RPG Tears of Autumn

[Inari]

Ashi scurried through the streets of Veleras with the tree suns directly in their zeniths. [I]The Domo's sure can keep order here when they want to.[/I] Domo guards were positioned at every corner armed with energy guns pointed at the ground. [I]How can we live on such a wonderful planet and be surrounded by all these damn guards. I fell like I'm being smothered! Well at least I'm not standing by and letting the Domo Faction ruin Autumn. Even if it takes a pack with the devil himself, I will liberate the people of Autumn![/I]

Ashi slipped into the back of the crowd trying not to draw attention to herself. Mutants were not always welcome in public events. Ashi quickly surveyed the guard situation. Snipers lurked in every corner, but not everyone worked for the Domo Faction. Ashi made a quick, habitual glance at Chasity's position, knowing full well that she would be well hidden by the best cloaking devices available. Ashi turned her attention to the crowd and pitied the blissfully unaware people caught in the middle of this power struggle.

After finding a comfortable position, Ashi retrieved a small scanning device from the many folds of her cloak. She flicked it on and viewed the blurry picture of what she hoped would be the Tia-Pan. Hiding the device in her long sleeves, Ashi scanned the crowds searching for a match. Ashi knew that even the Tai-Pan could not resist this kind of opportunity. After about fifteen minutes, Ashi's efforts were rewarded. >Target Identified< read her scanner. Ashi peered over to view a tall, dark man with black wavy hair, with a delicate, young Asian woman at his side. [I]Hello Tai-Pan, it's time to play and it?s your move.[/I]

[Guess?]

[size=2][color=seagreen]Chasity woke with a start as she heard excited voices from the street below. She got off the bed and walked to the boarded up window. Looking between the planks, she saw that a very large group of people were gathering around a quicky constructed stage. This is where Chasity's target was to be. As Chasity was surveying the crowd, several heavly armed Domo guards walked onto the stage. Behind them was the dictator that controlled the Domo Faction, Commander Talon Vicecount.[/color][/size]


[size=2][color=#2e8b57][i]He thinks hes safe. not even a sheild genorater or a glass booth. Boy, will he be shocked. [/i]Chasity thought as she loaded her sniper rifle with her custom armor piercing bullets. [i]Not that it would help him.[/i] She waited untill Vicecount was halfway into his speech about how it was Ok to destroy a city for his corrupt company's saftey. As he talked, she surveyed the crowd and found a couple Rightous Lightning members in it. Probaly there to finish the job in case something goes wrong. But nothing would go wrong. Chasity looked into the crowd one last time before aiming right in between the Commander's eyes. She put her finger to the trigger and pulled slowly. Chasity closed her eyes and then pulled all the way. The crowd went silent for a second, then burst into terrified screams. Chasity opened her eyes to see Vicecount's lifeless body fall onto his podium, then to the floor. Three of the heavly armed guards rushed to their dead Commander's side, and lifted him and took him back behind stage. Chasity pulled her rifle into the room then started to run to the basement. As she neared the first floor, Chasity hid her rifle in her cloak and pulled out her energy pistol. [/color][/size]
[size=2][color=#2e8b57][/color][/size]

[size=2][color=#2e8b57]On the first floor, Chasity could hear loud footsteps coming from the entrance of the building. She ran to the fake wall as fast as she could and looked over her shoulder as she passed through the wall. She ran down the last staircase not caring if she was loud. She ran to the ladder and climbed into the bright midday sunslight. Chasity's glider was still cloaked and she had no problem finding it. As she flew away, she remembered the first soldier she saw: a woman with green hair.[/color][/size]

[skedy]

[COLOR=Teal][SIZE=1][FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode] Things couldn?t have been better. The Commander?s double was dead on the stage and the crowd was welling in the auditorium?s confines, held fast be the masses of Domo troops swarming around the exits. Sergeant Fairmount had sprinted onto the stage and was shouting commands across the sound system. 0100100-XX7 turned from its booth, the senator had never arrived, undoubtedly delayed by vehicular malfunctions.

Priming it blaster the robot sprinted down the corridor and vaulted out the window, it wouldn?t have long to reach the assassin?s crash site, and it had to ensure it got there before the Domo Faction did. Hesitating with the anticipation of hostilities the machine recomposed itself in the dusty street before switching to its hover mode, a far more effective means of travel.

---

?I regret to inform you, each and everyone of you are under arrest. You are to return to your seats and wait further instructions. No one will be permitted to leave until the perpetrator of this failed assassination is exposed.? The crowd was starting to return to its seats as the Sergeant informed them of the situation, several gasped as the heavy mass that many had thought to be Commander Talon clambered to its feet, the synthesis-plate falling from its face to reveal Vedi model robot.

Athen turned from the stage and returned to his commander, ?Are you sure you want to continue?? The Sergeant?s countenance was riddled with concern as he spoke. ?I mean, don?t you think it?s a little dangerous??

?That is why I must wait, Sergeant.? Talon replied, scanning the enclosed corridor as he spoke. ?Once we have our own snipers in the assassin?s post we will begin the press conference. I believe our guests will need some reassurance in the mean time, make sure they don?t get too restless.? With that he left Athen to the crowd, following his retinue back into the wispy confines of the ?cloak? room.

---

The small gray disc-structure on Chasity?s glider when unnoticed, it dual purpose was critical to Robotica?s designs and would surely succeed. As the glider moved further into the desert the small device began to resonate, a pitch explicitly intended for Robotica?s sensors only, it was impossible for a biological being to hear, until it was too late.

Well into the desert, keen on a safe escape, Chasity was aghast to hear the bomb?s high-pitch shriek, distraught with the impending doom. 0100100-XX7 had made good time through Prentice and had already achieved a visual by the time the glider exploded, its occupant flung violently into the sands below.

