Non-Weekly Quote:
(Updated when the fancy strikes us)
"Strong Pokemon, weak Pokemon. That is only the selfish perception of people. Truly skilled trainers win with their favorites" - Karen, E4
Did someone say missions? Because I think I just heard someone say missions. Current Tourney Leaders James Ramos - 2/0 Randy Savage - 2/0 Breia Exarch - 1/0 Daniel Genrud - 1/0 Sophia Blackwell - 1/0 Zackary Joel Ortega - 1/1 Devlin - -0/70 |
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| Key of the Twilight; Arachnos | ||
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| Topic Started: Jun 23 2009, 10:12:21 PM (428 Views) | ||
| Munchkinator | Jun 23 2009, 10:12:21 PM Post #1 | |
Don't waste my time.
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 There were good days. There were bad days. There were days that started badly and ended badly, and in between start and end nothing went right. And then there were days that you watched your organization crumble under concentrated fire from a massive ambush, losing untold millions in equipment and the even more valuable personnel manning them. All in all, Astaroth was not having a good day. Forcing himself to look on the bright side, though, he realized that at least he was still alive - the pilot had given his life to land well enough to save at least some of the passengers of the cargo chopper, though the entire cockpit had been caved in moments later by a RPG - and had a job to do. A job that would have to be done with a grand total of two or three men, rather than the dozen heavily-armed operatives he had planned to do it with. Just another minor issue to add to the day's list of "things that have gone wrong, much like everything else" He sighed and looked back at the charred remains of the MH-47D Chinook, glaring dourly at the smoking remains of the shattered cockpit and the mangled back end. It had indeed been a miracle that he'd been in the front of the passenger cabin, or he too might very well have joined the ranks of the corpses. One of which, he noticed with some distaste, was hanging out of a gaping hole in the fuselage. The body went back in with a gentle shove, but the police sirens in the distance distracted him; local authorities were sending their response, and there was no doubt that the Black Rose would send their own men before then. They were likely quite well integrated to the city police, after all. He'd have to make good time to finish up with the preparations. "Sysis. Aleksandros. Have you finished setting the charges?" As he waited for their respective replies, Astaroth observed his surroundings in stony silence; the two men, the only other survivors of the crash, were setting demolition charges to be sure that the dead were given a proper funeral pyre and no Arachnos tech fell into enemy hands. He only knew one of them personally, but their profiles had both been stellar - he'd had to turn down one operative to spare her the inevitable native casualty count, but these two were made of stronger stuff. They had to be; there had already been enough death today, and he did not intend to cause the unnecessary death of anyone else under his charge. Not that he was necessarily looking forwards to the eventual civilian death toll himself, but it would be more than made up for by the blow to the Black Rose that they were about to strike. Snapping one of his omnipresent pairs of leather gloves on, Astaroth glared at the towering building that was their target. |
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| Sysis | Jun 23 2009, 10:49:41 PM Post #2 | |
Broken.
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Ah, the charges. Yes, yes, the charges. Such a small device that could blow a man into crimson shreds; how much power was held in one of those little units! With a snide grin, Sysis looked to his Overseer and replied, "Yes. I even strapped one to what I do believe was an arm," he tastelessly added, his grin crawling an inch further up his pale face. The crash had left him more than a little bruised, but immediately afterward, inspection of Alia's Pokéball revealed no damage, and so his primary worry was squashed. The thought often crossed his mind: what if he had lost her? The answer lay far beyond his current realm of so-called sanity, and as such an unattainable hypothetical, he always decided not to answer himself. Bah, she'd transcend death. Psychics don't know the meaning of inhibition. He took a second to look to Xander, who had introduced himself before the squadron had deployed. His name was a slurry of consonants; ugly and Greek. His face was filled with conceit and his stance filled with youthful spirit. Personally, Sysis would've preferred a more experienced Arachnos to have survived, but survivors of a horrible helicopter crash triggered by a well-aimed and timed rocket can't be choosers. The important part was that Astaroth had survived. While he stood as a reminder of Sysis' disturbed and painful past pre-Rebirth, he also stood as a leader, the pole upon which an Arachnos flag soared. And while his physique didn't allow for the latter analogy to apply with any grace or remote wit, he was a friend. Edited by Sysis, Jun 23 2009, 11:12:34 PM.
