Special Branch: The Execution of Vixen Goddard by SoulOfSerenity

TALK STORY

Special Branch: The Execution of Vixen Goddard

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POSTED BY: SOULOFSERENITY
UPDATED: Tuesday, February 1, 2011 05:54
SHORT URL: http://goo.gl/z75QR
VIEWED: 24868
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Monday, January 17, 2011 6:25 AM

WASHSYOUNGERSEXIERBR

Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

The crowd had now reached fever-pitch. Punch drunk and high on blood lust they roared for more. The various guards were no longer concerned with tracking Wisp and Vixen’s path to Seryn but were using all their strength to keep the raging mass of people under control. Staying low and dodging as many people as possible they eventually unite.

“Seryn You have no idea how glad I am to see you! You got an escape plan set up? Because mine is all shot to hell.”

“Yea there’s a ship ready to go on one of the rooftops. How is Soul getting out?”

“I’ve no idea. I thought he was with you?”

“We haven’t had any contact with him. When he appeared we thought he was with you?”

“Jesus you really know how to plan a rescue” Vixen interjected from the sidelines “Do any of you have any idea what the rest of you are up to?” Wisp and Seryn shared a look of mild embarrassment and a shrug.

“Well we’ve got exactly no time to catch up here. Seryn which way do we head and is anyone else with you?”

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Monday, January 17, 2011 3:42 PM

SOULOFSERENITY

The Man They Call Soul...

Quote:
Originally posted by seryn:
Does that prevent Safe, Wisp, Vixen and I getting the heck out of Dodge?

OOC: Not at all. I just have something planned for Soul that requires him to be left behind.

_______________________________________________

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Wednesday, January 19, 2011 11:13 AM

SERYN

okay!

Seryn grinned "Yup - guess who" She pulled them back towards the building she'd started from, opening the channel on her comms as she ran "Safe! Get down here, we have them. Soul is here, with Ciaran.. i think."

"Ciaran?" Safe sounded stunned, but his muffled breathing and the clattering in the background told her he was already on his way.
She studied vixen. One thing she hadn't thought of - Vixen stuck out like a sore thumb in her overalls - was that black paint? Swiftly she pulled off her jacket and thrust it in the girls direction. Vixen pulled a face "Just put it on - don't argue" She loosened the ties on one of her skirts to and shuffled out of it, foisting that at . Not great, but it would do.
Safe clattered down the last of the step and joined them, a quick grin greeting Wisp and Vixen and then straight to business.

"Do we all have our running shoes on?"

(and this post was bought to you by being up way past my bed time.)

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Thursday, January 20, 2011 9:02 AM

SAFEAT2ND

OOC: Dammit!! I had two great posts that errored out and I lost all of the text. So consider this a test. Frankly, each time I rebuilt the post it lost more impact so...

"Do we all have our running shoes on?"

Wisp grinned, "Good to see somethings don't change."

"We all change a little here and there Wisp. Just happy to be on the sunny side of the dirt." Safe smiled back.

"You could at least show some signs you're happy not to be dangling over the square." Seryn aimed at the cross-armed, unintersted Vixen.

Shouts erupted nearby.

"Ok, lets move." Safe started back towards the building.

"What about Soul or Ciaran" Seryn asked as she, Wisp and Vixen fell into step beside him.

"Last I saw of him, he was moving like smoke through the rackus. He's got a purpose otherwise, I suspect he'd be here already. As for Ciaran... I couldn't care less."

Check out my blog for info and updates on my novels
http://drlong67.wordpress.com

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Thursday, January 20, 2011 9:07 AM

SERYN

OOC Worry not, its still cool

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Friday, January 21, 2011 4:46 AM

WASHSYOUNGERSEXIERBR

Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

“There they are!” erupted behind them just as they were reaching the doorway to the building. Guards were beginning to fight their way through the crowds towards their location. Still too far, with too many people between them and their quarry to open fire but approaching like a thundering storm on the horizon.

