~~ The Dark City ~~

[crysede]

Sasha:
Noticing Arden's questioning look, Sasha picked up the vaguely sinister looking black roots she had been looking at and held them out to her.

"Do you recognize these? I think I have seen this herb before," she paused, looking at the plant thoughtfully, "I think it's called demon root, or devil root, or something like that. I read about it in my mother's notes before they were destroyed, she mentioned that it is very dangerous because it can be used to open the channels to a person's essence, allowing one skilled in the arts to twist their very spirit, reshaping them from the inside out."

Looking as though she very much regretted picking them up, Sasha replaced the roots on the table, relief showing on her face once she was no longer touching them.

"But I am likely mistaken," she added hurriedly, "a long time has passed since then. Let's go."

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Mideon

I let the man go by, then headed down the stairs and search the bodies. Thier weapons might be of use, should we run into more of them, and I was certain we would. The question was: where the hell were we going?
I gathered as many magazines for the 9mm as I could carry, the took a pack from one of the men, emptied it, and started to stuff them inside. I only bothered with about twenty of them, leaving the rest, then tossed in a few of those smoke grenades. As long as I kept the goggles, they would be a benefit.
That all done, I made certain the doors were all closed, then tossed a few of the bodies in front of each to make them harder to open, then hurried up the stairs to where the man and the old lady were.
Once inside, I saw the two, both out of the closet. The smoke was quickly dissipating from the room, the window still open, unlike downstairs, where it still blinded us in terms of normal sight.
"Okay," I said. "Let's get going. ANd on the way, I think you two should tell me who the hell you are, and what's going on."

 

[Lady Violet]

Arden

Arden hid a frown, and smiled at Sasha as she put the plant back up. She didn't realize how right she was, and Arden was glad she didn't press it any furthur.

Arden went to the front door of the store and looked up and down the road. The car was still there, parked beside the bank. A lone man was leaning against the driver side door, his head bent low with his shades covering his eyes. Arden couldnt see a gun, but that didn't mean he didn't have one. She looked up towards the roof of the city hall and saw the tip of Chris' gun. As if on cue, Chris peaked his head and looked at Arden, she looking right back at him. She grinned, and mouthed the words hi. He smiled back and seemed to ask if they were done. Arden nodded her head, then looked back at the stationary car. Men were now coming out of the bank with white bags, Arden assuming they were filled with money. The car started, then began to slowly drive down the street, heading towards them hiding in the store.

"Get down" shouted Arden, stretching out on the floor. "They're coming."

 

[crysede]

Sasha:
Turning away from the display of dried plants, she cast her eyes over the titles of the books lining the back shelves. "So, do we return to your home now?" She asked Arden, still gazing at the dust covered books.

Dropping instantly behind the counter, at Arden's shouted warning, Sasha proceeded to crawl forward and peer around the cash register to find out what the danger was. Seeing the approaching car, she braced her rifle carefully on the counter: keeping her sights locked on the vehicle's front window, ready to open fire if their presence was detected by the men.

 

[Lord Kenshin]

B

OOC: Sorry for not being able to post on both of the threads I am in. It's been a very busy week. I shall try and keep up with the posts during this weekend.


IC:
Chris saw the movement down the street at about the same time Arden did. He swiveled on his toes, sliding over so that the barrel of his sniper rifle was pointing straight at the man behind the wheel.

Chris gave a silent prayer as he continued to follow the vehicle with his gun, keeping his eyes open and looking about for anyone else coming around on the street. He looked back to the door of the botany shop, making sure that he saw no movement inside. He trained he gun back on the driver's head and waited.

 

[faust]

OOC: testing...testing...

 

[faust]

OOC: Sorry people, my server hasn't been allowing me to post lately. Looks like I'm back in business now!

IC: Jack clutched his shotgun, making sure it wasn't visible from the outside. The men in the car might be a group of hunters... or a couple kids out for a joyride. Either way, the botanical shop would be a poor place to make their stand. Too much open space, and not enough cover. He turned back to his companions, making sure they were out of sight. "Allright, people, keep low." he whispered. "If you got what we need, let's get the fuck outta here. Crawl back to the door. If there's trouble coming, I hope that bozo can take care of it. Let's go!"

 

[Paendragon]

He found the old woman still in the closet.

"It's done. Now we need to get the hell outta here without using the doors. Any suggestions?"

"Of course," she smiled up at him as he helped her out of the closet. "We'll use the tunnel. Let me just gather some things."

He nodded. She walked over to the dresser and started grabbing things. He went to the door and glanced outside. No one there.

He looked back to the woman. "You almost ready?"

