Horendithas

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]You're so cynical, like always Raiha. =P No matter how you look at it, having someone like that sworn into office is a huge event and milestone so I can understand why they want to make it more accessible. This in spite of the very real security concerns that he'll face and the current economic issues. However, there will be no sympathy from me when it comes to whining over the costs, and though I'm not directly involved, at least not personally, I know people who are, so far be it from me to rain on their parade. [URL="http://unews.utah.edu/p/?r=011509-1"][U]Generous Donors Send the Marching Utes to Inauguration Parade[/U][/URL] I'm not in the band here at the University so I won't be going, but I think it's pretty damn nifty that they are. :catgirl: [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]Oh man, when I realized you had posted here Allamorph... I immediately ran to read the update and... That was just [I]totally[/I] kick butt awesome. The whole time I was going... please do what I think you're going to do... please, please, please... XD I was so going [I]YES[/I] when they did. :3 And wow... he stabbed his own foot just to deceive Reed. [I] Damn[/I]. I want the next chapter to read... and I want it [I]right nao[/I] if you please. =P[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"][QUOTE=Allamorph][FONT=Arial]So when would be a good time for a big chat? I'm free basically all Tuesday night and most of Wednesday morning and afternoon. Got school Thursday, so Wednesday night won't be a good option. (I don't want to stay up past twelve-thirty this semester. We'll see how that goes.)[/FONT][/QUOTE]I think I told you on AIM that Tuesday evening once Beth is done with her meeting would work for me. So that's what I would shoot for. If not that Wednesday afternoon since I should be back from school by noon at the latest. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]And I am now finished. I believe this leaves Darren and then you for the concluding post Jamesy. I know I'm very curious to see how you plan on wrapping this up. Mainly because of the stuff we've discussed in regards to where things would go next. =P Anyway, it's been fun. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/indiavi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/avatar1_crew.gif[/IMG][/center] [SIZE="1"] Jeff waited a bit before trying to get up and follow Natalia, but another wave of dizziness forced him to sit back down. She had been right of course, treatment or not, he had lost too much blood and all the walking about had gotten it started again, making it worse. He was fine for now, so long as he didn?t try to get up. Jeff was fairly certain that the actual wound wasn?t that serious. It was the blood loss that was the problem. He shifted a bit in an attempt to get comfortable, grimacing in pain. It was hard to not laugh at the situation. No matter how he looked at it, he had failed at his job. It didn?t matter that he had been set up from the beginning. Logically he could see it, but he still felt like he should have been able to see through the lies, to stop what had happened. [I]I hope Samantha never comes back.[/I] The look in her eyes after she had left them in the sealed deck was that of someone he didn?t know at all. Cold, calculating and ruthless. He had no doubt that she would have simply killed both of them if they got in her way. A scratchy burst of static from his headset startled him. [I]It?s working?[/I] It took him a moment to get it on before he tried to raise anyone. He wondered if anyone was even hearing his request for communication when the channel went silent and then to his surprise Captain Sorokov actually came on. ?[B]What?s the situation Mr. Matheson?[/B]? He sounded terse and guarded to Jeff, and why was he dropping his security title? All sorts of alarms were going off in his mind. Had Samantha said something to him? ?[B]It?s a long story sir.[/B]? He answered cautiously. ?[B]Make it short then, we don?t have much time.[/B]? [I]Don?t have time? What in the world is going on?[/I] He shivered unintentionally as he gave the Captain the details of what had happened. Making it as to the point as possible. To his surprise, the Captain didn?t say a word or interrupt him, not even once. ?[B]So you?re outside the ship and you don?t know where Samantha is correct?[/B]? ?[B]That?s correct sir.[/B]? He heard a slight sigh of frustration from the other end before the Captain spoke again. ?[B]Pay close attention Mr. Matheson since I won?t repeat myself, there isn?t time. Samantha has sabotaged the power supply to the ship. In approximately twenty minutes the ship will self destruct unless we can halt it.[/B]? Jeff went cold all over. [I]What the hell?[/I] Jeff started to reply and then thought better of it. The Captain was right, there wasn?t much time. ?[B]There is nothing we can do for you. I have no one that I can spare at this time. If you spot Samantha then let us know, otherwise, get as far away from the ship as you can. Good luck.[/B]? He didn?t even wait for Jeff to reply, the line went dead. [I]Great, just great.