just stood there, holding Sandy Bell between his arms and letting her tears steep the fabric of his khakis. He sunk his face into the clump of Sandy's blonde hair and kissed her head gently and yet firmly, refusing to let her go. Finally, Sandy broke the embrace, pushing herself gently away from him and wiping away the tears in her blue eyes. Sandy bent over, picking her Piper assault rifle from the muddy ground, before replying to him with a sigh, "Volodja, I love you more than life itself, but we've got a job to do right now; to get our team back home safely. That said, I'm so... so... afraid I'm going to get you or our friends or anybody killed because everybody keeps trying to fucking save me. I'm not some sort of Pauline always in damn peril and needing to be saved - and if I am, and I might be, then you all have to leave me to my fate; for otherwise, I'm just going to get you killed like I have so many others." Sandy took out a cloth, cleaning the clinging mud off her assault rifle before renewing her position on point, but looking around at their team beforehand, then asking with a perplexed look on her pretty tan face, "Where's Lady?"  |
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Post by Lena Marr on Sept 10, 2016 16:24:30 GMT
Lena Marr walked in the jungle towards the DLZ with the Protector's team and the civilians, noting the action around her but unalarmed by it, sure that her lover Marcel Lestrange would protect her and lost in her own thoughts, thinking, "Dr. T is awfully quiet. I don't see any of his pet leeches with all this equipment of his we're carrying. I wonder if he found Abbie's body after I snuck in and poured the shaker of salt I swiped from the kitchen on her?" Lena flashed a wicked smile at her lover, grabbing his tan one with her chalk white one and giving it a squeezed but not releasing it afterwards, thinking, "Now if I can just think of a way to stop the Protectors from saving the day. I have the virus data in my pocket, I have the virus cure in my tummy, now all I have to do is make sure that the virus gets released and creates worldwide devastation and then Marcel and I will be rolling in scrip!" Still smiling, Lena turned to Marcel and said cheerfully, "You know, since this Votan killing virus grew from the Storm Divide virus in me, everybody should name the virus after me! Maybe Lena's Lethal Lethargy, or the Marr-velous Bug? What do you think Pooh Bear?" "What am I going to do with Lena?" Thought Lena's EGO psyche, Hope, adding, "I sure hope I think of something!"  |
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Post by Marcel Lestrange on Sept 11, 2016 6:35:05 GMT
"Hic!"
That was rather unusual sound for the jungle. Jungle has it's own natural voices - whisper of the wind, sough of falling raindrops, screams and roars of animals, but hiccups of the jungle were something new. Even drunken trees are usually quiet and if they had to make sound, it would be ordinary frou-frou, cause by the movement of their leafy skirts. Hiccups are usually reserved for humans.
"Hic!"
To avoid keeping you in the dark, we are willing to reveal that those hiccups belonged to Eugen - Doctor Todt's bat keeper who carried the cooler which contained leeches and used the opportunity when everybody's glances were concentrated to the senior member of the original cast of Euthanasius's Island - Doctor Todt alias the Brain - and got himself nicely drunk from his hidden liqueur bottle.
"Hic!"
That sound made Doctor Euthanasius turn his bulgy eyes towards Eugen and state: "I remember warning you to stay away from the bottle during this most important evacuation mission. Are my precious little leeches all right?"
"Hic! I mean that I will check it right away, Sir Hic!"
Eugene pulled the lid of the cooler open and glanced inside without cancelling his movement.
"Eugen! How many times I have told that you should stop before...Watch out for that tree!"
"What tree, Sir? This one?" asked Eugen and nearly avoided collision. Unfortunately one of his feet got stuck behind the tree root and after yelling: "Ouch!" Eugen landed into the mud pouring contains of the cooler all over the muddy ground.
"EUGEN! What have you done!!!" said Euthanasius painfully. "Cecil! Parzival! Wendsleydale! Queen Anne! All my leeches! All of them! Just pick them up! Fast! Before they are gone!"
Eugene lifted his muddy face up from the ground. One of Euthanasius's leeches already used the chance and sucked itself to Eugen's face, dangling there as Eugen had suddenly grown dark and shimmering moustache. But only one moustache. Other side of his face was just muddy.
"Percy, you bad boy!" screamed Euthanasius. "Come to your home now." He snapped Percy with his strong fingers and tossed back into the cooler. "Catch the others before they escape!" Euthanasius ordered. Eugen's hands were already plundering the mud. Every once in a while he dropped another leech back into the cooler. Euthanasius knelt by his side and joined the search, throwing a remark over his shoulder: "Help us out, people! Every leech counts! Especially Abbie! Where is Abbie?!"
