Tales of Midgar Messages 247-275 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 247 From: Daly Date: Sun Sep 9, 2001 2:57am Subject: Re: Eagle's p-sheet **Note: RARGH! Aw crap... gotta send this again... I hit the reply button and it sends it only to the author of the p-sheet..... I think it did.... it looks like it did... well, if it didn't and I actually got it right the first time, suffer from my e-mail again people! Raa-ha-ha! (I'm usually not like this... -_-;) Might as well throw in a subject to make it less confusing... T_T;** > **General Appearance: A dark figure You should add a bit more than this... it's really vague. Things to keep in mind: Does he seem approachable? What sort of things would a person take notice of at first glance, etc. > **Personality: A lone mercenary who usually gets a job done, for a price. That's more of an occupation than personality. What kind of person is he? Kind, friendly, funny, sarcastic, psychotic, etc... How does he react to certain other types of personality? Like annoyed by optimistic people or door-to-door salesmen..etc. > -Weight: 7Ibs O_O;;;; For someone who is 5'5", he must weigh more than 7lbs. > -Complexion: Fill this in. Things to keep in mind: what tone of skin? (dark, med, light, fair, olive, etc.) Texture of skin (rough skinned, soft, etc) > -General Appearance: A dark figure This needs more, and should have more than the 'quick reference' one since this should go into details. > -Hobbies: none No hobbies whatsoever...? Surely he must do something he enjoys in his spare time when he's not taking up a job. > -Personality: Parents killed in a terrorist raid, > Eagle has learnt to take care of himself even in > dangerous situations but he is always waiting for a > chance to avenge his parents. That's not personality, that's closer to someone's background. And, does he know specifically what terrorist group performed the raid to kill his parents? > -Background: A lone mercenary who usually gets a job > done, for a price. This is a person's occupation, not background. Background, just sum up what important events of his life has occurred and that is around him up to this date. > -Reputation with various groups: Performed jobs for > them Who is 'them'? And, reputation with various groups would be something like "Hated by Shinra." > -Mother: None > -Father: None .... exactly how was this guy born again? ::shakes her head:: He had to have had parents, so just at least write in 'deceased' and include their names in case the character ever reflects on them, etc. > -Current Residence: Cheap hotels Where? In Midgar or Junon? Or is he drifting around? Just state where he is currently and, if he is a drifter, be sure to add that in 'background.' Anyways, to the rest of the people, point out anything else I missed or was too lazy to point out because I have a headache, my ankle's messed up, I'm cranky and to top that off, someone stole some art supplies and there is no food in this stupid house... grrrrrr.... (I'm not usually like this. -_-;) - Da Ly (is limping to the nearest fast food restaurant and is in need of some prozac right about now) _________________________________ Armed With A Pencil - http://go.to/awap/ ICQ - 18219424 msn - da_ly a xxxxxxx.xxxx AIM - lady rant "Feel the wrath of a minor role!" - Love Hina [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 248 From: Rinoa Heartilly Date: Sun Sep 9, 2001 2:29am Subject: Eagles p-sheet Just one problem I'm gonna point out at the moment, you sent your p-sheet to the wrong list midgar_story a xxxxxxx.xxxx, that list is for story posts, you're supposed to sent things like this to midoog a xxxxxxx.xxxx it's annoying when they get swapped around. Rosette---oo--- ====================== Where there R boyz, You'll find me there, -Carla Gear _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp 249 From: chris Gaydon Date: Sat Sep 15, 2001 9:09am Subject: the betrayal title: The Betrayal date: 2050 place: midgar forests time: no idea one day sky was walking through midgar forest and he noticed a bush shake so he went near it and his old friend bob jumped out but (something about him was different sky thought to himself) then bob started attacking so sky got his gunblade out but didnt really want to use unless he really needed to then suddenly bob shot him in the are so sky had no choice ch ch ch he had ,had to kill him with three swoops of his sword. on his way back home sky was stopped by three galbadian soldiers (sky thought that hed better make this fight quick as his dinner was nearly ready) so in nine fowl swoops they were dead but then one crept up behind sky and grabbed him but sky knew what to do and and flicked his gunblade behind him and stabbed the soldier in the head (and trust me it wasnt a pretty sight) then sky went home for dinner. The next day a giant robotic spider started attacking the villiage so sky called up on vincent and eagle and together they defeated the robotic spider. it was a tough fight though. then eagle went home to play playstation two and so did vincent but sky went home to play his xbox this story will be continued when i get more ideas chris (youll find me where the girls are ) ____________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free a xxxxxxx.xxxx address at http://mail.yahoo.co.uk or your free a xxxxxxx.xxxx address at http://mail.yahoo.ie 250 From: chris Gaydon Date: Sat Sep 15, 2001 9:28am Subject: the betrayal title: The Betrayal date: 2050 place: midgar forests time: no idea one day sky was walking through midgar forest and he noticed a bush shake so he went near it and his old friend bob jumped out but (something about him was different sky thought to himself) then bob started attacking so sky got his gunblade out but didnt really want to use unless he really needed to then suddenly bob shot him in the are so sky had no choice ch ch ch he had ,had to kill him with three swoops of his sword. on his way back home sky was stopped by three galbadian soldiers (sky thought that hed better make this fight quick as his dinner was nearly ready) so in nine fowl swoops they were dead but then one crept up behind sky and grabbed him but sky knew what to do and and flicked his gunblade behind him and stabbed the soldier in the head (and trust me it wasnt a pretty sight) then sky went home for dinner. The next day a giant robotic spider started attacking the villiage so sky called up on vincent and eagle and together they defeated the robotic spider. it was a tough fight though. then eagle went home to play playstation two and so did vincent but sky went home to play his xbox this story will be continued when i get more ideas chris (youll find me where the girls are ) ____________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free a xxxxxxx.xxxx address at http://mail.yahoo.co.uk or your free a xxxxxxx.xxxx address at http://mail.yahoo.ie 251 From: chris Gaydon Date: Mon Sep 17, 2001 3:29pm Subject: enter sky date: september 17th time: 10.00am eagle was on his way to meet up with vincent and just as he found him this teenager fell out of a plain and landed just next to eagle and he got up and then suddenly eagle burst out into laughter "what" the teenager said angrily but eagle just ignored him. "so whats your name kid" eagle said still laughing "sky" said the young teenager "pardon what did you say your name was"said eagle "sky" said the young teenager "twice" said eagle "tee hee that is so not funny" said sky then they went inside a cottage for shelter since it had just started raining. about two hours later they heard a knocking on their door so sky opened it and shinra came flying in but luckily vincent had a backup plan and drew out a shotgun and slowly chased shinra away. The next day they saw some of shinra`s soldiers coming there way and as they couldnt be bothered to fight they crept out the back entrance and headed towards a forest. luckily vincent caught a glimpse of three chocobos and they lured them over and got on them and slowly headed for kalm. it was a long trip but when they got there they got a well deserved drink and a bite to eat. Since their chocobos were gone they bought two motorbikes and one car and headed for midgar since they needed more members to join there rebel group the "Tornado strike force". When they eventually got there they made new friends vinnie and russel which were going to join the tornado strike force all they needed was a bit of training to become better fighters. is this better if so tell me and i will continue it within a week where the girls are u will find me chris ____________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free a xxxxxxx.xxxx address at http://mail.yahoo.co.uk or your free a xxxxxxx.xxxx address at http://mail.yahoo.ie 252 From: Date: Sat Sep 22, 2001 4:07pm Subject: Out of the Woodwork (Important Info) Sorry I've been so silent, guys. I AM still watching, but I've been letting you guys handle yourselves for the most part... peer enforcement and all that. However, I've stepped forward to take care of one idiot in particular (you all know who). He's been banned from posting, although he's welcome to still read. :P I made Dizzy a Moderator on the story list, but only to the point where he can approve messages. I set the Story list to "mostly unmoderated", but new members must have their messages approved until either I or Arcana change their member flag. Oh... and, I'm leaving in a week to go to... (bahbahbah) Antarctica. Yes, you heard me right. I landed a job with Raytheon, and I'm going to work at McMurdo Station on the coast from October to late Feb. This time tomorrow I'll be in New Zealand getting training and being issued clothes and all sorts of wonderful stuff. It still doesn't seem quite real, but I'm really looking forward to it. I'm just gonna be a kitchen attendant, but it'll be fun, I think. :) I play on sending out periodic newsletters/journal entries/whatever to another list I've set up on Yahoo Groups. If you wanna be on it, go here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/antarctica_journal/join I'll miss ya all while I'm gone. :) 253 From: Sere Grant Date: Sat Sep 29, 2001 1:13am Subject: "Strange Meeting You Here" (Brand, Aeris, et al.) “Strange Meeting You Here” (Brand, Aeris, Darman, Elleen) --------------------------------------------------------- October 2, 2003 –- Mid Morning –- Exit out of Sector 5, Midgar --------------------------------------------------------- “I have to admit we probably look odd together,” Brand said, noticing Aeris' slightly critical look at him. A spot of color amidst the trash heaps and a Swordsman that had stepped out of a black-and-white photograph. That was how he would have described them. Aeris didn't seem to mind. “You see all sorts of odd things around here, no one will notice.” “I guess you're right,” he said. The line out of the slums was short today. It seemed odd that so many people would want to stay in this toxic-waste part of town. They walked in silence, but after a moment, Aeris stopped and drew a breath in sharply, as if she had been stabbed. Her companion's brow furrowed, and he followed her gaze. Standing where she was looking was what appeared to be a shorter, heavier, and more colorful version of Brand, as if they were the same man cast in different moulds. “Is something wrong?” he asked Aeris, his hand drifting to the leather-wrapped hilt of Siyadune. She spared him a look, and then her eyes focused on the man again. He seemed to be waiting for someone, from his loitering posture and alert eyes. “Not anything you can solve with that,” she said. “You'd be surprised,” he grumbled to himself, low enough for her not to have heard it. The man's head swiveled toward them, and he straightened, beginning to walk toward them. A young woman, only about fifteen followed him. “Aeris!” he shouted, raising a hand to indicate where he was, even though she was already focused on him. She walked forward, looking reluctant; however, she was experiencing mixed emotions at the moment. Aeris was happy to see Elleen again, but at the same time she was worried about Elleen being with Darman and upset at the fact that he had found her. Brand walked a step behind and to the right of Aeris, so that if he drew his Murasame sloppily, he wouldn't slice her in two. The man shot him an appraising look, as if measuring him. Brand did the same, his face having a mild look on it, not giving any indication what was going on behind his black eyes. “Hello, Darman,” she said, and the man's eyes focused on her again. “Aeris, who’s your friend?” the younger woman asked. “You may speak to me directly,” he said shortly. “Oh...um...sorry. So, who're you?” she asked. “My name is Brand.” Darman's lips pursed, in an amused expression, at this exchange. Aeris simply smiled. “You left early today,” Darman said. At this, Aeris realized she had to come up with something quick or else Darman might catch on to what she had originally planned to do. Things just seemed to be getting more complicated by the minute. “Um...I just went out for a walk,” she said quickly darting her eyes away from Darman’s face. Brand thought to himself. Darman accepted the explanation, apparently. “Oh, alright. I thought you had run out on me.” Aeris smiled, a little nervousness creeping into the expression. “So where are we going?” the young woman asked. “I was just going to ask that,” Aeris smiled to Elleen knowingly. Darman pulled an object from his pocket; a sphere of crystalline material, bluish in color, but its core was black. “Before I came and got you, Elleen,” He said, “I picked up an object we need for a ceremony—It changes shape, but it will stay like this for a while—In the great northern city-” “Carbonek,” Brand said, at the same time the old man supplied the name. Darman looked at him, his eyes open wide. “How do you know that?” he asked. Aeris leaned over, and whispered something to him; he looked at Brand again, and nodded. “Oh...okay.” Brand reached into his pocket, and pulled out an identification card, walking towards the gate outside. “Now where are you going?” Aeris asked him. “We're leaving, aren't we?” “What do you mean we?” Darman said, skeptically. “Yes. We,” Brand said definitely, not accepting any argument. Darman sighed. “Alright...” Again, the feeling of uneasiness crept into Aeris, but this time she couldn’t turn back. Not without arising suspicion from both Brand and Darman. She also had to consider Elleen’s safety now that Darman had dragged her into this as well. Something seemed strange to Aeris, but she knew that this journey, no matter how perilous, would take her deeper into her ancestry than she could have ever thought was possible; perhaps, she would even find out more about herself. (Summary: Aeris & Brand meet Darman at the gate, and after a brief discussion, they leave. Aeris reflects again on where these new events will lead herm, only to continue the journey.) --------------------------------------------------------- “Strange Meeting You Here” (Brand, Aeris, Darman, Elleen) By: Serenity Grant A.K.A. “Sere” and Cam --------------------------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp 254 From: Billy Gasper Date: Sat Oct 13, 2001 1:44pm Subject: A Dark Night (Billee's Intro) Sorry guys. I've been accepted for a while I know. I meant to post this ages ago, but so many things got in the way like illness, exams and...well you get the picture. I'm not exactly in brilliant shape, but I'm back and I intend to stay. Silver, please email me, okay. This time I'll answer, I promise. Billy _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ---------- Title: A Dark Night (Billee's intro) Date: 6th October Time: 9:00pm Place: Midgar Slums Billee moved slowly through the slums, taking care to keep in the darkness. He could hear the yells and shouts of the drunks and aggressive street kids. Normally he didn't mind a good fight, but tonight he just wanted to keep out of it all. It had been a tough day and all Billee wanted to do was have a quiet drink and then go home. Back to his family. He knew deep down, that there was little chance of him being able to have a drink peacefully in a bar, but he also knew that he needed to relax a bit. Although he didn't mind helping people who needed his help, sometimes it all got a bit to much. And as most street gangs and some of the other thieves didn't like him, he was always having to watch his back, which he found very tiring. As he walked, Billee found himself thinking of Kane. Kane, the young mercenary who had come to be his friend in the time they had known each other. He had left Midgar to find information on his older brother, but deep down Billee lived in hope that one day he would return. It was the thought of that which kept him going through the hard times. He ran his left hand through his messy, brown hair and gave a sigh. 'Why do I do this?' he asked himself, glancing at his right hand, where his little finger was missing. 'Why do I risk my life for people I don't even know?' He had no answers. All he knew was that people in the slums had difficult lives. They needed someone to help them out. He was that person. All because his gentle heart refused to let him turn away anyone in need of help, regardless of how much they could pay him. As he walked on through the slums towards the nearest bar, Billee quietly said a quick prayer, for his friend, for his family and for the people of Midgar. (Summary: Billee thinks about his friend and the people in the Midgar slums) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 255 From: cdleckie Date: Sun Oct 14, 2001 11:06pm Subject: City of Power- Azrael Title: City of Power Place: Kalm Inn Date: October 9th Time: 8:00am The gates of Junon loomed large in the distance. Only partially complete but still more than enough to keep out anyone, or anything that wasn't wanted inside. The massive steel structures were built into the surrounding hillsides, but those were being shorn into vertical cliffs. ShinRa had built itself a virtual fortress out of the sea town. Azrael glanced up from the news report as the inn-keeper brought him a cup of coffee, and not the instant stuff either, it was fresh ground. The difference a days walk made between lifestyles was enormous, Kalm seemed almost rural after being in Midgar so long. "Be careful now, it's hot. I wouldn't want you to burn yourself." The elderly woman set the mug on the carved table in the center of the room and glanced at the television as she sat down in a chair across from Azrael. "I do hope you don't plan on going on to Junon. That city has become rife with crooks these days. The merchant came through just last week, with all kinds of awful stories." The woman was full of gossip as there weren't many other travelers to tend to. Azrael thought about where he'd been last week, and figured a wandering merchants problems were rather inconsequential. He pulled himself out his reverie just as the woman began a story about battles in the night and wandering beasts. "He said they had the strangest weapons he'd ever seen. Nothing like those things SOLDIERS use nowadays. And the beast itself, well all he says to me was 'It was a wholly unnatural creature.'" "Hmmm... Did he say anything about where he saw these battles?" Azrael's memory had been jogged by her story but he couldn't quite figure out why it seemed so important. "Well, he said it all happened on the plains between here and Junon, but I didn't ask for any particulars. That's another reason no one should be traveling just now. It isn't safe with such creatures roaming about." "I don't think I'd be in any danger." Azrael's mind strayed to the black bag he had back in his room, filled with weaponry. "I'm pretty well prepared for just about anything." Except those damn gates he thought to himself. Azrael leaned toward the woman and flashed a smile, "I hate to trouble you further, but is there any of that delicious stew left over from last night? I'm famished." "Of course dear, don't trouble yourself getting up. I'd be delighted to warm some up for you." The woman stood and walked out of the room as Azrael leaned back on the couch trying to figure out what seemed so familiar about her story. Loric walked into the front room, interrupting Azrael's train of thought, and dropped