RPG The Elements: Stars

[Ellerby]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS][CENTER]
[img]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/4816/elementsxm3.jpg[/img][/center]

Nathan Jericho, age 21 walked down the downtown Sydney sidewalks that lead to a large blue and gray building in the middle of night. He was dead tired, burnt out, and had a headache from so much stress and just needed to get away from everything to relax. A swim would be nice.

Since Nathan was a lifeguard at the local community center he was allowed to go in to the pool for free as long as another lifeguard was with him and there was a supervisor on the premises. Bill [i]always[/i] stayed at the offices late so Nate and his fellow lifeguard, Jake decided to meet every Thursday midnight. Sometimes one wouldn't show up but it didn't matter since they would quickly pop in to sign that they "were there" supervising.

Tonight happened to be one of those nights. Jake had gone out with a girl and they went back to his place so he just signed that he was there and left with the chick. Nate wasn't particularly disappointed. It meant that he didn't even have to talk. Just swim.

He kicked off his sandals, took his towel out of his gym bag, took his shirt off, showered and dived on in. The luke warm water on his somewhat exhausted body made working those extra hours [i]so worth while[/i].

BANG!

He had only been swimming for a few minutes when he somehow wasn't looking and darted head first right into the side of the pool. His vision quickly got blurry and he couldn't concentrate on anything. A throbbing pain in his skull made it hard to think. He slowly sank to the bottom...[/font]

[FONT=Impact]
[center][size=5]WATER[/size][/center][/FONT]

[COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma][i]Salt?[/i] was Nate's first thought. He had just woken up from what could've been a coma and he was more intent on thinking about the taste in his mouth.

[i]Wait a minute,[/i] he started to piece one and one together. [i]Where the hell am i?[/i]

Nate quickly got up and felt his head... no bump. He felt his skin. He was wearing... clothes. Clothes that he had never even seen before. But they did look nice. Very... [i]blue[/i].

Then he took in his surroundings. He was on a beach of some sort. Out in the distance was just more water, no island or anything. He was certainly not in Sydney. he turned around and noticed that the beach sharply curved around him.

"Shit!" he cursed. He was [i]on[/i] an island. He looked at what was on the island. Surprisingly, no plantation. Just sand... and rocks. Big rocks. There were a lot too. In fact they looked like that one wonder... what's it called...

[i]Stonehenge![/i] he thought. Though it was a bit different. These looked more like doors... and they were all in a circle. One, two... twelve of them.

And then, someone else washed up on shore.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Johnny Justjohnny]

[COLOR=Gray][B]?Come on, man, let?s just cut through the park.?[/B] Zizu whined to the lean kid walking ahead of him. It was dark and quiet on that sidewalk, with nothing but the moon and the occasional passing car for illumination. [B]?My feet hurt and we?re gonna be late.?
[/B]
The slight kid ahead of him stopped and wheeled to face the huffing Zizu. [B]?No way, not again, man. Remember last time? Said it?d be fine, shave twenty minutes off our walking time; then you ended up tripping over a rock and getting a fat lip. We ain?t goin? through the park again, ?cause I don?t want to have to drag your husky ass all the way to the hospital, got it??[/B] That said, he turned on his heel again and started off.

Zizu didn?t move; he stood there with his head bobbing between his friend and the dark woods that beckoned past the chain-link fence. [B]?Suit yourself!?[/B] Zizu said, deciding to take his shortcut after-all. The kid ahead looked back for half a stride, but didn?t stop moving onwards.

Zizu turned then towards the woods and was off the sidewalk and onto the soft grass in a single stride, heading for the shadowy wood that lay beyond. He paused in front of the green, high chain-link fence for a moment, considering whether or not he wanted to brave the park in the dark alone. Eventually, he settled on his course of action, and put his fingers through the chain-links and began to pull himself up and over.

He jumped a bit to get himself off the ground, and stuffed his feet tentatively into a foothold. One hand, then another, then a foot and then the other. Slowly, Zizu was pulling himself upwards. About two-thirds of the way up, Zizu was already huffing as the effort of pulling his huge frame upwards began to take its toll, but he found the will to go on and eventually his hands found the solid bar at the top.

He pulled himself up and managed to poise himself for the final hurdle. He lifted one leg and stretched it over the apex, and found a purchase on the other side. He shifted his frame and began to do the same with the other leg. Then, just as everything was looking its smoothest, there was a snag; literally. A stray piece of metal jutted up from the fence, and it was this that caught Zizu?s trademarked baggy pants.

By this time, Zizu had already shifted his weight to the other side; the sudden shock rocked him and loosened his grip. With an abbreviated cry, Zizu let go and fell. He had time to look down and see a sizeable crag of rock sticking out of the ground, and then it all went black.

[B][SIZE=3][CENTER]STONE[/CENTER][/SIZE][/B]

Wet? Zizu thought, No, I shouldn?t be wet? wet just won?t do.

