Flash

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4][COLOR=Red][I][B] Last time, on Maverick Hunters: Personification! [/B] [/I][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] [I]"Go, Reverb," Duke commanded. "Run, before they find you. Run to the Desert. Seek refuge in the City of Sin." "No Duke. I won't. I'll kill you, even if I die trying." "Believe me, Reploid, you will die trying!" the Human roared, drawing his beam rapier, and lunging at Reverb. Before the Hunter Elite could react, the lazer-blade pierced into his chest, sending a massive shockwave of agony through his entire frame. He bore the pain, and stared Duke straight in the eye Green Hunters stormed into the room, forming a circle around Reverb's body, and began to riddle his lifeless frame with laser pellets.[/I] [B]Elite Maverick Hunter Reverb was mercilessly slain at the hands of Duke and his Emerald Militia. However...[/B] [I]The forefront of Reploid technology, Reverb, lay still in the Junkyard, ripped apart by the same weapons he had used everyday to suppress the Maverick threat. A figure wrapped in a black shroud approached the Hunter's powerless body."Reverb", the voice started. "...who, who has defiled you so?" The cloaked man stooped over and lifted Reverb from his filthy grave.[/I] [b]A mysterious Cloaked figure has rescued Reverb's tattered torso from a junk heap in Novus Concordia. Who is this mysterious figure? Or perhaps we have seen him once before;[/b] [I]There it was. Down the end of the corridor, backed against a wall, was the shadow. It was dark, and too far away to see easily. Before Iota could enhance the image, it darted away again. Iota swallowed her fear, and began to pursue the creature. She reached the end of the corridor, and turned left, following the being jumping in and out of the shadows. She aimed her guns and fired as she ran--Sadly, she missed on both shots. Frustrated, she tried again, nailing a shot right into the back of the thing's leg. It stumbled initially, before it regained it's composure and continued. Iota took note of numbers on the walls as she ran. The creature and her were progressing further and further down into the bottom levels of Maverick Hunter HQ.[/I] [b]What connection does this Cloaked mystery-man have with Reverb and Maverick Hunter HQ? Meanwhile...[/b] [i]Duke laughed heartily. No-one suspected him of any wrongdoing. Turning his monitors off, he retired to his desk. His superiors would be pleased, for their control of the Maverick Hunters was growing at an alarming rate. Soon, the entire robotic world would tremble at their feet.[/i] [b]The population of Novus Concordia and the rest of the world are not aware of the nefarious Duke's true agenda. He and his Emerald Militia continue to spread like bacteria throughout the ranks of the Maverick Hunters. Who are Duke and his Emerald Militia, and what are their intents? --- Third floor mess hall, E sector Maverick Hunter Headquarters 2313 hours ---[/b] Demos lunged upward to the airborne X, his metal saber spitting white lightning as it clashed with X's Z-saber. The blue reploid was flung backward, unprepared for Demos' newfound strength. He landed upright, and quickly retaliated, firing his buster in quick succession as he charged towards Demos. With reflexes akin to a god rather than a reploid, the infected Demos swung his saber forwards. In a flicker of blue and white plasma fire, the shots were dispersed, and Demos' blade met that of the oncoming X. His green saber crackled as it hit Demos' ionized blade. As it wasn't a later model Progressive blade, it couldn't refract a beam saber; though it certainly made them struggle. X parried to the right forcefully, giving him enough room to spin his body around and thrust his MK17 Mega Buster into the dark reploid's face. "Don't make me do this, Demos. Surrender now." said X, with sympathy in his voice. This was his friend, his comrade... These noble thoughts were cut off suddenly with a swift kick from Demos into X's chest, sending the Hunter hurdling backward and straight into a steel plated concrete wall mere feet behind him. The force left visible dents and cracks in the cold metal, as well as severely damaging the armour on X's back and shoulders. He slumped to the ground lifelessly. Demos grinned, and raised his saber in front of his face, lining up the downed Hunter in front of him. The other Hunters dared not move for fear of reaping the consequences. "You deluded fool." He aimed his saber at X's head and brought his arm back, bent at the shoulder and elbow, poised to lunge forward and destroy the hunters face. But in that split second, the inexplicable occurred. The area in immediate proximity to Demos shimmered and blurred, and a blurry grey shape appeared if only for a nanosecond before it vanished, the distortion disappearing as well, taking the berserker Hunter with it. This was a blink, a short-range, point-to-point teleport, which meant that it could only have come from, and been staying within, Maverick Hunter HQ. [b]--- Clockwork South Novus Concordia 2420 hours ---[/b] Within meters of entering Clockwork South from the desert highway, brightly lit signs and amazing structures filled the landscape. The famed Clockwork terraces were here, among many other truly remarkable marvels of modern technology. Clockwork South was the mecca of modern technological indulgence, a sanctuary for the ultra-modern. The HAPC [i]Impact[/i], fully geared for intense combat with mounted weapons and bronze-coloured battle armour was quite out of place here. It trundled down the main street of Clockwork South, spilling out over three lanes of traffic. Humans and reploids alike gave many strange looks to the massive piece of Military hardware, looking bigger still as it cruised alongside small civilian cars and trucks. They came to a small street which veered off of main street and into an alleyway, lined with blue lights and what looked like small palm trees. Zero, who was now piloting the [i]Impact[/i], slowed the HAPC to a standstill and turned to the others. "The nightclub is right down there. It's called [i]Xanadu[/i]. Guy named Omar Hajish owns and runs it, he's there every night." "It looks pretty nice," Proteus said as he looked at the alleyway on the monitor. "What's the catch? Is it a crime racket, or a gang stronghold?" Warlock chuckled and shook his head. "Maybe in Chrome Beach or Red Canyon. Not in Clockwork South," he laughed. "Hajish is a good honest guy who survived a Maverick attack a few years ago. He was a bystander, long story short he gets shot and we save his life." "...He said that if we ever required anything, anything at all, that we need only ask." The [i]Impact[/i] was far too big and indiscreet to leave on the side of the road outside of the club. Warlock volunteered to find cover for the Heavy APC and stay with Iota. "I don't think an exiled Hunter walking around the streets of Clockwork South at this hour is such a great idea," the red and black clad reploid said. "I'll take this thing and find some place to lay low. Let me know what our plans are." Proteus nodded, and turned to face the impressive entrance to the nightclub. He, Zero and Havoc strode toward Xanadu's massive main door. The exterior was clean and very modern, but it seemed abandoned due to lack of populace. On the interior, though, this was certainly not the case. It was a mass of people, hundreds upon hundreds of ravers and party goers dressed in outfits so eclectic and wild that even three Maverick Hunters in full armour didn't look too out of place. Strobe lights fluttered all colours of the spectrum while lasers danced in and out of smoke plumes. Zero had seen a few nightclubs in his time, but for Proteus, this was surreal. The lights, the sound; the heavy bass shook the floor and reminded the reploid of a bombing run. Above the seething horde of ravers on a mezzanine floor was an exquisite looking VIP area, lined with dark red velvet and private areas. Even further above that was a set of windows, fully tinted, which was undoubtedly Hajish's private lounge and office. "It's up there!" Zero pointed, yelling to Havoc and Proteus. It was hard to make out the dark windows with the smoke and lights, and it was even harder to work out where the elevator to the lounge was. Havoc spotted it on the other side of Xanadu, so the Hunters pushed into the crowd and toward the lift. [b]--- Sub Level 10, Unnamed Sector Maverick Hunter Headquarters 2431 hours ---[/b] Demos let out a yell that would strip the paint from a car were he not imprisoned within an impenetrable force field. He formed his buster for the hundredth time and let out a barrage of plasma fire. Had anything else been in the path of such a bombardment, it would be incinerated, reduced to molten pulp. But with more of a hiss than a crackle, the shot fizzled into nothingness. This only served to infuriate Demos further. Half an hour later Demos was hunched over severe, panting heavily. His buster was smoking and whirring like mad as it cooled. But the force field that kept him confined had showed no sign of losing any integrity or power. Demos looked up at the wall of light and beyond it spotted a shadow out of the corner of his eye. It moved, ever so slightly against the darkness in the corner of the room, and stepped into the light that emitted off of the cage. He stood at six foot and was cloaked in a ragged brown shroud, the distinctive greaves and gauntlets of a reploid visible beneath the shroud. His hair was cut very short, his grey eyes heavy and his face rugged. The shrouded figure held in his right hand a tall metal staff, with a electrical component at the end of it. The figure raised his left hand, palm spread, and a section of the field disappeared like a door. Within milliseconds, Demos lunged foward to attack the reploid, his sword still forming with an explosion of white light. The unknown reploid brought the bottom end of his staff up hard, smacking Demos hard in the chin. It sent the crazed Elite squadron commander back flipping before being slammed hard in the back with the back quarter of the staff. The rough concrete floor cracked and moved with the force of Demos colliding with it. He lept up immediately as he hit the dirt, staggering momentarily before shifting all weight to his back foot and running at his assailant. The cloaked reploid did neither flinched nor faltered. At Demos he pointed the top end of his staff. It's end looked alarmingly similar to a FC-889 electric fusion coil, used in the Thermofusion power plants that powered HQ and much of Novus Concordia. The coil was a central part of the core and could function independantly. If someone were to wield it as a weapon, they would be able to displace some 60000kW of energy; roughly the production capacity of a standard nuclear power plant. Thick blue and white streams of electricity pinned Demos to the wall, before subsiding and dropping him to a slump on the floor. The bolt of energy had left Demos' optics and primary circuits shocked and dizzy. The translucent red force field reappeared where it had deactivated, trapping Demos once more. "Maverick Hunter Elite Squadron Commander, Demos. Succumbed to the Maverick virus like a weakling. Yet..." the cloaked figure scanned Demos up and down, a look of confusion spreading across his face. "The Virus is far stronger, as if he were infected with a concentrated amount of Maverick A.I. Interesting." Demos snarled like a caged animal and punched the wall of light. A burst of energy erupted and singed the reploid's fist. "I don't know who you are or what you're doing, but if you don't let me out of this fucking holding cell right now..." A giant bolt of raw electricity ripped through the laser wall and surged into Demos, cutting off his words. The pain was unimaginable; Demos could feel his every component frying slowly. "Don't try to resist, Demos. I am your friend. I know of the atrocities committed by Duke and his entourage. I can help you," he raised his left hand once more, and it glowed with an eerie green shine. "...and I can heal you."