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| Aleksandros | Jun 24 2009, 11:27:45 AM Post #3 | |
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A beautiful sight, really, Aleksandros thought caustically as he picked his way through the bodies strewn about the wreckage. He set his feet down carefully, making not a sound as he strapped down his final charge near the bodies of two now-deceased Arachnos field agents. One of them he'd known; though he wouldn't have called the young man a friend, the minuscule fragments of his conscience left in tact after several years of working for an organization such as Team Rocket prickled annoyingly in the back of his mind. It was no secret that the Arachnos sect had lost many men in its ambushed ambush and botched take-over/invasion of the Althean island, but Xander hadn't realized how severe the repercussions would be if they failed. With the corpses of his comrades desecrated and the majority of the vehicles in their artillery decimated, Aleksandros couldn't help but feel a surge of white hot rage bubbling up inside him, pushing him to go a Black Rose blood hunt for revenge. The most important thing was that the two most important people had survived: himself, of course, and Astaroth. Besides the two of them, some other man had survived, the one called Sysis. Xander had introduced himself formally before the operation had even begun, but he had a feeling the two of them wouldn't get along quite as well as would be necessary to complete the mission without a hitch. Though they were technically equal in rank, Aleksandros felt an unwelcome sense of competition for Astaroth's attention would blossom between them, rather than the respect or even camaraderie that should be typical among those who work together. Upon finding that Sysis had also survived the devastating crash at the expense of many others, Xander was hard-pressed to say that he was glad of it. The Arachnos Overseer certainly wouldn't be too happy about the way things had been going so far today, and Xander performed his duties with a quick efficiency so as not to incur the fury of his boss. Aside from the gravel crunching beneath his feet, the silence was deafening. Though there was a world of commotion all around, planes gone down in flames and the last survivors attempting to pull themselves from the mangled wreckage with screams of agony, silence was all he could hear. His mind barely registered the police sirens wailing in the background, and it took hearing Astaroth's voice to snap him back into focus, with Sysis' reply following it shortly. "Sysis. Aleksandros. Have you finished setting the charges?" Then, "Yes. I even strapped one to what I do believe was an arm," Rising from where he was still kneeling by the final charge, Xander's hazel green irises raked over Sysis' form. Is he really smiling? What kind of sick bastard do you have to be to find enjoyment over seeing your fallen comrades about the be cremated? he thought contemptuously, but let none of his emotion show through his steely gaze. His own answer came promptly after Sysis': "Done." His word were, as always, terse to say the least, but they got the point across effectively. His gaze turned to rest on Astartoth after straying towards the marble-sized Pokeball containing Eos in his left hand, and he waited for their next instructions. Edited by Aleksandros, Jun 25 2009, 10:35:12 AM.
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| Munchkinator | Jun 24 2009, 10:17:34 PM Post #4 | |
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Don't waste my time.
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Astaroth remained silent for a few moments after the two men reported in, silently recognizing their reports without so much of a twitch in response. They were both good men, competent and useful, the younger one seemed eager to prove himself, though the young ones usually were, and Sysis... well, Sysis was another story entirely. One without a happy ending in sight, he feared; what had been done to his old friend was irreversible, and the shattered fragments of Sysis's personality left him nothing but a flawed mockery of his previous self. Still, he was... Sysis. After all they had been through together, Astaroth still couldn't bring himself to come to terms with the idea that the Sysis he had once known was gone forever. He knew better than anyone the fleeting imprint that men and women left on the world, of the fragility of the human psyche. He had seen it crushed, battered, annihilated. Even the strongest minds he'd known, men far greater than he, had succumbed to stress and horror. Driven mad. To see Sysis like that was a sordid sight indeed, but it also hardened his hatred of the Genesis Solution, his gradually growing inability to simply obey the orders of the faceless Rocket command as they sent hundreds to die without a further thought to their well-being. A few moments later, while mulling over his train of thought, he realized that he had apparently switched his gaze from the research facility to looking at Sysis over his shoulder, and Astaroth forced himself to turn his head. Now was not the time for petty wastes of time, for flashbacks and memories. Now was the time for action. The time for recompense. Time to do what he did best, what he had been taught to do for years on end; kill, destroy, and bring low the achievements of men and women who had done nothing wrong. "...Good job, both of you. It is by fortune's demand that we are still alive, despite the tragedy that has visited us and our organization; I have yet to receive any communications, so it seems that we still have a job to do. There is a research facility nearby with a signal jammer that was to have been disabled by an initial infiltration team. They have not reported in and the facility is online, so the Black Rose are undoubtedly manning it. In order to re-establish communication links, it must be deactivated. One of the men on board the transport with us was a tech specialist who would have disabled it, but... bereft of his aid, we will have to take matters into our own hands and simply destroy it." "It is regrettable, but we cannot risk it once again falling into enemy hands." Breaking off, he began walking towards the facility some half dozen blocks away, aiming for an alleyway that would shield them from prying eyes. "The charges will detonate in approximately... thirty five seconds. We had best be on our way before they turn the area into a holocaust of flame." |
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| Sysis | Jun 24 2009, 11:08:59 PM Post #5 | |
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Broken.