[/I] He staggered to his feet, fighting the waves of dizziness. [I]I have to warn the others. [/I]Jeff looked in each direction but he couldn?t see anyone coming.[I] If I don?t find them, they?ll be killed by the blast if the Captain can?t manage to stop it.[/I] A terrible urgency filled him as he stumbled a few steps away from the ship before sinking to his knees as another wave of dizziness nearly caused him to pass out. He got back up only to fall back to his knees again. The force of the semi fall caused his wound to start bleeding again and an odd humming sound started to fill his ears. He waited for the world to stop spinning as his vision swam, and for a moment it felt like he couldn?t breathe. The moment finally passed and his vision cleared. He was looking at something approaching, but he didn?t know what it was. Some part of him recognized that the blood loss was more serious than he had originally thought, but all he could think of was attempting to get back up and find the others. He sat back on his feet since he couldn?t seem to get up. He focused on the thing approaching but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn?t figure out what it was.[/SIZE]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"]For one brief moment it felt like he finally got the peace that he was seeking. It didn?t last. Jared couldn?t tell if he was crying or not and didn?t care. At that moment he would have given anything to leave this place. The feelings of panic and fear were returning and this time he knew they wouldn?t leave. He tried to move to escape but no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn?t move. Terror gripped him when he felt memories that he didn?t want to see start to surface. Like a dark black wave they flooded his mind. He couldn?t stop seeing what had happened shortly after his parents died or the following events, and this time, he was the one who was being? For the first time since that moment in his life, he screamed. Desperately he tried to escape, but there was no way out. He was dead. He was stuck here in this hell for all eternity. Condemned to relive what he had done along with what he himself had endured. He was dead and there was no return. It didn?t matter that he was sorry and finally understood. Jared continued until he had no strength left and his cries were nothing more than a whisper, a whisper that he still couldn?t hear. [I]???Jared. [/I] He didn?t hear the soft voice as it called to him at first. He was too caught up in his own despair. [I]I?m imagining things[/I] he thought even though he heard it again and again as if searching for him. There was no one searching for him. There was no one who cared. He had [U]no[/U] [U]one[/U]. [I]......Jared. [/I] It was stronger that time. Was he not imagining things? He wanted to believe it was real, but he had been stuck here for what seemed like forever. He wondered how it could it be real? no one could float in darkness for this long and live. Why was it toying with him? No one cared and the only one who might was still alive. The voice calling to him wasn?t her. This voice filled him with dread and more than anything he wanted to run from it, even though he didn?t understand why he was afraid of it. ?[B]Leave me alone,[/B]? He begged when it didn?t go away. [I]?oh, Jared.[/I] He could hear the concern and he tried to pull away in vain. ?[B]Please, just leave me alone.[/B]? He didn?t want this voice to know his secrets and yet at the same time he knew he couldn?t hide from it. There was no escape and he knew it. Had it heard him? He thought he was talking but he couldn?t hear his own voice. [I]What did they [U]do[/U] to you, Jared?[/I] The voice knew, just as he had known it would. Jared wanted to just cease to exist, the thought of being stuck in this place forever was more than he could stand. What did it matter if the voice knew? ?[B]You don?t understand,[/B]? He cried as he tried to explain. [I]Why didn?t you tell us? Why didn?t you say something, Jared?[/I] ?[B]No one cares, no one cares![/B]? He screamed back. He found himself moving back to what had happened after that, to when he had started to do wrong. [I]Oh no, No, no, what have you done?[/I] The disappointment in her voice was more than he could stand and he couldn?t stop himself from trying to explain. Yes he had but he was sorry, couldn?t she see that? Her voice was becoming fainter and he strove to follow it. [I]????Can?t you see? Jared, can?t you see what you?ve done?[/I] ?[B]I can see![/B]? He screamed into the darkness. He waited for what seemed like hours... but there was no reply and he wondered if she had heard him at all. ?[B]Don?t leave me here,[/B]? He sobbed, ?[B]Please, don?t leave me here.[/B]? Anything was better than being in this place, [I]anything.[/I] Horrible fear seized him, worse than anything he had ever experienced. "[B]I'm sorry,[/B]" He cried over and over as he begged the voice to come back. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"][CENTER][SIZE="2"][B]Resolute Dissension[/B][/SIZE] [/CENTER] The humans had a phrase that, to Karl, fit where he was perfectly. Hell. On. Earth. Werecats did not believe in the concept of Heaven and Hell like the humans did. At least his clan did not, but he found the concept fitting. As if the marking hadn’t been bad enough, making him feel like he was losing himself in the pain as it did something to him from the inside out; the following weeks hadn’t been any better. Karl didn’t know how they had done it, but the ability to change forms was gone, as if it had never existed, leaving him stuck in human form. He also found that no matter what he tried, he couldn’t remove the mark on his face. He couldn’t even cover it with dirt since anything he put on it refused to stick. Without the ability to change back he lacked the strength to break the chain that kept him fettered to the cell wall. He tried to resist but quickly found that he was powerless to stop them from subjecting him to all sorts of experiments. Whether or not it hurt him was irrelevant, the louder he or anyone else screamed in pain, the more the vampire with the cold eyes smiled. If there were no experiments to be carried out then the vampire, Jian Tsu would amuse himself by torturing someone. If Karl wanted it to stop, all he had to do was give them his true name and incidentally give them total control over him in the process. He had refused, declaring that he would die before he would ever do that. He would never serve a vampire, [I]ever[/I]. He was still worried that like the mark, they’d find some way to force him to. It was a thought that haunted him, especially when Tsu’s brother, Shou would show up to check up on the progress that Tsu was making with his experiments. He was far crueler than Tsu ever was. Whenever he showed up, the other prisoners would become uncharacteristically quiet, huddling back against the far wall of their cells in hopes that they would go unnoticed. Karl eventually lost track of how long he had been in this hellhole. He thought it wasn’t more than a few months, but he was no longer certain. All he knew, as they were taking him back to his cell after another[I] session[/I], was that little by little he was getting weaker. He hadn’t seen Huy at all and he hadn’t seen Oran since that first day. For all he knew they were dead, or worse; broken by the vampires. Something inside him snapped and he flew into a rage, attacking those who were taking him back to his cell. It had been several weeks since he had tried to escape and for a split second he caught them by surprise. Karl managed to shove one of his captors face first into the nearest wall. He heard the satisfying sound of the guard’s skull breaking before he slide to the floor. A powerful blow from behind sent him to his knees. Before he could recover, the remaining guards ganged up on him, beating him nearly senseless. Only a curt order from one of the other guards stopped them from killing him on the spot. [I]I really am going to die[/I]. He despaired as they picked him up and carried him away. It took him a moment to realize that they were putting him in a different cell when they opened the door and dumped him unceremoniously onto the floor. He laughed weakly when they shackled his feet and his hands before fastening him to the wall. They were afraid of him! They left him lying there on his right side and he laughed again when he realized that someone was actually standing guard outside the closed door. [I]As if I could break these chains.[/I] A soft rustling sound caused him to freeze as he realized that he was not alone. He turned as quickly as he could to look. It was another prisoner. The man was leaning up against the far wall. Karl had never seen anyone so battered and bruised and yet still alive. Nor had he seen anyone so weighed down by shackles and chains. A set on his ankles, wrists and even one around his waist and neck. They were all connected together by another one that was fastened to the wall. The chains had an odd black color to them that he had never seen before. There was something else about him that was off. Karl started at him for the longest time before he realized what it was. “[B]You’re a Shinigami.[/B]” He stared in disbelief. How could they keep one such as him a prisoner? Karl struggled until he was able to sit up, leaning against the wall. “[B]And you’re a werecat,[/B]” the stranger stated, startling Karl momentarily. Of course a Reaper would know what he was. It was still… unsettling. “[B]How…?[/B]” He started to say. “[B]Do they keep me here and how do I know what you are?[/B]” He finished for Karl. He reached over with his left hand, putting it through the wall until the shackle on his wrist hit the stone wall keeping him from going any further. “[B]They’ve learned how to make steel that we cannot pass through.[/B]” He pulled his hand back. “[B]They have stolen the knowledge of how to create a seal from us,[/B]” He reached up, touching the mark on his face, “[B]to keep me from being able to summon my scythe or use purifying fire. As I am now, I cannot destroy these chains.[/B]” His hand dropped back to his lap. “[B]Knowing what you are is easy enough. Your aura is quite different from a human, even with the seal on you and your current form.[/B]” “[B]Seal?