Those thoughts in mind, Zizu briefly wondered how he had come to find himself in such a situation; was he bleeding from the head, he wondered, was the wetness just his inner gooes pouring out? No, there was no pain, and something like that would defiantly involve pain, he rationalized.
What?s this taste? Sand? Yea, sand. Hey, I must be on a beach! He decided to open his eyes and see for himself.

As he had suspected, it was a beach in every way; soft sand, bright sun, blue waters, a strange man in a blue suit, nothing out of the ordinary. Except that Zizu lived no where near the Pacific Ocean or anything that offered any kind of similar illusion. Something was defiantly up.

Sputtering, Zizu managed to haul himself to his feet, water pouring off him and back into the opal sea. [B]?Well, um, I appear to be lost.?[/B] Zizu called to the man standing on the beach watching him with a raised eyebrow.

It was only then that he noticed the clothes; the rusty-red, crinkly and heavy material was formed into a sort of baggy leisure suit with a high collar and flared pant legs. He felt that he looked like something out of an 80?s music video.
[B]
?I know what you mean, mate.? [/B]The blue-suited fellow responded, his voice edged with just a hint of an Australian accent. [B]?I know what ya mean.?[/B]

OOC: Ok... There it is. I tried to cram a lot of Zizu's personality in there without getting too much into the whole heightened strength/agility whatnot.[/COLOR]

[Adas]

[I]What a day?[/I] Cody sighed and slunk down in the small wooden chair in his room, in front of his computer desk. He leaned across his room, and turned off his amp ? removing the headphones from his ears, he closed down the recording program currently running on his computer. ?Guess that?s enough for one night?? he said to himself ? he had grown so tired, that he barely even registered the fact that he was talking to himself. He ran a hand through his hair, and yawned for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. Unfortunately, he had an essay due for his first period English class the next day ? he knew that sleep was a long time coming. He opened the word document, and let out an exasperated sigh when a nearly blank document opened before him. [I]God damnit? this isn?t my night[/I] he thought to himself, sparing his guitar with the newly snapped string a quick look.

As hard as he tried, he couldn?t help but feel more and more tired. The longer he wrote on, the more his body craved sleep. His head began to sink slowly towards the soft wood of his desk. [I]No![/I] he sprang awake. ?Ok, it?s cool? I just need some music!? he turned on his computer?s iTunes, and began browsing through the list. Careful not to have it too loud so as not to wake his parents, he found just the song he was looking for. [I]Like Light to the Flies ? Trivium? perfect! The song may suck, but it?s definitely heavy enough to keep me up[/I] However, it would seem that not even the heavy fretwork of Trivium could keep him awake for much longer. His last thoughts before he drifted into sleep were of his own frustration ? looks like the essay was going to be late.

[center] [size=5][font=impact]FIRE[/font][/size] [/center]

Cody coughed and sucked in air - he felt as though he had nearly suffocated. [I]No? drowned ? that?s water in my mouth [/I] he thought to himself. [I]And judging by how thirsty I am? could it be salt water? No, that?s impossible?[/I] Cody sputtered the rest of the water out of his mouth, and slowly rose on his hands and knees, and took in his surroundings. He was on a deserted shore in the middle of an island, surrounded by water as far as the eye could see. In disbelief, he looked at the sandy shore underneath his own feet to make sure it was real, and was met with another surprise ? his clothes seemed to have taken on a crimson shade of red. [I]What the hell??[/I]. Suddenly, he realized the island wasn?t deserted ? off in the distance, he could hear voices. He looked over and saw two guys, both roughly his age.

One was tall and lean, and had blueish clothes on. The other was shorter and seemed slightly over-weight ? he wore brownish, red clothes. His shy nature suddenly took over ? being in a totally unfamiliar place with two guys he didn?t know made him feel really awkward. He brushed a hand through his brown hair, and took a step towards them.

?Uhh? hey guys?? he didn?t mean for it to be a question, but after the words left his mouth, it seemed to sound like a question. [I]Great, nice job Cody ? always were a charmer weren?t you?[/I] he mentally kicked himself ? he was off to a wonderful start.

[Engel]

[color=#A74155][size=1]The sky was dark and bloated with rain, buldging and pushing on the thin boundaries called clouds. Ruhe stood still and looked up as the rain burst forth, falling slowly and spattering on the worn out asphault road and darkening it from a light gray to a heavy, dark black. It eventually began to soak through his clothes and mat his hair to his face, plastering it to his cheeks. He brushed the strands out of his eyes with his long, bony fingers.

[b]"Ist kalt...I should get inside."[/b] He muttered to himself in his accented voice. Nowadays, most German schools taught English and German at the same time as to be better equipped to function with the outside world. Ruhe rarely used German, as he preferred English more. More people spoke it, anyway. Sighing as he took one last look at the rainclouds above, sending the droplets to earth at an ever increasing tempo, Ruhe headed into the large skyscraper next to him and shook his hair out, muttering to himself about "wet clothes and matted hair."

The skyscraper was actually a hotel , part of a large hotel chain that ranged across the entire world. Ever since he'd went to live out on his own, he'd gotten a job keeping this hotel in order, and was allowed to stay there until he found a permanent residence. Not like he wanted to, who would? Free internet access, free food, free cable, free bed, and the ability to make money doing next to nothing.