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Astaroth's eloquence always had a way of impressing Sysis, if only for his ability to create such words, to use a tired phrase, off the top of his head. It was interesting: the lack of abbreviation; was it done of vanity? Of a desire to sound more important? Or was he simply respecting the language which he spoke, as was so rarely done? Sysis let a small giggle escape. Enough questions seemed to have that effect on him. His eyes were locked to the ground at the moment, and his body unable to stand still. Back 'home', in the Lair, Sysis was calm, and perhaps as close as he could be to his weak state before Rebirth, but when on the field like this; when surrounded by possibility as he was now, he could hardly contain his raw excitement. Something was going to explode! Someplace was never to be the same! Someone was going to die! And the best part was the change in plans; the signal jamming effect of their target could now only be stopped by means of force. With luck, any would-be opposition would come to investigate the crash site and be rewarded with release from this hollow, carnal realm via a purging fire and complimentary boom, and while the event - the 'holocaust of flame,' as his Overseer had so calmly stated - would prove delightfully useful in removing potential hindrances, it would attract an unwanted amount of negative attention - especially from the dreaded media. Heaven forbid a news van deploy an anchor whose nose was too far into affairs not of their own, then be consumed by flame. Heaven. Forbid. Silently, Sysis followed Astaroth, whose gate aimed for a more concealed route to their destination. He folded his arms, twitching every now and again. The cold, logical remnant of Sysis fought to keep his excitement in check; both to keep up appearances and to preserve the status quo, as well as ensure the success of this mission. And fortunately for him, the remnant of Sysis always had a way of winning. "A wise decision," Sysis added. The grin already decorating his face grew. |
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| Aleksandros | Jun 26 2009, 01:11:02 PM Post #6 | |
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Xander averted his eyes from their Overseer's face as he looked back at Sysis, not wanting to prolong his gaze for fear of seeming awkward. It seemed Astaroth was caught up in his own thoughts, and while it would have been no problem and of no relevance to him if this was a normal situation, this certainly wasn't a normal situation, and Aleksandros found himself shifting his weight from his right to his left, and back again. Not wanting to make it apparent that he was a bit uncomfortable by the awkward silence, he busied himself with removing the tattered remains of his own fingerless gloves from his hands, worn black and ragged with stress and slightly burnt from the explosion of the carrier. The silence was broken by Sysis' giggle; Xander once again had trouble comprehending what exactly could amuse the older agent so. His sanity was definitely in question, and Xander made a mental note to watch his back around him. However, he did appear to be just as anxious as he himself was, if not a bit more fidgety. He was definitely exuding suppressed excitement, and Xander couldn't say he was too bored by something like going on a specially selected mission with the head honcho of the prestigious Arachnos sect. Not only would this be a great opportunity for him to connect with and impress Astaroth with his own specific set of skills, but he could also make valuable networking contacts with the Overseer and Sysis. Certainly can't hurt to maybe save the Overseer's life or that of someone he appears to be pretty fond of, next time he's looking for someone to promote, Xander thought with a smirk. Once again was he broken from his reverie by Astaroth's words; even in the midst of the chaos raging around them, Aleksandros was equally impressed as Sysis by the grace and poise with which he was able to speak. Even if his words might have been a smidge too bombastic for Aleksandros' personal tastes, they got their point across. His smirk only widened ever so slightly when the target of their mission was at least presented: an infiltration assignment. Absolutely perfect..! Xander rejoiced internally; what better way to get noticed than to go on his first mission in Astaroth's company than to be able to do what it was he was best at doing? With that said, and the fact that the charges would detonate in an alarming thirty-five seconds, Aleksandros' long, muscular legs led him to the alley with a fast stride. Hopefully, there they would get more information about their target, and Xander would be able to somewhat-literally "strut his stuff." Without coming off as too eager to please, he added to himself silently. |
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| Munchkinator | Jun 28 2009, 03:36:38 PM Post #7 | |
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Don't waste my time.