"I believe, hic, that we have lost her, Sir!" reported Eugen who was still gathering leeches. "I didn't had a heart to tell you, Sir, but there was a tragic salt shaker accident..."
"That gives us a setback indeed!" remarked Euthanasius who became unnaturally calm after hearing about their loss. "But the glass is half full. Isn't it? This is not the drop that spilled the cup. We just have to start all over, no matter how much time it will take. Right?"
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Post by Atticus Batman on Sept 11, 2016 12:04:30 GMT
Looking in the direction that the two men did, Lady Christianna spotted the big cat retreating into the jungle as Lady turned to will-of-the-wisp density, her Crime fighter shotgun in hand, whispering to her husband, "On it," as she blurred forward following the beast into the brush; at least she would swear she told him, but in retrospect she would have second thoughts as to whether she had or just thought to herself thinking she was speaking out loud.
I heard Lady whisper, "on it." Then she took of before I could respond. Then as I looked in the direction she would be heading, I heard Sandy asking with a perplexed look on her pretty tan face, "Where's Lady?"
I looked back at Sandy and said vexedly, "She daking went after whatever cat creature was following us. It's all my daking fault! I am still not completely used to the fact that I share a hive-mind with my Grid, cloth including the piece in Lady's locket or the fact that Lady can sense some of my thoughts or at least feelings through her mental connection with both me and that Grid piece! As such she may have sensed or at least felt what I was thinking about the cat creature....I am afraid I was wondering if I should follow the creature to make sure it wasn't a threat....Actually part of me also thought the cat looked like it just wanted a pat on the head like my lizard Caraid sometimes wants! Obviously Lady must have sensed one of those thoughts or feelings because she said she was on it and then took of after the cat...."
Just then I heard the commotion that Doctor Todt and his assistant were making, so I glanced at them with annoyance for a second. Then I turned back to Sandy and said, worried that my odd thoughts and feelings may get my wife injured or worse, "Dak! I better go find her! All of you help the Doctor as quickly as you can and then get everybody to the Riot! Lady and I will join you as soon as she is done with her little adventure and I meet back up with her!"
Then without waiting for a reply, I followed the few muddy footprints of Lady's that I could see back into the forest, and began tracking her and the cat creature. As I got to where I could sense her and the cat, I cloaked. As I stepped out of some brush and approached some tall and sturdy nearby trees, my EGO could detect both Lady and the now sleeping cat up one of the sturdier treed. So I looked up towards the top of the tree that my EGO psyche, Dinara, could detect them in.
Although I could only make out the sleeping form of the cat high above, I knew that Lady was there too and Dinara said that from her scans that Lady appeared to be alright. So I stepped back into the thick brush that I had come through and then back a little further so the cat wouldn't detect me but just in the range of my EGO. That way I could detect if Lady was in trouble and be there right away if needed.
However I DO completely trust my adventurous wife to know what she is doing....after all she did ignore the warnings that EVERYBODY gave her about me and instead fell in love with AND agreed to marry me, thus making me the luckiest man alive. So I patiently waited deep in the brush for Lady to come back down safely. That way I could kiss my daring and darling wife and remind her of how much I love her and am proud of her. After which we would start our return trip to the Riot hand-in-hand, while she told me about her "close encounter of the furred kind", in her own minimalist way.
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Post by Luuzuk Kshaa on Sept 11, 2016 21:43:37 GMT
"What's wrong Lu? Why do you want our friends to go away? Am I missing something? Just tell me what I missed or what is wrong so I can help." Lu stared back at Atika, trying to process what's been said. She wanted to make up some appropriate explanation but found out she wasn't able to. But even if she could she knew she wouldn't to her teammate and friend. She sighed as she started to tell what she thought might be an end to her career with Protectors. "I wasn't saying it to our friends," she said, "It was for… Well, does our tribe have a legend that someone can share their consciousness with an animal or some other creature? I know it sounds crazy but that's how I feel the whole time after we landed on this island. I felt like I live here for a long time, like I know every nook and cranny on this island. I've even seen myself drinking rainwater from palm leaves and hunting down some vermin." She pulled out her sketch board again and showed her crudely drawn pictures to Atika.  "This is how I felt I look like," she continued, "Just a minute before I saw myself following our friends and deciding who of would be a better prey! I've tried concentrate on a thought that I need to stop the attack and go away no matter how hungry I feel, and you know what, I think I've succeeded! But… what if all of it is just in my head and I'm losing my mind? What if it was really me who wanted to kill my friends? What if I lose control over myself finally?"