[/B]” Karl was confused. “[B]It’s a type of spell. Seals place something upon the target permanently, and only the caster and whoever they key into the spell when its cast can remove it. You’ve surely noticed by now that you can’t get rid of the mark on your face correct?[/B]” He waited for Karl to nod. “[B]The vampire’s ability to use a seal is crude, but it can also be used to limit one’s abilities, in your case, the ability to change back to what you really are. In my case, most of my abilities as a Shinigami have been locked away.[/B]” Karl stared at the Reaper, unable to think of what to say. He had thought the ability to change was gone, he hadn’t known that it was sealed away. He had never heard of anything like that before. [I]If Tsu is the only one who can remove it, I’ll be stuck with this as long as he’s… [/I]He shook his head. “[B]I’ll kill him. If it’s the last thing I do.[/B]” He declared flatly. “[B]It won’t matter. Seals are permanent even if the one who cast it dies.[/B]” He looked at him sadly. “[B]I’m sorry. I wish I could do something for you but I can’t.[/B]” He looked away. “[B]I don’t need or want your pity.[/B]” Karl snapped. He wasn’t angry at the stranger, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He looked back at Karl. “[B]I’m not offering it. It is my [I]duty[/I] to help the humans and other species when necessary, just as your duty is to your clan.[/B]” Karl was taken aback by the intensity in his gaze. There was no lie there; somehow he was certain of that. He had only seen that kind of look a few times in his life and he found himself wondering if all of the Shinigami were like him. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]Right now I'm listening to [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR7mWZuFYsQ"][U]Diablo Swing Orchestra - Heroines[/U][/URL] I only recently learned about this group and I've been enjoying checking out what they have. It's not a lot, but so far I like what I've listened to. Don't let the name fool you. They're a Swedish avant-garde metal band. =P[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"][quote name='Allamorph][FONT=Arial']Then again, wasn't that the plan? Or did you forget? :p[/FONT][/quote]lol... [B]._. [/B] This is what happens when you post at 4:30am and are half asleep. And speaking of sleep... I'm exhausted from my trip back so I'm going to get some before I finish up my post. =P[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"][quote name='James][font=franklin gothic medium']Esther, I don't think anyone here is making the claims you mention in your post. Certainly I haven't seen anyone here compare this to the Holocaust.[/font][/quote]I believe Esther is referring to the links within the article that go to [I]other[/I] articles that talk about the protests being held. Articles like this one: [URL="http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/04/2458664.htm"][U]Protests[/U][/URL] where people are making overly dramatic claims like that. I doubt she was referring to a post here. Anyway, most of the people here have already stated what I think. If you're stupid enough to fire missiles at another country and kill their citizens, then you should be prepared to face the consequences for your behavior. The idea that they can just fire on Israel and not be held accountable doesn't fly with me. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"][quote name='Sabrina][FONT="Tahoma"']That post with Karl was mean. =_= [/FONT][/quote]Naturally. Not intentional but unavoidable if I want to stay in character for his past. Anyway, I do have about half a post written, but the last part is not being agreeable and I need sleep before I head out later today. So I'll finish that up when I return. As for the bit with Lucia, Ruby, Phaidra and Sarvel, I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of it. Especially since I find the fact that their [spoiler]opponent is so scantly dressed[/spoiler] amusing. Pity you don't have a picture since the image in my mind just makes me snerk. =P[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"][I]*pokes basement kitteh*[/I] Anyway, I have a post half written, but it's late and I leave later today and won't be back until Tuesday evening. So I'll finish it when I return. In the meantime. Post Squeaker! lolz[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]James already knows this, but I leave later today and won't be back until Tuesday evening. I'll get my post in upon my return since I don't have enough time to get it ready before I head out later. =P Have fun and I'll see you all when I return.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]Just standard stuff really, some music, books and more anime to watch. =P The real gift though was plane tickets for me and my fiancé to go out and see my parents next year. I'll be gone from the 4th to the 6th of next month. Should be fun since he's met my parents, but not my older brothers. Heh. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]Well that last chapter was interesting, I'm sure they didn't kill off Kurogane or Fai, but damn if it seemed to take next to nothing for all of them to get thrashed. I'm finding the card of him being so powerful with the stolen magic slightly irritating actually. Though at the same time it's a hard realistic hit to Fai since his refusal to use his magic all that time is really coming back to haunt him. I'm sure he must be wondering how things would have gone if he hadn't done that. And now the question is whether or not Syaoran survived that last attack and if so, why in the world is the other Syaoran dragging him to the portal where Fei Wong is watching? [/FONT][/COLOR]