The robot hastened to her body, ?surprised? to discover her alive. The young woman was unconscious but alive and her life was more beneficial then her death so Vici afforded it to her, its goal was the sniper rifle used for the assassination, it was necessary to frame the crime?s to be perpetrator. And it was gone, leaving human alone in the dust.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Cyriel]

As soon as the gun shots had erupted, Michi had already pulled the curtains around the Tai-Pan, hiding his person from view. The next second she had pushed the Tai-Pan into a safe corner of the alcove, shielding him with her slender body, blade drawn an inch, and ready to dispatch any who dared enter. Her eyes were narrow, and she was looking her most peaceful...and most deadly.

As the third bullet left the barrel of the assassin's rifle, Michi was quietly and smoothly looking out the entrance of the small alcove into the hallway they had come from. It was chaos - and she ducked back inside without notice. The Tai-Pan was brushing off his still immaculately clean suit, and Michi proceeded to peek through the drawn curtains. Domo Faction guards were swarming everywhere, and the exits were already blocked in the levels below them. They had to hurry, if they were going to depart unnoticed. And that was the preferable way.

"Tai-Pan, we must proceed quickly -"

He held up a hand, silencing her immediately more with his slight smile. "Now now Michi, no need to overreact. You'll find that our way will be quite empty. Come along now, dear." He started out first, not even drawing his gun. She flushed, her instincts telling her to jump ahead and draw blade, but she merely followed her employer. No other choice, in this situation. But if something did get in the way, she was ready. Her hand unconsciously ran down the sheath of her katana for the hundredth time that day. It was [I]not[/I] a situation she enjoyed.

The Tai-Pan led them down the hallway, quite unnoticed by others because of their own infatuations with their own safety. Assorted bodyguards were throwing glowering looks at each other, roaring in gruff voices as their masters either panicked or waited. Servants were running everywhere, and somehow some of the normal citizens had managed to find their way to the upper levels. Suddenly, Michi was ready to erupt in a dance of blades, but the Tai-Pan again stopped her.

He turned to the being in front of him, "And you are?"

The figure was garbed in a thick cloak, and no part of her skin was visible. She raised her head, and Michi analyzed the violet eyes and pale skin. [I]Is she an albino?[/I] But Michi erased the thought - it didn't matter at the moment. Her muscles were tensed, ready to rip the stranger into unoffending bits and pieces.

The strange spoke. "You are...the Tai-Pan?"

He said nothing, only a smile coming to his lips in answer.

"I am...someone seeking you."

Michi stepped forward, "The Tai-Pan requires a name. Nothing less will do."

"Fine then. I am called Ashi."

The Tai-Pan motioned Michi aside, "Yes, Ashi, I've been expecting you." He turned back, "Michi dear, I will be escorting this guest home. Don't worry now, it's safe. Shall you join, or find your own way home?"

"Return safely, Tai-Pan," she answered. Michi didn't exactly like to be involved in his little meetings, and he knew it. He left, and she turned, ready to go to the lower levels to see the damage. Glancing out various windows, she watched the Tai-Pan and Ashi get into the car, disappearing quickly into the crowded chaos.

Running down the stairs, Michi could faintly hear orders being given, and the chaos was slowly dying down. There wasn't enough time to find an observation point - the Domo Faction was moving too quickly. A misjudgement on her part - she had expected them to take longer in a situation like this. But no choice now - it was much too late to go back. She kept moving, trying to blend in as people returned to their seats. She froze - Domo guards had started in her direction. Her grip on her katana tightened.

[Rhym]

Nexe's motorcycle was fast, but Jayce Vinaron's was faster. She soon caught up to him, and unslung the rifle. Piloting the bike with her left arm, she peered into the scope of the rifle. She saw the kid look back just as she squeezed off a few shots. He dodged, and pulled out a blunt, evil-looking blaster. He aimed backwards at Jayce, and fired several shots. She dodged as well, cursing. Accelerating, she pulled almost even with Odin Nexe. "Catch, ******!" Jayce shouted gleefully, throwing a fragmentation grenade at him and pulling ahead. Looking back, she noticed that he was keeping almost even with her. However, she also saw the panicked kid juggle with the live grenade, then toss it up in the air. It detonated about 15 feet above him, forcing the front wheel of his motorcycle down, and him over the handlebars. She heard a dopplering voice behind her shout, "I JUST GOT THIS REPAIRED YOU *****!!!!" She smirked slightly, gloating to herself. Her victory didn't last long, however, as a mortar shell exploded directly in front of her.

[ALIGN=Center]--------[/ALIGN]

Orange Maxamillion lifted his garage's door up. A haggard, dusty, cloaked figure, dragging a heap of metal behind it, addressed him. "I hear you fix things." it said in a voice that, by the sounds of it, just dragged a wrecked motorcycle over many miles of desert. "Yes," said Orange. "Yes, I do."

[Inari]

The Tai-Pan led Ashi to his green hovercraft, and opened the door for her. Ashi stepped in and stared in awe at the magnificent mahogany dash and leather interior. The Tai-Pan slipped into the driver's seat and they sped away from the hysteric masses. "Impressive vehicle," commented Ashi as the Tai-Pan easily swerved in and out of the narrow streets. He only grinned in return as "Dust in the Wind" played quietly in the background. "Did you enjoy our little display at the conference?"

"It was poorly planed and probably didn't kill the real senator," replied the Tai-Pan abruptly. Ashi slumped in her seat, loosing a little confidence, but she pretended not to listen and continued.

"I represent people of importance in the Righteous Lightning, and we propose an alliance," said Ashi with an air of dignity.

"I'm not a man to quickly join such a 'righteous' cause. Why would you, with such ?high? morals, seek me for assistance?" inquired the Tai-Pan.

"I am only concerned with the destruction of the Domo Faction and the creation of a new world order for Autumn. To put it simply; I propose a change in power in which those who assist our cause are greatly rewarded. Even you could understand this."

"What a unique proposition."

"Look Tai-Pan, you are either with us or against us. We could really use your assistance in this revolution, and you will be greatly rewarded if we succeed. So are you with us?" said Ashi slightly annoyed.