[B]--- Center Gap Novus Concordia 2252 hours ---[/B] [i]"Do you hear me, Zero? There's a Maverick inside HQ! Zero? Zero!...""[/I] , the message from X yelled. Zero gritted his teeth and cursed. A Maverick breeching HQ was a serious threat, but this was his chance to act, while Duke's attention was elsewhere. He switched off the holocom in his palm and continued towards the [i]Impact[/i]. [B]--- Command Room Omicron Maverick Hunter Headquarters 2249 hours ---[/B] "...God dammit, Zero, where the hell are you!?" screamed X, into the flashing static on the monitor. He slammed the End Transmission key and gritted his teeth. A door on the side of the room opened. Duke emerged, an entourage of his Emerald soldiers accompanying him. He strode into the center of the room, up onto the "Command deck", as it was called. A raised circular platform encircled with holographic displays, and directly in front of the massive main screen of the room. They had certainly spared no expense in outfitting each of HQ's 10 auxiliary Command rooms and 2 primary Command rooms with the finest military technologies known to man. X spun to face Duke, and saluted him accordingly. Duke nodded to him and spoke. "Good to see you, X. What is the situation here?" "There's been a breech, by the third floor mess hall in E sector. Surveillance reports that it's one individual, teleported in and went berserk; made a real mess. Textbook Maverick." X stated. Duke frowned. This was the last thing he needed. He'd have to act as Commander and oversee this crisis, if the Hunter's trust in him was not to waiver. "Do we have a name?" asked Duke. "We have unconfirmed reports that it could be one of our own, Sir, we're detecting nanotechnology with the Elite Squadron's signature. We think it's Demos." "My god. How infected is he?" Duke's eyes widened. A fully fledged Maverick was hard enough to contain, but an Elite Hunter who had succumbed to the deadly Maverick virus would be like an unstoppable force. Especially one with such extensive upgrades so recently installed. Duke scanned Demos up and down. This wasn't the same Reploid they had on file, no. He was different, very different. "Nanoscans are telling us Maverick A.I. has corrupted significant portions of his cerebral protocol, and parts of his operation matrix." X read the reports straight as they came up on the holographic display in front of him. "It's incredible; no Reploid has [I]ever[/I] survived such a severe infection, they'd simply cease to function ." Duke shook his head. "If he can survive such a severe infection, he must be impossibly strong. We need to take him down, now!" This was his time to shine as Commander of the Maverick Hunters. "Lock down all of E sector. Dispatch every S rank hunter we have to his last reported location. Set a teleportation barrier over E-sector, as well... I don't want this bastard getting away from us." Duke commanded. Within seconds, sirens were flashing, and HQ was in red alert. Hundreds of S-rank hunters geared up and dispatched to E sector, in search of the Maverick Demos. His buster and his beam saber at the ready, X led the army of S rank Hunters into the sector. --- Well I'm off to Auckland for a few days. Don't kill anyone while I'm gone, haha.

