RPG Loaded

[liamc2]

The ship settled down comfortably with a hiss of pneumatics. Jonathan climbed out of the cockpit and dropped to the floor of his squadron?s hangar. A few quick seconds later and he had removed his webbing and handed it and his side arm to the equipment manager on duty.

?Nice one Saint George, that?ll go on the training tapes for sure.?

Jonathan glanced up the steps and caught sight of Nina standing with a grin on her face and her hands on her hips. Jonathan returned the smile and double stepped to the top next to her.

?Was that sarcasm? Only is that I wasn?t quite sure??

Nina punched him in the arm, a bit harder than what one could call friendly.

?Quiet you. C-mon, our shift?s over. Lets get out of here an catch a bite to eat, I?m starving.?

?You?re the boss. Where to? Last time I ate here I ended up with salmonella, almost killed me.?

Nina punched him in the other arm.

?You got salmonella from an undercooked chicken at the medieval banquet before hand. Not to mentione you?d had your shots for salmonella so it was more like light-headedness for, like, ten minutes.?

Jonathan sighed. ?Fine, you?ve seen through my charade. Where to tho? I hear a new café opened up across town. If we take the bus we?ll get there in no time.?

?Sounds like a plan. Don?t forget, this is your shout, you owe me big.?

?Do not.?

?Do too. Lets go already, on the way I?ve got to drop a few files off though, explain the fact while Saint George killed a dragon [I]and[/I] a humanoid rift fire daemon??

Jonathan chuckled and followed her through the automatic glass door. Her mild threat was an empty one after all. After editing a few strings here and deleting a few sonnets there, Saint George would still have killed one dragon.

[I]But why not just delete the rift anomaly externally?[/I]
Jonathan sighed as the question popped up in the back of his mind. It was one of the most dreaded questions that could ever be asked. And new recruits always, [I]always[/I] felt the urge to ask it.

[I]Because you can?t. A rift anomaly is just that, an anomaly. To the computer files it doesn?t exist. Everything else does, but the anomaly doesn?t. But the anomaly exists to the Earth. That?s why this station exists. That?s why we go in every day and manually extract the rift.[/I]

[I]But why? Why can?t we just let it be?[/I]

Jonathan, admittedly had been thrown by this question.

[I]Because.[/I] He replied. [I]Without what we do, the Earth would die, and the rift would envelop the Solar system?and then envelop our own?[/I]


Nina handed over her clipboard to the secretary near the exit. She and Jonathan both signed out before exiting into their world.


Jonathan put down his hamburger.

?You know what I reckon?? He said.

?What?? Replied Nina, with the air of someone who had been through this conversation a thousand times before.

?I reckon that I?m capable of hacking the 21st century. I could do it. I?ve got the skills, I have the means, not to mention the recruits worship me.?

Nina snorted at his last statement. ?Jonathan, look, you?ll go up when your evaluation is complete. Wait your turn. Remember when that new recruit jumped the que and stumbled into a newly loaded world??

Jonathan rolled his eyes.

?Yeah yeah.?

?That?s right. The computer couldn?t handle it, it had only allowed for the one team to enter. It automatically dumped the RAM.?

Jonathan rolled his eyes. He?d heard this story a thousand times. It was practically a standard cautionary tale. Never, ever, enter the space of the Load planet. If you do enter, you become part of the load. And the load is highly regulated. If you haven?t been factored in, your violated part of the RAM gets dumped. You get dumped, deleted, never seen again.

Jonathan took another bite and stared at nothing in particular out the plate glass window.

[Lady Asphyxia]

[color=darkred]Adaline strode forward, picking up a hardcopy file of the girl's latest ?mission?. Adaline really had no idea how to judge Terra's performance, but Terra was a friend, and she'd asked this favour. As a new recruit, Terra?s training missions were all documented and rigorously studied for faults. Many agents often joked that the hardest part of the job was the training. Adaline herself didn?t agree. The hardest part was the Damsel in Distress.

As a naturally strong woman, The Damsel in Distress role was very hard for Adaline to achieve with realism. However, thanks to her training ? which involved actin lessons ? she could pull it off, even if an afterthought of ?barely? was added.

Scanning the copy, Adaline sighed, noting that they still used her bungled ?Helen? mission as an example of what [i]not[/i] to do on your assignment. It seemed that Terra was now using the Elizabethan Training Program, one that Adaline had excelled in. Terra had just completed the session where the recruit had to help Shakespeare with his writer?s block, thus producing his play, ?Othello.?

?Othello? was a personal favourite of Adaline?s, coming second only to ?The Merchant of Venice.? She?d spent most of her adolescent years reading the classics, and knew much of the character?s monologues. She took great delight in continuing a person?s ?To be or not to be, that is the question,? with ?Whether ?tis nobler in the mind to suffer??

Speaking of suffering, Adaline thought, she was having hunger pains. She should have accepted Terra?s offer to go out. However, she?d been on duty almost all day, and she?d just wanted to go home. It had taken her half an hour to remember that there was no food in the apartment. She snapped the folder shut, knowing that Terra had done well. Terra?s paranoia ran rampant at this time of the year. Three years of training had programmed paranoia into the recruits ? it was the time of the year when the oldest were selected for their first real missions.

As for Adaline?s feelings on missions, at the moment, she?d have gladly accepted being fired. Of course, she?d also accept a promotion, or a transfer to the Celtic Mythology Section. Adaline was totally obsessed with the idea of Arthur and Guinevere, Tristram and Iseult, Merlin and Morgana Le Fay.

However, so far, she hadn?t gotten to play those roles. She had had lots of fun playing Lilith, a female demon that flew around looking for children to kidnap in the night. She?d never actually kidnapped a child; just let people see her form in the sky. She?d used a jet pack to fly. The villagers had assumed that the fire was that from hell, and the myth had been created. In actuality, Adaline knew, Lilith was from ancient Mythology. But things worked like that ? they overlapped between periods of history.

