Dun dun duuuuuun!
Please respond to this, please!
The Edison accelerated, zipping between the two Halcyon moons that the USHS owned, heading towards CCHS space. Weathers had a bad feeling about this, sitting in her bridge. Her normal helmsman, Lt. Juan, was out on a broken arm, replaced by Ensign. Elizabeth.
├óÔé¼┼ôApproaching probable location of CCHS fleet├óÔé¼┬Ø Elizabeth said, ├óÔé¼┼ôPeacekeepers backing us up as planned├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôPut the scanners at maximum├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said. Elizabeth paused slightly and pushed some buttons on her console.
The Edison entered the asteroid field. The Peacekeepers weren't as maneuverable, instead going 'up and around' the thick part of the asteroid field, their scanners on maximum as well. A few thousand kilometer behind them multiple landing vehicles drifted through space, ready to breach the gap that was supposedly going to be created in the asteroid field's defense screen. Supposedly.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe've narrowed it down to at least two Hulks├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said, looking at the reports coming from the scanner array. Elizabeth leaned back in her chair, also looking at the reports.
├óÔé¼┼ôI narrow it down to three├óÔé¼┬Ø Elizabeth said, looking over her shoulder at Grimm.
The Hulks, as if they realized they had been found, suddenly opened fire.
Elizabeth's jaw dropped. Alarms started to go off as the cannon rounds flew at the Edison, laser blasts scouring the sides of the ship. The lights flickered, the ship rocking. Weathers was almost thrown from her chair, her body jerking against the restraints she had buckled before combat.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell!├óÔé¼┬Ø She shouted, ├óÔé¼┼ôI thought there were only two├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWithout camouflage we can see...seven├óÔé¼┬Ø Elizabeth hissed.
Weathers sagged slightly in her chair. Someone had made a big god damn mistake in the mission planning stage.
├óÔé¼┼ôFlicker shields and open fire with every nuke we have. We need to knock them down├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said, ├óÔé¼┼ôThe Peackeepers are getting the snot beat out of them. They're launching fighters, but its a blood bath out there├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSir!├óÔé¼┬Ø Elizabeth cut in, ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm detecting Kliner jumps...seven more. IFF unknown, possibly hostile├óÔé¼┬Ø
Weathers sighed, ├óÔé¼┼ôPut a camera on them├óÔé¼┬Ø
She looked at her screen as a camera zoomed into seven little dots. They bloomed into seven slab like shapes, littler dots zipping out of them.
├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø Elizabeth said, a smile splitting her face, ├óÔé¼┼ôThose are...those are Redemption class destroyers! Those are Tattooed ships!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe're getting a link├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said.
├óÔé¼┼ôPut it on├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd keep up continual fire on the Hulks├óÔé¼┬Ø
The Edison shook again as another burst of laser fire hit the stern, tearing some long gashes down the side of the ship. Weathers winced, not knowing how many of her crew were now dead. Then the screen switched to communication. A ancient looking man leered back at her, his face a collection of wrinkles and tattoos. Weathers starred, suddenly recognizing him.
├óÔé¼┼ôGeneral...Dobson?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Michal Dobson laughed, his face splitting.
---------
The last Confederate Hulk split down the middle, torn apart by nuclear fire and traditional shot. The massive USHS fleet now stood down, a sprinkling collection of dots seen through the window.
Staff Sergent. Lares leaned her head against the back of her suit and tried to get some sleep.
├óÔé¼┼ôTotal orbital supremacy!├óÔé¼┬Ø Someone in her cabin said, his voice amplified over com channels into her ears. Lares sighed, giving up any hopes of sleeping on the ride.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe've won├óÔé¼┬Ø The man said, looking around with his suit helmet and grinning, ├óÔé¼┼ôI mean a ten ship fleet? The last time we had anything that big was the Dark Ages├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôShut up, please├óÔé¼┬Ø A PFC said, ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm trying to get some sleep├óÔé¼┬Ø
Lares smiled as the talkative man shut up. She closed her eyes and managed to get a wink of sleep. Her ACU kept accelerating through space, zipping between the Halcyon moons, heading towards the 'new front line'. After an hour of travel, backed by the massive space fleet, the ACU's hit the new planet.
Lares loped across the uneven ground, her head down low. The CCHS wasn't shooting back, but it still paid to be careful. This moon had higher gravity than he last, despite being smaller. Denser metals lay in its core, one of the reasons the CCHS was so well entrenched. Or had been well entrenched. The first squads arrived at the bunker and blew the door. It wasn't even pressurized. Inside they found piles of slag where computers and power stations had been.
Lares looked around the power station, bemused. It looked as if they had blown their own power relays, deliberately, and then left.
├óÔé¼┼ôRoom clean├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, tapping into the report freq. HQ got the report and probably filed it as another room clean.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe've found someone!├óÔé¼┬Ø someone said over the command freq, her voice sounding a bit panicky.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhere are you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Lares asked, trying to get a fix in her helmet scanner.
├óÔé¼┼ôGrid 229 by 332├óÔé¼┬Ø The voice said.
├óÔé¼┼ôBe there in a jot├óÔé¼┬Ø Lares said, sure that other squad leaders were doing the same around that grid point.
├óÔé¼┼ôLets go├óÔé¼┬Ø She switched to her squad freq, ├óÔé¼┼ôSomeone's found survivors├óÔé¼┬Ø
Lares and her squad arrived at the grid zone. The other squads that were there crowded the room, almost blocking off Lares' view of the survivor. What she saw was bedraggled yellow hair and a panicky look in someone's face. She also saw a pressure chamber, meaning they would have to re-pressurizes the entire bunker before rescuing the man.
Lares never found out who the survivor was. But she did find out why he was there.
Lares saw his lips move, soundless through the vacuum between her and him. Then he tore at his clothes. There was a flash of white. Lares didn't have time to realize what was happening before she was blown apart in a flurry of ash.
-----------
The Halcyon system was controlled by the USHS by the end of the week, three moons scarred by nuclear detonations, the former CCHS bunkers nothing more then smoking craters in the ground.
Weathers looked at her shirt, where several shiny new medals were pinned. Grimm sat across from her, poking idly at his steak.
├óÔé¼┼ôSome victory dinner├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers sighed. Grimm shrugged, poking at the steak. It was the second one on the ship, incredibly expensive. Grimm started to eat it out of respect for it's cost, not because he was feeling particularly cheerful.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm sighed, ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's over...for this system, at least├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI hear they're gaining new ground in the Telphlon system as well├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, ├óÔé¼┼ôIt looks like we're going to win├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI think the CCHS are going to make it as hard as possible for every single one of they're systems├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said, placing his fork squar in the middle of his steak and leaving it there. It stood for a moment, then fell with a clink.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers checked her watch, ├óÔé¼┼ôWe have to get ready for tomorrows ceremonies├óÔé¼┬Ø
She stood and walked out of the mess. Grimm stayed there, looking at the steak. Then he picked up the last bit and ate it, chewing slowly.
----------
Teresa's left eye opened. Then her right opened and she saw a plain white celling. If she had a credit for every time she saw a celling almost exactly like that, then she'd be a rich woman.
A face loomed over her, a young looking woman wearing a silly looking pare of goggles. The goggles whirred and clicked as they focused on Teresa's face. A thin scanning beam ran over Teresa's face, a sudden flash of light that made her eyes smart.
Another face loomed over her, another woman.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo, Dok├óÔé¼┬Ø The second woman said, ├óÔé¼┼ôShe's alive├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI'd say thats impossible├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, ├óÔé¼┼ôUnless...hmmm├óÔé¼┬Ø she moved away. The second woman stood, no longer looking directly at Teresa. Teresa tried to sit up, but her body was restrained. The best she could do was look to the side, where Dok was working at some computer of sorts. Teresa saw a CCHS logo on the side of the computer, hastily stamped on, so she assumed she was still in the Confederacy.
├óÔé¼┼ôHer blood work shows human,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd her body shows no implants...so I'd say she either had some kind of drug, or medicheins before we shot her. But those usually leave some kinds of remains├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMaybe it was a miracle├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa croaked, her throat scratchy and dry.
├óÔé¼┼ôMaybe it was at that├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok turned around, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut...Lucy, I think we should question her├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI agree├óÔé¼┬Ø The other woman said, undoing a restraint that Teresa couldn't see. Teresa sat up, but Lucy's hand was on her shoulder, clamping down painfully.
├óÔé¼┼ôNow, lets get some things straight├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy said, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're a Tatt right? And you believe the daemon in the cell is your Messiah, right?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa nodded, her teeth clenched.
├óÔé¼┼ôFine├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy sighed, looking at Dok, ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've got an entire daemon cult out here├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôChess is not a daemon├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa muttered.
├óÔé¼┼ôShe's not?├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy asked, ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm sure you've seen what she could do├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa paused. Then, barely, she nodded.
├óÔé¼┼ôCutting off heads? Cutting people in half?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa nodded.
├óÔé¼┼ôStopping bullets? Stopping time?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo!├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, ├óÔé¼┼ôThats just silly├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy looked at Dok, ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's a low end daemon. I think we can lower the levels on the nullifiers, take some strain of the reactors├óÔé¼┬Ø
Dok nodded.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd get the trawl ready├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa gasped, eyes wide. A trawl?
├óÔé¼┼ôYou've heard of it, have you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy grinned, ├óÔé¼┼ôDon't worry. The legends you people have of our time are vastly exaggerated. For example, you people think Elizabeth Montoya was a saint! A saint. Stupid bitch killed my mother├óÔé¼┬Ø
Lucy walked around the bed, heading towards the door. She stopped by Dok, grinning, ├óÔé¼┼ôMake sure she's prepped for the trawl in an hour. Let her stew for a bit├óÔé¼┬Ø
Dok nodded, pulling out a hypo and starting to mix some chemicals. Teresa lay back down on the bed, trying to think how she could get out of this.
Homecoming
Moderator: Moderators
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Guessmyname
- Posts: 3301
- Joined: 28 Apr 2005, 21:07
Teresa had a bad childhood. Bullies, some kind of self/body hatred thing and so on.
So lets hear more!
├óÔé¼┼ôIf I didn't know better├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, adjusting her goggles as she looked at the image, ├óÔé¼┼ôThis woman is trained in resisting trawls├óÔé¼┬Ø
The image in question was blurry and filled with static. It was a young boy's face, split in a nasty grin as he spat into the 'camera'. The 'camera' was the optic nerve of Teresa, who was strapped into the trawl, her body convulsing every once and a while as electrical impulses were rerouted and generally dicked around with in her skull. The Trawl looked like a mechanical spider, each leg holding down one of Teresa's limbs, the thorax where she rested and the abdomen above her head, thousands of tiny wires entering her forehead and eyes.