into the chair the innkeeper had just vacated. "Have you figured out what we're going to do yet? There's no way we're going to get into Junon on our own, and if we can't get off the continent Hojo will hunt us all down for sure. I really don't like waiting around to be captured again." The large man set his guns on the coffee table as he disgorged his frustrations. "The old woman's not going to like seeing weapons in her inn. You saw what she did to Tsu for having that Katana of his. I don't want to cause anymore trouble here than we have to. As you said, we're rather high profile at the moment." Azrael dodged the question knowing Loric was just venting and wouldn't pursue the matter. "Do you want something to eat? There's warm stew in the kitchen." Loric got up and stalked off to the kitchen as Tsu came in the door from his morning wanderings. "Am I going to have to deal with all of you this morning?" Azrael exhaled heavily startling Tsu who was trying to sneak an oblong package up the stairs to the rooms. "What are you doing anyway? Trying to get that Katana inside again?" "I don't feel secure without it. And that old woman would lecture my ears off if she knew I had it inside, so I've got to sneak it in. Now be quiet, before someone gets curious." Tsu talked quickly as he took a few steps inside then bounded up the stairs nearly running into one of the other tenants. "All your energy is bugging the hell out of me. I'm going outside." Azrael stood up, put on a hat and walked out the front door of the inn. As the door slammed home behind him he glanced up at the morning clouds before he stepped into the nearly empty street and thought he saw something heading towards the town. He was still trying to discern what the mysterious shape was when he tripped over a street vendor selling apples, sending him to the ground and the apples into the street. "I'm so sorry." The man jumped up aghast at having been in the way. "Are you alright?" Azrael stood and brushed the dust off his pants before looking at the man. "I'm fine, and I'm sorry for having disturbed your apples. I hope I didn't cause any damage, but I really must be going." Azrael picked up his hat and hurried off before the man could recover enough to ask for payment for the damages. People weren't _that_ different in Kalm. Time: 8:30 am Place: Kalm Pond, at the edge of town Azrael stepped from the woods and crouched under a lone tree by the pond. He took off his hat and looked up at the sky. "There's that thing again. It almost looks like a big bird, but it's too steady to be an animal." Azrael peered upwards as a plume of black smoke began to issue from the shape. "Whatever it is that can't be good." The object began to wobble and dive towards the ground as it moved past the pond. Then it turned and headed directly for the small body of water. "What the hell is it doing? It's gonna crash!" Azrael realizing the danger he was in retreated back into the woods and watched the pond, waiting the object to land. A huge plume of water and mud rose from the pond as the airplane crash landed. As it came to rest in the mud at the shallow bottom of the pond, A short man puffing on an extinguished cigarette jumped from the cockpit and ran back to the passenger seat, yelling at someone named Azeron. "Do you need any help?" Azrael stepped from the foliage with a smile on his face. "Damn right I do. What are you smiling about?" The short man turned, unperturbed by Azrael's appearance. "Oh, nothing, I just figured out the answer to my big problem." ------------------------------------------------ [Summary: Azrael watches the news and stresses over how the group will get into Junon. He then hears stories about Hojo's activities nearby and talks with Loric and Tsu. He goes for a walk near Kalm Pond and meets Cid Highwind, Azeron Point, and Tory Allanie when they crash land in the pond.] 256 From: Date: Tue Oct 16, 2001 8:55am Subject: Justified Paranoia... (Loric--IX) ---------- Title: Justified Paranoia (Loric--IX) Place: Kalm Inn (Kitchen) Date: Octobe 9 Time: 8:15 AM Loric's weight caused the chair to creak as he sat down at the table. He didn't know why Azrael liked that stew so much, it was a thin broth with vegetables...no meat. But, then again, he reflected, some people have strange tastes. The innkeeper glared at him as he adjusted his gunbelts, but shivered and turned away when he looked at her. Most people thought his eyes unnatural. They were right. Usually he liked being able to intimidate people so easilly. It meant information was more available, but right now, it was certainly high-profile. "You got any beef?" he asked, nonchalant. "Nope. We have some chicken, though," she said over her shoulder. "I'll take some of that, please." She nodded, and quickly pulled a tin-foil wrapped bundle from the refrigerator, and began to warm that up, along with Azrael's soup. Loric scratched the wound on his left hand, ignoring the needles of pain from when he brushed up against an exposed nerve, or a sensitive patch of skin. , he thought to himself, then paused, rethinking that, That fit more, even though Loric never trusted his luck, especially good luck. IT always ran dry before anything useful could occur. She set the plate down by his elbow, and he immediately dug in, barely remembering to pick up his fork and knife. A loud crash sounded from outside, and Loric stood, ignoring his the clatter as the table was knocked over. The inkeeper squawked as he rushed outside, loading his revolvers as he ran he thought for a moment, then his face hardened (Summary: Loric has a breakfast, and here's the Tiny Bronco crash into the lake, and, being Mr. Paranoia, think's it's Hojo attacking.) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 257 From: Dizzy XIII Date: Fri Oct 19, 2001 0:52am Subject: Ambushing Ambushers (Elena, Zeng, Kytira and Vladimir) Co-written by a bunch of insane authors. * * * * * * * * * * * * * Ambushing Ambushers * * * * * * * * * * * * * Date: October 6, 2003 Time: Evening Place: Sector 3, a junkyard "You may fire at will gentlemen." The words were the last thing that could be heard in a normal voice. Almost immediately several heads appeared in Zeng's line of sight. Before he could count the ambushers, muzzles began to flash. But that wasn't the only thing that flashed. Anyone, which was most of the thugs, who looked at Zeng couldn't see much after he seemed to turn brighter than the sun. So after the initial burst, only scattered shots were heard. Though that lasted only for a short while, then the air started to fill with almost unbearable sounds. But that short while was enough for Zeng and Kytira to make their escape, or at least half-way to nearest cover. Even so, they were still in the line of fire for at least a few seconds, as Seth had chosen the place to talk wisely. Luckily, Seth wasn't the only one with backup. Sensing the barrier that had been erected about them, Zeng offered a bit of his breath in a relieved exhalation, knowing the UNSPEC members were at least present. "Hey!" one of the ambushers called. "There's some kind of shield around them. Bullet's won't pierce it." A second later the female in SOLDIER uniform gave a shout in pain, as she seemed to get hit. "We got through the barrier! Just release a steady stream at them!" "I'm low on ammo," a guy with an UZI informed the others. "Only a few bullets left." "Me too. How 'bout you, Cat?" He received no response from his female partner. "Cat?" he called again, turning around quickly to glance at where she positioned herself before the fight started. He noted that a tall male was standing close to her. At a negative distance, he thought. "Cat! You're supposed to back us up, not making out with some stranger!" His shout was rewarded with her body dropping limply to the ground. The stranger looked up at the now fairly scared criminal. He didn't know what was most frightening; his cold eyes or his bloody fangs. Which ever it was, he didn't have very much time until he felt his whole body simply freeze in place. "I'm out of... Shit!" the UZI-wielding man exclaimed as he saw his friend turning to a solid block of ice. Quickly trying to hide from the man who did this, he jumped behind the statue. That didn't help, as it merely expanded to include him too. Three down. Zeng fell to the ground beside Kytira, the two of them using the small pile of industrial waste to shield them from the bullets. A growing spot of blood on her shoulder confirmed Zeng's suspicions about the integrity of the barrier. In spite of it's protection, she had been hit. "Your arm? Is it broken?" he muttered urgently. "No," she responded, "it's not hurt badly." The gunshots began to grow thinner. "They must be reloading," she observed, clutching her arm with a grimace. "Or someone's fighting back. Stay down, I'll see what I can do." "But!" she protested, "You can hardly swing your sword," he cut her off, "There are two more people on our side, UNSPEC members, judging by the noise, they are making things a lot easier for us. Just make sure you don't screw up your arm any more." With that, Zeng moved from the safe position. It took only a quick gesture and a tiny bit of effort to substantially change the temperature in the firing chamber in his opponents gun, causing the weapon to explode the instant the trigger was pulled. A shot zipped by close enough to another opponent's head to ruffle his hair from the wind of its passing. He froze, then dropped into a crouch; he then sidled over to the general direction of where the shot came from. Perhaps something with a sense of humor guided the ricochet into his side, felling him. Elena hissed out a smothered curse and rubbed her arm. She hated learning lessons the hard way, though it happened occasionally. For example, never fire a gun with an injured shoulder. She attempted to fire off a few shots with her good arm with the bad aim, but the shots just went farther from their target than when the recoil made her flinch in pain and threw her aim off. She almost glared at Vladimir, being "helpful" and "saving their lives." She gave off a slight hiss of displeasure and slunk over to where he stood. She scowled just a little when her shoe impacted the grisly corpse. "So?" he said with a low voice, not taking his eyes from the struggle. "I got one," she said tersely, and he nodded. "Not bad," was his only comment, and she didn't comment. He was taking them out practically in droves, and here the tagalong was just alerting them to their position. She got off a few more inaccurate shots with as little success, finally slumping back in sullen despair. There wasn't much warning, only a snapping something, before a man charged at them, gun at ready. Vladimir was turned toward the battle still, focused on magic, and she did the only thing she could. She threw her gun at his head. Effective, yes, as for the first time that night her aim was good, but the man's head snapped to one direction and her gun flew off in the other. He was down for the count, but she had no way to defend herself. She slumped back again, weary and weaponless. "Vladimir," she said hesitantly, "could I borrow some materia?" "Sure." He quickly opened one of his armguards and popped out two orbs before closing it just as quickly. "Ice," he informed her as he threw the first one, "and Restore." He held out the second one. "That should be enough." "Thanks." Looking over to where the other two where hiding, she asked him one more question, "did they have a lot of ammo?" "No." He read the question in her eyes. "Yes, we should end this quickly." A slight smile touched her lips. "Water doesn't mix well with electricity, right?" "Right." His grin were much wider than hers. Zeng noticed a bright green globe appearing to the side of the ambushers. A second later he saw a couple of ice boulders appearing in midair, right over his targets. However, they didn't notice, as they were firing all they had left on the globe. "Zeng!" a scream came, "Melt them up!" Before realizing why, one ball of fire for each ball of ice was sent from his arms. As soon as they hit, the globe flew straight at the impact. That made the thugs turn all their attention to what was occurring above their heads. They did see the globe disappearing, revealing a flying vampire. They did not recover quick enough from their surprise to fire at him, before the water hit them. Normally, it doesn't do much to get water in your face. But if you get electrocuted by it, you might do more than flinch. Zeng watched the remaining three men crumble in pain as Vladimir blasted their drenched bodies with lightning. He stood up, confident that they had gotten all threats. "That's..." Zeng started with a commanding voice just as Vladimir decided that was a good time to stop. "...enough," Zeng finished a bit more quietly. "Alright... should we add that to our death count or theirs?" asked Kytira. * * * * * * * * * * * * * Summary: Elena, Zeng, Kytira and Vladimir fight an ambush. ===== /Dizzy XIII __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals. http://personals.yahoo.com 258 From: cdleckie Date: Fri Feb 1, 2002 8:04pm Subject: New Orders- Isaiah Date: Oct. 7 Time: 8 am Place: Shinra Building (UNSPEC division HQ) Title: New Orders "Did you really need to see me this early in the morning?" Ambrose walked into the office with a wide yawn and complaints of an early morning. "I've been waiting for 3 hours. And I did take out an entire stockpile of BLUFF weaponry already this morning. I don't know what you're complaining about." Isaiah stood inside the office waiting to relieve Ambrose of part of the huge stack of papers he carried. "I never thought this would be such a desk job. I'm the director of Midgars Espionage Agency and I'm stuck pushing papers all day." "Ahem... getting back to the matter at hand. Did the surveillance pick up the transmission from this morning? And please don't tell me that the division has been cut." "Actually it has, we just haven't gotten around to shutting it down yet." Shuffling through his papers Ambrose picked up one that looked relatively uncrumpled, an indication of it's relatively recent addition to the pile. "You're in luck. They did pick up a transmission from outside Midgar early this morning. It apparently came from the vicinity of Kalm. They haven't decrypted the whole thing yet but from what we have we've gotten STRIKE to double the police presence in the city and they'll have two special forces teams standing by 24 hours a day for the rest of the week." "But what about the Junon end of the story?" Isaiah was getting impatient to know the whole story. "The shady character was from Junon, you could tell by the accent." "Just hold your horses. I'm getting to the good stuff." Ambrose now had a slight grin on his face despite his haggard appearance. "We ID'ed him as an old Turk. One of the boys that trained the three that were causing so much trouble under ShinRa. His name's Mr. Adem, and that's almost all we could find on him. Before ShinRa this guy didn't exist.However, he's a lifetime agent, completely loyal to Rufu. Back before ShinRa had their stranglehold this was the guy they used to get rid of uncooperative politicians, CEO's, even rebellious citizens. This guy has been around since espionage was invented and I wouldn't be at all surprised to find ShinRa and Rufus behind it somewhere." "Well. That sounds like a pretty impressive career. Too bad he's just an old man now." Isaiahs skepticism bled into his critique. "Don't underestimate this man. He's the most skillful and intelligent agent I've ever seen. He's almost superhuman. Which you should know since you may be going up against him." Ambrose said the last piece hurriedly, as if he saw an objection coming. "What do you want me to do about it? Apparently this guy's superman; we should have STRIKE hit him." "Well, to be honest, STRIKE would have to know where he is in order to take him out. And like I said this guys thorough, we werent' able to trace the call in any way. The only reason we got his ID is because one of our tech boys remembered some Newspaper photos of him." Ambroses smile faded as he made his admissions. "And you want ME to find this guy? Do you have ANY clue where I should start? This guy is beyond pro, he's omnipotent. If he can get around the equipment we have down in that lab he can do anything. And you're sending me, a rookie agent to find him?" "To be honest, you're the best we have. With your... special abilities, and natural aptitude for your line of work there's no one in the department who can out do you. We did pick up on a small glitch in the transmission. It was a few frames of a Junon news broadcast which means he must have been using a News building in Junon to broadcast from." "Alright, well how am I supposed to get into Junon?" Isaiah reluctantly accepted his assignment. "We already have that all planned out." Ambrose's smile returned as his strong will won the debate in the end. -------------------------------------------- [OOG: A bit lame, but the best I can do at the moment. I realize it may be a bit long, but maybe some of you will start UNSPEC characters and I wont be so lonely. at the least it should get you all back in the writing spirit!!] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 259 From: Daly Date: Thu Mar 28, 2002 7:49pm Subject: Drinking buddies (Elena, Kytira, Vladimir, Zeng) Written by Daly. Edited by Dizzy XIII/Aku-chan/Picky-sama.....::dodges a sharp object:: O_o;;; * * * * * * * * * * * * * Drinking Buddies Time: Late evening, October 6, 2003 Location: Midgar, STRIKE headquarters' barracks *** Standing in the hallway of the barracks, the violet-haired woman shot a dirty look at the vampire leaning casually against the snack vending machine. He suddenly reached out and poked her arm again. "Ow!" Kytira hissed. She sucked her breath back into her mouth through clenched teeth. "Stop that!" She smacked his shoulder and he responded by poking the bandage wrapped snugly around her arm. A small spot of blood started to appear on the white linen. "That hurts?" He grinned tauntingly. She winced, tempted to bite his hand and rearrange his face. "Yes! Thank you for that diagnosis, doctor!" He clucked his tongue, shaking his head with mock-sympathy. "I have a restore materia if you'd like." Kytira refused his offer. "I try not to rely on materia too much. If it's not serious, the old ways are fine." "Right, and magic didn't exist before humans," he casually countered. She yelped in pain when he poked her harder. "Do you mind??!" "Not really." Kytira rolled her eyes. With the horrible ruckus that went down in the junkyard, she was in one of her moods. It wasn't so much that one of Zeng's methods of keeping tabs on Vindicar was obliterated, or the fact that the vampire was still poking the bandage, it was just her way of avoiding any awkward conversation with Zeng. Quite honestly, she was rather glad that the UNSPEC agent was teasing her, it at least kept her mind away from that kiss. "Shit, stupid Kyt!" she silently scolded herself. "Don't think about it!" A sharp pain ran through her arm. She turned to Vladimir again, eyes blazing. "Stop that or I'll bite you!!!" "I'll bite you back," he replied smugly, a smile slowly spreading across his face. The colour from Kytira's face drained instantly. Upon one of his sharp fangs, she could've sworn seeing a sparkle effect that was often seen in toothpaste commercials. All that was needed was a 'ding' to accentuate it. "No thanks," she turned away and shuddered, glancing over at Elena as she poured herself a cup of strong coffee and then to Zeng as he rummaged through a file upon the secretary's desk. He stopped writing suddenly and turned his head towards her as though he had felt her staring. Kytira couldn't read his statement, but she could feel her own reaction from the burning in her cheeks when her gaze focused on his lips. She quickly turned her head; her eyes returned to the red-haired woman trying to cool the hot instant-coffee. "So," the female redhead sighed, looking slightly exhausted. "Now what?" When Kytira shrugged, Elena glanced over at Vladimir. "Finished," a voice suddenly announced and, when a hand fell upon her shoulder, Kytira jumped slightly. Her eyes widened when she turned and found Zeng's hand