All this thinking was tiring her out even more, so Adaline decided she?d go and catch up with Terra. The girl had told her of the restaurant she was going to. It was a Chinese one, which apparently served exquisite fried rice. Normally, Adaline ate at home, but for once she decided to have some fun.

She started out the door, grabbing her coat and wallet as she went. She shrugged into the coat and pulled the door shut, starting out into the town. [/color]

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]Rali sank down on his bed, reading the evaluation he had been given on his latest mission. He'd been in the time just before the Inquisitions. Someone had come through for right and justice, thus causing them to be stopped. Rali had been playing a vampyre, a role that had beent thrust upon him as a joke. The sudden influx of "evil" had made the Church more than willing to start burning heathens again. Rali wasn't quite sure why the Inquisitions needed to go ahead personally. But it wasn't his concern.

The vampyre idea was though. He dressed in black, didn't like sunlight, and kept to himself. So his name immediately came up. He had performed well, apparently, though his willingness, and skill, for killing had raised eyebrows.

He had been there to kill. He had been there to spread death and terror, to prepare the world for the embrace of the Church's fire. He had put a hole in an archbishop's neck, and spread his blood over the mirror in his room, a typical priestly vanity. He had written those that had sought to kill him messages, laughing at them. He had given them demonic invocations to fear. He had given them a reason to believe. Perhaps that was why the Inquisitions needed to go ahead. As much as disapproved, the Church had dragged the world out of the Dark Ages.

Rali's eyes fell over one particular line. "It is to be noted that Harlequin (Rali's call sign) has a deliberate skill at torture, and should be monitored carefully."

Rali looked up at the camera in his room. He had been reassigned from the time of the fall of Rome for a reason. And now they kept him under tight surveillance.

Well, they tried to. Rali might not have liked being thought a vampyre, but he was certainly adept at disappearing into the night.

The thought brought a twisted small smile to his face as he casually lay back. As his hand slipped under the pillow, he pushed the button on the small range EMP. The camera went dead.

Rali left, dumping the evalutation he shouldn't have in the office he found it in. He left the compound, seeking some of the darker haunts of the city.[/font][/color][/I]

[liamc2]

OOC: need I say for others to keep away? This is just an example of what's going on. You guys use this time to really introduce your characters and explore the world and your jobs.

---

Jonathan threw the fast food rubbish into the bin at the exit of the restaurant. He and Nina exited and stepped out onto the sidewalk. A thousand neon lights filed the streets and eliminated the need for the streetlights. Above them they could hear the sound of the public transit as it rushed past. Around them, happy crowds browsed shop windows and dined in cafeterias.

Jonathan smiled to himself. The city centre. There was nothing like it in the universe, not to mention there was nothing he?d trade it for.

A loud beeping came from his waist, and from Nina?s waist. He read the message from the PDA and sighed. That was one of the problems with being in the lower divisions. You were always on call. Easy work, but loads of it.

?A new rift has opened up, ? he muttered, ?but what type??

?Dunno, dunno,? Nina scrolled down, ?oh?damn??

?What? What?? Jonathan scrolled down also. ?Fomhóire insurgence, again? Why do I always get the daemon armies??

Nina chuckled, ?because you?re lucky. Loads of recruits would kill to be in your shoes. Plenty of action and all the good stuff they were promised by the adverts.?

?Last time I got into my shoes I almost didn?t get out of them again.?

?You are such a worry wart sometimes, and you wonder why you don?t get promoted?? Nina laughed and hailed a taxi.

Jonathan shook his head and laughed to himself while the black taxi settled itself down on the pavement after falling out of the sky. He climbed into the back of the vehicle next to Nina and waited while the taxi took off and headed to the base and spaceport.


Jonathan handed over some shards to pay for the trip and followed Nina through the prominent glass automatic doors.

Minutes later and they were in the bay. The equipment manager handed him and Nina their weapons and gear. Jonathan cinched his wrist gear on and checked that the buttons were fully functional. The manager checked them off and waved them on to the hangar.

Nina stopped him before they got in.

?What?s the matter?? Jonathan asked.

Nina scrambled into the pilot?s position before he could react.

?I have dibs on driving this thing today, you drive like a lunatic my friend.?

Jonathan groaned and climbed in the back and snapped on the harness. Below them a conveyer belt started. The craft wobbled slightly and was carried out into the open. Jonathan could hear the engines whining. In front of Nina, a green light lit up. The ship screamed and exploded off the tarmac, going a direct ninety-degree angle up and out of the atmosphere.
Ahead of them, the Load planet loomed.


The ship lurched and slapped into the water, submerging under the waves. A couple of seconds later and a Celtic ship appeared. Jonathan tilted the oar slightly, wearing Celtic garb. Nina sat in the centre of the boat also wearing traditional Irish garb.

?So how does it feel to be a Tuatha Dé Danann?? Jonathan asked as the boat neared shore.

?Pretty good I supposed, at least I?m not seasick. Just a question though, aren?t we supposed to land on a mountain in the west after emerging from some obscure clouds??

Jonathan laughed as the boat hit shore. ?You know your Celtic mythology. You?re half right. That was the first arrival, which was done about three years ago, our time, this one?well, we?ll make it up as we go along. Find the ancestors of the Irish, defend them and crown a new king. Simple.?

Nina rolled her eyes and dropped from the boat.

?Plans don?t usually pop from mind to practice that easily Jonathan. Don?t forget, this is a rift army, we?re the only two real people here. We?ve really got to tread lightly and we-

-can?t strain the Load, I know I know. At least we?ve got Lugh?s spear, the sword of Nuadhu and I believe the Dagdha?s cauldron has been loaded too??

