[RPG] The Big-Oh! RP — An Archive of Storytelling

Roger blinked when the console buzzed, and he wondered who would be calling him. He opened the compartment, drawing out a microphone. There was no image on the screen so it wasn't Norman or Dorothy. "Hello, this is... Snake? A situation? With a policeman?" Oh blast... he wondered if a mercenary from a unit of modified shock troops knew how to handle himself around a street cop. At least he seemed to, he wasn't asking him to help clean up a mess. He got the location and wheeled down an intersection. "I'll be there in a few. I don't mean to sound like a wet blanket, but you might be better served with a lawyer. However I'll see what I can do for you."

He sighed as he put the mic away... hopefully this wouldn't take long. He had to get to Angel and find out what was going on. But before he deactivated the radiophone, he heard a signal coming in. He had his electronics set up to snoop out radio transmissions, and it had locked nto a signal... a policeman? "...Hello? Miss? I can't hear you... if you can, please tell us your location... do you need help?"

Roger's jaw set hard as he pulled over and slammed on the brakes. Snake would have to stew for at least a few minutes more. This sounded serious. But as he activated the locator, he wondered what this could be about. This was a run down part of the city, not all that far from the earlier fight... what would a woman with a radio be doing here? And then he noticed that he was practically on top of it, whatever it was. He pulled the car forward until it's indicator was in the center of the display, and got out, looking around anxiously. Where would a radio be around here? He started to call out when he heard a squeaky voice from right beside him, and he saw in a trash can... a bluish glow? He reached inside and withdrew a small device with which he was familiar.

A cell phone? Out here?? He was growing nervous now. These relics of the past were only used by a handful of people, mostly the rich and famous, as they still worked with the phone system, linked by communication networks from the previous Age which were still running. He closed the case, as he was sure that the Military Police wouldn't appreciate him sticking his nose into their business. But where was the woman who'd made the call? There was no sign of struggle, and the few people on the street acted unconcerned. He asked a woman across the street, "Did you see a woman on this sidewalk recently? Or anyone, say within the past ten minutes?" She shook her head, replying that only a few cars had gone by.

"Terrific," he muttered with a smile and a wave, wiping the unit off and pocketing it as he solemnly got into his car. Only a fool would have thrown this away. Or someone to which this marvel was worthless to start with...

And then something caught his eye, and he gasped as he started the Griffon and gunned it down the road. Up in the sky, very high and drifting away was a red balloon! He headed for the area it seemed to have come from, beginning to call Snake again when something else caught his attention in the road, and he stopped, running around to the front to see what it was, as it gleamed in his headlights. He scooped it up when he saw that it was a piece of jewelry... a necklace bearing a cross, damaged, evidently when it hit the road. The proper name of it was lurking in the back of his mind, but that didn't matter right now. Someone was in trouble, and he had a bad feeling that she was in the hands of those outsiders who had terrorized the city previously. At least he was evidently headed in the right direction.

Just as he began to call Snake to try and back out of his help, he saw the other black Griffon with a police car behind it, and a rather large cop who seemed to be giving Snake the third degree. He growled to himself as he pulled behind them and got out. He would have to make this fast. He knew that this was keeping him from something deadly important.

Julia noticed a twin car pull into the curb next to Snake's. A man with slicked hair stepped out, turning toward her.

"R...roger!" she burst out.

She touched her lips in surprise. Roger? Why did I say that? I don't even know him! Snake stared at her in surprise and even Roland glanced over. Roger stared at her in confusion.

"Do I know you?"

"Um..." she stammered. "I...uh...I don't know."

She stared at the ground, her face turning as red as her eyes. Who is he? I barely met him...it doesn't make sense. But then again, nothing had ever made sense in Paradigm City.

As he strode up to the hefty cop and the put-upon looking mercenary, he saw that there was a young woman in Snake's car, getting out and looking to him. He wasn't prepared for what she said next, as she blurted out, "R-Roger!" This caught Snake off guard as he stared at her in surprise. Even the cop took notice of it. And evidently she surprised herself as well, as she put her hand to her face in consternation.

He looked at her intently, but nothing about her was familiar. She knew him though, and evidently from some hidden Memory... His mind flooded in confusion. What on earth was going on? Everything is happening too fast... I have to sort this out quickly. Someone is in danger, and I have to get after them before the trail goes cold. He asked her, unable to keep the nervous edge from his voice, "Do I know you?"

"Um..." she stammered, "I...uh...I don't know."

But he knew better, it was painfully obvious that something had triggered a memory in her. And then he saw the ruby appearance of her eyes, and how she was dressed... she was another mercenary? From the Legion of Hell? His mind spun in confused, anxious circles... how do these people know me! No... I have to put this aside, worry about all this later. I have to resolve this situation as best I can, and be on my way quickly. Swallowing his angst, he cleared his throat, assuming his calm, polished Negotiator demeanor. "Hello, and yes, I'm Roger Smith. What seems to be the problem?"

