liamc2

[size=1] ?Normally I?d refuse?But seeing as Rae just so kindly put, I?m a bit lacking in the social skills department, so it won?t hurt for me to get out a bit?? Liam?s tone was pensive, and mildly condescending at the same time. He brightened and said, ?I?d love to come.? ?Right. Thursday it is, be at my flat about seven.? Liam opened a lurid green can of soft drink. Rae pulled a face. ?It?s what, past midnight?? Liam paused halfway through taking another sip, ?your point?? ?Don?t you think it?s a bit late for sugar?oh hell. Never mind, we?ve been down this road before.? Liam swirled the contents of the can around. ?We have. Well, it?s late. I got woken by a Russian, invited to dinner and have just consumed a can of sweetness. There?s only one thing missing!? He twirled the Desert Eagle triumphantly. ?Target practice and an obscene amount of ammunition!? Matt?s eyes narrowed. ?Let me guess. You?re going to shoot until there?s so much gunpowder residue in the air that you think you?re Abe Lincoln, right?? ?Actually, John Howard, but that?s beside the point. Good guess.? Liam walked away whistling, half drunk can in one pocket and a Desert Eagle in his hands that he was currently quite happily checking. All in all the messed up hair didn?t bode well if he was attempting to be an epitome of sanity. Callum wrinkled his nose. ?I pity the guy that has to be his case officer.? ?Actually,? Matt started, Callum blanched, ?he hasn?t got one. He really only answers to the Commander and himself. I?m technically his case officer, but he just treats me as a source of interesting information?? ?At least you?re not the butt of his jokes. Liam distrusted Adam right away, even if it was subconsciously.? Rae shook her head. ?Completely frustrated Adam to no end. Liam respects you however,? she poked Matt in the stomach, ?so be grateful.? ~~~ The cardboard cut out dropped behind him with the barest of a whisper. Liam sidestepped and the red laser line missed him, just. The cut out exploded into a mess of paper and the training continued. Liam was standing in a ten-metre by ten-metre concrete room with hidden sliding panels in the walls. As each panel popped up, in front, beside or behind him, a laser sight was trained on the vest he was wearing. Each time a ray connected, he received a non-lethal numbing shock that left him disabled for five or ten minutes. So far he?d made it without getting hit. The timer on the wall blinked over to forty-three minutes. He?d made an hour before, the record, but he paused too long to reload, woke up in his bed an hour later. He wasn?t about to make that mistake twice. Three cut outs dropped this time, the lattice of shots caused him to drop and roll out of the way. One of the cut outs was gone, the mess of lasers had brushed it and it retracted back into the wall. Realistic combat situations. The other two exploded and the shards hit the floor. Liam danced around the rubbish littering the ground and continued to reload. In front of him ten cut outs dropped, behind, he heard another ten. ?Come off it! That is so unfair!? Liam bellowed to the techie who was manning the machine outside of the room. The lasers blurred and Liam emptied the clip into the targets in front. He dropped again and avoided his own ricochets. The empty clip bounced off the concrete, He wheeled round and had two lasers smack him in the face. He stirred in his bed and sat up. It was six in the morning and he already had a massive headache.[/size]

[size=1] Liam was angry. Well, to be precise, he was furious. The mission was finished, he was enjoying Zelda, getting his mind off the whole whacked out Karen affair?and then Zharra vanished. Just like Jaudiar did all the time. This frustrated him to no end. ?When you set mission parameters you expect them to be followed.? He sighed. ?Like it?ll matter. Technically she?s monitoring communications?just not verbal ones?kind of. Gah.? He snapped the little SP shut and tucked it into one of his pockets. ?She?d better not do this when the heat is on?? ?Uh?Liam? Who are you talking to?? Matt looked up from his laptop. ?I was supposed to be ranting to you.? ?Right. Email here for you.? ?Really? I never get mail. Delete it, must be junk mail?? Matt clicked and opened it anyway. There were muffled sounds bleating through the speakers, and then Bradley?s voice resonated, ??I?m getting bored with the scenery.? Matt whistled. Liam just shook his head. It was a message?of sorts?a highly amusing one all the same. ?Right. Well the little guy is going to have to keep playing it up. We won?t be able to get him until tomorrow. Rae?s is going to be dead in the morning. I don?t know how hard she trains, but it always seems to drain her something chronic.? Liam gave a half grin, ?poor girl, practically killing herself to keep up with me.? Matt stood up from his chair and closed the laptop. ?Keep yourself deluded. I?m going to see the Commander about this. I?ve got a meeting with the General.? ?General? What General? We don?t have Generals in the SYF?? ?Karen?s father, Liam, he?s a three star US Air force General, Munitions.? The door closed behind Matt with a click. Liam brushed the information aside. His subconscious, however, ferreted it away and added it to a shrine of clues in the closet in the back of his mind. ?Fine then, I?ll just crash shall I?? Liam said to no one in particular. Sleep was good, sleep was very good indeed. The bed jumped slightly as he landed. With a pathetic kick and a muffled guttural growl that sounded like it came from an oversized agitated cat, Liam closed the door?almost. With his face still in the pillow he ripped off the Velcro holster and dropped it on the bedside table, along with other various objects that he had cumulated during the mission. He dozed, and the mission replayed in his eyes. The past came to greet him. [/size]

I remember you flipping out about that to me, and me trying to tell you what was going on, after saying 'What the hell are you on about?' lol

[size=1] ?C-mon,? Liam said while checking his pistol, ?we?d better get moving.? ?Where to exactly?? Rae mused. ?Back to base. Katarina?s right, without sufficient intel we can?t just run after them.? He holstered the pistol, ?I?ll grab Matt. We?ll report this snag back at control. Bradley was taken successfully. That?s all that matters now.? ?What about him Liam? What?s going to matter to his family?? Rae cried, pointing to the Matt?s deceased bodyguard. Something inside her clicked, and the emotion flared. There was a pause that was only filled with the sound of Liam hoisting Matt over his shoulders and leaving the restaurant. Not a word left his mouth. The door closed. ?I really hate it when he does that.? ?Vant me to shoot him?? ~~ ?Bailey. Car. Now.? [I] ?Ahead of you.? [/I] A Singaporean police car waded its way through the busy street and pulled up alongside the burdened agent. Liam opened the back door with his foot and unceremoniously dumped Matt?s prone form on the seat. Matt groaned and moved slightly. Liam pushed his feet off the seat and climbed in and closed the door. ?Bailey, pack it up. Send another car here for Rae and the Russians, we?ll congregate back at the hostel or something.? The police car moved back out into the slow moving traffic. Liam put his face into the air-conditioning and held it there for a while, letting his brain cool. Matt stirred beside him, groaning and sitting up.? ?Evening.? Liam drawled, not looking up from the vent. ?Ugh. Karen?s gone. One of the suits grabbed her; the g-man drew his gun, and crumpled over. I stood and got a handclap to the temples?? ?About then Rae and I charged in. You?ll be pleased to know I got one of them in the kneecap. Hopefully he?ll be called hop a long for the rest of his life?? Liam grinned and put his face closer to the cool air. ?Where is Rae?? The car pulled up to the traffic lights, indicator clicking. ?Back there, sulking. I think she finds it annoying that I tend to brush things off.? ?What, like her?? ?Touché.? Matt drummed his fingers on the side of the armrest. ?Did the mission go well?? ?Fine, without a hitch. Hopefully Bradley will be tucked away in some Triad stronghold with his ears open for any names on that list of yours. If he hears some, it?ll be on the MPEG that?ll get emailed or mailed to us. Then we?ll bust him out.? ?If not?? ?We?ll wait a week and bust him out. Either way there?s going to be a lot of busting.? Liam undid his seatbelt as the car stopped in front of the hostel, after thanking the officers, he and Matt climbed out and the car drove off. Liam made his way inside, but Matt grabbed his arm. ?Liam, you?re going to have to face Rae sooner or later.? ?Huh? What?d I do?? Liam shook his head, ?besides, she goes to a private ?training session? or something about this time every week. I won?t see her until tomorrow.? Matt heaved a sigh and massaged his temples. ?Whatever?? He paused, and swore. ?Where?s the Commander? I need to contact Karen?s father right away. He?s going to need to take some measures?? With that, Matt hurried inside. Liam stood on the sidewalk, confused, ?what measures? Huh?? He groaned. ?Right then,? he called out, ?I?ll just stand here and play Zelda or something?Ooo?game boy??[/size]