Laughing to himself as he remembered a paticularly funny incident that invovled hotel room number 283, a bath towel and a gold boullion, Ruhe began to do his meager tasks such as bookkeeping, cleaning up various rooms, and managing the hotel's finances on certain issues. This life was completely fine for Ruhe, and he was content to it.

Soon, it became time for him to take a break. While he didn't do it much, Ruhe had a certain fondness for cigarettes. Pulling one out of his left jeans pocket, he zipped up his short jacket that had a design resembling a black and white and grey Union Jack and headed for the roof, fishing a lighter out of the other pocket. It was considered common courtesy as an employee not to smoke while on break, or on duty, inside of the hotel.

As the elevator dinged to the roof, Ruhe pulled two earphones from his jacket pocket, placing one in each ear. The earbuds clung to the inside of his ears, and he sighed in content as he used his slightly dirty thumb to leaf through the albums and artists on the scroll wheel of his iPod. Selecting a song at random, he pressed play and tapped his foot along to the beat as he lit the cigarette and tasted the fumes, and then realized something. Smoking would end up killing him. He still had time to stop. It's funny how a certain song - In this case, "I Wish I Could Fly Like Superman" - can change your world. He threw the cigarette down to the ground and stomped it out, then continued to tap to the beat.

Tilting his head to the sky, he looked up at the cloudy, raining evening as he began to step, singing along with the song.

[i]"I wish I could fly like Superman, yeah, wish I could fly like Superman..."[/i] However, he took two steps too far and fell off the edge of the roof, falling downwards quickly through the air towards the ground-

Ground did not meet with an explosive, bone shattering force. Instead, clouds of clear days and sunny skies were rushing past him. It was almost as if he'd fallen through the earth. Below, through the thick white clouds, he could see a large blue mass - and then nothing as he closed his eyes, the iPod still speaking into his ear with The Kinks.

[i]"Yeah, wish I could fly like Superman..."[/i]

---
The water was wet, cold, and salty. Opening his eyes forcefully, Ruhe groaned as he spat out water and blinked. [i]If this is hell, I would of died sooner. But I suppose not, because I'd be in a lot more pain. I think it's best to just chill the freak out and deal with it all calm like. I suppose. I wonder if it could be heaven?[/i]

As he began to wonder, Ruhe realized something. He solved most of his problems with cynicism. He took everything and made it sarcastic, made fun of it, so he could hide the fact when he didn't know next to crap about it. Sighing, he sat up on a wet, slightly sandy beach, still masking the fact that he knew nothing at all, and was, in fact, feeling very creeped out, and very alone. Trying to make the best of it, he stood. The fall was rather fun, he thought to himself idly. Idle thoughts kept his mind occupied while he tried to deal with his situation. So many questions swam through his head that only a few bizzare thoughts peeked into consciousness.

[i]"Shouldn't I see where I am? And like...dry my clothes or something?"[/i] Ruhe began to survey the land as he thought back to the song that had been his company in his fall to hell - or whatever this place was.

[b]"That wasn't what I ment by fly like Superman."[/b] He muttered, annoyed, as he took off his shirt and wringed out the water, and then tried to do the same for his jacket. As he was about to take his pants off, he noticed two things. The song was still playing, which ment his iPod still worked, and that three other people were looking at Ruhe as he began to slide his pants down to wring them out. Sheepishly, he pulled the jeans back up and waved tenatively to the group.

[b]"I hope you guys weren't expecting a full moon. Anyway, nice to meet you all. I suppose."[/b] As he spoke, he thought one thing. [i]Where the hell am I?[/i][/color][/size]

[Fyxe]

[size=1]Solace hung onto her friend's hand, waiting patiently as he thumbed thru the DVDs. "Let's rent [I]Thumbelinaaaaa[/I]," she begged.
"No, we watched that last weekend. I don't think I could stand watching all those freaky animals go after her again. That beetle? Argh."
"Please, James? Pleeeaaassse? You can sing the songs with me, haha!" Solace replied, looking longingly at the old VHS case.
"Anything but that. Here, I'll rent you the re-release of Cinderella."
"Yay!" James grabbed the DVD and took it to the front counter. Solace kept hold of his hand as he payed for the rental.
After deciding to buy some cotton candy as well, Solace went to the door and held it open. "There you go, lady."
James rolled his eyes, passing thru the doorway. "Thanks, [B]man[/B]."
"Dang, we should dress me up as a little boy tomorrow," Solace called after him, letting the door fall shut. She jumped into the passenger seat of his car and he handed the DVD case to her.
"Yeah, well, I don't think I have anything small enough to fit you. Sorry."
"We could steal your little brother's clothes! I like his baggy butch pants." Solace continued to talk in detail about what she'd do if she were a boy for a day as they drove back to James's house. "I'm tired," she informed him suddenly, right as they pulled into his driveway.
"You mean I rented this for nothing?"
"No! I'll still watch it."
However, as soon as they settled on the couch and popped the DVD in, she was out. James just chuckled and let her head rest on his arm. Random naps were no stranger to Solace, and being her best friend, James had grown used to them.