Julia stared at him as Snake explained the problem. What had just happened? She could see it in his eyes, this Roger Smith was confused and uncertain. Something she could tell was something he was not. Her eyes scanned him, her mind trying to calculate where she had seen him.

"You are in a hurry? You wish to catch...these outsiders, am I correct?"

Julia's eyes stared gently at him. "If this is truly important then go. Snake and I can handle ourselves. You need not worry about us."

Snake shot her an annoyed look, but she remained impassive, her eyes blank and emotionless. Roger glanced over at her for a moment. He looks...familiar. But...where have I seen him before?

He almost choked at what she said to him. Good Lord YES I want to get after these outsiders! But he didn't want to leave Snake and this girl in the lurch after he offered to help them, especially since Snake was looking rather angry, and he was afraid of the solution he might choose. If I'm quick, this won't take but a moment. He dashed past a flustered patrolman Bustems to get into his squad car, ignoring his shouts to get out of it, calling over his shoulder as he grabbed the radio mike, "I'm retired Military police." He keyed the radio and said loudly, "Colonel Dan Dastun? Dastun... come in Dan-!"

He was relieved to hear Dastun's voice replying, and the cop pausing at the sound of his voice before he was hauled out and cuffed. "Roger?? What're you doing on a police radio? Hey listen buddy, I'm a little busy right now-"

"I know, Dastun, just do me a quick favor... make that two." The Colonel began to protest, but Roger managed to talk him down, explaining guardedly. "Look, this guy's just not up on dealing with the police. All I'm asking is that you let him off with a warning. This is his first offense. Patrolman Bustem's is laying it on thick, even for a cop."

Dastun grumbled, "Okay okay, what's the second one?"

"Have the Military Police go into Snoop patrol. You're looking for outsiders, aren't you?"

Dastun snarled, "You're damn right I'm looking for outsiders! What do you know about them? Talk to me, Roger!"

He had a feeling that his friend wasn't going to like this next part. "I think these outsiders have kidnapped someone. I found a cell phone and a piece of jewelry, and the phone was on a line to the police. Come back from your all out alert. If they aren't being hounded, they won't feel as threatened, and less likely to do something drastic. I take it you had a run in with one of them?"

Dastun could smell that Roger was getting himself deeply involved, and was holding back on him. "That's putting it mildly! Now listen you, tell me what you know, and don't go interfering in police business! I'm warning you..."

Roger sighed, not wanting to lie to his friend. "Dan, I'm already involved. I'm not about to stand by while someone's in danger, not if I can do something about it. I'm on the trail. Give me a description, please. I promise to hand the whole mess over to you when I can."

The old Colonel barked into his mike, "Roger, don't do this to me...!" But before he knew it, he was giving over the description of the vehicle and the alien woman he'd battled earlier. "I swear, you could probably talk me out of my pension." As the Negotiator laughed, Dastun remembered a terrible detail. "Hey, Roger, one more thing. The outsiders have somehow managed to infiltrate the Military Police. For all I know they're listening to us right now, so watch your back."

Roger gaped at the mike in astonishment. "You can't be serious!"

Dastun shook his head. "I wish. Anyway, put that flatfoot on the horn. You're wasting time. And if you need backup, you know who to call."

Roger heaved a fond sigh as he keyed the mike. "Thanks, Dan, I owe you big."

Dastun snorted out a laugh. "You already owe me big. Get going. And, good hunting."

He arose and tossed the mike to the overweight cop. "You heard the man." He added to Snake with a sigh, "Which way?" He took the time to give the girl with him a grateful look and a nod.

The mercenary pointed down the road. "Straight down as far as I could see. Maybe they're headed to the bridge. Hey listen, if you wait, I can-"

But Roger had already started his car. "Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry." He sped off, somehow managing to keep from squealing his tires, his mind already beginning to work. The bridge... that was a likely place for a showdown, or the land underneath it anyway, a nice, secluded, morbid area with rusting shacks, the perfect setting for clandestine activities. They may not be there, but that was a good place to check. Now, if only he was right, and he could find this mysterious warrior woman and her shadowy companion before they did anything. And hopefully, somehow link up with Angel at the same time, and even that goon Beck....