“Seryn get the flyer ready, Vixen, Wisp go up with her” Safe shouted rushing people through the entrance “I’ll hold them off for a minute”

“No chance” Wisp said, the last one across the threshold “Its been too long and too far for Heroics now. Me and you hold this door. Girls you have exactly two minutes and we will be on that shuttle and we better be airborne the next second”

“Damn Wisp you grew a serious pair” Vixen smirked from the bottom of the stairs.

“Yea well I’ve had two years to practise my A game so get up stairs and get that ship ready!”

The foyer of the building had a single door which sat opposite the stairway. Opening up about half a meter on either side of the door Safe occupied the right hand side leaning out to take out any guards that emerged from the crowd before they had a chance to shoot. Wisp used two shells to take the door off its hinges then took up a position on the left.

“Hell a’ good to see ya Safe. But I thought I should let you know I’m nearly out of party favours”

“I wish you hadn’t said that, I’ve got two smokes and a flash left.” The conversation was broken up by both of them taking turns to lean out and shoot. By now the crowd were rushing as far as they could away from the entrance and more and more guards were headed this way.

“Mine was a ‘last man standing’ idea, there’s two bricks of Semtex woven into my flak jacket.”

“Jesus Wisp! That’s enough to level this building!”

Wisp winked back “My thoughts exactly” Wisp dropped his rifle a second and unzipped his flak jacket throwing it into the middle of the hall “Time?” reassuming his firing position.

“Thirty seconds, then we hit the stairs for thirty. They’re coming in thick and fast now” Both men were no longer taking turns, instead each was laying down as much fire as they risked to slow the advancing horde. “Seryn we have exactly zero margin for error so I hope you’re ready for us.”

The guards were now dropping a few feet from the door rather than the safe ten metres when the charge had started. Shots were starting to pepper their way through the open doorway and throw up clouds as they impacted the stairwell.

“GO time!” Safe shouted throwing Wisp his rifle. Wisp began walking backwards towards the staircase dual-weilding the assault rifles as Safe threw three grenades in series out of the door. The first cloud of smoke erupted just as the guards reached the doorway and Safe, and Wisp began running full pelt up the stairs. Neither wasted precious seconds in turning back to check the advance behind them or fire wild shots. Timing was everything.

They burst through the door just as Seryn was starting to take off. With neither grace nor style both men leapt through the open door as guards appeared at the top of the stairs. “Faster, Faster, Faster would be better!” Safe screamed as the shuttle inched upwards over what seemed like an eternity. Wisp held the detonator in his sweating palm waiting for the ship to ascend enough. Too early and the blast would take them out as well, too late and the Soldiers now appearing on the roof would fill them with holes.

All about timing.

Wisp pushed the button and the building they had been stood upon ten seconds ago shook. The ground floor exploded outwards forcing a fireball of super heated air, dust, and rock up the stair’s they had rushed up. Screams were heard for but a second before being replaced by tumbling brick and burning wood. The roof began to collapse as the ship accelerated took to the sky.

http://rockandrollaintalternativeenergy.wordpress.com/

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Friday, January 21, 2011 10:48 AM

SOULOFSERENITY

The Man They Call Soul...

Soul heard the crump of the explosion and had less than half a second to phase his body before the heatwave roared through, throwing the guards around him to the ground. It had happened none too soon, as Soul wasn't sure how much longer he could last. He had bullet holes in his left arm and leg, and he was bleeding from no less than two dozen grazes and cuts. He only had to hold on long enough for the others to get away.

He looked to the side as he phased back to solidity and watched as Ciaran's body, still wearing Vixen's face, faded into nothingness. He smiled softly. He could die now knowing that everyone was okay, and when he woke up somewhere else, they could all reunite and down a few drinks in celebration.

He lowered the dagger and made his way over the bodies of the guards, a few of them beginning to stir. It was in that moment that a thought tickled the back of his mind, only moments before something sharp drove it's way into his neck. Soul cried and twisted, swinging the dagger at--

"Kurren. You son of a bitch."