[0ber0n the Neko]

Orange looked at the....well he was [i]told[/i] it was a motorcycle....

"Yeah, I fix stuff.... but what am I fixing?" Orange asked curiously.

"A motorcycle."

"Okay... come back here in one...." One of the wheels popped. "Two days. Then I'l have your thing fix-" The engine melted. "Built."
__________________________________________________________________

Two days later, Jayce returned to Orange's garage.

"Here's your motorcycle." He said, pointing to a motorcycle that looked almost completely different from her old one. The only similarities were the wheels.

OOC:
Now it has the stats:
Speed: Excellent+ Maneuverability: Excellent Armor: good

Attatchments:
Sidecar: Repeat blaster, frag grenades, "Orange" Cannon. ^_- bet you're wonderin' what that is...

IC:

Jayce looked her (new) motorcycle over for awhile. She looked into the sidecar, and saw something very new in there as well. A very very nice machine gun. "I do hope you like the addition. It will make sure you never need to come here again. Just spare me the pleasure of seeing you off, okay?"

Jayce left.

OOC: I just needed you out, okay? I still need a technician. Someone who would qualify. Possibly... Ruby.

[Guest Midnight Rush]

The Tai-Pan sighed and turned off the [I]Kansas[/I] CD. "Well... do you believe the Righteous Lightning are strong enough, without my help, to defeat the Domo in a pitched war?"

"You know the answer to that question."

"I ask a lot of questions to which I know the answer."

"We...we would require amazing joss to defeat them in a pitched war. Although the parity gap is not that large."

"Is it technology or manpower?"

"Technology. If our weapons were as strong as theirs it wouldn't even be a contest."

"And my reward for giving you the weapons and reinforcements you need to change the tide?"

"The Domo control 80% of Autumn's Xanathite mines. Your reward is half of their mines."

The Tai-Pan was laughing hysterically inside, but his face remained calm and severe. [I]Half? Be second best to anyone? Yea...right! O well... play along for now, these people are too "righteous" to outsmart me. Even if they do I have the X Factor..MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA![/I] "Accepted. In three days five armies worth of state of the art quantum particle weapons will arrive at the RLHQ."

Ashi spoke as she exited the vehicle, "Good Bye, Tai-Pan."

[0ber0n the Neko]

"Ah goddammit..." Orange said. "Business sure is slow..." He looked over at the stereo.

"Hmmmm..."
__________________________________________________________________

The repairs and upgrades were done. Orange had decided to leave for awhile, considering all he needed was a programmer. His motorcycle was now to be the way he was going to get into town.

OOC:
My Motorcycle Stats are:
Speed: Excellent+ Maneuverability: Excellent Armor: good

Attatchments:
"Orange" Cannon, "Orange" Rifle, "Orange" Pistol, Pineapple grenades, "Orange" Sniper, Strange speaker.

IC:
"Okay, let's go!"

Orange took his last look at the shop. He looked forward at the expanse of desert lying before him.

He revved up his motorcycle, and got going.
[center]____________[/center]

Orange made it to town. His cloak mae him stand out from the crowd, and so did his disguising goggles. He fit right in.

"So this is Magar..." He said to himself. "Nice city. I think I should get looking, though."

Orange walked throught the city, and asked around for a good programmer

[skedy]

[COLOR=Teal][SIZE=1][FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode] ?Halt!? Michi tensed as a Domo corporal crossed the hall, three men trailing behind. ?This level has been locked down miss, I?m afraid you?ll have to return to your booth or join the rest of the public in the auditorium.?

Michi didn?t reply; she simply tightened her grip on the elegant hilt of her sword. ?And if I don?t?? She cocked an eyebrow as she spoke.

?I will be forced to detain you.? The corporal shifted the weight in anticipation as he spoke; he could see this woman was not going to come with them quietly.

?Hardly.? Michi grunted as she drew her weapon. A maelstrom of skillfully balanced death, Michi whirled around the bewildered men. The corporal looked down at his missing arm in shock, his men hit the ground one after the other, each clutching at the warming holes in their chest.

Regaining her composer Michi cocked her head and said: ?It?s nothing personal, you understand.? With that she turned to the corridor, into the barrel of Captain Austin Hartmore?s pistol. ?He may but I do not.?

?You will soon enough.? Michi shifted her hand about the weight of her sword, preparing for the next onslaught. Austin smiled in reply, the crisp folds of his uniform hardly moved with the cocking of his head.

Michi whirled around, certain she had taken the Domo officer by surprise. Her blade came up short, leaving her just enough time to realize her mistake. The Captain, standing behind her, slammed his elbow into the young woman?s face, relieving her of her feet as he did. Michi hit the ground hard.

Slamming a securing foot atop the assassin?s blade Austin leveled his pistol with her face, offering his free hand: ?Shall we.? Michi sighed and let go of her blade; she could hear several dozen men sprinting down the corridor already. Austin pulled the woman to her feet and fitted a pair of restraining cuffs.

---

?Was that really necessary Sergeant?? A captain questioned Athen nervously. The pair was standing in a small observation room several blocks from the Auditorium; the interrogations had begun some time ago. Though most were to be carried out in the facility the hostile ones were brought here, one of The Domo Faction?s stations littering Prentice.

?Yes, I will not take anymore risks Captain.? Athen watched the young woman as he spoke; she was huddled in one of the corners of the adjoining room, trying to keep warm. ?Have he clothes burnt and her weapons moved to lock up.?

The Sergeant snatched a bundle of a bench and entered the room. Michi glared at him as he came in, he simply threw the bundle at the woman and waited for her to get dressed, politely diverting his eyes but careful not to lose sight of her.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Cyriel]

Michi snatched up the clothes quickly, dressing herself in mere seconds. She couldn't hide the angry blush that started like a rash at her neck, spreading down to highlight her collarbone. [I]Never[/I] could she remember feeling so utterly...[I]stupid,[/I] so foolish, so..amateur. Had she really been captured so easily? And then subject to the embarrassing event of the removal of her possessions, including her garments. She bit her lip, trying to calm the rage that threatened to overflow. Slowly she stood, fully clothed, running her hand up the wall as well. Much to her chagrine, it was perfectly sealed - there was no chance of obtaining even the most base of weapons.