It was a bad dream. She could not discern what was going on around her as images she saw were vague, but she could clearly get the feelings: fear, uncertainty and despair. She could not remember she ever felt like that before, and the fact she could not see the cause of those feelings made those even more depressing. No wonder she was glad when someone woke her up by stroking her gently behind her left ear. She even found herself softly purring when she finally opened her eyes to see who was that creature touching her ear. A sweet sense of recognition sparked in her mind as she saw the silhouette hanging in mid-air next to her although at the same time she was sure she had never seen it before.  Although she recognized the creature as friendly and the stroke was really pleasant, she stretched her paws and yawned, showing off her sharp claws and fangs just in case the creature might have any bad ideas. |
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Post by Lady Christianna on Sept 12, 2016 1:40:47 GMT
Lady Christianna smiled her Mona Lisa smile as the cat creature stretched, bearing it's claws and teeth as it did, but she continued to scratch it behind its left ear, then leaned forward, her small alabaster nose touched its broad ebony one. Although she made her hand and nose substantial enough to be felt, she was not foolish enough to become completely so; for although she was adventurous, she knew it best to take precautions in case the beast became violent or extremely hungry, for even Lady at her young age recognized that it was a wild beast and not a domestic pet cat. Suddenly Lady sensed her husband, Atticus Batman down below her, so she put a chalk white forefinger to her thin lips as her pink eyes stared deeply into the creature's red ones, sensing somehow that it understood the gesture, or maybe just hoping so hard she felt it did.
Lady then floated down from the tree, appearing like some magical fairy, then hovered over to where Atticus was hidden, alighting and becoming substantial as she asked, "Mad?"
Atticus just nodded his head no, then picked her up from the ground with his huge hands, suspending her from the ground as he gave her a long and lingering kiss before they left hand-in-hand to follow the others to their airship, as he asked along the way, "Enjoy your close encounter of the furred kind?"
"Awesome," Answered Lady happily, not saying anything else although her enigmatic smile seemed less so to Atticus.
*****
Meanwhile, Sandy Bell ramrodded the civilian scientists towards that selfsame airship, saying, "The leeches you found will have to do, as the others are gone and we need to go too," Then turned to the remaining Protectors, ordering, "Vo and I will stay on point; Voladja, you and Private Perkins guard the rear, with Marcel and Lena staying with the scientists. Vo, I know you were doing an excellent job guarding our guests, but I need someone with your sixth sense for danger looking ahead of us."
Sandy left unspoken her desire to keep her lover, Volodja Uljanov, at more than arm's distance away for her, for she was dead certain she would get him killed as he tried to protect her if he was anywhere near her if they were attacked. As she led the way, she uttered a deep sigh of relief when she spotted the Riot in the distance. Keeping silent in case any enemies were near, she gestured toward the aircraft and signaled the others forward to follow her towards its cargo door.
*****
Lena Marr was gleeful when Sandy assigned her and her lover, Marcel Lestrange, to guard the two scientists, thinking there might be an opportunity to kill the brilliant Dr. Todt, so that the possibility of another cure to the Votan killing virus being developed other than hers would dwindle to nil. She could smell the alcohol on the breadth of his dimwitted assistant, and knew that without Dr. Todt there would be no alternative antidote to the virus, certainly not from that inept drunkard. However, her hopes were dashed when Sandy signaled that the Riot was near, although Lena cheered herself up with the belief that there would be other opportunities to murder the hapless Dr. Todt.
Still holding Marcel's hand, she glanced over and noticed that her was watching Sandy, and that Sandy was no longer standing next to Volodja, nor had they been holding hands as the group traveled which was their wont even in times of danger, which caused Lena to wonder, "Are Volo and Sandy broken up? Does Marcel want her, if only to shame Volo? I swear, Marcel is looking at her butt - and although it's a cute butt, it's not MY butt! I swear if he's even thinking of cheating on me, I WILL kill him! I'll kill her too! I'll kill them all, just for good measure! It's been too long since I killed someone... anyone... maybe I will just keep the antidote for myself and thus kill all the other Votans. No skin off MY nose... and I'll be the greatest serial killer in history!"
Pride was clearly in the wheelhouse of Lena's EGO, whispering to her, "You don't need him, even if he isn't fornicating with Sandy! You can have ALL the credit for destroying the Votans!"