there. She swallowed nervously as her partner quickly realized his error and pulled his hand away. He shifted uncomfortably and, judging by her fixed stare, Kytira suddenly found the floor to be quite fascinating. The vampire chuckled, catching Kytira's attention. He smiled broadly, laughing inwardly at the woman's pale stare towards the fangs. "The only thing we can do..." He paused dramatically. "Let's have a drink." *** Location: Midgar, Sector 5 Upper Plate, The Rhapsody Above the soft jazz music from the old jukebox and the chattering of the other patrons, Kytira's head seemed to float on its own clouds above the cigarette smoke coming from the smoking section. Her thumb and index finger lightly pinched the rim of an empty shot glass, rotating it around on the bar's countertop as she stared at it, watching the light from the above antique-style drop lights reflect off the glass. The rubber band lying on the countertop caught her eyes briefly. She picked it up and tied her hair back, leaving only her bangs to hang freely. She looked around, trying to look for a distraction as she brushed a few stray strands of violet away from her forehead. Her eyes traveled from the jukebox, now quiet from finishing its song, to the bartender, then to the table where she recognized the face of one of her friends, Drefan. He didn't even notice her presence. His attention was firmly kept by the woman sitting next to him. Kytira recognized the woman and knew for a fact that he had been out with her a few times, but didn't think it was serious. She watched as Drefan smiled and leaned in close to kiss the woman. Kytira shook her head then glanced to the side. A few seats down sat Zeng and Elena, sounding almost like they were talking about business but unable to hear their exact words. Kytira stared blankly ahead at the row of wine bottles behind the bartender, her mind drifting back to her own clouds above the pale cigarette smoke as she replayed the junkyard scene in her mind. *** "Yes Kitten," he replied, patting her arm with a warm smile, "I love you too, but right now, I have to discuss business." In that sentence, only the word "Kitten" got through to Kytira and it turned her thoughts disturbingly sour. She hated that nickname and was shocked that Zeng would even dare to call her that. Public or private, anyone who called her that knew she would most likely snarl and then bite that person's head off. She was about to speak up when suddenly his hands flew out and gripped her arms and, without any warning, he pulled her towards him. As she was dragged forward, not one sound or syllable managed to escape her mouth because Zeng's lips found its way to hers. "????!" Her eyes snapped wide open. She could feel Zeng's other hand on the back of her head, firmly holding her head in place. The shock of his bold action stayed with her for a split second before her eyes closed and she found herself boldly kissing him back and not the least bit discontented by their actions. The hand pressed on her back was traveling lower, unnoticed by Kytira so far. The she felt it. "He's grabbing your ass! Bitch him out!!" A voice screamed in her head. She tore herself away from him, reared back and slapped him hard across the face. "Just what the FUCK do you think you're doing!?" She hissed angrily, ignoring the sting in her fingertips from the slap and the moisture that still graced her lips. "Keep your fucking hands off me!" *** Kytira shook her head and sighed. Shaking her glass slightly, the ice cubes in her drink clinked as the small cool droplets moistened her right palm. Things were so different between Zeng and her than the time they first started working together. "He was really.... uptight," she recalled with a cringe. "Not like I made it any better. He barely said anything and he didn't really seem to care about anything..." She shook her head, clearing her mind of the past to focus on the current uncomfortable situation before her. "Why did he have to kiss me?" she thought with a sigh. She quickly drank the last of her chilled coke and rye and felt a slight flush upon her face. Wiping her lips dry with the back of her hand, she heavily set the drink back upon the bar top. "Why am I so angry at him???! I'm making it sound like a kiss of death!" She shook her head rapidly, clenching her fists with her eyes shut tightly. "It wasn't like that at all though!" She argued with herself, feeling somewhat light-headed. "It was nice..." A smile briefly crept onto her face. "So why am I acting like it was an attempt to suffocate or drown me??? ...Cause it wasn't!! Dammit, no doubt gonna be a lot of tension because of this." Frustrated, she bared her teeth at the last thought while her nails scratched the bar top. The sudden 'clunk' sound of a shot glass being set on the bar in front of her brought the memory to a halt. She quickly stopped herself from scratching the wood anymore. She stared at the shot glass then at the hand that set the glass there. The hand belonged to Vladimir who was smirking at her. She paused, arching an eyebrow at him and leaning away from him slightly as though he was some threat to her, "What?" "You sure make funny faces," he said coolly, picking up his own shot glass with a smile that made Kytira nervous. "And I think I know the reason." He brought the drink to his mouth and drank it, tilting his head back as he did. Making a face, she quietly picked up her own drink to follow suit. As she tilted her head back and poured the alcoholic beverage into her mouth, Vladimir continued on, "You were blushing before, so my guess is that you were thinking about that kiss." She immediately tried to deny it but instead succeeded in choking on her drink. The alcohol burned her throat; she coughed and brought a napkin to her mouth. Vladimir grinned and called over the bartender as Kytira coughed away. He pointed at her and said, "Give the little girl here and me another round." Triggering her impulse to verbally defend herself, Kytira broke into another coughing fit. She turned away from Vladimir to take away any chance for him to aggravate her cough any more. When she was done hacking, her face was bright red. "I should just kick your ass..." Her voice trailed as she felt a pair of eyes on her. She suddenly glanced over at Zeng and, sure enough, he was the one who was looking at her. She quickly turned away her gaze. "You could TRY, but you're more than two hundred years short of a chance," he murmured, glancing back and forth between the two STRIKE agents while taking mental note that Kytira was avoiding her partner. She blinked, unsure of what he was talking about then scowled even more when he chuckled. "You'll understand some day, little girl." With that, he poured half a vial of a thick dark forest green liquid into his shot glass, and then the other half into Kytira's glass. Her silver mako eyes glared at him understanding what he was saying. "Riiight, I forgot who this guy was..." she thought, shaking her head. "What did you put in there?" she asked, picking up the shot glass. "Just some Marlboro poison." He downed his own drink and Kytira followed suit, not choking this time. The whiskey shot tasted strange, not in a bad way, but the poison he had added gave the alcohol a bit of an extra kick to it. She looked at him, surprised. "This is pretty good... a lot better than the bizarre bug poison I use." "Bizarre bug," he made a face. "I hate that kind. It's much too bland and too weak." "I know." "I have some more," he offered. She grinned and immediately ordered two more rounds. As the drinks were being prepared, the vampire cleared his throat to continue his interrogation. "So, did you enjoy that kiss? It sure seemed like you did." Kytira's mood instantly swung from cheery to venomous. She gaped at him. "How dare you!" she retorted in a low scandalized-sounding whisper as she glanced around nervously. A look of relief washed over her; Zeng didn't hear what the vampire had said. "You don't even know me, let alone my thoughts! What do you think you are, a mind reader?" Vladimir's face turned serious, "If I were, I'd only charge you half-price." When Kytira got angry at his insult, a grin split his face as four more alcohol-filled glasses were placed between them and the two empty ones taken away. "You know, one of these days, somebody's gonna bitchslap you," Kytira replied, shaking her head with a laugh, her temper slightly simmering. "Are you that somebody?" he asked while he poisoned the four shots. The prospect of her trying to fight him was amusing. She smiled, picking up the glass to lick its side where a bead of the poison was running down, "After a few more drinks, maybe." He nodded, picking up another shot and watching the female STRIKE agent drink. "You kissed him back, right?" he asked with saucy cheer as she choked on her drink yet again. *** An hour later, Kytira's head was lying on the bar countertop, her eyes staring at the row of empty poisoned shot glasses that she and Vladimir had consumed. "Hey... one more!" she called out, glancing at Vladimir. His face didn't indicate any signs of the alcohol's effect; he looked so pale. "But didn't he always look like that?" she thought as he smiled warmly at her. "Wipe that smirk of your face!" she said with a laugh, lifting her head off the smooth surface. "I don't get you... How is it possible that you're not even buzzed?" He shrugged, "I guess I'm just lucky." "Lucky my ass," Kytira spat. "Well, your ass obviously isn't lucky since you got SHOT," the vampire simply replied, a grin on his face that annoyed the crap out of the STRIKE agent. She only smiled impishly in return though. "That's your fault, you moron." She then let out a rare giggle. "That was quite an intelligent comeback," Vladimir commented, handing her another shotglass. "You're on your eighth now. I'm on my tenth." "Idiot," she laughed, snatching the glass from him and asking him a question before downing the poisoned alcohol. "How come you're immune to poison too? I mean, seriously?" She coughed slightly after her drink, barely able to feel the warm burn that the shots had on her, but she knew it was there. She crossed her arms on the bar counter and rested her chin on her arms, listening to Vladimir talk... well, trying to listen. She stared straight ahead, gazing at her reflection in the large dirty mirror behind the bartender. In the corner of her eye, she could still see Zeng, holding his drink and still talking to Elena. Once again, Kytira's mind replayed the events to her as her eyes turned away from the two of them and towards the empty shot glasses spread between Vladimir and her. Unable to help herself, she kept thinking about the odd situation between Zeng and herself. "Great," she thought. "This will definitely add to more tension in the workplace..." With her arms crossed over the bar top, she lowered her head to rest upon them. "It's not like I mind what he did, sure, it might've been to stop me from something stupid, but... I'm just surprised." The vampire ordered another drink, still talking. "And that's pretty much it there," he concluded, glancing up as Zeng and Elena got up from their seat and moved down, closer to them. Vladimir looked down at Kytira, who had remained silent during his speech and had a strange smile plastered on her face, "So, Kytira, what do you think?" "I think Zeng's a really good kisser," she said blithely, her mind fuzzy, unable to remember what Vladimir was questioning her about and completely unaware of Zeng's presence. Zeng froze and stared at Kytira while Elena and Vladimir exchanged glances with each other. The two UNSPEC members were trying not to laugh at the woman's mistake. "Oh really? Why?" the vampire prompted, wanting her to explain and embarrass herself even more. The intoxicated violet-haired woman nodded rapidly, her voice slurring slightly, "Yes, his approach is kinda aggressive and gentle at the same time... I can't explain it..." she giggled, covering her mouth and blushing slightly. "But I still like it." To avoid laughing, Elena pursed her lips tightly then shot Vladimir a laughter-weakened glare to get him to stop. He didn't comply. Glancing at Zeng, who was still frozen, staring in disbelief as Kytira, Vladimir continued his interrogation even though the female STRIKE agent seemed to be lost in a daze, "So..." He paused thoughtfully and grinned broadly, "What would you give him on the scale of one to ten?" Kytira paused, "Ten...?" "Ten." Vladimir repeated with a chuckle. The vampire sauntered away from his barstool and sat down next to the male STRIKE agent, punching him lightly on the shoulder. "Did you hear that Jarstan? You're a ten." Zeng's face went bright red as his back and neck stiffened to wood. "Totally business," he muttered softly, "Nothing of importance." A feeble, transparent lie, but the only way he could retain a bit of dignity or professionalism. "If you say so," Vladimir replied with a shrug, picking up yet another shotglass. "But, it's possible that it's just the alcohol talking, so.... You could be just a ONE." He grinned broadly on the last word as Zeng glanced away, his face still burning up. "Vladimir," Elena spoke up warningly, "Just give it a rest and leave Zeng alone." Kytira blinked, lifted her head off the countertop and turned to the left of her. "Oh, hi, Sweetie! There you are!" she waved cheerfully as though he was far away instead of just two seats over. "I didn't see you there..." she trailed off, a rather sad look washing over her face. "What's wrong?" Elena asked, fearing that she was going to burst into tears any second. Kytira looked at her, this bewildered statement set, "It's not karaoke night." Vladimir snickered, "You want to serenade 'Sweetie' now or what?" A small laugh escaped Elena. "Don't ever joke about that," Zeng shook his head and shot the pale man a dirty look before noticing Kytira's eyes on him as she was pouting. He stared at her strangely, surprised by her behavior then glanced over at Vladimir, who was amusedly ordering more shots "Exactly how many did Kyt drink?" "TEN!" The vampire shook his head at Kytira, "No, I'm pretty sure it wasn't ten." With a snort, the intoxicated STRIKE agent huffily replied, "Hey!! Why can't I be a ten too???!" She paused suddenly, biting down delicately on her bottom lip as crossed her arms limply on the bar top. "Man alive, those shots are strong..." She rested her head upon her arms and sighed. *** _______________________________________ Armed With A Pencil - http://go.to/awap/ ICQ - 18219424 MSN - da_ly a xxxxxxx.xxxx "'Oops, I did it again...' I wonder if the title refers to her regrowing her virginity..." -Ed the Sock, Fromage 2K 260 From: millenkelly Date: Mon Apr 8, 2002 8:52am Subject: Careless… your getting all excited. Wonder what for? Careless… your getting all excited. Wonder what for? October 6th, 2003 7th Heaven, Midgar Sector 7. 10 pm Jessie was concentrating so hard on her typing that she failed to notice that another person had entered the room. She had spend most of the evening working, but had managed to update her old program so it should be able to get past the recent security scanners, which were much more advanced than the old ones she used to break through with such ease. Well, most of the time. She was just putting the finishing touches on the new program and was about to start testing it when she was startled by a voice in the room- "Hi there!" Jessie turned around to see an unusually cheerful young girl. Unusual around these parts anyway. "You must be Jessie right? Tifa told me I would find you down here. I've got something your gunna love! Oh, I'm Elanoire by the way. I'm going to be helping you with these ID's and stuff." "Is that so?" Jessie said vaguely, not sure if she really wanted help from this girl, as she always preferred to work alone. But if she was a friend of Tifa's… "I Hear that the program you have here is old, so I brought with me a disk containing the upgrades that were made on Midgar's security system," the girl continued, not appearing to notice Jessie's bewilderment. "Here, take a look!" she said proudly, thrusting a CD case in Jessie's direction. "Is that so?" muttered Jessie as she took the case, aware that she was repeating herself, but not sure what else to say. She put the disk that the younger girl had given her into the computer and booted it up. "Where did you get this?" she asked, browsing the contents and seeing that it did indeed contain all the info on the latest security upgrades. "Oh, from a friend, I can't really say. I haven't had a chance to use the info on it though, this will be fun!" Jessie wasn't sure if it would be _fun_, but it would make their work go a lot faster. After showing Elly what she had done so far, and finding out what she was capable of doing they both settled down to get the program finished and tested. Now all the needed were the pictures of the people the ID's were actually for. "I think that's it for tonite, we should be able to get the rest done tomorrow when we know exactly how many we will need. You should go get some sleep, I should too. I'll see you tomorrow," Jessie said. "Ok!" said Elly cheerily, and got her things together and left. Jessie made it look like she was also about to leave, but sat back down at the computer at the last minute. She was so busy setting things up to make the first ID, that she didn't hear Tifa enter the room. "Oh, your still here Jessie?" she said with surprise at seeing Jessie sitting there after Elly had already left. Jessie almost jumped in fright at the sound of Tifa's voice, she had been spaced out again. This whole business with Junon was making her feel…. Strange. "Oh, Tifa, you scared me! I was just trying to work this out…" "Thanks for helping me out Jessie, do you think you'll be done in time? And don't forget, I can pay you well for this." "Money? Oh my, I don't really care about that…" Jessie trailed off. "Are you ok?" Tife asked with concern. Jessie nodded. "Just busy. I'm making a sample ID at the moment to test if everything is ok," she explained, so Tifa would know why she was still here. "I should be done in a few minutes, then I'm off home, but I'll be back in the morning to get started on making the actual ID's, and as soon as you can get me the exact number you'll need, I'll be finished." Tifa nodded. "Good luck," she said, "and don't stay up too late. Help yourself to a drink if you want one, I'll be nearby if you need me." And with that, she disappeared upstairs again. Jessie went back to making the first ID, although it wasn't really necessary, she knew from all the other testing that she had done that there would be no problems and that there was no need to make a test ID. The reason she stayed behind was because even though she wasn't sure why she was doing it, she was making an ID for herself. Summary: Jessie and Elenoire get started on the fake ID's for the group travelling to Junon. Jessie also makes an ID for herself. 