Nina shook her head and sighed. Jonathan grinned and rolled the sail before helping her drag the boat ashore.

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=crimson][I]His sleek black vehicle set down in an alleyway. Rali climbed out, locking it with a negligible thought. The stairs to the night club were a few metres around. He gave a slight nod to the doorman, who knew him well, and descended.

Music assulted his senses. Good music too. He walked in, passed the bar, heading straight for the mosh pit. All around him were people dressed in typical gothic black. His kind of place.

A circle had opened up in the centre, with people dancing in the centre in show. Rali watched from the outskirts a few moments, then stepped in.

Most of the regulars clapped enthusiastically. The newbies just glared at him. Rali didn't dance for the attention though. He danced as a release. As a way he could be free. Unhindered.

The DJ knew his tastes, and Babylon belted through the speakers.

Rali stood, silent and still, through the first verse. There were a few mutters, but they were quickly silenced. As the second verse, and the heavy, fast paced drumbeat, kicked in, Rali exploded into action.

He danced the way he fought. Graceful, sinuous, fast. A collection of almost erotic agile movements strung together in a chain that flowed like water. Silence reigned about him as Rali moved to the music, every eye on him. He didn't notice. The only reality was the song, the adrenalin through his veins, the movements of his limbs.

As the last note rang out, Rali leapt into a slow falling, graceful blackflip, and landed on one knee, staring at the floor. Cheering broke out around him. He ignored it, and faded into the background as others tried to equal the show. The music changed pace slightly, Change coming through the speakers.

Rali sat by the bar, talking to the attendant, a small skinny man named Mykkael, who was as fast as a cobra in a bar fight, when the group walked up.

There were four of them, and they were dressed differently to everyone else in the nightclub.The Crescent Moon catered to exclusive clientele. What these people were doing here was beyond him. Jeers followed them. Apparently not many people here respected break dancing. The front man, who was obviously the leader, spoke first.[/I]

Man: You think you're pretty damn good don't you?

Rali: I get by.

Man: Ha! Don't play smart with me *****.

[I]Rali stood up. He knew where this was going. He took a single slow step forward with his left foot, his body ending up side on to the four. His left hand came over and reached under his coat. They backed away nervously. Instead of a sidearm, he drew out a small black beeper, with a flashing red light. He looked at it a moment, then threw it high in the air. As it came down, his right foot shot out faster than the men could follow in the dim lighting. The beeper flew through the air and shattered over the lead man's head. There was a stunned moment of silence.[/I]

Rali: Are you still here.

[I]A moment later, they weren't. Rali sat down, rearranging his glasses slightly. A few regulars sat down with him, and they started a typical conversation. They spoke, Rali listened. All parties satisfied. Rali thought on the beeper he had shattered. They didn't really need his presence, no matter what the beeper said. He was certainly unique, but not inexpendable. Anyway, they had no idea where he was, and he'd just gotten here.[/font][/color][/I]

[liamc2]

Jonathan crawled over the top of the rocky cliff. Ignoring the magnificent view, he turned around and helped Nina up onto the level rocky ground. Jonathan took a breather an glanced out at the beautiful jade green countryside. Behind them, the sounds of the sea rose and fell with the coming of waves. In front the sounds of animals and birds filled their ears. Ancient Ireland was an tranquil place to be.

?Jonathan,? a voice crackled in his ear, ?if you continue in this direction you should reach the main Irish outpost. Don?t forget to hit them with the ?magic? or they?ll won?t believe you or Nina to be true descendants.?

?Righto then, we?ll call on you when we need you.? Jonathan replied. The static cut out and Nina and Jonathan were left alone.
Nina hefted the cauldron over her shoulder.

?Fine then, straight ahead,? she said, ?so we have to walk all that way? I can?t even [I]see[/I] the base.?

Jonathan grinned and pressed something invisible on his Celtic sleeve. There was a mechanical humming and the air on his back flickered and focused. A slim and small-chromed pack appeared, the backs of his legs were covered in what appeared to be metal plate armour. Jonathan pressed another non-existent button and two joysticks flickered into his hands. The chrome backpack whined.

?He did say to hit them with our magic.? Jonathan said as the backpack flared.

Nina pressed a button and was equipped with a jetpack also. She smiled at him as she rose above the ground, flames deflected off the backs of her legs.

?Race you.? She said as she pressed another button.

?Wait, un-

Nina?s pack flared and Jonathan was left with the smell of something unknown burning.

-fair.? He finished.

Jonathan shook his head and squeezed a translucent green button and followed Nina?s exhaust trail.

[Lady Asphyxia]

[color=darkred]Adaline wandered around the city, trying to figure out exactly [I]where [/I] this restaurant was. In the end, she chose to sit down at a nearby café and watch the people pass. Most of them dawdled along, walking amicably with their heads up and their eyes taking in the sights. Several rushed past, looking at the ground with their backs hunched over. She reveled in the friendly atmosphere. Too often in the Middle Ages Load, she?d seen war. Here, there was peace. Little scuffles and fights, of course, but nothing so major as to kill thousands for no good reason.

She ordered her meal quickly, asking for her usual toasted ham and cheese sandwich. The waiter nodded, and she tipped him quickly, handing over a couple of shards. He stared at her, pleased at the amount, and Adaline smiled at him, and then went back to watching the people. She watched them pass, and made up stories for them. [I]That one, with the brown hair, had lived with her grandparents because of a shuttle mission gone wrong. The blonde had had a normal life, and now had three children and an ex-husband.[/I]

Someone called out to her, and Adaline turned to face the person, her face breaking into a smile as she saw Terra. Terra hugged her, and then pulled back to frown at her. ?You decided not to join me and the girls so you could sit all alone in an unknown café??