[B]Prime's Base Xen Outer Limits 2103 hours[/B] [B]---[/B] Proteus stood at Iota's side as she lay on a cold steel workbench within Dr. Inoue's primary robotics lab. After a few hours of repairs, Inoue had done all he could. Iota was functional, for now at least, but time was running short. She remained stationary as much as possible, to preserve what little operational power she had left. Proteus looked at his downed comrade through empathic eyes. The reploid knew that if the only way to repair Iota was to return to Maverick Hunter Headquarters, then that was the only course of action they would take. "We need to head back to HQ," Proteus said in a calm, somewhat authoritative manner. "You lost a lot of mech fluid. Your need protoneurone or you could..." "I know, I know, total system shutdown." whispered Iota softly. "Actually, Iota, it's much worse than that." Started Proteus, unsure how to put it into words. How could he tell her that she was essentially a suitcase nuke with a very short fuse? Proteus couldn't bear to break the news so heavily like this. "We need to shut you down manually, Iota. You need to conserve your system power until we get back to base." Iota smiled at Proteus, who was visibly shaken by the whole situation. "Don't worry about me, Pro'. Just shut me down, I'll be fine." she said quietly. Proteus smiled back at her, but his smile was just for show. [I]If you knew that you were hours away from a thermofusion collapse, Iota, you'd be worried too,[/I] Proteus thought to himself. "Do it." she whispered faintly. Proteus reached to Iota's temple, and depressed it, which in turn caused a thin metal plate to slide out from her head, as was the standard manual deactivation procedure for any reploid within the Maverick Hunters. A tiny blue keypad lit up on the plate, and Proteus began to enter the manual override code, followed by Iota's Hunter identification number, her production number and activation key. Then all he had to do was enter the 25 digit manual shutdown confirmation code, the 15 digit authentication code, and the 12 digit final authorization number. Shutting down a Maverick Hunter was no easy task. No less than a hundred digits later, Iota's eyes closed and her system went into stasis. Proteus looked at his friend, laying there so still. She couldn't feel, she couldn't move. She was essentially dead. The whole idea of death, of sentience that was once there disappearing entirely, frightened Proteus. Was she dead, laying here on this workbench in Prime's base in Xen? Was she dreaming? [I]Reploids don't dream, Proteus, get a grip![/I] He shook his head, and focused on the task at hand. He picked up Iota, and carried her rigid body from the laboratory to the small hangar where the Impact was now located. Warlock, Havoc and some of Dr. Inoue's own robotic helpers were busy loading the Impact, while engineering droids put the finishing touches on various upgrades to the HAPC. The doctor himself was overseeing the work. He turned to see Proteus carrying Iota, and smiled weakly. Dr. Inoue didn't like it when he failed, and as far as he was concerned, not being able to replace Iota's mech fluid was a failure on his part. "I'm sorry I couldn't have done more for her, Proteus," the Doctor started humbly. "I hope these upgrades help you on your journey." "Don't apologize, Dr. Inoue. You've assisted us more than we could have possibly hoped for. We are in your debt." The Doctor chuckled and patted Proteus on the shoulder. "I'll hold you to that." Proteus was taken back by the Doctor's actions. He hadn't had a lot of human interaction in his life, and certainly not such casual interaction as this. Dr. Inoue had treated him like an equal, like a human being with just a simple touch. That made Proteus happy. He smiled, and took Iota into the Impact. He lay her down in the HAPC's infirmary, and proceeded back out of the HAPC, where Havoc, Warlock and the others were finishing with the supplies. "We can't thank you enough, Doctor Inoue." Warlock said as he shook the Doctor's hand. Even the normally gruff and unfriendly Havoc nodded at the Doctor and gave his thanks. "Well, you should go now. It's getting late; the cover of darkness would be in your best interest. Besides," laughed the doctor, "it gets pretty rough around here at night." After brief farewells, the group was off. They headed east, back towards Novus Concordia and the quickest entrance Hunter HQ. [B]--- Center Gap Novus Concordia 2145 hours ---[/B] Zero sped through the desert like a man possessed. Well, a [I]reploid [/I]possessed. Mounted on his personal Slepnir-class hoverbike, Zero gunned it towards the Impact, following the signal he was picking up on his long-range sensors. He knew that if he didn't intercept Proteus and the others before they reached MHHQ, then all was lost. Silhouetted against the full yellow moon, the red hunter streaked across the sand, kicking up a trail of dust that clouded the night sky behind him. Zero had his suspicions about Duke from the first moment he lay eyes on him, but it was only now that those suspicious were validated. [I]"Why Zero, they're Maverick Hunters from the Central Hunters African Operations System. Surely you've heard of the C.H.A.O.S.?" "Simple, Zero. I had them transported via the South Indian ocean's submarinal reef current. In a H-Class Sub, they were able to make it here in a matter of hours." "That's right, X, Now you two, go and report to... Report to the... Head of Medical Ops. Who is that?" "Doctor Karmen, Sir." "Yes, that's right. Go and... Check on her casualty reports. Do a body count. Something."[/I] Zero knew there was no Hunter organization, affiliate or subsidiary by the name of C.H.A.O.S. He knew that there was no submarinal reef current in the Indian Ocean, and he knew that Dr. Karmen had defected to Red Alert long before the attack. And so would any real Commander. Although he didn't know the specifics, Zero knew that Duke was an imposter, and this "Emerald militia" of his was no government sanctioned army. X couldn't see through Duke's web of lies, but Zero was less naive than his comrade. Then there was Reverb. He'd seen the reports as they flashed across every screen in HQ to Novus Concordia. "Maverick goes berserk in Hunter HQ," they claimed. But Zero could see exactly what was going on. The footage showed Reverb killing no less than 13 of Duke's militia before being cut down by Duke himself, with the public and media portraying Duke as a Maverick-slaying Hero, triumphing over evil. But Zero could see the truth; Reverb found out about Duke's scheme and got killed, getting framed in the process. He didn't know what Duke's true intentions were, but he knew that this man would stop at nothing to accomplish what he set out to do. He couldn't tell X any of this--Such blasphemy and slander against the Commander would be denounced as treason and mutiny. It might even merit him banishment to Xen, or termination. The Red Hunter was alone, at least for now. He pulled the throttle hard and the hoverbike lurched forward into the dark desert.