[I]Even a rock would do, at this moment.[/I] But no, there was nothing. No chance. Until she walked through that door. Her katana and needles were gone, confiscated and most definitely far out of her reach. Rescue was another farfetched idea - the Tai-Pan would think nothing of her disappearance; he knew that Michi performed her duties on her own schedule, unless previously called for. Months could pass before she returned, and he would think nothing of it. She had been gone for months before, although it had been a long time since, and he would most likely be quite displeased.

Never would she have thought to be in this situation; she had never let herself think of it. And now that she was here...she still couldn't quite grasp it. [I]Control...just keep control...[/I]

Athens saw she was fully clothed,and turned to her, "Ready?"

Michi immediately tensed, lowering just a bit into a wary stance. Her eyes narrowed, dark, but glittering brightly with malice and aggression. She waited, watching. [I]Ready for what?[/I]

[Guest Midnight Rush]

OOC: Well Cyriel, I was going to rescue you... but you had that ruined. hahahaha. You guess what I will end up doing too easily.
IC:

The Tai-Pan walked out of the fast food restaurant and jaunted towards his car. He smiled as he started opening the door, loving every inch of its naturally aspirated perfection. Then he saw it.

"THOSE MOTHER FUCKERS KEYED MY CAR!" He roared, drawing his two pistols. The Tai-Pan juggernauted back to the restaurant and kicked through the glass door, attracting the attention of all the customers.

"Did anyone see the man or woman who was last standing by the green car outside?"

A little girl raised her hand. "Sir, that man over there hit it with his door."

"You have just saved your life little girl. Please cover your eyes, I don't like children witnessing carnage."

She dove under the table just as the Tai-Pan began shooting. The people began to scatter, but none were fast enough to escape his steady accuracy. After the customers died, he shot the staff of the restaruant and the cook. He then gave the little girl a few thousand dollars and left.

Some time later he looked down at his wrist. "MY WATCH IS GONE!" He looked all over the car and even returned to the fast food joint, finding only a half-starved little girl and no watch.

"Hey little girl."

"Yes, sir?"

"Would you like a nice home? Away from here?"

"Um... ok." She replied, desperate to leave the gore stricken room.

The Tai-Pan had her air lifted to his mansion, with orders to care for her like it was his daughter. He had done things like this very often, for where women were his weakness, children were his softspot. He hated seeing a child harmed... and fed/educated as many as he could.

After the child was safely tucked away, The Tai-Pan tele-called Prentice.

Athen answered.

"I left my watch in Prentice."

"What the **** do you want me to do about it?"

"Deliver it to me."

"We aren't FedEx. Forget it."

"I'll give you 15 minutes to return my watch to me. If you fail, I will return to Prentice, and you will begin to have a very, very bad day."

"What can you do? Its just a ******* watch."

"Its a very very very expensive watch. I want it back."

"I guess I'm going to have a bad day... see you in hell." Athen ended the call.

The Tai-Pan wheeled the car around totally pissed at himself for forgetting the watch, and for the lack of obedience from that upstart popinjay. He didn't care that the watch cost over twenty million taels (what is the currency here anyway?)... he cared that the design schematics for the X-Factor were tucked in hyper microfilm. The Domo didn't have the technology to read the film... but they could easily figure it out.

"I must get it back. Period." He murmured....

[I]Back In Black[/I] thundered out of the stereo... the Tai-Pan was on a mission.

[skedy]

[COLOR=Teal][SIZE=1][FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode] Athen turned from the tele-com confused, he couldn?t reason why his subordinates had allowed the call to get to him, Domo Faction?s officers weren?t expected to listen to the public?s psychotic trash.

?Sorry to keep you waiting.? He said coolly as he returned to the interrogation room. Michi more then a little cold, he hopped the break would have given her sometime to reflect on her situation. ?Apparently, I?ve nothing better to do then listen to some nut-job looking for his watch.? The Sergeant took a seat as he spoke. Michi had tensed at his words but he decided to make nothing of it. Athen?s brow furrowed as he paged through the file sitting on the dusty desk in front of him, there was a surprising lack of information on Ms. Hyobanshi. ?Were you here with the Tai-pan??

After a long silence she replied: ?You know of him?? She seemed a little uneasy with this development, as far as she knew the Domo Faction was completely unaware of her employer. ?Yes, we know of a lot of things.? Athen couldn?t help but smile as he replied, the public knew so little about the Domo Faction it was almost humorous. ?But you still haven?t answered my question Ms. Hyobanshi.? Michi tensed once more, few people knew of the Tai-pan and fewer still knew her full name; this officer simply knew too much.
Unable to fathom a better response the young woman simply replied with ?Yes.? The Sergeant nodded a curt acknowledgement before continuing through the document.

?Yes, your family has had a lot to do with our organization. But surely you would know all about their untimely demise.? Athen was careful to gauge what little response the prisoner gave. ?What business did the Tai-pan have here?? He asked softly.

---

Several hours after the assassination attempt, Vici was among the few beings left inside the auditorium. When the general public had been questioned the facility had been sealed to all but the Domo Faction personnel authorized to enter. The machine had managed to gain entry using Senator Moloch?s key card, the old fool was far too trusting.
Going unnoticed 0100100-XX7 was systematically searching the boxes one by one. After planting the sniper rifle, complete with a new set of fingerprints, the machine had carried out a scan on the building, discovering an abnormal resonance on the upper levels it had decided investigate more fully. This was the last of the thirteen legible observation booths.

After several moments of stillness it crossed to one of several empty seats and collected a small metallic object. Proceeding with a more specialized scan. the machine confirmed its suspicions and began an immediate transmission to Robotica. A set of, what most would consider, advanced design schematics were hidden inside the watch.

