RPG FQFG2: Counter-Terrorism Unit

[Treble]

While most members were gathered up together in the cafeteria to talk about ideas for the Community Event, I was sitting alone in my room. With all these tragic events occurring over a short amount of time, I was troubled and needed someone to talk to. Perhaps Grape Ape could cheer me up with his wise wisdom. With that in mind, I decided to walk around the corridors of CTU to look for Grape Ape.

Suddenly, something treacherous appeared right before my eyes.

[B]Go Go Gadget Anti-Terror Dart!!![/B] I yelled aloud as I spotted a deceiving terrorist standing near Grape Ape and Agent Mother. Both Agent Mother and Grape Ape rushed out of the room to safety as my dart flew towards Terror Stick.

Terror Stick dodged the tranquilizer dart that flew out of my gadget and rushed towards me while pulling out a puny popsicle stick out of his long beard. [I]Was he insane? A popsicle stick?![/I] As I was questioning his choice of weapon to myself, he managed to jab me in the stomach multiple times, which sent me flying towards the concrete wall.

I slowly got back up on my knees, and pulled out another wacky gadget from my jacket.

[B]You fool! You underestimated the power of my incredible stick! [/B] Terror Stick stated boldly as he looked at me directly into the eyes.

[B]“Maybe so… but at least… I was able to distract you long enough from harming my fellow comrades,”[/B] I muttered painfully.

[B]Ha! My almighty stick has already paralyzed the inner chi of your body flow and soon you will be unable to move. Who’s going to protect your teammates now? Eh? Eh?! [/B]Terror Stick shouted fearlessly.

As he was yapping on and on, I immediately attach my healing gadget onto my chest in order to nullify the damage.

Terror Stick knew I was up to something and cautiously walked towards me with his deadly popsicle stick. I wasn’t able to move since I was still injured from his attacks. [I]Was this the end for me?[/I] [I]Am I going to die by a popsicle stick?[/I] These thoughts ran across my mind as I closed my eyes and hoped that Superman will come to rescue me.

Out of the blue, a mysterious figure came in flying.

[B]Take this deceitful terrorist![/B] El Kabong screamed aloud as he swung down on a rope towards the smelly terrorist and landed a few hits with his acoustic guitar.

Terror Stick was surprise by the sudden appearance of the legendary Kabonger, and was not able to dodge the attacks in time. Although injured, Terror Stick was still able to move. Once he got himself up, he rapidly ran directly towards the wall with his little stick and created an enormous hole in the wall where he managed to escape.

[B]Are you all right?![/B] El Kabong questioned as he approached me.

[B]“I should be fine after a few days of healing”[/B] I said softly. [B]“Tell Grape Ape I will not be able to assist him in coming up with ideas for the Community Event, because I’m going to need a lot of rest for the next few days. And stay alert for any other terror attacks.”[/B]

[B]“Roger that, soldier!”[/B] El Kabong replied as he carried my injured body to the medical center of CTU.

[Terror Stick]

[B][FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=2]Treble's face showed an expression of pure jubilation as he stared off into space, he had defeated the mighty Terror Stick with the help of El Kabong and won a great victory for his team as well as saving the lives of two of his superiors. He was a hero. He was later awarded the medal of honor and a purple heart, and given a long leave to rest and recover from his injuries. The trip he would take would lead him to the popular vacation spot of Hawaii, and in only a weeks time he would meet his future wife, world famous super model, Cindy Crawford. Upon returning to the United States he'd throw his hat into the political ring and run for President, and win. In the coming years he would change the world, bring peace in the middle east, be instrumental in the creation of cures for diseases thought incurable at this time, and stop world hunger. He would be a hero to the entire world! Treble's face lit up with joy, pride, and accomplishment as he thought of it all.

[COLOR="Red"]"What's his problem?"[/COLOR] a voice suddenly said breaking his concentration.

Terror Stick was standing before him with a still shocked looking Mother and still in the dark Grape Ape.

[COLOR="Red"]"Why is he staring at me strangely, smiling like an idiot?"[/COLOR]

Treble finally was shaken out of his delusion and forgot that he was simply accompanying Mother to the office of commander Grape Ape and began to feel embarrassed.

[COLOR="purple"]"Don't worry about him, he does that a lot. He has a wild imagination and sometimes has difficulty telling the difference between the real world and his fantasy life. Last time he thought he was having sex with Cindy Crawford, but in actuality he was trying to penetrate the ear of a sleeping camel with his, uh... Go Go 'Gadget' below."[/COLOR]

Terror Stick laughed at Treble's stupidity and fantasy driven actions. Treble felt embarrassed beyond what anyone could possibly imagine. Treble ran screaming and crying from the room with snot bubbles popping on his face as he ran into everything possible before finally making it back to his room to collapse on the floor in a heap in front of his door and cry himself to sleep.