Kurren grinned, and it was a nasty grin. "So predictable. You even knew it was a trap, and yet you still came."

Reaching around to the back of his neck, Soul pulled a long needle from the flesh of his neck, the syringe empty. "Trying to poison me? Haven't you guys figured me out yet? I'm like Obi-wan." At Kurren's raised eyebrow, Soul allowed a small grin. "If you strike me down, I will return even more powerful than you can imagine. Well, not really more powerful, more like all healed like Wolveri--"

The gunshot rang out and Soul's head snapped back, the bullet from Kurren's gun passing clean through his skull. As he fell, the grin remained on Soul's lips. He would wake up somewhere else. Somewhere safe.

**********

His eyes opened slowly, and Soul groaned as he got to his feet.

"So where am I this time..."

His jaw dropped open as Kurren's grin became a smile. "You see Marshall, we have figured you out." He held up a small device, no larger than his hand. "The nanites I injected you with are linked to what I hold in my hands. Every time you die, you'll wake up within ten feet of me."

He shot Soul in the gut, and Soul screamed in pain. "You sonofa..."

Kurren kicked him in the stomach once, twice, and continued to kick him until he was sure Soul was dead.

*********

Soul opened his eyes again, and of course the first thing he saw was Kurren.

"You and I have a lot to talk about," the bounty hunter stated. "Let's begin, shall we?"

_______________________________________________

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Friday, January 21, 2011 11:18 AM

CIARAN

I'm not even sure who the real me is anymore...

There was a lot Marshall had judged her for - rightfully so. But there was a lot he didn't know about her. When she had tracked down Kurren and convinced him that she was the one they were looking for, not Marshall, The Expendables, and Blue Sun in turn had seen an oportunity for a weapon they truly could control. So they used her, allowing scientists to experiment on her until they could decide where she woke up when she died. When they reached that point - they knew they had her.

They trained her, pushed her past her breaking point and even further. She was sent on missions to kill people who had truly done nothing wrong; men, women, children. It didn't matter. She killed them all.

And she looked like Marshall every time.

As she found out, Kurren had never truly believed her about Marshall. Everything they did to her, every experiment, every test, it was all part of a larger plan: to capture Soul for themselves.

She watched the fruition of their plan from a hacked Cortex feed linking her to the sole remaining security camera in the square on Ariel. From several worlds away, with tears of rage streaming down her cheeks, she watched as the man she loved was killed again and again, and she knew he felt everything.

As far as he had come, as much of his humanity he had retained, they intended to break him. They wanted Marshall to once again become Soul, and to kill for them.

And she knew they would succeed.

She had to find his friends, because once Kurren was done, once Blue Sun had their way, if Soul found them first...

Ciaran shook her head, and her features shifted. Her red hair faded to black, and her skin and eyes paled. Sliding away from the Cortex terminal, she made her way towards the docking bay. She needed a ship, and she needed to find the man Soul knew as Safe.

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Saturday, January 22, 2011 1:20 PM

WASHSYOUNGERSEXIERBR

Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

“Hey Wisp I’ve got a hot date tonight do you mind closing up by yourself?”

“Sure it’s been a slow day I’ll have the place in ship shape in no time. Who’s the lucky lady?”

“You know Laura who works the fryers?”

“LAURA? Jesus dude she doesn’t count as a hot date! I mean you’d have to carve the grease off of her”

“That is absolutely correct, but her Sister on the other hand works at a very nice law firm down town and she does not have that ‘I work a deep fat fryer’ aroma”

“Dude how did you get her? I mean we work in a Gorram fast food joint, not even a good one”

“We’ll after one of our shifts last week some of us went out and she was there and we hit it off and well, I got a date”

“Well you go out and achieve the impossible.”