The blonde gave an uncharacteristic giggle, and shook her head. ?I decided to come after all, but I forgot where the restaurant is.? She shrugged helplessly. ?I ended up here. Oh, there?s my food.? They sat down, Terra explaining that the rest of the girls had gone home. Adaline nodded and they conversed easily for a few minutes.

The conversations lapsed, and they sat there quietly. Terra gained the courage to ask Adaline about her latest Program. Adaline smiled. ?It?s as good as you know it is. You did well. You?ll certainly be chosen for something soon.?

Terra shifted in her seat uncomfortably. ?Well, you see?I sort of already have been chosen.? Her fingers fiddled with the strap of her shirt, and she refused to look at Adaline. ?I?he approached me and said that I could?and I don?t have any other offers or anything. If I hadn?t accepted, I would have been listed as a back up?I?m sorry, Adaline.?

Adaline stared at Terra intently for a minute, then sighed and gazed at the table. ?Just spit it out and tell me, Terra.?

?They put me in Celtic Mythology.? Terra recoiled, as if waiting for Adaline?s explosion. Adaline stared at her, amused, and continued eating. ?You?don?t mind? I know how much you want to go into that section.?

?No, I don?t mind. Everyone has his or her preferences, and yours, I believe is Greek Mythology. You didn?t get what you like either. It doesn?t matter. Eventually, transfers will come through. However, until then??

The younger of the two grinned, fiddling with her brown hair. ?Oh! I?m so glad. I thought for sure that you?d be mad.? She continued talking, and Adaline drifted off into her thoughts. [I]One day, [/I]I?ll[I] be the one with the Celts.[/i][/color]

[liamc2]

The crowd of grubby soldiers and farmers leaned on their weapons while their clan leader gave a halfhearted speech about the Fomhóire insurgence. The crowd gazed dimly at the speaker. They were tired, they were cold, they were dirty, they were hungry, they missed their families and most of all they were scared.

The Fomhóire army had gained terrible strength. They had been a normal foe before?but now?they were unstoppable. Countless hamlets and villages were laid to waste. They were scattered warriors and farmers without a king to bind them together. Their clan leaders were helpless and lost, but every last man had it set in their minds to fight to the last man, and that was all they needed, for now.

?Countrymen, we must build our defences. The warriors of Fomhóire approach. We have stockpiled all the arms in the land, now we need to use them to protect our land. If we lose this battle, we and our people will be smitten from the face of the earth and evil will win??

Just then Nina and Jonathan fell from the sky and landed on the podium next to the clan leader. The exhaust from their jetpacks provided an excellent front for magic, the smoke seemed to rise from their clothes in clouds, and the smell was like lightning struck ground.

The crowds around the podium shied away, fearful for their lives.

?Who?who art thou?? The leader asked of Jonathan.

?Tiernan,? Jonathan said proudly, ?and this is Linette. We are the descendants of the Danann, we are here to claim our throne. I am the rightful heir.?

The crowd, to say the least, was stunned into silence. Not one mouth was closed, all were agape and fixated on the two figures that had appeared. Well, one figure in particular. Jonathan ignored their intense stares on Nina, who was looking more than mildly uncomfortable.

Jonathan raised the sword of Nuadhu in one hand and Lugh?s spear in the other, high before the crowd.

?These,? he said dramatically, ?are weapons of ages past. I hold before you now the sword of Nuadhu and Lugh?s almighty spear. Any army in possession of these weapons is indestructible. We also hold the cauldron of the Dagdha. My birthright is the sign of the Raven. I am your king.?

Mouths closed and there were hushed mutterings among those assembled, words of dissent were muttered.

?Ask and ye shall receive.? Muttered a voice dryly in Jonathan?s ear.

?Fine, help me.? Muttered Jonathan in reply.

?I can paste a nice big explosion and blow up a couple of trees for you, just pretend to conjure something when I say go.

?Right, ready when you are.?
?
Uploading, remember, those trees, three, two, one?.go?

?Behold my powers of fire!? Roared Jonathan as he pointed his hands in the direction of the trees.

Something flickered and the trees exploded into a great ball of fire, showering those assembled in ash and embers, people were so surprised they didn?t notice that Jonathan was pointing to the trees opposite.

?Very well done Jonathan.? Buzzed the static voice, ?you?ve got them now. Now, to see how you hold up against the incoming army.?

?Army?! So soon?? Jonathan said to the voice.

?Yup, your arrival edited the time space continuum of the Load. Three, two, one?surprise. You?re on your own now, I can?t do nothing to a rift.?

The voice vanished.

The Fomhóire horde appeared at the top of a grassy knoll and ran towards them, screaming warcries.

?Goody.? Said Nina.

[Juu]

[color=ff00cc] [size=1]Celestine sat at the edge of the bar, silently sipping her drink, legs crossed. Her silver-blue eyes casually lingered through the crowds, cold and suspenseful, like a shark's. She tapped a small, nearly microscopic box on her right ear.

"Nothing."

It was dark. There were a few crimson lights around the bar, but the corners remained black, and hidden. Most people stood by those corners. The person she was to find would probably be in those corners, based on her luck lately. This mission was impossible. The only information she had recieved from Vice were three details. One, dark hair. Two, sunglasses. Three, six-feet tall. Apparently, she hadn't been in to The Cresent Moon before... She signed heavily, and rose from her stool. Celestine sauntered towards the dance floor, her eyes still focused on finding this subject.

