ScreamSin

The chuckles subsided as he tilted his head, finally sheathing the machete. He walked around her slowly, circling with slow, leisurely steps. "Well, there's the obvious choice. We're a threat to someone. I'm more curious as to why they paired us together." "It is an odd choice..." "Two birds with one stone I guess. Hehehehe...now the question would be who would be threatened by Vigilantes?" "Well there's every criminal ever. A couple reporters I guess..." "Hehehehe..." "God your annoying...and creepy." Weep pivoted on his heel in front of her, then crouched, his mask fairly close to her face. The black mesh under the mask prevented her from seeing his eyes as he stared at her sunglasses, seeing his crying mask reflected in the surface. She pulled back a bit as he chuckled softly. "I get that a lot. But don't be afraid. I know you're reputation, you take out the drug dealers and the junkies. I take out the rapists, the pedophiles. When you're surrounded by so much misery, so much filth...it's better to be insane then to cry, is it not? So I laugh. I laugh for those who can't. Don't be afraid of me, my dear. I don't take what isn't offered." Weep pulled back and walked towards the edge of the building. "Dawn's coming." He turned as the sun broke the horizon, his mask glinting a fiery orange. "Help me find who framed us and why. I'll find you again when I've learned something new." "Wait a minute you-!" Weep tapped his mask with a chuckle. "Smile my dear. Remember to smile." And with that, Weep threw himself over the edge. He latched onto a stone ledge, hopping from wall to wall before landing on the ground. He took off running, darting through the crowded buildings of the city. ----------------------------------- Bates stared at the body on the morgue slab. Tony Skins, a reporter with heavy anti-vigilante ideals. The man was laying peacefully on the slab with a large cut in the side of his stomach. The doctor slid the metal ruler out of the wound, Bates shivering at the noise of metal leaving the flesh. He hated autopsies, but this one was special. Proof that the Vigilantes had killed an innocent. The doctor measured other gashes and wounds before turning to the Captain. "Well, he was stabbed repeatedly with various bladed objects, probably the work of a knife of some sort. The large opening on his stomach fits the size and depth of a machete plunged in from behind. It was aimed upwards, into the lungs. If this poor man hadn't been dead already, I'd say his last few moments were quite agonizing." "Dead? You mean the wounds didn't kill him?" "No, from what I can tell by the bleeding and lack of bruises, Tony didn't put up a fight at all, nor was he alive when his corpse was mutilated. His heart was already stopped, he wasn't pumping blood, so his wounds are practically spotless." "Drugs?" "Well, I won't know more until the tox-screen comes back, but I did find tell tale marks of a needle puncture in his throat. He was injected while he was very much still alive. If I had to guess, I'd say the young man was injected with some kind of poison or overdosed on drugs. Skin coloration and lung tissue samples suggest that he couldn't breathe in his last few minutes, so I'd say he was probably injected heavily with heroine or even aspirin, but I won't know more until the tests come back." Bates stared at the body before nodding and leaving the morgue quickly.

Weep found it incredibly difficult to move with the bags around his feet, but it seemed to be working. The dogs had followed his scent into the sewers, but past that, they couldn't tell which way to go. The officers gave up their chase. The sewers were a labyrinth, and without a map or a good memory, you could be lost down there for weeks. Discarding the bags into the river of filth, he climbed towards the sewer cap. He gently lifted it, finding himself in an alley.Shoving it aside, he hauled himself out of the tunnels, slid the cap back over the hole, and listened carefully. The sirens were distant. He breathed easily for a moment. He climbed a fire escape, hauling himself over the rooftop. As he looked around, he saw someone hopping roofs towards him. He recognized the figure as she got closer. The same girl he had seen in the apartment. Knives was it? He laughed and ran towards her, unsheathing the machete as he leaped onto the rooftop she was on. He pointed at her as she stopped, drawing two knives. "You! Fleeing the scene of the crime? How disappointing." Weep circled her as the knives dropped low in her palms. Weep recognized it as a throwing stance. and he moved the machete slightly in front of his body. His bodysuit was thick enough to block a knife, and his mask would only chip, but if a knife stuck, all she'd have to do is push it in to kill him. He circled her slowly, chuckling softly as she growled at him. "I owe you quite a beating for what you did!" "What I did?" The next sentence was shouted from both Vigilantes at the same time. "YOU FRAMED ME!"

Weep tucked under the awning as the police chopper circled overhead again, spotlight shining as it turned to head down the streets again. He could hear the sirens surrounding him as he rammed his elbow through the glass door, unlocking it and slipping inside. This wasn't good. The manhunt would continue for a few hours at least. Weep was used to these searches, they inevitably ended with the police giving up and sending out more patrols. But this was different. K9 units were swarming the areas. The vigilante sat down on a booth. He must have broken into a restaurant. Tables and chairs were strewn about the dark building. Weep rubbed his shoulder, his mind wandering back to a few hours ago. --------- He ran across the roof, leaping and rolling with each landing. As Weep readied for another jump, he heard a woman scream from the apartment building in front of him. He moved to the edge, staring down at the windows. He saw shadows moving around a room, then heard a crash and the light went dead. The window was close enough. With a running start, Weep threw himself over the edge, covering his face with his arms as he crashed through the window. As he hit the floor, he rolled, slamming his shoulder into a low table as he came to a halt. He whipped up the machete and froze. "What the hell!?" --------- "Hey, Kid smells something here. What is it girl?" Weep was jerked back into reality as he heard the door forced open, alongside the barking of a dog. "Dammit! These guys just don't give up." Weep moved quietly behind the bar, grabbing two bottles of whiskey. He froze as flashlights whipped overhead. He heard the dog sniffing around, getting closer. Weep gripped a bottle in each hand, tensing up as he heard the dog give a loud bark, followed by the sound of guns clicking out of holsters. "Whoever is back there, stand up slowly with your hands in the air!" Weep braced himself for what was about to come. He slowly stood with his back to the officers. All they saw was a black clothed man standing up, his hands in the air. They couldn't see the whiskey bottles that Weep had made efforts to keep hidden behind his arms. "Turn around slowly!" "...right. Of course, officers." Weep spun and flung the bottles at the cops. The whiskey shattered against there faces. Weep barely managed to throw himself underneath the bar as their pistols opened fire. He covered his eyes from broken bottles, then grunted as he felt his leg bitten down on. Growling and snarling, the dog had grabbed his ankle. Weep tried to shake it off, only managing to get it to let go by kicking it violently in the face. He heard the cops regaining the balance as he vaulted over the bar and slammed his way onto the street. The helicopter was circling back around. The cops must have called in back up before entering the building. Weep moved quickly, lifting up a sewer cap and diving in. The heavy lid clanked down just as a squad car rounded the corner and the building lit up with a search light.