OOC: thanks for the tips stryker, you're a helluva better writer than I am.
~~~

Julia watched the car go then turned to Snake, who as of now, was very annoyed. She nibbled at her lip for a moment, wanting to run after it, but also not wanting to leave Snake alone with Roland. She didn't want him arrested. She finally turned on her heel and began to run after the car.

OOC: I've read Reki's post about 100 times, and I just now paid attention to the text.

BIC: "Julia!" Snake yelled as she chased after Roger's car. He turned to Bustems, "This is all YOUR fault! If you weren't so bored, you wouldn't have pulled me over, and Julia wouldn't have chased Roger! Now, I have to find Julia, Roger, and Angel! Do you want to make things worse?"

Snake was so annoyed, he was about to snap on this cop, but he didn't want to follow through with that option.

(OOC: Sorry it's taken me so long! I think this is possibly one of my better posts, though.. I actually worked on it for a few days instead of on-the-spot. If I've gotten anything inaccurate as far as keeping with the continuency of the story, let me know and I'll edit it ASAP.)



Angel managed to find her breath again as Beck continued to steer the car, and at last she took a deep breath and bit, as hard as she could, into the little bit of his wrist that protruded from his loud yellow jacket, gnashing her teeth around his bare skin until he could stand it no more.

He gave no indication that he was in pain, but simply let go of the wheel and wiped Angel’s saliva from his flesh with a gaudy monogramed handkerchief. “So, you like it rough, do you?” he said flatly.

She responded with the most hateful look she could muster, her hands gripping the wheel so hard that her knuckles were white. “You,” she spat, “are the most disgusting person I have ever met.”

“Really? You didn’t think so when you came begging me to join you.” Beck clasped his hands together, batted his eyelashes in a terrible imitation of Angel. “’Oh, Jason, pleeease won’t you help me out, I don’t know anyone else who has as many underground connections as you do, or anyone who is as sharp a dresser as you, or as incredibly attractive and accomplished--”

“That is not what I said.”

“It may as well have been, as thick as you laid it on.” He shrugged and sat back in his seat.

“I didn’t mean it. You knew that.”

“Of course I did. I also know that whatever it is we’re after probably has nothing to do with what you told me it has to do with, that you, Miss Angel, or Casey Jenkins, or Patricia Lovejoy, or whoever the hell you are, are not all you seem to be, seeing as how that creepy guy in the suit is playing cat-and-mouse with you, and only you, and that most likely, you will somehow manage to double cross me before this is all over.”

Angel grimaced. Everything he said was true, of course. She was surprised he hadn’t realized she was using him in the first place. No, she told herself, that isn’t true. He knew from the start.

But then, why had he agreed to come along? Why join her in this insane little journey when he likely knew that he was getting the short end of the stick?

Unless he intended to do the same to her?

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

Were she and Beck friends, or enemies? Or something else entirely?

Beck yawned loudly. “And, I also know that you really don’t give a crap about most of the aforementioned items, as long as you get to see Crow Boy in there somewhere.”

This was not as true as the other things, but Angel’s eye twitched nonetheless. She glanced sideways at Beck. “Jealous?”

“Of Crow Boy? What’s to be jealous of?” He did not elaborate on this, much to Angel’s relief. When he realized she was not going to argue with him any further, he sank back into his seat, arms crossed, and sulked to himself.







It was early morning, and the more Angel drove the more she realized just how exhausted she was. She felt as if the previous night’s events had been going on for days, or months, and her body demanded rest. She longed for a lengthy shower and some sleep.

The car’s gas was beginning to run out. We should have refilled it before we took off, Angel thought grimly. They had been in a hurry, though, and had not had time for such things. As it was, Angel could barely remember why on earth she was driving around in a stolen car with Jason Beck anyway. She felt as if she might collapse from exhaustion any moment, and only time would tell if the car, or Angel would break down first.

She slowed down, unable to keep her eyes focused on the road. She felt her eyelids grow heavier and heavier, demanding to shut themselves, to close out the world and just sleep.

“A little tired, are we?” Beck had an amused expression on his face.

“A little.” She did not even have the energy to argue anymore.

“Want me to drive?”

She shook her head stubbornly. In the early morning, more people were beginning to wake up, and slowly, more cars were creeping out onto the road. Angel found herself whipping her head back and forth, scrutinizing each vehicle that she thought might be the one Alan was driving. She realized that she had forgotten what it looked like, in her exhaustion.

There! She nearly snapped her neck to stare in the backseat of a passing vehicle. No, the blond curls in the backseat were a little girl’s, not Vera’s… the man in that pinstripe suit in the car up ahead was a regular businessman, not Alan Gabriel… none of the mousy, brown-haired girls she had seen thus far were Emilia… Angel felt her head spinning, felt herself become dizzy. She could hardly remember what Emilia looked like anymore. Was her hair short, or past shoulder-length? Had her dress been green, or blue, or violet, or pink? Did she have a jacket on? Wasn't she wearing some sort of necklace...? Her head whipped back and forth, from one car to the next, her foot jammed on the gas pedal as slowly, the life drained from the stolen car.