I think it would be wrong for me to not post in this thread... As such my favourite type of sock remains the same; Big and fluffy. Comfort and warmth +1!

[QUOTE=Jeremiah]Just a little FYI: It just came to my attention that I typoed Sephiroth's name in my entry regarding MAMA, and this has translated over to the Otakupedia itself. I don't know how much of this is accurate since I'm running on memory power, someone else can correct it if they know otherwise. ^_^ [b] Final Flash[/b] Category: Old Members, Former moderators. [b] Early Days:[/b] Final Flash was a category moderator on the Otkauboards from 2001 to 2003. Often remembered as the guy who created the socks thread, there was more to Flash than just that. Final Flash registered somewhere around the twilight days of the UBB run Version 2 and the new VBulletin run version 3. Flash quickly rose to prominence as an exemplary member in the forums he frequented, and soon became moderator of the spriting forum. After a run in the spriting forum, and proving himself there, Flash was moved to moderating the more populated Sony forum. It was here that Flash carved out a reputation as a solid moderator, running the Sony with the upmost of efficency and dedication. [b] Rise to Supermod status:[/b] Final Flash was, however, unhappy with the arrangement that saw hin owrking under Kuja, who was at the time supermod of the gaming area. Flash often saw Kuja as an inferior member owing to his post quality. When Kuja was banned from OtakuBoards, (for more information see Notable members: Kuja) Final Flash celebrated by creating an avatar showing Kuja's unsername in the background, with the status of "Banned," and a sprite in the foreground pumping his fists into the air in celebration. Final Flash soon became supermod of the gaming arena, and as a result, the area took on a whole new lease of life. It was around this time that Flash created the Maverick Hunters RPG, an RPG that would attract some of the more prominent members to join up. It was one of the highest quality RPG's of it's time, and raised the bar of quality in the Adventure Arena singificantly. James, the amdinistrator of the time, like the story so much, he would go on to pen two sequels to it. One of which would invole the Flash himself. [b] 2003 Dissapearance.[/b] He would hold on to his supermod status until early 2003, when he suddenly and unexpectedly dissapeared. Zeh took over as supermod of gamer in the wake of Flash's absence. [b] 2004 Comeback.[/b] Early in 2004, Flash made an unexpected comeback to the forum, registering a MyOtaku account and posting in several threads. The Daily Otaku of the day recorded reports of topics that had been "Flashed." Many members though the Flashster was back to stay... However, Flash soon dissapeared again, never to be heard from since. He left behind an OtakuBoards gaming section that was all the more richer and matured for having known him. Final Flash was named after Vegeta's "Final Flash" move in DragonBall Z, though it is safe to say he made the name his own. [/QUOTE] Wow, I'm touched. Seriously. I saw the thread and couldn't just leave it be--I had to skim it. But I mean, I didn't expect anyone to remember me, let alone all my RPGs, my history as a mod, haha. Nearly brought a tear to my eye (Oh and I never modded Sony, my IRL friend "NeoCactuar" held that dubious honour. I modded Digimon and something else, maybe Gundam? before becoming Super-Mod for the RP section). Good to see you oldies are still kicking it--Sara, James, Charles (CWB ;p), AJeh, Desbreko... Jeremiah i'm not familiar with. A new name for an old friend, perhaps? I'd love to catch up. You guys still all chat on AIM or what? Let me know! - Connor AKA Final "I couldn't remember my username or password" Flash

Wow, I just got back from K-Mart, where they were playing "Right Thurr". And it didn't start 'till I was way at the back of the store, so the exit was ages away. It was two minutes of torture.

