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

"Snake...allow this one to fight in your place. Do not move! This one does not want you dead!"

She got into her own position to accelerate. It wasn't a big verbal motion, instead she lowered her arms and turned to Roger. "Roger...please, protect these people. They are your friends, and you must protect those. This one doesn't want anyone to die, okay?"

She turned back to Vera. "Make your move...if you'd like."

Julia could taste blood in her mouth for some reason. It was unnatural, the coppery taste. "Please...don't fail me..." she whispered.

Roger shook his head almost frantically as Julia and Snake both readied for an attack. They might be able to handle a simple pistol shot, but he felt terribly vulnerable and exposed. Like any man, he feared death and didn't want to die, but much more, he anguished over the thought that this sadistic woman or that murderous cyborg would kill that poor girl or Angel in cold blood, simply out of spite if nothing else, and they had already suffered far too much. And there was even Beck's wellbeing to consider. No, it couldn't happen, he wouldn't let it! He began to edge in front of the hostage as she blinked back tears of pain from the dagger still impaled in her shoulder, and turned aside from the woman so that Angel was shielded from her as she clung to him. That woman hated these two, and he felt duty bound to protect them with his life. He said guardedly to the pair of mercenaries, "Snake, Julia... please, don't attack her just yet. I'm a Negotiator. Maybe I can resolve this without violence. I can't let these girls get hurt any more. Julia, if you would, please, take the knife from this poor girl's shoulder."

He looked to the foreign agent aiming her pistol on them, doing his best to swallow his hatred of her, saying in as calm a voice as he could manage, "What about my questions? Just what is it that you want? Do you care to talk about it?"

Now... if only the mercenaries would listen to him, and not take matters into their own hands, and solve the situation their way... and, if only these foreign agents could be reasoned with...

"Roger," Snake said, "As I have told you before, I too am a negotiator. However, this woman cannot be negotiated with."

Snake started glowing with a red aura around him. Big Soh was giving him energy. They were one. They/he was Berzerker. Snake took off his sunglasses, now with two flame coated lenses instead of just the one over his scarred eye. His eyes were a combination of blood red and a burning red. They made him look like a demon. "Duplicate." He said. Suddenly, there was another Snake. It seemed real, but Snake knew it was temporary. He only needed enough time to get to this woman ("Vera" some inner voice had said.) and disarm her, so that there was some hope of a negotiation. That was why he needed Big Soh's energy: so he could tap into Berzerker and duplicate. Now, Snake thought, I can make my move.

Snake dropped to the ground, and it wasn't very hard to hide--between his acceleration and the fact that he wore all black.

3........2........


<TBC>

"Snake, Julia... please, don't attack her just yet. I'm a Negotiator. Maybe I can resolve this without violence. I can't let these girls get hurt any more. Julia, if you would, please, take the knife from this poor girl's shoulder," Roger asked her quietly.

Julia straightened a little. "Yes."

She strolled over to Emilia, putting her hand on the dagger embedded in the girl's shoulder. She nodded in consent before Julia swept it out in one clean swipe. She looked at the blood on her shoulder, then took the soft belt off her jacket and tied it around Emilia's shoulder.

"There. Is this better?" she asked.

She then turned to Roger, who was facing Vera and speaking, and Julia could tell he held a tinge of panic in his voice.

""What about my questions? Just what is it that you want? Do you care to talk about it?" he asked, trying to reason.

Julia turned toward Snake afterwords, trying to reason with him as well. "Please Snake, listen to him. You may make your move the moment he is in danger. Please, this one promised people everything would be okay. This one won't go back on her word."

She then stood in front of Emilia to protect her, in case any bullet or something went astray from what she was hoping for, which was most likely. She just hoped that Vera could be reasoned with. She suddednly heard a shout of anger on the other side, turning to find a man in gold struggling with a cyborg man.

"Who are those two?" she asked the young girl beside her.

"Beck and....Alan," she breathed out.

Julia nodded, knowing that it was obvious the one called "Beck" was the one she needed to worry about. That surprised her, since she wasn't expecting to have to worry about anyone besides the four in front of her. It added another duty. She sighed, shaking her head then turned back to the scene before her, keeping an eye on Beck.

<TBC>

He looked to Snake anxiously, a man who was used to solving matters with the methods of combat, and what that foreign agent had done had clearly angered him. He could hear it in the mercenary's reply. "Roger, as I have told you before, I too am a negotiator. However, this woman cannot be negotiated with."

He knew it in his heart, that Snake was probably right, but... no, not now, please don't attack now! The vulnerable, exposed feeling was ten times worse, as the mercenary from the Legion of Hell readied to act. He felt like he was trapped in the middle of a firing range, as he cradled Angel to him anxiously, and just as powerless to protect her, or any of them.

Some supernal power welled up in Snake, and to Roger's astonishment, a duplicate appeared beside him. He drew a hard, shuddering breath as the fighter crouched down to attack, and closed his eyes briefly in prayer. Please... please, no more pain, no more death, no more heartache, please...