“Thanks dude I’ll see you tomorrow”

Wisp’s co-worker quickly grabbed his stuff and left out the back door of ‘Bry’s Burger Bar’. Wisp waited a reasonable time which he spent cleaning one of the grills then headed to the cortex station in the back. He wrote a quick message to a secure account:

“Meet me round back BBB in one hour”

Wisp finished the cleaning and then headed out for his secret rendezvous. He didn’t have to wait long before a private shuttle landed in the furthest spot from the building. A single man got out of the back and wandered into a single circle of light in the darkened lot. Wisp went out to meet him and placed a duffel sack at the mans feet.

“As ordered two dozen grade A lock overrides. Entirely disposable and untraceable.”

The man pulled open the bag and extracted the first device. Wisp made a living selling these kinds of black-market gear for a variety of local criminals.

“Looks good. How do I know they work?”

“Come on Vankeetsen’s been buying my merchandise for months and he’s never had any problems. Now if you’re trying to haggle price then you can forget it and hand over the coin.”

The Man looked very serious and stern for a moment then burst into a wide grin, And passed him a bag packed with notes “I like you Wisp. Always do good work, never take any Gosa. I wish I worked with more private contractors like you. Actual Vankeetsen was saying just today that he liked your work; he told me that he’d like to offer you a job”

“He already gives me a job. What do you call that nice pile of tech at your feet?”

“I mean an in-house full time paid position. Vankeetsen’s private technical consultant.”

“Look I really appreciate these one off contracts but I don’t want a full position. Tell him thanks but no thanks”

At was at this point in time that two large armed men appeared behind him and the man in front drew out a pistol.

“This wasn’t really a request but as I like you I’ll spell out how this can go down. You come of your own accord and live in luxury with very nice perks, or you have to come by force and you get treated very unpleasantly. Your choice”

“Well. Looks like I’ve been hired.”

OOC- HOLY MOLY Soul! Thats awesome stuff. Exciting

http://rockandrollaintalternativeenergy.wordpress.com/

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Monday, January 24, 2011 2:14 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

OOC: DAMN! Loving the posts, some great twists.
--

Liam Torne thumped his fingers down on the keypad, ending the call.
It was all for nothing, he told himself. Nothing!
He thumped his fist down on the table and swiped the phone off with his hand in a fit of anger. It crashed and broke on the floor.
He sighed loudly to himself, and ran his hands through his hair. His eyes were red.

He'd wanted to make a difference. To be the kind of man that his great-great-uncle had been. There had always been something terribly wrong with this verse, he'd known that despite his initial allegiance to the Alliance. It was only after an attempt was made on the President's life - Sian Dreight, the husband of Liam's cousin Gabriella - and the truth behind who was behind the attack had been unveiled, that Liam realised that he could be more than just another yes-man.
Gabriella had always had a soft spot for the Resistance, and it was those very ones that eventually aided Liam and his family when their ship The Dwarf had run into trouble. They helped them on their way, they made sure that the Torne family got to where they wanted; that Janti - the man who had been used, brainwashed by Blue Sun, a man that had been nothing more than a "Weapon" - would live long enough to tell his tale.

But it was all for nothing.
They hadn't changed the worlds. They hadn't taken down the powers and instituted a New Alliance as they had hoped. Their mission had only served to make the ones responsible more cautious, more secretive. On that day Liam realised who was really in control. If not even the President of Albion could make a difference on his own world, what hope did a few freedom fighters have of changing the verse?

Liam downloaded the feed of the incident on Ariel to his personal viewer and watched as the girl, Vixen, was killed, and the remaining survivors took a building down - and all those that occupied it - in their attempt to escape.
He couldn't help them now. He and his office had helped some of the imprisoned Resistance, transfered them to a more comfortable facility. But these ones - the ones that had personally helped him and his own - the best they could hope for now was a life on the run.

He had hoped to assist them, had even sent a trusted aide to Ariel in a bid to help in someway, but evidently even those in his own organisation couldn't be trusted. As far as he was concerned, it had all been for naught. He'd achieved nothing of any real consequence, and worse still, he'd lost people - his wife, his daughter, his friends. Few remained by his side now.
But that was about to change. Now he had nothing left to lose. Janti had contacted him with the news of what had went down on Ariel, and he had a plan. Maybe there was still time to help the former crew of The Epsilon after all.