Lucy chewed her lip as she watched the image repeat.
├óÔé¼┼ôI don't care about some school yard bully,├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered, ├óÔé¼┼ôProbe more recent memories├óÔé¼┬Ø
Dok nodded, moving to the Trawl and fiddling with some dials. The screen leaped ahead to a even more fragmented image. This one was even more confusing, a series of rapid images. Restraints, hands, a leering grin, and red. Lucy sighed, exasperated.
The door to the interrogation chamber opened and John walked in.
├óÔé¼┼ôLucy, can I have a word with you?├óÔé¼┬Ø He whispered, glancing at the Trawl.
Lucy nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôDok, see if you can get her mind out of the play ground├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôCan do├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, fiddling with more dials. Teresa's lips pulled back in an artificial grimace as her back arched. John looked away.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhats up?├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy asked, leaning against the wall outside the interrogation chambers.
├óÔé¼┼ôLucy...I have some...reservations├óÔé¼┬Ø John said, looking nervous.
├óÔé¼┼ôReservations? We all agreed-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI know...but├óÔé¼┬Ø John stammered, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut...is this what we trained for? Slaughtering humans, Trawling people-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe've killed humans before├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôBut...I signed up to hunt Daemons, not fight in some war├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôJohn├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy said, stepping close, ├óÔé¼┼ôThe USHS's founders locked us away for three hundred years. They're slavers, for crying out loud├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI know├óÔé¼┬Ø John said, smiling faintly, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut...I don't trust our new boss├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI don't either├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy smiled, kissing him softly. John knew that look.
├óÔé¼┼ôLucy...what did you do?├óÔé¼┬Ø
-------------
├óÔé¼┼ôHow do you explain this?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amadeus asked, looking at his chief of science, Laurence.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...I...er...can't├óÔé¼┬Ø Laurence said, holding his PDA like a shield.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow can perfectly alien blood, taken from a woman conclusively prooven to be a sander/human hybrid, turn into normal blood overnight!├óÔé¼┬Ø Amadeus stood, his face a mask of rage, ├óÔé¼┼ôI want you're head for this├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWith...with all due respect, sir├óÔé¼┬Ø Laurence snapped, realizing he had to either make a strong stand or lose his head, ├óÔé¼┼ôThe vials must have been altered en rout to our labs. The problem must be with either the courier...or the suppler├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThe specimen is not human-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI never said the specimen├óÔé¼┬Ø Laurence said, feeling a bit calmer as Amadeus sat down, ├óÔé¼┼ôI said the suppler├óÔé¼┬Ø
Amadeus' face worked as his mind possessed this. He sighed.
├óÔé¼┼ôLaurence...you're dismissed.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Laurence almost ran out of the room, heart pounding in his chest. He was alive, for now. He had to get a new job...
-------
After what seemed like an eternity the thing in Teresa's mind left. It's absence was as unbearable as it's presence had been, a ragged wound that froze her in place.
Dok leaned over her, goggled eyes appearing strangely grotesque in Teresa's woozy state of mind. Dok pushed a hypodermic into Teresa's neck and suddenly everything snapped into focus. Teresa didn't try to break out of her restraints. She knew, in a foggy way, that they had held her during her time in the Trawl.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow many fingers am I holding up?├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok asked, holding up a fisted hand.
├óÔé¼┼ôNone├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, her voice slurred.
├óÔé¼┼ôVery good├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok grinned, popping a bit of chewing gum into her mouth and chewing loudly, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're free to go├óÔé¼┬Ø
The restraints snapped open. Teresa sat up, blinking in surprise. She saw two guards aiming guns at her, their faces masked by helmets and face masks. A strange cylinder was in the middle of the room, humming softly. Teresa looked at Dok, who backed hurriedly out of the room.
├óÔé¼┼ôCollar her├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd get her out of here!├óÔé¼┬Ø
One of the guards advanced, slowly, as if Teresa was going to breath fire. He pulled a collar and, before Teresa could stop him, he slapped it onto her neck. He hauled her to her feet as his partner pressed his gun into Teresa's forehead.
├óÔé¼┼ôNow...move her to the cell block...carefully. We put her as a class four├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are you talking about?├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa asked, her voice strained as they pulled her out of the room. Dok didn't respond, the door shutting behind Teresa, cutting off her view of the goggled woman.
Miles jumped when the cell door opened. He had been in a light doze, fading in and out of consciousness, occasionally finding some kind of food waiting. Chess never ate, she simply stared at the wall. It felt as if they had been there for...days...maybe a week. He didn't know anymore. The Deamonhunters didn't even talk to him, the food transfers seeming to be automatic.
Two guards shoved Teresa into the room. She tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground, rolling onto her back in time to see the door close. She jumped to her feet and slammed against the door.
├óÔé¼┼ôGod damn it! Saints damn it, too├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered, sitting down as she did so.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhere have you been?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked, his voice scratchy from misuse.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou don't want to know├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said darkly, remembering the Trawl and the horrible invasive presence of that thing in her mind. The Trawl...to think a thing such as that still existed in the universe.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou've been gone for a week├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, ├óÔé¼┼ôOr more at my best guess├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa paused, feeling the coller around her neck. ├óÔé¼┼ôA week?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôA week├óÔé¼┬Ø
The door opened, cutting Teresa off from whatever she was going to say, and a Deamonhunter, wearing armor and holding a machine gun, walked in.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, pointing at Chess. Chess stood as two more Deamonhunters walked in, each wearing the same armor and using the same rifle. The two flanked her while the first one lead them out of the cell. The door closed with a clank, leaving Teresa and Miles alone.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhy...why did they put a collar on you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked faintly.
├óÔé¼┼ôI...I don't know├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa looked at her feet.
They were silent for a moment.
├óÔé¼┼ôDo you think...├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles trailed off, ├óÔé¼┼ôHelena, that old geezer├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI remember├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa murmured.
├óÔé¼┼ôShe knew your mother...├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, ├óÔé¼┼ôHelena looked old├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOld enough...to live through the End Times├óÔé¼┬Ø
They were silent again.
├óÔé¼┼ôMiles...let me tell you a story├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, ├óÔé¼┼ôA story that I did my best to not think about for forty and then some years├óÔé¼┬Ø
------------
Teresa walked down the hallway, clutching her books to her chest, trying to cover the...things that were growing there. She hated her body, hated for what it was doing to her. She hated the stares she got, from the boys and from some of the teachers. Her sister giggled, enjoying the attention.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou're such a dork, Teresa├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet had said when Teresa confessed her hatred of the stares, ├óÔé¼┼ôThats half the fun of growing up. The boys start noticing you!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa stopped at a intersection. The school seemed to be full of them, eerie four way stops that made her nervous every time she got there. Teresa hated Tom as well, hated him for the way he acted nice, but she could see the hate and the anger and the strange desire behind his eyes. The teachers didn't see that, saying that he was ├óÔé¼┼ôImproved├óÔé¼┬Ø and ├óÔé¼┼ôreformed├óÔé¼┬Ø
But Teresa knew better. She saw a security camera covering the hallway, but that didn't stop her from checking every possible hiding place and skirting around it. Teresa walked towards the dorms, knowing that it was getting later every second she dallied.
She stopped. Footsteps? Or just her own echo, bouncing through an empty school? They were definitely not hers, heavy boots clomping down the hall.
├óÔé¼┼ôHi Teresa├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom said, his voice bright and friendly. Teresa squared her shoulders, knowing the facade of kindness would last as long as the security camera's range. She turned around and saw Tom walking towards her. She hated how big he was getting, growing inches daily it seemed. He was stronger than her and taller than her, no matter how much she exercised. The camera focused on the two of them, whirring softly.
Tom smiled, saying something pleasant. Teresa looked past him, seeing one of his friends sneak behind the security camera, reaching up and unplugging it.
├óÔé¼┼ôI'll scream├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, backing away from Tom. Tom's smile didn't fade. Instead it simply became larger.
├óÔé¼┼ôScream?├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom asked, ├óÔé¼┼ôScream and let the school know what a little slut you are?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa backed away, holding her book like a shield. Tom stepped forward, ├óÔé¼┼ôI've been nice to you. Very nice to you. Most people would repay that kindness with kindness in return. People...like your sister├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôShut up├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa hissed, her jaw tight.
├óÔé¼┼ôShe had a sweet little pussy, didn't she, Jon?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThat she did├óÔé¼┬Ø Jon said. Teresa ran into something and suddenly hands were on her mouth.
She bit down, hard, and Tom's friend yelped, letting go of her. Teresa tasted blood. It wasn't her own and it tasted sweet. Tom slapped her, anger bursting across her face.
├óÔé¼┼ôUngrateful bitch!├óÔé¼┬Ø he hissed, not raising his voice. Jon grinned, cracking her knuckles. Teresa fell to the ground, her cheek on fire. She felt it, but then Tom's hand clenched on her hair, yanking her head up and throwing her onto her back. She inflated her lungs to scream, but Tom's friends held her down and covered her mouth.
Tom tore her shirt. Teresa started to cry, knowing that it was a weak, womanly thing to do. But she couldn't help it. She cried as Tom's hand grabbed her breast, roughly.
├óÔé¼┼ôI want to hear her scream├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom said to his friends. Jon removed his hand. Teresa bit her lip, hard enough to make blood flow.
├óÔé¼┼ôCome on, Teresa, scream...just a little├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom said, ├óÔé¼┼ôIf you don't scream, we'll bloody you up a bit before we're done├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa felt something snap.
├óÔé¼┼ôGet...off...of...me├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa whispered.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat was that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom asked, thinking it was something weak.
Teresa sat up, throwing the two boys off her. One smashed into the wall, the other into a window. Glass fell to the ground, a loud crash sounding. Tom backed up, fear in his eyes.
Teresa stood, her teeth clenched. Her hand flickered out and red misted the air.
---------------
├óÔé¼┼ôThey found me curled in a ball, crying├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, tears running freely down my face, ├óÔé¼┼ôI was put into therapy...thats were I met Father Jedidiah. He...he showed me the truth, that there's more to life than what I had thought. I got my first tattoo three years later, once I was realized from state custody├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôBut...but it was self defense, wasn't it?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, his face bloodless, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...why didn't you tell me this sooner├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMiles├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa sobbed, ├óÔé¼┼ôIf it wasn't self defense, then I would have been given 21 to life. And...I haven't thought about this for decades...├óÔé¼┬Ø she stopped crying, rubbing her nose and eyes with her arm, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...the one thing that bothered be was...was the official report said that I stabbed him with a shard of glass...but for some reason that always felt...wrong to me├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat else could you have stabbed him with?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked.
Teresa felt her collar, then looked at her hand.