[size=1] [b] 19:32: Streets of Singapore [/b] Bradley was in position. His ?father? had left for his business meeting as scheduled. He would be returning at nine. The Triad had left their run late?but Liam wasn?t surprised. It was starting to get dark now, and it was easy to hide in the shadows made by the streetlights. He and Rae were currently sitting on the curb undercover, wearing out their thumbs on a pair of linked Game boys. The ruse was working quite well. It wasn?t an uncommon sight, there was little to do in the heat and it was often too humid indoors. Liam grinned and waved goodbye to some American exchange students that he had been racing in Mario Kart. ?You are such a child.? Rae muttered. Liam just smiled. ?It helps to know these things Rae. I?ve been living here for a lot longer than you have. This generation of youths over here tend to sit out on the street and show off their technology. We?re casual.? ?We?ve been casual for the past four hours. According to Bailey He?s watching TV.? It was one thing to talk about the mission in low-key conversation, but to mention Bradley?s name would have been too much of a leak. ?Matt should be arriving at the restaurant soon.? Liam said conversationally, slotting in another cartridge. Rae gave a little squeal of delight. ?I know! Isn?t it exciting? They?re going to get married and?? She paused. ?How did you know they were arriving soon? As far as you know they could have seen a movie first?? ?You?re not the only one that finds things out Rae.? ?Whatever. Even your antics couldn?t dampen this for me.? She grinned and looked up into the sky. ?To think, Matt?s getting married. I can?t imagine him with kids.? Liam took a chip from the bag between them and pushed his sunglasses back up his nose. He nonchalantly observed the tiny figure of Matt as he helped the even smaller Karen out of a taxi down the other side of the street. ?They just arrived.? He said, still focused on the little screen. ?Later on we should just drop past, we can observe Their actions from down there as well.? By ?Their? Liam meant the Triad. ?I suppose?but?we can?t do that. It?s his moment, I don?t want your ugly mug peeping through the window just as he proposes?? Liam took a sip from a bottle of water. ?Come off it Rae, you know very well that I?m beautiful; it?s in my genetics. I mean, look at Jess, she was stunning, even you admitted it once.? The clenched feeling in Rae?s stomach faded. Liam had finally moved on and put it in his past. That was good, that was really good. ?Yeah well, I think she got all the good looks in the family, not to mention the social talent.? Liam cocked his head towards her, smiling slightly. ?Come now, I?ve got lots of friends, all attracted by my wily charms.? ?Name one.? Liam looked over the top of his bronzed sunglasses at her. ?You. Now, seeing as you?re a friend, chuck in your Zelda and we?ll get some serious team playing happening. [b] 20:10: Triad Presence detected [/b] ?Triad contingent moving. Old Mitsubishi heading in, the guy who shot me is in the back seat?? Liam muttered, seemingly into Rae?s ear. His face was out of sight from the members of the van. [I] ?Ok. Putting team on standby. You and Rae are free to continue to sit on your butts??[/I] ?Understood.? Liam stood and stretched, pulling the earphones from his Discman out. He looked down the street and saw a rather flashy limo pull up at the restaurant. Four or so Caucasian businessmen stepped out, quite tipsy. He smiled, they looked so out of place, yet they came to discover some of the culture. ?C?mon,? he said, nudging Rae with his foot, ?let?s get some eats.? ?Mmmf?? ?Let?s check on Matt.? ?But,? Rae looked torn between dilemmas, ?oh alright, but we just keep on walking after we?ve peeked through the bamboo blinds.? ?Deal.? Liam helped her up and slid the Discman and the Game boy into a Velcro sling around backpack. Very casually both of them crossed the street and ambled down the sidewalk, talking about fictitious things like University exams. They smiled at the locals, they smiled back and answered their questions about directions. Perfect. After what seemed an age, they were in front of the Restaurant plate glass window. Liam peeked first. And swore. ?Rae, arm your Glock.? Inside, the businessmen were holding Silenced Uzi?s, low calibre from the looks of it. Nice and quiet. There was a waiter dead on the ground; it appeared that he had a standard bodyguard Nickel Plated M9 Berretta by his side. Matt was unconscious and Karen was slung over the shoulder of one of the men. Rae blanched when she realised what she was seeing. Not surprisingly, she swore. Liam was already through the door. The first round hit one of the men square in the chest, Liam?s adrenaline kicked up a notch when it ricocheted off. Heavy armour. The blast of the hand-cannon seemed deafening to the hiss of the Uzi-rounds as the whistled between his legs, biting into the carpet. Liam leapt over the bar and the wooden veneer took the damage. Rae was already there to greet him. ?How?? ?Side entrance,? she said plainly. ?Where?re the suits?? Rae scrunched her face up in thought. ?There.? She pointed through the bar wall. ?Not that it?ll do you much good, there?s no way they?ll let your head up to shoot.? ?Don?t have to.? Liam said. He lined up his pistol with her point. The Triangular barrel pressed against the veneer. The Uzi?s rounds wouldn?t have enough velocity to penetrate at that distance, but a hollow 9mm round definitely would. There was a scream of pain as Liam fired. He grinned, knee cap shot. He leapt to his feet to take the rest down, and was greeted with a bloodstain on the floor. They?d run away, and taken Karen with them. 'Damn damn damn! What the hell is going [i]on[/i]?'[/size]

[size=1]Liam just shook his head. Same old humour, and morals. He nodded to Bradley. ?This guy here just got himself the SAT implant. Completely biodegradable, the white blood cells will take care of it in a week or two.? ?You mean I don?t have to undergo surgery to get it out?? ?Yahuh. By the end of the mission it?ll be gone.? Liam faced Zharra. ?Speaking of which, you?ll be with the Singapore police and Bailey, monitoring communications.? ?Right then.? ?You get to track ickle Bradley?s progress on the SAT screen.? Liam grinned. Bradley frowned, ?can I say I don?t like you, hit you, and then say I liked you?? ?You spoke about ze mission?? Katarina queried. Odd how she just appeared?Liam couldn?t help but notice Zharra?s eyes narrow as she appraised Katarina and her friend. They?d only known each other for how long, and they already disliked each other? Interesting? ?Yes. I?ve just informed Zharra here that she?ll be monitoring communications with Bailey. You and- he waved a hand to Malania- -Malania.? ?Yes, Malania. Right, well, you two will be on standby with the Singapore police, should anything turn foul.? Katarina nodded. Liam took that to mean she agreed. ?Right,? he said, ?can we move to somewhere less claustrophobic? This corridor is getting a bit crowded?? ?I?m feeling thirsty myself,? Bradley mused. ?To the break room!? He proclaimed, one hand pointed down the hall. ?Yes! To the break room!? Liam cried, pivoting Bradley so that he pointed down the other end of the hall. Liam and Bradley began striding down the hall for what would ensue to be an amusing event of ?can on the head around the table.?[/size]