Bates stomped through the hallways, heading straight towards one of the desks in the cramped police room. He slammed his hands down onto the desk, screaming at the woman sitting in it. "WHY THE FUCK IS THERE AN INTERVIEW SCHEDULED FOR ME?!" The woman stared back at him fairly calmly, though she was obviously a little shaken. "Because, Bates, you've refused every news team in the city, you won't answer any questions in press releases, and at this point, people are starting to wonder if the cops are even AROUND at night! We need to make a statement of some sort regarding the-" "WHO THE FUCK GAVE YOU AUTHORITY OVER THIS?!" "YOU did. When you hired me!" It was true. Rita Cuthers was the SCPD's public relations representative. Bates had hired her to keep the precinct's image from becoming too tarnished with rumors. The grizzled captain sputtered for a moment, then whirled around to his office. "I AM NOT TALKING TO SOME LIBERAL ASS PUSSY REPORTER WHO'LL PROBABLY MIX ALL MY WORDS UP TO MAKE ME LOOK LIKE A TYRANT!" The door slammed shut, nearly cracking the glass as the yells fell silent inside the office. Rita sighed and picked up the phone. "Lieutenant? It's Rita. Fine, thanks. Listen, Bates didn't go for the interview. Think you could talk to the reporter coming down here?...thanks John, I really appreciate it. Yeah. Thanks." She hung up and continued her paperwork. ------- Bennen wiped down the glass of the fifteenth office window he had cleaned that day, acknowledging the wave from the friendly lawyer inside with a smile. As his cloth squeaked across the glass, he listened carefully to the TV in the staff room. "The body count from the Vigilantes has again been increased, as last night 3 bodies turned up, alongside two critically injured men. Police Captain Bates has declined to comment, merely stating 'the murders have the same calling card as the Vigilantes, there's no reason to believe these were any different then all the other illegal executions'. Some criticism of Bates' policies has risen in the general public, with the crowds divided between two groups. Some say Bates shouldn't be hunting the Vigilantes, that they're helping the public. Others say that he's being too easy, that he needs to bring them down before they get out of hand. In other news..." Bennen stopped listening as he wheeled his cleaning cart down the hallway to yet another office window, a pleased feeling warming his body as he smiled to himself. A hand tapped his shoulder. "Bennen, time for lunch. You want anything?" "O-o-oh, n-n-no C-c-c-ca-carl. I'll b-b-br-brought m-m-m-my l-lu-lu-lunch." The lawyer nodded and clapped the janitor's shoulder. Bennen smiled and pocketed his wash rags, sliding the cleaning cart aside so he could come back after lunch to finish the work. It took him ten minutes to reach the large open plaza in the front of the large building. Lenning & Connor Law Firm was one of the biggest lawyer names around, and the building was situated near the center of town, overlooking Gothar Cathedral and part of the police precinct. The plaza in the front of the building was a popular place for businessmen and women to eat their lunches. Tall cypress trees helped hide the dirty city, and the grass was well kept by a team of gardeners. It was probably the only place in the city that was green and living. Bennen parked himself on a stone bench somewhat away from the path, underneath two cypress trees. He breathed in deeply, leaning back with shut eyes in his dim blue jumpsuit. The paper bag sat on the bench next to him, untouched as his mind wandered to that night as Weep. 3 bodies. That means they hadn't found the other four goons he took out that night. Bennen smiled as Weep's laughter echoed in his mind. --------- In the dingy warehouse, they worked. No lights. Lights attracted attention. These two were professionals. They hauled the heavy trunk to the workbench and popped it open, ruffling through the garments inside. Each grabbed a set and began to don their outfits. They wouldn't be able to make a move until nightfall. Plenty of time to prepare. Plenty of time to get the act right.

I've already yelled at Xyandar. Anyway, I will allow you to come in, mostly because you seem to be the only Vigilante who DOESN'T kill, and we can use that. [SIZE="8"][COLOR="Red"]CLOSED[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[COLOR="Red"][FONT="Fixedsys"]11:00 PM[/FONT][/COLOR] She couldn?t scream. The man had the gun rammed into her mouth. All she could do was stare in horror as he tore her skirt off, ski mask covering his face as he forced her onto the ground. ?Scream and die bitch! You?re mine!? The man began unbuckling his pants, his breathing getting heavier as they slid down to his ankles. He raised his arm to pistol whip the woman. Then his hand suddenly got lighter. To be precise, it left his arm. The man couldn?t even react as he saw his limb, still gripping the pistol, fall in front of his eyes and thud against the ground, blood spurting out. He turned, still in shock, as the sound of snickering came from behind him. The machete buried itself deep into the man?s stomach, forcing him backwards as Weep shoved him violently against the fence, leaning his crying mask towards the struggling rapist. ?Use it and lose it, pal. You should have thought things through. Feel that?? The large Vigilante twisted the black steel in the man?s stomach, savoring the pained expression on the criminals face as shock took over, stopping any hope of resistance. ?Feel it? I just severed your intestines, and slit open the bottom of your stomach. Your stomach acid is eating away through your organs, all the shit in your body is going over the wounds. You?re going to have a very painful few minutes, I promise you that.? Weep ripped the machete out of the man?s stomach and shoved him against the wall, behind a dumpster. He wiped the blade off on the criminal?s jacket, and then slid it into his thigh sheath. Then he walked over to the woman, who was merely crying and shaking on the ground, her clothes torn. Weep leaned down and gently laid a finger on her shoulder. She flinched, and he pulled back. ?Don?t be afraid. He?ll never hurt you or anyone else again. Can you stand? I?ll take you home.? She shivered, and slowly stood up. Weep helped her put on her shoes, then walked her out of the alley, arm around her shoulder gently, looking around to make sure they were alone as the rapist?s death gurgles got softer?and softer. The night had only just begun as laughter began to echo through the streets of Shell City. -------[COLOR="Red"]2 Hours Earlier[/COLOR]----- Bennen slid the key into the final lock of his apartment door. The clanking glass in the paper bags he carried told that he was once again loading up on bourbon for the night. Under his shoulder was tucked another bag, full of various groceries. He struggled to turn the key without dropping his food, cursing under his breath when a voice suddenly came from behind him. ?Oh, Card! Need a hand?? Bennen jerked and glanced over his shoulder, the bags starting to slip as he locked eyes with Mary, one of then tenants in the building. She was a frumpy woman with coarse black hair. She was walking out of the elevator with her daughter, Rebecca. Bennen liked the two of them well enough; they were always nice to him. He struggled to keep his bags from falling as Mary took they key out of his hand, Rebecca catching the paper bags with booze. She looked at them and glanced at Bennen, who merely smiled. ?J-j-just st-st-s-st-stocking u-u-uh-up.? Mary opened his door, glancing at the bourbon with a look of pity. Bennen grabbed the bottles and shuffled into the apartment. ?T-t-th-thank you M-m-m-ma-mary.? The pair waved to him and headed over to their apartment, sympathy in their eyes as Bennen kicked the door shut. He moved over to the small kitchen nook, shoving the groceries into the fridge. He sighed, staring at his one room apartment. One big room, a tiny kitchen, and a bathroom. That was all he could afford on his janitor salary. All around the room were empty alcohol bottles, like a white trash carpet. Still, it was home to him. The small bed pushed against the wall, the old dusty television. He threw his jacket onto the floor, rolling his shoulders as he rapped his knuckles against the bourbon bottle. Maybe he should open it. Just sink into a stupor tonight. No?it?d been three days since Weep had last come out. No drinking tonight, at least not until morning. Bennen stared silently at the ceiling fan that slowly rotated around. No one would have guessed that behind the fan, hidden in the ceiling? The Crying Angel eagerly waited for Bennen to pull him on. ------- ((Should be fairly obvious how you should start off. Simple post showing off your character a bit. This thing is going to take off pretty quickly, so better be ready.))

I support the map idea, though I'll probably give you a guys a nice basic map that you guys can throw text onto just to keep things simple. Also, you are all more then welcome to make and add NPCs of your own for personal story and plots for your Vigilantes *No other Vigilantes however*

You're both in. Normally, I'd wait for maybe one or two more people, but I know at least two of you are fairly committed due to past RPs, and I figure majority of anyone else who joins won't stick around. So, we will begin very soon. Signs ups are open until I put the big words CLOSED on it.