Moments later Vici crushed the pointless ornament; the device dubbed ?The X-Factor? was Robotica?s and Robotica?s alone.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Gentle]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=RoyalBlue]It was too late now. Mariangela chucked a rock across the air in frustration at the hold up because of the assassination attempt. Things were just about quiet now but the commotion earlier had driven her into agitation that she was told to leave and return to guard duty. The world seemed to be against her today.

[I]The hell with this,[/I] she thought feeling this as a worthless cause. Two Domos ran by carrying a female civilian with them. She sighed at the look of guilt going across the young girls face while trying to keep an eye out for anyone else.

"Hey you," someone yelled behind Mariangela distracting her. She turned around a saw man standing there; she waited patiently for him to say something. "I have to get out of her. It's very important that I leave."

"Too bad," she said back and turned away from him. The irritation was getting worst now and the humid air wasn't helping any. "This'll all be over in a few hours."

The man scowled at Mariangela and turned to another Domo that was standing nearby. Unlucky for him that she was being nice. The man was hit and taken back to his seat for interferring with their work.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Guest Midnight Rush]

OOC:Lmao! The robots use the X-Factor? Hahahahahaha! Right.... well whatever, but it is my X-Factor to define. And there are two of them 3/4ths built in The Tai-Pan's garage.... The Domo can have some of them too because they are smart scientific types.

IC:

"The smell of dead humans is terribly disgusting, isn't it master Athen?" The Tai-Pan laughed, surveying the corpses of a myriad of guards. He had snuck in and used fragmentation grenades to kill many of the guards in the area, and then shot the rest of them.

Athen sighed, furious at the lack of competancy of his soldiers, although he was rather smug knowing that he'd outsmarted this stupid man. Moloch had known what was in the watch, and had told him. Domo now had the design schematics for some sort of super weapon, and the ones the robots downloaded were fake replacements cooked up by the geniuses at Domo R&D. "Quite."

"I'd like my watch back, and anything else that might belong to me."

"Of course, Tai-Pan."

"How the hell do you know I'm the Tai-Pan?"

"A little birdy told me."

"You'd better be careful, all this talk is making me jumpy, maybe I'll pull the trigger by accident."

Athen decided to make a peace offering, and maybe come out of this alive. Holding his hands up, he slowly moved towards the weapon lock up and removed the katana. He thought an old fashioned idiot like the Tai-Pan would love the sword and leave without any further trouble.

"Here, take this!" Athen said, tossing the weapon to the Tai-Pan, who caught it without moving aim on the gun.

The Tai-Pan saw the weapon and exploded with rage. "Where the **** did you get this? Lie to me and I swear your death will last over a year."

"It was taken from an insignificant prisoner."

"Bring me this insignificant prisoner. On the ******* double."

Athen hit the radio button, and ordered a guard (different cell block) to bring the prisoner to the room.

"Sorry, sorr! There is no prisoner in that room. My God Sorr! The guard is dead! Blood everywhere... Jack was me mucker (buddy)..." The guard roared.

Athen turned to the Tai-Pan, a sort of grim pelasure on his fatigued face. "Sorry Tai-Pan... the girl is gone. There's nothing I can do for you or her now."

The Tai-Pan held the sword in his empty hand. "The day you see this sword drawn in my hand, that day I promise will be your last."

"Good-bye, Tai-Pan. I look forward to that day... I will enjoy killing a unique man."

"My watch?"

"Unfortunately it was destroyed."

"..."

"If it's remains are found, would you like them?"

"Sure," The Tai-Pan began backing away. "One last thing, if anything happens to the girl, even if its not your fault, I will hold you accountable. She is very dear to me."

The Tai-Pan disappeared, the car roaring into the open desert and out of Domo's reach. Inside the car, the Tai-Pan was fuming. [I]I've given my weakness away to the Domo... and now they have the schematic for the X-Factor! I'm sure of it, theres no way he'd be that calm if he didn't think he had something on me. Did Michi talk? How else would he have known to bait me with the sword? Why didn't he call for reinforcements... he could have so easily destroyed me... What the **** is Athen up to?[/I] These questions and many others he could not answer. The main thing on his mind was the safety of the woman he had raised almost like a daughter. He would never admit it to her, but he cared more about her than for himself, and she was the only one that held such a position in him.

He was only satisfied and confident with one thing: His X-Factor projects would be complete in less than a week... after that, he would be a mighty force instead of a corruptor and a puppeteer...

"Finally my love! I can avenge you!" He roared, blasting the music until he calmed down.

The song was [I]Silver Springs[/I]

_____

Athen roared with laughter. "Not only is this man an idiot! That slip of a girl is his weakpoint... My goodness he will be easy to overcome.. well, I can't become overconfident... Coming after [I]me[/I] with a sword? Give me a ******* break!"

[Inari]

Ashi stepped out the Tai-Pan's vehicle, only to find herself far outside of the city limits. She stood in the sand as the Tai-Pan drove off, wondering where she was. Ashi reached into her cloak folds and retrieved a small hand-held computer. She accessed her glider schematics and ordered her glider to find her. Far away in the city of Prentice her cloaked glider flew towards her, on autopilot. Next Ashi checked for a message from Chasity to confirm her success. >No New Messages< flashed across the screen, and Ashi began to worry. It had been well over five hour since she had last made contact with Chasity, so something must be wrong. Ashi entered the tracking program, and searched for a tiny radio chip behind Chasity's left ear lobe. The scanner located her just a few miles out of Prentice. Ashi sent a quick message to Chasity when her glider arrived. [I]Well I have to check back with the Righteous Lightning before I can worry about my missing assassin.[/I] With that Ashi zipped off for Heirashii.