[size=1] Liam pulled the can from the machine and dropped into one of the seats. It was always quiet here; everyone just stopped coming here for some reason?probably because he frequented it. The cold lemonade bubbles tickled his throat on the way down. He sat the can down on the table and opened up his laptop. The wireless LAN activated and Liam began trawling through data. ?Restaurant is clear?so is the whole block. That?s good; Matt would?ve checked it all out anyway I suppose?? Liam opened files on Triad activity, and found everything centred on the hotel that Bradley was supposed to play decoy at. It was weird, nothing to do with the Triads had ever been this focused. He sighed and slapped the laptop closed. They could always swing by the restaurant this evening on the way to the hotel, just for a cursory sweep? ?He?s not even my brother?why should I care?? Liam tucked the laptop under his arm and left the room. ?Over seven hours to go?? Liam tossed the empty can in the rubbish bin at the entrance to the mess hall. ?Bradley needs to be in position by lunch time?so five hours?getting him and his father through customs and out of the airport, one to two. By the seventh hour we need to have everything set up and ready in the opposite building?? Liam grabbed another drink from a vending machine near the door and sighted the table that Rae and the others were seated at and made his way over. ?So if Rae and I make a random patrol in the car, we can check on Matt, through the window?Bradley will get captured according to plan and then we can get this show on the road.? With that last mental note Liam sat at the table and opened the lemonade. Rae looked him up and down. ?You?ve been thinking about the mission again.? She said bluntly. ?Yeah. We should start getting kitted up in two hours. By then the Singapore police will be here to ?arrest? us. We?ll all pile into the unmarked police car and head to the hotel. Bradley will be already at the airport by the time we arrive. We?ll set up a base of operations with the Singapore police and laser the windows.? To laser the windows meant to set up a sophisticated communications bug that monitored the vibrations in a windowpane and converted it to stereo sound. All through the miracle of laser technology. ?Rae and I will be on the ground. Katarina and her?Russian friend?will be on standby should anything go sour. Bailey and Zharra with be monitoring all communications and will aid the Singapore officials.? Liam paused to let it all sink in before continuing, ?all of us will be kitted up with bulletproof gear and with carry our standard arms, no matter what. As we [I]want[/I] Bradley here to get captured, we will not move in unless the Singapore police order a sting. If so, Katarina will move in with her friend and twelve or so Singapore Riot police, all carrying the heavy weaponry. ?Rae and I will signal when the Triad arrive and then we can get this party started. If all goes well, Bradley will be cooling his heels in a Triad holding cell tonight. We will locate his position through a satellite tracker that will be inserted into his lower back.? Bradley?s eyebrows went up. ?Insert a what what into where?? ?All of which will be painless I assure you. Once Bradley is inside he will play up the role of a frightened kid, you know, ?my daddy is a powerful man? etcetera etcetera. Bradley will give us a signal when something crops up. For example, reference to a European connection being in the building, reference to any plots stored on local computers. If nothing happens, we will simply infiltrate the base, extract him, and retrieve our information from there. Clear?? ?Crystal.? Rae said. ?You think way too much about this sort of thing.? ?Yeah, I do.? Liam placed the can on top of his head and balanced it. ?Which gives me the right to do this.? Liam slowly stood up and did a lap around the table with the can on his head. At the completion of it, Bradley picked up his own drink and followed suit. Rae shook her head in disbelief. ?Nice to know they?re a [I]mature[/I] lot, isn?t it, Bailey??[/size]

I concur with Baby Girl. Harlequin, don't antagonise. Put your complaints to me in a PM. Raiha, please be more careful with reading. [size=1] Liam wandered back to his room, twirling the pink object in his fingers as he went. When he arrived at the basin he gave a quick shave and dunked his face in the sink, and shortly the razor thereafter. When the tool was spotless, the sink drained, and Liam started back, humming as he went. With a militaristic turn, he faced the door before him. He knocked twice and resisted the instinct roaring inside him to sidestep out of the way. His resilience held and the door opened. Bailey smiled back, now dressed in more appropriate clothes. ?Good razor.? He said, grinning like a fool, ?I should endeavour to purchase one of my own.? With a flick, the razor twirled through the air, Bailey caught it without blinking. ?Thanks,? she said. ?Rae?ll be while though.? Liam shrugged, ?I?m not her keeper. If she wants me, I?ll be back up in the break room; I could really go for something carbonated right now.? He flicked a Singapore coin to emphasize his point. ?Then after that I shall assault someone and find out exactly when this party starts.? He caught the look in her eye. He gave a groan. ?I?m not serious. It?s called a figure of speech?? Bailey gave him a wry grin. ?I would have thought that you weren?t one to use them. The last person who used a figure of speech, you threw out of a window if I recall correctly?? Liam gave her a slanted look, ?surely my file isn?t that bad.? ?It?s the thickest of the lot, a novel even. The action scenes are pretty good, though it?s lacking in romance. The comedy doesn?t come through on the reports, but it?d probably make up for it.? Liam raised an eyebrow ?From what I?ve heard from Rae, it?s there.? She said, grinning. Liam just shook his head, it was the first time someone compared his life to a novel. Unbelievable. ?Right.? He said trying figure if he should be flattered or worried, ?I?m going to get that drink now.? He half turned, stopped, and looked back at Bailey, ?feel like drinking something that?s probably going to give you cancer but has tasty bubbles in it?? ?Anything stronger?? Liam laughed. ?I?ve seen way too many bad encounters in my life when it comes to alcohol love, and the ways it can be perverted.? He sighed and faced her. ?We were stationed on a mission in Siberia, Summer months. Back in the days when I had an older agent as a partner you see. ?Well my older agent was partial to a tipple every now and again, so when he noticed a street peddler with a ware of Vodka, he bought a bottle. Naturally I was confused, but he told me it was for when he was off-duty, when we were on the plane we were heading to for our dust-off. ?Sure enough we arrived at our pick up point and we were in the air, he unscrewed the top and started chugging away. We were home free. ?He was a man to hold his drink, he could drink half a bottle and still be coherent enough to recite Shakespeare. Problem is, alcohol lowers your senses, delays your reaction time by half a second. And that?s all it takes. ?The Hercules came under fire, a couple straps on the cargo were shot. The jeep rolled back just as we hit a forty five degree angle to get out of range. We both saw it at the last second, I leapt, he didn?t. By the time he realised, it was too late.? Bailey just grinned. ?That?s a bit extreme,? she said. Liam gave a small smile and said, ?That?s how life is.? The rubber tiles muffled his footsteps as he walked down the hall.[/size]

OOC: Thunder, can't post in SYF [size=1]Saethi eyed the scene with contempt. Seth, on the other hand, was at a loss to understand what was going on. ?Come one,? Saethi muttered, ?lets get moving.? ?What about Elli? You can?t just leave her!? Saethi lifted his SIG Commando. ?Look. Either you come with me and avoid being eaten by demons, or you can stay here and I get to shoot you.? He raised the rifle, ?either way suits me fine.? Seth remained obstinate. ?What do you expect me to do? Wave my fingers and make her all better?? He waggled his hands to annunciate his point. ?She has no- ?what the hell?? Elli?s body melted into the floor like a corpse from a video game. ?Uh.? Saethi took a step towards where Elli had been. ?Hey, not there anymore.? ?Seth, please tell me that isn?t Elli?s hand on my shoulder.? ?My mother brought me up not to lie Saethi.? Saethi turned round slowly, at the same time taking a step back carefully. Elli was there all right, and she smelt like she?d just stepped out of a shower, not a blemish was on her. Saethi spat a random line of Russian. ?How??? ?I was in some place?I can?t even remember anymore. I heard your voice, felt really weird and just found myself standing behind you.? Seth grinned. ?Hey, I remember a guy that called people back from the dead. Lazarus to be precise.? ?No way. Nah uh.? ?It explains the angel doesn?t it? And the...uh?bow...Damn, you?re the freakin? emissary of God or something?? [/size]