"And all the scrip too for the cure," Added Greed, "Mustn't forget the scrip!"
"And be rid of that stuck up bitch Sandy too!" Asserted Envy.
None of the rest of the voices in Lena's head representing the seven deadly sins said anything, as they were all busy keeping Hope wrestled to the ground and with a hand over her mouth.
A pout formed on Lena's pretty chalk white face, as her unblinking sky blue eyes narrowed when she looked at Marcel, until suddenly she dropped his hand from her's like it was a hot fire-stone, folding her arms tightly against her ample bosom as she walked stiff-legged quickly towards the Riot's hatch.
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Post by Atika Constantine on Sept 12, 2016 11:53:32 GMT
"This is how I felt I look like," Lu continued, "Just a minute before I saw myself following our friends and deciding who of would be a better prey! I've tried concentrate on a thought that I need to stop the attack and go away no matter how hungry I feel, and you know what, I think I've succeeded! But… what if all of it is just in my head and I'm losing my mind? What if it was really me who wanted to kill my friends? What if I lose control over myself finally?"
Atika looked at her friend and said, "........Umm, well, umm... I can tell you that something was out there stalking our friends based on the reactions I witnessed from them on my sensors. However the sensors couldn't identify what it was and they were too far away for our external cameras to pick anything up. So you will have to ask Commander Batman and the others if they managed to get a glimpse of whatever it was.
However I am not completely sure how to answer your question about our people's myths and legends, but I will try. You see, Tilly and I were raised by a Mongol tribe so I don't know much about our Irathient myths and legends but I want to and even though we were too young when our parents died to remember much about them, I do know that my markings are from our father's tribe and Tilly's are from our Mother's. I can only assume that by giving the daughter the markings of her father's tribe and the son the markings of his mother's tribe that it signifies the unification of their tribes but I don't actually know because the few Irathients that I have asked about it merely said, "Our markings are a sign of respect to our gods, tribes, and culture." Then they would say no more about my questions of why we Irathient people all wear these markings. I mean over the years the tribe did take in other Votans, such as the ones I asked about our cultural markings, so I do know some things about our culture's spiritualism.
Such as...our brain, the Gyabire, is our seat of intellect. Our heart, the Gyagbe, is our source of vitality. And our stomach, the Gyargye, is our house of emotion. I also know that our god, Irzu, sets people on their path in life and defines their fate. Our god Idanyu "of the flame" is called upon during times of plague. I also know of our god Gyaamashaa "of the waves" who is connected to and invoked for healing rituals. They also told me of the "Sinking ritual" that releases our three elements back into the world, and that according to our beliefs, the dead "dance with their ancestors after being released from their mortal coils." So I do know that we Irathients are a very deep and spiritual people and seem to be very connected to nature.
I also know that various different Earth cultures and tribes, including the one that raised us, believe that we all have spirit guides that normally take the form of an animal. Sooooooooo..........Perhaps Irzu has chosen to set you on your path by mentally connecting you with your spirit guide and your spirit guide happens to be one of the animals of this island?
Now as I know what it is to be a twin, I am sure that yours will always be there for you no matter what as well. Even if you choose not to tell him exactly what is bugging you, I am sure he will still do whatever he can to help you as it is what twins do for each other because we will always be connected.
Either way I like your drawings and am glad to call you friend and glad that you obviously like me enough to confide in me even though you obviously were afraid of admitting it to me or anyone. So no matter what is happening to you, I will be here for you and I promise that even though I may tell Tilly as we NEVER keep anything important from each other, that NEITHER of us will tell the others what you just told me. So the only way they will know is if you tell them. Just remember that Tilly and I will always be here for you no matter what. After all we twins must stick together. Besides........even though I LOVE my pesky brother and he is my best friend...
.....I have ALWAYS wanted a female best friend and sister as well. I mean don't get me wrong, I LOVE my "brother-sister time", and am guessing you love yours too. However no matter how much I love Tilly and the time we spend together, there are just some things that should only be discussed with another girl and NOT a darn boy, even if he will do anything for me! I mean some things would be just way, way, way tooo embarrassing to tell my brother!.......WAAAYYY TOOO EMBARRASSING!!! So it would be great to sometimes be able to have "Sister-sister time" with somebody as well and I would love it to be you!!!"