261 From: Fyre byrd Date: Wed Apr 10, 2002 2:06am Subject: [OOG]: Uh, I think Jaymz quit.. so I'm just gunna keep posting for his character until my story line branches from his. Title: Voices in the Night Date: Oct 5, 2003 Time: 3:44 AM Place: Pleasant Winds Apartment Building, Room 509; Sector 2 Teck rolled over and stared at the ceiling again. He wondered how long he had been laying in bed… how long his thoughts had been wandering over the same thing. His hazel eyes blinked, a tear sliding down his face. Teck didn’t even feel the cold tears, though he knew his neck was damp. His hand moved up toward his face and touched the tear gently. Tears? Eyes unfocused as the wetness on his finger began to tremble and slip down his hand. He was shaking. Teck flexed his hand slowly, feeling the muscles cramp… Tears... What had he been thinking about? He could hear people in the hall. They were loud, shouting. Teck sat up and jumped off his bunk, and quickly changed into his MSF uniform. The room was dark; shadows dripped from the corners and onto the floor in pools and the shouts outside were louder than ever. He stepped over to the door and held his ear close to the cold metal. What were they yelling about? Maybe it was the Revolution again. He suddenly wondered where his friends were… Taylor? He looked back at the lower bunk, staring at the sleeping man. There he is. Taylor always slept on the bottom. The man rolled over and muttered something. Teck found himself kneeling by the bed. “Taylor?” he whispered, almost afraid to wake him. Jaymz opened his eyes, watching Teck. “Teck, what are you doing?” “Taylor, I’m glad you are awake… something is going on outside. I think that Midgar is finally revolting against Shinra. They are going to sounds the alarm soon, going to send us out to stop them…” Jaymz sighed and rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. “It’s alright Teck. Just go back to bed. The Revolution is over.” Teck nodded slowly and unzipped his uniform. He climbed onto the upper bunk nude, and Jaymz could hear him sliding under the sheets. Every night this week, Teck had woken him up in the middle of the night. Every night, thinking that Midgar was revolting. He couldn’t quite remember, but wasn’t Teck a Shinra officer before joining the MSF? Jaymz shook his head. Tomorrow he would tell someone of Teck’s problem. Being woken up every night by a crazy guy was getting tiresome. --------- Date: Oct 5, 2003 Time: 5:03 AM Place: Pleasant Winds Apartment Building, Room 509; Sector 2 Teck opened his eyes. White light was all he could see now. It was a soft light that glowed around the edge of his vision. He knew this feeling; he would be hearing that voice again soon. It was a quiet voice. Strong, like steel…. Yet soft like silk…. Teck felt the sweat along his back, a cold line that crept from his neck to the end of his spine. He closed his eyes and swallowed. He didn’t always hear these voices. They started to come after he lost his friends… ::How was your night?:: Teck lay very still, holding his breath. The voice, that quiet voice, was there. It wasn’t in his head, but somewhere outside, like the owner was floating above him. The voice even knew what he was thinking. But Teck didn’t think that was odd. The voice always knew. Releasing slowly, Teck answered, “It was long. I don’t feel like I slept much.” The voice nodded (which didn’t seem odd to Teck). ::Just a little bit longer, young one:: Teck felt the voice float up and away. His eyes began to slide closed and he worked to keep them open, but it was impossible. The pillow under his head was so comforting, holding his head like a worried lover. The thought made him smile a little, as his mind sunk into the depth of dark sleep. --------------------------------------------- [Summary]: Teck wakes in the middle of the night, having illusions about his past and the Revolution. Later in the night, he is woken up by a strange voice that oddly scares and comforts Teck Albah. -Teck "There are so many things in life that we would throw away if we were not afraid that someone else would come and pick them up." _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. 262 From: spiritstear Date: Tue Apr 9, 2002 8:32pm Subject: Poetic Master Mind (Intro story) Razel The Poetic Mastermind Essential Behavior Location: Midgar, Sector 5 Time: 0300 hours Date: 1/01/02 The alley where Finrazel stood was cold, dark, and damp. Puddles of water seemed to be everywhere. He walked over to a window to an old building. As he walked his heavy sword made a clanging sound. His partner, Andrew, stood beside Finrazel as he eyed three men inside an abandoned building. There were windows boarded up from the inside. The window had bars of steel on the outside. The planks of wood that held the door shut was broken. Two of the men were playing a card game, while the third man was in the corner holding a gun to a girl. She was tied up and gagged. She looked uncomfortable. ?So what?s the plan?? Andrew said holding his gun. He was an average sized man about five-eight or five-nine. He had short brown spiked hair. His eyes were covered by the night vision goggles that he wore. ?Nothing, we will not go in just yet. We don?t know what these men are capable of yet.? Finrazel said. ?What are you talking about? There are three men in there, armed only with pistols.? Andrew said impatiently. ?We don?t even know if they are the only ones in the building. You have much to learn. When I was in military school, my instructor told me to study my opponent before attacking. Learn his weaknesses, and then go in for the attack. That?s why I lost to you that night. You looked scrawny and my first thought was, ?I can take him?. But you proved me wrong.? Finrazel said. He took out a case and opened it. There was a saxophone in it. He lifted the saxophone and took out a loose board. In the hole were pieces to a gun. He put together his customized handgun. He placed the laser target near the pistol?s bottom barrel, and attached a scope to the top part of the barrel, then stuck it in the holster. He peered into the window again to see what the men were doing. He noticed that the girl?s gag had been taken out. One of the men had some food in his hand. He appeared to be feeding her. ?At least they?re not barbaric.? Finrazel thought. The two stood at the window for about two hours. The men went into a different room. They carried some sleeping bags with them. One man untied the girl and carried her to the next room. Luckily the other window wasn?t boarded up all the way. They didn?t tie her up. They just left her in the room. The door to the room appeared to be made out of solid steel. The man that carried her to the room closed the door. The door made a clanging sound, as if it were being locked. The girl laid on the sleeping bags and began to cry. Finrazel and Andrew left the window and went to the entrance. ?These men are either extremely stupid, or they have no common sense. Are they just gonna leave the door unlocked or not blocked?? Andrew said as he approached the door. He took a few steps back and ran towards the door with his shoulder arched and rammed into the door. Andrew hit the door full force and fell back and grunted in pain. ?I?m ok.? He said in a low voice. Finrazel let out a little chuckle. He walked over to the door and tapped it. ?Just as I thought, they reinforced it with steel. We have to find another way in.? Finrazel said. ?How ?bout using the roof? I think that?s one place that we could get through. ? Andrew said rubbing his shoulder. ?That?s a good plan. But how do we know that it?s not rigged like this door? You have to think about things before you plan.? Finrazel said. ?Uh, ok. I think.? Andrew said trying not to roll his eyes. Eventually he did. Finrazel probed the door. He noticed a little metal wire that lead from the bottom of the door to the ceiling of the little arch. He looked up and noticed that the wire was connected a little block of C4. ?These guys are not stupid, but highly educated in trap setting. They?ve connected C4 to the door. This means on the other side of the door there is another block of C4. Normally when this type of trap is set there is an electrical charge sender somewhere. We have to disable the transmitter to disable the trap. We can?t find the transmitter so we?ll have to go through the roof top.? Finrazel said while walking back to the alley. ?Didn?t I just say that we should go through the roof?? Andrew said. Finrazel ignored him. ?I knew it! ?Oh, you have to think before you plan things!? ? Andrew said mocking Finrazel. Andrew followed behind Finrazel into the alley. The two looked for a ladder or stairwells that lead to the roof. They had no luck in finding one. ?Andrew, do you still have your grappling hook?? Finrazel said holding out his hand. ?Yeah, here it is.? Andrew said handing the hook to Finrazel. Finrazel swung the grappling hook in a circular motion then released it into the air. The hook reached the roof and attached to something. Finrazel tugged on the rope a couple of times to make sure that the rope was secured. He grabbed the rope and started climbing. His bulky armor slowed him down a little. He placed both feet on the wall for support, and then slowly pulled himself up. Andrew followed after him. As soon as both men were on top, they headed towards the door that was in the middle of the platform. Finrazel searched the corners of the door and found out that it was the same trap as the one on the first floor. So they looked around for an opening somewhere, like a vent or a hole. They had no luck in finding one. Andrew was frustrated. ?Ok, so tell me, what exactly are we looking for?? Finrazel ignored him. He found a smoke shaft. He took out a small screw driver and unscrewed the bolts from the ground. Once the top was off he made a bigger hole, he tried to be quiet, and a couple of tiles from the roof fell in the hole. It made a glass breaking noise. He heard the noise echo throughout the hallway. He waited for a moment before venturing down the hole. He motioned Andrew to go back down and check to see if the men had moved from the current room. Ten minutes later Duke came back up and shook his head. Finrazel took the rope attached to the hook and put it in the hole. He slid down quietly. He put his night vision goggles on and turned on his flashlight. The hallway was pitch black. It looked like no one had used the building in a long time. Andrew followed in after Finrazel. He slid his goggles on and took out his gun. He cocked it back and held it out. He could hear Finrazel?s footsteps ahead of him. He slowly walked down the dark corridor. Up ahead he saw the soft glow of Finrazel?s flashlight. He rushed over to him. Finrazel held out his hand which meant for Andrew to stop. Andrew slowed down and readied his gun. Finrazel opened up doors which lead to a flight of stairs going down. He motioned Andrew to follow quietly. The two tip toed down the stairs. Finrazel didn?t even have his gun out yet. He pulled it out and cocked it back, and then turned on the laser target. The small red dot danced around on the wall as Finrazel took a step. The pair had finally reached the bottom floor. They inspected the door, it was clean. They proceeded inside. The goggles proved useless now, since the hallways were lit up. They took them off and walked around as quietly as they could. They came across a steel door with multiple locks on it. ?This must be the door,? Finrazel whispered. ?But first let?s take care of the guards.? ?Andrew got on the floor and started to crawl. Finrazel tried to stay as low as possible but his bulky armor prevented him from doing so. He followed after Andrew, in a slow but steady manner. They reached a door with bright lights brimming from the cracks. ?This is the room. We?ll go in fast, on the count of three.? Finrazel said. He held out one finger then two, then three. The two burst in to the room with their guns pointing outward. No one was in the room, it was empty. Suddenly the door closed and it locked. ?Bravo, bravo,? A voice said through a speaker. ?I never thought anyone would make it in here. Actually I was anticipating your arrival. I just didn?t know when you?d actually make it in. Did you like the little trap I set for you? It was simple to lure you in. We set up cameras all over this building and we?ve monitored your every move. What? You think we?re that stupid?? ?What about the girl?? Andrew said ?Ahh yes the girl. She is safe for now. Once her father brings us the ransom we will kill her. But first I will kill you. The wall next to them exploded, and a tall man about six five stepped out of the hole. ?It will be a pleasure to fight you, Finrazel. Yes, I know who you are. You probably don?t remember me. I am Alexei Stukovni , I fought you that night at the street fight. I lost to you, and you insulted my honor. So tonight we shall fight, only this time you will not win.? Alexei sounded confident. Finrazel was not afraid of him. He was half the size of Alexei but he knew that he could win. Alexei had a back strapped to his back with a clear tube sticking out of it. The tube was connected to the back of Alexei?s head. He pressed a button on the back of the pack and glowing green liquid began to flow into the tube. ?Ahh yes! The power of mako infusion. I can feel the rush of power surging through my body. You like it? I stole it off of a dead SOLDIER. He was no match for my power. Everyone who has stood before me stands no more. You shall be one of them!? Alexei said. Seven men came out. ?Boss? Do you want us to help?? One man said. ?No, I don?t need any help. Just make sure that if they get passed me that they don?t get to the girl.? Alexei pressed the button again. He rushed towards Finrazel with an arm sticking out. He was too fast for finrazel to dodge the blow. He got knocked back against the wall, and grunted with pain. Duke pulled out his gun and fired at Alexei. The bullets bounced off this plate armor that he wore. Alexei grinned and walked slowly towards Andrew. Andrew kept firing, and the bullets kept deflecting. Alexei grabbed Andrew by the head and threw him across the room. Finrazel got up from the floor and charged towards Alexei. He jumped in the air and punched him in the jaw. Alexei grunted and spit out blood. ?You call that a punch!?? Alexei cocked back and swung his fist towards Finrazel?s face. Finrazel fell to the floor. A pool of blood and saliva formed on the floor near his head. He was knocked out cold. It was all up to Andrew now. ?Razel said to study my opponent before attacking. Find out their weaknesses.? Andrew Thought. Alexei came up to Andrew, and tried to swing at him. Andrew noticed that it took a while for Alexei to punch him. He then realized that speed was his weakness. Andrew ran around him as fast as he could. He was known for his speed. Alexei stood in the middle of the room confused and sluggish. He tried to punch and kick Andrew as he came around. Andrew jumped in the air and ripped out the tube that was connected to Alexei?s head. Alexei fell to the floor crying with pain. The mako dripped from the tube and burned through the floor. The seven men that were standing by, ran in and attacked Andrew. Just then Finrazel regained consciousness and took out his Flamberge and hacked away at Andrew?s attackers. All seven men fell dead, with no heads. Finrazel knelt on the floor putting support on his sword. He breathed heavily, blood dripped from his face. ?It?s about time.? Andrew said smiling. ?Thanks Razel.? ?No problem. Let?s get the girl and get out of here!? Finrazel got to his feet, took out his gun, and blasted the lock on the door. He did the same to the locks on the steel door. He opened the door and there stood a girl trembling with fear. ?It?s alright. We?re here to help you. Your father sent us.? Andrew held out his hand and the girl grabbed it. She walked out of the room where she was held prisoner and noticed Finrazel standing at the doorpost overlooking Alexei?s body. ?Is-is, her dead?? The girl asked. ?Yes. He was so dependent on the mako power, that his body needed it to survive. Without it he cannot survive.? Finrazel put his Flamberge back in its sheath on his back. ?My name is Sary Hawkins, what?s yours?? Sary asked Finrazel. ?Finrazel.? He said and walked out of the hallway. ?I?m Duke, nice to meet you.? He held out his hand again to shake hers. ?He?s not much of a people person. So don?t be alarmed at his coldness.? ?Oh, I?m not.? Sary said with a low voice. At the entrance of the door, Finrazel was occupied with disarming the bomb. He cut away at different wires, and then opened a case which had more wires. Finrazel knew what he was doing. Just then Sary and Andrew arrived. ?You sure you know what you are doing?? Andrew stood next to Sary. ?Shhh! I need to concentrate. I know what I?m doing so shh!? Finrazel cut a red wire then cut a blue wire. He fused the ends of each wire to an opposite color. Red to blue, and blue to red. Just then they heard a ticking noise. It got faster and faster. ?I hope it?s not gonna do what I think It?s gonna do!? Andrew grabbed Sary?s and ran far away from the door as possible. Finrazel followed shortly after them. Ten seconds later there was a loud noise and the building shook. There was smoke and fire everywhere. They ran out of the building. Upon exiting, the entrance caved in, then shortly after that happened the whole building collapsed. ?Uh huh. ?I know what I?m doing,? ? Andrew mocked Finrazel, ?If you know what you were doing, why did the door explode?? Finrazel stayed silent. He knew he was wrong; in fact he wanted to laugh. He held his emotion in and walked into the dark alley. The air began to fill with the smell of smoke, and the sound of sirens could be heard from far away. ?C?mon we havta get outta here before the MSF come.? Andrew took Sary by the hand and led her into the alley. Sary and Andrew ran to catch up to Finrazel. By then the abandoned building drew crowds of people around it, not to mention the MSF. There was a car waiting for the three just around the corner. Or at least there would have been one waiting for them, the car had been stolen. ?ARGH! What the hell is going on!?? Andrew knelt at the spot where his car once stood. He picked up the pieces left behind. ?We walk then.? Finrazel walked out of the dark alley with his hands in his jacket pockets. Andrew and Sary followed after him. Finrazel noticed that Sary was cold, she had goose bumps all over her arms. He took his jacket off and placed it around her small, petite, and fragile body. Sary zipped up the jacket and said thank you to Finrazel. Andrew noticed that Sary had been blushing. He wanted to laugh, but he kept to himself. ?Aren?t you cold?? Asked Sary. ?No.? Came the reply. Sector five wasn?t like Finrazel remembered it. It used to be filled with lots of people. This place brought so much pain and awful memories for Finrazel. Andrew could tell that he didn?t want to be there. ?Andrew, take her home and make sure that her father gives us the amount he promised. I have to make a stop.? Finrazel walked off with his case and entered a small alley. It was lit by a little fire made from wood and cardboard. Many people huddled around the fir so they could feel the warmth. He opened his case and assembled his instrument, then began to play a soft, sad ballad. Many people came around him to listen to the soothing sound. There were tears in many people?s eyes. They had never heard something so beautiful. Meanwhile as Andrew escorted Sary home she began asking questions about Finrazel. ?So what?s Finrazel like?? Questioned Sary. ?Oh, I don?t know. Where to start, where to start? Well he keeps to himself most of the time. You have to gain his respect in order for him to call you his friend. That took a long time for me to be called his friend. He is an excellent fighter, strong, poise, and smart. I learn a lot from him.? Andrew cracked his knuckles then began to sigh. ?He has a dark past, which he doesn?t like to discuss about. So I never talk about it with him. All I know is that his mother died here in sector five. She was the only woman in his life that actually understood him.? ?Jeez, sounds like he needs another woman in his life. Doncha think?? Sary said. ?Um, I don?t know if you should entangle yourself with him. You see he had a girlfriend a while back, and he was going to ask her to marry him. But on the night that he was to ask her, there was a shootout, and she got caught up in the crossfire. She died and Finrazel blamed himself for her death. Ever since then he could never love another woman, because he doesn?t want another loved one to die.? Andrew let out another sigh. He didn?t say another word after that. The two reached a house that was extremely large. Many people ran out of the house to greet the two. On of them that ran out was Sary?s father. ?SARY! Thank God you?re safe!? Her father said while he threw his arms around her. ?Daddy! I?m so happy to see you. It?s been so hard, I didn?t think I was going to get out alive.? Sary began to cry. The tears streamed down her soft cheeks. ?Mr. Opal? I hate to break up a reunion, but I need to be on my way. The original agreement for payment was two-thousand gil. Am I correct?? ?No problem. Thank you for bringing my daughter back home. Where is your companion, so I can thank him also?? Opal asked. ?He had to stop somewhere real quick. But he said that he was happy that he could be of service.? Andrew said. Opal took out a sac containing the money and handed it to Andrew. Andrew received it with an open hand. He said his goodbye?s and walked away. Finrazel disassembled his instrument and put it back in its case. As he walked out of the alley a man approached him and gave him a note, then walked away. Finrazel unfolded the note and read it. I know who you are. I am willing to pay you ten thousand gil if you can get this job done for me. No need to find me, I will find you?.. The note seemed pretty strange to Finrazel. He wandered around the slums for a while. It was already seven in the morning, and he was very tired. He had been up since seven the previous night. He passed by a little café and saw that Andrew was inside drinking some coffee. Finrazel walked into the little café and sat in front of Andrew. Andrew looked up and said, ?I?m so tired. Let?s rent a room at the nearest INN. I need some sleep!? Finrazel nodded and left three gil on the table. The two left the little café and looked for a place to stay for the day. They stumbled across an Inn. It was called ?The Red Dragon?. The doors were automatic; they slid open as the two stepped in. ?Hello gentlemen? How can I help you this morning?? A man stood awaiting an answer. He was dressed in a grey suit and had white gloves on. ?I?d like a room for today, we?ll check out tomorrow in the morning.? Andrew said. ?Sure, and what kind of room would you like? Normal room or the Sweet?? The man said. ?what is the price difference?? Andrew asked. ?The normal room costs one hundred gil. The sweet costs seven hundred gil and comes with free room service.? The man took out a rag and dusted the counter. ?We?ll take the sweet.? Andrew said. ?We?ll be asking for money in advanced.? The man said with a grin. Andrew poured out nine hundred gil on the counter. Immediately the man?s expression changed. ?Here you go sir,? the man said handing out a form, ?Fill this out and you?ll be all set to go.? Andrew filled out the sheet and grabbed the key that was left on the table. On the key the number twenty-nine was etched. The two walked down the hallway and looked for room twenty-nine. As they walked they noticed that the place was very well lit. They got to the room and inserted the key into the keyhole. As they walked in the room they saw that it was huge. Finrazel placed his things in a closet close to the bathroom, Andrew took his shoes off and collapsed on one of the beds. He was fast asleep, and already snoring. FInrazel wasn?t tired anymore so he left the room and went outside of the inn. He inhaled the cold air and sighed. Just then the man he bumped into in the alley appeared. They exchanged glances, and approached each other. ?Told you I would find you.? The man said. ?Let?s skip the introductions. I don?t need to know your name all I want to know is what the job is.? Finrazel crossed his arms and lowered his head. The man had a rugged face and heavy deep set bags under his eyes, as if he had not slept in days. ?I have a job for you.? To be continued??.. 