├óÔé¼┼ôI have...I have no idea├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, ├óÔé¼┼ôNo idea at all├óÔé¼┬Ø.
So lets hear more!
├óÔé¼┼ôIf I didn't know better├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, adjusting her goggles as she looked at the image, ├óÔé¼┼ôThis woman is trained in resisting trawls├óÔé¼┬Ø
The image in question was blurry and filled with static. It was a young boy's face, split in a nasty grin as he spat into the 'camera'. The 'camera' was the optic nerve of Teresa, who was strapped into the trawl, her body convulsing every once and a while as electrical impulses were rerouted and generally dicked around with in her skull. The Trawl looked like a mechanical spider, each leg holding down one of Teresa's limbs, the thorax where she rested and the abdomen above her head, thousands of tiny wires entering her forehead and eyes.
Lucy chewed her lip as she watched the image repeat.
├óÔé¼┼ôI don't care about some school yard bully,├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered, ├óÔé¼┼ôProbe more recent memories├óÔé¼┬Ø
Dok nodded, moving to the Trawl and fiddling with some dials. The screen leaped ahead to a even more fragmented image. This one was even more confusing, a series of rapid images. Restraints, hands, a leering grin, and red. Lucy sighed, exasperated.
The door to the interrogation chamber opened and John walked in.
├óÔé¼┼ôLucy, can I have a word with you?├óÔé¼┬Ø He whispered, glancing at the Trawl.
Lucy nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôDok, see if you can get her mind out of the play ground├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôCan do├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, fiddling with more dials. Teresa's lips pulled back in an artificial grimace as her back arched. John looked away.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhats up?├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy asked, leaning against the wall outside the interrogation chambers.
├óÔé¼┼ôLucy...I have some...reservations├óÔé¼┬Ø John said, looking nervous.
├óÔé¼┼ôReservations? We all agreed-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI know...but├óÔé¼┬Ø John stammered, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut...is this what we trained for? Slaughtering humans, Trawling people-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe've killed humans before├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôBut...I signed up to hunt Daemons, not fight in some war├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôJohn├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy said, stepping close, ├óÔé¼┼ôThe USHS's founders locked us away for three hundred years. They're slavers, for crying out loud├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI know├óÔé¼┬Ø John said, smiling faintly, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut...I don't trust our new boss├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI don't either├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy smiled, kissing him softly. John knew that look.
├óÔé¼┼ôLucy...what did you do?├óÔé¼┬Ø
-------------
├óÔé¼┼ôHow do you explain this?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amadeus asked, looking at his chief of science, Laurence.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...I...er...can't├óÔé¼┬Ø Laurence said, holding his PDA like a shield.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow can perfectly alien blood, taken from a woman conclusively prooven to be a sander/human hybrid, turn into normal blood overnight!├óÔé¼┬Ø Amadeus stood, his face a mask of rage, ├óÔé¼┼ôI want you're head for this├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWith...with all due respect, sir├óÔé¼┬Ø Laurence snapped, realizing he had to either make a strong stand or lose his head, ├óÔé¼┼ôThe vials must have been altered en rout to our labs. The problem must be with either the courier...or the suppler├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThe specimen is not human-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI never said the specimen├óÔé¼┬Ø Laurence said, feeling a bit calmer as Amadeus sat down, ├óÔé¼┼ôI said the suppler├óÔé¼┬Ø
Amadeus' face worked as his mind possessed this. He sighed.
├óÔé¼┼ôLaurence...you're dismissed.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Laurence almost ran out of the room, heart pounding in his chest. He was alive, for now. He had to get a new job...
-------
After what seemed like an eternity the thing in Teresa's mind left. It's absence was as unbearable as it's presence had been, a ragged wound that froze her in place.
Dok leaned over her, goggled eyes appearing strangely grotesque in Teresa's woozy state of mind. Dok pushed a hypodermic into Teresa's neck and suddenly everything snapped into focus. Teresa didn't try to break out of her restraints. She knew, in a foggy way, that they had held her during her time in the Trawl.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow many fingers am I holding up?├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok asked, holding up a fisted hand.
├óÔé¼┼ôNone├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, her voice slurred.
├óÔé¼┼ôVery good├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok grinned, popping a bit of chewing gum into her mouth and chewing loudly, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're free to go├óÔé¼┬Ø
The restraints snapped open. Teresa sat up, blinking in surprise. She saw two guards aiming guns at her, their faces masked by helmets and face masks. A strange cylinder was in the middle of the room, humming softly. Teresa looked at Dok, who backed hurriedly out of the room.
├óÔé¼┼ôCollar her├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd get her out of here!├óÔé¼┬Ø
One of the guards advanced, slowly, as if Teresa was going to breath fire. He pulled a collar and, before Teresa could stop him, he slapped it onto her neck. He hauled her to her feet as his partner pressed his gun into Teresa's forehead.
├óÔé¼┼ôNow...move her to the cell block...carefully. We put her as a class four├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are you talking about?├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa asked, her voice strained as they pulled her out of the room. Dok didn't respond, the door shutting behind Teresa, cutting off her view of the goggled woman.
Miles jumped when the cell door opened. He had been in a light doze, fading in and out of consciousness, occasionally finding some kind of food waiting. Chess never ate, she simply stared at the wall. It felt as if they had been there for...days...maybe a week. He didn't know anymore. The Deamonhunters didn't even talk to him, the food transfers seeming to be automatic.
Two guards shoved Teresa into the room. She tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground, rolling onto her back in time to see the door close. She jumped to her feet and slammed against the door.
├óÔé¼┼ôGod damn it! Saints damn it, too├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered, sitting down as she did so.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhere have you been?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked, his voice scratchy from misuse.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou don't want to know├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said darkly, remembering the Trawl and the horrible invasive presence of that thing in her mind. The Trawl...to think a thing such as that still existed in the universe.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou've been gone for a week├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, ├óÔé¼┼ôOr more at my best guess├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa paused, feeling the coller around her neck. ├óÔé¼┼ôA week?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôA week├óÔé¼┬Ø
The door opened, cutting Teresa off from whatever she was going to say, and a Deamonhunter, wearing armor and holding a machine gun, walked in.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, pointing at Chess. Chess stood as two more Deamonhunters walked in, each wearing the same armor and using the same rifle. The two flanked her while the first one lead them out of the cell. The door closed with a clank, leaving Teresa and Miles alone.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhy...why did they put a collar on you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked faintly.
├óÔé¼┼ôI...I don't know├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa looked at her feet.
They were silent for a moment.
├óÔé¼┼ôDo you think...├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles trailed off, ├óÔé¼┼ôHelena, that old geezer├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI remember├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa murmured.
├óÔé¼┼ôShe knew your mother...├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, ├óÔé¼┼ôHelena looked old├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOld enough...to live through the End Times├óÔé¼┬Ø
They were silent again.
├óÔé¼┼ôMiles...let me tell you a story├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, ├óÔé¼┼ôA story that I did my best to not think about for forty and then some years├óÔé¼┬Ø
------------
Teresa walked down the hallway, clutching her books to her chest, trying to cover the...things that were growing there. She hated her body, hated for what it was doing to her. She hated the stares she got, from the boys and from some of the teachers. Her sister giggled, enjoying the attention.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou're such a dork, Teresa├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet had said when Teresa confessed her hatred of the stares, ├óÔé¼┼ôThats half the fun of growing up. The boys start noticing you!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa stopped at a intersection. The school seemed to be full of them, eerie four way stops that made her nervous every time she got there. Teresa hated Tom as well, hated him for the way he acted nice, but she could see the hate and the anger and the strange desire behind his eyes. The teachers didn't see that, saying that he was ├óÔé¼┼ôImproved├óÔé¼┬Ø and ├óÔé¼┼ôreformed├óÔé¼┬Ø
But Teresa knew better. She saw a security camera covering the hallway, but that didn't stop her from checking every possible hiding place and skirting around it. Teresa walked towards the dorms, knowing that it was getting later every second she dallied.
She stopped. Footsteps? Or just her own echo, bouncing through an empty school? They were definitely not hers, heavy boots clomping down the hall.
├óÔé¼┼ôHi Teresa├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom said, his voice bright and friendly. Teresa squared her shoulders, knowing the facade of kindness would last as long as the security camera's range. She turned around and saw Tom walking towards her. She hated how big he was getting, growing inches daily it seemed. He was stronger than her and taller than her, no matter how much she exercised. The camera focused on the two of them, whirring softly.
Tom smiled, saying something pleasant. Teresa looked past him, seeing one of his friends sneak behind the security camera, reaching up and unplugging it.
├óÔé¼┼ôI'll scream├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, backing away from Tom. Tom's smile didn't fade. Instead it simply became larger.
├óÔé¼┼ôScream?├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom asked, ├óÔé¼┼ôScream and let the school know what a little slut you are?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa backed away, holding her book like a shield. Tom stepped forward, ├óÔé¼┼ôI've been nice to you. Very nice to you. Most people would repay that kindness with kindness in return. People...like your sister├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôShut up├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa hissed, her jaw tight.
├óÔé¼┼ôShe had a sweet little pussy, didn't she, Jon?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThat she did├óÔé¼┬Ø Jon said. Teresa ran into something and suddenly hands were on her mouth.
She bit down, hard, and Tom's friend yelped, letting go of her. Teresa tasted blood. It wasn't her own and it tasted sweet. Tom slapped her, anger bursting across her face.
├óÔé¼┼ôUngrateful bitch!├óÔé¼┬Ø he hissed, not raising his voice. Jon grinned, cracking her knuckles. Teresa fell to the ground, her cheek on fire. She felt it, but then Tom's hand clenched on her hair, yanking her head up and throwing her onto her back. She inflated her lungs to scream, but Tom's friends held her down and covered her mouth.
Tom tore her shirt. Teresa started to cry, knowing that it was a weak, womanly thing to do. But she couldn't help it. She cried as Tom's hand grabbed her breast, roughly.
├óÔé¼┼ôI want to hear her scream├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom said to his friends. Jon removed his hand. Teresa bit her lip, hard enough to make blood flow.
├óÔé¼┼ôCome on, Teresa, scream...just a little├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom said, ├óÔé¼┼ôIf you don't scream, we'll bloody you up a bit before we're done├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa felt something snap.
├óÔé¼┼ôGet...off...of...me├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa whispered.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat was that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom asked, thinking it was something weak.
Teresa sat up, throwing the two boys off her. One smashed into the wall, the other into a window. Glass fell to the ground, a loud crash sounding. Tom backed up, fear in his eyes.
Teresa stood, her teeth clenched. Her hand flickered out and red misted the air.