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Well, at least they seemed happy. The Overseer wasn't entirely sure that he'd ever be truly happy again after the tragedies of that day, but then again, he was the one who had to deal with Arachnos as a whole; these two were more focused on the mission. That was the only reason he could think of that either of them could be in the least happy after all the brothers and sisters in Arachnos they had lost, though... temperament aside, at least they'd survived. Each was very good at what they did, and they'd need equal parts stealth and brute force to pull this off. He didn't know Aleksandros any more than what the (admittedly extremely detailed) psychological profile and history had shown him, but the man seemed to be capable enough. Sysis's loyalty and competence, of course, were never in question, though he still felt a pang of guilt watching his old friend's condition. Shaking off that dismal line of thought, Astaroth continued down the alleyway and into the next, ignoring the uncharacteristically quiet "whump" of the charges going off, followed by a cacaphony of sharp impact sounds as thousands of shards of razor-sharp metal tore anything living in the clearing apart as the shrapnel dispensers went off. Even if they needed the equipment destroyed, they couldn't afford to draw too many law enforcement or Black Rose agents to the scene; a dual spread of shrapnel dispensers and shaped demolition charges would destroy the equipment and eliminate witnesses without too great of a sonic signature, hopefully leaving most of the focus on the far larger explosion that he'd heard a few minutes earlier. "And that should get rid of the immediate issue of pursuit; anyone who survived that will be too busy with the destruction and likely casualties to worry too much about anyone surviving it, and even if they do, law enforcement will have no way of knowing where we're headed. Black Rose, though, may have an idea - we will need to get to the designated target area quickly before they catch on and get a chance to regroup and reinforce it. We have not the numbers for a full-on confrontation on their terms." He paused a moment as they neared the target, raising one arm to silently order a halt as he quietly swept his gaze over the stark white building that was the Onex Research Facility. Chain link fence, unsurprisingly. He couldn't be sure, but it definitely looked like there was a combination of barbed and electrified wire up top. ...Electrified...? That meant that they were serious about security... which meant that they'd have a backup generator, in case the power went out. Which, of course, it would. The generator building was disappointingly easy to find, given that it was clearly labeled, apart from the actual research facility, and didn't seem to be heavily guarded; there were only two men guarding it, likely from a private security group since they weren't wearing Black Rose uniforms. Still... one never knew, and it was better to be safe than sorry. "Sysis. Once we're in the compound, take out the guards there," and for the man's benefit Astaroth nodded at the guards, "...with a minimum of noise and fuss. We don't need to make the situation any more complex than necessary. Once you finish that task, stay by the door and cover me in case anyone comes to investigate. Aleksandros, scout for entrances to the main facility other than the likely-guarded front door. I'll take out the power once Aleksandros locates a suitable way in - or if he doesn't, I'll make one." Without another word, he called out Exarch, then pointed at the fence. Tyranitars in general were not especially good at the whole "stealth" thing and this one was no different, but he hadn't seen any tripwires on the fence proper, so a quick incision should do the trick. He hoped so, anyways; to the surprise of absolutely no one, a Fire Fang melted a man-sized hole in the fence without any real difficulty, and without too much noise. Astaroth stepped through first, recalled Exarch, and turned to his companions. "You know your tasks. Go." Without waiting for them to move, he began to move towards the generator building slowly, hugging the fence to slip around behind it and hopefully hit the guards from the side. |
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| Sysis | Jun 28 2009, 06:57:59 PM Post #8 | |
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Broken.
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The white-haired nutcase watched with admiration as Astaroth's expertly trained Tyranitar constructed their entrance without so much as a command. It was situations like these that reminded Sysis of the usefulness of Pokémon, and why any man would be a fool not to own one, for companionship and utility. Perfectly content with his assigned duty - hell, more than content - Sysis withdrew Alia's Pokéball and released her into this realm. Casually walking through the Tyranitar-made hole in the fence, he approached the guards with Alia by his side, his formerly overexcited and volatile state seemingly controlled. His stance was calm and with an objective; it was as if he could feel himself attempting return. Too bad it was all a guise. The pair of armed defenders gave him a glance and began their pitiful attempt at intimidation with raised weapons. "Halt, civilian. These are private grounds. Leave the premises right now." Sysis kept his cool, though he wanted nothing more than to withdraw a knife and go crazy on their throats. Unfortunately, he'd be lit up like a Christmas tree if he tried, and instead snapped his fingers. Connected with his intents, Alia knew the step to take. As any Gardevoir could, she invaded their barbaric minds with ease, firing every neuron she could find. With every synapse responding at once, both men quickly fell to the ground in a horrid mix of pain and pleasure. As she gracefully continued to render them helpless, Sysis approached the pair with a stolid expression and icy tone. "Civilian?" he began, a bite of insult sharpening his tongue, "That would be nice, wouldn't