[size=1]?Touch it again and I?ll bite your eyebrow off.? Thanks to the pillow in his face, Liam?s words were less dramatic than he hoped, but it had the same effect he wanted. Bradley?s hand vanished from the holster. Liam sat up and yawned, scratching the side of his chest around the bandages. A quick check saw that the wound was healing nicely and had completely sealed over. A modern marvel. The bandage had a fine layer of a chemical compound that artificially stimulated any blood on the surface of the skin to clot. Instant scab. Amazing invention really, and to think, an Australian came up with it, and still held the patents. Liam kicked the sheets off and rose from his feet. As he stretched to his full height, each individual joint in his body cracked, from the toes, through the knees and right up to his neck. Liam winked at Bradley, ?that?s what seven years working for the SYF will do to you. You?ve got a long haul ahead of you.? Liam turned and put his back to Bradley, searching through his bag, ?now I need a shirt?? Bradley took in the mess of scars; flail marks, burns, cuts and yellow spots where acid had sat. Liam pulled a t-shirt over his head, bearing an irate looking cartoon face in a top hat spouting the sentence, ?the knowledge you exist is a burden on my soul.? ?The scars come with the job too?? Bradley said rather dryly. ?They fade after a while. Mind you, the current ones are thanks to Rae. You might want to ask her about them sometime.? He held up his hand, stretching the skin so that it showed a strange symbol formed in scars. ?While you?re at it, you might want to ask her about that too. Her handiwork you know.? He winked again, thoroughly disconcerting Bradley, who just shook his head, left the conversation where it was, and escaped through the door. Liam chuckled and pulled on some dark blue jeans and shoes. He wished he had that ability sometimes, to be able to just completely disregard everything odd that?s been said in a conversation, and to top it off, leave it without any qualms. The door closed noiselessly behind him and he stepped out into the hall, putting on the ever-present holster and the various hidden clips. Basically his full metal jacket?without the whole jacket thing?or the defence?so really it?s just a big gun?with lots of ammo. Liam was a firm believer in offensive defence. By the sounds of it, a few other people were awake at this hour. Though it wasn?t hard, the sun was up by four and the heat kept you awake from then on. Liam rubbed his chin, showing a mild distaste at the stubble that now seem highly interested in persistently regrowing. ?Maybe a goatee?? He mused. ?No?too distinctive?damn the rules?? He sighed. Any voluntary change to physical appearance was written as against Australian SYF priority and interest. Liam found out after he appeared one day with an eyebrow piercing exactly how distinctive it was in a line-up. The Commander had instigated a façade of events that resulted in Liam being ?arrested? and picked up out of a line up because of the eyebrow stud. Liam wasn?t impressed with the ?misappropriation? of funds, but the point was taken. He sighed. No doubt a goatee would result in the same response. ?Now I?ve got to dig out the bloody razor?? [/size]

[size=1] Liam raised his hands up in mock defeat, when they were up by his ears; his Desert Eagle seemed to just appear in his palm. Rae?s frown deepened somewhat. ?And would you stop with the quick draw? You know I hate it when you do that.? ?Yessum.? Liam?s eyes sparkled and the gun vanished. Bailey looked dishevelled and completely confused. Liam scratched the back of his head. Rae?s and his conversations usually had that effect on people. ?So,? he said, ?Bailey. Pleased to make your acquaintance under casual circumstances.? ?Likewise.? She sat up and curled a loose hair behind her ear. ?You two seem to be in the know about this mission. Tell me about Singapore.? ?Incredibly clean in the main streets, has the lowest fuel emissions in the world thanks to an innovative traffic system. Vehicles are fitted with tags and every time they cross certain areas in the city the owner is billed.? Liam said. Rae rolled her eyes. ?What he?s trying to say is that if the Triads use vehicles, we can track them down. That?s why most of them move around on foot. Hence why our hit was in the markets.? ?You mentioned karaoke?? Liam grinned. ?Yeah. Extremely popular. We had an interesting situation where one Triad wiped out another over a bad rendition of ?My Way.?? Bailey chuckled, shaking her head. ?No, I?m serious.? Rae nodded. ?He is. Trust me on this, you have no idea what influences alcohol and bad signing have on an armed mind.? ?Right. Ok then. So how are the kidnapped child?s parents notified? You mentioned something about MPEG?s?? ?In most instances an SMS is sent, usually through an untraceable medium like ICQ or otherwise. If the Triad feels they need a little more persuasion, a DVD is sent.? ?Always with the facts?? Bailey noted. ?It?s not his fault, his conversation skills are very limited.? Rae said in a false whisper. Both the girls laughed and Liam just shook his head. ?This is where I take my leave.? He said. ?Adieu.? As he turned from the door there was an unmistakeable sound of a pistol cartridge being removed, checked, and replaced. His footsteps died away on the rubber tiles. ?Is he always so intense all the time?? ?Only before?I mean during?or?no?wait.? Rae sighed. ?Yeah, he is. But he does have his moments.? ~~~ Liam opened the door and entered the room. Bradley was lying down, but sat up as he entered. Obviously the boy had Rae?s uncanny ability. Liam sauntered past and sat down on the bed, ripping off his Velcro back harness and dropping it on the bedside table. After a minute or two a total of six loaded clips of ammunition joined it. Bradley eyed the armaments. ?You know,? he said, ?some people say that if you?re ever in a situation where you need more than three clips of spare ammunition, you?re not going to leave it.? Liam grinned at his junior. ?Some people obviously aren?t me.? ?Bullets aren?t always the answer.? ?They are when there?s shooting to be done.? The finality of Liam?s tone made Bradley drop it. Liam smiled to himself, flicked off the light on his side and rolled over to sleep. [/size]

[size=1]The officer wandered off shaking his head, and Matt stepped over the threshold. And eyed the door. And Liam. Liam shot Rae a sidelong glance when she burst into a fit of laughter. Liam raised his hands as Matt walked in, eyes still on the fallen door. ?Wasn?t me, I swear. Comrade Katarina can claim the glory.? Matt eyed Liam and Katarina, sizing them up, ?well,? he said slowly, ?that makes a nice change.? ?Come off it Matt, that was three years ago, I was young and reckless then?I still am, but that?s beside the point.? Matt rolled his eyes and put down his bag, after unzipping it he pulled out a laptop and a LCD projector. Within seconds the projector was running, filling up the entire wall, and the laptop was humming away to itself. Matt beckoned with his hand to Liam while typing with the other, ?got that donut?? He queried. Liam fished in his pockets, pulled out a DVD and tossed it to him. Matt caught it without even looking up from his keyboard. The DVD was slipped in just as the doors opened. The Commander stepped over the threshold and was flanked by two plainclothes Singapore officers. Liam nodded to the Commander, and he returned it. In the fiasco three years ago, the Commander had stepped in as a grandfather for Liam?s stint in Juvenile detention, ever since then the status stuck. ?Right.? Barked the Commander. ?By now all of you know the formal introductions. You?re here to save or protect some part of world, and this time the Singapore government has requested us to step in. It seems there has been an alarming increase in the number of child kidnappings in the past year.? He nodded to Matt and a graph appeared, with an alarming eighty-degree angle. ?Rae and Liam, who were originally on this case, discovered that this was the work of a well-organised Triad lord. Thanks to their efforts he has been eliminated.? Even in the now gloomy room, Liam could see Rae?s pearly whites showing. ?They retrieved some very important data, including a cache of ransom MPEG?s that had been sent to the US. We believe that there is some connection between the chosen targets, but nothing is certain yet. We know nothing of the blackmail that was paid as the parents are refusing to talk, on the grounds that their children are still not safe, even though the Triad general had been taken care of and his Triad had been disbanded.? On the screen appeared several blurred photos of the kidnapped ?children,? whose ages varied from four, right through to twenty-one. ?Included in the parents are some prominent wealthy businessmen, so the only cause the courts are willing to accept is that of money. Something more insidious may be afoot, but until we perform this sting operation, with the aid of the Singapore police intelligence,? he indicated the two in the suits, ?all of are work will be just pure speculation.? The lightpro image had now switched to the SYF logo of sorts (after seven years they still didn?t have an official logo, something that amused Liam greatly), and now Matt had taken his position in the line up of officials. The Commander beckoned to him, and he stepped forward into the one down light. ?The sting,? he said dramatically, ?includes us planting one of our agents,? his hand was now pointing to the surprised Bradley, ?in a situation as a son of a wealthy Australian businessman for the Metal Storm corporation. -Liam?s ears pricked up at the mention of the name- This is because of intel we received from our senior agents that we planted in waiter positions in the more prominent Triad karaoke bars.? There was a ripple of laughter through the group. Even Liam had to admit that the idea of a tattooed criminal drug lord singing along to ?My Way? (the favourite track of many a Karaoke bar in Singapore) still amused him. ?This intel eluded to the fact that the Triad?s not only knew about this Metal Storm businessman?s visit, but had exact details of his hotel, and places where his sixteen year old son was likely to visit on the trip. No doubt this information was received from a mole in the company, but everyone comes up clean.? He paused and a list of over forty names appeared. ?Except this lot. These are the Metal Storm associates in Europe. The problem is that if we performed a criminal check without giving proper reason, we would be in breach of several diplomatic laws and could quite possibly blow the existence of this mission and the SYF way out into the open.? The Commander stepped forward. ?Which is exactly what we don?t want. The SYF?s secrecy has only just remained intact, and we do not want any strings attached to this mission that will certainly lead back to us.? He coughed and cleared his throat before continuing. ?Therefore this mission is top secret and remains under the guise of a Singapore police operation. You will follow their orders to the letter, but we have full reign on any intel, and have the right to pursue any leads, may they arise.? ?So ve ving it? Ja?? The Commander?s forehead creased. ?Exactly what I didn?t want said. But yes. You wing it?within reason?? ?When do we start?? Bailey?s eyes sparkled as she leaned forward, Liam could see that the metal mind behind all that bubbly nature was clicking over. Matt took this question. ?Tomorrow. The Triad?s information links the businessman?s conference to Thursday, and him arriving tomorrow morning, two days from now. So we plant Bradley with his ?father? and it will give us time to set up surveillance in the area. If all goes well, Bradley will be gone Thursday afternoon.? ?You?re smiling Matt. I don?t trust you when you smile.? Liam?s voice was suspicious. ?You only smile when you?re thinking about something completely different.? Matt gave Liam a ?I?ll tell you after? look and said, ?dorms are downstairs through the door in the Janitorial closet.? There was a quiet pause. ?This door,? Matt continued, ?leads to what the public believe to be a full backpacker hostel.? ?You mean I don?t get to sleep in my flat tonight?? Liam?s tone was annoyed, ?or until the end of this mission? My landlady is going to be mighty suspicious?? Matt grinned. ?You?re landlady is one of our operatives, she already knows.? ?Oh. Why doesn?t anyone tell me these things?? ~~~ The others filed out and downstairs, Liam and Rae stayed behind with the now grinning Matt. ?Guess what?? He said, still grinning. ?What?? Liam and Rae said, exasperated. ?We?re going on a date on Thursday night, Karen and I. A proper one this time, without the metal men. I knew of this great little restaurant and she accepted. The bonus is I don?t have to worry about security eying me all the time.? Rae squealed and gave Matt a hug. ?Congratulations! I?m so happy for you!? ?The way you carry on, any one would think they were getting married.? There was a pause where Matt and Rae just stared at him. ?Oh.? [/size]