Big Day Out visits Auckland, New Zealand as well. If I had gone, It would've been mainly for the Kiwi acts, heh.

My Girlfriend's name is Chen Gee Kui. What does that mean in English? o_O;

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by krippled master [/i] [B]If you started it now, KH2 wont be out. A main drawback for me in KH is that it was too short. When I got towards the end, I was still in the 20 hour set. Then the end kept going and I hit the 30 hour set. Still, I wish it could have went on longer. I had it mostly beat in a week. So, sorry to break it to you Final Flash, KH2 wont be out in time. That is unless you plan to play KH 5-6 times at least. [/B][/QUOTE] Heh heh; I meant by the time I get bored with it, not by the time I finish it. ^^ I'm not 100% finished yet (Still gotta get a Full Journal, Level 100, Ultimate Weapons...), and I've been playing for like 76 hours. 'sides, I've still got to do other things as well; Start a new game and get to Level 100 at Destiny Islands, try a Expert/No Magic/One Keyblade/No Abilities game. Trust me, KH2 will be long out by the time I'm finished with KH.

Aquaoppidum Aeger Vertis Aurum Litus --- Day's end loomed ever closer. As the crimson sun set on the distant horizon, clouds gathered above the windswept desert plains, which encircled the worlds mecca. Novus Concordia. After a moment of brief tranquility, the heavens opened. Heavy rain pelted down on the eastern sectors of the city, including a desolate scrapheap on the outskirts of the Hundred Valley Heavy-Industrial district. Massive chimney-stacks churned out enormous plumes of black smoke, as the factories below roared with industry. This particular facility was a lower-class smelter-works, reforming all kinds of junk metal into a sort of frankenstien's monster of alloys--Omniemium. Surprisingly, a strong and malleable iron. It was cheap, too, and people bought it--Provided they didn't know what it was. The General Public dislikes building civic hospitals only to discover the materials were originally bomb shells, dumped androids and sewage filters. Within the assorted trash lay a motionless body, dirtied by the yard and ravaged by a slew of weaponary and barbaric man-handling. His eyes were glazed over, emotionless--Even for a being of artificial life. The forefront of Reploid technology, Reverb, lay still in the Junkyard, ripped apart by the same weapons he had used everyday to surpress the Maverick threat. A figure wrapped in a black shroud approached the Hunter's powerless body. He struggled to lift the heavy beams of steel and other assorted trash of off Reverb's plasma-riddled frame. He had feared the worst, but nothing prepared him for this. "Reverb...", his voice trailed off into the gale that was sweeping the city. Reverb's body was severed, his mechanical spinal cord shredded at it's end, a multitude of wires protruding from it like electronic veins. Coolant trickled from his dismembered torso, akimbo limbs hanging by threads of inorganic mesh. "Reverb", the voice started. "...who, who has defiled you so?" The cloaked man stooped over and lifted Reverb from his filthy grave. Whipping his shroud around with his arm, he wrapped the Reploid's body like a newborn child, protecting him from the battering force of the storm around him. Like a father with his son, the man took Reverb from the Junkyard. ~~~ Duke overlooked the damage caused by the recent attack on MHHQ. Even though the damage was not widespread, in the enclosed area that it had affected, it had been devastating. Plumes of smoke still bellowed from the fires that still raged in the area. On the other side of the base, however, thousands of Green-Hunters lined stood in formation, unloading from hundreds of HAPCs, emblazoned with the same Green Emblem that Duke wore on his waistcoat, unseen, beneath his trenchcoat. Something, or someone, knocked on the door to Duke's office, disturbing his tranquil observation. Slightly aggravated, he turned and beckoned the door open. In walked Zero, and X at his side. "Commander Duke, Sir," Zero started. A slight grimace spread across Duke's face. The fools still have total faith in me, he thought to himself. "Ahh, Zero, X. Always good to see my two star Hunters." "Thank you, Sir." X replied, pleased with himself. "Commander," Zero began, "Who are these Green Soldiers assembling in the courtyard?" Duke took a second to think of the most pathetic reason he could, just to see if the Hunters would realise that anything was wrong. "Why Zero, they're Maverick Hunters from the Central Hunters African Operations System. Surely you've heard of the C.H.A.O.S.?" Zero nodded slowly. The name didn't ring any bells, but Duke knew alot more than he did, the Red hunter figured. He looked up at one of Duke's various monitors, taking note of the Green Hunters pouring out from the HAPCs. "Sir, how were they assembled so quickly? And from Africa?" "Simple, Zero. I had them transported via the South Indian ocean's submarinal reef current. In a H-Class Sub, they were able to make it here in a matter of hours." "Oh. Of course, Sir." Duke turned his back to the duo and rolled his eyes. Idiots. There was no-such thing as the Central Hunters African Operation System. That name didn't even make sense, he thought. What's more, the anagram spelled Chaos, certainly not a name a Hunter controlled operation would want as it's staple. On top of all that, the Green Hunters had arrived from the east, in HAPCs. There was no South Indian submarinal reef current. Duke laughed to himself as he picked all the mistakes in the lies he had just laid on Zero and X. Still, the Hunters remained loyal to him and his command. The fools. "Well, when an attack like this happens, I would suppose that reinforcements have to be dispatched as soon as possible," X stated. "That's right, X," Duke responded. "Now you two, go and report to..." Duke stopped to think. Who could he lay these idiots off on? It didn't matter. They were too gullible to figure anything out. "Report to the... Head of Medical Ops. Who is that?" "Doctor Karmen, Sir." "Yes, that's right. Go and... Check on her casualty reports. Do a body count. Something." "Yes, Sir," the Hunters replied in unison. Together they turned face and exited Duke's office. Duke laughed heartily. No-one suspected him of any wrongdoing. Turning his monitors off, he retired to his desk. His superiors would be pleased, for their control of the Maverick Hunters was growing at an alarming rate. Soon, the entire robotic world would tremble at their feet.