Ashi entered Heirashii around dusk, and the streets were relatively empty. A few Domo guards were patrolling the streets, and whining about not being allowed to go to the meeting in Prentice. [I]I think I'll have a little fun with these guards.[/I] Ashi focused her thoughts on disappearing, and in a few moments she was gliding through the streets undetected. Two guards posted near her Righteous Lightning hide out were in a heated argument about their being left to guard Heirashii as she approached. Ashi slid up behind the two and grabbed their energy guns. Then in one quick motion she knocked them both unconscious. Dragging their bodies in the dusty road, Ashi placed the two guards just outside a local bar. [I]Wouldn't want to be you in the morning,[/I] Ashi smiled and turned on her way. Behind a small vender and in a narrow ally way Ashi entered the hide out. Siiqua ran to great her.

"How are you Ashi?"

"Alive," Ashi replied sarcastically.

"Medo-kai wishes to see you right away," Siiqua stated, and Ashi simply nodded.

In a large conference room, Medo-kai sat at the head of a crescent shaped table. Ashi nodded to Sai and several other Righteous Lightning friends before taking her seat next to Medo-kai. Medo-kai called the meeting to order, and informed everyone of the failed assassination attempt. [I]Damn it! I should have know that the Domos would pull some **** like this,[/I] thought Ashi. Next Ashi informed the group of her meeting with the Tai-Pan.

?

"I don't quite trust him, but we need his support," she reported. "Have we placed spies in his home yet?"

"Yes, he picked up that little kid just like we planned. Thank you Siiqua for you intel on his soft spot for children," Medo-kai said with an official tone. Siiqua nodded in reply.

"Keep me informed of her progress," said Ashi. "And we have another problem. Chasity never contacted me. I tracked her radio chip to a fixed point just outside of Prentice. I propose that Siiqua, Sai and I go tonight to find her."

[Cyriel]

As the Tai-Pan disappeared into the distance, Athen turned again, a small smile flickering across his face. Pushing the button to the communicator once more, this time a small screen came to life.

A guard stood at attention, "Yes sir?"

"Is the prisoner secure?"

"Yes sir."

"I'd like a visual confirmation please." The picture on the screen obediently turned, revealing a bound woman inside a cell. Other officers stood outside the observation room - she was not quite safe to be around. As a result, she had been bound head to toe, and at the moment was sitting in one of the corners, silent and still.

Athen smiled again, "I'll be over momentarily to oversee the prisoner." [I]The girl, eh? Tai-Pan, I believe we have our trump card.[/I]
___________________________________________________________

Michi sat, waiting. The man called Athen had disappeared after a brief phone call, and she had thus tried to make her escape. Unsuccessfully, to say the least. A complete failure. However, three guards had been savagely mauled, and were in critical condition. No doubt, their vision would never be completely healed. [I]Too bad they survived...when they wake up, they'll wish they were dead.[/I] It would have been much more merciful to finish the job, but the other Domo soldiers had not thought so.

So now she sat, waiting under the supervision of a special unit, and several other officers, awaiting the arrival of Athen. She thought of his words earlier... [I]"...your family has had a lot to do with our organization. But surely you would know all about their untimely demise.... What business did the Tai-Pan have here?"[/I] He had left abruptly, leaving her to confused thoughts. The business of the Tai-Pan she would never reveal; all of her secrets would follow her to the grave, or worse, she was sure. The Domo Faction had never been known for kindness, especially not to the release of death.

[I]But my family?[/I] What had he been talking about? For the most part, she had no recollection of her family. Her earliest memories were of the inner walls of the Tai-Pan's sanctuary. What did this Athen know of her past? Michi had been quite careful, as had the Tai-Pan, to quite utterly destroy all records of her. She was a secret tool of the Tai-Pan's, but also a weakness. And she could not reveal that weakness. So she waited.

[Guest Midnight Rush]

OOC:Don't worry about the Tai-Pan's superweapon, it won't unbalance anything. Just a plot twist with a huge potential. I threw in some anime references for those who are fans... You guys are becoming rather clever, kudos to all.

IC:
The Tai-Pan stood in his garage (actually a huge subterranean geofront) admiring the nearly completed X-Factor, and its twin sister, with utter concentration. The engineers had worked for ten years to design this, and two years ago, with his permission, they began construction on the first model.

In its first activation test, it went berserk, killing hundreds of the Tai-Pan's people. They were able to stop it, but it resulted in complete devastation of the beast.

They had started again, with more restraining elements this time, and it looked promising. "Dr. Forscythe, the activation test is scheduled for what date?"

"Well Tai-Pan, the initial startup is this afternoon, but the activation test proper is tomorrow morning. We have high hopes for this one."

"This one has to be the one. There is no time, I surmise that several factions have recieved the leaked plans, just as planned."

"Excellent. The rabbit is practically in the bag then, old friend?"

"You can't bank talk, only green backs. Two large [I]ifs[/I] are left: the activation test, and of course, what they do with the leaked schematics. If they build, then we win... if they don't, I have no idea."

"No matter what happens Tai-Pan, all of us will stand by you. After the incident, well, we'd get no peace if RF wasn't sealed."

The Tai-Pan sighed at the mention of the incident, and looked Jack Forscythe directly in the eyes. He was satisfied with the fear he found there, and the chills in the good doctor's eyes at the piercing green. "RF must be sealed. It is my life's work... haunts me all of the time. Any particular music for this test?"

"Ahh... thank you for the offer Tai-Pan, [I]Edge of Seventeen[/I] is suiting... considering the purpose."

The Tai-Pan took the mixed CD from the shelf, and turned it on. The haunting voice chilled them all, and The Tai-Pan paused for a minute, considering it's dark beauty.

"All personnel report to Ter. D are once!" He roared over the PA system.

All of the fourteen hundred odd scientists, engineers, craftsmen, and military types were assembled quickly. The Tai-Pan turned and looked them over with satisfaction on his face, and as the song reached a dramatic chorus (Just like the white winged dove, sings a song...ect.), he began a speech... the speech that could inspire the XFE First Engineering Corps. into forever changing history.