She felt an uneasy atmosphere around her. People were staring at her from their corners, giving her the same 'warm welcome' as the other newbies would recieve. This was folly. Obviously, these people haven't been out in the sun before. Possibly not even seen it. A chill went up her spine. She turned and entered the dance floor, trying her best to blend in without being noticed.[/color] [/size]

[Jesus Chicken]

[I]Jack Fanning stared out into space, pure void enveloped him... Then the viewing program started. A man stood in armour, then all of a sudden the same man, stood covered in a different type of armour, more sophisticated and modern, much more modern.
Behind the man a deamon lurked, and then spinning around he opened fire, blue sparks speeding towards the creature. Soon the battle was over, with the man pushing another button on his suit, changed back into is original armour...
Jack sat back as the void returned.[/I]
"Bring him to me."

[Lady Asphyxia]

[color=darkred]The girls parted, and Adaline made her way back to her apartment, stopping for a short moment to admire some acrobatics of performers in the streets. She smiled, dropped a shard into their box, and kept walking. The acrobats clapped their thanks, and continued with their performance.

Adaline walked the short way back to her apartment, opening the door with her voice and walking inside. She turned on her beeper, frowning as she saw that someone had made an emergency call to her. She was off duty; she shouldn?t be getting calls from the PDA. Groaning, she snatched up her coat and made her way to the taxi ranks about two blocks from her house.

The taxi she was given was less than desirable, but it got her to the front door of the base, which was what mattered in the long run. Adaline paid the driver and walked through the front doors. There was a secretary and an equipment manager waiting for her. ?Finally,? said the manager irritably. ?We?ve got a rift in the load. We need you to pull of the right role.?

She eyed them warily. ?Is it a Damsel In Distress?? Their faces confirmed her suspicion. She slumped down for a second, then ran a hand across her face and nodded. ?Okay. Who?s playing hero? Other person or member of our team??

?Member of the team. We just need you to stand in as the Damsel.?

Adaline rolled her eyes and followed the equipment manager to the ship. She grinned as she saw it. It was one of her favorites, and she could operate it easily. She started to get into it, and then stopped. ?Wait?what part of the middle ages??

?It isn?t the Middle Ages,? the equipment manager called out. ?It?s Greek Mythology. Perseus and Andromeda.?

She cursed, then directed the ship towards the Loaded planet.



She was chained to a wall. That wasn?t even the worst part. There was a huge rift looming up all ready to eat her, and the brave ?knight? wasn?t even in the picture yet. Adaline sighed and waited, wondering where the witness was. The only reason that an agent would be chained to the wall was because there was a secret witness somewhere. Well, she decided as she looked down, at least she was wearing clothes.

She supposed that she?d better look helpless. Grumbling, she took a deep breath and screamed. Finally, the Perseus arrived. ?Hello,? he said cheerfully, albeit quietly. ?Sorry about the delay. I had some unexpected trouble with my ?winged boots?. Where?s the witness??

She shrugged. ?I have no idea. I do, however, think that perhaps you should get down to business whilst I keep screaming.?

The man grinned.[/color]

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=crimson][I]From the bar, Rali watched the girl look past him several times before she attempted to blend into the dance floor. Rali unfolded from his chair and followed her in.

To the untrained eye, the dance floor was a labyrinth. The walls were invisible, small bubbles around individual dancers, but they were palpable. They were not violated without good reason. The people here being what they were though, good reason was found reguarly.

After a few missteps that resulted into a misunderstandings, the girl finally worked it out. Having a seven foot tall female with more metal sticking out of her face than one sees in your average factory think you're taking a pass at them does that. And not because they refuse you in a nasty way...

Rali glided through the crowd with practiced ease. He came up behind the girl as she futilely scanned the dark corners. She was lucky she couldn't see what went on in there. Some of it even got to Rali at times....

He tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She spun, raising her hands in an involuntary defensive position.

Rali smiled grimly, and slowly circled her. His face never left hers, though she had no way of telling where his eyes were. His mouth however, was clearly visible, and he enuciated the words of the song currently playing.[/I]

"I watched you change
Into a fly
I looked away
You were on fire

I took you home
Set you on the glass
I pulled off your wings
Then I laughed"

[I]With that last word, he stopped and folded his arms. A slight area had opened up around them, expecting a display of violence, sex or dancing. Or, given the nature of the place, all three. Rali looked side to side, and gave a slight hand gesture to the negative.

Like water, dancers flowed back into the opened area. Within seconds, they were almost being stifled by other people. Rali measured the girl a while longer, then spoke.[/I]

Rali: I'm needed. Why?[/font][/color]

[Juu]

[color=ff00cc] [size=1]Celestine's eyes locked onto the man's face, trying not to show any sign of fear. His appearance sent a cold shiver up her spine, his eyes sending a chilling feeling from behind his sunglasses.

"Your father." She replied simply.

The man stepped back and turned away from her. He sighed heavily, and looked at her once more.

"I have no father."

Celestine opened her bag, and rummaged through a few papers. Quickly, she pulled out a paper, and handed it to the man. She hesitated.

"He's accused of killing a man." Celestine spoke, tapping at the corner of the picture. [/color] [/size]

[liamc2]

Jonathan leapt from the wall and into the mass of the horde. Pressing another button, his body image distorted, always a step from where he actually was. The Fomhóire warriors swung at him, only to find themselves cutting into air, or one of their own.

The Irish army watched from their fort as their new leader Tiernan, of the Danann, flitted through the enemy, cutting a swathe of bodies like a reaper in a wheat field.

Nina set down the Dagdha cauldron and ?conjured? a fire beneath it. Automatically hot fatty porridge appeared inside. The smell of the meal wafted through the camp. Those enfeebled with hunger wandered over with their upturned helmets as bowls. Nina smiled and raised Lugh?s spear in her hands, shouting something nondescript in Gaelic. Warriors, moral strengthened by what they had seen, returned the cry and spilled out against the Fomhoire horde.

Jonathan raised the sword of Nuadhu. The Fomhoire warriors were getting smarter?and spitting blackness that hissed and melted whatever it hit?which was not surprisingly disturbing. Jonathan wiped his brow and unholstered his side arm and began firing madly into the masses, sword raised. An indicator on the weapon quickly turned into the red, steam vented from the sides?and it stopped shooting.