[COLOR="purple"]"So where were we?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR="Red"]"Well, Mother, don't you have anything to say?"
[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT][/B]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

"[COLOR="Red"][B]Well, Mother, don't you have anything to say?[/B][/COLOR]"

Mother did indeed have something to say, but she didn't know where to begin. She felt as if someone had tossed ice cold water on her. It just wasn't possible. But obviously it was since here he was in Grape Ape's office no less, dirty and unkempt as well as sporting a beard instead of the clean shaven look that he use to favor. [I]How did he end up with the terrorists? [/I] Mother had long ago resigned herself to the possibility that she would never see him again when he had vanished. With a negligible shake of her head she regained her composure.

"[B]Of course I have something to say.[/B]" Mother finally spoke. "[B]You've been missing for so long that everyone thought you were dead! Why did you join the terrorists?[/B]"

Grape Ape just continued to look a bit surprised and slightly confused. Mother's file did not mention a missing and presumed dead father. It had just been assumed that he was deceased.

At the time when she had joined the CTU it had never crossed Mother's mind to mention it. After all, like her, her father would have never joined the terrorists. [I]Is this because of those strokes he had before he vanished? Or have they somehow brainwashed him? [/I] Mother didn't know what to think.

"[B][COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Mother, just what is going on?[/COLOR][/B]" Grape Ape finally spoke up while Terror Stick just kept grinning slyly.

"[B]It's simple Grape Ape, this is my father. Samuel. He suffered several strokes about ten years ago and shortly afterwards disappeared. We searched for him but never found him. It was thought that he had wandered off, had another stroke and died. But obviously a body was never found.[/B]"

Terror Stick stroked his beard as he spoke. "[COLOR="Red"][B]You see Grape Ape? I do not lie, I was lost in the desert when the terrorists found me. They knew of Mother and wished to use me to kill you. I have patiently waited for the chance to come here and escape.[/B][/COLOR]"

"[B][COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Well this is certainly a surprise, but still Terror Stick, if you've been with the terrorists for such a long time I find it hard to believe that you did not have a chance to defect sooner.[/COLOR][/B]"

Mother just stared at them for a moment, looking at one and then back at the other until finally her eyes rested on her father. "[B]Terror Stick? What kind of name is that?[/B]" She sighed not sure what to think anymore. "[B]I don't know what to say Grape Ape. As much as I know my father is a good man, he was never the type to grow a beard or not take a bath either.[/B]"

She looked away a bit. "[B]I'm sorry Father, but it probably would be best if you get cleaned up and are put in a cell to be debriefed. We need to determine just what they did to you all this time. As well as having the doctor check you as well.[/B]"

Mother turned to leave but not before saying one more thing. "[B]I'm sorry Grape Ape, I need some time alone to think about this. All I ask is that you please keep in mind that he's probably not himself anymore.[/B]"

[Shy]

I escorted Gadget to the sick bay, my fourth trip this week. With Mother obviously distracted by our new “visitor” and Ploppy away on important business it looked like I was responsible for looking after the confused and disoriented agent. In all of my time of knowing Gadget he had never been anything but reliable and coherent. I began to wonder if perhaps something sinister was taking place without the Counter-Terrorism Unit realizing it.

“[b]Terror -- Error! Terror -- Error!…[/b]” Gadget began repeating this phrase endlessly as I placed him onto one of the beds.

I poured a glass of water and was about to drink it when the room began to tremble. My hand slipped, pouring the liquid all over my injured comrade.

“[b]Whoops![/b]” I said, [b]”Sorry about that.“[/b]

To my surprise Gadget did not react at all. He merely kept repeating that same nonsense about terror as the water dripped down his face and onto his trench coat.

Sanguinius rushed into the room.

“[b]Grape Ape! Drei picked up minor seismic activity coming from the Terrorist Cell.[/b]”

“[b]You mean they were hit by an earthquake?[/b]”

“[b]It’s far too weak to be a quake, even a small one. We think it was some kind of explosive.[/b]”

I nodded my head. [I]Of course![/I] It appeared Janus’ mission was much more… exciting than I had originally planned it. I only hoped that the CTU agents remained unharmed.

“[b]Very interesting news, Sanguinius. Please keep me posted.[/b]”

“[b]Terror -- Error! Terror -- Error![/b]”

Sanguinius stared at Gadget, obviously confused.

“[b]Is this guy alright?[/b]”

Small electrical sparks began shooting out of Gadget’s eyes.

“[b]Terror -- Error! Terror -- Error![/b]”

“[b]I’m not sure. You wouldn’t happen to be an expert in robotics, would you?[/b]”

There was a moment of silence.

“[b]I don’t understand, Grape Ape. Exactly what [I]is[/I] Gadget?[/b]”

I pulled a chair closer to Gadget’s chair and motioned for Sanguinius to sit down.

“[b]I think you’ve proven your loyalty. It’s time I let you in on one of the biggest secrets in OtakuBoards History...[/b]”

“[b]Years ago the OtakuBoards Counter-Terrorism Unit had begun developing a highly advanced member substitute: The OtakuBots. These OtakuBots could take the form and posting style of any member, and were used to take over the duties of moderation when the real mods were away from the site….[/b]”

The agent’s eyes widened in disbelief as I told him the tale. This was obviously a lot for anyone, even an experienced member like Sanguinius, to take in.