“Angel.”

She sighed heavily. “What now?” She could barely make an effort to speak anymore. She felt like crying, she had become so tired suddenly.

“Up there.” Beck pointed. “It’s them.”

Angel’s heart sank. She’d been inspecting each passing vehicle so closely, so carefully… no, that wasn't true. She was too tired to really look at anyone.

Straight ahead of them, driving calmly along, was Alan Gabriel. There was no mistaking that hat. Next to him, in the passenger seat, was Vera.

Alan seemed to have noticed that she’d spotted them, for he turned to give Angel a sickening grin and a wave. Angel felt as though she would vomit.

They were heading for a bridge, a worn-down construction with secluded land underneath. Rusting, rotting shacks occupied the space, looking ominous and foreboding as they threatned to topple over at any given minute. It was a creepy, morbid area. Exactly the kind of area Alan and Vera would choose for a meeting like this.

They pulled over, a signal for Angel to do the same. She turned to look at Beck.

“Ready?”

“Of course not.”

“I won’t blame you if you run away, Jason. I wouldn’t wish Vera on my worst enemy.”

He nodded gravely. “I don’t plan on playing the hero, if that’s what you mean. I’ll leave that to Crow Boy. He’s bound to show up sooner or later.”

Her heart skipped at beat at this thought. If only Roger would magically appear, swooping in to save the day once again.. Roger Smith could surely stand up to the likes of Vera.

They exited the car to find themselves face to face with Alan and Vera. Emilia was faintly seen through the tinted windows of the backseat, her eyes wide, but not as afraid as they’d been hours before.

Alan flexed his mechanical hand, made a gruesome gesture that make even Beck shudder.

Vera snapped her whip lightly, for show. She grinned.

“Hello, my little Angel.”

Angel felt a rush of adrenaline, and realized that suddenly, she was very, very much awake again.




(OOC: Okay, Big Finale, ball's in your park now! Bring it on! )

(OOC: Oh, you did NOT just say that. You want a peice of Vera, you got one!)

Vera
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Hello, my little Angel."

A smirk crossed her face as she said it, contemplating how ironic it was.

"My dear little Angel."

Emilia looked out from Alan's car's tinted windows, watching and waiting to see what would happen.

The dilapidated, damaged, destroyed buildings around them only added to the tension. The whole feel of the place spoke to her, in a way.

"We haven't seen each other in so long, have we?"

She cracked her whip again, to make sure that Angel knew that this wouldn't like the training missions that Angel had so long ago went through under Vera's expert tutelage. It was serious.

She could sense Alan's excitement rising. His attention was probably on this blond buffoon that was with Angel, since he would've expected that she would wish to face Angel herself, regardless of what she'd said before.

Her thoughts drifted idly for a moment. Four blonde people. Two men, two women. Life was funny like that. Not "ha-ha" funny, but "dumb luck" funny.

She brushed back a thin wisp of hair that had came undone from her previous temper-tantrum.

"You are not happy to see me as well?" Vera asked, like was some kind of family reunion. As if on cue, the wind picked up, blowing the hair Vera had just finished straightning out of place again and whipping her coat about. She didn't even bother to pull it back.

"What you have done is inexcusable towards the goals of the Union." Vera had changed her tone, growling through her teeth and fixing her gaze fully on Angel. "You have never reported back of your own accord, your warriors have become worthless drones that make no progress towards the True Memories..."

Her fury was almost tangible, so focused and forceful that it seemed it could even stop the world in it's tracks.

"You are no longer a member of the Union, but merely a devil of this accursed city! From now, you will not be shown mercy!" Not waiting for the other's reaction, Vera charged forward, swinging her whip to wrap it around Angel's wrist.

Behind her, Alan smiled.

(OOC: Darn it, darn it, darn it! I can never make my posts as long as I want.)

"Julia!"

She could hear Snake shouts behind her, right before he began to rage at Roland. She continued to run after Roger, not knowing why she felt pulled toward him. I must follow him. It's only logical for me to find out who he was to me, is it not? she reasoned. But deep down, she knew she was fooling only herself. She followed him to a bridge, stopping to catch her breath and awaiting the negotiator's next move.

_______________
Edit: (pssst! stryker, that's your cue!!)

Dastun: *thinking* Damn now Roger's gotten into this. What in the world have we gotten ourselves into now.

Just then a voice is heard on the other end of the radio. Dastun grabs the mic. again.

"BUSTEMS! Bustems are you there!"

Bustems: "Uhh y-yes sir I'm here."

*several minutes of cursing and yelling later*

"..YOU GOT THAT!!"

Bustems: "Yes Sir!"

"Good."