---------------
├óÔé¼┼ôThey found me curled in a ball, crying├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, tears running freely down my face, ├óÔé¼┼ôI was put into therapy...thats were I met Father Jedidiah. He...he showed me the truth, that there's more to life than what I had thought. I got my first tattoo three years later, once I was realized from state custody├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôBut...but it was self defense, wasn't it?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, his face bloodless, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...why didn't you tell me this sooner├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMiles├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa sobbed, ├óÔé¼┼ôIf it wasn't self defense, then I would have been given 21 to life. And...I haven't thought about this for decades...├óÔé¼┬Ø she stopped crying, rubbing her nose and eyes with her arm, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...the one thing that bothered be was...was the official report said that I stabbed him with a shard of glass...but for some reason that always felt...wrong to me├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat else could you have stabbed him with?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked.
Teresa felt her collar, then looked at her hand.
├óÔé¼┼ôI have...I have no idea├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, ├óÔé¼┼ôNo idea at all├óÔé¼┬Ø.
-
Guessmyname
- Posts: 3301
- Joined: 28 Apr 2005, 21:07
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Guessmyname
- Posts: 3301
- Joined: 28 Apr 2005, 21:07
I wonder if she's the child Eve sent Hicks...?
Nah. Teresa has a sister, that wouldn't work...
But then, since when did such fiddly little laws like that matter to S0-2 people?
Michelle and Takara? Possible, but Helena probably wouldn't like a relative of those two...
...
I'm looking too deep into this aren't I?
Nah. Teresa has a sister, that wouldn't work...
But then, since when did such fiddly little laws like that matter to S0-2 people?
Michelle and Takara? Possible, but Helena probably wouldn't like a relative of those two...
...
I'm looking too deep into this aren't I?
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Archangel of Death
- Posts: 854
- Joined: 28 Jan 2005, 18:15
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Wolf-In-Exile
- Posts: 497
- Joined: 21 Nov 2005, 13:40
Gah. I don't know why, but this epsido took a LONG time to write.
Or, to put it differently, I do know why...but if I told ya, you'd all come to my house with pitchforks and torches, ready to burn me out and get at what delayed me.
No I'm not teasing you with snippits of information. Thats as crazy as me working on some kind of super secret top cool project of doom. Thats just nuts!
Es muy loco!
Yo hablo en espanol mucho. Gracias el clase espanol y mucho tera de casa...
├óÔé¼┼ôAll right folks, heres the low down├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, looking around her bridge. Lt. Juan and Lt Commander Grimm were at their positions, backed up by Junior Lt. Elizabeth and a new transfer, Lt. Scot.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe are going to be part of the fleet that will bypass the defense nets around the Golgotha system by warping behind the enemy lines. Because the Edison has more shield strength than the other ships, we will be going first to absorb laser fire├óÔé¼┬Ø
Weather was glad to see her crew didn't sigh, complain or even look slightly perturbed.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe second and third Fleet groups will warp in the most heavily defended area, though by the time we're through with it it should be considerably less defended├óÔé¼┬Ø
Her crew smiled.
├óÔé¼┼ôGroup Four and Five will be reserves called in if we need some serious back up. Our overarching mission goal is to destroy the defense net of Golgotha. Any questions?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI have one├óÔé¼┬Ø Elizabeth said, raising her hand, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhen are the other groups warping in?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAfter us├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhen after us?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Weathers sighed, ├óÔé¼┼ôThey didn't say├óÔé¼┬Ø
The USHS battle fleet was arrayed in New Terra, safe from enemy skirmishers. It had been slow to construct and hard to keep secret. It was managed by building ships, shipping them to safe guarding areas and not telling anyone that didn't need know what they didn't need to know. Arrayed there were an impressive amount of ships, ranging from the rapidly obsolete Peacekeepers, to the freshly minted Judicial class, each one surrounded by shuttles that were doing one last maintenance check. Janet watched them through the window of the USHS battle station Ticonderoga, frowning.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt's a pity most people can't see this from planet side├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, ├óÔé¼┼ôIt would make a great propaganda piece├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThats all you think about these days├óÔé¼┬Ø Carter sighed.
├óÔé¼┼ôMaybe├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet said. Then, something occurring to her, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is the date?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôUh...its the 14th├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhen's the next election?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôUh...a year├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOh├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet turned back to the incredible view of the battle fleet, ├óÔé¼┼ôI can't wait├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMam?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNothing...nothing├óÔé¼┬Ø she sighed, her breath fogging up the window. Quite suddenly a third of the battle fleet vanished, bright flashes of Kliner jumps shining momentarily. Janet smiled, standing taller.
├óÔé¼┼ôBy the end of the day├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, ├óÔé¼┼ôWe should own Golgotha├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHopefully├óÔé¼┬Ø Carter muttered.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet said, ├óÔé¼┼ôWe're going to win├óÔé¼┬Ø
Miles felt the ship rock, snapping him out of his slumber.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat was that?├óÔé¼┬Ø He asked, sitting up, eyes fluttering open.
├óÔé¼┼ôI don't know├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said. She had been staring at her hands. Something felt different. The ship rocked again.
├óÔé¼┼ôI think we're moving├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, standing. Why he bothered was a mystery to Teresa, as there was no where to go. The ship suddenly lurched, slamming Teresa and Miles into the floor. Miles groaned, realizing the wall had become the floor for a moment. Then, as he realized this, the floor became a wall and he slid back to where he had been.
├óÔé¼┼ôI think we're under attack├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, her legs bent over her body and touching the ground in front of her face. She rolled onto her font, blinking. She was flexible...but not that flexible. Miles seemed to have not noticed, standing again.
The door to the cell opened and two Deamonhunters grabbed Miles.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhere are you taking him?├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa asked, standing. One of the Deamonhunters pressed a button on his glove and pain shot through her body, coming from that damn collar. Teresa fell to the ground, fists balled. The pain stopped and she sat up, panting.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou stay here, daemon├óÔé¼┬Ø The Deamonhunter said, stepping out of the cell.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhere are you taking me!├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked as they wrestled him out of the cell.
├óÔé¼┼ôRight here.├óÔé¼┬Ø A door opened next to Miles and he was shoved into the cell right next to Teresa, ├óÔé¼┼ôWe don't want you two taking advantage of anything├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôTake advantage of-├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles started, but he was cut off by the door closing, locking with a chunk sound.
Teresa stood, teeth gritted, hands clenched. First they took Chess, now they took Miles. The capture had been bad enough, but this coller wore on her, making her feel like a worn rag. Teresa looked at her hands, her body wanting to do something. Teresa opened her left hand and there was a wet snapping sound. Something emerged from her arm, folding on a joint hidden below her wrist.
Teresa stared at it. It was a...a blade, protruding from her arm, curved gently. She held it up, moving her arm to bring it close to her face. She ran her thumb along its edge and her thumb was cut, spreading blood along the blade. Teresa looked at her thumb and saw the cut fold shut, the blood flow stopping before it had really begun.
Teresa felt giddy, questions flooding her mind.
But Teresa wasn't much for asking questions when there was something to be done. She focused and the blade snapped back into her arm, the skin folding shut after it was closed. Teresa probed her wrist, eyes wide. It felt like a completely normal wrist, the same wrist she had had all her life.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell?├óÔé¼┬Ø She moaned, the reality of what had just happened sinking into her mind, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat am I!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Dok looked at her blood results, frowned, and looked at them again. The ship shook, causing her laboratory to shake and rattle. She grumbled, looking at the beakers and vials that filled the place. None broke and none got free of their housing, so Dok looked back at her data.
The door to the lab opened and Lucy, wearing full battle gear, ran in.
├óÔé¼┼ôDok, make it quick, about a thousand hostiles have warped in and I'm needed up in the bridge├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI found out why Teresa's blood work didn't tip off the A.I to anything. I ran it though the daemon checker, which only looks for tell tail sines of either daemon or hybrid abnormalities in the blood-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôCut to the chase Dok├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...Teresa is a hybrid just not a hybrid we've seen before. She is a hybrid of a fifth generation├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôShe...fifth generation?├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy's eyes were wide, staring at Dok's goggles. Lucy's reflection stared back at her, as shocked as Lucy was.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo the way I see it is. A man falls in love with a daemon. The man fracks the daemon. The daemon has a baby, the man loves the baby, the man raises the baby, the baby grows up, falls in love with someone else, fracks them, has a baby...so on and so forth until Teresa is born├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFrack....or I should say fuck├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy muttered. The ship rocked, a reminder that they were in the middle of a war zone.
├óÔé¼┼ôTeresa, they way I see it, was latent. Her daemon bits were so subsumed by generations of human interbreeding├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThat it took something else to bring it into focus├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSharp Lucy, very very sharp,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut the only question is wh-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôUh├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy said, cutting Dok off, ├óÔé¼┼ôThat question can be saved for later!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôRight├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, but Lucy was already running out of the room, the ship rocking again.
---------
Chess sat in her cell, staring at the door. She ignored the shudders that went through the ship as best she could. When they became lurched that slammed her into the wall, she could no longer ignore them. Chess stood, hating her coller for stopping her powers and effectively blinding her ability to see outside of a room.
The door opened and a Deamonhunter wearing his armor but not his helmet walked in, holding his assault rifle.
├óÔé¼┼ôJust one of you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess muttered.
├óÔé¼┼ôGet up,├óÔé¼┬Ø The Deamonhunter said. Chess stood and he forced her out of the room, gun pressed into the back of her head. Chess was lead through the ship and into a labritory. Dok, the goggled woman Chess had been examined by, stood with a long needle. Next to Dok was a very tired looking Miles.
├óÔé¼┼ôAre you okay?├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess asked him.
├óÔé¼┼ôExhausted,├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, yawning.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe put him through the Trawl for a bit. He sustained it a bit worse than your friend did,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, sticking the needle into Chess' neck. She drew blood, her hand steady despite the sudden tremors that hit the ship every once and a while.
├óÔé¼┼ôI think we're under attack,├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles muttered, rubbing his head. He felt like his brain had been sandpapered and the shaking of the ship wasn't making it feel any better.
├óÔé¼┼ôNow├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, placing the blood in a vial and slipping that into a apparatus, ├óÔé¼┼ôPlease go retrieve Teresa.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The helmet-less Deamonhunter nodded, heading out of the room.
Chess sat down next to Miles, picking at her coller absentmindedly. The ship was starting to shake less. Something bleeped on Dok's console and she pressed a button.