................

[I]Ah man, I gotta pee...[/I] Was the first thought that came to Solace's mind. It was probably the sound of waves provoking her bladder. Solace breathed deeply through her nose, and quickly sputtered. "AH!" She rose to her knees quickly, coughing and rubbing her nose. She had inhaled sand!
Puzzled, Solace looked down at the ground. Sand? Wait... waves?
She rubbed her face, which was grainy with the sand. "Blehhh." She let out. Then, looking up from the ground, she spotted other people watching her from not so far away. They were laughing, probably at her.
Immediately going red, Solace covered her face with her hands. But she slowly lowered them again.
"Uh... uh... where am I?" She called to the other people shyly.[/size]

[Ellerby]

[FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=DimGray]"I'm about as confused as you - and apprently all of us - are." Nate said, looking over at the newest arrival. It had only been a couple minutes since he had washed up and now four more people had appeared.

"So..." Nate thought after a small while of silence and thinking. Nobody new had shown up since the girls appearance and that was about 10 minutes ago. After that everyone just went quiet and thought to themselves.

"Are we stranded?" the girl asked, concerned but calm.

"No, that's impossible." Ruhe stated with a light German accent. "I was..." he began to explain the falling off the building but stopped himself to avoid possible embarrassment. A few seconds of nothing...

"Well, I guess we could introduce ourselves." said Nate. "I'm Nate. I'm 21 years old and I'm from Sydney, Australia. Umm.. yeah. So, hi." he started.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Engel]

[color=#A74155][size=1]"Sounds more like a high-school reunion. I expected more, "Oh my god, who the freak are you, what am I doing here?" ...Anyway. I am Ruhe Einsamkeit, 17, from East Berlin. Germany, though I hope you would all know your geography well enough to figure that out." Ruhe gave a smile to show he wasn't insulting them, but trying to lighten the mood. He looked around.

Nate. The semi-big guy with the "athletic, popular guy" sort of build. He seemed nice and reasonable enough, but first impressions can never be trusted. He had fairly tan skin, and a sort of beach boy look to him. Though, I suppose, thought Ruhe, I wouldn't know much about the whole surfer subculture thing. I do live in Berlin, after all.

The girl. She was the only girl there, so this name seemed to fit her well enough. She seemed almost meek, but Ruhe could sense this sort of inner strength inside of her. She also seemed a bit tomboy-ish. Ruhe shrugged to himself mentally, sizing everyone up. Might as well continue with my "checklist", thought Ruhe idly. Idle thoughts for an overactive mind.

The lean boy, with shoulder length hair stared back intently at Ruhe. Ruhe almost smirked. It reminded him of his younger brother who'd died the year before. Ruhe shrugged the thought off and looked at him. He seemed to be reasonably shy, as most people would be in this sort of situation. However, Ruhe was a wisecracker and a clown, and didn't take that sort of approach- to anything.

The larger individual to the left of the lean boy looked at him. He was not ugly, nor messy, but a beach kid. He had suntanned hair and a light layer of uneven tan on his body that suggested he either burned or reacted to sunlight in different ways, or had varying times outside in the sun. This was the kind of person who seemed like he could be trusted with something.

And Ruhe, being himself, gave no such analystic view of himself.[/color][/size]

[Johnny Justjohnny]

[COLOR=gray]Zizu wasn?t too sure what to make of his situation. He had the sinking feeling that his fall had killed him and this was some sort of parody of the afterlife; stuck on an island in the hot sun with a quad of strangers, without food or internet access? Not exactly his vision of heaven. Then again, his vision of hell was a little more smokey and burny then this. He decided to take his mind of the topic, rationalizing that the answer was probably a lot more complex then that.
[B]
?Well?? [/B]Zizu started uncertainly, breaking the awkward silence that had materialized after Ruhe had finished his speech, [B]?My name is? Ok, just call me Zizu.?[/B]

[B]?Zizu??[/B] The girl said, [B]?What a strange name.? [/B]She was a small thing, barely five feet and probably no heavier then ninety pounds.

[B]?Yea, well,[I] ?Zdenek? [/I]doesn?t roll of the tongue either, eh? I was born in Prague ? which is in the Czech Republic ? but lived most of my life in Victoria. No one ever got my name right; therefore, Zizu.? [/B]
[B]
?You?re from Canada??[/B] The smaller, quieter one who was standing at the periphery of the group said, [B]?Hey, me too. Small world, eh??[/B]

Zizu smiled at that and replied, [B]?Yea. Well, looks like it?s gotten a whole lot smaller, don?t it??[/B]

[B]?Yea, guess it has.?[/B] The Australian, who had addressed himself as Nate, said in that delightful accent of his, [B]?Once we?re done here, we should probably check out the rest of the island; maybe there?s someone else, maybe someone with some answers.?[/B] The group nodded at this collectively, and the eyes fell on the last two members of the group who were un-introduced.[/COLOR]

