Akieen Cloud

Etna stood as she realized that they were all there, looking up at the older man he gave her a crooked smile before turning and swiping a key card on the wall. The large doors began to slowly open to show a large, dark hanger on the other side. She frowned as she began to see the glint of lights on what looked like giant eyes. The older man flipped on the light and Etna felt her breath catch as she looked up at 5 large, metallic animals.  "These are your new partners. If you'll all line up right here." He gestured to the middle of the hanger. "You will meet your partner by they're choosing." Etna stood where he had gestured, her eyes scanning over the large creatures, the small white fox stood under the black wolf, the little black nose twitched this way and that taking in their scents. Etna's eyes locked with the wolf who stood over the fox, the piecing eyes boring into her, with a slow step the animal took a step forward, the soft metallic click of it's claws on the cement floor echoed around them. Bending down it met it's eyes with her's levelly and took a deep breath taking in her scent before letting out blowing her hair back away from her shoulders and back. A voice suddenly resounded within her head.  'Young one, who are you?' "Etna Rhodes, I've been chosen-" 'I did not ask what you're here for, I only asked your name.' She stiffened slightly before nodding. She could tell the others were starting to go through the same thing she was at the moment but dared not break eye contact with the wolf before her. He pulled his lips back in a large, gleaming wolfish grin before laying down in front of her. A loud hiss resounded throughout the hanger and Etna watched as his chest seemed to break apart and open widely.  'Enter if you have the courage young one. I think you and I shall make a good pair. If you have what it takes.' Taking a deep breath Etna stalked forward and entered the cockpit of the wolf in a fluid motion watching as it closed in around her leaving her in a dark closed in space. Taking a deep break she closed her eye and let it out trying to keep her nerves together. All though suddenly fled her as a sharp pain invaded her from all around, mainly at the base of her skull. When it subsided she opened her eyes and had to keep her self from choking on her breath. She could see everything outside of the animal she currently sat in.  'This is a system link. I have linked my senses with yours. You can now, see, hear, smell and feel everything I can. Enjoy it young one.'  Etna took a deep breath and found the wolf was right, she could smell grease and oil in the hanger, the metallic scents of the other animals and the scents of the pilots.  "This is amazing. You have my name, am I allowed to have yours?" 'In due time young one. Once I see your worthy of it, then you shall have it.' "And til that time comes?" 'Whatever your please.' "Alright partner." Etna reclined back within the plush seat as she waited for whatever was next to come. 

Hope this works. If not lemme know I'll resize it again.

Etna threw her cards onto the floor with a slight curse, her cheeks slightly flushed as she looked up at the man in front of her.  "I have no idea what I'm doing." "I couldn't tell love, you were doing so good. Had me on the ropes there for a good while. Let's give it another try shall we?" "No thank you. The last five times were enough for me. Although the distraction is welcome from the waiting." Etna looked up at the man waiting with them and cleared her throat.  "What exactly are we doing here?" "Soon enough you lady, soon enough. As soon as Akieen brings the rest of the chosen we'll open those door and show you why you're here." Etna sighed before looking back at the man in front of her, her gaze shifting to the younger woman who had joined them recently. The girl set Etna off in a way that made her frown, her attitude wasn't really all that great from the first impression, and if they were supposed to be working together, her standoffish personality could clash with that. She looked down at the floor as the man began to shuffle the cards again. The man in front of her looked drunk, and he smelled like an ashtray; albeit an exspensive one. But the vibe she got off of him was no matter how he seemed on the outside, he could be ready for a fight in a matter of moments if something were to come up. Even though she could smell the liquor on him and see that his eyes were bloodshot, he neither wobbled or slurred his words. Something that told Etna not to underestimate him. She placed her cards down and extended her hand with a smug grin.  "Etna Rhodes. Western faction. Nice to meet you." He smiled, the action raising a few weathered lines on his face.  "Dakota Storm. Southern Faction." "You think we'll be working together?" "You get that feeling too then." It was a statement, not a question and it gave Etna the impression he was much more observant then he let on. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes as she went over what had happened so far. Her normal life had been disrupted, she had been brought here and given instructions to wait for gods knew what and now she was seeing that she wasn't the only one. Picking up her cards she returned back to the card game she had been playing with the man named Dakota.    Akieen strode back into the loading bay where the chosen soldiers were being dropped off at. She stopped next to the man who was greeting them. He looked down at her as she came up next to him.  "You heard then, I can tell by the way you keep tensing up when the shuttles come into the station." She sighed and nodded.  "His father won't be pleased to hear about this, hell I'm less the happy about it." The man nodded, his dark violet eyes meeting her ice blue ones. "How's froggy doing anyway?" Akieen rolled her eyes at the man's joke. "Still hating that nickname for one. Other then that, he's out on the field doing recon missions about the terrain to see if there's any hope of vegetation growing any time soon." The man nodded.   "Damion. He'll be alright, won't he?" Damion looked away from her towards the tracks as he waited for the next man or woman to join them.  "He's a strong boy Akieen. I'm sure he'll be fine. You and Froggy raised him right. We've been friends for a long time and I was there all that boy's life. He's a strong kid and a smart one too. He'll be just fine." She nodded and folded her hands behind her back and waited as well. 