├óÔé¼┼ôDok here,├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, leaning back in her chair. Then. ├óÔé¼┼ôWait a second.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Dok pulled out a ear plug and slipped it into her ear. She pressed a button on the console and leaned back in her chair, nodding slowly.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, ├óÔé¼┼ôYes I'm running the check now.├óÔé¼┬Ø
She slipped her earplug out and looked at Chess, her goggles whirring and clicking as they focused on her.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou know,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, ├óÔé¼┼ôI will be sorry when we liquidate you├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôLiquidate?├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess sat up, eyes wide. Miles shook himself, almost getting to his feet before his head pounded and he was forced to sit down.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell we can't have a daemon running around after we're done examining you. And...well...let's say we don't think our boss is going to be around for much longer,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok smiled.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat's going on outside?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked, his head still pounding from his abortive attempt to stand.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...er,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok stammered, ├óÔé¼┼ôA little scuffle from all reports├óÔé¼┬Ø
--------
The Edison warped a few miles above the atmosphere of Golgotha, between two large battle stations and a fleet and a half of hulks. It took Weathers a few seconds to see that they were off course by at least fifty miles. And then things started to go wrong.
The battle stations wasted no time. Missiles and cannon shots streamed through space, dissipating under the Edison's shields harmlessly. The pulse lasers didn't. Weathers rocked in her chair, the Edison slowly spinning under the impacts.
├óÔé¼┼ôRegistering fifteen impacts to the left and twenty to the aft,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said, wincing at the red numbers on his damage console, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd those cannon's aren't doing much for our shield integrity├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAccelerate,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, ├óÔé¼┼ôTry to get us out of their field of fire├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe can't,├óÔé¼┬Ø Juan said, ├óÔé¼┼ôThere's a fucking field of Hulks between us and the rest of our group├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGo around them,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, calling up a map of the battle field on her armrest computer. It looked grim, to say the least. Two battle stations, huge red splotches on the black grid, and fifteen to twenty hulks floating between them and the rest of the battle group. Make that fourteen to nineteen hulks, as one of the red blips fractured into a small ring of gray blips, signifying an internal explosion.
├óÔé¼┼ôGoing around,├óÔé¼┬Ø Juan said, wincing as the ship shuddered again.
├óÔé¼┼ôOur shield generators are getting the snot beat out of them,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said, ├óÔé¼┼ôIf this rate of fire keeps up, the computer estimates six minuets of shield time left├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOpen fire on the closest battle station,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, suddenly getting a idea, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd bring us about├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSir?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jaun asked, looking at her.
├óÔé¼┼ôDo it,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, sagging in her chair. The Edison turned, taking even more laser shots up the stern. The cannons and missiles had stopped impacting on her, instead being focused on the larger battle that was occurring in front of them. The USHS battle group was small, but it was still doing a massive amount of damage to the hulk fleet, tearing through the unshielded ships like paper. The Hulk's had but one advantage, that of stealth, but that was ruined in this asteroid free environment. The battle stations, however, were large and well equipped, based off the normal four pronged cylinder with guns design most stations used.
The Edison was starting to look like a burnt hulk, it's front armor scoured by many laser shots. Something had torn and was now bleeding atmosphere into the shield, creating a distortion pattern on one side of the ship. But it still got within a kilometer of the battle station, amazingly close for a battle in space. The laser fire from the station got worse, the close range making the shots all the more effective.
├óÔé¼┼ôFlicker fire,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, her teeth gritted.
Grimm crossed himself, knowing that at this range a split second was more than enough time for countless cannon shells and missiles to impact the side of the ship. Then he pressed the flicker fire button.
The Edison's shields dropped and nuke's slammed into space. The shields came back online and the nukes impacted on the station, who had no shields due to its massive size. Massive chunks of wreckage blew outwards, ripping a jagged chunk out of the station's side. One of the chunks caught the Edison, vaporzing against the shield. The first ring of debris passed the Edison, heading outwards.
There was a low groan, deep in the ship. Weathers was thrown forward, slamming into the ground. She felt something pop out of place. Someone screamed. It was Juan, clutching his arm, which was bent at a funny angle. Weathers stood, something popping back into place as she stood.
Grimm was the only person who was still at his station, as he had firmly anchored himself to his console. Elizabeth stood, a silly grin on her face.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe're still alive,├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, ├óÔé¼┼ôThat's...great.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, not really,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said, kicking his console back to life, ├óÔé¼┼ôThat was our shield generator exploding. It took our engine control and a good part of the middle of our ship with it. Casualties...they're still tabulating, but it's going to be bad├óÔé¼┬Ø
Something started to bleep. Elizabeth took Juan's console as Lt. Scot help bind the injured helmsman.
├óÔé¼┼ôSir,├óÔé¼┬Ø Elizabeth said, ├óÔé¼┼ôA missile is incoming. Impact in five minutes├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThats just great,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weather muttered, sitting back down in her chair. Her armrest computer was black, nonoperative.
├óÔé¼┼ôI suggest abandoning ship,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said. Juan hissed as Scot pulled a inflatable cast over his arm, taken from a medical storage compartment.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers looked around the bridge, ├óÔé¼┼ôThats the end of the war for us then.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is this third time I've had to abandon ship,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said as the bridge crew walked out of the bridge. Weathers dallied, pressing a button on a still active and flickering console. A alarm started to blare throughout the ship, warning the crew.
She stopped, running her hand over the back of the chair. It wasn't her first command. And by god, it wasn't going to be her last.
├óÔé¼┼ôThank you,├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou've been...a good ship.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The missile warning bleeped louder, signifying the missile was getting closer. Weathers sighed and walked out of her bridge. It would take her about two minutes to get to the escape pods and four minutes for the missile to hit. But she didn't feel rushed. The door shut on her bridge.
Weathers sat in her escape pod, strapped into the wall along with Grimm and a random engsin who had jammed himself into that pod. No sense putting all of the top brass into a single pod.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo we lost, sir?├óÔé¼┬Ø The engin asked, looking at Weathers.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe battle,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, ├óÔé¼┼ôNot the war├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHey,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou can see the Edison...wow.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Weathers craned her head and saw the Edison through the small window near her head. It was a scarred wreck, laser marks scouring the side. The back of the ship was a tattered hole, as if a hand had torn out a large chunk of her ship and crushed it.
├óÔé¼┼ôThats where the shield generator blew,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers pointed, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...there's the missile!├óÔé¼┬Ø
The missile was surprisingly visible, a streamer of exhaust fumes marking its passage. It was at once very small and far, so far that it seemed slow. Suddenly the missile shot past and it slammed into the Edison. Weathers winced ahead of time, ready for the bloom of nucklear fire that would tear her ship apart.
Nothing happened. She saw a faint speck, the missile, drifting away from the hull, crumpled and crushed.
├óÔé¼┼ôDud,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm muttered, ├óÔé¼┼ôIt was a god damned dud!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Or, to put it differently, I do know why...but if I told ya, you'd all come to my house with pitchforks and torches, ready to burn me out and get at what delayed me.
No I'm not teasing you with snippits of information. Thats as crazy as me working on some kind of super secret top cool project of doom. Thats just nuts!
Es muy loco!
Yo hablo en espanol mucho. Gracias el clase espanol y mucho tera de casa...
├óÔé¼┼ôAll right folks, heres the low down├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, looking around her bridge. Lt. Juan and Lt Commander Grimm were at their positions, backed up by Junior Lt. Elizabeth and a new transfer, Lt. Scot.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe are going to be part of the fleet that will bypass the defense nets around the Golgotha system by warping behind the enemy lines. Because the Edison has more shield strength than the other ships, we will be going first to absorb laser fire├óÔé¼┬Ø
Weather was glad to see her crew didn't sigh, complain or even look slightly perturbed.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe second and third Fleet groups will warp in the most heavily defended area, though by the time we're through with it it should be considerably less defended├óÔé¼┬Ø
Her crew smiled.
├óÔé¼┼ôGroup Four and Five will be reserves called in if we need some serious back up. Our overarching mission goal is to destroy the defense net of Golgotha. Any questions?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI have one├óÔé¼┬Ø Elizabeth said, raising her hand, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhen are the other groups warping in?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAfter us├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhen after us?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Weathers sighed, ├óÔé¼┼ôThey didn't say├óÔé¼┬Ø
The USHS battle fleet was arrayed in New Terra, safe from enemy skirmishers. It had been slow to construct and hard to keep secret. It was managed by building ships, shipping them to safe guarding areas and not telling anyone that didn't need know what they didn't need to know. Arrayed there were an impressive amount of ships, ranging from the rapidly obsolete Peacekeepers, to the freshly minted Judicial class, each one surrounded by shuttles that were doing one last maintenance check. Janet watched them through the window of the USHS battle station Ticonderoga, frowning.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt's a pity most people can't see this from planet side├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, ├óÔé¼┼ôIt would make a great propaganda piece├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThats all you think about these days├óÔé¼┬Ø Carter sighed.
├óÔé¼┼ôMaybe├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet said. Then, something occurring to her, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is the date?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôUh...its the 14th├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhen's the next election?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôUh...a year├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOh├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet turned back to the incredible view of the battle fleet, ├óÔé¼┼ôI can't wait├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMam?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNothing...nothing├óÔé¼┬Ø she sighed, her breath fogging up the window. Quite suddenly a third of the battle fleet vanished, bright flashes of Kliner jumps shining momentarily. Janet smiled, standing taller.
├óÔé¼┼ôBy the end of the day├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, ├óÔé¼┼ôWe should own Golgotha├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHopefully├óÔé¼┬Ø Carter muttered.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet said, ├óÔé¼┼ôWe're going to win├óÔé¼┬Ø
Miles felt the ship rock, snapping him out of his slumber.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat was that?├óÔé¼┬Ø He asked, sitting up, eyes fluttering open.
├óÔé¼┼ôI don't know├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said. She had been staring at her hands. Something felt different. The ship rocked again.
├óÔé¼┼ôI think we're moving├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, standing. Why he bothered was a mystery to Teresa, as there was no where to go. The ship suddenly lurched, slamming Teresa and Miles into the floor. Miles groaned, realizing the wall had become the floor for a moment. Then, as he realized this, the floor became a wall and he slid back to where he had been.
├óÔé¼┼ôI think we're under attack├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, her legs bent over her body and touching the ground in front of her face. She rolled onto her font, blinking. She was flexible...but not that flexible. Miles seemed to have not noticed, standing again.
The door to the cell opened and two Deamonhunters grabbed Miles.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhere are you taking him?├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa asked, standing. One of the Deamonhunters pressed a button on his glove and pain shot through her body, coming from that damn collar. Teresa fell to the ground, fists balled. The pain stopped and she sat up, panting.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou stay here, daemon├óÔé¼┬Ø The Deamonhunter said, stepping out of the cell.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhere are you taking me!├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked as they wrestled him out of the cell.
├óÔé¼┼ôRight here.├óÔé¼┬Ø A door opened next to Miles and he was shoved into the cell right next to Teresa, ├óÔé¼┼ôWe don't want you two taking advantage of anything├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôTake advantage of-├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles started, but he was cut off by the door closing, locking with a chunk sound.