“[b]…They were incredibly cunning, durable, and lifelike, so much so that nobody had realized that these OtakuBots were systematically kidnapping and replacing prominent staff members. If it weren’t for a fault in Zehbot’s programming we may have never realized what was happening. The OtakuBot revolution was short-lived, but Ploppy kept several models to… [I]experiment[/I] with.[/b]”

“[b]Are you saying what I think you’re saying?[/b]”

I lowered my head in shame.

“[b]That’s right. Agent Gadget, also known as Treble, is really a reconfigured OtakuBot from an older version of the site. The real Treble has been missing in action for years, and now…[/b]”

“[b]-- Terror -- Error! Terror -- Error![/b]”

“[b]I’m afraid this artificial version seems to be experiencing some sort of malfunction.[/b]”

Agent Sanguinius smashed his fist against Gadget’s bed.

“[b]I knew it![/b]” he shouted, “[b]This explains all of the weird equipment I saw in the underground Terrorist Cell.[/b]”

“[b]What?[/b]”

“[b]When I worked with Charlie Bin Laden he always seemed to be toying around with strange pieces of equipment. I was never allowed to know what they were… I think they’re working on something -- something BIG.[/b]”

"[b]You think they're building OtakuBots of their own?[/b]"

"[b]Not only that,[/b]" he replied as he began pacing around the room, "[b]I think they may have come up with a way to override the default programming! I'm not sure, though. Webster is the communications expert in the group and he's away on business...[/b]"

"[b]And Ploppy is gone as well. How on Earth can we get to the bottom of this?[/b]"

Sanguinius saluted me.

"[b]Don't worry, Grape Ape. Whatever might be overriding Gadget's programming would need an extremely powerful signal to do so. I think I know just who to turn to for help...[/b]"

[Aaryanna_Mom]

Mother, after the disturbing events in Grape Ape's office as well as other events on the boards went to her room and started packing her bags. It didn't take long, since she didn't have much. Then she sent a message for both Crystia and Fluff her daughter to join her. Waiting patiently until they arrived.

"[B]Hey! What are you doing? Why are you leaving Mom? It's not because of that old man claiming he's your father is it? I mean come on! Even I know he has to be a fake.[/B]" Fluff said.

"[B]No hun that's not it at all.[/B]" Mother pointed to a thread: The Daily Jihad--[B]M--[VSL][/B] and then to their own thread: FQFG2: Counter-Terrorism Unit [B][PG][/B]

Both Crystia and Fluff looked at the ratings, their mouths opening in a slight [B]O[/B] of understanding.

"[B]That is why. I have tried to be patient, to be understanding, but this is not what I signed up for. What's the point in having a rating system if one is going to turn around and change the rules in the middle of the game?[/B]" Mother shook her head sadly.

"[B]I see, will you be taking Fluff with you then?[/B]" Crystia asked.

"[B]No, I understand the two of you have been working on an event together, so I want to ask you to look out for her for me Crystia.[/B]"

Crystia nodded that she would. "[B]I understand Mother. I promise that I'll do my best to protect Fluff.[/B]"

"[B]Hey![/B]" Fluff spoke up! "[B]I'm old enough to take care of myself you know! I'm fifteen![/B]"

Mother just ruffled her hair while Fluff pouted a bit. Then she handed her letter of resignation to Crystia, "[B]Give that to Grape Ape if you please, I don't want to talk to anyone anymore. No more fighting, no more arguing. I'm going to go back to what I've always done.[/B]"

She gave both of them a fierce hug. And then took herself to the entrance of the CTU where a cab was waiting for her. A few minutes later, Mother was gone for good.

[Wondershot]

A lone guard, posted outside CTU Headquarters.

He is somewhat tired of his work, having completed the books that he had brought with him to pass the time a while ago. The plot and most of the dialogue of "Oryx and Crake" was fresh in his brain, and most of the works of George Orwell had also been ingrained. He was now amusing himself trying to find the prefect adjective to describe the sense of boredom now hanging over his head.

Endless? Massive? Repetitive? Perpetual?

However, that question was interrupted by the arrival of a man, a frightening character with a mane of shaggy white hair and even shaggier, whiter beard. He was carrying a black duffel bag in his right hand and a massive tome in his left. His clothes, consisting of a once white collared shirt and a pair of black suit pants, were tattered and filthy, looking as though they had not been washed in a week, at least. Our lone guard could practically smell him before he saw him. However, his reaction was quick, and brought out his standard issue MP5 to bear against this strange intruder.

"Freeze, Terrorist!"

The man did so, dropping the bag in his right hand but clutching the book in his left ever tighter. The guard advanced and made and effort to snatch the book away from the intruder, but his grip remained firm.

"Unhand that book, now!"