[U]Well known locations of Shell City[/U] [B]Gothar Cathedral[/B] - Gothar Cathedral is a huge stone structure dominating the very center of the city. Parapets, flying buttresses, and stone gargoyles stretch high into the gray sky of Shell City. Everyday at dawn, noon, and dusk, the heavy brass bells of Gothar would ring out. The cathedral is run by Father Leonard, and it's a favored haven for anyone in need of a warm bed for the night. [B]Bens Weapon Tech[/B] - The huge skyscraper, dwarfing even the huge cathedral, is the tallest building in Shell City. Situated in the tech center of the city, the massive building reflects the sun from it's billions of windows, making it look similar to a golden obelisk stretching towards the clouds. It houses the largest corporation, Bens Weapon Developers. [B]Back Wards[/B] - A huge ghetto located near the river, Back Wards is home to the impoverished, the criminal and the insane. Run down buildings, pitiful health standards, and trash lining the gutters are all common sights. Gangs run rampant through the streets, and cop patrols have all but ceased in the ruined alleyways. The most notorious location in the Back Wards is Trap, a large park that has been turned into a shanty town. Shacks, makeshift tents, and lean-tos dot the withering fields of a once beautiful park. [U]A few well known citizens of Shell City[/U] [B]Captain Bates[/B] - A veteran officer of the SCPD, Bates has a strict "NO VIGILANTE" rule. Believing in the infallible law, Bates has a large amount of support from the citizens of Shell City. Since he's taken over the police force, crime has been reduced 10%, and a lot of corrupt officers were arrested for bribes and illegal actions. Bates is a stocky man in his mid 30's and stands around 5'6", with a thick tuft of coarse black hair on his head. He abhores Vigilantes and will do anything to bring them down. Bates feels that the media is bias against the police force, and that anything officers say to reporters is often twisted to make them look like the villains. As such, he refuses to talk to any reporters almost religiously, and if ambushed by them, reacts incredibly with incredible hostility. [B]Governor Karen[/B] - The beautiful and aggressive woman in charge of Shell City, Karen is very popular with the citizens, especially the middle class. Her reforms and tax cuts have helped struggling families, and her constant push for social services help the unemployed get back on her feet. However, big business owners and upper class citizens dislike her greatly. Karen is widowed, with a 7 year old son, Darren. Karen has a voluptuous body and curly red hair, standing around 5'9". Karen publicly opposes Vigilantes, but does nothing to aid the police in apprehending them, leading most to believe she secretly supports them. [B]Kirk Bens[/B] - Kirk runs the largest corporation in Shell City, Bens Weapons Developers. The company employs around 60% of the city's inhabitants, and most of the economy in the city revolves around the company. One of the most powerful men in the city, Bens is also a generous charity donor who makes frequent donations to shelters, orphanages, and just about every other charity in the city. Kirk is a pudgy short man with a well trimmed beard outlining his jaw. He stands around 5', and has shocking blond hair. Bens refuses to make a statement on the Vigilantes. [B]Boris Gen[/B] - Boris is a well known crime boss in Shell City, but has always managed to keep his hands clean of any incriminating evidence. He runs the largest gang in the city, the Shell Boys. While it's generally accepted that he's behind around 75% of the crimes in the city, no one can prove his actions, and thus he remains untouched by the police force. However, since the rise of Vigilantes, he has made extra efforts to not show his face without copious amounts of bodyguards and thugs. So far, every Vigilante who has gone after him has disappeared, their bodies showing up in the streets days later. Boris has cropped brown hair in a military Mohawk, and stands around 6'3" with a heavy, muscle bound build. [B]Burn[/B] - The Most Wanted Vigilante around, Burn wears a welder's mask and a heavy firefighter's suit. He uses a heavy flamethrower, and is well known for being the single most brutal Vigilante around. Recently disappeared after murdering an entire SWAT team sent to take him down. In his escape, he set fire to the building he was in, causing a massive inferno that ended up killing 45 people. Burn stood around 6' with a slender build. [B]Father Leonard[/B] - A somewhat deaf old priest who runs Gothar Cathedral. He is well known for his kindness and his charity works. No one can say a bad thing about the man, not even Boris Gen. [B]Lieutenant John Cots[/B] - A friendly enough police officer for SCPD, Cots is a close friend of Bates. While he shares his friend's anti-vigilante sentiments, Cots also recognizes how such strong positions can get the public against the officers. As such, he has remained neutral on the subject, and when asked his opinions, merely states: "Whether what they're doing is helpful or not, it is against the law, and it's my job to bring them in." Cots has a wife and two daughters, and is a very family oriented man. Standing 5'7" with an athletic build, Cots is a very handsome black man with a bald head. [B]Brycon Kurts[/B] - An aggressive supporter of the Vigilantes, Brycon has organized numerous rallies in support of many of the Vigilantes. Rumors abound that he is in fact one of them, but despite the numerous investigations into his activities, he has never once been proven to have been one. However, he revels in the mysteries of it, often hindering police investigations by casting suspicions on himself. Brycon is a wiry young man of 23, with an almost permanent five-oh-clock shadow. Brycon is a friendly man who loves jokes, and other then his heavy anarchist views, gets along with just about everybody. It's difficult to not like him, unless you're a cop. [B]Tony Skins[/B] - A writer for "Daily Bit" magazine. Outspoken opponent of Vigilantes, recently did an article on why the Vigilante Weep is clinically insane, and announced he would write a piece on each of the Vigilantes, exposing their true purpose. Recently murdered by Weep and Knives. More characters will show up. Any questions for me can be asked here as well, or through Private Messages, but don't be shy. I'm all ears, and there's no such thing as a bad question.

You're both in. Good work.