"Yes," she answered. "will you carry one of the bags?"

he nodded and walked over to grab a balck duffel bag. He glanced inside before zipping it up. "A gold scarf? It's not that cold out, lady."

"Oh, it's not for me."

He shook his head, and threw the bag over his shoulder. "Come on, lets go!"

She strolled over to him, holding out her hand. He took it, the realization that he would have to lead her around like a damned seeing eye dog hitting him suddenly. Great.

"How long is this tunnel?"

"Don't worry, John. We'll catch up to your sister soon enough."

He looked at her. If he had any doubt she was crazy, they were gone now. He debated leaving her here. Briefly. She did know his name... no. He wouldn't even begin to entertain the idea of a sister. She was just trying to push him in the direction she wanted, and he would let her think she was succeeding for now. Still, no need to be too obvious about it.

"I have no sister. Now lets get going."

She smiled at him. "I don't expect you to believe me, John. Despite any evidence I could offer. I would ask only one favor. When you see her, tell her your name - your real name, and watch her reaction. You're a perceptive enough fellow. Now, lets get going."

"Whatever," he muttered.

Just then, Mideon came in. He looked around the room, and turned to them both.

"Okay," their unlikely ally said. "Let's get going. And on the way, I think you two should tell me who the hell you are, and what's going on."

"You can call me Cain," John replied, giving his old military code name. "Not my real name, but I doubt Mideon is yours. As for what I'm doing here, the same as you. I'm hunting."

He led the woman out the door and down the hall. Mideon fell in behind. They made their way down the stairs, and down the hall.

"Where the hell are we going?" Mideon asked.

"Right here," the witch whispered. They had stopped beside the stairway, and she reached out and opened a hidden compartment revealing a tunnel. "This will lead us to the town hall."

"Excellent," John whispered. "Flashlights?"

"We won't need them," she replied.

They stepped into the tunnel together.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Mideon

Cain? I thought, and wondered if that was some sort of code, something to clue me into what he intended to do. I'd known a few hunters who did that, gave yo usmall clues, kind of foreshadowing what their intent was, playing with you before the grand finale. Caine and Abel, I thought, remembering the story, yet not where I'd first heard it. The story was significant, though, Caine having killed Abel. And this man using the name of him made me a little uneasy.
I debated killing them both right then and there, and decided not to. There was another way out, and I intended to at least find it first.
I decided to let him go first, then followed them down the stairs.
"WHere the hell are we going?" I was forcing the profanity. It was against my nature to add words that weren't necessary, at least, now it was. It seemed I could remember times when i'd said much more than was necessary, at least a few of them. But...something had changed since then.
I shook it off, not wanting to think about it now.
The other two were vanishing into the tunnel below.
I glanced back into the room, seeing all the bodies as the smoke cleared, and wondering how long until more of them came.
I couldn't take the risk of going outside; I had to follow.
I ducked into the tunnel behind them, hand touching the handle of my 9mm, tucked into the holster on my belt, waiting to see if the man would try anything sudden.

 

[Paendragon]

They walked down the tunnel. There seemed to be enough light to see by, but John couldn't figure out where it was coming from. He glanced back over his shoulder at Mideon. The man was watching him warily, his hand hidden from view. John tensed. His training screamed at him for letting the man walk behind him, It was something he would never normally do. Then again, he seemed to be doing a lot of things latrely that he normally wouldn't. For example, walking down a dark tunnel leading to who knows where, as the guardian to a blind woman. What the hell was he tinking?

He forced himself to relax, and fought the impulse to spin around and kill the man behind him before he decided to do the same to John. His instincts told him he would need the stranger. and he would trust those instincts with his life.

They came to a ladder, and the witch stopped. "We go up here."

"Wait for my signal," John whispered. He climbed the ladder, and pressed his ear to the small trap door at the top. He held his breath for a few minutes while he listened for any sounds. Hearing none, he slowly pushed open the door. It seemed to be covered with something... a rug? He pushed harder, and lifted both door and rug off the ground. He climbed out of the tunnel, and rose to his feet.

He seemed to be in some kind of storage area. He scanned the adjacent rooms for any signs of life, and found none. Oddly deserted for the building that's supposed to be the seat of government. He didn't like it. He bent over to reopen the trapdoor, and signalled for his companions to come up.