Teresa stood, teeth gritted, hands clenched. First they took Chess, now they took Miles. The capture had been bad enough, but this coller wore on her, making her feel like a worn rag. Teresa looked at her hands, her body wanting to do something. Teresa opened her left hand and there was a wet snapping sound. Something emerged from her arm, folding on a joint hidden below her wrist.
Teresa stared at it. It was a...a blade, protruding from her arm, curved gently. She held it up, moving her arm to bring it close to her face. She ran her thumb along its edge and her thumb was cut, spreading blood along the blade. Teresa looked at her thumb and saw the cut fold shut, the blood flow stopping before it had really begun.
Teresa felt giddy, questions flooding her mind.
But Teresa wasn't much for asking questions when there was something to be done. She focused and the blade snapped back into her arm, the skin folding shut after it was closed. Teresa probed her wrist, eyes wide. It felt like a completely normal wrist, the same wrist she had had all her life.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell?├óÔé¼┬Ø She moaned, the reality of what had just happened sinking into her mind, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat am I!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Dok looked at her blood results, frowned, and looked at them again. The ship shook, causing her laboratory to shake and rattle. She grumbled, looking at the beakers and vials that filled the place. None broke and none got free of their housing, so Dok looked back at her data.
The door to the lab opened and Lucy, wearing full battle gear, ran in.
├óÔé¼┼ôDok, make it quick, about a thousand hostiles have warped in and I'm needed up in the bridge├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI found out why Teresa's blood work didn't tip off the A.I to anything. I ran it though the daemon checker, which only looks for tell tail sines of either daemon or hybrid abnormalities in the blood-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôCut to the chase Dok├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...Teresa is a hybrid just not a hybrid we've seen before. She is a hybrid of a fifth generation├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôShe...fifth generation?├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy's eyes were wide, staring at Dok's goggles. Lucy's reflection stared back at her, as shocked as Lucy was.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo the way I see it is. A man falls in love with a daemon. The man fracks the daemon. The daemon has a baby, the man loves the baby, the man raises the baby, the baby grows up, falls in love with someone else, fracks them, has a baby...so on and so forth until Teresa is born├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFrack....or I should say fuck├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy muttered. The ship rocked, a reminder that they were in the middle of a war zone.
├óÔé¼┼ôTeresa, they way I see it, was latent. Her daemon bits were so subsumed by generations of human interbreeding├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThat it took something else to bring it into focus├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSharp Lucy, very very sharp,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut the only question is wh-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôUh├óÔé¼┬Ø Lucy said, cutting Dok off, ├óÔé¼┼ôThat question can be saved for later!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôRight├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, but Lucy was already running out of the room, the ship rocking again.
---------
Chess sat in her cell, staring at the door. She ignored the shudders that went through the ship as best she could. When they became lurched that slammed her into the wall, she could no longer ignore them. Chess stood, hating her coller for stopping her powers and effectively blinding her ability to see outside of a room.
The door opened and a Deamonhunter wearing his armor but not his helmet walked in, holding his assault rifle.
├óÔé¼┼ôJust one of you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess muttered.
├óÔé¼┼ôGet up,├óÔé¼┬Ø The Deamonhunter said. Chess stood and he forced her out of the room, gun pressed into the back of her head. Chess was lead through the ship and into a labritory. Dok, the goggled woman Chess had been examined by, stood with a long needle. Next to Dok was a very tired looking Miles.
├óÔé¼┼ôAre you okay?├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess asked him.
├óÔé¼┼ôExhausted,├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, yawning.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe put him through the Trawl for a bit. He sustained it a bit worse than your friend did,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, sticking the needle into Chess' neck. She drew blood, her hand steady despite the sudden tremors that hit the ship every once and a while.
├óÔé¼┼ôI think we're under attack,├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles muttered, rubbing his head. He felt like his brain had been sandpapered and the shaking of the ship wasn't making it feel any better.
├óÔé¼┼ôNow├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, placing the blood in a vial and slipping that into a apparatus, ├óÔé¼┼ôPlease go retrieve Teresa.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The helmet-less Deamonhunter nodded, heading out of the room.
Chess sat down next to Miles, picking at her coller absentmindedly. The ship was starting to shake less. Something bleeped on Dok's console and she pressed a button.
├óÔé¼┼ôDok here,├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, leaning back in her chair. Then. ├óÔé¼┼ôWait a second.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Dok pulled out a ear plug and slipped it into her ear. She pressed a button on the console and leaned back in her chair, nodding slowly.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, ├óÔé¼┼ôYes I'm running the check now.├óÔé¼┬Ø
She slipped her earplug out and looked at Chess, her goggles whirring and clicking as they focused on her.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou know,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, ├óÔé¼┼ôI will be sorry when we liquidate you├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôLiquidate?├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess sat up, eyes wide. Miles shook himself, almost getting to his feet before his head pounded and he was forced to sit down.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell we can't have a daemon running around after we're done examining you. And...well...let's say we don't think our boss is going to be around for much longer,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok smiled.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat's going on outside?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked, his head still pounding from his abortive attempt to stand.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...er,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok stammered, ├óÔé¼┼ôA little scuffle from all reports├óÔé¼┬Ø
--------
The Edison warped a few miles above the atmosphere of Golgotha, between two large battle stations and a fleet and a half of hulks. It took Weathers a few seconds to see that they were off course by at least fifty miles. And then things started to go wrong.
The battle stations wasted no time. Missiles and cannon shots streamed through space, dissipating under the Edison's shields harmlessly. The pulse lasers didn't. Weathers rocked in her chair, the Edison slowly spinning under the impacts.
├óÔé¼┼ôRegistering fifteen impacts to the left and twenty to the aft,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said, wincing at the red numbers on his damage console, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd those cannon's aren't doing much for our shield integrity├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAccelerate,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, ├óÔé¼┼ôTry to get us out of their field of fire├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe can't,├óÔé¼┬Ø Juan said, ├óÔé¼┼ôThere's a fucking field of Hulks between us and the rest of our group├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGo around them,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, calling up a map of the battle field on her armrest computer. It looked grim, to say the least. Two battle stations, huge red splotches on the black grid, and fifteen to twenty hulks floating between them and the rest of the battle group. Make that fourteen to nineteen hulks, as one of the red blips fractured into a small ring of gray blips, signifying an internal explosion.
├óÔé¼┼ôGoing around,├óÔé¼┬Ø Juan said, wincing as the ship shuddered again.
├óÔé¼┼ôOur shield generators are getting the snot beat out of them,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said, ├óÔé¼┼ôIf this rate of fire keeps up, the computer estimates six minuets of shield time left├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOpen fire on the closest battle station,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, suddenly getting a idea, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd bring us about├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSir?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jaun asked, looking at her.
├óÔé¼┼ôDo it,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, sagging in her chair. The Edison turned, taking even more laser shots up the stern. The cannons and missiles had stopped impacting on her, instead being focused on the larger battle that was occurring in front of them. The USHS battle group was small, but it was still doing a massive amount of damage to the hulk fleet, tearing through the unshielded ships like paper. The Hulk's had but one advantage, that of stealth, but that was ruined in this asteroid free environment. The battle stations, however, were large and well equipped, based off the normal four pronged cylinder with guns design most stations used.
The Edison was starting to look like a burnt hulk, it's front armor scoured by many laser shots. Something had torn and was now bleeding atmosphere into the shield, creating a distortion pattern on one side of the ship. But it still got within a kilometer of the battle station, amazingly close for a battle in space. The laser fire from the station got worse, the close range making the shots all the more effective.
├óÔé¼┼ôFlicker fire,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, her teeth gritted.
Grimm crossed himself, knowing that at this range a split second was more than enough time for countless cannon shells and missiles to impact the side of the ship. Then he pressed the flicker fire button.
The Edison's shields dropped and nuke's slammed into space. The shields came back online and the nukes impacted on the station, who had no shields due to its massive size. Massive chunks of wreckage blew outwards, ripping a jagged chunk out of the station's side. One of the chunks caught the Edison, vaporzing against the shield. The first ring of debris passed the Edison, heading outwards.
There was a low groan, deep in the ship. Weathers was thrown forward, slamming into the ground. She felt something pop out of place. Someone screamed. It was Juan, clutching his arm, which was bent at a funny angle. Weathers stood, something popping back into place as she stood.
Grimm was the only person who was still at his station, as he had firmly anchored himself to his console. Elizabeth stood, a silly grin on her face.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe're still alive,├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, ├óÔé¼┼ôThat's...great.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, not really,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said, kicking his console back to life, ├óÔé¼┼ôThat was our shield generator exploding. It took our engine control and a good part of the middle of our ship with it. Casualties...they're still tabulating, but it's going to be bad├óÔé¼┬Ø
Something started to bleep. Elizabeth took Juan's console as Lt. Scot help bind the injured helmsman.
├óÔé¼┼ôSir,├óÔé¼┬Ø Elizabeth said, ├óÔé¼┼ôA missile is incoming. Impact in five minutes├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThats just great,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weather muttered, sitting back down in her chair. Her armrest computer was black, nonoperative.
├óÔé¼┼ôI suggest abandoning ship,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said. Juan hissed as Scot pulled a inflatable cast over his arm, taken from a medical storage compartment.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers looked around the bridge, ├óÔé¼┼ôThats the end of the war for us then.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is this third time I've had to abandon ship,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said as the bridge crew walked out of the bridge. Weathers dallied, pressing a button on a still active and flickering console. A alarm started to blare throughout the ship, warning the crew.
She stopped, running her hand over the back of the chair. It wasn't her first command. And by god, it wasn't going to be her last.
├óÔé¼┼ôThank you,├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou've been...a good ship.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The missile warning bleeped louder, signifying the missile was getting closer. Weathers sighed and walked out of her bridge. It would take her about two minutes to get to the escape pods and four minutes for the missile to hit. But she didn't feel rushed. The door shut on her bridge.
Weathers sat in her escape pod, strapped into the wall along with Grimm and a random engsin who had jammed himself into that pod. No sense putting all of the top brass into a single pod.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo we lost, sir?├óÔé¼┬Ø The engin asked, looking at Weathers.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe battle,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, ├óÔé¼┼ôNot the war├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHey,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm said, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou can see the Edison...wow.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Weathers craned her head and saw the Edison through the small window near her head. It was a scarred wreck, laser marks scouring the side. The back of the ship was a tattered hole, as if a hand had torn out a large chunk of her ship and crushed it.
├óÔé¼┼ôThats where the shield generator blew,├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers pointed, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...there's the missile!├óÔé¼┬Ø
The missile was surprisingly visible, a streamer of exhaust fumes marking its passage. It was at once very small and far, so far that it seemed slow. Suddenly the missile shot past and it slammed into the Edison. Weathers winced ahead of time, ready for the bloom of nucklear fire that would tear her ship apart.