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Tuesday, January 25, 2011 7:06 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

OOC: WYSB, i know you talked about doing a SB poster for Clayton, but in the meantime i've created my own using the same site. Still interested in seeing yours though.

---

Kyra and Luthor talked about many things - trivial things such as work and shopping, about money and maintenance; they watched the stations together, laughing at the chatshow host's jokes and made mocking statements about the newsreader's style of moustache; they argued, they made-up, they teased, they made love. Clayton Payne heard it all. He wasn't ashamed, nor did he feel that he ought to have been.
His visit the day before had allowed him to plant bugs around their home; at the back of their video screen; left more bugs and motion sensors discreetly by their front porch - it was for their own safety, and of course so Clayton could sleep easy at night. He didn't. In fact, he may have left their house but he hadn't gotten far. He'd set up station in his car down the road, off the dirt track. Through the trees he might have been able to see the way the sunlight bounced off of the lake, but instead he kept his gaze fixed firmly on the treetrunk ahead of him - no distractions.
Occasionally he'd close his eyes, the sounds of Kyra and Clayton's homelife whispering into his ears, but he didn't fall into a deep sleep, he couldn't. He simply listened and waited. He could have been waiting all his life - there was no way of saying for sure if Needy would ever find them - but still he waited.
Until his phone rang.

"Payne," he said into the speaker, turning the microphone volume down and resigning himself to watching the red and yellow bars on his monitor go up and down to the muted sounds of the couple's voices.

"You're needed on Ariel," the voice said on the other line.

"Sir?" Clayton responded. He recognised the man's voice when he heard it - Colonel Youngblood had been the one to take a chance and offer Payne a position with the CS in the first place.

"Mr Green requests your presence for a special task," Youngblood told him. "He believes you may hold certain information that would be invaluable to him and his men."

"Ariel?" Clayton thought out loud. He stared at the monitoring system set up beside him in the car and thought of Kyra, but more importantly of her friends. He didn't need to be told what mission was being referred to.

"Is that a problem?" the Colonel responded.

"Well," Clayton began, "I'm sort of in the middle of something important right now."

"No, you're not," the voice told him. "Nothing you're doing is important, because we haven't assigned you anything for today."

Clayton knew better than to argue, and he knew he couldn't tell his superior the reasons why he couldn't leave the post. But he wondered for a moment whether the truth would be a good option at this point. The Crimson Squad wanted Bernard Needham, and Clayton wanted Kyra kept safe.
But it would never go how he wanted it. And Clayton certainly wouldn't be used in such an "important" assignment. Chances are, he'd never see Kyra again, and neither would Luthor.
"Certainly sir," he eventually responded.
"Good," Youngblood replied. "Don't make me regret bringing you on board. I'll send the details to your onboard. They're expecting you now so you better get moving, Xiansheng's a long way from home."
"Yes sir, I'm just leaving," Clayton said, firing up his engine as he says the words.
"Good man, I'll let him know you're on your way."

Clayton hung up the phone and stared at the monitor. It would still work on long distance, but even so, listening in would do no good if they were in trouble. And so, before he pulled away from the dirt road and headed for his shuttle, he placed one more call, this time to a trusted associate. It helped to have sources not linked to any other party - Squad, Resistance or Alliance - the type of hired men that would remain loyal so long as the money was good enough. And right now, that type of scoundrel was just what Clayton needed.

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011 7:22 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

OOC: Absolutely Brilliant post "Vixen", i loved it
Also guys was thinking probably due a new thread soon, any ideas for titles? I was thinking "Rebirth" or "Born Again" might suit the Soul story, along with the fact that many characters are now taking a new look at their life. Or maybe something like "Back in Black"

---

Liam looked at his watch and noted the time. He was late, again.
The large building had been abandoned a long time ago, but Liam remembered when it was still in use - it had been a library once upon a time, and he'd spent many hours here alone, back when he still had dreams of being a lawyer. It was a lifetime ago. But now he was back here, staring at the grey walls - the light from the street lamps outside shone through the windows, but not much.
It was dark and cold in here. And Liam felt old. The room was empty - no desks remained, no posters, and certainly no computer screens. Not even a book stood on this ground any more. Just him. Liam Torne. Alone.