The woman gripped her pistol more tightly, training it between the two mercenaries, snapping angrily, "I would suggest that you desist, you foolish soldier-for-hire! Your brash actions shall only end up getting yourself or your wife killed! You have no hope of success!"

Alan peered around the still fearfully retreating Beck, and burst out laughing. "Oh, Agent 12! Don't tell me you're fooled by this cyborg's simple parlor trick! The one on the left is an illusion."

The woman bore a haughty smile as she trained her pistol on the real Snake Mercado. "Hmph. I should have known that the technology of Paradigm was incapable of something so ambitious as an actual duplication. But that was a heroic ploy, I will grant you." She cried angrily, "Now stop this worthless attempt at bravery or I will shoot you dead where you stand!"

Roger looked into Angel's eyes, clenching his teeth at the frightened way she was gazing back into his, trying to look encouraging but afraid he wasn't pulling it off. He prayed that whatever happened in the next few moments, that he wouldn't let her down this time, even if it cost him his life, but that he would have at least one more chance to hold her in his arms like this, with no wounds or danger to ruin things. He said to her in a voice barely above a whisper as he cradled her against him firmly, "Angel, be ready to drop with me..."

"I would suggest that you desist, you foolish soldier-for-hire! Your brash actions shall only end up getting yourself or your wife killed! You have no hope of success!"

Julia stared at her husband, hoping he wouldn't do something rash. She didn't fear death, but she didn't want to die either. She watched as Roger held Angel closer to him, whispering "Angel, be ready to drop with me..."

Drop? Julia didn't understand. If he meant "die" then she wouldn't allow it. She understood this city needed someone like Roger, and Snake. Roger wasn't as brash as Snake was, whereas Snake was a little tougher. They evened out.

"This one has no time for this," she muttered under her breath.

She stood still even so, awaiting for another move to be made. She began thinking on her life for some reason or another. Perhaps old human habits hadn't all faded.

Snake and Julia sat on the porch of a mansion, one that looked much like Roger's. They were drinking something that looked like iced tea, with lemon and sugar. They were laughing and obviously having a wonderful time together.

"Snake...it's been a wonderful time with you. But I must take my leave now," she smiled, standing and bowing a little.

"Aw, must you?" he asked, his eyes begging.

"Yes, unfortunately. But I'll return...tomorrow perhaps? I don't think I have anything planned as of yet, and I highly doubt something will pop up before that," she said, kissing Snake's cheek.

She smiled, waving at him as she walked out onto the street. She could still feel Snake's gaze on her back as she walked across the street. She turned into the alley. The loud noise of a shot gun rang out and Julia's surprised expression could be seen, even in the dark. She leaned against the wall, staring at the wound on her shoulder. It was by a narrow margin that it missed her neck.

She looked up and realized something. A man was walking toward.

"I've found the first of them."

Julia began to run, run as fast as she could. Her lungs once again screamed for air as she did so.

"Get away from me!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face.

Her foot flew up and connected with the man's stomach. He only smiled a bright smile, as if he couldn't feel it...

Julia shook her head once again. ANother memory? It had to be...but...from how long ago? She forced her attention back onto the fight at hand, before suddenly biting herself on the wrist, letting the blood flow.

"To keep this one alert," she explained quickly to a confused and panicked Roger. "This one is not sure she can be reasoned with, but allow me to help Angel. This one will take her to Snake's car, where she will be better protected."

Her eyes were begging, almost like the day she had left Snake, unknowing that she wouldn't see him again until almost forever later. She didn't want the same to happen to anyone else.

Julia could remember the sound of her own labored breath as she ran, trying to escape the man in pursuit of her. She didn't understand what she had to do with him, but he was after her, and her instincts told her to run. It seemed as if all of Paradigm was blind to her case, as if they couldn't see it at all.

"Help!" she screamed.

"Your shouts are futile!"

She continued to run, before tripping over a bat left on the ground. She picked it up, holding it steady as the man fast approached. She dodged his fist and smacked him as hard as she could with the bat. Blood dripped from his hair as he fell, and when she leaned in closer...she realized she'd killed him. Sh gasped, dropping the bat and covering her mouth with her hands. She could taste her own blood, seeing his on the ground. She ran again, wanting to forget. She collapsed about a mile later, only to be found again.

Julia shook her head. That was the first time she'd ever kill. She didn't want to feel the same horror again. She didn't want Roger or Emilia to feel that same horror either, with their hands unsullied by blood or violence. She promised herself that neither would dirty their hands by commiting the same crime she had.

<TBC>

_____________

Wo0t! I finally showed a lot about Julia!

Later Days:

JA

He looked to Julia, bewildered at what she was asking of him, as the foreign agent yelled threats at Snake Mercato and Alan Gabriel relentlessly stalked Jason Beck. He clutched Angel to him protectively, causing her to gasp in pain, and he murmured an appology as he held her more gently. He didn't want to let her go, to leave his embrace and have to walk through this deadly scene without him, even if Julia could protect her better. This woman hated Angel, and wouldn't just let her hostage walk away, especially one who had betrayed her. And it was worse than that. This was a situation about to explode. He couldn't let Angel slip from his arms, never to see her again, a cruel bullet in her breast...