The thread is up, so if y'all would like to mosey on over there, we can get this party going. ^_^ [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32366][b]SYF 3:[/b] [i]Águila Del Desierto[/i][/url]

Feel free to post now. Your characters are in this SYF building in Singapore, introduce them soon 'cos we're all about to be debriefed... [size=1][b]Déjà vu [/b] The door closed behind Liam as he entered the humid room. Rae was looking at him, a huge grin on her face. ?Great job Liam, you really followed that ?one bullet? philosophy well.? Her eyes were on his chest, where the bandages were embossed on his shirt. Liam?s eyes narrowed, ?up yours Rae.? With a wry smile he added, ?one the other hand, if you were in that situation we all know your corpse would be cooling in the Singapore morgue right now and the SYF would be denying all knowledge of your existence.? ?Sure sure, you?re just jealous that my shot was the one that took him down- -from the other side of town. You weren?t even there.? ?Sniper, pistol. Potato, potato.? Liam shook his head and pulled a Sprite from the small bar fridge in the corner, ?What happened while I was out?? ?Not much. The Commander has mentioned that we?re getting some reinforcements soon.? Liam sat down and popped the top, ?aw crap. We get some rookies.? ?Not rookies, since we?ve suffered a lot of casualties in our age group the paperwork finally went through and we?ve got some new additions. Quite a few interesting additions.? Rae?s voice alluded to something interesting. ?What do you mean?? Rae laughed. ?Well, you know how the SYF used to be between England, America and Australia? -Liam nodded- Well, with all the security leaks and goings on from that catastrophic mess you- Liam?s eyes narrowed- ?were involved in, the Russians found out.? ?Found out?? Liam raised his eyebrows and the Sprite in his hand was forgotten. ?Found out as in they want in?? ?Got it in one. According to the file they sent they?re sending the top agent they?ve got.? Liam?s lip curled, ?it doesn?t matter how top this agent of theirs is, it ain?t going to stop me from laughing at their accent.? There was a pause where Rae tried to regain control of her face and forced it into a stern look of sorts, ?behave, Liam. I?m serious. We?re getting some younger agents in our squad too, to be bait etcetera. I don?t need you to be disrespecting our new comrade in front of them, they already know [I]your[/I] record.? ?Anyone would think we were married the way you carry on. They?re sixteen. Remember what happened when we were that old? It wasn?t that long ago you know.? Rae sighed. ?I know. I just don?t want a fiasco like what we just averted?? ?Hey. Matt?s girlfriend came onto [b]me[/b].? ?She hit you over the head with a brick in her purse.? ?She didn?t get shot did she?? ?She wasn?t [I]going[/I] to get shot.? Liam and Rae had been recently assigned to act as covert bodyguards to keep an eye out on Matt, Rae?s older brother, and his girlfriend while they were on their first date in downtown Singapore. It had not gone down well. While Matt and her were walking up the street, Liam noticed some suits at the top, and a flash of weapons. While Rae radioed to base, Liam sprinted into the market place and in one fell swoop, bodily carried Matt and his girlfriend behind a stall. After he had nosedived in the mud, Matt?s girlfriend stood up and whacked him upside the head before Matt could explain. It turned out that the suits were part of her protection. Matt?s girlfriend was a prominent American General?s daughter. Liam barely avoided being court-martialled. ?Look Liam, I?m just saying, watch your mouth.? ?I will, I promise you.? Liam looked into her eyes and said it, though added in an undertone to himself, ?though I won?t promise them??[/size]

[size=1]?However lame, it did sum up the fact that I?ve done more to protect you than you?ll ever know?? Elli looked away from Saethi to roll her eyes at Seth, who looked mildly affronted that he was suddenly included in the conversation. Outside, something clattered. Saethi stood up suddenly and said something in Russian. ?What?s that about?? Elli asked. ?Basically ?damn?.? He said, ?some demon friends are outside. No doubt those that were chasing our friend here.? Seth had the decency to look ashamed. Saethi spat and made for the safe, two cold barrels pressed against his skin. ?What do you think you?re doing?? Saethi eyed the weapons with contempt. ?Arming myself. Those demons outside are just seconds away from finding Seth?s scent. We have seconds, if that.? Seth?s eyes narrowed, ?what makes you so sure that they will?? Something big hit a dent in the metal shutters, mortar drifted from around its steel frame. Saethi gave him a slanted look. ?Do you mind now?? ?No, no, go right ahead, don?t let me get in your way.? Saethi reached into the safe and clicked two latches off one of the rifles. A second later he was sliding bullets into a proficient looking rifle, a SIG Commando. Just as quickly he stored as many cases around in his pockets as he could. Another dent appeared in the shutters. A howl came from downstairs. Saethi looked at Seth and tossed Elli a belt of cartridges. ?Did you shut the doors as you came up?? ?Er?just the first.? Saethi said something else in Russian and grabbed a khaki backpack, filling it with as much spare ammunition and arms he could snatch. He tossed Seth the bag and grabbed a second, already packed, bag for himself. ?Any grenades in there?? Elli muttered with a hint of sarcasm. ?I see that no matter how desperate the situation, cynicism always has its place. In answer to your question, no. Grenades were kept at a different safe house, along with other explosives. At the time, we didn?t feel they were necessary for urban combat, too noisy and un-controlled. I?m starting to regret it now, however.? The shutter buckled and fell into the room, concrete dust spilling in. The demon leered at them, claw raising for a fatal strike on them all, and Elli used her broomstick. Saethi wiped a drip of the foul ichor off his face while Elli, face grim, shucked another round. ?I did have my concerns before if you could use that thing, but I can see now that my doubts were unfounded.? He coughed and looked out the gap in the wall, nothing was out there except for a twitching corpse. ?You can never tell?? He said, and let a burst of three explosive armour-piercing rounds into the putrid body. ?Minced.? There was another crash from downstairs. Saethi ripped open a cupboard and pulled out a flak jacket and proceeded to put it on, doing up the Velcro straps. Thigh and arm Kevlar?s followed. ?Any for us?? Exclaimed Seth. ?Nah. ?there was the sound of heavy feet up the stairs- could you get that for me?? Seth frowned and put his head around the doorway, and cursed, firing wildly into the stairwell. Saethi on the other hand, ripped the mattress off the bed, tossed it out the window, and leapt out on to it. ?That selfish?? Elli exclaimed before leaping out onto the bed. Seth cottoned on to what had just happened when no covering fire came. He leapt out just as a fowl breath roasted the room. He landed in a rather undignified manner next to Saethi and Elli. ?Save your rounds,? Saethi muttered to Elli, ?they really lose their intensity after six metres.? Something big appeared in the gap they?d just leapt through. Saethi waved to it, it let out an ungodly roar, and Saethi shot it in the throat. Droplets of black blood hit the ground as the demon overbalanced and fell out the window ?Now can I?? Elli queried. ?Go right ahead love, knock yourself out or whatever,? Saethi waved his hand dismissively in the direction of the demon. The shot ripped through the stunned beast, shattered the pavement and sent the concrete shrapnel back up into the beast as effectively as nine-inch nails. ?Cool.? ?That?s all of them then?I doubt there?ll be more until these guys are noticed as missing.? Saethi said while pressing more rounds into the SIG clip. ?We?ve got to move. Maybe to an old mall or something. All my supplies were up there when the room was toasted?the jerry cans will probably be exploding pretty soon from the- Saethi covered his eyes with the back of his hand as a liquid fireball spattered the walls of what used to be his home. -heat.? He sighed. ?Right then. Get a move on.?[/size]