They have legal ages for a reason--Two years prior to that is the right age.

Muse are pretty good. I think they're going to be at the Big Day Out... Pity I'm not going. I liked everything on "Origin of Symmetry", it's a good album. And I can definitely see where the people making Radiohead comparisons are coming from, heh..

"Right Thurr" By Chingy. Oh sweet mother mary, kill me. Kill me now. I hate the song to the extent that I think I will actually pour all of my malice and hatred for the song into a Ring and become a Dark Lord in a tower called Barad-I-hate-Chingy-Dur. But seriously, it really is [i]that bad[/i].

In the immortal words of Chris Rock--"Good Charlotte? More like a mediocre Green Day!" But seriously, Good Charlotte are pretty cool. I like that new song they put out recently, what is it? Hold on or something. That's got a pretty touching video to it as well.

Well I've only just started playing the original Kingdom Hearts now, so by the time I get bored with it, KH2 will have already been released. No waiting for me! ^_^ The one for GBA looks pretty groovy, portable Kingdom Hearts would be pretty cool. But saying that, it might suck alot. Which I hope it won't.

I watched it once. It was strange, to say the least. I never really got into it...

Yeah dude! Elemeno P rock. In fact, most Kiwi music rocks. I would know--Born and raised in Canterbury! Right now, my Favourite homegrown acts would have to be Scribe, Concord Dawn and Salmonella Dub. Those last two, Concord Dawn and Salmonella Dub, are Drum and Bass/Techno groups, both with very unique and awesome sound. I'd suggest any fans of the genre pay both of these bands a listen, they're pretty dope.

Without warning, Arano was ripped from the void, and slammed hard into a marble wall, inside a large, gothic chapel. It seemed to be one of the abandoned Angelic outposts in the Unholy Wastelands created during the Sin Wars. Arano's eyes flickered open, and were met with the penetrating stare of what appeared to be an Angel, clothed in dark grey, bland robes, and with tattered, rotting wings. His skin was pale, and his eyes faded of colour. He snarled at the Demon, and held him higher up on the wall. "Does thou recognise me, Demon?", the Angel roared through gritted teeth. "For t'was at thy blade that he fell, and at his fall that I decayed. You did this unto me, Arano!" The Angel loosened his grasp on Arano's collar, and dropped the Demonic entity. Arano looked up at the decaying Angel, and raised an eyebrow, inquisitively. "Simikiel?" "A name by which I shalleth be called nay longer." "But how?" "Demon... Thou slayed my bretheren with thine own sword, causing my descent into this which thou sees before thee." Simikiel drew his sword, [i]Apragsin[/i], Sword of God, and held it at Arano's neck. The sword was blackening, and itself decaying. The runes and scriptures around the handle and hilt could no longer be read, their clarity all but lost. It was no longer a Sword of God. "Apragsin, once the Sword of God. Sickening to behold in thine eyes, isn't it? Even for thoust, Demon." Simikiel said sadistically, bearing his teeth. He looked at Arano, his dead eyes piercing his Demonic form. "Go on then. Kill me." Arano said, tauntingly. "Nay." Simikiel said, retracting his sword, and placing it back at his belt. He grabbed Arano by the skull, and lifted him up. "Back to the void I cast thee. Carry on thy petty crimes, Hell-spawn. Thou does not know the meaning of evil." The rotting Angel flung Arano back through the tear in dimensional-space from whence he was taken. He then turned to face a large stone pillar behind him, with a verse of psalms enscribed upon it. He sneered, and smote the tome with a bolt of dark energy displaced from his palm. "Sin is thy name." He outstretched his six gruesome, decrepid wings, and with a single, almighty thrust was sent flying into the air, taking off with such force that the chapel around him was demolished instantaneously.

Well, seeing as I was in the original, I'll just jump on in. Name: Simikiel (Angel of Vengeance, Angel of Redemption, Angel of Absolution) Age: Several Hundred Million years, in Earthly measurement. Alignment: Good. Race: Archangel. Short Bio: Simikiel is a highly decorated General in the Holy Army and guardian of the first Heaven. He has seen many comrades fall in battle, but has survived through it all. His skill is yet to be paralleled. In an alternate universe, a parallel Simikiel fell in battle to a Demon God known as 'Arano'. Simikiel does not know of this, but he has felt a strange fluctuation in the forces of heaven. Weapons: Apragsin; The Sword of God - A sword crafted by Smithes from the highest heavens. The sword, said to have gained blessing from God himself is the finest blade to grace the universe. Made from a thousand shards of silver, the Apragsin is invulnerable and embued with Holy energy. Only those with