He said to Julia guardedly, "I can't. I would, but things are about to fall apart. And Snake is about to attack that foreigner. She's ready to shoot anything that moves. Just stay where you are, please." He gazed into Angel's eyes again, turning his back a bit more on the foreigner to shield her better, wishing that things could be so very different right now. "But don't ask me to let her go, I can't."

"Angelica." Emilia peered in through the corridor the crack in the door to her father's room. She was too frightened to enter but she hadn't the slightest clue of what her father had meant to say...who was
'Angelica'? She watched as his head rose and fell with each breath. He stared intently at an item in his hand...a photo perhaps? Emilia traced her mother's figure sauntering slowly down the emense corridor. Her glance intensely focused on her daughter she seemed to express a grand disaproval.
" Emilia, you must go with Casilda, it is time for dinner."
" I'm going to be eating alone again tonite?" The young girls eyes swelled with unwept tears.
"I'll escort you." Emilia's mother extended her hand to her young dauther, her skin was as soft as the finest silk yet her grasp was cool and weak.
" Robert." Her mother called," You're a fool if you think I don't know about..." She paused and glanced fleetingly at her young daughter her looked at her mother with inquiring eyes "votre fille." Her mother spoke her voice was filled with a gentle angst yet Emilia had never heard those words spoken before...and she never found out.

Emilia awoke from her stupor. Emilia managed the strength to arise gently from the floor careful not to compromise any one or herself. She felt the whole where Julia had extracted the knife logged in her shoulder and touched her hand to it. Fortunately it had clotted and no longer bleed yet her coat was near-black with moist blood. She caught Roger's words as he told Julia "I can't. I would, but things are about to fall apart. And Snake is about to attack that foreigner. She's ready to shoot anything that moves. Just stay where you are, please."
Emilia felt the truth in his words as she remembered Angel's torture and the kife once logged in her shoulder. Emilia held her position firmly watching the events unfold.

"But just don't ask me to let her go. I can't," Roger muttered, cradling Angel in his arms.

Julia nodded in understanding. "But promise me one thing. That you won't kill anyone."

Roger stared at her. She allowed him a moment to think as she began to move toward Snake. She stopped when she heard the familiar click of a gun. She turned to find Vera pointing at her.

"Don't move!"

Alan was actually getting bored toying with the golden twit while Vera vacillated between wanting to shoot the mercenaries and merely threatening them all. It had been deliciously thrilling watching Agent 12 torture that fallen Angel with her whip. Since he had given up being a human, with the extensive work to enhance his body, his attitudes towards many things had changed just as drastically. But sadism, brutality, torture... those were so much sweeter than simple carnal feelings to him now! Watching Angel writhe under that lashing was... indescribable ecstacy, a work of true art, which he still savored with a tremor. My my, human beings had no clue what they were missing! But sadly, these actors didn't seem to know what to do with themselves, even when faced with an obvious script to follow, that even a simpleton should know how to act out! What was the matter with these dimwitted, incompetent Phillistines! These weren't difficult roles to understand!

Vera should just shoot Julia, giving her a crippling wound. This would undoubtedly cause Snake to go berzerk and retaliate, going after Agent 12. Even if she failed to kill the foolhardy mercenary, surely she could put a couple of well placed shots in him, slowing him down.

He could ignore the simpering Jason Beck and finish off the Mercenary from Hell, sending him there himself. Surely that wouldn't require too much effort, although he hoped it would, and he would make sure it lasted a deliciously satisfying length of time.

This would draw out the ever predictable Negotiator, Roger Smith, incapable of resisting the role of perpetual hero as he tried valiantly to save his mercenary friend, but alas, to no avail. And once again, Vera would have an opportunity to use her pistol skills, and against one of the key obstacles to their cause, the hated dominus of Big O. She should be grateful for a chance to place a bullet or two in the back of his skull. Or simply in his back, if she wanted a chance to gloat, and there was nothing quite like standing over a dying man, watching his eyes quiver in mortal terror as you twisted emotional knives into him. And then that coward Beck would undoubtedly run off, leaving the helpless, wounded, bleeding girls completely at his mercy. Or, he thought with a grin, he could run after the clown, and see how much blood would pour from that underweight body of his. Especially when he struggled...

Alan frowned in disappointment as it seemed no one wanted to follow his clever script. Vera was a fairly good leader, but there were times she was overly cautious and impossibly dense, and she lacked a certain panache. But he began to giggle again, a smile returning to those flaming red lips of his as he turned his attention back on the over dressed, pompous criminal who thought far too much of himself. "It looks like it's up to you to take center stage, and provide the starring role for this event." He leaned forward, jeering, "Don't you feel special?"

Beck's eyes grew wide at the implication of the cyborg's remarks and slashed at his foe with the rapier, doing as little with it as before, and then taking another shot at him. The bullet tore through a part of Alan's shoulder, causing him to jerk back from the impact, and for a moment he actually looked disoriented. But to Beck's horror, the ghastly pin-striped mannequin simply regained his composure and kept coming for him, giving off a blood-chilling laugh. "Oh Jason, that hurt!"