Etna yawned as the shuttled lurched to a stop, sitting up in her seat she looked around and frowned. The dim lights in the shabby station gave her a glimpse or the area, it was the same as the eastern base, run down and lacking anything that looked like it worked. One the bright side it looked cleaner if nothing else. Sighing she stretched and grabbed her bag as the door slid open to allow her to step out onto the small loading bay. She frowned more as an older man approached her with his arms crossed behind his back.  "Etna?" "That's me. And you are?" "I'm the commanding officer of Central base. Good to have you join us. If you'll follow my assistant she'll take you where you need to go." Etna nodded and looked behind him to where a young woman stood, she had long, unusual white hair and ice blue eyes. Looking more then a little uncomfortable about something.  "This way if you please." Etna followed her, noticing that the woman was walking at a quicker pace then was probably necessary. "I'm sorry to ask, but are you in some kind of rush ma'am?" "I am actually. I want to get you where your going so I can get back to the loading bay. There's someone who is supposed to be coming that I would like to see." Etna didn't push the subject, the woman made it clear it was none of her business. Following the woman through the base Etna could see that the Central base was in better condition then most of the other bases. Still shabby and dusty, but in better condition. Rounding the corner Etna blinked as she saw a large set of double doors that looked like they led to a hanger of some sort.  "The professor will meet you here shortly." Etna nodded and watched as  the woman walked away, her white hair now swaying back and forth, lifting from her back as she put more speed into her stride. Etna leaned back against the wall and placed her hands behind her head. Her eyes had just started to drift shut when a loud rumble came from behind her startling her. Gaining her balance back she spun around looking at the large doors before her. Frowning she put her ear against the door and jumped back as a growl emitted from the other side.  "What the hell is back there?" "You can hear them then." She started at the statement that came from behind her, turned she came up short as the large man stared down at her. His left arm looked as if it were prosthetic, his shoulders were broad and wide, looking as if he could carry a toddler on each with ease. His eyes were grey in color and the scar that ran from his cheek to chin gave her the impression that he had seen his fair share of battle. She crossed her arms over her chest, blowing a stray strand of hair from her face.  "Hear who?" He laughed and leaned on the wall next to her. "You'll find out soon enough young lady, once the others all get here, you'll see them your self." Etna hated riddles, and she hated waiting just as much. But just as the large man she leaned back against the wall and shut her eyes once more, opting to wait for 'the others' as he had said to see what was going on.      

Ok, I'm either gonna start this tonight or tomorrow depending on when our last member get signed up for it. That being said, Zien i'm gonna ask you to make just a few tweaks to your sign up. Mainly just the part on how your character leaves. Keep in mind we're supposed to be chosen to protect humanity and save the world. The fact that your character is in and runs a gang doesn't bother me. But all of us are supposed to be a member of the underground factions put together to put a stop to the threat of our world. Your supposed to be approached and spoken to by one of the higher ranking member and told your transferring stations. Once that change is made and our last member gets signed up this is will going up and getting started. Either tonight or tomorrow so keep an eye out. 