[CENTER][IMG]http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8936/avatar21crewxq4.gif[/IMG] [/CENTER][SIZE="1"] If it wasn?t one screw up it was another. At this rate, she?d be lucky to escape with her life. Samantha kept her expression even as she hurried down the corridor; it wouldn?t do to alarm anyone should she come across more survivors. She sighed as she made for engineering. She had already prepped the shuttle for leaving once she was done, but first she had been required to check on the cargo. If it had been damaged and had leaked due to the crash, there would have been no point in escaping. She didn?t want to die, but she wasn?t so foolish as to head back to Earth if she was infected. She had to go there anyway if she was going to initiate the destruction of the Von Braun to cover their tracks. A destroyed alien ship that had crashed would raise alarm, but nothing like finding one carrying a lethal cargo. Samantha scowled; she would have been required to enter the locked deck anyway. It had taken her little time to verify that the canisters were unharmed and then to hardwire the system so that when she set it to blow, the others couldn?t override it so easily. She had barely finished when that stupid fool Jeff and Natalia had shown up. If they had half a brain between the two of them, they would have taken the chance to flee instead of coming after her. Just more stupid crap that she had to deal with. Samantha didn?t think she?d actually need them but she was never one to leave any possibility out of the picture. So she had immobilized them instead of killing them on the spot, though she had been sorely tempted to do so. With his security disabled and Jeff?s keys gone, the chances of anyone coming down to release them were slim. Once she was gone, their continued existence would be unnecessary. The resulting blast when the engines overloaded would leave no trace of them or The Shirota Strain. Gods? she was going to have a lot to answer for when she got back. It wouldn?t matter that things beyond her control had happened; it was her job to [I]fix [/I]problems like that. And up until the crash, she had. It had started with the issues at the NAR Deep Space Outpost and the moronic passengers that couldn?t resist sticking their noses where they didn?t belong. She had taken care of that, but the idiots couldn?t stay put and wait to be picked up by the next group from Earth. Instead they had managed to use the escape pod to get back to the Von Braun. That hadn't been too bad since they had run like rats for cover, too afraid to step forward. They would die in the upcoming crash anyway so letting them think they had escaped hurt nothing. Even those pictures they had been so clever in getting would be meaningless once the plan had been executed. But then the system error with the navigation had become an issue, in spite of her efforts to fix it. They were supposed to head for the home world of Species 167A and then break apart upon entering the atmosphere of that world, exposing it to The Shirota Strain, not crash on some stupid mining planet. Now they had to start all over, but unless she got rid of the evidence that wouldn?t be possible. It was a pity that she wouldn?t have time to determine if the navigational error was a real glitch or interference from Arthur or someone like him. Samantha smiled grimly upon coming to the main engineering section of the Von Braun. She veered straight for the main computers, ignoring the bodies of the dead and cries of those who were injured and waiting for someone to help them. The doors opened at her approach and she stepped in without hesitation, her weapon already drawn. Shouts of alarm, as people reached for their weapons as they hastily turned to confront her, told her all she needed to know. Samantha wasn?t pointing the weapon at anyone, so for them to immediately pull their own meant that either Jeff had informed the rest of security or they had figured out what she was up to. [I]Lovely.[/I] With an inward snarl her weapon came up and she took aim and fired. At the same moment she pulled the other weapon that belonged to Jeff. She didn?t give them a chance to respond, shooting to kill. It was a pity they had reacted the way they did, if they hadn?t she would have sent them elsewhere, but since they had, she didn?t have the time to overpower them and lock them up. First shot took the closest one through the chest, sending him backwards, and the next hitting the one just to the side and behind him. The third target was only halfway out of her chair before the bullet slammed into her head, sending her sprawling against the panel before the technician slumped to the floor, leaving a gruesome trail of blood where her body was in contact with the equipment. Two shots to the chests of the others attempting to stop her with the gun in her left hand and it was over. Samantha ignored the blood that had splattered onto her clothing. [I]What a stupid waste of time.