He readied for Alan's attack, fighting back the nervous taste of bile. When it came, he feinted, and that dagger-like metal hand just missed, only managing to slice a few threads and a button from his golden jacket as he turned to bolt. "Screw this! If you want a leading man to take the fall, get Crow Boy here!"

Roger blinked, looking up as he saw the criminal running for his life around them, with Alan Gabriel in hot pursuit, cackling like a maniac. My God, he didn't know what he was stumbling into! "Beck, no!"

As Emilia whimpered and hid as best she could behind Roger's legs, Angel fought to see around his protective embrace. "Jason, no, you idiot-!"

Vera grit her teeth and spouted something obviously foul in that odd native tongue, trying frantically to keep track of Snake Mercato while Beck dashed around Roger and Angel in an attempt to evade Alan Gabriel, and straight at her. She planted herself and aimed her automatic right between the startled crook's eyes, exclaiming, "Mon dieu, you stupid oaf, get down!! Right-!!" And then she gasped as Snake made his move, appearing behind the gaudy pair, aiming for him as she began to squeeze the trigger...

Snake took off in a blur towards Vera. In the moment it took to squeeze the trigger, Snake had reached Vera and hit her arm enough to make her miss anything except the air. He then grabbed her arm and twisted it while she was holding the gun. He pointed the gun at her own head. "I did not want to resort to these methods, but knowing you, I had no choice. I do not know why you are here, but I do want you to stop. Now, you can give up, or you can die. And it won't be by my hand. It will be by your own..."


<TBC>

"NO! Snake, please don't do it!" Julia shouted, tears welling up in her eyes. "Please, for this one's sake, don't!"

Julia sank to her knees, her hands on her face. The tears that fell from her ruby eyes darkened the dirt they way blood darkens a white shirt. She sobbed, wishing, hoping Snake didn't harm anyone. Please...I don't want the death of another to be on your hands. God, forsake us now...please!

"Snake...Marcato...it hurts...so much. My heart aches so much I could die..." she whispered, barely audible to anyone. "This one is afraid...so, so afraid for you...and everyone else. This one is no good...do you think this one could ever be happy this way?"

She looked up at the scene. For a moment, her eyes seemed to flash back to a beautiful saphire before becoming the ruby they were. She sobbed quietly now, gasping for air. It can't end this way! I won't let it!

Roger exhaled sharply when Snake burst around the pair and grabbed the foreigner just as her pistol went off. He flinched from the loud burst of fire so close to them and the sound of the bullet whizzing by to riccochet off of the concrete floodwall behind them, clutching Angel to him as the hostage girl clung to his leg, and then looked up anxiously, almost panting to see what was going on. But he heaved a deep sigh of relief at what he saw.

Everyone was alright, although the foreign agent was in Snake's clutches and in an awkward situation to say the least, as he had her gun arm held tightly, with the pistol aimed at her own head. His voice was cold as steel. "I did not want to resort to these methods, but knowing you, I had no choice. I do not know why you are here, but I do want you to stop. Now, you can give up, or you can die. And it won't be by my hand. It will be by your own."

To his surprise, Julia was weeping beside him, whispering something to herself. "...This one is afraid...so, so afraid for you...and everyone else. This one is no good...do you think this one could ever be happy this way?"

He said to her softly, "Julia, it's all right. Snake isn't going to kill her, unless she tries something." She fascinated him, a warrior with a conscience and compassion. Perhaps memories were slumbering in her mind of the war and its brutalities, and she couldn't bear any more. He smiled to himself. If only more people thought like that...

He smiled to Angel in this brief respite as well, easing his embrace around her, murmuring, "Well, it looks like we might be able to get out of this without a fight after all."

She slumped against him wearily, murmuring, "Thank heaven..." He could sympathize, after all the poor girl had been through, and he felt the drag of fatigue on his mind as well. If only they could resolve this. Now to see just what kind of negotiator Snake was...

His attention was drawn to Alan Gabriel, the tall, gangly cyborg, his dishevelled blond hair hanging partly across that black band obscuring his eyes... if he even had them still! He seemed to slump in disappointment that there had been no fighting, pain or death. It was uncanny how strong that impression was, as if he was only alive when lives were being threatened. What kind of monster was he--

But then he stiffened as a grin began spreading across those apple-red lips, and he seemed to quiver in silent giggling as he straightened. Beck was still standing where he was, and Roger felt a twinge of angst for the unwary crook. He hissed under his breath, "No... he wouldn't dare try anything..."

I have to fight it. I don't want to kill Vera, but I will if I must. This is the lab talking.

"Julia. I have no intention to kill. However, I will if I must." Snake gripped Vera's arm harder, and squeezed it tightly, forcing her to drop the gun and scream in pain. He grabbed Vera's other arm and threw her aside. He didn't want her to kill anyone, especially Julia.

After throwing her aside, Snake grabbed Vera's pistol and put it in one of his pockets. She won't have this anymore. She won't need it. Snake thought.