The year: 3018   The small base creaked and shook as the desert winds outside howled, slamming against the metallic walls, the plexi-glass windows shuddered with the force of the winds as an older man stood behind one of them staring into the swirling sands. His hands clasped together behind his back, his graying hair was slicked back away from his weathered face, dark brown eyes clouded by his deep thoughts. His white lab coat hung loosely from his shoulders as he simply stared out the window. The howl of the winds outside made him uneasy as nothing could be seen in the distance, no way of knowing what was out there. The times were hard, the once beautiful, thriving earth almost nothing but a dusty rock now, the remaining bits of humanity clinging for survival across the dying planet. The older man's mind went back in time as he remained vigil in his observation of the wold outside his window; he could remember back to 10 years ago when this very place had been a thriving forest, full of life and beauty. But that was before, before they came. The Utherians, a proud race of alien creatures, they stood over 7 feet tall, their skin came in a multitude of colors. Thin and skeletal like they were ruthless and wicked, they had claimed peace before breaking that vow. And now they were at the mercy of a bloodthirsty race that had invaded and enslaved the human race, mining the planet of its resources til all that was left was what the man could see in front of him now.  The wind howled once more, louder, as if the planet herself were in pain over the loss of her life force. He unclasped his hands and crossed his arms over his broad chest as he saw a small space open within the vortex of sand giving him a small glimpse of the blue sky above them. Proof that there was indeed hope among the people of earth. The Utherians had brought with them technology that was far beyond the people of Earth, and as they retreated from the planets surface to survey her death from a distance, safe in their ships that linger in the Earth's atmosphere some of that technology had been left behind.  That was why this base was so valuable, it was here that the technology found had been brought back to life, the machines being much more then what they first appeared to be. The large beasts had proved to have minds of their own, agendas and opinions; and once they had been revived they had proved to be quite the handful. The beasts themselves had once been slaves to the Utherians who had brought them here, disposing of them once their usefulness was done. They swore revenge on the alien life forms but only once the right person had been brought forward to pilot the massive beings. The man's mind wandered to the massive forms in the underground hanger below the base now, there were five in all, all of them resembling animals and creatures from the man's past that he could remember clearly. The fiercest one was the large Golden dragon that bellowed from the depths of the base, his rage was potent as it mingled with the howls of the wind outside. The second held a soul that was deep and wise, the Tiger would lay there as if deep in her own thought, only opening her bright green metallic eyes to glance at the professor when he walked in to check their diagnostics. The third was a large black wolf, he was withdrawn and to himself, his glowing blue eyes focused as he watched the humans shuffle about. The fourth was the smallest of the beasts, she was no less a threat though; she was the most social of them as well. She would speak with the man, her voice echoing deep within his mind asking if he had found their pilots; each time the small fox would lower her metallic ears in sadness at his decline. Her white metallic fur off set by her jet black nose and black outlined amber eyes. The last of the beasts was the most magnificent, regal in standing and demanding of respect the Griffin would only hold it's head high, the professor and the rest of the mechanics restoring them not worth his time to notice. His bronze body glimmered, even in the dank depths of the underground hanger.    Finally pulled from his thoughts the man turned as a slight woman walked in, her oval glasses hanging low on her nose, her black hair pulled back into a tight bun as she entered, a clipboard in her hands.    "Sir, word has come from the underground factions." "What word?"   She handed him a small stack of papers, five in all.    "Each of the factions has presented us their top combatant, they believe that these five people might be worthy of being our pilots. Sir."   Looking through the files he nodded at each before handing them back to the shorter woman.    "Its the best hope we have. Send for them immediately. If they are indeed the chosen pilots, the bonding process will have to begin as soon as possible."    