Jonathan dropped the pistol and sucked the burns on his fingers, the pistol continued hissing on the ground and vanished.

?Totally fried that one Johnny? Crackled the voice.

Jonathan didn?t reply and merely spun the sword in his hands, edging backwards slightly. A warrior rushed at him, and collapsed as an arrow pierced his brow. Gradually the hearty cries of running warriors reached Jonathan?s ears, and he smiled.

Nina, mid-air, pelted the spear into the horde while dodging black shafted arrows. The spear ploughed into the mass and tore through flesh and bone, seven upon seven barbs ripping flesh from bone. Below her, Irish archers fitted new arrows into their bows, ignoring the onslaught of arrows and poisonous spit.

Jonathan grinned and spun round upon sudden inspiration, He bent over and pressed a button. Fomhoire warriors approached cautiously. Jonathan dug his feet in and waited?and pressed the button. Two white hot flames exploded into the masses, decimating the front two ranks of Fomhoire warriors. Jonathan just as quickly released the trigger before he flew off into orbit, then something pierced the metal shanks on the back of his legs. He crumpled as a barb pierced the back of his leg.

?Jonathan,? said the voice, worried, ?what?s going on? Your blood pressure is off the scale! Breathe Johnny! What happened? I can?t see anything on the view screen but you and the Irish.?
Jonathan gritted his teeth, ?Fomhoire arrow in my leg,? he swung wildly at an assaulting warrior and dropped to one knee to block the blow of a Fomhoire axeman.

?Damn Johnny, I?m pulling the plug.?

?Don?t, we can?t leave them to die.?

?They got the edge and the weapons now, throw the sword to the leader and I?ll cut you from the Load and paste you back at the ship.?

?You can?t do that, you?ll kill me.? Jonathan ducked another swing, and stood to return another blow, he crumpled to one knee again.

?You don?t know that, no-one knows that, your choice, one hundred percent chance of dying there, ninety eight percent chance of dying my way.?

?Your way ?ooof!- that makes it so much better, I?m taking my chances thankyou.?

Jonathan raised the sword to a defensive block and suddenly found himself lifted up into the sky. He looked up in surprise into Nina?s smiling face.

?Couldn?t leave you to die down there Tiernan, wouldn?t do the Irish moral any good y?know.?

?Ah yes, we can?t let that happen can we??

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]Rali: I'm not surprised. Let me guess, one of my dear, dear brothers? Or perhaps my sweet mother?

Celestine: It's someone important. Come on, we can't talk here.

[I]Celestine took his shoulder, intending to lead him off. Before she could put the slightest pressure, his opposite hand had come up, grabbed her, twisted off, and his other arm had come down on her now outstretched elbow. Just shy of snapping it like a twig.[/I]

Rali: You will not lay hands on me. You will not attempt to dissuade me with secrecy. You will tell me what is going on. Now.

[I]Celesitine kicked him in the shins, and wrenched her arms free. He stepped back and folded his arms, unfazed, unhurt.[/I]

Celestine: If you want to know the truth, I don't know who he killed.

Rali: Alright then. Let's go.

[I]They took Celestine's vehicle, leaving Rali's in the alleyway. No one would even think of stealing it. Not in this district, not next to this nightclub. Being a sensation at the Crescent Moon had its upsides.

Rali said nothing during the trip. Though he did stare down a few louts who made some suggestive comments.

Instead, he cut holes through Celestine with his eyes. She tried not to shiver, but his gaze was disconcerting. She wondered how she could tell through the sunglasses.

They arrived at the compound, Celestine hurrying out and inside. Rali followed at a laconic saunter, glaring at anyone who bothered to look at him for more than a second.

He was ushered into some office. He wasn't sure who's. Celestine was still in attendance, along with some one he didn't recognise. And the bastard who had once dared to call himself his father.

Five minutes later, Rali was being held by seven grunts, breathing hard, but no longer struggling. Rali's father was unconscious.[/font][/color][/I]

[Sere Tuscumbia]

Nina hovered in mid-air for a moment, surveying the frenzied scene below, before shifting Jonathan to a more comfortable position. "You know, you really ought to think about letting [I]me[/I] do the fighting next time. You got beaten down, admit it."

Jonathan just grunted.

Nina rolled her eyes. "So much for being a Tuatha Dé Danann."

"I haven't seen [I]you[/I] down there in the fray."

"Yeah, because [I]you've[/I] been hogging the spotlight."

"So?"

"So what?"

"Why aren't we down there fighting?"

"Because you're hurt, and I would like to keep my current partner."

"Nina," came the voice crackling in her ear.

"What?" she replied crankily, dipping a little in the air as the Fomhóire started shooting at the hovering couple.

"Whatcha gonna do about Johnny there?"

"Keep him from dying."

"And how do ya propose to do that?"

"Still working on that one."

The voice sighed, then crackled out of existance, and Nina scanned the crowd below. The Irish had gained a little ground on the Fomhóire army, and Nina took that moment of peace to pluck off some Fomhóire from the air. "You know," Nina grunted, as she backpedaled a bit, "it wouldn't hurt for you to lose a couple pounds."

"It wouldn't hurt," Jonathan responded, "for you to put me down and let me fight."

"Putting you down I'll do. Letting you fight I won't."

*~*~~``

Suddenly hit by the attack of the writer's block, so I'm just going to put this thing out of its misery right here.

And yes, I do have permission. Ask Liam. ^_^

[liamc2]

Jonathan groaned and muttered to himself as Nina set him down on the grass. Nina gave him a jaunty wave and re-entered the fray. Jonathan sat glumly on the grass and watched the battle. The Irish, heartened by the ?magic? of the Danann, fought on bravely. The grass was littered with five Fomhoire for every Irish warrior felled.