"Men of the West! We who remember the final stroke, holding the traditions of the West, and keeping the tides of the enemy at bay! Today is [i]the[/i] day! Today begins the end of the war we have fought for so long! The Hammer shall fall, and it is because of our, no, your hard work that the purpose that burns within us all shall be fulfilled. RF is gone, but she must be sealed! The XFE Project is the only way this can be done. There is no room for failure anymore... it would be the end of the entire cause. The lives gone shall not be wasted! The moon floats in the darkness, and we do not have long to wonder what her crimson eyes believe!"

The crowd below cheered wildly, and they rushed off to begin the initial test.

______________________________________

Karen Struan ran desperately up to The Tai-Pan, and half cried, half spoke, "Tai-Pan! The little girl you sent home! She's gone, and Vivian's been killed... your study is a wreck and the dossier is gone!

______________________________________

Tens of supply convoys arrived at the RLHQ, delivering the weapons and equipment as promised. One-hundred training officers stayed, and began the transformation of the Righteous Lightning into a hyper-modern army.

[0ber0n the Neko]

OOC: Wait till you see MY ultimate weapon, Undefeated. Too bad I'll have to assume characters in order to do so.

IC:

Orange walked through the plaza. He had a hotdog half in his mouth, with his arms full of instruction manuals. Most of them had the words "For Dummies" and "Programming" and "Super Awesome WMD's" on them.

He couldn't find the arm space in which to carry these items, so they were dropped very quickly onto the ground.

As he was picking them up, someone with thick glasses began to help him by picking them up. "Thank you man-" He looked up. "Woman...". The face that greeted him wasn't particularly beautiful, or particularly memorable, but Orange found himself in love at first sight.

"Hello... Thanks for the..." he looked at the books in his arms. "The..." He looked at the ones she was carrying.

"It's no big deal." She said.

Orange caught himself staring. He looked off, blushing beet red.

"Planning on doing some programming?" She asked, stopping in front of the hotel where Orange was staying.

"Well, I'm not very experienced... but I need to get it done for a job. This one may just carry me into next year...."

"Well, then you'll need an experienced programmer, right?" She asked.

"Well, yeah..." He said warily

"Count me in!" She said with a smile that wasn't particularly beautiful. Orange couldn't get enough of it. He then realised what she had said.

"What? You're a-"

"Yeah, I work for ZANOTEC. I'm a white hatter, but I think I can deal with this code." She said with another small smile.

Orange was transfixed. He really was interested in the fact that she could help him, but more interested that she would be with him...

"Alright! You're on the team!" He said triumphantly.

OOC: Damn you people and your unwillingness to help me in this endeavor. Grrrrrr.... Well I guess I'll deal with a made-up character. Anyone who wants to be her just start posting as her. Don't kill me, undefeated. My weapon will also be pivotal to the plot. Read "Thief of Time" by Terry Pratchett, and you'll understand.

[skedy]

[COLOR=Teal][SIZE=1] [FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode]
While the machine was still unable to fully grasp the concept of time it knew such a thing was critical in accurately conveying its records to another being, though it could not fathom why such a thing should ever be necessary. The extermination of the remaining members of the Cogito line was its sole purpose, its reason for existing, yet it had failed in every sense, it could find no trace of its brethren.

Three hundred and fifty four miles from sentient life, Cogito lowered its agile form to the dusty confines of another cave. Of late desert had proved the most effective place to go unnoticed, especially with all the political strife plaguing the ?planet?; another concept the machine was having trouble understanding?

---

?Sergeant.? Athen froze to Talon?s icy voice. ?Everything is in order?? The subordinate turned to meet his commander.

?All is in order, sir.? Athen stood fast and saluted his commander, bemused by such a foolish tradition; as usual men were carrying it out in mid stride as they hurried passed. ?I am on my way to question the last hostile now.?

?Is she a suspect of today?s attempt?? Talon?s countenance changed little as he spoke, it had taken the sergeant quite sometime to grow accustom to the man?s striking demeanor.

?No, she is being held for her connection to the Tai-pan.? Athen couldn?t help but feel satisfied by the Commander?s reaction to the name. ?Will that be all sir??

?Yes, that is all Sergeant.? With that Athen continued along the corridor. Punishment would be severe were it interrupted again.

---

Senator Moloch groaned as he flopped heavily back into his seat. The sprawling roads of Prentice flowed thick with steady streams of traffic even before the assassination attempt, the Domo Faction roadblocks had done little to alleviate the congestion.

?You no longer require my services.? Vici metallic voice confirmed Moloch?s statement, the tiny speaker doing little to change the machine?s voice. The Senator replied: ?That is correct. The Faction had arranged for tighter security, I no longer need your services.? The aging man paused, his attention stolen by the youths of a nearby vehicle. ?Your pay will be transferred into the arranged accounts by tomorrow.?[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Inari]

Three hooded figures sped off into the desert, following a small flashing light on Ashi's tracking device. Siiqua, Sai and Ashi keep a sacred silence between themselves. All prayed that their assassin was still alive. As they neared the tracking chip, Siiqua screamed out, "Oh my God...Look!" Chasity lay sprawled out unconscious on the cool desert sand, burned badly. Her sleek glider was truly unrecognizable in a heap of bend and melted metal, thrashed by the explosion. Ashi ran to Chasity's side and checked for vital signs.

"She's alive!"

"Damn she's in bad shape," said Sai.

"Here we can put her on my hover bike. Give me your hand," Siiqua volunteered. The three dragged Chasity's limp body onto Siiqua's bike.

"Take her back to the RL headquarters in Veleras. I have some business to attend to," with that Ashi turned and hopped on her glider and abandoned them. She drove on away from Prentice, out into the desert. There in the sand stood a short fence and many holographic projections. Ashi stepped off her glider and walked into the cemetery. She walked a familiar path to the headstone of her parents. Kneeling on the cold metallic ground Ashi looked at the familiar birth and death dates. In the solitude of the cemetery Ashi thought over what she was doing with the Righteous Lightning.