[Adas]

Cody hadn?t felt so off-kilter in a while. So far, three of the other four had introduced themselves, but he couldn?t bring himself to. [I]Man, what the hell?s wrong with me? It?s just my name, and it looks like I?m going to need to get to know these guys? [/I] When Nathan had introduced himself, Cody flashed him a smile. However, when Ruhe introduced himself, he just nodded ? it wasn?t that he had anything against the other guy, he just felt awkward around others. When ?Zizu? introduced himself, he just sat there stone-faced and didn?t say a word. Nathan was twenty-one, and Ruhe was seventeen ? only a year older than Cody. Zizu didn?t give his age. Despite the fact that he didn't truly know anyone yet, Cody did feel slightly better when Zizu told the group he was Canadian. [I]I may be alone, but perhaps not as much as I had thought[/I]. The thought put a small smile on his face.

While introductions were made, Cody had been looking around their surroundings. The island was fairly small, and as hard as he tried, he couldn?t see any land off in the distance. [I]Then how did we get here in the first place?[/I] he thought to himself. Surrounding the island were large stone monuments that looked similar to the stones of Stonehenge. However, there was something different about these. Stonehenge had always given him the impression that the different stones made up a structure as whole, whereas these stones seemed separate from each other ? twelve monuments as opposed to one. The more he looked at the stones, the more he realize how much they looked like large doors, or gates. His head whipped around when he heard a crash, but saw to his surprise that it was only a large wave, falling against the seemingly endless ocean. Cody was surprised ? normally, he never would have heard something from so far away. [I]This whole place is weird?[/I] he concluded. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and introduced himself.

?Uhh.. hey guys. My name?s Cody Thomas, I?m sixteen, and I?m from Toronto, Canada?. To finish, he tried to put on a confident smile, and when no one gave him any weird looks, he actually began to feel confident. [I]Maybe this place isn?t as weird as I thought...[/I]

[Fyxe]

[size=1]"Ah man," Solace got up off the ground, but it didn't change the fact that all of the others were taller than her. "Haha! I'm the only girl. I'm scared." The boys looked confused, but she just rubbed her cheek with her hand and stuck her tongue out.
She looked at the German boy. "I really like your name. Ruhe... that means peace, right?" She smiled at him, but he didn't reply right away, so she decided to introduce herself. "Anyway... uhhh... I'm Solace. I'm from America... California to be exact. Bleh, no one ever cares about the town." She looked to the ground, feeling strangely embarassed. It was empty without James around, since they were constantly together. To keep herself busy, she straightened her Bambi shirt and then peered at the rest of the island.
"Dang, this is weird."[/size]

[Adas]

[I]Solace[/I] Cody thought to himself. [I]An interesting name? but then again, so are Ruhe and Zizu?[/I] He nearly chuckled to himself ? here he was, trapped on an island with people he had never met before, and all he cared about were their names. Instead of chuckling, he sighed. He hadn?t quite realized just how isolated they were. He had looked out to the sea time and time again since their entrance to the island, but he hadn?t quite fathomed their current situation. [I]Where the hell are we?[/I] He had probably had those same thoughts a hundred times since he regained consciousness, but this was the first time that they carried any weight in his mind. Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he replaced them with thoughts that were less negative. [I]Well, if we?re stuck here, I might as well try and make friends.[/I]

?Dang, this is weird? Solace said, and for a moment, Cody wasn?t sure if she was just thinking aloud.

?Yeah? yeah I guess it kinda is? he replied, favoring her with a quick smile, but she seemed too intent on her Bambi shirt to notice. An awkward tension filled the island, and for a moment no one spoke. However, the silence was broken by an Australian accent.

?Well, if we?re going to be here for a while, I guess we might as well try and build a fire.? He reached into his pockets, but when a look of disappointment crossed his face, Cody knew that he had found nothing. ?Sorry guys ? I got nothing. Anyone else?? Despite the fact that he already knew he didn?t have anything his pockets worth mentioning, he reached in hoping for the best, but his hands too came out with nothing.

?Yeah, I don?t either, but maybe there?s something around here that could help us?? Cody already knew that an island this size wouldn?t have anything on it other than the sand they walked on, but he needed an excuse to get away for the group, even if only for a moment. It wasn?t that he disliked anyone there ? quite on the contrary, they all seemed nice to him ? but he felt awkward just standing around, and feeling as though he were being judged.

He began walking around the island, as small as it was, and mostly looked at the ground, trying desperately to find something that could be used. [I]There?s no way that we could have all drifted out at sea for so long and survived ? something must have carried us all here.[/I] His pace never quickened, but hope began to grow inside him. It wasn?t impossible that a wooden raft ? or anything else made of wood ? could have ?sailed? them to the island.