She nodded and left the man alone once more, a small spark of hope building within his chest, they might finally be their time to strike back.    The most important question being, would these five men and women rise to the task of being the Earths defenders...?   Sign ups-   Name (first and last): Age: Gender: Personality: Appearance(photo, description or both): Region: Speciality(hand to hand combat, firearms, demolition ect): Mech-animal: Snippet:     Here's mine as an example if needed.    Name: Etna Rhodes Age: 27 Gender: Female Personality: Quiet and fierce when on the field she differs slightly off the field around her peers. Still quiet and reserved she will join in occasional conversations but prefers to listen to those around her rather then out right join. Seemingly standoffish on the outside, on the inside she is rather friendly and social; once she gets to know the people around her.  Appearance: Etna stands at an average height of 5'6, lean and toned in body she has flaming red hair that reaches the middle of her back and seemingly glowing blue eyes. Her attire is always simple, blue jeans with tank tops or sleeveless shirts that are normally covered by a black, sleeveless leather duster coat that reaches the back of her knees. When not being worn her black, finger-less gloves are tucked into the back pocket of her jeans. Being a part of the underground factions in the West sector she carries a few weapons on her person. a black pistol that resides in the holster that hugs her left shoulder and a small belt that contains petite, yet deadly throwing knives. Black boots don her feet, thick soled and reaching the bottom of her knees, they zip on the sides for easy wear but are decorated in several buckles.  Region: West sector Specialty: Etna is a well versed fighter, trained efficiently in hand to hand combat and blade mastery, the pistol she carried is usually a last resort. Being top in her class in both marital arts and blade use in the Western faction she feels most comfortable with a blade in her hand, but if need be she could strike out bare handed as well.  Mech-animal: Wolf Snippet:  Etna's head snapped up from the tattered book she read as there was a knock on the door to her dismal living area. Only half the size of a one bedroom apartment with a bathroom barely big enough for her to squeeze into. The shower built onto the wall with the drain in the center of the tiny bathroom. No mirror and her bed was elevated and bolted to the wall, able to be folded against the wall if the extra room was needed. Her clothes resided in the small baskets that hung from her ceiling as well as what ever personal effects she had, no that she had much. Sliding gracefully from her bed she landed on her toes gently, the cold from the cement floor seeping through her socks and into her skin. Padding lazily towards her door she placed an old worn book mark between the pages of her book to keep her place, dropping the old book into one of the baskets smoothly as she made her ways across the small room. She was thankful for the few things she did have, but she near hated the base she lived in; the West faction was the poorest of all the underground factions out there, five in all, North, South, East, West and Central. All of them the same; dusty, barren, and lifeless. Reaching the other side of her sparse surroundings she pressed a small button on her wall to open the door, not reacting as the faction commander stood in front of her. The larger man was tall and broad, his black hair had streaks of gray throughout it now as he aged, his face was graced with a large scar that ran from his hair line down to his chin; his right eye constantly forced to stay closed due to the damage. His skin was dark and thick, littered with scars, small and large. Clearing his throat he grabbed her attention and handed her a folder with her name on it.  "Your being transferred to Central faction, the shuttle leaves in an hour." She nodded, not really caring where she went, anything was better then the prison like room she resided in now. Reaching her bed she pressed her hand on a small spot to the left of it causing a small cubby hole to appear.  Reaching in she pulled out a large green bag that she filled with her clothes and personal items; the bag remained only half full by the time she was done. Looking at the holographic clock on her wall she nodded, it was time to leave. She headed for the small underground shuttle system that all the factions had made for communication and transportation between them. Climbing on the fairly small shuttle she took a seat and reclined back in the seat as after a few minutes the shuttle took off.