Name: Simikiel (Angel of Vengeance, Angel of Redemption, Angel of Absolution) Age: Several Hundred Million years, in Earthly measurement. Alignment: Good. Race: Archangel. Short Bio: Simikiel is a highly decorated General in the Holy Army and guardian of the first Heaven. He has seen many comrades fall in battle, but has survived through it all. His skill is yet to be paralleled. In an alternate universe, a parallel Simikiel fell in battle to a Demon God known as 'Arano'. Simikiel does not know of this, but he has felt a strange fluctuation in the forces of heaven. Weapons: Apragsin; The Sword of God - A sword crafted by Smithes from the highest heavens. The sword, said to have gained blessing from God himself is the finest blade to grace the universe. Made from a thousand shards of silver, the Apragsin is invulnerable and embued with Holy energy. Only those with the permission of god may wield it. Spells: Cross - A cross of pure light that can be manipulated by the caster. It's power ranges greatly. Glory - Spreading his wings out fully, the caster inflicts judgement on the target with a massive storm of white lightning. Armagediel - Death rains down from the skies in the form of white crosses of solid energy. Vengeance - Arguably Simikiel's 'signature' spell, the Apragsin lights up with Holy energy, and can be used with devestating power. Simikiel also glows with a white aura during this state, and becomes much stronger.

Damien ambled up to the store counter, hands deep in the warm, velvet pockets of his jacket. With a fake smile, he removed his sunglasses, and pulled the toothpick from out of his mouth. "Could I have a pack of cigarettes?" he asked, politely. "Certainly. Can I see some I.D.?" the clerk answered. Damien instantly whipped out a blatantly fake drivers license, and shot another cheesy grin at the attendant. She gave him a skeptical glance, and held onto the plastic card. "Excuse me Sir, I'm going to go and get my Supervisor." she said. Damien nodded and watched as the clerk went to a back room, the managers office. When he was sure no-one was looking, his arm transformed in a wisp of hazy steam. It was now a translucent grey, spectral in appearance. This was his latest trick--'Wraithing' specific parts of his body. He reached his hand through the back of the till. Once he was sure he had his arm in far enough, he transformed his hand back to normal, only a section of his forearm remaining in the Spectre-like state. He grabbed hold of as many of the larger notes as he could--He wasn't interested in Ones, Fives or Tens. The manager peered out from a window in his office, his beady eyes scanning Damien's face. The Mutant smiled back at the bald little man, who turned to the store clerk, and nodded. As she returned to the counter, Damien retracted his hand from the till, along with roughly $500 cash. "Alright Sir, what brand would you like?" "Whatever's cheapest," Damien replied, as he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a Five dollar bill, slapping it down on the counter. The attendant turned around and reached for a red box of cigarettes, and placed them on the counter. "That'll be $5.79." "Oh, really? That's a shame. I've only got Five. You sure you can't just let me slide," he looked at her name badge. "Cheryl?" "I'm sorry Sir, that's not possible." "Fine, fine. I'll go without." He picked up his money, and pulled his sunglasses out of his front pocket, and put them on. He placed the toothpick back between his teeth and walked out of the store. Some five minutes later, he found an out-of-the-way bench and took a seat, counting his money. $520, not a bad haul for such a small convienience mart. Damien stashed the money in his wallet, and checked his watch. He should have been in class [i]hours[/i] ago.

Yeah, I'm waiting for other people to join. Hopefully they will. *glares everyone*