263 From: RINOA LEONHART Date: Mon Apr 29, 2002 4:25am Subject: Carla becomes a Turk (Carla 2) Date: 29/4/02 Time Sent: 6:24PM EST Ok I'm posting now, I hope I did this all right. If there is anything seriously wrong with it, I'll fix it, deal? As for the guns and stuff... I did my best with my bad vivid memories of sitting in my boyfriends house playing multiplayer Perfect Dark with his friends... please don't shun me too bad ^_^;;;; Rosette Subject: Carla becomes a Turk Date: October 6th Time: Mid morning Place: The Shinra Building, lobby (Real time finished: 14/4/02) Carla made her way over to the secretary’s desk and asked to see Tseng. The secretary took Carla’s name and details and matched them with the appointment. She buzzed Tseng’s intercom and informed him of his appointment waiting. "Sir there’s a Miss Carla Gear waiting for you our here sir…" "I’ll be right there." The secretary smiled and pointed to a chair over by the wall, "He’ll just be a second, please have a seat." Carla waited quietly nervous in the lobby as Tseng made his way down. As he emerged from the lift he gave Carla a warm but brief smile before leading her outside. "All the tests so far prove your worth to Shinra, just a few more field tests and that should do it. Overall you’re pretty impressive so these last tests should be a piece of cake." Tseng gave her a look of approval, Carla was going slightly red at her praise. ---------------------------------------------- ********* Date: October 6th Time: 11:30am Place: Basement Gym Tseng lead Carla down into a basement chamber and to a steel door with a ‘Privet, Keep Out’ sign mounted on it, he gestured for her to go inside. Inside was a large gym facility with weights, barbells and other contraptions littering the floor. Tseng steered her through the maze of equipment into a small, padded room. In it, earmuffs were mounted on the wall and the far wall had targets. It was a shooting room. Tseng who had momentarily left her unattended returned with a 9mm pistol much like her own she was told to leave at home. He donned a pair of earmuffs from the wall and handed her a pair. "First, we need to review your sniper skills and your overall aim," he said as he flipped a switch lighting up the six targets at the end of the room. He handed her a clip, then went and sat in a nearby chair. Carla squinted at her target, cocked her gun and closed one eye to aim, then unleashed a bombardment of fire; twelve bullets, each target hit twice, dead centre. Tseng applauded slowly, controlled, "Very good aim on still targets, now lets test you on a moving target. I’ll be back in a minute, have a seat," he nodded at the chair and left the room. Carla flopped down and exhaled, her hands were shaking, she couldn’t believe she’d aimed while her heart was thumping so loud, Tseng must have heard it. While she was lost in thought, Tseng came back in, this time dragging a nervous looking SOLDIER with him. "It’ll just take a second to strap this guy up, then we’ll begin," Tseng continued dragging the man into the back room. A voice was heard coming from the back, "Wait, no! She’s not gonna? Oh my God no! NO! No no no no!" Then Tseng’s voice telling the man to shut up and not be such a wuss. Two minutes later Tseng reappeared with the man in full armour, a helmet with a steel-mesh visor (much like a fencer’s) arm and leg guards, metal gloves and steel-capped shoes. “What’s your name son?” Tseng glared at the shaking SOLDIER. “Uhhh, Paxton…Alex Paxton, Second Class SOLDIER of Shinra sir!” the SOLDIER tried not to quiver, he looked like he was going to be sick. “Very good, ok Carla, this is Alex Paxton, a SOLDIER Second Class" repeated Tseng smugly, then whispered, ”You know, expendable,” and winked. "He will be your new target," he spun the man around to reveal a painted target on his back. "Shall we begin?" Tseng asked, one eyebrow arched as he handed Carla a new clip. Carla loaded her pistol and grinned, "Ready when you are," she winked at the SOLDIER. "Oh wait a second, something is missing, hmm…" Tseng faked wonderment, "Ah yes," he pulled a felt target out from behind his back and stuck it to the velcro strips on the front of the SOLDIER’s vest. The target had countless holes in the centre, the SOLDIER gulped. "You must hit here, here and here at least twice," Tseng pointed to the middle ring on the back target, the leg guards and the middle ring on the front target (his stomach). "And here and here at least once," Tseng pointed to the heart (identified by a worn and dented sticker of a heart over the left side of the SOLDIER’s chest) and helmet. "You will be scored on your aim and time, you only have one minute to pursue and hit the majority if not all of your targets, are you ready?" Tseng lifted his hand, "GO!" The SOLDIER bolted for the door with Carla in hot pursuit closely followed by Tseng with a clipboard and stopwatch. Carla skidded around the corner and fired two shots, one met with the wall and sparks deflected as another dent was formed in the middle of the back target, and again; but slightly off to an outer ring. She powered into speed and aimed and the SOLDIER's legs, she hit one and he stumbled slightly, but didn’t lose speed, she shot again, missing altogether twice before she shot the other calf causing him to trip over. He rolled over and jumped up, Carla swiftly got in front of him and fired two more shots both in the stomach, then slightly higher she aimed and fired, making yet another dent on the heart sticker. Tseng pounded up to them and barked, "Three seconds," *BANG, CLANG*, Carla released her last clip making sparks fly off the helmet. "TIME!" Tseng clicked his stopwatch and beamed at Carla and the SOLDIER, both panting heavily. "Impressive," commented Tseng as he recorded her results, using the sources of intense heat on the armour to tell where the bullets had struck. "Hmm, two in the back, one was a little off centre, not to worry, one on each calf, two in the stomach, one in the heart and one in the head and at least three amiss." He took Carla’s gun and removed the empty shells, "And one bullet left." Tseng beamed again enthusiastically at a worn out Carla, "Congratulations," he shook her hand, "Just two more tests, this was the hardest for most who got to this stage," and he left to replace the gun. The SOLDIER waddled after him, still breathing heavily. Carla slowly followed them out. ------------------------------------------- ********** Date: October 6th Time: 1:30pm Place: Junon airstrip [OOG: {thoughts}] Later on that day Tseng and Carla were standing out on the large airstrip under the Junon cannon. "What are we doing at the airstrip?" Carla inquired, puzzled. "This was the biggest area I could find for your next task," Tseng explained. "I want you to run through all these obstacles I’ve set up in the fastest possible time," Tseng swept his hand out in front of him inviting Carla to look at his masterpiece of a maze. There were overturned garbage bins, cabinets, temporary construction fences, shelves, desks and a whole manner of other things to clamber over, under and around. "I can’t tell you how to tackle each piece of equipment, you just do what you do best or what you think is the fastest way, you may take this test twice if you feel you can do better." Carla nodded, {Man, I wish I was back on written tests and small field exams with the others like me, but I guess if I pass this, it’s the real deal}. Carla crouched on one knee and spread her hands in front of her at the starting block. "Ready… GO!" Tseng shouted. Carla sprung up and dashed off, under a desk, over some bins, up and over a mesh construction fence, onto a crate, over another crate, under some poles and through a tunnel pipe. Then up and over a wall of shelves onto a parked car, under a diagonal structure, over a horizontal structure, over the bonnet of another car and dashed to the finish line. Bricks and pipes were launched at her and in her path as well as scattered debris on the ground for the last hundred metres. She crossed the line and collapsed on the ground. "That took you a whole three and a half minutes," Tseng grinned at her dying on the floor, "Wanna take it again?" he asked jokingly and laughed when the curt and stern reply came, "NO!" Carla sat up gasping for air, "So did I pass… or was I still too slow?" Tseng averaged her time with her previous rookie exams. "Weeeell, you’ve passed," he gave her a stern look, "But don’t celebrate too soon, your exams aren’t over." He turned and walked away, Carla lay back on the floor to catch her breath. -------------------------------------------- ********** Date: October 7th Time: 12:01pm Place: Corel, Gold Saucer's underground car park After a day of traveling from Junon to North Corel, Tseng and Carla made it to the Gold Saucer. Finally the last test came, the most vital test for her to pass, stealth. Tseng had made sure to get the large car park ready and empty for today's big test, everything needed to be perfect. Tseng helped Carla get strapped into armour but it wasn’t as bulky and thick as Alex’s previous armour, she had to be careful. Her career and even her life was at stake in this final test. She only had a helmet, bulletproof vest and a shield on her back to protect her from the sprays of bullets she may encounter. Tseng led Carla down to the large underground car park as he cautioned her through the final test. “Carla, be very careful, this is the test that most fail through injury or even death, but it is vital you pass to become a Turk.” Carla nodded, she was confident but was losing her nerve fast. “What you have to do is go from here, to the lifts around the corner, you know where they are?” Carla nodded again, confidence leeching even more. “Seems easy? You will have approximately five gunmen after you, you will have to use all your stealth and cunning to outwit them. They have walkie-talkies as communication and have set up traps everywhere. To add to that difficulty, they have proximity mines, grenades and machetes as well as semiautomatic guns. There are also two *Sentry Turrets mounted on the walls in secret locations so keep your wits about you and be vigilant. Watch for the signs that they may be nearby and signs a gunman is on your tail… good luck,” Tseng was very grave as he looked down the course. “I’ll be waiting at the other end, be very careful,” and with that he walked back out the exit and was escorted to the other end, the safe way. [OOG: *Those guns in Perfect Dark that are on the walls that just start shooting at you when you walk into their shooting range, they are called Sentry Turrets right?] Carla estimated that it was about four hundred metres (400m) just to the corner plus another two hundred metres (200m) to the lifts. Her walkie-talkie crackled, Tseng was at his post. “Carla are you ready?” Carla held it close to her mouth while she looked around and shakily replied, “Yeah…” “After this transmission is finished, turn the communicator off to avoid detection, ready…Go,” and with that she switched off and pressed her back to a large concrete support pole and surveyed the area… this was going to be tough. Carla heard faint footsteps on the other side of the support pole, they were getting closer, she slowly peeked around the corner and saw a man clad in black carrying a loaded K7 Avenger, he was pointing it at everything he heard. Carla’s heart was in her mouth! He was just on the other side of the support pole, one more step and he would find her. He pounced upon her hiding spot, and continued on while Carla slid further around the support pole and picked up a rock. She threw it hard in the opposite direction. The rock, clanging loudly and echoing through the structure attracted the man’s attention. The gunman sprinted after it, so did another who was hiding behind the support pole beside her own. He fortunately had not seen her in his rush. Carla breathed realizing she had been holding her breath. She snuck past four more support poles before noticing a red dot on the wall about two inches off her shoulder. She froze as she noticed it was moving slowly away from her and to another wall, she had been wondering why no gunmen were in this area. She had just found the first Sentry Turret. She squatted as the red dot swung in a 360 circle and the laser intercepted the support pole just above her head and rested dead above her… then moved back the way it came. She found it’s source and saw how the barrel was in line with the dot. She also noticed the small red arrow stickers on the roof pointing to it. {The signs, look out for the signs}, she remembered Tseng’s words in her head. Carla heard a pin drop close by behind her and something small and green launched towards her. It bounced next to her as her mind recognized it, a voice inside her head screamed GRENADE! She scurried quickly to the other side of the support pole as it exploded, she slid on her stomach like a penguin to the next support pole and ducked behind it with her hands over her ears and her mouth slightly open. The heat was intense, another gunman, safe from the Sentry Turret’s laser scope came after her and opened fire. Carla scuffled further behind the support pole and drew her knees up as the bullets hailed around her sending up sparks and dust from the concrete. Then another grenade plopped next to her, without hesitation she grabbed it and hurled it back in the gunman’s general direction, it exploded in midair. She heard footsteps retreating behind her, the gunman lived and was seeking backup. Carla continued to crawl on her hands and knees toward the corner when suddenly she tripped a cord, a shrill alarm went off and footsteps were coming her way fast. {It must have been hair-thin}, she cursed under her breath, got to her feet and ran, weaving around the support poles and finally stopping and holding her breath, running was the worst thing she could do, a major no-no. She stayed perfectly still as she heard the two remaining gunmen searching for her. When their footsteps finally moved away Carla became suspicious, then she heard a faint beeping. She looked around the support to see a timed mine, five seconds left, she quickly glanced around her surroundings and ran across to a diagonal support pole and lay flat behind it as an earth-shattering explosion more or less obliterated her previous hiding spot. Carla had just one hundred metres (100m) more to the corner. She was half way to the lifts. She saw another trap, this time the cord was around level with her head and was in her line of vision, so she slunk around the support pole just incase there were more trip cords underneath the first. Later on Carla stumbled upon a stray fire materia, {One of the gunmen must have dropped it, but all the same, it could be another trap}. Carla kicked the orb gently so as not to make noise, the orb got ten feet away then simply just exploded, but not because it was rigged. It was the second Sentry Turret, but this one was much more advanced and picked up on anything that moved. {I bet there aren’t any rats down here…but how am I going to get past that thing, there are traps in the shadows and no way around it}, Carla thought in frustration. Suddenly she had an idea, she scoured the ground for and object to throw and spotted a previously discarded grenade pin. Carla picked it up and crept back to her spot. She breathed deeply then hurled the pin into the line of fire and ran. The pin was intercepted in a millisecond by the laser and was vaporized, Carla sprinted past while the gun was busy. {Whoa, that was a close call}, she breathed again as she slunk behind another support pole and around the corner. Carla was now just two hundred metres (200m) away from the lifts, she was 2/3rds there. She knew better than to rejoice, this was probably the most booby-trapped leg of the journey. Cautiously she crept slowly, closer and closer toward the end. Slinking in the shadows when she could and always double checking for signs. When Carla was just fifty metres (50m) from the lifts the temptation was so great just to run, and she almost did but some sixth sense stopped her in time, a sixth gunman was lurking. He was sniping her from some vantage point close by. Carla quickly slipped into shadow with her back squared on the support pole while a small red dot was frantically searching in the surrounding darkness for her. Carla slowly bent down and picked up a piece of debris and hurled it in the direction she had come and watched the dot disappear. She breathed and moved on, but much too soon. The sniper had come out of hiding only to observe her tactics, he was not fooled. He unleashed wild gunfire upon her as she realized her mistake. Carla ran full pelt, dodging stray bullets as they grazed past her, some missing by just millimetres. A few bounced off her shield and helmet, the force pushing Carla to the edge of consciousness as she stumbled and fell just ten metres away from the lift doors. Carla snapped back into reality when the gunman started hurling knives at her, one deflected off her vest while another grazed her shoulder, she winced in pain. Carla jumped up and dodged another spray of bullets as she ran up to the lift and hammered the button urging for the lift to come faster. Carla turned around and ducked as a metal pole dented the lift’s outer doors above her. Carla picked it up and charged the gunman, using the pole as a sword