"Did you call her?" a voice called out, startling him.

Liam turned and shook his head, "Gorram it Janti, you about gave me a heart-attack."

As Janti stepped forward out of the dark, Liam could see a small grin on his face. The man looked well, healthy - certainly a lot healthier than the man that had been brought before him on the day they first met. Fifteen, as he had then been known, was skinny and sombre-looking, with a blank stare that could disturb the hardest of federal officers. Now, if one was to look at him in the daylight, they would see a seemingly well adjusted man, still slim but toned, with a nice tan,and fine tattoos etched along his arms. They might never have imagined this man had once been a man imprisoned, a former assassin acting upon the orders of an secret organisation.
Now he was just Janti, and he was the only man that Liam Torne still trusted.

"You call her?" he asked the politician again. His tone was friendly but firm.

Liam shook his head. "She doesn't want to talk to me."

"It's not about what she wants," Janti answered. "It's about what you both need."

Liam sighed heavily, before breaking his serious composure with a false smile. "I don't suppose you brought any beers."

Janti pursed his lips, "I don't make a habit of drinking on the job."

"Sure," Liam mocked playfully.

Neither of them seemed willing to address the elephant in the room, the real reason why they were there. Liam knew it was necessary, it seemed to be the only option left open to him, but it didn't make it any easier. There was nothing else he could do. His hands had been tied in office and the more power he seemed to achieve, the tighter the ropes became. He'd tried to have it both ways, like Gabriella had, like others loyal to the Resistance had. But it hadn't achieved a gorram thing. Every which way he looked at it, the answer was always the same: Do what the others have done; leave it all behind and do what is needed."Whatever it takes." That had been the motto, always had been, but now he understood it better than ever.

"So how you wanna play this?" Janti asked.

"Me?" Liam said, confused. Janti had already explained the plan - get Torne away from Hera, get new papers, and secure him a ride to Ariel. He would do what he could from there, with a new identity that would see him "join" the Crimson Squad as one of their own. If he couldn't change the system from the office, then he'd tear it down from within and start over.

"Yes, you," Janti replied. "You want to call your daughter now or not?"

Liam bit his lip. He knew he should. He might never get another chance to, to say he's sorry, to tell her that he was wrong. But he'd tried. He'd lost count of how many times he'd picked up the phone only to put it down again. Some things were just too difficult.

"No," he answered with hesitation. "I'll get a message out to her somehow. Later."

Janti nodded.

"So, you got the papers?" Liam asked. "You got it all sorted?"

Janti looked up at him, his eyes glimmered strangely in the dark room. "Actually, there's been a change of plans."

"Change?" Liam asked. "You got another crazy idea?"

Janti shook his head as he reached up and unbuttoned his top shirt button. "Actually, it's not my idea. But I can't ignore it."

Janti didn't stop with the top button, but kept on with the next and the next, until his shirt was completely unbuttoned. His old scars peeked through.

"What are you talki..." Liam began to ask but then he stopped himself. It was becoming clear now. He wished it wasn't. He wished he could have been ignorant, that he could never have imagined in a million years where this was heading. But he'd lived too long. And he recognised betrayal far too well. "They got to you didn't they?"

"We all have to answer to someone," Janti said as he opened up his shirt and revealed the device embedded in his skin - a live bomb lit up in his chest. "Maybe you should have made that phone call."

Liam closed his eyes and a tear drop ran down his cheek. He was right, he should have. Liam Torne's last thought was of her. "I'm sorry," he whispered under his breath as the bomb exploded, the fire consuming everything in it's path.

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011 11:25 AM

SOULOFSERENITY

The Man They Call Soul...