it? If you could lord your power over me, too? If you could see me tremble before the barrel of that rifle? Wouldn't that have been nice?" As much as he wanted to continue his dramatic ramblings, he sacrificed flare for efficiency by crouching over the first guard's back, gripping his chin and part of his head, and applying enough force to sever his connection from this world. Normally, he'd have preferred blood, but this wasn't a war. This was...infiltration. He performed a similar task with the second downed guard, though his neck was unusually difficult to break. But the deed was done, as plain as it had been. Alia looked to her Trainer with a sort of pride; she was feeding off of his masked energy, and she could hardly contain her excitement either. Sysis had never appreciated a bond before catching Alia as a Ralts, and it was still a refreshing and rejuvenating experience to be even in her presence. And while he once believed that ability ran through all Psychic-types, part of him knew that only this Gardevoir could be bonded to primitively to him. Sysis stood straight, glancing over his shoulder to check the others' progress. |
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| Aleksandros | Jun 30 2009, 02:02:46 PM Post #9 | |
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Aleksandros could not help but to look back over his shoulder when his ever-alert ears picked up the soft sound of the shrapnel charges performing their assignment excellently. He had no doubt that anybody caught in the pyre would be incinerated and/or ripped apart by the airborne shards of metal detonated, ensuring that they would not be followed. Xander trailed behind both Sysis and Astaroth as they made their way through the alleyway, with deepset hazel green eyes taking in his surroundings all the while; if there was one thing he had learned from being a member of Arachnos these past several years, it was that you always had to be alert. Those who let down their guard were easily weeded out, and Xander was sure as hell never going to be among that number. It was for this reason that he soaked up the setting so easily, drawing in their exact location relative to where they had crashed. This information could be essential if and when they needed to make a quick getaway in a city virtually unknown to most of them. It wasn't long before they had arrived at the assigned destination: the Onex Research Facility. His inner thief immediately began assessing the security systems of the towering building, his eyes searching out any potential flaws in the set-up. Let's see.... Chain-link fence, simple enough... barbed and electrified wire, that's a bit more difficult... Xander mulled in his head as he silently followed the Overseer and his fellow Special Operative. He was already gauging how huge of a vault he'd have to make from the available surfaces, or whether Eos could melt through the fence with a quick Flamethrower before Exarch, Astaroth's Tyranitar, materialized, cut through the fence with a quick and powerful (albeit a bit messy) Fire Fang, and was recalled before Xander could even finish his thoughts. Or I guess that works too, he thought with with a marvel at the mountain-moving beast. Of course Aleksandros knew his orders verbatim by heart the moment they so articulately came from the Overseer's mouth. He hopped easily through the gaping hole in the fence created by the Tyranitar, and withdrew his own Pokeball, thankful to get a chance to release his partner from her confines. He proceeded to go in the opposite direction of Astaroth and Sysis, but still sticking close to the fence. He wouldn't release Eos just yet, not until they were closer to their destination: the facility's main building. His all black clothing blended well into the plain chain links of the fence, and within a few moments he had reached the side of the building that nearest to the backup generator's shed. The roof of the white façade stood several stories above his head, but he figured there would be some way to reach it somehow. Sticking close now to the building's exterior, Aleksandros made his way around to the back. Located in this repulsive back alley were various dumpsters and recycling bins, as well as containers for toxic waste with the bright orange "biohazard" symbol, but he wasn't interested in those. With a quick flick of his wrist and a tap of the button, his black and gold Luxury Ball expanded to its full size and released the customary red beam of light. Eos the Ninetales was called into the material world, and she shook her fox-like head and ruffled her tails with a flourish. Without making a sound, he tapped his finger to his eyes, while looking into Eos' own red irises. The vixen took a second more to curiously look at their setting and attempt to flick dirt from her paw before returning Xander's stare, and flooding his mind with Psychic energy. The Extrasensory attack served its purpose well; aside from the brief pain his mind felt from the shock of being invaded by Eos' own conscious, Xander's Ninetales could use the attack to hyper-activate his senses to a briefly inhuman level. He could see farther than ever before, and even hear the guards being taken out by Sysis. Combined with his physical abilities, this came in handy more than once on a robbery or burglary. With a quick somersault, Xander had landed on the tip of a dumpster, balancing precariously on the open lid. There were a few windows facing the narrow yard out back where the backup generator's shed was located, and those would be his target: without a doubt, they'd be the most easily acquired points of entry, if not a bit less accessible than the simple door. Aleksandros did not even attempt to go through it, because no doubt it would be frequented by whoever was putting out the trash. From his vantage point he could see much more of the spread of things. There seemed to be a row of windows on every story as traditional with most facilities, allowing in sunlight as well as affording a view of the back lawn. Aleksandros looked back to Eos and gave her the