He stopped for a moment in front of one of the rocks, and stared at it admiringly. Whatever it, or they, was, they took Cody?s breath away. Two rock slabs, standing perfectly vertical in the sand, with a perfectly horizontal slab on top. It would have taken time to build these, to make sure measurements were perfectly done, and it would have taken manpower to move such heavy objects into perfect positioning. [I]Meaning someone [b]must[/b] have been here before ?[/I] His thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

?Hey! See anything over there?? Nathan began jogging over to Cody. Cody whipped back in surprise, and accidentally stuck his leg out as he turned. Nathan who didn?t expect Cody?s sudden reaction, stumbled, and tripped over his outstretched leg. In order to catch himself, he outstretched his hands, which broke his fall against the stone. However, the moment after his hands came into contact, all hell seemed to break loose.

Thin blue tendrils spread across the surface from where Nathan had touched it, which was followed by a blinding light. After a moment, the light stopped, but the rock had changed ? it now glowed a shade of dark blue, and between the rocks, there was now a wall of white and blue. Cody stretched his hand out and touched it, but leapt back when his hand went through the light. He looked at Nathan, who for once since they landed on the island, looked as lost as Cody felt.

[Engel]

[center][size=8][color=black][font=timesnewroman]ACT I[/color][/size][/center][/font][color=crimson][size=1]


Ruhe was playing with his lighter in his pocket, and brought it out when someone asked if they had materials for a fire. Though, it was probably too waterlogged to work anymore. He shook it up and down, trying to empty it of water. He sat down on the beach and looked up at the sky for a fair bit of time, watching the clouds sail idly by. He nodded his head softly, tapping his feet against the sand.

[i]Fascinated by the face of time, got it now, I'm gonna make some time...[/i] He thought to himself, trying to make sense of everything that'd happen. In what sort of way could fate bring 5 people of different and rather plain origins together on an island that was like Stonehenge's cousin? The question seemed quite specific, and quite crazy. Shaking his head, Ruhe stood up and tried his lighter. To his surprise, it worked. Smirking to himself, Ruhe began to walk around the island when he heard what could be described as something akin to a clamor, but not quite the same.

Turning his head, Ruhe found himself facing what appeared to be a shimmering pool of water that had engulfed an entire stone. Cocking an eyebrow, he had half the mind to say, "What in the hell is this?" and run around like a chicken with it's head cut off. Logical process and common sense said no. Instead, Ruhe did two things. one, he lit the lighter and wistfully asked god for a cigarette, and two, made his way to the stone that had become a lake.

He tapped the only girl, Solace, on the shoulder, and wordlessly pointed to the blue stone. Fishing through his pockets, he found one last cue - a cigarette named so for it's one quater tobacco content - hidden in the corner of his pocket. It was nice and safe inside of the wrapper, and still dry. He closed his fingers around it as he and the others gathered around the gate.

They stood in silence until Ruhe decided to break that silence with a cynical remark.

[b]"God, I need a smoke."[/b] He pulled it out slowly and placed it between his lips. Even though he vowed to quit, this was all too much to handle at one time. He lit it with a steady hand, inhailing deeply. He spoke again.

[b]"So guys, who else thinks this looks like a Stargate?"[/b] He said, chewing on the end of the cigarette with sharp teeth. He gained a few chuckles. Seeing no other plauseable course of action, he stepped up to the stone and atttempted to touch it. To Ruhe's mild surprise, his hand passed right through it. He pulled it out and examined it. Smiling, he looked at them.

[b]"I don't see what else we can do, and this seems interestin'. Whether you decide to join me or not, I'm heading through the reflectin' pool type thingy here."[/b] Ruhe surveyed them all for a moment, listening to their mutters of approval. Slowly, the group moved together and look at the blue object. A question was asked by Zizu.

[b]"Y'think we'll be able to get back?"[/b] To this, Nathan responded simply.

[b]"Well, I guess we'll find out."[/b]

[b]"Good enough for me."[/b] Solace chimed in. Cody seemed unsure, but nodded after a moment, keeping silent. Smirking to himself, Ruhe took a long drag of his cigarette and stepped through the portal, the others following behind him.

A rush of gravity and a feeling like being underwater later, the group emerged onto solid ground. A sign mounted in the ground in an alien langugae that they could all somehow understand read the following.

[b][i]"Welcome to Aquas du Mon."[/b][/i][/color][/size]

[Johnny Justjohnny]

[COLOR=gray]In general, Zizu was apprehensive about things like this. Shimmering blue gates on desert islands in the middle of an unknown ocean didn?t exactly make his list of [I]?Things To Trust Without Condition.?[/I] But, in lieu of anything else to do, and in spite of his gut?s certainty that this was going to turn out bad, Zizu followed the group through the watery threshold. He went through last.

One moment of darkness and discomfort later, Zizu was standing on a brick floor in what looked like a hastily abandoned palace. It was a gigantic single room that stretched off in all directions from where they stood in the same bluish brick. There didn?t appear to be any source of illumination, not even a torch, and yet the whole room was bathed in a strange, muted blue light that illuminated even the farthest corners, although it was a low illumination. The most noticeable thing was a strange sense of increased pressure, like the very air around them was pushing down on them. Off in the distance was the most interesting thing in the otherwise-bare room; a strange, raised platform seemed to grow out of the floor in tiers, a narrow staircase running up its side in a perfectly straight line. From their angle, Zizu couldn?t see what was on top of it. Zizu preferred the desert island.