The man did so, and the guard toppled over from the sudden release of pressure. The intruder then proceeded to reach into his pocket with two fingers, and the guard attempted to return his gun to its target, but he was too late, as the intruder produced...

Identification?

The guard looked at the ID, and then back at the man. The ID, then the man again. He repeated this process several times before finally looking at the man in disbelief.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Sir! I had no idea!"

"That's quite all right, as I will admit that my image is currently less than pristine. However, keep in mind that you should not make judgments based on appearance alone."

The man retrieved his bag and accepted the book being handed back to him by the guard. He proceeded to walk in through the front, but then stopped to regard the officer once more.

"Also, the sense of boredom here is almost palpable. You should bring something to amuse yourself next time."

As the man walked off, the officer repeated the adjective to himself and smiled. It was perfect.

Palpable.

It really was him...


Inside headquarters' break room, Agent Starbucks was currently in the process of downing an entire cafe latte in one gulp. Though the caffeine content was a little lower than she would have liked in a drink, she was convinced that drinking at the pace she was would break some kind of record. Taking a moment to breathe through her nose, she continued her epic drink and finally gasped in satisfaction, contents having since disappeared into her stomach. She had done it. She lowered the cup from her face and saw the man with the white hair standing before her.

She screamed and flung the empty cup at his face. It bounced off him harmlessly. He instead cracked a small smile and saluted her in response.

"Agent Webster, reporting for duty."

Starbucks blinked, and then looked at the man claiming to be Webster from head to toe. Perhaps he looked a little different, and his voice was raspier than normal, but she smiled upon realizing who it was.

"Oh! Hey, Agent Webster! Good to see you again!"

Webster frowned in response.

"Again? Have we even met before?"

"I thought we did..."

Webster's brow furrowed in thought.

"Well, now that you mention it, I do think we have met before...although maybe I was a different person...much younger, perhaps..."

A long, awkward silence followed. At least until Starbucks broke it.

"How did your hair get so white?"

Agent Webster reached up to his beard thoughtfully and stroked it. White dust fell from it to reveal his usual black hair.

"It's salt."

"Salt?"

"In Portugal, it is customary to bathe in the ocean, so salt tends to build up all over the body."

More awkward silence. Starbucks, this time more hesitantly, spoke again.

"So...how was your trip?"

Webster put on a strained smile.

"Did you know that Portuguese has multiple different dialects for various regions of the world? As it turns out, the man I was sent to interrogate spoke Portuguese, but a dialect that no one recognized! After going through five or six such attempts at translation, I discovered that he was not actually a terrorist, but a short order cook, and one of his restaurant goers misunderstood his confirmation of an order of a wreckfish skewer with wild rice, fries and olive oil for a threat to detonate a nuclear bomb in the Azores!"

Starbucks tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"And...it took you two weeks to figure this out?"

Webster's expression became more strained.

"No, I learned this within the first day. As the Portuguese government had assumed I would spend the entire two weeks in the interrogation room, they didn't have the money to get me another plane ticket or even a hotel room, so I had to go live in a small farming community on Sao Miguel Island and milk cows eight hours a day to make enough money to pay for the bus into the city to use an internet connection!"

Webster, short of breath from this description, finally stopped to gasp for air before continuing.

"Apart from that, it was good. How have you been?"

Starbucks, somewhat struck, stuttered her response.

"Um, it, was, uh, well, it was pretty good, uh..."

Webster nodded assertively.

"Good, very good. I'm going to go wash all this salt off and shave. Upon doing that, I'll have to report to the Commander and get feedback on my plan for an Event, which I believe I sent out a couple of days ago."

Webster turned to leave, but then spun around again.

"It is good to be back, Agent Starbucks, it really is."

Webster saluted, then spun around and marched off towards the dorms. Starbucks blinked and listened to the sound of his receding footsteps, before smiling and turning her attention to the espresso machine.

Maybe Agent Webster hasn't changed that much...

[Shy]

?[b]Give me a few minutes, Ape?[/b]? Sanguinius said as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a screwdriver, ?[b]A signal like this would require a lot of power, so it?s possible that it?s being powered through OBCTU headquarters somehow.[/b]?

?[b]Terror -- St-- Error!! Terror -- St-- Error![/b]?

He placed his hand on Gadget?s shoulder.

?[b]Do not worry, comrade. I?m going to find El Kabong, and then we?ll simply disable the power until your signal is no longer overridden.[/b]?

?[b]Excellent work, Agent. Keep me posted about your progress.[/b]?

He quickly exited with sick bay. Sanguinius took me by surprise. It seemed only yesterday he was our terrorist prisoner, but now he had become one of my most trusted aides. Perhaps there was hope for the terrorist scum, after all.

Only a moment later Agent Fluff entered. She carried a serious expression on her face, and I instantly knew something was wrong.

?[b]Gape Ape[/b],? she said softly, ?[b]It?s my Mother?[/b]?

A million different thoughts popped into my head, each one more terrible the last.