[/I] She thought as she put the weapons up and turned to temporary lock the doors to engineering. She didn?t have much time. The main terminal was on and she sat down and quickly logged in. A smile crept across her face as she saw that they had tried to shut her out. [I]I think not.[/I] She thought smugly. Her clearance as a member of NARSIA wasn?t the only card up her sleeve and in no time she was in. It only took a moment to see that though heavily damaged, the core that powered the ship was still operational. Her fingers flew over the controls as she entered the necessary overrides to cause the safeties for the system to disengage. A frown crossed her face as the data indicated that it would take thirty minutes for the meltdown to occur. The lighting changed to a deep red hue and the words WARNING started flashing on the screen. Her hands hovered over the controls as she debated turning it off and then she smiled as she left the automatic warning running instead. If there were very many survivors left, the crew would waste precious time evacuating them, reducing the manpower that would be needed to attempt to stop the meltdown. It took her a moment to withdraw and lock the computer system as much as possible and then she was done. She ignored the ship?s system as the mechanical voice of the ship's computer was heard over the speakers that were still working: [INDENT][B]WARNING, EXPLOSION IMMINENT. EMERGENCY EVACUATION INITIATED. ALL PASSENGERS ARE TO PROCEED TO THE NEAREST HATCH IMMEDIATELY. [/B][/INDENT] A countdown started under the red letters on the screen and the voice faltered as the damaged system messed up trying to deliver the rest of the message. Samantha ignored it as it started over, she turned her back on the terminal, got up and went over to unlock the doors before leaving. All that remained was to get to the shuttle and leave. [/SIZE] Landmark 05: Emergency Evacuation[font=arial][size=2][color=#202020]The safeties for the core that powers the Von Braun have been maliciously disabled by Samantha Wells in an attempt to cover up the intended attack on Species 167A. The Von Braun's automatic system is issuing an emergency evacuation order in response to this development, though only the areas of the ship that aren't heavily damaged will hear the message over the speakers. Your goal is to get your character off the ship and as far away from the Von Braun as possible before it explodes. You have thirty minutes to get clear. [SIZE="1"][B]Important Notes:[/B] If you wish to cover a bit before your character encounters the emergency evacuation message in order to wrap up any stray ends first, feel free.[/SIZE] [/font][/size][/color]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]You know that's what the cat is thinking. lol [CENTER][IMG]http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/12/21/128743595232904416.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"][quote name='James][font=franklin gothic medium']I'll let Indi think up the devious ways in which Samantha might end up triggering this. :P[/font][/quote]Speaking of that, I have been working on it and I had planned on getting that up today. But then the storm decided to play havoc with the power so I didn't get a chance to finish it up this evening. Since I'm not actually traveling anywhere tomorrow since where I'll be for the holiday is close, unless things get crazy, I should be able to finish it up and get that posted.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]Nice. Congrats you guys. They all look great. And since I like Lucky Star... [I]*changes her default to Geisha for the holiday*[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]Think of someone saying that with a totally straight face. =P [CENTER][IMG]http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/12/16/128739666117352671.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]I'm listening to this [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCQ727Rw-6Q"]Black Lagoon Full OP[/URL] since I started watching Black Lagoon this morning. It was on my list of anime to watch over the holiday. This song had become a must have for my collection. The anime is looking like it will go on my list as well.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[FONT="Arial"][COLOR="Indigo"]Unfortunately, there is no intelligence requirement for being a parent. Pity. Also... lol@Gavin for the brainwash them sentiment. =P[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Arial"][COLOR="Indigo"]Looks like James already covered some of what I was thinking and more. When it comes down to it, I'm more interested in shifting to a story in Al Ahmar but around 2-5 years in the future. Mainly cause I'd enjoy doing more with Harrison. It would be kind of hard to include him if we went back before their time and I don't find the idea of jumping decades all that appealing. I'm definitely interested though since I imagine taking the time to fully plan it out and launch it would mean that would happen after VBO is finished. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"][QUOTE=Sabrina][FONT="Tahoma"]I posted you hooligan so now you can post again. [B]._.[/B] Even though part of me doesn't want to read the next part. >_> [SIZE="1"]And... stop looking at me like that! GAHHHHHH! >_