"In other news, police captain Bates has openly commented on the actions of the alleged Vigilantes. We go now live to the police station in downtown Shell." "Let me make this clear, the vigilantes are nothing more then criminals who have no regard for the law! We are working as hard as we can to bring them to justice, and I encourage anyone who has any information regarding the vigilantes, please come forward and te-" [SIZE="4"]KRACKZZZT![/SIZE] The old TV fell to the ground, the heavy telephone clanking next to it's shattered frame. He stared at the broken glass, wiping the blood off his machete. His gaze turned to the dead man laying on the bed. Gagged, his arms and ankles tied to the bed posts, and his throat gashed open to the spine. The machete wielding man finished wiping the blood off his weapon and stared at the screaming face. The eyes had been stabbed out, the blood trickling down the man's face. The overall appearance was a screaming, crying corpse. A chuckle emanated from the machete man as he slid open the window to the 10 floor hotel. Sidling his way out onto the ledge, he shut the window quietly, and began to scale the wall upwards, chuckling still. --------- ((Welcome to Vigilantes. In here, you will play as a masked hero, searching for answers to a grand mystery. What mystery is that? Well, you'll just have to join and find out, because I'm not about to tell you. A few things to consider: As a masked Vigilante, you're actions HAVE consequences. If you kill criminals, the common folk may like you, but a large portion of the people think you're dangerous and insane, ESPECIALLY if you subscribe to a capital punishment method of justice. Also, YOU ARE NOT A SUPERHERO. YOU HAVE NO POWERS. NOTHING EVEN CLOSE TO POWERS. You are nothing more then a regular person whose been pushed too far. You have a costume, maybe some interesting skills that help you *like fighting skills, weapons training, etc etc* that give you an edge over untrained criminals. BUT YOU HAVE NO SUPERPOWERS! Finally, unless you work something out with the other RPer, we don't know each other's identity. We have no clue. The vigilantes generally don't socialize much due to different beliefs. A capital punishment advocate would think a 'bring em in' type to be too soft, whereas a 'bring em in' would find the capital punishment too harsh. Now that's out of the way, let's get going. Name: Vigilante Name: ((What are you known as?)) Age: Gender: Costume Appearance: ((You're costume. NOT YOUR CHARACTER'S PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, just his/her costume)) Appearance: ((Detailed description or picture. I'd prefer a description.)) Weapon: ((Nothing fantastic or anything. Guns, knives, axes, stapler, things that people ACTUALLY have access to.)) Day Job: ((How do you fund your endeavors? Are you a reporter, laborer, etc. NO MILLIONAIRES without asking me first!)) Personality: ((What makes you tick? Make it unique, this will make or break your character. Remember to include his Vigilante personality as well.)) Bio: ((What happened to you to make you become a masked vigilante? Tell about your past in Shell City, family, etc.)) Name: Bennen Card Vigilante Name: Weep Age: 27 Gender: Male Costume Appearance: Weep is well known for his trademark Crying Mask, a thick white porcelain mask styled to look like the weeping man from Theater symbols. Cresting the top of the mask is a crown of bright scarlet feathers, around a foot in length, that sweep back across the top of his head. Other then that, Weep wears nothing other then a heavy black neoprene bodysuit, thick black gloves with hard rubber on the knuckles, and heavy black boots. His trademark machete is strapped to his left thigh. Appearance: A thickly built man, Bennen weighs in at around 280 lbs of heavy muscle. He stands around 6'3", and has short brown hair. With dull green eyes and no real distinguishing marks, Bennen easily blends into a crowd. Tends to wear simple blue jeans and t-shirts. Weapon: A heavy machete made of black steel. Day Job: Janitor for Lenning & Connor Law Firm. Personality: Bennen is a suprisingly quiet man, considering his role as the possibly insane Weep. He speaks with a stutter, and generally comes off as awkward. Bennen tries to do his job quietly and not attract too much attention to himself, though he's friendly enough. Even when others make fun of him, he merely walks away and ignores them, though it's noted that he goes out of his way to be mopping or sweeping right where they need to walk the next day. Incredibly patient and docile, Bennen is the epitome of average. His stutter seems to get worse when talking with girls. Weep is the polar opposite of Bennen. Weep constantly laughs, and speaks very eloquently. He subscribes to a "One Strike" policy of justice, and has a special vendetta for rapists and sex criminals. His complete and utter lack of mercy towards these criminals has made him a surprisingly popular vigilante with women. Overall, Weep comes off as insane, and many people consider him unstable and incredibly violent. Bio: Bennen was once a surprisingly successful artist who was on the rise in the industry. However, when his closest friend was raped and murdered, Bennen caved in emotionally. He stopped drawing, his bills piled up, and his friends slowly drifted away from the increasingly depressed young man. Eventually, during a drunken torpor, Bennen was bombarded by news reports of rape crimes, sexual assaults, and the familiar phrase by the police of "We're doing the best we can" Enraged, Bennen began to feel that since the police wouldn't stop the crimes, he would. To prevent anyone else from feeling the loss he felt, he donned the crying mask, and became the laughing, merciless vigilante known as Weep. Weep is currently one of the top "Most Wanted" in Shell City, though the people who have been rescued by his timely arrivals have dubbed him "The Crying Angel".

((You guys are pathetic at posting regularly!)) --------------------- The huge brass door suddenly opened and incredibly loud explosions were heard. Fire leaped out of the doorway as a man wearing a thick canvas apron covered in burns dashed out, unloading round after round at the Scrap's head with an old weapon of some sort. His face was covered with a thick metal welder's mask. His voice screeched out from behind the metal as the Scrap attempted to cover it's exposed camera eye from the gunfire. [SIZE="3"]BLAMBLAM! BLAM![/SIZE] The man turned and threw the rifle to Ishild. "Aim for the eye! "[SIZE="3"]AIM FOR THE EYE![/SIZE]" The man ran back into the room, and returned with a smaller hand gun, and began to fire on the Scrap as well. The huge beast thrashed wildly, it's bladed body moving ever closer as it shielded it's precious camera from the barrage of gunfire. The man continued to yell in a high screechy voice. "[SIZE="3"]THE CHEST GEAR! THE CHEST GEAR![/SIZE]" ----------------------- Heat's convulsions ceased briefly, and the massive Scrap pinwheeled around, bashing Alpha's face heavily with a massive forearm. His huge feet crunched and slipped around on the ice, causing the huge Scrap to move over Zlota. Heat didn't seem to notice, bracing himself as Alpha spun around, whipping it's tail towards the pair. Heat backed up as the wicked scythe tail hissed through the air, Alpha finally regaining it's footing. Sparks showered out of it's jaws as it gave another primal roar. Zlota backed up as the Wolf moved forward menacingly, but the beast stopped as Heat braced his legs, sickle fingers clacking against each other as Heat prepared for another brawl. Alpha's cyclopean eye roved over it's current situation. Heat was no longer incapacitated, and Zlota had done some serious damage to Alpha's right shoulder, causing it to stutter and shake as the gears ground against each other and began to destroy one another. Van was stuck in his hole, but he prevented Alpha from circling the others with his staff. Behind Heat and Zlota, Julian was out of commission, blood loss finally taking it's toll as he struggled to maintain consciousness. Maya hadn't moved from where she had slid, though Alpha was sure she was merely petrified with fear. Rose and Kilo, on the top of a ruined building, were searching for more debris to hurl at Alpha if he got too close. The odds were not in his favor. The huge Scrap moved back slowly, his gears erupting in a shower of sparks as his right arm moved spasmodically, jerking around in protest. The wolf gave a vicious roar. "This isn't over! Not by a long shot! You won't find her! YOU WON'T FIND HER! [SIZE="3"]SGREEEAGGGHHHH!!!![/SIZE] With that, Alpha whipped around and bounded off into the snowstorm, heading towards the Factory. Heat watched him go, then fell to a knee with a loud screech of metal. His camera eye circled to Zlota as he seemed to regain composure. "...Thank you Zlota." Zlota nodded when she heard Kilo's voice yelling from the building. "THE OTHERS! THE OTHERS IN THE TUNNEL! THE WOLVES ARE STILL IN THERE!" --------- Archimedes rounded the corner, fumbling slightly in the dark, when he heard violent scraping and roaring. He slowed and gently edged around the intersection, peeking out into the hall. A huge Wolf, his back to the old man, was clawing at an entrance, trying to break a heavy door down with vicious headbutts and ramming. It's scythe tail flailed dangerously around the tunnel. Archie dug his hand into his backpack, grabbing the item he had taken from his footlocker back in the Skycleaner. Bringing it to his shoulder, he braced his body against the wall. He hadn't used it in years, so his aim was likely to be off... [SIZE="4"]WHOOBOOOM![/SIZE] The old man jerked backwards heavily as the large rifle in his hands went off, erupting in a shower of brilliant flame as the massive shell tore through the Scrap and exploded through the doorway. Duo and Grettel had their vision erupt in white hot flame as the shell blew the door off it's hinges, nearly breaking Grettel's legs as it ricochet across the floor. The Wolf roared as it's gears shook free, spinning off their piping and rolling down the hallways violently as Archimedes lowered the handcannon. The beast gave a death groan as it fell to the ground, body going limp as Archie rushed forward. "Are you two alright?" "We're fine! Archie, what the hell is that thing?!" The old man strapped the cannon to his side, under his jacket. "Something from my soldier days. I was really hoping I wouldn't need to use it. Come on, we need to find the others! This place isn't safe!" "No shit! What about the kid?" "The kid is a Scrap! We have to find Ishild and Lucy before they find the kid, it could be hostile! You two, find them! I'm going top side to make sure there aren't more of these things!" The old man dashed down the halls, huffing and breathing heavily as his body began to protest to all the activity.