The others had gotten there first, and were already taking a few cautious steps by the time Zizu had taken in the whole scene. Cody, Nathan and Solace looked absolutely floored by the whole thing, their mouths gaping and eyes darting to-and-fro. Ruhe, however, looked a little queasy, his face a paler shade then normal; still, he too seemed amazed.

It was then that Zizu felt it; a strange sensation, like being tired and having the flu all at once. He felt the colour drain from his cheeks and his arms began to sag. He felt like he was about to fall over. Overall, Zizu was having a bad day.
[B]
?Wow, it feels like we?re underwater!?[/B] Solace marvelled, running her hands through the air and feeling the strange thickness of the particles.
[B]
?What is this place??[/B] Cody said, his eyes settling on the alter-like structure.
[B]
?Aquas du Mon.?[/B] Nathan said matter-of-factly, gesturing to the writing on the ground. [B]?What that means, well anybodies guess.?[/B]

[B]?Anyone else feel like you just got hit by a truck??[/B] Zizu quipped in a muted, flat tone.

[B]?Yea,?[/B] Ruhe said,[B] ?I feel it too, like I haven?t slept in a week. I felt perfectly fine on the island. I don?t like this place.?[/B] Zizu echoed his sentiments.
[B]
?Strange; I don?t feel any worse for wear,?[/B] Solace said, the faces of the other two making it clear they didn?t either, [B]?maybe it?s just a side effect of the gate-thing. Or maybe it?s just stress.?[/B] She offered, shrugging her shoulders.

Zizu decided that he?d had enough of this strange place. Without a word, he wheeled sluggishly and took a big stride back towards the gate; and ran face-first into a brick wall.

[B]?Gate?s gone.?[/B] He stated the obvious, rubbing his sore nose but not able to heal his pride.[B] ?Stuck here. Oh joy.[/B]? He always talked in short, to-the-point sentences when he got nervous.
[B]
?Well, guess that's not an option anymore.?[/B] Cody said, a hint of concern showing in his face. Like all animals, humans hate having their escape-rout cut off.
[B]
?Yea. Let?s go find out what that monument thing is. If we?re going to find answers, we might as well start there. Doesn?t look like much else in here; I can?t see any exits.?[/B] Nathan spoke without letting any concern show through.

Without another word, he put on his leader face and strode confidently towards the strange thing. Solace and Cody trailed right behind him, with Ruhe and Zizu straggling a bit further behind. In front of the strange convoy, the mysterious landmark stood like a mountain rising from a flat plain, imposing and strangely majestic.

[I]Oh fun[/I], Zizu thought, [I]stairs. Just what I needed.
[/I][/COLOR]

[Adas]

The small precession moved slowly towards the pedestal at the far edge of the room. When they first came through the gate, Cody had instantly felt sluggish and out of breath. It almost felt as though he plunged through water, but it lacked the refreshing feeling of first impact. The room was large, and had a muted blue look to it, but the lack of lights made Cody feel uneasy. [I]There?s something that just doesn?t seem? right about this place.[/I] However, it was at that moment that something inside him snapped. The others were talking about a way back, but his mind had turned into a minefield, one explosion detonating after another.

[I]What the hell is wrong with you!? Maybe you should grow a pair, stop being such a pussy and try not to be so damn scared all the time. Jesus Christ[/I] Cody was shocked to find that he had actually become so mad at himself. He looked down with mild surprise to find his fist clenched.

?Stuck here. Oh Joy? Zizu addressed the group, but he seemed to be talking to himself, as though convincing himself that it was going to be ok. Suddenly, everything that Cody had just though to himself went right out of his head, and was quickly replaced by feelings of concern ? not for himself, but for the group, and mostly Zizu.

?Well, guess there?s no option anymore.? Cody tried to sound reassuring, but he was sure it didn?t quite finish the job when Nathan jumped in and helped him out. At the very least, Zizu didn?t look quite too nervous anymore.

Nathan began walking over to the pedestal, and Solace followed quite closely behind. Taking a deep breath, he jogged over to them and slowed his pace to walk as he fell in beside Solace. She turned and looked at him, a subtle look of nervousness ? if not fear ? quite evident in her eyes. Cody flashed her a smile as confident as he could muster, and hoped that he didn?t look as nervous as he felt.

When they reached the pedestal at the far side of the room, Cody was surprised at what met his eyes ? it was nearly waist high, and was made of rough stone. There were some markings on it that almost looked like Viking runes, and a symbol of what appeared to Cody to be a trident. He stretched his hand outward to touch the markings, and suddenly he could read them as clearly as though they were in English.

?Gate Opener, lay your hands upon this stone and receive our blessing?