[size=1]Saethi grimaced, trying to remember. ?You punched me in the face.? Elli grinned. ?Yeah, pretty sweet eh?? Seth looked confused and, to save face, extracted as many metallic sounds out of his weapon as he could. ?As I recall, you don?t know what happened to?Josh?do you?? ?You killed him. He made a break for the alley and you got up on your feet and got after him. I heard four shots and you came back inside.? ?You don?t seem so upset about it.? Saethi gave her a sly look. ?I?ve learnt to move on.? Saethi pointed to a shelf behind her and said, ?check the bullets in the Glock clip on the top shelf.? She shot him a quizzical look. ?Just do it.? Elli reached into the gun safe and ignored the rifles and such before snatching one of the clips, wrapped in blue electric tape. She checked the tips. ?What? They?re blanks!? Saethi looked smug. ?Yeah. They are. Josh is probably alive and being confronted by demons in some tropical paradise somewhere.? Saethi sat back and put his arms behind his head. ?If they don?t make a stand, I always let them get away.? ?That selfish S.O.B?? A nerve twitched on her temple, and Elli balled her fists. ?All these years?not a phone call?that...that?? Saethi didn?t even get to raise an eyebrow before Elli spun round with an open hand and slapped him across the face and out of his chair. ?Ow. I did not deserve that.? ?Yeah, but I needed to hit something, and I don?t want to hit my knight in shining armour do I?? Saethi rubbed his jaw and sat up, righting the fallen chair. ?As I recall,? he grumbled, ?you aren?t exactly pure yourself. You were quite the brat when I first got here. I had to save your keister more than once on your father?s orders.? ?What? When?? Elli?s expression went from smug to fury in less than an instant. Saethi smiled at the upper hand he now had. ?Attempted drive by? Remember a car going past you and suddenly crashing into a wall and exploding?? Elli frowned with concentration. ?Yeah?but the front tire exploded and they lost control?it was on the news, all occupants died in the inferno?? That superior grin was back. ?That was me. On the rooftops. Five bullets. Three for the armed passengers, one for the front tyre and the last for the driver. That ?inferno? was aided by a lot of petrol put in one of the two fire hoses in the street.? Saethi cracked his knuckles. ?We planned the serious hits well back then. Besides, all the guys in the car were bad. Trust me, I knew their handiwork.? ?That was a lame excuse.?[/size]

[size=1] Saethi cocked the pistol and inclined his head before answering. ?Wondering what you?re doing still holding that weapon.? Saethi?s eyes unfocused and he slumped forward as the butt of a Tactical Twelve gauge hit the back of his head ?My name?s Eli. Thanks for the distraction.? Eli smiled and tossed the shotgun onto the bed and wiped her face clean with the towel beside it. Seth looked confused. ?Anytime?? He looked at the groaning figure on the floor. ?Who is he?? ?Dunno. Dragged me in here, he just popped my arm back in when you appeared. I thought it was the right thing to do to give him a migraine.? She gave Saethi?s foot a kick in contempt. ?Serve you right for taking my knives away.? Saethi groaned and rolled over. ?Ugh. What are you two doing in my house?oww?my head? He blinked and remembered what happened. Before his hand could snatch up the Glock, a feminine foot went on it, and cold steel was pressed against his throat. ?Try it.? Muttered Eli and Seth in unison. [center]~~~~[/center] Saethi had his head in his hands and was massaging the bruise at the back of it. ?Let me get this straight,? he muttered. ?you?re an army grunt who picked the locks on my security for no apparent reason. Not to mention your name is too similar for my comfort?? He turned to Eli, who had his shotgun trained on him, ?and you?re some girl that tried to stab me to death when I dragged you out of harm?s way. Talk about ungracious.? Eli fidgeted a little. He was right. He did put her arm back?but only to shut her up. How would she know he wouldn?t have locked her back up if this guy hadn?t shown up? Her resolve was asserted. ?If you know about us so much, tell us about you.? Saethi rolled his eyes. ?I don?t know anything actually. I don?t even know your names.? His Ukraine was showing through again, and he ignored the inclined eyebrow. ?You?re one of them aren?t you?? Eli exclaimed. Saethi raised an eyebrow this time. ?If you mean I?m an immigrant, yeah.? ?No you idiot. You?re one of those Mafiya types aren?t you?? Saethi gave a sigh, like this childish questioning was getting to him. ?Yes. Whatever. I was. If you haven?t noticed, the apocalypse is busy going on and I?d really, really like to get back to that.? Eli frowned. ?You know, with that accent of yours, I can?t tell if you?re being incredibly sarcastic or not.? [/size]

[size=1]Saethi glanced out the window and focused down the street. There was someone down there, they weren?t demonic, that was for sure. Demons were less disconcerted?and they certainly didn?t stumble around like that?or live very long with dislocated arms. ?Aw damn. She?s heading here.? Saethi scrambled up and snatched some protection, in the form of a Tactical 12 Gauge. He scrambled down the stairs, unlocking various steel doors as he went. The Mafiya was paranoid, not to mention he was as well. He could hold out from the police in here for years. If there was any organised police left. There was a feeble ?thump? on the other side of the door. Saethi opened it and caught her, narrowly missing having his eyes stabbed out. ?Feisty little one aren?t you? If I didn?t care about the demons your bloody body would attract, I?d leave you outside.? Saethi didn?t bother to mask his heavy Ukraine accent, there wasn?t much point anymore. He grunted and pulled her inside, prising the knives from her hands. ?Of all the evenings to be a Good Samaritan.? He kicked the door closed and sealed it tight. With the assault shotgun hanging behind him, Saethi lifted the semi-comatose girl up to each landing before carefully sealing each of the doors. Finally he reached the top and dropped her on a bed in one of the rooms. Then, as a final touch, he locked the wood-panelled steel door. Another Mafiya touch. A prison-like holding cell for extortion cases. With a sigh, Saethi dropped the shotgun and locked the gun safe before closing the metal shutters on the windows. The safe house melded in with the other run-down buildings in the street, and Saethi drifted off to sleep, thankful for a little paranoia. [/size]