as he drew a machete. She flung the knife from his grasp and hit him in the arm. He aimed his SuperDragon at her head, just as he was about to pull the trigger, Carla slammed the pole upward full force into his arm causing his aim to point toward the roof and fire at the ceiling before dropping the weapon in agony. The lift opened and Carla fled into the shelter and closed the doors. She lay on the floor out of sheer exhaustion, as well as ducking from the final spray of bullets managing to dent the lift’s inside doors. As the lift doors opened Tseng stepped inside and immediately rushed over to where Carla lay motionless on the floor. He rolled her over and unstrapped her armour and removed her helmet. Tseng lifted her up and carried her out of the lift to the waiting paramedics. ------------------------------------------------ ********** Date: 8th October Time: 2:03pm Place: Shinra clinic Carla woke up in a bed, her surroundings where white and smelt of disinfectants. She sat up slowly, blinking as the light cascaded onto her bed from the crack in between the drawn curtains. “Well, it’s about time you woke up,” Carla jumped as she glanced around the room wildly looking for the source of the voice. Tseng was sitting in the shadows in a chair, he stood up and strode over to the bed. “How are you feeling? That must have been quite a test for you, you’ve been out cold for a whole day. You passed out around this time yesterday.” He looked concerned as he put his hand on Carla’s forehead. “I’m ok, just…tired,” she yawned and tried to get out of bed but Tseng stopped her. “You should stay in bed for a little while longer, you need your sleep.” Carla glared at Tseng who gave a good-natured smile. She softened her look, Carla was drowsy and her vision was blurring. “Just one more question before I sleep,” Carla swayed drunkenly as darkness spread it’s tendrils to consume her. “Did I pass?” Before Tseng could answer, Carla was fast asleep. “Yes,” Tseng whispered. “You did well.” Before he left he wrote a note to the nurse to tell Carla the good news when she woke up. [Summaries: Oct 6, Carla enters the Shinra building to see Tseng for her final three tests. Her first test is a simple shooting task where she got to chase a 2nd class SOLDIER around in armour. Her second test was a speed test on the Junon Airstrip to see how fast she could traverse over and under obstacles. Oct 7, Her third and final test in the Gold Saucer’s underground car park is stealth when she is tracked by gunmen hired to kill her. She passed but barely, she escaped with her life and ends up in the Shinra clinic for chronic fatigue as she passed out for the whole game day Oct 7/8.] [OOG: Was that ok? I wanted Tseng to sound like his nice sweet self but also be serious about Carla’s training as he needs new improved Turks.] Rinoa~~~oo~~~Leonhart ======================== Stop calling me, calling me Please stop stalking me, stalking me Just a fantasy, fantasy that you have with me -Shakaya Seifer: "AHA! Stalkers are EVERYWHERE!!" Rinoa: "Seifer...Shut up..." Squall: *points* "Is that a camera over there, no wait...it's a STALKER! Stalkers are everywhere!" Rinoa: "..."*Rolls eyes at Squall and Seifer laughing hysterically* "Some support you are...my boyfriend...sheesh" ****LATER ON**** Squall: "If arseholes could fly, this place would be an airport" *Edward and Rinoa suppress stifled giggles* _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx 264 From: valor_trefa Date: Sun May 5, 2002 3:44pm Subject: Old Memories (Arai Intro) Note: This is my intro for Arai so he's is finally in the flow of time. Subject: Old Memories Date: October 8th Time: Midnight Place: Sector Five; Upper Plate, The Rhapsody * * * * * "I'm sorry m-man! I didn't mean nothing by it!" The tall man whimpered. The pistol was held eye level with the black man's face. "You do realize that this was a big mistake. Arai held the gun, only slightly wavering to gesture. A smirk slowly crawled across his face. The man slowly reached behind his belt and quickly matched Arai with a weapon of his own. "This must be your first time," Arai scanned the quivering barrel, "the safety's still on." "Oh! Damn!" Arai seized the moment that the man took to look at the weapon. Two shots rang out clearly, followed by the girlish screeching of the man. Arai watched, with laughter in his eyes, as the man clutched one foot and hopped around, holding the shin, on the other. "Foolish man. Why did you bother?" Arai knelt down to pick up the weapon. With sudden impact, a foot was driven into the back of his head, sending him sprawled on the floor, "Dammit!" He quickly regained his composure and faced the hulk of a man, "You know that was a cheap shot!" "So… you got as problem?" "No… not really… but," The pistols rapidly disappeared into his coat, they were replaced by his Daisho, "You seem like a reasonable fellow… let's work this out maturely." "Okay." Then Arai saw the man's fist. "Oh hell! You asked for it fatass!" The swords were replaced by blue lightning that struck the larger man and the now sobered lighter man. "Let's get outta here!" The two men ran out of the bar door as quickly as they could. Arai sat down at the bar. "Quite impressive, for a young man. You know, you look like a young man that left for SOLDIER some time ago. What was his name again? Umm… Oh! Tran, Tran Guilder." The bartender stumbled through his memory. "Who… Tran? How do you know me…? Damn!" Arai shut up rather quickly. "You can't be Tran. He died a year ago, just before his sister disappeared." "Steph!? Where did she go?!" "Wait, how do you know Stephanie and Tran?" "We'll say I know them personally. So, where did Stephanie go?" "Why?" "I don't need a reason, old man." "Fine, fine! She went west, to Nibelhiem." "Nibelhiem, eh?" "But, there's been an influx of monsters, so, if I were you I'd stock up." "But, you're not me. I've heard of a Weapons Dealer in Sector Seven, he worked in the Space program at Shin-Ra, you know anything about it?" Arai gave the man a rueful glance. "Yeah, hear his name's Highwind." "Good, then I shall pay him a visit." Arai got up and walked, nonchalantly, out of the bar. * * * * * Location: Sector 5, Upper plate Arai walked through the barren streets. It was too late for anyone to be out. The only people that were left were the drunks and the homeless. Something that wasn't all that common on the upper plate. -Being homeless. Bah! That's never something that going to worry me. - Arai thought to himself. He felt like he was being watched. He spun around only to see that he was alone. "Damn. Being paranoid." A flash of silver moved across in front of Arai. Platinum flashed as his gun was put in front of him. He moved his hand in his coat then followed the band that flowed across his chest to his katana. The metal felt cold against his gloved hands. He looked around, and relaxed his guard. A single shot rang out and Arai dropped to one knee holding his shoulder. He felt the blood throb from the wound. He looked to his crimson stained hand. He swore silently. He pushed the pain away, something that he'd do all the time when he was in SOLDIER. He raised his body slowly up from the cold hard ground. He turned to face the unknown assailant only to look into the helmet of an MSF. "Oh, sh…" Arai backed away, "Don't you give some kinda warning? Ya know, `Halt!' or something like that?" As soon as there was about five feet between the two Arai raised his pistol and dove his other hand into his trenchcoat. He scrounged for the other gun that he picked up in the bar. He gave up looking for it and looked at the MSF, but instead looked into the barrel of a shotgun. "This is not my day." Arai shrugged and pushed the barrel out of his face, and promptly pulled the trigger to his pistol and watched as the helmet shattered under the force of the bullet. "That's all I have to say." Arai picked up the Shotgun and continued down the dark path never making a single sound, except for the momentary click of his pistol. 265 From: Daly Date: Mon May 13, 2002 3:24am Subject: Drunken Infatuation "Drunken infatuation" *** Time: Past midnight, October 7, 2003 Place: Midgar, Sector 5 Upper Plate, The Rhapsody "Oooooo..." Kytira cooed from a quarter way underneath the table at the far corner of the Rhapsody. "An old pretzel..." "Don't eat it," Vladimir warned even though he felt he should've stayed quiet to be amused if she did put the item in her mouth. "You can get more when you order another drink." He then turned his eyes to Zeng, who was standing beside the table. Elena shook her head. "You really should bring her home." Zeng nodded warily with a sigh as he helped his intoxicated partner to her feet. "That's stating the obvious." He placed Kytira's right arm over his shoulder and hooked his left arm around her waist. "C'mon Kyt," he muttered as she feebly tried to fight him. "We're going now." Kytira's head tilted forward and her bangs dropped in front of her face. She chuckled disturbingly from behind her hair. "Your place or mine?" she asked, her voice slurring on the first word. He grimaced, "Kyt, I'm taking you to YOUR home." He started walking, half-dragging her with each step. Another disturbing comment followed, "Good... soft queen-sized bed..." His jaw tightened. "Yeah, that's right, you'll sleep well." As always, he managed to dodge her pesky verbal bullets. "Have fun, don't break the bed springs," Vladimir called out to them with an obviously suggestive undertone. Elena stifled a laugh as Zeng's head turned to throw a dirty look at the two of them. "Shut up." "Alright, do break them." *** Place: Streets of Sector 5 upper plate Zeng sighed, glancing around the almost deserted streets as he and Kytira went down the last street before the Vista Views apartment complex. Along the way, she had yelled out graphically sexual comments, which could easily shame a Honeybee Inn worker, at some of the good-looking men they had passed by. After every sentence, the men's interest in the drunken STRIKE agent increased, and Zeng, in return, was forced to scare them off. But, then again, he was quite used to it considering this was the norm for her after a bad day at work. So common were the bad days that Zeng had taken to wearing his pistol in a visible holster at his waist, rather than keeping it concealed in a jacket. This was because the aforementioned good-looking men were prone to striking up conversations with women who are obviously gorgeous, obviously lusty, and (most importantly) obviously drunk. A slim, weak man holding such a woman up usually only encouraged their advances, but a loaded gun has an amazing affect on the male libido. The aim of Kytira's amorous intentions was unique to that night. Possibly due to Zeng's strict professionalism, or possibly due to some poor first impressions, and definitely due to Zeng's resemblance to his brother, Kytira had never appeared to set her sights on her introvert of a partner. In another relationship, the whole night might have been rather special. Instead, Zeng found it rather unsettling, and Kytira probably wouldn't remember half of it in the morning. Another group of men, standing outside of another bar, appeared. One of them pulled out a cigarette pack, removed one cigarette with his mouth and to patted down his pockets in search of a lighter. Zeng's eyes darted with a warning glare to her. "Don't even think about it." "Why not?" "Just don't," he responded firmly, keeping his eyes forward. A few more steps and she then chuckled. "Ah, jealous." He frowned. "No, that's not it." "A liar too then," she mumbled. "Hee hee, funny Zeng-y..." "Why do I even bother arguing with her?" he thought with a sigh as she tripped again. He impulsively grabbed her to steady her. "Watch what you're grabbing, buddy," she commented teasingly as he turned his face away, embarrassed. *** Place: Second floor of Vista Views Aparment complex, Upper Plate, Sector 5 The silver key ring, loaded with only three different keys and an ornamental silver "K", fell out of the clumsy woman's hands to the floor a clatter. Kytira groaned lightly before bending down to pick it up. Upon doing so, she succeeded not in opening the door to her apartment, but in fumbling and dropping the keys once more. Zeng sighed and scooped the keys up. "The one with the black mark, right?" She nodded, her head leaning against the dark mahogany doorframe as he unlocked the door with the right key and swung it wide open. "You think you can manage on your own?" he asked, following behind her and placing the keys on the glass coffee table. She didn't answer. She continued towards her bedroom. Zeng turned and headed towards the door when a loud thump was heard behind him. He whirled around and found Kytira on the floor, obviously having tripped over her own feet. Despite her antics in the apartment, Zeng was glad they had arrived. He couldn't be sure, but if Kytira had tried to pick up another "hot slice of man-meat" (or one of her other imaginative phrases) he probably would have shot the man out of frustration. Except for a few seconds in the junkyard, it had been a very bad day, and Zeng always felt substantially better after shooting something. He sighed and closed the door before going over to help her. "Up you go," he held her arm tightly as she quickly got up to her feet with a sly grin. Before he could react to her expression, she grabbed his head and pulled him close, pressing her mouth against his. Zeng's eyes widened in shock as Kytira's eyes closed. He could feel the drunken effort she was pouring into that kiss. She pulled back slightly, gently nibbling on his lower lip with an impish smile before slanting her mouth across his again. He hesitated. He could taste the alcohol, but at that moment it didn't really seem to bother him as much as it should. He heard her sigh his name into his mouth and felt one her hands run through his short dark hair. Finally, he broke the kiss. There was a look of mixed longing and hurt on Kytira's face once her eyes opened to shoot him a glare. "I'm not that bad, am I?" "No, that's not it," he explained, careful not to hurt her so she burst into tears... since that's what she looked ready to do. In all honesty, it was a rather good kiss, if one could get past the extra taste given by the alcohol. "Good," she instantly perked up and claimed his lips again, kissing him soundly. He could feel her hands roaming his back, caressing his body through the cloth of his jacket and shirt. Only then did his conscience kick in with a vengeance: "She's drunk, you idiot!" "No." He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away, narrowing his gaze. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, watching Kytira cautiously, unsure of how she'd react. Her breathing was quick, and it took Zeng every ounce of his will to not look at her. The last thing he wanted was the intoxicated woman to interpret any more of his actions as acceptance to her invitation. Kytira's head tilted slightly to the side and a lock of her violet hair fell in front of her face. "...You want me," she responded, lowering her voice to a husky whisper. "Don't deny it." He found himself at a loss to prove her wrong. He gritted his teeth and turned to her, "Kyt, you're drunk, don't you get-??!" He couldn't finish the sentence. He felt as though most of his strength suddenly drained out of him. He quickly he realized his error; Kytira drank shots that had been mixed with Marlboro poison. Another thought came to him. She did tell him once that she often felt stronger after a dose of poison, and she had taken several doses. That reason, along with his poison weakened strength, pointed out that Kytira was capable of over-powering him now. Before either of them could make a move, a digital ring disturbed the room-Zeng's PHS. Hastily, he answered it, fumbling with the dialpad. "Yeah?" he said all too quickly and happy to be somewhat spared of an awkward situation. *** "Zeng, hey," Vladimir spoke into his flip PHS. "You left your keycard here." "Oh, I did?" His voice crackled. "Okay, thanks, I'll--STOP THAT!" His voice and tone had suddenly grew in volume and anger. "What?" "Nothing!!" Zeng replied hastily in a distressed voice. "Forget about it! The vampire's dark eyebrow furrowed, "Alright... but nothing mostly means something..." "Less talk, more action... I want you..." a slurred feminine voice drawled from Zeng's end of the phone before his voice came back. "Uhhhhh... Vladimir, I gotta go now." A knowing smile spread across Vladimir's face as his ears picked up the muffled sound of cloth tearing before Zeng's hand covered the receiving part of his phone. "Ahh... having fun are you? Sorry I interrupted you two. I could keep the card overnight, if you really want me to. You could pick it up some other time... when you're hands aren't full." "Geez, it's not like tha-HEY! I said stop it!!" Vladimir laughed as he listened carefully to the shuffling and rustling sounds going on from the other end of the line. The sound was the unmistakable one of a running zipper and more movement of clothes. The zipper didn't have that soft plastic sound that most of the ladies' dresses had, so he figured it must be from Zeng's jacket.... or something else of his. "You two have fun," he spoke into the phone with a grin, wondering who was winning the battle. By the sound of Kytira's laughs, it seemed as though she was winning. "Shut up," Zeng responded, utterly irritated as more noise of the scuffle entered the PHS. "I'll be by there in a bit." "You kidding me? Just take your time and enjoy, Jarstan," Vladimir smirked. Zeng swore loudly. "It's not like that... Hey! Kytira, give it to me!" The vampire laughed again, evoking a strange look from Elena, seated one chair away. She stared at him quizzically and was brushed off with an odd smile. Kytira's voice came back again: "Oh Zeeeeeeeengy...." The line then disconnected. Vladimir frowned, "Damn." *** "Oh Zeeeeeengy...." Kytira's voice was soft as she tauntingly waved the jacket at him. He frowned at her and clicked the PHS off. Even though his instincts were saying to let her keep the jacket and leave, he knew he couldn't. His wallet was safely in its side pocket. He held his hand out expectantly as she backed away from him. "Kyt," he said sternly, feeling his strength returning. "I'm serious. Give it back, now!" He didn't want to have to go to her to get it back it back. When he was trying to stop her from taking it off of him, he accidentally snapped the two straps on one side of her red dress. Not to mention that her own actions caused the hem of her dress to tear. Besides, given the day's events, being near Kytira again was probably a bad idea. Not caring for her rather ragged appearance, she smiled mischievously, "Mine." She took a few small steps back before breaking into a cautious run behind the black futon sofa in the living room. Annoyed and in a foul mood, Zeng followed, reaching out to grab her arm. "Kytira!" he yelled, chasing her around the sofa and coffee table before he lost his patience. He quickly stepped onto the futon of the sofa and bounded over, tackling the woman and knocking a small table over by accident. They both fell to the floor with a crash from the table, a shriek from Kytira, a sound of ripping from his jacket and a loud 'thump' when they finally landed. Zeng sat up and ignored ignoring the slight pain that stung his shoulder as he still firmly held Kytira's limp arm in his grip. He wouldn't give her any chance to break away again. He quickly reached for his jacket and glanced at her face. Her eyes were closed and, judging from the gentle sound of her steady breathing, she looked very much like she was asleep. "Kytira?" he put his jacket down and shook her shoulder, pausing with enough time for her to answer, but she didn't. Zeng sighed, figuring he probably knocked the wind out of her. "Well," he thought. "At least this way, she can't try anything." Gathering her in his arms, he glanced around the apartment. There were two doors opposite of the kitchen. The one of the left was a bathroom. He carefully carried her to the door on the right, aggravated when he had to struggle with the task of turning to doorknob while carrying Kytira. In his haste, he nearly dropped her. Pushing the door open, he made