He could tell by looking at the faces of the others around him that they too could read it. ??well? go ahead, ?Gate Opener?? Ruhe said with a slight smirk from around his cigarette. Nathan only nodded, stepped forward, and placed his hands on the pedestal. At first, nothing happened, but then, a blinding flash of blue light - which closely resembled the light of the gate on the stranded beach ? surged forth from the pedestal. Cody felt the light searing through his eyes, but as quickly as it had begun, it stopped. Cody slowly opened his eyes, and was met with a different sight. The pedestal was gone, and in its place stood a large fountain spewing water from within. Hovering in the air above the water was a long, golden trident. [I]How is it floating?? Never mind ? I don?t know, and I don?t want to know? [/I]

With everyone?s eyes still on him, Nathan reached forward slowly and pulled the trident out of the air. It somehow looked? right, in his hands, Cody concluded. ?Well, I guess that means we can go now, right?? Solace said cheerfully ? she seemed more than eager to leave. She turned around, and gasped in surprise. Everyone spun around to see what was wrong, and were met with an even greater surprise then the fountain. While they had been distracted by the pedestal, a group of? ?things? ? Cody didn?t know what to call them ? had come down the stairs in the back of the room. They seemed to look like humans, but wore all black, and had black skin darker then the darkest night. They had long black hair, and black eyes that never seemed to blink ? they never took their eyes off the five, bewildered looking young adults in front of them. Each had a long, curved sword at their hip, and stood with an arrogance that spoke of their skill with it. It was then that Cody realized:

They were completely cornered.

[Ellerby]

[COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma]"Oh shit." Nathan said, a tone of nervousness trembling his voice.

"Yeah, we're pretty screwed." Ruhe said in agreement with Nate.

"No, not that." Nate looked at his left hand and noticed it started to glow a faint blue colour. "I feel... different."

He saw the room swirl a little bit and got very dizzy. He swiped his hand through the air and just as the black creatures unsheathed their weapons a pool of water rushed out of the fountain like a tidal wave and sent 3 of the enemies out the windows.

[i]What the hell?! Did I do that?[/i] he thought quickly to himself. The remaining two ninja-esque opponents didn't move a muscle when their comrades fell. Obviously this group didn't care much for one another.

Nate briskly lifted his hand into the air. The remaining water of the fountain flew up as if the gravity had been turned off. He glared at the two rivals and smirked throwing a fist towards them. Of course, his fist was way too far away to touch them, but the water threw itself onto them, pushing them through the walls.

"Holy shit, dude." Cody stuttered.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Fyxe]

[size=1]"Man, okay, does anyone else feel like we've stumbled into the wonderful world of Disney, on speed? Because [I]that[/I] was not normal," Solace squeaked nervously, pointing a shaking finger at where the black-robed figures had been pushed thru the wall. "And, and, [I]dang[/I]... what is with you being Aqua Man all of the sudden?" She looked at Nathan. The group of boys laughed, and Solace couldn't help but smile sheepishly in reply.
"Sorry, haha, I'm not used to this kind of stuff," She spoke in her defense.
"You could say that again," Cody said, patting her on the shoulder.
Even though, before, Solace hadn't felt the effects of the strange blue world around her, suddenly a pressure was against her eyes, makign her need to blink. At first she thought she was going to cry, but that was ridiculous. Maybe they really [I]were[/I] in water. "Wait, wait. If this is water around us, how are we breathing?"
Ruhe shrugged, "How is any of this happening?"
"Good poi-," But before she could finish, a violent shudder traveled thru the floor. They all looked around, startled, attempting to find the source.
"Crap, guys, I'm really scared. Someone hold my hand," Solace let out, causing all of the boys to exchange nervous glances.[/size]

[Engel]

[color=crimson][size=1]Ruhe planted his feet wide and bent, ready against another tremor. He looked at Solace incrediously, cocking an eyebrow as he pulled a long toohpick from his right pocket and began to chew it to keep his mind off of the topic of cigarettes. Can't smoke, or light a fire underwater. No point in trying.

[b]"Whatcha mean, hold your hand? Are you serious?"[/b] He said, his eyebrow still up. She looked at him and nodded up and down, up and down.

[b]"Of course I'm serious, don't I look serious? We're in Sealand, but without Mushu and all the other friendly aquatic animals, Aquaman here just knocked out some weird robed guys, and not to mention the fact that we're probably underwater and the fact that the ground is shaking and-"[/b] She began, her voice getting higher each time. Ruhe almost laughed. She'd gone up what, an entire octave? And in one breath, too.

Sighing, Ruhe chewed on his toothpick for a while before holding out his right hand. On that hand, there were several things. One was a simple silver band around his index finger, another was a silver bangle that bore some words in German, and the third was a black band right underneath it. He flicked his wrist slightly at her.

[b]"If it'll get you to close yer mouth long enough that you don't choke over worry and lack of air."[/b] He said, closing an eye and turning his head to Nathan.

[b]"Ey, Wonderboy, what do we do now? We're like 20,000 leagues under the sea or something. Since you can shoot water or something like that, I say you direct us. Colonel."[/b] Ruhe said, chewing the toothpick with his semi-white teeth patiently as he looked at Nathan, one eye still closed.[/color][/size]