?Woe is me,? muttered Jonathan as the blood stopped flowing freely from his leg. Gingerly he prodded the arrow, no pain, no gain, and ripped it out. He threw it aside in disgust, it was crudely made arrow, just sharpened wood hardened over a slow flame.

Feeling confident, he rose to his feet and jogged on the spot, his leg burned with a dull fire but the pain was subsiding, probably to do with the sedatives woven into his Loaded jump suit. He glanced down at his red-raw hands from wielding the Nuadhu blade and rubbed them on his Celtic garb.

A shout rose from the battle, the Fomhoire were retreating to the hills. Jonathan grinned when the Irish warriors returned to the fort, holding Nina aloft and victorious above them.

Jonathan helped her down, ?milady Linette,? he said.

?Lord Tiernan,? she replied, eyes gleaming sarcasm.

The warriors entered the camp, song and feasting began. Jonathan sat himself down, separated from the rest. Nina became the centre of attention as the warriors regaled her with fierce tales and history.

Jonathan smiled and muttered to the voice, ?when can we come back to base??

The voice was thick, as though eating, ?depends, letsee, you?ve got to get crowned, betrothed, lead the Irish to a prosperous life in the highlands and then die of old age. So that?s?fifty years our time.?

?Betrothed??

?Yeah, every king needs a bride, moving on. You get crowned tomorrow, get hitched by their weird ancient rituals and then I hit the fast-forward. Fifty years in half an hour.?

?Betrothed??

?Yup, we?ve been through that. Anyhow, all we have to do is hit the fast forward, which is now capable now the rift has been smashed, all of those Fomhoire guys that have been touched by the rift have been killed so control is now one hundred percent.?

?[I]Betrothed?[/I]?

[The Unholy Newt]

[i]Bradley crawled hand over up the thick anchor rope to the Lady Marlade. He crept silently into the captain's cabin and waited. The door opened and the captain walked in.[/i]

[b]Captain:[/b] What are you doing here?

[b]Bradley:[/b] I'm afraid I am going to have to take this ship.

[b]Captain:[/b] I'd like to see ye do that laddie.

[i]Bradley pulled a taser out from beneath his cloak and pressed it into the captain's neck. He shuddered and fell to the floor as 10,000 volts passed through his body. He took out a gun with a needle on the end of it and injected it into the captain's arm. It slowly filled the chamber up with the dark blood of the captain. He then took it and injected it into his own arm. He winced as he felt his body re-adjust itself. He features twisted and his bones cracked as his body morphed into the form of the captain. That was the part of the job that Bradley hated. He then hid the body and walked out onto the main deck and called out to the man at the wheel.[/i]

[b]Bradley:[/b] Set off sailor, we're sailing for Kellios.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[i]Bradley finally caught sight of the grand city of Kellios. They pulled into port and attached to the dock. Bradley walked down into the city and headed for the palace of King Avallach. He finally arrived at the vast building. Bradley was able to walk right up the stairs and inside the palace. The king was very trusting. He found his way to the quarters he was searching for. He knocked on the door and after a few moments it opened and he looked into the face of Princess Charis, The Lady of the Lake.[/i]

[b]Charis:[/b] May I help you?

[b]Bradley:[/b] Yes m'lady,I'm not going to lie to you. You know what is going to happen to this continent in a matter of hours.

[b]Charis:[/b][i]Shocked[/i] How do you know!?

[b]Bradley:[/b] I am a very informed man m'lady. But I'm here with a boat and crew, we need to get you and your father out of this place as soon as possible and sail for the British Isles.

[b]Charis:[/b] I understand. I will meet you at your ship in an hour with my father and the rest of the palace residents. I hope it is big enough.

[b]Bradley:[/b] Don't worry m'lady, it is.

[b]Charis:[/b] Good. What is your ship called?

[b]Bradley[/b]The Lady Marlade.

[b]Charis:[/b] Then you shall meet me there in an hour. Good day.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[i]Bradley watched as the contingent of King Avallach's palace walk up the gang plank to the ship. After all were settled Bradley gave the order to set sail. A good half hour into the journey to Briton, Bradley turned around and took one last look at Atlantis as it sunk into the ocean.[/i]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
~TUN

[Sere Tuscumbia]

Nina looked over in the direction of Jonathan through the crowd surrounding her. Somedays being a descendent of Danu was a real pain . . . Nina stood, put her fingers in her mouth, and whistled to get Jonathan's attention. It did, and Nina waved in his direction. "Milord Tiernan! Joining the festivities any time soon?"

Short of hitting someone, Nina made her way out of the group as politely as she could and ran over to Jonathan's side. Grabbing his wrist, she pulled him out of the reach of evesdropping ears. "What's the news? You look like someone told you your puppy was going to die within the next two hours."

Jonathan shook his head and mumbled something halfway angrily.

Nina sighed, and flicked his arm. "I may speak several different languages, but mumble isn't one of them. English?"

"Well, in order to get back to base, I'm going to be crowned king, betrothed, and then live a long and prosperous life, then we all die of old age."

Nina blinked. "Betrothed?"

"That was my understanding of all this."

Nina blinked again. "Any details? Do you pick or do the villagers pick for you? Dying of old age?" Nina blinked again. "Does that mean I'm getting [I]married[/I] to you?!" she hissed.

Jonathan shrugged. "Comes with being a Tuatha Dé Danann, I guess."

As he walked off, Nina just looked at his retreating form. "I'm getting [I]married[/I] to you?!"

[Jesus Chicken]

[I]Jack sat in front of the sreen.[/I]

Jack: As soon as his mission, I want him here NOW!!!

Guard: Yes, y-y-yes Sire, I mean, Sir!