sure that her head didn't bang against the doorframe as he brought her in. Upon walking in, he noticed that her room was what he had expected of someone with her tastes; an elegantly designed dresser with mirror, a closet that appeared to be filled with a variety of clothing, a classic styled lamp, and the comfortable-looking queen-sized bed she mentioned earlier. He frowned, pushing that recollection aside as he cautiously leaned across the bed and lowered Kytira upon the violet coloured blanket, making sure that her head was resting on the pillow. "Hard to tell what kind of monster she can be when she's awake now, isn't it?" he thought, studying her child-like serene expression before his gaze dropped to her lips. Feeling guilty, he quickly exited room, mumbling something about a cold shower. He hastily fixed the knocked-over table next to the sofa and threw on his jacket. At the door, he closed it behind him and tested the doorknob twice to be certain it was locked. Only then did he realize where the tear on his jacket was made, the pocket that once held his wallet. ____________________________________ Armed With a Pencil - http://go.to/awap/ ICQ - 18219424 The heart has no form and no weight. Its size and depth cannot be measured. No one has seen it, but it hurts for sure. It only responds to that one special person. - Kareshi No Kanojo No Jijyo 266 From: moogle_69er Date: Mon Jun 17, 2002 8:37pm Subject: The Conspiracy (Joshua Highwind's intro) Time: 11:34 Date: October 8th, 2003 Where: Sector 7, Upper plate The wind blew hard through the upper plate almost strong enough to tip over a car; it was almost closing time for the Kupo Weapons Shop and sitting still in it, smoking a cigarette was Josh just waiting for a customer. "Fucking people, get your fucking weapons here!" Josh yelled at the only open window in the shop. "No business for 3 shitty days." At 2 minutes too closing time, the shop door flung open scaring the shit out of Josh. "What the fuck? Oh sweet! Finally some business..." The strange man wearing a flimsy hat, white jeans, black sweater and a blue jacket was just eyeing every thing and giggling to himself for about an hour. "What are you? A school girl! Find something or get out! Please." The man laughed at Josh's attempt to be polite and just kept on looking until he found what he was looking for, a black Uzi. The man sort of staggered his way to the counter and looked at the wire cage blocking him from Josh. Then Josh slid over the middle of the cage to see what the man had. Then the man just stood there staring at Josh with his orange gleaming eyes. Josh gave him a look like his face was just mauled from a behemoth, "Where is your damn item?" Josh then heard a click like loading of a gun. Josh was about to close the bullet-proof cage but the orange-eyed man hand reached out and stopped him. The man's hand was blue, bony and had black curved nails. Josh just grinned and muttered to the man "Freaks gotta be man's most fucking stupid creation ever." The man snarled and his white-skin mask cracked revealing a blue bald head with small orange dots all over it. He screeched "You are the stupid one! Not even seeing me load your Uzi with my clip and having a shop opened till midnight! "Oh you picked the Uzi! That's a fine choice for a scumbag who smells like an elephant's ass and I like late hours." The blue freak put up the Uzi right to Josh's face and cackled. He then hissed "You are pretty cocky for a man who is at gun point!" Josh just smirked and blew a puff of smoke in the blue man's face making him gasp and shudder a little but he still kept the gun at Josh's face. Josh looked like he didn't have a care in the world while in his mind… "Oh shit, oh shit and OH SHIT! Must survive, must blow a cap in his blue ass and I MUST bang Jaclyn about 10 more times and ride my Chocobo more often." The freak finally started to talk again "I need a ride out of this god-forsaken place and fast! The bounty hunters are coming and I want to be far away when they get here!" "Get your own ride!" Josh yelled "I would, but don't have a ride and I knew this fake mask wouldn't last long enough to get through the checkpoints." "Well too late again, XB-35." The blue man turned around slowly to see a man dressed in a black combat tee-shirt, two brown leather straps going from his waist to his shoulders back to his waist, black jeans with two grey holsters on his side with two black pistols in them, black sunglasses, a WZ-66 Rifle, a grey rifle with one clip with explosive ammo on the front and one on the back that holds armour-piercing ammo with two barrels, and a laser aim under the two-barrels. "You had a chance XB-35 not to be hunted down but you blew it by escaping again, now you pay the price!" While the freak was occupied, Josh closed the steel cage right on his hand, the freak screamed and green blood rushed out. It burned the cage and the wall. The freak slid his hand out of the cage and shot his Uzi at Josh, Josh ducked behind the counter while the Uzi bullets chipped and ricocheted off the bullet-proof cage only a few bullets making it through it. The blue-man turned around and wasted his remaining ammo on the bounty hunter. All the shots hit him (about 34 bullets) but the man didn't even flinch and just removed his pistols from his holsters and begin shooting the freak, wasting about six clips on him making the freak dead for sure. Josh got up after the end of the twenty-one seconds of shooting. Josh just saw tons of foaming green blood flying over his counter. He got up slowly, while taking out two smokes and lighting them both. "Thanks man! That guy was a crazy ass mofo!" The man just looked with bleak eyes towards Josh and the man armed his grey rifle and made the laser aim go right between Josh's eyes and he said like he didn't have a care in the world. "Witness must die! Witness must die! Eliminate evidence and witness." "Shit no! Jackass!" Josh ducked behind the counter and armed his pistol. The bounty hunter started firing with precise accuracy, shooting the bullet-proof cage right off the counter with only 10 shots. Josh got up and he was tired of this shit so he shot rapidly at the bounty hunter and he shot back just faster. Every now and then Josh ducked for cover and screamed gibberish at the bounty hunter. A few shots hit Josh but they didn't really faze him since they were weak bullets. After running out of normal bullets, the bounty hunter then loaded in explosive shells and blew the counter apart making Josh fly threw his back door and landing on his desk with mechanic tools on them. "Fuck! My ass hurts so much." Josh slid off the desk and moved behind a couple cabinets. Josh had just enough time to turn around and see his nice, cozy work desk get blow apart by an explosive shell. Josh's mind was racing trying to figure out what to do. Josh then took a huge puff of his cigarettes and dove across the room. The man in black started to walk towards the small backroom with only minor cuts and missing a few fingers. Josh came flying into the hallway blazing his pistol. The bullets took the bounty hunters glasses and made his rifle explode because Josh shot the clip holding the remaining explosive shells. The bounty hunter flew backwards nailing the hard wall and having tons of guns and other weapons fall on him. Josh made his way through the clutter with his pistol in front of him. Josh had beads of sweat poring down his face. The man in black jumped out of the clutter and Josh shot him two times until the man hit the pistol into the corner. The man's face was black and smouldering, his left eye was burned out only letting him see from his right eye, his hands were fine except for the missing fingers. The man punched Josh right in the face making him stumble back. Josh whipped out his Yoshiyuki and did a side slice to the man cutting his torso. The man retaliated with a swift kick to Josh's left leg. Josh fell to the ground and then started saying the words of magic. The man jumped up going for a downward punch towards Josh. Seconds before the bounty hunter made contact with Josh he screamed "FIRE!" The crimson ball flew upwards hitting the bounty hunter and making him turn into a flaming spiral in the air. The man fell to the floor and didn't even twitch. Josh went towards the man and raised his sword and put his sword right through his chest and through the floor. Josh pulled it out and looked at the man he was definitely dead. Josh grabbed his pistol from the corner and made his way to the backroom "This is going to be one hell of a clean up job." Then he heard a beeping noise coming from the dead man. The man was typing something on his wristband. Josh ran over to see what it was. After the man was done typing he just flopped over and died. The wristband started to make a loud beeping noise and Josh didn't want to stick around to see what it was! He grabbed his safe and cash register and threw it out the window and followed behind after stepping ten steps away from the weapon shop it exploded into a raging fire. Josh's jaw dropped and he flipped the bird to the shop. "Good for nothing piece of shit! Suck my fucking balls!" Josh then shot up the safe and cash register and took all the money inside. He threw down his butts of his cigarettes on the cold ground and they were easily swept up by the wind. Josh said with a scare in his voice "What is going on and is Jaclyn safe?" Josh then ran into the dark alleyway leading to his house. 267 From: ohmsford13 Date: Mon Jul 1, 2002 3:39am Subject: Azrael- The quest continues Date: October 9th Time: 9 AM Place: Kalm Title: The Quest Continues Azrael handed the old woman a bag of Gil as he walked through the door with the three muddy adventurers [Cid, Tory and Azeron] close behind him. He pointed towards the stairs and the upstairs bathrooms giving quick instructions on which rooms were empty and where they could clean themselves up. He then turned to the woman who was too confused to speak as her inn had suddenly become the most booming industry in town. "Listen, these people are staying here as my guests, anything they ask for I'll pay for. you just make sure they're content." Azrael wondered how long his bounty money stash would tide over the ever growing group of travelers. "Oh, and where could I find some strong fellows to help me pull something out of the lake?" ~ohmsford [OOG: I finally got off my lazy ass and finished this little story bit. Cam, I'd appreciate a bit of help from you to keep this thread going. It was you and I who started it in the first place, and whoever plays Tsu Moniker (sorry I can't remember) has a chance to get in on it as well. We'll probably need players for Cid Tory and Azeron too, so maybe if some newbies want a premade one they could snag those? or some of you older players who want to get in on a story line that progresses occasionally. sorry for the cynicism. very tired... ] 268 From: Dizzy XIII Date: Mon Nov 4, 2002 7:27pm Subject: Even More Drinking (Vladimir) [OOG: Seems like I'm the first one to send a post in a long while.] * * * * * * * * * * * * * Even More Drinking * * * * * * * * * * * * * Time: Past midnight, October 7, 2003 Place: Midgar, Sector 5 Upper Plate, The Rhapsody Zeng had barely left with Kytira when a slim woman walked into The Rhapsody. For some reason, she caught Vladimir's attention. She didn't notice him, and sat down several chairs away at the bar counter, immediately ordering a beer. "I know that lady from somewhere," he quietly told Elena, sitting beside him. "I don't recognise her. Do you remember where you met her?" He simply kept a discreet eye on her while trying to recall her. She had long, black hair and wore a small jacket over a blouse and pair of tight jeans. Suddenly, Elena noted a small smile creeping onto her partners lips. "Well?" she simply queried. Vladimir turned his head away from the mysterious woman and met the questioning glance from Elena. "She's an MSF officer I ran into a few years ago." "You never told me about her." "It wasn't important," he shrugged, then his smile turned diabolic. "Hmm. I think I have an idea of how to put our quarry in an even worse situation. Excuse me for a bit, I'm going to have a chat with this young lady." Elena only nodded slightly in answer, and closed her eyes in a deep sigh. "Well, well. If it isn't my favorite cop," Vladimir greeted with way too many undertones of sarcasm to actually make out his real meaning. "I've had a long day, a beer, and I'm armed. You don't want to mess with me," she warned him without even looking at him. "Aww, you don't remember me?" She glanced tiredly at him. Despite that she remembered him with black hair and a more professional attire, she knew who he was. "Oh, you. Bitten anyone lately?" "Actually, just a few hours ago..." "That was a rhetorical question!" she tried to cut him off, but he ignored her. "It was a pretty girl, around 20, I believe. She had this really peculiar tattoo just below her throat." He casually waved two fingers as he caught the eyes of the bartender. Her eyes widened at the description. "Since when did you work for STRIKE?" "Since then. How do you know about that, so soon?" he asked her, also getting curious. "I have a friend at the forensics. Besides, I was at the scene. Anyhow, I doubt you're here just to chat." She looked pointedly at him. "Right." He paused, checking that he had her full attention. "You know that guy who bombed the hospital?" "Yeah? What about him?" "You know he's a vampire?" "What about it?" she answered suspiciously, though with her interest at a peak. "And you remember how we met in the first place?" She didn't need much time to catch his meaning. "You mean to tell me he's the one?" "I believe so. I don't have the evidence, but it does fit him, as far as I know." "Alright, I'm gonna check it up," she answered, sounding oddly grateful. Vladimir took it as she didn't trust him as much as she tried to imply. As if on a cue, the bartender served the two shots he ordered half a minute ago. "What's this?" she asked, her suspicion raised again. "A shot. How much can you handle?" "More than you, and definitely more than that slut in red that STRIKE carried out," she answered quickly, sounding like she's had that question thrown at her more than once before. "That sounds like a challenge you'll loose." With that, he took out yet another green vial and poured half of it in his glass, and just a few drops into hers. Elena saw that, and briefly wondered how many of those vials he carried. "What was that?" she asked, though sounding no less secure that she'll win. "You said you could handle more than I. This is what I drink, and I thought I'd be kind enough to give you a chance to back out. Try that one, it should be enough for you," he instructed, and pointed at her glass. "Ha! Don't think I can take more than you just cause I'm a woman?" she exclaimed and snatched the vial, before quickly pouring it in her glass. "Bottoms up!" "Alright, have it your way," he relented and raised his glass next to hers. They both downed it and slammed the empty shot glasses on the counter. Vladimir started to study her reaction, which was quite amusing. Her head slowly rolled around on her shoulders and her eyes were unfocused, to say the least. "Damn," she managed to get out, "That was... strong," she finished. "I told you. Oh, and for your information, that 'slut in red' you said you could drink more than, is a STRIKE member, and she had seven more of those than you." That was the last thing she heard before succumbing fully to the poison and slumped down over the counter. Vladimir cast a glance in Elena's direction and shrugged, but she had something else in mind, as she waved a card in her hand, simply saying "Zeng's." She then walked up to sit beside him. He nodded and flipped up his PHS and dialed a number. Pretty quickly, someone answered with an odd sounding "Yeah?" after some shuffling noises. "Zeng, hey. You left your key card here." * * * * * * * * * * * * * [OOG: Anyone who can guess who the MSF officer is, has way to much time on his or her hands, meaning you have time to write something. The character isn't mine, but her creator has left, so she might be OOC. Give me a comment if you're reading this though. I'll write more about her later, as a short explanation.] ===== /Dizzy XIII "You seemed to imply that you think I am an idiot, ... as I was just being stupid...." - Kelly Starr __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ 269 From: Date: Tue Nov 12, 2002 2:11pm Subject: Wyrd (Ambrose IV) ---------- -Title: Wyrd (Ambrose--IV) -Date: October 8, 2003 -Location: Midgar, Sector 3, below the plate -Time: Late afternoon (4:00 PM) Ambrose sat on the roof of a small house, belly down, looking down into the street. Despite the low funding his organization enjoyed, he had managed to swipe some interesting toys. Granted, they had come from STRIKE's armory, but he didn't really care. The one he was curently using was an interesting setup that allowed him to listen to the conversations going on in the street below. "I told you that new guy was trouble..." one of them, a tall man with a shaven head and steely eyes said, his left arm was in a sling, and his right hand stayed near his hip, where Ambrose suspected he had his firearm. "You say that about everyone, Zek. You said that about me when I joined. I'm beggining to think that you only said it so you'd have one chance to say 'I told you so,'" another responded, of midling height, wearing a ratty duster and steel-toed boots. "Anyway, he didn't hit our main storehouse...so we've still got a chance to execute the plan by the eleventh." Ambrose cursed, inwardly, but then smirked at the mention of the date. Not delivering results my ass! "Right. Now, the bossman said that we've got a couple days to cool our heels, let ourselves relax before the big day. Let's get a drink," Duster-and-Boots said, and turned towards the building Ambrose was perched atop. He quickly lowered himself, and slid down the roof, grabbed onto the drainpipe and shimmied on down. "What the hell?" Ambrose turned, facing the shaven-headed man named Zek eye to adam's apple. "Just passing through," Ambrose said, as he attempted to duck past Zek's incapacitated side, Duster-and-Boots stopped him, though. "Wait, fren', where you goin'?" "Home, 'fren''" he said, trying to push past the man. There was a click as Zek drew his weapon, and pointed it at the base of Ambrose' skull. "I think he was mocking you, Piotyr," Zek said. Ambrose took stock of his options. He didn't look official, currently, he wasn't wearing a suit, but a denim jacket, cargo pants, a white t-shirt with SMRC on the front in red letters, and a studded leather belt. He licked his lips. "You know, I think he was, Zek. But put away your boom-stick. Don't want to be drawin' attention, now do we?" Zek put the safety back on his gun, just as Ambrose swung into action. He turned quickly, elbowing Piotyr on the base of his sternum, as the agent drew his weapon, the pistol glinted in the artificial light, as he pointed it. "Two in the chest, one in the head," he said, almost mechanically, as he pulled the trigger twice, and then pointed again, and squeezed--one right to the heart, one to the right lung, and one between the eyes. Got 'im. Whitebone, you idiot! Don't you remember? I must've told you a thousand times--you never assume a target is down, especially if you're only using a pea-shooter. You fire once for the heart, once for the lung, and once through the eye--that's how it's done! Yes, Sir. Don't call me "Sir!" Now, you're going to be here at the firing range until it's second nature, got it? Right, Tseng. Ambrose came back from his fugue to realize where he was, gun pointed at Piotyr's face. The man was laying on his back, one hand raised, as if to shield himself. "What's happening the eleventh?" he asked, his voice mechanical, precise. "Eleventh?" "Don't play games with me!" Ambrose snarled. "Something big!" Piotyr said. "What?" he asked. "All I know is that it's gonna be a 'homage to Barret.' Some kind of big thing...imitating what AVALANCHE did, three years ago....I swear! It's all I know!" Piotyr held his hands up, and Ambrose reached into his pocket, and looped a wallet chain around Piotyr's wrists--it was all he had, but it would work. "What the hell?" Ambrose tightened as hard as he could, then delivered a savage kick to the side of Piotyr's head not enough to cause permanent damage, but the other man was down for the count. "Rude," Ambrose said into his PHS, "I need a pickup. 