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="Indigo"][CENTER][SIZE="2"][B]Going Under[/B][/SIZE][/CENTER] It seemed to take forever to climb out of the darkness that Karl had fallen into. Twice he got far enough to realize he was being taken somewhere. But his captors only let him wake up enough to take care of a few basic needs, before forcing him to breathe in more of the same white powder that had gotten him the first time. He tried to refuse but he was too drugged to resist. The next time he started to wake up, he was aware of all sorts of new sounds. Boots shuffling across stone, the creak of leather and metal along with short gasping sobs mixed in with screams of pain. He could hear voices as well, but they seemed to be coming from a great distance. It took him a while to realize that he was lying on his back, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Everything that had happened started running through his mind, making him feel dizzy as he fought to shake off the effects of the drug. Karl struggled to get up but all he could manage to do was roll onto his right side. He was at the top of a short flight of stairs, in one of a series of cells along the far wall. It over looked a massive room full of devices that could only serve one purpose. Karl had been told that both the humans and vampires would use torture to get what they wanted. He had never seen it though. He tried to get up but the effects of the powder made it difficult to see straight let alone do anything. At the moment there was only one group in the room that he could see. They were around a large table with someone strapped down to it, but he couldn?t see who it was since someone was in his way. They were dressed in the finest clothing he had ever seen. Richly adorned silver gray robes with patterns woven into them that reminded him of tapestries he had seen in the human settlements. His movements reminded Karl of a hunter, in spite of the long flowing hair that reached to the stranger?s waist. It gave off a silver purplish glow in the light provided by the torches ensconced along the walls. Armed guards were assisting him, though to what purpose Karl didn?t know. He didn?t need to turn around for Karl to know what he was; the stench of a vampire was unmistakable, even over the heavy sent of blood in the air. He could see parts of what looked like an arcane circle carved into the stone floor, running around the table. The elaborately dressed vampire was chanting something in a language that he didn?t recognize as he walked over to the right side of the person on the table. A moment later, he could see who was strapped down. Karl was shocked as their face came into view. [I]Oran![/I] He looked around but saw no sign of Huy. Karl tried to shake off the haze so he could change forms, but it was like trying to draw a straight line using a mirror as a guide. It should have been as easy as breathing, but it danced maddeningly out of reach. He struggled to grab the bars and pull himself up into a sitting position, managing to do so just as someone standing at the head of the table held out a sheet of paper with a design in blue drawn on it. Confused, he watched as another set of guards brought in a different vampire who was struggling wildly, crying out for mercy. None was given. At a nod from the one who seemed to be in charge, they killed the distraught vampire on the spot. Karl watched in horrified fascination as the blood splashed onto the floor, only to be absorbed by the arcane circle that was starting to give off a faint reddish glow. [I]What. The. Hell?[/I] He looked back up just as the vampire stabbed the forefinger of his left hand with a small dagger, and then applied his own blood to three spots on Oran?s face before doing the same on the design drawn on the paper. A cold feeling ran through Karl, making him feel sick as moments later the design literally lifted up off the paper and hovered over Oran?s face. Then it snapped into place, eliciting a scream of agony from Oran as it seared into the flesh of his face, marking him. [I]Oh gods...[/I] Bile rose, making him gag and choke as Karl shook in fear. He looked away, closing his eyes tightly, but he couldn?t tune out the screams. [I]Oh gods?[/I] He shook harder. Had they marked Huy as well? Fear paralyzed him and he couldn?t stop shaking, even when the screams finally stopped. He opened his eyes and looked back in time to see them taking the unconscious Oran down one of the hallways leading away from the room. Movement drew his gaze back to the group at the table, and he froze when the cold amused eyes of the vampire met his. [I]Shit![/I] Karl pulled back when the guards came for him, but there was nowhere to go. [/COLOR][/SIZE]