"Get in the tank." The scientist said.
"Screw you." Snake responded.
"I knew you would respond that way. Here." The scientist said as he zapped Snake with a tazer.
"Ugh." Snake said as he fell into the freezing tank. "Julia!!!!"

That was the last thing I said before I was frozen. And I hate that tank.

As Vera fell, another blade streaked out from beneath her coat, grazing Snake's side and slicing open his clothes, a thin line of blood slowly seeping out from his tiny wound and staining the material. Though it clearly wasn't enough to faze the man, or even cause him noticible pain, Vera had never intended it to, as she had flipped back up onto her feet in the moment of distraction and delivered a vicious roundhouse kick to the side of the mercenary's face.

The only thing that moved was his head.

"Heh, heh... so it is true, as I have heard and as I have seen. You are a monster." Vera muttered as Snake gradually turned his face back to stare at her, not even a bruise visible on his cheek. "Do you think your eyes can scare me? Avoiding their effects is simple, yes?" She smirked, gaze locked with his. "All that's needed is to know that they have a hypnotizing effect, and voila; you are immune."

"Who the hell are you?" Snake growled under his breath. "How do you know about me?"

Ignoring him, Vera took a few shuffling steps backwards, casting her gaze randomly about but keeping her focus on Snake. "Agent 270! Finish your buisiness! We shall be leaving soon!"

"No, you will not," her opponent snarled, "and I asked you who the hell you were."

"I'm a monster too."

(OOC: That sets it up for another Alan move, I think.)

(Hmmmm. I anticipated an attack, but just a light one? Other than that, I pretty much saw the thing with Vera coming.)


"Hmmmm. You can't be one of the experiments. They shouldn't have survived. I am an exception. I'm not like the others."

Snake demonstrated this by giving her a blow that sent her flying on her back.

"You most certainly are more different than anyone. I would expect nothing less." Vera said.

"Good. Then get up and tell me what you mean when you say that you too are a monster."

Roger didn't have time to take in the drama playing out between Snake Mercato and the foreigner, watching Alan Gabriel anxiously, as he bore a sullen, upset look like a child told he had to do his chores. But there was an intensity building in his manner. He's going to do it, try something, that fool! He whispered to Angel, "I'm going to let you go in a moment, be ready for it."

Angel blinked up at him through weary eyes, but they were alarmed at his words. "Roger, what are you up to?" Julia looked up to him in worry as well. "No, don't do anything. Let this one fight for you." Roger ignored them, watching the cyborg for some sign of action.

Alan complained to the agent in his strange high tenor, "Vera, why on earth would we leave such wonderful company as this, before we've finished what we started? Or have you forgotten that already?" Roger almost choked on a breath as he turned that ghastly blindfolded countenance on them, his ruby lips curling in a chilling, cruel smile, much too full of sinister intent.

Vera snarled to him as she faced off against Snake, "Then quit dawdling and do something more than toy with these people, Agent 271! Or assist me with this bothersome pest!"

He replied in a disturbingly cheerful way, "Your wish is my command." As Alan began to move forward, Beck heard the crunch of gravel behind him and whirled around, whining in exasperation, "Oh no, not again."

Angel gasped out Roger's name as he let her go, beginning to launch himself at the malevolent cyborg, but something caught his leg and he fell to the ground. She squealed... it was the hostage, she had grabbed onto his leg in reflex at loosing her shelter, and whimpered to him, "I'm sorry."

He looked up in alarm as Alan turned his attention onto him with a bone chilling leer. "You know... I was just thinking that I was devoting far too much time to this silly so-called master criminal, and after all, the reason I called this little meeting was because of Angel, to bring her over for a little heart to heart with our leader. She hasn't been keeping up with her assignments, I'm afraid, and she had to understand the consequences." He licked his lips at the memory of Angel lying prone with the leather of that whip caressing her flesh so... hard... "I'm sure you understand, don't you?"

Roger was furious at what Alan was so obviously insinuating and scrambled to his feet. "Damn you... that woman, Vera, she was wrong when she called Snake a monster. The monster is you, and I hold you just as responsible for Angel's vicious mistreatment. And I'll have you know that her association with your little gang of troublemakers is at an end!"

Alan burst out laughing at Roger's declaration. "My, but aren't you the bossy Negotiator. Not very impartial, meddling in affairs that are none of your concern. But if you think you're up to the challenge, then..." His metallic hand flashed back into that razor-edge once more, and he snarled through a tight, murderous, grit-toothed smile, "By all means, bring it ON!"

Roger knew that he'd bitten off a lot more than he could chew, but he wasn't about to let that fiend Alan Gabriel have his way without a fight. If he had any sense he would let Julia take up the fight for him, but that just wasn't in his nature, to let a woman get in harm's way. Roger ordered to Julia as he ran past her, "Protect the girls!"

Angel cried out from her knees where she fell, "Roger, please don't! You know he likes to kill people!" She searched around anxiously as Emilia watched her. "The gun... Alan's gun, where is it?"

Alan cackled with insane glee as he dashed for the foolhardy Negotiator, rushing towards him as if he could do anything as unarmed as he was. "Angel isn't going to be too impressed with your performance, away from your precious, ego boosting megadeus! Especially when I slice you open from your throat to your scrot-uh!"