?[b]Is she okay?[/b]?

?[b]I?m afraid not,[/b]? the young agent replied, handing me a letter, ?[b]She feels the terrorists have gone too far this time. Agent Mother is resigning from her position, and wanted you to have her letter of resignation.[/b]?

I nodded and placed the letter in my pants pocket. With so much still going on I would have to make time to read the note later.

?[b]Very well,[/b]? I said, ?[b]Your Mother was an excellent member of the OBCTU, you know. You have very big shoes to fill, Fluff.[/b]?

Agent Fluff grinned.

?[b]Pssh! Once you see the event that Agent Crystia and I have planned you won?t be thinking that anymore.[/b]?

?[b]Events?![/b]? a familiar voice called out from around the corner, [b]?Don?t leave me out of the conversation![/b]?

Agent Webster popped his head out from behind the corner, starting both Fluff and I.

?[b]Wesbter!? You?re back![/b]? I shouted.

?[b]It would appear so, Grape Ape.[/b]?

?[b]How was Portugal?[/b]?

?[b]Salty. Did you receive my correspondence about my event?[/b]?

I nodded.

?[b]That I did. OtakuBoards Talent Night seems like a very solid idea. Having members post videos, short skits and songs in a competition would be a great deal of fun?[/b]?

Agent Fluff rolled her eyes.

?[b]But I?m afraid at this point in time it may be too involved for the members of OtakuBoards. You see, we need something very accessible which doesn?t require a great deal of commitment. The idea of having members post videos, songs and short skits is really fascinating? but I don?t know if the OB membership can support something like that?[/b]?

Agent Webster sighed.

?[b]?But fortunately for us OB has an extremely large community to draw from. Adam?s recent Haruhi Dance Contest at theOtaku.com proves that there are members who are capable of creating such videos, they might just not be on the boards themselves.[/b]?

?[b]Well I guess that means my event is the winner by default,[/b]? Agent Fluff said with a smile on her face.

?[b]Who is this girl, anyhow?[/b]? Webster asked, [b]She seems to be more than a little on the aggressive side.[/b]?

?[b]Agent Fluff at your service![/b]? She said as she extended her hand towards Webster.

?[b]Oh, I see,[/b]? he moaned, ?[b][I]Charming[/I].[/b]?

I coughed.

?[b]As I was saying? I don?t think it?s a bad idea, there just isn?t the demand for it currently. I?m going to try and discuss it with Adam? perhaps we can launch Otaku Talent Night as an event that crosses over between OB and theOtaku.[/b]?

?[b]That would be wonderful, sir.[/b]?

?[b]Now what about me?[/b]? Fluff asked impatiently.

?[b]Yes, your idea for OtakuBoards Bermuda Triangle was also quite strong. I like how it took something we did last year, the OB Scavenger Hunt, and kind of pushed it to the next level.[/b]

?[b]However, you had also proposed the idea of doing it as a ?Death Card RPG? similar to ?Labyrinth? and ?The Panopticon.? An RPG is unsuitable for this current challenge for a lot of reasons, the main one being that we want to get as many members to participate as possible. Something that members don?t have to sign up for would be much better for this.[/b]?

?[b]I see?[/b]? she replied.

?[b]But having said that I think it will still be quite popular. I suggest three rounds of ten missing items each, and then a final round where the top three (or so) can compete for the top prize. Maybe we can also give them a custom user title or something, assuming they aren?t a staff member or something.[/b]?

?[b]So is OB Bermuda Triangle the one we?re running with?[/b]? Webster asked.

?[b]I believe so, but I?m very serious about doing Otaku Talent Night in the future.[/b]?

Agent Webster saluted and began to walk away.

?[b]I think I?m going to go try to find Sanguinius. I?m sure that without me he?s gotten himself into all kinds of trouble...[/b]?

---

Aaryanna and/or indifference please PM me before you post your event. I'd like to see what your first post looks like.

- [b][color=purple]Grape Ape[/b][/color]

[Wondershot]

Agent Webster, pacing the halls of CTU, couldn't help but notice the fact that his footsteps echoed off the walls more than usual. Perhaps this was owing to the fact that there weren't as many agent walking the hallways as before. Upon reaching the break room, Webster also noted the fact that the room, despite always being full of agents needing their fix of caffiene, sweets, or both, was now devoid of life, despite there being a full pot of coffee wating for its next eager recipient (despite this, Webster doesn't touch the stuff).

Finally, Webster can't help but look disconcertedly at the OBCTU lobby, completely empty. Only a few guards were left posted at the entrances, and their job descriptions prevented them from interacting directly with the agents, so they were more akin to statues than people.

A cricket chirped lonesomely somewhere in the lobby.

"Hey!"

Webster about-faces calmly and sees the junior agent, Fluff, approaching quickly. She gasps for breath upon stopping, and looks around the room before eyeing Webster.

"Webster...where did everyone go?"

Webster looks around, and the cricket continues chirping morosely.