Nothing happened. She saw a faint speck, the missile, drifting away from the hull, crumpled and crushed.
├óÔé¼┼ôDud,├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm muttered, ├óÔé¼┼ôIt was a god damned dud!├óÔé¼┬Ø
What, what, you say? A new episiode...shocking!
Teresa felt as if a ton of bricks had lifted from her shoulders when she was pushed into Dok's office and saw Miles sitting there. She didn't even realize she had been worried...then she saw Chess. Chess looked...subtly different. There was a slight slump in her shoulders, her head bowed slightly, as if a weight was pushing her down.
├óÔé¼┼ôStand still, please,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, advancing with a needle. Teresa grimaced as the needle sank into her neck. Dok started to draw blood. She jerked the needle out, yelping. The needle was jammed with something. Dok dropped it a second before the needle exploded, a black shape growing inside it.
├óÔé¼┼ôSander! Sander!├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles stood, panic and pain flashing across his face in rapid succession. He fell, his legs not able to support him. The sander was a small one, but it was growing in the new environment. Teresa stared at it, somewhat detachedly. She reached out with her hand and the little creature scrabbled onto her arm and climbed onto her shoulder, moving like a cat.
Teresa stared at it, feeling far calmer than she had in days. There was something about knowing the truth. She's wonder, later, about the details. But then the creature sank into her own skin and reformed into her body.
Dok stared, goggles whirring slightly as she focused on Teresa's face. She reached behind herself, hands scrabbling over her desk till she found the drawer with a her Z-gun in it. She drew it, not aiming at Teresa.
├óÔé¼┼ôI think we misclassified you,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, ├óÔé¼┼ôMost hybrids have...blood.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa looked at Dok, blinking, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut...I've had my blood tested...plenty of times. I bleed!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôCan I test something...not as a Deamonhunter, but as a scientist?├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok asked, slowly walking towards Teresa, ├óÔé¼┼ôIt'll hurt slightly├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa nodded, looking again at where the small sander creature had sunk into her own body. She saw Miles getting back into his chair, a look of shock and general amazement on his face as well.
Dok pulled out a small scalpel and cut a sliver of skin off Teresa's arm. It stung, momentarily, but Dok quickly dropped the skin. It lay on the ground, then dissolved into black grit, the stuff Sanders were made of.
├óÔé¼┼ôDear god,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is behavior only shown by a full blood Stage Three...but...at best you'd have to be a generation four, maybe generation five hybrid....Teresa, you're an orphan, right?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa nodded.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd you have a sister, right?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Nod.
├óÔé¼┼ôShit!├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok turned around, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhere is she?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNew Terra,├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, smiling.
├óÔé¼┼ôThats great. Once this silly war is over, I'm going to see if I can examine her...├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFat chance.├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles muttered, rubbing his temples.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhy?├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok looked at him. The ship rumbled and, before Chess, Miles, or Teresa could answer Dok's question, the door opened and Lucy walked in, wearing full battle dress minus a helmet.
├óÔé¼┼ôDok! Stop frakin around with your lab specimens! We've taken a hull hit and now three of us are wounded and need aid. If you had been paying attention, you might have noticed we are in the middle of a frakin war!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Dok looked mildly abashed, followed Lucy out of the door. The Deamonhunter who had been assigned to ushering Miles, Chess and Teresa from their respective cells to this room, stood at the position he had taken up when he had first entered the room. Almost as an after thought, Lucy stuck her head back into the room and said, ├óÔé¼┼ôTake them to the air lock and space them.├óÔé¼┬Ø
-------
The first thing that tipped Harry off that something was rather wrong was when his escape pod started to get hot.
├óÔé¼┼ôIs...is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, looking around at the others. There were four others, two crewmen that he didn't know, Lou Glickson and Harry's shift partner for the battle, Shuzhuni.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt's not me,├óÔé¼┬Ø Shuzhuni smiled weakly. Harry would have rolled his eyes if it wasn't true. She was gorgeous, far to much to be real. Or thats what Harry kept telling himself.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe window, maybe,├óÔé¼┬Ø Lou said. The computer had closed the windows a few minutes ago, saying that it was for protection.
Harry reached to the window nearest him and flipped the screen open. Golgotha loomed huge in the bottom half of the window, getting slowly larger. Harry flipped the window closed again, heart hammering.
├óÔé¼┼ôCan an escape pod survive reentry?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôIf the computer doesn't screw it up, if the computer can find a soft enough landing place, and so on...,├óÔé¼┬Ø Lou said. Then, realizing what Harry had just asked, he blanched.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...it's going to be a fun ride down,├óÔé¼┬Ø One of the crew members that Harry didn't know said, forcing his voice to be cheery.
------------
Amadeus walked down the halls of his mansion, lugging a large suit case behind him.
├óÔé¼┼ôSir...where are you going?├óÔé¼┬Ø His aide asked, seeing his boss walk hurriedly away.
Amadeus turned around and shot his aide in the face. His aide was momentarily surprised before his death, and he fell backward slowly. Amadeus shook his head, turning back to the direction he had been going.
Amadeus walked into the courtyard in front of his mansion, sunlight glinting quite peacefully on the water fountain that he had ordered built a year or so ago, a nice change of pace from the normal Golgothan gloom. He looked into the sky. Smeary streaks of smoke and flame were drawn across the reddish gray atmosphere, flaming hunks of space station slowly plummeting into his planet. He saw the clouds of troop transports that were ready to disgorged the enemy onto his land.
Amadeus sighed, thinking about his elite shock troops. Or what was left of his elite shock troops. They had been used up in the war, leaving a rabble that had flocked to the ideals of communism. There were a lot of them, but the war had proved again and again and again that numbers could only go so far. And the USHS had lots of troops as well, and a better infrastructure to create them. Everywhere he saw the seeds of the CCHS's destruction, each rather obvious now that he actually looked around him. They should have been obvious before he even started this revolution...
Amadeus admitted one thing to himself. Communism just didn't work.
He walked out of the courtyard and into his car. His driver was a sandy haired young woman that Amadeus had called on more often than most.
├óÔé¼┼ôTo the shelters?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked, her voice cheerier than Amadeus liked.
├óÔé¼┼ôSpaceport,├óÔé¼┬Ø Amadeus said.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes sir,├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, knowing better than to question. The car started up and trundled along the road ways until it arrived at the star port. Amadeus' driver drove to their normal spot, a small, secluded place in the parking lot. Not that there was anyone there, as most everyone were either in the guard, in the shelters, in the space fleet, or dead.
Amadeus stepped out of the car and walked around the back to the driver's seat. He opened the door and stooped slightly so he could look his driver in the face. She licked her lips, glancing nervously at him
├óÔé¼┼ôSir, I don't think now is the-├óÔé¼┬Ø
Amadeus cut her off with a gunshot. His driver fell backwards, the hole in her head only slightly marring her good looks. Amadeus sighed, holstering his pistol. A waste of good material. Couldn't be helped, he supposed. He walked into the space port after closing the door to his car carefully.
-----------
Every step made Miles want to collapse. His head felt even worse than it had before, something Miles didn't think was possible, and the Deamonhunter that was pushing him down the hall at the barrel of the gun was not helping his mood.
The ship rocked slightly, but the time between impacts was getting longer. Something was winding down, for either the CCHS or the USHS. But at this point, Miles didn't really care.
They arrived at the air lock.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou, go in first,├óÔé¼┬Ø The Deamonhunter gestured to Chess.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess said, glaring at him.
├óÔé¼┼ôListen, daemon, with that coller on you're nothing more than a girl with a scary look in your eyes. So get in the god damned air lock!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Miles noticed a hint of desperation in the man's voice, a faint edge of panic.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess said, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are you going to do, shoot me?├óÔé¼┬Ø
The Deamonhunter paused. Then his barrel panned to the left. Miles took a half step back when the barrel settled on his stomach.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou're going to kill him anyway,├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess said.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell he is a human...so if you get into the air lock, then I won't shoot him. If you don't, I will.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Chess' face flickered, uncertainty flashing across her features.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo,├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, squaring her shoulders, eyes flashing. The ship rocked slightly.
├óÔé¼┼ôOh well,├óÔé¼┬Ø The Deamonhunter shrugged, bringing his rifle to his shoulder. Miles glared at Chess. The gun spoke and the bullet tore into his stomach, tearing into him. He fell against the wall, hand feeling the wound.
├óÔé¼┼ôOw,├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, the pain in his head finally being replaced by a worse pain, ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks a lot Chess now I'm going to die.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm sorry!├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess winced, looking at him, ├óÔé¼┼ôI didn't think-├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa stepped forward, her hands still raised. The Deamonhunter, seeing the flickering anger in her eyes, stepped back, bringing his rifle up to aim directly at her. Teresa's hands clenched into fists, her face twisting into a grimace of rage.
There was a sound of flesh tearing and ripping, bones moving about. Two blades folded out from Teresa's wrists, snapping out on ball joints. The Deamonhunter's eyes bugged behind his helmet.
├óÔé¼┼ôThats impos-├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa stabbed him with both her forearm blades, slamming them into his sternum. The tips brought some of the Deamonhunter's clothes with them, tenting the back of his shirt. Blood flowed freely as Teresa jerked her arms back, letting the Deamonhunter slid off her blades. He fell onto his back, a wet gurgling in his throat the only sound he made.
Teresa looked at her forearm blades, grinning viciously as blood dribbled down them. She looked over her shoulder at Miles and Chess. They stared at her.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhy...Why didn't you do that...a...a little earlier?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles coughed, his face going even paler.
├óÔé¼┼ôI didn't know we could do that earlier,├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess stammered.
Teresa felt as if a ton of bricks had lifted from her shoulders when she was pushed into Dok's office and saw Miles sitting there. She didn't even realize she had been worried...then she saw Chess. Chess looked...subtly different. There was a slight slump in her shoulders, her head bowed slightly, as if a weight was pushing her down.
├óÔé¼┼ôStand still, please,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, advancing with a needle. Teresa grimaced as the needle sank into her neck. Dok started to draw blood. She jerked the needle out, yelping. The needle was jammed with something. Dok dropped it a second before the needle exploded, a black shape growing inside it.
├óÔé¼┼ôSander! Sander!├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles stood, panic and pain flashing across his face in rapid succession. He fell, his legs not able to support him. The sander was a small one, but it was growing in the new environment. Teresa stared at it, somewhat detachedly. She reached out with her hand and the little creature scrabbled onto her arm and climbed onto her shoulder, moving like a cat.
Teresa stared at it, feeling far calmer than she had in days. There was something about knowing the truth. She's wonder, later, about the details. But then the creature sank into her own skin and reformed into her body.