[I]With that the guard scuttled off, to track down Jonathan's transpoint. As Jack leaned back in his chair, seeing what would become of his precious(sp?) new recruit.[/I]

OOC: Sorry for the short post, but this is all I can do for the moment..

[Lady Asphyxia]

[color=darkred]The man quickly finished off the rift, unchaining Adaline. Adaline stared at him, knowing that a normal person stuck in this timeframe wouldn?t finish off the rift so fast. He seemed to read her thoughts, and grinned. ?They?ve been trialing a new system in this Load, where everyone is set to a different rift. The weak points in the Load seem to be in the same parts of time, so it?s been working out well. This is my rift.?

Adaline nodded, understanding the theory. However, she wondered what would happen when a new rift broke out, where there was no agent to combat it. It seemed almost lazy, and when she told him so, he laughed. ?The big guys will figure that part out sooner or later. Until then, I?m happy with Frank and I.?

?Frank??

?The monster. Of course, it?s a different monster every time, but it?s still named Frank.?

She stared at him, deciding that too much time on one rift made you go loopy. Then she shrugged and tapped her earpiece, relaying their status. The people on the other end accepted her report, and directed her to return.[/color]

[The Unholy Newt]

[i]Bradley turned away from the sinking continent and went to the captain's cabin. All in all the mission was succesful. Now Charis would go to Briton and marry Taliesin, the father of Myrrdin, the discoverer and protector of Arthur, the Bear of Briton. He opened a cupboard and the un-concious captain fell out. He stuck a peculiar looking needle into the captain's neck and the captain shuddered. He would awoke in a few minutes with no memory of Bradley, but the memory of what Bradley, or he had done.

Bradley called up HQ on his radio and informed them of his succesful mission. He closed his eyes and after a few seconds opened them again. He found himself standing back on the planet. He handed his equipment back into the equipment room and went back to his room.

Bradley swiped his card through slot and the door to his room opened. He walked in and slumped onto his bed and lay there. He reached over to his bedside table and grabbed a framed photo of his father and mother when they were young. His mother was a very beautiful woman, he wondered what she was like. His eyes drifted over to his father. The one attribute of his father that Bradley had retained was his eyes. His father's good looks hadn't really carried over to him. At least that is what Bradley thought. He then flashed back to when he found his father. He just been dropped off by the bus from preschool and he walked in the door and just stopped. Hanging from the ceiling by a steel cord was his father. His beautiful grey eyes had clouded over and lost their beauty. He still had the terrible look if grief imprinted on his face, and though ,Bradley mourned his loss, he felt happy for his father, to escape the horror of his mother's death.

Bradley placed the picture back on the table and laid back onto his pillow and closed his eyes. He could still see his father's face in front of him. It was rare for Bradley to not see it every second of the day. Eventually he fell down into a deep, dreamless sleep . . .[/i]

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]OOC: Alright then Juu, I'll break down and ask. Do you want me to do something with this, or did you have something in mind?[/font][/color]

[liamc2]

The crowd around Nina stopped their feasting and glanced at her when the words popped from her mouth. Titters and snippets of conversation rippled through the group.

Jonathan smacked himself in the face in angst, ?For the love of peat?? he muttered.

The voice in his ear softly hummed the wedding march and laughed softly,

?Don?t worry, it?s not legally binding, unless you [I]want[/I] it to be of course.? The voice laughed some more before continuing, ?besides, the wedding ceremony consists of you and her holding a sword and touching some rock while the clan leader murmurs some ancient ballad.?

?You?re not the one standing in the Celtic boots.?

By now the entire crowd was back to the cheering thing again and had carried Nina to a podium, several strong arms pushed Jonathan up also. Another cheer went out an a clamouring of drinking horns resounded. Jonathan tried not to look sheepish and put on a brave face, placing an arm around Nina.

?Jonathan? she whispered to him, ?what is going on??

?Smile and nod, we?re getting married in the morning.?

?[I]I?m getting married in the morning![/I]? Sang the voice whimsically.

Jonathan coughed, which sounded remarkably like ?I will find you,? but very rushed. Nina coughed ?not before me,? though it was far clearer.

The clan chief plodded forward, twisted leather belt in one hand and a Celtic necklace in the other. He smiled and placed the necklace around Nina?s neck and muttered, ?Linette? respectfully before giving the belt to Jonathan and murmuring, ?Tiernan.?

Jonathan accepted it and placed the belt around his waist.

?Gifts of our people. Runners have been sent for our wives and children, on the morrow you two will be wed.?

Jonathan smiled and Nina muttered to the voice, ?ok, hit fast forward now.?

?Can?t?

?What? Why not??

The voice was worried, ?something blocking the feed. Holy?guys, the signal is breaking up?I?ll cut?off??

Nina looked at Jonathan, Jonathan looked back at Nina. The static continued.

?What now?? She mouthed.

?Reconnaissance 12.5? He mouthed back.

Nina?s mind buzzed. That meant that a rescue and repair team would be sent. Mostly juniors, ones undergoing training, but there?d be some seniors too. It didn?t matter, all it meant was that she and Jonathan had to continue the fairy-tale play-act while the Load Reconnaissance worked in the background. That meant they?d have to sleep in the filth, rise in the morning and wait for possibly months in this world while the Nomad rift or whatever type it was showed itself.

Nina glanced up at Jonathan as something clicked.

?You mean I have to marry you in [I]real time?[/I]?

[Jesus Chicken]

[I]Jack was enjoying this... Hmm he thought to himself, perhaps he should join this team... See what the two are like in person, as they work well enough on the screen. Jack rose from his chair, as the screen faded out... Jack walked down from his office, and called the deck commander, and told him something that no one would have expected.

In a few minutes, Jack was ready to go.[/I]