"I don't know, Agent Fluff, this building has not seen new activity for over a week...therefore I suspect that most of the agents have vacated for some reason."

"Why would they do that?"

"I can only hypothesize, Agent Fluff, but I feel pressed to point out that the sudden absence of activity coincided with the induction of your Event."

Agent Fluff glares at Webster angrily.

"I'm sorry, Agent Fluff, that was meant to be humorous, but probably came off as conceited, and I apologize.

Fluff crosses her arms pensively for a moment.

"Accepted, but would you please be serious for a minute?"

"Well, I would have to surmise that since the agents have been left to their own devices, several of them have since developed side projects or other outlets for their energy, which eventually took over their lives and forced their abandonment of their duties as OBCTU members. Your mother was, at the very least, straightforward about it, and resigned formally, but other members probably feel a certain amount of embarrassment at the fact and would rather just let the CTU evaporate on its own."

Fluff pauses. This is turning out to be a lot to take in.

"Admittedly, I am one of the examples of this, as I was once absent for several years as a result of just such a side project, and my recent excursion to Portugal is just a reinforcement of the fact. I'm also developing another creative project by myself, and I am sure you are working on something similar."

Fluff places her hands on her hips and stares at Webster.

"Yeah, but, the event and everything...it all seemed to be going so well."

"Well, the temprament of the OB community is a hard thing to gauge. Sometimes these things just happen."

"Right..."

"However, the important thing is not to give up hope. I will participate in your event once some of my other business is concluded, if you so desire, and we will make an effort to restore the CTU to its former glory. I'm sure Commander Grape Ape feels the same way."

Fluff pauses to consider this, then smiles slightly as Webster snaps her a salute. She laughs slightly through her response.

"Well, Agent Webster, you'd better drum up hype for my event and make sure some of the other senior agents get back here, cause I'm going to seek you out if you don't."

"Of course, Agent Fluff."

"And Webster?..."

A long pause as Fluff considers her words.

"I'd say that it's been a pretty fun experience, even if it ends now. Am I right?"

"You are, Agent Fluff."

Webster then allows the briefest smile to crack his face as he turns away on his heel. He speaks over his shoulder to Fluff.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll try and catch that cricket."

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="goldenrod"]Fluff watched Agent Webster chase after the lone cricket before turning to go and find Agent Crystia, it was almost time to start the next round of the event they were running.

"[B]Hmph![/B]" She said to herself, not caring what others thought if she was seen talking to herself, or rather in this case to Aaryanna who was following along, cocking her head to the side as she listened to her mistress.

"[B]What did they expect? Stupid Old Man, he should have done something when those stupid terrorists started breaking the rules. Right?[/B]" She told Aaryanna.

She glanced at the coffee that had been abandoned in the lobby before leaving. Pity that she did not care for the stuff. Fluff had tried it once, but damn if it didn't taste terrible! She continued on her way to Crystia's and Thone's shared room. Now that she thought about it she hadn't seen Throne in a while either. She knew he was active though, he was the first person to be a part of the event her and Crystia were running.

"[B]Why are adults such idiots Aaryanna?[/B]" Fluff growled. "[B]I swear, you'd think they'd keep to their commitments or at least tell the Old Man they don't want to be agents anymore.[/B]"

Aaryanna just whined a bit.

Agent Fluff knocked on the door to Agent Crystia's room, smiling when she answered. "[B]Good timing Agent Fluff, I was about to come and find you. We need to go over the clues for next week."[/B]

Agent Fluff and Aaryanna entered the room and then the door closed behind them, Throne was no where to been seen. Not that it mattered. Fluff pulled out her sheet with the information written on it.

"[B]All right, lets get to work.[/B]"[/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[size=1][color=red]Note:[/color] For a little more background on what?s happened, check out my last post in the Terrorist thread as it fits with what?s happened here.

?[b]-- Terror -- Error! Terror -- Error![/b]?

Sanguinius sighed and removed the uppermost portion of Gadget?s skull, exposing a thrumming cybernetic brain beneath. He paused for a moment to watch the electronic display, it was very impressive and had an almost magical appearance to it. Even now this kind of AI was revolutionary, but he couldn?t even imagine what kind of genius it would take to have created something like this in the first place.

?[b]-- Terror -- Error! Terror -- Error![/b]?

He?d considered gagging the robot, just to prevent it from repeating the same phrase over and over, but Sanguinius couldn?t help but feel there was something pertinent to the mad droid?s speech. El Kabong obviously knew a lot more about the tech than he did, but he knew enough to be able to check out the structural features of the android, as well as some of it?s more basic algorithms. He removed a wireless jack from a nearby desk and inserted it into Gadget?s auxiliary in port. The agent assumed it was used to input or extract information from the OtakuBot when necessary.