Heat's massive spine gear gave a loud click and a snap, speeding slightly as the entire Scrap jerked on the ground lazily. Then he was unmoving again. Alpha shook it's head violently, growling at Heat's prone form before locking it's damaged camera eye on Maya. "Annoying little creature!" The Scrap bounded over to Maya, ignoring Van's shout as the other wolf scrabbled for purchase on his metallic body. Van's hand finally grabbed the scythed tail, and he managed to windmill the Scrap off his body. The wolf tumbled against Alpha, causing both to slide across the snow. Heat's body jerked again, and his voice weakly filtered through the speaker as Alpha tried to right himself. "Errrgghhh..." Alpha roared and kicked at the Wolf on top of him, thrashing the Scrap's gears and causing it to fall limp. The huge Wolf quickly scrabbled over to Heat's form, saw jaws whirring violently as Heat's body once again went limp with Alpha's focus on it again. Maya dashed to grab another pipe, Zlota finally seeming to gain a moment of clarity as she picked up a large chunk of metal and hurled it at Alpha's face. The wolf took the hit hard, spinning slightly as it whipped it's head around only to have it's snout smashed by Maya's pipe. The Wolf roared violently, backhanding the girl harshly. She slide under Heat's massive frame as Julian picked up a sharpened piece of scrap and hurled it like a javelin into Alpha's shoulder. The Scrap turned it's attention to him and made a move to attack, but another piece of steel crashed into his scythed spine and ground itself into the gears, causing the Scrap to lurch and stumble violently before shaking the metal loose. Rose and Kilo had managed to move to a second level of a building and were hurling debris at the creature as it roared aggressively before focusing it's camera on Zlota. "[SIZE="4"]DIIIE!!![/SIZE]" The Scrap barreled towards her, dodging the bombardment from the others as it stretched it's claws out to her. It suddenly jerked to a stop above her and whipped it's head around. Heat had grabbed it's long tail, standing triumphantly with snow and ice clinging to his heavy frame as his speaker roared in fury. "[SIZE="5"]DO NOT TOUCH HEAT'S FRIEEEENDS![/SIZE]" The huge Scrap hammer threw Alpha backwards, then charged after him. Judging by the helter skelter movements of his feet and the violent convulsions of his torso, Heat was also suffering from whatever internal chaos was affecting the Scraps. Alpha whipped around and sparks exploded from it's body as it clamped down, bullrushing the huge Scrap. The two clashed violently and caused a shock wave to blow the snow out around them. Heat pivoted and elbowed the Wolf, grabbing it's hind leg and smashing it brutally against a building before pointing a claw at Zlota. "ZLOTA! HELP VAN! HELP MAYA! KEEP OTHERS SA-SGRAEEEGHH!!" Heat went into spasms, gripping his chest as he roared in pain. Alpha leaped onto his back, biting it's jaws down in a powerful manner over the Scrap's throat. -------- Archimedes rounded the corner, moving quickly back up the tunnels, hoping to find one of the others. The child was a Scrap! Was this a trap? Did he have a Heart? If he didn't, he may be violent towards them! He had to find them, quickly! -------- ((So we just got a little intense. Hopefully you're all still having fun and being interested.))

((ExcelExcel and Inuyasha Fandom have dropped out of the running.)) ----------- A violent shock wave of snow shot around Zlota as Alpha landed behind her, it's jaws an inch from the back of her neck. But it didn't attack. It stared at her silently, it's jaws whirring slowly as she turned to face it. It's camera eye narrowed onto her face, and it leaned forward, forcing her back a step. It gave a snarl to Maya, who quivered and clutched Zlota. Then, it's voice filtered out to the pair. "...how does it feel to have ffffear in your heart?" Julian rolled over from his position in the snow, and Alpha slammed a sickle claw down on top of him, caging him as the Scrap gave a vicious snarl. Julian gave a yell as one of the claws impaled his shoulder. The Alpha tilted it's head and dragged the man under him, it's camera eye returning to Zlota. "Fear is such a wonderful expression for humans." "You...you're not like the others..." Alpha turned it's massive head back to Julian, who writhed under his crushing grip. "No...unlike the others." It's jaws snapped at Zlota, causing her to fall backwards with Maya. The Wolf raised it's claw over her. "I have a Heart!" [SIZE="4"]KLANG![/SIZE] Alpha flipped over four times, smashing into a wall. From the hole, Van had used his staff like a ram rod, smashing it into the sides of the Wolf and causing it to fly against the wall. It thrashed around, trying to roll over. --------------- Inside the tunnels, the other Wolf Scraps were quickly moving deeper and deeper. One went down the tunnel towards Lucy and Ishild, the other tore down the path heading to Duo and Grettel. Their claws and whirring gears echoing down the halls. They took up the entire hallway, their whirring saw jaws and sickle claws scraping across the metal walls and floor.

Heat's massive frame didn't budge an inch as Maya ran over to him, her small fists hitting his cold bronze trying to get a response. Zlota leaped towards her. By now, the revving of the saws on the Wolves could be heard, and their bodies pounded towards the small group. Vangelios was little more then a turret, unable to pull his bulk out of the hole as the Alpha sped up, letting loose with its frightening roar. [SIZE="4"]"SGGRREEAAAGGGGHHH!!!"[/SIZE] Julian spun around to Rose. "Rose, get Kilo somewhere safe! I'll get the others!" He dashed towards Maya and Zlota, the Wolves merely a few yards away as another gut wrenching roar echoed out over the snow. Then, they heard it. First Maya, then Julian, and rapidly the others. The Alpha was yelling. Screaming in a metallic, harsh voice filled with rage. "KILL! [SIZE="3"]KILL![/SIZE][SIZE="4"] KILL![/SIZE]" The huge Scrap smashed against Heat, causing him to topple over, nearly crushing Maya under his frame. The Wolf spiraled around, rampaging through the town like a steel berserker, it's scythe tail whipping around violently as it broke through a building. One of the smaller wolves leaped onto Van's head, biting at his eyes as the other slid down into the tunnels and darted into the shadows. Van finally pried the Wolf off his face, smashing it with his staff. The Scrap tumbled backwards, quickly leaping to it's feet and tearing off after Rose and Kilo. Alpha came barreling out of a destroyed building, it's camera eye swiveling before focusing on Zlota, Julian, and Maya. It lowered it's body, gave a piercing scream, and charged at them. ------------------ Archimedes had come to a heavy metal door. He stared at the rusted bolts, unsure of whether he wanted to see what was behind it. He had walked through what appeared to have been a battlefield. Behind this scarred and pockmarked door...gore? Corpses? An active Murder Scrap? "...one way to find out..." The old man put his shoulder against the door, braced his legs, and shoved heavily. The entire door slid inwards, the rust hiding the fact that it was precariously balanced on its end. Archie fell on top of the door as it slammed into the ground heavily. "OOF! Ow..." He fumbled slightly for his staff, the lantern having been knocked off the top and rolled into the room. As he grabbed what felt like a cold metal pipe, he slowly picked himself up when he realized that whatever he was holding was much heavier then his pipe, and it was twisted or caught on something. The old man rubbed his eyes and waited till they adjusted. Then he recoiled with a sharp yelp. He was gripping the arm of a motionless child, staring at him with bright green eyes. He backpedaled away from the figure. He tripped over another child laying on the floor, arms at her side, staring straight up with amber eyes. He spun and lashed out to try and stop his fall. His hand grabbed yet another child. Archimedes spun around. All around him in this room were staring motionless children. The old man slowed his breathing as he realized that none were moving. He steadied himself, staring at the laying little girl. He reached down and gently touched her cheek. "...what the...?" It was hard, some kind of porcelain. He rolled up one of her sleeves and felt the arm. Canvas. Stretched tight over piping. "...Scraps?"