signal to stay put and watch his back. However, all the windows seemed to be labs or break rooms, and from what he could tell, they were all occupied. That presented a bit of difficulty; he was going to have to do this the hard way. With his now already-fading enhanced eyesight and hearing, he could see a single window, from his approximation a few yard above his head and to the right, which had been left about half-way open; presumably, whoever had opened it was looking for a cool breeze, but little did they know that they would be getting so much more than that. Xander shook his head to clear the sharp prick in the back of his mind that was the effects of Extrasensory fading, and crouched low from his vantage point on the edge of the dumpster in preparation for the leap. Gathering his taut muscles beneath him, he vaulted from the makeshift pedestal, flipping silently once through the air with the beginning of what promised to be a more complicated maneuver than he was bargaining for. His arms reached out into the air in front of him, and he was able to catch hold of Eos' Pokeball, recalling her while in the air with barely a second's forethought back into her capture sphere. His legs extended from where they had been tucked close to his body, and his internal clock told him that it would be less than a second before they made impact with the wall opposite of the alleyway. Bracing himself for impact, Aleksandros' feet struck the opposite wall with a muffled whump, and using his momentum and kinetic energy as well as his well-developed calf and thigh muscles, he pushed himself with a startling velocity towards the window, pulling his arms and feet into a somersault once more and flipping straight for the protruding sill of the ajar window. His landing was far from perfect, but he managed not to fall. Before he could lose his balance, Aleksandros pushed the window open and stepped into the room. It was dangerous and risky, no doubt, but he had managed to make it to the only window that was unoccupied. A sense of pride welled up in him at being able to complete the task he was assigned; however, he pushed it down, reminding himself that he wasn't quite done yet. The room appeared to be a smaller lab or test room, but not frequently utilized, apparently; the computer equipment in one corner looked a tad outdated, and the tables strewn with various machine parts haphazardly were collected a thin layer of dust. What caught his interest, though, was that they were bolted down. Pulling a long coil of braided nylon rope from the supplies he kept with him at all times that thankfully had not been lost in the crash, he looped a firm knot, the strongest he knew how to tie, over a leg of a sturdy table, and held the other end in his hand. Now that the tricky part was completed, Xander was a bit more relieved, but knew he could rest or let his guard down for a second. A drop of sweat beading on his brow was quickly wiped away, and he pulled three objects from concealed locations on his personage: Eos' ever-present Luxury Ball, and his two butterfly knives. He leaned over the windowsill as far as he could, and pointed the ball downward; with another quick tap of the button, and a quick gesture, Eos materialized in the alley Xander had just come from, and he had given her the signal to go fetch Astaroth and Sysis. Confident in his Pokémon's ability to intelligently carry out orders, Aleksandros could only watch her take off with her graceful gait and wait for Astaroth and Sysis to arrive. Oh my god. Could Aleksandros really have picked a more disgusting place to do whatever the hell it was he did? I'm all happy to see him and stuff, thinking maybe we could do normal Pokémon and trainer things, like play fetch or something -- not like I would ever play fetch, it's so condescending -- and he calls me out to some dirty, repulsive alley! I mean, not only did the place smell nauseating, but then he has the nerve to ask me to help him out and stand guard. Do I appear to be some kind of guard dog then, is that it? Hmm? Didn't think so. It's below me -- but whatever, you know, I agree to do it just because I'm kind of pissed off anyway and it would have been fun to kick some ass. And then he just calls me back without warning, doing one of his stupid flippy shit things -- by Arceus I hate those -- and now I'm supposed to go run and call his little friends. The things I do for that kid. I have to admit, though, running is quite fun. There's absolutely nothing like feeling the wind whistling through my gorgeous fur, even if I did have to go pretty fast and stay close to the fence. It didn't take me long to reach them (I'm pretty fast, you know), near the generator shed. Genius though I may be, I had no way to communicate with Xander's little human friends, since I'm not quite so sure that they would understand my yips; instead, I decided to speak directly to the white-haired one's Gardevoir. At least she looked somewhat classy, and wasn't a complete barbarian like the other two no-doubt were. "Hey, you there Gardevoir? Tell your master or whatever that Aleksandros has found an entry point into the facility. It's a bit hard to reach if you ask me, but whatever, you guys are the one who want to get in there -- and I'm Eos, by the way," With that said and done I sat complacently on my hindquarters, and wrapped my tails around my paws. The humans would probably hear me only as a few barks and yips, but hey -- we Pokémon understand each other, usually. {OOC: Done, finally. XD S3rp, I was kinda wanting Eos to maybe start up some Poke-to-Poke interaction with Alia in a Piffy-esque move, but if it's not in your Gardevoir's character, it's fine, just have her ignore her or something. And it's kinda long, and a bit out there, so if anything should be edited just let me know... EDIT: 1844 words =O That might be one of my longest yet.} Edited by Aleksandros, Jul 1 2009, 08:55:43 AM.
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| Sysis | Jul 19 2009, 05:43:31 AM Post #10 | |
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Broken.