Information began to show up onto the screen nearly immediately, and to Sanguinius immense gratitude the automaton agent fell silent, it?s eyes closing to give the appearance of REM sleep. He turned to examine the data flooding across the monitor in front of him. Most of it was just rudimentary commands for basic actions and interactions, but he could see the overriding signal had entered nearly every facet of Gadget?s programming. It was worrying, what had happened to their artificial agent was similar to the mental conditioning of a biological agent. Shutting him down would probably be the best thing to do, at least until they could remove the signal.

Moving on to the next monitor Sanguinius began to examine Gadget?s physical structure. A green light pulsed over the android bringing up data on it?s schematics, everything looked eerily human, synthetic bones, muscles, blood. If not for it?s problem, Sanguinius would have doubtless continued to believe Gadget was a normal human same as everyone else. He lifted a cup of coffee to his lips as the scan continued. Everything seemed perfectly normal... until the image of it?s heart loaded up, the shock of which caused Sanguinius to drop the cup from his hands. Against the background sound of splintering clay Sanguinius saw what he instantly recognised to be a tiny fission bomb, like the ones the terrorists had used in their briefcase bombs...

?[b]Oh my God, I?ve got to warn...[/b]? Agent Sanguinius never got to complete his sentence, as Gadget?s hand came sharply down on the back of his neck, leaving him unconscious on the lab floor.

?[b]Phase One programming activated.[/b]?

Moving out of the lab Gadget headed for the nearest elevator, he?d already hacked into the CTU computer network and knew that Grape Ape was in his office.

[b][u]SAME TIME, GRAPE APE?S OFFICE[/b][/u]

?[b]Then let the infidel be judged. Prime the generators.[/b]?

Grape and the rest of the CTU staff watched with a muted horror as Charlie Bin Laden prepared to execute their fellow agent Janus. The commander?s knuckles had gone white from the intensity with which he had balled his hands into fists. Crystia was shielding Fluff?s eyes, while Starbucks, Wanderlust, Webster, Throne and the others looked on without word. None of them had been aware of their mission, save Grape Ape himself, and he knew there wasn?t a damn thing he could do about it.

?[b]May Jenovah punish him for all eternity then, throw the switch[/b]?

There were a dozen different reactions as they watched Gavin?s execution, tears, gasps and prayers. Grape himself said nothing, inside he could only blame himself for the death of one of his oldest friends.

?[b]Turn it off.[/b]? The rage in Throne?s voice was clear as he watched the Terrorist?s cheer at Janus?s apparent death.

As he was about to shut off the monitor, the most awful laughter he had ever heard poured out, it was mocking and threatening at the same time, and worst of all, it was Gavin?s. He watched in an even more pronounced horror as the Irishman?s head raised slowly up again and began to speak, outlining how the agent that had apparently returned to CTU was not human at all, but a modified Terrorist OtakuBot... instantly he thought of Gadget.

?[b]Goodbye Charlie[/b]? Then the monitor filled with static.

?[b]This is Grape Ape, all personnel be advised, Agent Gadget is to be viewed as a hostile and be captured on sight. Repeat detain Agent Gadget, that is an order.[/b]?

?[b]No need.[/b]?

The purple simian watched as Gadget walked calmly through the doors of Grape Ape?s office. Thone attempted to tackle him, but a sharp strike to the jaw sent him flying against the wall. The android sat down in the now unoccupied chair in front of the commander and allowed him the first words.

?[b]Gavin ?[/b]?

?[b]Indeed[/b]?

?[b]Why ?[/b]? But in reality he already knew the answer.

?[b]Because you couldn?t. But more than that, it?s because I?m not the Gavin you knew so many years ago. Early on when I was working with Charles, he developed a virus that he believed would destroy all those who opposed it. He hoped that it would cause people to hate CTU and only accept his reign, because of it?s intentions to destroy the fabric of OtakuBoards, he called it the ?KUJA? virus...[/b]? Josh exhaled derisively. Gavin merely continued.

?[b]I had earned enough trust to get to work on the base level of the project. Unfortunately Charlie believed that all his followers would be immune to the effects of the virus because they had made the conscious choice to follow him... you can see where the problem lay with me. The fact I was a mole meant I was not consciously loyal to him, so when I was used as test subject, there was a distinct side effect.[/b]?

?[b]What side effect ?[/b]?

?[b]Put simply, I developed a hatred for everything in relation to OtakuBoards. As a CTU agent I was dedicated to destroying the Terrorists, and after being exposed to the KUJA virus I became dedicated to destroying CTU and Otaku City. I became obsessed with destroying everything, terrorists, CTU and normal people. I couldn?t fight what I became, so I embraced it. And now thanks to you and Charlie, I?m one step closer to achieving my goal.[/b]?

?[b]Your new codename was rather apt then...[/b]?

Janus/Gadget merely smiled.

?[b]Goodbye Josh[/b]?