Laying on the couch facing her large bay window Satsuki closed her eyes and sighed as the sun beamed through the glass to warm her lightly tanned skin. Twirling a strand of her sky blue hair around her finger she smiled slightly as the dog on the floor snored loudly before growling and letting out a whine in his dreams. Life was wonderful, peaceful and slow; just how she liked it. Letting her hair go she shifted her weight and stood her full height of 6ft, stretching her back before padding silently towards the kitchen for a glass of water. Standing next to the sink she cocked her hip to the side letting it rest on the counter, looking out the sink window she watched as the dried, colored leaves of the fall spun around the ground as the wind blew. It was getting colder, but she had never minded the cold to be honest and she loved the snow most of all. She had bought this house and moved her for the only reason that it sat on a snow belt and white was promised every year. Her mind drifted for a moment back to her old job, the one she had retired from less than 5 years earlier. Her team had been the best of the best, and had done some damn good work in the 10 years they had worked together. The loud growling of the dog in the other room caught her attention and pulled her from her thoughts; gone was the lazy dream growling and in it's place was the sound of an agitated pit bull. Putting her glass in the sink she began to walk back through the house, her muscles tense and ready for anything, or at least she thought. Rounding the corner into the living room she stopped in her tracks as a blast from the past stood in front of her bay window. "Helix?" The young man bowed his head, his brow was knitted into a frown and she could sense unease all around him, walking over to her dog she put her hand on his back and patted him lightly.  "Easy Tank, he's a friend. One I'm kind of curious as to why he's here actually." Sighing the man in question finally spoke.  "You might want to sit down for this Suki...you're not gonna like it." "I already don't like it Helix." He nodded slowly as she did as he asked and sat down on her couch, the red nose pit jumping up next to her, keeping his eyes on the stranger. "Satsuki, the PDA has asked me to gather you and your old team back to headquarters. There's been an emergency." "What kind of emergency?" He leaned forward and handed her a large envelope, it was slightly thick and a little heavy. "What's this?" "This is a report of all the issues going on in the last 6 months that have led me here to you." She threw the envelope onto her coffee table and leaned back into her couch; crossing her arms and legs she pined the young man with a glare. "Why don't you tell me what's been going on." "Satsuki, there is reason to believe that they are back." "They who Helix?" You and your team retired after your final assignment, the one that almost cost you all your lives...The PDA thought that would be a reasonable way to repay you for all you had done. Buying you all houses where you wanted and making sure you were all set for life. All of you. They never expected to ask for you to come back, at least not come back and do it all over again." Satsuki's stomach flipped slightly, she frowned and shook her head. "No, your screwing with me, there is no way you're saying what I think you're saying." "Just look at the files Suki, you'll see." Sighing she reached for the envelope and opened it slowly, the first page was details of the dead rising from their graves, the second was the file of 4 different towns being at war within themselves, the third was files of strange illnesses that had no cure and no explanation, and the last were reports of strange deaths up and down the east coast, people dying from overdoes, or liver failure due to alcohol poisoning. Others were more disturbing, but with each report she read her stomach dropped. "These can't be real, the only way any of these thing could be happening is if the master is out. And that's never going to happen." "It already did Suki, there was a massive earthquake 6 months ago, and right after it these reports started to flood in from all over the country. We checked the tomb, it was cracked...and empty. The earthquake must have cracked the tomb and he escaped. Now his men are out there causing chaos so he can recreate hell on earth." Satsuki pressed her fingers to her forehead as if she were getting a headache.  "Your telling me, that for the last 6 months the PDA has just been what sitting around and drinking on the job before they finally checked the tomb?" Helix shook his head before he spoke.  "They didn't connect the dots til a story of the people rising from their graves came in. At first we just thought it was a necromancer at work, but than the town just went dead. No people, no animals. Nothing. Everyone and everything was just gone. No living source to be found. Even the vegetation was dead. Only one being can do that, you know that as well as we do." Slamming the small pile of papers on the coffee table Satsuki stood up and cursed, her Fuchsia eyes blazing in fury as she began to pace across her floor. She finally stopped and looked up at the young man. "They're loose. All of them?" "All four, and their master." Cursing again she kicked her table causing it to flip a few times before smashing against the far wall. "What the hell do they expect us to do about it?!" "Your being reinstated. As of now you are once again a member of the PDA, The rest of your team is being gathered as well. For those who refuse to rejoin or can not be found replacements will be found for them. You on the other hand have no choice. You led them, you have to lead them again." "No choice huh?" "That's right." "They are demanding that I either risk my life or die to put these a-holes back in their graves." He nodded slowly. "Of course. How hard can it be to hunt down the Four Horsemen and Satan himself?" "Be ready in an hour Satsuki. I'll be back to collect you then." A small pop could be heard as the man vanished from her sight. Screaming she flung her arm out, ice shards flew from her skin at the movement, shattering windows and sticking into the wall.  "I was supposed to be dead before they ever even thought of returning to the earth...the horsemen alone were hard enough to put away...but now they want us to hunt down satan too? We're trying to stop the damn apocalypse and no one gives a damn about the lives they're gonna throw away doing it." She took a moment to read over the files once more before stalking to her bedroom to get her things together, calling her sister to come and pick up Tank that same day as well. There was no telling if she was coming back from this.      Signups: If your interested in joining I'd like a snippet like the one I just posted above telling how you were either reinstated or chosen to be a possible replacement for an old member that refused or could not be found. More character detail will be asked for once people have posted.