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{I think some Poke-to-Poke sounds pretty fucking good. Extra win, as well as characterization of Alia. But bettar shit'll have ta come later, methinks} The first act drew to an anticlimactic close. Act II, however, was always where action began to rise. And one must always honor Shakespearean play structure. Sysis' thoughts were interrupted by the light pitter-patter of paws from behind him. A quick spin around revealed a graceful Gardevoir staring into his eyes with slight concern - a look, it seemed, that was of constant being - and further back, a Ninetales. Some thought brought to light the slight tidbit of data that Sysis' mind had filed away under 'Miscellaneous'; Aleksandros owned this beauty. She elegantly parked herself before Alia and spoke that universal Pokémon language that utterly mystified not only Sysis, but most humans in general. Alia responded with a turn to her master and a mental parcel reading: The Ninetales says Aleksandros has found a point of entry, she cooly 'said,' her eyes aglow. Sysis' grin returned. "Ah. Bravo, then." He spun back around to face the facility's main entrance as he felt the earlier assumptions of Aleksandros as an incompetent youth melt away. "Return to your master, Ninetales; you've done an excellent job. Alia and I shall provide his station with a little more... shade." Alia prepared her mind as she read Sysis' plans, which were loudly broadcast just for that purpose. She looked into the eyes of Eos and planted her thoughts into the Ninetales' mind: "Thank you. Please, be safe." She floated to her master's left and the pair entered the building with confidence, sure that Eos would be unharmed. And considering the bulk of their security was about to have their guns aimed for a white-topped head, rather than a firebreathing quadrupedal mammal, their confidence was reasonable. To the immediate left stood a front desk; likely the place by which employees would clock in. A heavy-set woman of middle age sat behind the station, but was quick to loosen her hold on her shitty romance novel borrowed from the local library only a few days ago upon the realization that this pale figure and accompanying Gardevoir was not to be present. "Excuse me, sir, but civilians are not allow-" Alia's white skin drew tense as her master began to act; another effect of their connection. "I assure you, madame, I have permission to be here. Just ... not your permission." The woman rolled her eyes, prompting a frown from the Arachnos agent before her. "Sir, unless you've got proper credentials, I'm going to ask that you vacate the premises immediately or I will call security. 'Kay?" And all went perfectly well until Sysis caught the final, single-syllable conclusion to the cow's pile of sick that she called a sentence, which was most likely composed of syntax and vocabulary from the employee handbook. If there's one thing you don't do to an unstable, armed man with an obedient and powerful Gardevoir at his side, it was insult him. With his left fingers twitching slightly, Sysis' right hand withdrew his favorite combat knife, which he planted firmly into the wood that kept him from slitting her throat. He had considered saving the 'big reveal' for a little later, but the following would likely buy his companions some time while they performed their necessary tasks. "Listen, swine," he began, his tone reverting into that of his old self (read: much less giggly and much more like a classier Brock Sampson), "I could snap your neck in two halves right now as I did with the guards 'protecting' your sacred temple, or I could use this knife to whittle your teeth down to little white nubs, one by one." Granted, death threats weren't going to progress the mission any more than throwing on a clown outfit would, but the consequences were precisely those which Sysis desired. The woman, whose eyes bulged sickly from her fat-covered visage, reached under the desk with utmost caution. Now knowing he had the element of fear, Sysis kept his eyes locked to hers and said, "You are either going to draw a weapon or trigger an alarm. For your sake, it had better be the second; my Alia would turn your brain into warm tomato soup before you could hope to pull a trigger." His signature grin managed to stay out of the picture for once, as Sysis intended to keep the intimidation factor very much alive. The woman's finger pressed a small red button below, activating an alarm of sorts. All hired guns aboard the S.S. Bullshit were immediately notified of an intruder and of his location, meaning that they were on their way to attempt turning Sysis into Swiss cheese. Sysis kept his grip on the knife's handle as the woman's hands rose into the air. He carefully removed the knife from its tentative sheath. Master? Alia began, inquiring upon the woman's fate. Preferring to responding aloud rather than mentally, for drama's sake, he replied, "No, my dear." Without conscious permission to do so, his face twisted into a wry grin once again. "I want her to watch." |
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| Munchkinator | Jul 24 2009, 05:10:49 PM Post #11 | |
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Don't waste my time.
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...Well, that... was about as good a confirmation as he was going to get, Astaroth decided after an awkward moment of waiting for Sysis to actually tell him what the hell was going on. It was unfortunate that they hadn't managed to retrieve any of the throat-mics that no doubt everyone else and their respective mothers had free access to, but given that the three of them had survived the crash, he supposed that they should be counting their blessings. On one hand, since there certainly weren't enough going around to break even that low of a number. But this was no time to regret the past, and even as he pondered the series of events leading up to this scene, Astaroth grabbed hold of the nearest of the four generators. Regardless of their losses, the mission could still be completed - they would each have to do the work of four men, but with some luck and enough effort, he supposed that anything was possible. One light tug ripped the building's circuit board out of the wall, killing the power temporarily, and a far larger one ripped the six hundred forty pound generator out of its concrete cradle. Sysis would need the cover of darkness to evade the security teams and whatever Black Rose presence there might be, and unless Astaroth wanted to leave his old friend to his grisly fate, he'd have to do it himself. With that morbid thought on his mind, he hurled the upraised backup generator into another one, crushing them both, and strode over to the third one; it, too, joined the pile of twisted metal a moment later. There would be no backup power generators to switch on now, much less the framework to do it with - but he was thorough, and there was a different task in store for the fourth generator. What stealth he may have had was now broken, but in the sudden power outage, he had a moment to vacate the power supply area and make good his entrance to the building as well. Hence, a scant few seconds later, the final power generator slammed through the wall of the main research compound, hopefully doing some damage, but more importantly, providing a tertiary distraction. Sysis would need all the help he could get, after all, and Astaroth had his own set of issues; quite soon the maintenance workers would come to investigate the power supply situation, and he needed to be out of there and have covered his tracks by then. So it was that rather than following the destroyed generator through the sizeable hole it had created on entry, he instead opted to make his way onto the low-hanging roof, using Tyranitar as a stepstool of sorts before having the beast walk over to the generator-caused hole. It was far from foolproof, but under a cursory inspection, it was possible that whoever saw it would assume that he had entered through the hole, and hence would be in the lower area. That was perfect; none of the Arachnos operatives were down there, and any guards wasted hunting for shadows would free up the rest of the building for a few crucial moments. A window on the second floor proved to be easily torn out of its socket, and a moment later, Astaroth stepped through the hole, then propped it back up. Not exactly the greatest of stealthy entrances, but it had been quick and unless someone actually checked the window, in the darkness they probably wouldn't notice that aught was wrong. But... the darkness was for the defenders, not the offense. He had his nightvision goggles, and should they choose to use them each of the other two men had a pair of their own as well, not to mention several shaped charges and a claymore apiece. This stealth mission, Astaroth decided, was anything but. |
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| Sysis | Aug 2 2009, 03:04:57 PM Post #12 | |
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Broken.