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Post by Volodja Uljanov on Sept 12, 2016 12:23:33 GMT
Volodja Uljanov found himself in position of a rearguard, accompanied by Private Perkins instead of being Van with Sandy when they begun their retreat. He didn't mind the responsibility. He accepted Sandy's orders without arguing but he felt as a mouse between cat's paws - powerless to change the situation. He just...accepted everything with his reason which could see the logic behind orders, but his heart ached as it was scratched by a giant invisible cat indeed. Private Perkins tried making him talk, but Volodja responded to his every attempt with an absent minded smile and polite but short, usually one worded, answers. Marcel Lestrange looked over his shoulder with a wide grin, lifting his tanned and Lena's chalk white hand higher as he was showing that unlike Sandy and Volodja, THEY could afford physical contact. Malicious glance from his steely eyes seemed to tell: "I've got a girlfriend, you have not!" Lena's gleeful face turned towards Volodja as well and Volodja was blessed one of Lena's wicked grins when Lena made couple of dance steps. It could have been ordinary sight but Volodja was quite sure that Lena was anything than ordinary, so his vivid imagination provided him with a vision where Lena dances merrily through the world, singing a happy song and...decapitating anyone she meets. "Smile, smile, smile," muttered Volodja absent mindedly and squeezed his gun so his knuckles turned white from the pressure. Then he smiled. Sadly. Because he saw Lena dropping Marcel's hand as well and pulling herself further from him. "I do wonder if we have to hold each other hands now?" "Hic!" said Eugen and released cloud of alcohol fumes by saying that. "Well, young man! Have a gulp, hic! In, hic, Vino Veritas!" And Eugen stuck his liqueur bottle towards Volodja. "I don't like to drink at all," he declared when he saw Volodja's refusing head shake. "But people had so much trouble distilling it. They tried so hard, so it would be disrespectful to them not to drink!"  |
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Post by Lena Marr on Sept 12, 2016 16:20:48 GMT
As Sandy Bell ushered the group into the interior of the Riot through its open hatch, Lena Marr watched the others enter, looking for an opportunity to kill her prey, Dr. Todt, but one which would alleviate her from any blame, although no such opportunity made itself present. When her erstwhile lover, Marcel Lestrange, came up to her, she quickly sidestepped away from him with a mumbled, "Going to the WC..." then muttering to herself as she was true to her word, "If he wants the skinny blond bitch he can have her."
In the airship's small bathroom, Lena stared at herself in the mirror, loathing the face she saw in the mirror, thinking, "How could anyone love such a piece of garbage, used and abused again and again like a dirty handkerchief. Most of those I knew in my Lima orphanage had the good sense to die by now, either by their customers' or their own hand, although they were dead inside long before that. I died too, but just kept walking and talking... and of course killing. Zombie Lena, that's me! Dead inside, and only really feeling alive when I kill others. Every once in a while, I think love is a better substitute then murder to feeling nothing inside, but then I get inevitably betrayed and hurt, so I go back to killing again. Love is fleeting, Death is forever! It's always been true, but I have to be reminded of it again every so often, and no one else even has a clue..."
Lena stopped in mid-thought, rolling her unblinking sky blue eyes to look heavenward and raising a chalk white forefinger to pull at the corner of her lush lips, muttering to the mirror who muttered back, "Except Atticus... the Harbinger of Death! He'd understand why I have to kill all the Votans... why I have to kill Dr. Todt... and maybe even Marcel! He'd understand for sure!"
When her mental reverie was broken by someone knocking vigorously on the WC's door, Lena spared a moment to look at herself in the mirror from the corner of her eye and sporting her wicked grin said to herself, "Well, at least I still got my looks," then yelled, "HOLD YOUR HORSES! I'M COMING - OR I WOULD HAVE IF YOU JUST LEFT ME ALONE!"
As Lena exited the restroom, she knew someone was saying something to her, but it would only register later, as she was oblivious to anything at the moment but her target: Atticus Batman! With a quickly mumbled "Whatever," Lena made her way to her new target. He and his wife, Lady Christianna, had rejoined the Protectors' team in the passenger compartment of the Riot, so she ambled up to the pair, grabbing both of Atticus' huge hands with her smaller chalk white ones, asking but not waiting for an answer, "Hi Lady, mind if I borrow your significant other, I have VERY important infor-ma-tion for our fearless leader!"