[size=1][b]SYF:[/b] [I]Águila Del Desierto[/I] Three years have passed since the last crisis for the SYF. Corruption from within, the disbandment and imprisonment of their first agent, and illegal Uranium mining out in the outback that was being orchestrated by a Colombian based crime syndicate that had connections to unheard of terrorist factions. All in all not a good four years for Liam. [center]~~~~[/center] The glass window shattered as a spray of bullets tore through and bit into the dashboard. Liam winced as shards bit into his cheek. He strained behind the wheel and spun the car a full circle to face the copter behind him. It banked into a hovering position, taunting him to do something about it. Liam winced again and merely pulled the blood soaked shards out of his cheek. The apache hovered forward, the sound of the hellfire rockets arming echoed around the concrete courtyard. Liam glanced round and his eyes rested on the hidden, covered destruct button, linked to a small amount of detonator Semtex hidden beneath the customised WRX one hundred and twenty litre fuel tank. Quite an explosion. The vision blurred and blackened, zooming forward to the deafening explosion and the feeling of being lifted of his feet, flames licking at his heels. Liam shook his head and snapped out of the trance. [center]~~~~[/center] ?I hate industrial compounds. Have I mentioned how much I hate them?? ?Yes you have Liam. Continually.? Liam checked the clip in the MS1. ?Well I do. There are way too many shadows?too many twisted turns and easy places for an ambush.? Rae rolled her eyes and dropped back a couple of steps to talk to Jaudiar. Liam just shook his head and sped up a little, anxious to get out of the corridors and through the doors up ahead. ?I could have sworn Blair came this way?? He muttered just has he stepped out into the shed. Liam paused, just as he realised how big the shed was, and the absence of cover. He just got the swear word out as he looked up the side of the shed, and into the smiling eyes of Blair, and his M16. There was a click and Liam realised his MS1 wasn?t coming up fast enough. He tried to leap to the side, but his feet slipped on the oily concrete. Bullets ricocheted around him and the tin walls amplified the deafening echo. Four bullets made their mark. One grazed his temple, instantly unconscious. The others bit into his prone form, into his leg, shoulder and ricocheted off his ribs. Liam lay in a pool of red, rapidly being discoloured by the glistening oil. Rae and Jaudiar stepped over the threshold in time to see Blair scarper through an exit up on the railing. [center]~~~~[/center] [b]SINGAPORE[/b] [I][b]Present Time:[/b] Four PM[/I] It has been said that every agent has one truly excruciatingly painful point in there lives, but after it, they move on to a cushy desk job and laugh about it in their later years. Liam was yet to drop a chuckle. ?Of all the worst times to use your head. You couldn?t be the epitome of a dumb bodyguard and continue to pay attention to the burst car tyre.? Liam shook his head and slumped further down behind the garbage bin. Liam, now nineteen and one year away from leaving the SYF, had been ordered to take out a Triad general. Publicly. As in, shoot him through the head at close range in a crowded market so that everyone knows that he?s gone. It had gone well right up until the drawing of the Desert Eagles. The scheduled distraction, a car driving past and the left front tire exploding, had bought the Triad?s attention. All bodyguards were keenly interested in what was going on. ?All of them except one damnit. Stupid bright spark? One bodyguard, obviously feeling something was afoot, decided to look the other way. Right at Liam, and the 9mm Desert Eagle he was halfway through drawing. Liam might?ve beaten him to the punch?if it wasn?t crucial to the mission that only the Triad General to be taken out and his bodyguards left alive that is? Liam almost had the pistol trained on the base of General?s skull when something slammed into his chest and sent him wheeling over a stall behind him. Liam had hit the ground running. Half of the Triads in Singapore were now searching the city for a Caucasian male in a bright orange shirt and black cargos. So that left him hiding in an alley behind a dustbin while bleeding from a bullet would to the chest. Whatever had hit him must?ve been bigger than a 9mm round. He was wearing the thickest Kevlar flak jacket he could find. He checked the wound. The bullet had ripped right through and was now wedged between two ribs, its metal butt was glistening out of the bloody hole right back at him. Liam groaned and glanced around the side of his cover. A police car was there, parked at the lights?but there were two triad members over the other side of the road. He had to risk it. With one hand over the hole in his shirt and his legs blurring in a flurry of movement, he made the blind dash for the vehicle and leapt into the back seat through the open window. Two startled officers spun round at their unexpected passenger. Liam offered up his hands, revealing the bloody wound, smiled and said sheepishly, ?I?m turning myself in?? [center]~~~~[/center] [b]Rekindle the memories[/b] Due to the increasing amount of child hostage situations and other classified reasons, branches of the M16, CIA and ASIO have combined to form the SYF. An intelligence agency based on the use of 12+ teenagers for situations where adults cannot enter. The aptly named [b]S[/b]pecial [b]Y[/b]outh [b]F[/b]orce is made up entirely of the children of existing adult agents. These children have already been trained in all degrees of weaponry, vehicle and even technical espionage, by their parents. Taking advantage of this, the SYF recruited them, with permission from their parents, and trained them to the extreme. Now, the SYF bureau has a total of one hundred and twenty-one teenage members, some orphaned and some still backed by their parents. Now, that was seven years ago. The first member of the SYF program, Liam, is no longer an emotionally scarred gun-ho teen, but a rather moody nineteen year old that is one year away from and itching to hit the real espionage and put the SYF behind him. Pity the ?real agents? lead a life that?s considerably less exciting. Currently the SYF is just back on track after the fiasco three years ago. The Colombian drug lord Pizaro and his daughter have been taken care of, but Pizaro?s second in command, Blair, is still at large. However, the SYF has brushed that all under the carpet and has been put in charge of investigating the alarming amount of child extortion and kidnapping in Singapore at the request of the Singapore government. Such a fun filled life a late teen leads. [center]~~~~[/center] Sign up below as follows. The characters Jaudiar and Rae are already taken from the SYF 2. You don?t have to read [b]SYF[/b] [I]Garrotted Threats[/I] but giving it a quick once over would really help you in finding the characters backgrounds and developments. [b]Name:[/b] Liam [b]Side arm (pistols only):[/b] Desert Eagle 9mm, shoulder holster. Teflon coated armour-piercing rounds [b]Trained in (best at/specifically, two choices):[/b] Computer espionage, Marksmanship [b]Age(between 12 and 19):[/b] 19 [b]Bio:[/b] (Continued from above) Liam and his twin sister were introduced to the fact that their parents were secret agents when they were the tender age of twelve. Both of the twins were the original guinea pigs of the SYF and were given extensive training by both their parents and the SYF academy during holidays and weekends. Although Liam was trained in all aspects, he particularly found favour in Computer espionage and Marksmanship. In the crackdown on Pizaro, Liam has had to kill his turncoat sister, almost blown up by mines, tortured by Rae when she was under cover as Pizaro?s sick daughter. Whipped nigh unto death by Pizaro. Gone loco and almost killed a Janitor. Has been locked away in a detention centre and has been sent way out west to a foster family. In the past three years, however, he?s been keeping low and out of the keen public eye. He gave university a shot, Charles Sturt in the middle of no-where, and has now since settled down and accepted his past. It doesn?t mean that he isn?t still jaded, however. [/size]