Archimedes rounded yet another corner in the metal labyrinth. His staff clinked softly as the lantern bobbed around on the tip. The sounds from above and the others as they moved around the maze had faded a while ago. The old man could only hear the violin music accompanying his own footsteps. He stopped suddenly as a figure appeared in the darkness ahead. "Hello? Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help!" As Archie moved closer, he held up his hands in what he hoped would be a non-threatening manner. He caught his breath as the lantern light spilled over a wrecked scrap. The huge metal contraption was unrecognizable, a tangled mess of rusted bolts and gears, with huge claws sticking out from long pipes. Blood flecked the entire contraption, black with age. Archie breathed out slowly, searching for any sign of movement on the ancient machine. He slid around it, keeping his eyes on the gears. He let out his breath as he continued down the hallway, shaking slightly from the shock. ------------- All throughout the metallic maze, the violin music suddenly made a harsh and violent trill, stopping immediately. As silence settled over the underground complex, it was suddenly replaced with a metallic voice, static garbling a lot of the words. "Who is it? Whose here? Can you hear me? Or are you like the rest..." Then, silence again. -------------- Heat climbed out of the hole in the ground, looking in the direction of the figures. In his head, that annoying static whisper that haunted him had returned. He gave a strange static filled grunt and lumbered in front of the others, trying to see what the figures were. They moved quickly, and with a strange galloping movement... "...WOLF! WOLF!" Heat suddenly whipped around, trying to herd the others back. "Hide! Hide! Wolf!" As the figures drew closer, the others saw the unmistakable shapes of the Wolf Scraps that ambushed them earlier. Three of them were bounding towards the group, the lead one obviously much larger then the others. The Alpha. Heat pivoted and flexed his sickle claws. "Heat will protect! Van, protect hole!" Then, the massive Scrap went rigid. His gears made a piercing shriek as his body convulsed heavily. The others stared in shock as Heat suddenly went limp, falling to his knees and falling silent as his head drooped forward. The wolves bounded closer.

Archie looked around the town. He couldn't tell from where the violin music was coming. He couldn't see any speakers, and no one had found any intact buildings where people could hide. This was starting to make him very uncomfortable, alongside the Scraps' apparent nervousness. Standing up, he looked at Heat. The large Scrap danced nervously then made eye contact. "Heat. Come here." Heat hesitated for a moment and the old man made a gesture. "Heat. Come here, please." The Scrap was still for a moment, then moved towards Archie. Vangelios was waddling back to the group when a loud shriek was heard. All heads snapped to Van as one of his legs sank into the ground. Heat made an awkward dive and grabbed his arm as the two Scraps suddenly slid out of sight with loud shrieking and metal snapping. Archimedes gasped and ran over, followed quickly by the others. Heat's head suddenly popped out of the ground, looking around in confusion. As the others raced to the edge, they saw that both Scraps had fallen about ten feet into a strange tunnel, braced with heavy metal beams with a dull steel floor. Vangelios' weight had crushed the roof, laying on his back like a surprised turtle. Heat's camera eye pivoted, seemingly very confused. Then he looked down and began to help the huge Scrap up. Archie stared in amazement. "Underground? That's why..." The violin music was considerably louder, and was obviously coming from the tunnels. The stale air wafted up to the group, and Archie sniffed it carefully. While musty, the air seemed clean, but it had a strange familiar scent to the old man. He couldn't place it, but whatever it was made his skin crawl. "What should we do?" Archimedes looked at Ishild, then back down into the corridor. "...there may be supplies down there, or people willing to help us." "There could also be people willing to hurt us!" The old man sighed at Duo's comment. "That's true as well...we'd be safer to leave it where it is, and camp on the outskirts of town tonight." Heat crouched near the entrance to the corridor. It was much too small to fit him or Vangelios in. Dim lanterns flickered on the walls, most were dying or completely dark and cold. Archie scratched his scraggly beard. "What are our supplies like?" "We've got quite a bit, probably enough to last us a week if we don't change anything." "...hmm..." "Archie...we don't need to go in there." The violin music continued to float up to the group, apparently on some kind of loop. Heat stared into the darkness, then made a strange whooing noise. "Someone is here!" "What?" Ishild leaned down over the edge of the hole, staring into the tunnel upside down. At the very edge of the shadows, standing just in front of the light, was a small boy, barefoot with stained clothing. His eyes were large and pale blue, and he stared at her silently before whipping around and dashing into the shadows. "Wait! Archie, there's a child here!" "What? Ishild, wait! Julian, Rose, and Kilo, stay here with Heat and Vangelios! Maya and Zlota, stay with them as well. Heat, get me down there! Lucy, Ishild, Grettel, Duo, let's go!" Heat's sickle claws closed around Archie and lowered him gently to the tunnel floor. The old man grabbed one of the dying lanterns, hooking it to the top of his brass staff. After pouring more fluid from other lanterns in, he brought it back to full brightness. He moved quickly down the hall with the others, coming to a split of three different passages. "....Lucy, Ishild, take the left. Grettel, Duo, center. I'll take the right." "Alone?" "Archie, you can't-" "MOVE! Use the lanterns for light, but be careful! We don't want to hurt the child on accident." With that, the old man moved quickly down the right hall, his lantern fading as he reached into his backpack for some object. Then, he was gone.

Archimedes had finally reached the deserted town. As the group filtered in behind him, he glanced around, doing a mental count. "Where is...?" He glanced back and saw Maya walking slowly with Zlota, Ishild and Lucy were a little ways ahead of them, hugging each other. The old man smiled, then noticed Heat skirting around them, giving a wide berth. The old man sat down, the violin music trickling out of the town ahead of them. "I need a moment to rest...Kilo and Duo, see if you can't find a suitable camp for the night, it's starting to get dark...Van, take a look around the outskirts, make sure no one's watching us this time, anything suspicious, hit it. Grettel, stay with me, if I get attacked, I'm not going to be able to do much. We'll wait for the others to catch up..." Archie leaned on his staff, slowly recovering his breath as he shut his eyes. Vangelios waddled off to cover the outskirts of the town, lost in his own thoughts. Archie noticed that all the Scraps seemed to be on edge or confused. Vangelios hadn't spoken, even when addressed, and seemed to constantly look around or be distracted, as if he wasn't paying attention to reality. Heat wasn't coming within ten feet of anyone, he seemed more twitchy then the others. Zlota was hanging behind everyone, even Grettel seemed strangely on edge. The old man just hoped it was nothing serious or worse, related to the factory. -------------- Heat stopped a ways away from the group, staring at Archimedes. He should tell him. He should tell him about the voices, maybe it wasn't Heat! Maybe it was something else, Archie should know! But what if it is Heat...what if Archie thinks he's dangerous? The Scrap shuffled back and forth as he debated about what he should do, shaking his head to try and rid himself of the strange urges. ------------ ((Posts have been rather low for some of you, I put in a deadline for certain people to post. If you don't post within that Deadline, I will remove your character *possibly via a violent death* IF YOU DIDN'T GET A MESSAGE ABOUT THE DEADLINE, don't worry about it, you are doing fine.))