OOC: Hey everyone, something came up, and I'm forced to leave town tomorrow. I'll be gone until next Thursday. If I'm holding the thread up QC, you can write some scenes and dialog for my character, or you can split up from me and the witch temporarily to go scout the building, or whatever. Lady Vi, 'mother' is of course your character, and you can do with her whatever you feel the need to. I have just one guideline... nobody shoots me, and nobody captures me. Otherwise, try and keep me in character, and have fun. Paen

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Mideon

"Stay here," I said, stepping in front of the old lady and moving up the ladder as quickly as I could. he wouldn't close the tunnel off with the old lady down here, i was certain, and I had no intention of being left down here for whoever was following to find and dispense of. Once inside, I glanced to "Cain" and motioned for him to retrieve the old lady by pointing down the ladder. He looked at me curiously, but I ignored him.
"Where are we?" I asked him, watching his hand, which hung loosely at his side, weapon wrapped up in its fingers.
"Looks like a storeroom of some sort," he replied.
"Do we need the old lady?" I asked him then.
He just stared at me for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I think we do."
He put the weapon away and climbed down the ladder while I glanced through the room, not noticing anything of particular importance.
THe two came up the ladder slowly, Cain behind the old lady, who was making faster progress than i would have expected.
"Okay," I began, once both were inside and Cain had lowered the trapdoor (covering it with a nearby rug). "Now what?"

 

[crysede]

Sasha:
Nodding, Sasha got to the floor, following Jack and Arden to the door. Hopefully they would be able to sneak away without being noticed.

The next moment there was a burst of gunfire from outside, and the store's large front window imploded into shards of glass under a hail of projectiles. Sasha instinctively went into a crouch with her back flat against the wall, steadied her rifle and took aim at the vehicle outside: firing both shells through the front window.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Mideon

Gunfire, a loud burst of it, coming from not too far away. I looked to Cain, then the old lady.
"Friends of yours?" I asked them, unsure of whether I meant those being attacked, or those doing the attacking.

 

[Paendragon]

"I have no friends, but I say we check it out."

John walked low toward the window, and peeked out into the street.

"There's a limo outside.... they're laying down cover fire into a building up the street."

He shifted his position. "There's a group of men heading forward at a stagger, in standard two-by-two, cover formation. One shoots while the other moves, and vice versa."

He looked back toward Mideon and the Witch. "I say we stay here and wait it out."

The witch spoke up. "You can't! Those you seek are inside that building!"

"Dead or alive, it's all the same to me, as long as I bring her back."

The witch's face took on a hard edge. "My daughter is in there Hunter."

John had just about had it. He's no god damned hero. "You listen to me, old woman. Walking out there is a quick way to get dead real fast. This isn't like your house, where the enclosed spaces evened the odds." He gestured outside. "This is a shooting gallery, and I have no desire to be a stuffed duck."

He looked to Mideon for agreement, but the man only stood there, expressionless.

He turned back toward the witch. She was still staring at him, challengingly. He sighed. "It would be one thing if we could communicate with them."

"We can!" she answered.

He shook his head. "We'd still need to get a couple of snipers on the roofs to cover our advances. Without them, we'd lose a lot of lives."

"My daughter's companions have a great deal of skill, don't underestimate them."

"Yeah, well, their skills got them trapped all together in one building, wrapped like a birthday present, so I won't count on them too much, ok?"

He eyed the witch hard, still not sure why the hell he was doing this. He had one job to do, and that's it. Capture the beautiful dark-haired woman. He sighed. At least the bounty was doubled if she was taken alive.

"OK, old woman. If you have a way to contact them, do it. Let them know we're here."

 

[Lady Violet]

Arden

Covering her ears with her hands, she tried to block out the sound of Sasha's gunfire. She could hear Jack shouting at them to get back. Getting on her hands and knees, Arden began to crawl towards the back door, dragging the napsack beside her.

All of a suden, Arden's head exploded with the sound of fireworks and bursts of light flooded her vision. She was about to scream when a quiet, calm voice spoke, soothing her.

"Arden, my child. I am here with you. You must not turn away. You have the power within you to confront the men outside, to turn their negetavity upon themselves."

"Mother?" Arden questioned.

"What?" Sasha called out to her, confused.

"My mother" she replied. "She's here".

"Where" Sasha shouted again?

"What are you two shouting about" Jack cut in.

Arden turned her head and looked at Sasha and Jack. The sound of fire crackers eased in her head, the flashing disapearing. She could see both of them had their guns aimed at the men outside, and pearing through the windows, Arden could see Chris' gun doing the same. "My mother" she repeated. Arden stood up, droping the bag at her feet. "She needs me".

Sasha turned her head from looking outside to Arden, her unease growing with her confusion. "What are you mumbling about Arden? Get down before you get shot."