Dok stared, goggles whirring slightly as she focused on Teresa's face. She reached behind herself, hands scrabbling over her desk till she found the drawer with a her Z-gun in it. She drew it, not aiming at Teresa.
├óÔé¼┼ôI think we misclassified you,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, ├óÔé¼┼ôMost hybrids have...blood.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa looked at Dok, blinking, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut...I've had my blood tested...plenty of times. I bleed!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôCan I test something...not as a Deamonhunter, but as a scientist?├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok asked, slowly walking towards Teresa, ├óÔé¼┼ôIt'll hurt slightly├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa nodded, looking again at where the small sander creature had sunk into her own body. She saw Miles getting back into his chair, a look of shock and general amazement on his face as well.
Dok pulled out a small scalpel and cut a sliver of skin off Teresa's arm. It stung, momentarily, but Dok quickly dropped the skin. It lay on the ground, then dissolved into black grit, the stuff Sanders were made of.
├óÔé¼┼ôDear god,├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok said, ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is behavior only shown by a full blood Stage Three...but...at best you'd have to be a generation four, maybe generation five hybrid....Teresa, you're an orphan, right?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa nodded.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd you have a sister, right?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Nod.
├óÔé¼┼ôShit!├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok turned around, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhere is she?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNew Terra,├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, smiling.
├óÔé¼┼ôThats great. Once this silly war is over, I'm going to see if I can examine her...├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFat chance.├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles muttered, rubbing his temples.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhy?├óÔé¼┬Ø Dok looked at him. The ship rumbled and, before Chess, Miles, or Teresa could answer Dok's question, the door opened and Lucy walked in, wearing full battle dress minus a helmet.
├óÔé¼┼ôDok! Stop frakin around with your lab specimens! We've taken a hull hit and now three of us are wounded and need aid. If you had been paying attention, you might have noticed we are in the middle of a frakin war!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Dok looked mildly abashed, followed Lucy out of the door. The Deamonhunter who had been assigned to ushering Miles, Chess and Teresa from their respective cells to this room, stood at the position he had taken up when he had first entered the room. Almost as an after thought, Lucy stuck her head back into the room and said, ├óÔé¼┼ôTake them to the air lock and space them.├óÔé¼┬Ø
-------
The first thing that tipped Harry off that something was rather wrong was when his escape pod started to get hot.
├óÔé¼┼ôIs...is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, looking around at the others. There were four others, two crewmen that he didn't know, Lou Glickson and Harry's shift partner for the battle, Shuzhuni.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt's not me,├óÔé¼┬Ø Shuzhuni smiled weakly. Harry would have rolled his eyes if it wasn't true. She was gorgeous, far to much to be real. Or thats what Harry kept telling himself.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe window, maybe,├óÔé¼┬Ø Lou said. The computer had closed the windows a few minutes ago, saying that it was for protection.
Harry reached to the window nearest him and flipped the screen open. Golgotha loomed huge in the bottom half of the window, getting slowly larger. Harry flipped the window closed again, heart hammering.
├óÔé¼┼ôCan an escape pod survive reentry?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôIf the computer doesn't screw it up, if the computer can find a soft enough landing place, and so on...,├óÔé¼┬Ø Lou said. Then, realizing what Harry had just asked, he blanched.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...it's going to be a fun ride down,├óÔé¼┬Ø One of the crew members that Harry didn't know said, forcing his voice to be cheery.
------------
Amadeus walked down the halls of his mansion, lugging a large suit case behind him.
├óÔé¼┼ôSir...where are you going?├óÔé¼┬Ø His aide asked, seeing his boss walk hurriedly away.
Amadeus turned around and shot his aide in the face. His aide was momentarily surprised before his death, and he fell backward slowly. Amadeus shook his head, turning back to the direction he had been going.
Amadeus walked into the courtyard in front of his mansion, sunlight glinting quite peacefully on the water fountain that he had ordered built a year or so ago, a nice change of pace from the normal Golgothan gloom. He looked into the sky. Smeary streaks of smoke and flame were drawn across the reddish gray atmosphere, flaming hunks of space station slowly plummeting into his planet. He saw the clouds of troop transports that were ready to disgorged the enemy onto his land.
Amadeus sighed, thinking about his elite shock troops. Or what was left of his elite shock troops. They had been used up in the war, leaving a rabble that had flocked to the ideals of communism. There were a lot of them, but the war had proved again and again and again that numbers could only go so far. And the USHS had lots of troops as well, and a better infrastructure to create them. Everywhere he saw the seeds of the CCHS's destruction, each rather obvious now that he actually looked around him. They should have been obvious before he even started this revolution...
Amadeus admitted one thing to himself. Communism just didn't work.
He walked out of the courtyard and into his car. His driver was a sandy haired young woman that Amadeus had called on more often than most.
├óÔé¼┼ôTo the shelters?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked, her voice cheerier than Amadeus liked.
├óÔé¼┼ôSpaceport,├óÔé¼┬Ø Amadeus said.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes sir,├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, knowing better than to question. The car started up and trundled along the road ways until it arrived at the star port. Amadeus' driver drove to their normal spot, a small, secluded place in the parking lot. Not that there was anyone there, as most everyone were either in the guard, in the shelters, in the space fleet, or dead.
Amadeus stepped out of the car and walked around the back to the driver's seat. He opened the door and stooped slightly so he could look his driver in the face. She licked her lips, glancing nervously at him
├óÔé¼┼ôSir, I don't think now is the-├óÔé¼┬Ø
Amadeus cut her off with a gunshot. His driver fell backwards, the hole in her head only slightly marring her good looks. Amadeus sighed, holstering his pistol. A waste of good material. Couldn't be helped, he supposed. He walked into the space port after closing the door to his car carefully.
-----------
Every step made Miles want to collapse. His head felt even worse than it had before, something Miles didn't think was possible, and the Deamonhunter that was pushing him down the hall at the barrel of the gun was not helping his mood.
The ship rocked slightly, but the time between impacts was getting longer. Something was winding down, for either the CCHS or the USHS. But at this point, Miles didn't really care.
They arrived at the air lock.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou, go in first,├óÔé¼┬Ø The Deamonhunter gestured to Chess.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess said, glaring at him.
├óÔé¼┼ôListen, daemon, with that coller on you're nothing more than a girl with a scary look in your eyes. So get in the god damned air lock!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Miles noticed a hint of desperation in the man's voice, a faint edge of panic.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess said, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are you going to do, shoot me?├óÔé¼┬Ø
The Deamonhunter paused. Then his barrel panned to the left. Miles took a half step back when the barrel settled on his stomach.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou're going to kill him anyway,├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess said.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell he is a human...so if you get into the air lock, then I won't shoot him. If you don't, I will.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Chess' face flickered, uncertainty flashing across her features.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo,├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, squaring her shoulders, eyes flashing. The ship rocked slightly.
├óÔé¼┼ôOh well,├óÔé¼┬Ø The Deamonhunter shrugged, bringing his rifle to his shoulder. Miles glared at Chess. The gun spoke and the bullet tore into his stomach, tearing into him. He fell against the wall, hand feeling the wound.
├óÔé¼┼ôOw,├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, the pain in his head finally being replaced by a worse pain, ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks a lot Chess now I'm going to die.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm sorry!├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess winced, looking at him, ├óÔé¼┼ôI didn't think-├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa stepped forward, her hands still raised. The Deamonhunter, seeing the flickering anger in her eyes, stepped back, bringing his rifle up to aim directly at her. Teresa's hands clenched into fists, her face twisting into a grimace of rage.
There was a sound of flesh tearing and ripping, bones moving about. Two blades folded out from Teresa's wrists, snapping out on ball joints. The Deamonhunter's eyes bugged behind his helmet.
├óÔé¼┼ôThats impos-├óÔé¼┬Ø
Teresa stabbed him with both her forearm blades, slamming them into his sternum. The tips brought some of the Deamonhunter's clothes with them, tenting the back of his shirt. Blood flowed freely as Teresa jerked her arms back, letting the Deamonhunter slid off her blades. He fell onto his back, a wet gurgling in his throat the only sound he made.
Teresa looked at her forearm blades, grinning viciously as blood dribbled down them. She looked over her shoulder at Miles and Chess. They stared at her.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhy...Why didn't you do that...a...a little earlier?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles coughed, his face going even paler.
├óÔé¼┼ôI didn't know we could do that earlier,├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess stammered.
-
Guessmyname
- Posts: 3301
- Joined: 28 Apr 2005, 21:07
What will probably happen next, plus what's going on (mini-fied to avoid spoiling things if correct):
Amadeus is killing everyone who knows where's gone (to the spaceport, and there a ship, and from there, escape) so that he can't be tracked easily
Miles can easily be healed by Chess (who healed Teresa after she got hit in the gut in that bar brawl getting the HEPE scanner-thingy back)
The reason Chess and Teresa can still use their blades is because their part of their bone structure (remember when, in the church where Chess had been thawed out proper, and was scanned to reveal the 'extra bone') and not their powers, which had been disabled by the collars. The skin resealing is simply S0-2 doing what it normally does (nothing to do with HEPEs)
S0-2 can take over body cells that die, to reform the body anew, but out of S0-2 (when Michelle got chucked out into space by Eve in Darkside: Extermination and the S0-2 cells that had replaced her brain grew and replaced her entire body when it died)
Stage Threes have always had the ability to pull S0-2 blobs back into their body. Prime did it on many occasions
The reason Dok won't be able to test Teresa's sister is because she's the president of the USHS (obviously). Plus, Dok will probably die at some point.
And at some point, Zoombie will have to regurgitate that with about 450% more words.
Amadeus is killing everyone who knows where's gone (to the spaceport, and there a ship, and from there, escape) so that he can't be tracked easily
Miles can easily be healed by Chess (who healed Teresa after she got hit in the gut in that bar brawl getting the HEPE scanner-thingy back)
The reason Chess and Teresa can still use their blades is because their part of their bone structure (remember when, in the church where Chess had been thawed out proper, and was scanned to reveal the 'extra bone') and not their powers, which had been disabled by the collars. The skin resealing is simply S0-2 doing what it normally does (nothing to do with HEPEs)
S0-2 can take over body cells that die, to reform the body anew, but out of S0-2 (when Michelle got chucked out into space by Eve in Darkside: Extermination and the S0-2 cells that had replaced her brain grew and replaced her entire body when it died)
Stage Threes have always had the ability to pull S0-2 blobs back into their body. Prime did it on many occasions
The reason Dok won't be able to test Teresa's sister is because she's the president of the USHS (obviously). Plus, Dok will probably die at some point.
And at some point, Zoombie will have to regurgitate that with about 450% more words.