The Doors to Duke's office were blasted off their hinges with a massive shell of plasma energy. At once, Duke stood up, alarmed and confused. A shadowy figure emerged from the cloud of smoke, trails of vapour still flowing upwards from his freshly-used Buster. Reverb's emerald green eyes met Dukes, and for a moment that seemed like an eternity, they looked into each others very souls, be they artificial or not. Slowly, a grin spread across Duke's face as an air of arrogance seemed to raise about him. "Are you pleased with the damage you've caused, Reverb?" The menacing man asked, a subtle note of falseness underlying his tone. Reverb looked to his side, a deactivated security droid lying in pieces about him, internal sensors strewn across the floor, gaping lazer burn in his chest. Reverb felt slightly remorseful, but pushed the feeling back, reminding himself that the robot was no longer a piece of independant AI, but a mindless drone of Dukes. "No, not that," Duke said, as if to mock the Reploid. "The terrorist attack on the Western region of the HQ. Are you happy with yourself? Glad to see that you've taken so many innocent lives?" "What in Gods name are you talking about, Duke? We weren't responsible for that attack!" Reverb shouted, his fists tightening. Duke raised an eyebrow, looking slightly bemused. "Hmm. Intruiging. I don't know whether to believe you--then again, perhaps you've already killed enough civilians for the time being, eh?" Duke chuckled, looking on a plasma screen to the right of him, a newscast of the power refinery incident. Reverb's eyes closed, and he cursed under his breath. With a flicker of anger, he wrenched his neck upwards, shooting a piercing stare straight into Duke. The pale man flinched, but the reaction was short lived. At once, he began to smile, and crossed his arms. "Duke... Why?" Reverb questioned, his voice filled with anger. "Why did you order us to kill those civilians?" "Easy," The man replied. "They were in my way. The ALED were responding to a dispatch to do with an incident at the facility, regarding my personal agenda. Of course, if you hadn't annihilated them before they found out... Well, it would have cost me alot of time, which is something I don't have. As for the Green Hunters... They're mine. Slowly, they will leak their way throughout the veins of the Maverick Hunter Network. Once their contamination is complete... Well, I will have complete control over the Maverick Hunters." "So that's it, huh?" Reverb said, tensing up. "You're just a madman bent on domination." "Ha ha... A [i]machine[/i] like you could never grasp the concepts of a dreamer such as myself," retorted Duke. "The Revelation of the Black Library. The Reploid-Complementation Plan. Apotheosis of Man. Exodus." "What insanity are you talking about?!" "Perhaps you'll learn, in the next life." Duke drew and fired his weapon faster then anyone Reverb had encountered, either Reploid or Human. The hollow-point slug ripped through Reverb's cheek, and broke some of the optical wiring to his right eye. His vision dimmed, and began to produce static. The Hunter grabbed his face in agony, the artificial pain seeming ever more potent than the real. Duke unloaded another shot at the Reploid, but Reverb dodged it, scurrying out of the way, drawing his Progressive Sabre. He crouched behind a filing cabnet. From the door to Duke's office, however, came a score of Green Hunters, armed to the teeth, and firing in all directions. Duke folded his arms, and laughed. The Hunters ran towards Reverb, guns blazing. A big mistake. One by one, the Green Hunters fell, each cleaved in two by a swift single stroke of Reverb's superior weapon. Coolant and wiring was scattered across the floor, as Reverb continued his graceful display of prowess and deadly grace with his blade. Finally, the last Hunter slumped to the floor, beheaded. Reverb held his weapon vertically in front of him, as the blade's purple aura faded, and the humming of the sonic vibration system slowly died. Reverb sheathed his weapon, and grinned at Duke, who simply scowled back. "Nice try, Duke. But you forget; I'm a Maverick Hunter Elite." Reverb said with a confident voice; his words echoed in the cavernous room. "Even with one eye out, your minions are still no match for me." "Ha, ha. I didn't want them to kill you. I wanted [i]you[/i] to kill [i]them[/i]." "What!?" Duke laughed, and clicked his fingers at one of the large monitors to the side of the office. Reverb turned and looked, seeing himself on a Newscast, with text scrolling along the bottom of the screen: [i]'Unstable Hunter sucumbs to Maverick Virus; 20 Maverick Hunters killed by Crazed Maverick "Reverb"...'[/i]. His eyes grew wide as he watched in horror as the station showed a replay of his slaughtering of Duke's Hunters. He gritted his teeth, and looked up into the corner of the room, spying an optical recorder. With a careless shot of his Buster, he dismantled it in a display of plasma-born fire. "Go, Reverb," Duke commanded. "Run, before they find you. Run to the Desert. Seek refuge in the City of Sin." "No Duke. I won't. I'll kill you, even if I die trying." "Believe me, Reploid, you will die trying!" the Human roared, drawing his beam rapier, and lunging at Reverb. Before the Hunter Elite could react, the lazer-blade pierced into his chest, sending a massive shockwave of agony through his entire frame. He bore the pain, and stared Duke straight in the eye. "I was hoping it wouldn't... Come to this," Reverb spluttered, blue coolant running from his mouth. Just as Flash had before him, he mentally accessed his Self-Destruct System. Duke simply shook his head with a smile on his face, and swiped his rapier sideways, the blade cutting through the wiring to Reverb's power reactor. Reverb's face went grey, his emulated emotion turning to one of disbelief and hopelessness. Duke howled with laughter, and slid his sabre effortlessly through Reverb's left arm, and kicked the Reploid to the ground. "Where have I seen that before? Oh yes, your predescesor, the valiant, selfless Flash." Duke scoffed, pushing his weapon through Reverb's stomach. All the pain was gone from him now. "Foolish Reploid. As I expected, you were nothing of a threat. Goodbye." Duke pulled the weapon from Reverb's stomach, and rose his right foot over the Hunter's face. He stomped down, the force behind the boot capable of kicking through a steel wall. Reverb's metallic skull was crushed, and his CPU was shattered beyond repair. His vision flashed red, the message 'CRITICAL SKULL PRESSURE' flickering on his HUD for a second. But before he even knew what was going on, his vision went blank, and his robotic brain ceased to function. His head was crushed between the sole of Duke's boot and the steel-plated floor of the office. Duke grinned with a sadistic look of pleasure spreading across his face. He turned to face the mass of screens behind him, as another squad of Green Hunters stormed into the room, forming a circle around Reverb's body, and began to riddle his lifeless frame with lazer pellets.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sage [/i] [B]In FFX-2, many of those "old-style" outfits are brought back with a modern decoration, like the black mage-outfit (a pointy hat combined to a miniskirt ;) ). [/B][/QUOTE] Say /what/? *scours internet to find pictures from FFX-2* And Des--Black Mages from FFII and FFIII are "classic" style.

[I]X Day, X Month; Black Mesa Research Facility It all happened so fast. The crystalline specimen taken from the border-world, Xen, to be implemented in the Teleportation experiements, ripping a hole in time and space itself. Endless scores of Aliens poured through portals, infesting the Black Mesa complex. You don't understand what's happening. This unforseen consequence occured only minutes ago. Your goal now is simple--Survive.[/I] But who are you? What role will you take? A Black Mesa Civilian Scientist, caught in the confusion? One of the Specially-trained Science team involved in the Xen Recon missions? A Black Mesa Security Officer? One of the Marines sent in to silence the facility staff? Or a Government Black Op, deployed to kill everyone with any knowledge of the incident? [b]Name:[/b] ... [b]Age:[/b] In years. [b]Appearance:[/b] What you look like. [b]Unit:[/b] Scientist, Science-Team, Security, Marine, Black Ops [b]Specialty:[/b] What field you work in. Medic, Engineer, Sniper etc for Marines; Assassin, Explosives etc for Black Ops; Research & Development, Communications etc for Scientists, etc. N/A for Security and Science-Team. [b]Weapon:[/b] Scientists and Science-Teamers don't initially have weapons, although they do have higher security clearance than Security Officers, and Marines/Black Ops members who have none. Security Officers start with a choice of a Glock 9mm or Colt Revolver. Marines start with grenades and a choice of Shotgun or MP5, and Black Ops have a choice of a Silenced ZMG 9mm Uzi or Crossbow. [b]Bio:[/b] It's been a long time since I've done this. I wanna see lots of violence. Copious amounts of violence. Better give it an 'M' rating, eh?