OOC: Wisp, that was awesome! And holy crap, Needy! This thread is still so awesome.

I vote for "Back in Black"!!!

_______________________________________________

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011 2:11 PM

SAFEAT2ND

OOC: WHOA!! This story is fantastic! I feel like I'm hardly contributing anything. What amazing story arcs!

I vote for 'From the Ashes' and my second vote is for Back in Black and Rebirth.

Check out my blog for info and updates on my novels
http://drlong67.wordpress.com

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011 2:12 PM

SAFEAT2ND

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011 11:30 PM

WASHSYOUNGERSEXIERBR

Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

I vote Back in Black so I can play the song every time I post

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Saturday, January 29, 2011 2:42 AM

WASHSYOUNGERSEXIERBR

Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

Vankeetsen’s office was a stunning testament to Earth that was decoration. Thick hand-woven carpets rolled from wall to wall in deep Maroon and Brown. The wall’s were paneled in rich Mahogany and interrupted with classic paintings from long dead artists. The back wall however was a full reinforced force glass with a stunning view of deep space. In front of this Vankeetsen sat looming over a solid oak desk imposing his authority over the room. Vankeetsen himself was in his late 50’s with light brown hair graying slightly at the temples. He was tall, thin, and lean that had come from years of hard work, exercise, and organizing other people’s deaths. He spoke with an epic sort of voice that seemed to be able to resonate across mountain ranges at even a whisper. It never changed tone or volume no matter what emotions bubbled behind it. Wisp stood looking at this imposing view after being summoned for an unknown reason.

“You know Wisp when you first joined my organization you really excelled yourself. I saw untold revenues from sectors that before had barely broken even. Your technical expertise rippled through to every business I had going. I mean, I’m currently the Alliances most wanted crime lord and I owe most of that to contributions from you.” Vankeetsen stood up and looked out of his window “But you seem to have grown stagnant here Wisp. My cortex incomes growths have been slowly dropping over the past few months and I’ve seen fewer and fewer new technologies come out of your workshop. So it comes to me that there must be something you must be unhappy with.”

“Well you see, you kidnapped me from a perfectly quiet little life back on Osiris to work for your organization. And I came and I worked. Hell I didn’t even just fill time; I gave you a fantastic income system and some great techs for any excursions you plan. And I was kinda hoping you might let me go some time soon”

Vankeetsen began to laugh, one of those deep evil laughs that starts as a quiet titter and grows into a crescendo of booming cackle that echoes around the room. “Oh William” Wiping a tear from his eye “how you make me laugh. This is how it’s going to happen boy. You’re going to keep on making me rich and powerful, and if I think for a second that you’re screwing me over I’m going to put you in a world of pain. I’ve come too far for a little squirt like you to hold me to ransom, and if you keep on disobeying me you’re going to end this little life of yours. So keep on pumping out those new technologies of yours and enjoy your life of luxury”

“I actually have another technology for you. It’s called a wire. That’s broadcasting this entire conversation to an Alliance attack squad that’s going to come in here and arrest you smarmy ass any minute now”

The mirth fell from Vankeetsen’s face like a lead mirror shattering his dreams upon the plush carpets. “Your bluffing” In answer sirens began bellowing around him and his intercom burst into the noise of dozens of underlings screaming about incoming Police. “You little GOSA!” Vankeetsen jumped across his desk lunging at Wisps throat, unfortunately falling short and landing in the space in-between where Wisp easily managed to land a kick to his throat.

“I quit”

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Saturday, January 29, 2011 6:05 AM

KYRA

Who we are depends on the outcome of the struggle between who we were and who we want to be

OOC: I'm loving the posts highlighting Wisp's backstory!