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The lights throughout the building were cut, causing an unfortunate bit of ruckus among confused slaves. Not to mention the generator through the wall. Things were looking up, to be sure. Aleksandros' stature was nothing to Astaroth's, meaning it was the latter who punctured the wall with a fucking generator; also meaning he had someone with whom he could fight alongside, should the security force somehow pose a threat. Considering the goons in front of this palace weren't even wise enough to bear helmets, it was a doubtful notion. Sysis withdrew his nightvision goggles, quickly securing and activating the device. The hallway laid before him was entirely bare, meaning that all staff had opted to get to their destination before panicking at the loss of vision. Granted, most rooms had some form of window to allow daylight's access, but this hallway was as well-lit as any cave. Sysis returned his Gardevoir if only for concern of her well-being (probably a completely needless concern) and began a sprint down the hall. The architects of the building, surely in a daze induced by a narcotic of some origin, placed stairs at the end of the hallway, which led backward and up to the second and final floor. Hearing the cry of a Tyranitar and thanking whatever deity designed Astaroth with a functioning brain, his pace quickened. He heard a gruff voice command that he freeze, and as much as he wanted to turn around and punish the fool for his insolence, there was no time. The stealth element had been shattered by his violent persona, meaning that shit had to get done. Fast. A quick one-eighty and Sysis was climbing a somewhat steep flight of polished stairs. However, a glance upward would reveal the butt of a metal rod aimed for his forehead, and at a distance too close to dodge. With an orderly crack, the skin protecting the front of Sysis' skull split open and his feet's momentum kept its pace while his torso fell backward. After his head violently collided with the tile below, Sysis' consciousness faded. "Wake up, vermin."
The blackness of unconsciousness began to dissipate. Sysis' eyes, the lids of which were coated in his drying blood, returned to focus upon a humanoid shape feet before him. The man's visage echoed a distant familiarity, but even if he had been someone whose form Sysis had laid eyes upon beforehand, it was doubtful that even his subconscious would hold the image of such a trivial man. Bound firmly to a chair, Sysis was presumably unable to escape. The room which he and his new pal occupied was dark and featureless; obviously an on-the-fly interrogation chamber. It was a shame he was one of the Reborn; escaping would prove too easy to allow for much fun. But half the fun would be letting this figure think he had some degree of power over his captive. "You and your pals have made good progress; breaking into a Black Rose facility after a humiliating crash like that. I really thought my boys had you dead. Well, until the entire scene exploded and you killed not only the better half of my soldiers, but a decent number of innocents. What the fuck made you maggots think you could get away with insurgency on Black Rose territory?" Sysis' hands clenched behind him. He knew he could snap this wooden chair with relative ease and throttle this idiot like a crazed husband would his cheating wife, but the most fun was in the drama. "Maggots? Do be careful, old boy; your idiocy is showing. I mean, you could at least use 'imbeciles'; I presume your last year in high school used that word at least once or twice." With a stolid and surprisingly unwavering expression, the man planted a firm palm across Sysis' left cheek, then took a couple steps back as though anticipating resistance. The self-described Reborn responded only by straightening his stance. His anger was again building, but he had to wait. It had to be the right moment. "You have a point, though. Maggots grow into insects. Maggots have potential. You? I think I'll stick with vermin for you. Mindless, unprofessional, inefficient; you're everything we aren't. Now, I'm going to ask you who you're with, and you're going to be a good little rat and sing." Now was the moment. "You'll get no obedience from me. Only death." Ignoring the remorse from such a poor line, Sysis tightened his chest muscles and drew his arms inward in an attempt to snap the wood from the chair and free himself. Unfortunately, thousands of volts of electricity, conducted from a source he couldn't quite locate. Either way, it sent him back down onto his ass. This...this may be harder than I thought. Edited by Sysis, Aug 3 2009, 05:30:32 AM.
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6:50 PM Jul 30