Roger was astonished to see Jason Beck launch himself into the cyborg's back, causing Alan to stumble. Beck flipped Roger a jovial salute as he turned to flee once more. "Hey, don't say I never did you any favors."

Alan turned to retaliate against the crook as he scampered away. "Now that's hardly sporting, attacking me from both sides-" He's cut off once more as Roger punched him in the jaw, though he isn't prepared for the shock of it, shaking his hand to settle the jolt to his nerves. It felt like he had slugged a mannequin! Alan turned on the Negotiator, snarling with impatience, "Would you people please let me finish a god-cursed sentence!"

Snake looked over his shoulder briefly as he was sure Vera couldn't do anything worthwhile, hearing that the Negotiator had taken on Alan Gabriel, and is shocked to see that he's unarmed! "Roger, are you crazy-?" He gasped as he felt a sharp blow to his head and the ring of metal. He couldn't feel pain as much as he could before, but his body could still sense the discomfort of serious blows and wounds, to keep him from continuing on with a critical injury, and he groaned as he collected himself.

Vera hefted an iron pipe with a gratified smirk. "So, you can suffer injuries, unlike an android." And like Alan, who should be careful not to underestimate these people. This was becoming an even greater fiasco than their race through the streets of this decadent city! She noticed Angel looking around for something, and then her breath caught in her throat as she saw what the traitor had been looking for... Alan's golden gun, and Angel had seen it at that same instant! She bolted for it with a cry as it was closer to Angel...

"So, you can suffer injuies, unlike an android." Vera said with a sick, saddistic smile.

"Yeah. After all, I was a normal human you...." Snake stopped to catch his breath. He had a massive headache now. He put his hand on his head. His head was bleeding. I never do get a break do I? I take blows in my megadeus. I take a pipe to the head. What luck.

"What's wrong, Mercenary? I thought that the legendary Snake Marcato, the Mercenary of Hell, was unstoppable. What a shame. Do you have any last words?" asked Vera.

"Shut up. I have left my life of killing. The lab is no longer usable. I don't want to revert to those methods, but in your case, I'll make an exception. I see that you couldn't fight me hand to hand, which means that you are only human. But I have already demonstrated that. That also means that you can die just as easily. Now, go to--" Snake was interrupted by a blow from Vera that hit him in the ribs. The blow, plus all the other injuries he's sustained throught the day caused him to pass out.


"Julia, give it back." Snake said.
"Come get it." Julia replied.

They had been sitting underneath a tree up on a hill, having a picnic. Julia had a pendant that he used to wear. She was holding it out of his reach, teasing him. Snake stood up with his head down. "What's wrong?" asked Julia. Snake smiled and gently took Julia to the ground, pinning her. "Gotcha." Snake said. He took the pendant and kissed Julia.

"Come on, let's at least finish our picnic before you start playing." Snake said.
Julia laughed, "You always liked food, didn't you?"
"Of course. You need food to survive."

That doesn't seem true anymore. Now that all this has happened. I'm rarely hungry anymore. Why couldn't they have left Julia and I alone? Do I serve a purpose here? A real purpose?

"I don't know." Snake muttered. Vera had walked away from him, at least, that what he thought. He couldn't sense her presence. He wasn't going to move either. He was actually hurting. He felt like he couldn't move, but he knew that wasn't true. He could always move. He just didn't want to. But he would upon the first scream he would hear. It didn't matter how badly he was hurt, he didn't want the girls hurt. If he had to, he would call Big Soh to stop this. Snake knew that he had to find a way to get rid of Vera, but how? He can hardly move. Vera's caused too many wounds for him to move just for the sake of moving. He almost wanted to hear a scream, just so that he would be motivated to get up. Snake couldn't get up unless he knew that someone was in danger.

Things were quickly dissolving into pandemonium around her. Was Roger crazy? Surely he didn’t think he could take on Alan without a weapon!

“This one should be in his place,” Julia said in a low voice. She crouched next to Angel and Emilia anyway, her eyes darting back and forth between Alan and Vera. “But this one will do what the Negotiator says.”

Angel felt her knees buckle under her; she’d become used to having Roger as her support. She sank onto the ground, crying out as she fell, "Roger, please don't! You know he likes to kill people!" She began to frantically scramble around, a stunned Emilia watching her. “The gun… Alan’s gun, where is it?” Her voice was nearing hysteria; she’d been standing there useless for too long , and had to do something fast.

Julia hadn’t heard her, but Emilia was frowning, scouting the ground with fierce eyes. “What are you going to do, Angel?” The mousy girl was still clutching her shoulder, though she seemed to be in less pain.. or at least, she was not showing that she was in pain.

“I’m going to take care of this,” Angel muttered. She began to crawl around beneath all the fighting-- where was that cursed gun? Surely a long, golden gun would be easy to spot among all the gray-brown terrain!

There was a whirlwind of activity beyond her vision, as Beck launched himself into Alan’s back and made his escape just as Vera struck Snake with the iron bar. Snake collapsed, unconscious, and Julia emitted a shriek, clasping her hands tightly over her mouth before much sound could be loosed into the air. She started, nearly jumping up to deliver her own blow to Vera, but remembering Roger’s orders, she settled back, muscles tensed, and stayed where she was.