Heat constantly turned to look back at the huge Factory in the distance as the group walked on. His sickle claws clinking together softly as he fold and unfolded them in agitation. He looked down at Zlota, who seemed afraid of something. Heat began to move towards her, but again...the disturbing urge rose in his mind. "Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them." Heat clenched his claws together, and dropped behind the group a few paces, staring at the backs of everyone as he struggled to maintain his focus. What were these thoughts? Hurting them? They were his friends, he couldn't! Was he really thinking these thoughts? Were they his? Was Heat...bad? The Scrap decided that until he could think clearly, he should probably keep his distance from the group. Stay a few steps behind so that he wouldn't do something...terrible. -------- Archimedes stopped in his tracks, tilting his head. "What is it?" "...do you hear something?" The others paused and listened in the howling wind. Nothing...then...a strange noise. The old man cupped a hand to his ear. "...music?" "What?" "It's...music. Some kind of violin...come on, let's go...it's coming from the town, maybe there are others there. Keep an eye peeled, we don't want to fight anyone if we can avoid it..."

As Archimedes tied his backpack shut, he wiped a hand across his eyes, shaking snow from his brow as he watched everyone get ready to leave. Kilo was limping, but was otherwise alright. The old man's thoughts went back to a few hours before. ---------- "There's no arguing here, you're coming with us." "But Archie-" "Kilo, you're around two days away from the Skycleaner, you're still recovering from your injury, we don't have any supplies to spare, and oh yeah, those Murder Scraps are probably still out there waiting." Archimedes picked up his staff as he stepped out of the tent. "Face it Kilo. You're coming with us, end of story. Besides...you owe her THAT much after all the worry you put her through." With those words, the old man walked out of the tent. ----------------- He shouldered the pack as Heat walked over, heavy steps crunching into the snow. He bent down to the old man. ?Archie is alright?? ?Hm? Yeah Heat, I?m fine?just...I?m fine. Is everyone ready?? The group gave some half hazard replies. The old man stared at them. Not even two days in, and they had already lost their will to continue. He knew bringing everyone along was a mistake. If he had been alone, he could ha- ?HEAT IS READY! WE FIND KEY!? Everyone blanched as Heat screamed at the top of his speakers, stretching his arms wide. The camera eye circled around to focus on the group, who stared in shock. The Scrap tilted his cylindrical head to the side, and then pointed a sickle claw at Maya. ?Is Maya ready?? She stared at him in surprise, then nodded, still stunned by his outburst. Heat shook his head. ?Yell.? ?What?? ?Heat remember that when humans happy, they ?cheer?. Yell!? Archimedes blinked in surprise as the Scrap pointed his claw again at the young child. ?Is Maya ready?? ?Ready!? ?Loud!? ?READY HEAT!? As she broke out laughing, Heat pivoted to the old man. ?We are ready! We go?? Archie stared in amazement at the massive Scrap before his eyes met Duo?s. He stared for a moment, and then smiled widely. ?Yeah. Let?s go.? Heat gave a strange jump as the group began to head north. Archimedes pulled his hood tight and smiled to himself. Heat maybe wasn?t the brightest Scrap, but he definitely had a way of making the old man forget his problems. ----------- Archie stared at the silhouette of the huge building in the distance. Two days of hiking through the snow and frigid weather had finally brought them to the one place he didn?t want to be anywhere near. The Factory. Dormant and frozen, this huge dome building once mass produced Scraps of all sorts, releasing them to murder humanity in the War. The old man felt the memories tug at him; Dashing across a battlefield, dodging the red hot metal of a construction Scrap?s rivet gun as he ran towards the wounded soldier, the screams of other men being torn apart by transportation Scraps, watching scattered gears slowly reform into the deadly shape as repair Scraps remade their fallen comrades. The old man shook his head rapidly, snapping back to reality as the others stared into the distance at the foreboding shape. ?We?we aren?t going there, are we?? Archie unfolded his map. ?No, we?re going around it?to here.? He pointed to a marker. ?There was a worker?s town here, should offer us shelter and maybe even some supplies. We want to avoid the Factories, especially if those Wolves are still around?? Rolling up the map, he began to walk off, heading towards the town. Heat stared at the large dome Factory, not moving as his eye rotated and pivoted. ?Heat! Come on, let?s go!? The huge Scrap swiveled his eye to the group, back to the Factory, then quickly followed after the others.

"Julian, Rose." Archimedes waved the pair over to him. "What are you doing right now?" "We were going to try and cook some food for everyone." "Don't, we need to eat sparingly. I need your help with something, come with me." The trio walked over to the sled. "Kilo had a lot of supplies with him, but a lot of it was damaged, I'm assuming from the fall. See what you can scrounge out of it, if you wouldn't mind." The old man turned before they could answer, and headed over to Lucy, Grettel, and Van. "You guys keep an eye on things here for me, I have to get my bearings. Zlota, can you come with me please? We're going to the edge of the city, I want to find a landmark and figure out where we are exactly." The old man began to head off to the city without waiting for an answer, his old map tucked under his arms as he adjusted the hood surrounding his wrinkled face. ----------------- Heat walked back into the campsite, Ishild and Maya riding on his shoulders. They had only managed to find a piece of cloth that one of the wolves had been wrapped in. "I told you we wouldn't find anything, this place is cleaned out! We scavenged too much of it when we were with the Skycleaner, are you getting all this?" "Look, Duo is a little uptight right now. Kilo was hurt pretty badly, and you know how those two are." "But Mr. Archimedes can help her! He was a doctor too, before her, right?" Heat's camera eye swiveled to Maya before turning to Ishild. She sighed. "Archie's angry with her right now, I think he needs a little time to cool off. He didn't like her running off without a word to the rest of us." "Dangerous, Heat worried!" ------ ((Let's keep this interlude brief, as no one really has anything to do.))

Archimedes gave a cough. "Not to ruin the mood here...Kilo, can you speak?" "Archie, he can't -" "Duo, be quiet. Now." The old man's tone suggested that he was not in the mood for arguing. He walked over to Kilo. "Kilo, don't strain yourself, but I need to know what happened. Was it raiders or scraps?" "Scraps...they-" "I know, we got hit by them too. Rest now, we'll move out when you're better." Archimedes turned and grabbed Duo's shoulder. "Do whatever it takes to keep him alive, but next time you hear an unknown voice, you tell me more then 'I heard something' and you had better let the rest of us fucking know, I will not have your feelings getting us into another ambush or killed." "I-" "Duo, if you had told me that you heard your name being called, that you had a feeling, ANYTHING like that, I would have gladly investigated with you, but I have seen men go insane out here, I have seen them lure innocent people into their deaths to get a piece of cloth." "Archi-" "If you need help, let me know. I was a field doctor after all. I'll be outside." With that, the old man walked out of the tent.