Dastun slams the door to his car. He's had enough of it. The military police was no longer trustworthy...well not entirely. Dastun looked out into the city as he sighed. He had no clear idea of what to do. He wiped the sweat off his face and sat back in his seat.

"So is this it?"

A couple of police squad cars drove by. Dastun started his car immediately and floored it. He caught up with them and ordered them to pull over. He recongized a few of the officers in the cars. They were old friends of his...the others looked more worried than they should have been. As the cars pulled over Dastun got out drew his gun and ordered those he didn't know out of the cars. AS one of them got out he picked up the officer by the collar and slamed him against the side of the car; the pistol was still aimed at them.

"Alright so tell me...are you with the Union?"

As expected the officer ran with 3 others into an allyway. Dastun fired shots at them, one fell down wounded badly however the others got away.

"Colonel?! Why did you do that?"

Dastun told the 4 officers that were his friends, everything. Afterwards, Dastun went over and took the gun from the wounded union agent.

"So what we're gonna do...is find them, and get rid of them. These bastards have no respect for superior officers, guys, so shoot them as soon as we know their spies. You got that?"

*they salute*

Dastun walked calmly over to his car and took out the radio...

"All military police officers report back to headquarters. Repeat! ALL military police officers RETURN TO HEADQUARTERS, NOW!!! This is an EMERGENCY!"

Dastun then motioned for his comrades to get in and they drove together back to HQ with sirens sounding.

(OOC: I'm guessing that means I can go now...)


BIC: "Alright," Bustems said, "You can go." He seemed disappointed, but Snake didn't care. He got into the Griffion and drove off to find...well...everyone.

After a little bit of driving, Snake found Julia. I'm shocked she got this far. It hasn't been that long since she took off. "Julia," He said, "Get in. I know where you are trying to go, and I'm going there too. It'll be faster."


Alright Roger, where the hell are you? Snake thought...


<TBC>

" Emilia! Emilia, darling!" Cried a desperate woman from the base of an elegant oak staircase. Her eyes darted up at anger and fear. A shy thin girl emerged from her playroom. She wore a yellow sundress and an enviable gold bracelet. Her thick blonde mane was tried back with a thick strip of blue ribbon. "Coming mother." the young girl spoke eloquently for her age. With her favorite doll in arm she strolled towards the stairwell.

She cowered as she spotted her mother. Visably intense. Emilia wandered slowy down the steps until arriving close enough to her mother. Her mother was nervous, her expression was pale and she had comenced to sweat. " Where were you?!" Her mother demanded.
"Whatever do you mean mother?"
" Damn it! Don't lie to me. Casilda told me you wandered off with your little friends at the park."
" Yes but only for a short while."
" A short while?! She told me she looked frantically for you for at least an hour."
"Mommy she doesn't let me do anything."
" I don't give a damn! There is a reason for her to watch you. I'm going to call your father. He's going to put two armed guards on you!"
" Mommy that's so unfair."
" Don't argue with me! You are nothing but spoiled!"
" Mommy if you call daddy...I'll...I'll hate you!"Emilia threatened.
" You may feel that way now...but one day you'll understand me."

Emilia's flashback ended, the scenery moved by rapidly as she thought of her mother's worry that day. Now she had no doubt in her mind as to why she wanted to protect Emilia. She wanted to guard her from Vera. Vera hated her mother, Emilia could tell by the way Vera addressed her. The only thing that didn't make any sense was why Vera and her mother hated eachother so.

The bridge was further away than he had thought, and simply getting there was becoming an exhausting ordeal. Any other time of day, the roads out here in the Illegal Residence sectors were no problem. Traffic was light. But during rush hour, thousands of cars clogged roads ill suited to such traffic as workers fought to get into the domes to the high paying jobs there. Paradigm tolerated people living outside the domes for the most part because it reduced the population density inside them. But it made times like these a royal headache, and Roger was seething at being caught in this sluggish flow. Any other time, the black Griffon commanded respect among Paradigm's motorists, but during rush hour, it was every man for himself.

"I don't have time for this nonsense. Someone's life might depend on me getting to that damned bridge! If only these people knew what was involved here! I have to get out of this quagmire!" If that wasn't enough, he felt the drag of fatigue on his mind, as he would normally have been in bed hours ago, and his coffee was only taking the edge off of the darkness that would soon be trying to pull him down.

He had caught a glimpse of Julia running after him as he drove off, and he'd been tempted to stop and pick her up. But he figured that she meant something more to Snake than a Memory fragment, and a part of him wanted to be alone when he finally met up with Angel, carrying something of a torch for her still, despite their differences and uncertainties. But right now, having someone with him would be reassuring, even a stranger from some weird unit of modified soldiers.