Leading Atticus to a relatively quiet corner, and hoping to recruit him as an ally in her mad genocidal scheme, Lena remarked in a matter-of-fact way before asking, "You were experimented on and tortured by Votans, right, so no love lost there, right? And you've been around the block enough times to see how REALLY rotten Votans are, even to their own kind, right? Why you became the whole Harbinger of Death thingee, right? Sure there are a few exceptions that prove the rule, like Lady, but the rest are pretty much individual scumbags from a race of scumbags, present company not excepted, right? I mean, we Votans got on this planet under false pretenses, saying to the humans we come in peace to live on your beautiful planet, then trying to exterminate them like Votan rats and terra-form the whole shebang into a warped replica of our home planets, right? The Votan races, as a whole, DESERVE to die, right? Now to my not-so-rhetorical-question: If you had a way to wipe the Votan races off the face of the Earth, but save those individuals like Lady who are truly worth saving, but who are far and few in between, would you do it?"
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Post by Atticus Batman on Sept 13, 2016 11:46:25 GMT
Leading me to a relatively quiet corner, and hoping to recruit me as an ally in her mad genocidal scheme, Lena remarked in a matter-of-fact way before asking, "You were experimented on and tortured by Votans, right, so no love lost there, right? And you've been around the block enough times to see how REALLY rotten Votans are, even to their own kind, right? Why you became the whole Harbinger of Death thingee, right? Sure there are a few exceptions that prove the rule, like Lady, but the rest are pretty much individual scumbags from a race of scumbags, present company not excepted, right? I mean, we Votans got on this planet under false pretenses, saying to the humans we come in peace to live on your beautiful planet, then trying to exterminate them like Votan rats and terra-form the whole shebang into a warped replica of our home planets, right? The Votan races, as a whole, DESERVE to die, right? Now to my not-so-rhetorical-question: If you had a way to wipe the Votan races off the face of the Earth, but save those individuals like Lady who are truly worth saving, but who are far and few in between, would you do it?"
I listened to Lena, then thought for a few seconds before finally answering her with, "If you mean that "Votan Destroyer" virus, then the answer is NO. We all know that I do enjoy and thrive in the shadows and darkness but poisons and viruses are way too impersonal and cowardly, no matter what Kabule would have to say about the matter. If and when I decide somebody must die then it will be from my weapons or bare hands and NOT some cowardly virus. You of all the people here must know as much as I do about how much more satisfying it is to personally terminate your target with extreme prejudice, than it is to rely on impersonal viruses and poisons. Even more so when you stand right in front of them and lodge a blade in their chest as you smile or something. Personally I prefer to glare angrily into their eyes and tell them that, "Death sends his regards."
You have to admit that seeing that final look mixed with shock, fear and hatred is so satisfying, especially if they also soil themselves as they realize that their time is up. Besides it isn't all Votans that experimented on me. It was Castithans or those under the order of Castithans. Then there were the humans that constantly instigated my beatings in the colony I grew up in and the humans that found ways to drug and control me after the Wars. However I now have several human friends and love and married a Castithan, not to mention that the only adversary that I willingly showed mercy to and let live is Castithan and having this discussion with me right now.
I do admit that I did the whole "kill everybody I see" shtick after I managed to gain my freedom, even occasionally using various different myths and legends to disguise my kills. However I eventually came to the realization that everybody will die eventually and it is no fun to kill easy targets, so I decided to leave most of them to their fate. Besides I also realized that if I indiscriminately hurt women, children and the weak, that I was no better than Nim Shondu and the others that had a hand in creating me...or you for that matter.
Nobody deserves what we were forced to endure, but the joke was on those that put us through that torture because we not only endured but also survived and learned to adapt and thrive. Now we are standing here debating possible methods of death, while most of those daking bastards are long dead. Of course that does prove that you are right in that there are some who do not deserve such time or relatively peaceful deaths. For example, those that would try to destroy others in the way that some tried to destroy us, and those who kill as indiscriminately as I used to before I became a bounty hunter and I most definitely enjoyed exterminating the real Seto when I had the chance to a little over a year ago, but poison would have taken away all of that enjoyment and bloodlust.
That is why I became their Judge, jury, and executioner as "The Harbinger of Death". Those people WILL die at my angry hand instead of in their slumber and it will not bother me like it would the completely moral. So if the choice is to be like those people by torturing and killing everybody that I can; being like some of the other Protectors and only killing those that try to kill us first and without any sort of torture involved; or being Judge, jury, and executioner on a person by person basis; then I will always choose the latter for I am no hero, even if I will no longer kill without a reason to. Besides can you tell me that you honestly prefer using chemical warfare over personally exterminating those that truly deserve death?!"
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