[center]||||||||||[/center]

For what happens after ?Goodbye Josh, check out the Terrorist thread.[/size]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="goldenrod"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]o_O I swear you guys in this rp are nuts! XP Now I'm gonna have to hunt you down and smack you Gavin. Feh! [spoiler]starts going over her top secret orders from James while shaking her head over the realization that they would even be necessary [/spoiler]

And I'll leave just what those orders are up to your imagination. :p Also... You guys need to help out at the Bermuda Triangle! There's still plenty of items left to be found. So start hunting! ^_^[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[quote name='Aaryanna'][COLOR="goldenrod"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]And I'll leave just what those orders are up to your imagination. :p Also... You guys need to help out at the Bermuda Triangle! There's still plenty of items left to be found. So start hunting! ^_^[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]I would have sooner, but some of those clues you've come up with are wicked hard Aaryanna... or maybe I'm just a little dense. :animesmil[/SIZE]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]I would have sooner, but some of those clues you've come up with are wicked hard Aaryanna... or maybe I'm just a little dense. :animesmil[/SIZE][/QUOTE]It was deliberate actually, both of us tried to make clues where at least some of them weren't totally obvious. And since people seem to miss it, it's not just about keywords but also about what method one uses to search. I would imagine that most people just use keywords to search and yet there are many other ways to sort information here at OB.

So some of those clues have nothing to do with the actual thread but rather how one would find that thread. ;) [/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[quote name='indifference'][COLOR="Indigo"]It was deliberate actually, both of us tried to make clues where at least some of them weren't totally obvious. And since people seem to miss it, it's not just about keywords but also about what method one uses to search. [B]I would imagine that most people just use keywords to search and yet there are many other ways to sort information here at OB[/B].

So some of those clues have nothing to do with the actual thread but rather how one would find that thread. ;) [/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]Well I admit I usually just threw what seemed the most important word into the seach engine and checked to see if there was an image hyperlink in the first line of the thread.

I'll have to try and think outside the box from now on as I did come second or third in the Scavenger Hunt.[/SIZE]

[Shy]

I slapped Terror Stick across the face repeatedly, hoping to revive his frail, wooden body. Gavin’s explosion had decimated headquarters, blasting the captive Terror Stick into the next time zone. How ironic it was that our greatest setback would be caused not by our sworn enemies, but from the new threat of Janus.

Terror Stick was lucky to be in one peace, although it was clear that the attack had caused him severe brain damage. Fluff, Crystia and myself watched in horror as the terrorist continued shouting random insults and phrases, each more offensive than the last.

“[b]Are you sure we should even bother with him?[/b]” Crystia asked, her eyebrow raised.

I paused for a moment.

“[b]Our compassion is what separates us from the terrorists…[/b]” I replied, “[b]Do what you can to make him comfortable, and then gag him. There‘s no reason to listen to anything he says.[/b]”

Agent Fluff stuffed one of Aaryanna’s chew toys into the terrorist's mouth.

“[b]I’ve been on OB for years, Grape Ape. I know how to use the ignore button.[/b]”

Headquarters were almost unrecognizable. The once pristine and beautiful CTU base was now a smoldering pile of ash and rubble. I was thankful that there had been so few injuries, but it was impossible to deny the damage that had been caused to the team’s morale. Even Starbucks, whose positive demeanor was the result of a severe caffeine addiction, was mourning the loss of the base with the rest of us.

We all had a million different questions running through our heads but my immediate thoughts were with the comrades I sent into the Terrorist Cell. I only hoped they were as fortunate as the rest of us.

Agent Webster signaled for me as he and Sanguinius unearthed something out of the ground.

“[b]Grape Ape, I do believe we have found him,[/b]” Webster said.

“[b]What is it you found?[/b]”

The two pushed aside a small pile of rubble to reveal Gadget’s disembodied mechanical head.

“[b]System reboot -- 45% complete.[/b]” Gadget announced.

“[b]He survived the explosion?! But how?[/b]”

Sanguinius inspected it closely.

“[b]It looks like Gadget’s head is still functioning. We should be able to attach this to a new body without much trouble.[/b]”

“[b]Well at least we have some good news to come out of this whole mess.[/b]”

Sanguinius’ eyes winced as he continued inspecting Gadget’s remains. Something was obviously upsetting him.

“[b]Did I say something wrong?[/b]”

“[b]…[/b]”

Now the entire group was staring at me with the same look of contempt. Even the dog.

“[b]It’s not you, Grape Ape,[/b]” Shades said as he pointed behind me. “[b]It’s [I]them[/I].[/b]”

“[b]Hello Grapey,[/b]” a familiar female voice called to me, “[b]It looks like you haven‘t kept up on the housekeeping since Mother left, eh?[/b]”

I turned around to discover Japan and the entire Terrorist Cell standing before me. Charlie Bin Laden and I locked eyes before nodding our heads in an unspoken agreement.

“[b]The war on Ultra-Fun has passed, just as the great cat oracles predicted it would generations ago,[/b]” he waved his hands around in a dramatic set of gestures as he spoke, “[b]The true threat has revealed itself, and together [PG]-rated vengeance shall be ours![/b]”

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]Bah, I nuke both bases and kill nobody ?! Bloody crap terrorist nukes. Oh well, that was just the first strike.[/SIZE]