Far overhead, that red balloon was still visible but gradually disappearing, as if reflecting his chances of rescuing that girl. No! Whoever they are, they aren't going to win! I'll call Dan Dastun and a platoon of artillery before I'll admit defeat to terrorists! He found that he was powerless to change matters, and had to settle for getting to his turn-off in a roundabout way, as he was cut off from his turn and had to travel a block further down or be forced to follow the relentless mass of traffic onto the bridge. But once off this main thoroughfare, the road was virtually empty, and he roared down it as fast as he could safely go, headed for the dingy, shadowy world under that huge structure, slowing only as he passed under the shadow of it to keep from alerting any criminals to the roar of a suspicious vehicle, driving too fast in their area.

He keyed his watch communicator and said into it, "Norman? Norman? Damn it, where is that man at... Dorothy! Look, whatever you two are up to, drop it right this minute! This is an emergency!!" He growled as he opened a channel to Dan Dastun, too worried to waste time on his wayward friends, but it seemed that even Dastun was occupied. Finally an enlisted MP answered him, and Roger said, "Pass this message on to Colonel Dan Dastun, please. Tell him that Roger Smith is headed for the area beneath the Main West River Bridge, and that if I don't call back by 8:45 a.m. that something is up. Got that?"

The MP said a bit too cheerfully, "Yes sir, I do. I'll get this right to him."

Roger swallowed nervously. He had no idea if his message would get through or not, from what Dastun had warned him about earlier. But he had to assume the worst, that he was going into a treacherous situation alone, and unarmed. Big O was a marvelous ally, but this wasn't the time or place to call on his overpowering friend. He prayed that his wit and instincts were enough to deal with what he was about to face, because it seemed that this time, they were all he had.

He had no idea what he was about to walk into...

(OOC: Big Finale, hope you don't mind me moving Vera around a little. Feel free to do the same to Angel, of course. And Xel, have a field day with Alan and Beck. )


"You are no longer a member of the Union, but merely a devil of this accursed city! From now, you will not be shown mercy!"

Vera’s whip connected with Angel’s wrist, and white-hot pain shot through Angel’s arm. She found herself unable to pull away in any direction, but was instead dragged toward Vera, stumbling across the rough, pebble-strewn ground until finally she fell to her knees. She hadn't even gotten a chance to pull out her gun.

“A devil named Angel. How ironic.” Vera grinned.

Angel strugged against the whip. She’d managed her way out of it before. Surely she could do it again.

But this isn’t like all those other times, is it? For one, Alan’s not helping you out. He‘s not your partner anymore.

He certainly wasn’t. She couldn’t see just what Alan was doing, but the distressed cry she heard from Beck did not bode well. A flash of yellow moved in her peripheral vision, followed by a blur of pinstripes and then a gunshot. Beck had at least managed to get his gun out, then.

Alan... what happened to you...?

“You had Agent 276’s daughter with you.” Vera’s eyes were drilling holes into Angel wherever Vera looked at her. Angel felt cold through and through. “You should have delivered her to me right away, but you chose to ignore any obligation to the Union.” She tugged on the whip, hard. Angel felt her circulation cut off, and realized she could not feel most of her arm anymore. She winced through the pain, hurried to find a proper response to Vera.

“I-- I was--”

“You were going to. Of course.” Vera leaned in, her long hair brushing against the sides of Angel’s face. “But you didn’t.”

They stared at each other for a few moments, Angel struggling to catch her breath, Vera calm and composed as always. Angel felt her body become tense. Vera was about to strike her, she knew, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Vera’s foot connected with Angel’s gut, and she doubled over, the wind knocked from her. She was unable to even look up before Vera had sent her flying via the whip, which was still tightly bound around Angel’s wrist. Angel landed on her stomach, her face in the dirt. She had barely managed to pull herself into a kneeling position when she felt Vera’s whip lash against her back. She screamed in pain and fell back to the ground.

“Angel!” Beck was struggling against Alan, who was calmly pressing his knife to Beck’s neck.

She managed only to shake her head fiercely. “Don’t worry!” she called weakly.

“How sweet.” Vera sneered in disgust. “This is the kind of riffraff you have lowered yourself to associating with?” The whip cracked again. “I hope he’s worth it.”

Beck? She thinks… that Beck and I…?

Angel debated quickly. On the one hand, even if she shook her head in denial, Vera wouldn’t buy it. She could no longer hear Alan and Beck, and this did not bode well. On the other hand, even if she just went along with the accusation, would that really be any better for Beck?

Either way, Jason Beck was, to put it mildly, screwed.

Angel felt her gun pressing into her. Her right arm, her gun arm, was still tangled in the whip, and she couldn't breathe. She gasped as she reached across herself with her left arm, creeping toward the gun.

But Vera yanked the whip, as Angel knew she would, and she flew backwards, landing on her back, looking once again into Vera's smiling face.

Okay, snake, sorry if I move your character around a bit. I'm trying to make Julia a bit more interesting the short 4 sentence post I'm currently giving.