Miyako dashed across the rooftops, small beads of sweat falling from her hairline as she held tightly onto Raikan. Catching sight of another captain she dropped down and smiled as she saw it was Chiniiro.  "Aren't you gonna go to Rukia's thing?" He looked over at her briefly before he was gone with a flash step, pursing her lips she let out a small huff and returned to making her way towards her destination. She let her mind wander slightly as she continued on her course. It was only a few days ago that the Kuchiki messenger had come to her and the fact that they had threatened her brother worried her that they might do something to Rukia during her test. She increased her speed with a slight growl as the thought angered her.  'The old woman wouldn't be that stupid would she?' Her worry mounted more as she began to get closer and saw that no one was around. Landing lightly on her feet she looked around the seats and sighed. She'd missed it.  "Damn..." She smiled as she spotted another of her captains and ran over.  "Ari! Did I miss the excitement?" He looked at her with an almost bored expression as he nodded. "Yeah, you did. As usual your late. Your brother keep you or something?" Miyako felt a blush steal across her cheeks as she looked away.  "N-No..I uh...I got lost." He sighed and shook his head at her. It was no secret that Miyako had a terrible sense of direction, even with her keen sense of smell and hearing she normally got turned around very easily. She sighed and hung her head in shame.  "You've lived here how long and you still get lost?" She knelt down and began to draw doodles in the dirt in a childish fashion. "Yeah. I know. I'm hopeless." He chuckled slightly. "That's an understatement. So why were you trying to rush here for anyway?"  She stood up again with a smile. "I was worried about Rukia, since that creepy old lady sent someone to try and bribe me I was afraid she'd try some thing stupid." He nodded. "Yeah I think a lot of us were. But everything went smoothly for the time being. We'll see with how things progress though." Miyako nodded and put her hand back on Raikan, she had a very close relationship with her zanpaktou, she cared for it and seemed to be able to connect with it on a different level than most other shinigami. Sighing she scratched the back of her neck and shook her head.  "I get a feeling of unease everytime I think about this." "Your not the only one. I think a lot of us feel that way." She nodded at Ari and put a hand on her shoulder.  "I have paperwork that needs done, if anything happens let me know." He waved her off as she flash stepped away and began to head back to her office. Her face etched in a frown. The test would have been the perfect place to get Rukia out of the way, but now the only way would either be direct combat or assassination. Both of which worried Miyako more than she'd like to admit since Ruki lived under the same roof as the crazy old bird. Sighing she continued on her way back to her office, she arrived after get turned around once or twice and entered her office feeling a tic enter her jaw instantly as she saw her chair swinging back and forth. "Sol...how many times do I have to tell you stay out of my seat?" Her bother spun around and looked up at her with a smile and she felt her heart leap as she saw him donned in the black and white shinigami uniform.  "You passed?" He laughed and nodded running his hand through his short cut brown hair. "You doubted me?" "Not at all, who are you under?" "Not sure yet they haven't given me a squad, but I'm really hoping its not under the psycho." Miyako laughed and pulled a small bottle of sake down from a shelf and a couple of small cups.  "Arashi isn't so bad. Just strict." "Yeah, and crazy." She laughed again as she poured them each a cup and put the sake back on the shelf. Taking him a cup she held her own up. "There are a few strict captains, but all of them are okay in their own ways." He took his drink and shook his head as he raised his cup to her's. "Don't you have anything bad to say about anyone?" She laughed and sipped her drink as she fell into easy conversation with her brother, her mind still on the problem at hand with Rukia as she glanced outside and noted the red tint to the sun, an ominous sign.   

Cool I'll get to work on it and try to have it up soonish. Gonna try and give Darth some time to finish but I'll start writing it up in the meantime.

Soooo. I might try and get this going again if those of you who signed up for it would be willing to continue it with me. Just let me know folks.

I'll get a post up for this tonight or tomorrow. Just gotta get everything in order.