Archimedes looked up at Heat, then his eyes roved over his group. Everyone was breathing heavily, several were bleeding. As Vangelios slowly rose to his feet and the others gathered, Archimedes took his pipe back from Rose. He stared at the mangled tip, but it would still work well as a walking stick. The old man looked at everyone's faces, slowly rolling his injured shoulder. "We have a problem...we got lucky this time, nothing else." Everyone was silent for a moment. "They caught us off guard Archie..." "I'm not talking about that! We did exactly what they wanted! We separated, we broke apart, and we almost died because of it. We are nothing without each other!" Archimedes moved to Rose and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't take your worries seriously earlier. But you have to see. Those are not the Scraps from the war. Those things...they were smarter, better built...they are new. This shouldn't be possible, the factories are all shut down. Someone is building Scraps." "A human?" "More then likely..." He turned and waved his pipe at everyone. "Listen to me. If you see anything out of the ordinary, alert the rest of us. But be careful that your fears don't turn into paranoia. Be aware of everything, but be reasonable with your judgments. We have to stick together! All of us! If we're attacked again, work together, it's the only way we will survive. They know us now, and we know nothing of them. All of you, be careful...let's go, we have to keep moving...this place is no longer safe." Heat rotated his wrist as Grettel finished up, sliding his arm up and over his head. He looked down at her and nodded, making a strange crackling noise that sounded like laughter. "Heat works! Heat's arm is fine! Thank you Grettel! Now Heat can help others!" The massive Scrap lumbered to his feet, his arm making a strange grinding noise before finally settling into it's smooth movement. He walked up behind Maya, and scooped her into his arm. "Maya will stay with Heat! Heat not let anyone hurt Maya!" Ishild turned and glanced at Heat. The Scrap pointed a claw at her. "Heat will protect Isshhhhild too!" "Thanks Heat. I'll walk though." The Scrap nodded and placed Maya onto one of his broad shoulder plates. The dent in the center gave her a fairly comfortable seat as Heat began to move towards Archie. Duo walked next to the old man. "Where are we heading now?" "...there's another ruin several miles up...but we're going to avoid it." "Why?" "It has a dormant Factory in it...if those Scraps are being built, their probably getting parts from a Factory. We'll circle it, and find another shelter, hopefully before night falls. We have to get moving..." Archimedes fell silent after this, staring straight ahead. Something in his voice told Duo that he was lost in his own thoughts, thinking intently, probably about the ambush. Possibly whether or not he could have done more. ------ Heat walked up to Vangelios, helping the Scrap to his feet. His camera eye swiveled as he reached down, pulling bits of Wolf out of the metal cloak. "Vangelios is ok?" "I am fine, wh-" "Heat wants Vangelios to help! Heat cannot watch everyone! Vangelios will help!" Before he could respond, the massive Scrap turned and reached over to Grettel, pulling her close, careful to not let Maya slip off his shoulder. "Grettel will help too!" "What?" "We - " "Listen to Heat! Heat cannot watch over all humans at all times. Vangelios and Grettel will help me, so that humans not get hurt." "Bu-" "Promise Heat! You will help?" The massive Scrap stared at them quietly, obviously unwilling to accept any answer against his request. Archimedes turned and waved at them. "Heat, Van, Grettel! Let's go! Keep up!" Heat's eye swiveled to the old man, then back to the other Scraps. "Heat knows you will help." The massive Scrap lumbered off towards the others.

A tangled mess of gears and metal slammed into the wolf on Zlota, rocketing both the attacking wolf and the ruined one against the other wall. Heat shouldered his way through the wall, lumbering over the girls. "Don't touch them!" With a static roar, Heat charged into the struggling wolf, smashing it heavily with his massive fist. He pivoted, quickly shifting himself to stand over the girls, offering some protection as they moved to Ishild. She was bleeding from the chest, where the claws had gashed her. It was a big cut, but not deep. She grunted in pain as Heat's camera eye circled back outside, focusing on the Alpha wolf as it slowly stalked into the building, it's jaws whirring madly as it's cyclopean eye swiveled from target to target. Heat moved in between it and the girls, bracing himself. The massive murder Scrap paused, twisting it's head in a predatory curiousity. The blades on it's back whirred violently as it gave a piercing scream to the group, then it suddenly whipped it's body around and bounded off into the snowstorm. Heat watched it leave, unmoving for a moment before snapping back into reality. The huge Scrap quickly moved to Ishild, his broken arm dragging along the ground as he scooped her up in his good arm. "Maya, Get on!" Maya scrambled onto his good arm, gripping the pipes in his biceps as the large Scrap turned to Lucy and Zlota. "Alright? Heat was slow..." "...you did fine Heat." The large scrap nodded, and quickly headed over to Archimedes. -------- The old man examined Ishild's cut, his hands gently pushing and testing. "Does this hurt?" "No..." "And this?" "OW! YES!" "Ok good. None of your nerves were cut, looks like the wound's superficial. It's shallow, you'll be fine, but it's gonna hurt for awhile." Heat sat down heavily, his broken arm hanging limply as he gently let Maya down. "I am sorry Maya. Heat did not protect you..." --------- ((If you're still fighting a wolf, finish it off, regroup.))

The vampire spat blood and a broken tooth onto the ground, glaring up at Harold. The Revenant stared down at him coldly, hands tightly clenched into fists. He had spent the last five minutes savagely beating the parasite for information, but the creature had remained silent. Rain rolled his head, his knuckles cracking as he grabbed the creature's throat and slammed him against the wall. "I'll ask one more time...just. Once." His fist rocketed into the beast's throat, causing him to choke up as Rain moved close to him, close enough that the smell of grave dirt filled the vampires nose. "What do you know about the disappearances? You were talking about them, you must know something. You said a name, a name that got my interest..." The Revenant hurled the parasite across the floor, then stomped onto his crotch savagely, pinning him down. "What do you know about Albert Sims? This is your last chance to have this pain end." "...whatever you do to me...is nothing...compared to what they'll do to me..." "Oh, you underestimate me...so very much." The last ten minutes of the Vampire's life were the most agonizing he had ever experienced. As Harold dropped the eviscerated carcass, he felt a tinge of foreboding. He knew more about causing pain then any other creature. He knew how to make the pain last, how to keep them alive. And yet, this parasite only screamed, he never answered the question. What kind of creature could instill such fear? Vampires were cowards and pathetic when it came to terms of loyalty. but to garner it from such a creature would take a power beyond Rain's comprehension. It didn't matter. Looking up at the sky, he saw the sun slowly rising. He had lost track of time, and while the sun wasn't painful to him, it risked him being seen. He didn't need the humans going after him, he didn't want to hurt anyone who didn't deserve it. But he hadn't found a safe place to stay for that day. "...hnn..." The Revenant turned and began to move back towards the Lair. He knew that only the weaker vampires would bother him if he stayed at that wretched place, but he had enough of a reputation for hating that kind that they would probably leave him alone. Besides...if Christophe knew about Albert Sims...he shouldn't let him too far out of his sights. At least until he gets the information he needed. --------- As Harold entered the empty Lair, he immediately became aware of blood patches on the floor. Careful to step around the puddles, he bent down and sniffed above them. Then he grumbled as the familiar smell of the parasites wafted to him. He didn't care to find a room, instead taking his normal seat in the corner. As he pulled his knees up to his chest and folded his hands over them, he glared out across the room, dead silent and unmoving.