Sorry I'm late [size=1]Saethi rummaged in his memory, dabbling in the pools of his past. He remembered when it all happened, up to the very point when the world was turned on its head. The music was heavy, deafening. Die-hard ravers were pulling moves to the hypnotic beat while shady characters sold pills that could show the world in an inverted technicolour. One person stood out from the rest, wearing a hooded shirt, with a yellow Nike logo emblazoned across the back. He was making a break for the exit, palming aside the doped up slow movers in a mad rush for the exit. Saethi was close behind him. The fellow was a dealer who had set up shop and refused to take the Mafiya?s pills. Saethi had been ordered to take him out. He didn?t really care. All of those he was sent to take out usually survived and moved to America under assumed names. Unless they decided to make a stand. He hated it when they did that. The dealer was almost at the door out into the alleyway. Saethi would normally pursue him, fire off a few blanks from his Glock, just enough to make the guy think that death was certain if he stayed, and then Saethi would wander off into the shadows, never to be seen again. The door burst off its hinges and the dealer stumbled back in shock. Thanks to the loud music, only Saethi and the dealer were the ones who noticed. Well, the only ones that weren?t high as kites. Something was standing there, haloed by the red light from the alley?that?s what Saethi hoped it was haloed by. Whatever it was, it wasn?t right. Arms and legs were bent at odd angles, making it look simian?but with more teeth and claws that were deemed necessary. It seemed confused by the music that was assaulting its eardrums; its claws patted the sides of its head in a primitive confusion. The dealer screamed, which got the attention of ravers behind him. A chain reaction followed and the music cut. ?Dude?the pillsh ?r preppin? earlier than ushual?I don?t get no demonenses until free A.M.? A doped up raver muttered after nudging a friend. The demon?or whatever it was?blinked at the absence of the bass beat, and roared. A deep heat rolled off it, a sickening depressive aura flowed, Saethi felt his muscles constrict and the bad memories in his life come flooding back. Unconsciously, his hands changed the clips in his Glock. Blanks to hollow point 9mm?s. The crowd of Raver?s was confused. Now they had three things to be afraid of. The Glock being drawn, the?thing? screaming on the steps, and the voices scratching in their heads. At least the sky kites were pleased. To them the amphetamines were just doing their job better than usual. Their unfocused eyes decided to pay attention to the purple Barney dinosaur that was flipping them off. The creature advanced down the steps towards the dealer, who started scrambling backwards, and tripped to fall on his backside. The tension went up a notch as the claws went out. The stunned DJ stopped halfway through dialling up the police to watch the macabre scene unfold. Saethi raised the pistol and pulled back the hammer, squaring it on the demon?s head. For the crowd, it was all too much. The stunned silence was filled quickly with pandemonium, the scramble of feet, hands, and the screaming. Very casually, Saethi pulled the trigger. Three times. All three bullets ripped through the air and bit into the side of the demon?s head. One into the side of the eye, one in the?ear? and the last at the back of its head. The hollow points did their job well, biting into the fetid flesh before causing a gaseous explosion that simultaneously caused the other side of its head to explode, and redecorate the concrete walls with grey matter. The beast stumbled and fell, its arms and legs flailed hopelessly around it in a confused and almost humorous dance. Saethi stepped forward and lowered the pistol, levelling it on what he assumed were vital spots. The hair trigger on the ceramic pistol was pulled until the clip was empty. The demon gave one final, piercing cry, and melted into the floor, leaving a foul stench upon the air. Saethi reloaded his pistol and slipped it into his back harness. His stomach, feeling it was the appropriate thing to do, emptied itself onto the floor. ~~~ Outside there was an explosion and Saethi was vaguely aware of a tingling sensation in his limbs. He checked the boarded window, it was dark out, not that it mattered. The streetlights were on. That was the craziest thing of all. The world was falling to pieces, and yet the streetlights blinked on every night, just like they always did. The demons were obviously too keen on killing everything to bother with crippling their power supply. That was a half-truth. The main power station, the big nuclear-coal one in the country, had shut down automatically with no one to run it. An unwanted by-product of a demonic rampage. The streetlights, recently installed solar ones, blinked on every time dusk fell. So the carnage could be viewed during the day [I]and[/I] the night. [/size]

:whoops: How did I know that you'd be the only one to pick my argument to pieces Rae? lol ~_^

Looks good so far ^_^ [size=1] [b]Race:[/b] Human [b]Name:[/b] Saethi (He's been kicking for an RPG for ages) [b]Age:[/b] 28 [b]Sex:[/b] Male [b]Appearance:[/b] 6'1'' 'punk-esque' mess of short hair, black with white tips. Baggy jeans, T-shirt with padded vest. Small lensed sunglasses, transparent blue. [b]Location:[/b] London of course. Ukrainian descent. Studying in Oxford thanks to his father's wealth. [b]Weapons:[/b] Single ceramic Glock pistol that he keeps with him at all times in a concealed holster at his back, just in case one of his father's 'associates' desides to pay a visit. A blackened (carbon based) survival knife. [b]Skills\Powers\Spells:[/b] Mild combat training, nothing serious, just a dabbling in throws, holds, and painful things. (No idea about the powers thing when it comes to humans. I assume you'll sort it out) [b]Short Bio: [/b] His Father is a weapons and drug smuggler in the Ukraine, a head of a localised segment of the Russian Mafiya. His father, wanting to save his family, first smuggled his mother away to London, where she had family. However, Saethi wanted to remain with his father longer, fearing it would be the last he saw of him, stayed on. His father met him halfway and decided to train him in sorts of defence, under the facade that he was training him to serve the interests of the Mafiya. When Saethi was 26, he left for London to meet with his mother, to 'set up office' for the Mafiya and exploit the Rave drug market and to arm local gangs. He has lost contact with his father after his last shipment of automatic arms. A note was attached detailing that they were for his own and his mother's protection. A wire transfer into his Swiss account of half the family funds has left Saethi with doubts of his father's continued existence on this world.[/size]

MSN IM is remaining open. Microsoft is closing down the chat rooms because Users are unable to fully control who they wish to talk to. (my opinion is that they don't want to get sued by some 15 year old girl's family after she got stalked by some paedophile from the website) I've checked out the MSN chats every once in a while, and they suck. Seriously. 3/4 of it is sexually orientated. About time Microsoft took a torch to its dead wood

This is rather amusing, seeing as I just put in my CV and am applying for a position at Australian Geographic. lol How nice to know that I'm stepping into such a world of double standards and awful awful people. Oh wait, are you just talking about stores in America? ~_^ Seriously, you're making out that all customers are evil and it happens all the time and blah blah blah. Yeesh. If you were in their shoes, what would your opinion be? That goes for the customers as well. There are so many holes in these arguments when the tables get turned, it's not funny. Oh wait, no, it is rather amusing actually ^_^

[size=1] ?Report.? Jonathan said, irritation rising in his voice. He had been standing in front of the tent in the freezing cold, not because he had to, but because he felt as though he would rip the head off the next bearer of bad news. [I]?Message verified?it came from the Load Project all right.?[/I] Tony paused, wondering whether or not to mention the wall, [I] ??and that?s all there is to it. The morphogenic generators are going well. Estimated time of completion is ten minutes. We?ll arrive outside Tara in five.?[/I] ?[I]Tara?[/I]? Jonathan?s heart rate leapt up a notch. ?Whoa, whoa, whoa, Tara? The ancient seat where the kings of Ireland are crowned?? Another piece of the puzzle clicked in the back of his mind. ?Damn! Why do I keep thinking someone is trying to tell me something?? [I]??Well, I kind of just did??[/I] Jonathan cut Tony?s signal off before he badgered him to tears with a stream of vented anger. He was tensing up and it wasn?t good. Normally he?d be cool and collected, normally the epitome of calm?but someone was jerking his chain and tripping him up. [I]And the memories?[/I] A brutal scream of pain shattered the quiet Irish winter. Jonathan looked up the hill and at the cluster of people. Of course?the Blood Eagle?the twisted punishment for an insignificant crime. [I]There is no justice?just us?[/I] His father?s words stirred in his skull and Jonathan bit back the fury again. For the first time in his life, his father?s words galled him. He exhaled and relaxed. Around him, the snow fell and settled on his shoulders. [b]Loading..[/b] [I] ?Words were spoken amongst the leaders. Claims were made that the Danann leader was incompetent, and his claims and presence caused displeasure among the land spirits. The Chief?s eldest son, the head Noble, had his eye on Princess Leona and ordered no harm to her or her handmaidens. The druids would be spared, for the sake of the spirits, and the guards also. If they swore their allegiance to none other.?[/I] Jonathan closed the text and it faded away. It was biased and was basically saying what Jonathan was surmising. He checked the team flags. All present and accounted for, and in numbers. At least they listened to him on that account. Only five minutes left. [/size]