Ack! I'm gonna give Julia Cheza's speech, since it seems to fit better with how I've created her.
_________________________

Julia sat on the ground, next to a young man. It was obviously Snake, before they were turned into fighters. She was smiling and laughing at one of Snake's jokes.

"You always make me laugh, Snake," she smiled.

"Yes, well, I should know how to make you laugh. Otherwise, how else would we get along?"

Julia stared at the sky. Amazingly it was a clear blue, untainted by the smoke that normally covers it. She smiled again, brushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear.

"I hope the sky will always be this way. But I don't understand the ways of humans, how our minds work. And I know our lives will change," Julia muttered.

Snake put his arm around her comfortingly. "Don't worry about anything like that. We'll always be together..."

Julia thought about it as she stared blankly at Snake. We'll always be together... But she knew it was her time to protect him. She was now a fighter, and she was going to treat this....ability as if it were the best gift she ever had.

"This one knows where Roger is," she said, beginning to run again. "You can follow this one, if you'd like."

Logic now has nothing to do with this. This one must protect anyone, at all cost. Even this one's own. This one am sorry...Snake.

She continued to run, cutting across throught the traffic. This traffic was ridiculous. She suddenly stopped when she made it to the point where the negotiator was stepping out of his car. She ran over to him, stopping at the bumper of his car.

"Negotiator! Are you going to fight?" she shouted.

"Yes. I must," he answered, stopping in his tracks, but not turning around.

"Then this one will come. This one must protect those around her. Snake shall be here in moments to come. Until then, please accept this one's help."

<TBC>

Vera
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She glared down at Angel.

"You look pathetic," Vera leered, kneeling down in front of Angel's head. "Do you know that? Just another dirty lapdog of the Rosewaters."

"So, who is your little boyfriend?"

"Jason... Beck." Angel gasped through the searing pain. If he'd heard me, he'd be yelling 'Beck Gold' even in this situation...

"Beck? The Beck that is supposed to be this city's 'greatest criminal' is that moronic oaf?" Vera grinned as Angel's eyes widened. "You are suprised I know that? But of course you should realize that you weren't the only one I ordered to report back." She cast a quick glance back at the direction Alan and Beck had went, telling Angel all she needed to know.

"Agent 271" her eyes narrowed, Angel noticed -- probably at the closeness to Emilia's mother's number-- "--isn't your friend anymore, mon petite Angel." With those words, Vera stood back up, snapping the whip so that Angel was dragged into an unsteady standing position as well. She flinched, her eyes closing, preparing herself for another strike.

Nothing happened. In fact, she could almost feel the blood returning to her arm. She could feel the blood! Angel opened her eyes.

Vera had pulled back the long leather cord and was slowly winding it back up. She paid no mind to Angel for those few seconds, tucking the whip back inside her coat.

"Naturally, despite your traitorous ways," Vera resumed, gazing through half-lidded eyes at Angel, "the goal of the Union has not changed. We will find the True Memories... and we will use them."

"Use them?"

"Foolish girl, of course. What do you think the goal of the Union has been? To strike a treaty? To ingratiate ourselves into this world? No. Vengeance. Revenge on those that have betrayed us and banished us to the wastelands. We will use the True Memories, buried deep within the surface of their own city, to destroy them. And now, you along with them."

Vera sauntered up to Angel, caressing her cheek lightly with her fingers.

"My dear, sweet, stupid Angel." Vera whispered in an -almost- gentle tone. With her other hand, she reached underneath Angel's coat, feeling around for a few seconds. Finally, she came to a stop, and Angel felt a weight being lifted from her body.

Angel's gun was in her hand. Vera considered the weapon for a moment, before casually tossing it off the side of the bridge. It splashed in the stagnant water, sending ripples through the surface.

Abrubtly, Vera suddenly punched Angel, as hard in the gut as the kick had been. Angel doubled over again, nearly collapsing from the pain, only Vera's support, so to speak, keeping her on her feet.

There was a pause, and then, with a sudden burst of desperate strength, Angel grabbed onto Vera's shoulders, swinging the older woman around. Taken aback, Vera didn't react, leaving Angel an easy opening to nail her in the face with a high heel-kick. Vera staggered back, her curls flailing, barely able to keep from dropping to the ground as well.

Wiping the blood from her lip, Vera stared at Angel, the manic gleam back in her eyes once more.

(OOC: Whahahahaha! How's that, sucka!

This post partially inspired by Vera's dialogue in Act 23, 24, something like that, which stryker was kind enough to supply. I love you! But not that way.

It's all yours again, Tifaria.)

"What have we here? The other canary."

As Angel and Vera moved out of sight, Alan bit into his full, red bottom lip in hungry anticipation. Without a word, he drew his pistol and held it right between Beck's eyes. If he was fast enough, he might be able to dodge this. No point in ending it all right away. Vera had Angel in spite of her promise-- his grin flickered momentarily-- so that left only a huge, empty space to fill until it was all over. It would only do to drag out the entertainment. Alan so hated being bored.