Arden's eyes seemed to glaze over as she became lost in a trace. "Its ok" she said. She raised her arms over her head, speaking in a language unknown to Jack and Sasha. Outside, the light began to fade as grey clouds moved accross the sky, blocking out the sun. Thunder rolled through the town, promising the onset of rain.

OOC: I'll stop here. Remember, the Brotherhood doesnt like the night/darkness. Anyone want to write about them leaving? hee hee

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Mideon

Thunder erupted overhead. I wandered over to the window, wondering if I'd missed the signs of oncoming rain. As I reached the window and looked out, I saw that the sky was becoming overcast as suddenly as the thunder had erupted.
The men outsdie were looking up at the sky.
The Brotherhood, I thought. Darkness was the enemy...they taught us that in basic training. Too much can happen to risk our advantages to remain in pursuit in the darkness. But there was more to that they didn't say I was certain. What it was I wasn't sure.
I would stay, however. I was a hunter, not a footsoldier or a henchmen, or whatever they called the ranks that had shown themselves outside, but a tracker and a more skilled killer. Letting my prey go was not in my intentions, not my way. And letting my eyes leave whatever was happening here would be a mistake too, my intuition told me.
I stepped back from the window and looked at Cain.
"Well...?"

 

[faust]

Jack's mouth fell open in amazement as Arden began controlling the weather. Dark clouds swooped down out of nowhere, blanketing the city in darkness and pelting the streets with heavy rain. So the voodoo shit was real after all! Jack's mind wandered back to his first days in the Brotherhood. Their instructors had briefly mentioned the Freaks - crazed humans who could control reality with a mystic tongue. Freaks were extremely rare, but they did pop up every once in a while. Most people would never meet a Freak in their life, and Jack had been fortunate enough to be one of those people. And here he was - fighting for his life alongside a Freak, a tourist, and an untrustworthy gunman. Just his luck...

Well, such thoughts were getting him nowhere. For now, his objective was to stay alive. He could always ponder fate and the meaning of life at a quieter time. Staying out of sight, he crawled to a window. Not surprisingly, their attackers had fled for the time being. Of course, they would be close by, waiting for a better opportunity to strike. They would complete their mission, or they would die trying. No sane man would return to the Brotherhood having failed a mission. Just then, a slight motion caught Jack's eye. There - somebody was definately moving around inside the city hall. Probably reinforcements. He leveled his shotgun at the door, finger resting on the trigger, waiting for the hunters to come out...

 

[Lord Kenshin]

Chris smiled to himself, the darkness barely astonishing him. Oddities had become an every minute occurance. He traced the scope from the limo to the two front members of the group heading to the door in two by two formation. He stopped on the first one, the cross-hairs lining up just below the base of the skull. The sound was silent, but the impact was a direct hit, splitting the man's neck sideways. Blood pumped up from the heart and splashed out the hole, covering the front and back of the man's shirt w/ blood.

"Take that ya fuckin' freak," Chris spoke to himself.

Chris swivelled slightly, the second man coming in between the cross-hairs. He was shocked, looking at his partner falling to the ground and bleeding to death. Chris squeezed the trigger, the bullet connecting with the man's chest, blood erupting from the wound as the man fell back to the ground, no movement from his arms or legs as his life passed.

Chris stopped shooting, taking the scope away from his eye as he watched the rest of the group run back to the limo. He chuckled softly as it sped away, leaving two bloody bodies on the sidewalk.

 

[Lady Violet]

Arden

She was weak, but she stood her ground. Arden slowly brought her arms down and rested them at her sides. She swayed a little, but shook her head and held out her hand towards Sasha who was getting up to help her. "I'm fine" she said. "Lets get back to the City Hall. I have a lot of questions to ask my mother."

Arden began to walk towards the door, and reached for the doorknob, but before she could turn it, a clapsed over her wrist. She turned her head to see Jack. She smiled, he didn't smile back.

"So you think with your fancy little magic act will just solve all our problems? I heard gunshots, and they weren't from the men in the car."

"What do you mean" she asked him.

"What I mean, is that our lookout got a little trigger happy. How do we know he's not going to put a bullet through us?"

"I know" she stated. "Now let go of me" Arden's smile had faded and she tried to pull her hand free from Jack's grip.

"Hey" he said, letting go. "Its your funeral." He backed up a couple of steps and looked towards Sasha. She shrugged her shoulders a bit, unsure of what to do. "He could be right you know" she said.

Arden glanced out the window towards City Hall. She saw the same movement Jack had seen earlier and for a moment wondered if he was right. But what about her mother? The only hope she had left was that she was there now, waiting for her. Going the way they had came would eat up their time. She looked to where the men where, and saw the two bodies lying beside each other, the car no where in sight. Arden sighed, and looked down at her hands. She noticed the scar across her palm, and remembered when she had gotten it. She would not be hurt like that again, ever.