“Angel! Over there-- it’s over there!” Emila hissed suddenly, pointing wildly.

Angel nodded and, taking a deep breath, sprang up and dove for the gun, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Vera had also spotted it, her head whipping around, angrily spraying her gold curls everywhere. Angel landed with a heavy thud on the compact earth, her chest slamming directly into the ground as she grasped the slippery gold metal in one hand, holding it tight in an already sweaty palm. Her heart thumped erratically-- she had to move fast, before--

Vera landed nearly completely on top of her, the iron bar slamming into the wound on Angel’s back. Somehow, Angel managed to keep her hold on the gun as Vera pulled on her hair, yanking Agent 340 to her feet roughly as she herself stood.

“Quite a predicament we have here. Again.” Vera said tartly as Angel managed to bring her arm around to push the barrel of the gun into Vera’s chest, hard. Both women breathed heavily, staring each other down with murderous gazes.

“Indeed,” Angel replied. “So what will you do now, Vera Ronstadt?” Her gaze wandered to Roger and Alan’s struggle for a moment before turning back to Vera. “It seems that both of our sides have taken quite the beating, don’t you think?”

Vera smirked. “Are you trying a little negotiation yourself?” She grinned widely. “I suppose Paradigm City will need a replacement after Agent 271 is through with your beloved little Roger Smith.” As if on cue, Angel heard Alan’s shrill giggle from behind her, and her hand with the gun in it trembled. She knew it was just Alan goading her.. Roger could handle him, she told herself. Couldn’t he?

But she heard a cry come from Roger, as if he were in pain, and couldn‘t help jerking her head to see Alan poised over him like a scorpion, that damnable rapier ready to pierce the tender flesh on Roger‘s exposed throat.

And she moved fast-- faster than she‘d thought herself capable of in her condition-- one fist connecting with Vera’s left eye, the other bringing the hilt of the gun down onto her head to push her to the ground. She whirled around and fired the gun at Alan as Vera struggled back to her feet behind her. The stick-man raised his metal hand without even looking at Angel, the bullet making a slight dent into it before bouncing onto the rocky ground with a dull clinking noise. Alan’s gaze turned to Angel with a predatory grin.

“Does kitty want to play now?”

Roger bristled beneath Alan. “Stay away from her!”

Angel could not remember feeling such a cold feeling before. The way Alan spoke and smiled made her feel like every good emotion had gone out of her, and she’d never be able to feel them again. She pointed the gun barrel at him again, hands still trembling as she struggled to center it on his body.

Alan made a “tsk” noise, wagged a finger at her. “Now, kitty, that’s no way to treat an old friend, is it?” He clasped a hand to his heart (or rather, where it would be; Angel was not even sure if he still had one), a mock gesture of emotions Angel knew he no longer had. He began to advance, slowly. Angel felt the rushing need to retreat, to find a place to hide, fast. She stumbled backwards, forgetting that a woozy Vera lay at her feet. She fell over Agent 12, landing hard on her backside, the gun still pointed up at Alan.

“Stop it, Alan!” Angel cried. It was a hopeless plea, and they both knew it. But Agent 271 stopped in his tracks anyway, one gangly finger tapping his chin.

“Decisions, decisions. Which one to play with first? Over here, we have the sneaky kitty, the deserter, who ran off to play with a canary and two sparrows instead of attending her duties.” He turned to face Roger, who had risen from his place and who now took a step back, startled. “And here we have the Negotiator with a hero complex, who thinks he’s able to save everyone, including our dear kitty.” He laughed. “What a fine pair you two make! I think I want to play with you both.”

He rushed at Angel, his metal hand once again clasped together to form a sharp point. Roger followed him from behind, leaping at Alan in order to drive him off course. Alan, however, simply stepped to the side, and Roger tumbled onto the ground roughly.

Angel nearly dropped Alan’s gun. “Roger!”

He winced, but hurried back to his feet. “Alan Gabriel, get--!”

But Vera had gotten to her feet as well, the cursed iron bar still in her grasp. She was still not fully lucid, however, and only managed to hit Roger’s arm, but it was hard enough to knock him to the side. Vera stumbled after him, swinging the bar every which way like a drunk.

Angel was unable to see what happened after this, for she found herself face to face with a spinning drill, connected to the arm of Alan Gabriel. His grinning face was mere inches from hers, the drill directly next to it.

“Alan..” she breathed heavily.

“I’m sure you don’t find this nearly as stimulating as I do,” Alan cooed. “But no matter. It will be a pleasure marring your pretty little face..“ he leaned down to whisper the last part into her ear, “…my dear Angel.”

Roger was in the fight of his life now, facing off against that maniacal pin-striped monster, who stabbed and swiped at him with a right hand that had transformed into a deadly edged weapon. Worse than that, he was unarmed, and it was all he could do to evade those deadly thrusts. And if that wasn't enough, Alan laughed at him and mocked him with each attack, doing his best to demoralize him, and damn if it wasn't working. He wasn't sure he'd ever been so scared in his life. Well, you've stepped right in it this time, Roger Smith! One false move and he'll spill your guts!