He pulled the trigger and the hot smell of gunfire without the expected accent of blood flared up into his face. Beck became this brilliantly futile golden blur just long enough to shoot at Alan's metal hand, knocking his gun away to some unknown locale that didn't really matter in the end. The discolored scorchlike mark across his knuckles, though-- that was slightly bothersome. The only change in his expression came from his eyes, which no one could see.

He saw himself outside of his body as his arm flashed out to grasp a handful of Beck's jacket as the thief tried in vain to roll out of his path. They collapsed together, Alan poised like a scorpion above his thrashing prey, who abruptly stiffened and stilled, taut like a wire, when the needle-point of the rapier pressed into his throat. He ground out words, lips moving over gritted teeth:

"--use them--"

But they were Angel's words, Angel, from above and behind and not before and below. Beck's voice was lost to him completely under "use them" and leather on skin and the little red bead that welled up and grew and grew on that white throat with Alan's. Every. Penetration--

"An...g..."

Suddenly Angel's face melted into Beck's. His smile faltered once in something almost like confusion, and Beck wisely took that moment's indecision to shift his weight enough to physically heave the man over his head. Alan felt gravel against the back of his neck and the tip of a rapier on his Adam's apple and a furious snarl coming from somewhere above him.

He grinned, and then burst into laughter.

---
(Er. O.o; I kinda weirded myself out with this one. *sweats* Tif, don't let Beck kill Alan just yet! XD)

Roger made his way down a long, sloping road that ran along side the immense eight lane bridge and its gigantic support structure, hopefully far enough away that if there was anything criminal going on, he could sneak up on them. He parked beside one of the huge cement bridge supports and got out of the car, triggering his almost foolproof anti-theft shield. Then he faced into the grim darkness under the bridge, so large that it blotted out the sky, sheltering it's own little world. He didn't relish the thought of having to face the threats prowling in that gloom, cluttered with shacks built from discarded sheetmetal, ringing from the noise of the incessant traffic and creak of the bridge it crossed.

He heard the sounds of heavy footsteps rounding the corner of the support structure and readied for a fight, but he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Julia. She said before he could get anything out, "Negotiator! Are you going to fight?"

"Yes. I must," he replied, standing there, facing that dark shoreline realm under the bridge. "I must set that girl free, and stop the outsiders, before they kill again. They have before. And I have a feeling that they're down there, waiting."

She said in a manner faintly reminiscent of Dorothy's mechanical rhythm, "Then this one will come. This one must protect those around her. Snake shall be here in moments to come. Until then, please accept this one's help."

He looked to her sharply... This one? She was a cyborg? Snake too? He smiled to himself, thinking, Well, they are modified, after all. "Thanks, Julia, your help is greatly appreciated, both yours and Snake's."

There were some homeless bums who sheltered there, and they watched the man dressed head to foot in black and the unearthly girl approach them fearfully. Roger spoke to them in soothing tones, asking them if anything was going on. One of them pointed to the far side of the area. "Cars... drove over there just a while ago."

Roger nodded to them in thanks, seeing a vehicle where the man had pointed, one roughly matching Dastun's description. The distance would give him a chance to sneak over there and hopefully observe things without being seen.

"Oh my God!" he gasped at the sharp crack of a pistol shot, and he tore off towards that scene opposite. So much for being stealthy...

OOC: stryker! I love the way you use my words! You make it so much better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Julia ran beside the negotiator, her long black sweater flailing behind her. She easily kept up with him, not knowing what next to do but to follow his lead. The two stopped short when they reached the scene before them. A golden haired man was standing above a man in a mask, along with two women fighting. The four had obviously not noticed the two new people who had appeared on the scene. Julia quickly approached Roger, tapping him once on the shoulder. He turned toward her and she pointed toward the car.

"That girl is in trouble."

Roger nodded in acknowledgement. Julia squatted down beside him, trying to calculate what to do next. But then, her mind wandered to something else.

Why did she feel the need to protect and/or help him? Why did he seem so familiar?

This one is confused. This one needs answers.

"Miss Marcato is it?"

Julia stared at the man. His face was slightly shrouded, but there was no mistaking the voice. It was Roger.

"Yes, this is her. What business do you have here?" she asked. "Did my husband call you?"

"Yes, he had..."

Julia shook her head. What was that? Did this one...was that a memory?
~~~~~~~~~

Edit#2: Alrighty then! I've edited it now, thank you stryker for your advice. ^_^

Later Days,
JA