"I tried so hard, mom, but nothing I did seemed to help. The Domo's have no morals, and I stooped to their level. I'm sorry daddy," tears began to fall down her cheek, "I'm afraid of the Tai-Pan. Will I be trading one evil party for another monster altogether? And I know that Robotica can't be trusted, but my list of allies is failing. Haven't the people of Autumn suffered enough?" With that Ahsi's hand-held computer started to beep.

>Return to Veleras. We have some interesting news from our little spy.<

OOC: I will be gone from June 20th until July 2nd, and I won't be able to post.

[Guest Midnight Rush]

OOC: TNT is playing coincidentaly... LMAO!

IC:

"What do you mean Vivian is dead?" The Tai-Pan roared, lamenting the loss of his personal secretary of over twenty five years.

Karen sort of shuddered, "It..it..had to h-have been the little girl. Vivian was getting her a sandwich, and I heard screams. Her head was completely gone... O Tai-Pan its horrible!"

"How would the bairn kill Vivian... she was nae more than 4?"

"The lass had incredible strength... could she have been a plant?"

"Possibly.." The Tai-Pan's mind was racing, "What was in the dossier?"

"Invoices..."

"What sort of invoices?"

"The invoices for the perchases for the XFE Project."

"****."

"Yea...really."

Forscythe ran up to him, "Tai-Pan! The initial tests and the activation test could not have gone better! 400% of expected output... My God Karen, what's happened?"

"Jack, please take her back to the castle... Give her some brandy."

"Um.. sure..."

The two walked away, and the Tai-Pan walked towards the glorious monstrosity, admiring the twin [b]Kiwadoi 8900 City Killer[/b] cannons mounted on its adamant shoulders.

"Lieutenant Jinsai, initialize Xanathite core insertion."

"Dr. Forscythe said tha-" She was interrupted,

"I don't give a damn, we need to start the show a little early."

She shook her head at the arrogant devil may cry smile on the Tai-Pan's face as she started the process. This would allow free movement and weapon system activation by a pilot, rather than by remote control.

_____________________________________

Righteous Lightning troops were becoming proficient in their new weapons very quickly...

OOC: Don't blow anything up quite yet... we need a little more in terms of set-up before the first major battle.

[Rhym]

OOC: Waagh! Plot developments! Just shows what happens when you go on vacation in California for a week. Just got back tonight.

The character Levington is a bureaucract in the Righteous Lightning. My character had a conversation with him in my third post in this thread. Since none of the people in this thread with the RL were bureaucrat-type characters, I made him up.

Also, the main form of currency is the hyaran (equivalent to the American Dollar). A tael would be worth 20 hyarans. So the Tai-Pan is rollin' in it if that's what he pays for a watch.

IC: The Righteous Lightning's loading area in Veleras was a sight of organized chaos if ever there was one. Jayce Vinaron once more reported to Levington to deliver her shipment. If the last time they had met she was angry, this time she had a hard time not slapping in the face. She slammed the package on the table.

Levington winced. "Careful, Jayce, that's delic-"

"********, Levington! You utter ***! First it was accepting arms from Robotica, now it's accepting weapons and training from the TAI-PAN?!? Has EVERY OUNCE OF SENSE LEFT THE RIGHTEOUS LIGHTNING?!?!?"

Levington sighed, looking exasperated. "Beggars can't be choosers, Jayce."

"Don't you even TRY to rationalize this choice, Lev. The man is a MONSTER! Not only will you have Robotica to deal with, but the TAI-PAN!"

A pained look crossed his face. "Oh, Jayce, he's not THAT bad, he's really just gotten a lot of bad press, is all. You see-"

She drew a deep breath, the brief calm before the storm. "Oh sure! Bad press! Great! Fine! DO YOU HONESTLY BELEIVE THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF YOUR OWN MOUTH, MAN?!?!?"

Levington cowered before the near-full brunt of her wrath. "Jayce, Jayce, Jayce... We'll be fine! I trust in the Righteous Lightning, so why can't you?"

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "OK! Great! Trust in their decision to be backed by a bloodthirsty maniac as well as by a bunch of bots focused on our destruction! We'll be just PEACHY once the Domos are gone! All we'll have to worry about is just the INSIGNIFICANT matter of a metallic army of XENOCIDAL ROBOTS and a CRAZED, MEGALOMANIACAL MULTIQUADRILLIONAIRRE!!! YESSIREE, NOTHIN' TO WORRY ABOUT THERE!!!"

Veins were beginning to pop out on her forehead, and her face was a bright red. Levington was, at that point, wishing that there was a lot more between him and Jayce, like several miles of land mines and a concrete bunker instead of a flimsy folding table, in which there were now deep gouge marks from where Jayce was gripping it. She realized herself, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let go of the table. When she opened them again, it was as if her eyes held liquid fire.

"You have no idea what the Righteous Lightning is getting you into, Levington. And neither do they..." She turned around, her cloak whirling around her. "Neither do they..."

[0ber0n the Neko]

The weapon was programmed. Orange's programmer had finally finished after four days of intense programming.

The speaker was now ready to be tested. He plugged it into the back of his stereo, and played a little "Meca Death" (A heavy metal band on the planet).

Not much happened. Orange was almost disappointed. Well, then he became VERY disappointed when his programmer friend fell on the ground. She had lost all vital signs. "Oh... Oh Sh!t!!!"

The speaker kept playing music, until Orange threw the stereo across the room.

The speaker still wouldn't break. "THAT'S why they wanted it made out of titanium alloy..." He said. "And that's why it's powered by Xanathite!"

Xanathite, although used by many humans as a power source, can cause some serious damage to the genetic code. That's why mutants exist.

He picked up the speaker, speechless.

"Oh Goddamn..." he said to himself, almost whispering, "I just handed the world to the robots on a silver platter..."

OOC: Spooooky.....

By the way, if anyone's wondering why Orange didn't die, it's because he's a cyborg. He's mostly robot. Robots don't suffer DNA code demolitions.