Alan chided Roger with a chuckle. "You dance very well, for a man of your bulk." He lunged for the Negotiator and though Roger tried to grab his arm in an attempted throw, Alan yanked free. "But sadly, it looks like you're growing tired. I think it's time that we bring this lovely encounter to a proper end, don't you think?"

Roger had no problem knowing what Alan intended, and it could well end up that way. He was growing exhausted from the grinding day he'd just gone through, and he wasn't nearly as agile, each deadly swipe much harder to evade, and each dodge a bit slower. He was at Alan Gabriel's mercy now, and barring some miracle, he was as good as dead. Please, God...I 'm not one to beg, but please don't let it end like this... at least get these women to safety... The only act of defiance he could muster now was to snarl back in a curse, "Damn you, you bastard! You won't win! You'll see!"

That only made Alan give off a wild, exultant laugh at that empty remark. "Oh really? Well... let's see if you're right, shall we?"

He gasped with eyes wide open in terror as Alan thrust right for his stomach, and he feared that this was it, his last moment of life, but somehow he twisted aside at the last instant. But... oh dear God, he felt that metal hand slice into the fabric of his coat and through it, and past it into his shirt, and the flesh of his ribs... He felt the sting of the cut, just as he lost his balance and fell on his side hard, coughing out a groan from the shock of his fall, twisting frantically around to try to fend off the attack he knew was coming.

And he just did manage to stop Alan from pouncing him like a scorpion, planting a hand in his chest and grabbing his right arm with that gunmetal hand, inching towards his throat. The cyborg was enjoying this far too much, savoring the raw terror in Roger's expression as he was powerless to throw him off. Alan's voice was horrible, disheartening, as he said in exasperating calm, "You know, I love a slow death as much as anyone, but let's not take all day now, shall we? I would like to see those vocal chords of yours."

All Roger could think was, Please, God... quick, no suffering, please...

And then... Roger could scarcely believe it, as Alan jerked away that razor sharp hand from his skin where it had just started to touch. He heard the loud shot of a pistol, and a sharp clang of metal on metal as the bullet hit the hand and dropped to the gravel. His heart lept in relief at a few more moments of life, and perhaps even a rescue! Was it Beck? Or... no, it was Angel! Lord, what a woman...

But his heart twisted in fear as Alan turned his attention to her with that dreadful, predatory grin, asking with unnerving cheer, “Does kitty want to play now?”

Roger bristled in outrage, even as he was still trapped beneath Alan, grabbing his lapel. “Stay away from her!”

Alan looked back at him in annoyance. "Oh, give it a rest, please! This hero act of yours is simply pathetic now. You couldn't stop a little girl." He shoved The Negotiator hard into the gravel as he rose to face the woman training his own golden pistol on him in trembling hands. Roger tried to get to his feet, but the fight and his injuries had drained him, and he slumped back to the ground in exhaustion and pain. Damn it, I can't just let him have his way with her! I have to move... I have to save her!!

He must have been threatening her, because Angel cried out, "Stop it, Alan!" This filled Roger with desperation, and it was just enough to get him to his feet. Fortunately, the cyborg was merely staring at her, tapping his chin as if weighing a decision, one that he voiced with chilling intent.

“Decisions, decisions. Which one to play with first? Over here, we have the sneaky kitty, the deserter, who ran off to play with a canary and two sparrows instead of attending her duties.” He turned to face Roger, who took a nervous step backward, startled by his attention. “And here we have the Negotiator with a hero complex, who thinks he’s able to save everyone, including our dear kitty.” He gave a disturbing laugh, as if overjoyed at the opportunity to cause so much pain to them all. “What a fine pair you two make! I think I want to play with you both.”

But he chose Angel first, rushing towards her, that metal hand once more bearing that deadly edge. Roger tore off after him with a growl in his throat, determined to save her, leaping at Alan to drive a kick into his back much as Beck had done. But Alan heard the crunch of the gravel underfoot and simply stepped aside this time, watching with an infuriating grin as Roger fell hard once more, groaning from the tumble. He heard Angel cry his name and got to his feet as quickly as he could to face the cyborg, sure that he was about to attack Angel in some terrible way. "Alan Gabriel, get-!"

But he caught off guard by a blow to his arm from something cold and metal. He whirled to face his attacker, seeing Vera Ronstadt holding that piece of pipe still, and lumbering towards him menacingly, snarling something in her strange tongue that clearly wasn't polite. He rubbed his arm, thanking Providence that it was a milder pain this time, glancing nervously to Alan as he turned to threaten Angel once more. "Damn it, you murderous intruder, stop it! I don't have time to deal with you!"

She sneered at him in her thick accent, but struggled against injuries of her own to get it out. "You pompous imbecile... I will not be brushed aside, as if I am nothing! We are not weak! If you live past this day... you will see the true power of the Union! All of you will see!"

He swallowed anxiously at her declaration... just what could she mean!