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She'd never kidded herself into believing that she was a good person. It wasn't that she'd set out to be mean towards others; or cold; or harsh. It was just the way things had gone. And whether she liked it or not, that was the image that she'd made for herself.
She'd left home before her sixteenth birthday, ran away with a man twice her age. It wasn't just for the thrill of it - she certainly didn't love him - it was because she knew how much it would anger her mother. She did it as a slap in the face, for all the slaps that she'd received from her. From one miserable home to another, she kept running, hoping to find that illusive reason to stay. She jumped between her homeworld of Alexandria to Regina and back again. She moved all over, even found herself married to a husband at one time. But it never lasted. The longest she'd stayed in a place was for six months. And then she found herself on Boros and secured a job at the Boros Bound, her first and last legitimate job as Kyra McTaggert. The uncle of her then-partner had gotten her the job as a favour to her, and for once she played nice. She had to. She'd grown tired of running. She was twenty five. And then she met Bernie.
It was just a job at first, an opportunity to make her name. It was a simple write up, that's all, but not for him. It could ruin him. But that was the point. It was a test. If he was foolish enough to trust her then it would prove the Editor's long-held opinion - that the Guild wasn't as secure an organisation as they made it out to be. Kyra used him, she lied to him, she almost ruined him. But she'd loved him. For once she'd found a reason to stay, a person to stay for. And she'd used him up and threw him away. She didn't deserve pity, she didn't deserve anything. And yet he found her again. And he forgave her. She thought he would be her redemption. If he could forgive her, maybe she could turn her life around. Maybe she could forgive herself. But that was a long time ago. The truth was, Bernie wasn't her redemption. He couldn't even save himself.

And then there was Luthor. She'd first met him barely a week after she had settled on Xiangsheng. He wasn't shy in making known his feelings for her, but she hadn't wanted to get involved. Not just because she was already living a lie - changing her name to Emma Roberts was a necessary step to getting away from Bernie - but because she knew she didn't deserve him. She didn't deserve happiness - call it her own self-imposed punishment. But Luthor's tenacity and determination was hard to ignore. And the closer they got to each other, the stronger her feelings became. She wanted to tell him the truth, but it would be another year before she told him everything. But meeting and, in turn, falling for him turned her around. Maybe she wasn't destined to live her life on her own. Maybe Luthor could bring her back into the light, could redeem her where Bernie couldn't. Maybe he was the one she was meant for after all.

The past few months she'd tried to take control of her life. She'd tried to stop pushing people away, even made some friends at the office, something she'd never really succeeded in at the Boros Bound. But when Clayton contacted her, all those memories had come flooding back, and the real person that she had been running away from all this time - herself - returned.
Kyra McTaggert had been a selfish woman, always had been. She'd never done anything in her life that didn't in some way benefit her. Even helping Bernie had been a selfish venture, when she thought about it. She wanted to help him because she felt bad within herself. It was never about him. Even now, when she missed him, she wondered why. What was the real reason why she had felt so devoted to him in the first place? Was it love? Or was it simply because he served as a reminder of who she really was? That being with him reminded her of her real need - her need to hate herself.
But she was beyond that now. Luthor had shown her what it meant to love and to be loved. She wasn't beyond hating herself, but now she had something more in her life. Not just Luthor, but the need to reach out and help. To help others, even those that don't deserve it, especially those ones. To offer them the same privilege that she was granted. A second chance.

The news scrolled across their homescreen as she sat with Luthor on the couch. They sat in silence, Luthor's arm wrapped around her as the watched the news unfold. Liam Torne's photo displayed on the screen and the newsreader repeated the information as it was being relayed to her.

She'd made a mistake, Kyra realised. She'd ignored the signs far too long. That feeling that had been nagging at her for too long, a feeling she now realised was in fact her conscience now popped its head up to tell her "I told you so". She'd wanted to continue to run and hide, to bury her head in the sand. But that was what the old Kyra had wanted. But not anymore. Liam hadn't been a resistance fighter, not like the others. He wasn't in the war, he was just trying to help. And he'd paid the price with his life.
In that moment she knew what she had to do, and Luthor felt it too. They didn't need to speak, they simply looked at each other and exchanged a knowing look. Luthor read her better than any other man before. And with that, they both stood up in unison and headed for their room to gather their things.

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