31st and Crash, Sec-three, sub-plate." "Right, sir. I'll have something there for you shortly." "I just hope they haven't whittled us down to a tricycle while I was out, or anything." Rude laughed. "They haven't sir, but God knows they've probably tried." Ambrose smiled slightly, and crossed his arms, looking around. Synopsis: Ambrose catched wind of a big event to happen on the 11th, and finally begins delivering results. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 270 From: Fyre byrd Date: Tue Nov 12, 2002 10:52pm Subject: Voices in the Night (Teck Albah) Title: Voices in the Night Date: Oct 5, 2003 Time: 3:44 AM Place: Pleasant Winds Apartment Building, Room 509; Sector 2 Teck rolled over and stared at the ceiling again. He wondered how long he had been laying in bed… how long his thoughts had been wandering over the same thing. His hazel eyes blinked, a tear sliding down his face. Teck didn’t even feel the cold tears, though he knew his neck was damp. His hand moved up toward his face and touched the tear gently. Tears? Eyes unfocused as the wetness on his finger began to tremble and slip down his hand. He was shaking. Teck flexed his hand slowly, feeling the muscles cramp… Tears... What had he been thinking about? He could hear people in the hall. They were loud, shouting. Teck sat up and jumped off his bunk, and quickly changed into his MSF uniform. The room was dark; shadows dripped from the corners and onto the floor in pools and the shouts outside were louder than ever. He stepped over to the door and held his ear close to the cold metal. What were they yelling about? Maybe it was the Revolution again. He suddenly wondered where his friends were… Taylor? He looked back at the lower bunk, staring at the sleeping man. There he is. Taylor always slept on the bottom. The man rolled over and muttered something. Teck found himself kneeling by the bed. “Taylor?” he whispered, almost afraid to wake him. The man, Daec, opened his eyes, watching Teck. “Teck, what are you doing?” “Taylor, I’m glad you are awake… something is going on outside. I think that Midgar is finally revolting against Shinra. They are going to sounds the alarm soon, going to send us out to stop them…” Daec sighed and rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. “It’s alright Teck. Just go back to bed. The Revolution is over.” Teck nodded slowly and unzipped his uniform. He climbed onto the upper bunk nude, and Daec could hear him sliding under the sheets. Every night this week, Teck had woken him up in the middle of the night. Every night, thinking that Midgar was revolting. He couldn’t quite remember, but wasn’t Teck a Shinra officer before joining the MSF? Daec shook his head. Tomorrow he would tell someone of Teck’s problem. Being woken up every night by a crazy guy was getting tiresome. --------- Date: Oct 5, 2003 Time: 5:03 AM Place: Pleasant Winds Apartment Building, Room 509; Sector 2 Teck opened his eyes. White light was all he could see now. It was a soft light that glowed around the edge of his vision. He knew this feeling; he would be hearing that voice again soon. It was a quiet voice. Strong like steel…. Yet quiet like silk…. Teck felt the sweat along his back, a cold line that crept from his neck to the end of his spine. He closed his eyes and swallowed. He didn’t always hear these voices. They started to come after he lost his friends… ::How was your night?:: Teck lay very still, holding his breath. The voice, that quiet voice, was there. It wasn’t in his head, but somewhere outside, like the owner was floating above him. The voice even knew what he was thinking. But Teck didn’t think that was odd. The voice always knew. Releasing slowly, Teck answered, “It was long. I don’t feel like I slept much.” ::Just a little bit longer, young one:: Teck felt the voice float up and away. His eyes began to slide closed and he worked to keep them open, but it was impossible. The pillow under his head was so comforting, holding his head like a worried lover. The thought made him smile a little, as his mind sunk into the depth of dark sleep. -----< [Summary: Teck has hallucinations at night about the Revolution, and always imagines that Taylor, his friend that disappeared during the Revolution, is still with him. Teck hears a voice that visits him.] _________________________________________________________________ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail 271 From: Fyre byrd Date: Tue Nov 12, 2002 11:54pm Subject: Mark of the Damned (Teck Albah) Title: Mark of the Damned Date: Oct 7, 2003 Time: 3:02 PM Place: MPF Station 265, Sector 2, upper plate The phone clicked as Teck gently set it in the cradle, and then quickly took a pen out of the jar beside it. Scribbling on a note card, Teck wrote quickly before looking up and smiling sympathetically. "I’m sorry, Mrs. Voran, we don’t have any leads on a missing puppy. But we’ll be keeping our eyes open. Thank you for having correct identification on your animal, it does make our job easier." Mrs. Voran nodded at Teck just as the little girl standing beside her mother burst into tears. "But mommy!" she cried, clutching at her mother’s skirt. "I miss Freddy!" Her mother absently stroked the girl’s straight light brown hair. Teck frowned and he could only repeat, "I’m really very sorry..." His instinct was to sweep the little girl up and hold her tight, promise her all the things of the world, just so she wouldn’t cry. Tech wanted to pull this Freddy from under his desk right now, but only his booted feet were hiding there. Mrs. Voran then shook her head and said, "It's alright, Officer Albah – oh, shh, hun, we’ll find him." She stood up, and then lifted the little girl into her arms. "Thank you for your diligent search." She turned and left, carrying the sobbing bundle, and Teck could only watch her leave. 'Some public defender I am, can't even find a dog.' He looked down at his hands, flexing them, watching the tendons move and bend. 'I can't work miracles... I can only -' He looked up suddenly as Daec walked in. "Teck, ya needa go down and get some shots and things," Daec said, pulling a crumpled up paper out of his uniform pocket. "Boss said that you are missing some of the required flu and such immunities." Teck took the paper out of his hand and studied it for a moment. "Ah.. alright. Thanks, Daec. I guess I'll see you back at the apartment later on. My appointment is at 4:30." Daec watched Teck gather his things before he turned to leave. He looked so damn normal, but what was going on in that head of his. Daec closed the door quietly behind him. "I'm sorry, Teck." --------- Date: Oct 5, 2003 Time: 9:44 PM Place: Sector 3 Clinical Research Center, sub plate Teck sat up from the long flat table that he had been laying on, his hand reaching up suddenly to his forehead. A dull throbbing had settled in the left side of his head, sending an ache of pain through his thoughts every pulse of his heart. He sat very still, trying to will the pain to disappear, but it only felt stronger with the added concentration. A quiet groan escaped his lips and he suddenly realized how still the room was. He looked around himself. A normal room, with a table set off to the side, laden with various tool: syringe, cotton swabs, scissors, towels, and a cup of clear liquid. A mirror took up almost half of the wall on the left, duplicating the room with accuracy. A door was set in the wall to his right. Bare walls of metallic grey gave the room a sterile feeling. Everything was clean and precisely in its given place. No clock on the walls, no windows. Teck took all this in with a cool intellect, gazing at his pale reflection in the mirror. He was still wearing his uniform, but… His head throbbed in time with his thought. 'Where am I?' He pushed himself off the table, placing his weight on both feet. He stepped forward, reached for the door knob, and turned. ::Step back.:: Teck obeyed. The door then opened as a young woman with dark hair stepped inside, holding a clipboard. "Mr. Albah, please have a seat." "Where am I?" he asked before sitting on the table once more. "Sector 3 Medical Research Center," she said, writing on the clipboard. "You fainted before we could administer your shots. You should have warned us your had a fear of needles." Teck was speechless. What fear of needles? She continued, "Now that you are immunized, you are free to return home. The bill will be sent to the MPF. Thank you for attending to your appointment. Follow me to the exit." Teck obeyed. --------- Date: Oct 5, 2003 Time: 11:34 PM Place: Pleasant Winds Apartment Building, Room 509; Sector 2 Teck stepped out of the shower, the headache slowly fading. Standing before the mirror, he stared for a moment. His tattoo, a wolf, usually curved over his shoulder, from his back. But it was missing. Teck turned slightly, trying to see his back in the mirror. When he finally caught a glimpse of where the wolf once howled, all he could see was the number 7. -----< [Summary: Teck visits a clinic on order from the MPF boss, but does not remember what was done to him. When he returns home, he finds that his tattoo has been replaced with a number.] _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail 272 From: Dizzy XIII Date: Mon Jan 20, 2003 2:13pm Subject: Evidence Manipulation (Vladimir and Elena) [OOG: Did everyone go into hibernation, or what? Anyway, I've had this post semi-done for the entire winter so far, but I haven't been home either. So I guess I shouldn't complain too much.] * * * * * * * * * * * * * Evidence Manipulation * * * * * * * * * * * * * Time: Past midnight, October 7, 2003 Place: Midgar, Sector 5 Upper Plate, The Rhapsody "Hey, are you guys planning to stay long? It's closing time," the bartender informed the last three people in The Rhapsody. Well, one of them was passed out, so she didn't hear him. "Going home. Now that's a good idea," Elena yawned. "I'm sure you'd think that, sleepyhead." She tried to give Vladimir a decent glare for that comment, but her drooping eyelids refused to give her the sufficiently annoyed look she wanted. "You can go on home; I'll take care of sleepy here." "What a tired couple of girls you collect, Mister," the man behind the disk joked. "Yeah," Vladimir replied, "and I didn't even have to drain them." He added a wide grin for effect. The bartender had seen him earlier a few time, and knew what he was, so he wasn't scared. "See ya, bloodsucker. I probably won't be awake when you get home though, so be quiet." "Aren't I always?" he grinned back at her as she left. Turning his attention back to the other female in the room, he thought of something. "Hey, could you help me finding out her address?" "Girl got a name?" the bartender asked in return. "Mariana Casero." "Okay, hold on." With that, he went back through a door to look it up. During that, Vladimir examined her a bit closer. Her pulse is slow, he thought. Probably won't wake up for at least an hour or so. Would give me time for a little excursion. "Alright, I found it," a voice came from the back room. A second later, the owner of the voice walked in with a small piece of paper in one of his hands. "Here's the address," he said as he gave it to the vampire. "Thank you. It's in," he checked the note, "sector two, right?" The bartender simply nodded. "Want me to call you a cab?" "Nah, I can handle her," Vladimir shook his head. He then picked Mariana up in his arms, and slung her upper body over his right shoulder. "I'll see you around." "I don't know about that. I might be heading out of Midgar soon. Sayonara." "Bye, then." * * * * * * * * * * * * * A block or two from The Rhapsody, Vladimir headed into an alley. There was no one around, so he was sure he could dump her there for a while. He had other plans in mind. Perfect, he thought as he saw a large container filled with cardboard boxes. Gently putting her down in a pile of boxes, he took a few other to cover her up, should anyone else enter the alleyway. Again he checked that her pulse to see if she would awaken anytime soon. Seems a little more prone to waking up than earlier. Darn. And I left the all-powerful Mystify materia at home, he joked to himself. Best hurry then. With that in mind, he went into the air and pulled out his secure communication device. Shortly after dialing, Hojo answered. "Yes?" "Hojo, I'm going to need a hacker within an hour. I intend to break into some evidence files and lean them towards Azrael. So prepare for picture and report manipulation." "Alright. Anything else?" "No, I've got enough equipment here to do it myself. With all these wanted files against him, I'm beginning to feel that's punishment enough." "What do you mean?" "Well, I also contacted Tseng about him. Said the guy had information about us that would put Rufus in a bad light. So he's wanted in Junon too. Anyway, I think he's heading to Nibelheim, but I don't really know why." "You keep him away from there, at all costs." "Any special reason?" "Just do it." "Alright," Vladimir ended and turned the device off. * * * * * * * * * * * * * It didn't take Vladimir long to get home, pick up some important equipment, and get back to Mariana. He had also changed his clothes for something entirely black and covering, even his eyes. Still asleep. Good. I'll better use this for safety, though, he reasoned and concentrated a little on the green orb he had fetched. Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back. * * * * * * * * * * * * * A bat flew towards the MSF HQ and landed on the roof, near an air conditioning drum. Morphing back to human form, he took out a screwdriver from his backpack and quickly, but carefully, dislodged the grating. The duct was narrow, but not too narrow for a bat. Since the ventilation system was pretty straightforward, it didn't take Vladimir long to reach his destination. Getting out of the duct was trickier, but would have been impossible if it weren't for the fact that is was slightly wider in the last part. It took him slightly longer than he had anticipated, but he managed to swing the lid down, still attached to the last screw. Even though he knew that there was only one surveillance camera in the room, he checked if another had been added. Finding nothing that could threaten his mission, he almost casually vaulted out into the room. He crawled behind a few desks to keep out of sight, just in case, and stopped under one he knew had access to the right files. From his backpack, he picked out his communication device, a few wires, and a miniature computer. After connecting the special PHS to the terminal and the computer, he dialed Hojo. Since he didn't want to make any noise, he used the small keyboard to talk with the professor. "Everyhting connected. Your turn." Vladimir had never been good at typing, so he kept it short. The undersized keyboard didn't help either. "Enigma here. Which case do you want me to link Azrael Vindicar to?" "Dont' know case number. search for serial killer and vampire." "Wait. Alright, I only found one case that fits. Dated three years ago, a series of reports written by one Mariana Casero. The suspect is thought to be a vampire. Is that the one?" "Yes." "Okay. As I understand it, you want to have the evidence changed so that it binds Vindicar to the murders?" "Yes." "Alright. We're onto it. It will take up to half an hour. Hmm... I see that your name is on the suspect list. Had a run-in with Casero?" "Yes, Met her today. She'l reopen the case, and get vinicar wanted." "Okay. Hang on till you hear from me again." "Ok." Thirty four minutes later, Vladimir received a line on his display. "We're done on our end. For some reason, there's almost no physical evidence. A few photos, but nothing else. And there's nothing about it being archived. You should still check about that." "Ok. Can you hack the security system? need to move freely to serch" "Not a problem. Hold on a sec." This time, it only took one and a half minute. "Done. The camera is disabled, and when we're done here, no one will know it was ever out of function." "Good. Wait." Feeling a little stiff from sitting still so long, he stretched a bit before walking over to the filing cabinet. Knowing where it would be, it didn't take him many seconds to find what he was looking for. He grabbed the folder with his gloved hand, and looked it through carefully. The reports were there, all right, and nothing in them proved Vindicar's innocence. There were, however, hardcopies of the photos, and a dental file that needed to be changed. Luckily, the photos had been taken digitally, so even if the resolution was high enough to be lifelike, the paper was easy to recreate. Before going back, he checked a printer to see if it was suitable. It was, conveniently enough, so it could have been the one they used to print them out with originally. He then took the evidence and went back under the desk. Too bad the wires were too short for him to drag the computer out to a little roomier environment. "Five files need to be printed. Printer PP-04 can do it, All photo and dental file." A few seconds later, the printer in question buzzed to life, and started spitting out papers. Maybe spitting would be the wrong word, since while it was fast, it wasn't that fast. Vladimir picked them up and compared them to the originals. Satisfied that they new evidence were adequate, he filed them in their rightful place in the archive. When he checked the display on his computer, it had a question on it. "All done. Anything else?" "No. Elminate all traces." "Okay." A short wait, and then, "Printer history and archive access history changed. You need only to pull the plug and walk out, and no one will ever find out anyone has been there. You have five minutes until the surveillance system is online again. Have a nice day. Enigma signing out." The display went blank, and Vladimir followed the instructions before putting everything in his bag again, including the original evidence. Getting out of the building was a little harder than getting in, but since he had done it in reverse already, it went faster anyway. * * * * * * * * * * * * * Soon enough, Vladimir was back with a still sleeping Mariana, dressed the same way he had the rest of the day. * * * * * * * * * * * * * Summary: Elena leaves The Rhapsody to get home, while Vladimir takes care of Mariana. Vladimir manipulates evidence to get Azrael in an even worse position. ===== /Dizzy XIII __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com 273 From: Arcana Date: Wed May 14, 2003 6:20pm Subject: OOC: Post to prevent automated deactivation of the list [This post is not a story. It is to prevent the automatic deletion of the a group after 120 days.] -- -- Arcana 274 From: Arcana Date: Thu Aug 14, 2003 11:30am Subject: Re: First warning: your group midgar_story will soon be deleted On Thursday 14 August 2003 05:50, you wrote: > Dear Yahoo! Groups Moderator, > > IMPORTANT NOTICE: > > Your group, midgar_story, has been marked as inactive, because it has > had no message activity in the last 90 days or currently has fewer > than 2 members. If the group remains inactive for another 30 days, we > will delete the group. > > REACTIVATE YOUR GROUP NOW: > If you would like to keep your group, choose one of the following options: > > 1) Use the group now. All you have to do is post a message > and make sure there are at least 2 people in the group. > > 2) Request an extension > > To do either, or for more information please visit: > http://groups.yahoo.com/update?a=LzuujCjNaDZ4li5fgkY91x6E9O-An_hIADjhIqZaVC >JcaeMR > > IF YOU DO NOTHING, YOUR GROUP WILL BE DELETED IN 30 DAYS AND ALL OF YOUR > GROUP'S DATA WILL BE PERMANENTLY DELETED. > > > Sincerely, > > The Yahoo! Groups Team > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ -- -- Arcana 275 From: Date: Thu May 15, 2003 8:43pm Subject: Re: Digest Number 185 What has happened, there has been a swift decline in Midgar Stories, it makes me sad, I almost want to cry. I miss the good old days. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]