"We're crossing the road" she stated, and opened the door.

 

[Paendragon]

"They're coming," the old woman whispered. "My daughter amd her friends."

John looked out the window, and saw a door open across the street. He turned his head and looked at Mideon, then flicked his eyes toward the ceiling, hoping that the other man noriced the shots that took out the two men outside came from the roof of the building they were in. That meant there was a potential enemy coming down behind them right now.

John raised his gun, and pointed it out the window, readying himself. One of these fuckers had already shot him once, and we wasn't about to give them a second chance.

"My daughter leads them, Cain. Please let trust in your heart."

John barked a laugh. "Lady, I've already trusted far more than is healthy, today."

He then saw the one he hunted, follow the daughter outside.

"There you are, my pretty," he whispered. Then louder, "The dark-haired one whose following belongs to me, Mideon."

He rose from his position from the window, and walked toward the wall, leaning against it, keeping his 9mm trained on the window, and his tranquilizer on the door. He could shoot equally well with both hands, and wasn't about to be the first one to 'trust' this time. He noticed Mideon taking cover as well, watching both the back entrance, and the door. Meaning he had understood John's warning about the man on the roof, or figured it out himself.

The old witch, however, rose to her feet, walked toward the door, and opened it.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Mideon

Crazy bitch, I thought, knowing I shouldn't be, but amazed anyway.
Cain had made a good point. There were other shots, and by the way the blood erupted from the man's neck, in both forward and behind directions, but stronger and higher in the back than the front, the shot had come from this direction, and high, which meant whoever these people were who were headed our way, they had a friend on the roof. And if they had friends up there, where else would their friends be? And how many friends would be coming?
I raised a 9mm in either direction, covering both doors,and waited as Cain did the same. This would prove interesting. I almost felt a touch of excitement, but if it was that emotion, it was buried somewhere deeep with the rest of them.
I glanced toward Cain, thinking, if this is the closest I have to an ally, then what how much worse could it possibly get?
I glanced at the back door now and again, but mostly looked out the open door, trying to get a view from around the old lady, wanting to know who was coming?

 

[crysede]

Sasha:
Although Arden's control of the elements had not taken her by surprise as it had Jack, it still put her on edge to be around that much power. She was glad when it was all over and, with some reluctance, She followed Arden out of the shop and back towards city hall: keeping both hands on her rifle.

The street was absolutely still and silent in the bright sunlight, and were it not for the blood soaked corpses sprawled on the ground, it would be hard to believe that there had ever been a fight here at all. Sasha glance around uneasily as they walked, searching for the slightest trace of movement, it went against her every instinct to travel in the open likes this, let alone in the light of day.

 

[Lord Kenshin]

Chris followed Sasha, Jack, and Arden from the shop doorway along the street, keeping an eye in both direction for movement. He saw nothing, but continued to be tense, something not seeming right about this.

 

[Lady Violet]

Arden

OCC: Chris, you're on the city hall roof, not with us. When we enter the city hall, go back downstairs and try not to get in a shooting match with Mideon!

IC: Arden strolled across the street, as if the sunlight still poured down from the sky, like it was a normal Thursday morning. People walking up and down the sidewalks, going in and out of the buildings, doing normal day things. But the sky had grown dark in the mid-morning, and there was no one shopping and walking about. Arden stopped in the middle of the street and looked up, screaming an inner hatred for everything that happened.

Sasha touched her lightly on the shoulder, seeming to understand in her own way. Arden smiled at her, and took her hand in her own. "Sometimes, going backwards can lead you forward. Don't be afraid of your past, embrace it." Arden winked and let go of her hand, then continued to walk across the street.

"Arden, my child".

Looking sharply up the street, she saw her mother carefully walking down the sidewalk, stepping over or around objects that were in her path.

"Mother" Arden called out as she broke into a run. It took only seconds for her to reach her mother, and for a moment the two were suspended in time as they were reconnected once again.

 

[Lord Kenshin]

OOC: My fault.. I forgot to specify that I was following your movements with the scope of my sniper rifle. Anyhoo.

IC:

Chris turned, leaving the rifle where is was as he mad his way across the roof to the entry to the stairwell that led down into the main room. He closed and secured the door behind him before continueing down to join the others. He shook his head in disbelief, the rug had been moved and the hole leading into the sewers was askew.

"Son of a bitch," Chris muttered as he drew his pistol and slowly approached the doorway leading outside, hoping he'd find a friend instead of a foe.